Skeletal dosimetry models for alpha-particles for use in molecular radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watchman, Christopher J.

Molecular radiotherapy is a cancer treatment methodology whereby a radionuclide is combined with a biologically active molecule to preferentially target cancer cells. Alpha-particle emitting radionuclides show significant potential for use in molecular radiotherapy due to the short range of the alpha-particles in tissue and their high rates of energy deposition. Current radiation dosimetry models used to assess alpha emitter dose in the skeleton were developed originally for occupational applications. In medical dosimetry, individual variability in uptake, translocation and other biological factors can result in poor correlation of clinical outcome with marrow dose estimates determined using existing skeletal models. Methods presented in this work were developed in response to the need for dosimetry models which account for these biological and patient-specific factors. Dosimetry models are presented for trabecular bone alpha particle dosimetry as well as a model for cortical bone dosimetry. These radiation transport models are the 3D chord-based infinite spongiosa transport model (3D-CBIST) and the chord-based infinite cortical transport model (CBICT), respectively. Absorbed fraction data for several skeletal tissues for several subjects are presented. Each modeling strategy accounts for biological parameters, such as bone marrow cellularity, not previously incorporated into alpha-particle skeletal dosimetry models used in radiation protection. Using these data a study investigating the variability in alpha-particle absorbed fractions in the human skeleton is also presented. Data is also offered relating skeletal tissue masses in individual bone sites for a range of ages. These data are necessary for dose calculations and have previously only been available as whole body tissue masses. A revised 3D-CBIST model is also presented which allows for changes in endosteum thickness to account for revised target cell location of tissues involved in the radiological

Detection of 210Po on filter papers 16 years after use for the collection of short-lived radon progeny in a room.

PubMed

Abu-Jarad, F; Fazal-ur-Rehman

2003-01-01

Radon gas was allowed to accumulate in its radium source and then injected into a 36 m(3) test room, resulting in an initial radon concentration of 15 kBq m(-3). Filter papers were used to collect the short-lived radon progeny and thus to measure the Potential Alpha Energy Concentration (PAEC) in-situ in the year 1984 at different times and conditions according to the experimental design. The radon progeny collected on the filter papers were studied as a function of aerosol particle concentration ranging from 10(2)-10(5) particles cm(-3) in three different experiments. The highest aerosol particle concentration was generated by indoor cigarette smoking. Those filters were stored after the experiment, and were used after 16 years to study the activity of the radon long-lived alpha emitter progeny, (210)Po (T(1/2)=138 days). This isotope is separated from the short-lived progeny by (210)Pb beta emitter with 22.3 years half-life. After 16 years' storage of these filters, each filter paper was sandwiched and wrapped between two CR-39 nuclear track detectors, to put the detectors in contact with the surfaces of different filters, for 337 days. Correlation between the PAEC measured using filter papers in the year 1984 and the activity of long-lived alpha emitter (210)Po on the same filter papers measured in the year 2000 were studied. The results of the (210)Po activity showed a very good correlation of 0.92 with the PAEC 16 years ago. The results also depict that the PAEC and (210)Po activity in indoor air increased with the increase of aerosol particle concentration, which shows the attachment of short-lived radon progeny with the aerosol particles. The experiment proves that indoor cigarette smoking is a major source of aerosol particles carrying radon progeny and, thus, indoor cigarette smoking is an additional source of internal radiation hazard to the occupants whether smoker or non-smoker.

Imaging alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

Anderson, D.F.

1980-10-29

A method and apparatus for detecting and imaging alpha particles sources is described. A dielectric coated high voltage electrode and a tungsten wire grid constitute a diode configuration discharge generator for electrons dislodged from atoms or molecules located in between these electrodes when struck by alpha particles from a source to be quantitatively or qualitatively analyzed. A thin polyester film window allows the alpha particles to pass into the gas enclosure and the combination of the glass electrode, grid and window is light transparent such that the details of the source which is imaged with high resolution and sensitivity by the sparks produced can be observed visually as well. The source can be viewed directly, electronically counted or integrated over time using photographic methods. A significant increase in sensitivity over other alpha particle detectors is observed, and the device has very low sensitivity to gamma or beta emissions which might otherwise appear as noise on the alpha particle signal.

Imaging alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

Anderson, David F.

1985-01-01

A method and apparatus for detecting and imaging alpha particles sources is described. A conducting coated high voltage electrode (1) and a tungsten wire grid (2) constitute a diode configuration discharge generator for electrons dislodged from atoms or molecules located in between these electrodes when struck by alpha particles from a source (3) to be quantitatively or qualitatively analyzed. A thin polyester film window (4) allows the alpha particles to pass into the gas enclosure and the combination of the glass electrode, grid and window is light transparent such that the details of the source which is imaged with high resolution and sensitivity by the sparks produced can be observed visually as well. The source can be viewed directly, electronically counted or integrated over time using photographic methods. A significant increase in sensitivity over other alpha particle detectors is observed, and the device has very low sensitivity to gamma or beta emissions which might otherwise appear as noise on the alpha particle signal.

Deep UV emitting scintillators for alpha and beta particle detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Y.; Jia, D. D.; Lewis, L. A.; Feofilov, S. P.; Meltzer, R. S.

2011-03-01

Several deep UV emitting scintillators, whose emission falls in the solar blind region of the spectrum (200-280 nm), are described and their scintillator properties are characterized. They include LaPO 4:Pr, YPO 4:Pr, YAlO 3:Pr, Pr(PO 3) 3, YPO 4:Bi and ScPO 4. These materials would facilitate the detection of ionizing radiation in open areas, even during the daylight hours, and could be used to support large area surveys that monitor for the presence of ionization radiation due, for example, to system leaks or transfer contamination. These materials can be used in the form of powders, thin films or paints for radiation detection. They are characterized for both beta radiation using electron beams (2-35 keV) and 137Cs and alpha radiations using 241Am sources. Their absolute light yields are estimated and are compared to that of Y 2SiO 5:Ce. Their light yields decrease as a function of electron energy but at 10 keV they approach 8000 ph/MeV.

Photon hormesis deactivates alpha-particle induced bystander effects between zebrafish embryos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C. Y. P.; Cheng, S. H.; Yu, K. N.

2017-04-01

In the present work, we studied the effects of low-dose X-ray photons on the alpha-particle induced bystander effects between embryos of the zebrafish, Danio rerio. The effects on the naive whole embryos were studied through quantification of apoptotic signals (amounts of cells undergoing apoptosis) at 24 h post fertilization (hpf) using vital dye acridine orange staining, followed by counting the stained cells under a fluorescent microscope. We report data showing that embryos at 5 hpf subjected to a 4.4 mGy alpha-particle irradiation could release a stress signal into the medium, which could induce bystander effect in partnered naive embryos sharing the same medium. We also report that the bystander effect was deactivated when the irradiated embryos were subjected to a concomitant irradiation of 10 or 14 mGy of X-rays, but no such deactivation was achieved if the concomitant X-ray dose dropped to 2.5 or 5 mGy. In the present study, the significant drop in the amount of apoptotic signals on the embryos having received 4.4 mGy alpha particles together X-rays irradiation from 2.5 or 5 mGy to 10 or 14 mGy, together with the deactivation of RIBE with concomitant irradiation of 10 or 14 mGy of X-rays supported the participation of photon hormesis with an onset dose between 5 and 10 mGy, which might lead to removal of aberrant cells through early apoptosis or induction of high-fidelity DNA repair. As we found that photons and alpha particles could have opposite biological effects when these were simultaneously irradiated onto living organisms, these ionizing radiations could be viewed as two different environmental stressors, and the resultant effects could be regarded as multiple stressor effects. The present work presented the first study on a multiple stressor effect which occurred on bystander organisms. In other words, this was a non-targeted multiple stressor effect. The photon hormesis could also explain some failed attempts to observe neutron-induced bystander

Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 210Po alpha-particles versus X-rays on lethality in bovine endothelial cells.

PubMed

Thomas, P A; Tracy, B L; Ping, T; Wickstrom, M; Sidhu, N; Hiebert, L

2003-02-01

Alpha-radiation from polonium-210 ((210)Po) can elevate background radiation dose by an order of magnitude in people consuming large quantities of meat and seafood, particularly caribou and reindeer. Because up to 50% of the ingested (210)Po body burden is initially found in the blood, a primary target for the short range alpha-particles is the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. This study examined the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of (210)Po alpha-particles versus 250 kVp X-rays in producing injury to cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Radiation effects on cells were measured in four different ways: the percentage viable cells by trypan blue dye exclusion, the number of live cells, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release to medium and the ability to form colonies (clonogenic survival). Comparison of dose-response curves yielded RBE values of 13.1+/-2.5 (SEM) for cell viability, 10.3+/-1.0 for live cell number and 11.1+/-3.0 for LDH activity. The RBE values for clonogenic survival were 14.0+/-1.0 based on the ratio of the initial slopes of the dose-response curves and 13.1, 9.9 and 7.7 for 50, 10 and 1% survival rate, respectively. At X-ray doses <0.25 Gy, a pronounced stimulatory effect on proliferation was noted. Exposure to (210)Po alpha-particles was seven to 14 times more effective than X-ray exposure in causing endothelial cell damage.

In vitro cell irradiation systems based on 210Po alpha source: construction and characterisation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szabo, J.; Feher, I.; Palfalvi, J.; Balashazy, I.; Dam, A. M.; Polonyi, I.; Bogdandi, E. N.

2002-01-01

One way of studying the risk to human health of low-level radiation exposure is to make biological experiments on living cell cultures. Two 210Po alpha-particle emitting devices, with 0.5 and 100 MBq activity, were designed and constructed to perform such experiments irradiating monolayers of cells. Estimates of dose rate at the cell surface were obtained from measurements by a PIPS alpha-particle spectrometer and from calculations by the SRIM 2000, Monte Carlo charged particle transport code. Particle fluence area distributions were measured by solid state nuclear track detectors. The design and dosimetric characterisation of the devices are discussed. c2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of alpha-particles on survival and chromosomal aberrations in human mammary epithelial cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durante, M.; Grossi, G. F.; Gialanella, G.; Pugliese, M.; Nappo, M.; Yang, T. C.

1995-01-01

We have studied the radiation responses of a human mammary epithelial cell line, H184B5 F5-1 M/10. This cell line was derived from primary mammary cells after treatment with chemicals and heavy ions. The F5-1 M/10 cells are immortal, density-inhibited in growth, and non-tumorigenic in athymic nude mice and represent an in vitro model of the human epithelium for radiation studies. Because epithelial cells are the target of alpha-particles emitted from radon daughters, we concentrated our studies on the efficiency of alpha-particles. Confluent cultures of M/10 cells were exposed to accelerated alpha-particles [beam energy incident at the cell monolayer = 3.85 MeV, incident linear energy transfer (LET) in cell = 109 keV/microns] and, for comparison, to 80 kVp x-rays. The following endpoints were studied: (1) survival, (2) chromosome aberrations at the first postirradiation mitosis, and (3) chromosome alterations at later passages following irradiation. The survival curve was exponential for alpha-particles (D0 = 0.73 +/- 0.04 Gy), while a shoulder was observed for x-rays (alpha/beta = 2.9 Gy; D0 = 2.5 Gy, extrapolation number 1.6). The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of high-LET alpha-particles for human epithelial cell killing was 3.3 at 37% survival. Dose-response curves for the induction of chromosome aberrations were linear for alpha-particles and linearquadratic for x-rays. The RBE for the induction of chromosome aberrations varied with the type of aberration scored and was high (about 5) for chromosome breaks and low (about 2) for chromosome exchanges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Effects of alpha-particles on survival and chromosomal aberrations in human mammary epithelial cells.

PubMed

Durante, M; Grossi, G F; Gialanella, G; Pugliese, M; Nappo, M; Yang, T C

1995-08-01

We have studied the radiation responses of a human mammary epithelial cell line, H184B5 F5-1 M/10. This cell line was derived from primary mammary cells after treatment with chemicals and heavy ions. The F5-1 M/10 cells are immortal, density-inhibited in growth, and non-tumorigenic in athymic nude mice and represent an in vitro model of the human epithelium for radiation studies. Because epithelial cells are the target of alpha-particles emitted from radon daughters, we concentrated our studies on the efficiency of alpha-particles. Confluent cultures of M/10 cells were exposed to accelerated alpha-particles [beam energy incident at the cell monolayer = 3.85 MeV, incident linear energy transfer (LET) in cell = 109 keV/microns] and, for comparison, to 80 kVp x-rays. The following endpoints were studied: (1) survival, (2) chromosome aberrations at the first postirradiation mitosis, and (3) chromosome alterations at later passages following irradiation. The survival curve was exponential for alpha-particles (D0 = 0.73 +/- 0.04 Gy), while a shoulder was observed for x-rays (alpha/beta = 2.9 Gy; D0 = 2.5 Gy, extrapolation number 1.6). The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of high-LET alpha-particles for human epithelial cell killing was 3.3 at 37% survival. Dose-response curves for the induction of chromosome aberrations were linear for alpha-particles and linearquadratic for x-rays. The RBE for the induction of chromosome aberrations varied with the type of aberration scored and was high (about 5) for chromosome breaks and low (about 2) for chromosome exchanges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alpha Particle Detection Using Alpha-Induced Air Radioluminescence: A Review and Future Prospects for Preliminary Radiological Characterisation for Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning

PubMed Central

Crompton, Anita J.; Jenkins, Alex

2018-01-01

The United Kingdom (UK) has a significant legacy of nuclear installations to be decommissioned over the next 100 years and a thorough characterisation is required prior to the development of a detailed decommissioning plan. Alpha radiation detection is notoriously time consuming and difficult to carry out due to the short range of alpha particles in air. Long-range detection of alpha particles is therefore highly desirable and this has been attempted through the detection of secondary effects from alpha radiation, most notably the air-radioluminescence caused by ionisation. This paper evaluates alpha induced air radioluminescence detectors developed to date and looks at their potential to develop a stand-off, alpha radiation detector which can be used in the nuclear decommissioning field in daylight conditions to detect alpha contaminated materials. PMID:29597340

Counting Particles Emitted by Stratospheric Aircraft and Measuring Size of Particles Emitted by Stratospheric Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, James Charles

1994-01-01

There were two principal objectives of the cooperative agreement between NASA and the University of Denver. The first goal was to modify the design of the ER-2 condensation nuclei counter (CNC) so that the effective lower detection limit would be improved at high altitudes. This improvement was sought because, in the instrument used prior to 1993, diffusion losses prevented the smallest detectable particles from reaching the detection volume of the instrument during operation at low pressure. Therefore, in spite of the sensor's ability to detect particles as small as 0.008 microns in diameter, many of these particles were lost in transport to the sensing region and were not counted. Most of the particles emitted by aircraft are smaller than 0.1 micron in diameter. At the start date of this work, May 1990, continuous sizing techniques available on the ER-2 were only capable of detecting particles larger than 0.17 micron. Thus, the second objective of this work was to evaluate candidate sizing techniques in an effort to gain additional information concerning the size of particles emitted by aircraft.

Modifications of the optical properties for DAM-ADC nuclear track detector exposed to alpha particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rammah, Y. S.; Awad, E. M.

2018-05-01

Modifications of the optical properties of diallyl maleate-allyl diglycol carbonate (DAM-ADC) nuclear detector induced by alpha particles are described. DAM-ADC samples were irradiated perpendicularly by thin 241Am disk source that emits alpha particles with 5.48 MeV. The optical absorption has been measured using the ultraviolet-visible (UV-1100) spectroscopy. It was found that DAM-ADC polymer shows substantial modifications in its optical characteristics upon irradiated with alpha particles with different energies. The optical energy band gap (Egap) for the detector was calculated for the direct and the indirect allowed transitions in K-space using two approaches (Tauc's model and absorption spectrum fitting (ASF) method). Urbach's energy (Ea), number of carbon atoms per conjugated length (N), number of carbon atoms per cluster (M), and refractive index (n) for the present samples were determined. Results reveal that the values of energy gap in direct transition are greater than those of indirect, before and after irradiation. (Egap), (Ea), (N), (M), and (n) of the present samples are changed significantly with irradiation time and value of alpha energy. Results reflect the possibility of using DAM-ADC polymer track detectors to estimate alpha particle energies using the variation of the absorbance.

Alpha-particle spectrometer experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.; Bjorkholm, P.

1972-01-01

Mapping the radon emanation of the moon was studied to find potential areas of high activity by detection of radon isotopes and their daughter products. It was felt that based on observation of regions overflown by Apollo spacecraft and within the field of view of the alpha-particle spectrometer, a radon map could be constructed, identifying and locating lunar areas of outgassing. The basic theory of radon migration from natural concentrations of uranium and thorium is discussed in terms of radon decay and the production of alpha particles. The preliminary analysis of the results indicates no significant alpha emission.

The measurement of alpha particle emissions from semiconductor memory materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouldin, D. P.

1981-07-01

With the increasing concern for the affects of alpha particles on the reliability of semiconductor memories, an interest has arisen in characterizing semiconductor manufacturing materials for extremely low-level alpha-emitting contaminants. It is shown that four elements are of primary concern: uranium, thorium, radium, and polonium. Measurement of contamination levels are given relevance by first correlating them with alpha flux emission levels and then corre1ating these flux values with device soft error rates. Measurement techniques involve either measurements of elemental concentrations-applicable to only uranium and thorium - or direct measurements of alpha emission fluxes. Alpha fluxes are most usefully measured by means of ZnS scintillation counting, practical details of which are discussed. Materials measurements are reported for ceramics, solder, silicon, quartz, and various metals and organic materials. Ceramics and most metals have contamination levels of concern, but the high temperature processing normally used in semiconductor manufacturing and low total amounts reduce problems, at least for metals. Silicon, silicon compounds, and organic materials have been found to have no detectable alpha emitters. Finally, a brief discussion of the calibration of alpha sources for accelerated device testing is given, including practical details on the affects of source/chip separation and alignment variations.

alpha-decay half-lives and Q{sub a}lpha values of superheavy nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong Jianmin; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049; School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000

2010-06-15

The alpha-decay half-lives of recently synthesized superheavy nuclei (SHN) are investigated by employing a unified fission model (UFM) where a new method to calculate the assault frequency of alpha emission is used. The excellent agreement with the experimental data indicates the UFM is a useful tool to investigate these alpha decays. It is found that the alpha-decay half-lives become more and more insensitive to the Q{sub a}lpha values as the atomic number increases on the whole, which is favorable for us to predict the half-lives of SHN. In addition, a formula is proposed to compute the Q{sub a}lpha values formore » the nuclei with Z>=92 and N>=140 with a good accuracy, according to which the long-lived SHN should be neutron rich. Several weeks ago, two isotopes of a new element with atomic number Z=117 were synthesized and their alpha-decay chains have been observed. The Q{sub a}lpha formula is found to work well for these nuclei, confirming its predictive power. The experimental half-lives are well reproduced by employing the UFM with the experimental Q{sub a}lpha values. This fact that the experimental half-lives are compatible with experimental Q{sub a}lpha values supports the synthesis of a new element 117 and the experimental measurements to a certain extent.« less

Registration of alpha particles in Makrofol-E nuclear track detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rammah, Y. S.; Abdalla, Ayman M.; Ashraf, O.; Ashry, A. H.

2016-06-01

Fast detection of alpha particles in the range from 1 to 5 MeV in Makrofol-E polycarbonate nuclear track detectors (PCTDs) using a new chemical etchant was investigated. 252Cf and 241Am-thin open sources were used for irradiating Makrofol-E detectors with fission fragments and alpha particles in air at normal pressure and temperature (NPT). A chain of experimental work has been carried out using new etchants to register alpha particle in short time in Makrofol-E polycarbonate detectors. The etching efficiency were exhibited a clear dependence on the amount of methanol in the etching solution and etching time. The optimized chemical condition obtained at this stage of development for 200 μm Makrofol-E detectors are (8 ml of 10 N NaOH + 2 ml CH3OH) etching solutions at 60 °C for 3 h. In this study; it is possible to observe energy detection windows for Makrofol-E detectors according to applied etching duration. Makrofol-E introduced the characteristic Bragg peak, which indicates the advantages of this detector as alpha spectrometer. Consequently, the suggested new etchant can be developed for heavy ions detection and monitoring radon levels and its daughters.

Alpha particle confinement in tandem mirrors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Devoto, R.S.; Ohnishi, M.; Kerns, J.

1980-10-10

Mechanisms leading to loss of alpha particles from non-axisymmetric tandem mirrors are considered. Stochastic diffusion due to bounce-drift resonances, which can cause rapid radial losses of high-energy alpha particles, can be suppressed by imposing a 20% rise in axisymmetric fields before the quadrupole transition sections. Alpha particles should then be well-confined until thermal energies when they enter the resonant plateau require. A fast code for computation of drift behavior in reactors is described. Sample calculations are presented for resonant particles in a proposed coil set for the Tandem Mirror Next Step.

Long range alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, Duncan W.; Wolf, Michael A.; McAtee, James L.; Unruh, Wesley P.; Cucchiara, Alfred L.; Huchton, Roger L.

1993-01-01

An alpha particle detector capable of detecting alpha radiation from distant sources. In one embodiment, a high voltage is generated in a first electrically conductive mesh while a fan draws air containing air molecules ionized by alpha particles through an air passage and across a second electrically conductive mesh. The current in the second electrically conductive mesh can be detected and used for measurement or alarm. The detector can be used for area, personnel and equipment monitoring.

Long range alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, D.W.; Wolf, M.A.; McAtee, J.L.; Unruh, W.P.; Cucchiara, A.L.; Huchton, R.L.

1993-02-02

An alpha particle detector capable of detecting alpha radiation from distant sources. In one embodiment, a high voltage is generated in a first electrically conductive mesh while a fan draws air containing air molecules ionized by alpha particles through an air passage and across a second electrically conductive mesh. The current in the second electrically conductive mesh can be detected and used for measurement or alarm. The detector can be used for area, personnel and equipment monitoring.

Alpha particle spectrometry using superconducting microcalorimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horansky, Robert; Ullom, Joel; Beall, James; Hilton, Gene; Stiehl, Gregory; Irwin, Kent; Plionis, Alexander; Lamont, Stephen; Rudy, Clifford; Rabin, Michael

2009-03-01

Alpha spectrometry is the preferred technique for analyzing trace samples of radioactive material because the alpha particle flux can be significantly higher than the gamma-ray flux from nuclear materials of interest. Traditionally, alpha spectrometry is performed with Si detectors whose resolution is at best 8 keV FWHM. Here, we describe the design and operation of a microcalorimeter alpha detector with an energy resolution of 1.06 keV FWHM at 5 MeV. We demonstrate the ability of the microcalorimeter to clearly resolve the alpha particles from Pu-239 and Pu-240, whose ratio differentiates reactor-grade Pu from weapons-grade. We also show the first direct observation of the decay of Po-209 to the ground state of Pb-205 which has traditionally been obscured by a much stronger alpha line 2 keV away. Finally, the 1.06 keV resolution observed for alpha particles is far worse than the 0.12 keV resolution predicted from thermal fluctuations and measurement of gamma-rays. The cause of the resolution degradation may be ion damage in the tin. Hence, alpha particle microcalorimeters may provide a novel tool for studying ion damage and lattice displacement energies in bulk materials.

Development of a three-layer phoswich alpha-beta-gamma imaging detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Ishibashi, Hiroyuki

2015-06-01

For radiation monitoring at the sites of such nuclear power plant accidents as Fukushima Daiichi, radiation detectors are needed not only for gamma photons but also for alpha and beta particles because some nuclear fission products emit beta particles and gamma photons and some nuclear fuels contain plutonium that emits alpha particles. In some applications, imaging detectors are required to detect the distribution of plutonium particles that emit alpha particles and radiocesium in foods that emits beta particles and gamma photons. To solve these requirements, we developed an imaging detector that can measure the distribution of alpha and beta particles as well as gamma photons. The imaging detector consists of three-layer scintillators optically coupled to each other and to a position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). The first layer, which is made of a thin plastic scintillator (decay time: 5 ns), detects alpha particles. The second layer, which is made of a thin Gd2SiO5 (GSO) scintillator with 1.5 mol% Ce (decay time: 35 ns), detects beta particles. The third layer made of a thin GSO scintillator with 0.4 mol% Ce (decay time: 70 ns) detects gamma photons. Using pulse shape discrimination, the images of these layers can be separated. The position information is calculated by the Anger principle from 8×8 anode signals from the PSPMT. The images for the alpha and beta particles and the gamma photons are individually formed by the pulse shape discriminations for each layer. We detected alpha particle images in the first layer and beta particle images in the second layer. Gamma photon images were detected in the second and third layers. The spatial resolution for the alpha and beta particles was 1.25 mm FWHM and less than 2 mm FWHM for the gamma photons. We conclude that our developed alpha-beta-gamma imaging detector is promising for imaging applications not only for the environmental monitoring of radionuclides but also for medical and molecular imaging.

Spatial resolution properties of digital autoradiography systems for pre-clinical alpha particle imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanguay, Jesse; Benard, Francois; Celler, Anna; Ruth, Thomas; Schaffer, Paul

2017-03-01

Attaching alpha-emitting radionuclides to cancer-targeting agents increases the anti-tumor effects of targeted cancer therapies. The success of alpha therapy for treating bone metastases has increased interest in using targeted alpha therapy (TAT) to treat a broad spectrum of metastatic cancers. Estimating radiation doses to targeted tumors, including small (<250 μm) clusters of cancer cells, and to non-targeted tissues is critical in the pre-clinical development of TATs. However, accurate quantification of heterogeneous distributions of alpha-emitters in small metastases is not possible with existing pre-clinical in-vivo imaging systems. Ex-vivo digital autoradiography using a scintillator in combination with an image intensifier and a charged coupled device (CCD) has gained interest for pre-clinical ex-vivo alpha particle imaging. We present a simulation-based analysis of the fundamental spatial resolution limits of digital autoradiography systems. Spatial resolution was quantified in terms of the modulation transfer function (MTF) and Wagner's equivalent aperture. We modeled systems operating in either particle-counting (PC) or energy-integrating (EI) mode using a cascaded systems approach that accounts for: 1) the stopping power of alpha particles; 2) the distance alpha particles travel within the scintillator; 3) optical blur, and; 4) binning in detector elements. We applied our analysis to imaging of astatine-211 using an LYSO scintillator with thickness ranging from 10 μm to 20 μm. Our analysis demonstrates that when these systems are operated in particle-counting mode with a centroid-calculation algorithm, the effective apertures of 35 μm can be achieved, which suggests that digital autoradiography may enable quantifying the uptake of alpha emitters in tumors consisting of a few cancer cells. Future work will investigate the image noise and energy-resolution properties of digital autoradiography systems.

Alpha Decay Potential Barriers and Half-Lives and Analytical Formula Predictions for Superheavy Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royer, Guy; Zhang, Hongfei

The α decay potential barriers are determined in the cluster-like shape path within a generalized liquid drop model including the proximity effects between the α particle and the daughter nucleus and adjusted to reproduce the experimental Qα. The α emission half-lives are determined within the WKB penetration probability. Calculations using previously proposed formulae depending only on the mass and charge of the alpha emitter and Qα are also compared with new experimental alpha-decay half-lives. The agreement allows to provide predictions for the α decay half-lives of other still unknown superheavy nuclei using the Qα determined from the 2003 atomic mass evaluation of Audi, Wapstra and Thibault.

Analysis of radiation risk from alpha particle component of solar particle events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, F. A.; Townsend, L. W.; Wilson, J. W.; Golightly, M. J.; Weyland, M.

1994-01-01

The solar particle events (SPE) will contain a primary alpha particle component, representing a possible increase in the potential risk to astronauts during an SPE over the often studied proton component. We discuss the physical interactions of alpha particles important in describing the transport of these particles through spacecraft and body shielding. Models of light ion reactions are presented and their effects on energy and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra in shielding discussed. We present predictions of particle spectra, dose, and dose equivalent in organs of interest for SPE spectra typical of those occurring in recent solar cycles. The large events of solar cycle 19 are found to have substantial increase in biological risk from alpha particles, including a large increase in secondary neutron production from alpha particle breakup.

Iodine-131: a potential short-lived, wastewater-specific particle tracer in an urbanized estuarine system.

PubMed

Smith, Joseph P; Oktay, Sarah I; Kada, John; Olsen, Curtis R

2008-08-01

The short-lived, fission-produced radioisotope, 131I (t1/2 = 8.04 days), was detected in wastewater, surficial sediment, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples collected from New York Harbor (NYH) between 2001 and 2002. lodine-131 is used as a radiopharmaceutical for medical imaging, diagnostics, and treatments for conditions of the thyroid. It is introduced into the municipal waste stream by medical facilities and patients and is subsequently released into the estuary via wastewater effluent. Measured 131I activities in surface sediments were correlated with those of 7Be (t1/2 = 53.2 days), a naturally occurring radioisotope that is widely used to quantify particle dynamics, sediment focusing, and short-term sediment deposition and accumulation in aquatic systems. Surficial sediment 131I activities were also compared with measured trace metal (Cu, Pb) and organic carbon (OC(sed)) concentrations which can be linked to wastewater inputs. These preliminary results from NYH introduce 131I as a potentially valuable source-specific, shortlived biogeochemical tracer (timescales < 1 month) for particles, sediments, and wastewater-sourced contaminants in urbanized aquatic systems.

Short-lived particle search procedure in the OPERA experiment. Application to charm decays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Amo Sánchez, Pablo; OPERA Collaboration

2016-04-01

The OPERA experiment has recently provided evidence of νμ →ντ neutrino oscillations in appearance mode through the detection of tau leptons produced in ντ Charged Current interactions. The OPERA detector collected data from 2008 to 2012, when it was exposed to the CNGS muon neutrino beam from CERN to Gran Sasso, 730 km away from the source. We report on the search procedure for short-lived particles and on its validation with charmed hadron decays. The latter, produced in about 4% of the neutrino interactions in OPERA, are an important background to the νμ →ντ channel and an ideal control sample as their decay exhibits topological and kinematical features strongly resembling the tau's decay.

Inclusive and exclusive measurements of alpha particle production mechanisms in the 7Li + 144Sm system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnelli, P. F. F.; Martinez Heimann, D.; Pacheco, A. J.; Arazi, A.; Capurro, O. A.; Fernández Niello, J. O.; Cardona, M. A.; de Barbará, E.; Figueira, J. M.; Hojman, D. L.; Martí, G. V.; Negri, A. E.

2018-01-01

In this work we have studied the production of alpha particles emitted as a consequence of different reactions in the 7Li + 144Sm system at near-barrier energies. We have obtained absolute cross sections of the total yield at backward angles and at bombarding energies of 24 and 30 MeV. We have also performed complementary exclusive measurements of non-capture breakup processes at 30 MeV. In particular, the neutron transfer followed by non-capture breakup of the 6Li ejectile, which was found to be the dominant process in the studied region, could be accounted for by estimations of a classical dynamical model. This contribution, together with estimations for the incomplete fusion and alpha particle evaporation following compound-nucleus formation, are compared to the experimental inclusive angular distributions obtained in this work.

Design, fabrication and calibration of alpha particle densitometers for measuring planetary atmospheric density

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sellers, B.; Hunerwadel, J. L.; Hanser, F. A.

1972-01-01

An alpha particle densitometer was developed for possible application to measurement of the atmospheric density-altitude profile on Martian entry. The device uses an Am-241 radioactive-foil source, which emits a distributed energy spectrum, located about 25 to 75 cm from a semiconductor detector. System response - defined as the number of alphas per second reaching the detector with energy above a fixed threshold - is given for Ar and CO2. The altitude profile of density measurement accuracy is given for a pure CO2 atmosphere with 5 mb surface pressure. The entire unit, including dc-dc converters, requires less than 350 milliwatts of power from +28 volts, weighs about 0.85 lb and occupies less than 15 cubic inches volume.

Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clauser, C. F., E-mail: cesar.clauser@ib.edu.ar; Farengo, R.

2015-12-15

Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes in a magnetized plasma is studied. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations are employed to show that this process can be very important in the pedestal-edge-SOL regions. This is the first study that presents clear evidence of the importance of atomic processes on the diffusion of alpha particles. A simple 1D model that includes inelastic collisions with plasma species, “cold” neutrals, and partially ionized species was employed. The code, which follows the exact particle orbits and includes the effect of inelastic collisions via a Monte Carlo type random process, runs on a graphic processormore » unit (GPU). The analytical and numerical results show excellent agreement when a uniform background (plasma and cold species) is assumed. The simulations also show that the gradients in the density of the plasma and cold species, which are large and opposite in the edge region, produce an inward flux of alpha particles. Calculations of the alpha particles flux reaching the walls or divertor plates should include these processes.« less

The generalized liquid drop model alpha-decay formula: Predictability analysis and superheavy element alpha half-lives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dasgupta-Schubert, N.; Reyes, M.A.

2007-11-15

The predictive accuracy of the generalized liquid drop model (GLDM) formula for alpha-decay half-lives has been investigated in a detailed manner and a variant of the formula with improved coefficients is proposed. The method employs the experimental alpha half-lives of the well-known alpha standards to obtain the coefficients of the analytical formula using the experimental Q{sub {alpha}} values (the DSR-E formula), as well as the finite range droplet model (FRDM) derived Q{sub {alpha}} values (the FRDM-FRDM formula). The predictive accuracy of these formulae was checked against the experimental alpha half-lives of an independent set of nuclei (TEST) that span approximatelymore » the same Z, A region as the standards and possess reliable alpha spectroscopic data, and were found to yield good results for the DSR-E formula but not for the FRDM-FRDM formula. The two formulae were used to obtain the alpha half-lives of superheavy elements (SHE) and heavy nuclides where the relative accuracy was found to be markedly improved for the FRDM-FRDM formula, which corroborates the appropriateness of the FRDM masses and the GLDM prescription for high Z, A nuclides. Further improvement resulted, especially for the FRDM-FRDM formula, after a simple linear optimization over the calculated and experimental half-lives of TEST was used to re-calculate the half-lives of the SHE and heavy nuclides. The advantage of this optimization was that it required no re-calculation of the coefficients of the basic DSR-E or FRDM-FRDM formulae. The half-lives for 324 medium-mass to superheavy alpha decaying nuclides, calculated using these formulae and the comparison with experimental half-lives, are presented.« less

Alpha particle-induced soft errors in microelectronic devices. I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redman, D. J.; Sega, R. M.; Joseph, R.

1980-03-01

The article provides a tutorial review and trend assessment of the problem of alpha particle-induced soft errors in VLSI memories. Attention is given to an analysis of the design evolution of modern ICs, and the characteristics of alpha particles and their origin in IC packaging are reviewed. Finally, the process of an alpha particle penetrating an IC is examined.

SOLAR COSMIC-RAY INTERACTION WITH PROTOPLANETARY DISKS: PRODUCTION OF SHORT-LIVED RADIONUCLIDES AND AMORPHIZATION OF CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trappitsch, R.; Ciesla, F. J., E-mail: trappitsch@uchicago.edu

2015-05-20

Solar cosmic-ray (SCR) interactions with a protoplanetary disk have been invoked to explain several observations of primitive planetary materials. In our own Solar System, the presence of short-lived radionuclides (SLRs) in the oldest materials has been attributed to spallation reactions induced in phases that were irradiated by energetic particles in the solar nebula. Furthermore, observations of other protoplanetary disks show a mixture of crystalline and amorphous grains, though no correlation between grain crystallinity and disk or stellar properties have been identified. As most models for the origin of crystalline grains would predict such correlations, it was suggested that amorphization bymore » stellar cosmic-rays may be masking or erasing such correlations. Here we quantitatively investigate these possibilities by modeling the interaction of energetic particles emitted by a young star with the surrounding protoplanetary disk. We do this by tracing the energy evolution of SCRs emitted from the young star through the disk and model the amount of time that dust grains would spend in regions where they would be exposed to these particles. We find that this irradiation scenario cannot explain the total SLR content of the solar nebula; however, this scenario could play a role in the amorphization of crystalline material at different locations or epochs of the disk over the course of its evolution.« less

The Apollo Alpha Spectrometer.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jagoda, N.; Kubierschky, K.; Frank, R.; Carroll, J.

1973-01-01

Located in the Science Instrument Module of Apollo 15 and 16, the Alpha Particle Spectrometer was designed to detect and measure the energy of alpha particles emitted by the radon isotopes and their daughter products. The spectrometer sensor consisted of an array of totally depleted silicon surface barrier detectors. Biased amplifier and linear gate techniques were utilized to reduce resolution degradation, thereby permitting the use of a single 512 channel PHA. Sensor identification and in-flight radioactive calibration were incorporated to enhance data reduction.

Development of an alpha/beta/gamma detector for radiation monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Hatazawa, Jun

2011-11-01

For radiation monitoring at the site of nuclear power plant accidents such as Fukushima Daiichi, radiation detectors not only for gamma photons but also for alpha and beta particles are needed because some nuclear fission products emit beta particles and gamma photons and some nuclear fuels contain plutonium that emits alpha particles. We developed a radiation detector that can simultaneously monitor alpha and beta particles and gamma photons for radiation monitoring. The detector consists of three-layered scintillators optically coupled to each other and coupled to a photomultiplier tube. The first layer, which is made of a thin plastic scintillator (decay time: 2.4 ns), detects alpha particles. The second layer, which is made of a thin Gd2SiO5 (GSO) scintillator with 1.5 mol.% Ce (decay time: 35 ns), detects beta particles. The third layer made of a thin GSO scintillator with 0.4 mol.% Ce (decay time: 70 ns) detects gamma photons. By using pulse shape discrimination, the count rates of these layers can be separated. With individual irradiation of alpha and beta particles and gamma photons, the count rate of the first layer represented the alpha particles, the second layer represented the beta particles, and the third layer represented the gamma photons. Even with simultaneous irradiation of the alpha and beta particles and the gamma photons, these three types of radiation can be individually monitored using correction for the gamma detection efficiency of the second and third layers. Our developed alpha, beta, and gamma detector is simple and will be useful for radiation monitoring, especially at nuclear power plant accident sites or other applications where the simultaneous measurements of alpha and beta particles and gamma photons are required.

Development of an alpha/beta/gamma detector for radiation monitoring.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Hatazawa, Jun

2011-11-01

For radiation monitoring at the site of nuclear power plant accidents such as Fukushima Daiichi, radiation detectors not only for gamma photons but also for alpha and beta particles are needed because some nuclear fission products emit beta particles and gamma photons and some nuclear fuels contain plutonium that emits alpha particles. We developed a radiation detector that can simultaneously monitor alpha and beta particles and gamma photons for radiation monitoring. The detector consists of three-layered scintillators optically coupled to each other and coupled to a photomultiplier tube. The first layer, which is made of a thin plastic scintillator (decay time: 2.4 ns), detects alpha particles. The second layer, which is made of a thin Gd(2)SiO(5) (GSO) scintillator with 1.5 mol.% Ce (decay time: 35 ns), detects beta particles. The third layer made of a thin GSO scintillator with 0.4 mol.% Ce (decay time: 70 ns) detects gamma photons. By using pulse shape discrimination, the count rates of these layers can be separated. With individual irradiation of alpha and beta particles and gamma photons, the count rate of the first layer represented the alpha particles, the second layer represented the beta particles, and the third layer represented the gamma photons. Even with simultaneous irradiation of the alpha and beta particles and the gamma photons, these three types of radiation can be individually monitored using correction for the gamma detection efficiency of the second and third layers. Our developed alpha, beta, and gamma detector is simple and will be useful for radiation monitoring, especially at nuclear power plant accident sites or other applications where the simultaneous measurements of alpha and beta particles and gamma photons are required. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Quality assurance of alpha-particle dosimetry using peeled-off Gafchromic EBT3® film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C. Y. P.; Chun, S. L.; Yu, K. N.

2016-08-01

A novel alpha-particle dosimetry technique using Gafchromic EBT3 film has recently been proposed for calibrating the activity of alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals. In the present paper, we outlined four measures which could further help assure the quality of the method. First, we suggested an alternative method in fabricating the peeled-off EBT3 film. Films with a chosen size were cut from the original films and all the edges were sealed with silicone. These were immersed into deionized water for 19 d and the polyester covers of the EBT3 films could then be easily peeled off. The active layers in these peeled-off EBT3 films remained intact, and these films could be prepared reproducibly with ease. Second, we proposed a check on the integrity of the peeled-off film by comparing the responses of the pristine and peeled-off EBT3 films to the same X-ray irradiation. Third, we highlighted the importance of scanning directions of the films. The ;landscape; and ;portrait; scanning directions were defined as the scanning directions perpendicular and parallel to the long edge of the original EBT3 films, respectively. Our results showed that the responses were different for different scanning directions. As such, the same scanning direction should be used every time. Finally, we cautioned the need to confirm the uniformity of the alpha-particle source used for calibration. Radiochromic films are well known for their capability of providing two-dimensional dosimetric information. As such, EBT3 films could also be conveniently used to check the uniformity of the alpha-particle source.

Alpha particle spectroscopy using FNTD and SIM super-resolution microscopy.

PubMed

Kouwenberg, J J M; Kremers, G J; Slotman, J A; Wolterbeek, H T; Houtsmuller, A B; Denkova, A G; Bos, A J J

2018-06-01

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) for the imaging of alpha particle tracks in fluorescent nuclear track detectors (FNTD) was evaluated and compared to confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). FNTDs were irradiated with an external alpha source and imaged using both methodologies. SIM imaging resulted in improved resolution, without increase in scan time. Alpha particle energy estimation based on the track length, direction and intensity produced results in good agreement with the expected alpha particle energy distribution. A pronounced difference was seen in the spatial scattering of alpha particles in the detectors, where SIM showed an almost 50% reduction compared to CLSM. The improved resolution of SIM allows for more detailed studies of the tracks induced by ionising particles. The combination of SIM and FNTDs for alpha radiation paves the way for affordable and fast alpha spectroscopy and dosimetry. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Microscopy published by JohnWiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Microscopical Society.

Alternating current long range alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, Duncan W.; McAtee, James L.

1993-01-01

An alpha particle detector, utilizing alternating currents, whcih is capable of detecting alpha particles from distinct sources. The use of alternating currents allows use of simpler ac circuits which, in turn, are not susceptible to dc error components. It also allows the benefit of gas gain, if desired. In the invention, a voltage source creates an electric field between two conductive grids, and between the grids and a conductive enclosure. Air containing air ions created by collision with alpha particles is drawn into the enclosure and detected. In some embodiments, the air flow into the enclosure is interrupted, creating an alternating flow of ions. In another embodiment, a modulated voltage is applied to the grid, also modulating the detection of ions.

Alternating current long range alpha particle detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, D.W.; McAtee, J.L.

1993-02-16

An alpha particle detector, utilizing alternating currents, which is capable of detecting alpha particles from distinct sources. The use of alternating currents allows use of simpler ac circuits which, in turn, are not susceptible to dc error components. It also allows the benefit of gas gain, if desired. In the invention, a voltage source creates an electric field between two conductive grids, and between the grids and a conductive enclosure. Air containing air ions created by collision with alpha particles is drawn into the enclosure and detected. In some embodiments, the air flow into the enclosure is interrupted, creating an alternating flow of ions. In another embodiment, a modulated voltage is applied to the grid, also modulating the detection of ions.

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection and direct measurement of adsorbed alpha-emitting radionuclides from environmental waters by liquid scintillation analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Addleman, R. Shane

Radioactive contamination in the environment, be it from accidental or intentional release, can create an urgent need to assess water and food supplies, the environment, and monitor human health. Alpha-emitting radionuclides represent the most ionizing, and therefore the most damaging, form of radiation when internalized. Additionally, because of its ease of energy attenuation in solids or liquids, alpha emissions cannot be reliably monitored using non-destructive means. In the event of such an emergency, rapid and efficient methods will be needed to screen scores of samples (food, water, and human excreta) within a short time window. Unfortunately, the assay of alpha-emittingmore » radionuclides using traditional radioanalytical methods is typically labor intensive and time consuming. The creation of analytical counting sources typically requires a series of chemical treatment steps to achieve well performing counting sources. In an effort to devise radioanalytical methods that are fast, require little labor, and minimize the use of toxic or corrosive agents, researchers at PNNL have evaluated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles as extracting agents for alpha-emitting radionuclides from chemically unmodified aqueous systems. It is demonstrated that bare magnetic nanoparticles exhibit high affinity for representative α-emitting radionuclides (241Am and 210Po) from representative aqueous matrices: river and ground water. Furthermore, use of the magnetic properties of these materials to concentrate the sorbed analyte from the bulk aqueous solution has been demonstrated. The nanoparticle concentrate can be either directly dispensed into scintillation cocktail, or first dissolved and then added to scintillation cocktail as a solution for alpha emission assay by liquid scintillation analysis. Despite the extreme quench caused by the metal oxide suspensions, the authors have demonstrated that quench correction features available on modern liquid scintillation analyzers

Alpha-particle emission probabilities of ²³⁶U obtained by alpha spectrometry.

PubMed

Marouli, M; Pommé, S; Jobbágy, V; Van Ammel, R; Paepen, J; Stroh, H; Benedik, L

2014-05-01

High-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry was performed with an ion-implanted silicon detector in vacuum on a homogeneously electrodeposited (236)U source. The source was measured at different solid angles subtended by the detector, varying between 0.8% and 2.4% of 4π sr, to assess the influence of coincidental detection of alpha-particles and conversion electrons on the measured alpha-particle emission probabilities. Additional measurements were performed using a bending magnet to eliminate conversion electrons, the results of which coincide with normal measurements extrapolated to an infinitely small solid angle. The measured alpha emission probabilities for the three main peaks - 74.20 (5)%, 25.68 (5)% and 0.123 (5)%, respectively - are consistent with literature data, but their precision has been improved by at least one order of magnitude in this work. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nuclear diagnostic for fast alpha particles

DOEpatents

Grisham, Larry R.; Post Jr., Douglass E.; Dawson, John M.

1986-06-03

Measurement of the velocity distribution of confined energetic alpha particles resulting from deuterium-tritium fusion reactions in a magnetically contained plasma is provided. The fusion plasma is seeded with energetic boron neutrals for producing, by means of the reaction .sup.10 B (.alpha.,n) .sup.13 N reaction, radioactive nitrogen nuclei which are then collected by a probe. The radioactivity of the probe is then measured by conventional techniques in determining the energy distribution of the alpha particles in the plasma. In a preferred embodiment, diborane gas (B.sub.2 H.sub.6) is the source of the boron neutrals to produce .sup.13 N which decays almost exclusively by positron emission with a convenient half-life of 10 minutes.

Nuclear diagnostic for fast alpha particles

DOEpatents

Grisham, Larry R.; Post, Jr., Douglass E.; Dawson, John M.

1986-01-01

Measurement of the velocity distribution of confined energetic alpha particles resulting from deuterium-tritium fusion reactions in a magnetically contained plasma is provided. The fusion plasma is seeded with energetic boron neutrals for producing, by means of the reaction .sup.10 B (.alpha.,n) .sup.13 N reaction, radioactive nitrogen nuclei which are then collected by a probe. The radioactivity of the probe is then measured by conventional techniques in determining the energy distribution of the alpha particles in the plasma. In a preferred embodiment, diborane gas (B.sub.2 H.sub.6) is the source of the boron neutrals to produce .sup.13 N which decays almost exclusively by positron emission with a convenient half-life of 10 minutes.

Induction of mutations by bismuth-212 alpha particles at two genetic loci in human B-lymphoblasts.

PubMed

Metting, N F; Palayoor, S T; Macklis, R M; Atcher, R W; Liber, H L; Little, J B

1992-12-01

The human lymphoblast cell line TK6 was exposed to the alpha-particle-emitting radon daughter 212Bi by adding DTPA-chelated 212Bi directly to the cell suspension. Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity at two genetic loci were measured, and the molecular nature of mutant clones was studied by Southern blot analysis. Induced mutant fractions were 2.5 x 10(-5)/Gy at the hprt locus and 3.75 x 10(-5)/Gy at the tk locus. Molecular analysis of HPRT- mutant DNAs showed a high frequency (69%) of clones with partial or full deletions of the hprt gene among radiation-induced mutants compared with spontaneous mutants (31%). Chi-squared analyses of mutational spectra show a significant difference (P < or = 0.005) between spontaneous mutants and alpha-particle-induced mutants. Comparison with published studies of accelerator-produced heavy-ion exposures of TK6 cells indicates that the induction of mutations at the hprt locus, and perhaps a subset of mutations at the tk locus, is a simple linear function of particle fluence regardless of the ion species or its LET.

Measurement of alpha particle energy using windowless electret ion chambers.

PubMed

Dua, S K; Kotrappa, P; Srivastava, R; Ebadian, M A; Stieff, L R

2002-10-01

Electret ion chambers are inexpensive, lightweight, robust, commercially available, passive, charge-integrating devices for accurate measurement of different ionizing radiations. In an earlier work a chamber of dimensions larger than the range of alpha particles having aluminized Mylar windows of different thickness was used for measurement of alpha radiation. Correlation between electret mid-point voltage, alpha particle energy, and response was developed and it was shown that this chamber could be used for estimating the effective energy of an unknown alpha source. In the present study, the electret ion chamber is used in the windowless mode so that the alpha particles dissipate their entire energy inside the volume, and the alpha particle energy is determined from the first principles. This requires that alpha disintegration rate be accurately known or measured by an alternate method. The measured energies were within 1 to 4% of the true values for different sources (230Th, 237Np, 239Pu, 241Am, and 224Cm). This method finds application in quantitative determination of alpha energy absorbed in thin membrane and, hence, the absorbed dose.

Using Atmospheric Dispersion Theory to Inform the Design of a Short-lived Radioactive Particle Release Experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rishel, Jeremy P.; Keillor, Martin E.; Arrigo, Leah M.

2016-01-01

Atmospheric dispersion theory can be used to predict ground deposition of particulates downwind of a radionuclide release. This paper utilizes standard formulations found in Gaussian plume models to inform the design of an experimental release of short-lived radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Specifically, a source depletion algorithm is used to determine the optimum particle size and release height that maximizes the near-field deposition while minimizing the both the required source activity and the fraction of activity lost to long-distance transport. The purpose of the release is to provide a realistic deposition pattern that might be observed downwind of a small-scalemore » vent from an underground nuclear explosion. The deposition field will be used, in part, to investigate several techniques of gamma radiation survey and spectrometry that could be utilized by an On-Site Inspection team under the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.« less

Preparation of alpha-emitting nuclides by electrodeposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, M. H.; Lee, C. W.

2000-06-01

A method is described for electrodepositing the alpha-emitting nuclides. To determine the optimum conditions for plating plutonium, the effects of electrolyte concentration, chelating reagent, current, pH of electrolyte and the time of plating on the electrodeposition were investigated on the base of the ammonium oxalate-ammonium sulfate electrolyte containing diethyl triamino pentaacetic acid. An optimized electrodeposition procedure for the determination of plutonium was validated by application to environmental samples. The chemical yield of the optimized method of electrodeposition step in the environmental sample was a little higher than that of Talvitie's method. The developed electrodeposition procedure in this study was applied to determine the radionuclides such as thorium, uranium and americium that the electrodeposition yields were a little higher than those of the conventional method.

Observation of lunar radon emanation with the Apollo 15 alpha particle spectrometer.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.; Bjorkholm, P.

1972-01-01

The alpha particle spectrometer, a component of the orbital Sim Bay group of 'geochemistry' experiments on Apollo 15, was designed to detect alpha particles emitted during the decay of isotopes of radon gas and her daughter products. The purpose was to measure the gross activity of radon on the lunar surface and to find possible regions of increased local activity. Results are presented from a partial analysis of Apollo 15 data. For the moon as a whole, Rn220 was not observed and the upper limit on its decay rate above the lunar surface is 0.00038 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. Rn222 was marginally observed. Possible variations of radon activity on the lunar surface are being investigated. Po210 (a daughter product of Rn222) has been detected in a broad region from west of Mare Crisium to the Van de Graaff-Orlov region. The observed count rate is (4.6 plus or minus 1.4) x 0.001 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. The observed level of Po210 activity is in excess of the amount that would be in equilibrium with Rn222 by about an order of magnitude. This implies that larger levels of radon emanation have occurred on the moon within a time scale of 10 to 100 years.

A method to reproduce alpha-particle spectra measured with semiconductor detectors.

PubMed

Timón, A Fernández; Vargas, M Jurado; Sánchez, A Martín

2010-01-01

A method is proposed to reproduce alpha-particle spectra measured with silicon detectors, combining analytical and computer simulation techniques. The procedure includes the use of the Monte Carlo method to simulate the tracks of alpha-particles within the source and in the detector entrance window. The alpha-particle spectrum is finally obtained by the convolution of this simulated distribution and the theoretical distributions representing the contributions of the alpha-particle spectrometer to the spectrum. Experimental spectra from (233)U and (241)Am sources were compared with the predictions given by the proposed procedure, showing good agreement. The proposed method can be an important aid for the analysis and deconvolution of complex alpha-particle spectra. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated astatination of biomolecules – a stepping stone towards multicenter clinical trials

PubMed Central

Aneheim, Emma; Albertsson, Per; Bäck, Tom; Jensen, Holger; Palm, Stig; Lindegren, Sture

2015-01-01

To facilitate multicentre clinical studies on targeted alpha therapy, it is necessary to develop an automated, on-site procedure for conjugating rare, short-lived, alpha-emitting radionuclides to biomolecules. Astatine-211 is one of the few alpha-emitting nuclides with appropriate chemical and physical properties for use in targeted therapies for cancer. Due to the very short range of the emitted α-particles, this therapy is particularly suited to treating occult, disseminated cancers. Astatine is not intrinsically tumour-specific; therefore, it requires an appropriate tumour-specific targeting vector, which can guide the radiation to the cancer cells. Consequently, an appropriate method is required for coupling the nuclide to the vector. To increase the availability of astatine-211 radiopharmaceuticals for targeted alpha therapy, their production should be automated. Here, we present a method that combines dry distillation of astatine-211 and a synthesis module for producing radiopharmaceuticals into a process platform. This platform will standardize production of astatinated radiopharmaceuticals, and hence, it will facilitate large clinical studies focused on this promising, but chemically challenging, alpha-emitting radionuclide. In this work, we describe the process platform, and we demonstrate the production of both astaine-211, for preclinical use, and astatine-211 labelled antibodies. PMID:26169786

Self absorption of alpha and beta particles in a fiberglass filter.

PubMed

Luetzelschwab, J W; Storey, C; Zraly, K; Dussinger, D

2000-10-01

Environmental air sampling uses fiberglass filters to collect particulate matter from the air and then a gas flow detector to measure the alpha and beta activity on the filter. When counted, the filter is located close to the detector so the alpha and beta particles emerging from the filter travel toward the detector at angles ranging from zero to nearly 90 degrees to the normal to the filter surface. The particles at small angles can readily pass through the filter, but particles at large angles pass through a significant amount of filter material and can be totally absorbed. As a result, counting losses can be great. For 4 MeV alpha particles, the filter used in this experiment absorbs 43% of the alpha particles; for 7.5 MeV alphas, the absorption is 13%. The measured beta activities also can have significant counting losses. Beta particles with maximum energies of 0.2 and 2.0 MeV have absorptions of 44 and 2%, respectively.

Characterization of Makrofol ® DE 1-1 for alpha particle radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Ghazaly, M.; Aydarous, Abdulkadir; Al-Thomali, Talal A.

2017-09-01

Makrofol ® DE 1-1 (bisphenol-A polycarbonate) was investigated for alpha particle radiography. The edge spread function (ESF) was measured by razor-blade's edge. Makrofol ® DE 1-1 detectors were irradiated with perpendicular incident alpha particles of energy 2.5, 4 and 5.4 MeV, thereafter they were etched in 75% 6N KOH+25% C2H5OH at a temperature of 50 °C for different durations. The etched Makrofol®DE 1-1 detectors were imaged with an optical microscope equipped with a CCD camera. The results revealed that the green channel of the original RGB image provides the highest contrast comparing with red and blue channel by a factor of 27.6% of the original RGB image. The image contrast of alpha particle-irradiated Makrofol®DE 1-1 detector was found to be inversely related to the etching time since the alpha particle tracks proceed from a conical phase to spherical phase. The spatial resolution of alpha particle-irradiated Makrofol®DE 1-1 detector, in terms of line spread function, was found to deteriorate as the etching time increases for all examined alpha particle energies. The results revealed the potential capability of Makrofol®DE 1-1 detector as an efficient detector for alpha particle radiography such as autoradiography.

XRF-analysis of fine and ultrafine particles emitted from laser printing devices.

PubMed

Barthel, Mathias; Pedan, Vasilisa; Hahn, Oliver; Rothhardt, Monika; Bresch, Harald; Jann, Oliver; Seeger, Stefan

2011-09-15

In this work, the elemental composition of fine and ultrafine particles emitted by ten different laser printing devices (LPD) is examined. The particle number concentration time series was measured as well as the particle size distributions. In parallel, emitted particles were size-selectively sampled with a cascade impactor and subsequently analyzed by the means of XRF. In order to identify potential sources for the aerosol's elemental composition, materials involved in the printing process such as toner, paper, and structural components of the printer were also analyzed. While the majority of particle emissions from laser printers are known to consist of recondensated semi volatile organic compounds, elemental analysis identifies Si, S, Cl, Ca, Ti, Cr, and Fe as well as traces of Ni and Zn in different size fractions of the aerosols. These elements can mainly be assigned to contributions from toner and paper. The detection of elements that are likely to be present in inorganic compounds is in good agreement with the measurement of nonvolatile particles. Quantitative measurements of solid particles at 400 °C resulted in residues of 1.6 × 10(9) and 1.5 × 10(10) particles per print job, representing fractions of 0.2% and 1.9% of the total number of emitted particles at room temperature. In combination with the XRF results it is concluded that solid inorganic particles contribute to LPD emissions in measurable quantities. Furthermore, for the first time Br was detected in significant concentrations in the aerosol emitted from two LPD. The analysis of several possible sources identified the plastic housings of the fuser units as main sources due to substantial Br concentrations related to brominated flame retardants.

FIRE HOSE INSTABILITY DRIVEN BY ALPHA PARTICLE TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matteini, L.; Schwartz, S. J.; Hellinger, P.

We investigate properties of a solar wind-like plasma, including a secondary alpha particle population exhibiting a parallel temperature anisotropy with respect to the background magnetic field, using linear and quasi-linear predictions and by means of one-dimensional hybrid simulations. We show that anisotropic alpha particles can drive a parallel fire hose instability analogous to that generated by protons, but that, remarkably, can also be triggered when the parallel plasma beta of alpha particles is below unity. The wave activity generated by the alpha anisotropy affects the evolution of the more abundant protons, leading to their anisotropic heating. When both ion speciesmore » have sufficient parallel anisotropies, both of them can drive the instability, and we observe the generation of two distinct peaks in the spectra of the fluctuations, with longer wavelengths associated to alphas and shorter ones to protons. If a non-zero relative drift is present, the unstable modes propagate preferentially in the direction of the drift associated with the unstable species. The generated waves scatter particles and reduce their temperature anisotropy to a marginally stable state, and, moreover, they significantly reduce the relative drift between the two ion populations. The coexistence of modes excited by both species leads to saturation of the plasma in distinct regions of the beta/anisotropy parameter space for protons and alpha particles, in good agreement with in situ solar wind observations. Our results confirm that fire hose instabilities are likely at work in the solar wind and limit the anisotropy of different ion species in the plasma.« less

Development of optical monitor of alpha radiations based on CR-39.

PubMed

Joshirao, Pranav M; Shin, Jae Won; Vyas, Chirag K; Kulkarni, Atul D; Kim, Hojoong; Kim, Taesung; Hong, Seung-Woo; Manchanda, Vijay K

2013-11-01

Fukushima accident has highlighted the need to intensify efforts to develop sensitive detectors to monitor the release of alpha emitting radionuclides in the environment caused by the meltdown of the discharged spent fuel. Conventionally, proportional counting, scintillation counting and alpha spectrometry are employed to assay the alpha emitting radionuclides but these techniques are difficult to be configured for online operations. Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs) offer an alternative off line sensitive technique to measure alpha emitters as well as fissile radionuclides at ultra-trace level in the environment. Recently, our group has reported the first ever attempt to use reflectance based fiber optic sensor (FOS) to quantify the alpha radiations emitted from (232)Th. In the present work, an effort has been made to develop an online FOS to monitor alpha radiations emitted from (241)Am source employing CR-39 as detector. Here, we report the optical response of CR-39 (on exposure to alpha radiations) employing techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Reflectance Spectroscopy. In the present work GEANT4 simulation of transport of alpha particles in the detector has also been carried out. Simulation includes validation test wherein the projected ranges of alpha particles in the air, polystyrene and CR-39 were calculated and were found to agree with the literature values. An attempt has been further made to compute the fluence as a function of the incidence angle and incidence energy of alphas. There was an excellent correlation in experimentally observed track density with the simulated fluence. The present work offers a novel approach to design an online CR-39 based fiber optic sensor (CRFOS) to measure the release of nanogram quantity of (241)Am in the environment. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TCAD simulation for alpha-particle spectroscopy using SIC Schottky diode.

PubMed

Das, Achintya; Duttagupta, Siddhartha P

2015-12-01

There is a growing requirement of alpha spectroscopy in the fields context of environmental radioactive contamination, nuclear waste management, site decommissioning and decontamination. Although silicon-based alpha-particle detection technology is mature, high leakage current, low displacement threshold and radiation hardness limits the operation of the detector in harsh environments. Silicon carbide (SiC) is considered to be excellent material for radiation detection application due to its high band gap, high displacement threshold and high thermal conductivity. In this report, an alpha-particle-induced electron-hole pair generation model for a reverse-biased n-type SiC Schottky diode has been proposed and verified using technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulations. First, the forward-biased I-V characteristics were studied to determine the diode ideality factor and compared with published experimental data. The ideality factor was found to be in the range of 1.4-1.7 for a corresponding temperature range of 300-500 K. Next, the energy-dependent, alpha-particle-induced EHP generation model parameters were optimised using transport of ions in matter (TRIM) simulation. Finally, the transient pulses generated due to alpha-particle bombardment were analysed for (1) different diode temperatures (300-500 K), (2) different incident alpha-particle energies (1-5 MeV), (3) different reverse bias voltages of the 4H-SiC-based Schottky diode (-50 to -250 V) and (4) different angles of incidence of the alpha particle (0°-70°).The above model can be extended to other (wide band-gap semiconductor) device technologies useful for radiation-sensing application. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dynamic radioactive particle source

DOEpatents

Moore, Murray E; Gauss, Adam Benjamin; Justus, Alan Lawrence

2012-06-26

A method and apparatus for providing a timed, synchronized dynamic alpha or beta particle source for testing the response of continuous air monitors (CAMs) for airborne alpha or beta emitters is provided. The method includes providing a radioactive source; placing the radioactive source inside the detection volume of a CAM; and introducing an alpha or beta-emitting isotope while the CAM is in a normal functioning mode.

Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha radiation in cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells.

PubMed

Thomas, Patricia; Tracy, Bliss; Ping, Tilly; Baweja, Anar; Wickstrom, Mark; Sidhu, Narinder; Hiebert, Linda

2007-03-01

Northern peoples can receive elevated radiation doses (1- 10 mSv/y) from transfer of polonium-210 (210Po) through the lichen-caribou-human food chain. Ingested 210Po is primarily blood-borne and thus many of its short range alpha particles irradiate the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha particles vs. x-rays was examined in porcine aortic endothelial cells as a surrogate for understanding what might happen to human endothelial cells in northern populations consuming traditional foods. Cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells were exposed to x-ray and 210Po alpha particle radiation. Alpha irradiation was applied to the cell cultures internally via the culture medium and externally, using thin-bottomed culture dishes. The results given here are based on the external irradiation method, which was found to be more reliable. Dose-response curves were compared for four lethal endpoints (cell viability, live cell fraction, release of lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and clonogenic survival) to determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha radiation. The alpha RBE for porcine cells varied from 1.6-21, depending on the endpoint: 21.2+/-4.5 for cell viability, 12.9+/-2.7 for decrease in live cell number, 5.3+/-0.4 for LDH release to the medium but only 1.6 +/-0.1 for clonogenic survival. The low RBE of 1.6 was due to x-ray hypersensitivity of endothelial cells at low doses.

Daily variation of radon gas and its short-lived progeny concentration near ground level and estimation of aerosol residence time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, Mohery; A, M. Abdallah; A, Ali; S, S. Baz

2016-05-01

Atmospheric concentrations of radon (222Rn) gas and its short-lived progenies 218Po, 214Pb, and 214Po were continuously monitored every four hours at the ground level in Jeddah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The measurements were performed three times every week, starting from November 2014 to October 2015. A method of electrostatic precipitation of positively charged 218Po and 214Po by a positive voltage was applied for determining 222Rn gas concentration. The short-lived 222Rn progeny concentration was determined by using a filter holder connected with the alpha-spectrometric technique. The meteorological parameters (relative air humidity, air temperature, and wind speed) were determined during the measurements of 222Rn and its progeny concentrations. 222Rn gas as well as its short-lived progeny concentration display a daily and seasonal variation with high values in the night and early morning hours as compared to low values at noon and in the afternoon. The observed monthly atmospheric concentrations showed a seasonal trend with the highest values in the autumn/winter season and the lowest values in the spring/summer season. Moreover, and in parallel with alpha-spectrometric measurements, a single filter-holder was used to collect air samples. The deposited activities of 214Pb and the long-lived 222Rn daughter 210Pb on the filter were measured with the gamma spectrometric technique. The measured activity concentrations of 214Pb by both techniques were found to be relatively equal largely. The highest mean seasonally activity concentrations of 210Pb were observed in the autumn/winter season while the lowest mean were observed in the spring/summer season. The mean residence time (MRT) of aerosol particles in the atmospheric air could be estimated from the activity ratios of 210Pb/214Pb. Project supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (Grant No. 291/965/1434).

A Novel Experiment to Investigate the Attenuation of Alpha Particles in Air

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, D. G. H.

2008-01-01

A simple student experiment investigating dependence on air pressure of the attenuation of alpha particles in air is described. An equation giving the pressure needed to absorb all alpha particles of a given energy is derived from the Bethe-Bloch formula. Results are presented for the attenuation of alpha particles from americium 241 and radium…

A history of nuclear transmutations by natural alpha particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leone, Matteo

2005-11-01

A systematic account of the use of alpha particles up to the 1930s for promoting the disintegration of atoms is here provided. As will be shown, a number of different radium family alpha sources were used in the experiments that led to the discoveries of the proton (Rutherford E 1919 Phil. Mag. 37 581-7) and neutron (Chadwick J 1932 Nature 129 312). The reasons leading to the employment of a particular alpha particle source, as well as the relationship between these sources and the available methods of recording, will be closely addressed.

Nuclear diagnostic for fast alpha particles

DOEpatents

Grisham, L.R.; Post, D.E. Jr.; Dawson, J.M.

1983-11-23

This invention relates generally to high energy confined plasmas and more particularly is directed to measuring the velocity distribution of confined energetic alpha particles resulting from deuterium-tritium fusion reactions in a confined energetic plasma.

Measurements of geomagnetically trapped alpha particles, 1968-1970. I - Quiet time distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krimigis, S. M.; Verzariu, P.

1973-01-01

Results of observations of geomagnetically trapped alpha particles over the energy range from 1.18 to 8 MeV performed with the aid of the Injun 5 polar-orbiting satellite during the period from September 1968 to May 1970. Following a presentation of a time history covering this entire period, a detailed analysis is made of the magnetically quiet period from Feb. 11 to 28, 1970. During this period the alpha particle fluxes and the intensity ratio of alpha particles to protons attained their lowest values in approximately 20 months; the alpha particle intensity versus L profile was most similar to the proton profile at the same energy per nucleon interval; the intensity ratio was nearly constant as a function of L in the same energy per nucleon representation, but rose sharply with L when computed in the same total energy interval; the variation of alpha particle intensity with B suggested a steep angular distribution at small equatorial pitch angles, while the intensity ratio showed little dependence on B; and the alpha particle spectral parameter showed a markedly different dependence on L from the equivalent one for protons.

Collection and Analysis of Aircraft Emitted Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, James Charles

1999-01-01

The University of Denver Aerosol Group proposed to adapt an impactor system for the collection of particles emitted by aircraft. The collection substrates were electron microscope grids which were analyzed by Dr. Pat Sheridan using a transmission electron microscope. The impactor was flown in the SNIFF behind aircraft and engine emissions were sampled. This report details the results of that work.

Alpha-emitting nuclides in the marine environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pentreath, R. J.

1984-06-01

The occurrence of alpha-emitting nuclides and their daughter products in the marine environment continues to be a subject of study for many reasons. Those nuclides which occur naturally, in the uranium, thorium and actinium series, are of interest because of their value in determining the rates of geological and geochemical processes in the oceans. Studies of them address such problems as the determination of rates of transfer of particulate matter, deposition rates, bioturbation rates, and so on. Two of the natural alpha-series nuclides in which a different interest has been expressed are 210Po and 226Ra, because their concentrations in marine organisms are such that they contribute to a significant fraction of the background dose rates sustained both by the organisms themselves and by consumers of marine fish and shellfish. To this pool of naturally-occurring nuclides, human activities have added the transuranium nuclides, both from the atmospheric testing of nuclear devices and from the authorized discharges of radioactive wastes into coastal waters and the deep sea. Studies have therefore been made to understand the chemistry of these radionuclides in sea water, their association with sedimentary materials, and their accumulation by marine organisms, the last of these being of particular interest because the transuranics are essentially "novel" elements to the marine fauna and flora. The need to predict the long-term behaviour of these nuclides has, in turn, stimulated research on those naturally-occurring nuclides which may behave in a similar manner.

WIND measurements of proton and alpha particle flow and number density

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinberg, J. T.; Lazarus, A. J.; Ogilvie, J. T.; Lepping, R.; Byrnes, J.; Chornay, D.; Keller, J.; Torbert, R. B.; Bodet, D.; Needell, G. J.

1995-01-01

We propose to review measurements of the solar wind proton and alpha particle flow velocities and densities made since launch with the WIND SWE instrument. The SWE Faraday cup ion sensors are designed to be able to determine accurately flow vector directions, and thus can be used to detect proton-alpha particle differential flow. Instances of differential flow, and the solar wind features with which they are associated will be discussed. Additionally, the variability of the percentage of alpha particles as a fraction of the total solar wind ion density will be presented.

Effective density and morphology of particles emitted from small-scale combustion of various wood fuels.

PubMed

Leskinen, Jani; Ihalainen, Mika; Torvela, Tiina; Kortelainen, Miika; Lamberg, Heikki; Tiitta, Petri; Jakobi, Gert; Grigonyte, Julija; Joutsensaari, Jorma; Sippula, Olli; Tissari, Jarkko; Virtanen, Annele; Zimmermann, Ralf; Jokiniemi, Jorma

2014-11-18

The effective density of fine particles emitted from small-scale wood combustion of various fuels were determined with a system consisting of an aerosol particle mass analyzer and a scanning mobility particle sizer (APM-SMPS). A novel sampling chamber was combined to the system to enable measurements of highly fluctuating combustion processes. In addition, mass-mobility exponents (relates mass and mobility size) were determined from the density data to describe the shape of the particles. Particle size, type of fuel, combustion phase, and combustion conditions were found to have an effect on the effective density and the particle shape. For example, steady combustion phase produced agglomerates with effective density of roughly 1 g cm(-3) for small particles, decreasing to 0.25 g cm(-3) for 400 nm particles. The effective density was higher for particles emitted from glowing embers phase (ca. 1-2 g cm(-3)), and a clear size dependency was not observed as the particles were nearly spherical in shape. This study shows that a single value cannot be used for the effective density of particles emitted from wood combustion.

A Search for z>6.5 Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies with WISP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagley, Micaela B.; Scarlata, Claudia; Dai, Yu Sophia; Rafelski, Marc; Baronchelli, Ivano; Colbert, James W.; Dominguez, Alberto; Hathi, Nimish P.; Henry, Alaina L.; Malkan, Matthew Arnold; Martin, Crystal L.; Mehta, Vihang; Pahl, Anthony; Ross, Nathaniel; Rutkowski, Michael J.; Teplitz, Harry I.; WISP Team

2016-01-01

The observed number density of Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies at z>6 provides an important probe of the reionization history of the universe. Because Lyman-alpha photons are very sensitive to the presence of neutral hydrogen, the evolution of the galaxy number density above redshift 6 can be used as a measurement on the progress of reionization. However, the Lyman-alpha luminosity function is currently poorly constrained at high-z. We present the results of a systematic search for Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) at redshifts of ~6.5 to 7.5 using the HST WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallels (WISP) survey. WISP's uncorrelated fields are well-suited to the study of bright LAEs, minimizing the effects of clustering introduced by a patchy reionization. From the 30 deepest WISP fields, we compile a sample of single-line emitters, confirm redshifts with broadband colors, and identify LAE candidates that have "dropped out" (are undetected at the 1 sigma level) of the WFC3 UVIS filters. By combining our results with other z~7 studies, we determine whether the number density of LAEs evolves past z~6.5.

Engineered Modular Recombinant Transporters: Application of New Platform for Targeted Radiotherapeutic Agents to {alpha}-Particle Emitting {sup 211}At

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenkranz, Andrey A.; Department of Biophysics, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow; Vaidyanathan, Ganesan

2008-09-01

Purpose: To generate and evaluate a modular recombinant transporter (MRT) for targeting {sup 211}At to cancer cells overexpressing the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Methods and Materials: The MRT was produced with four functional modules: (1) human epidermal growth factor as the internalizable ligand, (2) the optimized nuclear localization sequence of simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40) large T-antigen, (3) a translocation domain of diphtheria toxin as an endosomolytic module, and (4) the Escherichia coli hemoglobin-like protein (HMP) as a carrier module. MRT was labeled using N-succinimidyl 3-[{sup 211}At]astato-5-guanidinomethylbenzoate (SAGMB), its {sup 125}I analogue SGMIB, or with {sup 131}I using Iodogen.more » Binding, internalization, and clonogenic assays were performed with EGFR-expressing A431, D247 MG, and U87MG.wtEGFR human cancer cell lines. Results: The affinity of SGMIB-MRT binding to A431 cells, determined by Scatchard analysis, was 22 nM, comparable to that measured before labeling. The binding of SGMIB-MRT and its internalization by A431 cancer cells was 96% and 99% EGFR specific, respectively. Paired label assays demonstrated that compared with Iodogen-labeled MRT, SGMIB-MRT and SAGMB-MRT exhibited more than threefold greater peak levels and durations of intracellular retention of activity. SAGMB-MRT was 10-20 times more cytotoxic than [{sup 211}At]astatide for all three cell lines. Conclusion: The results of this study have demonstrated the initial proof of principle for the MRT approach for designing targeted {alpha}-particle emitting radiotherapeutic agents. The high cytotoxicity of SAGMB-MRT for cancer cells overexpressing EGFR suggests that this {sup 211}At-labeled conjugate has promise for the treatment of malignancies, such as glioma, which overexpress this receptor.« less

Use of /sup 3/He/sup + +/ ICRF minority heating to simulate alpha particle heating

DOEpatents

Post, D.E. Jr.; Hwang, D.Q.; Hovey, J.

1983-11-16

It is an object of the present invention to provide a better understanding of alpha particle behavior in a magnetically confined, energetic plasma. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved means and method for studying and measuring the energy distribution of heated alpha particles in a confined plasma. Yet another object of the present invention is to permit detailed analysis of energetic alpha particle behavior in a magnetically confined plasma for use in near term fusion reactor experiments. A still further object of the present invention is to simulate energetic alpha particle behavior in a deuterium-tritium plasma confined in a fusion reactor without producing the neutron activation associated with the thus produced alpha particles.

An atlas of H-alpha-emitting regions in M33: A systematic search for SS433 star candidates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calzetti, Daniela; Kinney, Anne L.; Ford, Holland; Doggett, Jesse; Long, Knox S.

1995-01-01

We report finding charts and accurate positions for 432 compact H-alpha emitting regions in the Local Group galaxy M 33 (NGC 598), in an effort to isolate candidates for an SS433-like stellar system. The objects were extracted from narrow band images, centered in the rest-frame H-alpha (lambda 6563 A) and in the red continuum at 6100 A. The atlas is complete down to V approximately equal to 20 and includes 279 compact HII regions and 153 line emitting point-like sources. The point-like sources undoubtedly include a variety of objects: very small HII regions, early type stars with intense stellar winds, and Wolf-Rayet stars, but should also contain objects with the characteristics of SS433. This extensive survey of compact H-alpha regions in M 33 is a first step towards the identification of peculiar stellar systems like SS433 in external galaxies.

Extremely-efficient, miniaturized, long-lived alpha-voltaic power source using liquid gallium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, G. Jeffrey (Inventor); Patel, Jagdishbhai (Inventor); Fleurial, Jean-Pierre (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A power source converts .alpha.-particle energy to electricity for use in electrical systems. Liquid gallium or other liquid medium is subjected to .alpha.-particle emissions. Electrons are freed by collision from neutral gallium atoms to provide gallium ions. The electrons migrate to a cathode while the gallium ions migrate to an anode. A current and/or voltage difference then arises between the cathode and anode because of the work function difference of the cathode and anode. Gallium atoms are regenerated by the receiving of electrons from the anode enabling the generation of additional electrons from additional .alpha.-particle collisions.

Hit rates and radiation doses to nuclei of bone lining cells from alpha-particle-emitting radionuclides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polig, E.; Jee, W. S.; Kruglikov, I. L.

1992-01-01

Factors relating the local concentration of a bone-seeking alpha-particle emitter to the mean hit rate have been determined for nuclei of bone lining cells using a Monte Carlo procedure. Cell nuclei were approximated by oblate spheroids with dimensions and location taken from a previous histomorphometric study. The Monte Carlo simulation is applicable for planar and diffuse labels at plane or cylindrical bone surfaces. Additionally, the mean nuclear dose per hit, the dose mean per hit, the mean track segment length and its second moment, the percentage of stoppers, and the frequency distribution of the dose have been determined. Some basic features of the hit statistics for bone lining cells have been outlined, and the consequences of existing standards of radiation protection with regard to the hit frequency to cell nuclei are discussed.

Density-induced suppression of the {alpha}-particle condensate in nuclear matter and the structure of {alpha}-cluster states in nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funaki, Y.; Horiuchi, H.; International Institute for Advanced Studies, Kizugawa 619-0225

2008-06-15

At low densities, with decreasing temperatures, in symmetric nuclear matter {alpha} particles are formed, which eventually give raise to a quantum condensate with four-nucleon {alpha}-like correlations (quartetting). Starting with a model of {alpha} matter, where undistorted {alpha} particles interact via an effective interaction such as the Ali-Bodmer potential, the suppression of the condensate fraction at zero temperature with increasing density is considered. Using a Jastrow-Feenberg approach, it is found that the condensate fraction vanishes near saturation density. Additionally, the modification of the internal state of the {alpha} particle due to medium effects will further reduce the condensate. In finite systems,more » an enhancement of the S-state wave function of the center-of-mass orbital of {alpha}-particle motion is considered as the correspondence to the condensate. Wave functions have been constructed for self-conjugate 4n nuclei that describe the condensate state but are fully antisymmetrized on the nucleonic level. These condensate-like cluster wave functions have been successfully applied to describe properties of low-density states near the n{alpha} threshold. Comparison with orthogonality condition model calculations in {sup 12}C and {sup 16}O shows strong enhancement of the occupation of the S-state center-of-mass orbital of the {alpha} particles. This enhancement is decreasing if the baryon density increases, similar to the density-induced suppression of the condensate fraction in {alpha} matter. The ground states of {sup 12}C and {sup 16}O show no enhancement at all, thus a quartetting condensate cannot be formed at saturation densities.« less

Recent {alpha} decay half-lives and analytic expression predictions including superheavy nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Royer, G.; Zhang, H. F.

New recent experimental {alpha} decay half-lives have been compared with the results obtained from previously proposed formulas depending only on the mass and charge numbers of the {alpha} emitter and the Q{sub {alpha}} value. For the heaviest nuclei they are also compared with calculations using the Density-Dependent M3Y (DDM3Y) effective interaction and the Viola-Seaborg-Sobiczewski (VSS) formulas. The correct agreement allows us to make predictions for the {alpha} decay half-lives of other still unknown superheavy nuclei from these analytic formulas using the extrapolated Q{sub {alpha}} of G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, and C. Thibault [Nucl. Phys. A729, 337 (2003)].

Combined effects of alpha particles and depleted uranium on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

PubMed Central

Ng, Candy Y.P.; Pereira, Sandrine; Cheng, Shuk Han; Adam-Guillermin, Christelle; Garnier-Laplace, Jacqueline; Yu, Kwan Ngok

2016-01-01

The combined effects of low-dose or high-dose alpha particles and depleted uranium (DU) in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were studied. Three schemes were examined—(i) [ILUL]: 0.44 mGy alpha-particle dose + 10 µg/l DU exposure, (ii) [IHUH]: 4.4 mGy alpha-particle dose + 100 µg/l DU exposure and (iii) [IHUL]: 4.4 mGy alpha-particle dose + 10 µg/l DU exposure—in which Zebrafish embryos were irradiated with alpha particles at 5 h post fertilization (hpf) and/or exposed to uranium at 5–6 hpf. The results were also compared with our previous work, which studied the effects of [ILUH]: 0.44 mGy alpha-particle dose + 100 µg/l DU exposure. When the Zebrafish embryos developed to 24 hpf, the apoptotic signals in the entire embryos, used as the biological endpoint for this study, were quantified. Our results showed that [ILUL] and [IHUL] led to antagonistic effects, whereas [IHUH] led to an additive effect. The effect found for the previously studied case of [ILUH] was difficult to define because it was synergistic with reference to the 100 µg/l DU exposure, but it was antagonistic with reference to the 0.44 mGy alpha-particle dose. All the findings regarding the four different schemes showed that the combined effects critically depended on the dose response to each individual stressor. We also qualitatively explained these findings in terms of promotion of early death of cells predisposed to spontaneous transformation by alpha particles, interacting with the delay in cell death resulting from various concentrations of DU exposure. PMID:26937024

Very High Efficiency, Miniaturized, Long-Lived Alpha Particle Power Source Using Diamond Devices for Extreme Space Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolawa, Elizabeth A. (Inventor); Patel, Jagdishbhai U. (Inventor); Fleurial, Jean-Pierre (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A power source that converts a-particle energy into electricity by coulomb collision in doped diamond films is described. Alpha particle decay from curium-244 creates electron-hole pairs by free- ing electrons and holes inside the crystal lattice in N- and P-doped diamond films. Ohmic contacts provide electrical connection to an electronic device. Due to the built-in electric field at the rectifying junction across the hT- and P-doped diamond films, the free electrons are constrained to traveling in generally one direction. This one direction then supplies electrons in a manner similar to that of a battery. The radioactive curium layer may be disposed on diamond films for even distribution of a-particle radiation. The resulting power source may be mounted on a diamond substrate that serves to insulate structures below the diamond substrate from a-particle emission. Additional insulation or isolation may be provided in order to prevent damage from a-particle collision. N-doped silicon may be used instead of N-doped diamond.

Development of the MICROMEGAS detector for measuring the energy spectrum of alpha particles by using a 241Am source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Do Yoon; Ham, Cheolmin; Shin, Jae Won; Park, Tae-Sun; Hong, Seung-Woo; Andriamonje, Samuel; Kadi, Yacine; Tenreiro, Claudio

2016-05-01

We have developed MICROMEGAS (MICRO MEsh GASeous) detectors for detecting a particles emitted from an 241Am standard source. The voltage applied to the ionization region of the detector is optimized for stable operation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The energy of a particles from the 241Am source can be varied by changing the flight path of the a particle from the 241Am source. The channel numbers of the experimentally-measured pulse peak positions for different energies of the a particles are associated with the energies deposited by the alpha particles in the ionization region of the detector as calculated by using GEANT4 simulations; thus, the energy calibration of the MICROMEGAS detector for a particles is done. For the energy calibration, the thickness of the ionization region is adjusted so that a particles may completely stop in the ionization region and their kinetic energies are fully deposited in the region. The efficiency of our MICROMEGAS detector for a particles under the present conditions is found to be ~97.3%.

In vitro immunotoxic and genotoxic activities of particles emitted from two different small-scale wood combustion appliances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tapanainen, Maija; Jalava, Pasi I.; Mäki-Paakkanen, Jorma; Hakulinen, Pasi; Happo, Mikko S.; Lamberg, Heikki; Ruusunen, Jarno; Tissari, Jarkko; Nuutinen, Kati; Yli-Pirilä, Pasi; Hillamo, Risto; Salonen, Raimo O.; Jokiniemi, Jorma; Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta

2011-12-01

Residential wood combustion appliances emit large quantities of fine particles which are suspected to cause a substantial health burden worldwide. Wood combustion particles contain several potential health-damaging metals and carbon compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which may determine the toxic properties of the emitted particles. The aim of the present study was to characterize in vitro immunotoxicological and chemical properties of PM 1 ( Dp ≤ 1 μm) emitted from a pellet boiler and a conventional masonry heater. Mouse RAW264.7 macrophages were exposed for 24 h to different doses of the emission particles. Cytotoxicity, production of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α and the chemokine MIP-2, apoptosis and phases of the cell cycle as well as genotoxic activity were measured after the exposure. The type of wood combustion appliance had a significant effect on emissions and chemical composition of the particles. All the studied PM 1 samples induced cytotoxic, genotoxic and inflammatory responses in a dose-dependent manner. The particles emitted from the conventional masonry heater were 3-fold more potent inducers of programmed cell death and DNA damage than those emitted from the pellet boiler. Furthermore, the particulate samples that induced extensive DNA damage contained also large amounts of PAH compounds. Instead, significant differences between the studied appliances were not detected in measurements of inflammatory mediators, although the chemical composition of the combustion particles differed considerably from each other. In conclusion, the present results show that appliances representing different combustion technology have remarkable effects on physicochemical and associated toxicological and properties of wood combustion particles. The present data indicate that the particles emitted from incomplete combustion are toxicologically more potent than those emitted from more complete combustion processes.

Vehicle emissions of short-lived and long-lived climate forcers: trends and tradeoffs.

PubMed

Edwards, Morgan R; Klemun, Magdalena M; Kim, Hyung Chul; Wallington, Timothy J; Winkler, Sandra L; Tamor, Michael A; Trancik, Jessika E

2017-08-24

Evaluating technology options to mitigate the climate impacts of road transportation can be challenging, particularly when they involve a tradeoff between long-lived emissions (e.g., carbon dioxide) and short-lived emissions (e.g., methane or black carbon). Here we present trends in short- and long-lived emissions for light- and heavy-duty transport globally and in the U.S., EU, and China over the period 2000-2030, and we discuss past and future changes to vehicle technologies to reduce these emissions. We model the tradeoffs between short- and long-lived emission reductions across a range of technology options, life cycle emission intensities, and equivalency metrics. While short-lived vehicle emissions have decreased globally over the past two decades, significant reductions in CO 2 will be required by mid-century to meet climate change mitigation targets. This is true regardless of the time horizon used to compare long- and short-lived emissions. The short-lived emission intensities of some low-CO 2 technologies are higher than others, and thus their suitability for meeting climate targets depends sensitively on the evaluation time horizon. Other technologies offer low intensities of both short-lived emissions and CO 2 .

An alpha particle instrument with alpha, proton, and X-ray modes for planetary chemical analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Economou, T. E.; Turkevich, A. L.

1976-01-01

The interaction of alpha particles with matter is employed in a compact instrument that could provide rather complete in-situ chemical analyses of surfaces and thin atmospheres of extraterrestrial bodies. The instrument is a miniaturized and improved version of the Surveyor lunar instrument. The backscattering of alpha particles and (alpha, p) reactions provide analytical data on the light elements (carbon-iron). An X-ray mode that detects the photons produced by the alpha sources provides sensitivity and resolution for the chemical elements heavier than about silicon. The X-rays are detected by semiconductor detectors having a resolution between 150 and 250 eV at 5.9 keV. Such an instrument can identify and determine with good accuracy 99 percent of the atoms (except hydrogen) in rocks. For many trace elements, the detecting sensitivity is a few ppm. Auxiliary sources could be used to enhance the sensitivities for elements of special interest. The instrument could probably withstand the acceleration involved in semi-hard landings.

INSTABILITIES DRIVEN BY THE DRIFT AND TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY OF ALPHA PARTICLES IN THE SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verscharen, Daniel; Bourouaine, Sofiane; Chandran, Benjamin D. G., E-mail: daniel.verscharen@unh.edu, E-mail: s.bourouaine@unh.edu, E-mail: benjamin.chandran@unh.edu

2013-08-20

We investigate the conditions under which parallel-propagating Alfven/ion-cyclotron (A/IC) waves and fast-magnetosonic/whistler (FM/W) waves are driven unstable by the differential flow and temperature anisotropy of alpha particles in the solar wind. We focus on the limit in which w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} {approx}> 0.25v{sub A}, where w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} is the parallel alpha-particle thermal speed and v{sub A} is the Alfven speed. We derive analytic expressions for the instability thresholds of these waves, which show, e.g., how the minimum unstable alpha-particle beam speed depends upon w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}}/v{sub A}, the degree of alpha-particle temperature anisotropy, and the alpha-to-proton temperature ratio. Wemore » validate our analytical results using numerical solutions to the full hot-plasma dispersion relation. Consistent with previous work, we find that temperature anisotropy allows A/IC waves and FM/W waves to become unstable at significantly lower values of the alpha-particle beam speed U{sub {alpha}} than in the isotropic-temperature case. Likewise, differential flow lowers the minimum temperature anisotropy needed to excite A/IC or FM/W waves relative to the case in which U{sub {alpha}} = 0. We discuss the relevance of our results to alpha particles in the solar wind near 1 AU.« less

Shielding of manned space vehicles against protons and alpha particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alsmiller, R. G., Jr.; Santoro, R. T.; Barish, J.; Claiborne, H. C.

1972-01-01

The available information on the shielding of manned space vehicles against protons and alpha particles is summarized. The emphasis is placed on shielding against Van Allen belt protons and against solar-flare protons and alpha particles, but information on shielding against galactic cosmic rays is also presented. The approximation methods for use by nonexperts in the space shielding field are those that are standard in the space shielding literature.

Development of ultrahigh resolution alpha particle imaging detector using 1 mm channel size Si-PM array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Kawaguchi, Wataru

2018-06-01

For precise distribution measurements of alpha particles, a high-resolution alpha particle imaging detector is required. Although combining a thin scintillator with a silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) array is a promising method for achieving high resolution, the spatial resolution is limited. Reducing the size of the Si-PM array is a possible approach to improving the spatial resolution of the alpha particle imaging detector. Consequently, we employed a 1 mm channel size Si-PM array combined with a thin ZnS(Ag) sheet to form an alpha particle imaging detector and evaluated the performance. For the developed alpha particle imaging detector, an Si-PM array with 1 mm x 1 mm channel size arranged 8 x 8 was optically coupled to a ZnS(Ag) sheet with a 1-mm-thick light guide between them. The size of the alpha particle imaging detector was 9.5 mm x 9.5 mm. The spatial resolution of the developed alpha particle imaging detector was 0.14 mm FWHM, and the energy resolution was 74% FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. The uniformity of the imaging detector at the central part of the field of view (FOV) was ±4.7%. The background count rate was 0.06 counts/min. We obtained various high-resolution phantom images for alpha particles with the developed system. We conclude that the developed imaging detector is promising for high-resolution distribution measurements of alpha particles.

Derivation of Soil Screening Guidelines for Gross Alpha/Beta Radioactivity for United States Air Force Deployment Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-19

These levels are provided to assist in making decisions in case of a large accident. Assessment can be made based on what health effects can be...a beta particle to become polonium -214 (99.98% of decays), or it can emit an alpha particle to become thallium- 210 (0.02% of decays). Bismuth-214...lead- 210 , and polonium - 210 . A decay of bismuth-214 will eventually yield 5 alpha particles and 4 beta particles. Four radionuclides that occur in

Downstream energetic proton and alpha particles during quasi-parallel interplanetary shock events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, L. C.; Mason, G. M.; Gloeckler, G.; Ipavich, F. M.

1988-01-01

This paper considers the energetic particle populations in the downstream region of three quasi-parallel interplanetary shock events, which was explored using the ISEE 3 Ultra Low Energy Charge Analyzer sensor, which unambiguously identifies protons and alpha particles using the electrostatic deflection versus residual energy technique. The downstream particles were found to exhibit anisotropies due largely to convection in the solar wind. The spectral indices of the proton and the alpha-particle distribution functions were found to be remarkably constant during the downstream period, being generally insensitive to changes in particle flux levels, magnetic field direction, and solar wind densities. In two of the three events, the proton and the alpha spectra were the same throughout the entire downstream period, supporting the prediction of diffusive shock acceleration theory.

Simulation of Alpha Particles in Rotating Plasma Interacting with a Stationary Ripple

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abraham J. Fetterman and Nathaniel J. Fisch

Superthermal ExB rotation can provide magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and enhanced confinement to axisymmetric mirrors. However, the rotation speed has been limited by phenomena at end electrodes. A new prediction is that rotation might instead be produced using a magnetic ripple and alpha particle kinetic energy, in an extension of the alpha channeling concept. The interaction of alpha particles with the ripple results in visually interesting and practically useful orbits.

Enhanced homologous recombination is induced by alpha-particle radiation in somatic cells of Arabidopsis thaliana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Po; Liu, Ping; Wu, Yuejin

Almost 9 percent of cosmic rays which strike the earth's atmosphere are alpha particles. As one of the ionizing radiations (IR), its biological effects have been widely studied. However, the plant genomic instability induced by alpha-particle radiation was not largely known. In this research, the Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic for GUS recombination substrate was used to evaluate the genomic instability induced by alpha-particle radiation (3.3MeV). The pronounced effects of systemic exposure to alpha-particle radiation on the somatic homologous recombination frequency (HRF) were found at different doses. The 10Gy dose of radiation induced the maximal HRF which was 1.9-fold higher than the control. The local radiation of alpha-particle (10Gy) on root also resulted in a 2.5-fold increase of somatic HRF in non-radiated aerial plant, indicating that the signal(s) of genomic instability was transferred to non-radiated parts and initiated their genomic instability. Concurrent treatment of seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana with alpha-particle and DMSO(ROS scavenger) both in systemic and local radiation signifi- cantly suppressed the somatic HR, indicating that the free radicals produced by alpha-particle radiation took part in the production of signal of genomic instability rather than the signal transfer. Key words: alpha-particle radiation, somatic homologous recombination, genomic instability

Nature of alpha and beta particles in glycogen using molecular size distributions.

PubMed

Sullivan, Mitchell A; Vilaplana, Francisco; Cave, Richard A; Stapleton, David; Gray-Weale, Angus A; Gilbert, Robert G

2010-04-12

Glycogen is a randomly hyperbranched glucose polymer. Complex branched polymers have two structural levels: individual branches and the way these branches are linked. Liver glycogen has a third level: supramolecular clusters of beta particles which form larger clusters of alpha particles. Size distributions of native glycogen were characterized using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to find the number and weight distributions and the size dependences of the number- and weight-average masses. These were fitted to two distinct randomly joined reference structures, constructed by random attachment of individual branches and as random aggregates of beta particles. The z-average size of the alpha particles in dimethylsulfoxide does not change significantly with high concentrations of LiBr, a solvent system that would disrupt hydrogen bonding. These data reveal that the beta particles are covalently bonded to form alpha particles through a hitherto unsuspected enzyme process, operative in the liver on particles above a certain size range.

Velocity space instabilities of alpha particles in tokamak reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigmar, D.J.

1979-01-01

In this lecture on high frequency instability due to isotropic hollow alpha velocity distributions it was first shown that such distributions can actually arise under thermonuclear conditions in a tokamak reactor, particularly for the case of imperfect alpha particle confinement. The toroidal geometry (i.e., the poloidal variation of the alpha gyrofrequency) then leads to linear instability of the compressional Alfven wave ..omega.. = C/sub A/k/sub perpendicular/ with k/sub parallel/ congruent to O, k/sub perpendicular/ rho/sub ..cap alpha../ greater than or equal to 1, v/sub ..cap alpha../ > C/sub A/, at the low harmonics ..omega.. congruent to n ..omega../sub c..cap alpha../.more » Thus the free energy of the inverted alpha distribution is accessible and produces anomalously rapid diffusion of F/sub ..cap alpha../(v/sub perpendicular/). (MOW)« less

Half-lives of 221Fr, 217At, 213Bi, 213Po and 209Pb from the 225Ac decay series.

PubMed

Suliman, G; Pommé, S; Marouli, M; Van Ammel, R; Stroh, H; Jobbágy, V; Paepen, J; Dirican, A; Bruchertseifer, F; Apostolidis, C; Morgenstern, A

2013-07-01

The half-lives of (221)Fr, (217)At, (213)Bi, (213)Po, and (209)Pb were measured by means of an ion-implanted planar Si detector for alpha and beta particles emitted from weak (225)Ac sources or from recoil sources, which were placed in a quasi-2π counting geometry. Recoil sources were prepared by collecting atoms from an open (225)Ac source onto a glass substrate. The (221)Fr and (213)Bi half-lives were determined by following the alpha particle emission rate of recoil sources as a function of time. Similarly, the (209)Pb half-life was determined from the beta particle count rate. The shorter half-lives of (217)At and (213)Po were deduced from delayed coincidence measurements on weak (225)Ac sources using digital data acquisition in list mode. The resulting values: T1/2((221)Fr)=4.806 (6) min, T1/2((217)At)=32.8 (3)ms, T1/2((213)Bi)=45.62 (6)min, T1/2((213)Po)=3.708 (8) μs, and T1/2((209)Pb)=3.232 (5)h were in agreement only with the best literature data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar wind alpha particle capture at Mars and Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenberg, Gabriella; Barabash, Stas; Nilsson, Hans; Fedorov, A.; Brain, David; André, Mats

Helium is detected in the atmospheres of both Mars and Venus. It is believed that radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in the interior of the planets' is not sufficient to account for the abundance of helium observed. Alpha particles in the solar wind are suggested to be an additional source of helium, especially at Mars. Recent hybrid simulations show that as much as 30We use ion data from the ASPERA-3 and ASPERA-4 instruments on Mars and Venus Express to estimate how efficient solar wind alpha particles are captured in the atmospheres of the two planets.

Role of constant value of surface diffuseness in alpha decay half-lives of superheavy nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehghani, V.; Alavi, S. A.; Benam, Kh.

2018-05-01

By using WKB method and considering deformed Woods-Saxon nuclear potential, deformed Coulomb potential, and centrifugal potential, the alpha decay half-lives of 68 superheavy alpha emitters have been calculated. The effect of the constant value of surface diffuseness parameter in the range of 0.1 ≤ a ≤ 0.9 (fm) on the potential barrier, tunneling probability, assault frequency, and alpha decay half-lives has been investigated. Significant differences were observed for alpha decay half-lives and decay quantities in this range of surface diffuseness. Good agreement between calculated half-lives with fitted surface diffuseness parameter a = 0.54 (fm) and experiment was observed.

Short-lived Isotopes from a Close-by AGB Star Triggering the Protosolar Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallino, R.; Busso, M.; Wasserburg, G. J.; Straniero, O.

The presence of short-lived isotopes in the early solar system, in particular 26Al, 41Ca, 60Fe, and 107Pd, point to a close-by and fresh nucleosynthesis source, possibly triggering the collapse of the protosolar nebula. We present the results of nucleosynthesis calculations based on an AGB polluting hypothesis. A general concordance of the predicted yields of the above radioactivities relative to 26Al can be obtained in the case of an intermediate mass AGB star with hot bottom burning in the envelope (thus producing 26Al), and mixing through a series of third dredge-up episodes a fraction of the C-rich and s-processed material from the He intershell with the extended envelope. Polution of the protosolar nebula with freshly synthesized material may derive from the efficient winds of the AGB star. In AGB stars, the s-process nucleosynthesis occurs both during the maximum phase of every thermal runaway, driven by the partial activation of the 22Ne(alpha,n)25Mg reaction, and in the interpulse phase, where the 13C nuclei are fully consumed in radiative conditions by the activation of the 13C(alpha,n)16O reaction. We have used different prescriptions for the amount of the 13C nuclei present in the intershell. A minimum amount of 13C is naturally expected in the ashes of H-shell burning. Possible formation of an extra "13C-pocket" derives from the injection of a small amount of protons from the envelope into the 12C-rich intershell during any third dredge-up episode, when the H-shell is inactivated. Prediction for other short-lived, 36Cl, 135Cs, and 205Pb, are given. General consequences for the pollution of the protosolar nebula with newly synthesized stable isotopes from the AGB winds are outlined. The origin of other detected short-lived nuclei, in particular 53Mn, 129I, and 182Hf, which cannot come from an AGB source, is analysed. The alternative trigger hypothesis by a close-by Supernova is discussed.

Alpha and conversion electron spectroscopy of 238,239Pu and 241Am and alpha-conversion electron coincidence measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dion, Michael P.; Miller, Brian W.; Warren, Glen A.

2016-09-01

A technique to determine the isotopics of a mixed actinide sample has been proposed by measuring the coincidence of the alpha particle during radioactive decay with the conversion electron (or Auger) emitted during the relaxation of the daughter isotope. This presents a unique signature to allow the deconvolution of isotopes that possess overlapping alpha particle energy. The work presented here are results of conversion electron spectroscopy of 241Am, 238Pu and 239Pu using a dual-stage peltier-cooled 25 mm2 silicon drift detector. A passivated ion implanted planar silicon detector provided measurements of alpha spectroscopy. The conversion electron spectra were evaluated from 20–55more » keV based on fits to the dominant conversion electron emissions, which allowed the relative conversion electron emission intensities to be determined. These measurements provide crucial singles spectral information to aid in the coincident measurement approach.« less

Monte Carlo calculations of the cellular S-values for α-particle-emitting radionuclides incorporated into the nuclei of cancer cells of the MDA-MB231, MCF7 and PC3 lines.

PubMed

Rojas-Calderón, E L; Ávila, O; Ferro-Flores, G

2018-05-01

S-values (dose per unit of cumulated activity) for alpha particle-emitting radionuclides and monoenergetic alpha sources placed in the nuclei of three cancer cell models (MCF7, MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells and PC3 prostate cancer cells) were obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. The MCNPX code was used to calculate the fraction of energy deposited in the subcellular compartments due to the alpha sources in order to obtain the S-values. A comparison with internationally accepted S-values reported by the MIRD Cellular Committee for alpha sources in three sizes of spherical cells was also performed leading to an agreement within 4% when an alpha extended source uniformly distributed in the nucleus is simulated. This result allowed to apply the Monte Carlo Methodology to evaluate S-values for alpha particles in cancer cells. The calculation of S-values for nucleus, cytoplasm and membrane of cancer cells considering their particular geometry, distribution of the radionuclide source and chemical composition by means of Monte Carlo simulation provides a good approach for dosimetry assessment of alpha emitters inside cancer cells. Results from this work provide information and tools that may help researchers in the selection of appropriate radiopharmaceuticals in alpha-targeted cancer therapy and improve its dosimetry evaluation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global alpha-particle optical potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, N.

1991-12-01

A search for a global optical potential (for alpha-particles) is described. It was not possible to find a potential that was valid for a wide range of energies and nuclei, even treating the absorbing potential as an adjustable parameter for each nucleus. For practical purposes the best that can be done is to define an average potential, and such a potential is compared with a wide range of experimental data. Its energy variation is determined by fitting the total reaction cross-section.

Production of α-particle emitting 211At using 45 MeV α-beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Gyehong; Chun, Kwonsoo; Park, Sung Ho; Kim, Byungil

2014-06-01

Among the α-particle emitting radionuclides, 211At is considered to be a promising radionuclide for targeted cancer therapy due to its decay properties. The range of alpha particles produced by the decay of 211At are less than 70 µm in water with a linear energy transfer between 100 and 130 keV µm-1, which are about the maximum relative biological effectiveness for heavy ions. It is important to note that at the present time, only a few of cyclotrons routinely produce 211At. The direct production method is based on the nuclear reactions 209Bi(α,2n)211At. Production of the radionuclide 211At was carried out using the MC-50 cyclotron at the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS). To ensure high beam current, the α-beam was extracted with an initial energy of 45 MeV, which was degraded to obtain the appropriate α-beam energy. The calculations of beam energy degradation were performed utilizing the MCNPX. Alumina-baked targets were prepared by heating the bismuth metal powder onto a circular cavity in a furnace. When using an Eα, av of 29.17 MeV, the very small contribution of 210At confirms the right choice of the irradiation energy to obtain a pure production of 211At isotope.

Depth Measurements Using Alpha Particles and Upsettable SRAMs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. G.; Reier, M.; Soli, G. A.

1995-01-01

A custom designed SRAM was used to measure the thickness of integrated circuit over layers and the epi-layer thickness using alpha particles and a test SRAM. The over layer consists of oxide, nitride, metal, and junction regions.

Effect of americium-241 alpha-particles on the dose-response of chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

PubMed

Barquinero, J F; Stephan, G; Schmid, E

2004-02-01

To evaluate by the fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) technique the dose-response and intercellular distribution of alpha-particle-induced chromosome aberrations. In particular, the validity of using the yield of characteristic types of chromosome abnormalities in stable cells as quantitative indicators for retrospective dose reconstruction has been evaluated. Monolayers of human peripheral lymphocytes were exposed at doses from 0.02 to 1 Gy to alpha-particles emitted from a source of americium-241. The most probable energy of the alpha-particles entering the cells was 2.7 MeV. FISH painting was performed using DNA probes for chromosomes 2, 4 and 8 in combination with a pan-centromeric probe. In complete first-division cells, identified by harlequin staining, aberrations involving painted target chromosomal material were recorded as well as aberrations involving only unpainted chromosomal material. In total, the percentage of complex aberrations was about 35% and no dose dependence was observed. When complex-type exchanges were reduced to simple base types, the different cell distributions were clearly over-dispersed, and the linear coefficients of the dose-effect curves for translocations were significantly higher than for dicentrics. For past dose reconstruction, only a few complex aberrations were in stable cells. The linear coefficient obtained for transmissible aberrations in stable cells was more than seven times lower than that obtained in all analysed cells, i.e. including unstable cells. FISH-based analysis of complex rearrangements allows discrimination between partial-body exposures to low-linear energy transfer radiation and high-linear energy transfer exposures. In assessing past or chronic exposure to alpha-particles, the use of a dose-effect curve obtained by FISH-based translocation data, which had not excluded data determined in unstable cells, would underestimate the dose. Insertions are ineffective biomarkers because their frequency is too

Energetic particle transport and alpha driven instabilities in advanced confinement DT plasmas on TFTR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stratton, B. C.; Budny, R. V.; Darrow, D. S.; Fisher, R. K.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Fu, G. Y.; Medley, S. S.; Nazikian, R.; Petrov, M. P.; Redi, M. H.; Ruskov, E.; Taylor, G.; White, R. B.; Zweben, S. J.; TFTR Group

1999-09-01

The article reviews the physics of fusion alpha particles and energetic neutral beam ions studied in the final phase of TFTR operation, with an emphasis on observations in reversed magnetic shear (RS) and enhanced reversed shear (ERS) DT plasmas. Energy resolved measurements of the radial profiles of confined, trapped alphas in RS plasmas exhibit reduced core alpha density with increasing alpha energy, in contrast to plasmas with normal monotonic shear. The measured profiles are consistent with predictions of increased alpha loss due to stochastic ripple diffusion and increased first orbit loss in RS plasmas. In experiments in which a short tritium beam pulse is injected into a deuterium RS plasma, the measured DT neutron emission is lower than standard predictions assuming first orbit loss and stochastic ripple diffusion of the beam ions. A microwave reflectometer measured the spatial localization of low toroidal mode number (n), alpha driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) in DT RS discharges. Although the observed ballooning character of the n = 4 mode is consistent with predictions of a kinetic MHD stability code, the observed antiballooning nature of the n = 2 mode is not. Furthermore, the modelling does not show the observed strong dependence of mode frequency on n. These alpha driven TAEs do not cause measurable alpha loss in TFTR. Other Alfvén frequency modes with n = 2-4 seen in both DT and DD ERS and RS discharges are localized to the weak magnetic shear region near qmin. In 10-20% of DT discharges, normal low n MHD activity causes alpha loss at levels above the first orbit loss rate.

Measurement of Ultrafine Particles and Other Air Pollutants Emitted by Cooking Activities

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qunfang; Gangupomu, Roja H.; Ramirez, David; Zhu, Yifang

2010-01-01

Cooking emissions show a strong dependence on cooking styles and parameters. Measurements of the average ultrafine particle (UFP) concentration, PM2.5 and black carbon concentrations emitted by cooking activities ranged from 1.34 × 104 to 6.04 × 105 particles/cm3, 10.0 to 230.9 μg/m3 and 0.1 to 0.8 μg/m3, respectively. Lower UFP concentrations were observed during boiling, while higher levels were emitted during frying. The highest UFP concentrations were observed when using a gas stove at high temperature with the kitchen exhaust fan turned off. The observed UFP profiles were similar in the kitchen and in another room, with a lag of approximately 10 min. PMID:20617057

Alpha particle backscattering measurements used for chemical analysis of surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, J. H.

1967-01-01

Alpha particle backscattering performs a chemical analysis of surfaces. The apparatus uses a curium source and a semiconductor detector to determine the energy spectrum of the particles. This in turn determines the chemical composition of the surface after calibration to known samples.

Effect of alpha-particle irradiation on the electrical properties of n-type Ge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roro, K. T.; Janse van Rensburg, P. J.; Auret, F. D.; Coelho, S.

2009-12-01

Deep-level transient spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of alpha particle irradiation on the electrical properties of n-type Ge. The samples were irradiated with alpha particles at room temperature using an americium-241 (Am-241) radionuclide source. The main defects introduced were found to be electron traps with energy levels at EC-0.38, EC-0.21, EC-0.20, EC-0.15, and EC-0.10 eV, respectively. The main defects in alpha particle irradiation are similar to those introduced by MeV electron irradiation, where the main defect is the E-center. A quadratic increase in concentration as a function of dose is observed.

NIR-emitting molecular-based nanoparticles as new two-photon absorbing nanotools for single particle tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, J.; Godin, A. G.; Clermont, G.; Lounis, B.; Cognet, L.; Blanchard-Desce, M.

2015-07-01

In order to provide a green alternative to QDs for bioimaging purposes and aiming at designing bright nanoparticles combining both large one- and two-photon brightness, a bottom-up route based on the molecular engineering of dedicated red to NIR emitting dyes that spontaneously form fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) has been implemented. These fully organic nanoparticles built from original quadrupolar dyes are prepared using a simple, expeditious and green protocol that yield very small molecular-based nanoparticles (radius ~ 7 nm) suspension in water showing a nice NIR emission (λem=710 nm). These FONs typically have absorption coefficient more than two orders larger than popular NIR-emitting dyes (such as Alexa Fluor 700, Cy5.5 ….) and much larger Stokes shift values (i.e. up to over 5500 cm-1). They also show very large two-photon absorption response in the 800-1050 nm region (up to about 106 GM) of major promise for two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy. Thanks to their brightness and enhanced photostability, these FONs could be imaged as isolated nanoparticles and tracked using wide-field imaging. As such, thanks to their size and composition (absence of heavy metals), they represent highly promising alternatives to NIR-emitting QDs for use in bioimaging and single particle tracking applications. Moreover, efficient FONs coating was achieved by using a polymeric additive built from a long hydrophobic (PPO) and a short hydrophilic (PEO) segment and having a cationic head group able to interact with the highly negative surface of FONs. This electrostatically-driven interaction promotes both photoluminescence and two-photon absorption enhancement leading to an increase of two-photon brightness of about one order of magnitude. This opens the way to wide-field single particle tracking under two-photon excitation

Cryogenic Microcalorimeter System for Ultra-High Resolution Alpha-Particle Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croce, M. P.; Bacrania, M. K.; Hoover, A. S.; Rabin, M. W.; Hoteling, N. J.; LaMont, S. P.; Plionis, A. A.; Dry, D. E.; Ullom, J. N.; Bennett, D. A.; Horansky, R. D.; Kotsubo, V.; Cantor, R.

2009-12-01

Microcalorimeters have been shown to yield unsurpassed energy resolution for alpha spectrometry, up to 1.06 keV FWHM at 5.3 MeV. These detectors use a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) to measure the temperature change in an absorber from energy deposited by an interacting alpha particle. Our system has four independent detectors mounted inside a liquid nitrogen/liquid helium cryostat. An adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) cools the detector stage to its operating temperature of 80 mK. Temperature regulation with ˜15-μK peak-to-peak variation is achieved by PID control of the ADR. The detectors are voltage-biased, and the current signal is amplified by a commercial SQUID readout system and digitized for further analysis. This paper will discuss design and operation of our microcalorimeter alpha-particle spectrometer, and will show recent results.

Apparatus for detecting alpha radiation in difficult access areas

DOEpatents

Steadman, Peter; MacArthur, Duncan W.

1997-09-02

An electrostatic alpha radiation detector for measuring alpha radiation emitted from inside an enclosure comprising an electrically conductive expandable electrode for insertion into the enclosure. After insertion, the electrically conductive expandable electrode is insulated from the enclosure and defines a decay cavity between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure so that air ions generated in the decay cavity are electrostatically captured by the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure when an electric potential is applied between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. Indicator means are attached to the electrically conductive expandable electrode for indicating an electrical current produced by generation of the air ions generated in the decay cavity by collisions between air molecules and the alpha particles emitted from the enclosure. A voltage source is connected between the indicator means and the electrically conductive enclosure for creating an electric field between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure.

Apparatus for detecting alpha radiation in difficult access areas

DOEpatents

Steadman, P.; MacArthur, D.W.

1997-09-02

An electrostatic alpha radiation detector for measuring alpha radiation emitted from inside an enclosure comprising an electrically conductive expandable electrode for insertion into the enclosure is disclosed. After insertion, the electrically conductive expandable electrode is insulated from the enclosure and defines a decay cavity between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure so that air ions generated in the decay cavity are electrostatically captured by the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure when an electric potential is applied between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. Indicator means are attached to the electrically conductive expandable electrode for indicating an electrical current produced by generation of the air ions generated in the decay cavity by collisions between air molecules and the alpha particles emitted from the enclosure. A voltage source is connected between the indicator means and the electrically conductive enclosure for creating an electric field between the electrically conductive expandable electrode and the enclosure. 4 figs.

Concept design of a time-of-flight spectrometer for the measurement of the energy of alpha particles.

PubMed

García-Toraño, E

2018-04-01

The knowledge of the energies of the alpha particles emitted in the radioactive decay of a nuclide is a key factor in the construction of its decay scheme. Virtually all existing data are based on a few absolute measurements made by magnetic spectrometry (MS), to which most other MS measurements are traced. An alternative solution would be the use of time-of-flight detectors. This paper discusses the main aspects to be considered in the design of such detectors, and the performances that could be reasonably expected. Based on the concepts discussed here, it is estimated that an energy resolution about 2.5keV may be attainable with a good quality source. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arterial blood pressure responses to short-term exposure to fine and ultrafine particles from indoor sources - A randomized sham-controlled exposure study of healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Soppa, Vanessa J; Schins, Roel P F; Hennig, Frauke; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J; Hellack, Bryan; Quass, Ulrich; Kaminski, Heinz; Sasse, Birgitta; Shinnawi, Samir; Kuhlbusch, Thomas A J; Hoffmann, Barbara

2017-10-01

Particulate air pollution is linked to adverse cardiovascular effects. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of short-term exposure to indoor particles on blood pressure (BP). We analyzed the association of particle emissions from indoor sources (candle burning, toasting bread, frying sausages) with BP changes in 54 healthy volunteers in a randomized cross-over controlled exposure study. Particle mass concentration (PMC), size-specific particle number concentration (PNC) and lung-deposited particle surface area concentration (PSC) were measured during the 2h exposure. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured before, during, directly, 2, 4 and 24h after exposure. We performed multiple mixed linear regression analyses of different particle metrics and BP. BP significantly increased with increasing PMC, PSC and PNC resulting from toasting bread. For example, an increase per 10µg/m 3 PM 10 and PM 2.5 , systolic BP increased at all time points with largest changes 1h after exposure initiation of 1.5mmHg (95%-CI: 1.1; 1.9) and of 2.2mmHg (95%-CI: 1.3; 3.1), respectively. Our study suggests an association of short-term exposure to fine and ultrafine particles emitted from toasting bread with increases in BP. Particles emitted from frying sausages and candle burning did not consistently affect BP. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Risk of Lung Cancer Mortality in Nuclear Workers from Internal Exposure to Alpha Particle-emitting Radionuclides

PubMed Central

Atkinson, Will; Bérard, Philippe; Bingham, Derek; Birchall, Alan; Blanchardon, Eric; Bull, Richard; Guseva Canu, Irina; Challeton-de Vathaire, Cécile; Cockerill, Rupert; Do, Minh T.; Engels, Hilde; Figuerola, Jordi; Foster, Adrian; Holmstock, Luc; Hurtgen, Christian; Laurier, Dominique; Puncher, Matthew; Riddell, Anthony E.; Samson, Eric; Thierry-Chef, Isabelle; Tirmarche, Margot; Vrijheid, Martine; Cardis, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

Background: Carcinogenic risks of internal exposures to alpha-emitters (except radon) are poorly understood. Since exposure to alpha particles—particularly through inhalation—occurs in a range of settings, understanding consequent risks is a public health priority. We aimed to quantify dose–response relationships between lung dose from alpha-emitters and lung cancer in nuclear workers. Methods: We conducted a case–control study, nested within Belgian, French, and UK cohorts of uranium and plutonium workers. Cases were workers who died from lung cancer; one to three controls were matched to each. Lung doses from alpha-emitters were assessed using bioassay data. We estimated excess odds ratio (OR) of lung cancer per gray (Gy) of lung dose. Results: The study comprised 553 cases and 1,333 controls. Median positive total alpha lung dose was 2.42 mGy (mean: 8.13 mGy; maximum: 316 mGy); for plutonium the median was 1.27 mGy and for uranium 2.17 mGy. Excess OR/Gy (90% confidence interval)—adjusted for external radiation, socioeconomic status, and smoking—was 11 (2.6, 24) for total alpha dose, 50 (17, 106) for plutonium, and 5.3 (−1.9, 18) for uranium. Conclusions: We found strong evidence for associations between low doses from alpha-emitters and lung cancer risk. The excess OR/Gy was greater for plutonium than uranium, though confidence intervals overlap. Risk estimates were similar to those estimated previously in plutonium workers, and in uranium miners exposed to radon and its progeny. Expressed as risk/equivalent dose in sieverts (Sv), our estimates are somewhat larger than but consistent with those for atomic bomb survivors. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B232. PMID:28520643

Effect of Photon Hormesis on Dose Responses to Alpha Particles in Zebrafish Embryos.

PubMed

Ng, Candy Yuen Ping; Cheng, Shuk Han; Yu, Kwan Ngok

2017-02-11

Photon hormesis refers to the phenomenon where the biological effect of ionizing radiation with a high linear energy transfer (LET) value is diminished by photons with a low LET value. The present paper studied the effect of photon hormesis from X-rays on dose responses to alpha particles using embryos of the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) as the in vivo vertebrate model. The toxicity of these ionizing radiations in the zebrafish embryos was assessed using the apoptotic counts at 20, 24, or 30 h post fertilization (hpf) revealed through acridine orange (AO) staining. For alpha-particle doses ≥ 4.4 mGy, the additional X-ray dose of 10 mGy significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells at 24 hpf, which proved the presence of photon hormesis. Smaller alpha-particle doses might not have inflicted sufficient aggregate damages to trigger photon hormesis. The time gap T between the X-ray (10 mGy) and alpha-particle (4.4 mGy) exposures was also studied. Photon hormesis was present when T ≤ 30 min, but was absent when T = 60 min, at which time repair of damage induced by alpha particles would have completed to prevent their interactions with those induced by X-rays. Finally, the drop in the apoptotic counts at 24 hpf due to photon hormesis was explained by bringing the apoptotic events earlier to 20 hpf, which strongly supported the removal of aberrant cells through apoptosis as an underlying mechanism for photon hormesis.

Selective flow path alpha particle detector and method of use

DOEpatents

Orr, Christopher Henry; Luff, Craig Janson; Dockray, Thomas; Macarthur, Duncan Whittemore

2002-01-01

A method and apparatus for monitoring alpha contamination are provided in which ions generated in the air surrounding the item, by the passage of alpha particles, are moved to a distant detector location. The parts of the item from which ions are withdrawn can be controlled by restricting the air flow over different portions of the apparatus. In this way, detection of internal and external surfaces separately, for instance, can be provided. The apparatus and method are particularly suited for use in undertaking alpha contamination measurements during the commissioning operations.

Nano-particle based scattering layers for optical efficiency enhancement of organic light-emitting diodes and organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Hong-Wei; Lee, Jonghee; Hofmann, Simone; Hyun Kim, Yong; Müller-Meskamp, Lars; Lüssem, Björn; Wu, Chung-Chih; Leo, Karl; Gather, Malte C.

2013-05-01

The performance of both organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic solar cells (OSC) depends on efficient coupling between optical far field modes and the emitting/absorbing region of the device. Current approaches towards OLEDs with efficient light-extraction often are limited to single-color emission or require expensive, non-standard substrates or top-down structuring, which reduces compatibility with large-area light sources. Here, we report on integrating solution-processed nano-particle based light-scattering films close to the active region of organic semiconductor devices. In OLEDs, these films efficiently extract light that would otherwise remain trapped in the device. Without additional external outcoupling structures, translucent white OLEDs containing these scattering films achieve luminous efficacies of 46 lm W-1 and external quantum efficiencies of 33% (both at 1000 cd m-2). These are by far the highest numbers ever reported for translucent white OLEDs and the best values in the open literature for any white device on a conventional substrate. By applying additional light-extraction structures, 62 lm W-1 and 46% EQE are reached. Besides universally enhancing light-extraction in various OLED configurations, including flexible, translucent, single-color, and white OLEDs, the nano-particle scattering film boosts the short-circuit current density in translucent organic solar cells by up to 70%.

On the Radio-emitting Particles of the Crab Nebula: Stochastic Acceleration Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Shuta J.; Asano, Katsuaki, E-mail: sjtanaka@center.konan-u.ac.jp

The broadband emission of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) is well described by non-thermal emissions from accelerated electrons and positrons. However, the standard shock acceleration model of PWNe does not account for the hard spectrum in radio wavelengths. The origin of the radio-emitting particles is also important to determine the pair production efficiency in the pulsar magnetosphere. Here, we propose a possible resolution for the particle energy distribution in PWNe; the radio-emitting particles are not accelerated at the pulsar wind termination shock but are stochastically accelerated by turbulence inside PWNe. We upgrade our past one-zone spectral evolution model to include themore » energy diffusion, i.e., the stochastic acceleration, and apply the model to the Crab Nebula. A fairly simple form of the energy diffusion coefficient is assumed for this demonstrative study. For a particle injection to the stochastic acceleration process, we consider the continuous injection from the supernova ejecta or the impulsive injection associated with supernova explosion. The observed broadband spectrum and the decay of the radio flux are reproduced by tuning the amount of the particle injected to the stochastic acceleration process. The acceleration timescale and the duration of the acceleration are required to be a few decades and a few hundred years, respectively. Our results imply that some unveiled mechanisms, such as back reaction to the turbulence, are required to make the energies of stochastically and shock-accelerated particles comparable.« less

Summary of the discussion meeting on alpha particle theory problems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigmar, D.J.

1988-04-01

The agenda of the meeting (consisting of {approximately}20 theoreticians and 2 experimentalists working on single {alpha}-particle effects and diagnostics) was to discuss the spectrum of relevant {alpha}-theory problems as it is presently understood, its impact on ignited plasma performance, and possible paths to stabilization. The purpose was to expose existing efforts to peer review and to focus on the most important topics. Twenty-one talks were given which are summarized. Overall, there emerged a consensus about the existence of robust (MHD-like) collective oscillations affecting both the {alpha}-species and the bulk plasma. In addition, improved calculations of classical {alpha}-phenomena due to driftmore » orbits and collisions and {alpha}-RF interactions were discussed. An overview of topics covered is given in the attached conference program.« less

Effect of Alpha-Particle Irradiation on Brain Glycogen in the Rat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, L. S.; Klatzo, Igor; Miquel, Jaime; Tobias, Cornelius; Haymaker, Webb

1962-01-01

The studies of Klatzo, Miquel, Tobias and Haymaker (1961) have shown that one of the earliest and most sensitive indications of the effects of alpha-particle irradiation on rat bran is the appearance of glycogen granules mainly in the neuroglia of the exposed area of the brain. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive, alpha-amylase soluble granules were demonstrated within 12 hr after irradiation, preceding by approximately 36 hr the first microscopically detectable vascular permeability disturbances, as shown by the fluorescein labeled serum protein technique. These studies suggested that the injurious effects of alpha-particle energy were on cellular elements primarily, according to the physical properties and distribution of the radiation in the tissue, and that the vascular permeability disturbances played a secondary role in pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to correlate the histochemical observations on glycogen with a quantitative assessment of the glycogen in the irradiated brain tissue. It is felt that such a study may contribute to the understanding of radiation injury at the molecular level. A practical aspect of this problem is that the information on biological radiation effects due to accelerated particles from the cyclotron source, is employed in this study, is applicable to radiation from cosmic particles both in free space and entrapped in the Van Allen belts.

The Fission of Thorium with Alpha Particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newton, Amos S.

1948-04-15

The fission distribution of fission of thorium with alpha particle of average energy 37.5 Mev has been measured by the chemical method. The distribution found shows that the characteristic dip in the fission yield mass spectrum has been raised to within a factor of two of the peaks compared to a factor of 600 in slow neutron fission of U{sup 235}. The raise in the deip has caused a corresponding lowering in fission yield of these elements at the peaks. The cross section for fission of thorium with 37.5 Mev alphas was found to be about 0.6 barn, and themore » threshold for fission was found to be 23 to 24 Mev.« less

Measurement of (222)Rn by absorption in plastic scintillators and alpha/beta pulse shape discrimination.

PubMed

Mitev, Krasimir K

2016-04-01

This work demonstrates that common plastic scintillators like BC-400, EJ-200 and SCSF-81 absorb radon and their scintillation pulse decay times are different for alpha- and beta-particles. This allows the application of pulse shape analysis for separation of the pulses of alpha- and beta-particles emitted by the absorbed radon and its progeny. It is shown that after pulse shape discrimination of beta-particles' pulses, the energy resolution of BC-400 and EJ-200 alpha spectra is sufficient to separate the peaks of (222)Rn, (218)Po and (214)Po and allows (222)Rn measurements that are unaffected by the presence of thoron ((220)Rn) in the environment. The alpha energy resolution of SCSF-81 in the experiments degrades due to imperfect collection of the light emitted inside the scintillating fibers. The experiments with plastic scintillation microspheres (PSM) confirm previous findings of other researchers that PSM have alpha-/beta-discrimination properties and show suitability for radon measurements. The diffusion length of radon in BC-400 and EJ-200 is determined. The pilot experiments show that the plastic scintillators are suitable for radon-in-soil-gas measurements. Overall, the results of this work suggest that it is possible to develop a new type of radon measurement instruments which employ absorption in plastic scintillators, pulse-shape discrimination and analysis of the alpha spectra. Such instruments can be very compact and can perform continuous, real-time radon measurements and thoron detection. They can find applications in various fields from radiation protection to earth sciences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Particle size distribution of airborne Aspergillus fumigatus spores emitted from compost using membrane filtration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, L. J.; Pankhurst, L. J.; Drew, G. H.; Hayes, E. T.; Jackson, S.; Longhurst, P. J.; Longhurst, J. W. S.; Liu, J.; Pollard, S. J. T.; Tyrrel, S. F.

Information on the particle size distribution of bioaerosols emitted from open air composting operations is valuable in evaluating potential health impacts and is a requirement for improved dispersion simulation modelling. The membrane filter method was used to study the particle size distribution of Aspergillus fumigatus spores in air 50 m downwind of a green waste compost screening operation at a commercial facility. The highest concentrations (approximately 8 × 10 4 CFU m -3) of culturable spores were found on filters with pore diameters in the range 1-2 μm which suggests that the majority of spores are emitted as single cells. The findings were compared to published data collected using an Andersen sampler. Results were significantly correlated ( p < 0.01) indicating that the two methods are directly comparable across all particles sizes for Aspergillus spores.

Method for characterizing the upset response of CMOS circuits using alpha-particle sensitive test circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, Martin G. (Inventor); Nixon, Robert H. (Inventor); Soli, George A. (Inventor); Blaes, Brent R. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

A method for predicting the SEU susceptibility of a standard-cell D-latch using an alpha-particle sensitive SRAM, SPICE critical charge simulation results, and alpha-particle interaction physics. A technique utilizing test structures to quickly and inexpensively characterize the SEU sensitivity of standard cell latches intended for use in a space environment. This bench-level approach utilizes alpha particles to induce upsets in a low LET sensitive 4-k bit test SRAM. This SRAM consists of cells that employ an offset voltage to adjust their upset sensitivity and an enlarged sensitive drain junction to enhance the cell's upset rate.

Making A D-Latch Sensitive To Alpha Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, Martin G.; Blaes, Brent R.; Nixon, Robert H.

1994-01-01

Standard complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) D-latch integrated circuit modified to increase susceptibility to single-event upsets (SEU's) (changes in logic state) caused by impacts of energetic alpha particles. Suitable for use in relatively inexpensive bench-scale SEU tests of itself and of related integrated circuits like static random-access memories.

mBAND analysis of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes exposed in vitro to alpha-particles and gamma-rays.

PubMed

Tawn, E Janet; Janet, E; Whitehouse, Caroline A; Holdsworth, Duncan; De Ruyck, Kim; Vandenbulcke, Katia; Thierens, Hubert

2008-06-01

To investigate the profiles of chromosome damage induced in vitro by exposure to alpha-particles and gamma-rays. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were exposed to three dose regimes: alpha-particle doses of 0.2 and 0.5 Gy and a gamma-ray dose of 1.5 Gy. After culturing for 47 hours, chromosome aberrations involving the number 5 chromosomes were identified using a multi-coloured banding (mBAND) technique. Analysis of the frequencies of chromosome 5 breaks within aberrant cells and within aberrant number 5 chromosomes demonstrated that alpha-particle irradiation is more likely to result in multiple breaks in a chromosome than gamma-irradiation. Additionally, overdispersion was observed for all doses for the distribution of breaks amongst all cells analysed and breaks amongst total number 5 chromosomes, with this being greatest for the 0.2 Gy alpha-particle dose. The ratio of interchanges to intrachanges (F ratio) was 1.4 and 2.4 for 0.2 and 0.5 Gy alpha-particles respectively and 5.5 for 1.5 Gy gamma-rays. Evaluation of simple versus complex exchanges indicated ratios of 1.9 and 2.7 for 0.2 and 0.5 Gy alpha-particles respectively and 10.6 for 1.5 Gy gamma-rays. The majority of the intrachanges involving chromosomes 5 induced by alpha-particle radiation were associated with more complex exchanges. This study has confirmed that exchanges induced by exposure to high linear energy transfer (LET) alpha-particle radiation comprise a greater proportion of intrachanges than those induced by exposure to low LET gamma-rays. However, since the majority of these are associated with complex rearrangements and likely to be non-transmissible, this limits their applicability as a marker of past in vivo exposure.

Glucagon-Secreting Alpha Cell Selective Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe TP-α: For Live Pancreatic Islet Imaging.

PubMed

Agrawalla, Bikram Keshari; Chandran, Yogeswari; Phue, Wut-Hmone; Lee, Sung-Chan; Jeong, Yun-Mi; Wan, Si Yan Diana; Kang, Nam-Young; Chang, Young-Tae

2015-04-29

Two-photon (TP) microscopy has an advantage for live tissue imaging which allows a deeper tissue penetration up to 1 mm comparing to one-photon (OP) microscopy. While there are several OP fluorescence probes in use for pancreatic islet imaging, TP imaging of selective cells in live islet still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the discovery of first TP live pancreatic islet imaging probe; TP-α (Two Photon-alpha) which can selectively stain glucagon secreting alpha cells. Through fluorescent image based screening using three pancreatic cell lines, we discovered TP-α from a TP fluorescent dye library TPG (TP-Green). In vitro fluorescence test showed that TP-α have direct interaction and appear glucagon with a significant fluorescence increase, but not with insulin or other hormones/analytes. Finally, TP-α was successfully applied for 3D imaging of live islets by staining alpha cell directly. The newly developed TP-α can be a practical tool to evaluate and identify live alpha cells in terms of localization, distribution and availability in the intact islets.

In Vitro Cytotoxicity of Low-Dose-Rate Radioimmunotherapy by the Alpha-Emitting Radioimmunoconjugate Thorium-227-DOTA-Rituximab

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dahle, Jostein, E-mail: jostein.dahle@rr-research.n; Krogh, Cecilie; Melhus, Katrine B.

2009-11-01

Purpose: To determine whether the low-dose-rate alpha-particle-emitting radioimmunoconjugate {sup 227}Th-1,4,7,10-p-isothiocyanato-benzyl-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7, 10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-rituximab can be used to inactivate lymphoma cells growing as single cells and small colonies. Methods and Materials: CD20-positive lymphoma cell lines were treated with {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab for 1-5 weeks. To simulate the in vivo situation with continuous but decreasing supply of radioimmunoconjugates from the blood pool, the cells were not washed after incubation with {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab, but half of the medium was replaced with fresh medium, and cell concentration and cell-bound activity were determined every other day after start of incubation. A microdosimetric model was established tomore » estimate the average number of hits in the nucleus for different localizations of activity. Results: There was a specific targeted effect on cell growth of the {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab treatment. Although the cells were not washed after incubation with {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab, the average contribution of activity in the medium to the mean dose was only 6%, whereas the average contribution from activity on the cells' own surface was 78%. The mean dose rates after incubation with 800 Bq/mL {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab varied from 0.01 to 0.03 cGy/min. The average delay in growing from 10{sup 5} to 10{sup 7} cells/mL was 15 days when the cells were treated with a mean absorbed radiation dose of 2 Gy alpha-particle radiation from {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab, whereas it was 11 days when the cells were irradiated with 6 Gy of X-radiation. The relative biologic effect of the treatment was estimated to be 2.9-3.4. Conclusions: The low-dose-rate radioimmunoconjugate {sup 227}Th-DOTA-rituximab is suitable for inactivation of single lymphoma cells and small colonies of lymphoma cells.« less

Beam-on imaging of short-lived positron emitters during proton therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buitenhuis, H. J. T.; Diblen, F.; Brzezinski, K. W.; Brandenburg, S.; Dendooven, P.

2017-06-01

In vivo dose delivery verification in proton therapy can be performed by positron emission tomography (PET) of the positron-emitting nuclei produced by the proton beam in the patient. A PET scanner installed in the treatment position of a proton therapy facility that takes data with the beam on will see very short-lived nuclides as well as longer-lived nuclides. The most important short-lived nuclide for proton therapy is 12N (Dendooven et al 2015 Phys. Med. Biol. 60 8923-47), which has a half-life of 11 ms. The results of a proof-of-principle experiment of beam-on PET imaging of short-lived 12N nuclei are presented. The Philips Digital Photon Counting Module TEK PET system was used, which is based on LYSO scintillators mounted on digital SiPM photosensors. A 90 MeV proton beam from the cyclotron at KVI-CART was used to investigate the energy and time spectra of PET coincidences during beam-on. Events coinciding with proton bunches, such as prompt gamma rays, were removed from the data via an anti-coincidence filter with the cyclotron RF. The resulting energy spectrum allowed good identification of the 511 keV PET counts during beam-on. A method was developed to subtract the long-lived background from the 12N image by introducing a beam-off period into the cyclotron beam time structure. We measured 2D images and 1D profiles of the 12N distribution. A range shift of 5 mm was measured as 6  ±  3 mm using the 12N profile. A larger, more efficient, PET system with a higher data throughput capability will allow beam-on 12N PET imaging of single spots in the distal layer of an irradiation with an increased signal-to-background ratio and thus better accuracy. A simulation shows that a large dual panel scanner, which images a single spot directly after it is delivered, can measure a 5 mm range shift with millimeter accuracy: 5.5  ±  1.1 mm for 1  ×  108 protons and 5.2  ±  0.5 mm for 5  ×  108 protons. This makes

Variations in solar Lyman alpha irradiance on short time scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pap, J. M.

1992-10-01

Variations in solar UV irradiance at Lyman alpha are studied on short time scales (from days to months) after removing the long-term changes over the solar cycle. The SME/Lyman alpha irradiance is estimated from various solar indices using linear regression analysis. In order to study the nonlinear effects, Lyman alpha irradiance is modeled with a 5th-degree polynomial as well. It is shown that the full-disk equivalent width of the He line at 1083 nm, which is used as a proxy for the plages and active network, can best reproduce the changes observed in Lyman alpha. Approximately 72 percent of the solar-activity-related changes in Lyman alpha irradiance arise from plages and the network. The network contribution is estimated by the correlation analysis to be about 19 percent. It is shown that significant variability remains in Lyman alpha irradiance, with periods around 300, 27, and 13.5d, which is not explained by the solar activity indices. It is shown that the nonlinear effects cannot account for a significant part of the unexplained variation in Lyman alpha irradiance. Therefore, additional events (e.g., large-scale motions and/or a systematic difference in the area and intensity of the plages and network observed in the lines of Ca-K, He 1083, and Lyman alpha) may explain the discrepancies found between the observed and estimated irradiance values.

Variations in solar Lyman alpha irradiance on short time scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pap, J. M.

1992-01-01

Variations in solar UV irradiance at Lyman alpha are studied on short time scales (from days to months) after removing the long-term changes over the solar cycle. The SME/Lyman alpha irradiance is estimated from various solar indices using linear regression analysis. In order to study the nonlinear effects, Lyman alpha irradiance is modeled with a 5th-degree polynomial as well. It is shown that the full-disk equivalent width of the He line at 1083 nm, which is used as a proxy for the plages and active network, can best reproduce the changes observed in Lyman alpha. Approximately 72 percent of the solar-activity-related changes in Lyman alpha irradiance arise from plages and the network. The network contribution is estimated by the correlation analysis to be about 19 percent. It is shown that significant variability remains in Lyman alpha irradiance, with periods around 300, 27, and 13.5d, which is not explained by the solar activity indices. It is shown that the nonlinear effects cannot account for a significant part of the unexplained variation in Lyman alpha irradiance. Therefore, additional events (e.g., large-scale motions and/or a systematic difference in the area and intensity of the plages and network observed in the lines of Ca-K, He 1083, and Lyman alpha) may explain the discrepancies found between the observed and estimated irradiance values.

Theoretical and experimental {alpha} decay half-lives of the heaviest odd-Z elements and general predictions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, H. F.; Royer, G.

Theoretical {alpha} decay half-lives of the heaviest odd-Z nuclei are calculated using the experimental Q{sub {alpha}} value. The barriers in the quasimolecular shape path are determined within a Generalized Liquid Drop Model (GLDM) and the WKB approximation is used. The results are compared with calculations using the Density-Dependent M3Y (DDM3Y) effective interaction and the Viola-Seaborg-Sobiczewski (VSS) formulas. The calculations provide consistent estimates for the half-lives of the {alpha} decay chains of these superheavy elements. The experimental data stand between the GLDM calculations and VSS ones in the most time. Predictions are provided for the {alpha} decay half-lives of other superheavymore » nuclei within the GLDM and VSS approaches using the recent extrapolated Q{sub {alpha}} of Audi, Wapstra, and Thibault [Nucl. Phys. A729, 337 (2003)], which may be used for future experimental assignment and identification.« less

Size distribution, chemical composition, and hygroscopicity of fine particles emitted from an oil-fired heating plant.

PubMed

Happonen, Matti; Mylläri, Fanni; Karjalainen, Panu; Frey, Anna; Saarikoski, Sanna; Carbone, Samara; Hillamo, Risto; Pirjola, Liisa; Häyrinen, Anna; Kytömäki, Jorma; Niemi, Jarkko V; Keskinen, Jorma; Rönkkö, Topi

2013-12-17

Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is a commonly used fuel in industrial heating and power generation and for large marine vessels. In this study, the fine particle emissions of a 47 MW oil-fired boiler were studied at 30 MW power and with three different fuels. The studied fuels were HFO, water emulsion of HFO, and water emulsion of HFO mixed with light fuel oil (LFO). With all the fuels, the boiler emitted considerable amounts of particles smaller than 200 nm in diameter. Further, these small particles were quite hygroscopic even as fresh and, in the case of HFO+LFO emulsion, the hygroscopic growth of the particles was dependent on particle size. The use of emulsions and the addition of LFO to the fuel had a reducing effect on the hygroscopic growth of particles. The use of emulsions lowered the sulfate content of the smallest particles but did not affect significantly the sulfate content of particles larger than 42 nm and, further, the addition of LFO considerably increased the black carbon content of particulate matter. The results indicate that even the fine particles emitted from HFO based combustion can have a significant effect on cloud formation, visibility, and air quality.

Radon and Thoron Measured in Petrol and Gas-oil Exhaust Fumes by Using CR-39 and LR-115 II Nuclear Track Detectors: Radiation Doses to the Respiratory Tract of Mechanic Workers.

PubMed

Misdaq, M A; Chaouqi, A; Ouguidi, J; Touti, R; Mortassim, A

2015-06-01

Mechanic workers are exposed to exhaust fumes when controlling vehicle engines in motion inside repair shops. To assess radiation doses due to radon short-lived progeny from the inhalation of exhaust fumes by mechanic workers, concentrations of these radionuclides were measured in petrol (gasoline) and gas-oil exhaust fumes by evaluating mean critical angles of etching of the CR-39 and LR-115 type II SSNTDs for alpha particles emitted by the radon and thoron decay series. Committed effective doses due to ²¹⁸Po and ²¹⁴Po short-lived radon decay products from the inhalation of petrol and gas-oil exhaust fumes by workers were evaluated. A maximum value of 1.35 mSv y⁻¹ due to radon short-lived decay products from the inhalation of gas-oil exhaust fumes by mechanic workers was found, which is lower than the (3-10 mSv y⁻¹) dose limit interval for workers.

The influence of particle size distribution on dose conversion factors for radon progeny in the underground excavations of hard coal mine.

PubMed

Skubacz, Krystian; Wojtecki, Łukasz; Urban, Paweł

2016-10-01

In Polish underground mines, hazards caused by enhanced natural radioactivity occur. The sources of radiation exposure are short-lived radon decay products, mine waters containing radium 226 Ra and 228 Ra and the radioactive sediments that can precipitate out of these waters. For miners, the greatest exposure is usually due to short-lived radon decay products. The risk assessment is based on the measurement of the total potential alpha energy concentration (PAEC) and the evaluation of the related dose by using the dose conversion factor as recommended by relevant legal requirements. This paper presents the results of measurements of particle size distributions of ambient aerosols in an underground hard coal mine, the assessment of the radioactive particle size distribution of the short-lived radon decay products and the corresponding values of dose conversion factors. The measurements of the ambient airborne particle size distribution were performed in the range from a few nanometers to about 20 μm. The study therefore included practically the whole class of respirable particles. The results showed that the high concentration of ultrafine and fine aerosols measured can significantly affect the value of the dose conversion factors, and consequently the corresponding committed effective dose, to which the miners can be exposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alpha-Particle Gas-Pressure Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. C.; Bell, L. D.; Hecht, M. H.

1996-01-01

An approximate model was developed to establish design curves for the saturation region and a more complete model developed to characterize the current-voltage curves for an alpha-particle pressure sensor. A simple two-parameter current-voltage expression was developed to describe the dependence of the ion current on pressure. The parameters are the saturation-current pressure coefficient and mu/D, the ion mobility/diffusion coefficient. The sensor is useful in the pressure range between 0.1 and 1000 mb using a 1 - mu Ci(241) Am source. Experimental results, taken between 1 and up to 200 mb, show the sensor operates with an anode voltage of 5 V and a sensitivity of 20 fA/mb in nitrogen.

The limitations of associated alpha particle technique for contraband container inspections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudac, Davorin; Blagus, Sasa; Valkovic, Vladivoj

2007-10-01

Inspection of a shipping container for the presence of the threat materials has been investigated in the laboratory by using a 14 MeV neutron beam, a BaF2 gamma detector and the associated alpha particle technique. The associated alpha particle technique is proposed as a part of a two sensor system for contraband container inspections. This method is effective in the reduction of background radiation with the possibility of collimating electronically the neutron beam. The intrinsic time resolution has been experimentally estimated to be 1.3 ns (FWHM), which allows inspection of a minimum voxel having 7 cm depth along the neutron flight path. The neutron beam intensity plays a crucial role as a limiting factor for the acquisition time reduction. Single counting rates of the gamma and alpha detector were investigated as a function of the neutron intensity, distance between the gamma detector and the neutron source and the type of shielding. The time and the energy spectra for different neutron intensities were evaluated.

A Luminosity Function of Ly(alpha)-Emitting Galaxies at Z [Approx. Equal to] 4.5(Sup 1),(Sup 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dawson, Steve; Rhoads, James E.; Malhotra, Sangeeta; Stern, Daniel; Wang, JunXian; Dey, Arjun; Spinrad, Hyron; Jannuzi, Buell T.

2007-01-01

We present a catalog of 59 z [approx. equal to] 4:5 Ly(alpha)-emitting galaxies spectroscopically confirmed in a campaign of Keck DEIMOS follow-up observations to candidates selected in the Large Are (LALA) narrowband imaging survey.We targeted 97 candidates for spectroscopic follow-up; by accounting for the variety of conditions under which we performed spectroscopy, we estimate a selection reliability of approx.76%. Together with our previous sample of Keck LRIS confirmations, the 59 sources confirmed herein bring the total catalog to 73 spectroscopically confirmed z [approx. equal to] 4:5 Ly(alpha)- emitting galaxies in the [approx. equal to] 0.7 deg(exp 2) covered by the LALA imaging. As with the Keck LRIS sample, we find that a nonnegligible fraction of the co rest-frame equivalent widths (W(sub lambda)(sup rest)) that exceed the maximum predicted for normal stellar populations: 17%-31%(93%confidence) of the detected galaxies show (W(sub lambda)(sup rest)) 12%-27% (90% confidence) show (W(sub lambda)(sup rest)) > 240 A. We construct a luminosity function of z [approx. equal to] 4.5 Ly(alpha) emission lines for comparison to Ly(alpha) luminosity function < 6.6. We find no significant evidence for Ly(alpha) luminosity function evolution from z [approx. equal to] 3 to z [approx. equal to] 6. This result supports the conclusion that the intergalactic me largely reionized from the local universe out to z [approx. equal to] 6.5. It is somewhat at odds with the pronounced drop in the cosmic star formation rate density recently measured between z approx. 3 an z approx. 6 in continuum-selected Lyman-break galaxies, and therefore potentially sheds light on the relationship between the two populations.

Revisiting alpha decay-based near-light-speed particle propulsion.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenwu; Liu, Zhen; Yang, Yang; Du, Shiyu

2016-08-01

Interplanet and interstellar travels require long-term propulsion of spacecrafts, whereas the conventional schemes of propulsion are limited by the velocity of the ejected mass. In this study, alpha particles released by nuclear decay are considered as a potential solution for long-time acceleration. The principle of near-light-speed particle propulsion (NcPP) was elucidated and the stopping and range of ions in matter (SRIM) was used to predict theoretical accelerations. The results show that NcPP by means of alpha decay is feasible for long-term spacecraft propulsion and posture adjustment in space. A practical NcPP sail can achieve a speed >150km/s and reach the brink of the solar system faster than a mass equivalent solar sail. Finally, to significantly improve the NcPP sail, the hypothesis of stimulated acceleration of nuclear decay (SAND) was proposed, which may shorten the travel time to Mars to within 20 days. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction of lung cells oncogenic transformation for induced radon progeny alpha particles using sugarscape cellular automata.

PubMed

Baradaran, Samaneh; Maleknasr, Niaz; Setayeshi, Saeed; Akbari, Mohammad Esmaeil

2014-01-01

Alpha particle irradiation from radon progeny is one of the major natural sources of effective dose in the public population. Oncogenic transformation is a biological effectiveness of radon progeny alpha particle hits. The biological effects which has caused by exposure to radon, were the main result of a complex series of physical, chemical, biological and physiological interactions. The cellular and molecular mechanisms for radon-induced carcinogenesis have not been clear yet. Various biological models, including cultured cells and animals, have been found useful for studying the carcinogenesis effects of radon progeny alpha particles. In this paper, sugars cape cellular automata have been presented for computational study of complex biological effect of radon progeny alpha particles in lung bronchial airways. The model has included mechanism of DNA damage, which has been induced alpha particles hits, and then formation of transformation in the lung cells. Biomarkers were an objective measure or evaluation of normal or abnormal biological processes. In the model, the metabolism rate of infected cell has been induced alpha particles traversals, as a biomarker, has been followed to reach oncogenic transformation. The model results have successfully validated in comparison with "in vitro oncogenic transformation data" for C3H 10T1/2 cells. This model has provided an opportunity to study the cellular and molecular changes, at the various stages in radiation carcinogenesis, involving human cells. It has become well known that simulation could be used to investigate complex biomedical systems, in situations where traditional methodologies were difficult or too costly to employ.

Preliminary results from the lunar prospector alpha particle spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawson, S. L.

2001-01-01

The Lunar Prospector Alpha Particle Spectrometer (LP APS) builds on Apollo heritage and maps the distribution of outgassing sites on the Moon. The APS searches for lunar surface gas release events and maps their distribution by detecting alpha particles produced by the decay of gaseous radon-222 (5.5 MeV, 3.8 day half-life) and solid polonium-210 (5.3 MeV, 138 day half-life, but remains on the surface with a 21 year half-life as lead-210), which are radioactive daughters from the decay of uranium-238. Radon is in such small quantities that it is not released directly from the lunar interior, rather it is entrainedmore » in a stream of gases and serves as a tracer for such gases. Once released, the radon spreads out by 'bouncing' across the surface on ballistic trajectories in a random-walk process. The 3.8 day half-life of radon-222 allows the gas to spread out by several 100 km before it decays and allows the APS to detect gas release events up to a few days after they occur. The long residence time (10s of years) of the lead-210 precursor to the polonium-210 allows the mapping of gas vents which have been active over the last approximately 50 years. Because radon and polonium are daughter products of the decay of uranium, the background level of alpha particle activity is a function of the lunar crustal uranium distribution. Using radioactive radon and polonium as tracers, the Apollo 15 and 16 Command Module orbital alpha particle experiments obtained evidence for the release of gases at several sites beneath the orbit tracks, especially over the Aristarchus Plateau and Mare Fecunditatis [1]. Aristarchus crater had previously been identified by ground-based observers as the site of transient optical events [2]. The Apollo 17 surface mass spectrometer showed that argon-40 is released from the lunar interior every few months, apparently in concert with some of the shallow moonquakes that are believed to be of tectonic origin [3]. The latter tectonic events could

Enhanced production of low energy electrons by alpha particle impact

PubMed Central

Kim, Hong-Keun; Titze, Jasmin; Schöffler, Markus; Trinter, Florian; Waitz, Markus; Voigtsberger, Jörg; Sann, Hendrik; Meckel, Moritz; Stuck, Christian; Lenz, Ute; Odenweller, Matthias; Neumann, Nadine; Schössler, Sven; Ullmann-Pfleger, Klaus; Ulrich, Birte; Fraga, Rui Costa; Petridis, Nikos; Metz, Daniel; Jung, Annika; Grisenti, Robert; Czasch, Achim; Jagutzki, Ottmar; Schmidt, Lothar; Jahnke, Till; Schmidt-Böcking, Horst; Dörner, Reinhard

2011-01-01

Radiation damage to living tissue stems not only from primary ionizing particles but to a substantial fraction from the dissociative attachment of secondary electrons with energies below the ionization threshold. We show that the emission yield of those low energy electrons increases dramatically in ion–atom collisions depending on whether or not the target atoms are isolated or embedded in an environment. Only when the atom that has been ionized and excited by the primary particle impact is in immediate proximity of another atom is a fragmentation route known as interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) enabled. This leads to the emission of a low energy electron. Over the past decade ICD was explored in several experiments following photoionization. Most recent results show its observation even in water clusters. Here we show the quantitative role of ICD for the production of low energy electrons by ion impact, thus approaching a scenario closer to that of radiation damage by alpha particles: We choose ion energies on the maximum of the Bragg peak where energy is most efficiently deposited in tissue. We compare the electron production after colliding He+ ions on isolated Ne atoms and on Ne dimers (Ne2). In the latter case the Ne atom impacted is surrounded by a most simple environment already opening ICD as a deexcitation channel. As a consequence, we find a dramatically enhanced low energy electron yield. The results suggest that ICD may have a significant influence on cell survival after exposure to ionizing radiation. PMID:21730184

Small animal imaging platform for quantitative assessment of short-wave infrared-emitting contrast agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Philip; Mingozzi, Marco; Higgins, Laura M.; Ganapathy, Vidya; Zevon, Margot; Riman, Richard E.; Roth, Charles M.; Moghe, Prabhas V.; Pierce, Mark C.

2015-03-01

We report the design, calibration, and testing of a pre-clinical small animal imaging platform for use with short-wave infrared (SWIR) emitting contrast agents. Unlike materials emitting at visible or near-infrared wavelengths, SWIR-emitting agents require detection systems with sensitivity in the 1-2 μm wavelength region, beyond the range of commercially available small animal imagers. We used a collimated 980 nm laser beam to excite rare-earth-doped NaYF4:Er,Yb nanocomposites, as an example of a SWIR emitting material under development for biomedical imaging applications. This beam was raster scanned across the animal, with fluorescence in the 1550 nm wavelength region detected by an InGaAs area camera. Background adjustment and intensity non-uniformity corrections were applied in software. The final SWIR fluorescence image was overlaid onto a standard white-light image for registration of contrast agent uptake with respect to anatomical features.

ALPHACAL: A new user-friendly tool for the calibration of alpha-particle sources.

PubMed

Timón, A Fernández; Vargas, M Jurado; Gallardo, P Álvarez; Sánchez-Oro, J; Peralta, L

2018-05-01

In this work, we present and describe the program ALPHACAL, specifically developed for the calibration of alpha-particle sources. It is therefore more user-friendly and less time-consuming than multipurpose codes developed for a wide range of applications. The program is based on the recently developed code AlfaMC, which simulates specifically the transport of alpha particles. Both cylindrical and point sources mounted on the surface of polished backings can be simulated, as is the convention in experimental measurements of alpha-particle sources. In addition to the efficiency calculation and determination of the backscattering coefficient, some additional tools are available to the user, like the visualization of energy spectrum, use of energy cut-off or low-energy tail corrections. ALPHACAL has been implemented in C++ language using QT library, so it is available for Windows, MacOs and Linux platforms. It is free and can be provided under request to the authors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Slowing down of alpha particles in ICF DT plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Bin; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Wang, Jian-Guo

2018-01-01

With the effects of the projectile recoil and plasma polarization considered, the slowing down of 3.54 MeV alpha particles is studied in inertial confinement fusion DT plasmas within the plasma density range from 1024 to 1026 cm-3 and the temperature range from 100 eV to 200 keV. It includes the rate of the energy change and range of the projectile, and the partition fraction of its energy deposition to the deuteron and triton. The comparison with other models is made and the reason for their difference is explored. It is found that the plasmas will not be heated by the alpha particle in its slowing down the process once the projectile energy becomes close to or less than the temperature of the electron or the deuteron and triton in the plasmas. This leads to less energy deposition to the deuteron and triton than that if the recoil of the projectile is neglected when the temperature is close to or higher than 100 keV. Our model is found to be able to provide relevant, reliable data in the large range of the density and temperature mentioned above, even if the density is around 1026 cm-3 while the deuteron and triton temperature is below 500 eV. Meanwhile, the two important models [Phys. Rev. 126, 1 (1962) and Phys. Rev. E 86, 016406 (2012)] are found not to work in this case. Some unreliable data are found in the last model, which include the range of alpha particles and the electron-ion energy partition fraction when the electron is much hotter than the deuteron and triton in the plasmas.

Separation of detector non-linearity issues and multiple ionization satellites in alpha-particle PIXE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, John L.; Ganly, Brianna; Heirwegh, Christopher M.; Maxwell, John A.

2018-01-01

Multiple ionization satellites are prominent features in X-ray spectra induced by MeV energy alpha particles. It follows that the accuracy of PIXE analysis using alpha particles can be improved if these features are explicitly incorporated in the peak model description when fitting the spectra with GUPIX or other codes for least-squares fitting PIXE spectra and extracting element concentrations. A method for this incorporation is described and is tested using spectra recorded on Mars by the Curiosity rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. These spectra are induced by both PIXE and X-ray fluorescence, resulting in a spectral energy range from ∼1 to ∼25 keV. This range is valuable in determining the energy-channel calibration, which departs from linearity at low X-ray energies. It makes it possible to separate the effects of the satellites from an instrumental non-linearity component. The quality of least-squares spectrum fits is significantly improved, raising the level of confidence in analytical results from alpha-induced PIXE.

New measurements of W-values for protons and alpha particles.

PubMed

Giesen, U; Beck, J

2014-10-01

The increasing importance of ion beams in cancer therapy and the lack of experimental data for W-values for protons and heavy ions in air require new measurements. A new experimental set-up was developed at PTB and consistent measurements of W-values in argon, nitrogen and air for protons and alpha particles with energies from 0.7 to 3.5 MeV u(-1) at PTB, and for carbon ions between 3.6 and 7.0 MeV u(-1) at GSI were carried out. This publication concentrates on the measurements with protons and alpha particles at PTB. The experimental methods and the determination of corrections for recombination effects, beam-induced background radiation and additional effects are presented. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

SU-E-J-03: A Comprehensive Comparison Between Alpha and Beta Emitters for Cancer Radioimmunotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, C.Y.; Guatelli, S; Oborn, B

2014-06-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to perform a comprehensive comparison of the therapeutic efficacy and cytotoxicity of alpha and beta emitters for Radioimmunotherapy (RIT). For each stage of cancer development, specific models were built for the separate objectives of RIT to be addressed:a) kill isolated cancer cells in transit in the lymphatic and vascular circulation,b) regress avascular cell clusters,c) regress tumor vasculature and tumors. Methods: Because of the nature of short range, high LET alpha and long energy beta radiation and heterogeneous antigen expression among cancer cells, the microdosimetric approach is essential for the RIT assessment. Geant4 basedmore » microdosimetric models are developed for the three different stages of cancer progression: cancer cells, cell clusters and tumors. The energy deposition, specific energy resulted from different source distribution in the three models was calculated separately for 4 alpha emitting radioisotopes ({sup 211}At, {sup 213}Bi, {sup 223}Ra and {sup 225}Ac) and 6 beta emitters ({sup 32}P, {sup 33}P, {sup 67}Cu, {sup 90}Y, {sup 131}I and {sup 177}Lu). The cell survival, therapeutic efficacy and cytotoxicity are determined and compared between alpha and beta emitters. Results: We show that internal targeted alpha radiation has advantages over beta radiation for killing isolated cancer cells, regressing small cell clusters and also solid tumors. Alpha particles have much higher dose specificity and potency than beta particles. They can deposit 3 logs more dose than beta emitters to single cells and solid tumor. Tumor control probability relies on deep penetration of radioisotopes to cancer cell clusters and solid tumors. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a quantitative understanding of the efficacy and cytotoxicity of RIT for each stage of cancer development.« less

Irradiation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells With Low and High Doses of Alpha Particles Induces Senescence and/or Apoptosis.

PubMed

Alessio, Nicola; Esposito, Giuseppe; Galano, Giovanni; De Rosa, Roberto; Anello, Pasquale; Peluso, Gianfranco; Tabocchini, Maria Antonella; Galderisi, Umberto

2017-09-01

The use of high-linear energy transfer charged particles is gaining attention as a medical tool because of the emission of radiations with an efficient cell-killing ability. Considerable interest has developed in the use of targeted alpha-particle therapy for the treatment of micrometastases. Moreover, the use of helium beams is gaining momentum, especially for treating pediatric tumors. We analyzed the effects of alpha particles on bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which have a subpopulation of stem cells capable of generating adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Further, these cells contribute toward maintenance of homeostasis in the body. MSCs were irradiated with low and high doses of alpha particles or X-rays and a comparative biological analysis was performed. At a low dose (40 mGy), alpha particles exhibited a limited negative effect on the biology of MSCs compared with X-rays. No significant perturbation of cell cycle was observed, and a minimal increase in apoptosis or senescence was detected. Self-renewal was preserved as revealed by the CFU assay. On the contrary, with 2000 mGy alpha particles, we observed adverse effects on the vitality, functionality, and stemness of MSCs. These results are the consequence of different proportion of cells targeted by alpha particles or X-rays and the quality of induced DNA damage. The present study suggests that radiotherapy with alpha particles may spare healthy stem cells more efficaciously than X-ray treatments, an observation that should be taken into consideration by physicians while planning irradiation of tumor areas close to stem cell niches, such as bone marrow. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2993-3002, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Skylab short-lived event alert program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Citron, R. A.

1974-01-01

During the three manned Skylab missions, the Center for Short-Lived Phenomena (CSLP) reported a total of 39 significant events to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) as part of the Skylab Short-Lived Event Alert Program. The telegraphed daily status reports included the names and locations of the events, the track number and revolution number during which the event could be observed, the time (GMT) to within plus or minus 2 sec when Skylab was closest to the event area, and the light condition (daylight or darkness) at that time and place. The messages sent to JSC during the Skylab 4 mission also included information pertaining to ground-truth studies and observations being conducted on the events. Photographic priorities were assigned for each event.

Influence of deformed surface diffuseness on alpha decay half-lives of actinides and lanthanides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahmardeh, S.; Alavi, S. A.; Dehghani, V.

2017-07-01

By using semiclassical WKB method and taking into account the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition, the alpha decay half-lives of some deformed lanthanide (with 151 ≤ A ≤ 160 and 66 ≤ Z ≤ 73) and rare-earth nuclei (with 217 ≤ A ≤ 261 and 92 ≤ Z ≤ 104) have been calculated. The effective potential has been considered as sum of deformed Woods-Saxon nuclear potential, deformed Coulomb potential, and centrifugal potential. The influence of deformed surface diffuseness on the potential barrier, transmission coefficient at each angle, assault frequency, and alpha decay half-lives has been investigated. Good agreement between calculated half-lives with deformed surface diffuseness and experiment is observed. Relative differences between calculated half-lives with deformed surface diffuseness and with constant surface diffuseness were significant.

Teaching Elementary Particle Physics, Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobson, Art

2011-03-01

In order to explain certain features of radioactive beta decay, Wolfgang Pauli suggested in 1930 that the nucleus emitted, in addition to a beta particle, another particle of an entirely new type. The hypothesized particle, dubbed the neutrino, would not be discovered experimentally for another 25 years. It's not easy to detect neutrinos, because they respond to neither the EM force nor the strong force. For example, the mean free path (average penetration distance before it interacts) of a typical beta-decay neutrino moving through solid lead is about 1.5 light years! Enrico Fermi argued that neutrinos indicated a new force was at work. During the 1930s, he quickly adapted ideas from the developing new theory of QED to this new force, dubbed the weak force. Fermi's theory was able to predict the half-lives of beta-emitting nuclei and the range of energies of the emitted beta particles.

Use of .sup.3 He.sup.30 + ICRF minority heating to simulate alpha particle heating

DOEpatents

Post, Jr., Douglass E.; Hwang, David Q.; Hovey, Jane

1986-04-22

Neutron activation due to high levels of neutron production in a first heated deuterium-tritium plasma is substantially reduced by using Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) heating of energetic .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions in a second deuterium-.sup.3 He.sup.++ plasma which exhibit an energy distribution and density similar to that of alpha particles in fusion reactor experiments to simulate fusion alpha particle heating in the first plasma. The majority of the fast .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions and their slowing down spectrum can be studied using either a modulated hydrogen beam source for producing excited states of He.sup.+ in combination with spectrometers or double charge exchange with a high energy neutral lithium beam and charged particle detectors at the plasma edge. The maintenance problems thus associated with neutron activation are substantially reduced permitting energetic alpha particle behavior to be studied in near term large fusion experiments.

Electronic Properties of DNA-Based Schottky Barrier Diodes in Response to Alpha Particles.

PubMed

Al-Ta'ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Periasamy, Vengadesh; Amin, Yusoff Mohd

2015-05-21

Detection of nuclear radiation such as alpha particles has become an important field of research in recent history due to nuclear threats and accidents. In this context; deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) acting as an organic semiconducting material could be utilized in a metal/semiconductor Schottky junction for detecting alpha particles. In this work we demonstrate for the first time the effect of alpha irradiation on an Al/DNA/p-Si/Al Schottky diode by investigating its current-voltage characteristics. The diodes were exposed for different periods (0-20 min) of irradiation. Various diode parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height, series resistance, Richardson constant and saturation current were then determined using conventional, Cheung and Cheung's and Norde methods. Generally, ideality factor or n values were observed to be greater than unity, which indicates the influence of some other current transport mechanism besides thermionic processes. Results indicated ideality factor variation between 9.97 and 9.57 for irradiation times between the ranges 0 to 20 min. Increase in the series resistance with increase in irradiation time was also observed when calculated using conventional and Cheung and Cheung's methods. These responses demonstrate that changes in the electrical characteristics of the metal-semiconductor-metal diode could be further utilized as sensing elements to detect alpha particles.

Alpha particle condensation in {sup 12}C and nuclear rainbow scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohkubo, S.; Hirabayashi, Y.

2008-05-12

It is shown that the large radius of the Hoyle state of {sup 12}C with a dilute density distribution in an {alpha} particle condensate can be clearly seen in the shift of the rainbow angle (therefore the Airy minimum) to a larger angle in {alpha}+{sup 12}C rainbow scattering at the high energy region and prerainbow oscillations in {sup 3}He+{sup 12}C scattering at the lower energy region.

Long-Lived Flexible Displays Employing Efficient and Stable Inverted Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Fukagawa, Hirohiko; Sasaki, Tsubasa; Tsuzuki, Toshimitsu; Nakajima, Yoshiki; Takei, Tatsuya; Motomura, Genichi; Hasegawa, Munehiro; Morii, Katsuyuki; Shimizu, Takahisa

2018-05-29

Although organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are promising for use in applications such as in flexible displays, reports of long-lived flexible OLED-based devices are limited due to the poor environmental stability of OLEDs. Flexible substrates such as plastic allow ambient oxygen and moisture to permeate into devices, which degrades the alkali metals used for the electron-injection layer in conventional OLEDs (cOLEDs). Here, the fabrication of a long-lived flexible display is reported using efficient and stable inverted OLEDs (iOLEDs), in which electrons can be effectively injected without the use of alkali metals. The flexible display employing iOLEDs can emit light for over 1 year with simplified encapsulation, whereas a flexible display employing cOLEDs exhibits almost no luminescence after only 21 d with the same encapsulation. These results demonstrate the great potential of iOLEDs to replace cOLEDs employing alkali metals for use in a wide variety of flexible organic optoelectronic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Search for long-lived particles decaying to jet pairs.

PubMed

Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Affolder, A; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Anderson, J; Andreassen, R; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Aquines Gutierrez, O; Archilli, F; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Batozskaya, V; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Belogurov, S; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bien, A; Bifani, S; Bird, T; Bizzeti, A; Bjørnstad, P M; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borghi, S; Borgia, A; Borsato, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Brett, D; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Brook, N H; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casanova Mohr, Rcm; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cenci, R; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chiapolini, N; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombes, M; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Counts, I; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A C; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Dalseno, J; David, P; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Silva, W; De Simone, P; Dean, C-T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Déléage, N; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Di Domenico, A; Dijkstra, H; Donleavy, S; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dossett, D; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dujany, G; Dupertuis, F; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Easo, S; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; El Rifai, I; Elsasser, Ch; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H-M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Färber, C; Farinelli, C; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Albor, V; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fol, P; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forty, R; Francisco, O; Frank, M; Frei, C; Frosini, M; Fu, J; Furfaro, E; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; García Pardiñas, J; Garofoli, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gastaldi, U; Gauld, R; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Geraci, A; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianelle, A; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Giubega, L; Gligorov, V V; Göbel, C; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gotti, C; Grabalosa Gándara, M; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Greening, E; Gregson, S; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Grünberg, O; Gui, B; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Hampson, T; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; He, J; Head, T; Heijne, V; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; Hernando Morata, J A; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hoballah, M; Hombach, C; Hulsbergen, W; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Hynds, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jing, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Karbach, T M; Karodia, S; Kelsey, M; Kenyon, I R; Ketel, T; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Kochebina, O; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Korolev, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krocker, G; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; La Thi, V N; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lambert, R W; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Langhans, B; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J-P; Lefèvre, R; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Liles, M; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, B; Lohn, S; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lowdon, P; Lucchesi, D; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Machefert, F; Machikhiliyan, I V; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Mapelli, A; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marino, P; Märki, R; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; McSkelly, B; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Merk, M; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Moggi, N; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A-B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Müller, K; Mussini, M; Muster, B; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nicol, M; Niess, V; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Okhrimenko, O; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Orlandea, M; Osorio Rodrigues, B; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Pal, B K; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parkes, C; Parkinson, C J; Passaleva, G; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Pesen, E; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pilař, T; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rakotomiaramanana, B; Rama, M; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Rauschmayr, N; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Reid, M M; Dos Reis, A C; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Perez, P; Roiser, S; Romanovsky, V; Romero Vidal, A; Rotondo, M; Rouvinet, J; Ruf, T; Ruiz, H; Ruiz Valls, P; Saborido Silva, J J; Sagidova, N; Sail, P; Saitta, B; Salustino Guimaraes, V; Sanchez Mayordomo, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sepp, I; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Shires, A; Silva Coutinho, R; Simi, G; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skillicorn, I; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, N A; Smith, E; Smith, E; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Soomro, F; Souza, D; De Paula, B Souza; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Steinkamp, O; Stenyakin, O; Sterpka, F; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Stroili, R; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Swientek, S; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szczypka, P; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Teklishyn, M; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, C; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Todd, J; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Torr, N; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tuning, N; Ubeda Garcia, M; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vázquez Sierra, C; Vecchi, S; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Vesterinen, M; Viana Barbosa, Jvvb; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vollhardt, A; Volyanskyy, D; Voong, D; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wandernoth, S; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Whitehead, M; Wiedner, D; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Wilschut, H W; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wright, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zangoli, M; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, W C; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zhokhov, A; Zhong, L

A search is presented for long-lived particles with a mass between 25 and 50 [Formula: see text] and a lifetime between 1 and 200[Formula: see text] in a sample of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of [Formula: see text] TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.62 [Formula: see text], collected by the LHCb detector. The particles are assumed to be pair-produced by the decay of a standard model-like Higgs boson. The experimental signature of the long-lived particle is a displaced vertex with two associated jets. No excess above the background is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section as a function of the long-lived particle mass and lifetime.

Colloquium: Toward living matter with colloidal particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeravcic, Zorana; Manoharan, Vinothan N.; Brenner, Michael P.

2017-07-01

A fundamental unsolved problem is to understand the differences between inanimate matter and living matter. Although this question might be framed as philosophical, there are many fundamental and practical reasons to pursue the development of synthetic materials with the properties of living ones. There are three fundamental properties of living materials that we seek to reproduce: The ability to spontaneously assemble complex structures, the ability to self-replicate, and the ability to perform complex and coordinated reactions that enable transformations impossible to realize if a single structure acted alone. The conditions that are required for a synthetic material to have these properties are currently unknown. This Colloquium examines whether these phenomena could emerge by programming interactions between colloidal particles, an approach that bootstraps off of recent advances in DNA nanotechnology and in the mathematics of sphere packings. The argument is made that the essential properties of living matter could emerge from colloidal interactions that are specific—so that each particle can be programmed to bind or not bind to any other particle—and also time dependent—so that the binding strength between two particles could increase or decrease in time at a controlled rate. There is a small regime of interaction parameters that gives rise to colloidal particles with lifelike properties, including self-assembly, self-replication, and metabolism. The parameter range for these phenomena can be identified using a combinatorial search over the set of known sphere packings.

Bench-level characterization of a CMOS standard-cell D-latch using alpha-particle sensitive test circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaes, B. R.; Soli, G. A.; Buehler, M. G.

1991-01-01

A methodology is described for predicting the SEU susceptibility of a standard-cell D-latch using an alpha-particle sensitive SRAM, SPICE critical charge simulation results, and alpha-particle interaction physics. Measurements were made on a 1.6-micron n-well CMOS 4-kb test SRAM irradiated with an Am-241 alpha-particle source. A collection depth of 6.09 micron was determined using these results and TRIM computer code. Using this collection depth and SPICE derived critical charge results on the latch design, an LET threshold of 34 MeV sq cm/mg was predicted. Heavy ion tests were then performed on the latch and an LET threshold of 41 MeV sq cm/mg was determined.

Determination of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emitted from co-pelletization combustion of lignite and rubber wood sawdust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, R.; Kaosol, T.; Tekasakul, P.; Tekasakul, S.

2017-09-01

Determination of particle-bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from co-pelletization combustion of lignite and rubber wood sawdust in a horizontal tube furnace is investigated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with coupled Diode Array and Fluorescence Detection (HPLC-DAD/FLD). The particle-bound PAHs based on the mass concentration and the toxicity degree are discussed in the different size ranges of the particulate matters from 0.07-11 μm. In the present study, the particle-bound PAHs are likely abundant in the fine particles. More than 70% of toxicity degree of PAHs falls into PM1.1 while more than 80% of mass concentration of PAHs falls into PM2.5. The addition of lignite amount in the co-pelletization results in the increasing concentration of either 4-6 aromatic ring PAHs or high molecular weight PAHs. The high contribution of 4-6 aromatic ring PAHs or high molecular weight PAHs in the fine particles should be paid much more attention because of high probability of human carcinogenic. Furthermore, the rubber wood sawdust pellets emit high mass concentration of PAHs whereas the lignite pellets emit high toxicity degree of PAHs. By co-pelletized rubber wood sawdust with lignite (50% lignite pellets) has significant effect to reduce the toxicity degree of PAHs by 70%.

Induction of single- and double-strand breaks in plasmid DNA by monoenergetic alpha-particles with energies below the Bragg-maximum.

PubMed

Scholz, V; Weidner, J; Köhnlein, W; Frekers, D; Wörtche, H J

1997-01-01

The yield of single-strand breaks (ssb) and double-strand breaks (dsb) produced by alpha-particles at the end of their track in DNA-films was determined experimentally. Helium nuclei were accelerated to 600 keV in the 400 kV ion accelerator and scattered at a carbon target. The elastically scattered alpha-particles with energies of 344 keV and 485 keV were used to irradiate supercircular plasmid DNA in vacuo. For the dosimetry of the alpha-particles a surface barrier detector was used and the energy distribution of the alpha-particles determined. The energy loss of the particles in the DNA-layer was calculated. DNA samples were separated into the three conformational isomers using agarose gel electrophoresis. After fluorochromation the number of ssb and dsb per plasmid DNA molecule was established from the band intensities assuming the validity of Poisson statistics. Linear dose effect correlations were found for ssb and dsb per plasmid molecule. In the case of 344 keV-alpha-particles the yield of dsb was (8.6 +/- 0.9) x 10(-11) breaks/Gy x dalton. The ratio of ssb/dsb was 0.5 +/- 0.2. This is at least a factor of six larger than the ratio found in experiments with higher energy alpha-particles and from model calculations. Similar experiments with protons yielded a relative biological effectiveness (rbe) value of 2.8 for the induction of double-strand breaks by track end alpha-particles.

Analysis of long-lived particle decays with the MATHUSLA detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Curtin, David; Peskin, Michael E.

Here, the MATHUSLA detector is a simple large-volume tracking detector to be located on the surface above one of the general-purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. This detector was proposed to detect exotic, neutral, long-lived particles that might be produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions. In this paper, we consider the use of the limited information that MATHULSA would provide on the decay products of the long-lived particle. For the case in which the long-lived particle is pair-produced in Higgs boson decays, we show that it is possible to measure the mass of this particle and determine the dominant decaymore » mode with less than 100 observed events. We discuss the ability of MATHUSLA to distinguish the production mode of the long-lived particle and to determine its mass and spin in more general cases.« less

Analysis of long-lived particle decays with the MATHUSLA detector

DOE PAGES

Curtin, David; Peskin, Michael E.

2018-01-08

Here, the MATHUSLA detector is a simple large-volume tracking detector to be located on the surface above one of the general-purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. This detector was proposed to detect exotic, neutral, long-lived particles that might be produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions. In this paper, we consider the use of the limited information that MATHULSA would provide on the decay products of the long-lived particle. For the case in which the long-lived particle is pair-produced in Higgs boson decays, we show that it is possible to measure the mass of this particle and determine the dominant decaymore » mode with less than 100 observed events. We discuss the ability of MATHUSLA to distinguish the production mode of the long-lived particle and to determine its mass and spin in more general cases.« less

Size-segregated emissions and metal content of vehicle-emitted particles as a function of mileage: Implications to population exposure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Golokhvast, Kirill S.; Chernyshev, Valery V.; Chaika, Vladimir V.

2015-10-15

The study aims at investigating the characteristics (size distribution, active surface and metal content) of particles emitted by cars as a function of mileage using a novel methodology for characterizing particulate emissions captured by Exhaust Gas Suspension (EGS). EGS was obtained by passing the exhaust gases through a container of deionized water. EGS analysis was performed using laser granulometry, electron scanning microscopy, and high resolution mass spectrometry. Implications of the differences in key features of the emitted particles on population exposure were investigated using numerical simulation for estimating size-segregated PM deposition across human respiratory tract (HRT). It was found thatmore » vehicle mileage, age and the respective emissions class have almost no effect on the size distribution of the exhaust gas particulate released into the environment; about half of the examined vehicles with low mileage were found to release particles of aerodynamic diameter above 10 μm. The exhaust gas particulate detected in the EGS of all cars can be classified into three major size classes: (1) 0.1–5 µm – soot and ash particles, metals (Au, Pt, Pd, Ir); (2) 10–30 µm – metal (Cr, Fe, Cu, Zr, Ni) and ash particles; (3) 400–1,000 µm – metal (Fe, Cr, Pb) and ash particles. Newer vehicles with low mileage are substantial sources of soot and metal particles with median diameter of 200 nm with a higher surface area (up to 89,871.16 cm{sup 2}/cm{sup 3}). These tend to deposit in the lower part of the human respiratory tract. - Highlights: • Car mileage has virtually no effect on the size of the solid particles released. • Newer diesel vehicles emit particles of lower aerodynamic diameter. • Particle active surface emitted by newer vehicles is on average 3 times higher. • Real-life emissions were translated into actual internal PM exposure.« less

The analysis of predictability of recent alpha decay formulae and the alpha partial half-lives of some exotic nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dasgupta-Schubert, N.; Reyes, M. A.; Tamez, V. A.

2009-04-20

Alpha decay is one of the two main decay modes of the heaviest nuclei, (SHE), and constitutes one of the dominant decay modes of highly neutron deficient medium mass nuclei ('exotics'). Thus identifying and characterizing the alpha decay chains form a crucial part of the identification of SHE. We report the extension of the previously developed method for the detailed and systematic investigation of the reliability of the three main extant analytical formulae of alpha decay half-lives: the generalized liquid drop model based formula of Royer et al. (FR), the Sobiczewski modified semi-empirical Viola-Seaborg formula (VSS) and the recent phenomenologicalmore » formula of Sobiczewski and Parkhomenko (SP)« less

Study of short-lived resonances with the ALICE Experiment at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasu Uysal, Ayben

2012-02-01

The study of short-lived resonances allows the investigation of the collision dynamics and of the properties of the hot and dense medium created in high energy collisions. Moreover it is interesting to address the topics of the strangeness production by the analysis of strange resonances. First measurements of the phi(1020), Λ *(1520), K*(892), Ξ *(1530) and doubly charged Δ(1232) resonances in pp collisions at a center of mass energy of 7 TeV with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC are presented. Thermal model predictions of particle ratios in proton-proton collisions are shown.

Evaluation of internal alpha radiation exposure and subsequent infertility among a cohort of women formerly employed in the radium dial industry.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schieve, L. A.; Davis, F.; Roeske, J.

1997-02-01

This study examined the effect of internal exposure to {alpha}-particle radiation on subsequent fertility among women employed in the radium dial industry prior to 1930, when appreciable amounts of radium were often ingested through the practice of pointing the paint brush with the lips. The analysis was limited to women for whom a radium body burden measurement had been obtained and who were married prior to age 45 (n=603). Internal radiation dose to the ovary was calculated based on initial intakes of radium-226 and radium-228, average ovarian mass, number and energy of {alpha} particles emitted, fraction of energy absorbed withmore » in the ovary, effective retention integrals and estimated photon irradiation. Time between marriage and pregnancy, number of pregnancies and number of live births served as surrogates for fertility. Radiation appeared to have no effect on fertility at estimated cumulative ovarian dose equivalents below 5 Sv; above this dose, however, statistically significant declines in both number of pregnancies and live births were observed. These trends persisted after multivariable adjustment for potential confounding variables and after exclusion of subjects contributing a potential classification or selection bias to the study. Additionally, the high-dose group experienced fewer live births than would have been expected based on population rates. There were no differences in time to first pregnancy between high- and low-dose groups. These results are consistent with earlier studies of {gamma}-ray exposures and suggest that exposure to high doses of radiation from internally deposited radium reduces fertility rather than inducing sterility.« less

Evaluate an impact of incident alpha particle and gamma ray on human blood components: A comparison study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ismail, Asaad H.; Yaba, Sardar P.; Ismail, Haider J.

An impact of alpha and gamma irradiation on human blood components have been evaluated and compared for healthy blood samples (male and females). Irradiation dose and time of irradiation calibrated and considered as a main comparison factors. Density of blood components measured for each in vitro irradiation before and after irradiation for males and females. Survey radiation dosimeter (Inspector Exp) and nuclear track detectors type CR-39 used to evaluate exposure dose rate and incident density of alpha particles, respectively. Experiment results verified that the irradiation of blood makes ionizing of blood components, either alpha or gamma irradiation dose, and themore » impacts of ionizing radiation were relativity for WBC, RBC, and PLT. Limited irradiation doses of 1-5 μSv/hr considered as a low radiation dose of alpha and gamma radiation sources ({sup 226}Ra, and {sup 137}Cs). Density of alpha particles accumulated on the blood surface was 34 (alpha particle/cm{sup 2}) for selected dose of incident alpha particle. Optimum value of irradiation dose and time of irradiation were 5 μSv/hr and 4 second for males and females. On the other hands, the values of irradiation dose and time of irradiation were 2.1 μSv/hr and 2 second for males and females for gamma irradiation. Thus, present results demonstrated that densities of RBC and WBC cells are capable of inducing reproduction in vitro for both type of irradiation. (authors)« less

SCATTERING OF NEUTRONS BY $alpha$-PARTICLES AT 14.1 Mev

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fasoli, U.; Zago, G.

1963-12-01

The angular distribution of 14.1-Mev neutrons elastically scattered by alpha particles was measured by observing the alpha recoils in a helium-filled cloud chamber. The results are in satisfactory agreement with those previously obtained by others. Inspection of the small-angle region of the measured distribution shows that phase shifts of orbital angular momentum higher than L = 1 are not negligible, although, according to the present experiment, quantitative information on D-waves turns out to be somewhat elusive. The azimuthal angular distribution agrees well with the value P = 0.02 of the neutron beam polarization, as measured by Perkins. (auth)

Exploring dynamics in living cells by tracking single particles.

PubMed

Levi, Valeria; Gratton, Enrico

2007-01-01

In the last years, significant advances in microscopy techniques and the introduction of a novel technology to label living cells with genetically encoded fluorescent proteins revolutionized the field of Cell Biology. Our understanding on cell dynamics built from snapshots on fixed specimens has evolved thanks to our actual capability to monitor in real time the evolution of processes in living cells. Among these new tools, single particle tracking techniques were developed to observe and follow individual particles. Hence, we are starting to unravel the mechanisms driving the motion of a wide variety of cellular components ranging from organelles to protein molecules by following their way through the cell. In this review, we introduce the single particle tracking technology to new users. We briefly describe the instrumentation and explain some of the algorithms commonly used to locate and track particles. Also, we present some common tools used to analyze trajectories and illustrate with some examples the applications of single particle tracking to study dynamics in living cells.

Analysis of long-lived particle decays with the MATHUSLA detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curtin, David; Peskin, Michael E.

2018-01-01

The MATHUSLA detector is a simple large-volume tracking detector to be located on the surface above one of the general-purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. This detector was proposed in [J. P. Chou, D. Curtin, and H. J. Lubatti, Phys. Lett. B 767, 29 (2017), 10.1016/j.physletb.2017.01.043] to detect exotic, neutral, long-lived particles that might be produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions. In this paper, we consider the use of the limited information that MATHULSA would provide on the decay products of the long-lived particle. For the case in which the long-lived particle is pair-produced in Higgs boson decays, we show that it is possible to measure the mass of this particle and determine the dominant decay mode with less than 100 observed events. We discuss the ability of MATHUSLA to distinguish the production mode of the long-lived particle and to determine its mass and spin in more general cases.

Cryogenic microcalorimeter system for ultra-high resolution alpha-particle spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rabin, Michael W; Hoover, Andrew S; Bacrania, Mnesh K

2009-01-01

Microcalorimeters have been shown to yield unsurpassed energy resolution for alpha spectrometry, up to 1.06 keV FWHM at 5.3 MeV. These detectors use a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) to measure the temperature change in an absorber from energy deposited by an interacting alpha particle. Our system has four independent detectors mounted inside a liquid nitrogen/liquid helium cryostat. An adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) cools the detector stage to its operating temperature of 80 mK. Temperature regulation with {approx}15 uK peak-to-peak variation is achieved by PID control of the ADR. The detectors are voltage-biased, and the current signal is amplified by amore » commercial SQUID readout system and digitized for further analysis, This paper will discuss design and operation of our microcalorimeter alpha spectrometer, and will show recent results.« less

Fabrication, characterization and simulation of 4H-SiC Schottky diode alpha particle detectors for pyroprocessing actinide monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Timothy Richard

Pyroprocessing is a method of using high-temperature molten salts and electric fields to separate and collect fuel isotopes of used nuclear fuel. It has been has been tested in the U.S. at Idaho National Laboratory as a key step in closing the nuclear fuel cycle. One technical problem with the pyroprocessing method is a lack of knowledge regarding the actinide concentrations in the salt bath during operation, since on-line techniques for measuring these concentrations are not presently available. 4H-SiC Schottky diode detectors can potentially fulfill this need. Such detectors would operate in contact with the molten salt, and measure concentrations via alpha-particle spectroscopy. This work seeks to fabricate and characterize 4H-SiC Schottky diode detectors at high temperature, model the alpha particle spectrum expected in a molten salt, and model the operation of the detectors to confirm the physics of operation is as expected. In this work, 4H-SiC Schottky diode detectors were fabricated at OSU Nanotech West. After fabrication, these detectors were characterized using both I-V curves and Am-241 alpha-particle energy spectra. All measurements were made as a function of temperature, from room temperature up to 500°C. The average energy required to create an electron-hole pair was observed to decrease with an increase of temperature, due to a decrease of both the 4H-SiC bandgap and non-linear energy loss terms. Furthermore, the FWHM of the spectra was observed to be dependent on the leakage current at a certain temperature, and not dependent on the temperature itself. Secondly, the alpha particle energy spectrum in the pyroprocessing environment was modeled using SRIM. The molten salt was modeled in 3 different geometries, with or without a protective cover material on top of the detector. Due to the loss of alpha-particle energy in the molten salt itself, a high-energy alpha emitter may completely cover the spectrum from a lower-energy alpha emitter. Each of the

Defect annealing of alpha-particle irradiated n-GaAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, S. A.; Auret, F. D.; Myburg, G.

1994-09-01

The annealing behaviour of irradiation induced defects in n-type GaAs irradiated at 300 K with 5.4 MeV alpha-particles from an americium-241 (Am-241) radio nuclide have been investigated. The annealing kinetics are presented for the alpha-particle induced defects Eα1 Eα5 detected in Organo-Metallic Vapor Phase Epitaxially (OMVPE) grown n-GaAs doped with silicon to 1.2×1016 cm-3, these kinetics are compared to those obtained for similar defects (E1 E5) detected after electron irradiation. While defects Pα1 and Pα2 were detected after removal of the electron defects Eα4 and Eα5, respectively, a new defect labelled Pα0, located 0.152 eV below the conduction band, was introduced by annealing. The thermal behaviour and trap characteristics of these three defects (Pα0 Pα2) are presented. In an attempt to further characterise defects Pα0 and Pα1 a preiliminary study investigating the emission rate field dependence of these defects was conducted, it was observed that defect Pα0 exhibited a fairly strong field dependence while Pα1 exhibited a much weaker dependence.

Characterizing gas-particle interactions of phthalate plasticizer emitted from vinyl flooring.

PubMed

Benning, Jennifer L; Liu, Zhe; Tiwari, Andrea; Little, John C; Marr, Linsey C

2013-03-19

Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers, and improved ability to predict emissions of phthalates is of interest because of concern about their health effects. An experimental chamber was used to measure emissions of di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP) from vinyl flooring, with ammonium sulfate particles introduced to examine their influence on the emission rate and to measure the partitioning of DEHP onto airborne particles. When particles were introduced to the chamber at concentrations of 100 to 245 μg/m(3), the total (gas + particle) DEHP concentrations increased by a factor of 3 to 8; under these conditions, emissions were significantly enhanced compared to the condition without particles. The measured DEHP partition coefficient to ammonium sulfate particles with a median diameter of 45 ± 5 nm was 0.032 ± 0.003 m(3)/μg (95% confidence interval). The DEHP-particle sorption equilibration time was demonstrated to be less than 1 min. Both the partition coefficient and equilibration time agree well with predictions from the literature. This study represents the first known measurements of the particle-gas partition coefficient for DEHP. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the emission rate of DEHP is substantially enhanced in the presence of particles. The particles rapidly sorb DEHP from the gas phase, allowing more to be emitted from the source, and also appear to enhance the convective mass-transfer coefficient itself. Airborne particles can influence SVOC fate and transport in the indoor environment, and these mechanisms must be considered in evaluating exposure and human health.

Dosimetry of radium-223 and progeny

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisher, D.R.; Sgouros, G.

Radium-223 is a short-lived (11.4 d) alpha emitter with potential applications in radioimmunotherapy of cancer. Radium-223 can be complexed and linked to protein delivery molecules for specific tumor-cell targeting. It decays through a cascade of short-lived alpha- and beta-emitting daughters with emission of about 28 MeV of energy through complete decay. The first three alpha particles are essentially instantaneous. Photons associated with Ra-223 and progeny provide the means for tumor and normal-organ imaging and dosimetry. Two beta particles provide additional therapeutic value. Radium-223 may be produced economically and in sufficient amounts for widescale application. Many aspects of the chemistry ofmore » carrier-free isotope preparation, complexation, and linkage to the antibody have been developed and are being tested. The radiation dosimetry of a Ra-223-labeled antibody shows favorable tumor to normal tissue dose ratios for therapy. The 11.4-d half-life of Ra-223 allows sufficient time for immunoconjugate preparation, administration, and tumor localization by carrier antibodies before significant radiological decay takes place. If 0.01 percent of a 37 MBq (1 mCi) injection deposits in a one gram tumor mass, and if the activity is retained with a typical effective half-time (75 h), the absorbed dose will be 163 mGy MBq{sup {minus}1} (600 rad mCi{sup {minus}1}) administered. 49 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Induction of a bystander mutagenic effect of alpha particles in mammalian cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, H.; Randers-Pehrson, G.; Waldren, C. A.; Vannais, D.; Hall, E. J.; Hei, T. K.; Chatterjee, A. (Principal Investigator)

2000-01-01

Ever since the discovery of X-rays was made by Rontgen more than a hundred years ago, it has always been accepted that the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation such as mutation and carcinogenesis are attributable mainly to direct damage to DNA. Although evidence based on microdosimetric estimation in support of a bystander effect appears to be consistent, direct proof of such extranuclear/extracellular effects are limited. Using a precision charged particle microbeam, we show here that irradiation of 20% of randomly selected A(L) cells with 20 alpha particles each results in a mutant fraction that is 3-fold higher than expected, assuming no bystander modulation effect. Furthermore, analysis by multiplex PCR shows that the types of mutants induced are significantly different from those of spontaneous origin. Pretreatment of cells with the radical scavenger DMSO had no effect on the mutagenic incidence. In contrast, cells pretreated with a 40 microM dose of lindane, which inhibits cell-cell communication, significantly decreased the mutant yield. The doses of DMSO and lindane used in these experiments are nontoxic and nonmutagenic. We further examined the mutagenic yield when 5-10% of randomly selected cells were irradiated with 20 alpha particles each. Results showed, likewise, a higher mutant yield than expected assuming no bystander effects. Our studies provide clear evidence that irradiated cells can induce a bystander mutagenic response in neighboring cells not directly traversed by alpha particles and that cell-cell communication process play a critical role in mediating the bystander phenomenon.

Impact on short-lived climate forcers increases projected warming due to deforestation.

PubMed

Scott, C E; Monks, S A; Spracklen, D V; Arnold, S R; Forster, P M; Rap, A; Äijälä, M; Artaxo, P; Carslaw, K S; Chipperfield, M P; Ehn, M; Gilardoni, S; Heikkinen, L; Kulmala, M; Petäjä, T; Reddington, C L S; Rizzo, L V; Swietlicki, E; Vignati, E; Wilson, C

2018-01-11

The climate impact of deforestation depends on the relative strength of several biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects. In addition to affecting the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and moisture with the atmosphere and surface albedo, vegetation emits biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) that alter the formation of short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), which include aerosol, ozone and methane. Here we show that a scenario of complete global deforestation results in a net positive radiative forcing (RF; 0.12 W m -2 ) from SLCFs, with the negative RF from decreases in ozone and methane concentrations partially offsetting the positive aerosol RF. Combining RFs due to CO 2 , surface albedo and SLCFs suggests that global deforestation could cause 0.8 K warming after 100 years, with SLCFs contributing 8% of the effect. However, deforestation as projected by the RCP8.5 scenario leads to zero net RF from SLCF, primarily due to nonlinearities in the aerosol indirect effect.

An Alpha and Theta Intensive and Short Neurofeedback Protocol for Healthy Aging Working-Memory Training

PubMed Central

Reis, Joana; Portugal, Ana Maria; Fernandes, Luís; Afonso, Nuno; Pereira, Mariana; Sousa, Nuno; Dias, Nuno S.

2016-01-01

The present study tested the effects of an intensive and short alpha and theta neurofeedback (NF) protocol in working memory (WM) performance in a healthy elder population and explored the effects of a multimodal approach, by supplementing NF with cognitive tasks. Participants were allocated to four groups: NF (N = 9); neurofeedback supplemented with cognitive training (NFCT) (N = 8); cognitive training (CT) (N = 7) and sham neurofeedback (Sham-NF) (N = 6). The intervention consisted in 30-min sessions for 8 days. The NF group presented post intervention increases of alpha and theta relative power as well as performance in the matrix rotation task. In addition, a successful up training of frontal theta showed positive correlation with an improvement of post-training alpha and a better performance in the matrix rotation task. The results presented herein suggest that an intensive and short NF protocol enables elders to learn alpha and theta self-modulation and already presents moderate improvements in cognition and basal EEG. Also, CT group showed moderate performance gains on the cognitive tasks used during the training sessions but no clear improvements on neurophysiology and behavioral measurements were observed. This study represents a first attempt to study the effects of an intensive and short NF protocol in WM performance of elders. The evidence presented here suggests that an intensive and short NF intervention could be a valid alternative for introduction of older populations to NF methodologies. PMID:27458369

Charged-particle emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Yijun

Conventional charged-particle imaging techniques--such as autoradiography-- provide only two-dimensional (2D) images of thin tissue slices. To get volumetric information, images of multiple thin slices are stacked. This process is time consuming and prone to distortions, as registration of 2D images is required. We propose a direct three-dimensional (3D) autoradiography technique, which we call charged-particle emission tomography (CPET). This 3D imaging technique enables imaging of thick sections, thus increasing laboratory throughput and eliminating distortions due to registration. In CPET, molecules or cells of interest are labeled so that they emit charged particles without significant alteration of their biological function. Therefore, by imaging the source of the charged particles, one can gain information about the distribution of the molecules or cells of interest. Two special case of CPET include beta emission tomography (BET) and alpha emission tomography (alphaET), where the charged particles employed are fast electrons and alpha particles, respectively. A crucial component of CPET is the charged-particle detector. Conventional charged-particle detectors are sensitive only to the 2-D positions of the detected particles. We propose a new detector concept, which we call particle-processing detector (PPD). A PPD measures attributes of each detected particle, including location, direction of propagation, and/or the energy deposited in the detector. Reconstruction algorithms for CPET are developed, and reconstruction results from simulated data are presented for both BET and alphaET. The results show that, in addition to position, direction and energy provide valuable information for 3D reconstruction of CPET. Several designs of particle-processing detectors are described. Experimental results for one detector are discussed. With appropriate detector design and careful data analysis, it is possible to measure direction and energy, as well as position of each

MONDO: A tracker for the characterization of secondary fast and ultrafast neutrons emitted in particle therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirabelli, R.; Battistoni, G.; Giacometti, V.; Patera, V.; Pinci, D.; Sarti, A.; Sciubba, A.; Traini, G.; Marafini, M.

2018-01-01

In Particle Therapy (PT) accelerated charged particles and light ions are used for treating tumors. One of the main limitation to the precision of PT is the emission of secondary particles due to the beam interaction with the patient: secondary emitted neutrons can release a significant dose far from the tumor. Therefore, a precise characterization of their flux, production energy and angle distribution is eagerly needed in order to improve the Treatment Planning Systems (TPS) codes. The principal aim of the MONDO (MOnitor for Neutron Dose in hadrOntherapy) project is the development of a tracking device optimized for the detection of fast and ultra-fast secondary neutrons emitted in PT. The detector consists of a matrix of scintillating square fibres coupled with a CMOS-based readout. Here, we present the characterization of the detector tracker prototype and CMOS-based digital SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) array sensor tested with protons at the Beam Test Facility (Frascati, Italy) and at the Proton Therapy Centre (Trento, Italy), respectively.

Evolution of trace gases and particles emitted by a chaparral fire in California

Treesearch

S. K. Akagi; J. S. Craven; J. W. Taylor; G. R. McMeeking; R. J. Yokelson; I. R. Burling; S. P. Urbanski; C. E. Wold; J. H. Seinfeld; H. Coe; M. J. Alvarado; D. R. Weise

2012-01-01

Biomass burning (BB) is a major global source of trace gases and particles. Accurately representing the production and evolution of these emissions is an important goal for atmospheric chemical transport models. We measured a suite of gases and aerosols emitted from an 81 hectare prescribed fire in chaparral fuels on the central coast of California, US on 17 November...

An Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer for Mars-96 and Mars Pathfinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieder, R.; Wanke, H.; Economou, T.

1996-09-01

Mars Pathfinder and the Russian Mars-96 will carry an Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) for the determination of the chemical composition of Martian rocks and soil. The instrument will measure the concentration of all major and many minor elements, including C,N and O, at levels above typically 1%. The method employed consist of bombarding a sample of 50 mm diameter with alpha particles from a radioactive source (50 mCi of Cm-244) and measuring: (i) backscattered alpha particles (alpha mode) (ii) protons from (a,p) reactions with some light elements (proton mode) (iii) characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample (X-ray mode). The APXS has a long standing space heritage, going back to Surveyor V,VI and VII (1967/68) and the Soviet Phobos (1988) missions. The present design is the result of an endeavour to reduce mass and power consumption to 600g/ 300mW. It consist of a sensor head containing the alpha sources, a telescope of a silicon detectors for the detection of the alpha particles and protons and a separate X-ray detector with its preamplifier, and an electronics box (80x70x60 mm) containing a microcontroller based multichannel spectrometer. The paper will describe the APXS flight hardware and present results obtained with the flight instrument that will show the instrument capabili- ties and the expected results to be obtained during surface operations on Mars.

Relative determination of W-values for alpha particles in tissue equivalent and other gases. [5. 4 MeV alpha particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krieger, G L

1976-06-01

W (the average energy to form an ion pair) for 5.4 MeV /sup 241/Am alpha particles in a Rossi-type tissue equivalent (T.E.) gas, argon and methane was determined to an accuracy better than 0.2% using a new automated data handling system. A vibrating reed electrometer and current digitizer were used to measure the current produced by completely stopping the alpha particles in a large cylindrical ionization chamber. A multichannel analyzer, operating in a slow multiscalar mode, was used to store pulses from the current digitizer. The dwell time, on the order of 60 minutes per channel, was selected with anmore » external timer gate. Current measurements were made at reduced pressures (approximately 200 torr) to reduce ion-recombination. The average current, over many repeated measurements, was compared to the current produced in nitrogen and its previously published W-value of 36.39 +- 0.04 eV/ion pair. The resulting W-values were (in eV/ion pair): 26.29 +- 0.05 for argon, 29.08 +- 0.03 for methane and 30.72 +- 0.04 for T.E. gas, which had an analyzed composition of 64.6% methane, 32.4% CO/sub 2/, and 2.7% nitrogen. Although the methane and argon values agree within 0.1% with previously published values, the value for T.E. is 1.2% lower than the single previously reported value.« less

Updated search for long-lived particles decaying to jet pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Ajaltouni, Z.; Akar, S.; Albrecht, J.; Alessio, F.; Alexander, M.; Ali, S.; Alkhazov, G.; Alvarez Cartelle, P.; Alves, A. A.; Amato, S.; Amerio, S.; Amhis, Y.; An, L.; Anderlini, L.; Andreassi, G.; Andreotti, M.; Andrews, J. E.; Appleby, R. B.; Archilli, F.; d'Argent, P.; Arnau Romeu, J.; Artamonov, A.; Artuso, M.; Aslanides, E.; Auriemma, G.; Baalouch, M.; Babuschkin, I.; Bachmann, S.; Back, J. J.; Badalov, A.; Baesso, C.; Baker, S.; Balagura, V.; Baldini, W.; Baranov, A.; Barlow, R. J.; Barschel, C.; Barsuk, S.; Barter, W.; Baryshnikov, F.; Baszczyk, M.; Batozskaya, V.; Battista, V.; Bay, A.; Beaucourt, L.; Beddow, J.; Bedeschi, F.; Bediaga, I.; Beiter, A.; Bel, L. J.; Bellee, V.; Belloli, N.; Belous, K.; Belyaev, I.; Ben-Haim, E.; Bencivenni, G.; Benson, S.; Beranek, S.; Berezhnoy, A.; Bernet, R.; Bertolin, A.; Betancourt, C.; Betti, F.; Bettler, M.-O.; van Beuzekom, M.; Bezshyiko, Ia.; Bifani, S.; Billoir, P.; Bird, T.; Birnkraut, A.; Bitadze, A.; Bizzeti, A.; Blake, T.; Blanc, F.; Blouw, J.; Blusk, S.; Bocci, V.; Boettcher, T.; Bondar, A.; Bondar, N.; Bonivento, W.; Bordyuzhin, I.; Borgheresi, A.; Borghi, S.; Borisyak, M.; Borsato, M.; Bossu, F.; Boubdir, M.; Bowcock, T. J. V.; Bowen, E.; Bozzi, C.; Braun, S.; Britsch, M.; Britton, T.; Brodzicka, J.; Buchanan, E.; Burr, C.; Bursche, A.; Buytaert, J.; Cadeddu, S.; Calabrese, R.; Calvi, M.; Calvo Gomez, M.; Camboni, A.; Campana, P.; Campora Perez, D. H.; Capriotti, L.; Carbone, A.; Carboni, G.; Cardinale, R.; Cardini, A.; Carniti, P.; Carson, L.; Carvalho Akiba, K.; Casse, G.; Cassina, L.; Castillo Garcia, L.; Cattaneo, M.; Cavallero, G.; Cenci, R.; Chamont, D.; Charles, M.; Charpentier, Ph.; Chatzikonstantinidis, G.; Chefdeville, M.; Chen, S.; Cheung, S. F.; Chobanova, V.; Chrzaszcz, M.; Cid Vidal, X.; Ciezarek, G.; Clarke, P. E. L.; Clemencic, M.; Cliff, H. V.; Closier, J.; Coco, V.; Cogan, J.; Cogneras, E.; Cogoni, V.; Cojocariu, L.; Collins, P.; Comerma-Montells, A.; Contu, A.; Cook, A.; Coombs, G.; Coquereau, S.; Corti, G.; Corvo, M.; Costa Sobral, C. M.; Couturier, B.; Cowan, G. A.; Craik, D. C.; Crocombe, A.; Cruz Torres, M.; Cunliffe, S.; Currie, R.; D'Ambrosio, C.; Da Cunha Marinho, F.; Dall'Occo, E.; Dalseno, J.; David, P. N. Y.; Davis, A.; De Bruyn, K.; De Capua, S.; De Cian, M.; De Miranda, J. M.; De Paula, L.; De Serio, M.; De Simone, P.; Dean, C. T.; Decamp, D.; Deckenhoff, M.; Del Buono, L.; Demmer, M.; Dendek, A.; Derkach, D.; Deschamps, O.; Dettori, F.; Dey, B.; Di Canto, A.; Dijkstra, H.; Dordei, F.; Dorigo, M.; Dosil Suárez, A.; Dovbnya, A.; Dreimanis, K.; Dufour, L.; Dujany, G.; Dungs, K.; Durante, P.; Dzhelyadin, R.; Dziurda, A.; Dzyuba, A.; Déléage, N.; Easo, S.; Ebert, M.; Egede, U.; Egorychev, V.; Eidelman, S.; Eisenhardt, S.; Eitschberger, U.; Ekelhof, R.; Eklund, L.; Ely, S.; Esen, S.; Evans, H. M.; Evans, T.; Falabella, A.; Farley, N.; Farry, S.; Fay, R.; Fazzini, D.; Ferguson, D.; Fernandez, G.; Fernandez Prieto, A.; Ferrari, F.; Ferreira Rodrigues, F.; Ferro-Luzzi, M.; Filippov, S.; Fini, R. A.; Fiore, M.; Fiorini, M.; Firlej, M.; Fitzpatrick, C.; Fiutowski, T.; Fleuret, F.; Fohl, K.; Fontana, M.; Fontanelli, F.; Forshaw, D. C.; Forty, R.; Franco Lima, V.; Frank, M.; Frei, C.; Fu, J.; Funk, W.; Furfaro, E.; Färber, C.; Gallas Torreira, A.; Galli, D.; Gallorini, S.; Gambetta, S.; Gandelman, M.; Gandini, P.; Gao, Y.; Garcia Martin, L. M.; García Pardiñas, J.; Garra Tico, J.; Garrido, L.; Garsed, P. J.; Gascon, D.; Gaspar, C.; Gavardi, L.; Gazzoni, G.; Gerick, D.; Gersabeck, E.; Gersabeck, M.; Gershon, T.; Ghez, Ph.; Gianì, S.; Gibson, V.; Girard, O. G.; Giubega, L.; Gizdov, K.; Gligorov, V. V.; Golubkov, D.; Golutvin, A.; Gomes, A.; Gorelov, I. V.; Gotti, C.; Govorkova, E.; Graciani Diaz, R.; Granado Cardoso, L. A.; Graugés, E.; Graverini, E.; Graziani, G.; Grecu, A.; Greim, R.; Griffith, P.; Grillo, L.; Gruberg Cazon, B. R.; Grünberg, O.; Gushchin, E.; Guz, Yu.; Gys, T.; Göbel, C.; Hadavizadeh, T.; Hadjivasiliou, C.; Haefeli, G.; Haen, C.; Haines, S. C.; Hamilton, B.; Han, X.; Hansmann-Menzemer, S.; Harnew, N.; Harnew, S. T.; Harrison, J.; Hatch, M.; He, J.; Head, T.; Heister, A.; Hennessy, K.; Henrard, P.; Henry, L.; van Herwijnen, E.; Heß, M.; Hicheur, A.; Hill, D.; Hombach, C.; Hopchev, P. H.; Hulsbergen, W.; Humair, T.; Hushchyn, M.; Hutchcroft, D.; Idzik, M.; Ilten, P.; Jacobsson, R.; Jaeger, A.; Jalocha, J.; Jans, E.; Jawahery, A.; Jiang, F.; John, M.; Johnson, D.; Jones, C. R.; Joram, C.; Jost, B.; Jurik, N.; Kandybei, S.; Karacson, M.; Kariuki, J. M.; Karodia, S.; Kecke, M.; Kelsey, M.; Kenzie, M.; Ketel, T.; Khairullin, E.; Khanji, B.; Khurewathanakul, C.; Kirn, T.; Klaver, S.; Klimaszewski, K.; Klimkovich, T.; Koliiev, S.; Kolpin, M.; Komarov, I.; Koppenburg, P.; Kosmyntseva, A.; Kozeiha, M.; Kravchuk, L.; Kreplin, K.; Kreps, M.; Krokovny, P.; Kruse, F.; Krzemien, W.; Kucewicz, W.; Kucharczyk, M.; Kudryavtsev, V.; Kuonen, A. K.; Kurek, K.; Kvaratskheliya, T.; Lacarrere, D.; Lafferty, G.; Lai, A.; Lanfranchi, G.; Langenbruch, C.; Latham, T.; Lazzeroni, C.; Le Gac, R.; van Leerdam, J.; Leflat, A.; Lefrançois, J.; Lefèvre, R.; Lemaitre, F.; Lemos Cid, E.; Leroy, O.; Lesiak, T.; Leverington, B.; Li, T.; Li, Y.; Likhomanenko, T.; Lindner, R.; Linn, C.; Lionetto, F.; Liu, X.; Loh, D.; Longstaff, I.; Lopes, J. H.; Lucchesi, D.; Lucio Martinez, M.; Luo, H.; Lupato, A.; Luppi, E.; Lupton, O.; Lusiani, A.; Lyu, X.; Machefert, F.; Maciuc, F.; Maev, O.; Maguire, K.; Malde, S.; Malinin, A.; Maltsev, T.; Manca, G.; Mancinelli, G.; Manning, P.; Maratas, J.; Marchand, J. F.; Marconi, U.; Marin Benito, C.; Marinangeli, M.; Marino, P.; Marks, J.; Martellotti, G.; Martin, M.; Martinelli, M.; Martinez Santos, D.; Martinez Vidal, F.; Martins Tostes, D.; Massacrier, L. M.; Massafferri, A.; Matev, R.; Mathad, A.; Mathe, Z.; Matteuzzi, C.; Mauri, A.; Maurice, E.; Maurin, B.; Mazurov, A.; McCann, M.; McNab, A.; McNulty, R.; Meadows, B.; Meier, F.; Meissner, M.; Melnychuk, D.; Merk, M.; Merli, A.; Michielin, E.; Milanes, D. A.; Minard, M.-N.; Mitzel, D. S.; Mogini, A.; Molina Rodriguez, J.; Monroy, I. A.; Monteil, S.; Morandin, M.; Morawski, P.; Mordà, A.; Morello, M. J.; Morgunova, O.; Moron, J.; Morris, A. B.; Mountain, R.; Muheim, F.; Mulder, M.; Mussini, M.; Müller, D.; Müller, J.; Müller, K.; Müller, V.; Naik, P.; Nakada, T.; Nandakumar, R.; Nandi, A.; Nasteva, I.; Needham, M.; Neri, N.; Neubert, S.; Neufeld, N.; Neuner, M.; Nguyen, T. D.; Nguyen-Mau, C.; Nieswand, S.; Niet, R.; Nikitin, N.; Nikodem, T.; Nogay, A.; Novoselov, A.; O'Hanlon, D. P.; Oblakowska-Mucha, A.; Obraztsov, V.; Ogilvy, S.; Oldeman, R.; Onderwater, C. J. G.; Otalora Goicochea, J. M.; Otto, A.; Owen, P.; Oyanguren, A.; Pais, P. R.; Palano, A.; Palutan, M.; Papanestis, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Parker, W.; Parkes, C.; Passaleva, G.; Pastore, A.; Patel, G. D.; Patel, M.; Patrignani, C.; Pearce, A.; Pellegrino, A.; Penso, G.; Pepe Altarelli, M.; Perazzini, S.; Perret, P.; Pescatore, L.; Petridis, K.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, A.; Petruzzo, M.; Picatoste Olloqui, E.; Pietrzyk, B.; Pikies, M.; Pinci, D.; Pistone, A.; Piucci, A.; Placinta, V.; Playfer, S.; Plo Casasus, M.; Poikela, T.; Polci, F.; Poluektov, A.; Polyakov, I.; Polycarpo, E.; Pomery, G. J.; Ponce, S.; Popov, A.; Popov, D.; Popovici, B.; Poslavskii, S.; Potterat, C.; Price, E.; Price, J. D.; Prisciandaro, J.; Pritchard, A.; Prouve, C.; Pugatch, V.; Puig Navarro, A.; Punzi, G.; Qian, W.; Quagliani, R.; Rachwal, B.; Rademacker, J. H.; Rama, M.; Ramos Pernas, M.; Rangel, M. S.; Raniuk, I.; Ratnikov, F.; Raven, G.; Redi, F.; Reichert, S.; dos Reis, A. C.; Remon Alepuz, C.; Renaudin, V.; Ricciardi, S.; Richards, S.; Rihl, M.; Rinnert, K.; Rives Molina, V.; Robbe, P.; Rodrigues, A. B.; Rodrigues, E.; Rodriguez Lopez, J. A.; Rodriguez Perez, P.; Rogozhnikov, A.; Roiser, S.; Rollings, A.; Romanovskiy, V.; Romero Vidal, A.; Ronayne, J. W.; Rotondo, M.; Rudolph, M. S.; Ruf, T.; Ruiz Valls, P.; Saborido Silva, J. J.; Sadykhov, E.; Sagidova, N.; Saitta, B.; Salustino Guimaraes, V.; Sanchez Gonzalo, D.; Sanchez Mayordomo, C.; Sanmartin Sedes, B.; Santacesaria, R.; Santamarina Rios, C.; Santimaria, M.; Santovetti, E.; Sarti, A.; Satriano, C.; Satta, A.; Saunders, D. M.; Savrina, D.; Schael, S.; Schellenberg, M.; Schiller, M.; Schindler, H.; Schlupp, M.; Schmelling, M.; Schmelzer, T.; Schmidt, B.; Schneider, O.; Schopper, A.; Schreiner, H. F.; Schubert, K.; Schubiger, M.; Schune, M.-H.; Schwemmer, R.; Sciascia, B.; Sciubba, A.; Semennikov, A.; Sergi, A.; Serra, N.; Serrano, J.; Sestini, L.; Seyfert, P.; Shapkin, M.; Shapoval, I.; Shcheglov, Y.; Shears, T.; Shekhtman, L.; Shevchenko, V.; Siddi, B. G.; Silva Coutinho, R.; Silva de Oliveira, L.; Simi, G.; Simone, S.; Sirendi, M.; Skidmore, N.; Skwarnicki, T.; Smith, E.; Smith, I. T.; Smith, J.; Smith, M.; Soares Lavra, l.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Soler, F. J. P.; Souza De Paula, B.; Spaan, B.; Spradlin, P.; Sridharan, S.; Stagni, F.; Stahl, M.; Stahl, S.; Stefko, P.; Stefkova, S.; Steinkamp, O.; Stemmle, S.; Stenyakin, O.; Stevens, H.; Stevenson, S.; Stoica, S.; Stone, S.; Storaci, B.; Stracka, S.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Straticiuc, M.; Straumann, U.; Sun, L.; Sutcliffe, W.; Swientek, K.; Syropoulos, V.; Szczekowski, M.; Szumlak, T.; T'Jampens, S.; Tayduganov, A.; Tekampe, T.; Tellarini, G.; Teubert, F.; Thomas, E.; van Tilburg, J.; Tilley, M. J.; Tisserand, V.; Tobin, M.; Tolk, S.; Tomassetti, L.; Tonelli, D.; Topp-Joergensen, S.; Toriello, F.; Tournefier, E.; Tourneur, S.; Trabelsi, K.; Traill, M.; Tran, M. T.; Tresch, M.; Trisovic, A.; Tsaregorodtsev, A.; Tsopelas, P.; Tully, A.; Tuning, N.; Ukleja, A.; Ustyuzhanin, A.; Uwer, U.; Vacca, C.; Vagnoni, V.; Valassi, A.; Valat, S.; Valenti, G.; Vazquez Gomez, R.; Vazquez Regueiro, P.; Vecchi, S.; van Veghel, M.; Velthuis, J. J.; Veltri, M.; Veneziano, G.; Venkateswaran, A.; Vernet, M.; Vesterinen, M.; Viana Barbosa, J. V.; Viaud, B.; Vieira, D.; Vieites Diaz, M.; Viemann, H.; Vilasis-Cardona, X.; Vitti, M.; Volkov, V.; Vollhardt, A.; Voneki, B.; Vorobyev, A.; Vorobyev, V.; Voß, C.; de Vries, J. A.; Vázquez Sierra, C.; Waldi, R.; Wallace, C.; Wallace, R.; Walsh, J.; Wang, J.; Ward, D. R.; Wark, H. M.; Watson, N. K.; Websdale, D.; Weiden, A.; Whitehead, M.; Wicht, J.; Wilkinson, G.; Wilkinson, M.; Williams, M.; Williams, M. P.; Williams, M.; Williams, T.; Wilson, F. F.; Wimberley, J.; Winn, M. A.; Wishahi, J.; Wislicki, W.; Witek, M.; Wormser, G.; Wotton, S. A.; Wraight, K.; Wyllie, K.; Xie, Y.; Xu, Z.; Yang, Z.; Yao, Y.; Yin, H.; Yu, J.; Yuan, X.; Yushchenko, O.; Zarebski, K. A.; Zavertyaev, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Zhelezov, A.; Zheng, Y.; Zhu, X.; Zhukov, V.; Zucchelli, S.

2017-12-01

A search is presented for long-lived particles with a mass between 25 and 50 GeV/c2 and a lifetime between 2 and 500 ps, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb^{-1}, collected by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The particles are assumed to be pair-produced in the decay of a 125 GeV/c2 Standard-Model-like Higgs boson. The experimental signature is a single long-lived particle, identified by a displaced vertex with two associated jets. No excess above background is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section as a function of the mass and lifetime of the long-lived particle.

Alpha spectrometric characterization of process-related particle size distributions from active particle sampling at the Los Alamos National Laboratory uranium foundry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plionis, A. A.; Peterson, D. S.; Tandon, L.; LaMont, S. P.

2010-03-01

Uranium particles within the respirable size range pose a significant hazard to the health and safety of workers. Significant differences in the deposition and incorporation patterns of aerosols within the respirable range can be identified and integrated into sophisticated health physics models. Data characterizing the uranium particle size distribution resulting from specific foundry-related processes are needed. Using personal air sampling cascade impactors, particles collected from several foundry processes were sorted by activity median aerodynamic diameter onto various Marple substrates. After an initial gravimetric assessment of each impactor stage, the substrates were analyzed by alpha spectrometry to determine the uranium content of each stage. Alpha spectrometry provides rapid non-distructive isotopic data that can distinguish process uranium from natural sources and the degree of uranium contribution to the total accumulated particle load. In addition, the particle size bins utilized by the impactors provide adequate resolution to determine if a process particle size distribution is: lognormal, bimodal, or trimodal. Data on process uranium particle size values and distributions facilitate the development of more sophisticated and accurate models for internal dosimetry, resulting in an improved understanding of foundry worker health and safety.

Attenuation by intravenous 2-chloroadenosine of acute lung injury induced by live escherichia coli or latex particles added to endotoxin in the neutropenic state.

PubMed

Sakamaki, Fumio; Ishizaka, Akitoshi; Urano, Tetsuya; Sayama, Koichi; Nakamura, Hidetoshi; Terashima, Takeshi; Waki, Yasuhiro; Soejima, Kenzo; Tasaka, Sadatomo; Sawafuji, Makoto; Kobayashi, Kouichi; Yamaguchi, Kazuhiro; Kanazawa, Minoru

2003-08-01

Although neutrophil depletion can reduce the level of acute lung injury (ALI) induced by Escherichia coli endotoxin, that induced by live E coli cannot be attenuated even in neutropenia. This suggests that live E coli cause ALI by way of an mechanism independent of circulating neutrophil. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which is released from monocytes and macrophages, is a proinflammatory cytokine that is recognized as a central mediator of several forms of inflammation. In this controlled experimental study, we examined the effects of an adenosine-receptor agonist, 2-chloroadenosine (2CA), that has suppressive effects on various cell types and TNF-alpha, on endotoxin plus latex particles, and on ALI induced by live E coli in the neutropenic state. We studied 42 guinea pigs rendered neutropenic by means of intraperitoneal cyclophosphamide administration. Experimental groups consisted of (1) a saline-solution control group; (2) an endotoxin (0.2 mg/kg)-treated group; (3) a group treated with endotoxin plus 2CA (10 micro g/kg); (4) a group treated with latex (2 x 10(9)/kg); (5) a group exposed to endotoxin and latex; (6) a group exposed to endotoxin, latex, and 2CA; (7) a group exposed to E coli (2 x 10(9)/kg); and (8) a group exposed to E coli and 2CA. The injection of endotoxin alone in neutropenic animals did not increase the indexes of ALI (lung tissue/plasma ratio [T/P] and lung wet weight/dry weight ratio [W/D], calculated with the use of iodine 125-labeled albumin). In contrast, these indexes were increased in the endotoxin-and-latex groups compared with those of the control group. ALI in the endotoxin-and-latex group was attenuated by intravenous 2CA. The intravenous injection of live E coli also caused increases in T/P, W/D, and plasma TNF-alpha, but thse were limited by 2CA. In summary, ALI induced by latex particles added to endotoxin and live E coli in the neutropenic state was attenuated by 2CA, suggesting a partial contribution of various cell

Effect of Drive Cycle and Gasoline Particulate Filter on the Size and Morphology of Soot Particles Emitted from a Gasoline-Direct-Injection Vehicle.

PubMed

Saffaripour, Meghdad; Chan, Tak W; Liu, Fengshan; Thomson, Kevin A; Smallwood, Gregory J; Kubsh, Joseph; Brezny, Rasto

2015-10-06

The size and morphology of particulate matter emitted from a light-duty gasoline-direct-injection (GDI) vehicle, over the FTP-75 and US06 transient drive cycles, have been characterized by transmission-electron-microscope (TEM) image analysis. To investigate the impact of gasoline particulate filters on particulate-matter emission, the results for the stock-GDI vehicle, that is, the vehicle in its original configuration, have been compared to the results for the same vehicle equipped with a catalyzed gasoline particulate filter (GPF). The stock-GDI vehicle emits graphitized fractal-like aggregates over all driving conditions. The mean projected area-equivalent diameter of these aggregates is in the 78.4-88.4 nm range and the mean diameter of primary particles varies between 24.6 and 26.6 nm. Post-GPF particles emitted over the US06 cycle appear to have an amorphous structure, and a large number of nucleation-mode particles, depicted as low-contrast ultrafine droplets, are observed in TEM images. This indicates the emission of a substantial amount of semivolatile material during the US06 cycle, most likely generated by the incomplete combustion of accumulated soot in the GPF during regeneration. The size of primary particles and soot aggregates does not vary significantly by implementing the GPF over the FTP-75 cycle; however, particles emitted by the GPF-equipped vehicle over the US06 cycle are about 20% larger than those emitted by the stock-GDI vehicle. This may be attributed to condensation of large amounts of organic material on soot aggregates. High-contrast spots, most likely solid nonvolatile cores, are observed within many of the nucleation-mode particles emitted over the US06 cycle by the GPF-equipped vehicle. These cores are either generated inside the engine or depict incipient soot particles which are partially carbonized in the exhaust line. The effect of drive cycle and the GPF on the fractal parameters of particles, such as fractal dimension and

delta 9-(16 alpha-/sup 125/I)iodo-19-nortestosterone: a gamma-emitting photoaffinity label for the progesterone receptor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lamb, D.J.; Bullock, D.W.; Hoyte, R.M.

1988-05-01

We have synthesized 16 alpha-iodo-4,9-estradien-17 beta-ol-3-one (delta 9-16 alpha-iodo-19-nortestosterone (delta 9-INT)) labeled with 125I (delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT) to provide a new gamma-emitting photoaffinity ligand for the progesterone receptor that has many advantages over the currently available (3H)R5020. We have characterized the interaction of delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT with the rabbit uterine progesterone receptor and have demonstrated the usefulness of this compound for studies of receptor structure. The binding of 2 nM (3H)progesterone to receptor in rabbit uterine cytosol was specifically competed for by 19-nortestosterone, 16 alpha-iodo-19-nortestosterone, and delta 9-INT. Scatchard analysis demonstrated that delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT and (3H)progesterone estimated the samemore » number of binding sites in rabbit uterine cytosol, with a Kd for delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT of about 2.7 nM. The binding of delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT was inhibited by both progesterone and R5020, whereas testosterone, estradiol, and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone were ineffective. In cytosol, delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT covalently labeled the same mol wt receptor forms as (3H)R5020. Although the efficiency of cross-linking was similar for (3H)R5020 (3%) and delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT (4%), the radioactivity was 10-fold greater due to the higher specific activity of delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT and the lack of sample quench. The use of delta 9-(16 alpha-125I)INT greatly increases the sensitivity and efficiency of the photoaffinity labeling technique; it will provide a valuable tool for further studies of the progesterone receptor, allowing the detection of receptor in dilute cytosol after gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions.« less

Production and Applications of Long-Lived Positron-Emitting Radionuclides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, Stephen A.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging modality capable of determining the in vivo spatial distribution of a biologically relevant molecule which has been labeled with a positron-emitting isotope. The use of molecules such as monoclonal antibodies and nanoparticles for therapeutic and diagnostic applications has expanded preclinically in recent years. As these larger molecules tend to have longer circulation times and slow clearance kinetics, positron-emitting isotopes with half-lives longer than conventional medical radioisotopes are required for PET applications. This dissertation details methods for the production of 51Mn (t1/2: 45.4 min), 52gMn (t1/2: 5.59 d), 64Cu (t1/2: 12.7 h), 76Br (t1/2: 16.2 h), 89Zr (t1/2: 3.27 d), and 194Au (t1/2: 38.0 h) on low-energy medical cyclotrons, including targetry considerations, radiochemical separation methods, and analysis of resulting purity. Pursuant to the production of these isotopes, several instrumentation developments have been made including implementation of an automatic nuclide identification library for gamma spectroscopy; development of methods for dead time correction and background estimation in auto-gamma counting; and the creation of a new linearly-filled Derenzo-type PET phantom. Measurement of the radioactive half-lives of 51Mn and 52gMn are presented in addition to their use in a variety of preclinical molecular imaging applications, including immunoPET, stem cell tracking, functional beta-cell mass determination, and probing the impact of isoflurane on acute pancreatic function. An analytic model of effective specific activity is formed and tested against preliminary trace metal analysis results. Measurements of excitation functions for the large-scale production of medically relevant isotopes, including 52gMn, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Isotope Production Facility (100 MeV p+) are presented. The results described herein have enabled and informed a variety of novel

WE-FG-BRA-10: Radiodosimetry of a Novel Alpha Particle Therapy Targeted to Uveal Melanoma: Absorbed Dose to Organs in Mice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tichacek, Christopher J.; Tafreshi, Narges K.; Budzevich, Mikalai M.

Purpose: The melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) is expressed in 94% of uveal melanomas and is described as an ideal target for this untreatable disease. MC1RL is a high affinity MC1R specific peptidomimetic ligand that can serve as a scaffold for therapeutic conjugates such as alpha particle emitting isotopes. The purpose of this study was to assess normal tissue distribution and risk as a result of using the DOTA chelator conjugated to MC1RL to deliver {sup 225}Ac: MC1RL-DOTA-{sup 225}Ac. Methods: 17 non-tumor bearing BALB/c mice were intravenously injected with the novel MC1RL-DOTA-{sup 225}Ac radiopharmaceutical with an average initial administered activity of 2.5more » µCi. After the injection, three groups of animals (6, 6, and 5 per group) were euthanized at 24, 48, and 96 hour time points. A total of 11 organs of interest were harvested at each time point including kidneys and liver. Since the emitted alpha particles from {sup 225}Ac and its daughter products are not easy to detect directly, the isomeric gamma spectra were measured instead in the tissue samples using a modified Atomlab™ Gamma Counter (Biodex Medical Systems, Inc) and converted using factors for gamma ray abundance per alpha decay. Dosimetry was performed using measured radioactivity distribution in organs and the generalized internal dosimetry schema of MIRD pamphlet #21. Results: Our calculations have shown that the maximum absorbed dose was delivered to the liver with a total of 47 cGy per 96 hour period. The average dose per kidney was calculated to be 21 cGy. Heart, brain, lung, spleen, skin doses ranged from 0.01 to 1 cGy over the same time period. All animals gained weight over the 110 day decay period and no organ damage was observed by pathology. Conclusion: Based on our results, the risk of using the MC1RL-DOTA-{sup 225}Ac compound is relatively small in terms of deterministic radiation effects. Funding Support: NIH/NCI P50CA168536-03 Skin SPORE; NIH/NCI Phase I SBIR Contract #HHSN

Beams of protons and alpha particles greater than approximately 30 keV/charge from the earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholer, M.; Ipavich, F. M.; Gloeckler, G.

1981-01-01

Two beamlike particle events (30 keV/charge to 160 keV/charge) upstream of the earth's bow shock have been investigated with the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland ultralow energy and charge analyzer on ISEE 1. These beams consist of protons as well as of alpha particles, and the spectra are generally steep and are decreasing with increasing energy. During one event the spectra of both protons and alpha particles have a maximum at approximately 65 keV/charge. During these events, the interplanetary magnetic field through the satellite position was almost tangent to the bow shock, and application of the theory of acceleration predicts acceleration of a solar wind particle up to 60 keV/nucleon in a single reflection. The observation of reflected protons as well as alpha particles has implications for the physical reflection process usually not discussed in acceleration theories.

Fusion alpha-particle diagnostics for DT experiments on the joint European torus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kiptily, V. G.; Beaumont, P.; Syme, D. B.

2014-08-21

JET equipped with ITER-like wall (a beryllium wall and a tungsten divertor) can provide auxiliary heating with power up to 35MW, producing a significant population of α-particles in DT operation. The direct measurements of alphas are very difficult and α-particle studies require a significant development of dedicated diagnostics. JET now has an excellent set of confined and lost fast particle diagnostics for measuring the α-particle source and its evolution in space and time, α-particle energy distribution, and α-particle losses. This paper describes how the above mentioned JET diagnostic systems could be used for α-particle measurements, and what options exist formore » keeping the essential α-particle diagnostics functioning well in the presence of intense DT neutron flux. Also, α-particle diagnostics for ITER are discussed.« less

Controlling alpha tracks registration in Makrofol DE 1-1 detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, N. M.; Hanafy, M. S.; Naguib, A.; El-Saftawy, A. A.

2017-09-01

Makrofol DE 1-1 is a recent type of solid state nuclear track detectors could be used to measure radon concentration in the environment throughout the detection of α-particles emitted from radon decay. Thus, studying the physical parameters that control the formation of alpha tracks is vital for environmental radiation protection. Makrofol DE 1-1 polycarbonate detector was irradiated by α-particles of energies varied from 2 to 5 MeV emitted from the 241Am source of α-particle energy of 5.5 MeV. Then, the detector was etched in an optimum etching solution of mixed ethyl alcohol in KOH aqueous solution of (85% (Vol.) of 6 M KOH + 15% (Vol.) C2H5OH) at 50 °C for 3 h. Afterward, the bulk etch rate, etching sensitivity, and the registration efficiency of the detector, which control the tracks registration, were measured. The bulk etch rate of Makrofol detector was found to be 3.71 ± 0.71 μm h-1. The etching sensitivity and the detector registration efficiency were decreased exponentially with α-particles' energies following Bragg curve. A precise registration of α-particle was presented in this study. Therefore, Makrofol DE 1-1 can be applied as a radiation dosimeter as well as radon and thoron monitors.

Scattering of 42-MeV alpha particles from Cu-65

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, W. M.; Seth, K. K.

1972-01-01

The extended particle-core coupling model was used to predict the properties of low-lying levels of Cu-65. A 42-MeV alpha particle cyclotron beam was used for the experiment. The experiment included magnetic analysis of the incident beam and particle detection by lithium-drifted silicon semiconductors. Angular distributions were measured for 10 to 50 degrees in the center of mass system. Data was reduced by fitting the peaks with a skewed Gaussian function using a least squares computer program with a linear background search. The energy calibration of each system was done by pulsar, and the excitation energies are accurate to + or - 25 keV. The simple weak coupling model cannot account for the experimentally observed quantities of the low-lying levels of Cu-65. The extended particle-core calculation showed that the coupling is not weak and that considerable configuration mixing of the low-lying states results.

An accurate method to measure alpha-emitting natural radionuclides in atmospheric filters: Application in two NORM industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lozano, R. L.; Bolívar, J. P.; San Miguel, E. G.; García-Tenorio, R.; Gázquez, M. J.

2011-12-01

In this work, an accurate method for the measurement of natural alpha-emitting radionuclides from aerosols collected in air filters is presented and discussed in detail. The knowledge of the levels of several natural alpha-emitting radionuclides (238U, 234U, 232Th, 230Th, 228Th, 226Ra and 210Po) in atmospheric aerosols is essential not only for a better understanding of the several atmospheric processes and changes, but also for a proper evaluation of the potential doses, which can inadvertently be received by the population via inhalation. The proposed method takes into account the presence of intrinsic amounts of these radionuclides in the matrices of the quartz filters used, as well as the possible variation in the humidity of the filters throughout the collection process. In both cases, the corrections necessary in order to redress these levels have been evaluated and parameterized. Furthermore, a detailed study has been performed into the optimisation of the volume of air to be sampled in order to increase the accuracy in the determination of the radionuclides. The method as a whole has been applied for the determination of the activity concentrations of U- and Th-isotopes in aerosols collected at two NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) industries located in the southwest of Spain. Based on the levels found, a conservative estimation has been performed to yield the additional committed effective doses to which the workers are potentially susceptible due to inhalation of anthropogenic material present in the environment of these two NORM industries.

Green Synthesis of Red-Emitting Carbon Nanodots as a Novel "Turn-on" Nanothermometer in Living Cells.

PubMed

Wang, Chuanxi; Jiang, Kaili; Wu, Qian; Wu, Jiapeng; Zhang, Chi

2016-10-04

Temperature measurements in biology and medical diagnostics, along with sensitive temperature probing of living cells, is of great importance; however, it still faces significant challenges. Herein, a novel "turn-on" carbon-dot-based fluorescent nanothermometry device for spatially resolved temperature measurements in living cells is presented. The carbon nanodots (CNDs) are prepared by a green microwave-assisted method and exhibit red fluorescence (λem =615 nm) with high quantum yields (15 %). Then, an on-off fluorescent probe is prepared for detecting glutathione (GSH) based on aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching. Interestingly, the quenched fluorescence could be recovered by increasing temperature and the CNDs-GSH mixture could behave as an off-on fluorescent probe for temperature. Thus, red-emitting CNDs can be utilized for "turn-on" fluorescent nanothermometry through the fluorescence quenching and recovery processes, respectively. We employ MC3T3-E1 cells as an example model to demonstrate the red-emitting CNDs can function as "non-contact" tools for the accurate measurement of temperature and its gradient inside a living cell. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A phoswich detector for simultaneous alpha-gamma spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, S. Rajabi; Feghhi, S. A. H.; Safari, M. J.

2015-11-01

Phoswich detectors are of value for radiation spectroscopy, especially in cases where a low-cost solution for a mixed radiation field is desired. Meanwhile, simultaneous spectroscopy of alpha particles and gamma-rays has many applications in quantification and distinguishing the alpha-emitting radionuclides which usually occur in the analysis of environmental solid samples. Here, we have developed a system for detection of radioactive actinides (e.g., 241Am) based on the alpha-gamma coincidence technique. The underlying concept, is to assemble two appropriately selected scintillators (i.e., a fast and a slow one) together with a discriminating unit for analysis of their data. Detailed Monte Carlo simulation procedure has been developed using the GEANT4 toolkit to design and find enough knowledge about the response of the system in the studied radiation field. Various comparisons were made between experimental and simulation data which showed appropriate agreement between them. The calibration was performed and the MDA was estimated as 60 mBq for the phoswich system.

Volatile properties of particles emitted by compressed natural gas and diesel buses during steady-state and transient driving modes.

PubMed

Jayaratne, E R; Meyer, N K; Ristovski, Z D; Morawska, L

2012-01-03

Volatile properties of particle emissions from four compressed natural gas (CNG) and four diesel buses were investigated under steady-state and transient driving modes on a chassis dynamometer. The exhaust was diluted utilizing a full-flow continuous volume sampling system and passed through a thermodenuder at controlled temperature. Particle number concentration and size distribution were measured with a condensation particle counter and a scanning mobility particle sizer, respectively. We show that while almost all the particles emitted by the CNG buses were in the nanoparticle size range, at least 85% and 98% were removed at 100 and 250 °C, respectively. Closer analysis of the volatility of particles emitted during transient cycles showed that volatilization began at around 40 °C, with the majority occurring by 80 °C. Particles produced during hard acceleration from rest exhibited lower volatility than those produced during other times of the cycle. On the basis of our results and the observation of ash deposits on the walls of the tailpipes, we suggest that these nonvolatile particles were composed mostly of ash from lubricating oil. Heating the diesel bus emissions to 100 °C removed ultrafine particle numbers by 69-82% when a nucleation mode was present and just 18% when it was not.

Detection of alpha particles using DNA/Al Schottky junctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al-Ta'ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber, E-mail: hassankirkukly@gmail.com, E-mail: vengadeshp@um.edu.my; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Al-Muthana, Al-Muthana 66001; Periasamy, Vengadesh, E-mail: hassankirkukly@gmail.com, E-mail: vengadeshp@um.edu.my

2015-09-21

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA can be utilized in an organic-metallic rectifying structure to detect radiation, especially alpha particles. This has become much more important in recent years due to crucial environmental detection needs in both peace and war. In this work, we fabricated an aluminum (Al)/DNA/Al structure and generated current–voltage characteristics upon exposure to alpha radiation. Two models were utilized to investigate these current profiles; the standard conventional thermionic emission model and Cheung and Cheung's method. Using these models, the barrier height, Richardson constant, ideality factor and series resistance of the metal-DNA-metal structure were analyzed in real time. The barriermore » height, Φ value calculated using the conventional method for non-radiated structure was 0.7149 eV, increasing to 0.7367 eV after 4 min of radiation. Barrier height values were observed to increase after 20, 30 and 40 min of radiation, except for 6, 8, and 10 min, which registered a decrease of about 0.67 eV. This was in comparison using Cheung and Cheung's method, which registered 0.6983 eV and 0.7528 eV for the non-radiated and 2 min of radiation, respectively. The barrier height values, meanwhile, were observed to decrease after 4 (0.61 eV) to 40 min (0.6945 eV). The study shows that conventional thermionic emission model could be practically utilized for estimating the diode parameters including the effect of series resistance. These changes in the electronic properties of the Al/DNA/Al junctions could therefore be utilized in the manufacture of sensitive alpha particle sensors.« less

Can Bose condensation of alpha particles be observed in heavy ion collisions?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tripathi, Ram K.; Townsend, Lawrence W.

1993-01-01

Using a fully self-consistent quantum statistical model, we demonstrate the possibility of Bose condensation of alpha particles with a concomitant phase transition in heavy ion collisions. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the signature of the onset of this phenomenon are made.

Acceleration of low-energy protons and alpha particles at interplanetary shock waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholer, M.; Hovestadt, D.; Ipavich, F. M.; Gloeckler, G.

1983-01-01

The low-energy protons and alpha particles in the energy range 30 keV/charge to 150 keV/charge associated with three different interplanetary shock waves in the immediate preshock and postshock region are studied using data obtained by the ISEE 3. The spatial distributions in the preshock and postshock medium are presented, and the dependence of the phase space density at different energies on the distance from the shock and on the form of the distribution function of both species immediately at the shock is examined. It is found that in the preshock region the particles are flowing in the solar wind frame of reference away from the shock and in the postshock medium the distribution is more or less isotropic in this frame of reference. The distribution function in the postshock region can be represented by a power law in energy which has the same spectral exponent for both protons and alpha particles. It is concluded that the first-order Fermi acceleration process can consistently explain the data, although the spectra of diffuse bow shock associated particles are different from the spectra of the interplanetary shock-associated particles in the immediate vicinity of the shock. In addition, the mean free path of the low energy ions in the preshock medium is found to be considerably smaller than the mean free path determined by the turbulence of the background interplanetary medium.

High concentrations of coarse particles emitted from a cattle feeding operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiranuma, N.; Brooks, S. D.; Gramann, J.; Auvermann, B. W.

2011-08-01

Housing roughly 10 million head of cattle in the United States alone, open air cattle feedlots represent a significant but poorly constrained source of atmospheric particles. Here we present a comprehensive characterization of physical and chemical properties of particles emitted from a large representative cattle feedlot in the Southwest United States. In the summer of 2008, measurements and samplings were conducted at the upwind and downwind edges of the facility. A series of far-field measurements and samplings was also conducted 3.5 km north of the facility. Two instruments, a GRIMM Sequential Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and a GRIMM Portable Aerosol Spectrometer (PAS), were used to measure particle size distributions over the range of 0.01 to 25 μm diameter. Raman microspectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of particles on a single particle basis. Volume size distributions of dust were dominated by coarse mode particles. Twenty-four hour averaged concentrations of PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 μm or less) were as high as 1200 μg m-3 during the campaign. The primary constituents of the particulate matter were carbonaceous materials, such as humic acid, water soluble organics, and less soluble fatty acids, including stearic acid and tristearin. A significant fraction of the organic particles was present in internal mixtures with salts. Basic characteristics such as size distribution and composition of agricultural aerosols were found to be different than the properties of those found in urban and semi-urban aerosols. Failing to account for such differences may lead to errors in estimates of aerosol effects on local air quality, visibility, and public health.

Scattering of 42 MeV alpha particles from copper-65

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, W. M.; Seth, K. K.

1973-01-01

Beams of 42-MeV alpha particles were elastically and inelastically scattered from Cu-65 in an attempt to excite states which may be described in terms of an excited core model. Angular distributions were measured for 17 excited states. Seven of the excited states had angular distributions similar to a core quadrupole excitation and eight of the excited states had angular distributions similar to a core octupole excitation. The excited state at 2.858 MeV had an angular distribution which suggests that it may have results from the particle coupling to a two-phonon core state. An extended particle-core coupling calculation was performed and the predicted energy levels and reduced transition probabilities compared to the experimental data. The low lying levels are described quite well and the wavefunctions of these states explain the large spectroscopic factors measured in stripping reactions. For Cu-65 the coupling of the particle to the core is no larger weak as in the simpler model, and configuration mixing results.

Mutagenic effects of a single and an exact number of alpha particles in mammalian cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hei, T. K.; Wu, L. J.; Liu, S. X.; Vannais, D.; Waldren, C. A.; Randers-Pehrson, G.

1997-01-01

One of the main uncertainties in risk estimation for environmental radon exposure using lung cancer data from underground miners is the extrapolation from high- to low-dose exposure where multiple traversal is extremely rare. The biological effects of a single alpha particle are currently unknown. Using the recently available microbeam source at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility at Columbia University, we examined the frequencies and molecular spectrum of S1- mutants induced in human-hamster hybrid (A(L)) cells by either a single or an exact number of alpha particles. Exponentially growing cells were stained briefly with a nontoxic concentration of Hoechst dye for image analysis, and the location of individual cells was computer-monitored. The nucleus of each cell was irradiated with either 1,2,4, or 8 alpha particles at a linear energy transfer of 90 keV/microm consistent with the energy spectrum of domestic radon exposure. Although single-particle traversal was only slightly cytotoxic to A(L) cells (survival fraction approximately 0.82), it was highly mutagenic, and the induced mutant fraction averaged 110 mutants per 10(5) survivors. In addition, both toxicity and mutant induction were dose-dependent. Multiplex PCR analysis of mutant DNA showed that the proportion of mutants with multilocus deletions increased with the number of particle traversals. These data provide direct evidence that a single a particle traversing a nucleus will have a high probability of resulting in a mutation and highlight the need for radiation protection at low doses.

Mutagenic effects of a single and an exact number of alpha particles in mammalian cells.

PubMed

Hei, T K; Wu, L J; Liu, S X; Vannais, D; Waldren, C A; Randers-Pehrson, G

1997-04-15

One of the main uncertainties in risk estimation for environmental radon exposure using lung cancer data from underground miners is the extrapolation from high- to low-dose exposure where multiple traversal is extremely rare. The biological effects of a single alpha particle are currently unknown. Using the recently available microbeam source at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility at Columbia University, we examined the frequencies and molecular spectrum of S1- mutants induced in human-hamster hybrid (A(L)) cells by either a single or an exact number of alpha particles. Exponentially growing cells were stained briefly with a nontoxic concentration of Hoechst dye for image analysis, and the location of individual cells was computer-monitored. The nucleus of each cell was irradiated with either 1,2,4, or 8 alpha particles at a linear energy transfer of 90 keV/microm consistent with the energy spectrum of domestic radon exposure. Although single-particle traversal was only slightly cytotoxic to A(L) cells (survival fraction approximately 0.82), it was highly mutagenic, and the induced mutant fraction averaged 110 mutants per 10(5) survivors. In addition, both toxicity and mutant induction were dose-dependent. Multiplex PCR analysis of mutant DNA showed that the proportion of mutants with multilocus deletions increased with the number of particle traversals. These data provide direct evidence that a single a particle traversing a nucleus will have a high probability of resulting in a mutation and highlight the need for radiation protection at low doses.

Short-lived K2S Molecules in Superionic Potassium Sulfide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okeya, Yusuke; Tsumuraya, Kazuo

2015-03-01

The first principles molecular dynamics method allows us to elucidate the formation of short-lived K2S molecular states in superionic potassium sulfide. The covalent and the Coulomb bonds exist between the ionized mobile potassiums and the ionized immobile sulfurs. Both the bonds induces indirect covalent and indirect Coulomb attractions between the di-interstitial potassiums on the mid-sulfurs, which forms the short-lived K2S molecular states. The covalent electron density also exists between short-lived potassium dimers. The three attractions reduce Haven's ratios of the potassiums in the conductor. The molecule formation indicates the electronic state of the conductor is intermediate between the ionic and covalent crystals. The absence of the long-lived potassium dimers implies a failure of the caterpillar diffusion model or the Frenkel-Kontorova chain model for the superionic diffusion of the potassiums in the sulfide. The incompletely ionized cations and anions reduce the Coulomb attractions between them which induces the sublattice melting of smaller size of the potassiums than the sulfurs.

Pulse-shape discrimination and energy quenching of alpha particles in Cs2LiLaBr6:Ce3+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesick, K. E.; Coupland, D. D. S.; Stonehill, L. C.

2017-01-01

Cs2LiLaBr6:Ce3+(CLLB) is an elpasolite scintillator that offers excellent linearity and gamma-ray energy resolution and sensitivity to thermal neutrons with the ability to perform pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) to distinguish gammas and neutrons. Our investigation of CLLB has indicated the presence of intrinsic radioactive alpha background that we have determined to be from actinium contamination of the lanthanum component. We measured the pulse shapes for gamma, thermal neutron, and alpha events and determined that PSD can be performed to separate the alpha background with a moderate figure of merit of 0.98. We also measured the electron-equivalent-energy of the alpha particles in CLLB and simulated the intrinsic alpha background from 227Ac to determine the quenching factor of the alphas. A linear quenching relationship Lα =Eα × q +L0 was found at alpha particle energies above 5 MeV, with a quenching factor q = 0.71 MeVee / MeV and an offset L0 = - 1.19 MeVee .

Methods for the synthesis and polymerization of .alpha.,.alpha.'-dihalo-p-xylenes

DOEpatents

Ferraris, John P.; Neef, Charles J.

2002-07-30

The present invention describes an improved method for the polymerization of .alpha.,.alpha.-dihalo-p-xylene's such as the .alpha.,.alpha.'-dihalo-2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-xylene's. The procedure for synthesis is based on the specific order of addition of reagents and the use of an anionic initiator that allows control of the molecular weight of the polymer. The molecular weight control allows processability of the polymer which is important for its utility in applications including in light-emitting-diodes, field effect transistors and photovoltaic devices.

Charged-particle emission tomography

PubMed Central

Ding, Yijun; Caucci, Luca; Barrett, Harrison H.

2018-01-01

Purpose Conventional charged-particle imaging techniques —such as autoradiography —provide only two-dimensional (2D) black ex vivo images of thin tissue slices. In order to get volumetric information, images of multiple thin slices are stacked. This process is time consuming and prone to distortions, as registration of 2D images is required. We propose a direct three-dimensional (3D) autoradiography technique, which we call charged-particle emission tomography (CPET). This 3D imaging technique enables imaging of thick tissue sections, thus increasing laboratory throughput and eliminating distortions due to registration. CPET also has the potential to enable in vivo charged-particle imaging with a window chamber or an endoscope. Methods Our approach to charged-particle emission tomography uses particle-processing detectors (PPDs) to estimate attributes of each detected particle. The attributes we estimate include location, direction of propagation, and/or the energy deposited in the detector. Estimated attributes are then fed into a reconstruction algorithm to reconstruct the 3D distribution of charged-particle-emitting radionuclides. Several setups to realize PPDs are designed. Reconstruction algorithms for CPET are developed. Results Reconstruction results from simulated data showed that a PPD enables CPET if the PPD measures more attributes than just the position from each detected particle. Experiments showed that a two-foil charged-particle detector is able to measure the position and direction of incident alpha particles. Conclusions We proposed a new volumetric imaging technique for charged-particle-emitting radionuclides, which we have called charged-particle emission tomography (CPET). We also proposed a new class of charged-particle detectors, which we have called particle-processing detectors (PPDs). When a PPD is used to measure the direction and/or energy attributes along with the position attributes, CPET is feasible. PMID:28370094

Charged-particle emission tomography.

PubMed

Ding, Yijun; Caucci, Luca; Barrett, Harrison H

2017-06-01

Conventional charged-particle imaging techniques - such as autoradiography - provide only two-dimensional (2D) black ex vivo images of thin tissue slices. In order to get volumetric information, images of multiple thin slices are stacked. This process is time consuming and prone to distortions, as registration of 2D images is required. We propose a direct three-dimensional (3D) autoradiography technique, which we call charged-particle emission tomography (CPET). This 3D imaging technique enables imaging of thick tissue sections, thus increasing laboratory throughput and eliminating distortions due to registration. CPET also has the potential to enable in vivo charged-particle imaging with a window chamber or an endoscope. Our approach to charged-particle emission tomography uses particle-processing detectors (PPDs) to estimate attributes of each detected particle. The attributes we estimate include location, direction of propagation, and/or the energy deposited in the detector. Estimated attributes are then fed into a reconstruction algorithm to reconstruct the 3D distribution of charged-particle-emitting radionuclides. Several setups to realize PPDs are designed. Reconstruction algorithms for CPET are developed. Reconstruction results from simulated data showed that a PPD enables CPET if the PPD measures more attributes than just the position from each detected particle. Experiments showed that a two-foil charged-particle detector is able to measure the position and direction of incident alpha particles. We proposed a new volumetric imaging technique for charged-particle-emitting radionuclides, which we have called charged-particle emission tomography (CPET). We also proposed a new class of charged-particle detectors, which we have called particle-processing detectors (PPDs). When a PPD is used to measure the direction and/or energy attributes along with the position attributes, CPET is feasible. © 2017 The Authors. Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals

Mass spectra features of biomass burning boiler and coal burning boiler emitted particles by single particle aerosol mass spectrometer.

PubMed

Xu, Jiao; Li, Mei; Shi, Guoliang; Wang, Haiting; Ma, Xian; Wu, Jianhui; Shi, Xurong; Feng, Yinchang

2017-11-15

In this study, single particle mass spectra signatures of both coal burning boiler and biomass burning boiler emitted particles were studied. Particle samples were suspended in clean Resuspension Chamber, and analyzed by ELPI and SPAMS simultaneously. The size distribution of BBB (biomass burning boiler sample) and CBB (coal burning boiler sample) are different, as BBB peaks at smaller size, and CBB peaks at larger size. Mass spectra signatures of two samples were studied by analyzing the average mass spectrum of each particle cluster extracted by ART-2a in different size ranges. In conclusion, BBB sample mostly consists of OC and EC containing particles, and a small fraction of K-rich particles in the size range of 0.2-0.5μm. In 0.5-1.0μm, BBB sample consists of EC, OC, K-rich and Al_Silicate containing particles; CBB sample consists of EC, ECOC containing particles, while Al_Silicate (including Al_Ca_Ti_Silicate, Al_Ti_Silicate, Al_Silicate) containing particles got higher fractions as size increase. The similarity of single particle mass spectrum signatures between two samples were studied by analyzing the dot product, results indicated that part of the single particle mass spectra of two samples in the same size range are similar, which bring challenge to the future source apportionment activity by using single particle aerosol mass spectrometer. Results of this study will provide physicochemical information of important sources which contribute to particle pollution, and will support source apportionment activities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

IUE detection of bursts of H Ly-alpha emission from Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, J. T.; Moos, H. W.; Atreya, S. K.; Lane, A. L.

1981-01-01

A new investigation is reported of the potential sources of Ly-alpha emission in a series of observations of the Saturnian system carried out between January and July 1980 using the short wavelength spectrograph of the IUE Observatory. It is noted that north-south maps of the Ly-alpha emission across the planet disk show pronounced spatial asymmetries in emission brightness. These asymmetries vary to a marked extent on a time scale of days and are interpreted as bursts of Ly-alpha emission of as much as 1 kR brightness averaged over a 6 x 10 arcsec area, above a constant planetary emission level of 700-800 R. In fact, the Ly-alpha emission peaks manifest themselves as essentially point source features in these data; it is pointed out that if the emitting region is smaller than the 6 x 10 arcsec instrumental resolution, the surface brightness must be proportionally higher.

Monte Carlo Calculations of Suprathermal Alpha Particles Trajectories in the Rippled Field of TFTR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punjabi, Alkesh; Lam, Maria; Boozer, Allen

1996-11-01

We study the transport of suprathermal alpha particles and their energy deposition into electrons, deuterons, tritons and carbon-12 impurity in the rippled field of TFTR. The Monte Carlo code (Punjabi A., Boozer A., Lam M., Kim M., and Burke K., J. Plasma Phys.), 44, 405 (1990) developed by Punjabi and Boozer for the transport of plasma particles due to MHD modes in toroidal plasmas is used in conjunction with the SHAF code (White R. B., and Boozer A., PPPL -3094) (1995) of White. we integrate drift Hamiltonian equation of motion in non-canonical, rectangular, Boozer coordinates. The deposition of alpha energy into electrons, deuterons, tritons and C-12 particles is calculated and recorded. The effects of energy and pitch angle scattering are included. The result of this study will be presented. This work is supported by the US DOE. The assistance provided by Professors R. B. White and S. Zweben of PPPL is gratefully acknowledged.

Electromicroinjection of particles into living cells

DOEpatents

Ray, F. Andrew; Cram, L. Scott; Galey, William R.

1988-01-01

Method and apparatus for introducing particles into living cells. Fluorescently-stained human chromosomes are introduced into cultured, mitotic Chinese hamster cells using electromicroinjection. The recipient cells frequently survived the physiological perturbation imposed by a successful chromosome injection. Successfully injected recipient cells maintained viability as evidenced by their ability to be expanded. The technique relies on the surface charge of fluorescently stained chromosomes and their ability to be attracted and repelled to and from the tip of a micropipette. The apparatus includes a micropipette having a tip suitable for piercing the membrane of a target cell and an electrode inserted into the lumen thereof. The target cells and suspended particles are located in an electrically conducted solution, and the lumen of the micropipette is filled with an electrically conducting solution which contacts the electrode located therein. A second electrode is also located in the conducting solution containing the target cells and particles. Voltages applied to the electrode within the micropipette attract the particles to the region of the tip thereof. The particles adhere to the surface of the micropipette with sufficient force that insertion of the micropipette tip and attached particle through the membrane of a target cell will not dislodge the particle. By applying a voltage having the opposite polarity of the attraction voltage, the particles are expelled from the micropipette to which is then withdrawn from the cell body.

Effect of particle size on hydroxyapatite crystal-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha secretion by macrophages.

PubMed

Nadra, Imad; Boccaccini, Aldo R; Philippidis, Pandelis; Whelan, Linda C; McCarthy, Geraldine M; Haskard, Dorian O; Landis, R Clive

2008-01-01

Macrophages may promote a vicious cycle of inflammation and calcification in the vessel wall by ingesting neointimal calcific deposits (predominantly hydroxyapatite) and secreting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha, itself a vascular calcifying agent. Here we have investigated whether particle size affects the proinflammatory potential of hydroxyapatite crystals in vitro and whether the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB pathway plays a role in the macrophage TNFalpha response. The particle size and nano-topography of nine different crystal preparations was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and gas sorbtion analysis. Macrophage TNFalpha secretion was inversely related to hydroxyapatite particle size (P=0.011, Spearman rank correlation test) and surface pore size (P=0.014). A necessary role for the NF-kappaB pathway was demonstrated by time-dependent I kappaB alpha degradation and sensitivity to inhibitors of I kappaB alpha degradation. To test whether smaller particles were intrinsically more bioactive, their mitogenic activity on fibroblast proliferation was examined. This showed close correlation between TNFalpha secretion and crystal-induced fibroblast proliferation (P=0.007). In conclusion, the ability of hydroxyapatite crystals to stimulate macrophage TNFalpha secretion depends on NF-kappaB activation and is inversely related to particle and pore size, with crystals of 1-2 microm diameter and pore size of 10-50 A the most bioactive. Microscopic calcific deposits in early stages of atherosclerosis may therefore pose a greater inflammatory risk to the plaque than macroscopically or radiologically visible deposits in more advanced lesions.

New methodology for Ozone Depletion Potentials of short-lived compounds: n-Propyl bromide as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuebbles, Donald J.; Patten, Kenneth O.; Johnson, Matthew T.; Kotamarthi, Rao

2001-07-01

A number of the compounds proposed as replacements for substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol have extremely short atmospheric lifetimes, on the order of days to a few months. An important example is n-propyl bromide (also referred to as 1-bromopropane, CH2BrCH2CH3 or simplified as 1-C3H7Br or nPB). This compound, useful as a solvent, has an atmospheric lifetime of less than 20 days due to its reaction with hydroxyl. Because nPB contains bromine, any amount reaching the stratosphere has the potential to affect concentrations of stratospheric ozone. The definition of Ozone Depletion Potentials (ODP) needs to be modified for such short-lived compounds to account for the location and timing of emissions. It is not adequate to treat these chemicals as if they were uniformly emitted at all latitudes and longitudes as normally done for longer-lived gases. Thus, for short-lived compounds, policymakers will need a table of ODP values instead of the single value generally provided in past studies. This study uses the MOZART2 three-dimensional chemical-transport model in combination with studies with our less computationally expensive two-dimensional model to examine potential effects of nPB on stratospheric ozone. Multiple facets of this study examine key questions regarding the amount of bromine reaching the stratosphere following emission of nPB. Our most significant findings from this study for the purposes of short-lived replacement compound ozone effects are summarized as follows. The degradation of nPB produces a significant quantity of bromoacetone which increases the amount of bromine transported to the stratosphere due to nPB. However, much of that effect is not due to bromoacetone itself, but instead to inorganic bromine which is produced from tropospheric oxidation of nPB, bromoacetone, and other degradation products and is transported above the dry and wet deposition processes of the model. The MOZART2 nPB results indicate a minimal correction of the

Alpha channeling in a rotating plasma.

PubMed

Fetterman, Abraham J; Fisch, Nathaniel J

2008-11-14

The wave-particle alpha-channeling effect is generalized to include rotating plasma. Specifically, radio frequency waves can resonate with alpha particles in a mirror machine with ExB rotation to diffuse the alpha particles along constrained paths in phase space. Of major interest is that the alpha-particle energy, in addition to amplifying the rf waves, can directly enhance the rotation energy which in turn provides additional plasma confinement in centrifugal fusion reactors. An ancillary benefit is the rapid removal of alpha particles, which increases the fusion reactivity.

The alpha channeling effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisch, N. J.

2015-12-10

Alpha particles born through fusion reactions in a tokamak reactor tend to slow down on electrons, but that could take up to hundreds of milliseconds. Before that happens, the energy in these alpha particles can destabilize on collisionless timescales toroidal Alfven modes and other waves, in a way deleterious to energy confinement. However, it has been speculated that this energy might be instead be channeled into useful energy, so as to heat fuel ions or to drive current. Such a channeling needs to be catalyzed by waves Waves can produce diffusion in energy of the alpha particles in a waymore » that is strictly coupled to diffusion in space. If these diffusion paths in energy-position space point from high energy in the center to low energy on the periphery, then alpha particles will be cooled while forced to the periphery. The energy from the alpha particles is absorbed by the wave. The amplified wave can then heat ions or drive current. This process or paradigm for extracting alpha particle energy collisionlessly has been called alpha channeling. While the effect is speculative, the upside potential for economical fusion is immense. The paradigm also operates more generally in other contexts of magnetically confined plasma.« less

The alpha channeling effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisch, N. J.

2015-12-01

Alpha particles born through fusion reactions in a tokamak reactor tend to slow down on electrons, but that could take up to hundreds of milliseconds. Before that happens, the energy in these alpha particles can destabilize on collisionless timescales toroidal Alfven modes and other waves, in a way deleterious to energy confinement. However, it has been speculated that this energy might be instead be channeled into useful energy, so as to heat fuel ions or to drive current. Such a channeling needs to be catalyzed by waves Waves can produce diffusion in energy of the alpha particles in a way that is strictly coupled to diffusion in space. If these diffusion paths in energy-position space point from high energy in the center to low energy on the periphery, then alpha particles will be cooled while forced to the periphery. The energy from the alpha particles is absorbed by the wave. The amplified wave can then heat ions or drive current. This process or paradigm for extracting alpha particle energy collisionlessly has been called alpha channeling. While the effect is speculative, the upside potential for economical fusion is immense. The paradigm also operates more generally in other contexts of magnetically confined plasma.

Long-range synchronization and local desynchronization of alpha oscillations during visual short-term memory retention in children.

PubMed

Doesburg, Sam M; Herdman, Anthony T; Ribary, Urs; Cheung, Teresa; Moiseev, Alexander; Weinberg, Hal; Liotti, Mario; Weeks, Daniel; Grunau, Ruth E

2010-04-01

Local alpha-band synchronization has been associated with both cortical idling and active inhibition. Recent evidence, however, suggests that long-range alpha synchronization increases functional coupling between cortical regions. We demonstrate increased long-range alpha and beta band phase synchronization during short-term memory retention in children 6-10 years of age. Furthermore, whereas alpha-band synchronization between posterior cortex and other regions is increased during retention, local alpha-band synchronization over posterior cortex is reduced. This constitutes a functional dissociation for alpha synchronization across local and long-range cortical scales. We interpret long-range synchronization as reflecting functional integration within a network of frontal and visual cortical regions. Local desynchronization of alpha rhythms over posterior cortex, conversely, likely arises because of increased engagement of visual cortex during retention.

Particle size distribution of the radon progeny and ambient aerosols in the Underground Tourist Route "Liczyrzepa" Mine in Kowary Adit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wołoszczuk, Katarzyna; Skubacz, Krystian

2018-01-01

Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection, in cooperation with Central Mining Institute performed measurements of radon concentration in air, potential alpha energy concentration (PAEC), particle size distribution of the radon progeny and ambient aerosols in the Underground Tourist-Educational Route "Liczyrzepa" Mine in Kowary Adit. A research study was developed to investigate the appropriate dose conversion factors for short-lived radon progeny. The particle size distribution of radon progeny was determined using Radon Progeny Particle Size Spectrometer (RPPSS). The device allows to receive the distribution of PAEC in the particle size range from 0.6 nm to 2494 nm, based on their activity measured on 8 stages composed of impaction plates or diffusion screens. The measurements of the ambient airborne particle size distribution were performed in the range from a few nanometres to about 20 micrometres using Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) spectrometer and the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer Spectrometer (SMPS).

Mapping alpha-Particle X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (Map-X)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, D. F.; Sarrazin, P.; Bristow, T.

2014-01-01

Many planetary surface processes (like physical and chemical weathering, water activity, diagenesis, low-temperature or impact metamorphism, and biogenic activity) leave traces of their actions as features in the size range 10s to 100s of micron. The Mapping alpha-particle X-ray Spectrometer ("Map-X") is intended to provide chemical imaging at 2 orders of magnitude higher spatial resolution than previously flown instruments, yielding elemental chemistry at or below the scale length where many relict physical, chemical, and biological features can be imaged and interpreted in ancient rocks.

Search for long lived heaviest nuclei beyond the valley of stability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.; Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2000

2008-04-15

The existence of long lived superheavy nuclei (SHN) is controlled mainly by spontaneous fission and {alpha}-decay processes. According to microscopic nuclear theory, spherical shell effects at Z=114, 120, 126 and N=184 provide the extra stability to such SHN to have long enough lifetime to be observed. To investigate whether the so-called 'stability island' could really exist around the above Z, N values, the {alpha}-decay half-lives along with the spontaneous fission and {beta}-decay half-lives of such nuclei are studied. The {alpha}-decay half-lives of SHN with Z=102-120 are calculated in a quantum tunneling model with DDM3Y effective nuclear interaction using Q{sub {alpha}}more » values from three different mass formulas prescribed by Koura-Uno-Tachibana-Yamada (KUTY), Myers-Swiatecki (MS), and Muntian-Hofmann-Patyk-Sobiczewski (MMM). Calculation of spontaneous fission (SF) half-lives for the same SHN are carried out using a phenomenological formula and compared with SF half-lives predicted by Smolanczuk et al. A possible source of discrepancy between the calculated {alpha}-decay half-lives of some nuclei and the experimental data of GSI, JINR-FLNR, RIKEN, is discussed. In the region of Z=106-108 with N{approx}160-164, the {beta}-stable SHN {sub 106}{sup 268}Sg{sub 162} is predicted to have highest {alpha}-decay half-life (T{sub {alpha}}{approx}3.2 h) using Q{sub {alpha}} value from MMM. Interestingly, it is much greater than the recently measured T{sub {alpha}} ({approx}22 s) of deformed doubly magic {sub 108}{sup 270}Hs{sub 162} nucleus. A few fission-survived long-lived SHN which are either {beta}-stable or having large {beta}-decay half-lives are predicted to exist near {sup 294}110{sub 184}, {sup 293}110{sub 183}, {sup 296}112{sub 184}, and {sup 298}114{sub 184}. These nuclei might decay predominantly through {alpha}-particle emission.« less

A Strange Box and a Stubborn Brit: Rutherford's Experiments with Alpha Particles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Digilov, M.

1991-01-01

Discusses 5 innovative experiments conducted by Rutherford in early 1900s utilizing the 30 milligrams of radium salt he personally carried from Europe to Canada in 1903. Traces his work with alpha particles from his original results which determined their nature, charge, and mass, to his technique of backscattering which helped to advance…

Apparatus having reduced background for measuring radiation activity in aerosol particles

DOEpatents

Rodgers, John C.; McFarland, Andrew R.; Oritz, Carlos A.; Marlow, William H.

1992-01-01

Apparatus having reduced background for measuring radiation activity in aerosol particles. A continuous air monitoring sampler is described for use in detecting the presence of alpha-emitting aerosol particles. An inlet fractionating screen has been demonstrated to remove about 95% of freshly formed radon progeny from the aerosol sample, and approximately 33% of partially aged progeny. Addition of an electrical condenser and a modified dichotomous virtual impactor are expected to produce considerable improvement in these numbers, the goal being to enrich the transuranic (TRU) fraction of the aerosols. This offers the possibility of improving the signal-to-noise ratio for the detected alpha-particle energy spectrum in the region of interest for detecting TRU materials associated with aerosols, thereby enhancing the performance of background-compensation algorithms for improving the quality of alarm signals intended to warn personnel of potentially harmful quantities of TRU materials in the ambient air.

Calculation of absorbed fractions to human skeletal tissues due to alpha particles using the Monte Carlo and 3-D chord-based transport techniques.

PubMed

Hunt, J G; Watchman, C J; Bolch, W E

2007-01-01

Absorbed fraction (AF) calculations to the human skeletal tissues due to alpha particles are of interest to the internal dosimetry of occupationally exposed workers and members of the public. The transport of alpha particles through the skeletal tissue is complicated by the detailed and complex microscopic histology of the skeleton. In this study, both Monte Carlo and chord-based techniques were applied to the transport of alpha particles through 3-D microCT images of the skeletal microstructure of trabecular spongiosa. The Monte Carlo program used was 'Visual Monte Carlo--VMC'. VMC simulates the emission of the alpha particles and their subsequent energy deposition track. The second method applied to alpha transport is the chord-based technique, which randomly generates chord lengths across bone trabeculae and the marrow cavities via alternate and uniform sampling of their cumulative density functions. This paper compares the AF of energy to two radiosensitive skeletal tissues, active marrow and shallow active marrow, obtained with these two techniques.

Applications of 211At and 223Ra in Targeted Alpha-Particle Radiotherapy

PubMed Central

Vaidyanathan, Ganesan; Zalutsky, Michael R.

2012-01-01

Targeted radiotherapy using agents tagged with α-emitting radionuclides is gaining traction with several clinical trials already undertaken or ongoing, and others in the advanced planning stage. The most commonly used α-emitting radionuclides are 213Bi, 211At, 223Ra and 225Ac. While each one of these has pros and cons, it can be argued that 211At probably is the most versatile based on its half life, decay scheme and chemistry. On the other hand, for targeting bone metastases, 223Ra is the ideal radionuclide because simple cationic radium can be used for this purpose. In this review, we will discuss the recent developments taken place in the application of 211At-labeled radiopharmaceuticals and give an overview of the current status of 223Ra for targeted α-particle radiotherapy. PMID:22202151

Radiotoxicity of Gadolinium-148 and Radium-223 in Mouse Testes: Relative Biological Effectiveness of Alpha-Particle Emitters In Vivo

PubMed Central

Howell, Roger W.; Goddu, S. Murty; Narra, Venkat R.; Fisher, Darrell R.; Schenter, Robert E.; Rao, Dandamudi V.

2012-01-01

The biological effects of radionuclides that emit α particles are of considerable interest in view of their potential for therapy and their presence in the environment. The present work is a continuation of our ongoing effort to study the radiotoxicity of α-particle emitters in vivo using the survival of murine testicular sperm heads as the biological end point. Specifically, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of very low-energy α particles (3.2 MeV) emitted by 148Gd is investigated and determined to be 7.4 ± 2.4 when compared to the effects of acute external 120 kVp X rays. This datum, in conjunction with our earlier results for 210Po and 212Pb in equilibrium with its daughters, is used to revise and extend the range of validity of our previous RBE–energy relationship for α particles emitted by tissue-incorporated radionuclides. The new empirical relationship is given by RBEα = 9.14 − 0.510 Eα, where 3 < Eα < 9 MeV. The validity of this empirical relationship is tested by determining the RBE of the prolific α-particle emitter 223Ra (in equilibrium with its daughters) experimentally in the same biological model and comparing the value obtained experimentally with the predicted value. The resulting RBE values are 5.4 ± 0.9 and 5.6, respectively. This close agreement strongly supports the adequacy of the empirical RBE-Eα relationship to predict the biological effects of α-particle emitters in Vivo. PMID:9052681

RAPID DETERMINATION OF ACTINIDES IN URINE BY INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY AND ALPHA SPECTROMETRY: A HYBRID APPROACH

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maxwell, S.; Jones, V.

2009-05-27

A new rapid separation method that allows separation and preconcentration of actinides in urine samples was developed for the measurement of longer lived actinides by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and short-lived actinides by alpha spectrometry; a hybrid approach. This method uses stacked extraction chromatography cartridges and vacuum box technology to facilitate rapid separations. Preconcentration, if required, is performed using a streamlined calcium phosphate precipitation. Similar technology has been applied to separate actinides prior to measurement by alpha spectrometry, but this new method has been developed with elution reagents now compatible with ICP-MS as well. Purified solutions are splitmore » between ICP-MS and alpha spectrometry so that long- and short-lived actinide isotopes can be measured successfully. The method allows for simultaneous extraction of 24 samples (including QC samples) in less than 3 h. Simultaneous sample preparation can offer significant time savings over sequential sample preparation. For example, sequential sample preparation of 24 samples taking just 15 min each requires 6 h to complete. The simplicity and speed of this new method makes it attractive for radiological emergency response. If preconcentration is applied, the method is applicable to larger sample aliquots for occupational exposures as well. The chemical recoveries are typically greater than 90%, in contrast to other reported methods using flow injection separation techniques for urine samples where plutonium yields were 70-80%. This method allows measurement of both long-lived and short-lived actinide isotopes. 239Pu, 242Pu, 237Np, 243Am, 234U, 235U and 238U were measured by ICP-MS, while 236Pu, 238Pu, 239Pu, 241Am, 243Am and 244Cm were measured by alpha spectrometry. The method can also be adapted so that the separation of uranium isotopes for assay is not required, if uranium assay by direct dilution of the urine sample is preferred

Natural protection from zoonosis by alpha-gal epitopes on virus particles in xenotransmission.

PubMed

Kim, Na Young; Jung, Woon-Won; Oh, Yu-Kyung; Chun, Taehoon; Park, Hong-Yang; Lee, Hoon-Taek; Han, In-Kwon; Yang, Jai Myung; Kim, Young Bong

2007-03-01

Clinical transplantation has become one of the preferred treatments for end-stage organ failure, and one of the novel approaches being pursued to overcome the limited supply of human organs involves the use of organs from other species. The pig appears to be a near ideal animal due to proximity to humans, domestication, and ability to procreate. The presence of Gal-alpha1,3-Gal residues on the surfaces of pig cells is a major immunological obstacle to xenotransplantation. Alpha1,3galactosyltransferase (alpha1,3GT) catalyzes the synthesis of Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc-R (alpha-gal epitope) on the glycoproteins and glycolipids of non-primate mammals, but this does not occur in humans. Moreover, the alpha-gal epitope causes hyperacute rejection of pig organs in humans, and thus, the elimination of this antigen from pig tissues is highly desirable. Recently, concerns have been raised that the risk of virus transmission from such pigs may be increased due to the absence of alpha-gal on their viral particles. In this study, transgenic cells expressing alpha1,3GT were selected using 1.25 mg/ml neomycin. The development of HeLa cells expressing alpha1,3GT now allows accurate studies to be conducted on the function of the alpha-gal epitope in xenotransmission. The expressions of alpha-gal epitopes on HeLa/alpha-gal cells were demonstrated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy using cells stained with IB4-fluorescein isothiocyanate lectin. Vaccinia viruses propagated in HeLa/alpha-gal cells also expressed alpha-gal on their viral envelopes and were more sensitive to inactivation by human sera than vaccinia virus propagated in HeLa cells. Moreover, neutralization of vaccinia virus was inhibited in human serum by 10 mm ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethylether)tetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment. Our data indicated that alpha-gal epitopes are one of the major barriers to zoonosis via xenotransmission.

Overview of insoluble radioactive cesium particles emitted from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satou, Yukihiko

2017-04-01

. Radioactive ratio of Cs-134/Cs-137 of group A and B is completely different. Group B particles shown 0.92 (mean value) of Cs ratio, and specific radioactivity are much lowers than group A particles. In contrast, activity ratio in group A particles shown 1.0 (mean value), and it was consistent with previous studies by Adachi (2013). The location of soil samples, which was containing group B particles, has been contaminated with radioactive materials from Unit 1 with hydrogen explosion on 12 March (Satou et al. 2014, Chino et al. 2016). More than 300 um of diameter particles has been transported from the Unit 1 of F1NPS. This result shown that the insoluble radioactive cesium particles are emitted from not only Units 2 and/or 3 on 15 March but also Unit 1 on 12 March. The insoluble radioactive Cs particles were spread widely, and it is require to evaluation for particulate percentage of contribution in total emitted radioactive cesium, and long term monitoring of these behaviors.

Role of microsomal retinol/sterol dehydrogenase-like short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases in the oxidation and epimerization of 3alpha-hydroxysteroids in human tissues.

PubMed

Belyaeva, Olga V; Chetyrkin, Sergei V; Clark, Amy L; Kostereva, Natalia V; SantaCruz, Karen S; Chronwall, Bibie M; Kedishvili, Natalia Y

2007-05-01

Allopregnanolone (ALLO) and androsterone (ADT) are naturally occurring 3alpha-hydroxysteroids that act as positive allosteric regulators of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors. In addition, ADT activates nuclear farnesoid X receptor and ALLO activates pregnane X receptor. At least with respect to gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors, the biological activity of ALLO and ADT depends on the 3alpha-hydroxyl group and is lost upon its conversion to either 3-ketosteroid or 3beta-hydroxyl epimer. Such strict structure-activity relationships suggest that the oxidation or epimerization of 3alpha-hydroxysteroids may serve as physiologically relevant mechanisms for the control of the local concentrations of bioactive 3alpha-hydroxysteroids. The exact enzymes responsible for the oxidation and epimerization of 3alpha-hydroxysteroids in vivo have not yet been identified, but our previous studies showed that microsomal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) with dual retinol/sterol dehydrogenase substrate specificity (RoDH-like group of SDRs) can oxidize and epimerize 3alpha-hydroxysteroids in vitro. Here, we present the first evidence that microsomal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/epimerase activities are widely distributed in human tissues with the highest activity levels found in liver and testis and lower levels in lung, spleen, brain, kidney, and ovary. We demonstrate that RoDH-like SDRs contribute to the oxidation and epimerization of ALLO and ADT in living cells, and show that RoDH enzymes are expressed in tissues that have microsomal 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/epimerase activities. Together, these results provide further support for the role of RoDH-like SDRs in human metabolism of 3alpha-hydroxysteroids and offer a new insight into the enzymology of ALLO and ADT inactivation.

Light emitting elastomer compositions and method of use

DOEpatents

McElhanon, James R.; Zifer, Thomas; Whinnery, LeRoy L.

2004-11-23

There is provided a light emitting device comprising a plurality of triboluminescent particles dispersed throughout an elastomeric body and activated by deforming the body in order to transfer mechanical energy to some portion of the particles. The light emitted by these mechanically excited particles is collected and directed into a light conduit and transmitted to a detector/indicator means.

Ultrafine particles, and PM 2.5 generated from cooking in homes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Man-Pun; Wu, Chi-Li; Sze To, Gin-Nam; Chan, Tsz-Chun; Chao, Christopher Y. H.

2011-11-01

Exposure to airborne particulate matters (PM) emitted during cooking can lead to adverse health effects. An understanding of the exposure to PM during cooking at home provides a foundation for the quantification of possible health risks. The concentrations of airborne particles covering the ultrafine (14.6-100 nm) and accumulation mode (100-661.2 nm) size ranges and PM 2.5 (airborne particulate matters smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter) during and after cooking activities were measured in 12 naturally ventilated, non-smoking homes in Hong Kong, covering a total of 33 cooking episodes. The monitored homes all practiced Chinese-style cooking. Cooking elevated the average number concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs) and accumulation mode particles (AMPs) by 10 fold from the background level in the living room and by 20-40 fold in the kitchen. PM 2.5 mass concentrations went up to the maximum average of about 160 μg m -3 in the kitchen and about 60 μg m -3 in the living room. Cooking emitted particles dispersed quickly from the kitchen to the living room indicating that the health impact is not limited to occupants in the kitchen. Particle number and mass concentrations remained elevated for 90 min in the kitchen and for 60 min in the living room after cooking. Particles in cooking emissions were mainly in the ultrafine size range in terms of the number count while AMPs contributed to at least 60% of the surface area concentrations in the kitchen and 73% in the living room. This suggests that AMPs could still be a major health concern since the particle surface area concentration is suggested to have a more direct relationship with inhalation toxicity than with number concentration. Particle number concentration (14.6-661.2 nm) in the living room was about 2.7 times that in the outdoor environment, suggesting that better ventilation could help reduce exposure.

Full orbit computations of ripple-induced fusion {alpha}-particle losses from burning tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McClements, K.G.

A full orbit code is used to compute collisionless losses of fusion {alpha} particles from three proposed burning plasma tokamaks: the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER); a spherical tokamak power plant (STPP) [T. C. Hender, A. Bond, J. Edwards, P. J. Karditsas, K. G. McClements, J. Mustoe, D. V. Sherwood, G. M. Voss, and H. R. Wilson, Fusion Eng. Des. 48, 255 (2000)]; and a spherical tokamak components test facility (CTF) [H. R. Wilson, G. M. Voss, R. J. Akers, L. Appel, A. Dnestrovskij, O. Keating, T. C. Hender, M. J. Hole, G. Huysmans, A. Kirk, P. J. Knight, M.more » Loughlin, K. G. McClements, M. R. O'Brien, and D. Yu. Sychugov, Proceedings of the 20th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Invited Paper FT/3-1Ra]. It has been suggested that {alpha} particle transport could be enhanced due to cyclotron resonance with the toroidal magnetic field ripple. However, calculations for inductive operation in ITER yield a loss rate that appears to be broadly consistent with the predictions of guiding center theory, falling monotonically as the number of toroidal field coils N is increased (and hence the ripple amplitude is decreased). For STPP and CTF the loss rate does not decrease monotonically with N, but collisionless losses are generally low in absolute terms. As in the case of ITER, there is no evidence that finite Larmor radius effects would seriously degrade fusion {alpha}-particle confinement.« less

Rate of resistance evolution and polymorphism in long- and short-lived hosts.

PubMed

Bruns, Emily; Hood, Michael E; Antonovics, Janis

2015-02-01

Recent theoretical work has shown that long-lived hosts are expected to evolve higher equilibrium levels of disease resistance than shorter-lived hosts, but questions of how longevity affects the rate of resistance evolution and the maintenance of polymorphism remain unanswered. Conventional wisdom suggests that adaptive evolution should occur more slowly in long-lived organisms than in short-lived organisms. However, the opposite may be true for the evolution of disease-resistance traits where exposure to disease, and therefore the strength of selection for resistance increases with longevity. In a single locus model of innate resistance to a frequency-dependent, sterilizing disease, longer lived hosts evolved resistance more rapidly than short-lived hosts. Moreover, resistance in long-lived hosts could only be polymorphic for more costly and more extreme resistance levels than short-lived hosts. The increased rate of evolution occurred in spite of longer generation times because longer-lived hosts had both a longer period of exposure to disease as well as higher disease prevalence. Qualitatively similar results were found when the model was extended to mortality-inducing diseases, or to density-dependent transmission modes. Our study shows that the evolutionary dynamics of host resistance is determined by more than just levels of resistance and cost, but is highly sensitive to the life-history traits of the host. © 2014 The Author(s). Evolution © 2014 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Protons and alpha particles in the expanding solar wind: Hybrid simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellinger, Petr; Trávníček, Pavel M.

2013-09-01

We present results of a two‒dimensional hybrid expanding box simulation of a plasma system with three ion populations, beam and core protons, and alpha particles (and fluid electrons), drifting with respect to each other. The expansion with a strictly radial magnetic field leads to a decrease of the ion perpendicular to parallel temperature ratios as well as to an increase of the ratio between the ion relative velocities and the local Alfvén velocity creating a free energy for many different instabilities. The system is most of the time marginally stable with respect to kinetic instabilities mainly due to the ion relative velocities; these instabilities determine the system evolution counteracting some effects of the expansion. Nonlinear evolution of these instabilities leads to large modifications of the ion velocity distribution functions. The beam protons and alpha particles are decelerated with respect to the core protons and all the populations are cooled in the parallel direction and heated in the perpendicular one. On the macroscopic level, the kinetic instabilities cause large departures of the system evolution from the double adiabatic prediction and lead to perpendicular heating and parallel cooling rates which are comparable to the heating rates estimated from the Helios observations.

Soot and short-lived pollutants provide political opportunity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Victor, David G.; Zaelke, Durwood; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran

2015-09-01

Cutting levels of soot and other short-lived pollutants delivers tangible benefits and helps governments to build confidence that collective action on climate change is feasible. After the Paris climate meeting this December, actually reducing these pollutants will be essential to the credibility of the diplomatic process.

I. Excluded volume effects in Ising cluster distributions and nuclear multifragmentation. II. Multiple-chance effects in alpha-particle evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breus, Dimitry Eugene

In Part I, geometric clusters of the Ising model are studied as possible model clusters for nuclear multifragmentation. These clusters may not be considered as non-interacting (ideal gas) due to excluded volume effect which predominantly is the artifact of the cluster's finite size. Interaction significantly complicates the use of clusters in the analysis of thermodynamic systems. Stillinger's theory is used as a basis for the analysis, which within the RFL (Reiss, Frisch, Lebowitz) fluid-of-spheres approximation produces a prediction for cluster concentrations well obeyed by geometric clusters of the Ising model. If thermodynamic condition of phase coexistence is met, these concentrations can be incorporated into a differential equation procedure of moderate complexity to elucidate the liquid-vapor phase diagram of the system with cluster interaction included. The drawback of increased complexity is outweighted by the reward of greater accuracy of the phase diagram, as it is demonstrated by the Ising model. A novel nuclear-cluster analysis procedure is developed by modifying Fisher's model to contain cluster interaction and employing the differential equation procedure to obtain thermodynamic variables. With this procedure applied to geometric clusters, the guidelines are developed to look for excluded volume effect in nuclear multifragmentation. In Part II, an explanation is offered for the recently observed oscillations in the energy spectra of alpha-particles emitted from hot compound nuclei. Contrary to what was previously expected, the oscillations are assumed to be caused by the multiple-chance nature of alpha-evaporation. In a semi-empirical fashion this assumption is successfully confirmed by a technique of two-spectra decomposition which treats experimental alpha-spectra as having contributions from at least two independent emitters. Building upon the success of the multiple-chance explanation of the oscillations, Moretto's single-chance evaporation

Electrical characterization of deep levels created by bombarding nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC with alpha-particle irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omotoso, Ezekiel; Meyer, Walter E.; Auret, F. Danie; Paradzah, Alexander T.; Legodi, Matshisa J.

2016-03-01

Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace-DLTS were used to investigate the effect of alpha-particle irradiation on the electrical properties of nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC. The samples were bombarded with alpha-particles at room temperature (300 K) using an americium-241 (241Am) radionuclide source. DLTS revealed the presence of four deep levels in the as-grown samples, E0.09, E0.11, E0.16 and E0.65. After irradiation with a fluence of 4.1 × 1010 alpha-particles-cm-2, DLTS measurements indicated the presence of two new deep levels, E0.39 and E0.62 with energy levels, EC - 0.39 eV and EC - 0.62 eV, with an apparent capture cross sections of 2 × 10-16 and 2 × 10-14 cm2, respectively. Furthermore, irradiation with fluence of 8.9 × 1010 alpha-particles-cm-2 resulted in the disappearance of shallow defects due to a lowering of the Fermi level. These defects re-appeared after annealing at 300 °C for 20 min. Defects, E0.39 and E0.42 with close emission rates were attributed to silicon or carbon vacancy and could only be separated by using high resolution Laplace-DLTS. The DLTS peaks at EC - (0.55-0.70) eV (known as Z1/Z2) were attributed to an isolated carbon vacancy (VC).

Lyman Alpha Searches at Redshift Z>7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, Jon

2007-05-01

The ZEN survey is a narrow J-band survey for Ly-alpha emitting galaxies at z > 7. I will briefly review the pros and cons of narrow band observations before summarising the ZEN1 and ZEN2 searches based upon deep ISAAC pointings. I will then present ZEN3, consisting of wide field, narrow band observations of two fields using the CFHT WIRCam facility. I will conclude by reviewing the current sample of candidates and what we have learned about the z > 7 Ly-alpha emitting population.

Short Lived Fission Product Yield Measurements in 235U, 238U and 239Pu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silano, Jack; Tonchev, Anton; Tornow, Werner; Krishichayan, Fnu; Finch, Sean; Gooden, Matthew; Wilhelmy, Jerry

2017-09-01

Yields of short lived fission products (FPYs) with half lives of a few minutes to an hour contain a wealth of information about the fission process. Knowledge of short lived FPYs would contribute to existing data on longer lived FPY mass and charge distributions. Of particular interest are the relative yields between the ground states and isomeric states of FPYs since these isomeric ratios can be used to determine the angular momentum of the fragments. Over the past five years, a LLNL-TUNL-LANL collaboration has made precision measurements of FPYs from quasi-monoenergetic neutron induced fission of 235U, 238U and 239Pu. These efforts focused on longer lived FPYs, using a well characterized dual fission chamber and several days of neutron beam exposure. For the first time, this established technique will be applied to measuring short lived FPYs, with half lives of minutes to less than an hour. A feasibility study will be performed using irradiation times of < 1 hour, improving the sensitivity to short lived FPYs by limiting the buildup of long lived isotopes. Results from this exploratory study will be presented, and the implications for isomeric ratio measurements will be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of US DOE by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The new Athena alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieder, R.; Gellert, R.; Brückner, J.; Klingelhöfer, G.; Dreibus, G.; Yen, A.; Squyres, S. W.

2003-11-01

The new alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) is part of the Athena payload of the two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). The APXS sensor head is attached to the turret of the instrument deployment device (IDD) of the rover. The APXS is a very light-weight instrument for determining the major and minor elemental composition of Martian soils, rocks, and other geological materials at the MER landing sites. The sensor head has simply to be docked by the IDD on the surface of the selected sample. X-ray radiation, excited by alpha particles and X rays of the radioactive sources, is recorded by a high-resolution X-ray detector. The X-ray spectra show elements starting from sodium up to yttrium, depending on their concentrations. The backscattered alpha spectra, measured by a ring of detectors, provide additional data on carbon and oxygen. By means of a proper calibration, the elemental concentrations are derived. Together with data from the two other Athena instruments mounted on the IDD, the samples under investigation can be fully characterized. Key APXS objectives are the determination of the chemistry of crustal rocks and soils and the examination of water-related deposits, sediments, or evaporates. Using the rock abrasion tool attached to the IDD, issues of weathering can be addressed by measuring natural and abraded surfaces of rocks.

Redefining relative biological effectiveness in the context of the EQDX formalism: implications for alpha-particle emitter therapy.

PubMed

Hobbs, Robert F; Howell, Roger W; Song, Hong; Baechler, Sébastien; Sgouros, George

2014-01-01

Alpha-particle radiopharmaceutical therapy (αRPT) is currently enjoying increasing attention as a viable alternative to chemotherapy for targeting of disseminated micrometastatic disease. In theory, αRPT can be personalized through pre-therapeutic imaging and dosimetry. However, in practice, given the particularities of α-particle emissions, a dosimetric methodology that accurately predicts the thresholds for organ toxicity has not been reported. This is in part due to the fact that the biological effects caused by α-particle radiation differ markedly from the effects caused by traditional external beam (photon or electron) radiation or β-particle emitting radiopharmaceuticals. The concept of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is used to quantify the ratio of absorbed doses required to achieve a given biological response with alpha particles versus a reference radiation (typically a beta emitter or external beam radiation). However, as conventionally defined, the RBE varies as a function of absorbed dose and therefore a single RBE value is limited in its utility because it cannot be used to predict response over a wide range of absorbed doses. Therefore, efforts are underway to standardize bioeffect modeling for different fractionation schemes and dose rates for both nuclear medicine and external beam radiotherapy. Given the preponderant use of external beams of radiation compared to nuclear medicine in cancer therapy, the more clinically relevant quantity, the 2 Gy equieffective dose, EQD2(α/β), has recently been proposed by the ICRU. In concert with EQD2(α/β), we introduce a new, redefined RBE quantity, named RBE2(α/β), as the ratio of the two linear coefficients that characterize the α particle absorbed dose-response curve and the low-LET megavoltage photon 2 Gy fraction equieffective dose-response curve. The theoretical framework for the proposed new formalism is presented along with its application to experimental data obtained from

Redefining Relative Biological Effectiveness in the Context of the EQDX Formalism: Implications for Alpha-Particle Emitter Therapy.

PubMed

Hobbs, Robert F; Howell, Roger W; Song, Hong; Baechler, Sébastien; Sgouros, George

2013-12-30

Alpha-particle radiopharmaceutical therapy (αRPT) is currently enjoying increasing attention as a viable alternative to chemotherapy for targeting of disseminated micrometastatic disease. In theory, αRPT can be personalized through pre-therapeutic imaging and dosimetry. However, in practice, given the particularities of α-particle emissions, a dosimetric methodology that accurately predicts the thresholds for organ toxicity has not been reported. This is in part due to the fact that the biological effects caused by α-particle radiation differ markedly from the effects caused by traditional external beam (photon or electron) radiation or β-particle emitting radiopharmaceuticals. The concept of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is used to quantify the ratio of absorbed doses required to achieve a given biological response with alpha particles versus a reference radiation (typically a beta emitter or external beam radiation). However, as conventionally defined, the RBE varies as a function of absorbed dose and therefore a single RBE value is limited in its utility because it cannot be used to predict response over a wide range of absorbed doses. Therefore, efforts are underway to standardize bioeffect modeling for different fractionation schemes and dose rates for both nuclear medicine and external beam radiotherapy. Given the preponderant use of external beams of radiation compared to nuclear medicine in cancer therapy, the more clinically relevant quantity, the 2 Gy equieffective dose, EQD2(α/β), has recently been proposed by the ICRU. In concert with EQD2(α/β), we introduce a new, redefined RBE quantity, named RBE2(α/β), as the ratio of the two linear coefficients that characterize the α particle absorbed dose-response curve and the low-LET megavoltage photon 2 Gy fraction equieffective dose-response curve. The theoretical framework for the proposed new formalism is presented along with its application to experimental data obtained from

Alpha voltaic batteries and methods thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Phillip (Inventor); Scheiman, David (Inventor); Castro, Stephanie (Inventor); Raffaelle, Ryne P. (Inventor); Wilt, David (Inventor); Chubb, Donald (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An alpha voltaic battery includes at least one layer of a semiconductor material comprising at least one p/n junction, at least one absorption and conversion layer on the at least one layer of semiconductor layer, and at least one alpha particle emitter. The absorption and conversion layer prevents at least a portion of alpha particles from the alpha particle emitter from damaging the p/n junction in the layer of semiconductor material. The absorption and conversion layer also converts at least a portion of energy from the alpha particles into electron-hole pairs for collection by the one p/n junction in the layer of semiconductor material.

Auger Emitting Radiopharmaceuticals for Cancer Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falzone, Nadia; Cornelissen, Bart; Vallis, Katherine A.

Radionuclides that emit Auger electrons have been of particular interest as therapeutic agents. This is primarily due to the short range in tissue, controlled linear paths and high linear energy transfer of these particles. Taking into consideration that ionizations are clustered within several cubic nanometers around the point of decay the possibility of incorporating an Auger emitter in close proximity to the cancer cell DNA has immense therapeutic potential thus making nuclear targeted Auger-electron emitters ideal for precise targeting of cancer cells. Furthermore, many Auger-electron emitters also emit γ-radiation, this property makes Auger emitting radionuclides a very attractive option as therapeutic and diagnostic agents in the molecular imaging and management of tumors. The first requirement for the delivery of Auger emitting nuclides is the definition of suitable tumor-selective delivery vehicles to avoid normal tissue toxicity. One of the main challenges of targeted radionuclide therapy remains in matching the physical and chemical characteristics of the radionuclide and targeting moiety with the clinical character of the tumor. Molecules and molecular targets that have been used in the past can be classified according to the carrier molecule used to deliver the Auger-electron-emitting radionuclide. These include (1) antibodies, (2) peptides, (3) small molecules, (4) oligonucleotides and peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), (5) proteins, and (6) nanoparticles. The efficacy of targeted radionuclide therapy depends greatly on the ability to increase intranuclear incorporation of the radiopharmaceutical without compromising toxicity. Several strategies to achieve this goal have been proposed in literature. The possibility of transferring tumor therapy based on the emission of Auger electrons from experimental models to patients has vast therapeutic potential, and remains a field of intense research.

Differential Velocity between Solar Wind Protons and Alpha Particles in Pressure Balance Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamauchi, Yohei; Suess, Steven T.; Steinberg, John T.; Sakurai, Takashi

2004-01-01

Pressure balance structures (PBSs) are a common high-plasma beta feature in high-latitude, high-speed solar wind. They have been proposed as remnants of coronal plumes. If true, they should reflect the observation that plumes are rooted in unipolar magnetic flux concentrations in the photosphere and are heated as oppositely directed flux is advected into and reconnects with the flux concentration. A minimum variance analysis (MVA) of magnetic discontinuities in PBSs showed there is a larger proportion of tangential discontinuities than in the surrounding high-speed wind, supporting the hypothesis that plasmoids or extended current sheets are formed during reconnection at the base of plumes. To further evaluate the character of magnetic field discontinuities in PBSs, differential streaming between alpha particles and protons is analyzed here for the same sample of PBSs used in the MVA. Alpha particles in high-speed wind generally have a higher radial flow speed than protons. However, if the magnetic field is folded back on itself, as in a large-amplitude Alfven wave, alpha particles will locally have a radial flow speed less than protons. This characteristic is used here to distinguish between folded back magnetic fields (which would contain rotational discontinuities) and tangential discontinuities using Ulysses high-latitude, high-speed solar wind data. The analysis indicates that almost all reversals in the radial magnetic field in PBSs are folded back field lines. This is found to also be true outside PBSs, supporting existing results for typical high-speed, high-latitude wind. There remains a small number of cases that appear not to be folds in the magnetic field and which may be flux tubes with both ends rooted in the Sun. The distinct difference in MVA results inside and outside PBSs remains unexplained.

Differential Velocity Between Solar Wind Protons and Alpha Particles in Pressure Balance Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamauchi, Y.; Suess, S. T.; Steinberg, J. T.; Sakurai, T.

2003-01-01

Pressure balance structures (PBSs) are a common high plasma beta feature in high latitude, high speed solar wind. They have been proposed as remnants of coronal plumes. If true, they should reflect the observation that plumes are rooted in unipolar magnetic flux concentrations in the photosphere and are heated as oppositely directed flux is advected into and reconnects with the flux concentration. A minimum variance analysis (MVA) of magnetic discontinuities in PBSs showed there is a larger proportion of tangential discontinuities than in the surrounding high speed wind, supporting the hypothesis that plasmoids or extended current sheets are formed during reconnection at the base of plumes. To further evaluate the character of magnetic field discontinuities in PBSs, differential streaming between alpha particles and protons is analyzed here for the same sample of PBSs used in the MVA. Alpha particles in high speed wind generally have a higher radial flow speed than protons. However, if the magnetic field is folded back on itself, as in a large amplitude Alfven wave, alpha particles will locally have a radial flow speed less than protons. This characteristic is used here to distinguish between folded back magnetic fields (which would contain rotational discontinuities) and tangential discontinuities using Ulysses high latitude, high speed solar wind data. The analysis indicates that almost all reversals in the radial magnetic field in PBSs are folded back field lines. This is found to also be true outside PBSs, supporting existing results for typical high speed, high latitude wind. There remains a small number of cases that appear not to be folds in the magnetic field and which may be flux tubes with both ends rooted in the Sun. The distinct difference in MVA results inside and outside PBSs remains unexplained.

Innovative molecular-based fluorescent nanoparticles for multicolor single particle tracking in cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Jonathan; Godin, Antoine G.; Palayret, Matthieu; Lounis, Brahim; Cognet, Laurent; Blanchard-Desce, Mireille

2016-03-01

Based on an original molecular-based design, we present bright and photostable fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) showing excellent colloidal stability in various aqueous environments. Complementary near-infrared emitting and green emitting FONs were prepared using a simple, fast and robust protocol. Both types of FONs could be simultaneously imaged at the single-particle level in solution as well as in biological environments using a monochromatic excitation and a dual-color fluorescence microscope. No evidence of acute cytotoxicity was found upon incubation of live cells with mixed solutions of FONs, and both types of nanoparticles were found internalized in the cells where their motion could be simultaneously tracked at video-rate up to minutes. These fluorescent organic nanoparticles open a novel non-toxic alternative to existing nanoparticles for imaging biological structures, compatible with live-cell experiments and specially fitted for multicolor single particle tracking.

Counting particles emitted by stratospheric aircraft and measuring size of particles emitted by stratospheric aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, James Charles

1994-01-01

The ER-2 condensation nuclei counter (CNC) has been modified to reduce the diffusive losses of particles within the instrument. These changes have been successful in improving the counting efficiency of small particles at low pressures. Two techniques for measuring the size distributions of particles with diameters less than 0.17 micrometers have been evaluated. Both of these methods, the differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and the diffusion battery, have fundamental problems that limit their usefulness for stratospheric applications. We cannot recommend either for this application. Newly developed, alternative methods for measuring small particles include inertial separation with a low-loss critical orifice and thin-plate impactor device. This technique is now used to collect particles in the multisample aerosol collector housed in the ER-2 CNC-2, and shows some promise for particle size measurements when coupled with a CNC as a counting device. The modified focused-cavity aerosol spectrometer (FCAS) can determine the size distribution of particles with ambient diameters as small as about 0.07 micrometers. Data from this instrument indicates the presence of a nuclei mode when CNC-2 indicates high concentrations of particles, but cannot resolve important parameters of the distribution.

Sensitivity of alpha-particle-driven Alfvén eigenmodes to q-profile variation in ITER scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, P.; Figueiredo, A. C. A.; Borba, D.; Coelho, R.; Fazendeiro, L.; Ferreira, J.; Loureiro, N. F.; Nabais, F.; Pinches, S. D.; Polevoi, A. R.; Sharapov, S. E.

2016-11-01

A perturbative hybrid ideal-MHD/drift-kinetic approach to assess the stability of alpha-particle-driven Alfvén eigenmodes in burning plasmas is used to show that certain foreseen ITER scenarios, namely the {{I}\\text{p}}=15 MA baseline scenario with very low and broad core magnetic shear, are sensitive to small changes in the background magnetic equilibrium. Slight variations (of the order of 1% ) of the safety-factor value on axis are seen to cause large changes in the growth rate, toroidal mode number, and radial location of the most unstable eigenmodes found. The observed sensitivity is shown to proceed from the very low magnetic shear values attained throughout the plasma core, raising issues about reliable predictions of alpha-particle transport in burning plasmas.

Finite numbers of sources, particle correlations and the Color Glass Condensate

DOE PAGES

McLerran, Larry; Skokov, Vladimir V.

2015-12-23

Here, we show that for a finite number of emitting sources, the Color Glass Condensate produces substantial elliptic azimuthal anisotropy, characterized by v 2, for two and four particle correlations for momentum greater than or of the order of the saturation momentum. The flow produced has the correct semi-quantitative features to describe flow seen in the LHC experiments with p–Pb and pp collisions. This flow is induced by quantum mechanical interference between the waves of produced particles, and the flow itself is coupled to fluctuations in the positions of emitting sources. We shortly discuss generalizing these results to odd vmore » n, to correlations involving larger number of particles, and to transverse momentum scales ΛQCD << p T << Q sat.« less

Beta-decay half-lives for short neutron rich nuclei involved into the r-process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panov, I.; Lutostansky, Yu; Thielemann, F.-K.

2018-01-01

The beta-strength function model based on Finite Fermi-Systems Theory is applied for calculations of the beta-decay half-lives for short neutron rich nuclei involved into the r- process. It is shown that the accuracy of beta-decay half-lives of short-lived neutron-rich nuclei is improving with increasing neutron excess and can be used for modeling of nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei in the r-process.

Search for Higgs-like bosons decaying into long-lived exotic particles

DOE PAGES

Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; ...

2016-12-02

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles, in the 20–60 GeV/c 2 mass range with lifetimes between 5 and 100 ps. The dataset used corresponds to 0.62 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb detector at √s = 7TeV. The particles are assumed to be pair-produced by the decay of a Higgs-like boson with mass between 80 and 140 GeV/c 2. No excess above the background expectation is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section as a function of the long-lived particle mass and lifetime and of the Higgs-like boson mass.

Search for Higgs-like bosons decaying into long-lived exotic particles.

PubMed

Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Cartelle, P Alvarez; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Andreassi, G; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Gutierrez, O Aquines; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Romeu, J Arnau; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Batozskaya, V; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Bellee, V; Belloli, N; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bezshyiko, I; Bifani, S; Billoir, P; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bitadze, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Boettcher, T; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borghi, S; Borisyak, M; Borsato, M; Bossu, F; Boubdir, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Braun, S; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Buchanan, E; Burr, C; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Gomez, M Calvo; Campana, P; Perez, D Campora; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Akiba, K Carvalho; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Garcia, L Castillo; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chatzikonstantinidis, G; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chobanova, V; Chrzaszcz, M; Vidal, X Cid; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Sobral, C M Costa; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Torres, M Cruz; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Dall'Occo, E; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; Francisco, O De Aguiar; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Simone, P; Dean, C-T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Demmer, M; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Dijkstra, H; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Suárez, A Dosil; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dufour, L; Dujany, G; Dungs, K; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Déléage, N; Easo, S; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; Elsasser, Ch; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Ferguson, D; Albor, V Fernandez; Ferrari, F; Rodrigues, F Ferreira; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fleuret, F; Fohl, K; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forshaw, D C; Forty, R; Frank, M; Frei, C; Frosini, M; Fu, J; Furfaro, E; Färber, C; Torreira, A Gallas; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Pardiñas, J García; Tico, J Garra; Garrido, L; Garsed, P J; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Girard, O G; Giubega, L; Gizdov, K; Gligorov, V V; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gorelov, I V; Gotti, C; Gándara, M Grabalosa; Diaz, R Graciani; Cardoso, L A Granado; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Cazon, B R Gruberg; Grünberg, O; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Göbel, C; Hadavizadeh, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; He, J; Head, T; Heister, A; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; Morata, J A Hernando; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hombach, C; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hushchyn, M; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Kariuki, J M; Karodia, S; Kecke, M; Kelsey, M; Kenyon, I R; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khairullin, E; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Kirn, T; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Koliiev, S; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kozachuk, A; Kozeiha, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Krzemien, W; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kuonen, A K; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Langhans, B; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Gac, R Le; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J-P; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Lefèvre, R; Lemaitre, F; Cid, E Lemos; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, B; Liu, X; Loh, D; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Martinez, M Lucio; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Lusiani, A; Lyu, X; Machefert, F; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Maguire, K; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Maltsev, T; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Benito, C Marin; Marino, P; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martin, M; Martinelli, M; Santos, D Martinez; Vidal, F Martinez; Tostes, D Martins; Massacrier, L M; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathad, A; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Melnychuk, D; Merk, M; Michielin, E; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Mitzel, D S; Rodriguez, J Molina; Monroy, I A; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Mulder, M; Mussini, M; Müller, D; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nandi, A; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Niess, V; Nieswand, S; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Goicochea, J M Otalora; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Pappenheimer, C; Parker, W; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Altarelli, M Pepe; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Petrov, A; Petruzzo, M; Olloqui, E Picatoste; Pietrzyk, B; Pikies, M; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Piucci, A; Playfer, S; Casasus, M Plo; Poikela, T; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Pomery, G J; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Navarro, A Puig; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Quagliani, R; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rama, M; Pernas, M Ramos; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Dos Reis, A C; Alepuz, C Remon; Renaudin, V; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Molina, V Rives; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Lopez, J A Rodriguez; Perez, P Rodriguez; Rogozhnikov, A; Roiser, S; Romanovskiy, V; Vidal, A Romero; Ronayne, J W; Rotondo, M; Ruf, T; Valls, P Ruiz; Silva, J J Saborido; Sagidova, N; Saitta, B; Guimaraes, V Salustino; Mayordomo, C Sanchez; Sedes, B Sanmartin; Santacesaria, R; Rios, C Santamarina; Santimaria, M; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schael, S; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmelzer, T; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schubiger, M; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sergi, A; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Shires, A; Siddi, B G; Coutinho, R Silva; de Oliveira, L Silva; Simi, G; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, E; Smith, I T; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Souza, D; De Paula, B Souza; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Stefko, P; Stefkova, S; Steinkamp, O; Stenyakin, O; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Tayduganov, A; Tekampe, T; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, C; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Trabelsi, K; Traill, M; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tully, A; Tuning, N; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valat, S; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Gomez, R Vazquez; Regueiro, P Vazquez; Vecchi, S; van Veghel, M; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Venkateswaran, A; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Diaz, M Vieites; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Volkov, V; Vollhardt, A; Voneki, B; Voong, D; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Sierra, C Vázquez; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Wark, H M; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Williams, T; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wraight, K; Wright, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yin, H; Yu, J; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zangoli, M; Zarebski, K A; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zheng, Y; Zhokhov, A; Zhukov, V; Zucchelli, S

2016-01-01

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles, in the 20-60 [Formula: see text] mass range with lifetimes between 5 and 100 [Formula: see text]. The dataset used corresponds to 0.62[Formula: see text] of proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb detector at [Formula: see text]. The particles are assumed to be pair-produced by the decay of a Higgs-like boson with mass between 80 and 140 [Formula: see text]. No excess above the background expectation is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section as a function of the long-lived particle mass and lifetime and of the Higgs-like boson mass.

Calibration of a Thomson parabola ion spectrometer and Fujifilm imaging plate detectors for protons, deuterons, and alpha particles.

PubMed

Freeman, C G; Fiksel, G; Stoeckl, C; Sinenian, N; Canfield, M J; Graeper, G B; Lombardo, A T; Stillman, C R; Padalino, S J; Mileham, C; Sangster, T C; Frenje, J A

2011-07-01

A Thomson parabola ion spectrometer has been designed for use at the Multiterawatt (MTW) laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester. This device uses parallel electric and magnetic fields to deflect particles of a given mass-to-charge ratio onto parabolic curves on the detector plane. Once calibrated, the position of the ions on the detector plane can be used to determine the particle energy. The position dispersion of both the electric and magnetic fields of the Thomson parabola was measured using monoenergetic proton and alpha particle beams from the SUNY Geneseo 1.7 MV tandem Pelletron accelerator. The sensitivity of Fujifilm BAS-TR imaging plates, used as a detector in the Thomson parabola, was also measured as a function of the incident particle energy over the range from 0.6 MeV to 3.4 MeV for protons and deuterons and from 0.9 MeV to 5.4 MeV for alpha particles. The device was used to measure the energy spectrum of laser-produced protons at MTW.

[Effects of radiation emitted from mobile phones on short- term heart rate variability parameters].

PubMed

Yıldız, Metin; Yılmaz, Derya; Güler, Inan; Akgüllü, Cağdaş

2012-08-01

In this study, the effects of radiation emitted from mobile phone (MP) on heart rate variability (HRV) which is accepted a non-invasive indicator of autonomic nervous system (ANS) were investigated with considering the deficiency of previous studies. A randomized controlled study has been designed and utilized with 30 young and healthy volunteers. During the experiment that had three periods, the electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration signals were recorded and MP was attached to subjects' right ear with a bone. Ten subjects selected randomly were exposed to high -level radiation during the second period (Experimental Group 1). Ten of others were exposed during the third period with maximum level radiation (Experimental Group 2). Ten records were also made while MP was closed as a control. Short -term HRV parameters were obtained and repeated measures ANOVA and suitable post-hoc tests applied to the results. According to the results of the repeated measures ANOVA; there were no significant main effects of groups. However, there were some significant differences in measuring time periods and groups*period interactions. The post-hoc tests showed that mean R to R interval and HF power are significantly changed by maximum radiation emitted from MP. Due to the radiation emitted from MPs at maximum power, some changes may occur in HRV parameters that are associated with increased parasympathetic activity. But, the level of these changes is similar to daily activities as excitement, and stand up.

[Preparation and spectral analysis of a new type of blue light-emitting material delta-Alq3].

PubMed

Wang, Hua; Hao, Yu-ying; Gao, Zhi-xiang; Zhou, He-feng; Xu, Bing-she

2006-10-01

In the present article, delta-Alq3, a new type of blue light-emitting material, was synthesized and investigated by IR spectra, XRD spectra, UV-Vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and electroluminescence (EL) spectra. The relationship between molecular spatial structure and spectral characteristics was studied by the spectral analysis of delta-Alq3 and alpha-Alq3. Results show that a new phase of Alq3 (delta-Alq3) can be obtained by vacuum heating alpha-Alq3, and the molecular spatial structure of alpha-Alq3 changes during the vacuum heating. The molecular spatial structure of delta-Alq3 lacks symmetry compared to alpha-Alq3. This transformation can reduce the electron cloud density on phenoxide of Alq3 and weaken the intermolecular conjugated interaction between adjacent Alq3 molecules. Hence, the pi--pi* electron transition absorption peak of delta-Alq3 shifts toward short wavelength in UV-Vis absorption spectra, and the maximum emission peak of delta-Alq3 (lamda max = 480 nm) blue-shifts by 35 nm compared with that of alpha-Alq3 (lamda max = 515 nm) in PL spectra. The maximum emission peaks of delta-Alq3 and alpha-Alq3 are all at 520 nm in EL spectra.

Radioimmunotherapy of cancer with high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation delivered by radionuclides emitting α-particles or Auger electrons.

PubMed

Aghevlian, Sadaf; Boyle, Amanda J; Reilly, Raymond M

2017-01-15

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) aims to selectively deliver radionuclides emitting α-particles, β-particles or Auger electrons to tumors by conjugation to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that recognize tumor-associated antigens/receptors. The approach has been most successful for treatment of non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma but challenges have been encountered in extending these promising results to the treatment of solid malignancies. These challenges include the low potency of β-particle emitters such as 131 I, 177 Lu or 90 Y which have been commonly conjugated to the mAbs, due to their low linear energy transfer (LET=0.1-1.0keV/μm). Furthermore, since the β-particles have a 2-10mm range, there has been dose-limiting non-specific toxicity to hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow (BM) due to the cross-fire effect. Conjugation of mAbs to α-particle-emitters (e.g. 225 Ac, 213 Bi, 212 Pb or 211 At) or Auger electron-emitters (e.g. 111 In, 67 Ga, 123 I or 125 I) would increase the potency of RIT due to their high LET (50-230keV/μm and 4 to 26keV/μm, respectively). In addition, α-particles have a range in tissues of 28-100μm and Auger electrons are nanometer in range which greatly reduces or eliminates the cross-fire effect compared to β-particles, potentially reducing their non-specific toxicity to the BM. In this review, we describe the results of preclinical and clinical studies of RIT of cancer using radioimmunoconjugates emitting α-particles or Auger electrons, and discuss the potential of these high LET forms of radiation to improve the outcome of cancer patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon Nanostructure of Diesel Soot Particles Emitted from 2 and 4 Stroke Marine Engines Burning Different Fuels.

PubMed

Lee, Won-Ju; Park, Seul-Hyun; Jang, Se-Hyun; Kim, Hwajin; Choi, Sung Kuk; Cho, Kwon-Hae; Cho, Ik-Soon; Lee, Sang-Min; Choi, Jae-Hyuk

2018-03-01

Diesel soot particles were sampled from 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines that burned two different fuels (Bunker A and C, respectively), and the effects of the engine and fuel types on the structural characteristics of the soot particle were analyzed. The carbon nanostructures of the sampled particles were characterized using various techniques. The results showed that the soot sample collected from the 4-stroke engine, which burned Bunker C, has a higher degree of order of the carbon nanostructure than the sample collected from the 2-stroke engine, which burned Bunker A. Furthermore, the difference in the exhaust gas temperatures originating from the different engine and fuel types can affect the nanostructure of the soot emitted from marine diesel engines.

Alpha-Voltaic Sources Using Liquid Ga as Conversion Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patel, Jagdish U.; Fleurial, Jean-Pierre; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

2006-01-01

A family of proposed miniature sources of power would exploit the direct conversion of the kinetic energy of alpha particles into electricity. In addition to having long operational lives, these sources are expected to operate with energy-conversion efficiencies from 70 to 90 percent. A power source as proposed (see figure) would be an electrolytic cell in which liquid gallium would serve as both an electrolyte and an energy-conversion medium. The cell would contain an iridium cathode and a zirconium anode. The alpha particles, each with a kinetic energy approx.5.8 MeV, would be emitted by radioactive decay of Cm-244, which has a half-life of 18 years. The Cm-244 source would be positioned so that the a particles would enter the liquid gallium, where their kinetic energy would be dissipated mostly through ionization of Ga atoms, creating Ga(+) ions and free electrons. The electrons would be collected by iridium cathode, and the Ga(+) ions would be neutralized at the zirconium cathode by electrons returning after flowing through an external circuit. Gallium is a candidate for use as the electrolyte and the energy-conversion medium because in the liquid state it is a semimetal: its electrical conductivity is greater than that of a typical semiconductor but small in comparison with the conductivities of metals. Consequently, in liquid gallium, electrons and Ga(+) can exist without immediate recombination and can be moved by electric fields. It is expected that electric fields, resulting at least partly from the difference between the work functions of the electrode metals, would move the electrons and ions to their respective electrodes. The open-circuit potential of the cell is expected to be 1.62 V - equal to the difference between the work functions of iridium and zirconium. Unlike in a solid-state energy conversion medium, the impingement of energetic a particles would not give rise to displacement damage in the liquid gallium. Hence, the cell should have a long

Influence of environmental factors and air composition on the emission of {alpha}-pinene from Quercus ilex leaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loreto, F.; Tricoli, D.; Ciccioli, P.

1996-01-01

We studied the emission of {alpha}-pinene from Quercus ilex leaves. Only the abaxial side of the hypostomatous Q. ilex leaf emits {alpha}-pinene. Light induced photosynthesis and {alpha}-pinene emission. However, the response of photosynthesis to dark-to-light transitions was faster than that of {alpha}-pinene, suggesting that ATP controls the emission. The emission was higher at 30 than at 20{degrees}C, whereas photosynthesis did not change. Therefore, the relationship between photosynthesis and {alpha}-pinene emission does not always hold. When CO{sub 2} was removed from the air, transpiration was stimulated and transpiration was reduced, but {alpha}-pinene emission was unaffected. Therefore, the emission depends on themore » availability of photosynthetic carbon, is not saturated at ambient CO{sub 2}, and is not dependent on stomatal opening. The pattern of {alpha}-pinene emission from Q. ilex is different from that of plants having specialized structures for storage and emission of terpenes. We suggest that {alpha}-pinene emitted by Q. ilex leaves is synthesized in the chloroplasts and shares the same biochemical pathway with isoprene emitted by isoprene-emitting oak species. 28 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.« less

Nuclear half-lives for {alpha}-radioactivity of elements with 100 {<=} Z {<=} 130

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.; Physics Department, Gottwald Science Center, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173

2008-11-15

Theoretical estimates for the half-lives of about 1700 isotopes of heavy elements with 100 {<=} Z {<=} 130 are tabulated using theoretical Q-values. The quantum mechanical tunneling probabilities are calculated within a WKB framework using microscopic nuclear potentials. The microscopic nucleus-nucleus potentials are obtained by folding the densities of interacting nuclei with a density-dependent M3Y effective nucleon-nucleon interaction. The {alpha}-decay half-lives calculated in this formalism using the experimental Q-values were found to be in good agreement over a wide range of experimental data spanning about 20 orders of magnitude. The theoretical Q-values used for the present calculations are extracted frommore » three different mass estimates viz. Myers-Swiatecki, Muntian-Hofmann-Patyk-Sobiczewski, and Koura-Tachibana-Uno-Yamada.« less

Time variations of magnetospheric intensities of outer zone protons, alpha particles and ions (Z greater than or equal to 2). Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, B. A.

1973-01-01

A comprehensive study of the temporal behavior of trapped protons, alpha particles and ions (Z 2) in outer zone of the earth's magnetosphere has been made. These observations were made by the Injun V satellite during the first 21 months of operation, August 1968 to May 1970. Rapid increases in the observed number of particles followed by slower exponential decay characterize the data. Comparisons are made with the temporal behavior of interplanetary particles of the same energy observed by Explorer 35. Increases in the trapped fluxes generally correspond to enhanced interplanetary activity. The energy spectra of protons and alpha particles at L = 3 have similar shapes when compared on an energy per charge basis while the respective polar cap spectra have similar shape on an energy per nucleon basis. Apparent inward trans-L motion of energetic protons is observed. These particles are diffused inward by a process involving fluctuating electric fields. The loss of trapped low altitude protons, alpha particles and ions (Z 2) is controlled by coulombic energy loss in the atmosphere.

Pulse-shape discrimination and energy quenching of alpha particles in Cs 2LiLaBr 6:Ce 3+

DOE PAGES

Mesick, Katherine Elizabeth; Coupland, Daniel David S.; Stonehill, Laura Catherine

2016-10-19

Cs 2LiLaBr 6:Ce 3+ (CLLB) is an elpasolite scintillator that offers excellent linearity and gamma-ray energy resolution and sensitivity to thermal neutrons with the ability to perform pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) to distinguish gammas and neutrons. Our investigation of CLLB has indicated the presence of intrinsic radioactive alpha background that we have determined to be from actinium contamination of the lanthanum component. We measured the pulse shapes for gamma, thermal neutron, and alpha events and determined that PSD can be performed to separate the alpha background with a moderate figure of merit of 0.98. Here, we also measured the electron-equivalent-energy ofmore » the alpha particles in CLLB and simulated the intrinsic alpha background from 227Ac to determine the quenching factor of the alphas.« less

Improve the catalytic activity of {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles in decomposition of ammonium perchlorate by coating amorphous carbon on their surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Yifu; Liu Xinghai, E-mail: liuxh@whu.edu.c; Nie Jiaorong

2011-02-15

Sphere- and pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles have been selectively synthesized using NH{sub 3}.H{sub 2}O and NaOH solution to adjust the pH value of the designed synthetic system, respectively. The sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles with diameter about 25 nm on average were encapsulated into carbon shells to fabricate a novel core-shell composite ({alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C) through the coating experiments. The catalytic performance of the products on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was investigated by thermal gravimetric analyzer (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermal decomposition temperatures of AP in the presence of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3},more » sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C are reduced by 72, 81 and 109 {sup o}C, respectively, which show that {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C core-shell composites have higher catalytic activity than that of {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. -- Graphical abstract: The catalytic performance of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). Display Omitted Research highlights: {yields} Sphere- and pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles have been selectively synthesized using NH{sub 3}.H{sub 2}O and NaOH solution to adjust the pH value. {yields} A novel core-shell composite ({alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C core-shell structured composite) has been successfully synthesized using sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles as the cores and glucose as the source of carbon. {yields} The thermal decomposition temperatures of AP in the presence of pod-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, sphere-like {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-C are reduced by 72, 81 and 109 {sup o}C, respectively, which shows that these materials have high catalytic activity.« less

A search for long-lived particles that stop in the CMS detector and decay to muons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alimena, Juliette

2016-05-01

A search for long-lived particles that are produced in proton-proton collisions at the CERN LHC, come to rest in the CMS detector, and decay to muons is presented. The decays of the stopped particles could be observed during the intervals between LHC beam crossings, at times that are well separated from any proton-proton collisions. The analysis uses 19.7 1/fb of 8 TeV data collected by CMS in 2012, during a search interval of 293 hours of trigger livetime. Massive, long-lived particles do not exist in the Standard Model, and so any sign of them would be an indication of newmore » physics. The results are interpreted with a model that predicts a long-lived particle that has a charge of twice the electron charge and that behaves like a lepton. Cross section limits are set for each long-lived particle mass as a function of lifetime, for lifetimes between 100 ns and 10 days. These are the first limits for long-lived stopped particles that decay to muons.« less

Altered long-range alpha-band synchronization during visual short-term memory retention in children born very preterm.

PubMed

Doesburg, Sam M; Ribary, Urs; Herdman, Anthony T; Miller, Steven P; Poskitt, Kenneth J; Moiseev, Alexander; Whitfield, Michael F; Synnes, Anne; Grunau, Ruth E

2011-02-01

Children born very preterm, even when intelligence is broadly normal, often experience selective difficulties in executive function and visual-spatial processing. Development of structural cortical connectivity is known to be altered in this group, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence indicates that very preterm children recruit different patterns of functional connectivity between cortical regions during cognition. Synchronization of neural oscillations across brain areas has been proposed as a mechanism for dynamically assigning functional coupling to support perceptual and cognitive processing, but little is known about what role oscillatory synchronization may play in the altered neurocognitive development of very preterm children. To investigate this, we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) activity while 7-8 year old children born very preterm and age-matched full-term controls performed a visual short-term memory task. Very preterm children exhibited reduced long-range synchronization in the alpha-band during visual short-term memory retention, indicating that cortical alpha rhythms may play a critical role in altered patterns functional connectivity expressed by this population during cognitive and perceptual processing. Long-range alpha-band synchronization was also correlated with task performance and visual-perceptual ability within the very preterm group, indicating that altered alpha oscillatory mechanisms mediating transient functional integration between cortical regions may be relevant to selective problems in neurocognitive development in this vulnerable population at school age. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monte Carlo simulation of age-dependent radiation dose from alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides to critical trabecular bone and bone marrow targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dant, James T.; Richardson, Richard B.; Nie, Linda H.

2013-05-01

Alpha (α) particles and low-energy beta (β) particles present minimal risk for external exposure. While these particles can induce leukemia and bone cancer due to internal exposure, they can also be beneficial for targeted radiation therapies. In this paper, a trabecular bone model is presented to investigate the radiation dose from bone- and marrow-seeking α and β emitters to different critical compartments (targets) of trabecular bone for different age groups. Two main issues are addressed with Monte Carlo simulations. The first is the absorption fractions (AFs) from bone and marrow to critical targets within the bone for different age groups. The other issue is the application of 223Ra for the radiotherapy treatment of bone metastases. Both a static model and a simulated bone remodeling process are established for trabecular bone. The results show significantly lower AFs from radionuclide sources in the bone volume to the peripheral marrow and the haematopoietic marrow for adults than for newborns and children. The AFs from sources on the bone surface and in the bone marrow to peripheral marrow and haematopoietic marrow also varies for adults and children depending on the energy of the particles. Regarding the use of 223Ra as a radionuclide for the radiotherapy of bone metastases, the simulations show a significantly higher dose from 223Ra and its progeny in forming bone to the target compartment of bone metastases than that from two other more commonly used β-emitting radiopharmaceuticals, 153Sm and 89Sr. There is also a slightly lower dose from 223Ra in forming bone to haematopoietic marrow than that from 153Sm and 89Sr. These results indicate a higher therapy efficiency and lower marrow toxicity from 223Ra and its progeny. In conclusion, age-related changes in bone dimension and cellularity seem to significantly affect the internal dose from α and β emitters in the bone and marrow to critical targets, and 223Ra may be a more efficient

Preclinical development of a vaccine against oligomeric alpha-synuclein based on virus-like particles.

PubMed

Doucet, Marika; El-Turabi, Aadil; Zabel, Franziska; Hunn, Benjamin H M; Bengoa-Vergniory, Nora; Cioroch, Milena; Ramm, Mauricio; Smith, Amy M; Gomes, Ariane Cruz; Cabral de Miranda, Gustavo; Wade-Martins, Richard; Bachmann, Martin F

2017-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive and currently incurable neurological disorder characterised by the loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of aggregated alpha-synuclein (a-syn). Oligomeric a-syn is proposed to play a central role in spreading protein aggregation in the brain with associated cellular toxicity contributing to a progressive neurological decline. For this reason, a-syn oligomers have attracted interest as therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions such as PD and other alpha-synucleinopathies. In addition to strategies using small molecules, neutralisation of the toxic oligomers by antibodies represents an attractive and highly specific strategy for reducing disease progression. Emerging active immunisation approaches using vaccines are already being trialled to induce such antibodies. Here we propose a novel vaccine based on the RNA bacteriophage (Qbeta) virus-like particle conjugated with short peptides of human a-syn. High titres of antibodies were successfully and safely generated in wild-type and human a-syn over-expressing (SNCA-OVX) transgenic mice following vaccination. Antibodies from vaccine candidates targeting the C-terminal regions of a-syn were able to recognise Lewy bodies, the hallmark aggregates in human PD brains. Furthermore, antibodies specifically targeted oligomeric and aggregated a-syn as they exhibited 100 times greater affinity for oligomeric species over monomer a-syn proteins in solution. In the SNCA-OVX transgenic mice used, vaccination was, however, unable to confer significant changes to oligomeric a-syn bioburden. Similarly, there was no discernible effect of vaccine treatment on behavioural phenotype as compared to control groups. Thus, antibodies specific for oligomeric a-syn induced by vaccination were unable to treat symptoms of PD in this particular mouse model.

Preclinical development of a vaccine against oligomeric alpha-synuclein based on virus-like particles

PubMed Central

Zabel, Franziska; Hunn, Benjamin H.M.; Bengoa-Vergniory, Nora; Cioroch, Milena; Ramm, Mauricio; Smith, Amy M.; Gomes, Ariane Cruz; Cabral de Miranda, Gustavo; Wade-Martins, Richard; Bachmann, Martin F.

2017-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive and currently incurable neurological disorder characterised by the loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of aggregated alpha-synuclein (a-syn). Oligomeric a-syn is proposed to play a central role in spreading protein aggregation in the brain with associated cellular toxicity contributing to a progressive neurological decline. For this reason, a-syn oligomers have attracted interest as therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions such as PD and other alpha-synucleinopathies. In addition to strategies using small molecules, neutralisation of the toxic oligomers by antibodies represents an attractive and highly specific strategy for reducing disease progression. Emerging active immunisation approaches using vaccines are already being trialled to induce such antibodies. Here we propose a novel vaccine based on the RNA bacteriophage (Qbeta) virus-like particle conjugated with short peptides of human a-syn. High titres of antibodies were successfully and safely generated in wild-type and human a-syn over-expressing (SNCA-OVX) transgenic mice following vaccination. Antibodies from vaccine candidates targeting the C-terminal regions of a-syn were able to recognise Lewy bodies, the hallmark aggregates in human PD brains. Furthermore, antibodies specifically targeted oligomeric and aggregated a-syn as they exhibited 100 times greater affinity for oligomeric species over monomer a-syn proteins in solution. In the SNCA-OVX transgenic mice used, vaccination was, however, unable to confer significant changes to oligomeric a-syn bioburden. Similarly, there was no discernible effect of vaccine treatment on behavioural phenotype as compared to control groups. Thus, antibodies specific for oligomeric a-syn induced by vaccination were unable to treat symptoms of PD in this particular mouse model. PMID:28797124

Detection of alpha radiation in a beta radiation field

DOEpatents

Mohagheghi, Amir H.; Reese, Robert P.

2001-01-01

An apparatus and method for detecting alpha particles in the presence of high activities of beta particles utilizing an alpha spectrometer. The apparatus of the present invention utilizes a magnetic field applied around the sample in an alpha spectrometer to deflect the beta particles from the sample prior to reaching the detector, thus permitting detection of low concentrations of alpha particles. In the method of the invention, the strength of magnetic field required to adequately deflect the beta particles and permit alpha particle detection is given by an algorithm that controls the field strength as a function of sample beta energy and the distance of the sample to the detector.

HERSCHEL FINDS EVIDENCE FOR STELLAR WIND PARTICLES IN A PROTOSTELLAR ENVELOPE: IS THIS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE YOUNG SUN?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ceccarelli, C.; López-Sepulcre, A.; Dominik, C.

2014-07-20

There is evidence that the young Sun emitted a high flux of energetic (≥10 MeV) particles. The collisions of these particles with the material at the inner edge of the Protosolar Nebula disk induced spallation reactions that formed short-lived radionuclei, like {sup 10}Be, whose trace is now visible in some meteorites. However, it is poorly known exactly when this happened, and whether and how it affected the solar system. Here, we present indirect evidence for an ejection of energetic particles in the young protostar, OMC-2 FIR 4, similar to that experienced by the young solar system. In this case, the energeticmore » particles collide with the material in the protostellar envelope, enhancing the abundance of two molecular ions, HCO{sup +} and N{sub 2}H{sup +}, whose presence is detected via Herschel observations. The flux of energetic particles at a distance of 1 AU from the emitting source, estimated from the measured abundance ratio of HCO{sup +} and N{sub 2}H{sup +}, can easily account for the irradiation required by meteoritic observations. These new observations demonstrate that the ejection of ≥10 MeV particles is a phenomenon occurring very early in the life of a protostar, before the disappearance of the envelope from which the future star accretes. The whole envelope is affected by the event, which sets constraints on the magnetic field geometry in the source and opens up the possibility that the spallation reactions are not limited to the inner edge of the Protosolar Nebula disk.« less

High-temperature performance of gallium-nitride-based pin alpha-particle detectors grown on sapphire substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhifu; Zhang, Heqiu; Liang, Hongwei; Tang, Bin; Peng, Xincun; Liu, Jianxun; Yang, Chao; Xia, Xiaochuan; Tao, Pengcheng; Shen, Rensheng; Zou, Jijun; Du, Guotong

2018-06-01

The temperature-dependent radiation-detection performance of an alpha-particle detector that was based on a gallium-nitride (GaN)-based pin structure was studied from 290 K to 450 K. Current-voltage-temperature measurements (I-V-T) of the reverse bias show the exponential dependence of leakage currents on the voltage and temperature. The current transport mechanism of the GaN-based pin diode from the reverse bias I-V fitting was analyzed. The temperature-dependent pulse-height spectra of the detectors were studied using an 241 Am alpha-particle source at a reverse bias of 10 V, and the peak positions shifted from 534 keV at 290 K to 490 keV at 450 K. The variation of full width at half maximum (FWHM) from 282 keV at 290 K to 292 keV at 450 K is almost negligible. The GaN-based pin detectors are highly promising for high-temperature environments up to 450 K.

Dry deposition of pollutant and marker particles onto live mouse airway surfaces enhances monitoring of individual particle mucociliary transit behaviour.

PubMed

Donnelley, Martin; Morgan, Kaye S; Siu, Karen K W; Parsons, David W

2012-07-01

Particles suspended in the air are inhaled during normal respiration and unless cleared by airway defences, such as the mucociliary transit (MCT) system, they can remain and affect lung and airway health. Synchrotron phase-contrast X-ray imaging (PCXI) methods have been developed to non-invasively monitor the behaviour of individual particles in live mouse airways and in previous studies the MCT behaviour of particles and fibres in the airways of live mice after deposition in a saline carrier fluid have been examined. In this study a range of common respirable pollutant particles (lead dust, quarry dust and fibreglass fibres) as well as marker particles (hollow glass micro-spheres) were delivered into the trachea of live mice using a dry powder insufflator to more accurately mimic normal environmental particulate exposure and deposition via inhalation. The behaviour of the particles once delivered onto the airway surface was tracked over a five minute period via PCXI. All particles were visible after deposition. Fibreglass fibres remained stationary throughout while all other particle types transited the tracheal surface throughout the imaging period. In all cases the majority of the particle deposition and any airway surface activity was located close to the dorsal tracheal wall. Both the individual and bulk motions of the glass bead marker particles were visible and their behaviour enabled otherwise hidden MCT patterns to be revealed. This study verified the value of PCXI for examining the post-deposition particulate MCT behaviour in the mouse trachea and highlighted that MCT is not a uniform process as suggested by radiolabel studies. It also directly revealed the advantages of dry particle delivery for establishing adequate particulate presence for visualizing MCT behaviour. The MCT behaviour and rate seen after dry particle delivery was different from that in previous carrier-fluid studies. It is proposed that dry particle delivery is essential for producing

Search for new long-lived particles at √{ s } = 13 TeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirunyan, A. M.; Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Ambrogi, F.; Asilar, E.; Bergauer, T.; Brandstetter, J.; Brondolin, E.; Dragicevic, M.; Erö, J.; Flechl, M.; Friedl, M.; Frühwirth, R.; Ghete, V. M.; Grossmann, J.; Hrubec, J.; Jeitler, M.; König, A.; Krammer, N.; Krätschmer, I.; Liko, D.; Madlener, T.; Mikulec, I.; Pree, E.; Rabady, D.; Rad, N.; Rohringer, H.; Schieck, J.; Schöfbeck, R.; Spanring, M.; Spitzbart, D.; Strauss, J.; Waltenberger, W.; Wittmann, J.; Wulz, C.-E.; Zarucki, M.; Chekhovsky, V.; Mossolov, V.; Suarez Gonzalez, J.; De Wolf, E. A.; Di Croce, D.; Janssen, X.; Lauwers, J.; Van De Klundert, M.; Van Haevermaet, H.; Van Mechelen, P.; Van Remortel, N.; Abu Zeid, S.; Blekman, F.; D'Hondt, J.; De Bruyn, I.; De Clercq, J.; Deroover, K.; Flouris, G.; Lontkovskyi, D.; Lowette, S.; Moortgat, S.; Moreels, L.; Olbrechts, A.; Python, Q.; Skovpen, K.; Tavernier, S.; Van Doninck, W.; Van Mulders, P.; Van Parijs, I.; Brun, H.; Clerbaux, B.; De Lentdecker, G.; Delannoy, H.; Fasanella, G.; Favart, L.; Goldouzian, R.; Grebenyuk, A.; Karapostoli, G.; Lenzi, T.; Luetic, J.; Maerschalk, T.; Marinov, A.; Randle-conde, A.; Seva, T.; Vander Velde, C.; Vanlaer, P.; Vannerom, D.; Yonamine, R.; Zenoni, F.; Zhang, F.; Cimmino, A.; Cornelis, T.; Dobur, D.; Fagot, A.; Gul, M.; Khvastunov, I.; Poyraz, D.; Roskas, C.; Salva, S.; Tytgat, M.; Verbeke, W.; Zaganidis, N.; Bakhshiansohi, H.; Bondu, O.; Brochet, S.; Bruno, G.; Caudron, A.; De Visscher, S.; Delaere, C.; Delcourt, M.; Francois, B.; Giammanco, A.; Jafari, A.; Komm, M.; Krintiras, G.; Lemaitre, V.; Magitteri, A.; Mertens, A.; Musich, M.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Quertenmont, L.; Vidal Marono, M.; Wertz, S.; Beliy, N.; Aldá Júnior, W. L.; Alves, F. L.; Alves, G. A.; Brito, L.; Correa Martins Junior, M.; Hensel, C.; Moraes, A.; Pol, M. E.; Rebello Teles, P.; Belchior Batista Das Chagas, E.; Carvalho, W.; Chinellato, J.; Custódio, A.; Da Costa, E. M.; Da Silveira, G. G.; De Jesus Damiao, D.; Fonseca De Souza, S.; Huertas Guativa, L. M.; Malbouisson, H.; Melo De Almeida, M.; Mora Herrera, C.; Mundim, L.; Nogima, H.; Santoro, A.; Sznajder, A.; Tonelli Manganote, E. J.; Torres Da Silva De Araujo, F.; Vilela Pereira, A.; Ahuja, S.; Bernardes, C. A.; Fernandez Perez Tomei, T. R.; Gregores, E. M.; Mercadante, P. G.; Novaes, S. F.; Padula, Sandra S.; Romero Abad, D.; Ruiz Vargas, J. C.; Aleksandrov, A.; Hadjiiska, R.; Iaydjiev, P.; Misheva, M.; Rodozov, M.; Shopova, M.; Stoykova, S.; Sultanov, G.; Dimitrov, A.; Glushkov, I.; Litov, L.; Pavlov, B.; Petkov, P.; Fang, W.; Gao, X.; Ahmad, M.; Bian, J. G.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. S.; Chen, M.; Chen, Y.; Jiang, C. H.; Leggat, D.; Liao, H.; Liu, Z.; Romeo, F.; Shaheen, S. M.; Spiezia, A.; Tao, J.; Wang, C.; Wang, Z.; Yazgan, E.; Zhang, H.; Zhao, J.; Ban, Y.; Chen, G.; Li, Q.; Liu, S.; Mao, Y.; Qian, S. J.; Wang, D.; Xu, Z.; Avila, C.; Cabrera, A.; Chaparro Sierra, L. F.; Florez, C.; González Hernández, C. F.; Ruiz Alvarez, J. D.; Courbon, B.; Godinovic, N.; Lelas, D.; Puljak, I.; Ribeiro Cipriano, P. M.; Sculac, T.; Antunovic, Z.; Kovac, M.; Brigljevic, V.; Ferencek, D.; Kadija, K.; Mesic, B.; Starodumov, A.; Susa, T.; Ather, M. W.; Attikis, A.; Mavromanolakis, G.; Mousa, J.; Nicolaou, C.; Ptochos, F.; Razis, P. A.; Rykaczewski, H.; Finger, M.; Finger, M.; Carrera Jarrin, E.; El-khateeb, E.; Elgammal, S.; Mohamed, A.; Dewanjee, R. K.; Kadastik, M.; Perrini, L.; Raidal, M.; Tiko, A.; Veelken, C.; Eerola, P.; Pekkanen, J.; Voutilainen, M.; Härkönen, J.; Järvinen, T.; Karimäki, V.; Kinnunen, R.; Lampén, T.; Lassila-Perini, K.; Lehti, S.; Lindén, T.; Luukka, P.; Tuominen, E.; Tuominiemi, J.; Tuovinen, E.; Talvitie, J.; Tuuva, T.; Besancon, M.; Couderc, F.; Dejardin, M.; Denegri, D.; Faure, J. L.; Ferri, F.; Ganjour, S.; Ghosh, S.; Givernaud, A.; Gras, P.; Hamel de Monchenault, G.; Jarry, P.; Kucher, I.; Locci, E.; Machet, M.; Malcles, J.; Negro, G.; Rander, J.; Rosowsky, A.; Sahin, M. Ö.; Titov, M.; Abdulsalam, A.; Antropov, I.; Baffioni, S.; Beaudette, F.; Busson, P.; Cadamuro, L.; Charlot, C.; Granier de Cassagnac, R.; Jo, M.; Lisniak, S.; Lobanov, A.; Martin Blanco, J.; Nguyen, M.; Ochando, C.; Ortona, G.; Paganini, P.; Pigard, P.; Regnard, S.; Salerno, R.; Sauvan, J. B.; Sirois, Y.; Stahl Leiton, A. G.; Strebler, T.; Yilmaz, Y.; Zabi, A.; Zghiche, A.; Agram, J.-L.; Andrea, J.; Bloch, D.; Brom, J.-M.; Buttignol, M.; Chabert, E. C.; Chanon, N.; Collard, C.; Conte, E.; Coubez, X.; Fontaine, J.-C.; Gelé, D.; Goerlach, U.; Jansová, M.; Le Bihan, A.-C.; Tonon, N.; Van Hove, P.; Gadrat, S.; Beauceron, S.; Bernet, C.; Boudoul, G.; Chierici, R.; Contardo, D.; Depasse, P.; El Mamouni, H.; Fay, J.; Finco, L.; Gascon, S.; Gouzevitch, M.; Grenier, G.; Ille, B.; Lagarde, F.; Laktineh, I. B.; Lethuillier, M.; Mirabito, L.; Pequegnot, A. L.; Perries, S.; Popov, A.; Sordini, V.; Vander Donckt, M.; Viret, S.; Toriashvili, T.; Bagaturia, I.; Autermann, C.; Beranek, S.; Feld, L.; Kiesel, M. K.; Klein, K.; Lipinski, M.; Preuten, M.; Schomakers, C.; Schulz, J.; Verlage, T.; Albert, A.; Dietz-Laursonn, E.; Duchardt, D.; Endres, M.; Erdmann, M.; Erdweg, S.; Esch, T.; Fischer, R.; Güth, A.; Hamer, M.; Hebbeker, T.; Heidemann, C.; Hoepfner, K.; Knutzen, S.; Merschmeyer, M.; Meyer, A.; Millet, P.; Mukherjee, S.; Olschewski, M.; Padeken, K.; Pook, T.; Radziej, M.; Reithler, H.; Rieger, M.; Scheuch, F.; Teyssier, D.; Thüer, S.; Flügge, G.; Kargoll, B.; Kress, T.; Künsken, A.; Lingemann, J.; Müller, T.; Nehrkorn, A.; Nowack, A.; Pistone, C.; Pooth, O.; Stahl, A.; Aldaya Martin, M.; Arndt, T.; Asawatangtrakuldee, C.; Beernaert, K.; Behnke, O.; Behrens, U.; Bermúdez Martínez, A.; Bin Anuar, A. A.; Borras, K.; Botta, V.; Campbell, A.; Connor, P.; Contreras-Campana, C.; Costanza, F.; Diez Pardos, C.; Eckerlin, G.; Eckstein, D.; Eichhorn, T.; Eren, E.; Gallo, E.; Garay Garcia, J.; Geiser, A.; Gizhko, A.; Grados Luyando, J. M.; Grohsjean, A.; Gunnellini, P.; Harb, A.; Hauk, J.; Hempel, M.; Jung, H.; Kalogeropoulos, A.; Kasemann, M.; Keaveney, J.; Kleinwort, C.; Korol, I.; Krücker, D.; Lange, W.; Lelek, A.; Lenz, T.; Leonard, J.; Lipka, K.; Lohmann, W.; Mankel, R.; Melzer-Pellmann, I.-A.; Meyer, A. B.; Mittag, G.; Mnich, J.; Mussgiller, A.; Ntomari, E.; Pitzl, D.; Placakyte, R.; Raspereza, A.; Roland, B.; Savitskyi, M.; Saxena, P.; Shevchenko, R.; Spannagel, S.; Stefaniuk, N.; Van Onsem, G. P.; Walsh, R.; Wen, Y.; Wichmann, K.; Wissing, C.; Zenaiev, O.; Bein, S.; Blobel, V.; Centis Vignali, M.; Draeger, A. R.; Dreyer, T.; Garutti, E.; Gonzalez, D.; Haller, J.; Hinzmann, A.; Hoffmann, M.; Karavdina, A.; Klanner, R.; Kogler, R.; Kovalchuk, N.; Kurz, S.; Lapsien, T.; Marchesini, I.; Marconi, D.; Meyer, M.; Niedziela, M.; Nowatschin, D.; Pantaleo, F.; Peiffer, T.; Perieanu, A.; Scharf, C.; Schleper, P.; Schmidt, A.; Schumann, S.; Schwandt, J.; Sonneveld, J.; Stadie, H.; Steinbrück, G.; Stober, F. M.; Stöver, M.; Tholen, H.; Troendle, D.; Usai, E.; Vanelderen, L.; Vanhoefer, A.; Vormwald, B.; Akbiyik, M.; Barth, C.; Baur, S.; Butz, E.; Caspart, R.; Chwalek, T.; Colombo, F.; De Boer, W.; Dierlamm, A.; Freund, B.; Friese, R.; Giffels, M.; Gilbert, A.; Haitz, D.; Hartmann, F.; Heindl, S. M.; Husemann, U.; Kassel, F.; Kudella, S.; Mildner, H.; Mozer, M. U.; Müller, Th.; Plagge, M.; Quast, G.; Rabbertz, K.; Schröder, M.; Shvetsov, I.; Sieber, G.; Simonis, H. J.; Ulrich, R.; Wayand, S.; Weber, M.; Weiler, T.; Williamson, S.; Wöhrmann, C.; Wolf, R.; Anagnostou, G.; Daskalakis, G.; Geralis, T.; Giakoumopoulou, V. A.; Kyriakis, A.; Loukas, D.; Topsis-Giotis, I.; Kesisoglou, S.; Panagiotou, A.; Saoulidou, N.; Evangelou, I.; Foudas, C.; Kokkas, P.; Mallios, S.; Manthos, N.; Papadopoulos, I.; Paradas, E.; Strologas, J.; Triantis, F. A.; Csanad, M.; Filipovic, N.; Pasztor, G.; Bencze, G.; Hajdu, C.; Horvath, D.; Hunyadi, Á.; Sikler, F.; Veszpremi, V.; Vesztergombi, G.; Zsigmond, A. 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R.; Olmedo Negrete, M.; Paneva, M. I.; Shrinivas, A.; Si, W.; Wang, L.; Wei, H.; Wimpenny, S.; Yates, B. R.; Branson, J. G.; Cittolin, S.; Derdzinski, M.; Gerosa, R.; Hashemi, B.; Holzner, A.; Klein, D.; Kole, G.; Krutelyov, V.; Letts, J.; Macneill, I.; Masciovecchio, M.; Olivito, D.; Padhi, S.; Pieri, M.; Sani, M.; Sharma, V.; Simon, S.; Tadel, M.; Vartak, A.; Wasserbaech, S.; Wood, J.; Würthwein, F.; Yagil, A.; Zevi Della Porta, G.; Amin, N.; Bhandari, R.; Bradmiller-Feld, J.; Campagnari, C.; Dishaw, A.; Dutta, V.; Franco Sevilla, M.; George, C.; Golf, F.; Gouskos, L.; Gran, J.; Heller, R.; Incandela, J.; Mullin, S. D.; Ovcharova, A.; Qu, H.; Richman, J.; Stuart, D.; Suarez, I.; Yoo, J.; Anderson, D.; Bendavid, J.; Bornheim, A.; Lawhorn, J. M.; Newman, H. B.; Nguyen, T.; Pena, C.; Spiropulu, M.; Vlimant, J. R.; Xie, S.; Zhang, Z.; Zhu, R. Y.; Andrews, M. B.; Ferguson, T.; Mudholkar, T.; Paulini, M.; Russ, J.; Sun, M.; Vogel, H.; Vorobiev, I.; Weinberg, M.; Cumalat, J. P.; Ford, W. T.; Jensen, F.; Johnson, A.; Krohn, M.; Leontsinis, S.; Mulholland, T.; Stenson, K.; Wagner, S. R.; Alexander, J.; Chaves, J.; Chu, J.; Dittmer, S.; Mcdermott, K.; Mirman, N.; Patterson, J. R.; Rinkevicius, A.; Ryd, A.; Skinnari, L.; Soffi, L.; Tan, S. M.; Tao, Z.; Thom, J.; Tucker, J.; Wittich, P.; Zientek, M.; Abdullin, S.; Albrow, M.; Apollinari, G.; Apresyan, A.; Apyan, A.; Banerjee, S.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Beretvas, A.; Berryhill, J.; Bhat, P. C.; Bolla, G.; Burkett, K.; Butler, J. N.; Canepa, A.; Cerati, G. B.; Cheung, H. W. K.; Chlebana, F.; Cremonesi, M.; Duarte, J.; Elvira, V. D.; Freeman, J.; Gecse, Z.; Gottschalk, E.; Gray, L.; Green, D.; Grünendahl, S.; Gutsche, O.; Harris, R. M.; Hasegawa, S.; Hirschauer, J.; Hu, Z.; Jayatilaka, B.; Jindariani, S.; Johnson, M.; Joshi, U.; Klima, B.; Kreis, B.; Lammel, S.; Lincoln, D.; Lipton, R.; Liu, M.; Liu, T.; Lopes De Sá, R.; Lykken, J.; Maeshima, K.; Magini, N.; Marraffino, J. M.; Maruyama, S.; Mason, D.; McBride, P.; Merkel, P.; Mrenna, S.; Nahn, S.; O'Dell, V.; Pedro, K.; Prokofyev, O.; Rakness, G.; Ristori, L.; Schneider, B.; Sexton-Kennedy, E.; Soha, A.; Spalding, W. J.; Spiegel, L.; Stoynev, S.; Strait, J.; Strobbe, N.; Taylor, L.; Tkaczyk, S.; Tran, N. V.; Uplegger, L.; Vaandering, E. W.; Vernieri, C.; Verzocchi, M.; Vidal, R.; Wang, M.; Weber, H. A.; Whitbeck, A.; Acosta, D.; Avery, P.; Bortignon, P.; Bourilkov, D.; Brinkerhoff, A.; Carnes, A.; Carver, M.; Curry, D.; Das, S.; Field, R. D.; Furic, I. K.; Konigsberg, J.; Korytov, A.; Kotov, K.; Ma, P.; Matchev, K.; Mei, H.; Mitselmakher, G.; Rank, D.; Sperka, D.; Terentyev, N.; Thomas, L.; Wang, J.; Wang, S.; Yelton, J.; Joshi, Y. R.; Linn, S.; Markowitz, P.; Rodriguez, J. L.; Ackert, A.; Adams, T.; Askew, A.; Hagopian, S.; Hagopian, V.; Johnson, K. F.; Kolberg, T.; Martinez, G.; Perry, T.; Prosper, H.; Saha, A.; Santra, A.; Yohay, R.; Baarmand, M. M.; Bhopatkar, V.; Colafranceschi, S.; Hohlmann, M.; Noonan, D.; Roy, T.; Yumiceva, F.; Adams, M. R.; Apanasevich, L.; Berry, D.; Betts, R. R.; Cavanaugh, R.; Chen, X.; Evdokimov, O.; Gerber, C. E.; Hangal, D. A.; Hofman, D. J.; Jung, K.; Kamin, J.; Sandoval Gonzalez, I. D.; Tonjes, M. B.; Trauger, H.; Varelas, N.; Wang, H.; Wu, Z.; Zhang, J.; Bilki, B.; Clarida, W.; Dilsiz, K.; Durgut, S.; Gandrajula, R. P.; Haytmyradov, M.; Khristenko, V.; Merlo, J.-P.; Mermerkaya, H.; Mestvirishvili, A.; Moeller, A.; Nachtman, J.; Ogul, H.; Onel, Y.; Ozok, F.; Penzo, A.; Snyder, C.; Tiras, E.; Wetzel, J.; Yi, K.; Blumenfeld, B.; Cocoros, A.; Eminizer, N.; Fehling, D.; Feng, L.; Gritsan, A. V.; Maksimovic, P.; Roskes, J.; Sarica, U.; Swartz, M.; Xiao, M.; You, C.; Al-bataineh, A.; Baringer, P.; Bean, A.; Boren, S.; Bowen, J.; Castle, J.; Khalil, S.; Kropivnitskaya, A.; Majumder, D.; Mcbrayer, W.; Murray, M.; Royon, C.; Sanders, S.; Schmitz, E.; Stringer, R.; Tapia Takaki, J. D.; Wang, Q.; Ivanov, A.; Kaadze, K.; Maravin, Y.; Mohammadi, A.; Saini, L. K.; Skhirtladze, N.; Toda, S.; Rebassoo, F.; Wright, D.; Anelli, C.; Baden, A.; Baron, O.; Belloni, A.; Calvert, B.; Eno, S. C.; Ferraioli, C.; Hadley, N. J.; Jabeen, S.; Jeng, G. Y.; Kellogg, R. G.; Kunkle, J.; Mignerey, A. C.; Ricci-Tam, F.; Shin, Y. H.; Skuja, A.; Tonwar, S. C.; Abercrombie, D.; Allen, B.; Azzolini, V.; Barbieri, R.; Baty, A.; Bi, R.; Brandt, S.; Busza, W.; Cali, I. A.; D'Alfonso, M.; Demiragli, Z.; Gomez Ceballos, G.; Goncharov, M.; Hsu, D.; Iiyama, Y.; Innocenti, G. M.; Klute, M.; Kovalskyi, D.; Lai, Y. S.; Lee, Y.-J.; Levin, A.; Luckey, P. D.; Maier, B.; Marini, A. C.; Mcginn, C.; Mironov, C.; Narayanan, S.; Niu, X.; Paus, C.; Roland, C.; Roland, G.; Salfeld-Nebgen, J.; Stephans, G. S. F.; Tatar, K.; Velicanu, D.; Wang, J.; Wang, T. W.; Wyslouch, B.; Benvenuti, A. C.; Chatterjee, R. M.; Evans, A.; Hansen, P.; Kalafut, S.; Kubota, Y.; Lesko, Z.; Mans, J.; Nourbakhsh, S.; Ruckstuhl, N.; Rusack, R.; Turkewitz, J.; Acosta, J. G.; Oliveros, S.; Avdeeva, E.; Bloom, K.; Claes, D. R.; Fangmeier, C.; Gonzalez Suarez, R.; Kamalieddin, R.; Kravchenko, I.; Monroy, J.; Siado, J. E.; Snow, G. R.; Stieger, B.; Alyari, M.; Dolen, J.; Godshalk, A.; Harrington, C.; Iashvili, I.; Nguyen, D.; Parker, A.; Rappoccio, S.; Roozbahani, B.; Alverson, G.; Barberis, E.; Hortiangtham, A.; Massironi, A.; Morse, D. M.; Nash, D.; Orimoto, T.; Teixeira De Lima, R.; Trocino, D.; Wood, D.; Bhattacharya, S.; Charaf, O.; Hahn, K. A.; Mucia, N.; Odell, N.; Pollack, B.; Schmitt, M. H.; Sung, K.; Trovato, M.; Velasco, M.; Dev, N.; Hildreth, M.; Hurtado Anampa, K.; Jessop, C.; Karmgard, D. J.; Kellams, N.; Lannon, K.; Loukas, N.; Marinelli, N.; Meng, F.; Mueller, C.; Musienko, Y.; Planer, M.; Reinsvold, A.; Ruchti, R.; Smith, G.; Taroni, S.; Wayne, M.; Wolf, M.; Woodard, A.; Alimena, J.; Antonelli, L.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Flowers, S.; Francis, B.; Hart, A.; Hill, C.; Ji, W.; Liu, B.; Luo, W.; Puigh, D.; Winer, B. L.; Wulsin, H. W.; Benaglia, A.; Cooperstein, S.; Driga, O.; Elmer, P.; Hardenbrook, J.; Hebda, P.; Higginbotham, S.; Lange, D.; Luo, J.; Marlow, D.; Mei, K.; Ojalvo, I.; Olsen, J.; Palmer, C.; Piroué, P.; Stickland, D.; Tully, C.; Malik, S.; Norberg, S.; Barker, A.; Barnes, V. E.; Folgueras, S.; Gutay, L.; Jha, M. K.; Jones, M.; Jung, A. W.; Khatiwada, A.; Miller, D. H.; Neumeister, N.; Peng, C. C.; Schulte, J. F.; Sun, J.; Wang, F.; Xie, W.; Cheng, T.; Parashar, N.; Stupak, J.; Adair, A.; Akgun, B.; Chen, Z.; Ecklund, K. M.; Geurts, F. J. M.; Guilbaud, M.; Li, W.; Michlin, B.; Northup, M.; Padley, B. P.; Roberts, J.; Rorie, J.; Tu, Z.; Zabel, J.; Bodek, A.; de Barbaro, P.; Demina, R.; Duh, Y. t.; Ferbel, T.; Galanti, M.; Garcia-Bellido, A.; Han, J.; Hindrichs, O.; Khukhunaishvili, A.; Lo, K. H.; Tan, P.; Verzetti, M.; Ciesielski, R.; Goulianos, K.; Mesropian, C.; Agapitos, A.; Chou, J. P.; Gershtein, Y.; Gómez Espinosa, T. A.; Halkiadakis, E.; Heindl, M.; Hughes, E.; Kaplan, S.; Kunnawalkam Elayavalli, R.; Kyriacou, S.; Lath, A.; Montalvo, R.; Nash, K.; Osherson, M.; Saka, H.; Salur, S.; Schnetzer, S.; Sheffield, D.; Somalwar, S.; Stone, R.; Thomas, S.; Thomassen, P.; Walker, M.; Delannoy, A. G.; Foerster, M.; Heideman, J.; Riley, G.; Rose, K.; Spanier, S.; Thapa, K.; Bouhali, O.; Castaneda Hernandez, A.; Celik, A.; Dalchenko, M.; De Mattia, M.; Delgado, A.; Dildick, S.; Eusebi, R.; Gilmore, J.; Huang, T.; Kamon, T.; Mueller, R.; Pakhotin, Y.; Patel, R.; Perloff, A.; Perniè, L.; Rathjens, D.; Safonov, A.; Tatarinov, A.; Ulmer, K. A.; Akchurin, N.; Damgov, J.; De Guio, F.; Dudero, P. R.; Faulkner, J.; Gurpinar, E.; Kunori, S.; Lamichhane, K.; Lee, S. W.; Libeiro, T.; Peltola, T.; Undleeb, S.; Volobouev, I.; Wang, Z.; Greene, S.; Gurrola, A.; Janjam, R.; Johns, W.; Maguire, C.; Melo, A.; Ni, H.; Sheldon, P.; Tuo, S.; Velkovska, J.; Xu, Q.; Arenton, M. W.; Barria, P.; Cox, B.; Hirosky, R.; Ledovskoy, A.; Li, H.; Neu, C.; Sinthuprasith, T.; Sun, X.; Wang, Y.; Wolfe, E.; Xia, F.; Harr, R.; Karchin, P. E.; Sturdy, J.; Zaleski, S.; Brodski, M.; Buchanan, J.; Caillol, C.; Dasu, S.; Dodd, L.; Duric, S.; Gomber, B.; Grothe, M.; Herndon, M.; Hervé, A.; Hussain, U.; Klabbers, P.; Lanaro, A.; Levine, A.; Long, K.; Loveless, R.; Pierro, G. A.; Polese, G.; Ruggles, T.; Savin, A.; Smith, N.; Smith, W. H.; Taylor, D.; Woods, N.; CMS Collaboration

2018-05-01

A search for long-lived particles was performed with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.6 fb-1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment in 2015. The analysis exploits two customized topological trigger algorithms, and uses the multiplicity of displaced jets to search for the presence of a signal decay occurring at distances between 1 and 1000 mm. The results can be interpreted in a variety of different models. For pair-produced long-lived particles decaying to two b quarks and two leptons with equal decay rates between lepton flavors, cross sections larger than 2.5 fb are excluded for proper decay lengths between 70-100 mm for a long-lived particle mass of 1130 GeV at 95% confidence. For a specific model of pair-produced, long-lived top squarks with R-parity violating decays to a b quark and a lepton, masses below 550-1130 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence for equal branching fractions between lepton flavors, depending on the squark decay length. This mass bound is the most stringent to date for top squark proper decay lengths greater than 3 mm.

Calculation of effective atomic number and electron density of essential biomolecules for electron, proton, alpha particle and multi-energetic photon interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurudirek, Murat; Onaran, Tayfur

2015-07-01

Effective atomic numbers (Zeff) and electron densities (Ne) of some essential biomolecules have been calculated for total electron interaction, total proton interaction and total alpha particle interaction using an interpolation method in the energy region 10 keV-1 GeV. Also, the spectrum weighted Zeff for multi-energetic photons has been calculated using Auto-Zeff program. Biomolecules consist of fatty acids, amino acids, carbohydrates and basic nucleotides of DNA and RNA. Variations of Zeff and Ne with kinetic energy of ionizing charged particles and effective photon energies of heterogeneous sources have been studied for the given materials. Significant variations in Zeff and Ne have been observed through the entire energy region for electron, proton and alpha particle interactions. Non-uniform variation has been observed for protons and alpha particles in low and intermediate energy regions, respectively. The maximum values of Zeff have found to be in higher energies for total electron interaction whereas maximum values have found to be in relatively low energies for total proton and total alpha particle interactions. When it comes to the multi-energetic photon sources, it has to be noted that the highest Zeff values were found at low energy region where photoelectric absorption is the pre-dominant interaction process. The lowest values of Zeff have been shown in biomolecules such as stearic acid, leucine, mannitol and thymine, which have highest H content in their groups. Variation in Ne seems to be more or less the same with the variation in Zeff for the given materials as expected.

The effect of alpha-particle and proton irradiation on the electrical and defect properties of n-GaAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, S. A.; Auret, F. D.; Meyer, W. E.

1994-05-01

Radiation damage effects were studied in n-GaAs grown by organo-metallic vapour phase epitaxy (OMVPE) for a wide range of alpha-particle (2.0 MeV and 5.4 MeV) and proton (2.0 MeV) particle fluences, using an americium-241 (Am-241) radio-nuclide and a linear Van de Graaff accelerator as the particle sources. The samples were irradiated at 300 K, after fabricating palladium Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) on the 1.2 × 10 16 cm 3 Si-doped epitaxial layers. The irradiation-induced defects are characterized using conventional deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). A correlation is made between the change in SBD characteristics and the quantity and type of defects introduced during irradiation. It is shown that the two parameters most susceptible to this irradiation are the reverse leakage current of the SBDs and the free carrier density of the epilayer. The introduction rate and the "signatures" of the alpha-particle and proton irradiation-induced defects are calculated and compared to those of similar defects introduced during electron irradiation.

Delivery of halogenated very short-lived substances from the west Indian Ocean to the stratosphere during the Asian summer monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiehn, Alina; Quack, Birgit; Hepach, Helmke; Fuhlbrügge, Steffen; Tegtmeier, Susann; Toohey, Matthew; Atlas, Elliot; Krüger, Kirstin

2017-06-01

Halogenated very short-lived substances (VSLSs) are naturally produced in the ocean and emitted to the atmosphere. When transported to the stratosphere, these compounds can have a significant influence on the ozone layer and climate. During a research cruise on RV Sonne in the subtropical and tropical west Indian Ocean in July and August 2014, we measured the VSLSs, methyl iodide (CH3I) and for the first time bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2), in surface seawater and the marine atmosphere to derive their emission strengths. Using the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART with ERA-Interim meteorological fields, we calculated the direct contribution of observed VSLS emissions to the stratospheric halogen burden during the Asian summer monsoon. Furthermore, we compare the in situ calculations with the interannual variability of transport from a larger area of the west Indian Ocean surface to the stratosphere for July 2000-2015. We found that the west Indian Ocean is a strong source for CHBr3 (910 pmol m-2 h-1), very strong source for CH2Br2 (930 pmol m-2 h-1), and an average source for CH3I (460 pmol m-2 h-1). The atmospheric transport from the tropical west Indian Ocean surface to the stratosphere experiences two main pathways. On very short timescales, especially relevant for the shortest-lived compound CH3I (3.5 days lifetime), convection above the Indian Ocean lifts oceanic air masses and VSLSs towards the tropopause. On a longer timescale, the Asian summer monsoon circulation transports oceanic VSLSs towards India and the Bay of Bengal, where they are lifted with the monsoon convection and reach stratospheric levels in the southeastern part of the Asian monsoon anticyclone. This transport pathway is more important for the longer-lived brominated compounds (17 and 150 days lifetime for CHBr3 and CH2Br2). The entrainment of CHBr3 and CH3I from the west Indian Ocean to the stratosphere during the Asian summer monsoon is lower than from previous

Rapid production of positron emitting labeled compounds for use in cardiology PET studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolomey, Leonard

1985-05-01

Large scale clinical application of positron emission tomography requires a variety of short-lived positron emitting radionuclides to be produced in Curie quantities up to 20 times per day. Rapid routine production of these radiopharmaceuticals requires the collaboration of engineers and chemists to achieve production targetry compatible with high beam current (up to 100 μA) and radionuclide production in a chemical form compatible with the rapid radiochemical synthesis. Chemical processing is further complicated by the need to repeat the procedures several times per day and maintain sterility within the shielded area. At our cyclotron facility primary production targets for 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F (half lives from 2 min to 2 h) are mounted on a vertical gantr that indexes to position the required target on the beam line. Target changes are handled under microprocessor control remotely from the control room such that all valves, cooling, evacuation of target manifold, and testing of interlocks are handled automatically. This system enables us to change targets, energy and particles in less than five minutes. Since the installation of the cyclotron up to fifteen batches of routine radiopharmaceuticals have been produced per day with very low radiation doses to all personnel involved. These radiopharmaceuticals will be used to measure perfusion, metabolism and other biochemical functions in man non invasively with PET.

Background canceling surface alpha detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, D.W.; Allander, K.S.; Bounds, J.A.

1996-06-11

A background canceling long range alpha detector which is capable of providing output proportional to both the alpha radiation emitted from a surface and to radioactive gas emanating from the surface. The detector operates by using an electrical field between first and second signal planes, an enclosure and the surface or substance to be monitored for alpha radiation. The first and second signal planes are maintained at the same voltage with respect to the electrically conductive enclosure, reducing leakage currents. In the presence of alpha radiation and radioactive gas decay, the signal from the first signal plane is proportional to both the surface alpha radiation and to the airborne radioactive gas, while the signal from the second signal plane is proportional only to the airborne radioactive gas. The difference between these two signals is proportional to the surface alpha radiation alone. 5 figs.

Background canceling surface alpha detector

DOEpatents

MacArthur, Duncan W.; Allander, Krag S.; Bounds, John A.

1996-01-01

A background canceling long range alpha detector which is capable of providing output proportional to both the alpha radiation emitted from a surface and to radioactive gas emanating from the surface. The detector operates by using an electrical field between first and second signal planes, an enclosure and the surface or substance to be monitored for alpha radiation. The first and second signal planes are maintained at the same voltage with respect to the electrically conductive enclosure, reducing leakage currents. In the presence of alpha radiation and radioactive gas decay, the signal from the first signal plane is proportional to both the surface alpha radiation and to the airborne radioactive gas, while the signal from the second signal plane is proportional only to the airborne radioactive gas. The difference between these two signals is proportional to the surface alpha radiation alone.

``Sleeping reactor`` irradiations: Shutdown reactor determination of short-lived activation products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jerde, E.A.; Glasgow, D.C.

1998-09-01

At the High-Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the principal irradiation system has a thermal neutron flux ({phi}) of {approximately} 4 {times} 10{sup 14} n/cm{sup 2} {center_dot} s, permitting the detection of elements via irradiation of 60 s or less. Irradiations of 6 or 7 s are acceptable for detection of elements with half-lives of as little as 30 min. However, important elements such as Al, Mg, Ti, and V have half-lives of only a few minutes. At HFIR, these can be determined with irradiation times of {approximately} 6 s, but the requirement of immediate countingmore » leads to increased exposure to the high activity produced by irradiation in the high flux. In addition, pneumatic system timing uncertainties (about {+-} 0.5 s) make irradiations of < 6 s less reliable. Therefore, the determination of these ultra-short-lived species in mixed matrices has not generally been made at HFIR. The authors have found that very short lived activation products can be produced easily during the period after reactor shutdown (SCRAM), but prior to the removal of spent fuel elements. During this 24- to 36-h period (dubbed the ``sleeping reactor``), neutrons are produced in the beryllium reflector by the reaction {sup 9}Be({gamma},n){sup 8}Be, the gamma rays principally originating in the spent fuel. Upon reactor SCRAM, the flux drops to {approximately} 1 {times} 10{sup 10} n/cm{sup 2} {center_dot} s within 1 h. By the time the fuel elements are removed, the flux has dropped to {approximately} 6 {times} 10{sup 8}. Such fluxes are ideal for the determination of short-lived elements such as Al, Ti, Mg, and V. An important feature of the sleeping reactor is a flux that is not constant.« less

A proposal for assessing study quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument.

PubMed

LaKind, Judy S; Sobus, Jon R; Goodman, Michael; Barr, Dana Boyd; Fürst, Peter; Albertini, Richard J; Arbuckle, Tye E; Schoeters, Greet; Tan, Yu-Mei; Teeguarden, Justin; Tornero-Velez, Rogelio; Weisel, Clifford P

2014-12-01

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals present several challenges, including their presence in analytical laboratories and sampling equipment, difficulty in establishing temporal order in cross-sectional studies, short- and long-term variability in exposures and biomarker concentrations, and a paucity of information on the number of measurements required for proper exposure classification. To date, the scientific community has not developed a set of systematic guidelines for designing, implementing and interpreting studies of short-lived chemicals that use biomonitoring as the exposure metric or for evaluating the quality of this type of research for WOE assessments or for peer review of grants or publications. We describe key issues that affect epidemiology studies using biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals and propose a systematic instrument--the Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument--for evaluating the quality of research proposals and studies that incorporate biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals. Quality criteria for three areas considered fundamental to the evaluation of epidemiology studies that include biological measurements of short-lived chemicals are described: 1) biomarker selection and measurement, 2) study design and execution, and 3) general epidemiological study design considerations. We recognize that the development of an evaluative tool such as BEES-C is neither simple nor non-controversial. We hope and anticipate that the instrument will initiate further discussion/debate on this topic. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A proposal for assessing study quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument

PubMed Central

LaKind, Judy S.; Sobus, Jon R.; Goodman, Michael; Barr, Dana Boyd; Fürst, Peter; Albertini, Richard J.; Arbuckle, Tye E.; Schoeters, Greet; Tan, Yu-Mei; Teeguarden, Justin; Tornero-Velez, Rogelio; Weisel, Clifford P.

2015-01-01

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals present several challenges, including their presence in analytical laboratories and sampling equipment, difficulty in establishing temporal order in cross-sectional studies, short- and long-term variability in exposures and biomarker concentrations, and a paucity of information on the number of measurements required for proper exposure classification. To date, the scientific community has not developed a set of systematic guidelines for designing, implementing and interpreting studies of short-lived chemicals that use biomonitoring as the exposure metric or for evaluating the quality of this type of research for WOE assessments or for peer review of grants or publications. We describe key issues that affect epidemiology studies using biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals and propose a systematic instrument – the Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument – for evaluating the quality of research proposals and studies that incorporate biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals. Quality criteria for three areas considered fundamental to the evaluation of epidemiology studies that include biological measurements of short-lived chemicals are described: 1) biomarker selection and measurement, 2) study design and execution, and 3) general epidemiological study design considerations. We recognize that the development of an evaluative tool such as BEES-C is neither simple nor non-controversial. We hope and anticipate that the instrument will initiate further discussion/debate on this topic. PMID:25137624

Cross Sections for Balmer-Alpha Excitation in Heavy Particle Collisions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Young Kun

Doppler shifted and unshifted Balmer-alpha radiation has been observed in the absolute sense for energetic H('+), H(,2)('+) and H(,3)('+) ions incident on molecular hydrogen by the method of decay inside the target within the energy range of 20 keV to 150 keV. Most of the measurements were based on single-collision conditions, but a simple thick -target experiment has been tried for the case of dissociative excitation of the target molecules by H atoms. The Balmer-alpha radiation emitted by hydrogen and deuterium beams has been used as a diagnostic method of neutral beam parameters. One important neutral beam parameter is the species mix between H('+), H(,2)('+) and H(,3)('+) ion currents produced by the ion source and accelerator. This species mix can be resolved by analysis of the Balmer-alpha radiation if the beam is observed along an off normal axis with sufficient spectral resolution to separate the Doppler shifted radiation components from each other. An impediment to this approach to measuring the ion species is that some of the required cross sections have not been measured. This is the motivation for the presented experimental work. A home made monochromator gave enough optical throughput and spectral resolution for separation of the Doppler shifted lines from the unshifted lines. By selectively varying the target pressure and the distance of travel into the target prior to the observation region, excitation cross sections for three different angular momentum states (3s, 3p and 3d) have been determined. Combinations of a linear polarizer and a half-wave plate were used for polarization measurement. Separation of the individual Zeeman levels have been tried for the 3p state from the information obtained from the polarization. Theoretical estimates of the cascading corrections have been applied in the case of both thin and thick targets. The intensity development equations for thick targets also have been derived. Cross sections for 3s production show

Simulation of the alpha particle heating and the helium ash source in an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-like tokamak with an internal transport barrier

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ye, Lei, E-mail: lye@ipp.ac.cn; Guo, Wenfeng; Xiao, Xiaotao

2014-12-15

A guiding center orbit following code, which incorporates a set of non-singular coordinates for orbit integration, was developed and applied to investigate the alpha particle heating in an ITER-like tokamak with an internal transport barrier. It is found that a relatively large q (safety factor) value can significantly broaden the alpha heating profile in comparison with the local heating approximation; this broadening is due to the finite orbit width effects; when the orbit width is much smaller than the scale length of the alpha particle source profile, the heating profile agrees with the source profile, otherwise, the heating profile canmore » be significantly broadened. It is also found that the stagnation particles move to the magnetic axis during the slowing-down process, thus the effect of stagnation orbits is not beneficial to the helium ash removal. The source profile of helium ash is broadened in comparison with the alpha source profile, which is similar to the heating profile.« less

Humidity influenced capacitance and resistance of an Al/DNA/Al Schottky diode irradiated by alpha particles

PubMed Central

Al-Ta’ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Amin, Yusoff Mohd; Periasamy, Vengadesh

2016-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA based sensors, especially as humidity and alpha particle sensors have become quite popular in recent times due to flexible and highly optimizable nature of this fundamental biomaterial. Application of DNA electronics allow for more sensitive, accurate and effective sensors to be developed and fabricated. In this work, we examined the effect of different humidity conditions on the capacitive and resistive response of Aluminum (Al)/DNA/Al Schottky barrier structure when bombarded by time-dependent dosages of alpha particles. Based on current-voltage profiles, which demonstrated rectifying behaviours, Schottky diode parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance was calculated. Results observed generally pointed towards a decrease in the resistance value from the pristine to the radiated structures. It was also demonstrated that under the effect of humidity, the capacitance of the DNA thin film increased from 0.05894 to 92.736 nF, with rising relative humidity level. We also observed the occurrence of the hypersensitivity phenomena after alpha irradiation between 2 to 4 min by observing a drop in the series resistance, crucial in the study of DNA damage and repair mechanisms. These observations may also suggest the exciting possibility of utilizing Al/DNA/Al Schottky diodes as potentially sensitive humidity sensors. PMID:27160654

Alpha-Driven MHD and MHD-Induced Alpha Loss in TFTR DT Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Zuoyang

1996-11-01

Theoretical calculation and numerical simulation indicate that there can be interesting interactions between alpha particles and MHD activity which can adversely affect the performance of a tokamak reactor (e.g., ITER). These interactions include alpha-driven MHD, like the toroidicity-induced-Alfven-eigenmode (TAE) and MHD induced alpha particle losses or redistribution. Both phenomena have been observed in recent TFTR DT experiments. Weak alpha-driven TAE activity was observed in a NBI-heated DT experiment characterized by high q0 ( >= 2) and low core magnetic shear. The TAE mode appears at ~30-100 ms after the neutral beam turning off approximately as predicted by theory. The mode has an amplitude measured by magnetic coils at the edge tildeB_p ~1 mG, frequency ~150-190 kHz and toroidal mode number ~2-3. It lasts only ~ 30-70 ms and has been seen only in DT discharges with fusion power level about 1.5-2.0 MW. Numerical calculation using NOVA-K code shows that this type of plasma has a big TAE gap. The calculated TAE frequency and mode number are close to the observation. (2) KBM-induced alpha particle loss^1. In some high-β, high fusion power DT experiments, enhanced alpha particle losses were observed to be correlated to the high frequency MHD modes with f ~100-200 kHz (the TAE frequency would be two-times higher) and n ~5-10. These modes are localized around the peak plasma pressure gradient and have ballooning characteristics. Alpha loss increases by 30-100% during the modes. Particle orbit simulations show the added loss results from wave-particle resonance. Linear instability analysis indicates that the plasma is unstable to the kinetic MHD ballooning modes (KBM) driven primarily by strong local pressure gradients. ----------------- ^1Z. Chang, et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76 (1996) 1071. In collaberation with R. Nazikian, G.-Y. Fu, S. Batha, R. Budny, L. Chen, D. Darrow, E. Fredrickson, R. Majeski, D. Mansfield, K. McGuire, G. Rewoldt, G. Taylor, R. White, K

Null geodesics and red-blue shifts of photons emitted from geodesic particles around a noncommutative black hole space-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuniyal, Ravi Shankar; Uniyal, Rashmi; Biswas, Anindya; Nandan, Hemwati; Purohit, K. D.

2018-06-01

We investigate the geodesic motion of massless test particles in the background of a noncommutative geometry-inspired Schwarzschild black hole. The behavior of effective potential is analyzed in the equatorial plane and the possible motions of massless particles (i.e. photons) for different values of impact parameter are discussed accordingly. We have also calculated the frequency shift of photons in this space-time. Further, the mass parameter of a noncommutative inspired Schwarzschild black hole is computed in terms of the measurable redshift of photons emitted by massive particles moving along circular geodesics in equatorial plane. The strength of gravitational fields of noncommutative geometry-inspired Schwarzschild black hole and usual Schwarzschild black hole in General Relativity is also compared.

Search for new long-lived particles at s = 13  TeV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sirunyan, A. M.; Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.

A search for long-lived particles was performed with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.6 fb -1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment in 2015. The analysis exploits two customized topological trigger algorithms, and uses the multiplicity of displaced jets to search for the presence of a signal decay occurring at distances between 1 and 1000 mm. The results can be interpreted in a variety of different models. For pair-produced long-lived particles decaying to two b quarks and two leptons with equal decay rates between lepton flavors, cross sections larger than 2.5 fbmore » are excluded for proper decay lengths between 70–100 mm for a long-lived particle mass of 1130 GeV at 95% confidence. For a specific model of pair-produced, long-lived top squarks with R-parity violating decays to a b quark and a lepton, masses below 550–1130 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence for equal branching fractions between lepton flavors, depending on the squark decay length. This mass bound is the most stringent to date for top squark proper decay lengths greater than 3 mm.« less

Search for new long-lived particles at s = 13  TeV

DOE PAGES

Sirunyan, A. M.; Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; ...

2018-03-14

A search for long-lived particles was performed with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.6 fb -1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment in 2015. The analysis exploits two customized topological trigger algorithms, and uses the multiplicity of displaced jets to search for the presence of a signal decay occurring at distances between 1 and 1000 mm. The results can be interpreted in a variety of different models. For pair-produced long-lived particles decaying to two b quarks and two leptons with equal decay rates between lepton flavors, cross sections larger than 2.5 fbmore » are excluded for proper decay lengths between 70–100 mm for a long-lived particle mass of 1130 GeV at 95% confidence. For a specific model of pair-produced, long-lived top squarks with R-parity violating decays to a b quark and a lepton, masses below 550–1130 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence for equal branching fractions between lepton flavors, depending on the squark decay length. This mass bound is the most stringent to date for top squark proper decay lengths greater than 3 mm.« less

Short-Wavelength Light-Emitting Devices With Enhanced Hole Injection Currents

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

hot-hole injector with appreciably enhancement of the injection current is proposed and developed to be integrated with commonly used vertical...structures of the emitting devices. Second, we develop the alternative design of UV-light sources on the base of lateral p+ - i - n+ superlattice structures...enhancement of the injection current is proposed and developed to be integrated with commonly used vertical structures of the emitting devices. Second

Selection and paucity of phylogenetic signal challenge the utility of alpha-tubulin in reconstruction of evolutionary history of free-living litostomateans (Protista, Ciliophora).

PubMed

Rajter, Ľubomír; Vďačný, Peter

2018-05-12

The class Litostomatea represents a highly diverse but monophyletic group, uniting both free-living and endosymbiotic ciliates. Ribosomal RNA genes and ITS-region sequences helped to recognize and define the main litostomatean lineages, but did not provide enough phylogenetic signal to unambiguously resolve their interrelationships. In this study, we attempted to improve the resolution among main free-living predatory lineages by adding the gene coding for alpha-tubulin. However, our phylogenetic analyses challenged the performance of alpha-tubulin in reconstruction of evolutionary history of free-living litostomateans. We identified several mutually interconnected problems associated with the ciliate alpha-tubulin gene: the paucity of phylogenetic signal, molecular homoplasies and non-neutral evolution. Positive selection may generate molecular homoplasies (parallel evolution), while negative selection may cause a small number of changes and hence little phylogenetic informativness. Both problems were encountered in nucleotide and amino acid alpha-tubulin alignments, indicating an action of various selective pressures. Taking into account the involvement of alpha-tubulin in many essential biological processes, this protein could be so strongly affected by purifying selection that it even might have become an inappropriate molecular marker for reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships. Therefore, a great caution should be paid when tubulin genes are included in phylogenetic and/or phylogenomic analyses. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An improved electrostatic integrating radon monitor with the CR-39 as alpha-particle detector.

PubMed

Fan, D; Zhuo, W; Chen, B; Zhao, C; Yi, Y; Zhang, Y

2015-11-01

In this study, based on the electrostatic integrating radon monitor (EIRM) developed by Iida et al., a new type of EIRM with the allyl glycol carbonate (CR-39) as alpha-particle detector was developed for outdoor radon measurements. Besides using the CR-39 to replace the cellulose nitrate film as alpha-particle detector, the electrode and the setting place of the CR-39 were also optimally designed based on the simulation results of the electric field and the detection efficiency. The calibration factor of the new EIRM was estimated to be 0.136±0.002 tracks cm(-2) (Bq m(-3) h)(-1), with the lower detection limit of 0.6 Bq m(-3) for a 2-month exposure. Furthermore, both the battery and the dry agent were also replaced to protect the environment. The results of intercomparison and field experiments showed that the performances of the new EIRM were much better than the original one. It suggests that the new type of ERIM is more suitable for large-scale and long-term outdoor radon surveys. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Search for long-lived heavy charged particles using a ring imaging Cherenkov technique at LHCb.

PubMed

Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Affolder, A; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Anderson, J; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Aquines Gutierrez, O; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Batozskaya, V; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bien, A; Bifani, S; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borghi, S; Borgia, A; Borsato, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Brett, D; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Brook, N H; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casanova Mohr, R; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S F; Chiapolini, N; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombes, M; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Counts, I; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Silva, W; De Simone, P; Dean, C T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Déléage, N; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Di Ruscio, F; Dijkstra, H; Donleavy, S; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dossett, D; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dujany, G; Dupertuis, F; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Easo, S; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; El Rifai, I; Elsasser, Ch; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Färber, C; Farinelli, C; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Albor, V; Ferrari, F; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fol, P; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forty, R; Francisco, O; Frank, M; Frei, C; Frosini, M; Fu, J; Furfaro, E; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; García Pardiñas, J; Garofoli, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gauld, R; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Geraci, A; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianelle, A; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Giubega, L; Gligorov, V V; Göbel, C; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gotti, C; Grabalosa Gándara, M; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Greening, E; Gregson, S; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Grünberg, O; Gui, B; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Hampson, T; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; He, J; Head, T; Heijne, V; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; Hernando Morata, J A; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hoballah, M; Hombach, C; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Hynds, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jing, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Karbach, T M; Karodia, S; Kelsey, M; Kenyon, I R; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Kochebina, O; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krocker, G; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; La Thi, V N; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lambert, R W; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Langhans, B; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J P; Lefèvre, R; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Liles, M; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, B; Lohn, S; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Machefert, F; Machikhiliyan, I V; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Mapelli, A; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marino, P; Märki, R; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; McSkelly, B; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Merk, M; Milanes, D A; Minard, M N; Mitzel, D S; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Mussini, M; Muster, B; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Niess, V; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Okhrimenko, O; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Osorio Rodrigues, B; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; 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Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tuning, N; Ubeda Garcia, M; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vázquez Sierra, C; Vecchi, S; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vollhardt, A; Volyanskyy, D; Voong, D; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wandernoth, S; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wiedner, D; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wright, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zangoli, M; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zhokhov, A; Zhong, L

A search is performed for heavy long-lived charged particles using 3.0 [Formula: see text] of proton-proton collisions collected at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] 7 and 8  TeV with the LHCb detector. The search is mainly based on the response of the ring imaging Cherenkov detectors to distinguish the heavy, slow-moving particles from muons. No evidence is found for the production of such long-lived states. The results are expressed as limits on the Drell-Yan production of pairs of long-lived particles, with both particles in the LHCb pseudorapidity acceptance, [Formula: see text]. The mass-dependent cross-section upper limits are in the range 2-4 fb (at 95 % CL) for masses between 14 and 309 [Formula: see text].

Nanozeolite bioconjugates labeled with 223Ra for targeted alpha therapy.

PubMed

Piotrowska, Agata; Męczyńska-Wielgosz, Sylwia; Majkowska-Pilip, Agnieszka; Koźmiński, Przemysław; Wójciuk, Grzegorz; Cędrowska, Edyta; Bruchertseifer, Frank; Morgenstern, Alfred; Kruszewski, Marcin; Bilewicz, Aleksander

2017-04-01

Alpha particle emitting isotopes are of considerable interest for radionuclide therapy because of their high cytotoxicity and short path length. Among the many α emitters, 223 Ra exhibits very attractive nuclear properties for application in radionuclide therapy. The decay of this radioisotope and its daughters is accompanied by the emission of four α-particles, releasing 27.9MeV of cumulative energy. Unfortunately the lack of an appropriate bifunctional ligand for radium has so far been a main obstacle for the application of 223 Ra in receptor targeted therapy. In our studies we investigated the use of nanozeolite-Substance P bioconjugates as vehicles for 223 Ra radionuclides for targeted α therapy. The sodium form of an A-type of nanozeolite (NaA) was synthesized using the template method. Next, the nanozeolite particles were conjugated to the Substance P (5-11) peptide fragment, which targets NK-1 receptors on glioma cells. The obtained bioconjugate was characterized by transmission emission spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic light scattering analysis. The NaA-silane-PEG-SP(5-11) bioconjugates were labeled with 223 Ra by exchange of the Na + cation and the stability, receptor affinity and cytotoxicity of the obtained radiobioconjugates were tested. The 223 Ra-labeled nanozeolite bioconjugate almost quantitatively retains 223 Ra in vitro after 6days, while the retention of decay products varies from 90 to 95%. The synthesized 223 RaA-silane-PEG-SP(5-11) showed high receptor affinity toward NK-1 receptor expressing glioma cells and exhibited a high cytotoxic effect in vitro. Substance P functionalized nanozeolite-A represents a viable solution for the use of the 223 Ra in vivo generator as a therapeutic construct for targeting glioma cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the accuracy of mono-energetic electron and beta-emitting isotope dose-point kernels using particle and heavy ion transport code system: PHITS.

PubMed

Shiiba, Takuro; Kuga, Naoya; Kuroiwa, Yasuyoshi; Sato, Tatsuhiko

2017-10-01

We assessed the accuracy of mono-energetic electron and beta-emitting isotope dose-point kernels (DPKs) calculated using the particle and heavy ion transport code system (PHITS) for patient-specific dosimetry in targeted radionuclide treatment (TRT) and compared our data with published data. All mono-energetic and beta-emitting isotope DPKs calculated using PHITS, both in water and compact bone, were in good agreement with those in literature using other MC codes. PHITS provided reliable mono-energetic electron and beta-emitting isotope scaled DPKs for patient-specific dosimetry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alpha-driven magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and MHD-induced alpha loss in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Z.; Nazikian, R.; Fu, G.Y.

1997-02-01

Alpha-driven toroidal Alfven eigenmodes (TAEs) are observed as predicted by theory in the post neutral beam phase in high central q (safety factor) deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The mode location, poloidal structure and the importance of q profile for TAE instability are discussed. So far no alpha particle loss due to these modes was detected due to the small mode amplitude. However, alpha loss induced by kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) was observed in high confinement D-T discharges. Particle orbit simulation demonstrates that the wave-particle resonant interaction can explain the observed correlation between the increasemore » in alpha loss and appearance of multiple high-n (n {ge} 6, n is the toroidal mode number) modes.« less

Effect of alpha-tocopherol on bovine in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Marques, A; Santos, P; Antunes, G; Chaveiro, A; Moreira da Silva, F

2010-02-01

The objectives of this work are to determine if exogenous supplementation with alpha-tocopherol increases the in vitro fertilization (IVF) rate of bovine oocytes and improves viability of selected spermatozoa after 'swim-up'. The percentage of fertilized oocytes was significantly but negatively correlated (r = -0.941, p < 0.01) with the concentration of alpha-tocopherol. The control resulted in 95% of fertilized oocytes, which decreased as follows: 25 microM alpha-tocopherol (alpha25) 86%, 50 microM alpha-tocopherol (alpha50) 74%, 100 microM alpha-tocopherol (alpha100) 66% and 200 microM alpha-tocopherol (alpha200) 56%. Relatively to sperm viability after 'swim-up' with alpha-tocopherol supplementation, this antioxidant proved to have a beneficial effect as its concentration increased up to alpha50, decreasing for the concentrations of alpha100 and alpha200. Control resulted in 83% of live cells and 16% of dead cells; alpha25 resulted in 88% of live cells and 12% of dead cells; alpha50 resulted in 91% of live cells and 9% of dead cells; alpha100 resulted in 67% of live cells and 33% of dead cells; and finally alpha200 resulted in 57% of live cells and 42% of dead cells. In summary, the present study allows to conclude that, in our conditions, supplementation with the antioxidant alpha-tocopherol in IVF of bovine oocytes has a detrimental effect on fertilization rates. Nevertheless, exogenous supplementation with alpha-tocopherol at a concentration of 50 mM in the sperm-TALP media during the 'swim-up' technique has a significant beneficial effect on the selected spermatozoa viability.

Basophil mediated pro-allergic inflammation in vehicle-emitted particles exposure.

PubMed

Zakharenko, Alexander M; Engin, Ayse Basak; Chernyshev, Valery V; Chaika, Vladimir V; Ugay, Sergey M; Rezaee, Ramin; Karimi, Gholamreza; Drozd, Vladimir A; Nikitina, Anna V; Solomennik, Sergey F; Kudryavkina, Olga R; Xin, Liu; Wenpeng, Yuan; Tzatzarakis, Manolis; Tsatsakis, Aristidis M; Golokhvast, Kirill S

2017-01-01

Despite of the fact that engine manufacturers develop a new technology to reduce exhaust emissions, insufficient attention given to particulate emissions. However, diesel exhaust particles are a major source of air-borne pollution, contain vast amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and may have deleterious effects on the immune system, resulting in the induction and enhancement of pro-allergic processes. In the current study, vehicle emitted particles (VEP) from 2 different types of cars (diesel - D and gasoline - G) and locomotive (L) were collected. Overall, 129 four-week-old, male SPF-class Kunming mice were subcutaneously instilled with either low dose 100, 250 or high dose, 500mg/kg VEP and 15 mice were assigned as control group. The systemic toxicity was evaluated and alterations in the percentages of the CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD25 expressing cells, basophils, eosinophils and neutrophils were determined. Basophil percentages were inversely associated with the PAH content of the VEPs, however basophil sensitization was more important than cell count in VEP exposure. Thus, the effects of VEP-PAHs emerge with the activation of basophils in an allergen independent fashion. Despite the increased percentage of CD4+ T cells, a sharp decrease in basophil counts at 500mg/kg of VEP indicates a decreased inhibitory effect of CD16+ monocytes on the proliferation of CD4+ T cell and suppressed polarization into a Th2 phenotype. Therefore, although the restrictions for vehicles emissions differ between countries, follow up studies and strict regulations are needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Communication: Low-energy free-electron driven molecular engineering: In situ preparation of intrinsically short-lived carbon-carbon covalent dimer of CO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Daly; Sajeev, Y.

2017-02-01

Molecular modification induced through the resonant attachment of a low energy electron (LEE) is a novel approach for molecular engineering. In this communication, we explore the possibility to use the LEE as a quantum tool for the in situ preparation of short lived molecules. Using ab initio quantum chemical methods, this possibility is best illustrated for the in situ preparation of the intrinsically short-lived carbon-carbon covalent dimer of CO from a glyoxal molecule. The chemical conversion of glyoxal to the covalent dimer of CO is initiated and driven by the resonant capture of a near 11 eV electron by the glyoxal molecule. The resulting two-particle one-hole (2p-1h) negative ion resonant state (NIRS) of the glyoxal molecule undergoes a barrierless radical dehydrogenation reaction and produces the covalent dimer of CO. The autoionization electron spectra from the 2p-1h NIRS at the dissociation limit of the dehydrogenation reaction provides access to the electronic states of the CO dimer. The overall process is an example of a catalytic electron reaction channel.

THE LYMAN ALPHA REFERENCE SAMPLE: EXTENDED LYMAN ALPHA HALOS PRODUCED AT LOW DUST CONTENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayes, Matthew; Oestlin, Goeran; Duval, Florent

2013-03-10

We report on new imaging observations of the Lyman alpha emission line (Ly{alpha}), performed with the Hubble Space Telescope, that comprise the backbone of the Lyman alpha Reference Sample. We present images of 14 starburst galaxies at redshifts 0.028 < z < 0.18 in continuum-subtracted Ly{alpha}, H{alpha}, and the far ultraviolet continuum. We show that Ly{alpha} is emitted on scales that systematically exceed those of the massive stellar population and recombination nebulae: as measured by the Petrosian 20% radius, R{sub P20}, Ly{alpha} radii are larger than those of H{alpha} by factors ranging from 1 to 3.6, with an average ofmore » 2.4. The average ratio of Ly{alpha}-to-FUV radii is 2.9. This suggests that much of the Ly{alpha} light is pushed to large radii by resonance scattering. Defining the Relative Petrosian Extension of Ly{alpha} compared to H{alpha}, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} = R {sup Ly{alpha}}{sub P20}/R {sup H{alpha}}{sub P20}, we find {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} to be uncorrelated with total Ly{alpha} luminosity. However, {xi}{sub Ly{alpha}} is strongly correlated with quantities that scale with dust content, in the sense that a low dust abundance is a necessary requirement (although not the only one) in order to spread Ly{alpha} photons throughout the interstellar medium and drive a large extended Ly{alpha} halo.« less

Broadband light-emitting diode

DOEpatents

Fritz, Ian J.; Klem, John F.; Hafich, Michael J.

1998-01-01

A broadband light-emitting diode. The broadband light-emitting diode (LED) comprises a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers grown on a semiconductor substrate, with the semiconductor layers including a pair of cladding layers sandwiched about a strained-quantum-well active region having a plurality of different energy bandgaps for generating light in a wavelength range of about 1.3-2 .mu.m. In one embodiment of the present invention, the active region may comprise a first-grown quantum-well layer and a last-grown quantum-well layer that are oppositely strained; whereas in another embodiment of the invention, the active region is formed from a short-period superlattice structure (i.e. a pseudo alloy) comprising alternating thin layers of InGaAs and InGaAlAs. The use a short-period superlattice structure for the active region allows different layers within the active region to be simply and accurately grown by repetitively opening and closing one or more shutters in an MBE growth apparatus to repetitively switch between different growth states therein. The broadband LED may be formed as either a surface-emitting LED or as an edge-emitting LED for use in applications such as chemical sensing, fiber optic gyroscopes, wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) fiber-optic data links, and WDM fiber-optic sensor networks for automobiles and aircraft.

Broadband light-emitting diode

DOEpatents

Fritz, I.J.; Klem, J.F.; Hafich, M.J.

1998-07-14

A broadband light-emitting diode is disclosed. The broadband light-emitting diode (LED) comprises a plurality of III-V compound semiconductor layers grown on a semiconductor substrate, with the semiconductor layers including a pair of cladding layers sandwiched about a strained-quantum-well active region having a plurality of different energy bandgaps for generating light in a wavelength range of about 1.3--2 {micro}m. In one embodiment of the present invention, the active region may comprise a first-grown quantum-well layer and a last-grown quantum-well layer that are oppositely strained; whereas in another embodiment of the invention, the active region is formed from a short-period superlattice structure (i.e. a pseudo alloy) comprising alternating thin layers of InGaAs and InGaAlAs. The use a short-period superlattice structure for the active region allows different layers within the active region to be simply and accurately grown by repetitively opening and closing one or more shutters in an MBE growth apparatus to repetitively switch between different growth states therein. The broadband LED may be formed as either a surface-emitting LED or as an edge-emitting LED for use in applications such as chemical sensing, fiber optic gyroscopes, wavelength-divisionmultiplexed (WDM) fiber-optic data links, and WDM fiber-optic sensor networks for automobiles and aircraft. 10 figs.

Clustering of galaxies near damped Lyman-alpha systems with (z) = 2.6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, A. M

1993-01-01

The galaxy two-point correlation function, xi, at (z) = 2.6 is determined by comparing the number of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies in narrowband CCD fields selected for the presence of damped L-alpha absorption to their number in randomly selected control fields. Comparisons between the presented determination of (xi), a density-weighted volume average of xi, and model predictions for (xi) at large redshifts show that models in which the clustering pattern is fixed in proper coordinates are highly unlikely, while better agreement is obtained if the clustering pattern is fixed in comoving coordinates. Therefore, clustering of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies around damped Ly-alpha systems at large redshifts is strong. It is concluded that the faint blue galaxies are drawn from a parent population different from normal galaxies, the presumed offspring of damped Ly-alpha systems.

Comprehensive evaluation of the linear stability of Alfvén eigenmodes driven by alpha particles in an ITER baseline scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueiredo, A. C. A.; Rodrigues, P.; Borba, D.; Coelho, R.; Fazendeiro, L.; Ferreira, J.; Loureiro, N. F.; Nabais, F.; Pinches, S. D.; Polevoi, A. R.; Sharapov, S. E.

2016-07-01

The linear stability of Alfvén eigenmodes in the presence of fusion-born alpha particles is thoroughly assessed for two variants of an ITER baseline scenario, which differ significantly in their core and pedestal temperatures. A systematic approach based on CASTOR-K (Borba and Kerner 1999 J. Comput. Phys. 153 101; Nabais et al 2015 Plasma Sci. Technol. 17 89) is used that considers all possible eigenmodes for a given magnetic equilibrium and determines their growth rates due to alpha-particle drive and Landau damping on fuel ions, helium ashes and electrons. It is found that the fastest growing instabilities in the aforementioned ITER scenario are core-localized, low-shear toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes. The largest growth-rates occur in the scenario variant with higher core temperatures, which has the highest alpha-particle density and density gradient, for eigenmodes with toroidal mode numbers n≈ 30 . Although these eigenmodes suffer significant radiative damping, which is also evaluated, their growth rates remain larger than those of the most unstable eigenmodes found in the variant of the ITER baseline scenario with lower core temperatures, which have n≈ 15 and are not affected by radiative damping.

DIFFUSE Ly{alpha} EMITTING HALOS: A GENERIC PROPERTY OF HIGH-REDSHIFT STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steidel, Charles C.; Bogosavljevic, Milan; Shapley, Alice E.

2011-08-01

Using a sample of 92 UV continuum-selected, spectroscopically identified galaxies with (z) = 2.65, all of which have been imaged in the Ly{alpha} line with extremely deep narrow-band imaging, we examine galaxy Ly{alpha} emission profiles to very faint surface brightness limits. The galaxy sample is representative of spectroscopic samples of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at similar redshifts in terms of apparent magnitude, UV luminosity, inferred extinction, and star formation rate and was assembled without regard to Ly{alpha} emission properties. Approximately 45% (55%) of the galaxy spectra have Ly{alpha} appearing in net absorption (emission), with {approx_equal} 20% satisfying commonly used criteriamore » for the identification of 'Ly{alpha} emitters' (LAEs; W{sub 0}(Ly{alpha}) {>=} 20 A). We use extremely deep stacks of rest-UV continuum and continuum-subtracted Ly{alpha} images to show that all sub-samples exhibit diffuse Ly{alpha} emission to radii of at least 10'' ({approx}80 physical kpc). The characteristic exponential scale lengths for Ly{alpha} line emission exceed that of the {lambda}{sub 0} = 1220 A UV continuum light by factors of {approx}5-10. The surface brightness profiles of Ly{alpha} emission are strongly suppressed relative to the UV continuum light in the inner few kpc, by amounts that are tightly correlated with the galaxies' observed spectral morphology; however, all galaxy sub-subsamples, including that of galaxies for which Ly{alpha} appears in net absorption in the spectra, exhibit qualitatively similar diffuse Ly{alpha} emission halos. Accounting for the extended Ly{alpha} emission halos, which generally would not be detected in the slit spectra of individual objects or with typical narrow-band Ly{alpha} imaging, increases the total Ly{alpha} flux (and rest equivalent width W{sub 0}(Ly{alpha})) by an average factor of {approx}5, and by a much larger factor for the 80% of LBGs not classified as LAEs. We argue that most, if not all, of the

A comparative analysis of alpha-decay half-lives for even-even 178Pb to 234U isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, S. S.; Hassanabadi, H.; Zarrinkamar, S.

2018-02-01

The feasibility for the alpha decay from the even-even transitions of 178Pb to 234U isotopes has been studied within the Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM). The alpha decay half-lives are considered from different theoretical approaches using Semi-empirical formula of Poenaru et al. (SemFIS), the Universal Decay law (UDL) of Qi et al., Akrawy-Dorin formula of Akrawy and Poenaru (ADF), the Scaling law of Brown (SLB) and the Scaling Law of Horoi et al. (SLH). The numerical results obtained by the CPPM and compared with other method as well the experimental data.

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra).

PubMed

Marty, Pascal R; Hodges, Keith; Agil, Muhammad; Engelhardt, Antje

2017-07-01

In species with a high male reproductive skew, competition between males for the top dominant position is high and escalated fights are common between competitors. As a consequence, challenges incur potentially high costs. Selection should favor males who time an alpha male challenge to maximize chances of a successful outcome minimizing costs. Despite the importance of alpha male replacements for individual males, we know little about the timing of challenges and the condition of the challenger. We investigated the timing and process of alpha male replacements in a species living in multi-male groups with high male reproductive skew, the crested macaque. We studied four wild groups over 6 years in the Tangkoko Reserve, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, during which 16 alpha male replacements occurred. Although unusual for cercopithecines, male crested macaques delayed their natal dispersal until they attained maximum body mass and therefore fighting ability whereupon they emigrated and challenged the alpha male in another group. Accordingly, all observed alpha male replacements were from outside males. Ours is the first report of such a pattern in a primate species living in multi-male groups. Although the majority of alpha male replacements occurred through direct male-male challenges, many also took place opportunistically (i.e., after the alpha male had already been injured or had left the group). Furthermore, alpha male tenures were very short (averaging ca. 12 months). We hypothesize that this unusual pattern of alpha male replacements in crested macaques is related to the species-specific combination of high male reproductive skew with a large number of males per group. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22448, 2017. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra)

PubMed Central

Hodges, Keith; Agil, Muhammad; Engelhardt, Antje

2015-01-01

In species with a high male reproductive skew, competition between males for the top dominant position is high and escalated fights are common between competitors. As a consequence, challenges incur potentially high costs. Selection should favor males who time an alpha male challenge to maximize chances of a successful outcome minimizing costs. Despite the importance of alpha male replacements for individual males, we know little about the timing of challenges and the condition of the challenger. We investigated the timing and process of alpha male replacements in a species living in multi‐male groups with high male reproductive skew, the crested macaque. We studied four wild groups over 6 years in the Tangkoko Reserve, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, during which 16 alpha male replacements occurred. Although unusual for cercopithecines, male crested macaques delayed their natal dispersal until they attained maximum body mass and therefore fighting ability whereupon they emigrated and challenged the alpha male in another group. Accordingly, all observed alpha male replacements were from outside males. Ours is the first report of such a pattern in a primate species living in multi‐male groups. Although the majority of alpha male replacements occurred through direct male‐male challenges, many also took place opportunistically (i.e., after the alpha male had already been injured or had left the group). Furthermore, alpha male tenures were very short (averaging ca. 12 months). We hypothesize that this unusual pattern of alpha male replacements in crested macaques is related to the species‐specific combination of high male reproductive skew with a large number of males per group. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22448, 2017. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26194621

Basophil mediated pro-allergic inflammation in vehicle-emitted particles exposure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakharenko, Alexander M.

Despite of the fact that engine manufacturers develop a new technology to reduce exhaust emissions, insufficient attention given to particulate emissions. However, diesel exhaust particles are a major source of air-borne pollution, contain vast amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and may have deleterious effects on the immune system, resulting in the induction and enhancement of pro-allergic processes. In the current study, vehicle emitted particles (VEP) from 2 different types of cars (diesel - D and gasoline - G) and locomotive (L) were collected. Overall, 129 four-week-old, male SPF-class Kunming mice were subcutaneously instilled with either low dose 100, 250more » or high dose, 500 mg/kg VEP and 15 mice were assigned as control group. The systemic toxicity was evaluated and alterations in the percentages of the CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD25 expressing cells, basophils, eosinophils and neutrophils were determined. Basophil percentages were inversely associated with the PAH content of the VEPs, however basophil sensitization was more important than cell count in VEP exposure. Thus, the effects of VEP-PAHs emerge with the activation of basophils in an allergen independent fashion. Despite the increased percentage of CD4+ T cells, a sharp decrease in basophil counts at 500 mg/kg of VEP indicates a decreased inhibitory effect of CD16+ monocytes on the proliferation of CD4+ T cell and suppressed polarization into a Th2 phenotype. Therefore, although the restrictions for vehicles emissions differ between countries, follow up studies and strict regulations are needed. - Highlights: • Basophil sensitization is more important than cell count in VEP exposure. • CD16+ cells are more effective than basophils on CD4+ T cell proliferation. • CD16+ and CD16- monocytes respond to VEP exposure in opposite directions. • CD8+ T cell proliferation is inhibited by all doses of VEPs. • Globally, more stringent standards are needed for vehicle particle emissions.« less

The effectiveness of an air cleaner in controlling droplet/aerosol particle dispersion emitted from a patient's mouth in the indoor environment of dental clinics.

PubMed

Chen, Chun; Zhao, Bin; Cui, Weilin; Dong, Lei; An, Na; Ouyang, Xiangying

2010-07-06

Dental healthcare workers (DHCWs) are at high risk of occupational exposure to droplets and aerosol particles emitted from patients' mouths during treatment. We evaluated the effectiveness of an air cleaner in reducing droplet and aerosol contamination by positioning the device in four different locations in an actual dental clinic. We applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods to solve the governing equations of airflow, energy and dispersion of different-sized airborne droplets/aerosol particles. In a dental clinic, we measured the supply air velocity and temperature of the ventilation system, the airflow rate and the particle removal efficiency of the air cleaner to determine the boundary conditions for the CFD simulations. Our results indicate that use of an air cleaner in a dental clinic may be an effective method for reducing DHCWs' exposure to airborne droplets and aerosol particles. Further, we found that the probability of droplet/aerosol particle removal and the direction of airflow from the cleaner are both important control measures for droplet and aerosol contamination in a dental clinic. Thus, the distance between the air cleaner and droplet/aerosol particle source as well as the relative location of the air cleaner to both the source and the DHCW are important considerations for reducing DHCWs' exposure to droplets/aerosol particles emitted from the patient's mouth during treatments.

The effectiveness of an air cleaner in controlling droplet/aerosol particle dispersion emitted from a patient's mouth in the indoor environment of dental clinics

PubMed Central

Chen, Chun; Zhao, Bin; Cui, Weilin; Dong, Lei; An, Na; Ouyang, Xiangying

2010-01-01

Dental healthcare workers (DHCWs) are at high risk of occupational exposure to droplets and aerosol particles emitted from patients' mouths during treatment. We evaluated the effectiveness of an air cleaner in reducing droplet and aerosol contamination by positioning the device in four different locations in an actual dental clinic. We applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods to solve the governing equations of airflow, energy and dispersion of different-sized airborne droplets/aerosol particles. In a dental clinic, we measured the supply air velocity and temperature of the ventilation system, the airflow rate and the particle removal efficiency of the air cleaner to determine the boundary conditions for the CFD simulations. Our results indicate that use of an air cleaner in a dental clinic may be an effective method for reducing DHCWs' exposure to airborne droplets and aerosol particles. Further, we found that the probability of droplet/aerosol particle removal and the direction of airflow from the cleaner are both important control measures for droplet and aerosol contamination in a dental clinic. Thus, the distance between the air cleaner and droplet/aerosol particle source as well as the relative location of the air cleaner to both the source and the DHCW are important considerations for reducing DHCWs' exposure to droplets/aerosol particles emitted from the patient's mouth during treatments. PMID:20031985

New Methods for Targeted Alpha Radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, J. David

2014-03-01

Targeted radiotherapies based on alpha emitters are a promising alternative to beta emitting radionuclides. Because of their much shorter range, targeted α-radiotherapy (TAT) agents have great potential for application to small, disseminated tumors and micro metastases and treatment of hematological malignancies consisting of individual, circulating neoplastic cells. A promising approach to TAT is the use of the in vivo α-generator radionuclides 223 = 11.4 d) and 225Ac 1/2 = 10.0 d). In addition to their longer half-lives, these two isotopes have the potential of dramatically increasing the therapeutic efficacy of TAT as they each emit four α particles in their decay chain. This principle has recently been exploited in the development of Xofigo®, the first TAT agent approved for clinical use by the U.S. FDA. Xofigo, formulated as 223RaCl2, is used for treatment of metastatic bone cancer in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer. TAT with 223Ra works, however, only in the case of bone cancer because radium, as a chemical analogue of calcium, efficiently targets bone. In order to bring the benefits of TAT with 223Ra or 225Ac to other tumor types, a new delivery method must be devised. Retaining the in vivo α generator radionuclides at the target site through the decay process is one of the major challenges associated with the development of TAT. Because the recoil energy of the daughter radionuclides from the α-emission is ~ 100 keV - a value which is four orders of magnitude greater than the energy of a covalent bond - the daughters will not remain bound to the bioconjugate at the targeting site. Various approaches have been attempted to achieve retention of the α-generator daughter radionuclides at the target site, including incorporation of the in vivo generator into liposomes and fullerenes. Unfortunately, to date single wall liposomes and fullerenes are able to retain less than 10% of the daughter radionuclides. We have recently demonstrated that a

Detection of molecular particles in live cells via machine learning.

PubMed

Jiang, Shan; Zhou, Xiaobo; Kirchhausen, Tom; Wong, Stephen T C

2007-08-01

Clathrin-coated pits play an important role in removing proteins and lipids from the plasma membrane and transporting them to the endosomal compartment. It is, however, still unclear whether there exist "hot spots" for the formation of Clathrin-coated pits or the pits and arrays formed randomly on the plasma membrane. To answer this question, first of all, many hundreds of individual pits need to be detected accurately and separated in live-cell microscope movies to capture and monitor how pits and vesicles were formed. Because of the noisy background and the low contrast of the live-cell movies, the existing image analysis methods, such as single threshold, edge detection, and morphological operation, cannot be used. Thus, this paper proposes a machine learning method, which is based on Haar features, to detect the particle's position. Results show that this method can successfully detect most of particles in the image. In order to get the accurate boundaries of these particles, several post-processing methods are applied and signal-to-noise ratio analysis is also performed to rule out the weak spots. Copyright 2007 International Society for Analytical Cytology.

Autoradiography imaging in targeted alpha therapy with Timepix detector.

PubMed

A L Darwish, Ruqaya; Staudacher, Alexander Hugo; Bezak, Eva; Brown, Michael Paul

2015-01-01

There is a lack of data related to activity uptake and particle track distribution in targeted alpha therapy. These data are required to estimate the absorbed dose on a cellular level as alpha particles have a limited range and traverse only a few cells. Tracking of individual alpha particles is possible using the Timepix semiconductor radiation detector. We investigated the feasibility of imaging alpha particle emissions in tumour sections from mice treated with Thorium-227 (using APOMAB), with and without prior chemotherapy and Timepix detector. Additionally, the sensitivity of the Timepix detector to monitor variations in tumour uptake based on the necrotic tissue volume was also studied. Compartmental analysis model was used, based on the obtained imaging data, to assess the Th-227 uptake. Results show that alpha particle, photon, electron, and muon tracks were detected and resolved by Timepix detector. The current study demonstrated that individual alpha particle emissions, resulting from targeted alpha therapy, can be visualised and quantified using Timepix detector. Furthermore, the variations in the uptake based on the tumour necrotic volume have been observed with four times higher uptake for tumours pretreated with chemotherapy than for those without chemotherapy.

Autoradiography Imaging in Targeted Alpha Therapy with Timepix Detector

PubMed Central

AL Darwish, Ruqaya; Staudacher, Alexander Hugo; Bezak, Eva; Brown, Michael Paul

2015-01-01

There is a lack of data related to activity uptake and particle track distribution in targeted alpha therapy. These data are required to estimate the absorbed dose on a cellular level as alpha particles have a limited range and traverse only a few cells. Tracking of individual alpha particles is possible using the Timepix semiconductor radiation detector. We investigated the feasibility of imaging alpha particle emissions in tumour sections from mice treated with Thorium-227 (using APOMAB), with and without prior chemotherapy and Timepix detector. Additionally, the sensitivity of the Timepix detector to monitor variations in tumour uptake based on the necrotic tissue volume was also studied. Compartmental analysis model was used, based on the obtained imaging data, to assess the Th-227 uptake. Results show that alpha particle, photon, electron, and muon tracks were detected and resolved by Timepix detector. The current study demonstrated that individual alpha particle emissions, resulting from targeted alpha therapy, can be visualised and quantified using Timepix detector. Furthermore, the variations in the uptake based on the tumour necrotic volume have been observed with four times higher uptake for tumours pretreated with chemotherapy than for those without chemotherapy. PMID:25688285

Testing the 'free radical theory of aging' hypothesis: physiological differences in long-lived and short-lived colubrid snakes.

PubMed

Robert, Kylie A; Brunet-Rossinni, Anja; Bronikowski, Anne M

2007-06-01

We test the 'free radical theory of aging' using six species of colubrid snakes (numerous, widely distributed, non-venomous snakes of the family Colubridae) that exhibit long (> 15 years) or short (< 10 years) lifespans. Because the 'rate of living theory' predicts metabolic rates to be correlated with rates of aging and oxidative damage results from normal metabolic processes we sought to answer whether physiological parameters and locomotor performance (which is a good predictor of survival in juvenile snakes) mirrored the evolution of lifespans in these colubrid snakes. We measured whole animal metabolic rate (oxygen consumption Vo2), locomotor performance, cellular metabolic rate (mitochondrial oxygen consumption), and oxidative stress potential (hydrogen peroxide production by mitochondria). Longer-lived colubrid snakes have greater locomotor performance and reduced hydrogen peroxide production than short-lived species, while whole animal metabolic rates and mitochondrial efficiency did not differ with lifespan. We present the first measures testing the 'free radical theory of aging' using reptilian species as model organisms. Using reptiles with different lifespans as model organisms should provide greater insight into mechanisms of aging.

Search for long-lived massive particles in extensive air showers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kawamoto, M.; Inoue, N.; Misaki, Y.; Manabe, O.; Takeuchi, T.; Toyoda, Y.

1985-01-01

Air showers containing delayed sub-showers which may be produced by a long-lived massive particle have been investigated by using twelve detectors. Ten events have been selected out as the candidates. However, a definite conclusion cannot be reached at the present time.

Note: Real time optical sensing of alpha-radiation emitting radioactive aerosols based on solid state nuclear track detector.

PubMed

Kulkarni, A; Ha, S; Joshirao, P; Manchanda, V; Bak, M S; Kim, T

2015-06-01

A sensitive radioactive aerosols sensor has been designed and developed. Its design guidance is based on the need for a low operational cost and reliable measurements to provide daily aerosol monitoring. The exposure of diethylene-glycol bis (allylcarbonate) to radiation causes modification of its physico-chemical properties like surface roughness and reflectance. In the present study, optical sensor based on the reflectance measurement has been developed with an aim to monitor real time presence of alpha radioactive aerosols emitted from thorium nitrate hydrate. The results shows that the fabricated sensor can detect 0.0157 kBq to 0.1572 kBq of radio activity by radioactive aerosols generated from (Th(NO3)4 ⋅ 5H2O) at 0.1 ml/min flow rate. The proposed instrument will be helpful to monitor radioactive aerosols in/around a nuclear facility, building construction sites, mines, and granite polishing factories.

Short-term regulation of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by energy-linked and some other effectors.

PubMed

Strumilo, S

2005-07-01

The question of regulation of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) has been considered in the biochemical literature very rarely. Moreover, such information is not usually accurate, especially in biochemical textbooks. From the mini-review of research works published during the last 25 years, the following basic view is clear: a) animal KGDHC is very sensitive to ADP, P(i), and Ca2+; b) these positive effectors increase manifold the affinity of KGDHC to alpha-ketoglutarate; c) KGDHC is inhibited by ATP, NADH, and succinyl-CoA; d) the ATP effect is realized in several ways, probably mainly via opposition versus ADP activation; e) NADH, besides inhibiting dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component competitively versus NAD+, decreases the affinity of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase to substrate and inactivates it; f) thioredoxin protects KGDHC from self-inactivation during catalysis; g) bacterial and plant KGDHC is activated by AMP instead of ADP. These main effects form the basis of short-term regulation of KGDHC.

Small City Transit : Sudbury, Massachusetts : A Short-Lived Suburban Transit Service.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-03-01

Sudbury, Massachusetts, is an illustration of a over-extended fixed-route transit service which was rather short-lived. This case study is one of thirteen examples of a transit service in a small community. The background of the community is discusse...

Improved synthesis of 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 24 = xi-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid.

PubMed

Batta, A K; Tint, G S; Dayal, B; Shefer, S; Salen, G

1982-06-01

This paper describes three simple and short methods for the conversion of cholic acid into cholylaldehyde with protected hydroxyl groups. The first method involves lithium aluminum hydride reduction of the tetrahydropyranyl ether of methyl cholate and oxidation of the resulting primary alcohol with pyridinium chlorochromate. The second method employs diborane for the reduction of the -COOH group to the -CH2OH group, while the third method involves the reduction of 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-triformyloxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acid (as the acid chloride) directly into 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-triformyloxy-5 beta-cholan-24-al with TMA-ferride (tetramethylammonium hydridoirontetracarbonyl). The aldehyde obtained by any of the above methods underwent smooth Reformatsky reaction with ethyl alpha-bromopropionate to yield 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 24 xi-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid.

Validation of Six Short and Ultra-short Screening Instruments for Depression for People Living with HIV in Ontario: Results from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study.

PubMed

Choi, Stephanie K Y; Boyle, Eleanor; Burchell, Ann N; Gardner, Sandra; Collins, Evan; Grootendorst, Paul; Rourke, Sean B

2015-01-01

Major depression affects up to half of people living with HIV. However, among HIV-positive patients, depression goes unrecognized 60-70% of the time in non-psychiatric settings. We sought to evaluate three screening instruments and their short forms to facilitate the recognition of current depression in HIV-positive patients attending HIV specialty care clinics in Ontario. A multi-centre validation study was conducted in Ontario to examine the validity and accuracy of three instruments (the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale [CESD20], the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K10], and the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale [PHQ9]) and their short forms (CESD10, K6, and PHQ2) in diagnosing current major depression among 190 HIV-positive patients in Ontario. Results from the three instruments and their short forms were compared to results from the gold standard measured by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (the "M.I.N.I."). Overall, the three instruments identified depression with excellent accuracy and validity (area under the curve [AUC]>0.9) and good reliability (Kappa statistics: 0.71-0.79; Cronbach's alpha: 0.87-0.93). We did not find that the AUCs differed in instrument pairs (p-value>0.09), or between the instruments and their short forms (p-value>0.3). Except for the PHQ2, the instruments showed good-to-excellent sensitivity (0.86-1.0) and specificity (0.81-0.87), excellent negative predictive value (>0.90), and moderate positive predictive value (0.49-0.58) at their optimal cut-points. Among people in HIV care in Ontario, Canada, the three instruments and their short forms performed equally well and accurately. When further in-depth assessments become available, shorter instruments might find greater clinical acceptance. This could lead to clinical benefits in fast-paced speciality HIV care settings and better management of depression in HIV-positive patients.

Determination of the alpha(s) using jet rates at LEP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donkers, Michael A.

Jets are produced in any high energy collision of particles in which quarks are produced in the final state. Using the OPAL detector to measure particles produced in e+e- collisions at the LEP accelerator, the rate of jet formation has been measured at 91 GeV as well as each of the LEP2 energies, ranging from 161 GeV to 207 GeV. The jet rate observables, in particular the differential 2-jet rate and the average jet rate can be used to determine a value of the strong coupling constant, alphas, by fitting to various theoretical predictions. The value of alphas has been determined using data at 91 GeV and a combined sample comprising all of the LEP2 energies with a luminosity weighted centre-of-mass energy of 195.8 GeV for 10 theoretical predictions and two jet clustering algorithms. A fit of the 91 GeV and LEP2 values of alphas determined using the ln R matching prediction is also performed on the D2 and distributions to the 3-loop alphas prediction to produce 4 values of alphas(MZ 0).

Particle size and interfacial effects on heat transfer characteristics of water and {alpha}-SiC nanofluids.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Timofeeva, E.; Smith, D. S.; Yu, W.

2010-01-01

The effect of average particle sizes on basic macroscopic properties and heat transfer performance of {alpha}-SiC/water nanofluids was investigated. The average particle sizes, calculated from the specific surface area of nanoparticles, were varied from 16 to 90 nm. Nanofluids with larger particles of the same material and volume concentration provide higher thermal conductivity and lower viscosity increases than those with smaller particles because of the smaller solid/liquid interfacial area of larger particles. It was also demonstrated that the viscosity of water-based nanofluids can be significantly decreased by pH of the suspension independently from the thermal conductivity. Heat transfer coefficients weremore » measured and compared to the performance of base fluids as well as to nanofluids reported in the literature. Criteria for evaluation of the heat transfer performance of nanofluids are discussed and optimum directions in nanofluid development are suggested.« less

Have we underestimated the role of short-lived chlorine compounds in ozone depletion?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oram, David; Laube, Johannes; Sturges, Bill; Gooch, Lauren; Leedham, Emma; Ashfold, Matthew; Pyle, John; Abu Samah, Azizan; Moi Phang, Siew; Ou-Yang, Chang-Feng; Lin, Neng-Huei; Wang, Jia-Lin; Brenninkmeijer, Carl

2015-04-01

In recent years much attention has been focussed on the potential of bromine-containing VSLS (very short lived substances) to contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. This is primarily due to the large observed discrepancy between the measured inorganic bromine in the stratosphere and the amount of bromine available from known, longer lived sources gases (halons and CH3Br). In contrast, the role of very short-lived chlorine compounds (VSLS-CL) has been considered trivial because they contribute only a few percent to the total organic chlorine in the troposphere, the majority of which is supplied by long-lived compounds such as the CFCs, HCFCs, methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. However recent evidence shows that one VSLS-Cl, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) has increased by 60% over the past decade (WMO, 2014) and has already begun to offset the long-term decline in stratospheric chlorine loading caused by the reduction in emissions of substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol. We will present new VSLS-Cl measurements from recent ground-based and aircraft campaigns in SE Asia where we have observed dramatic enhancements in a number of VSLS-Cl, including CH2Cl2. Furthermore we will demonstrate how pollution from China and the surrounding region can rapidly, and regularly, be transported across the South China Sea and subsequently uplifted to altitudes of 11-12 km, the region close to the lower TTL. This process occurs frequently during the winter monsoon season and could represent a fast and efficient mechanism for transporting short-lived compounds, and other pollutants, to the lower stratosphere.

Analysis of Individual Carbonaceous Particles Emitted from the Las Conchas Wildfire, Los Alamos, NM, in June-July 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzoleni, C.; China, S.; Gorkowski, K.; Flowers, B. A.; Aiken, A. C.; Dubey, M. K.

2012-12-01

Carbonaceous aerosol emitted from biomass burning contributes significantly to atmospheric aerosol loadings regionally and globally. The net direct radiative forcing of biomass burning aerosol can be positive and/or negative and this depends on its composition, morphology and mixing state. Biomass burning aerosols can also change the cloud properties as they can act as cloud condensation nuclei. In this study we investigated biomass burning particles emitted from the Las Conchas wildfire in northern New Mexico that started on June 26, 2011 and burned an area of 245 square miles. Aerosol samples were collected on nucleopore filters at the Los Alamos National Laboratory during the third week of the wildfire event. Individual particles (~4000) were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to distinguish different carbonaceous particles and their shape, size, elemental composition and mixing state. A thermo-denuder was used to remove compounds that are volatile at temperatures up to 200 C, leaving behind the black carbon and any compounds that did not volatize completely. Smoke particles consisted of a) tar balls, which are amorphous spherical carbonaceous organic aerosols; b) organic particles with inorganic inclusions, c) soot particles and (d) soot with various inclusions. Two distinct kinds of tar balls, "electronically" dark and bright, were found using the field-emission scanning electron microscopy and were characterized for ambient and denuded conditions to understand coating effects and aging. It was found that dark tar balls are generally larger in size than the bright ones. Additionally, the difference between the size of ambient-bright and the size of denuded-bright tar balls was larger than the difference between the size of ambient-dark and the size of denuded-dark tar balls. EDS analysis showed that 70% of the dark tar balls had higher (~60%) relative oxygen content than in the bright

Consequences of extreme life history traits on population persistence: do short-lived gobies face demographic bottlenecks?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefèvre, Carine D.; Nash, Kirsty L.; González-Cabello, Alonso; Bellwood, David R.

2016-06-01

The majority of coral reef goby species are short-lived, with some highly abundant species living less than 100 d. To understand the role and consequences of this extreme life history in shaping coral reef fish populations, we quantitatively documented the structure of small reef fish populations over a 26-month period (>14 short-lived fish generations) at an inshore reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Most species with life spans >1 yr, such as pomacentrids, exhibited a peak in recruitment during the austral summer, driving seasonal changes in the small fish community composition. In contrast, there were no clear changes in goby community composition, despite the abundance of short-lived, high turnover species. Species of Eviota, the most abundant gobiid genus observed, showed remarkably similar demographic profiles year-round, with consistent densities of adults as well as recently recruited juveniles. Our results demonstrate ongoing recruitment of these small cryptic fishes, which appears to compensate for an exceptionally short life span on the reef. Our results suggest that gobiid populations are able to overcome demographic limitations, and by maintaining reproduction, larval survival and recruitment throughout the year, they may avoid population bottlenecks. These findings also underline the potential trophodynamic importance of these small species; because of this constant turnover, Eviota species and other short-lived fishes may be particularly valuable contributors to the flow of energy on coral reefs, underpinning the year-round trophic structure.

A general dead-time correction method based on live-time stamping. Application to the measurement of short-lived radionuclides.

PubMed

Chauvenet, B; Bobin, C; Bouchard, J

2017-12-01

Dead-time correction formulae are established in the general case of superimposed non-homogeneous Poisson processes. Based on the same principles as conventional live-timed counting, this method exploits the additional information made available using digital signal processing systems, and especially the possibility to store the time stamps of live-time intervals. No approximation needs to be made to obtain those formulae. Estimates of the variances of corrected rates are also presented. This method is applied to the activity measurement of short-lived radionuclides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engineering Multifunctional Living Paints: Thin, Convectively-Assembled Biocomposite Coatings of Live Cells and Colloidal Latex Particles Deposited by Continuous Convective-Sedimentation Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Jessica Shawn

Advanced composite materials could be revolutionized by the development of methods to incorporate living cells into functional materials and devices. This could be accomplished by continuously and rapidly depositing thin ordered arrays of adhesive colloidal latex particles and live cells that maintain stability and preserve microbial reactivity. Convective assembly is one method of rapidly assembling colloidal particles into thin (<10 microm thick), ordered films with engineered compositions, thicknesses, and particle packing that offer several advantages over thicker randomly ordered composites, including enhanced cell stability and increased reactivity through minimized diffusion resistance to nutrients and reduced light scattering. This method can be used to precisely deposit live bacteria, cyanobacteria, yeast, and algae into biocomposite coatings, forming reactive biosensors, photoabsorbers, or advanced biocatalysts. This dissertation developed new continuous deposition and coating characterization methods for fabricating and characterizing <10 microm thick colloid coatings---monodispersed latex particle or cell suspensions, bimodal blends of latex particles or live cells and microspheres, and trimodal formulations of biomodal latex and live cells on substrates such as aluminum foil, glass, porous Kraft paper, polyester, and polypropylene. Continuous convective-sedimentation assembly (CSA) is introduced to enable fabrication of larger surface area and long coatings by constantly feeding coating suspension to the meniscus, thus expanding the utility of convective assembly to deposit monolayer or very thin films or multi-layer coatings composed of thin layers on a large scale. Results show thin, tunable coatings can be fabricated from diverse coating suspensions and critical coating parameters that control thickness and structure. Particle size ratio and charge influence deposition, convective mixing or demixing and relative particle locations. Substrate

Rapid identification of high particle number emitting on-road vehicles and its application to a large fleet of diesel buses.

PubMed

Jayaratne, E R; Morawska, L; Ristovski, Z D; He, C

2007-07-15

Pollutant concentrations measured in the exhaust plume of a vehicle may be related to the pollutant emission factor using the CO2 concentration as a measure of the dilution factor. We have used this method for the rapid identification of high particle number (PN) emitting on-road vehicles. The method was validated for PN using a medium-duty vehicle and successfully applied to measurements of PN emissions from a large fleet of on-road diesel buses. The ratio of PN concentration to CO2 concentration, Z, in the exhaust plume was estimated for individual buses. On the average, a bus emitted about 1.5 x 10(9) particles per mg of CO2 emitted. A histogram of the number of buses as a function of Z showed, for the first time, that the PN emissions from diesel buses followed a gamma distribution, with most of the values within a narrow range and a few buses exhibiting relatively large values. It was estimated that roughly 10% and 50% of the PN emissions came from just 2% and 25% of the buses, respectively. A regression analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between Z and age of buses, with the slope of the best line being significantly different from zero. The mean Z value for the pre-Euro buses was significantly greater than each of the values for the Euro I and II buses.

Utilization of wavelength-shifting fibers coupled to ZnS(Ag) and plastic scintillator for simultaneous detection of alpha/beta particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ifergan, Y.; Dadon, S.; Israelashvili, I.; Osovizky, A.; Gonen, E.; Yehuda-Zada, Y.; Smadja, D.; Knafo, Y.; Ginzburg, D.; Kadmon, Y.; Cohen, Y.; Mazor, T.

2015-06-01

Low level radioactive surface contamination measurements require lightweight, large area and high efficiency detector. In most existing scintillation detectors there is a tradeoff between effective area and scintillation light collection. By using wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers the scintillation light may be collected efficiently also in a large area detector. In this study, WLS fibers were coupled to a beta sensitive plastic scintillator layer and to a alpha sensitive silver-activated zinc sulfide ZnS(Ag) layer for detecting both alpha and beta particles. The WLS fibers collect the scintillation light from the whole detector and transfer it to a single PMT. This first prototype unique configuration enables monitoring radioactive contaminated surfaces by both sides of the detector and provides high gamma rejection. In this paper, the detector structure, as well as the detector's measured linear response, will be described. The measured detection efficiency of 238Pu alpha particles (5.5 MeV) is 63%. The measured detection efficiency for beta particles is 89% for 90Sr-90Y (average energy of 195.8 keV, 934.8 keV), 50% for 36Cl (average energy of 251.3 keV), and 35% for 137Cs (average energy of 156.8 keV).

Increased Alpha-Band Power during the Retention of Shapes and Shape-Location Associations in Visual Short-Term Memory

PubMed Central

Johnson, Jeffrey S.; Sutterer, David W.; Acheson, Daniel J.; Lewis-Peacock, Jarrod A.; Postle, Bradley R.

2011-01-01

Studies exploring the role of neural oscillations in cognition have revealed sustained increases in alpha-band (~8–14 Hz) power during the delay period of delayed-recognition short-term memory tasks. These increases have been proposed to reflect the inhibition, for example, of cortical areas representing task-irrelevant information, or of potentially interfering representations from previous trials. Another possibility, however, is that elevated delay-period alpha-band power (DPABP) reflects the selection and maintenance of information, rather than, or in addition to, the inhibition of task-irrelevant information. In the present study, we explored these possibilities using a delayed-recognition paradigm in which the presence and task relevance of shape information was systematically manipulated across trial blocks and electroencephalographic was used to measure alpha-band power. In the first trial block, participants remembered locations marked by identical black circles. The second block featured the same instructions, but locations were marked by unique shapes. The third block featured the same stimulus presentation as the second, but with pretrial instructions indicating, on a trial-by-trial basis, whether memory for shape or location was required, the other dimension being irrelevant. In the final block, participants remembered the unique pairing of shape and location for each stimulus. Results revealed minimal DPABP in each of the location-memory conditions, whether locations were marked with identical circles or with unique task-irrelevant shapes. In contrast, alpha-band power increases were observed in both the shape-memory condition, in which location was task irrelevant, and in the critical final condition, in which both shape and location were task relevant. These results provide support for the proposal that alpha-band oscillations reflect the retention of shape information and/or shape–location associations in short-term memory. PMID:21713012

Alpha-particle radiotherapy: For large solid tumors diffusion trumps targeting.

PubMed

Zhu, Charles; Sempkowski, Michelle; Holleran, Timothy; Linz, Thomas; Bertalan, Thomas; Josefsson, Anders; Bruchertseifer, Frank; Morgenstern, Alfred; Sofou, Stavroula

2017-06-01

Diffusion limitations on the penetration of nanocarriers in solid tumors hamper their therapeutic use when labeled with α-particle emitters. This is mostly due to the α-particles' relatively short range (≤100 μm) resulting in partial tumor irradiation and limited killing. To utilize the high therapeutic potential of α-particles against solid tumors, we designed non-targeted, non-internalizing nanometer-sized tunable carriers (pH-tunable liposomes) that are triggered to release, within the slightly acidic tumor interstitium, highly-diffusive forms of the encapsulated α-particle generator Actinium-225 ( 225 Ac) resulting in more homogeneous distributions of the α-particle emitters, improving uniformity in tumor irradiation and increasing killing efficacies. On large multicellular spheroids (400 μm-in-diameter), used as surrogates of the avascular areas of solid tumors, interstitially-releasing liposomes resulted in best growth control independent of HER2 expression followed in performance by (a) the HER2-targeting radiolabeled antibody or (b) the non-responsive liposomes. In an orthotopic human HER2-negative mouse model, interstitially-releasing 225 Ac-loaded liposomes resulted in the longest overall and median survival. This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of a general strategy to bypass the diffusion-limited transport of radionuclide carriers in solid tumors enabling interstitial release from non-internalizing nanocarriers of highly-diffusing and deeper tumor-penetrating molecular forms of α-particle emitters, independent of cell-targeting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current-drive by lower hybrid waves in the presence of energetic alpha-particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisch, N.J.; Rax, J.M.

1991-10-01

Many experiments have now proved the effectiveness of lower hybrid waves for driving toroidal current in tokamaks. The use of these waves, however, to provide all the current in a reactor is thought to be uncertain because the waves may not penetrate the center of the more energetic reactor plasma, and, if they did, the wave power may be absorbed by alpha particles rather than by electrons. This paper explores the conditions under which lower-hybrid waves might actually drive all the current. 26 refs.

Suppression of the chain nuclear fusion reaction based on the p+{sup 11}B reaction because of the deceleration of alpha particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shmatov, M. L., E-mail: M.Shmatov@mail.ioffe.ru

2016-09-15

It is shown that a rapid deceleration of alpha particles in matter of electron temperature up to 100 keV leads a strong suppression of the chain nuclear fusion reaction on the basis of the p+{sup 11}B reaction with the reproduction of fast protons in the α+{sup 11}B and n+{sup 10}B reactions. The statement that the chain nuclear fusion reaction based on the p+{sup 11}B reaction with an acceleration of {sup 11}B nuclei because of elastic alpha-particle scattering manifests itself in experiments at the PALS (Prague Asterix Laser System) facility is analyzed.

Alpha-emitting isotopes and chromium in a coastal California aquifer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Densmore, Jill N.; Izbicki, John A.; Murtaugh, Joseph M.; Swarzenski, Peter W.; Bullen, Thomas D.

2014-01-01

The unadjusted 72-h gross alpha activities in water from two wells completed in marine and alluvial deposits in a coastal southern California aquifer 40 km north of San Diego were 15 and 25 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L). Although activities were below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 15 pCi/L, when adjusted for uranium activity; there is concern that new wells in the area may exceed MCLs, or that future regulations may limit water use from the wells. Coupled well-bore flow and depth-dependent water-quality data collected from the wells in 2011 (with analyses for isotopes within the uranium, actinium, and thorium decay-chains) show gross alpha activity in marine deposits is associated with decay of naturally-occurring 238U and its daughter 234U. Radon activities in marine deposits were as high as 2230 pCi/L. In contrast, gross alpha activities in overlying alluvium within the Piedra de Lumbre watershed, eroded from the nearby San Onofre Hills, were associated with decay of 232Th, including its daughter 224Ra. Radon activities in alluvium from Piedra de Lumbre of 450 pCi/L were lower than in marine deposits. Chromium VI concentrations in marine deposits were less than the California MCL of 10 μg/L (effective July 1, 2014) but δ53Cr compositions were near zero and within reported ranges for anthropogenic chromium. Alluvial deposits from the nearby Las Flores watershed, which drains a larger area having diverse geology, has low alpha activities and chromium as a result of geologic and geochemical conditions and may be more promising for future water-supply development.

Short-term effects of ultrafine particles on daily mortality by primary vehicle exhaust versus secondary origin in three Spanish cities.

PubMed

Tobías, Aurelio; Rivas, Ioar; Reche, Cristina; Alastuey, Andrés; Rodríguez, Sergio; Fernández-Camacho, Rocío; Sánchez de la Campa, Ana M; de la Rosa, Jesús; Sunyer, Jordi; Querol, Xavier

2018-02-01

Evidence on the short-term effects of ultrafine particles (with diameter<100nm, UFP) on health is still inconsistent. New particles in ambient urban air are the result of direct emissions and also the formation of secondary UFP from gaseous precursors. We segregated UFP into these two components and investigated their impact on daily mortality in three Spanish cities affected by different sources of air pollution. We separated the UFP using a method based on the high correlation between black carbon (BC) and particle number concentration (N). The first component accounts for aerosol constituents emitted by vehicle exhaust (N1) and the second for the photochemical new particle formation enhancements (N2). We applied city-specific Poisson regression models, adjusting for long-term trends, temperature and population dynamics. Mean BC levels were higher in Barcelona and Tenerife (1.8 and 1.2μg·m -3 , respectively) than in Huelva (0.8μg·m -3 ). While mean UFP concentrations were similar in the three cities, from which N1 was 40% in Barcelona, 46% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 27% in Huelva. We observed an association with N1 and daily mortality in Barcelona, by increasing approximately 1.5% between lags 0 and 2, per an interquartile increase (IQR) of 3277cm -3 , but not with N2. A similar pattern was found in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, although none of the associations were significant. Conversely, in the industrial city of Huelva mortality was associated with N2 at lag 0, by increasing 3.9% per an IQR of 12,032·cm -3 . The pattern and origin of UFP determines their short-term effect on human health. BC is possibly the better parameter to evaluate the health effects of particulate vehicle exhaust emissions, although in areas influenced by domestic solid fuel combustion this should also be taken into account. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Discordance Between Resident and Active Bacterioplankton in Free-Living and Particle-Associated Communities in Estuary Ecosystem.

PubMed

Li, Jia-Ling; Salam, Nimaichand; Wang, Pan-Deng; Chen, Lin-Xing; Jiao, Jian-Yu; Li, Xin; Xian, Wen-Dong; Han, Ming-Xian; Fang, Bao-Zhu; Mou, Xiao-Zhen; Li, Wen-Jun

2018-03-16

Bacterioplankton are the major driving force for biogeochemical cycles in estuarine ecosystems, but the communities that mediate these processes are largely unexplored. We sampled in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) to examine potential differences in the taxonomic composition of resident (DNA-based) and active (RNA-based) bacterioplankton communities in free-living and particle-associated fractions. MiSeq sequencing data showed that the overall bacterial diversity in particle-associated fractions was higher than in free-living communities. Further in-depth analyses of the sequences revealed a positive correlation between resident and active bacterioplankton communities for the particle-associated fraction but not in the free-living fraction. However, a large overlapping of OTUs between free-living and particle-associated communities in PRE suggested that the two fractions may be actively exchanged. We also observed that the positive correlation between resident and active communities is more prominent among the abundant OTUs (relative abundance > 0.2%). Further, the results from the present study indicated that low-abundance bacterioplankton make an important contribution towards the metabolic activity in PRE.

Radioisotope generators for short-lived positron emitters applicable to positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Y.

1989-04-01

Radioisotope generators provide short-lived positron emitters for positron emission tomography (PET) without the need for an on-site cyclotron. These generators consist of a long-lived parent radionuclide, generally produced on an accelerator, from which the short-lived daughter radionuclide is separated and used as needed. Generators developed and applied to PET studies include 288 d 68Ge for 68 min 68Ga, 25 d 82Sr for 76 s 82Rb and 20.1 h 122Xe for 3.6 min 122I. These radiotracers have been used for the assessment of myocardial and brain blood flow in patient studies. Additionally, 82Rb has been used to determine the breakdown in the blood brain barrier in brain tumor patients who have undergone radiation therapy. When used in conjunction with 18F-fluorodeoxylucose produced on a regional cyclotron for the measurement of glucose utilization in brain tumors, differential diagnosis can be made between tumor regrowth and radiation therapy necrosis. Other possible applications include the detection of vascular lesions with 68Ga labeled platelets or porphyrins.

Search for massive long-lived particles decaying semileptonically in the LHCb detector.

PubMed

Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Andreassi, G; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Arnau Romeu, J; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Babuschkin, I; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baker, S; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Baszczyk, M; Batozskaya, V; Batsukh, B; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Bellee, V; Belloli, N; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Betancourt, C; Betti, F; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bezshyiko, Ia; Bifani, S; Billoir, P; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bitadze, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Boettcher, T; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Bordyuzhin, I; Borgheresi, A; Borghi, S; Borisyak, M; Borsato, M; Bossu, F; Boubdir, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Braun, S; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Buchanan, E; Burr, C; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D H; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Chamont, D; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chatzikonstantinidis, G; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chobanova, V; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombs, G; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Costa Sobral, C M; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Da Cunha Marinho, F; Dall'Occo, E; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Aguiar Francisco, O; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Serio, M; De Simone, P; Dean, C-T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Demmer, M; Dendek, A; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Dijkstra, H; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dufour, L; Dujany, G; Dungs, K; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Déléage, N; Easo, S; Ebert, M; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Fazzini, D; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Prieto, A; Ferrari, F; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fini, R A; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fleuret, F; Fohl, K; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forshaw, D C; Forty, R; Franco Lima, V; Frank, M; Frei, C; Fu, J; Funk, W; Furfaro, E; Färber, C; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garcia Martin, L M; García Pardiñas, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Garsed, P J; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Girard, O G; Giubega, L; Gizdov, K; Gligorov, V V; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gorelov, I V; Gotti, C; Gándara, M Grabalosa; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Gruberg Cazon, B R; Grünberg, O; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Göbel, C; Hadavizadeh, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Hatch, M; He, J; Head, T; Heister, A; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hombach, C; Hopchev, H; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hushchyn, M; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jiang, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Kariuki, J M; Karodia, S; Kecke, M; Kelsey, M; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khairullin, E; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Kirn, T; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Koliiev, S; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kosmyntseva, A; Kozachuk, A; Kozeiha, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Krzemien, W; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kuonen, A K; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Lefèvre, R; Lemaitre, F; Lemos Cid, E; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, T; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, X; Loh, D; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Lucio Martinez, M; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Lusiani, A; Lyu, X; Machefert, F; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Maguire, K; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Maltsev, T; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marino, P; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martin, M; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massacrier, L M; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathad, A; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Melnychuk, D; Merk, M; Merli, A; Michielin, E; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Mitzel, D S; Mogini, A; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monroy, I A; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Mulder, M; Mussini, M; Muster, B; Müller, D; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nandi, A; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nieswand, S; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Pais, P R; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parker, W; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Pastore, A; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Petrov, A; Petruzzo, M; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pikies, M; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Piucci, A; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Poikela, T; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Pomery, G J; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Poslavskii, S; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Quagliani, R; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rama, M; Ramos Pernas, M; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Ratnikov, F; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Dos Reis, A C; Remon Alepuz, C; Renaudin, V; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Lopez, J A; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogozhnikov, A; Roiser, S; Rollings, A; Romanovskiy, V; Romero Vidal, A; Ronayne, J W; Rotondo, M; Rudolph, M S; Ruf, T; Ruiz Valls, P; Saborido Silva, J J; Sadykhov, E; Sagidova, N; Saitta, B; Salustino Guimaraes, V; Sanchez Mayordomo, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santimaria, M; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schael, S; Schellenberg, M; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmelzer, T; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schubert, K; Schubiger, M; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sergi, A; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Siddi, B G; Silva Coutinho, R; Silva de Oliveira, L; Simi, G; Simone, S; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, E; Smith, I T; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Soares Lavra, L; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Stefko, P; Stefkova, S; Steinkamp, O; Stemmle, S; Stenyakin, O; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Tayduganov, A; Tekampe, T; Teklishyn, M; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tilley, M J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Toriello, F; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Trabelsi, K; Traill, M; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tully, A; Tuning, N; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valassi, A; Valat, S; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; van Veghel, M; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Venkateswaran, A; Vernet, M; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Viemann, H; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vitti, M; Volkov, V; Vollhardt, A; Voneki, B; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Vázquez Sierra, C; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Wark, H M; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Williams, T; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wraight, K; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yao, Y; Yin, H; Yu, J; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zarebski, K A; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zheng, Y; Zhu, X; Zhukov, V; Zucchelli, S

2017-01-01

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2[Formula: see text], respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80 [Formula: see text] and lifetimes from 5 to 100[Formula: see text] are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23-198 GeV/[Formula: see text] range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.

Search for massive long-lived particles decaying semileptonically in the LHCb detector

DOE PAGES

Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; ...

2017-04-10

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2 fb -1, respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80 GeV/c 2 and lifetimes from 5 to 100ps are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23–198 GeV/cmore » 2 range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.« less

Volatile particles measured by vapor-particle separator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Meng -Dawn; Corporan, Edwin

Vapor-Particle Separator (VPS) is a new technology developed for characterization of the volatile fraction of particulate matter in a combustion aerosol population. VPS incorporates a novel metallic membrane and operates in a cross-flow filtration mode for separation of vapor and solid (i.e. non-volatile) particles. Demonstration of the VPS technology on aircraft engine-emitted particles has led to the improvement of the technology and increased confidence on the robustness of its field performance. In this study, the performance of the VPS was evaluated against the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) volatile particle remover (VPR), a standardized device used in heavy duty diesel enginesmore » for separation and characterization of non-volatile particulate matter. Using tetracontane particles in the laboratory reveals that the VPS performed reasonably well in removing the volatile species. In the field conditions, a single-mode particle size distribution was found for emitted particles from a T63 turboshaft engine at both idle and cruise engine power conditions. Removal of the volatile T63 engine particles by the VPS was consistent with that of PMP VPR. In tests on an F117 turbofan engine, the size distribution at the idle (4% rated) engine power condition was found to be bimodal, with the first mode consisting of particles smaller than 10nm, which are believed to be mostly semi-volatile particles, while the second mode of larger size was a mixture of semi-volatile and non-volatile particles. The distribution was single modal at the 33% rated engine power with no secondary mode observed. Altogether, for particles emitted by both engines, the removal efficiency of the VPS appears to surpass that of the PMP VPR by 8-10%.« less

Volatile particles measured by vapor-particle separator

DOE PAGES

Cheng, Meng -Dawn; Corporan, Edwin

2016-08-25

Vapor-Particle Separator (VPS) is a new technology developed for characterization of the volatile fraction of particulate matter in a combustion aerosol population. VPS incorporates a novel metallic membrane and operates in a cross-flow filtration mode for separation of vapor and solid (i.e. non-volatile) particles. Demonstration of the VPS technology on aircraft engine-emitted particles has led to the improvement of the technology and increased confidence on the robustness of its field performance. In this study, the performance of the VPS was evaluated against the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) volatile particle remover (VPR), a standardized device used in heavy duty diesel enginesmore » for separation and characterization of non-volatile particulate matter. Using tetracontane particles in the laboratory reveals that the VPS performed reasonably well in removing the volatile species. In the field conditions, a single-mode particle size distribution was found for emitted particles from a T63 turboshaft engine at both idle and cruise engine power conditions. Removal of the volatile T63 engine particles by the VPS was consistent with that of PMP VPR. In tests on an F117 turbofan engine, the size distribution at the idle (4% rated) engine power condition was found to be bimodal, with the first mode consisting of particles smaller than 10nm, which are believed to be mostly semi-volatile particles, while the second mode of larger size was a mixture of semi-volatile and non-volatile particles. The distribution was single modal at the 33% rated engine power with no secondary mode observed. Altogether, for particles emitted by both engines, the removal efficiency of the VPS appears to surpass that of the PMP VPR by 8-10%.« less

Measurements of Short-Lived Fission Isomers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finch, Sean; Bhike, Megha; Howell, Calvin; Krishichayan, Fnu; Tornow, Werner

2016-09-01

Fission yields of the short lived isomers 134mTe (T1 / 2 = 162 ns) and 136mXe (T1 / 2 = 2 . 95 μs) were measured for 235U and 238U. The isomers were detected by the γ rays associated with the decay of the isomeric states using high-purity germanium detectors. Fission was induced using both monoenergetic γ rays and neutrons. At TUNL's High-Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HI γS), γ rays of 9 and 11 MeV were produced . Monoenergetic 8 MeV neutrons were produced at TUNL's tandem accelerator laboratory. Both beams were pulsed to allow for precise time-gated spectroscopy of both prompt and delayed γ rays following fission. This technique offers a non-destructive probe of special nuclear materials that is sensitive to the isotopic identity of the fissile material.

Alpha-dispersion in human tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimnes, Sverre; Martinsen, Ørjan G.

2010-04-01

Beta dispersion is found in living tissue in the kilohertz - megahertz range and is caused by the cellular structure of biological materials with low frequency properties caused by cell membranes. Alpha dispersion is found in the hertz range and the causes are not so well known. Alpha dispersions are the first to disappear when tissue dies. Tissue data have often been based upon excised specimen from animals and are therefore not necessarily representative for human tissue alpha dispersions. Here we present data obtained with non-invasive skin surface electrodes for different segments of the living human body. We found alpha dispersions in all cases; the ankle-wrist results had the smallest. Large alpha dispersions were found where the distance between the electrodes and muscle masses was small, e.g. on the calf. Further studies on electrode technique and reciprocity, electrode positioning, statistical variations, gender, age and bodily constitutions are necessary in order to reveal more about the alpha dispersion, its appearance and disappearance.

Computation of Cosmic Ray Ionization and Dose at Mars: a Comparison of HZETRN and Planetocosmics for Proton and Alpha Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gronoff, Guillaume; Norman, Ryan B.; Mertens, Christopher J.

2014-01-01

The ability to evaluate the cosmic ray environment at Mars is of interest for future manned exploration. To support exploration, tools must be developed to accurately access the radiation environment in both free space and on planetary surfaces. The primary tool NASA uses to quantify radiation exposure behind shielding materials is the space radiation transport code, HZETRN. In order to build confidence in HZETRN, code benchmarking against Monte Carlo radiation transport codes is often used. This work compares the dose calculations at Mars by HZETRN and the Geant4 application Planetocosmics. The dose at ground and the energy deposited in the atmosphere by galactic cosmic ray protons and alpha particles has been calculated for the Curiosity landing conditions. In addition, this work has considered Solar Energetic Particle events, allowing for the comparison of varying input radiation environments. The results for protons and alpha particles show very good agreement between HZETRN and Planetocosmics.

Statistical analysis of particle trajectories in living cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briane, Vincent; Kervrann, Charles; Vimond, Myriam

2018-06-01

Recent advances in molecular biology and fluorescence microscopy imaging have made possible the inference of the dynamics of molecules in living cells. Such inference allows us to understand and determine the organization and function of the cell. The trajectories of particles (e.g., biomolecules) in living cells, computed with the help of object tracking methods, can be modeled with diffusion processes. Three types of diffusion are considered: (i) free diffusion, (ii) subdiffusion, and (iii) superdiffusion. The mean-square displacement (MSD) is generally used to discriminate the three types of particle dynamics. We propose here a nonparametric three-decision test as an alternative to the MSD method. The rejection of the null hypothesis, i.e., free diffusion, is accompanied by claims of the direction of the alternative (subdiffusion or superdiffusion). We study the asymptotic behavior of the test statistic under the null hypothesis and under parametric alternatives which are currently considered in the biophysics literature. In addition, we adapt the multiple-testing procedure of Benjamini and Hochberg to fit with the three-decision-test setting, in order to apply the test procedure to a collection of independent trajectories. The performance of our procedure is much better than the MSD method as confirmed by Monte Carlo experiments. The method is demonstrated on real data sets corresponding to protein dynamics observed in fluorescence microscopy.

Simultaneous determination of gross alpha, gross beta and ²²⁶Ra in natural water by liquid scintillation counting.

PubMed

Fons, J; Zapata-García, D; Tent, J; Llauradó, M

2013-11-01

The determination of gross alpha, gross beta and (226)Ra activity in natural waters is useful in a wide range of environmental studies. Furthermore, gross alpha and gross beta parameters are included in international legislation on the quality of drinking water [Council Directive 98/83/EC]. In this work, a low-background liquid scintillation counter (Wallac, Quantulus 1220) was used to simultaneously determine gross alpha, gross beta and (226)Ra activity in natural water samples. Sample preparation involved evaporation to remove (222)Rn and its short-lived decay daughters. The evaporation process concentrated the sample ten-fold. Afterwards, a sample aliquot of 8 mL was mixed with 12 mL of Ultima Gold AB scintillation cocktail in low-diffusion vials. In this study, a theoretical mathematical model based on secular equilibrium conditions between (226)Ra and its short-lived decay daughters is presented. The proposed model makes it possible to determine (226)Ra activity from two measurements. These measurements also allow determining gross alpha and gross beta simultaneously. To validate the proposed model, spiked samples with different activity levels for each parameter were analysed. Additionally, to evaluate the model's applicability in natural water, eight natural water samples from different parts of Spain were analysed. The eight natural water samples were also characterised by alpha spectrometry for the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium ((234)U, (235)U and (238)U), radium ((224)Ra and (226)Ra), (210)Po and (232)Th. The results for gross alpha and (226)Ra activity were compared with alpha spectrometry characterization, and an acceptable concordance was obtained. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alpha Particles Induce Autophagy in Multiple Myeloma Cells.

PubMed

Gorin, Jean-Baptiste; Gouard, Sébastien; Ménager, Jérémie; Morgenstern, Alfred; Bruchertseifer, Frank; Faivre-Chauvet, Alain; Guilloux, Yannick; Chérel, Michel; Davodeau, François; Gaschet, Joëlle

2015-01-01

Radiation emitted by the radionuclides in radioimmunotherapy (RIT) approaches induce direct killing of the targeted cells as well as indirect killing through the bystander effect. Our research group is dedicated to the development of α-RIT, i.e., RIT using α-particles especially for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). γ-irradiation and β-irradiation have been shown to trigger apoptosis in tumor cells. Cell death mode induced by (213)Bi α-irradiation appears more controversial. We therefore decided to investigate the effects of (213)Bi on MM cell radiobiology, notably cell death mechanisms as well as tumor cell immunogenicity after irradiation. Murine 5T33 and human LP-1 MM cell lines were used to study the effects of such α-particles. We first examined the effects of (213)Bi on proliferation rate, double-strand DNA breaks, cell cycle, and cell death. Then, we investigated autophagy after (213)Bi irradiation. Finally, a coculture of dendritic cells (DCs) with irradiated tumor cells or their culture media was performed to test whether it would induce DC activation. We showed that (213)Bi induces DNA double-strand breaks, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy in both cell lines, but we detected only slight levels of early apoptosis within the 120 h following irradiation in 5T33 and LP-1. Inhibition of autophagy prevented (213)Bi-induced inhibition of proliferation in LP-1 suggesting that this mechanism is involved in cell death after irradiation. We then assessed the immunogenicity of irradiated cells and found that irradiated LP-1 can activate DC through the secretion of soluble factor(s); however, no increase in membrane or extracellular expression of danger-associated molecular patterns was observed after irradiation. This study demonstrates that (213)Bi induces mainly necrosis in MM cells, low levels of apoptosis, and autophagy that might be involved in tumor cell death.

Ultraviolet observations of alpha Aurigae from Copernicus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dupree, A. K.

1975-08-01

Emission lines of L$alpha$ (1215.67 A) and O vi (1031.94 A) were detected in the spectroscopic binary $alpha$ Aur (Capella) with the Princeton experiment on Copernicus. Temperatures of the emitting regions are inferred to be in excess of 3times10$sup 5$ K. The temperature and emission measure are consistent with atmosphere is expanding with velocities approx.20 to 100 km s$sup -1$. Such expansion can lead to material within the binary system. The density of interstellar hydrogen inferred from absorption of stellar L$alpha$ appears to be approx.0.01 hydrogen atoms cm$sup -3$.

Controlled rotation and translation of spherical particles or living cells by surface acoustic waves.

PubMed

Bernard, Ianis; Doinikov, Alexander A; Marmottant, Philippe; Rabaud, David; Poulain, Cédric; Thibault, Pierre

2017-07-11

We show experimental evidence of the acoustically-assisted micromanipulation of small objects like solid particles or blood cells, combining rotation and translation, using high frequency surface acoustic waves. This was obtained from the leakage in a microfluidic channel of two standing waves arranged perpendicularly in a LiNbO 3 piezoelectric substrate working at 36.3 MHz. By controlling the phase lag between the emitters, we could, in addition to translation, generate a swirling motion of the emitting surface which, in turn, led to the rapid rotation of spherical polystyrene Janus beads suspended in the channel and of human red and white blood cells up to several rounds per second. We show that these revolution velocities are compatible with a torque caused by the acoustic streaming that develops at the particles surface, like that first described by [F. Busse et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 1981, 69(6), 1634-1638]. This device, based on standard interdigitated transducers (IDTs) adjusted to emit at equal frequencies, opens a way to a large range of applications since it allows the simultaneous control of the translation and rotation of hard objects, as well as the investigation of the response of cells to shear stress.

Fabrication and evaluation of plasmonic light-emitting diodes with thin p-type layer and localized Ag particles embedded by ITO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, N.; Morishita, N.; Mori, A.; Tsukada, T.; Tateishi, K.; Okamoto, K.; Tadatomo, K.

2017-04-01

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been demonstrated with a thin p-type layer using the plasmonic effect. Optimal LED device operation was found when using a 20-nm-thick p+-GaN layer. Ag of different thicknesses was deposited on the thin p-type layer and annealed to form the localized Ag particles. The localized Ag particles were embedded by indium tin oxide to form a p-type electrode in the LED structure. By optimization of the plasmonic LED, the significant electroluminescence enhancement was observed when the thickness of Ag was 9.5 nm. Both upward and downward electroluminescence intensities were improved, and the external quantum efficiency was approximately double that of LEDs without the localized Ag particles. The time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) decay time for the LED with the localized Ag particles was shorter than that without the localized Ag particles. The faster PL decay time should cause the increase in internal quantum efficiency by adopting the localized Ag particles. To validate the localized surface plasmon resonance coupling effect, the absorption of the LEDs was investigated experimentally and using simulations.

Coastal water source of short-lived halocarbons in New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yong; Varner, Ruth K.; Russo, Rachel S.; Wingenter, Oliver W.; Haase, Karl B.; Talbot, Robert; Sive, Barkley C.

2005-11-01

Short-lived halocarbon tracers were used to investigate marine influences on air quality in a coastal region of New England. Atmospheric measurements made at the University of New Hampshire's Observing Station at Thompson Farm (TF) in Durham, New Hampshire, indicate that relatively large amounts of halocarbons are emitted from local estuarine and coastal oceanic regions. Bromine-containing halocarbons of interest in this work include bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2). The mean mixing ratios of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 from 11 January to 5 March 2002 were 2.6 pptv and 1.6 pptv, and from 1 June to 31 August 2002 mean mixing ratios were 5.9 pptv and 1.4 pptv, respectively. The mean mixing ratio of CHBr3 was not only highest during summer, but both CHBr3 and CH2Br2 exhibited large variability in their atmospheric mixing ratios during this season. We attribute the greater variability to increased production combined with faster atmospheric removal rates. Other seasonal characteristics of CHBr3 and CH2Br2 in the atmosphere, as well as the impact of local meteorology on their distributions at this coastal site, are discussed. Tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4) and trichloroethene (C2HCl3) were used to identify time periods influenced by urban emissions. Additionally, measurements of CHBr3, CH2Br2, C2Cl4, methyl iodide (CH3I), and ethyl iodide (C2H5I) were made at TF and five sites throughout the nearby Great Bay estuarine area between 18 and 19 August 2003. These measurements were used to elucidate the effect of the tidal cycle on the distributions of these gases. The mean mixing ratios of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH3I, and C2H5I were ˜82%, 46%, 14%, and 17% higher, respectively, near the coast compared to inland sites, providing evidence for a marine source of short-lived halocarbons at TF. Correlation between the tidal cycle and atmospheric concentrations of marine tracers on the night of 18 August 2003 showed that the highest values for the brominated species occurred ˜2-3 hours

Search for charged massive long-lived particles at D0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yunhe

2009-05-01

We report on a new search for charged massive long-lived particles (CMLLP) by the D0 Experiment at Fermilab's Teva- tron. CMLLP are predicted in many theories beyond Standard Model. Time-of-flight information was used in the search for pair-produced CMLLPs, based on the signature of two particles, reconstructed as muons, with speed and invariant mass inconsistent with beam-produced muons. The analysis was done with the data taken by D0 detector in Run II cor- responding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb-1. Limits on the pair production of CMLLPs are presented quasi-model independently.

Lung dosimetry for inhaled long-lived radionuclides and radon progeny.

PubMed

Hussain, M; Winkler-Heil, R; Hofmann, W

2011-05-01

The current version of the stochastic lung dosimetry model IDEAL-DOSE considers deposition in the whole tracheobronchial (TB) and alveolar airway system, while clearance is restricted to TB airways. For the investigation of doses produced by inhaled long-lived radionuclides (LLR) together with short-lived radon progeny, alveolar clearance has to be considered. Thus, present dose calculations are based on the average transport rates proposed for the revision of the ICRP human respiratory tract model. The results obtained indicate that LLR cleared from the alveolar region can deliver up to two to six times higher doses to the TB region when compared with the doses from directly deposited particles. Comparison of LLR doses with those of short-lived radon progeny indicates that LLR in uranium mines can deliver up to 5 % of the doses predicted for the short-lived radon daughters.

A Ly{alpha} GALAXY AT REDSHIFT z = 6.944 IN THE COSMOS FIELD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rhoads, James E.; Hibon, Pascale; Malhotra, Sangeeta

2012-06-20

Ly{alpha} emitting galaxies can be used to study cosmological reionization, because a neutral intergalactic medium (IGM) scatters Ly{alpha} photons into diffuse halos whose surface brightness falls below typical survey detection limits. Here, we present the Ly{alpha} emitting galaxy LAE J095950.99+021219.1, identified at redshift z = 6.944 in the COSMOS field using narrowband imaging and follow-up spectroscopy with the IMACS instrument on the Magellan I Baade telescope. With a single object spectroscopically confirmed so far, our survey remains consistent with a wide range of IGM neutral fraction at z Almost-Equal-To 7, but further observations are planned and will help clarify themore » situation. Meantime, the object we present here is only the third Ly{alpha}-selected galaxy to be spectroscopically confirmed at z {approx}> 7, and is {approx}2-3 times fainter than the previously confirmed z Almost-Equal-To 7 Ly{alpha} galaxies.« less

PANTHER Data from SOLVE-II Through CR-AVE: A Contrast Between Long and Short Lived Compounds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, F. L.; Dutton, G. S.; Elkins, J. W.; Hall, B. D.; Hurst, D. F.; Nance, J. D.; Thompson, T. M.

2006-12-01

PANTHER (PAN and other Trace Hydrohalocarbons ExpeRiment) is an airborne 6-channel gas chromatograph that measures approximately 20 important atmospheric trace gases whose changing burdens impact air quality, climate change and both stratospheric and tropospheric ozone. In this presentation we will contrast measurements of the long-lived compounds against the short-lived compounds. The long-lived compounds tend to have well-defined troposphere boundary conditions and develop spatial gradients due to stratospheric processing. These measurements have played a major role in quantifying stratospheric transport, stratosphere- troposphere exchange, and ozone loss. In contrast the short-lived species develop spatial and temporal gradients in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), due to variations in the surface boundary layer concentrations and the coupling of this surface boundary layer to the TTL via convective processes. Deep convection acts like a "conveyor belt" between the source region in the boundary layer and the relatively stable TTL region, often bypassing the free troposphere where scavenging of these short lived species takes place. Loss rates due to reaction with OH and thermal decomposition are reduced in the cold, dry air of the TTL, resulting in longer survival times. Isolation of the TTL region from the free troposphere can last from days to over a month. Significant amounts of these short-lived compound and their byproducts can therefore be transported into the lower stratosphere (LS). Of particular interest are compounds that contain bromine, iodine, and sulfur, not only because of their intrinsic harmful effects in the atmosphere, but also because they have unique source and sink regions that can help to de- convolve transport.

Hot excited state management for long-lived blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes

DOE PAGES

Lee, Jaesang; Jeong, Changyeong; Batagoda, Thilini; ...

2017-05-31

Since their introduction over 15 years ago, the operational lifetime of blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) has remained insufficient for their practical use in displays and lighting. Their short lifetime results from annihilation between high-energy excited states, producing energetically hot states (46.0 eV) that lead to molecular dissociation. We introduce a strategy to avoid dissociative reactions by including a molecular hot excited state manager within the device emission layer. Hot excited states transfer to the manager and rapidly thermalize before damage is induced on the dopant or host. As a consequence, the managed blue PHOLED attains T80=334±5 h (timemore » to 80% of the 1,000 cd m -2 initial luminance) with a chromaticity coordinate of (0.16, 0.31), corresponding to 3.6±0.1 times improvement in a lifetime compared to conventional, unmanaged devices. We believe that, this significant improvement results in the longest lifetime for such a blue PHOLED.« less

Hot excited state management for long-lived blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Jaesang; Jeong, Changyeong; Batagoda, Thilini

Since their introduction over 15 years ago, the operational lifetime of blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) has remained insufficient for their practical use in displays and lighting. Their short lifetime results from annihilation between high-energy excited states, producing energetically hot states (46.0 eV) that lead to molecular dissociation. We introduce a strategy to avoid dissociative reactions by including a molecular hot excited state manager within the device emission layer. Hot excited states transfer to the manager and rapidly thermalize before damage is induced on the dopant or host. As a consequence, the managed blue PHOLED attains T80=334±5 h (timemore » to 80% of the 1,000 cd m -2 initial luminance) with a chromaticity coordinate of (0.16, 0.31), corresponding to 3.6±0.1 times improvement in a lifetime compared to conventional, unmanaged devices. We believe that, this significant improvement results in the longest lifetime for such a blue PHOLED.« less

Short Lived Climate Pollutants cause a Long Lived Effect on Sea-level Rise: Analyzing climate metrics for sea-level rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterner, E.; Johansson, D. J.

2013-12-01

Climate change depends on the increase of several different atmospheric pollutants. While long term global warming will be determined mainly by carbon dioxide, warming in the next few decades will depend to a large extent on short lived climate pollutants (SLCP). Reducing emissions of SLCPs could contribute to lower the global mean surface temperature by 0.5 °C already by 2050 (Shindell et al. 2012). Furthermore, the warming effect of one of the most potent SLCPs, black carbon (BC), may have been underestimated in the past. Bond et al. (2013) presents a new best estimate of the total BC radiative forcing (RF) of 1.1 W/m2 (90 % uncertainty bounds of 0.17 to 2.1 W/m2) since the beginning of the industrial era. BC is however never emitted alone and cooling aerosols from the same sources offset a majority of this RF. In the wake of calls for mitigation of SLCPs it is important to study other aspects of the climate effect of SLCPs. One key impact of climate change is sea-level rise (SLR). In a recent study, the effect of SLCP mitigation scenarios on SLR is examined. Hu et al (2013) find a substantial effect on SLR from mitigating SLCPs sharply, reducing SLR by 22-42% by 2100. We choose a different approach focusing on emission pulses and analyse a metric based on sea level rise so as to further enlighten the SLR consequences of SLCPs. We want in particular to understand the time dynamics of SLR impacts caused by SLCPs compared to other greenhouse gases. The most commonly used physical based metrics are GWP and GTP. We propose and evaluate an additional metric: The global sea-level rise potential (GSP). The GSP is defined as the sea level rise after a time horizon caused by an emissions pulse of a forcer to the sea level rise after a time horizon caused by an emissions pulse of a CO2. GSP is evaluated and compared to GWP and GTP using a set of climate forcers chosen to cover the whole scale of atmospheric perturbation life times (BC, CH4, N2O, CO2 and SF6). The study

Production, PET performance and dosimetric considerations of 134Ce/134La, an Auger electron and positron-emitting generator for radionuclide therapy.

PubMed

Lubberink, Mark; Lundqvist, Hans; Tolmachev, Vladimir

2002-02-21

We propose the use of the Auger electron and positron-emitting generator 134Ce/134La (half-lives 3.16 d and 6.45 min) for radionuclide therapy. It combines emission of high-energy beta particles with Auger electrons. The high-energy beta particles have similar energies as those emitted by 90Y. Many cancer patients receiving radionuclide therapy have both bulk tumours, which are best treated with high-energy beta particles, and single spread cells or micrometastasis, which are preferably treated with low-energy electrons such as Auger and conversion electrons. Furthermore, the positron-emitting 134La can be used to study kinetics and dosimetry using PET. Production and PET performance were investigated and theoretical dosimetry calculations were made. PET resolution, recovery and quantitative accuracy were slightly degraded for 134La compared to 18F. 134Ce/134La absorbed doses to single cells were higher than absorbed doses from 90Y and 111In. Absorbed doses to spheres representing bulk tumours were almost as high as for 90Y, and a factor 10 higher than for 111In. Whole-body absorbed doses, based on kinetics of the somatostatin analogue octreotide, were higher for 134Ce/134La than for 90Y because of the 134La annihilation photons. This initial study of the therapeutic possibilities of 134Ce/134La is encouraging and justifies further investigations.

Long-Term Stability of Planets in the Alpha Centauri System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lissauer, Jack; Quarles, Billy

2015-01-01

The alpha Centauri system is billions of years old, so planets are only expected to be found in regions where their orbits are long-lived. We evaluate the extent of the regions within the alpha Centauri AB star system where small planets are able to orbit for billion-year timescales, and we map the positions in the sky plane where planets on stable orbits about either stellar component may appear. We confirm the qualitative results of Wiegert & Holman (Astron. J. 113, 1445, 1997) regarding the approximate size of the regions of stable orbits of a single planet, which are larger for retrograde orbits relative to the binary than for pro-grade orbits. Additionally, we find that mean motion resonances with the binary orbit leave an imprint on the limits of orbital stability, and the effects of the Lidov-Kozai mechanism are also readily apparent. Overall, orbits of a single planet in the habitable zones near the plane of the binary are stable, whereas high-inclination orbits are short-lived. However, even well within regions where single planets are stable, multiple planet systems must be significantly more widely-spaced than they need to be around an isolated star in order to be long-lived.

Intense and short-lived

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-29

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope picture shows a galaxy named SBS 1415+437 or SDSS CGB 12067.1, located about 45 million light-years from Earth. SBS 1415+437 is a Wolf–Rayet galaxy, a type of starbursting galaxy with an unusually high number of extremely hot and massive stars known as Wolf–Rayet stars. These stars can be around 20 times as massive as the Sun, but seem to be on a mission to shed surplus mass as quickly as possible — they blast substantial winds of particles out into space, causing them to dwindle at a rapid rate. A typical star of this type can lose a mass equal to that of our Sun in just 100 000 years! These massive stars are also incredibly hot, with surface temperatures some 10 to 40 times that of the Sun, and very luminous, glowing at tens of thousands to several million times the brightness of the Sun. Many of the brightest and most massive stars in the Milky Way are Wolf–Rayet stars. Because these stars are so intense they do not last very long, burning up their fuel and blasting their bulk out into the cosmos on very short timescale ‒ only a few hundred thousand years. Because of this it is unusual to find more than a few of these stars per galaxy — except in Wolf–Rayet galaxies, like the one in this image.

Metrics for comparing climate impacts of short- and long-lived climate forcing agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuglestvedt, J.; Berntsen, T.

2013-12-01

Human activities emit a wide variety of gases and aerosols, with different characteristics that influence both air quality and climate. The emissions affect climate both directly and indirectly and operate on both short and long timescales. Tools that allow these emissions to be placed on a common scale in terms of climate impact, i.e. metrics, have a number of applications (e.g. agreements and emission trading schemes, when considering potential trade-offs between changes in emissions). The Kyoto Protocol compares greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) over a 100 year time-horizon. The IPCC First Assessment Report states the GWP was presented to illustrate the difficulties in comparing GHGs. There have been many critiques of the GWP and several alternative emission metrics have been proposed, but there has been little focus on understanding the linkages between, and interpretations of, different emission metrics. Furthermore, the capability to compare components with very different lifetimes and temporal behaviour needs consideration. The temperature based metrics (e.g. the Global Temperature change Potential (GTP)) require a model for the temperature response, and additional uncertainty is thus introduced. Short-lived forcers may also give more spatially heterogeneous responses, and the possibilities to capture these spatial variations by using other indicators than global mean RF or temperature change in metrics will be discussed. The ultimate choice of emission metric(s) and time-horizon(s) should, however, depend on the objectives of climate policy. Alternatives to the current 'multi-gas and single-basket' approach will also be explored and discussed (e.g. how a two-target approach may be implemented using a two-basket approach). One example is measures to reduce near-term rate of warming and long-term stabilization which can be implemented through two separate targets and two baskets with separate set of metrics for each

Spatial and Time Coincidence Detection of the Decay Chain of Short-Lived Radioactive Nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Granja, Carlos; Jakubek, Jan; Platkevic, Michal

The quantum counting position sensitive pixel detector Timepix with per-pixel energy and time resolution enables to detect radioactive ions and register the consecutive decay chain by simultaneous position-and time-correlation. This spatial and timing coincidence technique in the same sensor is demonstrated by the registration of the decay chain {sup 8}He{yields}{sup {beta} 8}Li and {sup 8}Li{yields}{sup {beta}-} {sup 8}Be{yields}{alpha}+{alpha} and by the measurement of the {beta} decay half-lives. Radioactive ions, selectively obtained from the Lohengrin fission fragment spectrometer installed at the High Flux Reactor of the ILL Grenoble, are delivered to the Timepix silicon sensor where decays of the implanted ionsmore » and daughter nuclei are registered and visualized. We measure decay lifetimes in the range {>=}{mu}s with precision limited just by counting statistics.« less

Validation of Six Short and Ultra-short Screening Instruments for Depression for People Living with HIV in Ontario: Results from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Choi, Stephanie K. Y.; Boyle, Eleanor; Burchell, Ann N.; Gardner, Sandra; Collins, Evan; Grootendorst, Paul; Rourke, Sean B.

2015-01-01

Objective Major depression affects up to half of people living with HIV. However, among HIV-positive patients, depression goes unrecognized 60–70% of the time in non-psychiatric settings. We sought to evaluate three screening instruments and their short forms to facilitate the recognition of current depression in HIV-positive patients attending HIV specialty care clinics in Ontario. Methods A multi-centre validation study was conducted in Ontario to examine the validity and accuracy of three instruments (the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale [CESD20], the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K10], and the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale [PHQ9]) and their short forms (CESD10, K6, and PHQ2) in diagnosing current major depression among 190 HIV-positive patients in Ontario. Results from the three instruments and their short forms were compared to results from the gold standard measured by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (the “M.I.N.I.”). Results Overall, the three instruments identified depression with excellent accuracy and validity (area under the curve [AUC]>0.9) and good reliability (Kappa statistics: 0.71–0.79; Cronbach’s alpha: 0.87–0.93). We did not find that the AUCs differed in instrument pairs (p-value>0.09), or between the instruments and their short forms (p-value>0.3). Except for the PHQ2, the instruments showed good-to-excellent sensitivity (0.86–1.0) and specificity (0.81–0.87), excellent negative predictive value (>0.90), and moderate positive predictive value (0.49–0.58) at their optimal cut-points. Conclusion Among people in HIV care in Ontario, Canada, the three instruments and their short forms performed equally well and accurately. When further in-depth assessments become available, shorter instruments might find greater clinical acceptance. This could lead to clinical benefits in fast-paced speciality HIV care settings and better management of depression in HIV-positive patients. PMID:26566285

Study of the peak shape in alpha spectra measured by liquid scintillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vera Tomé, F.; Gómez Escobar, V.; Martín Sánchez, A.

2002-06-01

Liquid-scintillation counting allows the measurement of alpha and beta activities jointly or only of the alpha-emitting nuclides in a sample. Although the resolution of the alpha spectra is poorer than that attained with semiconductor detectors, it is still an attractive alternative. We describe here attempts to fit a peak shape to experimental liquid-scintillation alpha spectra and discuss the parameters affecting this shape, such as the PSA (pulse-shape analyser) level, vial type, shaking the sample, etc. Spectral analysis has been applied for complex alpha spectra.

Effects of short-term radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on teenagers and adults

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background With the rapid increasing use of third generation (3 G) mobile phones, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones in humans. The number of people, who complain of various symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and fatigue, has also increased. Recently, the importance of researches on teenagers has been on the rise. However, very few provocation studies have examined the health effects of WCDMA mobile phone radiation on teenagers. Methods In this double-blind study, two volunteer groups of 26 adults and 26 teenagers were simultaneously investigated by measuring physiological changes in heart rate, respiration rate, and heart rate variability for autonomic nervous system (ANS), eight subjective symptoms, and perception of RF-EMFs during sham and real exposure sessions to verify its effects on adults and teenagers. Experiments were conducted using a dummy phone containing a WCDMA module (average power, 250 mW at 1950 MHz; specific absorption rate, 1.57 W/kg) within a headset placed on the head for 32 min. Results Short-term WCDMA RF-EMFs generated no significant changes in ANS, subjective symptoms or the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed in either group. Conclusions Considering the analyzed physiological data, the subjective symptoms surveyed, and the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed, 32 min of RF radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones demonstrated no effects in either adult or teenager subjects. PMID:24886241

Chromophore-assisted laser inactivation of alpha- and gamma-tubulin SNAP-tag fusion proteins inside living cells.

PubMed

Keppler, Antje; Ellenberg, Jan

2009-02-20

Chromophore-assisted laser inactivation (CALI) can help to unravel localized activities of target proteins at defined times and locations within living cells. Covalent SNAP-tag labeling of fusion proteins with fluorophores such as fluorescein is a fast and highly specific tool to attach the photosensitizer to its target protein in vivo for selective inactivation of the fusion protein. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness and specificity of SNAP-tag-based CALI by acute inactivation of alpha-tubulin and gamma-tubulin SNAP-tag fusions during live imaging assays of cell division. Singlet oxygen is confirmed as the reactive oxygen species that leads to loss of fusion protein function. The major advantage of SNAP-tag CALI is the ease, reliability, and high flexibility in labeling: the genetically encoded protein tag can be covalently labeled with various dyes matching the experimental requirements. This makes SNAP-tag CALI a very useful tool for rapid inactivation of tagged proteins in living cells.

Physico-Chemical Characterization of Fine and Ultrafine Particles Emitted during Diesel Particulate Filter Active Regeneration of Euro5 Diesel Vehicles.

PubMed

R'Mili, Badr; Boréave, Antoinette; Meme, Aurelie; Vernoux, Philippe; Leblanc, Mickael; Noël, Ludovic; Raux, Stephane; D'Anna, Barbara

2018-03-06

Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are commonly employed in modern passenger cars to comply with current particulate matter (PM) emission standards. DPFs requires periodic regeneration to remove the accumulated matter. During the process, high-concentration particles, in both nucleation and accumulation modes, are emitted. Here, we report new information on particle morphology and chemical composition of fine (FPs) and ultrafine particles (UFPs) measured downstream of the DPF during active regeneration of two Euro 5 passenger cars. The first vehicle was equipped with a close-coupled diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and noncatalyzed DPF combined with fuel borne catalyst and the second one with DOC and a catalyzed-diesel particle filter (CDPF). Differences in PM emission profiles of the two vehicles were related to different after treatment design, regeneration strategies, and vehicle characteristics and mileage. Particles in the nucleation mode consisted of ammonium bisulfate, sulfate and sulfuric acid, suggesting that the catalyst desulfation is the key process in the formation of UFPs. Larger particles and agglomerates, ranging from 90 to 600 nm, consisted of carbonaceous material (soot and soot aggregates) coated by condensable material including organics, ammonium bisulfate and sulfuric acid. Particle emission in the accumulation mode was due to the reduced filtration efficiency (soot cake oxidation) throughout the regeneration process.

Elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in exhaust particles emitted by light-duty vehicles.

PubMed

Alves, Célia A; Barbosa, Cátia; Rocha, Sónia; Calvo, Ana; Nunes, Teresa; Cerqueira, Mário; Pio, Casimiro; Karanasiou, Angeliki; Querol, Xavier

2015-08-01

The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) emitted by eight different light-duty vehicles. Exhaust samples from petrol and diesel cars (Euro 3 to Euro 5) were collected in a chassis dynamometer facility. To simulate the real-world driving conditions, three ARTEMIS cycles were followed: road, to simulate a fluid traffic flow and urban with hot and cold starts, to simulate driving conditions in cities. Samples were analysed for the water-soluble ions, for the elemental composition and for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), respectively, by ion chromatography, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nitrate and phosphate were the major water-soluble ions in the exhaust particles emitted from diesel and petrol vehicles, respectively. The amount of material emitted is affected by the vehicle age. For vehicles ≥Euro 4, most elements were below the detection limits. Sodium, with emission factors in the ranges 23.5-62.4 and 78.2-227μg km(-1), for petrol and diesel Euro 3 vehicles, respectively, was the major element. The emission factors of metallic elements indicated that diesel vehicles release three to five times more than petrol automobiles. Element emissions under urban cycles are higher than those found for on-road driving, being three or four times higher, for petrol vehicles, and two or three times, for diesel vehicles. The difference between cycles is mainly due to the high emissions for the urban cycle with hot start-up. As registered for elements, most of the PAH emissions for vehicles ≥Euro 4 were also below the detection limits. Regardless of the vehicle models or driving cycles, the two- to four-ring PAHs were always dominant. Naphthalene, with emission factors up to 925 μg km(-1), was always the most abundant PAH. The relative cancer risk associated with

Activation of respiratory epithelial cells by wood smoke particles persists beyond immediate exposure.

EPA Science Inventory

The biological effect of particles on epithelial cells involves, in part, oxidant generation and a cascade of reactions culminating in inflammatory mediator release. Whether there is an immediate short-lived activation or continued persistent response of the cells to the particle...

Search in leptonic channels for heavy resonances decaying to long-lived neutral particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chatrchyan, S.; Khachatryan, V.; Sirunyan, A. M.

A search is performed for heavy resonances decaying to two long-lived massive neutral particles, each decaying to leptons. The experimental signature is a distinctive topology consisting of a pair of oppositely charged leptons originating at a separated secondary vertex. Events were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at TeV, and selected from data samples corresponding to 4.1 (5.1) fb -1 of integrated luminosity in the electron (muon) channel. No significant excess is observed above standard model expectations, and an upper limit is set with 95% confidence level on the production cross section times the branchingmore » fraction to leptons, as a function of the long-lived massive neutral particle lifetime.« less

How the Emitted Size Distribution and Mixing State of Feldspar Affect Ice Nucleating Particles in a Global Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perlwitz, J. P.; Fridlind, A. M.; Knopf, D. A.; Miller, R. L.; Pérez García-Pando, C.

2017-12-01

The effect of aerosol particles on ice nucleation and, in turn, the formation of ice and mixed phase clouds is recognized as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate prediction. We apply an improved dust mineral specific aerosol module in the NASA GISS Earth System ModelE, which takes into account soil aggregates and their fragmentation at emission as well as the emission of large particles. We calculate ice nucleating particle concentrations from K-feldspar abundance for an active site parameterization for a range of activation temperatures and external and internal mixing assumption. We find that the globally averaged INP concentration is reduced by a factor of two to three, compared to a simple assumption on the size distribution of emitted dust minerals. The decrease can amount to a factor of five in some geographical regions. The results vary little between external and internal mixing and different activation temperatures, except for the coldest temperatures. In the sectional size distribution, the size range 2-4 μm contributes the largest INP number.

How the Emitted Size Distribution and Mixing State of Feldspar Affect Ice Nucleating Particles in a Global Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perlwitz, Jan P.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Knopf, Daniel A.; Miller, Ron L.; García-Pando, Carlos Perez

2017-01-01

The effect of aerosol particles on ice nucleation and, in turn, the formation of ice and mixed phase clouds is recognized as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate prediction. We apply an improved dust mineral specific aerosol module in the NASA GISS Earth System ModelE, which takes into account soil aggregates and their fragmentation at emission as well as the emission of large particles. We calculate ice nucleating particle concentrations from K-feldspar abundance for an active site parameterization for a range of activation temperatures and external and internal mixing assumption. We find that the globally averaged INP concentration is reduced by a factor of two to three, compared to a simple assumption on the size distribution of emitted dust minerals. The decrease can amount to a factor of five in some geographical regions. The results vary little between external and internal mixing and different activation temperatures, except for the coldest temperatures. In the sectional size distribution, the size range 24 micrometer contributes the largest INP number.

Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Carter, Jennifer C.; Warner, Cynthia L.

Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and large surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. In addition, their superparamagnetic properties provide a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. We evaluated two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes for their ability to collect trace levels of a chemically diverse range of alpha emitting radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), uranium (U), and americium (Am)) from a wide range of aqueous solutions. The nanomaterials include commerciallymore » available magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1. Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. We show that the uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified ground water was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is

Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions

DOE PAGES

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Carter, Jennifer C.; Warner, Cynthia L.; ...

2016-10-31

Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and large surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. In addition, their superparamagnetic properties provide a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. We evaluated two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes for their ability to collect trace levels of a chemically diverse range of alpha emitting radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), uranium (U), and americium (Am)) from a wide range of aqueous solutions. The nanomaterials include commerciallymore » available magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1. Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. We show that the uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified ground water was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is

Synthesis of plastic scintillation microspheres: alpha/beta discrimination.

PubMed

Santiago, L M; Bagán, H; Tarancón, A; Garcia, J F

2014-11-01

Plastic scintillation microspheres (PSm) have been developed as an alternative for liquid scintillation cocktails due to their ability to avoid the mixed waste, besides other strengths in which the possibility for alpha/beta discrimination is included. The aim of this work was to evaluate the capability of PSm containing two combinations of fluorescence solutes (PPO/POPOP and pT/Bis-MSB) and variable amounts of a second organic solvent (naphthalene) to enhance the alpha/beta discrimination. Two commercial detectors with different Pulse Shape Discrimination performances (Quantulus and Triathler) were used to evaluate the alpha/beta discrimination. An optimal discrimination of alpha/beta particles was reached, with very low misclassification values (2% for beta particles and 0.5% for alpha particles), when PSm containing PPO/POPOP and between 0.6 and 2.0 g of naphthalene were evaluated using Triathler and the appropriate programme for data processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water and tissue equivalence properties of biological materials for photons, electrons, protons and alpha particles in the energy region 10 keV-1 GeV: a comparative study.

PubMed

Kurudirek, Murat

2016-09-01

To compare some biological materials in respect to the water and tissue equivalence properties for photon, electron, proton and alpha particle interactions as means of the effective atomic number (Zeff) and electron density (Ne). A Z-wise interpolation procedure has been adopted for calculation of Zeff using the mass attenuation coefficients for photons and the mass stopping powers for charged particles. At relatively low energies (100 keV-3 MeV), Zeff and Ne for photons and electrons were found to be constant while they vary much more for protons and alpha particles. In contrast, Zeff and Ne for protons and alpha particles were found to be constant after 3 MeV whereas for photons and electrons they were found to increase with the increasing energy. Also, muscle eq. liquid (with sucrose) have Zeff and Ne values close to the Muscle Skeletal (ICRP) and Muscle Striated (ICRU) within low relative differences below 9%. Muscle eq. liquid (without sucrose) have Zeff and Ne values close to the Muscle Skeletal (ICRP) and Muscle Striated (ICRU) with difference below 10%. The reported data should be useful in determining best water as well as tissue equivalent materials for photon, electron, proton and alpha particle interactions.

Event counting alpha detector

DOEpatents