A standardless approach of INAA for grouping study of ancient potteries

The k ₀ based internal monostandard neutron activation analysis was used to analyze 41 ancient pottery samples from three major locations of Andhra Pradesh state, India, belonging to two different age groups namely Megalithic and Buddhist periods. Samples were irradiated with neutron flux obtained from CIRUS reactor and radioactive assay was carried out using a 40% relative efficiency HPGe detector coupled to 8?k MCA. Concentration ratios of 21 elements were calculated with respect to internal monostandard Sc. Absolute concentrations for six (three each from both Megalithic and Buddhist periods) representative samples along with a modern pottery were obtained for comparison. Elemental concentration ratios with respect to Sc were used for grouping of these archaeological samples. Preliminary grouping of these artifacts was done using La/Ce values, and the grouping was confirmed by statistical cluster analysis using eleven selected trace elements. The IAEA RM SL-3 sample was analysed for validation of the method, where in both concentration ratios and absolute concentrations were calculated.     

Determination of thorium concentrations in soil and sand samples using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Thorium along with its daughter products present in the soil is one of the major contributors to the external gamma dose in the environment. To establish the dose levels, quantification of thorium contents in soil samples is very important. As a part of pre-operational environmental radiological surveillance, a total of 23 soil and six sand samples were collected from different locations around the proposed nuclear power plant site of Jaitapur, Maharashtra. Thorium concentrations in these samples were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Samples were irradiated with neutrons in Apsara reactor at a neutron flux of?~5?×?10¹¹ cm^?2 s^?1 and radioactive assay was carried out using high resolution gamma ray spectrometry. Relative method of INAA was used for quantification of thorium utilizing 311.9?keV gamma ray of ²³³Pa, the daughter product of ²³³Th. The concentrations of thorium in the soil and sand samples were in the ranges of 4.0?C18.8 and 1.2?C6.2?mg?kg^?1 respectively.     

Determination of concentration of iodine in grass and cow milk by NAA methods using reactor neutrons

Instrumental and preconcentration methods of neutron activation analysis (NAA) have been standardized for the determination of concentration of iodine in grass and cow milk samples, respectively. To study the transfer of iodine from grass to milk, known quantity of grass spiked with potassium iodide solution was fed to a cow. The spiked grass samples and milk samples, obtained from the cow after the ingestion of spiked grass, were collected. Iodine was separated from the milk samples chemically using Dowex 1X8 anion exchange resin. Spiked grass and ion exchange resin samples were neutron irradiated and radioactive assay was carried out using a 45?% relative efficiency HPGe detector coupled to an 8k channel analyzer. Iodine concentrations in spiked grass samples were found to be in the range of 1,487?C2,002?mg?kg^?1. Concentration of iodine in milk after 12?h of feeding the cow with spiked grass was 871?±?56???g?L^?1 which was reduced to 334?±?32???g?L^?1 after 48?h.     

Application of INAA for phyto-accumulation study of selenium by chickpea plant

The phyto-accumulation efficacy of selenium (Se) from soil by chickpea plant is reported. Chickpea plants were grown in soil having different concentrations (1–4 mg kg^?1) of Se. Samples of soil and different parts of chickpea plants in Se rich soil were analyzed for determination of Se concentrations by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Samples were irradiated in self-serve facility of CIRUS reactor, BARC, Mumbai at a neutron flux of the order of 10¹³ cm^?2 s^?1. The gamma activity at 264.7 keV of ⁷⁵Se (119.8 d) was measured using a 45% relative efficiency HPGe detector coupled to MCA. Dependence of Se distribution in soil and plants on its spiking concentration was evaluated in this work. The Se concentrations determined in plant parts grown in control soil and in soil spiked with Se (4 mg kg^?1) are in the range of 0.6–0.8 and 65–68 mg kg^?1 respectively.     

Characterization of pneumatic fast transfer system irradiation position of KAMINI reactor for k 0-based NAA

The pneumatic fast transfer system position at KAMINI reactor, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, India was characterized by determining the epithermal neutron flux shape factor (α) and the sub-cadmium to epithermal neutron flux ratio (f) for k ₀-based Neutron Activation Analysis (k ₀-NAA). For determination of α value, bare, Cd-ratio and Cd-cover methods were employed using dual and multi monitors namely Au, Zr and Zn. For calculation of f, Au and Zr monitors were used in the case of bare method and Au monitor was used for cadmium ratio and cadmium cover methods. The determined α-value of PFTS indicated a hard epithermal neutron spectrum and the f value indicated about 96 % thermal neutron component. For validation of k ₀-NAA method, reference materials namely NIST SRM 1646a (Estuarine Sediment) and BCS Nb-stabilized Stainless Steel (BCS/SS No.261/1) were analyzed. The percentage errors of the determined concentration values of elements were within ±5 % with respect to the certified values and the Z-score values at 95 % confidence level were within ±2 in most of the cases.     

Estimation of thorium intake due to consumption of vegetables by inhabitants of high background radiation area by INAA

A study was conducted to estimate the thorium concentration in locally grown vegetables in high background radiation area (HBRA) of southern coastal regions of India. Locally grown vegetables were collected from HBRA of southern coastal regions of India. Thorium concentration was quantified using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The samples were irradiated at CIRUS reactor and counted using a 40% relative efficiency HPGe detector coupled to MCA. The annual intake of thorium was evaluated using the consumption data provided by National Nutrition Monitoring Board. The daily intake of ²³²Th from the four food categories (green leafy vegetables, others vegetables, roots and tubers, and fruits) ranged between 0.27 and 5.352?mBq?d^?1. The annual internal dose due to ingestion of thorium from these food categories was 46.8?×?10^?8 for female and 58.6?×?10^?8?Sv?y^?1 for male.     

Accelerated magnetosonic lump wave solutions by orbiting charged space debris

Nonlinear Dynamics - The excitations of nonlinear magnetosonic lump waves induced by orbiting charged space debris particles in the Low Earth Orbital (LEO) plasma region are investigated in the...     

On a pair of nonlinear mixed integer programming problems

We consider maximin and minimax nonlinear mixed integer programming problems which are nonsymmetric in duality sense. Under weaker (pseudo-convex/pseudo-concave) assumptions, we show that the supremum infimum of the maximin problem is greater than or equal to the infimum supremum of the minimax problem. As a particular case, this result reduces to the weak duality theorem for minimax and symmetric dual nonlinear mixed integer programming problems. Further, this is used to generalize available results on minimax and symmetric duality in nonlinear mixed integer programming.     

Ligand control on the reactions of oxygen- and sulphur-bonded (sulphito)pentaminecobalt(III) complexes in solution

The kinetics of formation, acid-catalysed aquation, ligand isomerisation (CoIIIOSO2+→CoIIISO3+), intramolecular electron-transfer, and base-catalysed hydrolysis and isomerisation of O-bonded sulphito complexes, cis-[Co(en)2(B)(OSO2–O)]+[B=benzimidazole (bzimH), N-methylimidazole (N-meim)] and the anation of cis-[Co(en)2(B)OH)]2+ [B=bzimH, N-meim and imH (imidazole)] by oxSO2−3 are reported. Steric acceleration is observed in the formation and acid-catalysed aquation of the O-sulphito complexes. The ligand isomerisation leads to loss of the monodentate amine with the formation of trans-[Co(en)2(SO3–S)2]− (in an excess of sulphite). Steric acceleration is more pronounced in the isomerisation and base hydrolysis than in the redox process. The results indicate cis labilisation of the coordinated O-sulphite. The [(tetraethylenepentamine)Co(OSO2–O)]+ cation undergoes base hydrolysis 103 times faster than the corresponding (en)2(B) complexes; base-catalysed ligand isomerisation for the former is not observed unlike in the latter. The anation of cis-[Co(en)2(B)OH]2+ (B=imH, bzimH, N-meim) by SO2−3 in a mild alkali pH range (pH=7.9–9.6) and in an excess of SO2−3, yields exclusively trans-[Co(en)2(SO3–S)2]− with no evidence for the formation of the cis-[Co(en)2(B)(SO3–S)]+ or its O-sulphito analogue. The intramolecularly generated amido conjugate base of the sulphite ion-pair, {cis-[Co(en)2(B)OH]2+,SO32−}.41cm{cis-[Co(en)(en-H) (B)- OH2]2+,SO32−}, is believed to generate a five-coordinate intermediate (TBP) that captures the S-end of SO2−3 selectively from a site trans-to the amine B so that the amine is labilised by the trans effect of the sulphite. The NH-deprotonated coordinated imidazolate or benzimidazolate species, cis-[Co(en)2(bzm/im)OH]+, do not undergo anation by SO2−3. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.