Relativistic molecular orbitals for the double group D3h

Relativistic symmetry orbitals are given for the double group D_3h. For atomic orbitals at the symmetry center a general expression is presented. The atomic orbitals of the s, p_½, and p_3/2 variety outside the center are also considered. The representation matrices are given in explicit form.     

The role of TL dosimetry in estimating patient doses

A system of determining entrance surface doses (ESDs) from diagnostic X-ray examination is described. It is shown that the radiation yield calibrations of X-ray units (μGym²mAs⁻¹) can be based on very simple measurements with TL dosimeters. Comparisons of determined ESDs with the guidelines of international organizations are carried out with the aim of demonstrating the idea of how these values can be utilized in limiting patient doses.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">z</Emphasis>-Scaling and high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript> particle production in hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus collisions at high energies

The general features of particle production in hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus collisions at high energy and transverse momentum using the concept of z-scaling are reviewed. z-Presentation of experimental data on the inclusive cross sections obtained at ISR, SPS, and Tevatron is presented and its properties are discussed. It is argued that the properties reflect the fundamental symmetries such as self-similarity, locality, and fractality. z-Scaling is used to predict particle yields in hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus collisions at RHIC and LHC energies. The violation of z-scaling is considered as a signature of new physics phenomena.     

Effect of pH on growth and fatty acid composition ofLactobacillus büchneri andLactobacillus fermentum

Growth and fatty acid composition of two lactobacilli,Lactobacillus büchneri andLactobacillus fermentum, were studied at different pHs of the media in a small-scale fermenter with particular interest in lactobacillic acid production of the cultures. Generally, the total fatty acid content of the bacterial cells increased with increasing culture age. The production of lactobacillic acid was affected in the two lactobacilli by both culture age and pH of the media, but in a very different manner. In L.büchneri cultures, the relative proportion of lactobacillic acid was highest when the pH was lowest (pH 4.5), whereas inL. fermentum cultures, the proportion of lactobacillic acid was highest at pH 7.0. The pH of the medium affected not only the relative proportion of lactobacillic acid, but also biomass production and total fatty acid accumulation of the cultures. Thus, by controlling the pH of the cultures, the volumetric yield of lactobacillic acid could be improved considerably compared to cultures without pH control.     

In-field management of spectrometric data in radiological threat and emergency

Triggered by the events of September 11, 2001, the Finnish Government took the initiative to promote radiation measurement techniques for counter terrorist activities. Consequently, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority developed an advanced mobile unit for radionuclide source finding. The key design requirement was the capability to measure, analyze and communicate the results in real-time. A vehicle was built with mean response time. The in-situ gamma-spectrometric measurement start to alarm the operation center in 8 seconds. In-situ gamma-spectrometric data from both test and surveillance missions are presented.     

Principles and calibration of collinear photofragmentation and atomic absorption spectroscopy

The kinetics of signal formation in collinear photofragmentation and atomic absorption spectroscopy (CPFAAS) are discussed, and theoretical equations describing the relation between the concentration of the target molecule and the detected atomic absorption in case of pure and impure samples are derived. The validity of the equation for pure samples is studied experimentally by comparing measured target molecule concentrations to concentrations determined using two other independent techniques. Our study shows that CPFAAS is capable of measuring target molecule concentrations from parts per billion (ppb) to hundreds of parts per million (ppm) in microsecond timescale. Moreover, the possibility to extend the dynamic range to cover eight orders of magnitude with a proper selection of fragmentation light source is discussed. The maximum deviation between the CPFAAS technique and a reference measurement technique is found to be less than 5 %. In this study, potassium chloride vapor and atomic potassium are used as a target molecule and a probed atom, respectively.     

Target training with soft computing tools

The personal capabilities and intentions of employees indicate their performance within their organization. It is important for the organization to capture this kind of tacit knowledge since the workforce are the true experts in perceiving the organization's current reality and evaluating which assets require development – including themselves as knowledge assets. The collective inner voice of the workforce helps the organization's management to steer the company and its assets in a sustainable direction.This article presents how the collective inner voice of the workforce can be captured and how it can be used for the benefit of the organization and its employees. The objective is to support individuals’ personal aspirations, as well as to save the money, time and resources that an organization spends on personnel training.The focus of this article is on demonstrating a possible soft-computing method used for competency simulation. The process starts with a linguistic self-evaluation conducted by employees, where individuals’ own perception of current and target competence levels is captured. The self-evaluation is conducted with the help of fuzzy logic. Clusters are formed from the result dataset using an unsupervised neural network clustering method: self-organizing maps. A demonstrator tool is then used to perform a “what-if” type of analysis/simulation on the clusters in the results. With the demonstrator tool, employees can roughly test the impact of alternative training scenarios for themselves. For individuals this may open up new directions for self-development, and for organizations this may allow the efficient use of training resources. We tested the approach with a dataset from a real human resource development project among nuclear power plant operators.The case study reveals the potential of soft-computing based collective competency simulation as one part of personnel development projects in the future. Yet the techniques and the demonstrator tool used in this experiment are far from being products that employees could easily use as part of their training project. Possible benefits of the proposed approach are demonstrated in this article.     

Activity determination without tracers in high-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry

High-resolution alpha spectrometry was applied for the activity determination of 10 reference sources containing different amounts of ²³⁸Pu, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁴²Pu. They were analyzed as blind sources using a novel spectrum analysis tool ADAM. The information needed in the spectrum unfolding was taken only from the spectrum under investigation, and no tracers were applied. Therefore, a Monte Carlo program AASI was used to compute geometrical detection efficiency of the measurement setup. All reported activities corresponded to those of the reference sources within expanded uncertainty. The developed tools can be used for the activity determination in nondestructive alpha spectrometry or when the radionuclide composition does not change during the sample processing.     

Standoff alpha radiation detection for hot cell imaging and crime scene investigation

Optical Review - This paper presents the remote detection of alpha contamination in a nuclear facility. Alpha-active material in a shielded nuclear radiation containment chamber has been localized...