BELENE nuclear power plant numerical and experimental bedrock,layers and surface signals

An investigation of BELENE Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) free field signal is presented in the current study. An SH wave propagation trough multilayer geological media in the region is considered. An original structural model of the geological column has been developed. The investigated layers are isotropic, with constant depth and skyline parallel. The SH rays are with an arbitrary angle as far as the layers are concerned. The seismic SH waves have been generated by a special detonation device. The main results of the study are graphically illustrated. A comparison between the original BELENE NPP experimental and the numerical surface (free field) signals (obtained by the formulated direct problem) for the investigated geological column has been carried out and its results are hereby shown.     

Zeroth-order phase transitions and Zipf law quantization

From the standpoint of thermodynamic averaging of fission microprocesses, we investigate the origin of radioactive release in an NPP after an accident or after resource depletion. The genesis of the NPP release is interpreted as a new thermodynamic phenomenon, a zeroth-order phase transition. This problem setting results in a problem in probabilistic number theory. We prove the corresponding theorem leading to quantization of the Zipf law for the frequency of a zeroth-order phase transition with different values of the jump of the Gibbs thermodynamic potential. We introduce the notion of hole dimension. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 150, No. 1, pp. 118–142, January, 2007.     

Internal radiocesium contamination of adults and children in Fukushima 7 to 20 months after the Fukushima NPP accident as measured by extensive whole-body-counter surveys

The Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident contaminated the soil of densely-populated regions in Fukushima Prefecture with radioactive cesium, which poses significant risks of internal and external exposure to the residents. If we apply the knowledge of post-Chernobyl accident studies, internal exposures in excess of a few mSv/y would be expected to be frequent in Fukushima.Extensive whole-body-counter surveys (n = 32,811) carried out at the Hirata Central Hospital between October, 2011 and November, 2012, however show that the internal exposure levels of residents are much lower than estimated. In particular, the first sampling-bias-free assessment of the internal exposure of children in the town of Miharu, Fukushima, shows that the ¹³⁷Cs body burdens of all children (n = 1,383, ages 6–15, covering 95% of children enrolled in town-operated schools) were below the detection limit of 300 Bq/body in the fall of 2012. These results are not conclusive for the prefecture as a whole, but are consistent with results obtained from other municipalities in the prefecture, and with prefectural data.     

Estimation of the total population moving into and out of the 20 km evacuation zone during the Fukushima NPP accident as calculated using “Auto-GPS” mobile phone data

The first objective data showing the geographical locations of people in Fukushima after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, obtained by an analysis of GPS (Global Positioning System)-enabled mobile phone logs, are presented. The method of estimation is explained, and the flow of people into and out of the 20 km evacuation zone during the accident is visualized.     

Fissile radionuclides in thyroid of the inhabitants of the gomel region in belarus and peculiarities of their distribution

Severe radiation damages with the following substitution of connective tissue are the effect of high doses in microvolumes of the thyroid. Calcium, strontium and uranium deposited into these sections was more as compared to a normal tissue of the thyroid. An estimation of the microdistribution of fissile radionuclides was carried out using the method of fragmental radiography. The analysis of tracks done visually using a microscope magnification of 300 revealed the local density of fission fragments up to 10³ mm⁻². The irradiation of the surrounded cells which contain the hidden genetic damages, initiated by radioiodine, does not exclude their possible promoter role in thyroid cancerogenesis.     

High quality drug screening by capillary electrophoresis: A review

High quality assays are needed in drug discovery to reduce the high attrition rate of lead compounds during primary screening. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) represents a versatile micro-separation technique for resolution of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, including substrate(s), product(s), cofactor(s) and their stereoisomers, which is needed for reliable characterization of biomolecular interactions in free solution. This review article provides a critical overview of new advances in CE for drug screening over the past five years involving biologically relevant enzymes of therapeutic interest, including transferases, hydrolases, oxidoreductases, and isomerases. The basic principles and major configurations in CE, as well as data processing methods needed for rigorous characterization of enzyme inhibition are described. New developments in functional screening of small molecules that modulate the activity of disease-related enzymes are also discussed. Although inhibition is a widely measured response in most enzyme assays, other important outcomes of ligand interactions on protein structure/function that impact the therapeutic potential of a drug will also be highlighted, such as enzyme stabilization, activation and/or catalytic uncoupling. CE offers a selective platform for drug screening that reduces false-positives while also enabling the analysis of low amounts of complex sample mixtures with minimal sample handling.     

典型“高山-绿洲-荒漠”生态区植被净初级生产力时空变化特征分析

“高山-绿洲-荒漠”作为干旱区独特的自然景观,其内部迥异的生态系统极易在全球变化影响下产生不同波动,而植被净初级生产力（NPP）作为评价生态环境质量的重要指标,对整体认识区域变化有重要意义。遥感影像的产生为大尺度、长时间的区域NPP估算提供了可能,通过土地利用类型数据划分的不同植物覆被下的最大光能利用效率也提高了NPP估算的精度。因此选取具有典型“高山-绿洲-荒漠”生态系统的叶尔羌河流域作为研究区,使用多年遥感影像数据、气象数据,选用基于光能利用率的CASA模型对其进行模拟并对各生态区NPP状况进行分析,得出以下结论：(1) 叶尔羌河流域NPP年均值在2000年之后整体呈波动上升状态,约有85.9%的区域呈上升趋势,在绿洲区域的水域以及居住地处NPP出现下降状况。(2) 流域内NPP变化与降水量相关性较强,其空间分布特征与NPP和温度的相关性表现出相反状态。(3) 叶尔羌河流域NPP在各生态区上表现出“绿洲最高,荒漠绿洲过渡带次之,高山以及荒漠最低”的状况,生态环境相对绿洲、荒漠绿洲过渡带更为脆弱的区域（荒漠、高山）NPP波动性更强。研究结果将为区域生态环境保护修复、应对气候变化、实现人类与自然协调发展、促进多民族共同繁荣提供科学支撑。     

Metallomicellar Catalytic Hydrolysis of NPP by CuIINiII Heterodinuclear Complexes Containing Diamine Groups in Brij35 Micellar Solution

The hydrolysis of p‐nitrophenyl phosphate (NPP) catalyzed by metallomicelles formed from four asymmetry Cu^IINi^II heterodinuclear oxamido‐bridged complexes, whose ligands contain different diamine groups, and nonionic surfactant Brij35 has been investigated quantitatively at the pH range of 6.0–10.5 and 25°C, respectively. The results indicated that the rates of catalytic hydrolysis of NPP by four complexes in Brij35 micellar solution were all largely enhanced under the experimental conditions. The order of effectiveness of the four complexes in Brij35 micellar solutions toward hydrolysis of NPP was found to be: complex I>complex II>complex III>complex IV. The different catalytic function of four complexes may be attributed to the different activation abilities of coordinated water molecules induced by different polarities of ligands, which has been discussed in detail. Meanwhile, kinetic studies show that the active species in the catalytic hydrolysis of NPP may be the aquo‐hydroxy form and that the mechanism of the reaction involves intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the nickel‐bound hydroxide ion on phosphoryl of NPP. The studies suggested that the metallomicelle containing Cu^IINi^II heterodinuclear oxamido‐bridged complexes with two coordinated H₂O molecules may be a potential catalyst for the hydrolysis of NPP.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> study of the <Superscript>41</Superscript>Ar plume released from the Ignalina NPP

The ⁴¹Ar gamma ray radiation was registered using the in situ method in the vicinity of the Ignalina nuclear power plant (NPP). The sum of gamma rays, that are reaching the HPGe detector, situated along the wind direction, from a number of plume segments and which are registered in the energy range of about 1.29 MeV, is calculated. An independent technological regime of the operating reactor method of the determination of the ⁴¹Ar emission rate from NPP stack is introduced.      

Radionuclides in deposition in the Ignalina NPP region in 2005

Results of radionuclide activity concentration measurements in deposition and ground-level air conducted at the station of the Institute of Physics situated 3.5 km from the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (Ignalina NPP) in 2005 are analyzed. Atmospheric depositional fluxes of ⁷Be, ⁶⁰Co and ¹³⁷Cs are estimated. Radionuclide particle deposition rates are calculated. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model of the global dispersion and deposition is used to explain variations in the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in the ground-level air in the Ignalina NPP region in 2005. An increase in the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration of up to 17.4 μBq m⁻³ on 30 October-5 November is studied. Modelling results show that the Chernobyl NPP Unit 4 Sarcophagus and the radiocaesium resuspension from the Chernobyl NPP accident polluted regions are sources of ¹³⁷Cs to the environment of the Ignalina NPP. Results on solubility in water of aerosols — carriers of ¹³⁷Cs — are discussed.