Evaluation of 15N Methods for the measurement of Denitrification in Soils

The precision of the ¹⁵N-emission and that of the ¹⁵N-balance methods was evaluated and both methods were compared in a denitrification experiment. ¹⁵N-analysis was performed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer which was coupled to an elemental analyzer. The measuring sensitivity in soil and gas analysis was tested by analyzing ¹⁵N-standards. The detection limit for gas samples with two different procedures of ¹⁵N-gas analysis was δ¹⁵N = (4.5 ± 1.0)‰ and (0.5 ± 0.05)‰, respectively. The error in measurement was 19% and 12% respectively. ¹⁵N-analysis of a ¹⁵N-labelled soil (4.15 ppm ¹⁵N) resulted in a CV of 1.32%. The measurements had to be calibrated with soil standards because the ¹⁵N-values showed a continuous downward fluctuation in a range of 10–20% within several days, when only acetanilid was used for calibration. Mean ¹⁵N-losses which were determined with both methods during the denitrification experiment were in good agreement. The precision of the ¹⁵N-emission method was adequate in all variants of the experiment. The precision of the ¹⁵N-balance method however was unsatisfactory at low ¹⁵N-losses (0.2–2% of added ¹⁵N).     

Stochastic model of tilting mode in nuclear fission

A model of induced nuclear fission was developed with consideration of thermodynamically fluctuating orientation degree of freedom (tilting) of deformed nuclei. This model was applied to analysis of the experimental angular anisotropy of fission fragments in the ¹⁶O + ²³²Th, ²³⁸U, ²⁴⁸Cm, ²⁰⁸Pb, ²⁰⁹Bi; ¹²C + ²³⁶U; ¹⁹F + ²⁰⁸Pb; and ¹¹B + ²³⁷Np reactions. Information on the equilibrating time of the tilting mode was obtained. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

The half-life of 207Bi and decays of 211At and 211Po

The half-life of ²⁰⁷Bi was obtained from the genetic relation between ²⁰⁷Po and ²⁰⁷Bi, and between ²¹¹At and ²⁰⁷Bi. The half-life was found to be 33.4 ± 0.8 y. The half-life of ²⁰⁷Po was determined to be 5.81 ± 0.04 h by following the decay of the characteristic γ-rays from ²⁰⁷Po. The half-life of ²¹¹ At was determined tobe 7.23 ± 0.02 h by following the decay of γ-rays and α-particles from ²¹¹At and ²¹¹Po. The half-lives determined in the present work for ²⁰⁷Po and ²¹¹At agree with the literature although the half-life of ²⁰⁷Bi differs considerably from the currently accepted value of 38 y. The branching ratio of ²¹¹ At decaying through EC and α-decay modes was determined together with the branching ratios of the three α-particles emitted from ²¹¹Po.     

Role of thermal and photobeta decays in processes of nucleosynthesis of problematic p nuclei of 113In, 115Sn, 92,94Mo, and 96,98Ru in massive stars

The temperature dependence of the rates of ¹¹³Cd →¹¹³In, ¹¹⁵In →¹¹⁵Sn, ⁹²Zr→⁹²Nb →⁹²Mo, ⁹⁴Zr→⁹⁴Nb →⁹⁴Mo, ⁹⁶Mo →⁹⁶Tc→⁹⁶Ru, and ⁹⁸Mo→⁹⁸Tc→⁹⁸Ru thermal beta transitions was studied at temperatures of massive-star matter in the range of 1 × 10⁸–6 × 10⁹ K. These decays are the possible channel of synthesis of the p nuclei of ¹¹³In, ¹¹⁵Sn, ⁹²,⁹⁴Mo, and ⁹⁶,⁹⁸Ru. The abundances of these nuclei present a challenge for models that study the explosivemechanism of synthesis. The contribution of photobeta decay to the synthesis of the aforementioned p nuclei was estimated. It was shown that the channel of thermal beta decay for ¹¹³In, ¹¹⁵Sn, ⁹⁴Mo, and ⁹⁸Ru p nuclei and the channel of photobeta decay for the ⁹⁶Mo p nucleus could be efficient at the high-temperature quasiequilibrium stage of massive-star evolution.     

Determination of 226Ra, 224Ra, 223Ra and 228Ra in mineral water samples of the Slovak Republic

The Slovak Republic is very rich in mineral water sources. In recent years, it has been discovered that a number of mineral waters in the Slovak Republic contain high levels of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra. Moreover, there is a lack of information on ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra concentrations in mineral waters as well. The currently approved techniques for alpha emitting radium isotopes are based on radon emanation methods. Due to the long ingrowth periods required by these techniques, any ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra in the sample decay away and go undetected. For this reason, we have used an alpha spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of ²²⁶Ra, ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra. Radium was concentrated by a lead sulphate co-precipitation. The precipitate was dissolved in EDTA and the radium isotopes were separated from possible interfering radionuclides using barium sulphate micro precipitation. The radium-barium precipitate was filtered and counted by alpha spectrometry. ¹³³Ba was used to quantify the yield by gamma spectrometry. In our laboratory, gamma spectrometry was also used for the determination of ²²⁸Ra in mineral water samples. Radium was concentrated by a lead-barium sulphate co-precipitation. ¹³³Ba was used to quantify the yield, found to be 97% on the average, by gamma spectrometry. Furthermore, the committed effective doses for ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²³Ra, ²²⁸Ra intake via ingestion of mineral waters for the members of public were calculated.     

Measurement of the response of a Ga solar neutrino experiment to 37Ar source

An intense ³⁷Ar source was produced by the (n, α) reaction on ⁴⁰Ca by irradiating 330 kg of calcium oxide in the fast neutron breeder reactor at Zarechny, Russia. The ³⁷Ar was released from the solid target by dissolution in acid, collected from this solution, purified, sealed into a small source, and brought to the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, where it was used to irradiate 13 t of gallium metal in the Russian—American solar neutrino experiment SAGE. Ten exposures of the gallium to the source, whose initial strength was ∼ 409 ± 2kCi, were carried out during the period from April to September 2004. The ⁷¹Ge produced by the reaction ⁷¹Ga(ν _e, e ⁻)⁷¹Ge was extracted, purified, and counted. The measured production rate was 11.0 _−0.9 ^+1.0 (stat.) ±0.6 (syst.) atoms of ⁷¹Ge/d, which is 0.79 _−0.10 ^+0.09 of the theoretically calculated production rate. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Doppler-free high resolution spectroscopy of carbon disulphide and the effects of a magnetic field

A single-mode autoscan laser spectrometer operating in the ultraviolet in combination with a collimated molecular beam was used to measure high resolution fluorescence excitation spectra of the CS₂ V ¹B₂ ← X ¹Σ⁺ _g transition under collision-free conditions, and the effects of a magnetic field were measured. Rotational and vibrational levels were fully resolved, and Zeeman splittings were observed in many of the perturbed lines. The Zeeman interaction was observed to induce new perturbation, which induces new transitions, level splitting, and energy shift. When the magnetic field strength was changed, the magnitude of the interaction, which was observed in the absence of a magnetic field, changed dramatically depending on the energy shifts of the Zeeman components. It is shown that the V ¹B₂(¹Δ_u) state is mixed with the B₂(³A₂) component by first-order spin-orbit interaction, and through the mixed component, the Zeeman interaction between the V ¹B₂(¹Δ_u) and ³A₂(³Δ_u) states is induced. Large Zeeman splittings were observed for most of the background lines of weak intensity, and this demonstrates that the background levels are levels of the ³A₂(³Δ_u) state. The fluorescence decays of single Zeeman components were observed to be single exponential. The lifetimes of the perturbing ³A₂(³Δ_u) levels were determined by deperturbation analysis. Triplet-triplet ³A₂(³Δ_u) → ³B₂(³Σ⁺ _u) emission was confirmed. It was demonstrated that the quenching of the V ¹B₂ → X ¹Σ⁺ _g fluorescence by a magnetic field was caused by mixing of the ³A₂ state with the V ¹B₂ state and the resulting increase of triplet-triplet emission. In a time-dependent picture, the intersystem crossing from the ¹B₂(¹Δ_u) and ³A₂(³Δ_u) states is enhanced by the magnetic field.     

Possible observation of light neutron nuclei in the alpha-particle-induced fission of 238U

Searches for nuclear-stable multineutrons among products originating from the fission of ²³⁸U nuclei that is induced by 62-MeV alpha particles were performed by the activation method. The reaction involving the transfer of four neutrons and occurring on the isotope ⁸⁸Sr, ⁸⁸Sr( ^x n, (x ? 4) n)⁹²Sr??⁹²Y, was used to identify nuclear-stable multineutrons. A line at the energy of E = 1384 keV was found in the measured gamma-ray spectra of irradiated samples. This line, together with the measured time dependence of the decrease in its activity, is indicative of the formation of the beta-active nucleus ⁹²Sr. This result was reproduced in repeated measurements. It suggests the possible existence of nuclear-stable multineutrons ( ^x n) for x ?? 6. The differential cross section for the ^x n yield at an angle of 30° in the alpha-particle-induced fission of ²³⁸U was about 6 × 10^?2 mb/sr.     

Theoretical study of low lying electronic states of GdO

Low lying electronic states of GdO have been investigated by complete active space SCF (CASSCF) and multireference singly and doubly excited configuration interaction (MRSDCI) calculations using the model core potential (MCP) method. The 4f electrons of Gd were included explicitly in the valence space. Relativistic effects were incorporated in the MCP and basis sets for Gd at the level of Cowan and Griffin's quasirelativistic Hartree—Fock method. The ⁹Σ^? state (f⁷σ) was the ground state, and excited states, ⁹Δ, ⁹Π, 2⁹Σ^?, ⁷Σ^?, ⁷Δ, ⁷Π, and 2⁷E^?, lay between 0 ～ 22 300 cm^?1. The energy separations for these states agreed well with available experimental values. Calculated GdO bond lengths and vibrational frequencies for these states are in the ranges of 1.81–1.85 Å and of 800–880 cm^?1, respectively. Mulliken population analysis showed that the gross population of the 4f orbitals was 7.1 e for all these states, and that the 4f electrons were strongly localized on Gd atom. The effective charge distribution was approximated to be Gd⁺O^?. The σ and π bonding orbitals were mainly formed by Gd 5d and O 2p orbitals.     

Peripheral fragmentation of 8B nuclei in nuclear emulsion at an energy of 1.2 GeV per nucleon

The results obtained by studying the charge topology of fragments produced in the peripheral dissociation of relativistic ⁸B nuclei in emulsion are presented. Fifty-five events of the peripheral dissociation of a ⁸B nucleus in events where there was no production of target-nucleus fragments and mesons (“white stars”) were selected. A leading contribution of the ⁸B → ⁷Be + p mode, which has the lowest energy threshold, was revealed on the basis of these events. Information about the branching ratios for dissociation modes characterized by a higher multiplicity was obtained. The dissociation of the ⁷Be core in ⁸B bears resemblance to the dissociation of a free ⁷Be nucleus. The transverse-momentum distributions of fragments originating from the ⁸B → ⁷Be + p dissociation mode were obtained. For these distributions, a small mean value of 〈P*_T〉 = 52 ± 5 MeV/c in the c.m. frame suggests a low binding energy of the outer proton in the ⁸B nucleus. An indication of a strong azimuthal correlation of the fragments ⁷Be and p was found.     

Mechanism of enhanced photocatalysis of TiO2 by Fe in suspensions

In this work, the mechanism of enhanced photocatalysis of TiO₂ with Fe³⁺ was studied using Sulfadiazine (SD) as the model compound. Results indicated that degradation rate of SD was enhanced by the addition of Fe³⁺ in TiO₂ suspension. The crystalline structure of TiO₂ particles was stable in suspensions. The hydroxyl radical generated by TiO₂/Fe³⁺ (both TiO₂ and Fe³⁺) photocatalysis was in a higher yield. Moreover, Fe²⁺ was found not to give an obvious impact on the SD degradation in TiO₂ suspension, whereas Fe³⁺ had a notable effect. The adsorption amount of TiO₂ was greatly enhanced by the addition of Fe³⁺ in suspensions. Finally, an interaction model of SD degradation in TiO₂ suspension containing Fe³⁺ was also proposed by investigating of surface behaviors of TiO₂ particles. It will be beneficial to use Fe³⁺ as the electron acceptors on the surface of TiO₂ particles, which helps to improve the yield of hydroxyl radical.     

Comparison of the stability of thymine tautomers and the interaction of its tautomers with Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ in gas and solvent phases

The present study compared the interactions among Na ⁺, K ⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺, thymine and its tautomers in the gas and solvent phase, an interaction dependent upon the electronic construction of the tautomers. Three types of cation interaction with thymine and its tautomers were observed. In the first one, the metal cations interacted with a lone pair of nitrogen or oxygen of the tautomers. In the second type, there was an interaction among the cations, nitrogen and oxygen at the same time; the last one was that of cations with the electron density of thymine π-system, where the cations were perpendicular to the ring of thymine. The interaction of metals cation with tautomers was studied in the gas and solvent phases; a comparison was then made between interactions in two phases. The interaction energy for all complexes indicated the stability of complexes, an energy which was higher in Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ compared with Na⁺ and K⁺. Concerning K⁺ and Na⁺, the stability of all complexes of tautomers was greater than that of thymine complexes; however, the stability of certain Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ complexes was lower than the complexes of thymine.     

Excitation functions of fusion reactions and neutron transfer in the interaction of 6He with 197Au and 206Pb

Excitation functions for evaporation residues in the reactions ¹⁹⁷Au(⁶He, xn)^203-xnTl, x = 2-7, and ²⁰⁶Pb(⁶He, 2n)²¹⁰Po, as well as for neutron transfer reactions for the production of ¹⁹⁶Au and ¹⁹⁸Au in the interaction of ⁶He with ¹⁹⁷Au were measured. The ⁶He beam was obtained from the accelerator complex for radioactive beams DRIBs (JINR). The maximum energy of the beam was about 10AMeV and the intensity reached 2×10⁷pps. The stacked-foil activation technique was used directly in the beam extracted from the cyclotron or in the focal plane of the magnetic spectrometer MSP-144. The identification of the reaction products was done by their radioactive γ- or α-decay. The fusion reaction with the evaporation of two neutrons was characterized by an increase in the cross-section compared to statistical model calculations. The analysis of the data in the framework of the statistical model for the decay of excited nuclei, which took into account the sequential fusion of ⁶He has shown good agreement between the experimental and the calculated values of the cross-sections in the case of sub-Coulomb-barrier fusion in the ²⁰⁶Pb + ⁶He reaction. An unusually large cross-section was observed below the Coulomb barrier for the production of ¹⁹⁸Au in the interaction of ⁶He with ¹⁹⁷Au. Possible mechanisms of formation and decay of transfer reaction products are discussed.     

Beta decay of 101Sn

The β decay of the very neutron-deficient isotope ¹⁰¹Sn was studied at the GSI on-line mass separator using silicon detectors for recording charged particles and germanium detectors for γ-ray spectroscopy. Based on the β-delayed proton data the production cross-section of ¹⁰¹Sn in the ⁵⁰Cr + ⁵⁸Ni fusion-evaporation reaction was determined to be about 60nb. The half-life of ¹⁰¹Sn was measured to be 1.9(3)s. For the first time β-delayed γ-rays of ¹⁰¹Sn were tentatively identified, yielding weak evidence for a cascade of 352 and 1065keV transitions in ¹⁰¹In. The results for the ¹⁰¹Sn decay as well as those from previous work on the ¹⁰³Sn decay are discussed by comparing them to predictions obtained from shell model calculations employing a new interaction in the ⁸⁸Sr to ¹³²Sn model space.     

Investigation of cosmogenic radionuclide carriers in the atmosphere

Speciation of ⁷Be, ³²P, ³³P, ³⁵S and stable S carriers and their changes in the atmosphere were investigated. It has been determined that aerosol-carriers of ⁷Be, ³²P and ³³P radionuclides can have different properties, and after several days their transformation was observed. The amount of water-soluble carriers in aerosol samples differed widely (from 11 to 95%). The dependence of radionuclide carrier solubility on pH was obtained for ⁷Be, ³²P and ³³P. It has been found that ⁷Be carriers can be soluble compounds such as mixed chlorides, sulphates and nitrates as well as insoluble carbonates and insoluble hydrous Fe(III) oxides. High percentage of ³²P and ³³P was found in exchangeable fraction. The ³⁵S carriers were found to be more soluble than those of ⁷Be, ³²P and ³³P and exhibited a lower or the same solubility as stable sulphur.     

Lifetime measurements of excited levels in prompt fission products of 252Cf

Lifetimes in the range 10⁻¹¹ to 10⁻⁹ s of prompt γ rays emitted from the fission fragments of ²⁵²Cf were measured using a recoil distance method. A ²⁵²Cf source was deposited on a stretched Ni foil and placed in a plunger device, the recoil direction of the studied fragments being determined by the detection of the complementary fragment. The lifetime was determined by the change in the non-Doppler-shifted peak intensities of prompt γ rays as a function of the source-plunger distance. The 2⁺ → 0⁺ half-life in ¹¹²Pd and 4⁺ → 0⁺ halflives in ^{104, 106}Mo, ^108,110Ru and ¹⁴²Ba were determined for the first time. Several other measurements of longer lived 2⁺ → 0⁺ transitions were repeated as well. The experimental results are discussed within the framework of the rotational and the IBA-2 models.     

Study of the excited states of119Sn by the decay of119g+m In

The decay of^119g+m In to the excited states of¹¹⁹Sn was investigated.¹¹⁹In was produced by the¹²⁰Sn(γ,p)¹¹⁹In reaction on an enriched SnO₂ target. The isomeric transition of 311.25 keV to the¹¹⁹In ground state was observed. In the beta decay of^119m In excited states at 23.9, 920.5, 921.4, 1089.0, 1187.9 and 1249.6keV in¹¹⁹Sn withJ ^π values of 3/2⁺, 3/2⁺, 5/2⁺, 5/2⁺, 3/2⁺ and 1/2⁺ respectively, are fed. In the decay of the¹¹⁹In ground state only the 7/2⁺ level in¹¹⁹Sn at 787.0 keV is fed.     

The electron affinity of tungsten

The electron affinity of tungsten has been measured using laser photodetachment threshold spectroscopy in a collinear geometry. The electron affinity was determined to 6583.6(6) cm^-1 by observing the onset of the process when W^- ions in the 5d⁵6s²5d^56s^2 ⁶S_5/2 ground state are photodetached producing neutral W atoms in the 5d⁴6s²5d^46s^2 ⁵D₀ ground state. The measured value is in agreement with previous measurements and improves the accuracy by almost two orders of magnitude. Further, a photodetachment signal below the ground state photodetachment threshold was found, which indicates the existence of a bound excited state in W^-.     

The effect of Y co-doping on the persistent up-conversion luminescence of the ZrO2:Yb,Er nanomaterials

The effect of the defects due to the charge compensation obtained with the yttrium co-doping to the ZrO₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ up-converting phosphors was studied. The materials were prepared with the combustion method. The materials purity was analyzed with the FT-IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure was studied with the X-ray powder diffraction and the crystallite sizes were estimated with the Scherrer formula. Up-conversion luminescence was excited at room temperature with an IR-laser at 970 nm. The up-conversion luminescence spectra showed red (650-685 nm) and green emission (520-560 nm) due to the ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2 and (²H_11/2,⁴S_3/2)→⁴I_15/2 transitions of Er³⁺, respectively. Persistent up-conversion luminescence was observed both in the Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ and Y³⁺,Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ doped materials.     

The First in Vivo Observation of C–N Coupling in Mammalian Brain

[5-¹³C,¹⁵N]Glutamine, with ¹J(¹³C–¹⁵N) of 16 Hz, was observed in vivo in the brain of spontaneously breathing rats by ¹³C MRS at 4.7 T. The brain [5-¹³C]glutamine peak consisted of the doublet from [5-¹³C,¹⁵N]glutamine and the center [5-¹³C,¹⁴N]glutamine peak, resulting in an apparent triplet with a separation of 8 Hz. The time course of formation of brain [5-¹³C,¹⁵N]glutamine was monitored in vivo with a time resolution of 20–35 min. This [5-¹³C,¹⁵N]glutamine was formed by glial uptake of released neurotransmitter [5-¹³C]glutamate and its reaction with ¹⁵NH₃ catalyzed by the glia-specific glutamine synthetase. The neurotransmitter glutamate C5 was selectively¹³C-enriched by intravenous [2,5-¹³C]glucose infusion to ¹³C-label whole-brain glutamate C5, followed by [¹²C]glucose infusion to chase ¹³C from the small and rapidly turning-over glial glutamate pool, leaving ¹³C mainly in the neurotransmitter [5-¹³C]glutamate pool, which is sequestered in vesicles until release. Hence, the observed [5-¹³C,¹⁵N]glutamine arises from a coupling between ¹³C of neuronal origin and ¹⁵N of glial origin. Measurement of the rate of brain [5-¹³C,¹⁵N]glutamine formation provides a novel noninvasive method of studying the kinetics of neurotransmitter uptake into glia in vivo, a process that is crucial for protecting the brain from glutamate excitotoxicity.