Specific heat measurements under non-equilibrium conditions

The application of conduction calorimetry for specific heat measurements on samples under non-equilibrium conditions is reviewed.The influence of a constant rate of temperature decrease on the specific heatc of a TGS ferroelectric crystal doped with a small quantity ofL-alanine (LATGS) is discussed. The relaxation process ofc is likewise analysed.The simultaneous measurement ofc and the dissipative heat powerQ in a LATGS crystal in an alternative electric field which produces hysteresis loops is also discussed. It is shown that this specific heat is the sum of the corresponding equilibrium values plus a term proportional to the derivative ofQ with respect to temperature.     

Chernobyl fallout measurements in some Mediterranean biotas

The radioactivity of various terrestrial vegetation leaves characteristic of Mediterrenean countries has been measured after the Chernobyl accident. In addition, we paid particular attention to lichens and seaweed which are considered as bioindicators of radioactive contamination. The measurements were performed by non-destructive way using both coaxial and planar HPGe detectors. For odd mass radionuclides having low energy lines, such as¹²⁵Sb or¹⁴¹Ce the sensitivity of the planar HPGe detector is better than the coaxial detector. The concentration of long lived fission nuclides remaining three months after the accident were found to be enhanced in needle form leaves and in lichens. The seaweed Sphaerococcus exhibits a strong specific activity for iodine and ruthenium and poor concentration for cesium nuclides. The activity ratios of different isotopes of the same element, measured in vegetation samples agree well with the values found by other authors in airborne aerosols. The activation nuclide¹¹⁰Ag^m is found in all samples with the same ratio¹¹⁰Ag^m/¹³⁷Cs=/1.0±0.2/×10^–2, as in the soil deposition.     

Contact angle measurements under thermodynamic equilibrium conditions

The precise control of the ambient humidity during contact angle measurements is needed to obtain stable and valid data. For a such purpose, a simple low-cost device was designed, and several modified surfaces relevant to biosensor design were studied. Static contact angle values for these surfaces are lower than advancing contact angles published for ambient conditions, indicating that thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are needed to avoid drop evaporation during the measurements.     

Radiometric efficiency of analytical filters at different physical conditions

The radiometric efficiency of three analytical filters AFA-RSP-20, AFA-RMP-20 and AFA-RMV-20 was examined at different air velocities and aerosol number concentrations. An experimental setup had been constructed with 2 m³ radon chamber. Alpha radiometry was used to measure the deposited activities in the filters. Aerosols parameters like number concentration and size distribution are measured continuously with an aerosol diffusion spectrometer (ADS). RMV filter has a stable efficiency ~ 99.8%. The RSP and RMP filters efficiency is depending on the aerosol concentration and air sampling velocity. The effect of an aerosol concentration on the filter efficiency is more obvious than the effect of air velocity.

     

Radiation measurements and radioecological aspects of fallout from the Fukushima nuclear accident

Fallout from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident has been monitored for about 1 month in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Three different radionuclides, one short-lived, one relatively long-lived and one long-lived fission product were identified in air, precipitation, soil, grass and milk samples. The ¹³¹I, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs activity concentrations in air reached 497, 145 and 126 μBq m⁻³, respectively on 4 April, 2011. The external exposure dose rate to humans of the order of 14.4 pSv per day due to ¹³⁷Cs deposited on the ground was very small compared to the normal background level. The accumulated dose equivalent to the adult thyroid from inhaled ¹³¹I varied from 0.4 to 3.5 nSv per day was insignificant and there was not any problem for the Greek population and no preventive measures were needed to be provided against the nuclear accident according to the Greek Atomic Energy Commission, the official agent of the Greek Government. Some special radioecological aspects in the air-grass-cow-milk-man pathway for ¹³¹I were particularly studied.     

Conversion electron yield X-ray absorption fine structure measurements under atmospheric conditions

The detection of a sample current under atmospheric conditions was applied to XAFS measurements of a Ni foil and NiO powders, and the feasibility of the conversion electron yield (CEY) detection was examined. The obtained XAFS spectra were compared with those obtained using the conventional transmission method; it is concluded that fairly good statistics can be obtained using the CEY method and that the obtained spectra show an identical structure to those obtained using the transmission method.     

An electrochemical cell for simultaneous electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical measurements under semi-infinite diffusion conditions and thin-layer conditions

A combination cell to accomplish simultaneous electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical measurements under both thin-layer and semi-infinite diffusion conditions is described and characterized. Fibre optics and a reflective electrode are used to couple the cell to the spectrophotometer. This allows different electrode materials to be used. Moreover, the cell is thermostatically controlled and equipped with a magnetic stirrer, and can be used for temperatures down to −40°C.The application of electrochemical pulse and sweep techniques are demonstrated. Dynamic spectroelectrochemical techniques such as linear sweep and cyclic voltabsorptometry (LSVA and CVA) as well as the corresponding derivative voltabsorptometric techniques derivative linear voltabsorptometry (DLSVA) and derivative cyclic voltabsorptometry (DCVA) are also applicable under thin-layer conditions. DLSVA and DCVA are the optical analogues of linear sweep and cyclic voltammetry. No epoxy cement or other sealing compounds are required and the solution comes in contact with only quartz, Teflon and the electrodes. Under aprotic conditions the cell response is in accordance with theory down to a solution thickness of 15 μm, where rapid exhaustive electrolysis intrinsic to thin-layer electrochemistry can be achieved in less than 1 s.The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characterization of the cell demonstrated that this design is very well suited to different electrochemical pulse and sweep techniques with simultaneous spectroscopic characterization of reaction products under finite and semi-infinite diffusion conditions in organic solvents. This offers the opportunity for cross-correlations of the electrochemical and spectroscopic information, which should lead to more reliable results. The adjustment of different thin-layer thicknesses is highly reproducible and the exchange of the solution inside the thin-layer cavity with the bulk solution after each thin-layer experiment can be easily performed. The electrochemical behaviour of the cell is in accordance with theory for cyclovoltammetric measurements under both bulk and thin-layer conditions. Derivative voltabsorptometric techniques are applicable and the response of the cell is in accordance with theory, particularly under finite diffusion conditions. The use of a bifurcated optical fibre bundle allows a more flexible experimental arrangement, and the application of a triple split bundle for the investigation of light-sensitive electron-transfer compounds [34,35] is in progress. The third end of the optical fibre bundle will be used to apply additional selective irradiation to convert electron-transfer-active photochromic compounds inside the thin-layer cavity depending on the redox state.An additional aspect of the current investigations is the application of the present cell for electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) [36,37]. The highly reflecting electrode and the integrated stirrer are advantageous for this type of measurement. Finally, further work is in progress to utilize the integrated temperature control of the cell for spectroelectrochemistry at low temperatures, particularly with more unusual solvents like liquid sulphur dioxide [38] and liquid dimethylamine [39].     

Radiometric measurements on non-destructive assay standards fabrication for WIPP Performance Demonstration Program

Fifteen ash samples taken from filters and bottom products of boilers or chimneys of seven coal fired power plants in Turkey have been analysed quantitatively for some minor elements using radioisotope energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). It is found that samples contain Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Cs, Sb, Ba, Pb, Y, La, Ce, Nd and Sm in different amounts. An ash sample taken from the electro-filter of the Ambarli, fuel oil fired-power plant was also analysed for comparison and found that it contained the smallest amount of potentially toxic elements.     

Force measurements on platelet surfaces with high spatial resolution under physiological conditions

Investigations on platelets are essential to understanding the regulation of hemostasis and thrombosis. Activated platelets undergo dramatic conformational and morphological changes mediated by numerous plasma proteins. AFM techniques can combine high spatial resolution with measurements of the mechanical properties of platelet surfaces. Here, we demonstrate two-dimensional force mapping over a human platelet adsorbed on glass under physiological buffer. The best resolution of platelet membrane elasticity we obtained was at 15.6×15.6 nm² pixel⁻¹. In addition, quantitative information on platelet surface charge density was extracted from individual force curves with the aid of DLVO theory.     

Response of portable gamma monitors for dose rate measurements under various radiation conditions

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Responses of the hand-held gamma monitors available for the ambient dose equivalent rate measurements in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...     

Significance of the corrections for accidental coincidences in liquid scintillation counting measurements

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Methods for the evaluation of the accidental coincidences counting rates in triple-to-double coincidences ratio (TDCR) liquid scintillation (LS)...     

Small angle X-ray scattering measurements probe water nanodroplet evolution under highly non-equilibrium conditions

Our in situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements yield an unprecedented and detailed view of rapidly evolving H(2)O nanodroplets formed in supersonic nozzles. The SAXS experiments produce spectra in a few seconds that are comparable to small angle neutron scattering (SANS) spectra requiring several hours of integration time and the use of deuterated compounds. These measurements now make it possible to quantitatively determine the maximum nucleation and growth rates of small droplets formed under conditions that are far from equilibrium. Particle growth is directly followed from about 10 micros to 100 micros after particle formation with growth rates of approximately 0.2 to 0.02 nm micros(-1). The peak H(2)O nucleation rates lie between 10(17) and 10(18) cm(-3) s(-1).     

Applicability of emf measurements under external load resistance conditions for ion transport number determination

In order to evaluate the applicability of concentration cells for the ion transference number measurements with external load, the cell response was simulated with variable transport properties of the cell material, external load resistance, geometrical factors such as ion-conducting membrane thickness, and electrode kinetics. This technique is expected to be pertinent when ηF/RT<0.2, except possibly for conditions when the electrode kinetics is dependent on a relatively small limiting current density. In each particular case, the method validity can be verified by testing if the overpotential sum grows faster than current on decreasing the external load resistance. A pyrochlore-type material Gd_1.9Ca_0.1Ti₂O_7-δ with dominant oxygen ionic conductivity is used as a study case to demonstrate the criteria proposed to assess the applicability of emf measurements under short-circuit conditions.     

Radiometric,potentiometric and conductometric measurements of the solubility and solubility product of europium trifluoride

The solubility and solubility product of europium trifluoride were measured by radiometric, potentiometric and conductometric methods. There are significant differences in the values of both solubility and solubility product obtained by the three different techniques. Due to reasons discussed in the text, radiometric values seem to be more acceptable than the others. The thermodynamic functions such as ΔH⁰, ΔG⁰ and ΔS⁰ for the dissolution process were also measured. The positive values of ΔH⁰ and ΔG⁰ and the negative value of ΔS⁰ are indicative of the slight solubility of EuF₃. The dependence of solubility on pH and also on the fluoride concentration has also been studied. It was confirmed that europium forms a monofoluoride complex in aqueous solution. The stability constant of this complex was estimated.     

Relative rate measurements of some reactions of hydroxyl radicals with alkanes studied under atmospheric conditions

A flow system has been developed to study relative rate coefficients of hydroxyl radicals reacting with alkanes under conditions relating to tropospheric chemistry. Relative Arrhenius parameters have been measured over the temperature range 243–328 K for pairs of alkanes from a list consisting of n-butane, 2-methylpropane, n-pentane, n-hexane, 2,2- and 2,3-dimethylbutane, 2,3,3-trimethylbutane, and 2,3,4-trimethylpentane. The results have been incorporated into a Structure-Activity Relation for hydroxylalkane reactions which leads to the following group rate coefficients for a temperature range of 240–500 K.      

History of plutonium composition of fallout in the Northeastern U.S. from contemporary measurements

The analyses of lake sediments from the northeastern U.S. provide depositional histories of¹³⁷Cs and^239+240Pu from both global fallout and fallout from the Nevada Test Site (NTS) detonations in the 1950's. These results provide an independent verification and extension of the temporal trend of the²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ration of global fallout to earlier times. This data supports the findings of other studies of fallout in the atmospheric and marine environment.     

Flow microcalorimetric measurements for bovine serum albumin on reversed-phase and anion-exchange supports under overloaded conditions

Heat of adsorption data using flow microcalorimetry is reported for the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on C18 and C4 chromatographic supports. Exothermic heats were obtained in all cases. Data for the effect of salt indicate that conformational changes in adsorbed protein appear to be greatest in the absence of salt. Also, the specific surface area of the support was found to influence behavior more strongly than the length of the carbon ligand. Heats of adsorption of BSA on an ion-exchange support were also measured. Endothermic heats were obtained in all cases. The data indicate that the observed heat effects may be strongly influenced by the release of water from the surface.     

Fluorescence measurements of duplex DNA oligomers under conditions conducive for forming M-DNA (a metal-DNA complex)

M-DNA (a metal complex of DNA with millimolar concentrations of Zn2+, Co2+, or Ni2+ and basic pH) has been proposed to undergo electron transfer over long distances along the helix and has generated interest as a potential building block for nanoelectronics. We show that DNA aggregates form under solvent conditions favorable for M-DNA (millimolar zinc and pH = 8.6) by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We have performed steady-state F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments with DNA oligomers conjugated with 6-carboxyfluorescein and tetramethylrhodamine to the opposite ends of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules. Enhanced acceptor emission is observed for distances larger than expected for identical DNA molecules with no zinc. To avoid intermolecular FRET, the fluorescently labeled dsDNA is diluted with a 100-fold excess of unlabeled dsDNA. The intramolecular FRET efficiency increases 25-fold for a 30-mer doubly labeled duplex DNA molecule upon addition of millimolar concentrations of zinc ions. Without zinc, this oligomer has less than 1% FRET efficiency. This dramatic increase in the FRET efficiency points to either significant changes in the F?rster radius or fraying of the ends of the DNA helices. The latter hypothesis is supported by our experiments with a 9-mer that show dissociation of the duplex by zinc ions.     

Radiometric determination of sulfate

A radiometric procedure for the determination of sulfate based upon the precipitation of barium sulfate is described with a sensitivity of about 0.01 μg/ml. Carrier-free³⁵SO₄ is added to the sample to measure the chemical recovery. The sulfate is precipitated with an excess of barium having a known specific activity of¹³³Ba. The amount of¹³³Ba determined by gamma counting is directly related by stoichiometry to the amount of sulfate in the precipitate.     

Radiometric holdup measurements: Differential mass holdup of americium and plutonium oxides during preparation of traceable non-destructive assay standards

Summary Traceable non-destructive assay standards containing mixtures of well characterized americium and plutonium oxides were prepared by blending weighed quantities with a diatomaceous earth matrix and encapsulating in welded zirconium cylinders. Am and Pu retained in fabrication process materials (e.g., emptied blend bottles), termed holdup, was quantified by gamma-spectroscopy in order to accurately state the total nuclear material content of the standards. The observed holdup data indicate that the common assumption that Am and Pu holdup behavior is similar does not hold up well in the case of mixed oxides.