Determination of trace amounts of uranium in plutonium oxide by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - 149Tb, 152Tb, 155Tb and 161Tb can cover all the modalities of diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of nuclear medicine. The production cross...     

A simple polymer electrolyte membrane system for enrichment of low-level tritium (3H) in environmental water samples

Tritium (³H) is an essential tracer of the Earth's water cycle; yet widespread adoption of tritium in hydrologic studies remains a challenge because of analytical barriers to quantification and detection of ³H by electrolytic pre-concentration. Here, we propose a simple tritium electrolytic enrichment system based on the use of solid polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) that can be used to enrich ³H in 250–3000?mL environmental water samples to a 10-mL final volume. The IAEA PEM-³H system reported here can produce high enrichment factors (>70-fold) and, importantly, removes some of the deterrents to conventional ³H enrichments methods, including the use of toxic electrolysis and neutralization chemicals, spike standards, a complex electrolysis apparatus that requires extensive cooling and temperature controls, and improves precision by eliminating the need for tracking recovery gravimetrics. Preliminary results with varying operating conditions show ³H enrichments to 70-fold and higher are feasible, spanning a wide range of tritium activities from 5 to 150 TU with a precision of ～4.5?%. Further work is needed to quantify inter-sample memory and to establish lower ³H detection limits. The IAEA PEM-³H system is open source, with 3-D CAD and design files made freely available for adoption and improvement by others.     

Effect of barium titanate nanoparticles of different particle sizes on electro-optic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal

A comparative study of two different particle sizes of ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO₃) nanoparticles as a dopant on the molecular structure, spontaneous polarization and dielectric behavior of a pure ferroelectric liquid crystal 6F₆T have been studied. It has been found that there is a remarkable decrease in isotropic temperature of both doped samples as compared to the pure 6F₆T sample. The spontaneous polarization also decreases for both the doped samples and the reduction is more pronounced in case of the dopant with large particle size. The dielectric spectroscopy confirms the presence of soft mode as well as Goldstone mode and also shows the decrease in the value of dielectric permittivity ?' as a function of frequency for both doped samples. The improvised properties of liquid crystal host doped with BaTiO₃ nanoparticles mainly depend upon the synthesis method of nanoparticles and also upon the particle size of dopant.     

Spin squeezing and quantum correlations

We discuss the notion of spin squeezing considering two mutually exclusive classes of spin-s states, namely, oriented and non-oriented states. Our analysis shows that the oriented states are not squeezed while non-oriented states exhibit squeezing. We also present a new scheme for construction of spin-s states using 2s spinors oriented along different axes. Taking the case of s=1, we show that the ‘non-oriented’ nature and hence squeezing arise from the intrinsic quantum correlations that exist among the spinors in the coupled state.     

Decay instability in a plasma channel

Near the critical layer, a large-amplitude laser beam creates a transverse plasma channel due to the ponderomotive force. The axis of the channel is normal to the ambient density gradient. Inside the channel, the laser beam decays into counter-propagating ion acoustic and Langmuir waves. A nonlocal theory of the process is developed for a parabolic density profile. The growth rate of the instability is significantly reduced due to the nonlocal effects     

Studies of nonlinear optical properties of PicoGreen dye using Z-scan technique

In this paper we study the nonlinear optical properties of PicoGreen dye. The investigations involve the single-beam Z-scan technique and measurements were carried out at different incident intensities. Both open and closed aperture Z-scan techniques were performed at 532 nm and it was found that the dye exhibited a reverse saturable absorption with significant nonlinear absorption coefficient and intensity-dependent negative nonlinear refraction coefficient, indicating self-defocusing phenomena. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility and optical limiting threshold were also measured.     

Diacetylenic Derivatives of Fe2(CO)6(μ-EE′): Spectroscopic Investigations of Fe2(CO)6{μ-EC(H) = C(C≡ CMe)E′} (E = E′, E ≠ E′; E, E′ = S, Se, Te)

The diacetylenic adducts, Fe₂(CO)₆{-EC(H) = C(C CMe)E} (E = E, E E; E, E = S, Se, Te) (1–8) have been obtained from the room temperature stirring of Fe₂(CO)₆(-EE) with HC CC CMe in methanol solvent containing sodium acetate. Compounds 1–8 have been characterized by IR and multinuclear NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ⁷⁷Se, and ^l25Te) spectroscopy. Trends in the chemical shifts of ⁷⁷Se and ¹²⁵Te NMR spectra of Fe₂(CO)₆{-EC(H) = C(C CMe)E} with a variation of EE are discussed.     

Regulating Oxygen Configuration in Hierarchically Porous Carbon Nanosheets for High-Rate and Durable Na+ Storage

Surface oxygen functionalities (particularly C−O configuration) in carbon materials have negative influence on their electrical conductivity and Na⁺ storage performance. Herein, we propose a concept from surface chemistry to regulate the oxygen configuration in hierarchically porous carbon nanosheets (HPCNS). It is demonstrated that the C−O/C=O ratio in HPCNS reduces from 1.49 to 0.43 and its graphitization degree increases by increasing the carbonization temperature under a reduction atmosphere. Remarkably, such high graphitization degree and low C−O content of the HPCNS-800 are favorable for promoting its electron/ion transfer kinetics, thus endowing it with high-rate (323.6 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.05 A g⁻¹ and 138.5 mAh g⁻¹ at 20.0 A g⁻¹) and durable (96 % capacity retention over 5700 cycles at 10.0 A g⁻¹) Na⁺ storage performance. This work permits the optimization of heteroatom configurations in carbon for superior Na⁺ storage.     

Formation of Peracetic Acid upon Aging of Perborate in Acetic Acid. Kinetics of the Oxidation of S-Phenylmercaptoacetic Acids

 Upon aging, perborate in glacial acetic acid generates peracetic acid and thus oxidizes S-phenylmercaptoacetic acid rapidly. Perborate dissolved in ethylene glycol, however, does not show the aging effect, and the corresponding oxidation proceeds smoothly. The oxidation is of second order and not acid catalyzed. Boric acid and borate do not influence the oxidation. In the smooth oxidation, is the reactive species. The oxidation of some para-substituted S-phenylmercaptoacetic acids conforms to the Exner relationship, indicating operation of a common mechanism. Also, the oxidation obeys the Hammett equation with a negative reaction constant. However, the oxidation of p-nitro-S-phenylmercaptoacetic acid follows a different kinetic pathway.     

Synthetic Heparanase Inhibitors Can Prevent Herpes Simplex Viral Spread

Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) employs heparan sulfate (HS) as receptor for cell attachment and entry. During late-stage infection, the virus induces the upregulation of human heparanase (Hpse) to remove cell surface HS allowing viral spread. We hypothesized that inhibition of Hpse will prevent viral release thereby representing a new therapeutic strategy for HSV-1. A range of HS-oligosaccharides was prepared to examine the importance of chain length and 2-O-sulfation of iduronic moieties for Hpse inhibition. It was found that hexa- and octasaccharides potently inhibited the enzyme and that 2-O-sulfation of iduronic acid is tolerated. Computational studies provided a rationale for the observed structure–activity relationship. Treatment of human corneal epithelial cells (HCEs) infected with HSV-1 with the hexa- and octasaccharide blocked viral induced shedding of HS which significantly reduced spread of virions. The compounds also inhibited migration and proliferation of immortalized HCEs thereby providing additional therapeutic properties.