Cumulative yields of short-lived isotopes of barium in the spontaneous fission of252Cf

Cumulative yields of short-lived/barium isotopes^{139, 141, 142}Ba have been determined in the spontaneous fission of²⁵²Cf, using fast radiochemical separation and gamma-ray spectrometry.¹⁴²Ba yield is reported for the first time. The measured cumulative yields are converted to chain yields, assuming normal charge distribution systematics for comparision with the literature data.     

The Instability of Permanganate in orthophosphoric acid

Solutions of potassium permanganate in concentrated phosphoric acid (above 50%) are found to be unstable. The oxidation state of manganese is reduced from (VII) to (III) and oxygen is evolved during this process. The extent of decomposition of permanganate is found to be dependent on the concentration of the acid.     

Toward a new generation of therapeutics

Scientific evidence in the prevention and treatment of various disorders is accumulating regarding probiotics. The health benefits supported by adequate clinical data include increased resistance to infectious disease, decreased duration of diarrhea, management of inflammatory bowel disease, reduction of serum cholesterol, prevention of allergy, modulation of cytokine gene expression, and suppression of carcinogen production. Recent ventures in metabolic engineering and heterologous protein expression have enhanced the enzymatic and immunomodulatory effects of probiotics and, with time, may allow more active intervention among critical care patients. In addition, a number of approaches are currently being explored, including the physical and chemical protection of cells, to increase probiotic viability and its health benefits. Traditional immobilization of probiotics in gel matrices, most notably calcium alginate and κ-carrageenan, has frequently been employed, with noted improvements in viability during freezing and storage. Conflicting reports exist, however, on the protection offered by immobilization from harsh physiologic environments. An alternative approach, microencapsulation in “artificial cells,” builds on immobilization technologies by combining enhanced mechanical stability of the capsule membrane with improved mass transport, increased cell loading, and greater control of parameters. This review summarizes the current clinical status of probiotics, examines the promises and challenges of current immobilization technologies, and presents the concept of artificial cells for effective delivery of therapeutic bacterial cells.     

Complexometric determination of thallium(III) in pure solution,alloys, and complexes using semicarbazide hydrochloride as a releasing agent

A simple and accurate complexometric method is proposed for the determination of Tl(III) using semicarbazide hydrochloride as a releasing agent. In the presence of diverse metal ions, thallium is complexed first with a known excess of EDTA, and the surplus EDTA is then titrated with standard zinc sulfate at pH 5.0–6.0 (hexamine) using xylenol orange indicator. An excess of 5% aqueous neutral solution of semicarbazide hydrochloride is then added and the released EDTA is titrated against standard zinc sulfate solution. The method works well in the range 2–50 mg of Tl(III) with relative errors < 0.5%, standard deviations 0.05mg and coefficient of variation 0.4%. The method is applied for the determination of thallium content in complexes and alloy compositions     

2-jet production in polarised\vec p\vec pcollisions

Following recent interest in the subject of polarisation phenomena, we discuss the cross-sections and polarisation asymmetry in 2-jet production in polarised proton-polarised proton ( ) scattering. We set up a complete set of parametrisations for the proton spin-dependent parton densities and use them to demonstrate that this cross-section is dominated by gluonic terms. Hence, a measurement of the asymmetry in such processes will provide information on the gluon spin-dependent density. We further show that a factorisation of the hadronic cross-section a la Combridge and Maxwell's work in unpolarised 2-jet production also applies to the spin-dependent case. Hence, the cross-section can be written in terms of a genericpolarised parton density, which can then be measured in the process.     

Canady Cold Helios Plasma Reduces Soft Tissue Sarcoma Viability by Inhibiting Proliferation,Disrupting Cell Cycle,and Inducing Apoptosis: A Preliminary Report

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare and highly heterogeneous group of solid tumors, originating from various types of connective tissue. Complete removal of STS by surgery is challenging due to the anatomical location of the tumor, which results in tumor recurrence. Additionally, current polychemotherapeutic regimens are highly toxic with no rational survival benefit. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel technology that has demonstrated immense cancer therapeutic potential. Canady Cold Helios Plasma (CHCP) is a device that sprays CAP along the surgical margins to eradicate residual cancer cells after tumor resection. This preliminary study was conducted in vitro prior to in vivo testing in a humanitarian compassionate use case study and an FDA-approved phase 1 clinical trial (IDE G190165). In this study, the authors evaluate the efficacy of CHCP across multiple STS cell lines. CHCP treatment reduced the viability of four different STS cell lines (i.e., fibrosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and liposarcoma) in a dose-dependent manner by inhibiting proliferation, disrupting cell cycle, and inducing apoptosis-like cell death.     

Thermal neutron polarisation

The basic principle for the production of polarised thermal neutrons is discussed and the choice of various crystal monochromators surveyed. Brief mention of broad-spectrum polarisers is made. The application of polarised neutrons to the study of magnetisation density distributions in magnetic crystals, the dynamic concept of polarisation, principle and use of polarisation analysis, the neutron spin-echo technique are discussed.     

Binary collision simulations of ion transmission through silicon single crystal films

Abstract

Computer simulation studies of the energy distribution of transmitted ions such as alpha-particles, He-, and B-ions through crystalline silicon, using the enhanced binary-collision cascade simulator MARLOWE, will be reviewed. The enhancement includes an additional electronic-energy loss (EEL) model which takes into account explicitly both the target electron density variation via the structure factors and the electron density of the projectile. Investigations of the stopping power for He ions and protons in silicon, at intermediate- and high-energies, based on the adapted EEL model and a velocity-dependent effective charge will be presented. The overall agreement between the calculated and experimentally determined stopping power data and the simulated and measured transmission spectra will be demonstrated. Effects of energy-loss straggling, core-electron contribution to the energy loss at high-energies and charge-state effects at low energies on the transmission spectra will also be discussed.     

Magnetic properties of carbon nanosheets

Two-dimensional carbon nanosheets have been fabricated using inductively coupled radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The structural properties of the nanosheets have been characterised using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer. The magnetisation of the samples was studied using vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetisation of the nanosheets was found to be diamagnetic for fast synthesis processes (30 and 60 min). On the other hand, the nanosheets exhibited a weak ferromagnetic response for the slow (120 min) synthesis process. Energy dispersive spectrometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the magnetisation exhibited by the carbon nanosheets was an intrinsic property and that it was not due to contamination from the substrate. Raman spectroscopy studies revealed that the ferromagnetic carbon nanosheets have a higher ratio (1.20) of graphite peak (I _G) to disordered peak (I _D) than normally expected (0.75–0.90). Available data indicated that the magnetisation was due to the presence of structural disorders.