Establishing reactor operations from uranium targets used for the production of plutonium

This paper presents results from the examination of a number of archived neutron-irradiated uranium targets used for past plutonium production testing. Three of these targets were destructively characterized using Los Alamos National Laboratory actinide analytical chemistry capabilities. A validated conduct-of-operations protocol was followed for this characterization effort. Chemical analyses included measurements for radionuclides, uranium assay, uranium isotopic abundances, trace actinides, trace metals, and non-metals. Material scientists also examined materials for morphological and microstructural properties and individual particles were examined for trace impurities. After characterization of the targets was completed, a reactor modeling effort was undertaken to corroborate target details in historical records. Time since irradiation calculations utilized both activation and fission products. The described examination of uranium targets has a tremendous impact from a safeguards verification and nuclear forensics perspective.     

Perron fractions : an algorithm for computing the Padé table

A set of rhombus rules is given for generating the coefficients of the Perron fractions whose convergents form sawtooth sequences in the Padé table of a normal series. The coefficients of the Perron fractions for the reciprocal series are also derived, without finding the reciprocal series, and hence the Padé table for the series is obtained.     

A note on the small-time development of the solution to a scalar, non-linear, singular reaction-diffusion equation

In this note, we consider a class of scalar, non-linear, singular (in the sense that the reaction terms in the equation are not Lipschitz continuous) reaction-diffusion equations with positive initial data being of (a) O(x^–) or (b) O(x^–e^{– x}) at large x (dimensionless distance), where , > 0 and are constants. We establish, by developing the small–t (dimensionless time) asymptotic structure of the solution, that the support of the solution becomes finite in infinitesimal time in both cases (a) and (b) above. The asymptotic form for the location of the edge of the support as t  0 is given in both cases.     

Compact and dissociated dislocations in aluminum: implications for deformation

Atomistic simulations, confirmed by electron microscopy, show that dislocations in aluminum can have compact or dissociated cores. The calculated minimum stress (sigma(P)) required to move an edge dislocation is approximately 20 times smaller for dissociated than for equivalent compact dislocations. This contradicts the well accepted generalized stacking fault energy paradigm that predicts similar sigma(P) values for both configurations. Additionally, Frank's rule and the Schmid law are also violated because dislocation core energies become important. These results may help settle a 50-year-old puzzle regarding the magnitude of sigma(P) in face-centered-cubic metals, and provide new insights into the deformation of ultra-fine-grained metals.     

2-[2-[4-[2-[2-[1,3-Dihydro-1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxo-5-isobenzofuranthioureidyl]ethylaminocarbonyl]ethyl]phenyl] ethylamino]-5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (FITC-APEC): A fluorescent ligand for A2a-adenosine receptors

The fluorescein conjugate, FITC-APEC (2-[2-[4-[2-[2-[1,3-dihydro-1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxo-5-isobenzofuranthioureidyl]ethylaminocarbonyl]ethyl] phenyl]ethylamino]-5-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine), is a novel ligand derived from a series of functionalized congeners that act as selective A_2a-adenosine receptor agonists. The binding of FITC-APEC to bovine striatal A_2a-adenosine receptors measured by fluorescence techniques was saturable and of a high affinity, with aB _max of 2.3±0.3 pmol/mg protein andK _D of 57±2 nM. TheK _D value estimated by fluorescence was consistent with theK _i (11±0.3 nM) obtained by competition studies with [³H]CGS 21680. Additionally, theB _max value found by FITC-APEC measurement was in agreement withB _max values obtained using radioligand binding. FITC-APEC exhibited rapid and reversible binding to bovine striatum. The potencies of chemically diverse A_2a-adenosine receptor ligands estimated by inhibition of FITC-APEC binding were in good agreement with their potencies determined using radioligand binding techniques (r=0.97,P=0.0003). FITC-APEC binding was not altered by purine derivatives that do not recognize A_2a-adenosine receptors. These findings demonstrate that the novel fluorescent ligand FITC-APEC can be used in the quantitative characterization of ligand binding to A_2a-adenosine receptors.     

Substituent effects on edge-to-face aromatic interactions

Chemical double mutant cycles have been used to measure the magnitude of edge-to-face aromatic interactions in hydrogen-bonded zipper complexes as a function of substituents on both aromatic rings. The interaction energies vary depending on the combination of substituents from +1.0 kJ mol-1 (repulsive), to -4.9 kJ mol-1 (attractive). The results correlate with the Hammett substituent constants which indicates that electrostatic interactions are responsible for the observed differences in interaction energy. The experiments can be rationalised based on local electrostatic interactions between the protons on the edge ring and the pi-electron density on the face ring as well as global electrostatic interactions between the overall dipoles on the two aromatic groups.