Radiation background due to radioactive sources in a luminescence dating laboratory

For practical reasons, usually, luminescence dating laboratories contain in the same room (or in adjacent rooms) the equipment and the radioactive sources, as well as the storage cabinet for the samples. It is generally assumed that the absorbed dose due to ambient radioactivity is null or at least negligible in terms of human health (below the dose limit).To test the actual dose rate inside our laboratory room, an investigation combining portable dose rate meter, portable NaI(Tl) gamma spectrometry, and blue-OSL dosimetry using Al₂O₃:C pellets was made. Although our measurements show the presence of X-rays as far as 3 m from the sources, the dose rates are below the safety regulation and does not affect the dating of the sample stored in the same room as the radioactive sources.     

A new method for the determination of the 34S/32S ratio of water-soluble sulphur in soil

A new method for the determination of the ³⁴S/³²S ratio of water-extractable sulphate in soil is described. Soils are extracted directly with deionized water, which is evaporated down. The remaining residue is then rehydrated and transferred to tin cups containing an adsorbent and mixed with an oxygen donor (V₂O₅). Samples are then analysed using a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The new method requires around 10?g soil per determination, compared to much larger amounts (up to kilograms) of soil required for the previous methods. Sample preparation and subsequent analysis is quick and efficient. The method is demonstrated using a number of soils collected from around the world to provide a range of determined δ³⁴S values. The δ³⁴S values of water-extractable sulphur were broadly similar to those of the soil total sulphur.     

Determination of Iron in Calf Serum Using Bathophenanthroline and Thermal Lens Spectrometry

ABSTRACT

Thermal lens spectrometry has been used for the determination of iron in calf serum. The method is based on dissociation of Fe³⁺ from proteins, reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ and formation of a coloured complex between Fe²⁺ and bathophenanthroline. Contrary to the spectrophotometric method, it is shown that thermal lens spectrometry is less sensitive to scattering caused by the presence of small particles remaining in the test solution after the deproteinization step. The background signal is very small and the response is only slightly dependent on the amount of scattering particles. The method is reliable, sensitive and reproducible. The limit of detection for iron is 4 ppb and the relative standard deviation is around 2%. It is expected that the volume of serum sample necessary for an analysis can be reduced to less than 100 μl.     

Determination of Lead in Human Hair by High Resolution Continuum Source Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Microwave Digestion and Solid Sampling

The content of lead in human hair was measured by high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GFAAS) combined with microwave-assisted digestion (MAD) and direct solid sampling (DSS). Hair strands were washed, dried, and then cut into three parts (root, middle portion, and tip). For MAD-GFAAS assays, approximately 0.25 g of hair was completely digested using a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a closed system. In the DSS-GFAAS assays, 0.1–0.2 mg of dried hair was directly introduced into a graphite furnace using a solid autosampler. The temperature programs were optimized and the effects of various added modifiers were compared. The results indicated that NH₄H₂PO₄ was the optimal modifier for analysis of Pb using GFAAS. Use of the optimal modifier and temperature program gave similar limits of detection for MAD-GFAAS and DSS-GFAAS of 1.16 ng/g and 0.82 ng/g, respectively. Both methods also produced satisfactory recoveries ranging from 98.69% to 103.14%. There was no significant difference observed between the Pb contents of hair strands determined by the MAD-GFAAS and DSS-GFAAS assays, which both indicated that the Pb levels increased along the hair strands. Comparison of the two methods revealed that DSS-GFAAS had several advantageous characteristics over MAD-GFAAS, including the need for much less sample material and having a less time-consuming procedure, lower sample blank absorbance, lower memory effect, and no risk of environmental pollution by digesting chemicals. The direct solid sampling technique can be employed as a good alternative to conventional wet digestion in AAS assays.     

Separation and Analysis of o.p'-DDD and its Lipophilic Metabolite,O.P'-DDE,in Tissue,Faeces and Plasma

Abstract

An analytical procedure based on electron capture gas chromatography for the determination of o,p′-DDD, a drug used for the treatment of Cushing′s syndrome, is presented. Detection of a metabolite, identified as o,p′-DDE, is also described.     

Transformation of macromonomers into ring‐opening polymerization macroinitiators: A detailed initiation efficiency study

In the present study, n‐butyl acrylate macromonomer (BAMM) (M_n = 1900 g mol^?1; PDI = 1.96) has been synthesized via a high‐temperature polymerization process. Subsequently, the olefinic termini of the BAMM have been transformed into a diol via a dihydroxylation process using KMnO₄ as an oxidizing agent. The OH‐terminated macroinitiator pBA(OH)₂ has subsequently been employed for the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone via various catalytic systems, that is, organo‐(1,5,7‐triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec‐5‐ene), metal (tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate), and enzymatic catalysis (Novozym® 435). The obtained pBA‐b‐pCL block copolymers and the initiation efficiency of the BAMM macroinitiator have been investigated via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) hyphenated with SEC and liquid chromatography at the critical conditions of both poly(ε‐caprolactone) (pCL) and pBA. The in vitro enzyme catalysis (eROP) approach proved to be the most efficient catalysis system due to minor transesterification side reactions during the polymerization process. However, side reactions such as transesterifications occur in each catalytic system and—while they cannot be suppressed—they can be minimized. The species generated during the eROP process include the desired block copolymer pBA‐b‐pCL as main species as well as pCL homopolymer and residual macroinitiator pBA(OH)₂. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Relativistic dynamics for spin-zero and spin-half particles

The classical and quantum mechanics of a system of directly interacting relativistic particles is discussed. We first discuss the spin-zero case, where we basically follow Rohrlich in introducing a set of covariant centre of mass (CM) and relative variables. The relation of these to the classic formulation of Bakamjian and Thomas is also discussed. We also discuss the important case of relativistic potentials which may depend on total four-momentum squared. We then consider the quantum mechanical case of spin-half particles. The negative energy difficulty is solved by introducing a number of first class constraints which fix the spinor structure of physical solutions and ensure the existence of proper CM and relative variables. We derive the form of interactions consistent with Lorentz invariance, space inversion, time reversal and charge conjugation and with the above mentioned first class constraints and find that it is analogous to that for the non-relativistic case. Finally the relationship of the present work with some previous work is briefly discussed.     

Alpha particle and deuteron impactL-shell ionization of Ar,Cu, Ge,Br, Zr and Ag

Alpha particle and deuteron impactL-subshell ionization cross-sections of Ar, Cu, Ge, Br, Zr and Ag have been computed using Vriens’ expressions for ionization cross-section of atoms due to impact of heavy charged particles. The effects of Coulomb deflection of the projectile and increase in binding of the target electron in the presence of projectile have been incorporated. Hartree-Fock velocity distributions for the target electrons have been used in the present calculations. The simple binary encounter approximation model is found to give results which are in satisfactory agreement with those obtained from experiments and from other theories.     

C60和C60／C70的激光脱附飞行时间质谱分析

采用激光脱附并直接测量离子的方法对实验室提取的C_(60)/C_(70)以及进一步分离得到的纯C_(60)进行了飞行时间质谱分析,并讨论了质谱分析过程中实验条件对结果的影响.     

明代长江流域人口大量死亡事件时空特征及原因分析

通过检索古籍文献,整理了明代（公元1368—1644年）长江流域人口大量死亡事件（mass death events,MDE）10 a尺度的频次与县次序列,利用自然断点分级法、空间分析法等分析了MDE的时空特征及发生原因。结果表明：276 a间,长江流域有158 a发生MDE,明代后期发生频次和影响规模最大;季节上,表现为夏季多发（44.3%）,春、秋季次之;空间上,集中分布于长江中下游、尤其是长江三角洲地区,且呈从各省交界处向各省中心扩散的趋势。“未记录原因的饥荒”和“旱灾+其他灾害-饥荒”是造成明代长江流域MDE的主要原因。气候冷干期发生频次多,影响范围广,暖湿期相反,与温度和湿度呈显著负相关;人口规模和社会脆弱程度是主要的社会影响因素。在人口规模大和社会脆弱的明代后期,MDE发生频次高,波及范围广,是气候变化与社会因素共同作用的结果。