Mechanism of photoluminescence excitation of Mn<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions in ZnS crystals

The mechanisms of photoluminescence excitation of Mn²⁺ ions in ZnS crystals have been investigated on the basis of complex analysis of the temperature dependences of the photoluminescence and photoluminescence-excitation spectra of ZnS:Mn crystals. The activation energy of a manganese luminescence center was estimated at E_a = 0.17 ± 0.05 eV. It is shown that E_a represents an energy band with a width ΔE_a = 0.1 eV, within which a manganese luminescence center can experience radiationless recombination. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 6, pp. 788–793, November–December, 2005.     

Derivative temporal clustering analysis: detecting prolonged neuronal activity

Temporal clustering analysis (TCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) are promising data-driven techniques in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to obtain brain activation maps in conditions with unknown temporal information regarding the neuronal activity. Although comparable to ICA in detecting transient neuronal activities, TCA fails to detect prolonged plateau brain activations. To eliminate this pitfall, a novel derivative TCA (DTCA) method was introduced and its algorithms with different subtraction intervals were tested on simulated data with a pattern of prolonged plateau brain activation. It was found that the best performance of DTCA method in generating functional maps could be obtained if the subtraction interval is equal to or larger than the length of the rising time of the fMRI response. The DTCA method and its theoretical predication were further investigated and validated using in vivo fMRI data sets. By removing the limitations in the previous TCA, DTCA has shown its powerful capability in detecting prolonged plateau neuronal activities.     

Neutron cross-sections above 20 MeV for design and modeling of accelerator driven systems

One of the outstanding new developments in the field of partitioning and transmutation (P&T) concerns accelerator-driven systems (ADS) which consist of a combination of a high-power, high-energy accelerator, a spallation target for neutron production and a sub-critical reactor core. The development of the commercial critical reactors of today motivated a large effort on nuclear data up to about 20 MeV, and presently several million data points can be found in various data libraries. At higher energies, data are scarce or even non-existent. With the development of nuclear techniques based on neutrons at higher energies, nowadays there is a need also for higher-energy nuclear data. To provide alternative to this lack of data, a wide program on neutron-induced data related to ADS for P&T is running at the 20–180 MeV neutron beam facility at ‘The Svedberg Laboratory’ (TSL), Uppsala. The programme encompasses studies of elastic scattering, inelastic neutron production, i.e., (n, xn′) reactions, light-ion production, fission and production of heavy residues. Recent results are presented and future program of development is outlined.      

First production of ultracold neutrons with a solid deuterium source at the pulsed reactor TRIGA Mainz⋆

The production rates of ultracold neutrons (UCN) with a solid deuterium converter have been measured at the pulsed reactor TRIGA Mainz. Exposed to a thermal neutron fluence of n·cm^-2·pulse^-1, the number of detected very cold and ultracold neutrons ranges up to 200 000 at 7mol of solid deuterium (sD₂) in combination with a pre-moderator (mesitylene). About 50% of the measured neutrons can be assigned to UCN with energies E of where V _F(sD ₂) = 105 neV and V _F(guide) = 190 neV are the Fermi potentials of the sD₂ converter and our stainless steel neutron guides, respectively. Thermal cycling of solid deuterium, which was frozen out from the gas phase, considerably improved the UCN yield, in particular at higher amounts of sD₂.     

Dynamic anisotropy and heterogeneity of polystyrene thin films as studied by inelastic neutron scattering

We studied the dynamic anisotropy and heterogeniety of polystyrene thin films in glassy state with inelastic neutorn scattering. Adjusting the scattering vector to the directions parallel and perpendicular to the film surface, we observed the elastic scattering intensities as a function of temperature. It was found for the 200 A film that the elastic intesity decreased with increasing temperature more rapidly in the perpendicular direction than in the pararell direction, showing the higher mobility in the perpendicular direction. However, such dynamical anisotropy was not observed in the 1000 A film. The decrease in the mobility was observed with the film thickness in both the directions. These results were explained in terms of an interface hard layer. We also evelauated the dynamical heterogeniety from the non-Gaussian parameter A0, which increased with decreasing the film thickness, showing the increase in the dynamical heterogeneity. Assuming a simple bi-layer model consisting of the interface hard layer and the bulk-like layer, we analyzed the thickness dependence of the non-Gaussian parameter A0 and the mean square displacement (u2) to find that the hard layer has a thickness of approximately 130 A and a mean square displacement of approximately 0.018 A2 at 230 K.     

Activation volumes of wall-motion and nucleation processes in Co-based ferromagnetic multilayer films

Activation volumes of the wall-motion and nucleation processes in Co-based multilayer films were characterized from time-resolved domain evolution patterns. These activation volumes were both sensitive to the multilayer structure as well as the film preparation condition. The two activation volumes were generally unequal with each other and the inequality directly influenced on magnetization reversal behavior.     

High pressure treatment of pharmaceutical drug delivery and related systems

Abstract

Solids like layer silicates (kaolinite and montmorillonite) as well as ZnO are in use in pharmacy. They are pressure treated and subsequently analyzed by means of ESR spectroscopy. The structural changes indicated by Fe³⁺ ions and paramagnetic defects are reponsible for the enhanced chemical activity of the pressurized systems.

Especially active Fe-O-species are formed which can react with intercacalated organic molecules. The most probable first step of such reactions will be a solid state single electron transfer. Spin probes and spin traps were used to prove this statements. The activation of the drug delivery systems by mechanical treatments is of importance for the stability of the drugs incorporated.     

Ein Beitrag zur radiometrischen Bestimmung des Ziehsteinverschleißes beim Ziehen von Stahldraht

Es wird ein zuvelässiges und sehr empfindliches radiometrisches Verfahren zur Bestimmung des Ziehsteinverschleiβes beim Ziehen von Stahldraht beschrieben. Im Vergleich zu den in der Literatur angegebenen radiometrischen Meβverfahren ist das behandelte Verfahren weniger zeitaufwending und gestattet es, bei einem vertretbaren Aufwand gröβere Verscuhsreihen durchzuführen. Mit Hilfe dieser Methode ist es möglich, langwierige groβtechnische Versuche zu umgehen und gleichzeitig eine wesentlich exaktere Aussage ūber den Verschleiβ unter verschiedenen Ziehbedingungen zu erhalten.     

Anwendung nuklearer Verfahren in der ungarischen Tonerdeindustrie

Der Beitrag gibt einen zusammenfassenden Überblick über die in der ungarischen Tonerdeindustric verwendeten nuklearen Versuchsmethoden.

Anhand von Beispielen werden die an Betriebsapparaturen durchgeführten Durchlauf- und Verteiungsmessungen sowie die unter Laborbedingungen vorgenommenen reaktionskinetischen Untersuchungen, die auf die Klärung verschiedener Prozesse der Tonerdeherstellung gerichlet waren, veranschaulicht.

Weiterhin werden analytische Anwendungen der Neutronenaktivierungs- und Röntgenfluoreszenzmethode sowie Meß- und Regelungseinrichtungen, die auf der Strahlenabsorption beruhen, bekanntgemacht.