D0 Values Research Articles

Intermolecular dissociation energies of dispersively bound complexes of aromatics with noble gases and nitrogen

We measured accurate intermolecular dissociation energies D0 of the supersonic jet-cooled complexes of 1-naphthol (1NpOH) with the noble gases Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe and with N2, using the stimulated-emission pumping resonant two-photon ionization method. The ground-state values D0(S0) for the 1NpOH⋅S complexes with S= Ar, Kr, Xe, and N2 were bracketed to be within ±3.5%; they are 5.67 ± 0.05 kJ/mol for S = Ar, 7.34 ± 0.07 kJ/mol for S = Kr, 10.8 ± 0.28 kJ/mol for S = Xe, 6.67 ± 0.08 kJ/mol for isomer 1 of the 1NpOH⋅N2 complex, and 6.62 ± 0.22 kJ/mol for the corresponding isomer 2. For S = Ne, the upper limit is D0 < 3.36 kJ/mol. The dissociation energies increase by 1%-5% upon S0 → S1 excitation of the complexes. Three dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) methods (B97-D3, B3LYP-D3, and ωB97X-D) predict that the most stable form of these complexes involves dispersive binding to the naphthalene "face." A more weakly bound edge isomer is predicted in which the S moiety is H-bonded to the OH group of 1NpOH; however, no edge isomers were observed experimentally. The B97-D3 calculated dissociation energies D0(S0) of the face complexes with Ar, Kr, and N2 agree with the experimental values within <5%, but the D0(S0) for Xe is 12% too low. The B3LYP-D3 and ωB97X-D calculated D0(S0) values exhibit larger deviations to both larger and smaller dissociation energies. For comparison to 1-naphthol, we calculated the D0(S0) of the carbazole complexes with S = Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and N2 using the same DFT-D methods. The respective experimental values have been previously determined to be within <2%. Again, the B97-D3 results are in the best overall agreement with experiment.

Power generation in dual chamber microbial fuel cells using dynamic membranes as separators

Two dual-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that use dynamic membranes as separators were designed for power production. The performance of these dynamic membrane microbial fuel cells (DM-MFCs) was studied. Compared to an up-flow dual-chamber MFC (U-MFC), at the total volume of 1.1 L, DM-MFCs achieved a higher maximum power density (1923 mW m−3 versus 856 mW m−3). This is because the DM-MFCs have lower membrane resistance (0.6–5.4 Ω), oxygen diffusion coefficient (D0 = 1.8 × 10−7 cm2 s−1), and cost (0.3 USD m−2) than other reported separators; e.g., anion exchange membrane (ACM), cation exchange membrane (CEM), ultrafiltration membrane (UFM), and J-cloth. The dynamic membrane is primarily composed of filamentous bacteria and vorticellidae-like protozoa, which tightly attach to the nylon supporting layer. This microorganism layer consumes most of the dissolved oxygen and prevents oxygen transfer from the cathode chamber to the anode chamber, leading to the low D0 value of the dynamic membrane. Power production of DM-MFCs was further optimized by increasing the NaCl concentration in the influent and the electrode area. The results show that DM-MFCs are feasible and suitable for scaling-up because of their sleeve-shaped configuration. These results indicate that dynamic membranes can be used to increase power production in MFCs relative to traditional separators and DM-MFCs are promising tools for practical applications.

Resection Cavity Contraction Effects in the Use of Radioactive Sources (1-25 versus Cs-131) for Intra-Operative Brain Implants&#x0D;

Background and ObjectivesIntra-parenchymal brain surgical resection cavities usually contract in volume following low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy implants. In this study, we systematically modeled and assessed dose variability resulting from such changes for I-125 versus Cs-131 radioactive sources.MethodsResection cavity contraction was modeled based on 95 consecutive patient cases, using surveillance magnetic resonance (MR) images. The model was derived for single point source geometry and then fully simulated in 3D where I-125 or Cs-131 seeds were placed on the surface of an ellipsoidal resection cavity. Dose distribution estimated via TG-43 calculations and biological effective dose (BED) calculations were compared for both I-125 and Cs-131, accounting for resection cavity contractions.ResultsResection cavity volumes were found to contract with an effective half-life of approximately 3.4 months (time to reach 50% of maximum volume contraction). As a result, significant differences in dose distributions were noted between I-125 and Cs-131 radioactive sources. For example, when comparing with static volume, assuming no contraction effect, I-125 exhibited a 31.8% and 30.5% increase in D90 and D10 values (i.e., the minimal dose to 90% and 10% of the volume respectively) in the peripheral target areas over the follow-up period of 20.5 months. In contrast, Cs-131 seeds only exhibited a 1.44% and 0.64% increase in D90 and D10 values respectively. Such discrepancy is likewise similar for BED calculations.ConclusionResection cavity contractions affects Cs-131 dose distribution significantly less than that of I-125 for permanent brain implants. Care must be taken to account for cavity contractions when prescribing accumulative doses of a radioactive source in performing the brain implant procedures.

Application of gamma irradiation knowledge in tissue sterilisation: inactivation of malaria parasite.

Malaria is one of the exclusion criteria used in selecting tissue donors and the absence of this information can lead to rejection of tissues for transplant. The studies on the malaria parasite have been confined to low dose attenuation of parasites in blood for transfusion purposes. There is no published information relating to the inactivation of malaria parasites with irradiation for the sterilisation of tissues. A dose-surviving parasite population following radiation was replotted using D0 value from a published paper whereby D10 value of 41Gy was obtained. Calculation of sterilisation dose for achieving SAL 10-6 of malaria parasites demonstrated the effectiveness of the sterilisation dose of 25kGy being used in tissue banking.

Bond Dissociation Energies of Tungsten Molecules: WC, WSi, WS, WSe, and WCl.

Resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy was used to locate predissociation thresholds in WC, WSi, WS, WSe, and WCl, allowing bond dissociation energies to be measured for these species. Because of the high degree of vibronic congestion in the observed spectra, it is thought that the molecules dissociate as soon as the lowest separated atom limit is exceeded. From the observed predissociation thresholds, dissociation energies are assigned as D0(WC) = 5.289(8) eV, D0(WSi) = 3.103(10) eV, D0(WS) = 4.935(3) eV, D0(WSe) = 4.333(6) eV, and D0(WCl) = 3.818(6) eV. These results are combined with other data to obtain the ionization energy IE(WC) = 8.39(9) eV and the anionic bond dissociation energies of D0(W-C-) = 6.181(17) eV, D0(W--C) = 7.363(19) eV, D0(W-Si-) ≤ 3.44(4) eV, and D0(W--Si) ≤ 4.01(4) eV. Combination of the D0(WX) values with atomic enthalpies of formation also provides ΔfH0K° values for the gaseous WX molecules. Computational results are also provided, which shed some light on the electronic structure of these molecules.

Mycofloral profile and the radiation sensitivity (D10 values) of solar dried and gamma irradiated Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.Ex. Fr.) Kummer fruitbodies stored in two different packaging materials.

The presence of fungi in our foods poses serious health risks as some genera of fungi may produce certain mycotoxins which have carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and immunosuppressive effect on humans and animals alike. Fruitbodies of Pleurotus ostreatus were solar dried at a moisture content of 12.5 ± 0.2% and stored in polythene and polypropylene packs, gamma irradiated at doses of 0 (control), 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 kGy at a dose rate of 1.7 kGy/hr from a Cobalt 60 source (SLL, 515, Hungary) and stored at room temperature 28–30°C for a period of 12 months. Mycological analyses were done at intervals of 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. A total of eleven (11) fungi belonging to eight fungal genera were isolated on both Cooke's and DRBC media; Aspergillus (A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. tamarii), Rhizopus (R. oligosporus), Mucor (M. racemosus), Fusarium (F. oxysporum), Penicillium (Penicillium sp.), Trichoderma (T. viride), and Rhodotorula sp. were recorded. There was a significant (p < .05) reduction in initial mycofloral population by an average of 2.2 log cycles as well as in species numbers with increasing doses of radiation. Radiation sensitivity (D10 values) also ranged between 1.68–2.78 kGy. Gamma irradiation treatment is one way which can enhance food safety through the reduction in potential pathogens and has been recommended as part of a comprehensive program to enhance food safety.

PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF NANOSCALE ULEXITE MINERAL PREPARED BY BALL MILLING

Commercially available raw ulexite (U) minerals were milled up to 120 min by using a high-energy ball grinder for different initial feed sizes (−75 µm and −3 mm), ball to powder ratios (5:1 and 10:1), ball sizes (1 mm and 5 mm), and process control agents (3% and 6%). Particle size distribution and morphology measurements of milled powders were carefully studied. In particle size analysis, the lowest d90, d50, d10 and dmin values were detected to be 17.547 µm, 1.732 µm, 283 nm and 35 nm, respectively. Therefore, nanoscale in particle size for the ulexite mineral has been achieved. In addition, the smallest milling time was found as 30 min. Moreover, the best powder yield was determined to be 90.5%. In morphology analysis, the milled powders were observed to be more homogeneous than the initial feed size minerals. Besides, findings of morphology analysis were in agreement with that of particle size analysis. It was decided that optimized ball milling parameters are −3 mm for initial feed size; 10:1 for the ball to powder ratio; 5 mm for ball size; 3% for process control agent. The results obtained from this work will be useful for nanoscale research and industrial applications of ulexite (Na2O.2CaO.5B2O3.16H2O) material, which is boron mineral. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/mijst.2017.33.86103 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Developing strategies to reduce spray drift in pneumatic spraying in vineyards: Assessment of the parameters affecting droplet size in pneumatic spraying

Pneumatic sprayers are widely used in vineyards due to their very fine droplet size, which makes the drift risk to become an important problem to be considered. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the spout diameter at the release point on the spray droplet size and uniformity achieved for different liquid flow rates (LFR) and air flow rates (AFR).A test bench was developed to simulate a real pneumatic sprayer under laboratory conditions, and it was empirically adjusted to match the air pressure conditions as closely as possible to real working conditions. Two positions of insertion of the liquid hose, the conventional position (CP) and an alternative position (AP), were tested for three LFRs, 1.00, 1.64, and 2.67Lmin−1, and four AFRs, 0.280, 0.312, 0.345, and 0.376m3s−1. The air speed decrease between the two insertion points of the liquid hose was measured. A Malvern SprayTec® instrument was used to measure the droplet size, and the D50, D10, and D90 parameter values were obtained. The relative SPAN factor (RSF) was also calculated. A model to predict variations in D50 was fitted using the aforementioned parameters.The results show that variations in the diameter of the spout significantly change the droplet size, producing a mean increase of 59.45% in D50 and similar increases in D10 and D90. The model developed to predict variations in D50 has a very high degree of accuracy (R2=0.945). The relative decrease in the air speed along the spout did not present significant differences for the different airflow rates tested. The results of the study show that the droplet size produced in pneumatic spraying can be modified easily by varying the air spout dimensions. This should be taken into account by manufacturers from a design point of view.

Isolation and characterization of culturable bacteria present in the spent nuclear fuel pool water.

A spent nuclear fuel (SNF) pool is a key facility for safe management of nuclear waste, where spent nuclear fuel rods are stored in a water pool. The spent fuel rods carry a significant amount of radioactivity; they are either recycled or stored for further processing. Pool water acts as a heat sink as well as a shield against the radiation present in spent/burned fuel rods. The water used in these pools is filtered by an ultra-filtration process which makes certain the purity of water. As the life span of these pools is approximately 20 to 40years, the maintenance of pure water is a big challenge. A number of researchers have shown the presence of bacterial communities in this ultrapure water. The bacterial types present in SNF pool water is of increasing interest for their potential bioremediation applications for radioactive waste. The present study showed the isolation of six bacterial species in the SNF pool water samples, which had significant radio-tolerance (D10 value 248Gy to 2kGy) and also biofilm-forming capabilities. These strains were also investigated for their heavy metal removal capacity. Maximum biofilm-mediated heavy metal (Co and Ni) removal (up to 3.8μg/mg of biomass) was observed by three isolates (FPB1, FPB4, and FPB6). The ability of these bacterial isolates to survive in radioactive environments can be of great interest for remediation of radioactive contaminants.

ICP-MS measurement of silver diffusion coefficient in graphite IG-110 between 1048K and 1284K

Silver-110m has been shown to permeate intact silicon carbide and pyrolytic carbon coating layers of the TRISO fuel particles during normal High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) operational conditions. The diffusion coefficients for silver in graphite IG-110 measured using a release method designed to simulate HTGR conditions of high temperature and flowing helium in the temperature range 1048–1253 K are reported. The measurements were made using spheres milled from IG-110 graphite that were infused with silver using a pressure vessel technique. The Ag diffusion was measured using a time release technique with an ICP-MS instrument for detection. The results of this work are:DAg,IG−110=(6.6×10−4m2s)exp(−1.74×105JmolRT)The measured activation energy of 174 kJ/mol compares well with the range of values [154–193 kJ/mol] reported in the literature for LTI pyrocarbon. The measured pre-exponential D0 value of 6.60 × 10−4 m2/s is similar to the value of 5.3 × 10−4 m2/s reported for Russian LTI pyrocarbon.

Microbial inactivation and cytotoxicity evaluation of UV irradiated coconut water in a novel continuous flow spiral reactor

A continuous-flow UV reactor operating at 254nm wave-length was used to investigate inactivation of microorganisms including bacteriophage in coconut water, a highly opaque liquid food. UV-C inactivation kinetics of two surrogate viruses (MS2, T1UV) and three bacteria (E. coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 13311, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115) in buffer and coconut water were investigated (D10 values ranging from 2.82 to 4.54mJ·cm−2). A series of known UV-C doses were delivered to the samples. Inactivation levels of all organisms were linearly proportional to UV-C dose (r2>0.97). At the highest dose of 30mJ·cm−2, the three pathogenic organisms were inactivated by >5 log10 (p<0.05). Results clearly demonstrated that UV-C irradiation effectively inactivated bacteriophage and pathogenic microbes in coconut water. The inactivation kinetics of microorganisms were best described by log linear model with a low root mean square error (RMSE) and high coefficient of determination (r2>0.97). Models for predicting log reduction as a function of UV-C irradiation dose were found to be significant (p<0.05) with low RMSE and high r2. The irradiated coconut water showed no cytotoxic effects on normal human intestinal cells and normal mouse liver cells. Overall, these results indicated that UV-C treatment did not generate cytotoxic compounds in the coconut water. This study clearly demonstrated that high levels of inactivation of pathogens can be achieved in coconut water, and suggested potential method for UV-C treatment of other liquid foods. Industrial relevanceThis research paper provides scientific evidence of the potential benefits of UV-C irradiation in inactivating bacterial and viral surrogates at commercially relevant doses of 0–120mJ·cm−2. The irradiated coconut water showed no cytotoxic effects on normal intestinal and healthy mice liver cells. UV-C irradiation is an attractive food preservation technology and offers opportunities for horticultural and food processing industries to meet the growing demand from consumers for healthier and safe food products. This study would provide technical support for commercialization of UV-C treatment of beverages.

Are Hippocampi Considered Organs at Risk During Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Brain Metastases?

Hippocampal-dependent neurocognitive functions, including learning, memory and spatial information processing, could be affected by brain radiotherapy. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the dose to omolateral and contralateral hippocampus (O-H, C-H, respectively) during Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) or Radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases (BM). Patients eligible for SRS/SRT treatment had a number of BM <5, with a size ≤30mm, Karnosky Performance Status (KPS) ≥ 80 and a life expectancy over 3 months. Gross Tumour Volume (GTV) was delineated by the fusion between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography. A Planning Target Volume (PTV) was obtained from GTV by adding a 2-mm isotropic margin. The total dose ranged between 18-27 Gy in 1-3 fractions. For each BM, a volumetric modulated arc therapy plan was generated with one or two arcs and hippocampus sparing was not considered during optimizations phase. For the dosimetric evaluation of O-H and C-H, the Dmedian, Dmean, D0.1cc and the V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gywere analyzed. From April 2014 to December 2015, 81 BM in 41 patients were treated with SRS/SRT and selected for the present analysis. The average value of PTV dimension and hippocampus volumes were (5.8 + 9.5) cc and (1.1 + 0.3) cc, respectively. For the O-H, the average values of Dmedian, Dmean and D0.1cc were (1.5 + 3.65) Gy, (1.54 + 3.6) Gy, (2.2 + 4.7) Gy, respectively, while the V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gy values were (25 + 40) %, (18.9 + 35) %, (8.9 + 25.3) % and (2.1 + 11.8) %, respectively. For the C-H, the average Dmedian, Dmean and D0.1cc were (0.7 + 1.5) Gy, (0.7 + 1.4) Gy, (0.9 + 1.8) Gy, respectively, while the average values of V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gywere (18 + 35) %, (10.2 + 27.7) %, (2.8 + 15.4) % and (1.4 + 11.6) %, respectively. The differences between O-H and C-H, in terms of received dose, were statistically significant (p=0.03). Moreover, the PTV dimension (>5cc or >6cc) did not influence the dose of hippocampus (p= 0.06; 0.2, respectively). During SRT/SRS treatments for BM, hippocampus received a very low dose and its clinical significance seems to be negligible, even if it is still under investigation. However, considering the increasing use of SRS/SRT for multiple BM, including also patients with up to 10 BMs, the dose to hippocampus need to be seriously evaluated in the treatment planning.

Hippocampal dose during Linac-based stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases: An observational study

IntroductionAim of the present study is to evaluate homolateral and contralateral hippocampus (H-H, C-H, respectively) dose during Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy (FSRT) or Radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases (BM). Materials & methodsPatients with BM<5, size≤30mm, KPS≥80 and a life expectancy>3months, were considered for SRS/FSRT (total dose 15–30Gy, 1–5 fractions). For each BM, a Flattening Filter Free (FFF) Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) plan was generated with one or two arcs. Hippocampi were not considered during optimizations phase and were contoured and evaluated retrospectively in terms of dose: the Dmedian, Dmean, D0.1cc and the V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gy were analyzed. ResultsFrom April 2014 to December 2015, 81 BM were treated with FFF-FSRT/SRS. For the H-H, the average values of Dmedian, Dmean and D0.1cc were 1.5Gy, 1.54Gy and 2.2Gy, respectively, while the V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gy values were 25%, 8.9%, 8.9% and 2.1%, respectively. For the C–H, the average Dmedian, Dmean and D0.1cc were 0.7Gy, 0.7Gy, 0.9Gy, respectively, while the average values of V1Gy, V2Gy, V5Gy and V10Gy were 18%, 10.2%, 2.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Tumor dimension, tumor cranial-caudal length and the distance between BM and H-H were correlated to Dmedian, Dmean and D0.1cc. For C-H, only the distance from PTV was correlated with a dose reduction. ConclusionDuring FFF-FSRT/SRS, hippocampus received a negligible dose. Despite its clinical significance is still under evaluation, in patients with a long life expectancy, H-H should be considered during Linac-based FSRT/SRS.

A biological survey on the Ottoman Archive papers and determination of the D10 value

The Ottoman Archives have one of the richest archive collections in the world. However, not all the archived documents are well preserved and some undergo biodeterioration. Therefore, a rapid and promising treatment method is necessary to preserve the collection for following generations as heritage. Radiation presents as an alternative for the treatment of archival materials for this purpose. In this study, we conducted a survey to determine the contamination species and the D10 values of the samples obtained from the shelves of the Ottoman Archives. The samples also included several insect pests collected at using a pheromone trap placed in the archive storage room. With the exception of few localized problems, no active pest presence was observed. The D10 values of mold contamination and reference mold (A. niger) were found to be 1.0 and 0.68kGy, respectively. Based on these results, it can be concluded that an absorbed dose of 6 kGy is required to remove the contamination from the materials stored in the Ottoman Archives.

Biological Dosimetry Using Micronucleus Assay in Simulated Partial-Body Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

In radiation accidents, it is common that only several parts of the body are exposed to radiation. As a consequence there is a mixture of exposed and unexposed lymphocytes in peripheral blood cells of the samples. This phenomenon will cause the dose value estimated using the exposed lymphocytes to be lower than the actual dose. In this study, an assessment of partial body exposures using micronucleus assay by estimating the partial body dose and fraction of irradiated blood was conducted. An optimal D0 value also has been determined in this study to estimate the fraction of irradiated cells. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from three healthy donors were irradiated in vitro with 2 Gy of X-rays. Partial radiation exposure was simulated by mixing the irradiated and non-irradiated blood in different proportions. The proportions of mixtures of blood samples irradiated in vitro were 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 %. Blood samples were then cultured and harvested based on micronuclei assay protocol. At least 2000 binucleated cells with well-preserved cytoplasm were scored for the MN frequency. Dose Estimate 5.1 software was used to calculate the dispersion index (σ2/y) and normalized unit of this index (U) in each proportion of bloods. The fractions of irradiated cells were calculated with CABAS (Chromosomal Aberration Calculation Software) for several different D0 values (2.7; 3.8; 5.4). The results showed that D0 value at 5.4 gave the closest results to the actual proportion of irradiated bloods, while for the dose estimation the estimated doses value from all proportions in all donors were higher than the actual dose. The factor that may cause this phenomenon was that the dose response calibration curve used to predict the radiation dose was not constructed in the laboratory used. Overall it can be concluded that a biodosimetry using MN assay can be used to estimate the radiation dose in partial body exposure. In order to establish a biodosimetry using MN analysis the dose-response calibration curve MN analysis should be constructed first in the laboratory used.

An Impact of Energy of Consciousness (The Trivedi Effect®) on the Physicochemical, Thermal, Structural, and Behavioral Properties of Magnesium Gluconate

Magnesium gluconate is a potent antioxidant used for the prevention and treatment of hypomagnesia. The current research was aimed to investigate the impact of The Trivedi Effect® - Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment (Biofield Energy Healing Treatment) on magnesium gluconate for the change in the physicochemical, structural, thermal and behavioral properties using PXRD, PSD, FT-IR, UV-vis spectroscopy, TGA, and DSC analysis. Magnesium gluconate was divided into two parts – one part was control, while another part was treated with The Trivedi Effect® - Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment (Biofield Energy Healing Treatment) remotely by twenty renowned Biofield Energy Healers and defined as The Trivedi Effect® treated sample. The PXRD analysis exhibited that the crystallite size of the treated sample was remarkably changed from range -37.52% to 180.14% compared with the control sample. The average crystallite size was reduced in the treated sample by 0.11% compared with the control sample. PSD analysis revealed that the particle sizes in the treated sample at d10 and d50 values were significantly decreased by 11.36% and 8.25%, respectively, while the particle size at d90 was increased in the treated sample by 2.43% compared with the control sample. The treated sample’s surface area was significantly increased by 9.54% compared with the control sample. The FT-IR and UV-vis analysis showed that the structure of the magnesium gluconate remained the same in both the treated and control samples. The TGA analysis revealed the four steps thermal degradation of the both samples and the total weight loss of the treated sample was reduced by 2.32% compared with the control sample. This result indicated that the thermal stability of the treated sample was improved compared with the control sample. The DSC analysis revealed that the melting temperature of the treated sample (171.05°C) was decreased by 0.17% compared with the control sample (171.34°C). The latent heat of fusion was decreased by 1.16% in the treated sample compared with the control sample. The current study infers that The Trivedi Effect® - Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment (Biofield Energy Healing Treatment) might lead to a new polymorphic form of magnesium gluconate, which would be more soluble, bioavailable, and thermally stable compared with the untreated compound. Hence, The Trivedi Effect® Treated magnesium gluconate would be very useful to design better nutraceutical and/or pharmaceutical formulations that might offer better therapeutic responses against inflammatory diseases, immunological disorders, stress, aging and other chronic infections.

Radiation‐induced interstitial carbon atom in silicon: Effect of charge state on annealing characteristics

We present experimental and theoretical results showing that the migration of interstitial carbon atom (Ci) in silicon depends on its charge state. The experimental results were obtained from the analysis of changes in concentrations of the Ci defect, which were determined from deep level transient spectra, in n+‐p diodes subjected to irradiation with 4–6 MeV electrons or α‐particles at T ≤ 273 K and subsequent heat‐treatments in the temperature range 280–330 K with applied reverse bias voltage and without it. It has been found that in the positive charge state the Ci migration energy is 0.88 ± 0.02 eV, while in the neutral charge state it is reduced to 0.73–0.74 eV.First‐principles density‐functional calculations of the structure of Ci in different charge states (z = 0, +1, −1) and diffusion coefficient parameters (activation barrier ΔEa and pre‐exponential factor D0) have been performed. It has been found that a split‐ configuration with C2v symmetry is the most stable one for Ci in all the charge states. The following ΔEa and D0 values have been derived from the calculations: ΔEa = 0.74 eV and D0 = 0.06 cm2 s−1 for Ci0, and ΔEa = 0.89 eV for Ci+.

Characterization of the Physicochemical, Spectral, Thermal and Behavioral Properties of Sodium Selenate: An Effect of the Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment

Sodium selenate is a source of an essential nutrient selenium used for the prevention and treatment of cancer, heart diseases, viral diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases, etc. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment (The Trivedi Effect®) on the physico-chemical, thermal, and behavioral properties of sodium selenate using PXRD, PSD, FT-IR, UV-vis, TGA, and DSC analysis. Sodium selenate was divided into two parts – one part was control/untreated sample, while another part was treated with Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment remotely by twenty renowned Biofield Energy Healers and defined as the treated sample. The PXRD diffractograms showed sharp and intense peaks in both the samples, indicated both the samples were crystalline in nature. The crystallite size of the treated sample was significantly altered in the range of -16.66% to 50.07% compared with the control sample. Consequently, the average crystallite size of the treated sample was significantly increased by 9.57% compared to the control sample. The particle size of the treated sample at d10, d50, and d90 values were significantly increased by 9.47%, 19.06%, and 27.81%, respectively compared with the control sample. Thus, the surface area of the treated sample was significantly decreased by 9.16% compared to the control sample. The control and treated FT-IR spectra indicated the presence of sharp and strong absorption bands at 888 cm-1 due to the Se=O stretching. The wavelength of the maximum absorbance of the control and Biofield Energy Treated sodium selenate were at 206.3 nm and 205.9 nm, respectively in UV-vis spectroscopy. TGA analysis indicated that the total weight loss of the treated sample was reduced by 0.71% compared to the control sample. The DSC analysis showed that the vaporization temperature of the treated sample (94.97°C) was slightly decreased compared to the control sample (95.30°C). But, the latent heat of vaporization was significantly increased in the treated sample by 45.31% compared to the control sample. Thus, The Trivedi Effect® might lead to generate a new polymorphic form of sodium selenate, which would have better powder flowability and long-term storage stability compared with the control sample. The Biofield Energy Treated sodium selenate would be very useful to design better nutraceutical and pharmaceutical formulations which might offer a better therapeutic response against cancer, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, immunological disorders, stress, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, heart diseases, viral diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases, etc.

Isolation of extremely halophilic Archaea from a saline river in the Lut Desert of Iran, moderately resistant to desiccation and gamma radiation

Admittedly, the Lut Desert of Iran has been remained as an unexplored region from a microbiological standpoint. Domain Archaea contains extremophiles that can live in harsh habitats. Extremely halophilic archaea are exposed to different environmental stresses in the hypersaline environments such as high solar irradiance and periodic desiccation. Haloarchaeal diversity in Shoor River, a saline river in the Lut Desert (a salinity of 134.3 g L–1 of dissolved salts), was investigated by a culture-dependent method. A large number of extremely halophilic isolates were obtained and a subset of 59 isolates was considered distinct. Firstly, the isolates were screened for their resistance under desiccation stress in 35 days. Eleven of these strains remained viable during the period in a desiccator containing silica gel. Then, three of them were randomly selected and their resistance against desiccation and ionizing radiation were determined. The isolates MS2, MS17, and MS50 were still recovered after 8 weeks in a desiccator and were moderately resistant to gamma radiation with D10 value between 2 and 3 kGy. Strains MS2, MS17, and MS50 were affiliated with three species in the family Halobacteriaceae using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as well as morphological and biochemical characteristics—Haloterrigena jeotgali A29T (99.6% similarity), Natrialba aegyptia 40T (99.4% similarity) and Natrinema pallidum NCIMB 777T (99.3% similarity), respectively. Although resistance to desiccation did not follow the sigmoid survival curve pattern of Deinococcus radiodurans, apparently haloarchaea can show a more resistance to desiccation in more long-term periods of time. This is the first report on isolation of extremely halophilic archaea belonged to the family Halobacteriaceae and their radioresistance and desiccation tolerance properties isolated from the Shoor River.

Assessment of Microbial and Radioactive Contaminations in Korean Cold Duck Meats and Electron-Beam Application for Quality Improvement.

Animal-origin food products pose serious threat to public food safety due to high microbial loads. The microbial and radioactive contaminations in commercial cold duck meat products were evaluated. Ten different lots of commercial samples (C1-C10) were classified based on type and smoking process. All samples were highly contaminated (< 4-7 Log CFU/g) with total aerobic bacteria (TAB), yeasts and molds (Y&M), and 7 samples (C1-C7) were positive for coliforms. Furthermore, three samples were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (C4-C6) and one with Salmonella typhimurium (C6). No radionuclides (131I, 137Cs, and 134Cs) were detected in any sample. The results of DEFT (direct epifluorescent filter technique)/APC (aerobic plate count), employed to screen pre-pasteurization treatments of products, indicated that smoked samples were positive showing DEFT/APC ratios higher than 4. Notably, the samples showed a serious threat to microbial safety, thus were irradiated with electron-beam (e-beam). The D10 values for S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes were 0.65 and 0.42 kGy, respectively. E-beam application at 3 and 7 kGy resulted in reduction of initial TAB, Y&M, and coliform populations by 3 and 6 log cycles, respectively. Thus, e-beam was proven to be a good decontamination approach to improve the hygiene of cold duck meat.