Technology Development Center Research Articles

Evaluation of biomonitor for thorium and uranium applying the k0-method of neutron activation analysis at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre, Brazil

Evaluation of biomonitor for thorium and uranium applying the k0-method of neutron activation analysis at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre, Brazil

Enhancing Sustainability through Ecosystem Services Evaluation: A Case Study of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System in Digang Village

The Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, as a paradigm of traditional Chinese agricultural recycling models, represents a distinct ecosystem. This study focuses on the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System in Digang Village, Huzhou, as a typical case. The village serves as a core conservation base for the Huzhou Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, hosting the Huzhou Agricultural Science and Technology Development Center’s Academician and Expert Workstation and the world’s only Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System Visitor Center. These facilities provide strategic guidance for the conservation, development, planning, and inheritance of the Huzhou Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System. Considering the unique environment and limitations in data acquisition, this study employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) to develop an ecosystem service assessment framework encompassing eight aspects and 29 factors assessing the provisioning, regulating, and cultural services of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System. The results indicate that the ecosystem services of the Digang Village Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System perform at a high level, with cultural services playing a significant role in the overall ecosystem services. The regulating services are relatively weak, highlighting deficiencies in mulberry land management, while the capacity of provisioning services is strong. These findings are crucial for understanding the value of ecosystem services in Digang Village’s Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, identifying management shortcomings, and providing direction for future assessments and management. This study also offers a practical and effective assessment method for ecosystem service evaluation at smaller scales, where the targeted approach and the presence of significant ambiguity and uncertainty in data are prominent.

Rapid Detection of the Aeromonas sp. group using Conventional PCR at the Aquaculture Technology Development Center, Cangkringan, Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta

The catfish is a freshwater cultivated fish that can be found all over Indonesia. However, the problems that occur in general are usually attacks by pathogens from the Aeromonas sp group. This research aims to optimize the rapid detection of the Aeromonas sp group using PCR at the Aquaculture Technology Development Center, Cangkringan, Sleman, special region of Yogyakarta. The research was conducted by survey with purposive sampling. Isolation was carried out using two growth media, namely Tryptone Soy Agar (TSA) and Glutamate Starch Phenile (GSP). Colonies that had characteristics of the Aeromonas sp group were subjected to PCR amplification using specific primers for the Aeromonas sp group. The results of the amplification resulted in DNA that matched the target, namely 953bp, which showed that the sample belonged to the Aeromonas sp group. Based on this technique, the level of accuracy in detecting pathogens is higher than conventional methods.

Water quality management program for IPR-R1 TRIGA® research reactor

The IPR-R1 Triga nuclear research reactor of the Nuclear Technology Development Center (CDTN) is one of the oldest reactors in operation in the world. It is a compact and inherently safe reactor that operates at a continuous power level of 100 kW with a solid homogeneous General Atomic (GA) fuel element of zirconium hydride moderator homogeneously combined with 20% enriched uranium. The reactor core is at the bottom of a tank under approximately 6.0 meters of shielding water. The long operation time of the reactor, 63 years, and the contact of the water with the core, can induce corrosive processes in the IPR-R1 reactor and affect its safe operation. To keep the water quality according to the chemical-physical recommended standards, a quality management program, as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was implemented. The water quality management program is a guideline of good practices applied to nuclear reactors, targeting to keep their water coolants at specified physical-chemical standard. The main aim of the present work is to introduce IPR-R1 Triga’s water chemistry program results from the second half of 2022 till the first half of 2023, when the installation returned to its regular activities after the Covid-19 pandemic. The physical-chemical parameters evaluated (e.g.: pH, alpha and beta radiation, electrical conductivity and gamma emitters) shows that the IPR-R1 reactor operates within recommended safety standards.

Determination of critical nitrogen curve in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis) with the NBI index of multiplex®

The concentration of nitrogen in plants is usually determined through chemical analysis, although there are alternatives such as the measurement of chlorophyll as an indirect estimate of the nitrogen content. Currently, the reflectance, transmittance and fluorescence methods in specific regions of the spectrum are used to diagnose the nutritional status of plants in nitrogen. The objective has been to evaluate the use of sensors based on the principles of fluorescence and transmittance in the same test plots. The tests were carried out at the Valdegón Farm, at the Agro-food Technological Research and Development Center of the Government of La Rioja, at Agoncillo (La Rioja), Spain, in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. Periodic sampling of nitrogen in soil, plant biomass and sheet measurements with Multiplex® were carried out. For the NBI index of the Multiplex high correlations have been found with the nitrogen content of the plant, which has served, depending on the phenological state of the crop, to adjust some functions that relate the measurements made with the biomass of the crop in the case of the NBI index. In the critical curves obtained for the sensors, it is observed that from a biomass of approximately 1 Mg/ha (50% of covered ground) the measurement stabilizes and it is from this moment when deficit treatments start to be distinguished from the non-deficit ones. Therefore, these models could be used to determine a nitrogen-based nutritional deficit and be able to correct it by fertilization.

Administrative Burden at the Information and Communication Technology Development Center (BPTIK) of the Culture and Education Service (Dikbud) of Central Java Province, Indonesia

Administrative Burden at the Information and Communication Technology Development Center (BPTIK) of the Culture and Education Service (Dikbud) of Central Java Province, Indonesia

Survival Rate and Growth of Red Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) Seed Hybridized from Four Different Strains

Breeding red tilapia is one of the solutions to produce the best tillers based on their growth. The strains used are Cangkringan, Janti, Sukabumi, and Sukamandi. Each strain was spawned to produce 16 crosses, both inbreeding and outbreeding. This study aims to determine the results of crosses that have the best growth based on survival rate, growth, and feed conversion ratio. This research lasted for 90 days from 1 September 2022 to 30 March 2023 at the Aquaculture Technology Development Center DIY, Cangkringan, Sleman. Spawning was done by hybridization. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design using a 1×1 meter pond. Feed is given 2 times a day with a 10% biomass ratio. This study was conducted by two nurseries. Observation of the weight and length of individuals was carried out by sampling, as well as water quality every two weeks. Survival rate, growth, and feed conversion ratio data were analyzed by analysis of variance and tested by Tukey’s Multiple Comparison Test. Water qualities were tested descriptively. The results obtained: survival rate ranged from 73-98%, specific weight 1.35-6.451%, and feed conversion ratio 1.11-1.68. From the results of the research, it can be concluded that the Janti-Sukamandi cross breeding has the best quality for the first nursery and the Cangkringan-Sukabumi cross breeding has the best quality for the second nursery. The water quality meets the requirements for cultivating red tilapia.

Aspects of the production of ornamental stone plates with fragments of hyaline quartz and the potential for color development from irradiation combined with heat treatment

The present work refers to a study on the production of dimension stones slabs with hyaline quartz and its potential for color development through irradiation combined with heat treatment. The research included technical visits to a company that produces slabs (combining parts of sliced quartz crystals) for the dimension stone industry, where the stages of slabs production were described. The material used was classified as a colorless hyaline quartz, with the presence of partially healed fractures and monophasic fluid inclusions, that need more attention when in the heat treatment. The study evaluated the potential for color development through combined irradiation and thermal treatments, using analyses at the Federal University of Espirito Santo - UFES gem and characterization laboratory and at the infrared spectroscopy laboratory at the Nuclear Technology Development Center - CDTN. The results showed that hyaline quartz fragments can develop characteristic colors depending on the irradiation dose and heat treatment. If they have homogeneous behavior in relation to the spectral analysis, the crystals can develop characteristic colors from a weak green gold (yellow-green) to yellow and brown, keeping the proper irradiation doses (yellow-green, 60-100 kGy; yellow, 100- 200kGy and brown >200kGy), but such colors would still have to be submitted for verification of acceptance by the dimension stone market.

Preface

Global Conference on Polymer and Composite Materials(PCM) is an annually held conference, it aims to provide a forum for academic experts and participants to exchange their experiences and share research results about all aspects of Polymer and Composite Materials and discuss the encountered practical challenges and the adopted solutions. The 10th Global Conference on Polymer and Composite Materials (PCM 2023) was held online via Microsoft Teams in Shenzhen, China from October 27-30, 2023.For the past eight years, more than 1300 experts, scholars and researchers from all over the world have been invited and presented at PCM conference, for this year in 2023, it has still received about 40 presentations in the discipline of polymer, composite materials, graphene and novel nanomaterials from 15 countries.The conference proceedings contain the papers accepted and presented at this conference. All papers were carefully reviewed by program committee members and took into consideration the breadth and depth of the research topics that fall into PCM scope. Additionally, PCM2023 was a reference and outstanding conference which attracted three remarkable keynote speakers: Prof. Shu Yin from Lab. of Environmental Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Japan; Prof. Esteban Broitman from SKF Research & Technology Development Center, The Netherlands and Prof. Raul D.S.G. Campilho from School of Engineering, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP), Portugal.On behalf of the conference organizers, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to the Guest Editor and all the Reviewers for their tremendous efforts and dedication to the conference. We also wish to thank all the authors and speakers for their relevant contributions to this conference, we believe that with such earnest support and contributions, future PCM conferences will also scale new heights.List of Guest Editor, Conference General Chair, Technical Program Commitee are available in this Pdf.

Application of participatory design and open source to a sustainable proposal for sorption reactor design

An implementation proposal that seeks to globalize the scope of the sustainable technologies developed in the University laboratories is presented. This approach uses the generation of triple-impact projects placing people at the center of technological development to bring technical and scientific knowledge into a service design oriented to global sustainable solutions. This research is an approach to what a hub for scientific research, technological implementation, and human needs would look like by designing common environments in which to interact and expand knowledge in an iterated way through the experience of all the actors involved in technological implementation. As a control case, a new technology developed at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, consisting of using sustainable materials as tubular reactor fillers for water treatment was chosen. Based on data obtained within the framework of a University extension project, in which the water quality diagnosis for human consumption was carried out and cross-examined with the mathematical analysis of sorption, design parameters of the reactor, participatory design, and open source concepts application, different virtual environments were generated with distinct objectives: i) open design environment: publishing and mapping of installed sorption reactors, reactor model plans, and useful information related to drinking water quality (aimed at contributors of the open source design environment); ii) platform for academic actors linking: connecting data between prototyping lab for participatory design of sorption reactors (aimed at university research users); iii) information disclosure page: space where the implemented technology impact is displayed and shows options to contact researchers and request a reactor design diagnosis for another community (aimed at beneficiary users). A technological service designed to link the University with the community was proposed, by resolving one of the main gaps related to the possibility for communities to access public financing for self-managed improvement projects, increasing the appropriation of the adopted technology and democratizing public investment, making it sustainable over time.

Modeling the Growth of Technology Units for Health Technology Incubators Suitable for Low-Income Areas

Background. This research aimed to optimize the technology policy and reduce the costs of technology growth centers at medical sciences universities. Identifying the effective factors in the expansion of technology units facilitates the development and advancement of innovative entrepreneurs through incubators. Methods. The current qualitative research analyzes data collected through structured interviews with 31 individuals from growth centers, administrators of units located in growth centers, and health entrepreneurship experts. In three stages of categorization, the main and sub-categories have been identified. The relationships between the research components were determined using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique. Results. Based on the results of the ISM, "modeling of technology units for health technology incubators in poor areas" we identified 213 codes of verbal propositions, 25 components and 8 categories which was classified into three levels. The first level is the growth of technological units; the second level includes the infrastructure and planned growth; and the third level includes the indicators of external infrastructure, internal infrastructure, acceptance plan, growth plan, and exit plan. Conclusion. This study determined the framework and relationships between variables that influence the growth of technology units in health technology development centers at universities in disadvantaged areas. This is the first study to incorporate the internal infrastructure as an independent variable, indicating the effect of compensating for regional infrastructure weaknesses.

Regulation and Supervision of Food Irradiation

Food irradiation consists of a physical process that subjects food to doses of ionizing radiation, which are high enough energy to eliminate or neutralize harmful microbial contaminants without changing the taste or texture of food and without leaving residues. With this irradiation process we can prevent diseases transmitted by food, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli, prolong the shelf life of foods, control pests that harm fruits by delaying germination and ripening, and finally sterilization, which allows their storage for years without refrigeration. The use of ionizing radiation for food preservation has been studied for several decades and is regulated in the USA by the Food and Drug Administration –FDA. In 1997, the World Health Organization - WHO released the use of the technique for all types of food. In Brazil, the first studies on food irradiation were carried out by the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture - Cena, in the 50's. Currently, Brazilian legislation follows the international recommendations suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO, the International Atomic Energy Agency - IAEA and Codex Alimentarius. The scope of this work is a survey, analysis and evolution of national and international legislation related to ionizing irradiation practices in food. For the preparation of this research, bibliographical reviews were carried out, consultations in Brazilian and international legislation, Internet sites, and in the documentation of the Gamma Irradiation Laboratory of the Nuclear Technology Development Center - CDTN

The Properties of Liquefiable Soil with Swedish Weight Sounding Test in BPTB (Agricultural Technology Research and Development Center) Office, Central Sulawesi

An earthquake measuring 7.4 MW in Central Sulawesi on 28th of September 2018, triggered liquefaction in several locations, one of them namely the BPTP office in Sigi district. The liquefaction that occurs causes massive sand boiling around the building, and a settlement in the foundation. This study aims to determine and compare the properties of land affected and not affected by liquefaction based on the Swedish weight sounding test, as well as the potential for liquefaction at the BPTP office location. The study consisted of 2 testing methods, namely field testing was carried out using the Swedish weight sounding test equipment at 3 points on the affected soil and 3 points on the unaffected soil, and laboratory testing including sieve analysis testing and Atterberg limits for 18 soil samples. The results showed that the Nsw value on the affected soil is in the range 4.00 n/m - 238.10 n/m, the Nsw value on the unaffected soil is in the range 26.00 n/m - 303.03 n/m, and groundwater level data obtained from the JICA Survey for Disaster Information Collection in Indonesia 2020 is at a depth of 5.31 meters below ground surface. The first section in your paper

Long way to go: Progress of orphan drug accessibility in China from 2017 to 2022.

Introduction: Over 400 million patients worldwide suffer from rare diseases. Access to orphan drugs is, therefore, crucial for this population. China has been actively working on improving orphan drug accessibility in the past decades, especially since 2018 when the First National List of Rare Diseases was announced. This study aimed to evaluate the current status of orphan drug accessibility in China regarding availability, daily cost, and affordability. Methods: Market availability of orphan drugs in China was based on their approval status in China up to May 2022. Information on drug availability in hospitals and the cost of each drug from 2017 to 2021 was obtained from the database of the Science and Technology Development Center of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association. Affordability was assessed by comparing the disposable daily income per capita to the cost of the defined daily dose of each drug. Results: Market availability rate was 44.3% by May 2022, and the average delay in drug approval in China compared to its orphan approval in the United States of America was 5.9 ± 6.07years. Drug availability in hospitals showed an upward trend, with availability in tertiary hospitals significantly higher than in secondary hospitals (~20%, p <0.0001). The eastern area was significantly higher in availability from 2019 onwards. Fifty-eight percent of the orphan drugs were still considered to have very low availability (<30%). The national median cost of the defined daily dose across all available orphan drugs had increased to 254.97 RMB in 2021. Only 34.98% of the orphan drugs were considered affordable when compared with the national average disposable daily income in 2021, and drug affordability decreased during the past 5years. Discussion: Changes in orphan drug regulations in China have enabled progress regarding the drugs' market availability, but the current status of drug availability at hospitals, drug cost, and affordability were not optimal. Legislation for encouraging domestic drug development and novel payment schemes for high-value drugs are essential to further improve the availability and cost burden of orphan drugs in China.

Chromatographic method development using multivariate approaches for organic solvents optimized analysis in [18F]fluorocholine

A fast and simple method using Gas Chromatography combined with Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID) was developed for the determination of ethanol, acetonitrile, dibromomethane, dimethylaminoethanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide in [18F]fluorocholine. The combination of fractional factorial design, Doehlert design, and Desirability function was used to evaluate the operational parameters and to establish the best working condition. The validation results revealed that the proposed method has good recovery (85.1–104.1%) and repeatability (RSD ≤8.1%). Correlation coefficients (R ≥ 0.983) indicated good linearity over a wide range. The limit of detection (≤2.5 ppm) and the limit of quantification (≤7.5 ppm) were satisfactory. The proposed method is based on minimum manual operation, sample preparation free, direct injection technique, and short chromatographic separation time. This method is useful for routine analysis of organic solvents in [18F]fluorocholine, feasible for the modernization of specific monograph, and was therefore successfully implemented to assess samples manufactured by Nuclear Technology Development Center (CDTN).

Characterization of irradiation channels in the carousel of TRIGA Mark I IPR-R1 research reactor, Brazil, aiming at the application of k 0-standardization method of neutron activation analysis.

New values of neutron fluxes and spectral parameters f and α were determined experimentally in all irradiation devices of the TRIGA Mark I IPR-R1 nuclear research reactor at Nuclear Technology Development Centre (CDTN), Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Sets of monitors Au, Fe, Zn and Zr were irradiated bare and Cd-covered, according to "Cd-ratio for multi-monitor" method. Values were validated by analysing the certified reference material BCR-320R irradiated in chosen channels. The calculations were made based on irradiation channel values and the average values of the Carousel. The results of E n -score point out that the k 0-method is producing reliable results. From now on, the values of mass fractions in several matrices, the production and studies with radioisotopes will be more accurate and the activities calculated more precisely.

The new spirit of technoscience: recalibrating symmetrical STS critique

ABSTRACT This article situates Responsible Innovation (RI) as part of a larger shift in science and technology governance demanding a ‘social fix’ for innovation, which we argue amounts to a new spirit of technoscience. Inspired by Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello's analysis of the development of a ‘new spirit of capitalism’ from late twentieth century, we observe the rise of a new governance rationality in technoscientific innovation which places society, its needs, and desires at the center of scientific and technological development. This shift has significant implications for the field of science and technology studies, and the modes of critique that STS scholars mobilize in understanding and intervening in the politics of sociotechnical change. The new spirit of technoscience calls for a reassessment of familiar formulas of STS critique, with a renewed symmetrical approach to the prescription and production of democracy for science and technology governance.

Evaluation of surface roughness and color changes of restorative materials used with different polishing procedures in pediatric dentistry.

This study aimed to evaluate the color stability and surface roughness properties of four different restorative materials used in pediatric dentistry clinics as a result of four different polishing procedures. A total of 128 samples, 32 of each restorative material, were prepared by placing them in polyethylene molds with a diameter of 6 mm and a height of 2 mm, in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturers, to be polished with four different polishing procedures (n = 8). After finishing and polishing, the samples were kept in distilled water at 37 °C for 24 hours. Surface roughness and color stability measurements of the samples were then made. The Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndenter device in Mustafa Kemal University's Technology Research & Development Center was used for surface roughness test measurements, and the Ra parameter was taken as a basis. A spectrophotometer instrument (VITA Easyshade® Advance 4.0 (VITA Zahnfabrik, Bad Sackingen, Germany)) was used to determine color stability and color differences were recorded according to the CIEDE 2000 system. The lowest roughness values ​​were observed in G-aenial restorative material polished with Super-Snap material, and the highest roughness values ​​were observed in Equia material polished with Identoflex material. When all materials were evaluated, the smallest color change values ​​were seen in G-aenial material polished with Super-Snap, and the most color change values ​​were detected in Equia material polished with Identoflex. It was observed that the relationship between surface roughness and color change was statistically significant. The lowest color change and surface roughness values were observed in the G-aenial material polished with Super-Snap. For improved clinical results, the most appropriate polishing procedure should be chosen based on the restorative material used.

Methodology for Management and Physicochemical Control of the Cooling Water of the IPR-R1 Triga Nuclear Research Reactor

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The IPR-R1 Triga research reactor, located at CDTN (Nuclear Technology Development Center) in Brazil, is one of the oldest reactors in operation worldwide. The Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (Cnen) has granted a Permit for Permanent Operation license for the CDTN Triga reactor. This authorization includes some conditions to be settled within a period of up to two years, that is, until the end of 2019, which has not yet been carried out and is currently being prepared by CDTN. For this purpose, Project 0006.23 – Maintenance of Licensing of the IPR-R1 Triga Reactor was created in CDTN's Multiannual Program. In this project is included the Subproject: 6.23.3 – Preparation of the system to manage the aging of the IPR-R1 Triga reactor. Inserted in this context, the main objective of this paper is the proposal of good practices to be adopted in the future by CDTN, related to the Projects of Licensing and Aging of Triga reactor, for the management and physicochemical control of its cooling water, considering its electrical conductivity and pH, following IAEA recommendations. So, the present work is relevant, as it addresses a proposal for monitoring and controlling pH and electrical conductivity of the cooling water of Triga reactor. As a result of this proposal, the useful life of Triga reactor may be extended and there will be greater reliability and safety in its operation.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Evaluation of uranium and thorium in environmental monitoring program using NAA, k0 method: case study at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre

Evaluation of uranium and thorium in environmental monitoring program using NAA, k0 method: case study at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre