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- Author or Editor: S. Wagner x
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Abstract
In 1997, the Department of Energy, Office of International Health Programs(EH-63) contracted the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)to perform an intercomparison to evaluate state-of-the-art analysis techniquesfor 239Pu in synthetic urine in µBq quantities. Sample preparationwas performed by Yankee Atomic Environmental Laboratory. Five replicate samplesat spike amounts of 3.7, 9.26, 29.6, and 55.6 µBq and a blank amountwere distributed to the participating laboratories in 200 g of synthetic urine.Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) participated in the intercomparisonusing thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). LANL results, system improvements,and future intercomparisons are discussed.
Abstract
A survey of scientific periodical publications (or venues-as distinct from articles) from BRIC country practitioners counted more than 15,000 national publications. Data collected from and about Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC countries) show that 495 venues, or about 3%, are listed in the Science Citation Index Expanded© (SCIE©) in 2010. Contrary to our expectation of under-representation overall and coverage limitation of SCIE, the average percentage of SCIE-listed venues for the BRICs is about the same as that for advanced countries. China has the lowest representation of national venues in SCIE at 2% of all publications; Russia has the highest at about 8%. India has about 6% of venues in SCIE; Brazil has about 4%. In other words, SCIE includes about the same percentage of high quality science from these four countries as for North America and Europe, meaning that these countries are not under-represented in SCIE. Moreover, the number of national venues available as outlets suggests that national scientists in these countries have good access to publications and venues. Some of the BRIC national publications are difficult to “see” at the global level because of language barriers, diverse publication formats, and lack of digitization. Other national differences represent historical traditions surrounding publication.
Abstract
The first excited state of137Ba has been excited by the inelastic scattering of accelerator-produced neutrons. The energy of this state at 283.5 keV is not in agreement with the generally accepted value of 279.2 keV, but is in accord with other recent measurements. No evidence for a doublet of states near this energy is found.
Abstract
Viral proteins are highly antigenic and known as potent stimulators of adaptive immune responses. This mechanism is often used for biotechnological applications in monoclonal antibody production resulting in high-affinity IgG antibodies in most cases. The aim of this study was to increase antigen-specific IgA antibody levels in mice in order to generate monoclonal IgA antibodies by hybridoma technology. For this purpose, hamster polyomavirus (HaPyV) major capsid protein VP1 was used to immunize mice by different routes in order to induce VP1-specific IgA titers. Recombinant HaPyV-VP1 was generated in Escherichia coli and administered intraperitoneally, orally, and intrarectally. VP1-specific antibodies were determined by ELISA in sera and organ culture supernatants. We found a significant increase of HaPyV-VP1-specific IgAs in spleen organ cultures after rectal immunization of mice but not in cultures of mesenteric lymph nodes, colon, or Peyer's patches. In contrast, oral and intraperitoneal immunization did not provide an appropriate specific IgA induction at all. These results show that specific IgA antibodies can be induced by intrarectal immunization in the spleen. The generation of monoclonal IgA antibodies with well-defined properties is a useful tool for the investigation of mucosal immune responses or autoimmune diseases and extends the spectrum of antibodies with specific effector functions.
The use of freshwater fish scale of the species Leporinus elongatus as adsorbent for anionic dyes
An isothermal calorimetric study
Abstract
Fish scale of the species Leporinus elongatus was tested as an adsorbent for anionic Remazol dyes. Characterization has suggested that hydroxyl, phosphate, amides I, II, and III, and carbonate groups are the potential sites of adsorption. From solution calorimetry, values of thermal effects, Q int, and amount of dye that interacts, n int, were determined. The adsorption order observed was Yellow-dye/scale > Red-dye/scale > Blue-dye/scale. The Q int and n int data were successfully adjusted to the Langmuir isotherm model. The dyes removals by fish scale are exothermic processes (from −83 to −199 kJ mol−1) with negative entropies and are thermodynamically spontaneous. The thermodynamic results suggest that the interactions at scale/anionic dye interfaces occur mainly by surface reactions. It was finding that fish scale is a new and suitable sorbent material for recovery and biosorption/adsorption of anionic dyes from aqueous solutions.
Abstract
Utilization of thermal ionization mass spectrometry as a routine analytical service provided to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Bioassay Program has evolved significantly since its implementation just over three years ago. Converting this unique research tool designed to support nuclear weapons testing to a quasi-production mode for the routine analysis of ~300 urine samples/year for ultra-low levels of plutonium has required resolution of numerous practical issues. These issues include clean-room sample preparation, adequate tracer recovery, customer specified turn-around times, throughput, water and urine blank values, statistical data reduction, and quality control and performance evaluation sample requirements.
The influence of fish oil (highly unsaturated) and beef tallow (highly saturated) with vitamin E (100 IU/kg) supplementation on the antioxidant status of broiler chicken cockerels was investigated. Chicks were fed a control diet with no added fat, 40 g/kg each of fish oil and beef tallow diets, respectively, from 11 to 42 days of age. Tocopherol concentration and the rate of lipid peroxidation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in liver, fatty acid composition of the liver lipids, blood serum total antioxidant status (TAS), and reduced glutathione (GSH) content were determined. Vitamin E supplementation of the diet increased liver ?-tocopherol content in chicks regardless of the type of dietary fat. Fish oil diet resulted in higher liver TBARS value while beef tallow diet showed lower values compared to the control diet. Vitamin E supplementation reduced liver TBARS as well as serum GSH, and raised serum TAS for all diets. Serum GSH was the same for vitamin E supplemented diets regardless of the fat supplement. Fish oil diets resulted in a significant increase in hepatic lipid n-3 PUFA content. A significant positive correlation was found between liver TBARS and n-3 PUFA content. No relationships were established, however, between liver TBARS and n-6 PUFA or saturated fatty acids. The results suggest that feeding oils rich in n-3 PUFA increases tissue concentration of these fatty acids, consequently increasing tissue lipid peroxidation and reducing the antioxidative status of broiler chickens. Supplementing high levels of vitamin E with such oils may increase tissue oxidative stability. Serum TAS or GSH may be used as a measure of antioxidative status in chickens.
Summary
As a follow up to the initial 1998 intercomparison study, a second study was initiated in 2001 as part of the ongoing evaluation of the capabilities of various ultra-sensitive methods to analyze 239Pu in urine samples. The initial study1 was sponsored by the Department of Energy, Office of International Health Programs to evaluate and validate new technologies that may supersede the existing fission tract analysis (FTA) method for the analysis of 239Pu in urine at the µBq/l level. The ultra-sensitive techniques evaluated in the second study included accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) by LLNL, thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) by LANL and FTA by the University of Utah. Only the results for the mass spectrometric methods will be presented. For the second study, the testing levels were approximately 4, 9, 29 and 56 µBq of 239Pu per liter of synthetic urine. Each test sample also contained 240Pu at a 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio of ~0.15 and natural uranium at a concentration of 50 µBq/ml. From the results of the two studies, it can be inferred that the best performance at the µBq level is more laboratory specific than method specific. The second study demonstrated that LANL-TIMS and LLNL-AMS had essentially the same quantification level for both isotopes. Study results for bias and precision and acceptable performance compared to ANSI N13.30 and ANSI N42.22 have been compiled.
Abstract
An extended U/Pb-assembly was irradiated with an extracted beam of 2.52 GeV deuterons from the Nuclotron accelerator of the Laboratory of High Energies within the JINR in Dubna, Russia. The lay-out of this experiment and first results are reported. The Pb-target (diameter 8.4 cm, length 45.6 cm) is surrounded by a natU-blanket (206.4 kg) and used for transmutation studies of hermetically sealed radioactive samples of 129I, 237Np, 238Pu and 239Pu. Estimates of transmutation rates were obtained as result of measurements of gamma-activities of the samples. Information about the spatial and energy distribution of neutrons in the volume of the lead target and the uranium blanket was obtained with sets of activation threshold detectors (Al, Y and Au) and solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). An electronic 3He neutron detector was tested on-line. A comparison of experimental data with theoretical model calculations using the MCNPX program was performed yielding satisfactory results.
