Characterisation of a setup for mixed beam exposures of cells to 241Am alpha particles and X-rays

Exposure of humans to mixed fields of high- and low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation occurs in many situations-for example, in urban areas with high levels of indoor radon as well as background gamma radiation, during airplane flights or certain forms of radiation therapy. From the perspective of health risk associated with exposure to mixed fields, it is important to understand the interactions between different radiation types. In most cellular investigations on mixed beams, two types of irradiations have been applied sequentially. Simultaneous irradiation is the desirable scenario but requires a dedicated irradiation facility. The authors have constructed a facility where cells can be simultaneously exposed to (241)Am alpha particles and 190-kV X-rays at 37°C. This study presents the technical details and the dosimetry of the setup, as well as validates the performance of the setup for clonogenic survival in AA8 Chinese hamster ovary cells. No significant synergistic effect was observed. The relative biological effectiveness of the alpha particles was 2.56 for 37 % and 1.90 for 10 % clonogenic survival.     

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) isoflavones: root phenolic compounds affected by biotic and abiotic stress factors

BACKGROUND: Phenolic compounds have recently received considerable attention for their ability to protect plant and human cells from oxidative stress‐induced damage. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a rich source of isoflavonoids with multiple potential protective functions. The aim of this study was to identify and characterise phenolic compounds in red clover roots by high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry and to study the effects of stress factors and growth stage on root phenolics. RESULTS: A total of 28 phenolic compounds were tentatively identified in red clover roots. The most abundant phenolics in pot‐grown roots were formononetin glycoside malonate (G‐M) (1.51–4.26 mg g^?1), formononetin (2.21–3.57 mg g^?1) and biochanin A (1.73–2.17 mg g^?1), whereas field‐grown roots were rich in formononetin‐G‐M (3.90–4.27 mg g^?1), maackiain‐G‐M (2.35–3.02 mg g^?1) and pseudobaptigenin‐G‐M (1.80–2.58 mg g^?1). Concentrations were affected by the growth stage. Ozone exposure slightly affected the total phenolic content in roots and also had minor effects on individual compounds. CONCLUSION: Elevated ozone, cultivation regime and growth stage affected the levels of phenolics in red clover roots, suggesting sensitivity of root phenolics to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The high levels of phenolics found in roots even in late autumn may be utilised in many applications. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Great differences in the ways of implementing the new EIA Directive – the offerings of the EIALAW 2018 conference

On the 23 March 2018, the most recent developments of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) law were examined by experts in Helsinki. The main theme of the conference was the comparison of the implementation experiences of various countries concerning the reformed EU EIA Directive. The European EIA debate was reflected against experiences in Canada. This paper examines the key points of the conference presentations and the lessons of the event.     

Evaluation of a participatory ergonomic intervention process in kitchen work

We evaluated a participatory ergonomic intervention process applied in 59 municipal kitchens. In groups of three to five kitchens, the workers participated in eight workshops, and generated and evaluated solutions to optimize musculoskeletal load in their work. An ergonomist initiated and supported the process. By the end, 402 changes were implemented. Evaluative data were collected using research diaries, questionnaires, and focus group interviews. The intervention model proved feasible and the participatory approach was mostly experienced as motivating. The workers’ knowledge and awareness of ergonomics increased, which improved their ability to tackle ergonomic problems by themselves. The changes in ergonomics were perceived to decrease physical load and improve musculoskeletal health. As hindering factors for implementation, lack of time and motivation, and insufficient financial resources were mentioned. In addition, the workers expressed a wish for more support from the management, technical staff, and ergonomists.     

Uptake of zinc,nickel, and chromium by N-isopropyl acrylamide polymer gels

Pure N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPA) polymer gel and NIPA copolymers containing 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), 2-acetamidoacrylic acid (AAA), and acrylic acid (AA) were prepared and evaluated with respect to their capability for taking up zinc, nickel, and chromium ions from solutions. AAA-containing NIPA gels were found to take up these metal ions most efficiently. Titration of these gels verified the strong acidic nature of the AMPS–NIPA gel and the weakly acidic nature of the AA–NIPA and AAA–NIPA gels. The ion-exchange capacities, derived from the titration curves, were, however, rather low in all cases. NIPA gels are known to collapse at temperatures about 32°C. This, however, was found to have no effect on the ion-exchange behavior of the gels. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68:355–362, 1998     

Developing Local Emergency Management by Co‐Ordination Between Municipalities in Policy Networks: Experiences from Sweden

This study aims to increase our understanding of how co‐operation in inter‐municipality policy networks in a Swedish region is established and maintained regarding emergency management. We discuss how a network of five municipalities emerged and took shape. Overall, we conclude that co‐ordination and co‐operation in municipal emergency management are probably relatively easy to develop, because it is easy for the involved actors to see the benefits. Sharing resources is seen as crucial when establishing and, not least, financing efficient, high‐quality emergency management. The municipalities' lack of resources to provide effective emergency services, as required by law, makes them dependent on each other. Limits for co‐ordination were connected to distance and other geographical factors. Other limits of equal importance were linked to factors such as culture/tradition, mutual understanding, size of partners, and unwillingness to give up authority as well as a prior barrier for co‐operation between small and bigger municipalities.     

Development of a new method for the determination of nitrosamines by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A new method was developed for separation and quantification of nitrosamines by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC). The effects of composition of the buffer, concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), gamma-cyclodextrin (CD) and pH on the separation and migration times of the nitrosamines were investigated. The different instrumental variables affecting sensitivity and resolution, such as power supply, injection mode and wavelength for measurement, were carefully optimized. The direct application of this method to aqueous synthetic samples allowed the separation and determination of nitrosamine mixtures at the mg x L(-1) level. The calibration curves revealed a linear range between 0.25 and 10 mg x L(-1), with detection limit (DL) varying from 0.16 to 0.27 mg x L(-1), quantification limit (QL) varying from 0.52 to 0.90 mg x L(-1), and RSD relative standard deviation (RSD) from 4.5% to 8.5%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), diethylnitrosamine (DEN), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP).     

Modeling controlled nutrient release from polymer coated fertilizers: diffusion release from single granules

A comprehensive model describing the complex and "non-Fickian" (mathematically nonlinear) nature of the release from single granules of membrane coated, controlled release fertilizers (CRFs) is proposed consisting of three stages: i. a lag period during which water penetrates the coating of the granule dissolving part of the solid fertilizer in it ii. a period of linear release during which water penetration into and release out occur concomitantly while the total volume of the granules remains practically constant; and iii. a period of "decaying release", starting as the concentration inside the granule starts to decrease. A mathematical model was developed based on vapor and nutrient diffusion equations. The model predicts the release stages in terms of measurable geometrical and chemophysical parameters such as the following: the product of granule radius and coating thickness, water and solute permeability, saturation concentration of the fertilizer, and its density. The model successfully predicts the complex and "sigmoidal" pattern of release that is essential for matching plant temporal demand to ensure high agronomic and environmental effectiveness. It also lends itself to more complex statistical formulations which account for the large variability within large populations of coated CRFs and can serve for further improving CRF production and performance.     

HEXTRAN–SMABRE calculation of the VVER-1000 coolant transient-1 benchmark

The VVER-1000 coolant transient benchmark is intended for validation of couplings of the thermal hydraulic codes and three-dimensional neutron kinetic core models. It concerns switching on a main coolant pump when the other three main coolant pumps are in operation. The problem is based on an experiment performed in Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria. In addition to the real plant transient, an extreme scenario concerning a control rod ejection after switching on a main coolant pump was calculated. At VTT the three-dimensional advanced nodal code HEXTRAN is used for the core dynamics, and the system code SMABRE as a thermal hydraulic model for the primary and secondary loop. The parallelly coupled HEXTRAN–SMABRE code has been in production use since early 1990s, and it has been extensively used for analyses of VVER NPPs. The SMABRE input model is based on the standard VVER-1000 input used at VTT. The whole core calculation is performed with HEXTRAN. Also the core model is based on earlier VVER-1000 models. Nuclear data for the calculation were specified in the benchmark. The paper outlines the input models used for both codes. Calculated results are introduced both for the coupled core system with inlet and outlet boundary conditions and for the whole plant model. Parametric studies have been performed for selected parameters.