Mobility determination of lead isotopes in glass for retrospective radon measurements

In retrospective radon measurements, the 22-y half life of (210)Pb is used as an advantage. (210)Pb is often considered to be relatively immobile in glass after alpha recoil implanted by (222)Rn progenies. The diffusion of (210)Pb could, however, lead to uncertain wrong retrospective radon exposure estimations if (210)Pb is mobile and can escape from glass, or lost as a result of cleaning-induced surface modification. This diffusion was studied by a radiotracer technique, where (209)Pb was used as a tracer in a glass matrix for which the elemental composition is known. Using the ion guide isotope separator on-line technique, the (209)Pb atoms were implanted into the glass with an energy of 39 keV. The diffusion profiles and the diffusion coefficients were determined after annealing at 470-620 degrees C and serial sectioning by ion sputtering. In addition, the effect of surface cleaning on diffusion was tested. From the Arrhenius fit, the activation enthalpy (H) was determined, which is equal to 3.2 +/- 0.2 eV, and also the pre-exponential factor D(0), in the order of 20 m(2)s(-1). This result confirms the assumption that over a time period of 50 y (209)Pb (and (210)Pb) is effectively immobile in the glass. The boundary condition obtained from the measurements had the characteristic of a sink, implying loss of (209)Pb in the topmost surface at high temperatures.     

Solution of population balances by high order moment-conserving method of classes: reconstruction of a non-negative density distribution

A method is proposed for reconstruction of a non-negative piecewise continuous density distribution from a solution obtained by the high order moment conserving method of classes (HMMC), presented in our earlier papers [Alopaeus, V., Laakkonen, M., Aittamaa, J., 2006]. Solution of population balances with breakage and agglomeration by high order moment-conserving method of classes. Chemical Engineering Science 61, 6732-6752; Alopaeus, V., Laakkonen, M., Aittamaa, J., 2007. Solution of population balances with growth and nucleation by high order moment-conserving method of classes. Chemical Engineering Science 62, 2277-2289.]. The resulting distribution is strictly non-negative, and the overall distribution moments obtained by HMMC are conserved very accurately. The distribution is reconstructed by using the positive region of HMMC as an initial estimate for the continuous density distribution. This estimate is then refined by transforming the abscissas and scaling the ordinates of the density distribution so that the distribution moments are as close to the original solution as possible. The method is tested with a number of numerical examples. These cases are chosen due to their tendency to produce oscillations in HMMC, or due to their nature of producing multimodal distributions. It is shown that when the reconstruction algorithm is applied to the HMMC solution, the analytical density distribution is captured extremely well. This is true even in cases where the width of the analytical distribution is only a fraction of the original HMMC grid size. Multimodal population density distributions can also be reconstructed accurately from a HMMC solution with a reasonably small number of grid points, without a need to assume any basis functions for the reconstruction.     

An embedded fault detection, isolation and accommodation system in a model predictive controller for an industrial benchmark process

Fault detection and isolation (FDI) for industrial processes has been actively studied during the last decades. Traditionally, the most widely implemented FDI methods have been based on model-based approaches. In modern process industry, however, there is a demand for data-based methods due to the complexity and limited availability of the mechanistic models. The aim of this paper is to present a data-based, fault tolerant control (FTC) system for a simulated industrial benchmark process, Shell control problem. Data-based FDI systems, employing principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares (PLS) and subspace model identification (SMI) are presented for achieving fault tolerance in co-operation with controllers. The effectiveness of the methods is tested by introducing faults in simulated process measurements. The process is controlled by using model predictive control (MPC). To compare the effectiveness of the MPC, the FTC system is also tested with a control strategy based on a set of PI controllers.     

Tracking of airborne radionuclides from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors by European networks

Radioactive emissions into the atmosphere from the damaged reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP) started on March 12th, 2011. Among the various radionuclides released, iodine-131 ((131)I) and cesium isotopes ((137)Cs and (134)Cs) were transported across the Pacific toward the North American continent and reached Europe despite dispersion and washout along the route of the contaminated air masses. In Europe, the first signs of the releases were detected 7 days later while the first peak of activity level was observed between March 28th and March 30th. Time variations over a 20-day period and spatial variations across more than 150 sampling locations in Europe made it possible to characterize the contaminated air masses. After the Chernobyl accident, only a few measurements of the gaseous (131)I fraction were conducted compared to the number of measurements for the particulate fraction. Several studies had already pointed out the importance of the gaseous (131)I and the large underestimation of the total (131)I airborne activity level, and subsequent calculations of inhalation dose, if neglected. The measurements made across Europe following the releases from the Fukushima NPP reactors have provided a significant amount of new data on the ratio of the gaseous (131)I fraction to total (131)I, both on a spatial scale and its temporal variation. It can be pointed out that during the Fukushima event, the (134)Cs to (137)Cs ratio proved to be different from that observed after the Chernobyl accident. The data set provided in this paper is the most comprehensive survey of the main relevant airborne radionuclides from the Fukushima reactors, measured across Europe. A rough estimate of the total (131)I inventory that has passed over Europe during this period was <1% of the released amount. According to the measurements, airborne activity levels remain of no concern for public health in Europe.     

Inhibitory effects of substrate and soluble end products on biohydrogen production of the alkalithermophile Caloramator celer: Kinetic,metabolic and transcription analyses

In this study the tolerance of the alkalithermophile Caloramator celer towards substrate (glucose) and soluble end product (acetate, formate and ethanol) inhibition was assessed employing nonlinear inhibition models. In addition, the effects of subinhibitory concentrations of end products on fermentative metabolism and regulation of 12 key genes involved in pyruvate catabolism were studied. Optimal growth and H₂ production were found at 50 mM of glucose and the critical substrate concentration was observed at 290–360 mM. Two inhibition models revealed that ethanol had a higher inhibitory effect on growth rate, whereas H₂ production kinetics was more sensitive towards increasing concentrations of acetate and formate. Acetate, the main soluble metabolite of the fermentation, inhibited the H₂ production by increasing the ionic strength in the medium. Subinhibitory concentrations of soluble end products induced changes in the metabolite profile of C. celer, specifically exogenous acetate (80 mM) and ethanol (40 mM) slightly increased the H₂ yield by 4 and 7%, respectively. However, despite the observed metabolic shifts, gene regulation was minimal and not always in agreement with the measured product yields. Overall, the results suggest that further optimization of the H₂ production process from C. celer should focus on methods to evolve adapted osmotolerant strains and/or remove soluble metabolites, especially acetate, from the culture.     

Chemical composition of ripe fruits of Rubus chamaemorus L. grown in different habitats

BACKGROUND: Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) is one of the most valuable berry‐producing plants because of its nutritional properties. The chemical composition and crop yield of ripe fruits of cloudberry grown wild in 10 habitats in northern Finland was analysed over two consecutive summers. For comparison, two clones of cultivated cloudberries were studied as well. RESULTS: The concentrations of citric and malic acids, α‐tocopherol, anthocyanins and β‐carotene had notable variations between habitats. In particularly, cloudberries grown on open habitats had higher content of citric acid and less α‐tocopherol compared to those grown on shaded sites. In a colder and rainy summer the content of anthocyanins and the unsaturation level of fatty acids were significantly higher than in a warmer and drier summer. Crop yields were higher in the warmer summer, except in open sites where yields were quite equal. CONCLUSION: Cloudberries grown in open habitats showed notable differences in chemical composition when compared to those grown on shaded sites. Results suggest that the amount of sunlight and temperature levels could be the main factors affecting crop yield and chemical composition of cloudberry. In addition, the amount of rainfall may have an effect on anthocyanin concentrations. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Spread spectrum magnetic resonance imaging

We propose a novel compressed sensing technique to accelerate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition process. The method, coined spread spectrum MRI or simply s(2)MRI, consists of premodulating the signal of interest by a linear chirp before random k-space under-sampling, and then reconstructing the signal with nonlinear algorithms that promote sparsity. The effectiveness of the procedure is theoretically underpinned by the optimization of the coherence between the sparsity and sensing bases. The proposed technique is thoroughly studied by means of numerical simulations, as well as phantom and in vivo experiments on a 7T scanner. Our results suggest that s(2)MRI performs better than state-of-the-art variable density k-space under-sampling approaches.     

Correlation between processing conditions and fiber breakage during compounding of glass fiber‐reinforced polyamide

The inter‐relationship between processing conditions and fiber breakage has been studied for glass fiber‐reinforcedpolyamide 12, prepared using (i) an internal batch mixer, (ii) a laboratory scale corotating twin screw extruder, and (iii) an industrial scale twin screw extruder. The average fiber lengths and fiber length distributions were measured for various compounding conditions (screw or rotor speed, mixing time, feed rate). Experimental results have shown that fiber breakage depends on both screw speed and mixing time, the later being controlled, in an extruder, by the feed rate. For a given compounding system (batch mixer or twin screw extruder), the energy input (specific mechanical energy, SME) during the compounding process is found to be a reliable parameter, which governs fiber length (average, minimal, and maximal) evolution. Experimental data are correctly described with a model defining change in fiber length as a function of SME. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Intact free prostate-specific antigen and free and total human glandular kallikrein 2. Elimination of assay interference by enzymatic digestion of antibodies to F(ab')2 fragments

Various blood constituents can interfere with immunoassays, usually by binding the Fc portion of antibodies. Our previously developed assays for intact free prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free human kallikrein 2 (hK2), and total hK2 frequently yielded falsely high results despite including an excess of scavenger antibodies. We investigated whether this interference could be eliminated by replacing monoclonal capture or tracer antibodies with F(ab')2 or recombinant Fab fragments. Female heparin plasma samples (n = 1092), which should have negligible PSA and hK2, and male samples (n = 957) were analyzed to identify samples manifesting interference, which then were used to optimize protocols for the immunoassays. We compared original assays (monoclonal antibodies) versus optimized assays (F(ab')2 fragments: denatured mouse IgG added as scavenger) using another set of EDTA plasma (n = 113), heparin plasma (n = 160), and serum samples (n = 171). With the original assays, the frequency of falsely elevated hK2 and intact free PSA was 15 and 13%, respectively. The optimized assays eliminated 70-85% of these falsely elevated results and importantly reduced the magnitude in the remainder. F(ab')2 fragmentation was the most important factor in reducing interference. The optimized intact free PSA, free hK2, and total hK2 assays manifested high accuracy close to the lower limit of detection.