Nonlinear analysis on dynamic behavior of buoyancy-induced flame oscillation under swirling flow

From the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamics, the dynamic behavior of buoyancy-induced flame oscillation has been experimentally investigated under a swirling flow produced by rotating a cylindrical burner tube. As the rotational Reynolds number increases, the dynamic behavior undergoes a significant transition from periodic oscillation to low-dimensional deterministic chaos, through quasi-periodic oscillation. This is clearly demonstrated by nonlinear time series analysis based on chaos theory. The motion of the vortical structure around the burner tube due to the centrifugal instability associated with a rotating Taylor–Couette flow plays an important role in the onset of low-dimensional deterministic chaos.     

Preliminary design study of a simple neutron energy spectrometer using a CsI self-activation method for daily QA of accelerator-based BNCT

ABSTRACT

For recent boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), accelerator-based neutron sources have been actively developed in place of reactor-based neutron sources. In this study, a novel neutron energy spectrometer for the daily quality assurance (QA) of BNCT was designed on the basis of a CsI self-activation method for accelerator-based neutron sources. The spectrometer design was optimized in terms of its energy resolution. To verify its applicability to high-intensity BNCT neutron fields, some practical simulations were performed. It was shown that the designed spectrometer was able to evaluate a neutron energy spectrum in approximately 900 s after an instantaneous neutron irradiation. In addition, its energy resolution was sufficient for detecting an unexpected distortion in the spectrum. The results confirm that the designed spectrometer can be employed for the daily QA of BNCT to check that the expected spectrum remains unchanged.     

Absorbed dose estimation using LET dependence in glow curve of thermoluminescent phosphor Li3B7O12:Cu in therapeutic carbon beams

A high temperature ratio (HTR) method has been proposed to correct the linear energy transfer (LET) dependence of thermoluminescent (TL) efficiency. To realize the use of the slab-type thermoluminescence detector (TLD) that based on the phosphor Li₃B₇O₁₂:Cu for heavy charged particle beam, the HTR method has been considered. To improve the reproducibility of HTR, the slow heating rate method is introduced in this report and the coefficient variations of HTR decreased from 10%–20% to 8%. The relation between TL-efficiency, HTR, and LET for Li₃B₇O₁₂:Cu was manifested and the TL-efficiency as a function of HTR was derived in an attempt to measure the absorbed dose without LET information. The feasibility of the HTR method in therapeutic carbon beams was evaluated by comparing the dose estimated by Li₃B₇O₁₂:Cu and by an ionization chamber. The accuracy of dose estimation in carbon beams was improved by using the HTR method, but there is room for further improvement. The use of Li₃B₇O₁₂:Cu in heavy charged particle beams can be materialized with further improvement of HTR sensitivity.     

Robotic range sensor with projection of bright ring pattern

A new type of optical range sensor is being proposed as a robotic sensor. The range sensor consists of the projection subsystem of an axially symmetrical light sheet and the detection subsystem for monitoring the focussing process of a lens. The projection subsystem produces a bright ring pattern through an objective lens on the surface of an object. Next, the distance from the range sensor to the surface of an object is calculated from the position of the lens. The prototype range sensor is able to measure the distance in the range of 430 to 570 mm with an accuracy of 0.3 mm. As the position of the objective lens is controlled so that the ring pattern projected on the surface of an object becomes a fine spot, the detection subsystem finds the position of the objective lens on which the output of photodiode comes to be maximum.     

Control of STING Agonistic/Antagonistic Activity Using Amine-Skeleton-Based c-di-GMP Analogues

Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) is a type of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-membrane receptor. STING is activated by a ligand binding, which leads to an enhancement of the immune-system response. Therefore, a STING ligand can be used to regulate the immune system in therapeutic strategies. However, the natural (or native) STING ligand, cyclic-di-nucleotide (CDN), is unsuitable for pharmaceutical use because of its susceptibility to degradation by enzymes and its low cell-membrane permeability. In this study, we designed and synthesized CDN derivatives by replacing the sugar-phosphodiester moiety, which is responsible for various problems of natural CDNs, with an amine skeleton. As a result, we identified novel STING ligands that activate or inhibit STING. The cyclic ligand 7, with a cyclic amine structure containing two guanines, was found to have agonistic activity, whereas the linear ligand 12 showed antagonistic activity. In addition, these synthetic ligands were more chemically stable than the natural ligands.     

γ-Ray measurements in boron neutron capture therapy using BeO ceramic thermoluminescence dosimeter

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), neutrons and γ-rays cause different biological effects, and it is necessary to discriminate...     

Recent activities in the field of radiation measurement and nuclear data

The characteristics, that is, morphology, size distribution, alloy phase and microstructure of U₃Si and U₃Si₂ powders, solidified rapidly by a centrifugal atomization, were investigated. The atomized powders consist of spherical particles with a relatively narrow size distribution independent of the alloy composition. The particle size distribution can be controlled by adjusting the atomization parameters such as feeding rates of the melt and revolution speeds of the disk. The major phases of atomized U₃Si and U₃Si₂ powders are α-U and U₃Si₂ and U₃Si₂, respectively. The atomized U₃Si powder has a dendritic structure of very fine and non-faceted U₃Si₂ precipitates with less fibric and eutectic U₃Si₂ structure. The microstructure of U₃Si₂ powder shows a cellular structure with fine U₃Si₂ grains and finely dispersed silicon-rich precipitates. The time for complete peritectoid reaction of the atomized U₃Si particles and the resulting grain size are greatly reduced, due to the refinement of primary U₃Si₂ precipitates.