Comparison of Decontamination Standards

The quality of materials used in nuclear-related facilities is critical, especially the ease of decontamination of different paints and coatings. Standards describe different testing methods for classification. Nevertheless, compliance with these standards cannot be carried out negligibly from a safety point of view. In this study, a withdrawn Hungarian (MSZ-05 22.7662-83), an international ISO (ISO 8690:1988), and Russian (GOST 25146- 82) decontamination standard were compared. Four different paints were tested as part of this survey. The ease of decontamination varied mainly from poor to fair levels in the case of the Hungarian standard, while the ISO standard exhibited very good level. In the case of the Russian standard, only a theoretical comparison was carried out. Based on the results, it was found that a special epoxy-based coating can be recommended for isotope laboratories due to being the best material from an ease of decontamination point of view. From comparison of the standards considered here, it was found that the application of ISO standard is significantly faster and simpler than the withdrawn Hungarian standard. However, in the case of the Hungarian standard the data described the ease of decontamination in more details. The use of water or some other cleaning agents can be effective to remove 137 Cs and 60 Co contamination right after early identification. Isotope 137 Cs and 60 Co contamination of a surface can be cleaned quickly and effectively using distilled water for the 137 Cs isotope removal from the surfaces being several times easier than that of 60 Co

A breakthrough dynamic-osmotic membrane bioreactor/nanofiltration hybrid system for real municipal wastewater treatment and reuse.

This study designed a Dynamic-Osmotic membrane bioreactor/nanofiltration (OsMBR/NF) system for municipal wastewater treatment and reuse. Results indicated that a continuously rotating FO module with 60 RPM in Dynamic-OsMBR system could enhance shear stress and reduce cake layer of foulants, leading to higher flux (50%) compared to Traditional-OsMBR during a 40-operation day. A negligible specific reverse salt flux (0.059 G/L) and a water flux of 2.86 LMH were recorded when a mixture of 0.1 M EDTA-2Na/0.1 M Na2CO3/0.9 mM Triton114 functioned as draw solution (DS). It was found that the Dynamic-OsMBR/NF hybrid system could effectively remove pollutants (∼98% COD, ∼99% PO43-P, ∼93% NH4+-N, > 99% suspended solids) from wastewater. In short, this developed system can be considered a breakthrough technology as it successfully minimizes membrane fouling by shear force, and achieves high water quality for reuse by two membrane- barriers

Single-source-precursor synthesis of high temperature stable SiC/C/Fe nanocomposites from a processable hyperbranched polyferrocenylcarbosilane with high ceramic yield

NSFC [50802079, 51072169]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China [2011J01330]Hydrosilylation of vinyl ferrocene with allylhydridopolycarbosilane was used to synthesize a processable hyperbranched polyferrocenylcarbosilane (HBPFCS), which was characterized by combination of gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The polymer-to-ceramic transformation of the HBPFCSs was then investigated by FT-IR and C-13 MAS NMR spectroscopy as well as by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). A self-catalytic effect of ferrocenyl units in the HBPFCS skeleton on dehydrocoupling was found during a curing process at 170 degrees C resulting in a high ceramic yield of ca. 80% at 1200 degrees C in Ar. Finally, microstructures and magnetic properties of the final ceramics were studied by techniques such as X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The final ceramic (pyrolysis temperature >= 900 degrees C) is characterized by a microstructure comprised of a SiC/C/Fe nanocomposite. Turbostratic carbon layers located at the segregated alpha-Fe crystal boundary avoid interdiffusion and explain the exclusive existence of alpha-Fe in a SiC/C matrix even at 1300 degrees C. Variations of the iron content in the HBPFCSs and of the pyrolysis conditions facilitate the control of the composition and ceramic micro/nanostructure, influencing in particular magnetic properties of the final SiC/C/Fe nanocomposite ceramic

Sequence determinants of improved CRISPR sgRNA design

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized mammalian somatic cell genetics. Genome-wide functional screens using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout or dCas9 fusion-mediated inhibition/activation (CRISPRi/a) are powerful techniques for discovering phenotype-associated gene function. We systematically assessed the DNA sequence features that contribute to single guide RNA (sgRNA) efficiency in CRISPR-based screens. Leveraging the information from multiple designs, we derived a new sequence model for predicting sgRNA efficiency in CRISPR/Cas9 knockout experiments. Our model confirmed known features and suggested new features including a preference for cytosine at the cleavage site. The model was experimentally validated for sgRNA-mediated mutation rate and protein knockout efficiency. Tested on independent data sets, the model achieved significant results in both positive and negative selection conditions and outperformed existing models. We also found that the sequence preference for CRISPRi/a is substantially different from that for CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and propose a new model for predicting sgRNA efficiency in CRISPRi/a experiments. These results facilitate the genome-wide design of improved sgRNA for both knockout and CRISPRi/a studies

Organic - Inorganic Hybrid Luminescent Composite for Solid-state Lighting

White light emitting diodes (WLEDs) made by coating organic and inorganic hybrid composites on blue LED chips. Y3Al5O12:Ce (YAG:Ce) nano inorganic powder prepared by low-temperature Sol-Gel method exhibited broad green emission with the peak at 521 nm. Poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) polymer has high luminescence efficiency and red emission peak at 590 nm. The white light was obtained by mixing blue light from emission of the blue LED chip - Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) and green-red light from the fluorescence of nano- YAG:Ce and MEH-PPV polymer hybrid composite. The hybrid nanocomposite-based WLEDs exhibited broad band emission spectra from blue light to red wavelengths and provided the white light with a CIE-1931 coordinate of x = 0.2986, y = 0.2620 and a colour rendering index Ra = 84.36. The results suggest a potential application of nanocomposite based WLEDs in efficient solid-state lighting

Sequence determinants of improved CRISPR sgRNA design

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized mammalian somatic cell genetics. Genome-wide functional screens using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout or dCas9 fusion-mediated inhibition/activation (CRISPRi/a) are powerful techniques for discovering phenotype-associated gene function. We systematically assessed the DNA sequence features that contribute to single guide RNA (sgRNA) efficiency in CRISPR-based screens. Leveraging the information from multiple designs, we derived a new sequence model for predicting sgRNA efficiency in CRISPR/Cas9 knockout experiments. Our model confirmed known features and suggested new features including a preference for cytosine at the cleavage site. The model was experimentally validated for sgRNA-mediated mutation rate and protein knockout efficiency. Tested on independent data sets, the model achieved significant results in both positive and negative selection conditions and outperformed existing models. We also found that the sequence preference for CRISPRi/a is substantially different from that for CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and propose a new model for predicting sgRNA efficiency in CRISPRi/a experiments. These results facilitate the genome-wide design of improved sgRNA for both knockout and CRISPRi/a studies

The mitosis-to-interphase transition is coordinated by cross talk between the SIN and MOR pathways in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The SIN pathway blocks inappropriate actin rearrangements during cytokinesis by preventing activation of the MOR pathway component Orb6

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

The influence of human genetic variation on early transcriptional responses and protective immunity following immunization with Rotarix vaccine in infants in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam : a study protocol for an open single-arm interventional trial [awaiting peer review]

Background: Rotavirus (RoV) remains the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and children aged under five years in both high- and low-middle-income countries (LMICs). In LMICs, RoV infections are associated with substantial mortality. Two RoV vaccines (Rotarix and Rotateq) are widely available for use in infants, both of which have been shown to be highly efficacious in Europe and North America. However, for unknown reasons, these RoV vaccines have markedly lower efficacy in LMICs. We hypothesize that poor RoV vaccine efficacy across in certain regions may be associated with genetic heritability or gene expression in the human host. Methods/design: We designed an open-label single-arm interventional trial with the Rotarix RoV vaccine to identify genetic and transcriptomic markers associated with generating a protective immune response against RoV. Overall, 1,000 infants will be recruited prior to Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) vaccinations at two months of age and vaccinated with oral Rotarix vaccine at two and three months, after which the infants will be followed-up for diarrheal disease until 18 months of age. Blood sampling for genetics, transcriptomics, and immunological analysis will be conducted before each Rotarix vaccination, 2-3 days post-vaccination, and at each follow-up visit (i.e. 6, 12 and 18 months of age). Stool samples will be collected during each diarrheal episode to identify RoV infection. The primary outcome will be Rotarix vaccine failure events (i.e. symptomatic RoV infection despite vaccination), secondary outcomes will be antibody responses and genotypic characterization of the infection virus in Rotarix failure events. Discussion: This study will be the largest and best powered study of its kind to be conducted to date in infants, and will be critical for our understanding of RoV immunity, human genetics in the Vietnam population, and mechanisms determining RoV vaccine-mediated protection. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03587389. Registered on 16 July 2018