Pulsed x-rays dose measurements from a hundred joules plasma focus device

Indexación: Scopus.Present work is aimed to perform dosimetric measurements to characterize dosis obtained from pulsed x-rays emitted from a hundred joules plasma focus device PF-400J using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100). Two dosimeter arrays (containing 21 dosimeters in each) were used. One of the arrays was kept inside the PF-400J vacuum chamber and other outside the vacuum chamber, simultaneously. It was found that dosis obtained from the inside array (∼200.7 mGy) were hundred times larger than the outside array (∼1.1 mGy) for hundred pulses of x-rays. Later, the vacuum window of PF-400J, which was made of 1 mm aluminum, was replaced by a plastic window and a similar dosimeter array was kept outside the chamber over the plastic window. With this arrangement, the obtained doses (100 pulses of x-rays) were of the same order of magnitude (∼106 mGy) as it was inside the vacuum chamber. Later, a lead piece was inserted inside the hollow anode of PF-400J, which increased dose (∼250 mGy) per hundred pulses of x-ray outside the vacuum chamber using plastic vacuum window. Our results suggest that PF-400J could be a useful device to study low dose pulsed radiation effects on cancer cell lines in in vitro experiments. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.The work is supported by grant ACT-1115, CONICYT, Chile.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1043/1/01204

Why does Job repent?

In the book of Job, the main character is declared a righteous man by both God and Job’s peers. Throughout the book, Job’s innocence is maintained and ultimately he is vindicated by God. It is a puzzle, then, to find an impassioned cry of repentance in the final chapter (42:1-6). This article investigates the nature of Job’s repentance by considering the context, content and consequences of that action. In examining the context, Job’s encounter with God is of primary focus. The content is, then, examined exegetically to unpack the central meaning. Finally, the results of Job’s actions as revealed in the final narrative are considered so as to highlight the value of Job’s response to God.nf201

A proper perspective on the "real" world : pastoral/theological exegesis of Ephesians 6 :10-20

Early in the book of Ephesians, the Holy Spirit writing through Paul leads the believer in praise of God for the “mystery” of God’s work on our behalf (1:3-10) and proceeds to intercede for the Ephesians that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” (1:18). Indeed, much of the book unfolds so as to provide insight for the believer about one’s life in Christ, role among the believers, and the call to live among family and community. Throughout the book, the tensions of living a radical life in Christ remain a subtheme. This underlying motif is brought to the centre of focus in the climactic revelation of mystery for the believer reached in the final chapter where the Holy Spirit provides a proper perspective of the reality of the world in which the believer lives. Understanding this proper perspective is crucial for the follower of Christ. In this article, the author will examine the structural and thematic context of 6:10-20 in the letter of Ephesians and unpack the significance for the present disciple of Christ. As the exegesis unfolds, one is confronted by the nature of the “real” world beyond the flesh and blood, is presented with the call to holy living in light of this reality, and is challenged to act boldly in response to the true enemy of our faith.http://www.ctbs.org.za/sa-baptist-journal-of-theology/hb201

Theodicy in Job : ancient word, modern reflections

The Evangelical community of faith uses the Bible in order to understand events in people’s lives. The Bible helps people to make sense of existence and to orientate themselves in their lives. The Bible provides the community of faith with material that helps us to react to existential questions. It is for this reason that this present study consults a biblical text –the book of Job– in order to explore the issue of how to deal with the presence of suffering in this world.Reading the book of Job makes one recognise several elements in it which are also matters in the issue of theodicy. The leading character, Job, suffers innocently. He wrestles with his miserable fate, questions God’s righteousness and looks for reasons which can explain God’s role with regard to his blameless misery. The book as a whole casts doubt on a specific form of theodicy, which was broadly found in the Ancient Near East. This is the view that God acts according to a strict relation between a person’s actions and what befalls them. According to this theodicy, God rewards upright behaviour with prosperity and punishes wickedness with misery. Furthermore, the prologue of the book suggests the alternative that suffering might serve in order to test one’s loyalty to God. Some of Job’s friends suggest that evil has a pedagogical or warning function. Among other things these clues indicate that the book of Job somehow deals with aspects of the issue of theodicy and how one tries to understand God and the problem of evil.nf201

On the stability of standing matter waves in a trap

We discuss excited Bose-condensed states and find the criterion of dynamical stability of a kink-wise state, i.e., a standing matter wave with one nodal plane perpendicular to the axis of a cylindrical trap. The dynamical stability requires a strong radial confinement corresponding to the radial frequency larger than the mean-field interparticle interaction. We address the question of thermodynamic instability related to the presence of excitations with negative energy.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Dairy product production and lactose demand in New Zealand and Ireland under different simulated milk product-processing portfolios

peer-reviewedMaximising dairy industry profitability involves maximising product returns for a specific set of costs or minimising costs for a certain level of output. A strategy currently utilised by the New Zealand dairy industry to optimise the value of exports is to incorporate imported lactose along with local milk to maximise the production of whole milk powder (WMP) while complying with the Codex Alimentarius (Codex) standards, in addition to increasing the exported product for every litre of milk. This study investigated the impact of different product portfolio strategies on lactose requirements for the Irish and New Zealand dairy industries for current and predicted 2020 milk output projections. A mass balance processing sector model that accounts for all inputs, outputs and losses involved in dairy processing was used to simulate the processing of milk into WMP, skim milk powder (SMP), cheese, butter and fluid milk of different proportions. All scenarios investigated projected an increase in production and revenue from 2012 to 2020. Higher cheese production reduced industry lactose demand through whey processing, while scenarios reliant on an increase in the proportion of WMP were associated with increased lactose deficits.Livestock Improvement Corporation Pat Shannon Scholarshi

Macroscopic and microscopic variation in recovered magnesium phosphate materials: Implications for phosphorus removal processes and product re-use

Phosphorus (P) recovery and re-use will become increasingly important for water quality protection and sustainable nutrient cycling as environmental regulations become stricter and global P reserves decline. The objective of this study was to examine and characterize several magnesium phosphates recovered from actual wastewater under field conditions. Three types of particles were examined including crystalline magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) recovered from dairy wastewater, crystalline magnesium ammonium phosphate hydrate (dittmarite) recovered from a food processing facility, and a heterogeneous product also recovered from dairy wastewater. The particles were analyzed using ‘‘wet” chemical techniques, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). The struvite crystals had regular and consistent shape, size, and structure, and SEM–EDS analysis clearly showed the struvite crystals as a surface precipitate on calcium phosphate seed material. In contrast, the dittmarite crystals showed no evidence of seed material, and were not regular in size or shape. The XRD analysis identified no crystalline magnesium phosphates in the heterogeneous product and indicated the presence of sand particles. However, magnesium phosphate precipitates on calcium phosphate seed material were observed in this product under SEM–EDS examination. These substantial variations in the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of magnesium phosphates recovered under field conditions could affect their potential for beneficial re-use and underscore the need to develop recovery processes that result in a uniform, consistent product

The effectiveness of recovered magnesium phosphates as fertilizers in neutral and slightly alkaline soils

Magnesium phosphates such as struvite (MgNH4PO4x6H2O) can be recovered from municipal, industrial and agricultural wastewaters. However, minimal research has been conducted on the beneficial reuse of these recovered products; conducted research has focused on low pH soils. This study determined whether recovered struvite and dittmarite (MgNH4PO4xH2O) were effective P fertilizers in alkaline soils. In addition to commercially available triple superphosphate (TSP) and certified organic rock phosphate (RP), recovered struvite, dittmarite, and a heterogeneous recovered phosphate were evaluated in a laboratory dissolution study and as fertilizers for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a greenhouse study. Struvite and dittmarite were much more soluble than RP, but less soluble than TSP. Laboratory dissolution kinetics were fast, with most materials nearing equilibrium within 24 hours. At a soil pH of 6.5, both dittmarite and struvite increased the average plant P concentration over the control. Struvite and dittmarite performance was similar to TSP. There were no significant differences in plant dry matter (DM) production or total P uptake at pH 6.5. In the limed soil (pH 7.6), many treatments had plant P concentrations significantly lower than the control, but most fertilizers increased DM production over the control; all fertilizers generally performed similarly to one another. These findings support previous work showing recovered Mg phosphates to be effective in acidic soils, and provide evidence that they are also effective in alkaline soils. Recovered Mg phosphates could become a useful alternative for P fertilization in arid and semi-arid environments