Distributed Radiation Monitoring System for Linear Accelerators based on CAN Bus

Abstract—Gamma and neutron radiation is produced during the normal operation of linear accelerators like Free-Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) or X-ray Free Electron Laser (X-FEL). Gamma radiation cause general degeneration of electronics devices and neutron fluence can be a reason of soft error in memories and microcontrollers. X-FEL accelerator will be built only in one tunnel, therefore most of electronic control systems will be placed in radiation environment. Exposing control systems to radiation may lead to many errors and unexpected failure of the whole accelerator system. Thus, the radiation monitoring system able to monitor radiation doses produced near controlling systems is crucial. Knowledge of produced radiation doses allows to detect errors caused by radiation, make plans of essential exchange of control systems and prevent accelerator from serious damages. The paper presents the project of radiation monitoring system able to monitor radiation environment in real time

Purification and characterization of pre-mRNA splicing factor SF2 from HeLa cells

SF2, an activity necessary for 5' splice site cleavage and lariat formation during pre-mRNA splicing in vitro, has been purified to near homogeneity from HeLa cells. The purest fraction contains only two related polypeptides of 33 kD. This fraction is sufficient to complement an S100 fraction, which contains the remaining splicing factors, to splice several pre-mRNAs. The optimal amount of SF2 required for efficient splicing depends on the pre-mRNA substrate. SF2 is distinct from the hnRNP A1 and U1 snRNP a polypeptides, which are similar in size. Endogenous hnRNA copurifies with SF2, but this activity does not appear to have an essential RNA component. SF2 appear to be necessary for the assembly or stabilization of the earliest specific prespliceosome complex, although in the absence of other components, it can bind RNA in a nonspecific manner. SF2 copurifies with an activity that promotes the annealing of complementary RNAs. Thus, SF2 may promote specific RNA-RNA interactions between snRNAs and pre-mRNA, between complementary snRNA regions, and/or involving intramolecular pre-mRNA helices. Other purified proteins with RNA annealing activity cannot substitute for SF2 in the splicing reaction

The Microbiome of an Active Meat Curing Brine

Traditional food products are important to our culture and heritage, and to the continued success of the food industry. Many of the production processes associated with these products have not been subjected to an in-depth microbial compositional analysis. The traditional process of curing meat, both preserves a natural protein source, as well as increasing its organoleptic qualities. One of the most important salting processes is known as Wiltshire curing. The Wiltshire process involves injecting pork with a curing solution and immersing the meat into microbial-rich brine which promotes the development of the distinct organoleptic characteristics. The important microbial component of Wiltshire brine has not been extensively characterized. We analyzed the key microbial component of Wiltshire brine by performing microbiome analysis using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies. This analysis identified the genera, Marinilactibacillus, Carnobacterium, Leuconostoc, and Vibrio as the core microflora present in Wiltshire curing brine. The important food industrial applications of these bacteria were also assessed. The bacterial diversity of the brine was investigated, and the community composition of the brine was demonstrated to change over time. New knowledge on the characterization of key microbiota associated with a productive Wiltshire brine is an important development linked to promoting enhanced quality and safety of meat processing in the food industry

Use of tunable nanopore blockade rates to investigate colloidal dispersions

Tunable nanopores in elastomeric membranes have been used to study the dependence of ionic current blockade rate on the concentration and electrophoretic mobility of particles in aqueous suspensions. A range of nanoparticle sizes, materials and surface functionalities has been tested. Using pressure-driven flow through a pore, the blockade rate for 100 nm carboxylated polystyrene particles was found to be linearly proportional to both transmembrane pressure (controlled between 0 and 1.8 kPa) and particle concentration (between 7 x 10^8 and 4.5 x 10^10 mL^-1). This result can be accurately modelled using Nernst-Planck transport theory. Using only an applied potential across a pore, the blockade rates for carboxylic acid and amine coated 500 nm and 200 nm silica particles were found to correspond to changes in their mobility as a function of the solution pH. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy have been used to visualise changes in the tunable nanopore geometry in three dimensions as a function of applied mechanical strain. The pores observed were conical in shape, and changes in pore size were consistent with ionic current measurements. A zone of inelastic deformation adjacent to the pore has been identified as critical in the tuning process

Thermal Modification of Color in Red Alder Veneer. I. Effects of Temperature, Heating Time, and Wood Type

Red alder has become one of the most widely traded hardwood species in North America, and sliced red alder veneer is commonly applied as a decorative overlay on composite wood panels used by the furniture and cabinet industries. Red alder wood, however, acquires a mottled orange color following felling, which is undesirable when the wood is used for decorative purposes. Heating red alder wood remedies this problem to some extent, but there is still an unacceptable level of variability in the color of veneer sliced from heated veneer cants. This study examined the variation in color of red alder wood samples cut sequentially from the pith to the bark and subjected to heating under isothermal conditions. The aim was to examine whether within-tree variation in the susceptibility of red alder wood to thermal darkening can explain variation in color of veneer sliced from steamed red alder cants, and to determine the optimal thermal treatment (temperature and time) that can impart the tan color to red alder wood that industry is seeking. Results indicated that there was within-tree variation in the color of red alder samples following thermal treatment, but differences were pronounced only when wood was heated at a low temperature. Wood close to the bark tended to be redder than wood close to the pith when heated at 30°C, but such a difference was absent in wood heated at higher temperatures (50-90°C). Heating red alder wood, in vitro, at 70°C for 36 h produced wood that was evenly colored from pith to bark and matched the current industry color preference. It is suggested that the color of thermally modified red alder wood depends on the strength of reactions that produce orange/red chromophores in the wood, thermal darkening of the wood, and destruction of orange/red chromophores

Thermal Modification of Color in Red Alder Veneer. Part II. Effects of Season, Log Storage Time, and Location of Wood in Stems

The value of red alder lumber is diminished by discoloration caused by the enzyme-mediated polymerization of the diarylheptanoid xyloside, Oregonin that results in the formation of red-colored chromophores in freshly felled wood. This discoloration can be reduced by pre-steaming wood prior to kiln drying of lumber or veneer slicing, but in practice, there is still variation in the color of heat-treated wood, particularly in veneer sliced from heat-treated cants processed at different times of the year. There is seasonal variation in the concentration of Oregonin that is involved in the discoloration of red alder wood and it is hypothesized here that heat-treated red alder wood will be redder and darker when the wood is obtained from logs harvested during spring when the concentration of Oregonin is known to be higher than in other seasons. The aim of this research was to test this hypothesis, and also examine the effects of log storage time and location of wood in stems on the color of heat-treated red alder wood. The color of red alder wood subjected to an isothermal heat treatment at 70°C was strongly influenced by the season in which parent trees were harvested and the length of time that logs were stored prior to heat treatment of wood. In particular, wood harvested in spring and stored for 2 wk prior to heat treatment was significantly darker than similarly treated wood obtained from logs harvested in other seasons, and redder than wood harvested in summer and winter. If the storage time of logs harvested in spring and summer was extended to 4 wk, however, the heat-treated wood became lighter and less red. Heat-treated wood from the inner part of the logs was redder and darker than heat-treated wood from the outer part of the logs except occasionally, when the outer sapwood was obtained from logs harvested in spring or summer. Careful control of log storage time, heating temperature, and duration of heat treatment could be used to minimize seasonal variation in the color of veneer sliced from heated red alder cants

Tensile and nanoindentation tests analysis of Ti6Al4V alloy manufactured by laser powder bed fusion

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are widely used in the fabrication of topologically complex components with thin-walled features, such as lattice structures. In this context, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is one of the most commonly used AM technologies for producing such components. In order to further expand and justify the application of these components in operation and to model their mechanical behavior, it is necessary to know the mechanical properties of the matrix material from which they are formed. Therefore, there is currently a high interest in studying the behavior of these materials when subjected to monotonic or cyclic loading. However, determining the mechanical properties of the matrix material of thin-walled structures using tensile tests is challenging on the required subsize specimens. As a micro- or even nano-scale technology, nanoindentation can be used to probe a small volume of specimen, thus allowing the mechanical properties such as Young modulus, of thin-walled structures to be determined. In this work, Young's modulus of L-PBF Ti6Al4V alloy produced using different laser power and scanning speed combinations, has been determined on nano and macro scale. By comparing obtained results at both scales, it is evident that Young's modulus values determined at nano scale are higher and more scattered when compared to results determined at macro scale. Furthermore, this study implies that a wider range or a higher number of L-PBF process parameters should be considered to model it's influence on Young's modulus with higher accuracy

Klasifikacija tehničkih materijala prema klasama obradivosti kod hidroabrazivnog rezanja

This paper presents the major cutting knowledge, the opinion data and the results of actual theoretic parameters solutions and the current results, estimated by contemporary needs of hydro abrasive cutting technology. Here is a newly opened and discussed question of current data terminology disunity in the area of metrology topography surfaces of cutting walls created by abrasive waterjet.U radu su prezentirana temeljna znanja, razmišljanja i rezultati teorijskih rješenja vezano uz trenutne procijenjene suvremene potrebe za hidroabrazivnom tehnologijom rezanja. Ovdje je i ponovo otvoreno pitanje trenutne terminologije u području mjeriteljstva topografi je površina dobivenih rezanjem abrazivnim vodenim mlazom