Deformation effects in the alpha accompanied cold ternary fission of even-even 244−260^{244-260}Cf isotopes

Within the Unified ternary fission model (UTFM), the alpha accompanied ternary fission of even-even $^{244-260}$Cf isotopes has been studied by taking the interacting barrier as the sum of Coulomb and proximity potential. For the alpha accompanied ternary fission of 244^Cf isotope, the highest yield is obtained for the fragment combination 108^Ru+4^He+132^Te, which contain near doubly magic nuclei 132^Te (N=80, Z=52). In the case of 246^Cf and 248^Cf isotopes, the highest yield is obtained for the fragment combinations with near doubly magic nuclei 134^Te (N=82, Z=52) as the heavier fragment. The highest yield obtained for 250^Cf, 252^Cf, 254^Cf, 256^Cf, 258^Cf and 260^Cf isotopes is for the fragment combination with doubly magic nuclei 132^Sn (N=82, Z=50) as the heavier fragment. We have included the effect of deformation and orientation of fragments and this has revealed that in addition to closed shell effect, ground state deformation also plays an important role in the calculation of relative yield of favorable fragment combinations. The computed isotopic yields for alpha accompanied ternary fission of 252^Cf isotope are found to be in agreement with the experimental data. The emission probability and kinetic energy of long range alpha particle is calculated for the various isotopes of Cf and are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1504.02282, arXiv:1409.062

Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Blast Furnace Slag Binders Activated with Alkali Acetates

Hybrid organic–inorganic binders based on blast furnace slag were produced using sodium (NaAc) or potassium (KAc) acetate as the sole activator, and their properties were compared with those of sodium- or potassium hydroxide-activated slag pastes. The acetate-activated binders showed significantly lower cumulative heat release and extended setting time (∼230 h) than the hydroxide-activated binders. The main reaction products forming in all binders were calcium aluminosilicate hydrate-type gels and a hydrotalcite-like phase, independently of the activator type used. Compressive strengths of the acetate-activated pastes (∼40 MPa at 180 days) were lower than those of the hydroxide-activated binders (∼80 MPa at 180 days). However, the acetate-based binders exhibited superior impermeability and reduced wettability at 28 days, likely due to hydrophobic acetate groups. It is hypothesized that acetates dissociate in water, forming calcium acetate and alkali silicates via a reaction with species dissolving from the slag. This study demonstrates alkali acetates are effective activators for creating hybrid slag-based binders with reduced permeabilit

Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990–2016 in the Global Burden of Disease Study

18% of the world's population lives in India, and many states of India have populations similar to those of large countries. Action to effectively improve population health in India requires availability of reliable and comprehensive state-level estimates of disease burden and risk factors over time. Such comprehensive estimates have not been available so far for all major diseases and risk factors. Thus, we aimed to estimate the disease burden and risk factors in every state of India as part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2016

Light charged particle accompanied ternary fission of

The cold ternary fission of 242Cm with 4He , 10Be and 14C as light charged particle has been studied by taking the interacting barrier as the sum of Coulomb and proximity potential with the fragments in equatorial configuration. The favorable fragment combinations are obtained from the cold valley plot (plot of driving potential vs. mass number of fragments) and by calculating the yield for charge minimized fragments. The maximum yield in the 4He accompanied ternary fission is obtained for the fragmentation channel 104Mo + 134Te + 4He and for the 10Be accompanied ternary fission, the maximum yield is found for the fragmentation channel 98Zr + 134Te + 10Be . It is to be noted that, in the case of 14C accompanied ternary fission, the maximum yield is obtained for the fragmentation channel 94Sr + 134Te + 14C and the next higher yield is found for the fragmentation channel 96Zr + 132Sn + 14C . Thus, the fragment combinations with maximum yields reveal the role of doubly magic and near doubly magic nuclei in cold ternary fission

Characterisation and hydration kinetics of beta-C2S synthesised with K2SO4 as dopant

In this study, a protocol for synthesising beta-C2S using K2SO4 as a dopant has been reported. Quantitative X-Ray diffraction was used to characterise synthesised samples. It was observed that it is possible to synthesise beta-C2S with high purity (>96 wt%) and limit the formation of free lime to below 0.5 wt% using this protocol. Unreactive gamma-C2S was the main secondary phase present in the sintered samples. Isothermal calorimetry studies were conducted to understand the reaction kinetics which showed that beta-C2S reacts slowly but produces similar calorimetric curve profiles as that of C3S. The C-S-H formed from the hydration of C2S was observed to be morphologically and compositionally identical to the C-S-H produced from the hydration of C3S. The hydration kinetics of beta-C2S was seen to be affected by the presence of aluminosilicate pozzolan, such as calcined clay, which can have practical implications while producing blended cements with belitic clinkers.ISSN:0008-884

Comparison of Liquid Sodium Heparin Syringe and Preheparinised Syringe for Sample Rejection in Arterial Blood Gas Analysis: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: In hospital settings, Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) analysis is a routine investigation. Many errors can arise in the process, with 70% of errors in ABG analysis occurring during the preanalytical phase. Liquid heparin is commonly used as an anticoagulant in sample collection devices for Blood Gas (BG) analysis; however, inadequate heparin concentration and improper mixing of blood samples after collection often lead to incorrect results. This can be prevented by using syringes preloaded with lyophilised heparin. Aim: To monitor the prevalence of sample rejection collected by the device using liquid sodium heparin and calcium-balanced dried lithium heparin. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the ABG laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Amrita Viswavidyapeetham University, Kochi, Kerala, India over a 4-month period from December 2022 to March 2023. ABG samples collected using either of the techniques were included, while venous BG samples were excluded. The sample size was 10,957 for each of the two groups- Group A and Group B. Group A included samples collected using liquid sodium heparin, and group B included spray-dried, calcium-balanced lithium heparin from different departments. The incidence of blood clots, air bubbles, and inadequate volume was studied. For all categorical variables, the results were expressed as the frequency and percentage of errors. An unpaired t-test (two-tailed) was used for data analysis. Results: In comparison with liquid sodium heparin collection, errors in the quality of the specimen such as blood clots (1.7% to 1.1%), air bubbles (0.04% to 0%), and inadequate volume (0.2% to 0.03%) were significantly reduced (p-value=0.002) with spray-dried, calcium-balanced lithium heparin (BD Preset™ Safety BG Syringe). Conclusion: The present study found that using calcium-balanced lithium heparin syringes over manually flushed liquid sodium heparin syringes reduces the risk of clots, thus preventing equipment malfunction and maintenance costs. With the introduction of preset syringes, the chance of air bubbles and insufficient volume can also be overcomed