New Energy Calibration of the CMAM 5MV Tandem Accelerator

Abstract Ion accelerators are fundamental in the ongoing research on materials for future energy sources, being the primary tool for understanding the behaviour of different classes of materials (functional, structural, diagnostic) under e.g. the intense radiation expected in fission reactors or the critical thermal operational conditions in IV generation fission reactors. The relevance of ion accelerators research extends straightforwardly to the modification and analysis of materials to be used in future developments of diverse non-nuclear sources like photovoltaic, fuel batteries, etc. From the analytical point of view, the energy of the accelerated ion needs, in many cases, to be known with a precision higher than e.g. the width of reaction resonances that are used for controlling either the yield of a reaction or the penetration depth of the ion, imposing a calibration of the accelerator terminal voltage. This paper reports on the new energy calibration performed for the 5 MV CMAM tandem accelerator

Chemical Composition Analysis, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Eggplant Leaves

Agricultural by-products represent one of the biggest pollutants for the environment, therefore, investigating new sources for the extraction of bioactive compounds is a topic of great interest for the entire scientific community. This work is aimed at studying the chemical composition (pigments, phenolics, volatile compounds) and biological activities (antioxidant and antimicrobial properties) of young and mature leaves of five eggplant cultivars (Solanum melongena L.) grown in Tunisia (Tizona, A1014, Nawel, A336, and Mirval). Pigment analysis showed no statistical variations between the two types of leaves, whereas higher levels of anthocyanins were recorded in young leaves of three out of five cultivars (24.7–52.8 mg 100 g−1). Total phenolic compounds (966.5–2072.6 mg 100 g−1) and o-diphenols (343.9–741.2 mg 100 g−1) contents varied significantly according to leaf age and cultivar. However, no statistically significant variation between young and mature leaves was found in flavonols and tannins content. As for volatile profiles, 62 constituents were characterized with non-terpene derivatives (52.0–61.6 %) and apocarotenes (19.9–35.6 %) as major chemical classes. Regarding the antioxidant activity, methanol extracts of Tizona cultivar mature leaves displayed important antiradical properties using DPPH, ABTS, and phosphomolybdenum assays (IC50 0.1, 0.2 and 0.01 mg mL−1, respectively). With regards to reducing power determination, the most active extract was obtained from mature A1014 leaves. Further, young Mirval leaves proved to be significantly active from a bactericidal point of view against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus of 3.1 mg mL−1 and 0.2 mg mL−1 MBC, respectively. In conclusion, eggplant leaves are a noteworthy source of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds with potential use in the pharmaceutical, the cosmetics and the food industries

First tests of the ion irradiation and implantation beamline at the CMAM

The implantation and irradiation beamline of the Tandem ion accelerator of the Centro de Micro Análisis de Materiales (CMAM), in Madrid, has been recently completed with a beam sweep and monitoring system, and a cryostat/furnace. These new implementations convert the beamline into a versatile tool to implant ions, between H and Au2, in different materials with precise control of the sample temperature, which may be varied between -180 °C and 600 °C. The size of the swept area on target may be as large as 10 × 10 cm2. The implantation chamber also allows carrying out in situ or/and on line analyses during the irradiations by means of advanced optical measurements, as well as ion beam analyses (IBA). These advancements can be employed in novel applications such as the fabrication of optical waveguides and irradiation tests of structural and functional materials for future fusion reactors. The results of beam tests and first experiments are shown. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work has been supported by Spanish Ministry MICINN through the project MAT-2008-06794-C03-03, JCI-2009-05681, and by Madrid Community through the project TECHNOFUSION (S2009/ENE-1679).Peer Reviewe

LC-ESI-MS characterization of phenolic profiles Turkish olive oils as influenced by geographic origin and harvest year

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate and compare the differences in the phenolic fractions and antioxidant properties of virgin olive oils from the Nizip yaglik and Kilis yaglik olive varieties cultivated in native and different olive growing areas of Turkey. The phenolic composition of olive oils was carried out by HPLC-DAD and identifications were made by LC-MS. Fourteen phenolic compounds were identified and among these compounds elenolic acid, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol were the most dominant. Based on the results, there was no difference in distribution of phenolic compounds, but the total phenolic content in oil from native regions was higher than in oil from Bornova regions. The antioxidant capacity of olive oil extracts was determined by two different methods, including DPPH and ABTS. In both methods, antioxidant capacity values were higher in oil from native regions. © 2013 AOCS.110O602, ZF-2010-D24Acknowledgments The authors thank the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and Cukurova University Research Fund (ZF-2010-D24) for financial support for this research project (Project No. 110O602)