Concentrations of natural radionuclides in imported zirconium minerals

The natural radioactivity in imported zircon samples used as glaze for ceramic tiles in the ceramics industry has been presented in this paper. The measurements were made by gamma spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector. The average activity concentrations of 238U and 232Th determined in the measured samples (3250 Bq/kg, and 556 Bq/kg, respectively) are much higher than the concentrations found in the Earth’s crust. The activity concentration of 226Ra is also high in all analyzed samples, while 40K was not detected. The gamma index, I, the external hazard index, Hex, the internal hazard index, Hin, and the radium equivalent activity, Raeq, were calculated. Due to relatively high activity concentration level of uranium in imported zircon samples, specific regulations are necessary for zircon compound used in ceramic industry. It can be concluded that the investigated samples can be used as the component of ceramic glaze in the concentrations not above 3%

The Exchange of Tritiated Water Between Zn-A Zeolitevand the Surrounding Water

Zeolites are considered as adsorbents for tritiated waste water. The sorption capacity of 4A zeolite is increased, and the speed of tritium release, as THO, decreased if sodium ions in 4A zeolite are replaced with small divalent cations. The exchange kinetics THO/H20 between Zn-A zeolite containing tritiated water and the surrounding water was investigated at 30-60 De, using zinc-exchanged 4A zeolite beads of 0.8 and 1.6 mm radius. The kinetics was controlled by the diffusion of water in the solid particle and interpreted in terrns of the Boyd - Reichenberg diffusion model. Effective self-diffusion coefficients of water in the zeolite beads were obtained and the kinetic data are discussed from the point of view of using zeolites as sorbents and storage material for tritiated waste water

The impact of cutback and fertilization on development of poplar and willow plantations for biomass production on the deposols of the mining basin "Kolubara" LCC - Lazarevac

Неселективним одлагањем откривке на површинским коповима ПД РБ Колубара на површини се јавља измешани „јаловински“ материјал, који је у педологији означен као депосол. Основне особине депосола су веомa вaријaбилне физичко-хемијске кaрaктеристикe, смaњена биогеност и рaзорена структура по дубини педолошког профилa. На таквом супстрату постављен је оглед са циљем истраживања могућности оснивања плантажа топола и врбе за призводњу биомасе, као и примене угљеног муља за прихрану садница. Оглед је основан на локалитету расадника „Колубара Услуга“ д.о.о. у Барошевцу, у близини Лазаревца. За постављање огледа и истраживање коришћене су резнице двa клонa еуроaмеричке црне тополе (Populus × euramericana (Dode) Guinier): I-214 и M-1) и резнице врбе клона Ингер (Salix triandra x Salix viminalis). Садња резница извршена је у пролеће 2013. године, нa претходно припремљеној површини. Густина садње резница топола била је 13.333/ha у једноредном засаду, а врбе 14.814/ha у дворедном засаду. Оглед је постављен у складу са принципима случајног блок дизајна RCBD (Randomized Complete Block Design) са понављањима у редовима. Унутар понављања, третмани су случајно распоређени, по систему случајних бројева, употребом алата Research Randomizer 4.0 (Urbaniak and Plous 2013). На ожиљеницама тополе и врбе, на почетку друге сезоне раста примењени су следећи третмани: 1) 5 kg угљеног муља по садници; 2) 10 kg угљеног муља по садници; 3) 15 kg угљеног муља по садници; 4) 0,2 kg ђубрива NPK (16:16:16) по садници; 5) чеповање неприхрањиваних садница...A non-selective disposal of the overburden layer in the opencast mines of the ’Kolubara’ Mining Basin resulted in the occurrence of mixed ’tailing’ material - in pedology termed ’deposol’ - on the surface layer. The basic characteristics of deposol are very variable physical-chemical properties, a reduced microbiological activity and a devastated structure along the depth of pedological profile. A sample plot was established on this substrate, with a view to investigating possibilities for establishing poplar and willow plantations for biomass production, as well as using coal sludge for treatment of seedlings. The sample plot was established on the location of ‘Kolubara Usluga’ d.o.o. seedling nursery in Baroševac, in the proximity of the town of Lazarevac. Cuttings of two clones of Euro-American black poplar (Populus × euramericana (Dode) Guinier): I-214 и M-1) and a cutting of the willow clone Inger (Salix triandra x Salix viminalis) were used for establishing the sample plot and conducting research. The planting of cuttings was conducted in the spring of 2013, on a previously prepared layer. The planting density was 13.333/ha in the single-row plantation and 14.814/ha in the double-row plantation. The sample plot was established in accordance with the Randomised Complete Block Design principle, with repetitions within rows. Within the repetitions, the treatments were distributed randomly, according to the system of random numbers, using the Research Randomiser 4.0 Tool (Urbaniak and Plous 2013). The following treatments were applied on the poplar and willow rooted cuttings, at the beginning of the second growing season: 1) 5 kg of coal sludge per seedling; 2) 10 kg of coal sludge per seedling; 3) 15 kg of coal sludge per seedling; 4) 0,2 kg of NPK fertiliser (16:16:16) per seedling; 5) Cutback of non-treated seedlings..

An Ottoman endowment to the South Slavs

Предмет истраживања ове дисертације је примена тапијског система, као врсте евиденције непокретности, на територијама насељеним јужнословенским народима који су били под отоманском влашћу. Докторску дисертацију чине увод, три поглавља и закључак. У уводу је прецизиран предмет и циљ истраживања, као и полазне хипотезе. Дат је преглед постојеће литературе о овој материји, уз њихову критичку анализу. Наведен је одабир објављених извора који су коришћени у истраживању, као и преглед необјављених, садржаних у појединим фондовима историјских архива у Србији. Прво поглавље докторске дисертације посвећено је својинским односима и тапијском систему у Отоманском царству. Полази се од претпоставке да је тапијски систем утемељен у отоманском схватању својине и тимарском систему, који је био темељ војног и економског уређења Царства. Објашњене су особине класичног тимарског система и његова постепена дезинтрегација увођењем илтизама и развојем процеса читлучења. Сагледава се тапија, настала у тимарском систему као документ којим се доказују и преносе стварна права на непокретностима, њено порекло, развој и врсте. Тимарско-спахијски систем промењен је танзиматским реформама, када је учињено и потпуно законодавно регулисање тапијског система. Објашњен је ефекат танзиматских реформи на друштвене и својинске односе у Царству и сагледане су промене које су у домену земљишних односа и тапијског система донели поједини закони. Други део је посвећен Србији, која је једина од јужнословенских држава имала аутономан развој тапијског система у XIX веку. Најпре су посматрани својински односи и тапијски систем до добијања статуса самоуправе, потом и напори српских власти да регулишу својинске односе након укидања тимарско- спахијског система у самоуправној Кнежевини. У другом делу овог поглавља разматран је значај доношења Српског грађанског законика. Објашњена су његова решења о евиденцији непокретности и каснија нормативна активност којом је, због немогућности установљавања баштинских књига, продужено важење тапијског система.The research subject of this doctoral dissertation is the application of the tapu system, as one of the types of evidence of real estate, in the South Slavic territories which were under Ottoman rule. The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The introduction contains a survey of the current literature, an overview of the consulted sources, the research hypotheses and the research objectives. The first chapter is devoted to the property relations and the tapu system in the Ottoman Empire. The origins of the tapu system lay in the Ottoman conception of ownership and the timar system, which was the military and economic foundation of the empire. The characteristics of the classic timar system are explained, as well as its disintegration by the introduction of Iltizam and the gradual process of creation of huge čitluk domains. In the timar system, the tapu emerged as a document to prove and transfer property rights on real estate. Later, with the tanzimat reforms, the timar system was altered and the tapu system was fully regulated through legislation. The second chapter is devoted to Serbia, which is the only South Slavic state that had an autonomous development of the tapu system in the nineteenth century. First, the property relations and the tapu system are studied in the period before Serbian autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. Next, the efforts of the Serbian authorities to regulate the property relations after the abolishment of the timar system are analyzed. In the second part of this chapter the provisions on the evidence of real estate in the 1844 Serbian Civil Code are discussed. Soon after its adoption, the impossibility of establishing land registers became evident and the authorities continued to rely on the existing tapu system. This way, tapu’s acquired formal significance and the transfer of tapu replaced entry into the land registers. Further, through the use of numerous archival sources the development of tapu is reconstructed, subsequently in the period before autonomy, then in the period after autonomy till 1844 and finally in the period after 1844 till the end of the nineteenth century. Each time is looked into the way of issuing, the different types of tapu and their legal significance

The measurement of tritium in water samples with electrolytic enrichment using liquid scintillation counter

Tritium (3H) present in the environment decreased in the last decades and nowadays it has low activity concentrations. Measurement of low-level tritium activities in natural waters, e. g. in precipitation, groundwater, and river water requires special techniques for water pretreatment and detection of low-level radioactivity. In order to increase the tritium concentration to an easily measurable level, electrolytic enrichment must be applied. This paper presents the enrichment method performed by electrolysis in a battery of 18 cells, giving an enrichment factor of 5.84 (calculated from 59 electrolyses). The calculated mean values of the separation factor and enrichment parameter were 4.10 and 0.84, respectively. Results for tritium activity in precipitation and surface water collected in Belgrade during 2008 and 2009 are presented. The Radiation and Environmental Protection Department of the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, participated in the IAEA TRIC2008 international intercomparison exercise. The participation in the intercomparisons for any laboratory doing low-level 3H measurements in the waters is very important and useful. It is considered the best way to check the entire procedure and methods of the measurements and the reliability of the standard used. The analysis of the reported 3H activity results showed that all results for five intercomparison samples, for which electrolytic enrichment were applied prior to the 3H measurement, are acceptable

Raspodela pristupačnih sadržaja mikroelemenata po dubini kultivisanog zemljišta

This paper presents a study of the profile distribution of available micronutrients Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn and radionuclide 137Cs in cultivated soil at the experimental field 'Radmilovac' (property of Agricultural Faculty, Belgrade University) in the vicinity of Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences. The soil belongs to the anthrosol class of anthropogenic soils according to FAO (2006). At first, the deep plowing was performed while preparing soil for planting peach trees followed by cultivation of soil for 12 years. All agricultural treatments at the experimental field ceased for three years. After that period, soil sampling was carried out. Contents of DTPA-extracted Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were in the range of (mg kg-1): 5.8-41.6; 9.2-34.2; 1-7.6 and 0.2-1.3, respectively. Detected activity concentration (Bq kg-1) for 137Cs ranged from 1.8 to 35. It was noticed that distribution patterns of 137Cs radionuclide and available Cu and Zn along soil depth were very similar and they were analyzed by simple linear regression; mutual affinity for the soil organic matter might affect their distribution in soil. Contents of available Fe and Mn exhibited different, more constant distribution within a soil horizon.U ovom radu ispitivana je raspodela sadržaja pristupačnih mikroelemenata Fe, Mn, Cu i Zn i koncentracije aktivnosti proizvedenog radionuklida 137Cs u profilima zemljišta (dubine 080 cm) sakupljenih sa voćnjaka pod zasadom breskvi na oglednom školskom poljoprivrednom dobru 'Radmilovac' (Poljoprivredni fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu) u neposrednoj blizini Instituta za nuklearne nauke 'Vinča'. Zemljište pripada klasi antrosol antropogenih zemljišta prema međunarodnoj FAO (2006) klasifikaciji. Priprema zemljišta za sadnju bresaka izvršena je rigolovanjem, posle čega je usledila 12 godina duga nega voćnjaka. Uzorkovanje zemljišta izvršeno je tri godine nakon prestanka svih poljoprivrednih tretmana zemljišta na oglednom polju. Sadržaji pristupačnih mikroelemenata Fe, Mn, Cu i Zn (dobijeni ekstrakcijom sa rastvorom 0,005 M DTPA) nalazili su se u opsegu (mg kg-1): 5,841,6; 9,234,2; 17,6 odnosno 0,21,3. Detektovana koncentracija aktivnosti 137Cs u zemljištu (merena metodom gama-spektrometrije korišćenjem koaksijalnog HPGe-detektora) nalazila se u intervalu (Bq kg-1): 1,835. Uočeno je da su obrasci distribucije po dubini profila pristupačnih oblika Cu i Zn i radionuklida 137Cs bili veoma slični, a rezultati proste linearne regresione analize su pokazali da je uzajamni afinitet prema organskoj materiji zemljišta mogao da utiče na takvu njihovu distribuciju. Sadržaji pristupačnih mikroelemenata Fe i Mn, pokazali su da imaju drugačiju, uniformniju distribuciju po dubini ispitivanih profila zemljišta

Natural and artificial (90Sr) radionuclides in some carbonated mineral waters used in Serbia

A radiological characterization of 7 different carbonated mineral water samples collected in the local supermarkets in the area of Belgrade (produced in Serbia) was carried out. Analysis included determination of gross alpha and gross beta activities. The obtained results showed that the natural activity concentrations of alpha and beta emitting radionuclides in carbonated mineral water samples were within World Health Organization recommended levels, except for the Heba Strong and Kiseljak samples where the beta activity exceeds 1 Bq/L. For these two water samples gamma spectrometry analysis was performed as well as determination of 90Sr by oxalic method. The instrumentation used to count the gross alpha and gross beta activities, as well as for 90Sr, was a/b low level proportional counter Thermo Eberline FHT 770 T. Gamma spectrometric measurements were performed using a HPGe Canberra detector with a counting efficiency of 20%. The annual effective dose equivalent due to ingestion of investigated waters was calculated for age group >17, and obtained values are lower than 0.1 mSv recommended reference level. Finally, a comparison of the investigated waters with worldwide data was made. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III43009

Antioxidant Enzymes in Blood of Women With Uterine Hyperplasia

The literature emphasizes the involvement of oxidative stress in the etiopathogenesis of many uterine diseases. Antioxidant system (AOS) represents the protective mechanism used by cells to neutralize overproduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevent oxidative stress. We have previously shown that in gynecological patients with various diagnoses, the reproductive and other factors may be associated with antioxidant capacity and the ability to defend against oxidative damage. In this study, we examined the changes in expression of antioxidant enzymes (AOE): superoxide dismutases (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) in the blood of women with endometrial hyperplasia. Our results indicate that hyperplasia induces perturbance in oxidative balance, particularly in glutathione redox cycle enzymes