Neutron Capture on the s-Process Branching Point ^{171}Tm via Time-of-Flight and Activation

The neutron capture cross sections of several unstable nuclides acting as branching points in the s process are crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis studies. The unstable ^{171}Tm (t_{1/2}=1.92  yr) is part of the branching around mass A∼170 but its neutron capture cross section as a function of the neutron energy is not known to date. In this work, following the production for the first time of more than 5 mg of ^{171}Tm at the high-flux reactor Institut Laue-Langevin in France, a sample was produced at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Two complementary experiments were carried out at the neutron time-of-flight facility (n_TOF) at CERN in Switzerland and at the SARAF liquid lithium target facility at Soreq Nuclear Research Center in Israel by time of flight and activation, respectively. The result of the time-of-flight experiment consists of the first ever set of resonance parameters and the corresponding average resonance parameters, allowing us to make an estimation of the Maxwellian-averaged cross sections (MACS) by extrapolation. The activation measurement provides a direct and more precise measurement of the MACS at 30 keV: 384(40) mb, with which the estimation from the n_TOF data agree at the limit of 1 standard deviation. This value is 2.6 times lower than the JEFF-3.3 and ENDF/B-VIII evaluations, 25% lower than that of the Bao et al. compilation, and 1.6 times larger than the value recommended in the KADoNiS (v1) database, based on the only previous experiment. Our result affects the nucleosynthesis at the A∼170 branching, namely, the ^{171}Yb abundance increases in the material lost by asymptotic giant branch stars, providing a better match to the available pre-solar SiC grain measurements compared to the calculations based on the current JEFF-3.3 model-based evaluation.

Stellar ^{36,38}Ar(n,γ)^{37,39}Ar Reactions and Their Effect on Light Neutron-Rich Nuclide Synthesis

The ^{36}Ar(n,γ)^{37}Ar (t_{1/2}=35  d) and ^{38}Ar(n,γ)^{39}Ar (269 yr) reactions were studied for the first time with a quasi-Maxwellian (kT∼47  keV) neutron flux for Maxwellian average cross section (MACS) measurements at stellar energies. Gas samples were irradiated at the high-intensity Soreq applied research accelerator facility-liquid-lithium target neutron source and the ^{37}Ar/^{36}Ar and ^{39}Ar/^{38}Ar ratios in the activated samples were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry at the ATLAS facility (Argonne National Laboratory). The ^{37}Ar activity was also measured by low-level counting at the University of Bern. Experimental MACS of ^{36}Ar and ^{38}Ar, corrected to the standard 30 keV thermal energy, are 1.9(3) and 1.3(2) mb, respectively, differing from the theoretical and evaluated values published to date by up to an order of magnitude. The neutron-capture cross sections of ^{36,38}Ar are relevant to the stellar nucleosynthesis of light neutron-rich nuclides; the two experimental values are shown to affect the calculated mass fraction of nuclides in the region A=36-48 during the weak s process. The new production cross sections have implications also for the use of ^{37}Ar and ^{39}Ar as environmental tracers in the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Measuring neutron capture rates on ILL-produced unstable isotopes (147Pm, 171Tm and 204Tl, and plans for 79Se and 163Ho) for nucleosynthesis studies

Neutron capture cross sections are among the main inputs for nucleosynthesis network calculations. Although well known for the majority of the stable isotopes, this quantity is still unknown for most of the unstable isotopes of interest. A recent collaboration between ILL, PSI, U. Sevilla and IFIC aims at producing the isotopes of interest at ILL, preparing suitable targets at PSI, and measuring their capture cross sections at facilities such as n_TOF/CERN, LiLiT and the Budapest Research Reactor (BRR). This work is focused on the description of the different beams and techniques and shows some highlights of the preliminary results of the capture measurements on 171Tm, 147Pm and 204Tl, along with the future plans for 79Se and 163Ho.

RETENTION OF 7Be IN THE LUNGS FOLLOWING INTAKE BY INHALATION

Several workers were internally exposed to 7Be particles following their dispersion in air from a damaged electrodeposited source. A series of in vivo measurements performed with one worker up to 108 days post exposure determined that retention of 7Be in the thoracic region of the respiratory tract was best described by a two-component exponential function with half-lives of ~0.4 and ~109 days. The initial deposition in the thoracic region was estimated to be 6.8 kBq. The concentration of 7Be in single void urine samples collected from this worker up to 3 days post intake ranged from 1 to 10 Bq/l. In the absence of specific knowledge about the physical and chemical characteristics of the inhaled particles, the committed effective dose was estimated to be 0.3 μSv.

Note: Proton irradiation at kilowatt-power and neutron production from a free-surface liquid-lithium target

The free-surface Liquid-Lithium Target, recently developed at Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF), was successfully used with a 1.9 MeV, 1.2 mA (2.3 kW) continuous-wave proton beam. Neutrons (~2 × 10(10) n/s having a peak energy of ~27 keV) from the (7)Li(p,n)(7)Be reaction were detected with a fission-chamber detector and by gold activation targets positioned in the forward direction. The setup is being used for nuclear astrophysics experiments to study neutron-induced reactions at stellar energies and to demonstrate the feasibility of accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy.

High-power liquid-lithium jet target for neutron production

A compact liquid-lithium target (LiLiT) was built and tested with a high-power electron gun at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center. The lithium target, to be bombarded by the high-intensity proton beam of the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF), will constitute an intense source of neutrons produced by the (7)Li(p,n)(7)Be reaction for nuclear astrophysics research and as a pilot setup for accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. The liquid-lithium jet target acts both as neutron-producing target and beam dump by removing the beam thermal power (>5 kW, >1 MW/cm(3)) with fast transport. The target was designed based on a thermal model, accompanied by a detailed calculation of the (7)Li(p,n) neutron yield, energy distribution, and angular distribution. Liquid lithium is circulated through the target loop at ~200 °C and generates a stable 1.5 mm-thick film flowing at a velocity up to 7 m/s onto a concave supporting wall. Electron beam irradiation demonstrated that the liquid-lithium target can dissipate electron power areal densities of >4 kW/cm(2) and volume power density of ~2 MW/cm(3) at a lithium flow of ~4 m/s while maintaining stable temperature and vacuum conditions. The LiLiT setup is presently in online commissioning stage for high-intensity proton beam irradiation (1.91-2.5 MeV, 1-2 mA) at SARAF.

High-power liquid-lithium target prototype for accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy

A prototype of a compact Liquid-Lithium Target (LiLiT), which will possibly constitute an accelerator-based intense neutron source for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in hospitals, was built. The LiLiT setup is presently being commissioned at Soreq Nuclear Research Center (SNRC). The liquid-lithium target will produce neutrons through the (7)Li(p,n)(7)Be reaction and it will overcome the major problem of removing the thermal power generated using a high-intensity proton beam (>10 kW), necessary for sufficient neutron flux. In off-line circulation tests, the liquid-lithium loop generated a stable lithium jet at high velocity, on a concave supporting wall; the concept will first be tested using a high-power electron beam impinging on the lithium jet. High intensity proton beam irradiation (1.91-2.5 MeV, 2-4 mA) will take place at Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF) superconducting linear accelerator currently in construction at SNRC. Radiological risks due to the (7)Be produced in the reaction were studied and will be handled through a proper design, including a cold trap and appropriate shielding. A moderator/reflector assembly is planned according to a Monte Carlo simulation, to create a neutron spectrum and intensity maximally effective to the treatment and to reduce prompt gamma radiation dose risks.

Effect of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents on platelet-mediated thrombin generation

The present study was designed to determine the mechanism by which and extent to which antagonists of glycoprotein IIbIIIa (GPIIbIIIa or alpha beta ) or activated factor X (FXa) activity block tissue factor-initiated thrombin generation by prothrombinase complexes assembled on the surface of activated platelets. In the presence of high concentrations of GPIIbIIIa antagonists, which eliminate platelet aggregation but not activation, there is still a substantial amount of thrombin produced. In contrast, specific antagonists of the coagulation cascade lead to abolition of both thrombin generation and platelet aggregation. In addition, inhibitors with similar inhibitory activity (Ki) against purified human FXa require a much broader range of concentrations (a variation of 10 000-fold or more) to reduce the amount of thrombin produced in a platelet-rich plasma assay. At the doses tested, inhibitors with greater potency in prevention of thrombin production in the platelet-rich plasma assay were effective in vivo antithrombotics in an animal model system, whereas a lower potency compound did not reduce thrombus mass. Therefore, inhibition of FXa within platelet bound prothrombinase rather than inhibition of purified FXa in solution may be a better predictor of antithrombotic efficacy. In addition, all the studied anticoagulants fared better than the antiplatelet agents in reducing thrombin generation.

Autocatalytic activation of human legumain at aspartic acid residues

Human legumain was characterized following overexpression in a murine cell line as the C-terminal Ig-fusion protein. Upon acid treatment, the prolegumain autoproteolyzed distal to two aspartic acid residues to yield a highly active form. The ability of mature legumain to cleave after aspartic acid residues was confirmed with a small peptide substrate. Substitution of alanine for the putative catalytic cysteine, or for either of two strictly conserved histidine residues, partly or wholly eliminated autoactivation but not the ability of wild-type legumain to correctly process the variants to the properly sized proteins.

Leukocystatin, a new Class II cystatin expressed selectively by hematopoietic cells

We describe a new cystatin in both mice and humans, which we termed leukocystatin. This protein has all the features of a Class II secreted inhibitory cystatin but contains lysine residues in the normally hydrophobic binding regions. As determined by cDNA library Southern blots, this cystatin is expressed selectively in hematopoietic cells, although fine details of the distribution among these cell types differ between the human and mouse mRNAs. In addition, we have determined the genomic organization of mouse leukocystatin, and we found that in contrast to most cystatins, the leukocystatin gene contains three introns. The recombinant proteins corresponding to these cystatins were expressed in Escherichia coli as N-terminal glutathione S-transferase or FLAGTM fusions, and studies showed that they inhibited papain and cathepsin L but with affinities lower than other cystatins. The unique features of leukocystatin suggests that this cystatin plays a role in immune regulation through inhibition of a unique target in the hematopoietic system.

Quantitative effects of antihydrophobic agents on binding constants and solubilities in water

The effects of urea and of guanidinium chloride on binding constants in water for 6-(4-tert-butylanilino)-naphthalene-2-sulfonate and of bis(p-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate binding to beta-cyclodextrin and to N,N'-bis(6-beta-cyclo-dextrinyl)imidazolium ion have been determined. Their effects on the water solubility of p-tert-butylbenzyl alcohol and p-methylbenzyl alcohol have also been examined. Quantitative correlations show that the effects of these additives, which diminish hydrophobic effects, are similar for release of a tert-butylphenyl group from a cyclodextrin cavity into water or for solubilizing such a group from a second phase. The effects of these agents on the binding constants for double-ended substrates binding to the bis(cyclodextrin) host are much larger than for a simple substrate binding to monomeric cyclodextrin, consistent with additivity of free-energy perturbations. Ethanol also decreases binding in these systems, and increases solubilities, but the quantitative correlations are less straightforward.

The association of dyslipoproteinemia with corneal arcus and xanthelasma. The Lipid Research Clinics Program Prevalence Study

The prevalence rates of xanthelasma and corneal arcus were computed for normolipidemic and dyslipoproteinemic participants in the Lipid Research Clinics population surveys. The prevalence of both xanthelasma and corneal arcus increased with age, was highest in persons with type II phenotype, and usually low in those with type IV phenotype. The relative effects of age and use of gonadal hormones were different in the two lesions. Both xanthelasma and corneal arcus were associated with increased levels of plasma cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), especially in young males. In general, persons with either lesion had increased odds of having type IIa dyslipoproteinemia but decreased odds of having type IV. Xanthelasma and corneal arcus were highly associated with each other, especially in young people. There was no consistent univariate association of xanthelasma and corneal arcus with smoking, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, family history of ischemic heart disease, or glucose and uric acid plasma concentrations. Adjusted odds ratios for ischemic heart disease in participants with xanthelasma and corneal arcus were generally increased, except in older female nonusers of gonadal hormones, in whom they were significantly decreased. Neither xanthelasma nor corneal arcus showed a consistent association with manifestations of peripheral arterial disease. Thus the clinical findings of xanthelasma or corneal arcus, especially in young people, seem to identify persons with plasma lipoprotein abnormalities.