Experimental determination of concentration factors of Ni, Ru and Sb in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

This paper describes the experimental determination of concentration factors (CF) for nickel, ruthenium and antimony in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin (Bacillariophyceae), which was chosen as a representative of marine phytoplankton. Better determinations of these CF are needed to improve the modelling of marine ecosystems at release points, where radioactive pollutants enter the ecosystem, for more accurate predictions of radiation dose to humans caused by these pollutants. A literature study revealed that the currently implemented values of these CF are based on very scarce data, and a computational sensitivity study showed that the radiation dose caused by radioisotopes of these elements depend strongly on the phytoplankton CF. Nutrient-enriched water samples from Swedish coastal waters were used as a medium for growing of the diatom species P. tricornutum and radioactive isotopes of the studied elements were added to the cultures during the exponential growth phase. The radioactivity in the P. tricornutum and in the culture medium were measured separately and used for determination of CF. Conservative estimates of the CF based on this phytoplankton proxy on the present data are 6400 L/kg for nickel, 20,000 L/kg for ruthenium and 890 L/kg for antimony, with P. tricornutum biomass masses referring to dry weight. The estimates for nickel and ruthenium are similar to previously published values, which underpins the credibility of radiation dose calculations based on these values. The estimate for antimony is uncertain, but also, to our knowledge, represents the first published experimentally based data on this CF.

Experimental determination of concentration factors of Mn, Zn and I in the phytoplankton species Phaeodactylum Tricornutum

Anthropogenic radionuclides released into the environment cause a radiation dose to wildlife and humans which must be quantified, both to assess the effect of normal releases, and to predict the consequences of a larger, unplanned release. To estimate the spread of the radioactive elements, the ecosystem around release points is modelled, and element uptake is usually quantified by concentration factors (CF), which relates the concentration of an element in an organism to the concentration of the same element in a medium under equilibrium conditions. In this work, we experimentally determine some phytoplankton CF that are needed for improved modelling of the marine ecosystems around nuclear facilities and release points. CFs that require better determination have been identified through literature search. Sensitivity studies, using the currently used ecosystem modelling software PREDO, show that for most studied groups, the dose committed by the respective radionuclides is almost proportional to the corresponding phytoplankton CFs. In the present work, CFs are determined through laboratory experiments with cultured phytoplankton and radionuclides of the concerned elements, assessing the element uptake by the phytoplankton through detection of the emitted radiation. The three CF assessed in this work were those for manganese, zinc and iodine in phytoplankton. Conservative estimates of these CF based on the present data are 40 000 L/kg for manganese, 50 000 L/kg for zinc and 180 L/kg for iodine with the phytoplankton masses referring to their dry weight.

Dependency of BET surface area on particle size for some granitic minerals

In order to assess the geochemical retention properties of rocks, which will be the final barrier for radionuclide transport to the biosphere in the case of a failed deep underground repository for spent nuclear fuel, radionuclide sorption experiments are usually made with crushed material. This raises the issue of extrapolating results obtained from laboratory experiments to the field scale. As sorption is generally related to the surface area of the geological material, it is then important to consider the dependency of the specific surface area on the particle size. In this work, BET surface area determinations of samples of different particle sizes are conducted on two minerals commonly found in granite: labradorite and magnetite. The results show a linear relationship between BET surface area and the inverse of the particle size, up to a certain particle size. Furthermore, results also show that the specific surface area for intact, larger pieces is much smaller than the one predicted by a linear extrapolation of results on crushed material. Therefore, extrapolation of BET area for fine particles to the field situation will lead to an overestimation of the surface area and thereby also the radionuclide sorption, if sorption coefficients are extrapolated as well. Also of importance is that these results show that sorption experiments on crushed material may dominantly reflect properties of new surface, created during the mechanically treatment of the samples.

Diffusion of HTO and cement pore fluids through host rock

In the post-closure period of a deep disposal facility for low- to intermediate-level radioactive waste, highly alkaline pore-fluids chemically equilibrated with cementious components of the engineered barriers will migrate into the surroundings. Primary minerals in the host rock could dissolve and secondary calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) phases might be formed in the micro pore system of the rock and change the available porosity for radionuclides and hence the permeability. Since the retardation of radionuclides in the host rock depends on sorption and matrix diffusion, the study of the mineral reactions is of importance. Experiments with diffusion of HTO and synthetic cementitious pore-waters through 1 cm thick discs of Äspö diorite have been made in a nitrogen-flushed glovebox facility. Synthetic cementitious pore-waters representative of fresh and leached concrete were used. For the fresh pore-water the results show that hydroxide ion diffusion is retarded relative to HTO tracer, indicating that reactions between hydroxide and host rock take place. The result can be interpreted as hydroxide sorption in the rock.

Al and Si did also accumulate on the sampling side which was attributed to mineral dissolution. For the evolved pore-water, no through-diffusion of hydroxide ions or accumulation of other elements in the sampling cell was observed during the sampling period, indicating that the through-diffusion of hydroxide is hindered by this type of pore-water.

A method for preparation and purification of 234Th

An improved method to recover 234Th from depleted uranium has been developed. The method is based on solvent extraction and ion-exchange separations. The final thorium fraction has a high specific activity, about 1-3 PBq/mol Th, which makes it well suited for investigations, where a low thorium concentration is essential. The method is comparably fast, with a total processing time of 2 days. Another advantage is that the uranium fraction can be used as a 234Th generator for several years.

Report on the second EDNAP collaborative STR exercise. European DNA Profiling Group

The European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP) has previously carried out collaborative exercises to determine which STR systems will produce results that can be reproduced by different laboratories. The first EDNAP exercise involving STR systems focused on different types of loci: a simple locus with six common alleles (HUMTH01) and a complex locus with > 35 alleles (ACTBP2). Generally the simpler STR system was found to be readily amenable for use across a wide range of different technologies, whereas a more complex locus presented difficulties. The second EDNAP STR exercise was intended to take the process of investigation a stage further. Some laboratories are developing automation, coupled with fluorescent methods of detection and multiplex applications, whereas others use manual methods involving visual detection techniques such as silver staining. The purpose of this exercise was to determine whether loci amenable to multiplexing with automation (as a quadruplex reaction) could also be successfully used with manual methods, either by multiplexing in duplex reactions or alternatively by using just a single pair of PCR primers.

Fluorescent-based typing of the two short tandem repeat loci HUMTH01 and HUMACTBP2: reproducibility of size measurements and genetic variation in the Swedish population

The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of genetic typing of two tetrameric short tandem repeat (STR) loci and the extent of genetic variation in the Swedish population. An automated, fluorescent-based Applied Biosystems 373A sequencer was used for typing of the HUMTH01 and HUMACTBP2 loci (also named SE33). The former locus has seven alleles in the size range of 154-174 bp, while the latter is a complex locus with more than 32 alleles in the range of 227-316 bp. Using different fluorescent dyes, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from the two STR loci were sized in one lane using an internal size standard. In order to compare within- and between-gel reproducibility of fragment size estimates, a control sample was typed three times on each of 20 gels. Within the gel, the standard deviation (SD) of fragment size variability was less than 0.1 bp for four fragment sizes between 158-291 bp. Standard deviations between gels were slightly higher for the two shorter fragment sizes (HUMTH01), while the larger fragments varied between 0.3 and 0.4 bp (HUMACTBP2). The amount of genetic variation was investigated in samples from three Swedish cities (n = 301). Seven alleles were found at HUMTH01 and the observed heterozygosity was 0.77. At the HUMACTBP2 locus more than thirty alleles were found and the observed heterozygosity was 0.96. The observed genotype frequencies at HUMTH01 and HUMACTBP2 did not deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations. No indication of a significant excess of homozygotes was found at any of the loci. We conclude that both HUMTH01 and HUMACTBP2 can be reliably typed using the method described. However, the latter locus requires an allelic ladder to be run on each gel.

Report of the European DNA profiling group (EDNAP)--towards standardisation of short tandem repeat (STR) loci

This paper describes a collaborative exercise intended to demonstrate whether uniformity of DNA profiling results could be achieved between European laboratories using short tandem repeat (STR) loci. Two different STRs were chosen--HUMTH01 and the AT-rich HUMACTBP2 (SE33). The former locus has only five common alleles, whereas the latter is complex and has at least 30 alleles. Laboratories were asked to test seven blood stains and to report the results to the coordinating laboratory. The exercise demonstrated that the simple STR systems such as HUMTH01 are more amenable to adoption as standard loci than complex AT-rich systems.

Arthroscopy of the hip in juvenile chronic arthritis

After distension of the hip joint with physiological saline followed by traction, hip arthroscopy was performed in 13 patients (15 hips) with juvenile chronic arthritis. Arthroscopy gave better information about the cartilage than the roentgenograms and gave the same information about the synovial membrane as the operation. This diagnostic procedure should be performed early in the course of hip disability.