Browsing by Subject "Irradiation"
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Item A study of the relationship of a restricted adequate diet to the tolerance of albino rats to sublethal irradiation(Texas Tech University, 1960-08) Warren, Shirley WilliamsNot availableItem Atomic Scale Details of Defect-Boundary Interactions(2014-12-18) Chen, DiThe study is aimed to understand atomic scale details of defect-boundary interactions, which are critical to develop radiation tolerant fuel cladding materials for harsher neutron environments. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, we addressed the key questions of (1) how defects are trapped by a grain boundary, (2) how defect are annihilated at a grain boundary, and (3) what are upper limits of radiation tolerance of boundary-engineered metals. The modeling is performed by using large-scale atomic/molecular massively parallel simulator (LAMMPS) code and pure Fe is selected as the model material. For mechanism of defect tapping towards a grain boundary, we find that, instead of the general consensus that the trapping is caused by biased defect diffusions due to relatively lower defect formation energies at a grain boundary, long range defect migration is realized by creation of chain like defects. A chain is induced by the stress field around a defect, and is formed by pushing its immediate lattice atom neighbor into an interstitial site. This newly formed interstitial can induce formation of another vacancy-interstitial pair along the chain direction. The process is repeated or simultaneously occurs along the chain. Thus, a chain consists of alternately positioned interstitials and vacancies. The subsequent defect annihilation between neighboring defects on the chain leads to the defect transport. We identify three types of defect transport models which involve different chains. For mechanism of defect annihilation on a grain boundary, we find that both defect transport and interstitial-vacancy recombination are realized by formation of similar chain-like defects. The vacancy and interstitial along the chain correspond to the sites of their corresponding formation energy minima, thus the capability to form such chains is determined by the patterns of boundary defect formation energies. For a boundary of small misorientation angle, chain formation is allowed to occur in one direction only and all chains are parallel to each other. At large angles, however, chains are so close to each other that new allowable chain directions are created by linking patterns from different chains. This suggests that large angle boundaries are more efficient to move and recombine defects. The modeling further calculates the energy barriers for chain-mediated defect recombination under different boundary configurations. These findings lead to the conclusion that defect sink strengths of grain boundaries are determined by not only the efficiency to transport to boudnaries, but also the efficiency to recombine boundary defects. Otherwise, the difficulty to remove defects will quickly turn of the sink property. This is confirmed by comparing the width of defect denuded zone created around a boundary, in a cell randomly bombarded by Fe self-ions to different damage levels. A large angle boundary is more preferred to achieve maximum radiation tolerance.Item Characterization of an in-core irradiator for testing of microelectronics in a mixed radiation environment(2003) Aghara, Sukesh K.; Charlton, William S.In recent years, the space industry is increasingly in search of easily available commercial and emerging technology devices in order to meet rigorous spacecraft requirements such as weight, power, and cost. Before an electronic device is put in a radiation environment, it is pre-tested and certified for space applications. This process of radiation testing and certification is costly and time intensive. Development of a test methodology and a facility to perform these tests quickly and cost effectively would facilitate the radiation effects community and NASA to fulfill the “Faster, Better, Cheaper”. With the rapid developments in the field of satellitebased telecommunications, the move from analog to digital controls for all electronic devices is imminent; hence, the need for radiation-hardened mixed signal processing devices is obvious. Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) are of particular interest due to their complex design and performance and their importance in digital signal processing. Limited literature exists for radiation effects on DAC. Most of these studies were performed with γ-ray irradiations (Total Ionization Dose, TID) but the much needed displacement damage data is absent. In the first phase of this work, an in-core mixed radiation (neutron and γ-ray) test facility at the University of Texas at Austin TRIGA Mark II nuclear research reactor was fully characterized. Further, a test methodology to perform radiation testing on complex “off-the-shelf” semiconductor circuits in a time and cost effective manner was developed. In the second phase, the characterized test facility and the methodology were then employed to successfully assess performance degradation of three commercially available DAC circuits: DAC 0808, MC 1408 (DIP package) and MC 1408 (SOIC package). This research has resulted in the development of a unique in-core fast neutron irradiation facility from a research reactor source. The average fast flux of 1.2E9 n/ cm 2 -s at 1 kW enables the generally desired 1E14 neutron fluence by the radiation testing community in a 1 hour irradiation. This facilitates the radiation effects community with a much desired cost- and time-effective neutron displacement damage test facility. The test facility was successfully used to determine neutron displacement damage in all three DAC circuits. The experimentally observed performance degradation curves for DAC shows that all three DAC performed within the company specifications at 1 MeV neutron fluence of 1.5E14 n/cm2 -s. It also demonstrated a test methodology that can be employed to analyze performance degradation in DAC and other complex semiconductor circuits using neutron and γ- ray irradiations.Item Conjugated linoleic acid reduces lipid oxidation in irradiated, cooked ground beef patties(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Chae, Sung HeeThis study was conducted to examine the antioxidative effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in irradiated, cooked ground beef patties. The hypothesis was that CLA would be retained during irradiation and would reduce lipid oxidation that is caused by irradiation. The objective was to evaluate the effects of CLA alone and in combination with irradiation on lipid oxidation, fatty acid composition, cooking loss, moisture and fat content, and trained panel sensory evaluations of beef patties. CLA was added at 0, 1, 2, or 4% level during the grinding process. Addition of CLA during the grinding process increased CLA cis-9,trans-11 and CLA trans-10,cis-12 isomers in both irradiated and non-irradiated cooked ground beef patties (irradiated at 1.6 kGy) (P = 0.0001). Weight loss during cooking was greater in irradiated beef patties than in non-irradiated patties (P = 0.004). Irradiation reduced the serumy/bloody aromatic attribute and increased browned aromatic attribute, browned aftertaste, and wet dog/hairy aromatic attribute (P < 0.05). There was no significant main effect of irradiation on the basic tastes. The linoleic acid, CLA cis-9,trans-11, and CLA trans-10,cis-12 were decreased by irradiation (P < 0.05). Although irradiation decreased the CLA isomers, higher percentages of CLA isomers were retained in irradiated patties containing a 4% free fatty acid preparation of CLA (FFA-CLA), reflecting the ability of the FFA preparation to reduce lipid oxidation that is caused by irradiation. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were significantly higher in irradiated, cooked ground beef patties than in non-irradiated ground beef patties (P = 0.004). Although the FFA-CLA was effective in reducing lipid oxidation that is caused by irradiation, it increased painty aromatic attribute, bitter taste, and astringent aftertaste due to the soapy flavor of the free fatty acid (all P < 0.05). The FFA-CLA decreased cooked beef/brothy and serumy/bloody aromatic attribute and browned aftertaste (all P < 0.05). The 1% triacylglycerol (TAG) preparation of CLA reduced TBARS in irradiated, cooked patties to levels seen in control, non-irradiated patties. The 1% TAG concentration also provided good retention of CLA in the cooked ground beef.Item Determination of fission product yields of 235U using gamma ray spectroscopy(2012-12) Lu, Christopher Hing; Biegalski, Steven R.; Landsberger, SheldonIt is important to have a method of experimentally calculating fission product yields. Statistical calculations and simulations produce very large uncertainties. Experimental calculations, depending on the methods used, tend to produce lower uncertainties. This work set up a method to calculate fission product yields using gamma ray spectroscopy. In order to produce a method that was theoretically sound, a simulation was set up using OrigenArp to calculate theoretical concentrations of fission products from the irradiation of natural uranium. From these concentrations, the fission product yields were calculated to verify that they would agree with expected values. Moving forward in the work, the total flux at the point of irradiation, in the pneumatic transfer system, was calculated and determined to be 3.9070E+11 ± 6.9570E+10 n/cm^2/s at 100 kW. Once the flux was calculated, the method for calculating fission product yields was implemented and yields were calculated for 10 fission products. The yields calculated were in very good agreement (within 10.04%) with expected values taken from the ENDF-349 library. This method has strong potential in nuclear forensics as it can provide a means for developing a library of experimentally-determined fission product yields, as well as rapid post-nuclear detonation analysis.Item Effect of electron beam irradiation and sugar content on kinetics of microbial survival(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Rodriguez Gonzalez, OscarThe killing effectiveness of electron beam irradiation has not been completely characterized. The type of microorganisms and the composition of food have a direct effect on the efficiency of this technology. The objectives of this study were to select a surrogate suitable for use in electron beam irradiation studies of fruits and to evaluate the effect of sugar content on the kinetics of microbial damage and recovery. A 2.0 MeV Van de Graaff linear accelerator was used to apply irradiation (up to 5.0 kGy), using different configurations, on gelatin-based systems with the addition of sugars. The systems were inoculated with pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria strains (surrogates). Initial studies showed that Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 is a suitable surrogate that represents the damage induced to common fruit pathogens by irradiation. The reduction in bacteria population can be maintained by storing samples at 4????C. An increase in temperature up to 20????C was enough for the damaged population to recover in 48 hours. Gelatin-based systems proved to be a simple and inexpensive medium to evaluate the effects of irradiation (up to 5.0 kGy) on selected bacteria. Reduction of the system dimensions and their positioning related to the beam source were key factors in increasing the killing effectiveness of irradiation. The sugar levels (up to 8 %) used to mimic the maturity of cantaloupes had no effect on the radiation D10 values and the recovery of the surrogate population quantified as Generation Times. The resistance of the surrogate to irradiation was validated in an optimum configuration and in cantaloupes. Temperature and sugar content caused significantly higher changes to the physical structure of the gel-based systems than irradiation (1.0 kGy). Plate counts and light microscopy techniques demonstrated that the structure of the gelatin-based systems allow for motility of the bacteria in a 3-D array (length, width and depth). When little information was available about the effectiveness of using a low energy linear accelerator, the inoculation of gelatin-based systems proved to be a reliable method to select a suitable surrogate and to predict the effects of irradiation on bacteria as a function of sugar content.Item Evaluating Quality and Palatability Characteristics of Beef Subprimals Treated with Low-dose Irradiation(2012-02-14) Arnold, JohnThis study was conducted to evaluate the impact of low-dose irradiation on beef quality and sensory attributes. Beef top rounds (n=10), bottom round flats (n=10), and knuckles (n=18) were collected from a commercial meat processing facility. Paired subprimals were randomly assigned to treated (irradiated) and control (non-irradiated) groups. The treated group was irradiated with a surface dose of 1-1.5 kGy. Following treatment, subprimals were fabricated into thirds and randomly assigned to one of three aging days (0, 14, or 21). After the aging period, subprimal pieces were trimmed, cut into 2.54 cm steaks, and the resulting trimmings were ground to produce 0.113 kg patties. Steaks and patties were randomly assigned to one of two shelf-life days (2 or 4). During retail display, L*, a*, and b* measurements were taken for raw steak and patty color (0, 2, and 4 day). Steaks and patties from all treatments were evaluated by a trained sensory panel for flavor, basic taste, mouthfeel, after-taste, and texture attributes. Steaks and patties were cooked on open-faced grills, and used for cooked color analysis. Samples from across treatments were used for TBARS analysis. Differences in raw steak and patty color were seen among samples. No differences were evident between cooked steak samples; however, cooked patty color differences were observed. Further, numerous palatability attributes were impacted by treatment. Additionally, differences in TBARS values were seen. These results suggest that if chilled subprimals or carcasses were treated with low-dose e-beam irradiation, quality and palatability characteristics could be negatively impacted.Item Evaluation of potential induced activity in medical devices sterilized with electron beam irradiation as a function of maximum electron energy(2010-12) Smith, Mark Anthony, 1956-; Biegalski, Steven R.; Landsberger, Sheldon; Schneider, Erich; Raizen, Mark; Hearnsberger, DavidCommercial sterilization of medical devices may be performed using electron beam irradiators, which operate at various electron energies. The potential for activating components of the devices has been discussed, with current standards stating that an electron energy greater than 10 MeV requires assessment of potential induced radioactivity. There does not appear to be a literature citation for this energy limit, but it is the accepted default assumption within the industry. This research was directed at evaluating potential activation in medical products sterilized in electron beam as a function of the electron maximum energy. Monte Carlo simulation of a surrogate medical device was used to calculate photon and neutron fields resulting from electron irradiation, which were used to calculate concentrations for several radionuclides. The predominant mechanism for inducing radioactivity is photoneutron production in metal elements. Other mechanisms, including photoneutron production in deuterium with subsequent neutron capture, neutron capture of the photoneutrons produced in metal elements, and isomeric excitation, are all possible means of inducing radioactivity in similar conditions, but none made a perceptible contribution to activation in these experiments. The experiments confirmed that 10 MeV is a conservative assumption that any lower energy does not create significant activation. However, in the absence of a limited number of elements, the amount of induced radioactivity at 11 MeV and 12 MeV could also be considered insignificant. When based on an estimate of the amount of metal present in a medical device, the sum-of-fractions comparison to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission exempt concentration limits is less than unity for all energies below 12.1 MeV, which suggests that there is minimal probability of significant induced activity at energies above the generally-accepted standard 10 MeV upper energy limit.Item Experimental validation and evaluation of uncertainty in the monte carlo modeling of electron irradiation of complex objects(2009-05-15) Tutt, Teresa ElizabethMonte Carlo method is an invaluable tool in the field of radiation protection, used to calculate shielding effectiveness, as well as dose for medical applications. With few exceptions, most of the objects currently simulated have been homogeneous materials that vary in density by a factor of 3 or less. In the irradiation of very heterogeneous objects, particularly layered or leafy food items, one will encounter air pockets within the bundle as a matter of course. These pockets will cause variations in density of up to three orders of magnitude. Air pockets in a tissue equivalent phantom were found to produce ?hot spots? in the dose distribution, and introduced significant deviations between the calculated and measured distribution of dose to the phantom. To date, very little published work had been done in the area of Monte-Carlo simulation of objects of such disparate density. Before Monte Carlo methods can be used successfully in this regime, further code development and experimental validation will be necessary, of which this work is just a beginning. Phantoms were made of corrugated low-Z material similar in electron density to plant based material. These phantoms incorporated air gaps of comparable size to those found in the leafy objects of interest. Dimensions were chosen to bracket electron ranges in the material of the objects modeled. Monte Carlo analysis will provide a reasonable qualitative picture of the dose distribution, but such a picture is not yet sufficiently accurate in a quantitative sense. Air gaps within the plant material produced large discrepancies between calculation and measurement. Smaller air gaps were observed to produce greater discrepancy between calculation and measurement.Item Photoinduced interaction of 8-methoxypsoralen (a skin sensitizer) with DNA and its effect on DNA replication(Texas Tech University, 1977-08) Tsai, Chee-HwayNot availableItem Plasma-laser interactions with solid polystyrene microspheres(Texas Tech University, 1977-05) Smith, David LNot availableItem Targeted Inactivation of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium in Fresh Cantaloupe Flesh (Cucumis melo L.) Using Electron Beam Irradiation(2011-08-08) Chimbombi, Ezekiel M.Food irradiation is costly in terms of the energy utilized and the time spent, therefore, it is imperative to optimize it in order to avoid sub lethal dose or an overdose both of which have detrimental effects on the quality of fresh produce such as cantaloupe. The bacterial load in fresh cut cantaloupe flesh was quantified on the basis of growth and mobility over time, and used as the basis for targeted irradiation simulation. The bacterial growth was predicted using the Gompertz model, while a power law function was used for predicting the bacterial mobility. The microbiological structure of cantaloupe flesh was assessed using Transmission Electron, Scanning Electron, and Light Microscopy as a basis for understanding the mobility of the bacteria into the internal mesocarp tissues. A plate assay was also undertaken to determine the possibility of S. typhimurium producing cell wall degrading enzymes such as polygalacturonase to gain access into intact fresh cantaloupe tissues. S. typhimurium in fresh cut cantaloupe flesh has a lag phase duration of 7.76 hours and can reach a maximum population of 7.98 logs CFU/g in 30 hours. Cantaloupe flesh has a vast network of intracellular spaces through which the bacteria can move into the internal mesocarp tissues, particularly because S. typhimurium (LT2) does not produce any enzymes such as polygalacturonase which could be breaking down the cell wall binding structures as a mechanism for internalization into intact internal tissues. A theoretical bacterial inactivation dose estimate based on the experimentally determined D10-value and the bacterial population was used to simulate irradiation treatment of the cantaloupe flesh samples using a 10MeV electron beam irradiator (LINAC) to establish the best treatment. The optimal 10 MeV electron beam irradiation treatment for S. typhimurium internalized in fresh cut cantaloupe samples for 30 hours was determined to be a double beam with 0.5 cm attenuation of Lucite (Trademark) at the top and 3.3 cm at the bottom.Item The effects of cooking, storage, and ionizing irradiation on carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)(Texas A&M University, 2005-11-01) Blessington, TyannPast research conducted by our lab demonstrated that potatoes contain significant levels of phytochemicals important to human health. However, since potatoes are not consumed raw, it is important to determine the effects of processing on these levels. Therefore, the changes in carotenoid content, antioxidant activity, and phenolic content were investigated using combinations of cultivars, cooking methods, storage treatments, and low-dose ionizing irradiation. Carotenoid content was measured via absorbance at 445 nm, 450 nm, and HPLC identification. Antioxidant activity was measured initially and at stabilization via the DPPH method and phenolic content was measured via the Folin method and HPLC identification. Microwaved, baked, fried, and raw potato samples contained more carotenoids than boiled samples. The samples microwaved, baked, and fried contained higher antioxidant activity and phenolics than the boiled or raw samples. However, the compound quercetin dihydrate appeared to decrease with cooking. Carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and phenolics appeared to decrease with storage; however, high storage temperatures and long storage times were believed to cause a dehydration and concentration of compounds, which caused levels to be equal to or greater than before storage. However, this decreasing trend was not linear and there were multiple significant interactions. The compound chlorogenic acid appeared to be quite sensitive to high temperature storage. Irradiation dose appeared to have only a minor, if any, effect on carotenoid levels. The interaction between storage time and irradiation dose was very influential on antioxidant activity. In early stages of storage, higher doses of irradiation had greater antioxidant activity, while, with continued storage, low doses had higher antioxidant activity. Exposure to irradiation appeared to cause an increase in phenolic content, determined by the Folin method. There may be a stimulation, induction, or release of some compounds due to processing; however, its magnitude is not believed to be as great as genetic control. The effects of processing can not be denied and should continue to be investigated. Future studies investigating the health properties of fruits and vegetables, particularly potatoes should include processing effects.