Emergency response to nuclear, biological and chemical incidents: challenges and countermeasures

Given the multiple terrorist attacks that have occurred in recent years in China, medical rescue teams and specialized incident assessment teams have been established by the government; however, medical rescue after nuclear, biological, and chemical incidents remains challenging and is often inefficient. In the present article, problems were analyzed regarding the assessment of responder countermeasures, training of professionals and the management of emergency medical incidents related to nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. Countermeasures, the establishment of response coordination, public education, practical training and exercise, and a professional consultant team or system should be the focus of emergency medical response facilities. Moreover, the government was offered professionals who are involved in managing nuclear, biological and chemical incidents.

A novel method for simulating nuclear explosion with chemical explosion to form an approximate plane wave: Field test and numerical simulation

A nuclear explosion in the rock mass medium can produce strong shock waves,seismic shocks,and other destructive effects,which can cause extreme damage to the underground protection infrastructures.With the increase in nuclear explosion power,underground protection engineering enabled by explosion-proof impact theory and technology ushered in a new challenge.This paper proposes to simulate nuclear explosion tests with on-site chemical explosion tests in the form of multi-hole explosions.First,the mechanism of using multi-hole simultaneous blasting to simulate a nuclear explosion to generate approximate plane waves was analyzed.The plane pressure curve at the vault of the underground protective tunnel under the action of the multi-hole simultaneous blasting was then obtained using the impact test in the rock mass at the site.According to the peak pressure at the vault plane,it was divided into three regions:the stress superposition region,the superposition region after surface reflection,and the approximate plane stress wave zone.A numerical simulation approach was developed using PFC and FLAC to study the peak particle velocity in the surrounding rock of the underground protective cave under the action of multi-hole blasting.The time-history curves of pressure and peak pressure partition obtained by the on-site multi-hole simultaneous blasting test and numerical simulation were compared and analyzed,to verify the correctness and rationality of the formation of an approximate plane wave in the simulated nuclear explosion.This comparison and analysis also provided a theoretical foundation and some research ideas for the ensuing study on the impact of a nuclear explosion.

Protection of Environment from Damaged Nuclear Station and Transparent Inflatable Blanket for Cities—Protection from Radioactive Dust and Chemical, Biological Weapons

The author, in a series of previous articles, designed the “AB Dome” made of transparent thin film supported by a small additional air overpressure for the purpose of covering a city or other important large installations or sub-regions. In present article the author offers a variation in which a damaged nuclear station can be quickly covered by such a cheap inflatable dome. By containing the radioactive dust from the damaged nuclear station, the danger zone is reduced to about 2 km2 rather than large regions which requires the resettlement of huge masses of people and which stops indus-try in large areas. If there is a big city (as Tokyo) near the nuclear disaster or there is already a dangerous amount of radioactive dust near a city, the city may also be covered by a large inflatable transparent Dome. The building of a gi-gantic inflatable AB Dome over an empty flat surface is not difficult. The cover is spread on a flat surface and a venti-lator (fan system) pumps air under the film cover and lifts the new dome into place but inflation takes many hours. However, to cover a city, garden, forest or other obstacle course in contrast to an empty, mowed field, the thin film cannot be easily deployed over building or trees without risking damage to it by snagging and other complications. This article proposes a new method which solves this problem. The design is a double film blanket filled by light gas such as, methane, hydrogen, or helium - although of these, methane will be the most practical and least likely to leak. Sections of this AB Blanket are lighter than air and will rise in the atmosphere. They can be made on a flat area serving as an as-sembly area and delivered by dirigible or helicopter to station at altitude over the city. Here they connect to the already assembled AB Blanket subassemblies, cover the city in an AB Dome and protect it from bad weather, chemical, bio-logical and radioactive fallout or particulates. After assembly of the dome is completed, the light gas can be replaced by (heavier but cheaper) air. Two projects for Tokyo (Japan) and Moscow (Russia) are used in this paper for sample computation.

Study of Chemical Etching and Chemo-Mechanical Polishing on CdZnTe Nuclear Detectors

Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductor has applications in the detection of X-rays and gamma-rays at room temperature without having to use a cooling system. Chemical etching and chemo-mechanical polishing are processes used to smoothen CdZnTe wafer during detector device fabrication. These processes reduce surface damages left after polishing the wafers. In this paper, we compare the effects of etching and chemo-mechanical polishing on CdZnTe nuclear detectors, using a solution of hydrogen bromide in hydrogen peroxide and ethylene glycol mixture. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to monitor TeO2 on the wafer surfaces. Current-voltage and detector-response measurements were made to study the electrical properties and energy resolution. XPS results showed that the chemical etching process resulted in the formation of more TeO2 on the detector surfaces compared to chemo-mechanical polishing. The electrical resistivity of the detector is of the order of 1010 Ω-cm. The chemo-mechanical polishing process increased the leakage current more that chemical etching. For freshly treated surfaces, the etching process is more detrimental to the energy resolution compared to chemo-mechanically polishing.

Biological effect of expression of exogenous human nuclear receptor hLRH-1 in SW480 cells and its molecular mechanism

Objective： To explore the possible biological function of human nuclear receptor hLRH-1 in tumorigenesis and progress of colon cancer. Methods： Plasmids pcDNA3-hLRH-1 were introduced into SW480 cells via lipofectamine. The expression of mRNA and protein of exogenous hLRH-1 were detected by RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. MTT assay was carried out to survey the proliferation of SW480 cells with overexpression of hLRH-1. Meanwhile, the expression of proliferation-related genes cyclin E1 and cyclin D1, and apoptosis-related genes PTEN and Rbl, were analyzed by realtime RT-PCR. Results： The proliferation of SW480 cells was promoted under the condition of overexpression of hLRH-1. The expression of cyclin E1 was up-regulated significantly, while that of PTEN and Rbl were down-regulated in SW480 cells with overexpressed hLRH-1. Conclusion： The expression of exogenous hLRH-1 in SW480 cells induced the proliferation resulting form up-regulation of cyclin E1, as well as participated in the regulation of apoptosis via influencing the expression of PTEN and Rb1.

Explanation of Cold Nuclear Fusion and Biotransmutations

Low energy nuclear reactions are possible in condensed matter because of image forces. They result from induced charges at the surface of metals or very polarizable media. The height and width of the Coulomb barrier in free space can thus be reduced. Nuclear fusion requires also the formation of a compound nucleus in one of its excited states, but two deuterons yield an α particle that has 2 excited states. They are respectively accessible at high or low energies. Since the reduction of the Coulomb barrier depends on the local curvature of the interface, cold fusion becomes autocatalytic, but heat production is controllable. Even microbes, plants and animals can produce transmutations. They are also due to image forces. This solves a basic problem in nuclear physics and there are possible applications: facilitated synthesis of superheavy elements and development of a new type of energy sources. They are moderate, but safe.

Research and applications of nuclear tracks: Developments in Pakistan and global comparison

The present paper describes the development and applications of nuclear track detection technique in Pakistan. Pakistan entered in the field of nuclear tracks in early 1970s when it was still quite new. Highlights of successes of different Pakistani laboratories, working on nuclear tracks, achieved on their own or in collaboration with similar centers in the world are described briefly. The robust features of this investigation are the comprehensive investigation of the addressed research, analysis and review of results, and discussions with the perspectives of applications and new research directions. Further analysis of the published results by the present author and some new results are also presented. This paper portrays a comprehensive picture of the nuclear track detection research and technology in Pakistan and can be useful for a similar development in any country around the globe.

Nuclear Planetology:Especially Concerning the Moon and Mars

To approach basic scientific questions on the origin and evolution of plan- etary bodies such as planets, their satellites and asteroids, one needs data on their chemical composition. The measurements of gamma-rays, X-rays and neutrons emit- ted from their surface materials provide information on abundances of major elements and naturally radioactive gamma-ray emitters. Neutron spectroscopy can provide sen- sitive maps of hydrogen- and carbon-containing compounds, even if buried, and can uniquely identify layers of carbon-dioxide frost. Nuclear spectroscopy, as a means of compositional analysis, has been applied via orbital and lander spacecraft to extrater- restrial planetary bodies： the Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury and asteroids. The knowl- edge of their chemical abundances, especially concerning the Moon and Mars, has greatly increased in recent years. This paper describes the principle of nuclear spec- troscopy, nuclear planetary instruments carried on planetary missions so far, and the nature of observational results and findings of the Moon and Mars, recently obtained by nuclear spectroscopy.

Analysis of Te and TeO₂on CdZnTe Nuclear Detectors Treated with Hydrogen Bromide and Ammonium-Based Solutions

Surface defects caused during cutting and polishing in the fabrication of cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) nuclear detectors limit their spectral performance. Chemical treatments are often used to remove surface damages and defects. In this paper, we present the analysis of Te and TeO2 species on the surfaces of CdZnTe nuclear detectors treated with hydrogen bromide and ammonium-based solutions. The CdZnTe wafers were chemo-mechanically polished in a mixture of hydrogen bromide in hydrogen peroxide and ethylene glycol, followed by a chemical passivation in a mixture of ammonium fluoride and hydrogen peroxide solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed significant conversion of Te to TeO2, thus producing a more chemically stable surface. The resistivity of the CdZnTe samples is in the order of 1010 ohms-cm. The current for a given applied voltage increased following the passivation and decreased after a 3-hour period. Results from spectral response measurements showed that the 59.5-keV gamma-peak of Am-241 was stable under the same channel for the surface treatment processes.

Research on Monitoring and Earlywarning System of Marine Organisms for the Intake of Nuclear PowerPlants

An monitoring and earlywarning system is proposed for marine organisms and the cause of water intake blockage is analyzed. Based onthe intelligent sensing technology, computer software and hardware technology and digital signal processing technology, the buoy monitoring platformsystem is developed by internet of things technology, cloud computing and the application of large data. Remote realtime monitoring of aquatic organisms and foreign bodies is realized based on underwater acoustic detection and low light imaging technology. Data processing center is established to store, analyze and process monitoring information and display it in real time, and provide emergency decision support. Through development and test of relevant key equipments, the reliability of cold source system of nuclear power plants is improved, which effectively reduces theinfluence of marine biological invasion on security and economic operation of the units.

High-Level Nuclear Wastes and the Environment: Analyses of Challenges and Engineering Strategies

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the current status of high-level nuclear waste disposal along with presentation of practical perspectives about the environmental issues involved. Present disposal designs and concepts are analyzed on a scientific basis and modifications to existing designs are proposed from the perspective of environmental safety. A new concept of a chemical heat sink is introduced for the removal of heat emitted due to radioactive decay in the spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste, and thermal spikes produced by radiation in containment materials. Mainly, UO2 and metallic U are used as fuels in nuclear reactors. Spent nuclear fuel contains fission products and transuranium elements which would remain radioactive for 104 to 108years. Essential concepts and engineering strategies for spent nuclear fuel disposal are described. Conceptual designs are described and discussed considering the long-term radiation and thermal activity of spent nuclear fuel. Notions of physical and chemical barriers to contain nuclear waste are highlighted. A timeframe for nuclear waste disposal is proposed and time-line nuclear waste disposal plan or policy is described and discussed.

Characterization of CdZnTeSe Nuclear Detector Chemically Etched in Bromine Methanol

Semiconductor nuclear radiation detectors made from tertiary and quaternary compounds of cadmium telluride (CdTe) can operate at room temperature without cryogenic cooling. One of such materials that have become of great interest is cadmium zinc telluride selenide (CdZnTeSe). Compared to other CdTe-based materials, such as cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe), CdZnTeSe can be grown with much less Te inclusions and sub-grain boundary networks. Chemical etching is often used to smoothen wafer surfaces during detector fabrication. This paper presents the characterization of CdZnTeSe that is chemically etched using bromine methanol solution. Infrared imaging shows that the wafer has no sub-grain boundary networks that often limit detector performance. The current-voltage (I-V) characterization experiment gave a resistivity of 4.6 × 1010 Ω-cm for the sample. The I-V curve was linear in the ±10 to ±50 volts range. An energy resolution of 7.2% was recorded at 100 V for the 59.6-keV gamma line of 241Am.

Chemical composition and biological activity of Houttuynia cordata

Houttuynia cordata is an important traditional Chinese medicine.It is widely used for clearing heat and detoxification,reducing swelling and treating sores,diuresis and dehumidification.It is also used to treat lung carbuncles,ulcers,hemorrhoids,rectal bleeding,spleen and stomach heat,which are caused by excess heat,heat toxicity,dampness,and disease heat.Modern pharmacological experiments have shown that H.cordata has antibacterial,antiviral,immune enhancing,diuretic and other effects.This article reviews the chemical components and biological activities of H.cordata to provide reference for clinical application.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen clamp associated factor,a potential proto-oncogene with increased expression in malignant gastrointestinal tumors

Gastrointestinal(GI)cancers,including malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs of digestion,represent the leading cause of death worldwide due to the poor prognosis of most GI cancers.An investigation into the potential molecular targets of prediction,diagnosis,prognosis,and therapy in GI cancers is urgently required.Proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)clamp associated factor(PCLAF),which plays an essential role in cell proliferation,apoptosis,and cell cycle regulation by binding to PCNA,is a potential molecular target of GI cancers as it contributes to a series of malignant properties,including tumorigenesis,epithelial-mesenchymal transition,migration,and invasion.Furthermore,PCLAF is an underlying plasma prediction target in colorectal cancer and liver cancer.In addition to GI cancers,PCLAF is also involved in other types of cancers and autoimmune diseases.Several pivotal pathways,including the Rb/E2F pathway,NF-κB pathway,and p53-p21 cascade,are implicated in PCLAF-mediated diseases.PCLAF also contributes to some diseases through dysregulation of the p53 pathway,WNT signal pathway,MEK/ERK pathway,and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal cascade.This review mainly describes in detail the role of PCLAF in physiological status and GI cancers.The signaling pathways involved in PCLAF are also summarized.Suppression of the interaction of PCLAF/PCNA or the expression of PCLAF might be potential biological therapeutic strategies for GI cancers.

Nuclear geyser model of the origin of life:Driving force to promote the synthesis of building blocks of life

We propose the nuclear geyser model to elucidate an optimal site to bear the first life.Our model overcomes the difficulties that previously proposed models have encountered.Nuclear geyser is a geyser driven by a natural nuclear reactor,which was likely common in the Hadean Earth,because of a much higher abundance of 235U as nuclear fuel.The nuclear geyser supplies the following：（1）high-density ionizing radiation to promote chemical chain reactions that even tar can be used for intermediate material to restart chemical reactions,（2）a system to maintain the circulation of material and energy,which includes cyclic environmental conditions（warm/cool,dry/wet,etc.）to enable to produce complex organic compounds,（3）a lower temperature than 100℃ as not to break down macromolecular organic compounds,（4）a locally reductive environment depending on rock types exposed along the geyser wall,and（5）a container to confine and accumulate volatile chemicals.These five factors are the necessary conditions that the birth place of life must satisfy.Only the nuclear geyser can meet all five,in contrast to the previously proposed birth sites,such as tidal flat,submarine hydrothermal vent,and outer space.The nuclear reactor and associated geyser,which maintain the circulations of material and energy with its surrounding environment,are regarded as the nuclear geyser system that enables numerous kinds of chemical reactions to synthesize complex organic compounds,and where the most primitive metabolism could be generated.

Chemical compositions and biological activities of Flos lonicerae

Flos lonicerae is the dry flower bud of Lonicera japonica Thunb,and it is a very important Chinese herbal medicine in China.In ancient times,it was widely used to treat the exopathogenic wind-heat,epidemic febrile diseases,sores,carbuncles and some infectious diseases.Modern pharmacological research has indicated that it has anti-inflammatory,anti-bacterial,anti-viral and anti-oxidation activities.This paper reviews the chemical compositions and biological activities of Flos lonicerae in order to provide reference for its application in clinical practice in the future.

Some Properties of $\pi$ Meson in Nuclear Matter with Finite Density

In the GCM we study some properties of meson as the Goldstone bosons in a nuclear matter with finite density. Using the effective action in a nuclear matter, we calculate the decay constant and mass as functions of the chemical potential. The relation between the chemical potential and the density of a nuclear matter is firstly given here. We find that and monotonously decrease as nuclear matter density increases. The result is consistent with the usual assumption that the chiral symmetry is gradually restored as the density of a nuclear matter increases.

Microscopic Observation of Nuclear Track Pores in Polymeric Membranes

Nuclear track pores were develop and observed in polycarbonate and LR-115 membranes. The polymer membranes were irradiated by swift heavy ions (SHI) and etched chemically. The stopping range of heavy ion is larger than the thickness of the membrane. The fluence of ions was changes from 103 to 107 ions-cm-2. The etching time was increased till pore size reaches up to micron range. The etching conditions were set to develop the porous tracks. The tracks are revealed under optical microscope as the size reaches up to micron or sub-micron size. The size was measured using standard electron diffraction grid. Results show that the porous tracks having average size of 2.4 micron can be developed in polycarbonate, while 5 - 10 micron porous tracks can be developed in LR-115.

Advances in the Study of Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Aloe Vera Flowers

This review summarizes the main chemical composition of Aloe vera flowers and introduces their antioxidant,anti-aging,skin whitening,skin moisturizing,anti-skin irritation,and anti-skin allergy effects.Suggestions for the application of Aloe v.flowers in cosmetics are provided.

Chemical composition and biological activities of Portulaca oleracea

Portulaca oleracea(P.oleracea)is a traditional Chinese herbal that has the effects of soothing the liver and clearing collaterals,strengthening the spleen and stomach,moistening the intestines and detoxifying.With the development of the pharmaceutical industry,the medicinal value of P.oleracea is becoming increasingly prominent.It is commonly used in clinical practice for clearing heat and detoxifying,inhibiting bacteria,preventing and treating diseases such as hypertension,coronary heart disease,and cerebral infarction,indicating its broad application prospects.This study reviews the chemical components and pharmacological activities of P.oleracea in recent decades.