Natural background radiation dose rate levels and incidences of reproductive abnormalities in high radiation area in Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria

A 10 y (1999-2008) birth records from two public and most accessible maternity hospitals locally in the city of Abeokuta, Nigeria were used to investigate the possible association of high outdoor gamma radiation exposure on reproductive abnormalities in the city. From the delivery record of 11,923 births in the period under study, a total number of 485 incidences of reproductive abnormalities were recoded. These incidences comprise 228 multiple births, 190 still births and, 67 premature births. Using the available terrestrial gamma radiation exposure data for the city and different reproductive abnormalities, regression assessment was carried out using the Pearson Product Moment (PPM) correlation statistics. The correlation showed that the incidences of reproductive abnormalities and the radiation dose levels were negatively correlated and correlation coefficient values were very low for each of the reproductive abnormalities considered. Factors such as socio-economic potentials of patients, dietary and other environmental factors may have substantial influence on the reproductive defects in the area other than radiation. However, the present study has added to the radiometric information needed in understanding the relationship between natural outdoor radiation exposure and occurrences of reproductive abnormalities in areas of high radiation in the country.

Radiation Effect on Natural Convection Near a Vertical Plate Embedded in Porous Medium with Ramped Wall Temperature

Radiation effect on the natural convection flow of an optically thin viscous incompressible fluid near a vertical plate with ramped wall temperature in a porous medium has been studied. The exact solution of momentum and energy equations is obtained by the use of Laplace transform technique. The variations in fluid velocity and temperature are shown graphically whereas the numerical values of shear stress and the rate of heat transfer at the wall are presented in tabular form for various values of flow parameters. The results show that the fluid velocity increases with increase in Grashof number, Darcy number and time parameters whereas the fluid velocity decreases with increase in the radiation parameter and Prandtl number for ramped temperature as well as isothermal wall temperature. It is found that an increase in radiation parameter leads to rise the temperature for both ramped wall temperature as well as isothermal wall temperature. Further, it is found that an increase in Prandtl number leads to fall the temperature for both ramped wall temperature as well as isothermal wall temperature. The shear stress at the wall decreases with increases in either Prandtl number or porosity parameter while the result shows reverse in the case of radiation parameter. Finally, the rate of heat transfer is increased with increases in the radiation parameter for both ramped wall temperature as well as isothermal wall temperature.

The 2010–2020 National Natural Science Foundation of China:Radiation Therapy

Objective This study explains the application number and funding rate of oncology projects undertaken by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC),with focus on tumor radiotherapy-related research over the past 11 years.Methods A stratified analysis was carried out on the application and funding status of tumor radiotherapy studies in different NSFC project categories,different research areas,and different tumor types.Research areas that required specific focus,such as immunology-related radiotherapy,multimodality imaging and radiomics,and post-radiotherapy organ injury,were separately analyzed.Results The status and development trends of various related research fields were studied,and the research results were presented with the support of the NSFC,in order to provide reference for future applications and funding allocations.Conclusion The number of applications for funding increases every year.Although the total number of funded projects has also increased every year,the funding rate has decreased year by year.Projects on radiotherapy and immunization have been at the forefront in recent years,and the funding rate for these projects increases yearly.

An investigation into natural vibrations of fluid-structure interaction systems subject to Sommerfeld radiation condition

A fluid-structure interaction system subject to Sommerfeld＇s condition is defined as a Sommerfeld system which is divided into three categories： Fluid Sommerfeld （FS） System, Solid Sommerfeld （SS） System and Fluid Solid Sommerfeld （FSS） System of which Sommerfeld conditions are imposed on a fluid boundary only, a solid boundary only and both fluid and solid boundaries, respectively. This paper follows the previous initial results claimed by simple examples to further mathematically investigate the natural vibrations of generalized Sommerfeld systems. A new parameter representing the speed of radiation wave for generalized 3-D problems with more complicated boundary conditions is introduced into the Sommerfeld condition which allows investigation of the natural vibrations of a Sommerfeld system involving both free surface and compressible waves. The mathematical demonstrations and selected examples confirm and reveal the natural behaviour of generalized Sommerfeld systems defined above. These generalized conclusions can be used in theoretical or engineering analysis of the vibrations of various Sommerfeld systems in engineering.

Conduction-radiation effect on transient natural convection with thermophoresis

This paper discusses the effect of thermophoretic particle deposition on the transient natural convection laminar flow along a vertical fiat surface, which is immersed in an optically dense gray fluid in the presence of thermal radiation. In the analysis, the radiative heat flux term is expressed by adopting the Rosseland diffusion approximation. The governing equations are reduced to a set of parabolic partial differential equations. Then, these equations are solved numerically with a finite-difference scheme in the entire time regime. The asymptotic solutions are also obtained for sufficiently small and large time. The obtained asymptotic solutions are then compared with the numerical solutions, and they are found in excellent agreement. Moreover, the effects of different physical pa- rameters, i.e., the thermal radiation parameter, the surface temperature parameter, and the thermophoretic parameter, on the transient surface shear stress, the rate of surface heat transfer, and the rate of species concentration, as well as the transient velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are shown graphically for a fluid （i.e., air） with the Prandtl number of 0.7 at 20℃ and 1.013 × 10^5 Pa.

Natural Radiation Protection and Analysis in Underground Caverns

Underground caverns have important military and civilian uses, but their internal natural radiation may endanger human health, and it is necessary to implement protection. The protective measures taken for an underground cavern in Chongqing have obvious effects. The results show that cleaning the radiation source in the environment and sealing the gap of the hole can re-duce the natural radiation intensity inside the cavern to a certain extent, reducing the ambient temperature can significantly reduce the natural radiation intensity inside the cavern, the use of press-in ventilation can greatly reduce the natural radiation intensity inside the cavern, the cumulative drop can reach 25.63%, and the protective effect is obvious. These protective measures can be used in underground caverns to improve the safety of military and civilian activities.

Conjugate Effects of Heat and Mass Transfer on Natural Convection Flow along an Isothermal Sphere with Radiation Heat Loss

Conjugate effects heat and mass transfer on free convection flow across an isothermal sphere immersed in a viscous incompressible fluid in the presence of species concentration with radiation heat loss has been investigated in this paper. The governing boundary layer equations are first transformed into a non-dimensional form and the resulting nonlinear systems of partial differential equations are then solved numerically using Finite—difference method with Keller-box Scheme. We have focused our attention on the evaluation velocity profiles, temperature profiles and species concentration profiles of the fluid as well as the local skin friction coefficient, local heat transfer rate and local species concentration transfer rate for a wide range of radiation parameter Rd, Schmidt number Sc and Prandlt number Pr.

Research Progress of Natural Active Components against Damage from UV Radiation

The sun's ultraviolet(UV)rays are extremely harmful to the skin.In addition to causing sunburn and aging,excessive UV radiation can also lead to benign or malignant skin tumors.This paper reviews the researches on natural active components against damage from UV radiation,and summarizes the types of compounds,research methods and mechanisms of action.Moreover,the main problems in current research are put forward,and the possible development direction in the future is discussed.

Determining Natural Radiation Level in River Water of Upper Euphrates(Karasu)Basin’s Part Located in Erzincan Province Borders

Within the scope of this study,it is aimed to contribute to the efforts for forming a database including the natural radiation levels throughout the country and developing a foundation for radiation safety.Karasu portion of the Euphrates valley within the provincial border of Erzincan was chosen for the investigation and natural radiation levels were detected by analyzing the samples taken in terms of radioactivity,natural environment’s radiation streams.Throughout the region of Karasu,29 different samples from the water and 17 from the soil were taken and their total alpha,beta activities were detected.To take samples from the water and then they were measured by low background counter(Berthold brand LB770 10-channel counter).Total alpha and beta analyses were made according to the standard methods.Average values of alpha and beta concentrations of samples were measured as 0.0421 Bq/L and 1.806 Bq/L,respectively.For the soil samples HPGe gamma spectrometer system was used and radioisotope activity concentrations were found within the intervals of 2.7-27.8 Bq/kg for 226Ra;3.2-39.4 Bq/kg for 232Th;98-714 Bq/kg for 40K;<0.4-57.8 Bq/kg for 137Cs,respectively.Different radioisotopes were detected in some of the samples taken from streaming beds joining river water.

Transient Natural Convection in an Annulus with Thermal Radiation

The interaction of transient fully developed natural convection flow with thermal radiation inside a vertical annulus is analyzed both analytically and numerically. The Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The mathematical model capturing the present physical situation is highly non-linear due to the presence of radiation effect. The solution of transient model is obtained by implicit finite difference method. To check accuracy of the numerical solution, steady state solution for energy and momentum equations are derived analytically using perturbation series method. Skin-friction and Nusselt number at the outer surface of inner cylinder as well as inner surface of the outer cylinder are obtained. Selected sets of graphical results illustrating the effects of various controlling parameters involved in the problem on flow formation are discussed.

Effect of Sinusoidal Heating on Natural Convection Coupled to Thermal Radiation in a Square Cavity Subjected to Cross Temperature Gradients

Coupled natural convection and surface radiation within a square cavity, filled with air and submitted to discrete heating and cooling from all its walls, is studied numerically. The thermally active elements are centrally located on the walls of the cavity. Two heating modes, called SB and SV, are considered. They correspond to bottom and vertical left elements sinusoidally heated in time, respectively, while the top and vertical right ones are constantly cooled. The remaining portions of all the walls are considered adiabatic. The parameters governing the problem are the amplitude and the period of the temporally sinusoidal temperature, the emissivity of the walls , the relative lengths of the active elements and the Rayleigh number . The effect of such parameters on flow and thermal fields and the resulting heat transfer is examined. It is shown that, during a flow cycle, the flow structure can present complex behavior, depending on the emissivity and the amplitude and period of the exciting temperature. The rate of heat transfer is generally enhanced in the case of sinusoidal heating. Also, the resonance phenomenon existence, characterized by maximum fluctuations in flow intensity and heat transfer, is proved in this study.

Applications of Natural Radiation-Induced Paramagnetic Defects in Quartz to Exploration in Sedimentary Basins

Quartz grains in contact with uranium-bearing minerals or fluids are characterized by natural radiation-induced paramagnetic defects （e. g. , oxygen vacancy centers, silicon vacancy centers, and peroxy radicals）, which are amenable to study by electron paramagnetic resonance （EPR） spectroscopy. These natural radiation-induced paramagnetic defects, except for the oxygen vacancy centers, in quartz are concentrated in narrow bands penetrated by α particles： （1） in halos around U- and Th-bearing mineral inclusions and （2） in outer rims or along fractures. The second type of occurrence provides information about uranium mineralization or remobilization （i. e. , sources of uranium, timing of mineralization or remobilization, pathways of uranium-bearing fluids）. It can also be used to evaluate sedimentary basins for potential of uranium mineralization. In particular, the peroxy radicals are stable up to 800℃ and, therefore, are useful for evaluating metasedimentary rocks （e. g. , Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary sequences in the central zone of the North China craton）. EPR study of the Changcheng Series can focus on quartz from the sediment-basement unconformity and faults to determine the presence and types of natural radiation-induced paramagnetic defects, with which to identify and prioritize uranium anomalies. Other potential applications of natural radiation-induced paramagnetic defects in quartz include uranium-bearing hydrocarbon deposits in sedimentary basins. For example, the Junggar, Ordos, and Tarim basins in northwestern China all contain important oil and natural gas fields and are well known for elevated uranium concentrations, including economic sandstone-hosted uranium deposits. Therefore, systematic studies on the distribution of natural radiation-induced paramagnetic defects in quartz from host sedimentary sequences are expected to provide information about the migration of oil and natural gas in those basins.

Simulation of the Ecosystem Productivity Responses to Aerosol Diffuse Radiation Fertilization Effects over the Pan-Arctic during 2001–19

The pan-Arctic is confronted with air pollution transported from lower latitudes.Observations have shown that aerosols help increase plant photosynthesis through the diffuse radiation fertilization effects(DRFEs).While such DRFEs have been explored at low to middle latitudes,the aerosol impacts on pan-Arctic ecosystems and the contributions by anthropogenic and natural emission sources remain less quantified.Here,we perform regional simulations at 0.2o×0.2ousing a well-validated vegetation model(Yale Interactive terrestrial Biosphere,YIBs)in combination with multi-source of observations to quantify the impacts of aerosol DRFEs on the net primary productivity(NPP)in the pan-Arctic during 2001-19.Results show that aerosol DRFEs increase pan-Arctic NPP by 2.19 Pg C(12.8%)yr^(-1)under clear-sky conditions,in which natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to 8.9% and 3.9%,respectively.Under all-sky conditions,such DRFEs are largely dampened by cloud to only 0.26 Pg C(1.24%)yr^(-1),with contributions of 0.65% by natural and 0.59% by anthropogenic species.Natural aerosols cause a positive NPP trend of 0.022% yr^(-1)following the increased fire activities in the pan-Arctic.In contrast,anthropogenic aerosols induce a negative trend of-0.01% yr^(-1)due to reduced emissions from the middle latitudes.Such trends in aerosol DRFEs show a turning point in the year of 2007 with more positive NPP trends by natural aerosols but negative NPP trends by anthropogenic aerosols thereafter.Though affected by modeling uncertainties,this study suggests a likely increasing impact of aerosols on terrestrial ecosystems in the pan-Arctic under global warming.

Extraction of the key infrared radiation temperature features concerning stress and crack evolution of loaded rocks

The infrared radiation temperature(IRT)variation concerning stress and crack evolution of rocks is a critical focus in rock mechanics domain and engineering disaster warning.In this paper,a methodology to extract the key IRT features related to stress and crack evolution of loaded rocks is proposed.Specifically,the wavelet denoising and reconstruction in thermal image sequence(WDRTIS)method is employed to eliminate temporal noise in thermal image sequences.Subsequently,the adaptive partition temperature drift correction(APTDC)method is introduced to alleviate temperature drift.On this basis,the spatial noise correction method based on threshold segmentation and adaptive median filtering(OTSU-AMF)is proposed to extract the key IRT features associated with microcracks of loaded rocks.Following temperature drift correction,IRT provides an estimation of the thermoelastic factor in rocks,typically around 5.29×10^(-5) MPa^(-1) for sandstones.Results reveal that the high-temperature concentrated region in cumulative thermal images of crack evolution(TICE)can elucidate the spatiotemporal evolution of localized damage.Additionally,heat dissipation of crack evolution(HDCE)acquired from TICE quantifies the progressive failure process of rocks.The proposed methodology enhances the reliability of IRT monitoring results and provides an innovative approach for conducting research in rock mechanics and monitoring engineering disasters.

Formation of Natural Melanin/TiO_(2) Nanostructure Hybrids with Enhanced Optical,Thermal and Magnetic Properties as a Soft Material

The natural Melanin/TiO_(2) was synthesized by the use of ultrasonication under UV radiation.The influence of natural melanin on the structural,optical and thermal properties of TiO_(2) nanoparticles was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy.It was observed that incorporating natural melanin on TiO_(2) nanoparticles(TiO_(2)-Mel)occurred at 2.01 eV with a low value of Urbach energy around 100 meV indicating improvement in the crystalline structure.Magnetic measurement at room temperature showed diamagnetic behavior.Furthermore,thermal results showed that TiO_(2)-Mel is stable even at temperatures up to 400℃.According to the results obtained by the thermal stability of melanin with titanium dioxide,it can be a good candidate in many applications such as solar cells and optoelectronics.

Experimental investigation on the radiation background inside body counters

In vivo measurement of radioactivity based on various body counters is arguably the leading measure used to determine the distribution and activity of radionuclides in human subjects,such as I-131 in the thyroid,Am-241 in the lungs,and Pb-210 in the skull.Throughout the measurements,the radiation background is the key factor that determines the sensitivity of the counter.Therefore,to facilitate in vivo measurements,a well-designed shielding room is required to create a low-background environment.However,because the compositions of the radiation background are quite complicated,the respective contributions from each source remain obscure,which places a considerable burden on seeking an optimized design of shielding rooms that strikes the optimum balance between the construction cost and background suppression effect.In this study,we conducted a systematic experimental investigation on the radiation background outside and inside four representative body counters with assorted designs using a variety of radiation detectors,including high-purity germanium detectors,CdZnTe detector,radon emanometer,and gamma-ray dosimeter.By carefully controlling the experimental conditions and synergetic analysis of the measurement results,in conjunction with previous studies,we separated and determined the relative contributions induced by environmental radiation(4%),airborne radon and its daughters(2%),the normal radioactivity of human subjects arising from K-40(58%),cosmic rays(12%),and radioactivity in shielding materials and measuring instruments(24%).Furthermore,based on these results,we discuss practical guidelines to design a shielding room for body counters.

The Background Variation of Natural Source ELF and Its EM Abnormal Phenomena in Yunnan Earthquakes

In order to add earthquake monitoring methods and develop new method research,the ELF Network for Earthquake Monitoring selected 30 stations in the Capital Circle and the Sichuan-Yunnan region. Finding electromagnetic field background variation is the basis of distinguishing the seismic electromagnetic anomalies. This paper introduces the data acquisition and selection of the Shexian,Anqiu,Lijiang and Dali stations which have recorded for longer time with better data and are located on the similar latitude. Then we use the natural source electromagnetic field's auto-power spectrum to express the intensity of the electromagnetic field. By using power spectral data of many frequencies in the observation frequency band,after the data pre-processing and sliding average noising,the background variation of extremely low frequency stations and the range ability were acquired.Taking the Baoshan M5. 1 earthquake on October 30,2015 and Dali M5. 0 earthquake on May 18,2016 as examples,the authors analyzed the earthquake electromagnetic anomaly characteristic of ELF stations around the earthquakes.

Lattice Boltzmann method formulation for simulation of thermal radiation effects on non-Newtonian Al_(2)O_(3) free convection in entropy determination

The simultaneous investigation on the parameters affecting the flow of electrically conductive fluids such as volumetric radiation,heat absorption,heat generation,and magnetic field(MF)is very vital due to its existence in various sectors of industry and engineering.The present research focuses on mathematical modeling to simulate the cooling of a hot component through power-law(PL)nanofluid convection flow.The temperature reduction of the hot component inside a two-dimensional(2D)inclined chamber with two different cold wall shapes is evaluated.The formulation of the problem is derived with the lattice Boltzmann method(LBM)by code writing via the FORTRAN language.The variables such as the radiation parameter(0–1),the Hartmann number(0–75),the heat absorption/generation coefficient(−5–5),the fluid behavioral index(0.8–1.2),the Rayleigh number(103–105),the imposed MF angle(0°–90°),the chamber inclination angle(−90°–90°),and the cavity cold wall shape(smooth and curved)are investigated.The findings indicate that the presence of radiation increases the mean Nusselt number value for the shear-thickening,Newtonian,and shear thinning fluids by about 6.2%,4%,and 2%,respectively.In most cases,the presence of nanoparticles improves the heat transfer(HT)rate,especially in the cases where thermal conduction dominates convection.There is the lowest cooling performance index and MF effect for the cavity placed at an angle of 90°.The application in the design of electronic coolers and solar collectors is one of the practical cases of this numerical research.

Estimation of Thermal Imaging System Operating Range Based on Background Radiation

Traditional operating range prediction methods assume that the atmospheric radiances in a target path and a background path are equal. But they are different in a real-world environment. To solve this problem,the influence of atmospheric radiance on operating range prediction is analyzed in this paper. Range estimation model in thermal imaging based on background radiation（ REBR） is proposed. Infrared image radiometric calibration is used to calculate the background radiation of a system entrance pupil. The result shows that,compared with traditional operating range prediction methods,the REBR method is more suitable for the actual atmospheric transmission process and the physical process of infrared imaging.

The Derivation of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Peak Spectral Radiance, Planck Time, and the Hubble Constant from the Neutron and Hydrogen

Purpose: The cosmic microwave background radiation, CMB, is fundamental to observational cosmology, and is believed to be a remnant from the Big Bang. The CMB, Planck time, tP, and the Hubble constant, H0, are important cosmologic constants. The goal is to accurately derive and demonstrate the inter-relationships of the CMB peak spectral radiance frequency, tP, and H0 from neutron and hydrogen quantum data only. Methods: The harmonic neutron hypothesis, HNH, evaluates physical phenomena within a finite consecutive integer and exponential power law harmonic fraction series that are scaled by a fundamental frequency of the neutron as the exponent base. The CMB and the H0 are derived from a previously published method used to derive tP. Their associated integer exponents are respectively +1/2, −3/4, and −128/35. Results: Precise mathematical relationships of these three constants are demonstrated. All of the derived values are within their known observational values. The derived and known values are: νCMB, 160.041737 (06) × 109 Hz, ~160 × 109 Hz;2.72519 K, 2.72548 ± 0.00057 K, H0 2.29726666 (11) × 10−18 s−1, ~2.3 × 10−18 s−1;and tP 5.3911418 (3) × 10−44 s, 5.39106 (32) × 10−44 s. Conclusion: The cosmic fundamental constants tP, H0, and CMB are mathematically inter-related constants all defined by gravity. They are also directly derivable from the quantum properties of the neutron and hydrogen within a harmonic power law.