Narrow Results

Three cases are reviewed of radioactive material with anomalous decay after ultrasound irradiation. In the pure element thorium-228 in distilled water, the radioactivity decreased faster after cavitation than the natural decay. The more complex molecule of Nickel Nitrate, made of radioactive nickel-63, in solution of nitric acid and distilled water was investigated before and after ultrasound irradiation. The X-rays produced by Bremsstrahlung of the electrons from the beta decay of Ni-63 were recorded and a 13% decrease of intensity was measured after 100 s of sonication. A decrease of nickel and an increase of other elements was detected by mass spectrometry in the sonicated sample. The Cobalt-57 decay was investigated by detecting the gamma and X-ray intensity from the Iron-57 resulting after its beta emission. In this third case too, an anomalous decay was observed after sonication. These three cases of anomalous behavior can be explained at the light of the Deformed Space–Time theory. It assumes that a suitable sudden variation of energy density can induce a local deformation of space–time, thus violating the Local Lorentz Invariance. This variation can be created by the ultrasounds in the matter, thus, allowing reactions that cannot occur in a flat (Minkowskian) space–time. The “neutralization” of a radionuclide occurs when it undergoes a DST transformation changing the radionuclide into non-radioactive nuclides.

Radioactive isotopes are used in a wide range of medical, biological, environmental and industrial applications. Cyclotrons are the primary tool for producing the shorter-lived, proton-rich radioisotopes currently used in a variety of medical applications. Although the primary use of the cyclotron-produced short-lived radioisotopes is in PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) and SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) diagnostic medical procedures, cyclotrons are also producing longer-lived isotopes for therapeutic procedures as well as for other industrial and applied science applications. Commercial suppliers of cyclotrons are responding by providing a range of cyclotrons in the energy range of 3–70 MeV for the differing needs of the various applications. These cyclotrons generally have multiple beams servicing multiple targets. This review article presents some of the applications of the radioisotopes and provides a comparison of some of the capabilities of the various current cyclotrons. The use of nuclear medicine and the number of cyclotrons supplying the needed isotopes are increasing. It is expected that there will soon be a new generation of small "tabletop" cyclotrons providing patient doses on demand.

Radiocesium (Cs-137, t_1/2 = 30.2 years), a long-lived anthropogenic radionuclide, has been the subject of extensive research on soil-to-plant uptake factors due to the fact that it is widely released from global fallout and other nuclear catastrophes. However, other radionuclides in the environment are either anthropogenic (such as Sr-90 and Pu-239) or naturally occurring (such as ²³⁸U and ²³²Th), and their daughter nuclei in the natural radioactive decay sequence, as well as ⁴⁰K, can be absorbed by plants. Due to their presence in the soil, they have a chance of spreading to plants and contaminating the food supply. The primary method by which plants absorb radionuclides is through root absorption, and the soil-to-plant transfer factor (TF) is typically used to simulate radionuclide transfer from soil to plants. The primary objective of the research is to calculate the activity concentrations due to natural and man-made radionuclides in some soil and rice crops, including their soil-to-plant TFs. A total of 15 soil and 5 rice plant/grain samples were collected for the measurements of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K ²²⁶Ra (²³⁸U), and ²³²Th. A high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector was used to measure the activity of these radionuclides. The average radioactivity for ²²⁶Ra (range: 21.13–23.52 Bq kg⁻¹), ²³²Th (range: 28.72–48.53 Bq kg⁻¹), ⁴⁰K (range: 274.78–374.52 Bq kg⁻¹), and ¹³⁷Cs (range: 0.19–1.23 Bq kg⁻¹) were found to be 31.69, 38.79, 319.07, and 0.88 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The total combined uncertainty (%) was found to be 15, 7, 8, and 10 for ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th, and ²²⁶Ra, respectively. In general, these values are in good agreement with other literature or world average values. Multivariate statistical techniques, such as correlation matrices and cluster analysis, were applied to the radioactive datasets in order to comprehend the intricate correlations between the radioactive variables and their environmental categories. The following radiological indices were calculated: radium equivalent activity (Ra_eqv), absorbed gamma dose rate (D_g), yearly effective equivalent dose (Y_d), yearly gonadal equivalent dose (Y_gd), average yearly committed effective dose (A_cd), external hazard index (H_ext), internal hazard index (H_int), internal alpha radiation hazard indices (I_a), gamma radiation representative level index (I_ri), and lifetime cancer risk (L_rc). The collected data are crucial for mapping naturally occurring radioactivity and serve as a baseline for assessing radiation risk in the future caused by changes in radio-activity levels brought on by nuclear, industrial, or human activity. In continuation of earlier research, the TFs in some rice plants/grains from soil radioactivity for anthropogenic and naturally occurring radionuclides are also assessed. The background, methods, ideas, radioactivity measurement, dose calculation, and future direction on the soil–plants– food cycle are all thoroughly discussed in this book chapter.

The study of soil-to-plant transfer of radionuclides has attracted considerable attention from a large number of researchers because of the continuous pollution of soils and the effects of radionuclides on plants. In addition, it is one of the important routes for radionuclide entry into the food chain, leading to humans’ exposure to radiation. This chapter focuses on the influence of radionuclides on plant growth, with a particular emphasis on the ratio of these substances in soil and plants concerning nutrition. It is shown in this review that physical and chemical processes and biological accumulation influence the uptake and fate of radionuclides in plants. It is reported that soil contamination by radionuclides affects plant survival rates and inhibits their growth. The effects of radionuclides on plant growth depend on the type of plants, soil properties, initial radionuclide concentration in the soil, and the duration of exposure for the plants. However, some plants have developed radionuclide tolerance mechanisms and accumulate a significant amount of radionuclides, making them suitable for soil remediation.

On August 24, 2023, the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant began dumping liquid radioactive waste into the ocean. It is planned to release water containing 22 TBq of tritium per year. This caused an outcry from the public and governments in many countries. A large amount of tritium is dumped into the ocean by nuclear fuel processing plants in France, Great Britain, and other countries. Tritium activity in fish near Cardiff reached 50,000 Bq/kg. Tritium differs from other technogenic radionuclides in that it is a part of tritium water. It can easily evaporate from the water surface and be carried by atmospheric currents to any distance. Therefore, any pollution of the ocean with tritium will quickly lead to contamination of soil, plants, and human food. In the Chelyabinsk region, unique conditions have developed for studying the process of atmospheric transfer of tritium from the surface of a technological reservoir to the surrounding area. The content of tritium in sediments and stagnant water bodies was estimated. We calculated the multiple correlation coefficients of tritium activity in water with the distance from the emission source and the deviation of the azimuth from the direction to the north. The transition of tritium into river and underground water was also studied. A regression equation was calculated for the dependence of the limiting level of ³H contamination of drinking water on the distance from the source of contamination. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the specific activity of radionuclides in river water and the amount of precipitation for the decade preceding sampling, activity and the sum of temperatures per decade, and activity and hydrothermal coefficient.

Radioactive isotopes are used in a wide range of medical, biological, environmental and industrial applications. Cyclotrons are the primary tool for producing the shorter-lived, proton-rich radioisotopes currently used in a variety of medical applications. Although the primary use of the cyclotron-produced short-lived radioisotopes is in PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) and SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) diagnostic medical procedures, cyclotrons are also producing longer-lived isotopes for therapeutic procedures as well as for other industrial and applied science applications. Commercial suppliers of cyclotrons are responding by providing a range of cyclotrons in the energy range of 3–70MeV for the differing needs of the various applications. These cyclotrons generally have multiple beams servicing multiple targets. This review article presents some of the applications of the radioisotopes and provides a comparison of some of the capabilities of the various current cyclotrons. The use of nuclear medicine and the number of cyclotrons supplying the needed isotopes are increasing. It is expected that there will soon be a new generation of small “tabletop” cyclotrons providing patient doses on demand.