We offer a generalization of the conventionally used dead-time correction formulas, provided by Dytlewski, for neutron multiplicity counting. This aims to take into account the conditional effects of gate opening and in-gate neutron losses, and thus, extends to correlated pulse streams. The provided formulas are simple and include explicitly corrected rates obtained with the conventional method. In the limit of weakly correlated pulses with low count rates the generalized formulas reduce to Dytlewski’s expressions. We also performed the numerical validation of the method by simulating pulse-trains sets, evaluating the generalized dead-time correction accuracy and comparing it to the conventional one.

In this article the methodology for the determination of the theoretical gamma spectrum originated by applying DGNAA (delayed gamma neutron analysis activation) techniques for the elemental analysis of ash from thermal power plants is exposed. This is a study must be prior to the experimentation in order to define the parameters of the test to obtain the optimal conditions for the detection of each element present in the sample.

We discuss the neutron skins of 48Ca and 208Pb. We review and critically examine modern predictions and empirical constraints, with special attention to the dierent interpretations of the ndings from the PREX-II experiment and the recently reported value of the neutron skin in 48Ca extracted from the CREX experiment. We argue that, in the spirit of the ab initio philosophy, the path to understanding the behavior of dense neutron-rich matter must not circumvent fundamental nuclear forces. Based only on that argument, a thick neutron skin in 208Pb is highly unlikely.

Traditionally, neutron scattering is an essential method for the analysis of spin structures and spin excitations in bulk materials. Over the last 30 years, polarized neutron scattering in terms of reflectometry has also contributed largely to the analysis of magnetic thin films and magnetic multilayers. More recently it has been shown that polarized neutron reflectivity is, in addition, a suitable tool for the study of thin films laterally patterned with magnetic stripes or islands. We provide a brief overview of the fundamental properties of polarized neutron reflectivity, considering different domain states, domain fluctuations, and different domain sizes with respect to the neutron coherence volume. The discussion is exemplified by a set of simulated reflectivities assuming either complete polarization and polarization analysis, or a reduced form of polarized neutron reflectivity without polarization analysis. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of the neutron coherence volume for the interpretation of specular and off-specular intensity maps, in particular when studying laterally non-homogeneous magnetic films. Finally, experimental results, fits, and simulations are shown for specular and off-specular scattering from a magnetic film that has been lithographically patterned into a periodic stripe array. These experiments demonstrate the different and mutually complementary information that can be gained when orienting the stripe array parallel or perpendicular to the scattering plane.

This review explores the potential implementation of lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7) as a scintillator medium for neutron detection applications. Several characteristics required for the neutron detection process suggest that Li2B4O7 could be a suitable material for scintillation-based neutron detection systems. The inherently large neutron capture cross-section due to 10B and 6Li isotopes, and the ease with which Li2B4O7 can be enriched with these isotopes, combined with the facile inclusion of rare-earth dopants are all expected to improve luminescent properties as well as neutron detection efficiency of Li2B4O7. The electronic structure of doped and undoped Li2B4O7 are explored using photoemission and inverse photoemission spectroscopies, optical measurements, and theoretical computational studies such as density functional theory. The scintillation properties are further enhanced because of the wide bandgap, and transparency towards the photons that are emitted following neutron capture.

We investigate a reliability of conservation of the vector current (CV) hypothesis in the neutron β−-decay. We calculate the contribution of the phenomenological term, responsible for the CVC in the hadronic current of the neutron β−-decay (or the CVC effect), to the neutron lifetime. We show that the CVC effect increases the neutron lifetime with a relative contribution 8.684×10−2. This leads to the increase of the neutron lifetime by 76.4 s with respect to the world averaged value τn=880.2(1.0)s (Particle Data Group, Chin. Phys. 40, 100001 (2016)). We show that since in the Standard Model (SM) there are no interactions, which are able to cancel such a huge increase of the neutron lifetime, we have to turn to the interactions beyond the SM the contribution of which to the neutron lifetime reduces to the Fierz interference term bF only. Cancelling the CVC effect at the level of the experimental accuracy we get bF=0.1219(12). If this value cannot be accepted for the Fierz interference term, the CVC effect induces irresistible problems for description and understanding of the neutron β−-decay.

Neutron beams are an essential tool to investigate material structure and perform non-destructive analysis, as they give unique access to element composition, thus ideally complementing density analysis allowed by standard X-rays investigation. Laser-driven neutron sources, though compact and cost-effective, currently have lower average flux than conventional neutron sources, due to the limited repetition rate of the lasers used so far. However, advancements in laser technology allow nowadays to address this challenge. Here we report results obtained at the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) characterizing stable production of broadband (0.1-2 MeV) neutrons produced at a high repetition rate (0.5 Hz). The interaction of laser pulses of 22 fs duration and 3.2 J on-target energy with 2-µm-thick tantalum targets produced protons in the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) regime up to 7.3 MeV. These protons were subsequently converted into neutrons by (p,n) reactions in Lithium fluoride (LiF). Activation measurements and bubble detectors were used to characterize neutron emissions, with a neutron fluence of up to ~ 1.4 × 10⁵ neutrons/shot/sr, and energies mainly between a few hundred of keV and 2 MeV. The total neutron yield was ~ 5 × 10⁵ neutrons/shot. This paves the way for numerous applications, e.g. in homeland security, material science or cultural heritage.

We have investigated the antiferromagnetic phase transition in the frustrated and multiferroic hexagonal manganites $h$-(Y$_{0.98}$ Eu$_{0.02}$)MnO$_3$ (YEMO) and $h$-YMnO$_3$ (YMO). Elastic neutron scattering has been used to study in detail the phase transition in YMO and YEMO in zero pressure and in YMO at a hydrostatic pressure of 1.5~GPa. In zero pressure, we find the critical temperature $T_{\rm N} = 72.11(5)$~K and 71.3(1)~K and the critical exponent $\beta = 0.206(3)$ and 0.22(2), for YEMO and YMO, respectively. This is in agreement with earlier work by Roessli {\em et al.}. In applied hydrostatic pressure of 1.5~GPa, the ordering temperature increases to $T_{\rm N} = 75.2(5)$~K, in agreement with earlier reports, while $\beta$ is unchanged. Inelastic neutron scattering was used to determine the anisotropy spin wave gap at the phase transition, expected from spin wave theory to close with a critical exponent $\beta'$ identical to the one of the order parameter, $\beta' = \beta$. Our results indicate that the gap in YEMO indeed closes at $T_{\rm N}=72.4(3)$~K with $\beta' = 0.24(2)$, while the in-pressure gap in YMO closes at 75.2(5)~K with an exponent of $\beta' =0.19(3)$. In addition, the low-temperature anisotropy gap was found to have a slightly higher absolute value under pressure. The consistent values obtained for $\beta$ in the two systems support the likelihood of a new universality class for triangular, frustrated antiferromagnets.

The Ultra-Cold Neutron (UCN) source being commissioned at North Carolina State Universityâs PULSTAR reactor is uniquely optimized for UCN production in the former graphite-filled thermal column outside of the reactor pool. The source utilizes a remote moderation design which is particularly well suited to the PULSTAR reactor on account of its large thermal and epithermal neutron leakage from the core face. This large non-equilibrium flux from the core is efficiently transported to the UCN source through the specially designed beam port in order to optimize UCN production at any given reactor power. The increased distance to the source from the core also greatly limits the heat load on the cryogenic system. A MCNP model of this system was developed and is in good agreement with gold foil activation measurements using a mock-up setup as well as with the real UCN source heavy water moderator. These results established a firm baseline for estimates of the cold neutron flux available for UCN production and prove that remote moderation in a thermal column port is a valuable option for future designs of cryogenic UCN sources.

The crust region is a tiny fraction of neutron stars, but it has a variety of physical properties and plays an important role in astronomical observations. One of the properties characterizing the crust is the elasticity. In this review, with the approach of asteroseismology, we systematically examine neutron star oscillations excited by crust elasticity, adopting the Cowling approximation. In particular, by identifying the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in magnetar flares with the torsional oscillations, we make a constraint on the nuclear saturation parameters. In addition, we also discuss how the shear and interface modes depend on the neutron star properties. Once one detects an additional signal associated with neutron star oscillations, one can get a more severe constraint on the saturation parameters and/or neutron star properties, which must be a qualitatively different constraint obtained from terrestrial experiments, and help us to complementarily understand astrophysics and nuclear physics.

MgB2 is a hexagonal superconducting material, and its simple composition has led to the development of low-cost practical wires. However, the problem is that the strain characteristics of filaments are inferior to those of other practical wires, but there have been no strain measurements using diffraction method. The reason for this is presumably that it is a little too thick for synchrotron radiation measurements, and the large absorption cross section of the included boron-10 makes it difficult to obtain elastic scattering for neutron measurements. We prepared a wire substituted with boron-11, an isotope with small neutron absorption cross section, and attempted to measure its strain under tensile loading using pulsed neutron.

The conventional theory of neutron beams interacting with many-body systems treats the beam as a classical system, i.e. with its dynamical variables appearing in the quantum dynamics of the scattering process not as operators but only as c-numbers. Moreover, neutrons are described with plane waves, i.e. the concept of neutron's (finite) coherence length is here irrelevant. The same holds for electron, atom or X-ray scattering. This simplification results in the full decoupling of the probe particle's dynamics from the quantum dynamics of the scatterer---a well-known fact also reflected in the standard formalism of time-correlation functions (see textbooks). Making contact with modern quantum theoretical approaches (e.g., quantum entanglement, 'which-path detection' versus interference, von Neumann measurement, Week Values, etc.) new observable effects may be exposed and/or predicted, for instance, a momentum-transfer deficit and an intensity deficit in neutron scattering from protons of hydrogen-containing samples. 7

Recent inference results of the sound velocity in the cores of neutron stars are summarized. Implications for the equation of state and the phase structure of highly compressed baryonic matter are discussed. In view of the strong constraints imposed by the heaviest known pulsars, the equation of state must be very stiff in order to ensure the stability of these extreme objects. This required stiffness limits the possible appearance of phase transitions in neutron star cores. In view of these empirical findings, much discussed issues such as the quest for a phase transition towards restored chiral symmetry and the active degrees of freedom in cold and dense baryonic matter, are explored.

In this paper, a regression model between neutron star crust-core pressure and the symmetry energy characteristics was estimated using the Akaike information criterion and the adjusted coefficient of determination Radj2. Based on the obtained regression function, the most probable value of the transition density, which should characterize the crust-core environment of the sought physical neutron star model, was determined. An anti-correlation was found between this transition density and the main characteristic of the symmetry energy, i.e., its slope L.

The archival Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array (PCA) observations of HZ Her/Her X-1 are analyzed here. The time periods for Anomalous Low States are refined. The 35-day X-ray lightcurve of Her X-1 is produced using 35-day phases determined with RXTE All-Sky Monitor (ASM) and Swift Burst Altert Telescope (BAT) data, with adjustments based on the RXTE/PCA data. The result is the highest sensitivity 35-day lightcurve of Her X-1. The RXTE/PCA data were separated into 8 differents states of the 35-day cycle: Main High (MH) turn-on, MH, MH decline, Low State (LS) 1, Short High (SH) turn-on, SH, SH decline, and LS2. Orbital lightcurves were created for each state, and the different states are compared. Eclipse data was extracted for each state to determine the changes of eclipse shape with 35-day phase. A scattering corona model was fit to the eclipses for the different 35-day states: this shows that the corona is present at all 35-day phases with similar intensity. We carried out a search for previously-reported dips with no absorption, but did not find any.

The saturation properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter have been computed using the finite range simple effective interaction having Yukawa form-factor. The results of higher order derivatives of the energy per particle and the symmetry energy computed at saturation, namely, Q0, Ksym, Kτ, Qsym, are compared with the corresponding range of values extracted from studies involving theory, experiment and astrophysical observations. The ability of the equations of state computed with this simple effective interaction in predicting the threshold mass for prompt collapse in binary neutron star merger and gravitational redshift have been examined in terms of the compactness of the neutron star and the incompressibility at the central density of the maximum mass star. The correlations existing between neutron star properties with the nuclear matter saturation properties have been analyzed and compared with the predictions of other model calculations.

The paper presents the results of experiments on measuring cross sections for the neutron transfer channels 9Be(3He,α)8Begs,3.03 in the reaction of the 3He (30 MeV) ions with the 9Be target. To describe the angular distributions, we use the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA) method (FRESCO code). The results of the theoretical analysis are in agreement with the experimental data. In addition, we perform calculations based on the solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) for the weakly bound neutron of the 9Be nucleus. The TDSE approach allows us to determine the dynamics of the neutron transfer process and calculate the probabilities for the transfer and removal of the neutron of the 9Be nucleus in the 3He+9Be reaction.

The r-process is one of the processes that produce heavy elements in the Universe. One of its possible astrophysical sites is the neutron star - black hole (NS-BH) merger. We first show that the neutrons may be degenerate before and during the r-process in these mergers. Previous studies assumed neutrons were non-degenerate and the related rates were calculated under Maxwell-Boltzmann approximations. Hence, we corrected the related rates with neutron degeneracy and put into the network code and calculated with the trajectories of NS-BH mergers. We show that there are differences in the nuclei distributions and leads to big changes in the heat generation and hence the temperature changes during the r-process. The higher temperatures in the r-process lead to higher luminosity of the light curves of these mergers than the one using non-degenerate rates. However, this has little effect on the final abundances.

The calculation of effective doses is crucial in many medical and radiation fields, in order to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory limits. Traditionally, Monte Carlo codes using detailed human body computational phantoms have been used for such calculations. Monte Carlo dose calculations can be time-consuming and require expertise in different processes when building the computational phantom and dose calculations. This study employs various machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict the organ doses and effective dose conversion coefficients (DCCs) for different anthropomorphic phantoms. A comprehensive data set comprising neutron energy bins, organ labels, masses, and densities is compiled from Monte Carlo studies, and is used to train and evaluate the supervised ML models. This study includes a broad range of phantoms, including those from the International Commission of Radiation Protection (ICRP-110, ICRP-116 phantom), the Visible-Human Project (VIP-man phantom), and the Medical Internal Radiation Dose Committee (MIRD-Phantom), with row data prepared using numerical data and organ categorical labeled data. Extreme gradient boosting (XGB), gradient boosting (GB), and the random forest-based Extra Trees regressor are employed to assess the performance of the ML models against published ICRP neutron DCC values using the mean square error, mean absolute error, and R² metrics. The results demonstrate that the ML predictions significantly vary in lower energy ranges and vary less in higher neutron energy ranges, while showing good agreement with ICRP values at mid-range energies. Moreover, the categorical data models align closely with the reference doses, suggesting the potential of ML in predicting effective doses for custom phantoms based on regional populations, such as the Saudi voxel-based model. This study paves the way for efficient dose prediction using ML, particularly in scenarios requiring rapid results without extensive computational resources or expertise. The findings also indicate potential improvements in data representation and the inclusion of larger data sets to refine model accuracy and prevent overfitting. Thus, ML methods can serve as valuable techniques for the continued development of personalized dosimetry.

Cathode materials based on SrCoO3- perovskite-type oxides hold great potential, given the huge oxygen permeability exhibited by the cubic phase of this oxide, which must be stabilized though suitable cationic substitutions. We present here two novel materials of the series Sr1-xYxCoO3- (x= 0.1, 0.2), prepared by solid state reactions. The crystalline structure was explored by neutron powder diffraction. At RT, we identified a subtle tetragonal superstructure, yet preserving the wanted framework of vertex-sharing CoO6 octahedra. A noteworthy result of the neutron analysis is the presence of conspicuous amounts of oxygen vacancies, ordered in layers and responsible for the formation of the mentioned superstructure. The stability was investigated by thermal analysis, using thermogravimetry (TGA). The electrical conductivity gave a maximum value of 800 °C of 122 S·cm–1. To determine the resistance associated with the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a function of temperature was carried out, finding a value for the activation energy of Ea= 0.82 eV. This is a much lower value than that usually obtained for cathodes with a high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. In single-cell tests, the materials generated a power density up to 0.25 Wcm−2 at 800ºC, using pure H2 as fuel. All these features make this perovskite a suitable candidate as cathode material in intermediate-temperature SOFCs

Using the unique combination of atomically resolved atom probe tomography (APT) and volume averaged neutron (resonance) spin echo (NRSE and NSE) experiments, the influence of nano-scaled clusters on the spin relaxation in spin glasses was studied. For this purpose, the phase transition from the paramagnetic phase to the spin glass phase in a Fe-Cr spin glass with a composition of Fe_17.8Cr_82.2 was studied in detail by means of NRSE. The microstructure was characterised by APT measurements, which show local concentration fluctuations of Fe and Cr on a length scale of 2 to 5 nm, which lead i) to the coexistence of ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic clusters and ii) a change of the magnetic properties of the whole sample, even in the spin glass phase, where spins are supposed to be randomly frozen. We show that a generalized spin glass relaxation function, which was successfully used to describe the phase transition in diluted spin glasses, can also be used for fitting the spin dynamics in spin glasses with significant concentration fluctuations.

This article argues that there is a consistent description of gravitationally collapsed bodies, including neutron stars above the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff mass and also supermassive galactic centres, according to which collapse stops before the object reaches its gravitational radius, the density reaching a maximum close to the surface and then decreasing towards the centre. Models for such shell-like objects have been constructed using classic formulations found in the 1939 articles of Oppenheimer-Volkoff and Oppenheimer-Snyder. It was possible to modify the conclusions of the first article by changing the authors’ boundary conditions at r = 0. In the second case we find that the authors’ solution of the field equations needs no changes, but that the choice of their article’s title led many of their successors to believe that it supports the black-hole hypothesis. However, it is easily demonstrated that their final density distribution accords with the shell models found in our articles. Because black holes, according to many formulations, "have no hair", their thermodynamics is rather simple. The kind of collapsar which our models describe are more like main-sequence stars; they have spatiotemporal distributions of pressure, density and temperature, that is they have hair. In this article we shall concentrate on the dynamics of the Oppenheimer-Snyder collapsar; both pressure and temperature are everywhere zero, so there can be no thermodynamics. Only in the time independent case of Oppenheimer-Volkoff type models is it currently feasible to consider some thermodynamic implications; here some valuable new insights are obtained through the incorporation of the Oppenheimer-Snyder dynamics.

In this work, we studied light-output properties, efficiency function as well as PSD capability of p-Terphenyl scintillator. The selected solid cylindrical scintillation detector has a size of (45 x 45) mm with PSD properties. Recently presented studies of light-output functions have been meas-ured only for low neutron energies. Our motivation has been to determine more accurate the light output function for p-Terphenyl scintillator over a wider neutron energy range. The measurements have been carried out with mono-energetic neutron beams in the wide energy range from 2.5 to 19 MeV. The neutron-gamma spectrometric system, which we developed has been used for the measurement. The input analogue signal from the detector is digitized with fast 12-bits analogue to digital converter with sampling frequency of 1 GHz. Measured data from the detector are processed into gamma and neutron spectra. The light output function for protons has been determined by finding the position of the protons for given neutron energies. The more accurate light output function for p-Therphenyl scintillator has been calculated. The pulse-shape discrimination capability as well as efficiency of p-Terphenyl scintillator in comparison with NE-213 equivalent detector is lower.

Neutron computed tomography (nCT) has been established at many major neutron sources worldwide, using high-end equipment requiring major investment and development. Many older and smaller reactors would be capable of doing nCT as well, but cannot afford the investment before feasibility is proven. We have developed a compact low-cost but high-quality detection system using a new cooled CMOS camera that can either be fully integrated into a sophisticated setup, or used with a rudimentary CT control and motion system to quickly evaluate feasibility of neutron CT at a given beam line facility. Exchanging the scintillation screen makes it feasible for X-rays as well, even for visible light (and transparent samples) using a matte screen. The control system uses a hack to combine motion control with existing imaging software so it can be used to test several dozen different cameras without writing specific drivers. Freeware software can do reconstruction and 3D imaging.

We investigate the impact of incoming nuclear data on the predictions of the neutron star (NS) stripping model for short gamma-ray bursts. The main area to which we pay attention is the NS crust. We show that the uncertain properties of the NS equation of state can significantly influence the stripping time tstr, the main dynamical parameter of the model. Based on the known time delay (tstr≈1.7s) between the peak of the gravitational wave signal GW170817 and the detection of gamma photons from GRB170817A, we obtain new restrictions on the nuclear matter parameters, in particular, the symmetry energy slope parameter: L<114.5MeV. In addition, we study the process of nucleosynthesis in the outer and inner crusts of a low-mass NS. We show that the nucleosynthesis is strongly influenced by both the incoming nuclear data and the equation of state of the NS matter.

The standard model of cosmology assumes that our Universe began 14 Gyrs (billion years) ago with a hot Big Bang expansion out of nothing. It can explain a vast range of different astrophysical data from a handful of free cosmological parameters. However successful this model is, we have no direct evidence or fundamental understanding of some key assumptions: low entropy start, Inflation, Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Here we present a simpler and more physical explanation for the same observations that do not require such assumptions or new laws of Physics. It is based on the evidence that we live inside a Black Hole (BH) of mass $ M \simeq 5 \times 10^{22} M_{\odot}$, which we observed as cosmic acceleration. How did the Big Bang end up inside such a BH? We propose that 25 Gyrs ago, a very low density dust cloud collapsed and form such BH. As there was no pressure support, the collapse continued inside until it reached neutron energy densities (GeV). Causal regions of solar mass size rebound by neutron degeneracy, like a supernovae, producing the Big Bang expansion and compact dark matter remnants. During collapse, perturbations exit the horizon to re-enter during expansion, given rise to the observed universe. We review the evidence for such BH Universe.

In this work we explored how solvents can affect olefin oxidation reactions catalyzed by MCM-bpy-Mo catalysts and whether their control can be made with those players. The results of this study evidenced that polar and apolar aprotic solvents modulated the reactions in different ways. Experimental data showed that acetonitrile (aprotic polar) could hinder largely the reaction rate whereas toluene (aprotic apolar) did not. In both cases product selectivity at isoconversion was not affected. Further insights were obtained by means of neutron diffraction experiments, which confirmed the kinetic data allowing to propose a model based on substrate-solvent crosstalk by means of hydrogen bonding. In addition, the model was also validated in the ring-opening reaction (overoxidation) of styrene oxide towards benzaldehyde, which progressed when toluene was the solvent (reaching 31% styrene oxide conversion) but was strongly hindered when acetonitrile was used instead (reaching only 7% conversion), due to the establishment of H-bonds in the latter. Although this model was confirmed and validated for olefin oxidation reactions, it can be envisaged that it may also be applied to other catalytic reaction systems where reaction control is critical, while widening its use.

The experimental determination of the relative biological effectiveness of thermal neutron factors is fundamental in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. Present values have been obtained using mixed beams consisting of both neutrons and photons of various energies. A common weighting factor has been used for both thermal and fast neutron doses, although such an approach has been questioned. At the nuclear reactor of the Institut Laue-Langevin a pure low-energy neutron beam has been used to determine thermal neutron relative biological effectiveness factors. Different tumor cell lines, corresponding to glioblastoma, melanoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and non-tumor cell lines (lung fibroblast and embryonic kidney) have been irradiated using an experimental arrangement designed to minimise neutron-induced secondary gamma radiation. Additionally, the cells were irradiated with photons at a medical linear accelerator, providing reference data for comparison with that from neutron irradiation. Survival and proliferation were studied after irradiation, yielding the Relative Biological Effectiveness corresponding to the damage of thermal neutrons for the different tissue types.

We present a study of hybrid neutron stars with color superconducting quark matter cores at finite temperature that results in sequences of stars with constant entropy per baryon, s/nB=const. For the quark matter equation of state, we employ a recently developed nonlocal chiral quark model while nuclear matter is described with a relativistic density functional model of the DD2 class. The phase transition is obtained by a Maxwell construction under isothermal conditions. We find that traversing the mixed phase on a trajectory at low s/nB≲2 in the phase diagram shows a heating effect while at larger s/nB the temperature drops. This behavior may be attributed to the presence of a color superconducting quark matter phase at low temperatures and the melting of the diquark condensate which restores the normal quark matter phase at higher temperatures. While the isentropic hybrid star branch at low s/nB≲2 is connected to the neutron star branch, it gets disconnected at higher entropy per baryon so that the "thermal twin" phenomenon is observed. We find that the transition from connected to disconnected hybrid star sequences may be estimated with the Seidov criterion for the difference in energy densities. The radii and masses at the onset of deconfinement exhibit a linear relationship and thus define a critical compactness of the isentropic star configuration for which the transition occurs which for large enough s/nB≳2 is accompanied by an instability. The results of this study may be of relevance for uncovering the conditions for the supernova explodability of massive blue supergiant stars by the quark deconfinement mechanism. The accretion-induced deconfinement transition with thermal twin formation may contribute to explaining the origin of eccentric orbits in some binary systems and the origin of isolated millisecond pulsars.

The atomic structures of Zn and Na borophosphate glasses were studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction. Peaks assigned to the B−O, P−O, and O−O distances confirm that only BO4 units co-exist with the PO4 tetrahedra. The Zn−O and Na−O coordination numbers are found to be a little larger than four. The narrowest peaks of the Zn−O first-neighbor distances exist for the glasses along a line connecting the Zn(PO3)2 and BPO4 compositions (50 mol% P2O5) which is explained by networks of ZnO4, BO4, and PO4 tetrahedra with twofold coordinated oxygens. Calculated amounts of the available oxygen support this interpretation. Broadened peaks occur for glasses with lower P2O5 contents, consistent with the presence of threefold coordinated oxygens. The two distinct P−O peak components of the Zn and Na borophosphate glasses differ in their relative abundances which is interpreted by Na+ cations that coordinate oxygens in some P−O−B bridges, something not seen for the Zn2+ ions.

Nondestructive determination of the neutron irradiation induced embrittlement of nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel is a very important and recent problem. In the frame of the so called NOMAD project, funded by the Euratom research and training program, novel nondestructive electromagnetic testing methods were applied for inspection of irradiated reactor pressure vessel steel. In this review the most important results of this project are summarized. Different methods were used and compared with each other. Measurement results were compared with the destructively determined ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) values. Three magnetic methods: 3MA (micromagnetic, multiparameter, microstructure and stress analysis), MAT (magnetic adaptive testing) and Barkhausen noise technique (MBN) were found as the most promising techniques. The results of these methods were in good confidence with each other. Good correlation was found between the magnetic parameters and the DBTT values. The basic idea of the NOMAD project is to use a multi-method/multi-parameter approach and to focus on their synergies that allows to recognise the side effects therefore supressing them at the same time. Different types of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms were tested in competition and their performances were evaluated. The important outcome of the ML technique is that not only one, but several different ML techniques could reach required precision and reliability, i.e. to keep the DBTT prediction error lower than +/-25°C threshold, which was previously not possible for any of the NDE methods as single entities. A calibration/training procedure was carried out on the merged outcome of testing methods with excellent results to predict transition temperature, yield strength and mechanical hardness for all investigated materials. Our results, achieved within NOMAD project can be useful for the future potential introduction of this (and in general, any) nondestructive evolution method.

Background: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an emerging radiotherapy. There are ongoing efforts to develop a Canadian accelerator-based BNCT center. However, it remains unclear how Canadian radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP), and their trainees perceive BNCT and its impact on radiation oncology as a discipline. Methods: A survey was created to explore knowledge of BNCT, its clinical role, and support for Canadian research. It was distributed through the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP). Results: We received 118 valid responses from all 10 provinces, from 70 RO (59.3%) and 48 MP (40.7%), including 9 residents. Most knew of BNCT and its indications (60.2%). Although many were unaware of reasons behind early failures (44.1%), common reasons were lack of clinical trials and inaccessibility of neutron sources (42.4%) and reactor unsuitability (34.7%). Additionally, 90.6% showed definite (66.9%) or possible (23.7%) support for Canadian BNCT research, while 89% indicated definite (56.8%) or possible (32.2%) willingness for BNCT referrals. Conclusions: Most RO and MP supported Canadian BNCT research and would refer patients. However, limited awareness and lack of experiences remain a challenge. Educational sessions are needed to realize this innovative cancer treatment in Canada.

There is currently no unified explanation for the origin of Earth's magnetic field, planetary magnetic fields, stellar magnetic fields, and neutron star magnetic fields, and most importantly, none of these theories have been experimentally verified. This paper is based on a new unified theory of mechanics and its derived applications, which may provide a better explanation for the origin of magnetic fields in celestial bodies and can be experimentally tested to better answer the observed phenomena: (1) the greater the mass of the celestial body, the stronger the magnetic field; (2) the faster the rotation speed of the celestial body, the stronger the magnetic field; (3) the higher the density of the celestial body, the stronger the magnetic field produced.

The description of stellar interiors remains as a big challenge for the nuclear astrophysics community. The consolidated knowledge is restricted to density regions around the saturation of hadronic matter $\rho _{0} = 2.8\times 10^{14} {\rm\ g\ cm^{-3}}$, regimes where our nuclear models are successfully applied. As one moves towards higher densities and extreme conditions up to five to twenty times $\rho_{0}$, little can be said about the microphysics of such obejects. Here, we employ an MCMC strategy in order to access the variability of polytropic three-pircewised models for neutron star equation of states. With a fixed description of the hadronic matter we explore a variety of models for the high density regimes leading to stellar masses up to 2.5 $M_{\odot}$. In addition, we also discuss the use of a Bayesian power regression model with heteroscedastic error. The set of EoS from LIGO was used as inputs and treated as data set for testing case.

This article will briefly review the progress of h-BN based solid-state metal semiconductor metal (MSM) neutron detectors. In the last decade, several groups have been working on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) based solid-state neutron detectors. Recently, the detection efficiency of 59% has been reported. Efficient, low-cost neutron detectors made from readily available materials are essential for various applications. Neutron detectors are widely used to detect fissile materials and nuclear power plants for security applications. The most common and widely used neutron detectors are 3He based, which are sometimes bulky, difficult to transport, have high absorption length, need relatively high bias voltage (>1000 V), and have low Q-value (0.764 MeV). Also, 3He is not readily available material. Thus, there is a strong need to find an alternative detection material. 10B isotope has a high neutron absorption cross-section, and it has been tested as a coating on the semiconducting materials. Due to the two-step process, neutron capture through 10B, and then electron-hole pair generation in a typical semiconducting material, the efficiency of these devices is not up to the mark. The progress in h-BN based detectors requires a review to envision the further improvement in this technology.

We addressed the frequent occurrence of mixed-chain lipids in biological membranes and their impact on membrane structure by studying several chain-asymmetric phosphatidylcholines and the highly asymmetric milk sphingomyelin. Specifically, we report trans-membrane structures of the corresponding fluid lamellar phases using small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, which were jointly analyzed in terms of a membrane composition-specific model, including a headgroup hydration shell. Focusing on terminal methyl groups at the bilayer center we found a linear relation between hydrocarbon chain length mismatch and the methyl-overlap for phosphatidylcholines, and a non-negligible impact of the glycerol backbone-tilting, letting the sn1-chain penetrate deeper into the opposing leaflet by half a CH2 group. That is, penetration-depth differences due to the ester-linked hydrocarbons at the glycerol backbone, reported previously for gel phase structures also extend to the physiological more relevant fluid phase, but are significantly reduced. Moreover, milk sphingomyelin was found to follow the same linear relationship suggesting a similar tilt of the sphingosine backbone. Complementary performed molecular dynamics simulations revealed that there is always a part of the lipid tails bending back, even if there is a high interdigitation with the opposing chains. This suggests that hydrocarbon chain interdigitation plays only a minor role in transbilayer coupling. For both cases of adaption to chain length mismatch, chain-asymmetry has a large impact on hydrocarbon chain ordering, inducing disorder in the longer of the two hydrocarbons.

In a previous series of papers relating to the Combined Gravitational Action (CGA), we have exclusively studied orbital motion without spin. In the present paper, we apply CGA to any self-rotating material body, i.e., an axially spinning massive object, which itself may be locally seen as a gravito-rotational source because it is capable of generating the gravito-rotational acceleration, which seems to be unknown to previously existing theories of gravity. The consequences of such an acceleration are very interesting, particularly for Compact Stellar Objects. Independently of the equation of state, it is found that the minimum radius of a stable neutron star is three times its gravitational radius, R_min = 3GM_NS/c², and its critical and maximum internal magnetic field strength cannot exceed the value of 3×10¹⁸ G.

In an effort to upgrade and provide a unified and improved instrument control and data acquisition system for the ORNL SANS instrument suite (Bio-SANS, EQ-SANS, GP-SANS), beamline scientists and developers teamed up and worked closely together to design and develop a new system. We began with an in-depth analysis of user needs and requirements, covering all perspectives of control and data acquisition based on previous usage data and user feedback. Our design and implementation were guided by the principles from the latest user experience and design research and based on effective practices from our previous projects. In this article, we share details of our design process as well as prominent features of the new instrument control and data acquisition system. The new system provides a sophisticated Q-Range Planner to help scientists and users plan and execute instrument configurations easily and efficiently. The system also provides different user operation interfaces, such as wizard-type tool Panel Scan, a Scripting Tool based on Python Language, and Table Scan, all of which are tailored to different user needs. The new system further captures all the metadata to enable post-experiment data reduction and possibly automatic reduction and provides users with enhanced live displays and additional feedback at the run time. We hope our results will serve as a good example for developing a user-friendly instrument control and data acquisition system at large user facilities.

Membranes based on sulfonated synditoactic polystyrene were thoroughly characterized by contrast variation SANS over a wide Q-range in dry and hydrated states. The film samples were prepared by solid-state sulfonation that allowed a uniform sulfonation of only the amorphous phase while preserving the crystallinity of the membrane. The samples were loaded with different guest molecules in either the amorphous (fullerenes) or the crystalline (toluene) regions, in order to vary the neutron contrast or to reproduce the conditions enabling an increased resistance of the membranes to chemical decomposition. The use of uni-axially deformed film samples and contrast variation with different H2O/D2O mixtures allowed for the identification and characterization of different structural levels with sizes between nm and μm, which form and evolve in the membrane morphology in dry and hydrated states and produce scattering features on different detection sectors and at different detection distances after the sample, depending on their size and orientation.

The microstructural evolution, thermodynamics and kinetics of Mo-21%Tm₂O₃ (mass fraction, %) powder mixtures during ball milling were investigated using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Ball milling induced Tm₂O₃ to be decomposed and then dissolved into Mo crystal. The supersaturated nanocrystalline solid solution of Mo (Tm, O) was obtained after 96 h of ball milling. The elements of Mo, Tm and O were distributed uniformly in the ball-milled particles. Based on the semi-experimental theory of Miedema, a thermodynamic model was developed to calculate the driving force of phase evolution. There was no chemical driving force to form a crystal solid solution of Tm atoms in Mo crystal or an amorphous phase because the Gibbs free energy for both processes was higher than zero. For Mo-21%Tm₂O₃, it was mechanical work, not negative heat of mixing, that provided the driving force to form supersaturated nanocrystalline Mo (Tm, O) solid solution.

Hydrogen is the lightest atom and composes roughly half of the atomic content in macromolecules, yet their location can only be inferred or predicted in most macromolecular structures. This is because hydrogen can rarely be directly observed by the most common structure determination techniques (such as X-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy). However, knowledge of hydrogen atom positions, especially for enzymes, can reveal protonation states of titratable active site residues, hydrogen bonding patterns, and the orientation of water molecules. Though we know they are present, this vital layer of information, which can inform a myriad of biological processes, is frustratingly invisible to us. The good news is that, even at modest resolution, neutron crystallography (NC) can reveal this layer and has emerged this century as a powerful tool for elucidating enzyme catalytic mechanisms. Due to its strong and coherent scattering of neutrons, incorporation of deuterium into the protein crystal amplifies the power of NC. This is especially true when solvation and the specific participation of key water molecules are crucial for catalysis. Neutron data allow the modeling of all three atoms in water molecules and have even revealed previously unobserved and unique species such as hydronium (D3O+) and deuteroxide (OD-) ions as well as lone deuterons (D+). Herein, we briefly review why neutrons are ideal probes for identifying catalytically important water molecules and these unique water-like species, limitations in interpretation, and four vignettes of enzyme success stories from disparate research groups. One of these groups was that of Dr. Chris G. Dealwis, who died unexpectedly in 2022. As a memorial appreciation of his scientific career, we will also highlight his interest and contributions to the neutron crystallography field. As both the authors were mentored by Chris, we feel we have a unique perspective on his love of molecular structure and admiration for neutrons as a tool to query those structures.

We describe the behavior of mixtures of stearic acid (SA) and its hydroxylated counterpart 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA) in aqueous mixtures at room temperature, as function of the 12-HSA/(fatty acid) mole ratio R. The morphologies of the self-assembled aggregates are obtained by a multi-structural approach that combines confocal and cryo-TEM microscopies with Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Wide-Angle X-Rays Scattering (WAXS) measurements, coupled with rheology measurements. Fatty acids are solubilized by an excess of ethanolamine counterions, so that their heads are negatively charged. The behavior is driven by the competition between mixing entropy and enthalpic effects. A clear trend towards partitioning between the two types of fatty acids is observed, presumably driven by the favorable formation of a H-bond network between hydroxyl OH function on the 12th carbon. For all R, the self-assembled structures are locally lamellar, with bilayers composed of crystallized and strongly interdigitated fatty acids. At high R, multi-lamellar tubes are formed, similarly as for pure aqueous solutions of 12-HSA. The doping by a low amount of SA molecules only slightly modify the dimensions of the tubes (radius and length), and slightly decreases the bilayers rigidity. The solutions have a gel-like behavior originating from entanglements between tubes and show a yield stress. At intermediate R, a partial local partitioning occurs between the two types of fatty acids. The tubes coexist in solution with helical ribbons. The two structures possibly merge to form very long snaky objects with straight and curved parts. The rigidity of the bilayers and the rheological behavior of the solutions are very similar to those of the high R case. At low R, local partitioning also occurs, and the architecture of the self-assemblies associates the two morphologies of the pure fatty acids systems, respectively 2-D planar bilayers for SA and the tubes describe above for the 12-HSA molecules: they are facetted objects with planar domains enriched in SA molecules, capped with curved domains enriched in 12-HSA molecules. The rigidity of the bilayers is strongly increased, as well their storage modulus, compared to systems with larger R. The solutions remain however viscous fluids in this regime of low R.

The success of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) depends mainly on sufficient spatial biodistribution of boron (B-10) localized around or within neoplastic cells to produce a high dose gradient between the tumor and healthy tissue. Contrary to what is usual in radiotherapy, BNCT proposes treatment planning directed at the cell rather than the tumor mass. However, it is not yet possible to precisely determine the concentration of B-10 in a specific tissue in real-time using non-invasive methods. Some critical issues still need to be resolved if BNCT is to become a valuable, minimally invasive, and efficient cancer treatment. This review article provides an overview of the funda-mental principles, recent advances, and future directions of BNCT as a cell-targeted cancer therapy. The main emphasis is on topics related to biological dosimetry, methods for assessing boron concentration, mechanisms of action of BNCT, and its physical bases for clinical implementation.

Eight samples of limestones and marbles were studied by neutron diffraction to collect 2 Quantitative Texture (i.e., Crystallographic Preferred Orientations or CPO) of calcite deforming at 3 different depths in the crust. We studied the different Texture patterns developed in shear zones at 4 different depth and their influence on seismic anisotropies. Samples were collected in the French and 5 Italian Alps, Apennines, and Paleozoic Sardinian basement. They are characterized by isotropic to 6 highly anisotropic (e.g., mylonite shear zone) fabrics. Mylonite limestones occur as shear zone horizons 7 within the Cenozoic Southern Domain in Alpine thrust-and-fold belts (Italy), the Briançonnais domain 8 of the Western Alps (Italy-France border), the Sardinian Paleozoic back-thrusts or in the Austroalpine 9 intermediate units. The analyzed marbles were collected in the Carrara Marble, in the Austroalpine Units 10 in the Central (Mortirolo) and Western Alps (Valpelline). The temperature and depth of development of fabrics vary from < 100◦C, to 800◦C and depth from <10 km to about 30 km, corresponding from upper 12 to lower crust conditions. Quantitative Texture Analysis shows different types of patterns for calcite: 13 random to strongly textured. Textured types may be further separated in orthorhombic and monoclinic 14 (Types A and B), based on the angle defined with the mesoscopic fabrics. Seismic anisotropies were 15 calculated by homogenizing the single crystal elastic tensor, using the Orientation Distribution Function 16 calculated by the Quantitative Texture Analysis. The resulting P- and S-waves anisotropies show a wide 17 variability due to the textural types, temperature and pressure conditions, and dip of the shear planes.

In the framework of the H2020 CLEANDEM project a small robotic vehicle was equipped with a series of different sensors, developed for the preliminary inspection of areas possibly contaminated by radiation. Such unmanned inspection allows to identify dangerous locations prior to the possible start of human operations. One of the developed devices, named MiniRadMeter, is a compact, low-cost sensor to perform gamma and neutron radiation field mapping of the environment. The MiniRadMeter was successfully tested in a simulated field mission with four "hidden" radioactive sources and a neutron generator. In this work we describe the test procedure and the results, also supported by the outcome of dedicated Monte Carlo simulations.

Abstract: Development of the fast neutron radiography with higher penetration capability in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques is rapidly. The detection efficiency and the imaging spatial resolution are the main problem of the radiography detector for many fast neutron imaging systems. In this paper, a detector composed of pixelated EJ200 scintillator array，an 16 × 16 silicon-photomultipliers (SiPM) array, and a capacitive multiplexing network readout electronics is designed. Using Monte-Carlo simulations，the main parameters of the detector was optimization. Then the detector prototype was fabricated and tested at a 14 MeV D-T neutron source. The preliminary test results showed that the prototype has spatial resolution of 1.26 mm. Using pixelated scintillator structure，the conflict between spatial resolution and detect efficiency could improved. Moreover, SiPMs offer a flexibility for the expansion of application field of the imaging system due to their excellent photon detection performance, relatively low price and joint possibility for large area.

High-grade gliomas present a significant challenge in neuro-oncology because of their aggressive nature and resistance to current therapies. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a potential treatment method; however, the boron carrier compounds used — such as 4-borono-L-phenylalanine (L-BPA) — have limitations. This study evaluated the use of boron-conjugated 4-iodophenylbutanamide (BC-IP), a novel boron compound in BNCT, for the treatment of glioma. Using in vitro drug exposure experiments and in vivo studies, we compared BC-IP and BPA, with a focus on boron uptake and retention characteristics. The results showed that although BC-IP had a lower boron uptake than BPA, it exhibited superior retention. Furthermore, despite lower boron accumulation in tumors, BC-IP showed significant survival improvement in glioma-bearing rats compared to controls. These results suggest that BC-IP, with its unique properties, may be an alternative boron carrier for BNCT. Further research is required to optimize this potential treatment modality, which could significantly contribute to advancing the treatment of high-grade gliomas.

Neural networks require a large quantity of training spectra and detector responses in order to learn to solve the inverse problem of neutron spectrum unfolding. In addition, due to the under-determined nature of unfolding, non-physical spectra which would not be encountered in usage should not be included in the training set. While physically realistic training spectra are commonly determined experimentally or generated through Monte Carlo simulation, this can become prohibitively expensive when considering the quantity of spectra needed to effectively train an unfolding network. In this paper, we present three algorithms for the generation of large quantities of realistic and physically motivated neutron energy spectra. Using an IAEA compendium of 251 spectra, we compare the unfolding performance of neural networks trained on spectra from these algorithms, when unfolding real-world spectra, to two baselines. We also investigate general methods for evaluating the performance of and optimizing feature engineering algorithms.

Observations of the X-ray binary system Her X-1 by the AstroSat Soft X-ray Telescope 1 (SXT) were carried out in 2020 through 2023 with the goals of measuring X-ray spectrum changes with the 35-day disk rotation phase and measuring eclipses at different 35-day phases. The four multi-day long observations were scheduled during: turn-on to Main High (MH) and MH rise; MH state; Short High (SH) state; and Low State (LS). 35-day phase was determined using monitoring observations with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). Nine eclipses were observed at a range of 35-day phases, with at least one eclipse during each observation. Data with dips were separated from data without dips. The variation of X-ray spectral parameters vs. 35-day phase shows the following: eclipse parameters are nearly constant, showing that the scattering corona does not change with 35-day phase; dips show an increase in covering fraction but not column density compared to non-dip data; the 1 keV line normalization indicates an origin in a small region near the continuum emission region, likely the magnetospheric accretion flow from the inner disk onto the neutron star; and the change in blackbody normalization (area) shows that the emission region is much larger than the 1 keV emission region, and consistent with the inner edge of the accretion disk.

To get more data concerning the influence of fertilizers (organic and mineral) on different forage plants existing in North-eastern Romanian grassland, the mass fractions of 14 essential, enzymatic, or considerd toxic elements was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis together with the amount of crude proteins, ash, fibres as well as ether fact extract. Final results showed a significant variance of the content of analysed elements on organic as well as on mineral fertilized experimental plots, i.e. the content increased in 24% of plots, decreased in 23%, and remained unchanged in 45% while in 8% of plots their content was below the detection limits, as the case of Se. At the same time, an increase content of crude protein and ether extract was evidenced in fertilized grasses for all applied fertilizers while other global indicators such as neutral and acid fibre of sufuric lignin content decreased, suggesting significant higher nutritional values of fertilized forage plant.

The review starts by highlighting the significance of nuclear power plants in contemporary world, especially its indispensable role in the global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Then, it describes the impact of irradiation on microstructure and mechanical properties of reactor structural materials. The main part provides the reader with a thorough overview of crystal plasticity models developed to address the irradiation effects so far. All three groups of most important materials are included. Namely, the Zr alloys used for fuel cladding, austenitic stainless steels used for reactor internals and ferritic steels used for reactor pressure vessel. Other materials, especially those considered for construction of future fission and fusion nuclear power plants, are also mentioned. The review pays also special attention to ion implantation and instrumented nanoindentation which are a common way to substitute costly and time-consuming neutron irradiation campaigns.

The origins of the stellar mass neutron black holes and supermassive dark matter black holes without the singularities are reported based on the 4-D Euclidean space. The neutron black holes with the mass of m_BH = 5 – 15 m_sun are made by the 6-quark merged states (N_6q) of two neutrons with the mass (m(N_6q) = 10 m(n)) of 9.4 GeV/c² that gives the black hole mass gap of m_BH = 3 – 5 m_sun. Also, the supermassive black holes with the mass of m_SMBH = 10⁶ – 10¹¹ msun are made by the merged 3-D states (J(B1B2B3)₃ particles) of the dark matters. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky way galaxy has the mass of mSMBH = 4.1 10⁶ m_sun that is consistent with m_SMBH = 2.08 - 6.23 10⁶ m_sun calculated from the 3-D states (J(B1B2B3)₃ particles) of the dark matters with the mass of m(J) = 1.95 10¹⁵ eV/c². In other words, this supports the existence of the B1, B2 and B3 dark matters with the proposed masses. The first dark matter black hole (primary black hole) was created at the big bang. This first dark matter black hole decayed to the supermassive dark matter black holes through the secondary dark matter black holes that are explained by the merged states of the J(B1B2B3)₃ particles. The universe evolution is closely connected to the decaying process of the dark matter black holes since the big bang. The dark matter cloud states are proposed at the intermediate mass black hole range of m_IMBH = 10² – 10⁵ msun. This can explain why the dark matter black holes are not observed at the intermediate mass black hole range of m_IMBH = 10² – 10⁵ m_sun.

For each measurement, at least three objects are needed: a solid, neutral object as a measuring instrument and two objects for comparison. This system of three spatial dimensions per object has a common time. All measurements are based on orbits relative to the firmament and coincidences of the spatial coordinates of the objects after rotations with π and provide the energy of the system. These results in the most suitable coordinate system with dimensions of powers of π in which the radius is curved, as are the longitude and latitude. Polynomials P(2π) correspond to neutral objects, in addition to P(π) for charge, spin, isospin. In addition, it is assumed that the cosmos consists of a single type of particle with a speed of light c. Normalizing to the rest mass of the electron, the neutrinos are ντ=π, νμ=1, and νe=1/π. The energy of an electron is: Ee=gfreq(π)+1−1/π. An algorithm is derived from a Christoffel symbol and similar to a lattice gauge calculation. It provides exact residual masses for neutrons, protons, muons, tauons, quarks u, d, and pions. The theory can be applied to the inner planetary system and the cosmos and explains the hierarchy problem.

Abstract: As more and more numerical and analytical solutions to the linear neutron transport equation become available, verification of numerical results is increasingly important. This presentation concerns the development of another benchmark for the linear neutron transport equation. There are numerous ways of solving the transport equation, such as the Wiener-Hopf method based on analyticity, method of singular eigenfunctions, Laplace and Fourier transforms and analytical discrete ordinates, which is arguably one of the most straightforward, to name a few. Another potential method is the PN method, where the solution is expanded in terms of full range orthogonal Legendre polynomials and with orthogonality and truncation, the moments form a set of second order ODEs. Because of the half-range boundary conditions for incoming particles however, full range Legendre expansions are inaccurate near material discontinuities. For this reason, a double PN (DPN) expansion is more appropriate, where the incoming and exit-ing flux distributions are expanded separately to preserve the discontinuity at material interfaces. Here, a new method of solution for the DPN equations is proposed and demonstrated for an iso-tropically scattering medium.

The objective of this study is to design and synthesize substituted η6-chromium tricarbonyl metal complexes carrying o-carborane units as potential boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) agents. In this study, 1,2-Diphenyl-o-carborane units were used as starting materials to generate biologically active species. We investigated how the structural changes of 1,2-diphenyl-o-carborane substituted with chromium(0) tricarbonyl affect the biological properties; [(CO)3Cr]Ph2C2 (2) and [(CO)3Cr]2Ph2C2 (3) species were produced in moderate yields. The molecular structures of compounds 1–3 were identified and established by infrared (IR), 1H, 11B, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and X-ray crystallography analyses. Crystal structures of o-carboranyl chromium complexes 1 [a = 10.859(1) Å, b = 24.953(3) Å, c = 13.938(2) Å, β = 111.854(2)º], 2 [a = 10.621(3) Å, b = 17.056(5) Å, c = 12.174(4) Å, β = 106.622(5)º], and 3 [a = 17.540(2) Å, b = 18.060(2) Å, c = 19.484(4) Å, α = 105.746(2)º, β = 110.226(2)º, γ = 91.256(2)º] were obtained. In vitro study using B16 and CT26 cancer cells containing the triphenyl-o-carboranyl chromium (0) complexes Ph3C2BCr2 and Ph3C2BCr3, which we have previously reported, the compounds 2 and 3 accumulated at higher levels than compounds Ph3C2BCr2 and Ph3C2BCr3. However, the phenylated o-carboranyl chromium(0) complexes have been found to be more cytotoxic than p-boronophenylalanine (BPA).

At present there is a renewed interest in theories of ”modified” gravity. Here, under a more drastic modification enforced by Galilei group, we obtain a completely new gravitational structure, and which exists in addition to the already available general relativity of today. Correlated with this, we show that in addition, there is a new ”modified” quantum mechanics, in as much as it exists as an independent and new ”pure” non-relativistic quantum me- chanics, and which has no relativistic counterpart. This is in addition to the present quantum mechanics, where the relativistic and non-relativistic structures are counterparts of each other. The above holds, firstly due to the correlation between Galilei group and quantum mechanics. These math- ematical conclusions are consolidated by the fact that there exists a physical Majorana interaction between each neutron- proton pairs in nuclei. Galilei invariance of Majorana exchange in Majorana interaction, shows that the mass here is of pure gravitational nature, and which is immune to the other three forces. This makes an amazing connection between the gravitational force and the quantum mechanics. This pure gravitational mass would man- ifest itself as dark matter of the universe. It is our new modified gravity that generates the dark matter.

The open-bundle structure of cytochrome c’ as an unfolding intermediate was determined by small-angle neutron scattering experiment (SANS). The four-α-helix bundle structure of Cyt c’ at neutral pH was transited to an open-bundle structure (at pD ~13), which is a joint-clubs consisting of four clubs (α-helices) connected by short loops. The compactly folded structure of Cyt c’ (radius of gyration, Rg = 18 Å for the Cyt c’ dimer) at neutral or mildly alkaline pD transitioned to a remarkably larger “open-bundle” structure at pD ~13 (Rg = 25 Å for the Cyt c’ monomer). Cyt c’ adopts an unstructured random coil structure at pD = 1.7 (Rg = 25 Å for the Cyt c’ monomer). Numerical partial scattering function analysis (joint-clubs) and ab initio modelling gave structures similar to the “open-bundle”, which retains the α-helices but loses the bundle structure.

Fast neutron (FN) radiation mediated mutagenesis is a unique approach among the several induced mutagenesis methods being used in plant science in terms of impacted mutations. The FN mutagenesis usually creates deletions from a few bases to several million bases (Mb). A library of random deletion generated using FN mutagenesis lines can provide indispensable resources for the reverse genetic approaches. In this review, information from several efforts made using FN mutagenesis has been compiled to understand the type of induced mutations, frequency, and genetic stability. Concerns regarding the utilization of FN mutagenesis technique for a plant with different level of ploidy and genome complexity are discussed. We have highlighted the utility of next-generation sequencing techniques which can be efficiently utilized for the characterization of mutant lines as well as for the mapping of causal mutations. Pros and cons of Mut-map, MutChromSeq, exon capture, whole genome sequencing, MutRen-Seq, and different tilling approaches can be used for the detection of FN-induced mutation has also been discussed. Genomic resources developed using the FN mutagenesis have been catalogued wooing to meaningful utilization of the available resources. The information provided here will be helpful for the efficient exploration for the crop improvement programs and for better understanding of genetic regulations.

In the article, we are trying to find a general law that describes the physical properties of a complex compound through the same physical properties of compound elements. For metal alloys operated under extreme conditions - neutron and proton irradiations and thermal heating, the mechanical properties of these alloys and their elements have been studied. It turned out that the ultimate tensile strength of tantalum alloys used in the design of space reactors can be expressed in terms of the weighted sum of the ultimate tensile strengths of its elements in the range of neutron doses: (0 - 0.96) displacement per atom (dpa) for Ta–10W alloy and (1.4 - 1.7) dpa for T–111 alloy with a neutron energy of more than 0.1 MeV. For tungsten binary alloys used in the design of fusion reactors, the Vickers hardness can also be expressed in terms of the weighted sum of the Vickers hardnesses of the alloy elements in the range of proton irradiation doses: (0 - 0.05) dpa for W-1%Re alloy, (0.05 - 0.2) dpa for W-3%Re alloy and (0.05 - 1) dpa for W-1%Ta with a proton energy of 1 MeV.

The effect of neutron irradiation of Si-Ge/Si film structures obtained by gas-phase epitaxy on the processes of charge carrier generation and the magnitude of the dark short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage caused by it is studied, it is shown that their magnitude practically does not change with time. The results obtained indicate that all types of structural defects, both associated with dopant impurities and radiation exposure, contribute to the generation of charge carriers in heated silicon structures with the participation of deep energy levels, which indicates the applicability of neutron processing of silicon materials to create thermal energy converters, operating at high temperatures.

In this paper consider the circuitry of voltage followers (VF) with unity-gain, intended for practical use in active Sallen-Key RC-filters (LPF, HPF, BPF, RF). The results of research and computer modeling of radiation-resistant and low-temperature VF in the LTSpice environment on models of CJFET transistors operating under the influence of neutron flux up to 10e14 n/cm2 and cryogenic temperatures up to -197°C are presented.

This paper presents Mathematical Formulation for Neutrino-Fission of a heavy nuclei in Neutrino-environments. It has been proposed that neutrino fission is a dynamic two-process reaction, where more than one neutrino can be captured by target nucleus. A quantity named Neutrino-Zeta with units of eV^-1 has been defined to represent Neutrino-environments. Neutrino-zeta with assumed excited energy states for heavy nuclei A∼230-270 is estimated to be 0.0212 MeV^-1, with the probability of fission Barrier energy state P(E_x,f)= 0.169064014 with E_x,f =6MeV. P(E_x,f)=0.222664 is highest at zeta=0.1MeV^-1 . It has been shown that probabilities of certain excitation energy states and their corresponding decay reactions at those excitation energies can be equal for two neutrino-zetas. Neutron induced fission for different neutrinos hypothesize that probability of symmetric fission channels is higher at low neutrino-zetas, which can be tested experimentally.

In this article, many experimental similarities between electromagnetic fields (which are applied in systems of electrons, atoms, and liquids) and strong interaction fields (which are applied in systems of quarks, nucleons, and nuclei) are reviewed. The currently accepted theories describing electromagnetic fields differ fundamentally from those describing strong fields. Therefore, the many similarities are quite surprising, and some are not adequately explained even today. Several such unexplained similarities are listed among the top open problems in particle physics, such as the “EMC effect,” the “proton spin crisis,” and the “strong CP problem.” This paper highlights, for the first time, the underlying common characteristics of these problems, potentially offering valuable contribution to future explanations.

The circuitry of the summarized "floating" differential stages (FDS) based on complementary field-effect transistors with a control p-n junction (CJFET), intended for use in low-noise analog microcircuits, for example, operational amplifiers. The results of modeling the flow characteristics of one of the CJFET FDSs in the LTSpice XVII environment at low temperatures (down to -197 ⁰С) and exposure to a neutron flux in the range of 1e13 ÷ 1e15 n / cm² are presented.

To understand the mystery of final unification, in our earlier publications, we proposed that there exist three atomic gravitational constants associated with electroweak, strong and electromagnetic interactions. During cosmic evolution, if one is willing to give equal importance to Higgs boson and Planck mass in understanding the massive origin of elementary particles, then it seems quite logical to expect a common relation in between Planck scale and Electroweak scale. Based on these two points, we noticed that, electroweak field seems to be operated by a primordial massive fermion of rest energy 585 GeV. It can be considered as the zygote of all elementary particles and galactic dark matter. H-bar seems to be a characteristic outcome of unified electroweak gravity. Electron rest mass seems to be a characteristic outcome of electroweak and strong gravity. Proton rest mass seems to be a characteristic outcome of electroweak, strong and electromagnetic gravity. Recently observed 3.5 keV photon seems to be an outcome of annihilation of charged baby lepton of rest energy 1.75 keV. Interesting point to be noted is that, Schwarzschild radius of electron is 0.48 nanometer and it needs further investigation with respect to emerging nano-science and technology. Proceeding further, by considering electromagnetic and weak gravitational constants, neutron life time can be understood.

The relative force strengths of the Coulomb forces, gravitational forces, dark matter forces, weak forces and strong forces are compared for the dark matters, leptons, quarks, and normal matters (p and n baryons) in terms of the 3-D quantized space model. The quark confinement and asymptotic freedom are explained by the CC merging to the A(CC=-5)₃ state. The proton with the (EC,LC,CC) charge configuration of p(1,0,-5) is p(1,0) + A(CC=-5)₃. The A(CC=-5)₃ state has the 99.6% of the proton mass. The three quarks in p(1,0,-5) are asymptotically free in the EC and LC space of p(1,0) and are strongly confined in the CC space of A(CC=-5)₃. This means that the lepton beams in the deep inelastic scattering interact with three quarks in p(1,0) by the EC interaction and weak interaction. Then, the observed spin is the partial spin of p(1,0) which is 32.6 % of the total spin (1/2) of the proton. The A(CC=-5)₃ state has the 67.4 % of the proton spin. This explains the proton spin crisis. The EC charge distribution of the proton is the same to the EC charge distribution of p(1,0) which indicates that three quarks in p(1,0) are mostly near the proton surface. From the EC charge distribution of neutron, the 2 lepton system (called as the koron) of the koron is, for the first time, reported in the present work.

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are essential to achieve excellence in innovative scientific research. However, because of limited land availability and specific geological requirements, evaluating the viability of a site for a new RI can be a challenging task. Stringent safety construction requirements include developing site-specific architectural and geoengineering solutions, minimizing construction disturbances, and reinforcing rock and soil in a timely fashion. For successful development of the RIs in China, such as the Daya Bay Neutrino Laboratory (DBNL), and the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), an integrated approach of joint geophysical methods including the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), controlled-source audio-frequency magneto telluric (CSAMT)), gravity and seismic refraction methods, and geological mapping and surveys were carried out. Geophysical parameters, such as electrical resistivity, density, and seismic velocity show inverse proportion to the degree of rock fracturing or weathering. The results show that the low values of geophysical parameters suggest the weathered/fractured rock, while high values reveal the fresh bedrock. The Engineering Geological Suitability Index (EGSI) value can represent the individual EGSI values at a constant and summed over varying depths. EGSI methodology is an improvement on the existing siting process, and has been applied this to CSNS. Our integrated approach provides clearer insight of the subsurface for site suitability of RIs in challenging engineering geological conditions, and removes any ambiguity caused by a single geophysical parameter. The obtained geological knowledge of the area not only provides engineers with much-needed information about the construction conditions of a potential site, but also gives scientists the opportunity to explore the local geology. In this study, we demonstrate our innovative approach for siting RIs, as demonstrated by the synthetic evaluation of the site location and utilization for two established RIs (DBNL and CSNS).

The properties of the dark matter, dark energy, graviton and photon are discussed in terms of the new three-dimensional quantized space model. Three new particles (bastons) with the electric charges (EC) are proposed as the dark matters. It is proposed that the EC, LC and CC charges are aligned along the time axes but not along the space axes. The photon is confined on its corresponding three-dimensional quantized space. However, the graviton can be evaporated into other three-dimensional quantized spaces. The rest mass of the electron neutrino (n_e) of 3.494·10⁻³ eV/c² is obtained from the experimental vacuum energy density in terms of quantum field theory (QFT). The rest mass and force range of the massive g(0,0,0) graviton with the Planck size are m_g = 3.1872·10⁻³¹ eV/c² and x_r = 3.0955·10²³ m = 10.0 Mpc, respectively, based on the experimental rest mass and rms charge radius of the proton. The possible diameter (10 Mpc) of the largest galaxy cluster is remarkably consistent with the gravitational force range (10 Mpc). Then, the diameter of the largest dark matter distribution related to the largest galaxy cluster is 9.2865·10²³ m = 30 Mpc equal to the force range of the massive g(0) graviton with the rest mass of 1.0624·10⁻³¹ eV/c². Because of the huge number (N) of the evaporated gravitons, the very small Coulomb’s constant of about 10⁻⁴⁸k and large gravitation constant of 10⁶G_N are expected for the charged dark matters. Therefore, F_c(mm) > F_g(dd) > F_g(mm) > F_g(dm) > F_c(dd) > F_c(dm) = 0 for the proton-like particle. The proposed weak gravitational force between the dark matters and normal matters explains the observed dark matter distributions of the bullet cluster, Abell 1689 cluster and Abell 520 cluster. The transition from the galaxy without the dark matters to the galaxy with the dark matters are explained. Also, the accelerated space expansion is caused by the new space quanta created by the evaporated gravitons into the x1x2x3 space and repulsive electromagnetic force between dark matters corresponding to the dark energy. The decreasing coupling constant of the strong force, neutron lifetime anomaly and the pressure distribution inside the proton are explained by the unobservable proton and hadronization. And the rest mass of 1.4 TeV/c² is assigned to the Le particle with the EC charge of −2e. The proposed rest mass (26.12 eV/c²) of the B1 dark matter is indirectly confirmed from the supernova 1987A data. Also, the gravitation constant has been changing with the time because of the graviton evaporation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a glioma and the most aggressive type of brain tumor with a dismal average survival time, despite the standard of care. One promising alternative therapy is boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), which is a noninvasive therapy for treating locally invasive malignant tumors, including glioma. BNCT involves boron-10-released radiation directly into tumor cells with minimal damage to healthy tissues. This therapy lacks clinically approved targeted blood-brain-barrier-permeating delivery vehicles for therapeutic drug/ boron-10. Nanoparticles, particularly gold nanoparticles (GNPs), are selective and effective drug-delivery vehicles because of their desirable properties, facile synthesis, and biocompatibility. This review discusses historical and current GNP therapeutic applications as a drug delivery vehicle for treating glioma. Furthermore, GNPs loaded with therapeutic drugs, imaging agents, and GBM-targeting antibodies/ peptides to treat GBM will be discussed. Additionally, the importance of upper and lower limits on therapeutic efficacy will be described and explored followed by highlighting their advantages, limitations, and possible toxicity. Recent research and selected important findings for GNP-mediated pharmaceutics in GBM will also be considered.

Gravitational waves have been detected in the past few years from several transient events such as merging stellar mass black holes, binary neutron stars, etc. These waves have frequencies in a band ranging from a few hundred hertz to around a kilohertz to which LIGO type instruments are sensitive. LISA would be sensitive to much lower range of frequencies from SMBH mergers. Apart from these cataclysmic burst events, there are innumerable sources of radiation which are continuously emitting gravitational waves of all frequencies. These include a whole mass range of compact binary and isolated compact objects as well as close planetary stellar entities. In this work, quantitative estimates are made of the gravitational wave background produced in typical frequency ranges from such sources emitting over a Hubble time and the fluctuations in the h values measured in the usual devices. Also estimates are made of the high frequency thermal background gravitational radiation from hot stellar interiors and newly formed compact objects.

Understanding surfactant self-assembly in deep eutectic solvents (DES) is important to their potential use in industrial formulations. We have recently reported the formation of a fracto-eutectogel comprising SDS fractal aggregates at a concentration as low as 1.6 wt% in glyceline (a DES comprising glycerol and choline chloride) at room temperature. The building units of the fractals consisted of multilayers of self-assembled SDS lamellae arranged in a dendritic pattern. Here we report that this fractal phase transitions into a fluid phase above a critical gelation temperature, TCG ~ 45 oC, evident from polarized light microscopy (PLM) observations. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) reveals that this phase transition is underpinned by the nanoscopic morphological transformation of the SDS lamellae into cylindrical micelles at T &gt; TGC. Fitting SANS profiles confirms that the morphology of the micelles is SDS-concentration (cSDS) dependent at T &gt; TGC: cylindrical at cSDS &gt; 0.6 wt% and spherical at cSDS = 0.6 wt%. At cSDS &lt; 0.6 wt%, only isotropic scattering was observed in the SANS profiles. Such SDS self-assembly behaviors contrast with those we have previously observed in glycerol, which we attribute to the presence of ions (i.e. choline chloride) in glyceline. Our findings have general implications to surfactant self-assembly in DES, solvents that are rich in hydrogen bonding and ions.

Imaginary dimensions in physics require an imaginary set of base Planck units and some negative parameter $c_n$ corresponding to the speed of light in vacuum $c$. The second, negative fine-structure constant $\alpha_2^{-1} \approx -140.178$ present in Fresnel coefficients for the normal incidence of electromagnetic radiation on monolayer graphene leads to the imaginary Planck units. Furthermore, it sets $c_n \approx -3.06 \times 10^8~\text{[m/s]}$. It follows that electric charges are the same in real and imaginary dimensions. Neutron stars and white dwarfs, objects emitting perfect black-body radiation, need energy exceeding their mass-energy equivalence ratios. Complex energies are defined in terms of real and imaginary Planck units. Their imaginary parts, inaccessible for direct observation, store the excess of these energies. It follows that black holes are fundamentally uncharged, charged micro neutron stars and white dwarfs with masses lower than $5.7275 \times 10^{-10}~[\text{kg}]$ are unphysical, and the radii of white dwarfs' cores are limited to $R_{\text{WD}} < 6.7933~G M_{\text{WD}}/c^2$. It is conjectured that the maximum atomic number $Z=238$. A black-body object is in the equilibrium of complex energies of masses, charges, and wavelengths if its radius $R_\text{eq} \approx 2.7665~G M_{\text{BBO}}/c^2$, which corrects the value of the photon sphere radius $R_{\text{ps}}=3G M/c^2$, taking into account the value(s) of the fine-structure constant(s), which is otherwise neglected in general relativity.

This work presents the mathematical framework of the Second-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology for Response-Coupled Forward/Adjoint Linear Systems (abbreviated as “2nd-CASAM-L”), which enables the most efficient computation of exactly obtained mathematical expressions of first- and second-order sensitivities of a generic system response with respect to functions (“features”) of model parameters. Subsequently, the first- and second-order sensitivities with respect to the model’s uncertain parameters, boundaries, and internal interfaces are obtained analytically and exactly, without needing large-scale computations. Within the 2nd-FASAM-L methodology, the number of large-scale computations is proportional to the number of model features (defined as functions of model parameters), as opposed to being proportional to the number of model parameters, which are considerably more than the number of features, being incomparably more efficient and more accurate than any other methods (statistical, finite differences, etc.) for computing exact expressions of response sensitivities (of any order) with respect to the model’s features and/or primary uncertain parameters, boundaries, and internal interfaces. The application of the 2nd-CASAM-L methodology is illustrated using a simplified energy-dependent neutron transport model of fundamental significance in nuclear reactor physics.