bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
METODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN PROTEIN AND LIPIDIC EXPRESSIONS IN BRAIN TISSUE EXPOSED TO Co60 BASED ON DESI/MALDI-MSI
Authors: Mingote Matheus Figueiredo Soares
Published: April 2019

The present paper attempts to present important issues in the methodology of identifying  lipid and protein changes in brain tissue induced by radiation. The goal was to address the analysis of the methodology and to investigate the feasibility of the generation of lipid/protein profiles of irradiated brain tissue; disregarding the results of the analyses. Lipids and proteins are biomolecules with diverse structures and functionalities that participate in important intracellular processes. Changes in the lipid and the tissue protein profiles may indicate a cellular response to an external stimulus as well as the emergence of neoplasms or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. DESI-MSI is a convenient method for identifying lipids and their spatial distribution in tissue beyond analytical quantification. DESI-MS allows the creation of an image of several low lipid m/z classes. MALDI-MSI has already been a method used in the study of macromolecules as structural, membrane, hormone, neuromediator and immunological peptides. Through a full matrix scan, with a m/z spectrum between 500-1000 for lipids and with a mass spectrum of 1000-15000 Da for proteins, the molecular profiles can be analyzed generating 2D chemical pixel-type images. The produced image allows to associate the distribution of the lipids and proteins in the tissues with their chemical profile identified, allowing the verification of the changes radioinduced. Radiation triggers intense oxidative stress by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals, causing DNA-damage consequently with alterations in proteomics including cellular lipid and protein expressions. The cellular morphophysiological changes are responsible for both the clonogenic inhibition and the induction of the apoptotic process.  The images´s production was directly dependent on the rigorous execution of the methodological procedures. Innumerable interferences could impair the image´s generations and protein and lipid analysis.  The main interferences in the present MS methodology were addressed and discussed.  Following a well-established methodology, DESI can  generate lipid and MALDI protein spectra in brain tissues. Near future, it will be possible to detect changes of  the spatial distribution and the types of lipids and proteins in the white and gray matter regions.
X-ray diffraction analysis of KY3F10 nanoparticles doped with Nd and preliminary studies for its use in high-dose radiation dosimetry
Authors: Ichikawa Rodrigo Uchida , Linhares Horacio Marconi da Silva Matias Dantas , Silva Andre Santos Barros , Teixeira Maria Ines , Ranieri Izilda Marcia , Turrillas Xavier , Martinez Luis Gallego
Published: April 2019

In this work, the structure and microstructure of Nd:KY3F10 nanoparticles was probed using X-ray synchrotron diffraction analysis. Rietveld refinement was applied to obtain cell parameters, atomic positions and atomic displacement factors to be compared with the ones found in literature. X-ray line profile methods were applied to determine mean crystallite size and crystallite size distribution. Thermoluminescent (TL) emission curves were measured for different radiation doses, from 0.10 kGy up to 10.0 kGy. Dose-response curves were obtained by area integration beneath the peaks from TL. The reproducibility of the results in this work has shown that this material can be considered a good dosimetric material.
Diagnostic x-ray dosimeters using standard float zone (FZ) and XRA-50 commercial diodes
Authors: Gonçalves Josemary A. C. , Barros Vinicius S. M. , Asfora Viviane K. , Khoury Helen J. , Bueno Carmen C.
Published: April 2019

The results obtained with a standard float zone (FZ) silicon diode, processed at the Helsinki Institute of Physics, used as on-line diagnostic X-ray dosimeter are described in this work. The device was connected in the short-circuit current mode to the input of an integrating electrometer. The response repeatability and the current sensitivity coefficient of the diode were measured with diagnostic X-ray beams in the range of 40-80 kV. The dose-response of the device, evaluated from 10 mGy up to 500 mGy, was linear with high charge sensitivity. Nevertheless, significant energy dependence was observed in the charge sensitivity of FZ device for energies below 70 kV. The dosimetric characteristics of this FZ diode were compared to those of an XRA-50 commercial Si diode, specially designed to X-ray dosimetry. The results obtained with the  FZ diode evidenced that it can be an alternative choice for diagnostic X-ray dosimetry, although it needs to be calibrated for individual X-ray beam energies. The studies of long-term stability and the radiation hardness of these diodes are under way.
Study on elements concentrations on seabird feathers by instrumental neutron activation analysis.
Authors: Theophilo Carolina Yume Sawamura , Figueira Rubens Cesar Lopes , Colabuono Fernanda Imperatrice , Montone Rosalinda Carmela , Moreira Edson Gonçalves
Published: April 2019

Seabirds are very sensitive to environmental changes and due to their large longevity they are also sensitive to cumulative impacts. These birds usually occupy the higher trophic levels. White-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) and black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) are Procellariiformes, which is a seabird order, composed of 4 families. In the last years, researches are being done and actions are being taken to reduce the mortality of albatrosses and petrels caused by human activities. Due to the great ecological importance of these birds and the developed work with Procellariiformes, this study purpose was to quantify the Br, Cl, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Na and V elements in white-chinned petrel and black-browed albatross feathers. Bird specimens were killed accidentally by pelagic longline fisheries operating off southern Brazil. Feathers were cleaned with acetone and then milled in a cryogenic mill. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used for quantification of the element concentrations and measurements of induced activities were performed in a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector for gamma ray spectrometry. The obtained results on feathers showed that concentrations in these birds are not higher than others studies with the same species and, with exception of Br, there are no significant differences between elements mean concentrations in the two seabirds.
Dosimetric effectiveness in implants with distinct ho166-seed distributions in a prostate model
Authors: Braga Viviane Vitória Bento , Campos Tarcísio Passos Ribeiro de
Published: April 2019

Currently, there is a need to produce new therapeutic techniques for the treatment of prostate tumors, considering the high incidence of the disease and significant morbidity rates associated with surgery and radiotherapy. Simulations in brachytherapy produce essential information about the efficiency and dosimetric efficacy compared to other techniques. This study estimated the efficiency of dosimetry by parameters of merit generated from volumetric distributions of absorbed doses simulating two spatial distributions of Ho-166 seeds in a prostate model. A computer voxel model was developed, using the SISCODES (Computational System for Dosimetry by Neutrons and Photons by Stochastic Methods applied to radiology and radiotherapy) code. The virtual model reproduced a cubic box, filled with muscle equivalent tissue (TE), in which a 5-cm diameter sphere with TE-prostate was positioned 2-cm from the air-interface. Two Ho-166 seed distributions were employed with distinct pitches: 9 and 10 mm, with same distance between seed of 8mm in a fillet (needle). The MCNP5 code generated the energy deposited per unit mass in each voxel .The spatial dose distributions were obtained for each of the seed distributions. The following parameters-of-merit were evaluated: maximum dose values and histograms. The parameters were compared between the two simulated groups. It was possible to evaluate the most appropriate distribution to the prostate brachytherapy, which has been shown to be a function of the injected seed activity.
Recycling and melting process of the zirconium alloy chips
Authors: Reis Luis Augusto Mendes
Published: April 2019

The aim of this work is study on the recycling process of zirconium alloy chips and the results aiming the efficiency in the cleaning process; the quality control; the obtaining of the pressed electrodes and finally the melting in a Vac-uum Arc Remelting furnace (VAR). The recycling process begins with magnetic separation of possible ferrous al-loys chips contaminant, the washing of the cutting fluid that is soluble in water, washing with an industrial degreas-er, followed by a rinse with continuous flow of water under high pressure and drying with hot air. The first evalua-tion of the process was done by an Energy Dispersive X-rays Fluorescence Spectrometry (EDXRFS) showed the presence of 10 wt. % to 17 wt. % of impurities due the mixing with stainless steel machining chips. The chips were then pressed in a custom-made matrix of square section (40 x 40 mm - 500 mm in length), resulting in electrodes with 20% of apparent density of the original alloy. The electrode was then melted in a laboratory scale VAR furnace at the CCTM-IPEN, producing a massive ingot with 0.8 kg. It was observed that the samples obtained from In-dústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) are supposed to be secondary scrap and it is suggested careful separation in the generation of this material. The melting of the chips is possible and feasible in a VAR furnace which reduces the storage volume by up to 40 times of this material, however, it is necessary to correct the composition of the alloy for the melting of these ingots.
Effect of the ohmic drop in a RPC-like chamber for measurements of electron transport parameters
Authors: Petri Anna Raquel
Published: April 2019

The main advantage of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), applied, for instance, in High-Energy Experiments and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), is that it is spark-protected due to the presence of, at least, one high-resistive electrode. However, the ohmic drop across the latter can affect the charge multiplication significantly. In this work, we investigate this effect in a RPC-like chamber. The counter was filled with nitrogen at atmospheric pressure and the primary ionization was produced by the incidence of nitrogen pulsed laser beam on an aluminum cathode. The illumination area of the cathode was measured using a foil of millimetric paper overlaid on this electrode. In this way, the resistance of the glass anode could be estimated using the known resistivity of the glass (ρ=2×1012 Ω.cm). Therefore, the voltage drop across the dielectric was calculated by the product of the current across the gas gap and the anode resistance. In order to mitigate the effect of the resistive electrode, the laser beam intensity was limited by interposing metallic meshes between the laser and the chamber window. The dependence of the ohmic drop from the applied voltage was analyzed. The results obtained shown that, without the meshes, the ohmic drop corresponds up to 7% of the applied voltage, preventing the detection system to reach values of density-normalized electric fields in the gas gap (Eeff/N) higher than 166 Td. By minimizing the laser beam intensity and, consequently, the primary ionization, the ohmic drop represented only 0.2% of the applied voltage, extending the Eeff /N range up to 175 Td.
PRE-TREATMENT OF BITUMINIZED NPP WASTES FOR DISPOSAL IN NEAR-SURFACE REPOSITORY
Authors: Vieira Vanessa Mota , De Tello Clédola Cássia Oliveira
Published: April 2019

The implementation of the national repository is an important technical requirement, and a legal requirement for the entry into operation of the nuclear power plant Angra 3. The Brazilian repository is being planned to be a near-surface one. In Brazil the low and intermediate level radioactive wastes are immobilized using cement and bitumen for Angra 1 and Angra 2 NPP, respectively. The main problems due to the disposal of bituminized wastes in repositories are swelling of the waste products and their degradation in the long term. To accommodate the swelling of the bituminized wastes, the drums are filled up to 70 - 90% of their volume, which reduces the structural the repository stability and the disposal availability. Countries, which use bitumen in the solidification of NPP´s radioactive waste and have near-surface repositories, need to immobilize this bituminized waste within other drums containing cement pastes or mortars to disposal them. This study aims to find solutions for the storage in surface repository of bituminized radioactive waste products, making them compatible with the acceptance criteria of cemented waste products. It was also performed a modeling with the results obtained in the leaching test using the ALT program and defined the transport model of the cesium leachate element and it was verified that in the early times the leaching was governed by the diffusion model and later by the partition model. The results obtained in this study can be used in the evaluation of performance of repositories.
EVALUATION OF ITERATIVE ALGORITHMS FOR TOMOGRAPHY IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION
Authors: Velo Alexandre F. , Alvarez Alexandre G. , Hamada Margarida Mizue , De Mesquita Carlos Henrique
Published: April 2019

The greatest impact of the tomography technology currently occurs in medicine. The success is due to the fact that human body presents standardized dimensions with well-established composition. These conditions are not found in industrial objects. In industry, there is a great deal of interest in using the tomography in order to know the inner part of (i) manufactured industrial objects or (ii) the machines and their means of production. In these cases, the purpose of the tomography is:  (a) to control the quality of the final product and (b) to optimize the production, contributing to the pilot phase of the projects and analyzing the quality of the means of production. This scan system is a non-destructive, efficient and fast method for providing sectional images of industrial objects and it is able to show the dynamic processes and the dispersion of the materials structures within these objects. In this context, it is important that the reconstructed image may present a great spatial resolution with a satisfactory temporal resolution. Thus, the algorithm to reconstruct the images has to meet these requirements. This work consists in the analysis of three different iterative algorithm methods, namely the Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method (MLEM), the Maximum Likelihood Transmitted Method (MLTR) and the Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Method (SIRT. The analyses involved the measurement of the contrast to noise ratio (CNR), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF),in order to know which algorithm fits the conditions to optimize the system better.   The algorithms and the image quality analyses were performed by Matlab® 2013b.
Computational model of a 3D dosimetry system - ArcCHECK®
Authors: Mazer Amanda Cristina , Nakandakari Marcos Vinicius Nakaoka , Ribeiro Victor Augusto Bertotti , Siqueira Paulo De Tarso Dalledone , Shorto Julian Marco Barbosa , Yoriyaz Hélio
Published: April 2019

Ionizing radiation therapies have been improving over the years, becoming more specific for each patient. Thereby, as the treatment planning system (TPS) complexities increases, the quality assurance (QA) methods have to be in constant evolution. One of the techniques that demand great complexity is the Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), and one possible way to VMAT commissioning is using 3D dosimetry systems. Recently a new 3D dosimetry system called ArcCHECK had been developed and commercialized mainly for VMAT quality assurance. It is water-equivalent and composed by an array of 1386 diodes arranged in a helical pattern. Since simulation methods, like Monte Carlo method, ensure highly accurate results, MCNP (A General Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System) is totally reliable for problems that involve radiation transport. This work presents two computational models for Monte Carlo simulations to predict detection responses in the QA procedure using the ArcCHECK. The computational models were validated comparing the system responses obtained from MCNP6 simulations against measured responses due to a 6 MeV clinical photon beam from a Linear Accelerator. 2D dose maps were reported here with good agreement between simulated and measured values.
Evaluation of the uncertainty associated with sample holders in NAA measurements in LAN/IPEN
Authors: Zahn Guilherme Soares , Ticianelli Regina Beck , Saiki Mitiko , Genezini Frederico Antonio
Published: April 2019

In IPEN’s Neutron Activation Laboratory (LAN/IPEN), thin stainless steel sample holders are used for gamma spectrometry in NAA measurements. This material is very practical, but its chemical composition may be troublesome, as it presents large amounts of elements with intermediate atomic number, with attenuation factors for low-energy gamma-rays that must not be neglected. In this study, count rates obtained using different sample holders were compared. To accomplish that, an Am-241 source, with 59-keV gamma emission, was used so that low-energy gamma attenuation differences can be determined. Moreover, in order to study the energy dependence of these differences, a Ho-166m source was also used. From these results, it was possible to analyze the experimental error associated to the variations between sample holders, with the aim of introducing an addictive term to the uncertainty analysis of comparative Neutron Activation Analysis results.
A comparison between rad-hard float zone silicon diodes as gamma dosimeter in radiation processing
Authors: Camargo Fábio , Bueno Carmen Cecília , Gonçalves Josemary A. C.
Published: April 2019

In this work, we report on the results obtained with rad-hard Standard Float Zone (STFZ) and Diffused Oxygenated Float Zone (DOFZ) silicon diodes in radiation processing dosimetry. The dosimetric probes were designed to operate in the direct current mode, as on-line radiation dosimeter. The irradiation of the samples was performed using a 60Co source with a dose rate of almost 2.4 kGy/h. The current response of each diode was measured as a function of the exposure time in steps from 5 kGy up to 50 kGy to achieve a total absorbed dose of 275 kGy. In this dose range it is observed a significant decrease in the photocurrent generated in both devices due to gamma radiation defects produced in their active volumes. To mitigate this effect, the samples were pre-irradiated with Co-60 gamma rays at 700 kGy. Despite of being less sensitive, these devices presented stable and reproducible current signals with a relative sensitivity decrease of about 19% within the whole range of dose studied. The dose-response curves of the pre-irradiated diodes showed quadratic behavior with correlation coefficient higher than 0.9999 for total absorbed dose up to 275 kGy. The comparison of the FZ and DOFZ responses evidenced that the latter was slightly superior to the first. However, it is important to note that all pre-irradiated diodes can be used as gamma dosimeters in radiation processing applications.
OSL-SAR dating of sediments from Brazilian aeolian system: Dama Branca, Rio de Janeiro, morphodynamic study
Authors: Do Carmo Lucas Sátiro
Published: April 2019

It has been reported that the formation and stabilization of coastal dune fields in Brazil have a dependence on the climatic changes, Relative Sea Level (RSL) variations, etc. In this work, a dune field known as “Dama Branca”, located in the town of Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, has been studied to understand its mobility, formation and stabilization. Dating by trapped charge dating techniques as Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) using the Single Aliquot Regenerative protocol (SAR), helps us to understand the formation and dynamics of aeolian systems in Brazil. Samples from two positions; DB and 2DB, were collected from different heights and points for dating. The results obtained by OSL-SAR showed that ages decrease as the height from the dune base increase and older samples are found in deeper horizontal positions. The ages from the base of the studied dunes indicated that its stabilization occurred during the recess of the sea level and that erosion caused by the wind action is revealing an old generation of this dune filed.
Validating a virtual source model based in Monte Carlo method for profiles and percent depth doses calculation
Authors: Del Nero Renata Aline , Nakaoka Nakandakari Marcos Vinicius , Yoriyaz Hélio
Published: April 2019

The Monte Carlo method for radiation transport has been adapted for medical physics application. More specifically, it has received more attention in clinical treatment planning with the development of more efficient computer simulation techniques. In linear accelerator modeling by the Monte Carlo method, the phase space data file (phsp) is an alternative representation for radiation source. However, to create a phase space file and obtain good precision in the results, it is necessary detailed information about the accelerator's head and commonly the supplier does not provide all the necessary data. An alternative to the phsp is the Virtual Source Model (VSM). This alternative approach presents many advantages for the clinical Monte Carlo application. This is the most efficient method for particle generation and can provide an accuracy similar when the phsp is used. This research propose a VSM simulation with the use of a Virtual Flattening Filter (VFF) for profiles and percent depth doses calculation. Two different sizes of open fields (40 x 40 cm² and 40 x 40 cm² rotated 45°) were used and two different source to surface distance (SSD) were applied: the standard 100 cm and custom SSD of 370 cm, which is applied in radiotherapy treatments of total body irradiation. The data generated by the simulation was analyzed and compared with experimental data to validate the VSM. This current model is easy to build and test.
Aspects of an automatic system of implants of radioac-tive seeds and anatomic object simulator for tests in prostate brachytherapy.
Authors: Silva Leonardo Santiago Melgaço , Braga Viviane Vitória Bento , Campos Tarcisio Passos Ribeiro
Published: April 2019

This work presents the development of an automatic radioactive seed implantation system (PSIS). PSIS may assist the testing permanent implants procedure in the prostate. These tests will be important in measurements of absorbed doses in the pelvic structures, involving the organs and tissues at risk to improve planning, seed positioning and dosimetry. The automated Prostate Seed Implant System (PSIS) has been designed to meet operational needs, which offers the freedom when positioning the brachytherapy needle inside the treatment area ensuring repeatability and fidelity to the planned treatment. Both the ultrasound probe and the seed implant needle are driven by stepper motors, ATMEGA microcontroller, bearings, aluminum shafts and a GUI (Graphical User Interface). Movement of both the probe and the needle holder was performed by fixed spindle on a threaded rod going through a stepper motors by a coupling. These engines were chosen due to the necessity of movements precision that these types of motors provide. The project was developed and the PSIS prototype was assembled. The prototype presented acceptable operating characteristics for prostate implants. The advantage of this system is that the automation of the application provides an accurate positioning and movement of both probe and seed application. In addition to this study, seeds implantation tests will be performed, and such tests will be essential in protocol validation processes.
Protocol for characterization of clay as a backfill and coverage layers for near surface repository
Authors: Dos Santos Daisy Mary Marchezini , De Tello Clédola Cássia Oliveira
Published: April 2019

The Radioactive Waste Management includes the operations since generation of the waste until its storage in repository, ensuring the protection of human beings and the environment from the possible negative impacts. The radioactive waste is segregated, treated, conditioned in suitable packages for posterior storage or disposal in repository. The “RBMN Project” objective is to implement the repository for the disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes generated by nuclear activities in Brazil, proposing a definitive solution for their storage. Engineered and natural barriers as the backfill and coverage layers will compose the disposal system of a near surface repository, concept proposed by the “RBMN Project”. The use of these barriers aims to avoid or restrict the release of radionuclides from the waste to the human beings and environment. The waterproofing barriers are composed of clays. Certainly, for the national repository, will be used those clays existing in the place where it will be constructed. Them some basic tests will have to be carried out to verify the suitability of these clays as barriers. These tests were determined and performed with reference clay, a Brazilian bentonite constituted of 67.2% montmorillonite. The results were compared with national and international literature of materials with similar mineralogical features. The values found with 95% of confidence interval were 9.73±0,35 µm for granulometric size; 13,3±0,6% for the moisture content and 816±9 mmol.kg-1 for the capacity of cationic exchange. A protocol for characterization of clay was elaborated presenting these tests for it future use.
Concrete containers in radioactive waste management: a review
Authors: Tavares Barbara Lacerda , Tello Clédola Cássia Oliveira de
Published: April 2019

Nuclear power is considered a clean energy because it does not produce the gases responsible for greenhouse effect. However, like all human activities, it is susceptible to the generation of waste. With the increasing demand for energy in Brazil, the use of nuclear power is being expanded. With this, the implementation of proper treatment and disposal have become a necessity in order to ensure the non-contamination of the public or environment and that the exposure doses are lower than the limits determined by legislation. Most of the waste produced in Brazil is classified with low and intermediate radiation levels; consequently, the national repository will be near surface, in accordance with the legislation. Considering the multi-barrier concept for the repository, the radioactive waste product is the first barrier. To have a qualified radioactive waste product, it should be solid or solidified using an inert material. With the intention to standardize the disposal process, all radioactive waste products will be placed in concrete containers. These containers will be settled in a concrete cell, which is the final engineered barrier of the repository. The state of the art is the first part of the study of the concrete containers and its specific criteria acceptation. Tests still need to be performed in order to ensure the stability and resistance of the material, since the repository’s operational and surveillance period is 60 and 300 years respectively.
Development of an HPLC method for the radiochemical purity evaluation of [18F]fluoroestradiol
Authors: Bispo Ana Carolina De Araujo , Nascimento Leonardo Tafas Constantino , Costa Flávia Mesquita , Da Silva Juliana Batista , Mamede Marcelo
Published: April 2019

18F-Fluoroestradiol ([18F]FES), an estrogen analog, is a radiopharmaceutical used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) that allows evaluating the tumor cell receptor profile and the best therapy strategy, the staging, the prognosis and the response to therapy in several breast cancer cases. As there is not any pharmacopoeia’s monograph of [18F]FES to standardize its quality control criteria, this work presents a new HPLC’s method to perform the [18F]FES radiochemical purity. A liquid chromatograph was used with radioactivity and ultraviolet detectors. Three concentrations of fluoroestradiol standard solution were used along the test. Their retention time was compared to its relative radiolabelled analogue to confirm its identity. Several mobile phases with acetonitrile and two mobile phase flows were tested to optimize the runs. Peaks symmetry, retention time, theoretical plates and resolution were analyzed to choose the best conditions. The mean retention time of both standard Fluoroestradiol and [18F]FES solutions were the same, demonstrating that [18F]FES formulation did not interfere with [18F]FES analysis. The best conditions were 1.2 mL/min and isocratic 40% V/V acetonitrile in water, which gave [18F]FES peak resolution greater than 6 and symmetry factor of 1. Thus, the developed method is ready to be validated and implemented in [18F]FES quality control routine in CDTN/Brazil.
Study of the radiomodifier effect of Pityrocarpa moniliformis extract
Authors: Moraes João Victor Torres de , Luna Filho Ricardo Luiz Calazans , Siqueira Williams Nascimento de , Silva Hianna Arely Milca Fagundes , Pereira Dewson Rocha , Melo Ana Maria Mendonça de Albuquerque
Published: April 2019

Ionizing radiation has been applied in several areas of knowledge, among them the study of the radiomodifier activity of natural substances. These substances can modify the cellular response to the damage induced by the radiation. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the radiomodifier action of Pityrocarpa moniliformis extract on Biomphalaria glabrata embryos exposed to 60Co gamma radiation. Initially, toxicity tests were performed on the extract against the B. glabrata embryos for the choice of concentration that did not cause death and embryonic malformation. Then, the antioxidant activity of the P. moniliformis extract with flavonoids and phenolic compounds was evaluated by means of the ABTS method. To evaluate the radiomodifier activity of the extract, embryos were selected in the blastula stage and irradiated with 7.5 Gy in a 60Co source (gammacell-Co60). Then, the embryos were exposed for 24 h to the extract of P. moniliformis at a concentration of 250 μg/mL. The results showed that the extract of P. moniliformis presents flavonoids and enzymatic inhibition by ABTS, which demonstrates the presence of antioxidant compounds. However, the tests of the radiomodifier activity did not present radioprotective effect for embryos exposed to ionizing radiation.
Determination of natural radionuclides in waste generated in the potable water treatment plants of the Zona da Mata of the state of Pernambuco- Brazil
Authors: De Almeida Albuquerque Adriana Muniz
Published: April 2019

The water purification procedure aims to obtain a product appropriate for human consumption, minimizing the presence of contaminants and toxic substances present in the water. Among these contaminants, some radionuclides of natural origin, such as uranium, thorium and their descendants, have been identified. Studies have shown that the stages of purification are quite effective in removing the radionuclides contained in water. The removal is due to co-precipitation of the radionuclides with the suspended materials and the precipitated material is accumulated and characterized as a Technologically Concentrated Natural Occurrence Radioactive Material (TENORM) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This residue can present significant levels of radioactivity and, when discarded in the environment without any treatment, can generate a problem of environmental impact and a risk to the health of the population. In this way, some gamma emitters of the series of U, Th and the K-40 were determined in the residues generated at the Potable Water Treatment Plants – PWTPs in six municipalities of Pernambuco. The results obtain corroborate the classification of the residues generated in the PWTPs as concentrators of the radioactive components contained in the water supplied to the system and reinforce the need for the release to the environment, which is the usual way of disposal of this waste, to be carried out only after considering the radiological protection standards established.
Distance Education and Vocabulary Podcasting Tasks: Attitude in Focus
Authors: ELEKAEI Atefeh , TABRIZI Hossein Heidari , CHALAK Azizeh
Published: April 2019

Distance education is a development in teaching and learning. Learners work and learn on their own at a distance from teachers and instructors with a degree of independence. The most important problem confronted by EFL learners is that they do not have enough time to be present in classes and they want to be taught through distance language education. The present study is an investigation of the effect of Iranian EFL learners’ attitude regarding their distance vocabulary gain and retention. 180 participants took part in the present study. Two separate one-way multivariate analysis of variance (one-way MANOVA) were run in order to answer the questions. Results revealed that attitude levels significantly affected Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary gain and retention. The participants who had higher attitude levels had higher levels of vocabulary gain as well as retention applying audio podcasts plus still pictures and audio podcasts plus animated pictures.
Indícios de uma euro-futebolização no Sul do Brasil
Authors: Koch Rodrigo
Published: April 2019

Descrição da cultura juvenil futebolizada na Região das Hortênsias, especialmente, de Canela/RS, com traços muito próximos do que Giulianotti (2012) caracteriza como o torcedor pós-moderno ou flâneur. O estudo utiliza metodologias pós-estruturalistas; sendo que neste recorte são apresentados dados de pesquisas bibliográficas, quantitativos e qualitativos, a partir da aplicação de um questionário seguido de entrevistas com inspiração etnográfica. O objetivo foi compreender o processo contemporâneo de futebolização e como este se relaciona com a construção das identidades juvenis. A futebolização dos jovens produz um sujeito com poucos vínculos com os clubes de futebol locais, pois são muito mais interessados no sucesso de agremiações e celebridades estrangeiras e/ou europeias da modalidade.
Local Antioxidant Status in Patients with Keratoconus after Ultraviolet Corneal Crosslinking
Authors: Khalimov A. R. , Khalimova L. I. , Usubov E. L.
Published: April 2019

The article presents the study results of the local antioxidant status in patients with progressive keratoconus and its dynamics after the ultraviolet corneal crosslinking. Purpose: to study the oxidative activity in the tear of the patients with keratoconus and its dynamics after ultraviolet cornea crosslinking. Patients and methods. To assess the local level of oxidative activity in keratoconic patients according to the levels of total antioxidant status (TAS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the tear fluid, as well as their dynamics after UV crosslinking were investigated. The study included 38 patients (38 eyes) with keratoconus stage I–II (classification according to Amsler), men — 24 (63.1 %), women — 14 (36.9 %). The standard UV crosslinking group (S-CXL) was 20 eyes, and the pulsed accelerated protocol (I-CXL) — 18 eyes. The average age of patients was 32.4 ± 6.8 years. As a control group, 12 practically healthy individuals were selected. The time of observation is before the operation, on the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 30th days after the procedure. Results: On the basis of the conducted studies, it was revealed that keratoconus patients showed a statistically significant decrease in the initial indicator of TAS by 40 % and amounted to 1.68 ± 0.21 mmol/l, compared to healthy people — 2.82 ± 0.15 mmol/l. The SOD level in tears in patients with keratoconus was also lower by 19 % — to 96.7 ± 11.3 ng/ml, compared to the control — 119.1 ± 16.5 ng/ml. The use of S-CXL of the cornea caused a decrease in TAS during the first 3 days with the subsequent restoration of its level. The use of pulse A-CXL also showed a decrease in this indicator, but by the end of 1st month the level of TAS was higher than preoperative and better than when using the standard protocol. A decrease in SOD level after treatment was noted during the first 3 days, however, the use of S-CXL caused a more significant collapse of this indicator compared to the pulsed accelerated corneal crosslinking protocol. Conclusion. TAS data and SOD level had shown a decrease in local antioxidative status in patients with keratoconus. Ultraviolet corneal crosslinking causes the maximum decrease in SOD and TAS on the 3rd day after the procedure, and from the 14th day their gradual recovery to the initial level is observed. The standard protocol contributed to a more pronounced development of local cross-linking damage in patients with keratoconus. It manifests itself in the antioxidant status reduction of the tear compared to the pulsed accelerated method.
Cybersecurity threats in cloud computing
Authors: Jaccard Julian Jang
Published: April 2019

Recently we have witnessed the emergence of cloud computing as a new computing model that offers resources (e.g., compute, storage, network, etc.) as general utilities to be leased and released on-demand by users through the Internet. Given its innovative nature and reliance on the Internet, the cloud inherently comes with a number of vulnerabilities that increase the space for cyber attacks. This paper aims to provide an overview of major potential risks to privacy and security in the cloud. Various emerging threats and attack methods are discussed, and some speculative future research directions are presented.
Balancing Opportunity and Affordability: Use of mobile phones in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Authors: Watson Ian
Published: April 2019

This article reports on the findings of a research project that investigated the use of mobile phones and the internet in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. Indigenous Australians living in remote areas have previously had little access to and use of the internet (Rennie et al 2013) and are far less likely to access the internet within the home than non-Indigenous Australians (Rennie et al 2010). The proliferation of mobile phone ownership in Indigenous communities in Australian and internationally (Brady et al 2008) is resulting in increased access to the internet via mobile devices, as well as new communication, social and economic implications for phone owners. Using qualitative methodologies, including focus groups and semi-structured interviews in four remote communities, this article explores the ways that remote community members are using mobile phones; their access to online information and social media; and the problems they experience with service provision, bills and connectivity. It reinforces the need for more research into barriers to phone and internet usage by Aboriginal and Torres Strait people in remote areas, as well as the importance of informing remote community members of their telecommunications rights.
Ultra-fast broadband in New Zealand: Progress Accelerating
Authors: MacMahon Rohan , Milner Murray
Published: April 2019

The New Zealand Government’s Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) initiative is now more than halfway completed. Pleasingly, deployment of Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) has tracked ahead of schedule over the last two years. As at September 2015, deployment was 56% complete, with over 800,000 households and businesses able to connect, equating to around 44% of the NZ population able to connect to an optic fibre broadband service. Communal deployment has been completed in 11 of the 35 eligible towns and cities, meaning fibre has been laid on public lands, enabling every household to order a UFB connection. A further eight towns/ cities are expected to be completed by June 2016. Uptake of UFB services is accelerating as Retail Service Providers (RSPs) increasingly see UFB as the right choice for themselves and their customers. Presently around 10,000 households and businesses connect every month. With over 130,000 connections in place as at September 2015, uptake is around one in 6, indicating that there is still a long way to go for New Zealanders to connect to improved broadband. Importantly, deployment to “priority” premises (businesses, schools and health facilities) is close to completion, and many of these customers report that UFB usage has helped them improve business productivity or service delivery. The goal for the UFB initiative is recognised as being delivered well by the New Zealand Government, to the point that at the 2014 election it committed to provide additional funding to increase the FTTP rollout from 75% population coverage to 80%.
Legacy PSTN applications cause confusion: Disclaimers are no substitute for actual service
Authors: Lindsay John
Published: April 2019

When faced with the need to move their services to the National Broadband Network (NBN), many consumers discover quite late in the process that their new NBN based service has left their legacy PSTN connect devices behind.
The Rationale for Universal Access to Digital Services
Authors: Gregory Mark A
Published: April 2019

The regulated telecommunication markets found in many countries often include the social principle that telecommunications infrastructure should be reasonably available to all at fair and affordable rates. In Australia, this concept of universal service aims to ensure that all people, wherever they reside or carry on business, should have reasonable access, on an equitable basis, to standard telephone services and payphones. The hallmark of the universal service regime has been the reasonable availability of public payphones and the subsidised installation of telecommunications infrastructure at premises nationwide to provide standard telephone services. With the advent and ongoing evolution of broadband technologies a new need has arisen and that is for everyone to have reasonable access, on an equitable basis, to specified digital services, including egovernment services. This paper presents a position and identifies future research necessary to support the transition from the universal service regime to a universal access regime that enshrines the principle of ensuring that federal, state and local egovernment and other specified digital services are reasonably accessible to all, on an equitable basis, wherever they work or live.
Vibration Measurement
Authors: Moorhead Simon
Published: April 2019

Two historic papers from the Journal in 1969 that provide unique examples of vibration measurements in the field, verify reality and discredit some conventional wisdoms in the field of cable installation.
A Review of Grand Intentions
Authors: Holmes Jim
Published: April 2019

Grand Intentions by Trevor Barr is an exciting read that involves many themes and works at many levels. It concerns a fictitious telephone company, Telco One, which is undergoing major change as the Government privatises it.  Telco One is in the throes of moving from a traditional culture that is based on public sector, even public service, values to a commercial entity subject to the overwhelming imperative of shareholder value. The twists and turns as Telco One transforms from its previous culture into the dynamic commercial entity are transfixing. This is a must read book for those with an interest in what could become a dystopian drama if not for the emergence and re-emergence of grand intentions and praiseworthy aspirations of the characters themselves.
Reciprocity of Government Restructuring/Policy Changes and the Convergent Environment in South Korea
Authors: PARK EUN-A
Published: April 2019

This paper takes the approach that policy responses to environmental challenges are at least partially dependent on the structure of governmental decision-making bodies. How ministries and regulatory bodies are designed and put together affect both their policy outlooks and managerial capabilities, in turn affecting their policy output. Governments have also consciously restructured ministries and regulators in order to promote specific policy orientations, or in response to changes in the industry. This two-way interaction is critically important to the responses of governments to the emerging broadband ecosystem.  The paper examines four different restructurings in the Korean government, and argues that the identification of a governmental agency as a nodal agency was the result of a new policy orientation, and the response to an environmental change. Though no two countries are totally similar in terms of their industrial and political environments or policy needs, the paper is based on the premise that the example of South Korea has useful lessons for other countries, as a leading indicator of changes in government regulatory structures in response to convergence and the emergence of the broadband ecosystem.
Spain: From Monopoly to Liberalisation. Two Decades of Telecommunications Regulation
Authors: Barata Joan
Published: April 2019

This paper aims at describing the evolution of the telecommunications industry in Spain. It debuts with the monopolist situation of the market in the mid 90s and then analyses the consecutive legal and regulatory reforms designed with a view to the liberalisation and introduction of perfect competition in this economic sector. The paper also considers the relationships and tensions between national Spanish and EU legislation in this area, as well as giving a critical approach on the current organization model chosen vis-à-vis the independent regulatory authority.
A New QoS Routing Northbound Interface for SDN
Authors: Layeghy Siamak , Pakzad Farzaneh , Portmann Marius
Published: April 2019

In this paper, we introduce SCOR (Software-defined Constrained Optimal Routing), a new Software Defined Networking (SDN) Northbound Interface for QoS routing and traffic engineering. SCOR is based on constraint-programming techniques and is implemented in the MiniZinc modelling language. It provides a powerful, high-level abstraction layer, consisting of 10 basic constraint-programming predicates. A key feature of SCOR is that it is declarative, where only the constraints and utility function of the routing problem need to be expressed, and the complexity of solving the problem is hidden from the user, and handled by a powerful generic solver. We show that the interface (set of predicates) of SCOR is sufficiently expressive to handle all the known and relevant QoS routing problems. We further demonstrate the practicality and scalability of the approach via a number of example scenarios, with varying network topologies, network sizes and number of flows.
The role of regulation in preventing Wi-Fi over-congestion in densely populated areas
Authors: Den Hartog Frank , De Nijs Jan
Published: April 2019

Given the ever increasing number of Wi-Fi devices in use by the public, the progressing urbanisation, and the current attempts by the industry to improve Wi-Fi system performance, we here analyse the case of apartment blocks with residents increasingly suffering from Wi-Fi over-congestion. Here, individuals use private Wi-Fi networks in an ''in house'' environment to achieve cordless connectivity to the Internet. We show that Wi-Fi in apartment blocks is a true commons and, therefore, over-congestion can only be avoided by having the individual access point (AP) operators collaborating with each other. We found that such collaboration is not inhibited by current regulation, but neither can it be enforced. However, as AP operators will most likely enter collaboration voluntarily, further regulation is not deemed necessary.