On the alpha activity of natural tungsten isotopes

The indication for the alpha decay of 180-W with a half-life T1/2=1.1+0.8-0.4(stat)+-0.3(syst)x10^18 yr has been observed for the first time with the help of the super-low background 116-CdWO_4 crystal scintillators. In conservative approach the lower limit on half-life of 180-W has been established as T1/2>0.7x10^18 yr at 90% C.L. Besides, new T1/2 bounds were set for alpha decay of 182-W, 183-W, 184-W and 186-W at the level of 10^20 yr.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.

The Impact of Geologic and Structural Settings on Radioactivity: A Case Study From Sahab Area, Jordan

Abstract The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.</jats:p

Effects of compost age on the release of nutrients

AbstractComposted organic materials are applied to help restore disturbed soils, speed revegetation, and control erosion; these changes are generally beneficial for stormwater quality. Ensuring that nutrient release from compost is adequate for plant needs without degrading stormwater quality is important since composts release nitrogen at variable rates (1–3% of total N/yr) and the leaching process can extend for many years. The aim of this work was to understand the effect of compost age on the extent and rates of nitrogen release by conducting detailed rainfall simulation studies of one compost type at three different ages. Models describing temporal changes in nitrogen release to runoff during a single storm and across multiple storms were developed and applied to the runoff data. Nitrogen content (%) and bulk density of compost increased with the increase in compost age and total nitrogen release decreased with increasing compost age. The three rain simulations (storms) performed on each of the three compost ages show that nitrogen release declined each day of the repeated daily storms. A first-order kinetic model was used to estimate the amount of nitrogen remaining on compost after several storms

Cariogenic and erosive potential of liquid oral pediatric medicines of long-term use for children: an in vitro analysis

Abstract Background Liquid oral pediatric medicines (LOPM) contain sucrose and glucose and can have a low pH; their chronic administration may increase the risk for dental caries and erosion in children. The aim of this study was to determine sucrose and glucose concentrations, and pH of LOPMs of long-term use by children. Methods A cross sectional survey was conducted among 95/381 pharmacies to assess the most commonly prescribed LOPM by pharmacists in North Jordan, yielding 42 medicines which were analyzed for sucrose and glucose concentrations (mg/g) using HPLC-RID, and pH measurement using pH-meter CP-505. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.0. Differences were considered significant at P ≤ 0.05. Results The lowest and highest sucrose concentrations were for Ramlac® (0.9%) from the gastrointestinal medicines and Varolex® (79.5%) from the nutritional medicines, respectively. The lowest and highest glucose concentrations were for Adol® (0.0%) from the central nervous medicines and Pediavit-D® (81.1%) from the nutritional medicines, respectively. The pH ranged from 3.2 for Varolex® from the nutritional medicines to 10.0 for Zithromax® from the antibiotics medicines. Conclusions Some of the LOPMs studied had high sucrose or glucose concentrations (or both) and low pH which could increase their potential of causing dental caries and erosion when ingested frequently and chronically.</p