Future development of global molybdenum-99 production and saving of atmospheric radioxenon emissions by using nuclear fusion-based approaches.

Technetium-99m, the decay product of molybdenum-99, is the most used medical isotope in diagnostic imaging. The future disruptions of molybdenum-99 supply, due to the final shut down of some old producing reactors, has led some current global supplies to plan the expansion of their production capacity. While other countries are developing own production facilities to supply their domestic demand. The global increase of molybdenum-99 production in the coming years could increase by about five times the current demand, with about the 50 percent of additional production in North America. Xenon radionuclides are an inevitable by-product of the nuclear plants production, and their periodically release into the atmosphere, contribute to the background that is also revealed by the IMS stations of the CBTO treaty. In this framework, the development of new technologies, posing no risk in relation to nuclear proliferation and do not result in emissions of radioxenon, could mitigate the issues related to the forecast increase of molybdenum-99 production worldwide. In Italy, an alternative 99Mo production project, the project ENEA Sorgentina, based on the irradiation of molybdenum by neutrons produced by a deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion process, is under development. This facility will not release radioxenon into the atmosphere, so it will not affect the background value in the atmosphere in Southern Europe.

Preliminary assessment of the safety factors in K-DEMO for fusion compatible regulatory framework.

We open an avenue for discussing how we can pave the way for compliance with existing regulations is a far-reaching factor for settling nuclear fusion technology. Based on a model of the Korean Fusion Demonstration Reactor (K-DEMO) with a target fusion power of 2.2 GW, we assess the intrinsic safety determinants of internal energy sources, the expected radioactive waste, and the tritium management. Regarding these safety factors, we scrutinize the compatibility of the current legislative environment in Korea with K-DEMO and envisage foreseeable obstacles, such as licensing of the nuclear facilities and acceptability of the radioactive waste. Based on precedent licenses for the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) and lessons learned from the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), we examine hazardous factors that would threaten regulatory compliance of K-DEMO. This approach can help shape a fusion-compatible framework for consolidating the necessary technical provisions and regulatory baselines reflecting social acceptance with a sense of safety. Fusion-compatible aspects in the regulatory environment are discussed, from fusion philosophy to subordinate administrative and technical guidelines, facility classification, and detailed methods guaranteeing integrity and safety. This paper will contribute to the timely settlement of fusion demonstration facilities and subsequent commercial plants.

Real Power Loss Reduction by Melon Fly Optimization and Spontaneous Process Algorithm's

Abstract In this work Melon Fly Optimization (MFO) Algorithm and Spontaneous Process Algorithm (SPA) is designed to reduce the Real power loss, voltage stability enhancement and reducing the Voltage deviation. In this work real power loss measured and how much loss has been reduced is also identified by suitable comparison with standard algorithms. In this society from common consumer to industry needs better quality of power continuously and constantly without much variation. One way to improve the quality of the power is to reduce the power loss. Also reduction of power loss will improve the economic conditions of the nation indirectly and it improves the productivity of the nation with any hurdles. Around the world all nations sequentially identifying the method to reduce the power loss in the transmission and subsequently it improve the quality of power. MFO algorithm has been formed based on the innate events of Melon fly. Due their very excellent eyesight and mutual supportive behaviour Melon fly will find the food without difficulty. By smell and vision the Melon fly will move to the best location form the current location. In the preliminary level Melon flies will search the food in multiple directions and they may be far away from the food source, it like scattering in the plane. Then Spontaneous Process Algorithm (SPA) is designed to solve the optimal reactive power problem Formulation of the projected algorithm is done by imitating the process done during nuclear fission and fusion. Every item of a nucleus attribute symbolizes each solution variable. Sequence of operators directs the nucleus and in order to avoid the local optimum it will imitate the dissimilar condition of reaction. In the exploration space nucleus symbolizes the variables and potential solution. Levy flight has been intermingled in the procedure to enhance the diversification and intensification in the search. Evaluation of validity of the Melon Fly Optimization (MFO) Algorithm and Spontaneous Process Algorithm (SPA) is done in IEEE 30-bus system by considering voltage stability (L-index) and also devoid of L-index criterion. Minimization of voltage deviation, voltage stability enhancement and power loss minimization has been achieved.

Differential gene expression analysis and cytological evidence reveal a sexual stage of an amoeba with multiparental cellular and nuclear fusion.

Sex is a hallmark of eukaryotes but its evolution in microbial eukaryotes is poorly elucidated. Recent genomic studies revealed microbial eukaryotes possess a genetic toolkit necessary for sexual reproduction. However, the mechanism of sexual development in a majority of microbial eukaryotes including amoebozoans is poorly characterized. The major hurdle in studying sex in microbial eukaryotes is a lack of observational evidence, primarily due to its cryptic nature. In this study, we used a tractable fusing amoeba, Cochliopodium, to investigate sexual development using stage-specific Differential Gene Expression (DGE) and cytological analyses. Both DGE and cytological results showed that most of the meiosis and sex-related genes are upregulated in Cochliopodium undergoing fusion in laboratory culture. Relative gene ontology (GO) category representations in unfused and fused cells revealed a functional skew of the fused transcriptome toward DNA metabolism, nucleus and ligases that are suggestive of a commitment to sexual development. However, the GO categories of unfused cells were dominated by metabolic pathways and other processes indicative of a vegetative phase. Our study provides strong evidence that the fused cells represent a sexual stage in Cochliopodium. Our findings have further implications in understanding the evolution and mechanism of inheritance involving multiparents in other eukaryotes with a similar reproductive strategy.

Fertilization-Coupled Sperm Nuclear Fusion Is Required for Normal Endosperm Nuclear Proliferation.

Angiosperms exhibit double fertilization, a process in which one of the sperm cells released from the pollen tube fertilizes the egg, while the other sperm cell fertilizes the central cell, giving rise to the embryo and endosperm, respectively. We have previously reported two polar nuclear fusion-defective double knockout mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana immunoglobulin binding protein (BiP), a molecular chaperone of the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), (bip1 bip2) and its partner ER-resident J-proteins, ERdj3A and P58IPK (erdj3a p58ipk). These mutants are defective in the fusion of outer nuclear membrane and exhibit characteristic seed developmental defects after fertilization with wild-type pollen, which are accompanied by aberrant endosperm nuclear proliferation. In this study, we used time-lapse live-cell imaging analysis to determine the cause of aberrant endosperm nuclear division in these mutant seeds. We found that the central cell of bip1 bip2 or erdj3a p58ipk double mutant female gametophytes was also defective in sperm nuclear fusion at fertilization. Sperm nuclear fusion was achieved after the onset of the first endosperm nuclear division. However, division of the condensed sperm nucleus resulted in aberrant endosperm nuclear divisions and delayed expression of paternally derived genes. By contrast, the other double knockout mutant, erdj3b p58ipk, which is defective in the fusion of inner membrane of polar nuclei but does not show aberrant endosperm nuclear proliferation, was not defective in sperm nuclear fusion at fertilization. We thus propose that premitotic sperm nuclear fusion in the central cell is critical for normal endosperm nuclear proliferation.

ENVIRONMENTAL TRITIUM AROUND A FUSION TEST FACILITY.

Deuterium plasma operations using a large fusion test device have been carried out since 2017 at the National Institute for Fusion Science. A small amount of tritium was produced by the fusion reaction, d(d, p)t. Then, a part of the tritium was released into the environment. Thus, monitoring the level of tritium in the environment around the fusion test facility is important. This is done before starting the deuterium plasma experiment. The environmental tritium concentrations indicated that they are at background levels in Japan. After starting the deuterium plasma experiment, the environmental tritium around the fusion test facility was within the range of environmental variation. This suggests that there was no impact of tritium on the environment during the first deuterium plasma experimental campaign.

Measuring national capability over big science's multidisciplinarity: A case study of nuclear fusion research.

In the era of big science, countries allocate big research and development budgets to large scientific facilities that boost collaboration and research capability. A nuclear fusion device called the "tokamak" is a source of great interest for many countries because it ideally generates sustainable energy expected to solve the energy crisis in the future. Here, to explore the scientific effects of tokamaks, we map a country's research capability in nuclear fusion research with normalized revealed comparative advantage on five topical clusters-material, plasma, device, diagnostics, and simulation-detected through a dynamic topic model. Our approach captures not only the growth of China, India, and the Republic of Korea but also the decline of Canada, Japan, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Time points of their rise and fall are related to tokamak operation, highlighting the importance of large facilities in big science. The gravity model points out that two countries collaborate less in device, diagnostics, and plasma research if they have comparative advantages in different topics. This relation is a unique feature of nuclear fusion compared to other science fields. Our results can be used and extended when building national policies for big science.

Activation Inventories after Exposure to DD/DT Neutrons in Safety Analysis of Nuclear Fusion Installations.

Irradiations with 14 MeV fusion neutrons are planned at Joint European Torus (JET) in DT operations with the objective to validate the calculation of the activation of structural materials in functional materials expected in ITER and fusion plants. This study describes the activation and dose rate calculations performed for materials irradiated throughout the DT plasma operation during which the samples of real fusion materials are exposed to 14 MeV neutrons inside the JET vacuum vessel. Preparatory activities are in progress during the current DD operations with dosimetry foils to measure the local neutron fluence and spectrum at the sample irradiation position. The materials included those used in the manufacturing of the main in-vessel components, such as ITER-grade W, Be, CuCrZr, 316 L(N) and the functional materials used in diagnostics and heating systems. The neutron-induced activities and dose rates at shutdown were calculated by the FISPACT code, using the neutron fluxes and spectra that were provided by the preceding MCNP neutron transport calculations.

Individual dose due to radioactivity accidental release from fusion reactor.

As an important index shaping the design of fusion safety system, evaluation of public radiation consequences have risen as a hot topic on the way to develop fusion energy. In this work, the comprehensive public early dose was evaluated due to unit gram tritium (HT/HTO), activated dust, activated corrosion products (ACPs) and activated gases accidental release from ITER like fusion reactor. Meanwhile, considering that we cannot completely eliminate the occurrence likelihood of multi-failure of vacuum vessel and tokamak building, we conservatively evaluated the public radiation consequences and environment restoration after the worst hypothetical accident preliminarily. The comparison results show early dose of different unit radioactivity release under different conditions. After further performing the radiation consequences, we find it possible that the hypothetical accident for ITER like fusion reactor would result in a level 6 accident according to INES, not appear level 7 like Chernobyl or Fukushima accidents. And from the point of environment restoration, we need at least 69 years for case 1 (1kg HTO and 1000kg dust release) and 34-52years for case 2 (1kg HTO and 10kg-100kg dust release) to wait the contaminated zone drop below the general public safety limit (1mSv per year) before it is suitable for human habitation.

Color-coded Live Imaging of Heterokaryon Formation and Nuclear Fusion of Hybridizing Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Fusion of cancer cells has been studied for over half a century. However, the steps involved after initial fusion between cells, such as heterokaryon formation and nuclear fusion, have been difficult to observe in real time. In order to be able to visualize these steps, we have established cancer-cell sublines from the human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma, one expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) linked to histone H2B in the nucleus and a red fluorescent protein (RFP) in the cytoplasm and the other subline expressing RFP in the nucleus (mCherry) linked to histone H2B and GFP in the cytoplasm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The two reciprocal color-coded sublines of HT-1080 cells were fused using the Sendai virus. The fused cells were cultured on plastic and observed using an Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope. RESULTS: Multi-nucleate (heterokaryotic) cancer cells, in addition to hybrid cancer cells with single-or multiple-fused nuclei, including fused mitotic nuclei, were observed among the fused cells. Heterokaryons with red, green, orange and yellow nuclei were observed by confocal imaging, even in single hybrid cells. The orange and yellow nuclei indicate nuclear fusion. Red and green nuclei remained unfused. Cell fusion with heterokaryon formation and subsequent nuclear fusion resulting in hybridization may be an important natural phenomenon between cancer cells that may make them more malignant. CONCLUSION: The ability to image the complex processes following cell fusion using reciprocal color-coded cancer cells will allow greater understanding of the genetic basis of malignancy.

[On Atomic Nuclear Fusion Processes at Low-Temperatures. An Enhancement of the Probability of Transition through a Potential Barrier Due to the So-Called Barrier Anti-Zeno Effect].

It is known that in quantum mechanics the act of observing the experiment can affect the experimental findings in some cases. In particular, it happens under the so-called Zeno effect. In this work it is shown that in contrast to the "standard" Zeno-effect where the act of observing a process reduces the probability of its reality, an inverse situation when a particle transmits through a potential barrier (a so-called barrier anti-Zeno effect) can be observed, the observation of the particle essentially increases the probability of its transmission through the barrier. The possibility of using the barrier anti-Zeno effect is discussed to explain paradoxical results of experiments on "cold nuclear fusion" observed in various systems including biological ones. (According to the observers who performed the observations, the energy generation, which could not be explained by any chemical processes, as well as the change in the isotope and even element composition of the studied object may occur in these systems.

Experimental investigation on feasible bioreactor using mechanism of hydrogen oxidation of natural soil for detritiation system.

A passive reactor for tritium oxidation at room temperature has been widely studied in nuclear engineering especially for a detritiation system (DS) of a tritium process facility taking possible extraordinary situation severely into consideration. We have focused on bacterial oxidation of tritium by hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria in natural soil to realize the passive oxidation reactor. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of a bioreactor with hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria in soil from a point of view of engineering. The efficiency of the bioreactor was evaluated by kinetics. The bioreactor packed with natural soil shows a relative high conversion rate of tritium under the saturated moisture condition at room temperature, which is obviously superior to that of a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst generally used for tritium oxidation in the existing tritium handling facilities. The order of reaction for tritium oxidation with soil was the pseudo-first order as assessed with Michaelis-Menten kinetics model. Our engineering suggestion to increase the reaction rate is the intentional addition of hydrogen at a small concentration in the feed gas on condition that the oxidation of tritium with soil is expressed by the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model.

Effect of Temperature on the Desorption of Lithium from Molybdenum(110) Surfaces: Implications for Fusion Reactor First Wall Materials.

Determining the strength of Li binding to Mo is critical to assessing the survivability of Li as a potential first wall material in fusion reactors. We present the results of a joint experimental and theoretical investigation into how Li desorbs from Mo(110) surfaces, based on what can be deduced from temperature-programmed desorption measurements and density functional theory (DFT). Li desorption peaks measured at temperatures ranging from 711 K (1 monolayer, ML) to 1030 K (0.04 ML), with corresponding desorption onsets from 489 to 878 K, follow a trend similar to predicted Gibbs free energies for Li adsorption. Bader charge analysis of DFT densities reveals that repulsive forces between neighboring positively charged Li atoms increase with coverage and thus reduce the bond strength between Mo and Li, thereby lowering the desorption temperature as the coverage increases. Additionally, DFT predicts that Li desorbs at higher temperatures from a surface with vacancies than from a perfect surface, offering an explanation for the anomalously high desorption temperatures for the last Li to desorb from Mo(110). Analysis of simulated local densities of states indicates that the stronger binding to the defective surface is correlated with enhanced interaction between Li and Mo, involving the Li 2s electrons and not only the Mo 4d electrons as in the case of the pristine surface, but also the Mo 5s electrons in the case with surface vacancies. We suggest that steps and kinks present on the Mo(110) surface behave similarly and contribute to the high desorption temperatures. These findings imply that roughened Mo surfaces may strengthen Li film adhesion at higher temperatures.

Polyploidization on SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cells infected with herpes simplex virus 1.

Polyploidization is one of the most dramatic changes occurring within cell genome owing to various reasons including under many viral infections. We examined the impact of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) on SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cell line. The infected cells were followed from 6 hours up to 96 hours post infection (hpi). A large number of polyploid cells with giant nuclei was observed under the influence of HSV-1 at 24 hpi with the DNA content of 32c to 64c or more, in comparison with control SK-N-MC cells that were characterized by relatively moderate values of ploidy, i.e. 8с to 16с (where 1c is the haploid amount of nuclear DNA found in normal diploid populations in G0/G1). After 48-96 hpi, the population of polyploid cells with giant nuclei decreased to the benchmark level. The SK-NMC cells infected with HSV-1 for 24 hours were stained with gallocyanine and monitored for cytological features. The infected cells underwent virus induced cellcell and nuclei fusion with the formation of dense nuclei syncytium. The metabolic activity of HSV-1 infected cells was higher in both nuclei and nucleoli when compared to control cells.

Vegetative hyphal fusion and subsequent nuclear behavior in Epichloë grass endophytes.

Epichloë species (including the former genus Neotyphodium) are fungal symbionts of many agronomically important forage grasses, and provide their grass hosts with protection from a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. Epichloë species include many interspecific hybrids with allodiploid-like genomes, which may provide the potential for combined traits or recombination to generate new traits. Though circumstantial evidence suggests that such interspecific hybrids might have arisen from nuclear fusion events following vegetative hyphal fusion between different Epichloë strains, this hypothesis has not been addressed empirically. Here, we investigated vegetative hyphal fusion and subsequent nuclear behavior in Epichloë species. A majority of Epichloë strains, especially those having a sexual stage, underwent self vegetative hyphal fusion. Vegetative fusion also occurred between two hyphae from different Epichloë strains. Though Epichloë spp. are uninucleate fungi, hyphal fusion resulted in two nuclei stably sharing the same cytoplasm, which might ultimately lead to nuclear fusion. In addition, protoplast fusion experiments gave rise to uninucleate putative hybrids, which apparently had two markers, one from each parent within the same nucleus. These results are consistent with the notion that interspecific hybrids arise from vegetative hyphal fusion. However, we also discuss additional factors, such as post-hybridization selection, that may be important to explain the recognized prevalence of hybrids in Epichloë species.

Some neglected or rejected paths in sonochemistry--a very personal view.

Sonochemistry is a very broad subject and nowadays it involves a wide range of disciplines and provides a forum for the cross-fertilization of ideas. In the early days this was not quite the situation and so a number of ideas that came forward were outside of main-line classical thinking in science. These concepts were often rejected out of hand and sometimes even ridiculed. This paper revisits some of these ideas for those of you who might be interested in the more unusual effects in sonochemistry.