Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2021

Nakada, Akira; Kanai, Katsuta; Seya, Natsumi; Nishimura, Shusaku; Futagawa, Kazuo; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Yamada, Ryohei*; Uchiyama, Rei; Yamashita, Daichi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2022-078, 164 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Review-2022-078.pdf:2.64MB

Environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been performed by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, based on "Safety Regulations for the Reprocessing Plant of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Chapter IV - Environmental Monitoring". This annual report presents the results of the environmental monitoring and the dose estimation to the hypothetical inhabitant due to the radioactivity discharged from the plant to the atmosphere and the sea during April 2021 to March 2022. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (the trade name was changed to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. on April 1, 2016) in March 2011. Appendices present comprehensive information, such as monitoring programs, monitoring methods, monitoring results and their trends, meteorological data and discharged radioactive wastes. In addition, the data which were influenced by the accidental release and exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2020

Nakada, Akira; Nakano, Masanao; Kanai, Katsuta; Seya, Natsumi; Nishimura, Shusaku; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Futagawa, Kazuo; Yamada, Ryohei; Uchiyama, Rei; et al.

JAEA-Review 2021-062, 163 Pages, 2022/02

JAEA-Review-2021-062.pdf:2.87MB

Environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been performed by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, based on "Safety Regulations for the Reprocessing Plant of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Chapter IV - Environmental Monitoring". This annual report presents the results of the environmental monitoring and the dose estimation to the hypothetical inhabitant due to the radioactivity discharged from the plant to the atmosphere and the sea during April 2020 to March 2021. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (the trade name was changed to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. on April 1, 2016) in March 2011. Appendices present comprehensive information, such as monitoring programs, monitoring methods, monitoring results and their trends, meteorological data and discharged radioactive wastes. In addition, the data which were influenced by the accidental release and exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

Origin of magnetovolume effect in a cobaltite

Miao, P.*; Tan, Z.*; Lee, S. H.*; Ishikawa, Yoshihisa*; Torii, Shuki*; Yonemura, Masao*; Koda, Akihiro*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Machida, Shinichi*; Sano, Asami; et al.

Physical Review B, 103(9), p.094302_1 - 094302_18, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.103.094302

The layered perovskite PrBaCoO demonstrates a strong negative thermal expansion (NTE) which holds potential for being fabricated into composites with zero thermal expansion. The NTE was found to be intimately associated with the spontaneous magnetic ordering, known as magneto-volume effect (MVE). Here we report with compelling evidences that the continuous-like MVE in PrBaCoO is intrinsically of discontinuous character, originating from an magnetoelectric transition from an antiferromagnetic insulating large-volume (AFILV) phase to a ferromagnetic less-insulating small-volume (FLISV) phase. Furthermore, the magnetoelectric effect (ME) shows high sensitivity to multiple external stimuli such as temperature, carrier doping, hydrostatic pressure, magnetic field etc. In contrast to the well-known ME such as colossal magnetoresistance and multi-ferroic effect which involve symmetry breaking of crystal structure, the ME in the cobaltite is purely isostructural. Our discovery provides a new path way to realizing the ME as well as the NTE, which may find applications in new techniques.

Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2019

Nakano, Masanao; Fujii, Tomoko; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Seya, Natsumi; Nishimura, Shusaku; Hosomi, Kenji; Nagaoka, Mika; Yokoyama, Hiroya; Matsubara, Natsumi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2020-069, 163 Pages, 2021/02

JAEA-Review-2020-069.pdf:4.78MB

Environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been performed by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, based on "Safety Regulations for the Reprocessing Plant of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Chapter IV - Environmental Monitoring". This annual report presents the results of the environmental monitoring and the dose estimation to the hypothetical inhabitant due to the radioactivity discharged from the plant to the atmosphere and the sea during April 2019 to March 2020. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (the trade name was changed to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. on April 1, 2016) in March 2011. Appendices present comprehensive information, such as monitoring programs, monitoring methods, monitoring results and their trends, meteorological data and discharged radioactive wastes. In addition, the data which were influenced by the accidental release and exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

Reactor noise analysis for a graphite-moderated and -reflected core in KUCA

Sakon, Atsushi*; Nakajima, Kunihiro*; Takahashi, Kazuki*; Hohara, Shinya*; Sano, Tadafumi*; Fukaya, Yuji; Hashimoto, Kengo*

EPJ Web of Conferences, 247, p.09009_1 - 09009_8, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124709009

In graphite-reflected thermal reactors, even a detector placed far from fuel region may detect a certain degree of the correlation amplitude. This is because mean free path of neutrons in graphite is longer than that in water or polyethylene. The objective of this study is experimentally to confirm a high flexibility of neutron detector placement in graphite reflector for reactor noise analysis. The present reactor noise analysis was carried out in a graphite-moderated and -reflected thermal core in Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). BF proportional neutron counters (1" dia.) were placed in graphite reflector region, where the counters were separated by about 35cm and 30cm -thick graphite from the core, respectively. At a critical state and subcritical states, time-sequence signal data from these counters were acquired and analyzed by a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analyzer, to obtain power spectral density in frequency domain. The auto-power spectral density obtained from the counters far from the core contained a significant degree of correlated component. A least-squares fit of a familiar formula to the auto-power spectral density data was made to determine the prompt-neutron decay constant. The decay constant was 63.314.5 [1/s] in critical state. The decay constant determined from the cross-power spectral density and coherence function data between the two counters also had a consistent value. It is confirmed that reactor noise analysis is possible using a detector placed at about 35cm far from the core, as we expected.

Analysis of the high-dose-range radioresistance of prostate cancer cells, including cancer stem cells, based on a stochastic model

Saga, Ryo*; Matsuya, Yusuke; Takahashi, Rei*; Hasegawa, Kazuki*; Date, Hiroyuki*; Hosokawa, Yoichiro*

Journal of Radiation Research, 60(3), p.298 - 307, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrz011

In radiotherapy, it is recognized that cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor tissue shows radio-resistance. However, the relationship between content percentage of the CSCs and dose-response curve on cell survival remain unclear. In this study, we developed a stochastic model considering progeny cells and stem cells, and investigated the impact of stem cells on radio-sensitivity. From the flow-cytometric analysis (cell experiments), the content percentage of stem cells was 3.2% or less which agreed well with the model estimation from the cell survival curve. Based on the verification, it is suggested that cell survival in high-dose range is largely affected by the CSCs. In addition, regarding the sub-population of stem cells, the present model well reproduces the dose response on lethal lesions to DNA comparing with the conventional LQ model. This outcome indicates that the stem cells must be considered for describing the dose-response curve in wide dose range.

Status report of the chopper spectrometer 4SEASONS

Kajimoto, Ryoichi; Nakamura, Mitsutaka; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Kamazawa, Kazuya*; Ikeuchi, Kazuhiko*; Iida, Kazuki*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Murai, Naoki; Kira, Hiroshi*; Nakatani, Takeshi; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1021(1), p.012030_1 - 012030_6, 2018/06

BB2016-1727.pdf:0.39MB

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1021/1/012030

Study on heat transfer surface temperature variation during pool nucleate boiling by measuring instantaneous surface temperature distribution with infrared radiation camera

Koizumi, Yasuo; Takahashi, Kazuki*; Uesawa, Shinichiro; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Takase, Kazuyuki

Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Boiling and Condensation Heat Transfer (Boiling & Condensation 2015) (DVD-ROM), 10 Pages, 2015/04

Pool nucleate boiling heat transfer experiments were performed for water at 0.101 MPa to examine the elementary process of the nucleate boiling. The copper printed circuit board of a 1.57 mm thick Bakelite plate coated with a 0.035 mm thick copper membrane was used for a heat transfer surface. The size of the heat transfer surface was 10 mm 10 mm. Direct current was supplied to it to heat it up. The Bakelite plate of the backside of the copper layer was taken by 7 mm 10 mm. The instantaneous variation of the backside temperature of the heat transfer surface was measured with an infrared radiation camera. The time and the space resolution of the infrared cameras used in experiments were 120 Hz and 0.315 mm 0.315 mm, respectively. Surface temperatures just before the burn-out measured with 120 Hz suggest that the surface temperature was steadily low at a large part of the heat transfer surface. A small hot-dry area came out at the critical heat flux condition. Then, this small hot-dry area iterated to expand and shrink and gradually grew. Other area was still wetted and kept at low temperature. Eventually the small hot-dry area started to grow continuously and a whole part of the heat transfer surface became hot-dry to reach the physical burn-out. The heat transfer surface was divided into two large areas; the hot-dry area and the low-temperature-wetted area until the physical burn-out. The local surface heat flux variation derived from measured surface temperature variation clearly illustrated that the boundary between the dried area and the wetted area moved back and forth and the dried arear gradually grew to reach physical bourn-out at the critical heat flux condition.

Study on nucleate boiling heat transfer by measuring instantaneous surface temperature distribution by infrared radiation camera

Koizumi, Yasuo; Takahashi, Kazuki*

Proceedings of 15th International Heat Transfer Conference (IHTC 2014) (USB Flash Drive), 13 Pages, 2014/08

Pool nucleate boiling heat transfer experiments were performed for water at 0.101 MPa to examine the elementary process of the nucleate boiling. Heat transfer surface was made from a copper printed circuit board. Direct current was supplied to heat it up. The Bakelite plate of the backside of a copper layer was taken off at the center portion of the heat transfer surface to expose the back side of the copper layer. The instantaneous variation of the backside temperature of the heat transfer surface was measured with an infrared radiation camera. Bubble behavior was recorded with a high speed video camera. In the isolated bubble region, surface temperature was uniform during waiting time. When boiling bubble generation started, a large dip in the surface temperature distribution was formed under the bubble. After the bubble left from the heat transfer surface, the surface temperature distribution returned to former uniform distribution. Surface temperature was not affected by the bubble generation beyond 1.8 mm from the center of the bubble. In the intermediate and high heat flux region, the variation of surface temperature and heat flux did not become large even though the heat flux increased. The heat flux variation was close to that at the isolated boiling region.

Alternative splicing in human transcriptome; Functional and structural influence on proteins

Yura, Kei; Shionyu, Masafumi*; Hagino, Kei*; Hijikata, Atsushi*; Hirashima, Yoshinori*; Nakahara, Taku*; Eguchi, Tatsuya*; Shinoda, Kazuki*; Yamaguchi, Akihiro*; Takahashi, Kenichi*; et al.

Gene, 380(2), p.63 - 71, 2006/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2006.05.015

Alternative splicing is a molecular mechanism that produces multiple proteins from a single gene, and is thought to produce variety in proteins translated from a limited number of genes. Here we analyzed how alternative splicing produced variety in protein structure and function, by using human full-length cDNAs, on the assumption that all of the alternatively spliced mRNAs were translated to proteins. We found that the length of alternatively spliced amino acid sequences, in most cases, fell into a size shorter than that of average protein domain. We evaluated comprehensively the presumptive three-dimensional structures of the alternatively spliced products to assess the impact of alternative splicing on gene function. We found that more than half of the products encoded proteins which were involved in signal transduction, transcription and translation, and more than half of alternatively spliced regions comprised interaction sites between proteins and their binding partners, including substrates, DNA/RNA, and other proteins. Intriguingly, 67% of the alternatively spliced isoforms showed significant alterations to regions of the protein structural core, which likely resulted in large conformational change. Based on those findings, we speculate that there are a large number of cases that alternative splicing modulates protein networks through significant alteration in protein conformation.