This dissertation has presented the results from analysis of medicinal plant extracts using neutron activation method. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was applied to the determination of the elements Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc and Zn in medicinal extracts obtained from Achyrolcline satureoides DC, Casearia sylvestris, Centella asiatica, Citrus aurantium L., Solano lycocarpum, Solidago microglossa, Stryphnondedron barbatiman and Zingiber officinale R. plants. The elements Hg and Se were determined using radiochemical separation by means of retention of Se in HMD inorganic exchanger and solvent extraction of Hg by bismuth diethyl-dithiocarbamate solution. Precision and accuracy of the results have been evaluated by analysing reference materials. The therapeutic action of some elements found in plant extracts analyzed was briefly discussed 70 refs., 13 figs., 15 tabs
Much of the current technology on 3D-prestack depth migration is based on the Kirchhoff method and the traveltime information needed for this purpose is obtained by the ray-theory approximation. The main motivation driving these options is to reduce computations but it can also have an adverse effect on the quality of results. Experience with real data indicates that the corresponding poststack data migrated by the reverse-time method often yields superior results. Considerable computational efficiency can be obtained by employing nonuniform coarse grid spacing during the reverse-time migration. We followed this strategy for developing a parallel scheme for doing 3D- prestack depth migration. However, we worked only on a small subset of shot gathers whose determined by the Quasi-Monte Carlo method. The results were indistinguishable from those obtained by using a much larger population of uniformly spaced shot gathers. We present examples of migration of 3-D data. (author)
The principal mathematical tools frequently available for calculations in Nuclear Engineering, including coupled neutron-gamma radiations shielding problems, involve the full Transport Theory or the Monte Carlo techniques. The Multigroup Albedo Method applied to shieldings is characterized by following the radiations through distinct layers of materials, allowing the determination of the neutron and gamma fractions reflected from, transmitted through and absorbed in the irradiated media when a neutronic stream hits the first layer of material, independently of flux calculations. Then, the method is a complementary tool of great didactic value due to its clarity and simplicity in solving neutron and/or gamma shielding problems. The outstanding results achieved in previous works motivated the elaboration and the development of this study that is presented in this dissertation. The radiation balance resulting from the incidence of a neutronic stream into a shielding composed by ...
Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) followed by gamma-ray spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of As, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Eu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Pr, Sb, Se, Th, U, V and Z, in 82 leaf samples belonging to two cultivars of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp). Pigeonpea, an easy cultivation legume species, probably originated from Africa and adapted to brazilian conditions, is a very promising and unconventional source of food, mainly to the grain production intended for human feeding, and that even can be used in flour products. It is an excellent proteic supplement for ruminants, due to its large potential of forage production and its high nutritive value, or in addition it can be used in the recuperation of exhausting soils either by means of its utilization as green manure or by taking free Nitrogen from the atmosphere to produce nitrates which can be utilized by the plants. However, in spite of the several possibilities and increasing utilization ...