Jianghua Kucha black tea containing theacrine attenuates depression-like behavior in CUMS mice by regulating gut microbiota-brain neurochemicals and cytokines.

Theacrine and theaflavins are known for their potential to mitigate depression and cognitive impairment. Jianghua Kucha black tea (JH) contains both compounds, yet its antidepressant properties are seldom documented. This study evaluated the effects of JH on depression in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice and explored the underlying mechanisms through integrative analyses of gut microbiota and fecal metabolomics.

A density correction method for radioactive waste drum based on SRGS technology.

The segmented ringed gamma scanning (SRGS) technique represents an advancement in segmented gamma scanning (SGS) technology used for detecting the density of radioactive waste drums, offering enhanced measurement accuracy. However, significant occur errors in the reconstruction of matrix densities due to the non-uniform distribution of density in radioactive waste and the conical beam emitted from the transmission source collimator. This paper proposes a density correction method based on dichotomy to address this issue.

Mechanism of improving anaerobic fermentation performance of kitchen waste pretreated by ionizing irradiation-part 1: rice.

Ionizing irradiation, as a new pretreatment method for the anaerobic fermentation of organic pollutants, is featured with fast reaction speed, good treatment effect, no need to add any chemical reagents, and no secondary pollution. This study explores the mechanism of improving anaerobic fermentation performance of rice samples pretreated by cobalt-60 gamma irradiation through the influence on fermentation substrate, acidogenic phase and methanogenic phase. The results reveal that the soluble chemical oxygen demand of the irradiated rice sample at an absorbed dose of 9.

MCNP simulation and experimental study in situ low-grade copper analysis based on PGNAA.

A prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) facility utilizing Cf source has been developed for in situ analysis of copper samples. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to determine optimal sizes for neutron moderator, gamma-ray shielding material, and thermal neutron absorber. Subsequently, based on the parameters optimized by MCNP, the PGNAA facility was constructed.

Source term inversion of short-lived nuclides in complex nuclear accidents based on machine learning using off-site gamma dose rate.

During nuclear accidents, large amounts of short-lived radionuclides are released into the environment, causing acute health hazards to local populations. Therefore, it is particularly important to obtain source-term information to assist nuclear emergency decision makers in determining emergency protective measures. However, it is extremely difficult to obtain reliable contaminant monitoring instrument readings to estimate the source term based on core conditions, release routes, and release conditions.

Variations in microbial diversity and chemical components of raw dark tea under different relative humidity storage conditions.

Raw dark tea (RDT) usually needs to be stored for a long time to improve its quality under suitable relative humidity (RH). However, the impact of RH on tea quality is unclear. In this study, we investigated the metabolites and microbial diversity, and evaluated the sensory quality of RDT stored under three RH conditions (1%, 57%, and 88%).

Neutron collimator optimization for 14.1 MeV DT neutrons using Monte Carlo and Genetic algorithms.

The fast neutrons generated by Deuterium-Tritium (DT) fusion reaction have been widely applied in prompt gamma ray neutron activation analysis measurements. In this study, a multi-layer neutron collimator for DT neutron generator was developed. Genetic algorithm combined with Monte Carlo simulation was used to design a collimator made of iron, lead, graphite, and borated polyethene.

Feasibility study of on-line monitoring gadolinium based on neutron induced gamma activation.

Gadolinium is a soluble neutron poison for ensuring criticality safety of nuclear facility. A neutron induced gamma activation device was developed for the on-line measurement of gadolinium. The experimental device consisted of an Am-Be neutron source, six He detectors and a liquid scintillation detector.

Characterization of thermal neutron distribution of an Am-Be neutron source setup by CdZnTe detector.

Owing to the developments in prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) and prompt gamma ray activation imaging (PGAI), it is necessary to develop an online thermal neutron distribution measurement method. The CdZnTe detector is considered as an alternative thermal neutron detector because of its high thermal neutron capture cross section. In this study, the thermal neutron field of an Am-Be neutron source was determined by CdZnTe detector.

Large Scale BN-perovskite Nanocomposite Aerogel Scintillator for Thermal Neutron Detection.

State-of-the-art thermal neutron scintillation detectors rely on rare isotopes for neutron capture, lack stability and scalability of solid-state scintillation devices, and poorly discriminate between the neutron and gamma rays. The boron nitride (BN)-CsPbBr perovskite nanocomposite aerogel scintillator enables discriminative detection of thermal neutrons, features the largest known size (9 cm across), the lowest density (0.17 g cm ) among the existing scintillation materials, high BN (50%) perovskite (1%) contents, high optical transparency (85%), and excellent radiation stability.

A novel method for correcting the effect of the lens-to-sample distance change on the signal intensity in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technique for real-time online coal analysis. The lens-to-sample distance (LTSD) significantly affects the obtained signal intensity as well as the accuracy of the element quantitative analysis by LIBS. In this study, a new method is proposed to correct the effect of the change in LTSD on the signal intensity.

Reviews of fungi and mycotoxins in Chinese dark tea.

The fermentation is the main process to form the unique flavor and health benefits of dark tea. Numerous studies have indicated that the microorganisms play a significant part in the fermentation process of dark tea. Dark tea has the quality of "The unique flavor grows over time," but unscientific storage of dark tea might cause infestation of harmful microorganisms, thereby resulting in the remaining of fungi toxins.

Untargeted metabolomics and quantification analysis reveal the shift of chemical constituents between instant dark teas individually liquid-state fermented by , and .

Instant dark teas (IDTs) were individually liquid-state fermented using the fungi , and . To understand how the chemical constituents of IDTs were affected by the fungi, samples were collected and measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed that 1,380 chemical constituents were identified in positive and negative ion modes, and 858 kinds of chemical components were differential metabolites.

Design of a five-layers multi-energy X-ray imaging detector for material sorting.

X-ray transmission imaging (XRT) is widely used for sorting materials. However, conventional single-energy and dual-energy X-ray systems have poor ability to discriminate between materials with similar atomic number (Z), and the count rate of available multi-energy XRT detectors could not support high-speed industrial applications. This paper presents the design of a detector that can potentiality achieve high-speed multi-energy X-ray imaging using Geant4 simulations.

Optimization of an inelastic neutron scattering facility and its application on bulk metallic materials measurement.

An inelastic neutron scattering facility consisting of a DT neutron generator and a HPGe detector was used for metallic material analysis. The facility model was optimized based on Monte Carlo simulations. Performance of modified facility was tested through various metallic elements measurements.

Dietary assessment of ochratoxin A in Chinese dark tea and inhibitory effects of tea polyphenols on ochratoxigenic .

In recent years, there has been an increasingly heated debate on whether Chinese dark tea is contaminated with mycotoxins and whether it poses health risks to consumers. In this study, a rapid method based on high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect ochratoxin A (OTA) in Chinese dark tea samples from different regions of China and different years. Of the 228 Chinese dark tea samples tested, 21 were detected for OTA contamination, with a concentration ranging from 2.

Feasibility study on rare earth ion exchange resin saturation analysis based on PGNAA technique.

In this work, prompt gamma ray neutron activation analysis technique was used to monitor the REEs saturation in resin. A facility consisted of a D-T neutron generator, a BGO detector and a He detector was established and applied to analyze REEs (Gd and Sm) samples. Neutron self-shielding effect was also corrected.

Dynamic changes in the diversity and function of bacterial community during black tea processing.

Among all types of tea, black tea is produced in the largest amount worldwide, and its consumption is still increasing. Enzymatic fermentation is considered majorly contribute to quality formation of black tea, and the information about the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing is scarce. This study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in composition, structure, and function of microbial communities during black tea processing and reveal the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing.

Design of a DT neutron source based PGNAA facility for element determination in aqueous solution.

A DT neutron source-based prompt gamma ray neutron activation (PGNAA) facility for bulk sample analysis was designed and developed in this research. The aqueous samples containing chlorine and boron with known concentration were determined for the calibration curve by the facility. The neutron self-shielding effect was corrected by internal standard method.

Determining metal elements in liquid samples using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and phase conversion technology.

A phase conversion technology, involving the loading of brine samples with anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) colloidal droplets, is proposed to detect metal elements rapidly and accurately in liquid samples using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The experimental conditions were optimized by comparing the obtained emission intensities and the signal-to-noise ratios, including the concentration of APAM, volume ratio of APAM solution to sample, delay time, and lens-to-sample distance (LTSD). Three kinds of complex brine samples with slightly soluble salts were used to test the analytical performance of the proposed method.

Improving the estimation accuracy of multi-nuclide source term estimation method for severe nuclear accidents using temporal convolutional network optimized by Bayesian optimization and hyperband.

During a nuclear accident, estimating the source terms using environmental measurements is vital for emergency decision-making. In this study, we propose a forecasting model based on a temporal convolutional network to estimate the release rates of seven radionuclides (Kr-88, Te-132, I-131, Xe-133, Cs-137, Ba-140, and Ce-144) based on off-site sequential gamma dose rates and meteorological monitoring data. To determine the best structure of the neural network, Bayesian optimization and hyperband (BOHB) was used on the hyperparameters of the model to reduce the testing loss.

A full spectral analysis method for the gamma spectrum: weighted library least squares.

The traditional library least squares approach (LLS) is affected by the inconsistency of the statistical uncertainties of different channels in a gamma spectrum, which leads to large fluctuations in the analysis results. This work proposes a weighted library least squares approach (WLLS) that uses the square root of the count to weight the regression objective function and has implemented a verification experiment based on Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA). The results showed that, after weighing using the square root of the count, the fluctuation level of statistical uncertainty in the spectrum was reduced from 44.

Development of a compensation system for thermal neutron measurements based on Cd(Cu)-covered NaI(Tl) detectors.

A compensation system based on NaI (Tl) detectors and cadmium sheet was proposed for thermal neutron detection in the neutron/gamma field. The system consisted of two identical NaI (Tl) detectors covered with copper and cadmium sheets, respectively. The Cd-covered NaI (Tl) recorded the prompt gamma rays produced by the Cd (n, γ)Cd reaction, while the Cu-covered structure "rejected" the background gamma rays.