Monazite-Type SmPO as Potential Nuclear Waste Form: Insights into Radiation Effects from Ion-Beam Irradiation and Atomistic Simulations.

Single-phase monazite-type ceramics are considered as potential host matrices for the conditioning of separated plutonium and minor actinides. Sm-orthophosphates were synthesised and their behaviour under irradiation was investigated with respect to their long-term performance in the repository environment. Sintered SmPO pellets and thin lamellae were irradiated with 1, 3.

Influence of extreme conditions on the formation and structures of caesium uranium(VI) arsenates.

Four new uranyl arsenates, Cs2[(UO2)(As2O7)] (1), α-Cs[(UO2)(HAs2O7)] (2), β-Cs[(UO2)(HAs2O7)] (3), Cs[(UO2)(HAs2O7)]·0.17H2O (4), were synthesized by high-temperature/high pressure (HT/HP) reactions at 900 °C and 3 GPa. These phases were subsequently characterised structurally as well as chemically.

Desaturase Activity Is Associated With Weight Status and Metabolic Risk Markers in Young Children.

Context: Activity of delta-9, delta-6, and delta-5 desaturases (D9D, D6D, D5D) are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia.

Objective: To investigate the association of estimated desaturase activities with weight status, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia in children, cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Design: The IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) cohort study was used, with examinations at baseline (T0) and after 2 years (T1).

Chemical and structural evolution in the Th-SeO3(2-)/SeO4(2-) system: from simple selenites to cluster-based selenate compounds.

While extensive success has been gained in the structural chemistry of the U-Se system, the synthesis and characterization of Th-based Se structures are widely unexplored. Here, four new Th-Se compounds, α-Th(SeO3)2, β-Th(SeO3)2, Th(Se2O5)2, and Th3O2(OH)2(SeO4)3, have been obtained from mild hydrothermal or low-temperature (180-220 °C) flux conditions and were subsequently structurally and spectroscopically characterized. The crystal structures of α-Th(SeO3)2 and β-Th(SeO3)2 are based on ThO8 and SeO3 polyhedra, respectively, featuring a three-dimensional (3D) network with selenite anions filling in the Th channels along the a axis.

C-reactive protein reference percentiles among pre-adolescent children in Europe based on the IDEFICS study population.

Objectives: C-reactive protein (CRP) is involved in a wide range of diseases. It is a powerful marker for inflammatory processes used for diagnostic and monitoring purposes. We aimed to establish reference values as data on the distribution of serum CRP levels in young European children are scarce.

Comparison of stool collection on site versus at home in a population-based study : feasibility and participants' preference in Pretest 2 of the German National Cohort.

Background: For certain laboratory investigations it is necessary to obtain native stool samples and process them within a narrow time window at the point of contact or a nearby laboratory. However, it is not known whether it is feasible to obtain stool samples from asymptomatic individuals during an appointment in a study center (SC). We therefore compared participants' preference, feasibility and acceptance of stool sample collection during the appointment at the study center (on-site sampling) to collection at home after the appointment.

Collection of vaccination data in the German National Cohort : Findings of a feasibility study in three study centers.

Background: Data about the vaccination status of participants are required in epidemiological cohort studies whenever infection or immunity is considered as potential exposure or outcome. Within Pretest 2 of the German National Cohort (GNC) we therefore investigated the acceptance and feasibility of extracting vaccination status from vaccination certificates provided by the participants of the study.

Methods: This study was conducted in three study centers (Bremen, n = 73; Hamburg, n = 200; Hannover, n = 193).

Reference values of whole-blood fatty acids by age and sex from European children aged 3-8 years.

Objectives: To establish reference values for fatty acids (FA) especially for n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC PUFA) in whole-blood samples from apparently healthy 3-8-year-old European children. The whole-blood FA composition was analysed and the age- and sex-specific distribution of FA was determined.

Design And Subjects: Blood samples for FA analysis were taken from 2661 children of the IDEFICS (identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study cohort.

Performance of DFT+U method for prediction of structural and thermodynamic parameters of monazite-type ceramics.

We performed a density functional theory (DFT) study of the monazite-type ceramics using DFT+U method, where the Hubbard U parameters are derived ab initio, with the main goal in testing the predictive power of this computational method for modeling of f-electron materials that are of interest in nuclear waste management. We show that DFT+U approach with PBEsol as the exchange-correlation functional significantly improves description of structures and thermodynamic parameters of lanthanide-bearing oxides and monazites over commonly used standard DFT (PBE) approach. We found that it is essential to use the Hubbard U parameter derived for a given element and a given structure to reproduce the structural parameters of the measured materials.

High-temperature phase transitions, spectroscopic properties, and dimensionality reduction in rubidium thorium molybdate family.

Four new rubidium thorium molybdates have been synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reactions. The crystal structures of Rb8Th(MoO4)6, Rb2Th(MoO4)3, Rb4Th(MoO4)4, and Rb4Th5(MoO4)12 were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All these compounds construct from MoO4 tetrahedra and ThO8 square antiprisms.

Alveolar epithelial type II cells and their microenvironment in the caveolin-1-deficient mouse.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is highly expressed in alveolar epithelial type I (AE1) and endothelial cells of the alveolar region of the lung. Interestingly, alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells that are progenitors of the AE1 cells do not express Cav-1. We investigated whether genetic Cav-1 deficiency alters the phenotype of AE2 cells and their microenvironment using stereology.

Muscarinic receptor-mediated bronchoconstriction is coupled to caveolae in murine airways.

Cholinergic bronchoconstriction is mediated by M(2) and M(3) muscarinic receptors (MR). In heart and urinary bladder, MR are linked to caveolin-1 or -3, the structural proteins of caveolae. Caveolae are cholesterol-rich, omega-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane.