L’étude des rendements de fission a un impact majeur sur la caractérisation du processus de fission mais également sur le fonctionnement des réacteurs nucléaires. Bien que les rendements de fission thermiques des actinides majeurs (U-235, Pu-239) soient bien connus, ce n’est pas le cas de ceux de l’Am-242, ce que confirment les désaccords observés entre les principales bases de données évaluées. L’utilisation grandissante du combustible MOX dans les réacteurs nucléaires et la réduction de la radiotoxicité des déchets nucléaires nous poussent à étudier l’Am-241 et l’Am-242. Ainsi, les rendements issus de la fission de la réaction Am-241(2n,f) ont été mesurés auprès du spectromètre de masse Lohengrin situé à l’Institut Laue Langevin de Grenoble (France). Ces mesures ont permis la détermination de 41 rendements en masse. De plus, 20 rendements isotopiques ont pu être mesurés par spectrométrie gamma. Les expériences menées dans le cadre de cette thèse avaient également pour but de déterminer si les rendements de fission sont influencés par l’état de spin de l’Am-242. Afin de répondre à cette question, la mesure répétitive de rendements en masse pour différents rapports de taux de fission (Am-242m/Am-242g) a été réalisée. Nos résultats montrent que le spin du noyau cible n’a que peu d’influence sur les rendements en masse. De nouvelles expériences sont proposées afin de déterminer son influence sur les rapports isomériques. Les modèles théoriques actuels sont dans l’incapacité de prédire avec une précision suffisante les rendements de fission. Ainsi, l’industrie nucléaire a recours aux bases de données évaluées et aux modèles phénoménologiques. Néanmoins, les prédictions issues de modèles semi-empiriques implémentés dans le code GEF ont atteint un niveau suffisant pour faire de ce code un outil d’évaluation performant. Le contenu physique, les développements, les validations et l’extension du code seront également présentés dans cette thèse. / The study of fission yields has a major impact on the characterization and understanding of the fission process and is mandatory for reactor applications. While the yields are known for the major actinides (U-235, Pu-239) in the thermal neutron-induced fission, only few measurements were performed on Am-242. Moreover, the two main data libraries do not agree among each other on the light peak. Am-241 and Am-242 are nuclei of interest for the MOX-fuel reactors and for the reduction of nuclear waste radiotoxicity using transmutation reactions. Thus, a campaign of precise measurement of the fission mass yields from the reaction Am-241(2n,f) was performed at the Lohengrin mass spectrometer (ILL, France) for both the light and the heavy peak. Forty-one masses were measured. Moreover, the measurement of the isotopic fission yields on the heavy peak by gamma-ray spectrometry led to the extraction of 20 independent isotopic yields. Our measurement was also meant to determine whether there is a difference in fission yields between the Am-242 isomeric state and its ground state as it exists in fission cross sections. The experimental method used to answer this question is based on the measurement a set of fission mass yields as a function of the ratio of Am-242gs to Am-242m fission rate. Results show that the mass yields are independent of the fission rate ratio. A future experimental campaign is proposed to observe a possible influence on the isomeric yields. The theoretical models are nowadays unable to predict the fission yields with enough accuracy and therefore we have to rely on experimental data and phenomenological models. The accuracy of the predictions of the semi empirical GEF fission model predictions makes it a useful tool for evaluation. This thesis also presents the physical content and part of the development of this model. Validation of the kinetic energy distributions, isomeric yields and fission yields predictions was performed. The extension of the GEF model at high energy is also presented.

A aplicação de ar quente em videiras foi primeiramente realizada na fazenda do Sr. Florenzo Lazo, localizada no Chile, onde havia a necessidade de combater os efeitos negativos das freqüentes geadas que resultava em severos danos à lavoura. Por este motivo o Sr. Florenzo inventou uma máquina que aplicava ar quente com baixa umidade e tinha por objetivo dispersar o ar frio proveniente das geadas. Após certo tempo, foi observado pelo produtor que no local onde a máquina havia operado com maior frequência as plantas apresentavam-se com uma coloração mais escura e com sinais de maior vitalidade. Seguindo estas observações, relacionamos estes efeitos a um possível aumento nos fito-hormônios relacionados ao estresse vegetal e à SAR (Systemic Resistence Adquired), como o ácido salicílico (AS), ácido jasmônico (AJ) e ácido abscísico (ABA), além de fazer uma correlação com alguns resultados de pós-colheita importantes para a comercialização, como: Sólidos solúveis, firmeza e coloração. Para isso foi montado um experimento que foi conduzido em duas parcelas, sendo uma com tratamento TPC e outra apenas com o tratamento convencional com distância padronizada em 3,2 metros entre linhas por 2,0 metros entre planta. As amostras eram coletadas diariamente e devidamente acondicionadas. Ao final da safra, as amostras foram transportadas para o laboratório de estresse e neurofisiologia da universidade de São Paulo (LEPSE), onde foram novamente armazenadas em um Ultra-freezer - 86ºC. As analises fisiológicas de pós-colheita foram realizadas no departamento de pós-colheita da universidade de São Paulo onde foram analisados os teores de sólidos solúveis, coloração e firmeza das bagas de uva. As amostras de folhas foram maceradas e uniformizadas no LEPSE e enviadas para o laboratório de ecotoxicologia do Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA) onde foram mensurados os teores dos fito-hormônios pelo método de espectrometria de massa. Para ambas as analises foram feitos testes estatísticos utilizando o programa SAS®. Não houve alteração de SS e firmeza entre os dois tratamentos para as características fisiológicas de póscolheita. Entretanto foi notado uma redução na coloração avermelhada para os cachos tratados com TPC seguindo o sistema de colorimetria proposto pelo CIE. Não houve alterações significantes para as variáveis ABA, AJ e AS para o efeito tratamento e para a analise de correlação. Entretanto notou-se significância entre o efeito dias para as variáveis ABA e AJ. Não foi notada significância para o efeito dias para a variável AS. Por se tratar de um estresse rápido, a TPC parece não causar estresse imediato nas plantas, entretanto notou-se indução de estresse ao longo do tempo, possivelmente devido à resposta lenta de ABA que aparentemente está envolvida com RNA e à síntese de proteínas S e R- ABA que são igualmente efetivas. Já para o AJ sugere-se que houve a produção de H2O2 por derivados de oligogalacturonideos, liberados por ação da enzima poligalacturonase, e um segundo mensageiro que ativam genes defensivos (genes tardios). O aumento na biossíntese do ABA e do AJ parece ter suprimido genes envolvidos na biossíntese do AS. / The application of hot air in grapevines was first held on the farm of Mr. Florenzo Lazo, located in Chile, to combat the negative effects of frequent frosts that resulted in severe damage to the crop. For this reason Mr. Florenzo invented a machine that applied hot air with low humidity and aimed to disperse the cold air from the frost. After a while, it was observed by the producer that where the machine had operated more frequently plants showed up with a darker and more signs of vitality. Following these observations, these effects relate to a possible increase in phytohormones related to plant stress and SAR (Systemic Resistance Adquired), such as salicylic acid (AS), jasmonic acid (AJ) and abscisic acid (ABA), besides making a correlation with results of some important postharvest for marketing, such as soluble solids, firmness and color. For this experiment was created that was conducted in two installments, the first one was treated with TPC and second one was applied only conventional treatment with standardized distance of 3.2 meters between lines by 2.0 meters between plant . The samples were collected daily and properly packed. At the end of the season, samples were transported to the laboratory stress and neurophysiology from the University of São Paulo (LEPSE), where they were again stored in an Ultra-freezer - 86 degrees. The physiological analyses of post-harvest were performed at the Department of Postharvest in University of Sao Paulo where we analyzed the levels of soluble solids, firmness and color in grape berries. The leaf samples were uniform macerated at LEPSE and sent to the laboratory of ecotoxicology in the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA) where we measured the levels of the phytohormones by the method of mass spectrometry. For both analyzes were performed statistical tests using SAS ® program. There wasn`t change between the two treatments on physiological post-harvest characteristics. There was no change of SS and firmly between the two treatments for the physiological of post-harvest characteristics. However it was noted a reduction in red color for bunches treated with TPC following the colorimetry system by CIE. There were no significant changes to the variables ABA, AJ and AS for the treatment effect and to analyze the correlation. However significance was noted between the effect variables ABA days and AJ. No significant effect was noted for days variable for AS. Since it is a stress fast TPC does not seem to cause immediate stress in plants but it was noticed induction of stress over time, possibly due to slow response to ABA which apparently is involved in the synthesis of RNA and proteins S and R-ABA that are equally effective. As for AJ suggests that there was the production of H2O2 by derivatives of oligogalacturonides, released by action of the enzyme polygalacturonase, and a second messenger that activates defensive genes (late genes). The increase in ABA biosynthesis and AJ appears to have deleted genes involved in the biosynthesis of AS.

No description available.

This thesis presents a set of measurements of spin asymmetries from the heavy atoms krypton and rubidium. These investigations allow examination of the spin orbit interaction for electron scattering from the target atoms. These measurements utilise spin polarized electrons in a crossed beam experiment to measure the Sherman function from krypton and the A2 parameter from the 52P state of rubidium. The measurements utilise a new spin polarized electron energy spectrometer which is designed to operate in the 20-200 eV range. The apparatus consists of a standard gallium arsenide polarized electron source, a 180 degrees hemispherical electron analyser to detect scattered electrons and a Mott detector to measure electron polarization. A series of measurements of the elastic Sherman function were performed on krypton at incident electron energies of 20, 50, 60, 65, 100, 150 and 200 eV. Scattered electrons are measured over an angular range of 30-130 degrees. These measurements are compared with calculations of the Sherman function which are obtained by solution of the Dirac-Fock equations. These calculations include potentials to account for dynamic polarization and loss of flux into inelastic channels. At the energies 50, 60 and 65 eV, experimental agreement with theory is seen to be extremely dependent on the theoretical model used. Measurement of the A2 parameter from the combined 52P1/2,3/2 state of rubidium are performed at an incident energy of 20 eV. The scattered electrons are measured over an angular range of 30-110 degrees. This measurement represents the first such measurement of this parameter for rubidium. Agreement with preliminary calculations performed using the R-matrix technique are good and are expected to improve with further theoretical development.

<p>Freudenberg Household Products AB in Norrköping are manufacturer of sponge cloths with the well-known brand names of Wettex^® and Vileda^®. The production is based on the viscose fiber process and involves a high chemical demand. Recent customer complaints involve a diffuse smell from the cloths that is like a “garage odor” and occurs after a few uses. The company’s theory is that the smell derives from a chemical used in the process called Exxal 9.</p><p>The aim was to screen the washing water from two sections and the cloth before and after wash for the presence of Exxal 9 and other prominent components. The washing water samples consisted of a salt solution from one section and a water condensate from another section. A method to qualitatively and quantitatively examine the production samples was developed. To evaluate the variation over a short period of time, twelve samples were taken during four weeks. The focus for the analysis lay on production line Wx4, but comparisons with two other production lines, Wx7 and SL1, were also made. The method of choice was gas chromatography in combination with two different detectors; mass spectrometer for identification and flame ionization detector for quantification.</p><p>Exxal 9 could be identified in both of the washing water sections but in very various concentrations. At the production line Wx4, the mean concentration in the mother lye was 61.96 µl/l whereas the mean concentration in the condensate was 0.24 µl/l. The comparison between the different production lines showed significant variations, where Wx4 had the highest concentration. In the cloths, Exxal 9 could only be found before it had been washed. The concentration in the cloths was not high enough for quantification. In both the washing waters and cloths, additional unknown peaks were found. Attempts to identify all the unknowns were made but only two compounds were included in the commercial library; 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethanol.</p>

An Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) was used to obtain mass spectra of individual aerosol particles in the 0.5 – 2 µm size range in downtown Toronto, Canada for one to two month periods during each season of 2007. A modified version of the Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART-2a) clustering algorithm, which clusters particles based on the similarity of their mass spectra, was shown to be more accurate than the existing algorithm and was used to cluster the ambient data. A total of 21 unique particle types were identified and were characterized based on their chemical composition, their size, and their temporal trends and seasonal variations. Potential sources are also discussed. Particles containing trimethylamine (TMA) were also observed and a more detailed investigation of ambient trends in conjunction with a laboratory experiment was performed in order to elucidate conditions for which TMA will be observed in the particle phase in Southern Ontario.

An Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) was used to obtain mass spectra of individual aerosol particles in the 0.5 – 2 µm size range in downtown Toronto, Canada for one to two month periods during each season of 2007. A modified version of the Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART-2a) clustering algorithm, which clusters particles based on the similarity of their mass spectra, was shown to be more accurate than the existing algorithm and was used to cluster the ambient data. A total of 21 unique particle types were identified and were characterized based on their chemical composition, their size, and their temporal trends and seasonal variations. Potential sources are also discussed. Particles containing trimethylamine (TMA) were also observed and a more detailed investigation of ambient trends in conjunction with a laboratory experiment was performed in order to elucidate conditions for which TMA will be observed in the particle phase in Southern Ontario.

A Paul trap mass spectrometer has a three-electrode geometry mass analyzer consisting of two identical end cap electrodes and a ring electrode. Traditionally, the two end cap electrodes are electrically grounded and an RF potential is applied to the central ring electrode to generate the "trapping field". Ions of the analyte sample are formed in situ by electron bombardment and mass analysis of the fragment ions is performed by mass selectively destabilizing the ions from the trap. The inhornogeneities present in the trapping field (introduced either by misalignment of the trap geometry or by applying a dipolar auxiliary excitation across the end cap electrodes) give rise to various interesting phenomena including, resonance ejection of the trapped ions This thesis is concerned with taking a look into the experimental aspects associated with resonance ejection of ions caused by the dipolar excitation Additionally, u also reports the work undertaken to develop necessary instrumentation for resonant excitation experiments and my contribution to operational>zc the Paul trap mass spectrometer fabricated in the laboratory. The thesis is divided into 5 chapters. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter. After discussing the conditions for stability of the trapped ions, it goes on to present a brief survey of a variety of applications in literature, which have used resonant excitation. Towards the end, the motivation of the present effort and the scope of work in the thesis have been spelt out. This includes (a) redesign of the ion detector electronics, (b) design of an auxiliary excitation generator, and (c) studies on resonance ejection. Chapter 2 outlines the design considerations, circuit description and fabrication details for the ion detector electronics. The circuits presented in this chapter include (a) electrometer amplifier and (b) -3 kV DC supply for the electron multiplier detector. The electrometer amplifier amplifies the ion current signal from the electron multiplier detector and it needs to have a high input impedance and a high slew rate. The electron multiplier detector requires -3 kV DC power supply for operation. The -3 kV DC power supply is required to have a regulated output voltage with low ripple in the output. Chapter 3 presents the design considerations, circuit description and fabrication details for the auxiliary excitation generator. The auxiliary excitation generator is a three channel DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) oscillator with independent control of frequency amplitude, and phase of the output signal. Chapter 3 also discusses the micro controller based control sub-system that allows the user to set above mentioned output parameters. The control sub-system provides a user-friendly keyboard interface and 2-line alphanumeric LCD display per channel. It also provides various bus interfaces (such as I2C and SPI) to interface with DDS oscillator ICs, amplitude control DAC, and LCD displays. The chapter then goes on to describe the implementation details of the software written for the control sub-system. The hardware design is simplified by using a micro controller as heart of the control sub-system and employing the software to handle the complex functions. As an example, the design of the keyboard interface is simplified by directly connecting a matrix keyboard to the input/output port of the micro controller. The software is used to scan the keyboard, detect key press and find out the key pressed. Nonetheless, in order to meet specific performance required for the present work, the software needs to have a sense of time, be portable and scalable. Details of the "layered" architecture adopted by as to meet these specific requirements, the lower level "driver" functions implemented for various interfaces of the control sub-system, and the higher level or the "application" software, are described. The application software uses the driver functions to accomplish various tasks required to be executed by the control sub-system. Finally, the chapter presents the design consideration and fabrication details of the coupling transformer used to couple the output of the auxiliary excitation generator to the Paul trap Chapter 4 describes the resonant excitation experiments performed as part of the present work. First of all the chapter presents the improvement in the performance of the Paul trap mass spectrometer as a result of redesigned ion detector electronics It is seen that the resolution is improved significantly due to the improved response time of the electrometer amplifier. The chapter then describes the effect of the resonant excitation on the ions and also that the frequency of the applied auxiliary excitation should be between 500 kHz to 125 kHz. Next, a number of mass spectra for different frequencies of the applied auxiliary excitation are presented. These mass spectra indicate that the resonant ejection sets in for lower masses even at lower amplitude of the auxiliary excitation where as higher amplitude is required for the resonant ejection of the higher masses. It is seen that the resonant excitation of ions improves resolution of the mass spectrum. Moreover, the auxiliary excitation results in ejection of the ions at lower amplitude of the RF voltage and thus allows extending the mass range of the mass spectrometer. We present the mass spectrum of CCI4 which is not possible to normally record in our instrument. We also present results intended to understand the relation between frequency and amplitude of the auxiliary excitation on the mass spectra of benzene. Finally, results of an interesting experiment are presented which indicates the presence of the non-linear resonance points in the Paul trap. Chapter 5 presents the concluding remarks. References cited in the thesis are attached in their alphabetical order at the end of the thesis.

Ce document décrit en détail les étapes importantes de R&D dans la conception et mise au point de la chambre proportionnelle à lecture cathodique hautement segmentée de la station1 du Spectromètre Bras Dimuons de l'expérience ALICE, récemment implantée au LHC. Plusieurs aspects expérimentaux sont résumés - comprenant l'électronique, la construction mécanique, la modélisation du détecteur, les simulations de la physique et les faisceaux tests, les méthodes de cartographie en langue Orientée Objet et les résultats des prototypes en faisceaux test. Ce document est écrit à destination des jeunes expérimentateurs.

Atmospheric aerosol is an important component of our atmosphere influencing human health, regional and global atmospheric chemistry and climate. The organic component of submicron aerosol contributes around 50% of its mass and is a complex mixture of tens of thousands of compounds. Real-time aerosol mass spectrometry was the major measurement tool used in this work. The Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) can quantitatively measure the chemical composition and size distribution of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1). The mass spectra provided by the instrument every few minutes contain information about aerosol sources and processes. This thesis uses the HR-ToF-AMS measurements in two areas of Greece to quantify the contributions of organic aerosol sources to the corresponding organic aerosol levels. Local and regional air pollution sources were monitored and characterized in two sites during intensive campaigns. The first campaign took place during the fall of 2011 (September 24 to October 23) in Finokalia, Crete, a remote-background coastal site without any major human activity. The aim of the study was to quantify the extent of oxidation of the organic aerosol (OA) during autumn, a season neither too hot nor cold, with reduced solar radiation in comparison to summer. The second one took place during the winter of 2012 (February 26 to March 5), in the third major city of Greece, Patras. The measurements were conducted in the campus of the Technological Educational Institute of Patras (TEI), in order to quantify the severity of the wintertime air pollution problem in the area and its sources. The contributions of traffic and residential wood burning were the foci of that study. The Finokalia site is isolated and far away from anthropogenic sources of pollution, making it ideal for the study of organic aerosol coming from different directions, usually exposed to high levels of atmospheric oxidants. The fine PM measured during the Finokalia Atmospheric Measurement Experiment (FAME-11) by the AMS and a Multi Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP) was mostly ammonium sulfate and bisulfate (60%), organic compounds (34%), and BC (5%). The aerosol sampled originated mainly from Turkey during the first days of the study, but also from Athens and Northern Greece during the last days of the campaign. By performing Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis on the AMS organic spectra for the whole dataset the organic aerosol (OA) composition could be explained by two components: a low volatility factor (LV-OOA) and a semi-volatile one (SV-OOA). Hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) was not present, consistent with the lack of strong local sources. The second field campaign took place in the suburbs of the city of Patras, 4 km away from the city center during the winter of 2012. During this 10-day campaign, organics were responsible for 70% during the day and 80% during the evening of the total PM1. The OA mean concentration during that period was approximately 20 μg m-3 and reaching hourly maximum values as high as 85 μg m-3. Sulfate ions and black carbon followed with 10% and 7% of the PM1. PMF analysis of the organic mass spectra of PM1 explained the OA observations with four sources: cooking (COA), traffic (HOA), biomass burning (BBOA), and oxygenated aerosol (OOA), related to secondary formation and long range transport. On average, BBOA represented 58% of the total OM, followed by OOA with 18%, COA and HOA, with the last two contributing of the same percentage (12%). / --