The purpose of this study was to examine some of the parameters of saccharin avoidance relating to varying dose sizes of the colloidal suspension, Proferrin. Since studies reveal additive effects when irradiation and Proferrin are used together, it was hypothesized that different degrees of avoidance would be obtained by using various dose levels.

Electron irradiation may be a useful method for treating inorganic cosmetic powders such as talc for undesirable microorganisms if it can be established that no loss of quality or efficacy results as a consequence of the technique. A commercial electron accelerator was used to prepare bulk samples by exposure to electron irradiation under different conditions. A morphological characterisation of the control talc was carried out using microscopy techniques and focused on the particle size, shape and surface features of individual particles. Asperity dimensions vs. Roughness values were compared. Assessment of the bulk properties of the powders as a function of absorbed dose showed no serious impact on the quality or efficacy of the powder for cosmetic applications. The particle size and the level of dust expelled during impact were maintained. Changes to the surface chemistry of the irradiated powders were apparent from an increase in pH and water retention with increasing dose. Improvements to the fragrance retention occurred for both irradiated powders tested. Importantly a satisfactory microorganism level was achieved with the lowest absorbed dose level tested i.e. 5 kGy. Analysis of the crystallography did not show the development of a new phase. Mechanical testing using a slip-peel tester found an increase in the stick-slip behaviour occurred for the powder exposed to the highest absorbed dose only. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) testing of the lift-off force showed an increase in adhesion with increasing dose. Surface roughness increased with dose, while no change in elastic properties was found using nanoindentation suggesting the differentiating factor is due to surface features. Microstructural analysis used the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Voids were observed, which decrease in size, yet increase in number with increasing voltage. Prior to void development a loss of crystalinity is seen using electron diffraction. Explorative data analysis using factor analysis and Independent Component Analysis was performed on the void development data to discover the controlling mechanisms. Two distinct normally distributed populations were identified, each driven by 2-3 critical mechanisms. The distinct behaviour differences of the mechanisms may be utilised for characterisation of more complex properties of crystal microstructures.

Monte Carlo method is an invaluable tool in the field of radiation protection, used to calculate shielding effectiveness, as well as dose for medical applications. With few exceptions, most of the objects currently simulated have been homogeneous materials that vary in density by a factor of 3 or less. In the irradiation of very heterogeneous objects, particularly layered or leafy food items, one will encounter air pockets within the bundle as a matter of course. These pockets will cause variations in density of up to three orders of magnitude. Air pockets in a tissue equivalent phantom were found to produce “hot spots” in the dose distribution, and introduced significant deviations between the calculated and measured distribution of dose to the phantom. To date, very little published work had been done in the area of Monte-Carlo simulation of objects of such disparate density. Before Monte Carlo methods can be used successfully in this regime, further code development and experimental validation will be necessary, of which this work is just a beginning. Phantoms were made of corrugated low-Z material similar in electron density to plant based material. These phantoms incorporated air gaps of comparable size to those found in the leafy objects of interest. Dimensions were chosen to bracket electron ranges in the material of the objects modeled. Monte Carlo analysis will provide a reasonable qualitative picture of the dose distribution, but such a picture is not yet sufficiently accurate in a quantitative sense. Air gaps within the plant material produced large discrepancies between calculation and measurement. Smaller air gaps were observed to produce greater discrepancy between calculation and measurement.

Dose calculation methodology was developed for irradiation treatment of complex-shaped foods. To obtain satisfactory electron beam irradiation of food products, a strict process control is required to ensure that the dose delivered to all parts of the treated product falls within some specified range. The Monte Carlo electron transport simulation and computer tomography (CT) scan technology were used to predict the dose distribution in complex shaped foods, an apple phantom composed of paraffin wax, chloroform, and methyl yellow, and a chicken carcass. The Monte Carlo code used was successfully tested against the experimental data, resulting in less than 5% discrepancy between the simulated and measured data. For 1.35 MeV electron beam simulation of apple phantom, tilting and axial rotation ensures dose distribution of the entire surface of the phantom, even reaching the critical regions of the apple stem and calyx ends. For 1 and 5 MeV X-ray simulations, both depth-dose curves show exponential attenuation after a build-up region. The depth to peak for the former is shorter than that of the latter. For 1.35 MeV electron beam simulation of a chicken carcass, dose adsorption occurred up to 5-7 mm deep, resulting in surface irradiation of the carcass. For 10 MeV electron beam simulation, the doses within the carcass reached a peak of 1.2 times the incident dose with increasing depth. Two-sided X-ray (5 MeV) irradiation significantly improved the dose uniformity ratio, from 2.5 to 1.8. A web-based integrated system was developed for data manipulation and management for irradiation treatment of foods. Based on CT scan, three dimensional geometry modeling was used to provide input data to the general Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code. A web-based interface provided the on-line capability to formulate input data for MCNP and to visualize output data generated by MCNP. The integrated Matlab and Matlab Web Server programs automatically functions through the steps and procedures for data input and output during simulation. In addition, a database having D10 values (decimal reduction value), food nutrition composition, and qualities was integrated into the dose planning system to support food irradiation treatment.

Food irradiation is costly in terms of the energy utilized and the time spent, therefore, it is imperative to optimize it in order to avoid sub lethal dose or an overdose both of which have detrimental effects on the quality of fresh produce such as cantaloupe. The bacterial load in fresh cut cantaloupe flesh was quantified on the basis of growth and mobility over time, and used as the basis for targeted irradiation simulation. The bacterial growth was predicted using the Gompertz model, while a power law function was used for predicting the bacterial mobility. The microbiological structure of cantaloupe flesh was assessed using Transmission Electron, Scanning Electron, and Light Microscopy as a basis for understanding the mobility of the bacteria into the internal mesocarp tissues. A plate assay was also undertaken to determine the possibility of S. typhimurium producing cell wall degrading enzymes such as polygalacturonase to gain access into intact fresh cantaloupe tissues. S. typhimurium in fresh cut cantaloupe flesh has a lag phase duration of 7.76 hours and can reach a maximum population of 7.98 logs CFU/g in 30 hours. Cantaloupe flesh has a vast network of intracellular spaces through which the bacteria can move into the internal mesocarp tissues, particularly because S. typhimurium (LT2) does not produce any enzymes such as polygalacturonase which could be breaking down the cell wall binding structures as a mechanism for internalization into intact internal tissues. A theoretical bacterial inactivation dose estimate based on the experimentally determined D10-value and the bacterial population was used to simulate irradiation treatment of the cantaloupe flesh samples using a 10MeV electron beam irradiator (LINAC) to establish the best treatment. The optimal 10 MeV electron beam irradiation treatment for S. typhimurium internalized in fresh cut cantaloupe samples for 30 hours was determined to be a double beam with 0.5 cm attenuation of Lucite (Trademark) at the top and 3.3 cm at the bottom.

High energy neutron and proton radiation can induce serious damage in structural metals, including void swelling and embrittlement. Hence the design of advanced metallic materials with significantly enhanced radiation tolerance is critical for the application of advanced nuclear energy systems. The goals of this dissertation are to examine the fundamental physical mechanisms that determine the responses of certain metallic multilayers, with ultra-high density interface structures, to plastic deformation and high fluence He ion irradiation conditions. This dissertation focuses on the investigation of mechanical and radiation responses of Al/Nb and Fe/W multilayers. Radiation induced microstructural evolution in Cu and Cu/Mo multilayer films are briefly investigated for comparisons. Al/Nb multilayer films were synthesized by magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The interface is of Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation relationship. In situ nanoindentation inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM) reveal that interfaces act as strong barriers for dislocation transmission and dislocations climb along the Al/Nb interfaces at a much higher velocity than in bulk. The evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Nb multilayers has been investigated after helium ion irradiations: 100 keV He+ ions with a dose of 6x10^16/cm2. When layer thickness, h, is greater than 25 nm, hardness barely changes, whereas radiation hardening is more significant at smaller h. This study shows that miscible fcc/bcc interface with large positive heat of mixing is not stable during ion irradiation. In parallel we investigate sputtered Fe/W multilayers. Film hardness increases with decreasing h, and approaches a maximum of 12.5 GPa when h = 1 nm. After radiation, radiation hardening is observed in specimens when h >/= 5 nm, however, hardness barely changes in irradiated Fe/W 1 nm specimens due to intermixing. In comparison, Cu/Mo 5 nm multilayers with immiscible interface has also been investigated after helium ion irradiations. Interfaces exhibit significantly higher helium solubility than bulk. He/vacancy ratio affects the formation and distribution of He bubbles. The greater diameter of He bubbles in Cu than Mo originates from the ease of bubble growth in Cu via punching of interstitial loops. Finally, helium bubble migration and growth mechanisms were investigated in irradiated Cu (100) single crystal films via in situ heating inside a TEM. The activation energy for bubble growth is ~ 0.02 eV at low temperature. At higher temperatures, the activation energy for bubble coalescence is ~ 0.22 eV inside crystal, and 0.34 eV close to surface. The migration mechanisms of helium bubbles involve continuous as well as Brownian movement.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

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Salmonella Typhimurium continues to be a leading cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. This organism is a facultative intracellular pathogen, meaning that it is able grow and reproduce within the host cell it inhabits. S. Typhimurium has the ability to invade and replicate within human intestinal epithelial cells, which in turn causes induced cell death or apoptosis. The human intestinal epithelial cells, HCT-8, were challenged with live, heat inactivated, and electron beam inactivated S. Typhimurium for various time points. Infected cell monolayers were collected for RNA extractions, and Real-time PCR was performed on the samples to analyze differential gene expression. Genes of the host cell that were expected to be differentially expressed were shortlisted and Real-Time PCR analysis was performed. Internalized Salmonella within the host cell was unable to be successfully visualized using fluorescent light microscopy. However, differential gene expression for a common transcriptional regulator and inflammatory chemokine were observed to be expressed significantly higher in response to e-beam inactivated Salmonella infection. Genes coding for extracellular and intracellular pattern-recognition receptors of the host cells were shown to be up-regulated in response to e-beam inactivated Salmonella infection at 4 and 24 hours, but were not statistically significant. Additional studies must be conducted to definitively confirm e-beam irradiated Salmonella has the ability to invade human host cells.