A system for measuring the spatial distribution of the of beta radiation flux from the radiation source surface has been developed and studied. The principal element of the measuring system is a probe sensor based on scintillation optical fiber, the output optical signal from which is fed to the input of the photon counter and further processed by a microcontroller. Using the numerical modeling method and the Geant4 software libraries, the sensitivity parameters of the sensor element were calculated for the process of measuring the beta radiation flux from the surface of a 63Ni based flat source. The spatial distribution of the yield of beta electrons from a 1 × 1 cm2 source and the dependence of the sensitivity of the probe on the distance to the source were experimentally studied. The experimental data are in good agreement with the results of the model calculation.

A novel distributed fiber-optic calorimetric dosimeter is presented. The dosimeter sensors are thermally insulated spherical beads (calorimetric sensors) made of a lead mounted on an optical fiber in constant steps. Under gamma radiation exposure, due to the calorimetric effect, the temperature of the beads increases proportional to the dose rate of the radiation. The temperature of the sensor is measured using a stimulated Brillouin scattering analyzer, which makes it possible to obtain the dose rate distribution over the entire length of the optical fiber at distances of up to several tens of kilometers. The results of the experiment confirm the linear nature of the dependence of the sensor temperature on the dose rate with a factor of $0.0027^{\circ} \mathbf{C ~ h} / \mathbf{G y}$. The working range of the dosimeter is shown to be limited to approximately $315 \mathrm{~Gy} / \mathrm{h}-700 \mathrm{kGy} / \mathrm{h}$.

The main methodological aspects of the laboratory manufacturing of experimental β-radiation sources based on the 63 Ni radionuclide, intended for testing semiconductor structures of betavoltaic power source were considered including the stage of controlled electrochemical nickel-63 metal deposition on a copper substrate and methods for determining the main parameters of the sources: thickness of the deposited layer, activity and β-particle flux. A method based on liquid-scintillation measurement of activity was proposed to determine the release of β-particles from the surface of the source. The error in determining the radiation parameters is estimated. The efficiency of the proposed technique was confirmed by manufacturing a batch of sources with an activity of 0.2–2 GBq with a nickel layer thickness of 0.2–5 µm.

A novel distributed fiber-optic calorimetric dosimeter is presented. The dosimeter sensors are thermally insulated spherical beads (calorimetric sensors) made of lead mounted on an optical fiber in constant steps. Under gamma radiation exposure, due to the calorimetric effect, the temperature of the beads increases proportional to the dose rate of the radiation. The temperature of the sensor is measured using a stimulated Brillouin scattering analyzer, which makes it possible to obtain the dose rate distribution over the entire length of the optical fiber at distances of up to several tens of kilometers. The results of the experiment confirm the linear nature of the dependence of the sensor temperature on the dose rate with a factor of 0.0027 °C h/Gy. The working range of the experimental sample of the dosimeter is shown to be limited to approximately 315 Gy/h–81 kGy/h. The upper limit of the working range is determined by the melting point of the polystyrene foam which is used to insulate the point sensors. This could be improved by utilizing more heat-resistant materials.

The results of the development of a radiation-tolerant robotic complex URS-2 for operation in hot cells at nuclear enterprises are presented. The robotic complex consists of several original components: robotic arm, control device with force feedback, control panel with hardware buttons and touch screen, control computer with system and application software, control-and-power cabinet. The robotic manipulator has 6 degrees of freedom, replaceable pneumatic grippers and is characterized by high radiation tolerance, similar to that of mechanical master-slave manipulators. The original design of the control device based on the delta-robot model that implements a copying mode of manual control of the robotic complex with force feedback is presented. The hardware and software solutions developed has made it possible to create a virtual simulator of the RTC for testing innovative methods of remote control of the robot, as well as teaching operators to perform technological tasks in hot cells. The experimental model of the robotic complex has demonstrated the ability to perform basic technological tasks in a demo hot cell, both in manual and automatic modes.

Nanostructured precursors of yttria-alumina garnet powders have been synthesized using the glycine-nitrate technique. It was shown that the main characteristics of the powders are determined by the glycine/nitrate (G/N) molar ratio in the initial solution and the temperature of the heat treatment of the precursors. The maximum specific surface area of the powders was obtained for the G/N ratio of 0.4. Subsequently, the powders were subjected to mechanical treatment and sintering. The effects of the treatment conditions and the amount of the sintering additive (Sc2O3) on the properties of the resulting ceramics were studied using erbium-yttrium garnet (Er1,5Y1,5Al5O12) as an example. Ceramics with a transparency of approximately 70% were obtained at 1790 degrees C.

The results of the synthesis of erbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet nanopowders for obtaining optically transparent ceramic are discussed. The influence of the synthesis conditions on the characteristics of (Y 0.5 Er 0.5 ) 3 Al 5 O 12 powders and the subsequent mechanical working of the powders on the properties of the obtained ceramic was investigated.

We have theoretically investigated Brillouin lasing in microcavities in the case when the Brillouin shift and the intermode spacing of the microcavity do not coincide. It is shown that, despite the rise of the lasing threshold, a significant increase in the Brillouin signal intensity can be achieved in this case compared to the resonance one. A necessary condition for this effect is to select an optimal value of detuning of the pump radiation frequency from the frequency of the corresponding microcavity mode. The result of increasing the lasing threshold is also a narrowing of the Brillouin signal lasing range in the nonresonant case, which leads to a decrease in the signal noise level provided the detuning value is optimally selected. Analytical calculations are confirmed by the results of numerical modelling.

The article presents the results of a study of the concept of a distributed calorimetric fiber dosimeter based on the effect of stimulated–Brillouin scattering. The sensor design comprises one or several thermally insulated spherical sensing elements made of a material with a high γ-radiation attenuation coefficient fixed with a certain distance on an optical fiber. The change in the temperature of the sensor due to interaction with ionizing radiation is monitored using a stimulated Brillouin scattering analyzer, which allows temperature measurement over the entire length of the optical fiber at distances of up to several tens of kilometers. The results of model calculations of the efficiency of spherical sensor elements made of various materials are presented. The sensitivity range of the proposed dosimeter is estimated and the results of a preliminary experiment on the interaction of the sensor with γ-radiation are given. It is shown that the working range of the dosimeter is approximately 130 Gy/h–700 kGy/h.

— We have studied the influence of the glycine : nitrate ( G / N ) ratio and heat treatment temperature on characteristics of nanocrystalline Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 powders synthesized from titanium tetrabutylate and lithium carbonate via combustion of an aqueous–organic precursor, followed by heat treatment. At the optimum reactant ratio G / N = 0.7, the content of the Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 phase after heat treatment of the powders for 2 h at 700°C is 97% and the crystallite size is 100 nm. It has been shown that modifying the glycine–nitrate process by adding citric acid to solution (CitH 3 /ΣM = 0.37–0.56) allows one to improve the homogeneity of the components in the precursor, thus ensuring the preparation of single-phase powders.

— The effects of the nature and concentration of bases, as well as the reactants ratio and the process temperature on the properties of zirconium hydroxides synthesized via heterophase conversion of zirconium oxychloride have been studied. An optimal concentration range of the alkalis for the transformation of the precipitates from a gel-like state to a crystal-like one has been established. The transition process was found to be accompanied by a significant decrease of the apparent volume. The crystal-like zirconium hydroxide synthesized during the study inherited the morphological features of the initial zirconium oxychloride that can be considered as an anamorphosis phenomenon.

Papers dealing with the 177Lu production technology are analyzed with the aim of evaluating the readiness of the existing processes to setting up regular large-scale production, which is the necessary condition for the progress of the market of 177Lu-based radiopharmaceuticals. This is now on the initial step of its development. The 177Lu production processes are based on irradiation of isotopically enriched 176Lu or 176Yb with reactor neutrons, followed by radiochemical processing of the irradiated targets. Specific production features are analyzed with emphasis on process aspects of the reactor and radiochemical stages. The evaluation shows that the presently reached level of the 177Lu production technology allows only the current demand of nuclear medicine for this radionuclide, corresponding to the initial step of its clinical use, to be met. Further growth of the market of 177Lu radiopharmaceuticals requires the upgrading of existing or construction of new facilities, which is possible only with significant improvement of both reactor and radiochemical processes.

This paper summarizes the mechanisms behind the patterning of the intra-population abundance distribution of the land snail Vallonia pulchella (Müller, 1774). The molluscs were collected in recultivated soil formed on red-brown clays (Pokrov, Ukraine). Data obtained in this study reveal that V. pulchella population abundance ranges from 1 to 13 individuals per 100 g of soil sample. To obtain estimates of the mean, three models were used: the model of the arithmetic mean, the Poisson model and a log-normal model. The arithmetic mean of the occurrence of this species during the study period was 1.84 individuals/sample. Estimation of the average number of molluscs in one sample calculated using the Poisson model is lower and equals 1.40 individuals/sample. The distribution of the number of individuals in a population was described by the graphics "rank – abundance". The individual sample plot sites with molluscs may be regarded as equivalents of individual species in the community. For the analysis, the following models were used: broken sticks model, niche preemption model, log-normal model, Zipf model, and Zipf-Mandelbrot model. Applying the log-normal distribution gives a lower estimate of the mean density at 1.28 individuals/sample. Median value and mode is estimated at 1.00 individuals/sample. The Zipf-Mandelbrot model was shown as the most adequate to describe distribution of the V. pulchella population within the study area. The Zipf-Mandelbrot model belongs to the family of so-called non-Gaussian distributions. This means that the sample statistics do not possess asymptotic properties and by increasing the sample size, they tend to infinity, and are not close to the values of the general population. Therefore, the average value of the random variable that describes the non-Gaussian distribution has no statistical meaning. From an environmental point of view, this means that within the study area the capacity of the habitat is large, and for some combination of environmental conditions the rapid growth of the abundance of a given species is possible.

The results of the development of a new technological process and equipment for the production of trichloride-lutetium-177 at the JSC "Institute of Reactor Materials" are presented. A new technological process is proposed for the production of a radiopharmaceutical precursor of lutetium trichloride 177LuCl3, which comprises more than thirty technological and control operations. New technological equipment has been developed to ensure the implementation of technological operations within the process. The behavior modeling of the devices being developed in high-intensity radiation fields has been carried out.

This paper summarizes the mechanisms behind the patterning of the intra-population spatial arrangement of the land snail Vallonia pulchella in terms of edaphic and vegetation properties. The molluscs were collected from a regular grid in recultivated soil (the research station of Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Pokrov, Ukraine). As predictors of the snail population abundance, spatial variables were used, as well as edaphic and vegetation indices. It is shown that V. pulchella prefers microsites characterized by higher soil electrical conductivity, which contain larger aggregate fractions with low mechanical impedance and the low temperature at the depth of 0-10 cm, with a more developed dead plant layer, low-light and low hygromorph and heliomorph index values of the vegetation.

В степной балке в окрестностях с. Осокоровка (Нововоронцовский район Херсонской области, Украина) почвенными ловушками Барбера собрано 40 видов пауков, относящихся к 13 семействам. Наибольшим количеством видов характеризуются семейства Gnaphosidae (14 видов), Lycosidae (10 видов) и Thomisidae (7 видов). Максимальное видовое богатство, количество специфических видов и уловистость пауков отмечены в тальвеге балки. Этот биотоп служит рефугиумом для мезофильных видов, значительно отличаясь по составу аранеокомплекса от окружающих степных местообитаний.

В степной балке в окрестностях с. Осокоровка (Нововоронцовский район Херсонской области, Украина) почвенными ловушками Барбера собрано 40 видов пауков, относящихся к 13 семействам. Наибольшим количеством видов характеризуются семейства Gnaphosidae (14 видов), Lycosidae (10 видов) и Thomisidae (7 видов). Максимальное видовое богатство, количество специфических видов и уловистость пауков отмечены в тальвеге балки. Этот биотоп служит рефугиумом для мезофильных видов, значительно отличаясь по составу аранеокомплекса от окружающих степных местообитаний.