No abstract available

[en] The date palm plays a very significant role in Tunisia in term of culture as well as social, economic and ecological aspects. The production of the dates which is estimated to 120.000 tons/year ensures the principal income for the majority of the oasis population of the South of Tunisia and constitutes the basis for agricultural, industrial, commercial and tourist activities, offering million of working days. The date palm is cultivated mainly for the production of dates which are consumed locally or also exported abroad but for its by-products (food of the cattle, wind breaks, fuel, construction) which are marketed and/ or used in the everyday life thus taking part in the sedentarisation of the populations and the maintenance of a fragile socio-economic balance. The date moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zell. ( L will epidoptera, Pyralidae) is without question the most significant problem of the Tunisian date palm. The infestation of dates in the field and in the storage and packing houses enormously depreciates the marketable quality of dates and risk to compromise exports in particular those of the variety Deglet Nour. rates of infestations of about 20% are often recorded in Tunisia where as the European standards require rates lower than 5%. In Tunisia the desinsectisation of dates is done until now by the use of methyl bromide, its high toxicity substantially reduces the duration of date treatment, and consequently the treated volumes. The replacement of this product becomes an urgent need its use will not be authorized by 2015. Within the framework of a agreement between the Regional Research Center in Oasis Agriculture (CRRAO), The Interprofessional Grouping of Fruits (GIF), and the Italian Company IMETEC, the use one of micro-waves as a desinsectisation method of dates was evaluated. The results of this present work showed that total desinsectisation of dates by microwaves can be obtained only with homogeneous dates in term of water content. Total desinsectisation of dry dates infested by young or old larvae of the date moth is achieved when dates are exposed to the microwaves during 90 seconds followed by 2 minutes of incubation in the reverberation room following irradiation. This duration provided the minimum needed temperature for total desinsectisation (>50⁰). In the case of soft homogeneous dates infested artificially by young or adult larvae of the date moth, the total desinsectisation took place after a treatment of 55 seconds and 2 minutes of incubation in the reverberating room. With regard to the quality of dates treated by microwaves during 55,60,65,70 seconds for soft dates and 90 seconds for dry dates, the results did not reveal significant differences between treated and non treated dates for the paramaters, weight, color, pHand water content. Other tests are necessary to study the impact of the irradiation on the sugars contents. (Author)

No abstract available

[en] This patent deals with a device, apparatus, and method for the irradiation of fluids, especially physiological fluids such as blood. The device comprises a hollow casing having a pair of end walls, at least one element adapted to transmit radiant energy disposed within said casing with an end thereof being secured in one of the end walls, and an inlet and an outlet in said casing between the pair of end walls. Apparatusof the invention includes the aforementioned device and means, preferably located externally thereof, for directing radiant energy onto the element(s) for transmitting radiant energy. Method for irradiating fluid in accordance with the invention comprises providing the aforementioned device, directing radiant energy onto the radiant energy transmitting element(s) of said device, introducing fluid to be irradiated into the interior of the casing, and withdrawing said fluid from said casing

No abstract available

[en] The design, manufacture, and operation of Cobalt-60 Radiation Processing Facilities is a well established technology. However, the products requiring radiation processing are constantly increasing. Product and dose variations create different requirements in the irradiator design. Several basic design concepts which have been developed and installed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited are discussed. Irradiators are most efficient when designed to handle a limited product density range at an established dose. Requirements for irradiators to process a multitude of different products at different doses leads to a reduction of irradiator efficiency with resultant increase in processing costs

[en] Principal somatic manifestations of radiation injury to the human body are described in compliance with the classification by Gus'kov and Bajsogolov (1964) for total- or partial-body, acute or chronic, external or internal radiation exposures. Opportunities to intervene therapeutically in the course of acute or chronic radiation syndrome are discussed. (A.B.)

[en] The gemstones gamma irradiation process to enhance the color is widely accepted for the jewelry industry. These gems are processed in conventional industrial gamma irradiation plant which are optimized for other purposes, using underwater irradiation devices with high rejection rate due to it's poor dose uniformity. A new conception design, which states the working principles and manufacturing ways of the device, was developed in this work. The suggested device's design is based on the rotation of cylindrical baskets and their translation in circular paths inside and outside a cylindrical source rack as a planetary system. The device is meant to perform the irradiation in the bottom of the source storage pool, where the sources remain always shielded by the water layer. The irradiator matches the Category III IAEA classification. To verify the physical viability of the basic principle, tests with rotating cylindrical baskets were performed in the Multipurpose Irradiator raised in the CTR, IPEN. Also, simulations using the CADGAMMA software, adapted to simulate underwater irradiations were performed. With the definitive irradiator, the irradiation quality will be enhanced with better dose control and the production costs will be significantly lower than market prices due to the intended treatment device's optimization. (author)

[en] A special apparatus developed for animal immobilization during tumor irradiation is discussed

[en] Short communications only