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This article reports TL response for different glass modifier and doping concentration. Alkali oxides (Na2O and Li2O) and alkali earth oxide (CaO) will be used as a glass modifier for strontium borate based glass. The samples were prepared by melt quenching technique. Dy2O3 concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 0.70 mol% and exposure doses of 1 to 9 Gy will be varied. All glass samples exhibit the prominent peak temperature positioned at 186 oC to 232 oC. From all the samples, one of the samples shows an excellent linearity dose response, higher TL and show good reproducibility after 5 cycles exposure which is sodium strontium borate doped with 0.1 mol% Dy2O3 (optimum concentration).

Numerous studies have shown the interesting properties of trivalent lanthanide ions when doped in different types of glasses. This article examines the physical, structural and optical properties of series of strontium magnesium borate glasses doped with dysprosium ion (Dy3+) and synthesized using the melt-quenching technique. Physical and optical properties such as density, molar volume, ion concentration, molar refractivity, polaron radius, reflection loss, inter-nuclear distance and molar polarizability for each concentration of the dopant were calculated and reported. The results revealed diverse variations in density with other measured parameters. The amorphous behaviour of the glass samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. FTIR spectra measurements revealed the presence of various functional groups and their associated assignments. Optical properties of the activated glass samples with different concentrations of Dy3+ were determined by measuring the absorption and luminescence spectra in the visible region. The UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer analysis indicated the presence of eight inhomogeneous transition bands in various positions and intensities with hypersensitive transition at 1260 nm (6H15/2 → 6F11/2). The experimental oscillator strength (fexp) for each calculated absorption band showed higher magnitudes at hypersensitive transition. The optical energy band gap in the current work showed a decrease in values with increasing ion concentrations. The luminescence spectra of the prepared glass phosphors showed three unique transitions at 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 (490 nm), 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 (585 nm) and 4F9/2 → 6H11/2 (689 nm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a brief report on the present status and perspectives of the research programs with negative muon beams. Intense negative muon beams provide new research opportunities for neutrino nuclear responses and nuclear isotope detection and their production. We started the program at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka University, and now it is continuing at RCNP, J-PARC and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Gamma rays following ordinary muon capture reactions are used for studies of nuclear responses for anti-neutrinos associated with double beta decays and astro-neutrinos, and for high-sensitivity nuclear-isotope detection and high-efficiency nuclear-isotope production. Recently, we have started a new research project for these subjects in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Johor Bahru, RCNP Osaka and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) Dubna. We discuss briefly recent results and perspectives regarding the muon experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does racism endure? Should it still exist in an open, liberal multicultural society particularly with the establishment of anti-discriminative laws and societal development? Racism should be minimal among the educated populace in a university where individuals are more likely to be motivated to act in an objective and non-prejudiced manner. Have the programmes and policies that stress on fairness and equality suppressed the manifestation of racism into modern racism? Racial microaggression is an indirect and subtle form of racism that happens in everyday life that may be intentionally and unintentionally executed by the perpetrators and often catch the recipients off-guard. This research aims to unearth the themes of racial microaggression experienced among Malaysian public university scholars. It also explores the reactions of people experiencing racial microaggression. A qualitative study involving personal, one-to-one in-depth interviews was conducted with 40 undergraduates, from 4 racial groups (Malay, Chinese, Indian and East Malaysian) recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Interpretational Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Results indicated 11 common themes such as: (i) Paradox of over-scrutiny/ overlook, (ii) Differential treatment towards people from different race/ religion, and (iii) Assumption of superiority/ inferiority/ intelligence due to race. The reactions include thoughts (e.g. disbelieve) and negative emotions (e.g. disappointment). The results of this research are important in revealing and understanding the phenomenon of racial microaggression. The present research may deliver informative insights into the reality of inter/ intra-ethnic interaction in a university raising awareness and helping to develop effective measurements to reduce such behaviours among scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of an informal values education programme on the development of concept of responsibilities among 5th grade students from ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. For this purpose, 38 students from an experimental group received a values education intervention, while 38 students from a control group did not. The intervention programme was adapted into the Vietnam culture in general and into the Vietnam ethnic minority groups' characteristics in particular. The pre-test and post-test of both groups were evaluated using a questionnaire that measured children's concept of responsibilities designed for the purposes of the study. Findings showed significant differences between the pre-test and post-test for the experimental group on the specified variables but not for the control group. Based on the results, an informal values education programme that has been culturally adapted is therefore suggested to make a positive impact on the development of concept of responsibilities among 5th grade students from the ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ordinary muon capture (OMC) on enriched 100Mo isotopes was studied for the first time to investigate neutrino nuclear responses for neutrinoless double-β decays and supernova neutrino nuclear interactions. Muon capture on 100Mo proceeds mainly as 100Mo(µ,xn)100-xNb with x being the number of neutrons emitted from negative muon capture. The Nb isotope mass distribution was obtained by measuring delayed γ rays from radioactive 100-xNb. By using the neutron emission model after the muon capture, the neutrino response (the strength distribution) for OMC was derived. The OMC strength distribution shows a giant resonance (GR) at the peak energy around 11-14 MeV, suggesting the concentration of the OMC strength at the muon GR region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs, Al 2 O 3 :C) was evaluated in terms of the operational quantity of H P (10) in Co-60 external beam teletherapy unit. The reproducibility, signal depletion, and dose linearity of each dosimeter was investigated. For ten repeated readouts, each dosimeter exposed to 50mSv was found to be reproducible below 1.9 ± 3% from the mean value, indicating good reader stability. Meanwhile, an average signal reduction of 0.5% per readout was found. The dose response revealed a good linearity within the dose range of 5-50mSv having nearly perfect regression line with R 2 equals 0.9992. The accuracy of the measured doses were evaluated in terms of operational quantity H P (10), wherein the trumpet curve method was used respecting the 1990 International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) standard. The accuracy of the overall measurements from all dosimeters was discerned to be within the trumpet curve and devoid of outlier. It is established that the achieved OSL Al 2 O 3 :C dosimeters are greatly reliable for equivalent dose assessment., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)