Determination of Activity Concentrations and Soil to Cassava Transfer Factors of Natural Radionuclides in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Natural radioactivity exists in primordial formations such as rocks, soils, water and air where long lived radionuclides such as , , and their affiliates are found. This work was done to determine the specific activity of radionuclides, soil to cassava transfer factor and the effective dose due to consumption of radionuclide in cassava products in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. The specific activity of 40K, 238U and 232Th in soils and cassava in the study area was measured using gamma spectrometry. Mean specific activity in soils ranged from BDL to 153.46 ± 10. 99 Bq/Kg for 40K; BDL to 31. 22 ± 7.49 Bq/Kg for 238U and 1.03 ± 0.10 to 12.71 ± 1.24 Bq/Kg for 232Th. Mean specific activity of the radionuclides in cassava in all locations ranged from 119.86 ± 8.61 to 601.28 ± 43.23 Bq//Kg for 40K; below detectable limit (BDL) to 15. 89 ± 1.55 Bg/Kg for 238U and BDL to 15. 89 ± 1.55 Bq/kg for 232Th. Transfer factors ranged between 3.64 to 4.18 for 40K; 1.30 to 1.82 for 238U and 0.51 to 0.72 for 232Th. Effective ingestion dose due to the consumption of cassava from the area ranged between 0.99 mSv/yr to 1.08 mSv/yr and 2.68 mSv/yr to 29.16 mSv/yr for children and adult respectively. Most of the TF and effective ingestion dose results for this study were above the recommended value of unity which suggests that consumption of cassava from the studied area may pose radiological health.

FUNCTIONS OF ARCHETYPE AS A VALUE DETERMINANT OF ACTIVITY: SOCIO-PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS

The article investigates the issue of determination of activity as a social phenomenon in the context of the archetypal-value approach and proposes a methodology for analyzing social phenomena based on it. In particular, the principles of traditional praxeological and innovative archetypal-value approaches to activity are compared and common and distinctive features in their methodology are singled out. It is believed that the archetypal-value approach is relevant for the analysis of socio-cultural activities, because it takes into account three projections in which it is carried out: personal as subjective, transpersonal as objective and interpersonal as intersubjective. From the position of socio-philosophical analysis, the generalization of the procedural characteristics of activity as its conceptual foundations is carried out. The analysis of the level and quality of the influence of archetypes on the activity is made on the basis of interpretation of archetypes in their connection with the concepts of “value”, “image” (sample), “pattern” (label), “symbol” (sign). The functional deterministic influence of archetypes and values presented in them on orientation and coordination, stereotyping and standardization, integration and systematization as indispensable components of any kind of activity is characterized.

Experimental determination of activity interaction coefficients of components in Si-B-Fe and Si-B-Al ternary systems at 1723 K

The interactions among impurity components in Si-based solution are the important thermodynamic parameters for the purification of silicon materials. A ?same concentration? method was used to determine the activity interaction coefficients of Fe to B and Al to B in the silicon solution. Fe and Al were respectively dissolved into the binary Si-B solution at 1723 K with the holding time of 5 h, 7 h, 9 h, and 11 h. The equilibrium concentrations of Fe, B in the Si-B-Fe system and Al, B in the Si-B-Al system were determined. The interaction coefficients of Fe to B and Al to B were obtained by fitting the solubility data of B, Fe, and Al. The solubility relationships between B and [%Fe], and between B and [%Al] were obtained, respectively. It was found by the SEM and EPMA pictures of the samples that the third component Fe or Al added to the binary Si-B solution was alloyed, which verifies the accuracy of the experimental determination results. The significance of the activity interaction coefficient of B on boron removal from industrial silicon was analyzed.