The Potential Use of Car Windscreens for Post-Accident Dose Reconstruction in the Periphery of Nuclear Installations

Cars of a variety of brands are usually parked at a fixed but increasing distance in the periphery of nuclear installations. Herein we focus on the potential use of car windscreens for post-accident dose reconstruction from unplanned nuclear events and natural disasters, also in regard to unexpected events arising during large-scale use of radioactive and nuclear materials. The situation requires identification of analytical techniques that could both readily and reliably be used to assess absorbed dose, sufficient to prompt remedial action where necessary. Samples from three widely used car brands—Honda, Toyota and Proton—are studied in respect of their thermoluminescence (TL) yield. Key TL dosimetric features in the gamma-ray dose range of 1–100 Gy are examined. An ERESCO model 200 MF4-RW X-ray machine has also been used for energy response studies; a Harshaw 3500 TLD reader equipped with WinREMS software was used for the luminescence measurements. All brands exhibit linearity of TL yield versus dose, the samples from Honda showing the greatest response followed by that of the Toyota and Proton brands. The marked energy dependence reflects the effect of the strongly Z-dependent photoelectric effect. Signal fading was investigated over a period of 28 days, the Toyota and Proton brand windshield glass showing a relatively low loss at 52.1% and 52.6% respectively compared to a 56.7% loss for that of the Honda samples. This work forms the first such demonstration of the potential of car windshield glass as a retrospective accident dosimeter.

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Dosimetric evaluation of methyl red radiochromic film for radiation processing

Pigment & Resin Technology ◽

10.1108/prt-02-2020-0008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Awad AL Zahrany ◽

Khalid Rabaeh ◽

Molham Eyadeh ◽

Ahmed Basfar

Keyword(s):

Gamma Ray ◽

Dose Range ◽

Absorbed Dose ◽

Radiochromic Film ◽

High Dose ◽

Methyl Red ◽

Radiation Processing ◽

Content Type ◽

The Stability ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a radiochromic film dosimeter containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix and various concentrations of methyl red (MR) dye for high dose measurements. Design/methodology/approach The MR-PVA films were exposed to irradiation up to 60 kGy using 60Co source of gamma ray. The ultraviolet and visible regions (UV/VIS) spectrophotometry were used to examine the optical density of pre-and post-irradiated dosimeters at 424 nm. Findings The dose sensitivity of MR-PVA films increases significantly with increasing MR dye concentrations in the dose range of 5 to 60 kGy. The impact of relative humidity, irradiation temperature, dose rate and the stability of the films has been analyzed. The overall uncertainty of the MR-PVA film dosimeter is 6.12% (Double Standard-deviation, 95% confidence level). Practical implications It was found that the MR-PVA films may be used as high dose dosimeter with an acceptable overall uncertainty in routine industrial radiation processing. Originality/value The color bleaching of irradiated MR-PVA films in terms of specific absorbance curves increases significantly with increasing absorbed dose up to 60 kGy.

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Use of everyday materials in retrospective nuclear accident dosimetry

HNPS Proceedings ◽

10.12681/hnps.1941 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 113

Author(s):

K. Stamoulis ◽

K. G. Ioannides ◽

H. Bakola ◽

C. A. Papachristodoulou ◽

L. M. Tsodoulos

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Estimate ◽

Large Scale ◽

Absorbed Dose ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Optically Stimulated Luminescence ◽

Dose Reconstruction ◽

Dose Estimation ◽

Retrospective Dosimetry ◽

External Sources ◽

Household Chemicals

Following a large-scale nuclear event, a quantitative estimate of the radiation dose to the general population necessitates the availability of adequate procedures for the assessment of doses. The main objectives of dose reconstruction, namely retrospective dosimetry can be synoptically stated as in the following: a) To guide the provision of proper protection for the population that had been exposed to radiation, b) To provide assuring information to the worrying public and c) To provide input data for epidemiological studies. Amongst the methods used for dose estimation are the Thermoluminescence (TL) and the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). Methods based on TL and OSL have the advantage that they allow the measurement of the integrated absorbed dose. When the irradiation comes from external sources, materials found within the perimeter of the accident area such as bricks, tiles and pottery and certain household chemicals, can be used. The absorbed dose may be evaluated many years after the accident.

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Sensitivity of P-Channel MOSFET to X- and Gamma-Ray Irradiation

International Journal of Photoenergy ◽

10.1155/2013/158403 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Milić Pejović ◽

Olivera Ciraj-Bjelac ◽

Milojko Kovačević ◽

Zoran Rajović ◽

Gvozden Ilić

Keyword(s):

Threshold Voltage ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

Dose Range ◽

Absorbed Dose ◽

Tube Voltage ◽

Threshold Voltage Shift ◽

X Ray ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Most Significant Change ◽

Gamma Ray Irradiation

Investigation of Al-gate p-channel MOSFETs sensitivity following irradiation using 200 and 280 kV X-ray beams as well as gamma-ray irradiation of 60Co in the dose range from 1 to 5 Gy was performed in this paper. The response followed on the basis of threshold voltage shift and was studied as a function of absorbed dose. It was shown that the most significant change in threshold voltage was in the case of MOSFET irradiation in X-ray fields of 200 kV and when the gate voltage was +5 V. For practical applications in dosimetry, the sensitivity of the investigated MOSFETs was also satisfactory for X-ray tube voltage of 280 kV and for gamma rays. Possible processes in gate oxide caused by radiation and its impact on the response of MOSFETs were also analyzed in this paper.

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Response of GAFChromic® HD-V2 film dosimeter in 10-300 Gy dose range for radiation testing of electronic devices

Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection ◽

10.2298/ntrp180801005m ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 79-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesca Martorana ◽

Aldo Parlato ◽

Giuseppe Perrone ◽

Elio Tomarchio

Keyword(s):

Gamma Ray ◽

Dose Range ◽

Electronic Devices ◽

Absorbed Dose ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Industrial Applications ◽

Specific Reference ◽

Radiation Testing ◽

Fogging Effect ◽

Value Changes

The study reported in this paper aimed to investigate the response of a GAFChromic? HD-V2 film dosimeter in the dose range between 10 and 300 Gy, normally used to perform irradiation tests on electronic devices with a 60Co gamma-ray irradiator. The well-defined linearity of response in terms of absorbance as a function of absorbed dose, easiness of handling and data analysis of irradiated dosimeters, reproducibility, stability, and insensitivity to visible light and most of the environmental parameters, make HD-V2 film a flexible, inexpensive and reliable dose measurement device. The study has shown a fogging effect of the dosimeter response since its value changes over time. Strategies and adequate precautions to take into account changes on HD-V2 film physical properties for calibration and routine use in industrial applications, with a specific reference to radiation testing of electronic devices, have been discussed.

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Some applications of electron beam microanalysis techniques in VLSI process evaluation

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010007463x ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 160-161

Author(s):

Simon Thomas

Keyword(s):

Integrated Circuits ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Technology Development ◽

Analytical Techniques ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Analysis Of Failures ◽

Characterization Of Materials ◽

Circuits Vlsi

Trends in the technology development of very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI) have been in the direction of higher density of components with smaller dimensions. The scaling down of device dimensions has been not only laterally but also in depth. Such efforts in miniaturization bring with them new developments in materials and processing. Successful implementation of these efforts is, to a large extent, dependent on the proper understanding of the material properties, process technologies and reliability issues, through adequate analytical studies. The analytical instrumentation technology has, fortunately, kept pace with the basic requirements of devices with lateral dimensions in the micron/ submicron range and depths of the order of nonometers. Often, newer analytical techniques have emerged or the more conventional techniques have been adapted to meet the more stringent requirements. As such, a variety of analytical techniques are available today to aid an analyst in the efforts of VLSI process evaluation. Generally such analytical efforts are divided into the characterization of materials, evaluation of processing steps and the analysis of failures.

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Instant 99mTc Compounds

Nuklearmedizin ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1624749 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 10 (03) ◽

pp. 245-251 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. Richards ◽

W. C. Eckelman

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

High Purity ◽

Analytical Techniques ◽

Full Potential ◽

Labeled Compounds ◽

Ph Adjustment ◽

One Step ◽

Stannous Ion ◽

99Mtc Radiopharmaceuticals ◽

Potential Use

SummaryThe full potential use of technetium has not been achieved despite its ideal physical properties, dosimetry and availability because of the complex preparations required for 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals. One of the goals of our work is to develop techniques for the preparation of high-purity 99mTc compounds which can be easily prepared, ideally by adding pertechnetate to a prepared solution.The use of stannous ion as reducing agent for technetium makes it possible to obtain such one-step, high-purity products. All non-radioactive components can be premixed in a single vial before addition of the radioactive pertechnetate. No final pH adjustment, further chemical manipulation or purification is required.Procedures for two instantly labeled compounds have been developed to date: 99mTc DTPA and 99mTc HSA. The 99mTc DTPA is prepared by adding pertechnetate to a previously prepared solution of stannous ion and CaNa3 DTPA which has been stored at pH 4. The 99mTc HSA is prepared by adding pertechnetate to a solution of stannous ion and HSA. The parametric variations and analytical techniques involved in formulating these procedures are described. It appears that development of kits for other biologically interesting compounds may be possible using similar procedures.

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Evaluation of a Low-Cost Commercial Actigraph and Its Potential Use in Detecting Cultural Variations in Physical Activity and Sleep

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21113774 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3774

Author(s):

Pavlos Topalidis ◽

Cristina Florea ◽

Esther-Sevil Eigl ◽

Anton Kurapov ◽

Carlos Alberto Beltran Leon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Time Data ◽

Cultural Variations ◽

Step Counts ◽

Scale Step ◽

Potential Use

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of a low-cost commercial smartwatch, the Xiaomi Mi Band (MB), in extracting physical activity and sleep-related measures and show its potential use in addressing questions that require large-scale real-time data and/or intercultural data including low-income countries. We evaluated physical activity and sleep-related measures and discussed the potential application of such devices for large-scale step and sleep data acquisition. To that end, we conducted two separate studies. In Study 1, we evaluated the performance of MB by comparing it to the GT3X (ActiGraph, wGT3X-BT), a scientific actigraph used in research, as well as subjective sleep reports. In Study 2, we distributed the MB across four countries (Austria, Germany, Cuba, and Ukraine) and investigated physical activity and sleep among these countries. The results of Study 1 indicated that MB step counts correlated highly with the scientific GT3X device, but did display biases. In addition, the MB-derived wake-up and total-sleep-times showed high agreement with subjective reports, but partly deviated from GT3X predictions. Study 2 revealed similar MB step counts across countries, but significant later wake-up and bedtimes for Ukraine than the other countries. We hope that our studies will stimulate future large-scale sensor-based physical activity and sleep research studies, including various cultures.

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Modeling Gamma-Ray SEDs and Angular Extensions of Extreme TeV Blazars from Intergalactic Proton-Initiated Cascades in Contemporary Astrophysical EGMF Models

Universe ◽

10.3390/universe7070220 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. 220

Author(s):

Emil Khalikov

Keyword(s):

Gamma Rays ◽

Large Scale ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

High Energy ◽

Cascade Model ◽

Point Sources ◽

Spectral Energy ◽

Observation Data ◽

Cherenkov Telescopes ◽

The Universe

The intrinsic spectra of some distant blazars known as “extreme TeV blazars” have shown a hint at an anomalous hardening in the TeV energy region. Several extragalactic propagation models have been proposed to explain this possible excess transparency of the Universe to gamma-rays starting from a model which assumes the existence of so-called axion-like particles (ALPs) and the new process of gamma-ALP oscillations. Alternative models suppose that some of the observable gamma-rays are produced in the intergalactic cascades. This work focuses on investigating the spectral and angular features of one of the cascade models, the Intergalactic Hadronic Cascade Model (IHCM) in the contemporary astrophysical models of Extragalactic Magnetic Field (EGMF). For IHCM, EGMF largely determines the deflection of primary cosmic rays and electrons of intergalactic cascades and, thus, is of vital importance. Contemporary Hackstein models are considered in this paper and compared to the model of Dolag. The models assumed are based on simulations of the local part of large-scale structure of the Universe and differ in the assumptions for the seed field. This work provides spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and angular extensions of two extreme TeV blazars, 1ES 0229+200 and 1ES 0414+009. It is demonstrated that observable SEDs inside a typical point spread function of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs) for IHCM would exhibit a characteristic high-energy attenuation compared to the ones obtained in hadronic models that do not consider EGMF, which makes it possible to distinguish among these models. At the same time, the spectra for IHCM models would have longer high energy tails than some available spectra for the ALP models and the universal spectra for the Electromagnetic Cascade Model (ECM). The analysis of the IHCM observable angular extensions shows that the sources would likely be identified by most IACTs not as point sources but rather as extended ones. These spectra could later be compared with future observation data of such instruments as Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) and LHAASO.

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Development of SiO2 based doped with LiF, Cr2O3, CoO4 and B2O3 glasses for gamma and fast neutron shielding

Radiochimica Acta ◽

10.1515/ract-2020-0067 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Bünyamin Aygün ◽

Erdem Şakar ◽

Abdulhalik Karabulut ◽

Bünyamin Alım ◽

Mohammed I. Sayyed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo Simulation ◽

Monte Carlo ◽

Fast Neutron ◽

Cross Sections ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

Absorbed Dose ◽

Neutron Shielding ◽

Shielding Properties ◽

Effective Neutron ◽

Simulation Codes

AbstractIn this study, the fast neutron and gamma-ray absorption capacities of the new glasses have been investigated, which are obtained by doping CoO,CdWO4,Bi2O3, Cr2O3, ZnO, LiF,B2O3 and PbO compounds to SiO2 based glasses. GEANT4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation codes have been used in the planning of the samples. The glasses were produced using a well-known melt-quenching technique. The effective neutron removal cross-sections, mean free paths, half-value layer, and transmission numbers of the fabricated glasses have been calculated through both GEANT4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation codes. Experimental neutron absorbed dose measurements have been carried out. It was found that GS4 glass has the best neutron protection capacity among the produced glasses. In addition to neutron shielding properties, the gamma-ray attenuation capacities, were calculated using newly developed Phy-X/PSD software. The gamma-ray shielding properties of GS1 and GS2 are found to be equivalent to Pb-based glass.

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Understanding the origin of the positron annihilation line and the physics of supernova explosions

Experimental Astronomy ◽

10.1007/s10686-021-09727-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

F. Frontera ◽

E. Virgilli ◽

C. Guidorzi ◽

P. Rosati ◽

R. Diehl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Positron Annihilation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Gamma Ray ◽

Nuclear Astrophysics ◽

High Energy ◽

Radioactive Isotopes ◽

Fusion Reactions ◽

Dark Matter Annihilation ◽

Annihilation Line ◽

Supernova Explosions

AbstractNuclear astrophysics, and particularly nuclear emission line diagnostics from a variety of cosmic sites, has remained one of the least developed fields in experimental astronomy, despite its central role in addressing a number of outstanding questions in modern astrophysics. Radioactive isotopes are co-produced with stable isotopes in the fusion reactions of nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions and other violent events, such as neutron star mergers. The origin of the 511 keV positron annihilation line observed in the direction of the Galactic Center is a 50-year-long mystery. In fact, we still do not understand whether its diffuse large-scale emission is entirely due to a population of discrete sources, which are unresolved with current poor angular resolution instruments at these energies, or whether dark matter annihilation could contribute to it. From the results obtained in the pioneering decades of this experimentally-challenging window, it has become clear that some of the most pressing issues in high-energy astrophysics and astro-particle physics would greatly benefit from significant progress in the observational capabilities in the keV-to-MeV energy band. Current instrumentation is in fact not sensitive enough to detect radioactive and annihilation lines from a wide variety of phenomena in our and nearby galaxies, let alone study the spatial distribution of their emission. In this White Paper (WP), we discuss how unprecedented studies in this field will become possible with a new low-energy gamma-ray space experiment, called ASTENA (Advanced Surveyor of Transient Events and Nuclear Astrophysics), which combines new imaging, spectroscopic and polarization capabilities. In a separate WP (Guidorzi et al. 39), we discuss how the same mission concept will enable new groundbreaking studies of the physics of Gamma–Ray Bursts and other high-energy transient phenomena over the next decades.

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