Towards efficient Monte Carlo N-Particle simulation of a positron emission tomography (PET) via source volume definition.

Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation has been extensively proven in nuclear medicine imaging systems, most notably in designing and optimizing new medical imaging tools. It enables more complicated geometries and the simulation of particles passing through and interacting with materials. However, a relatively long simulation time is a drawback of Monte Carlo simulation, mainly when complex geometry exists. The current study presents an alternative variance reduction technique for a modeled positron emission tomography (PET) camera by reducing the height of the source volume definition while maintaining the geometry of the simulated model. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) PET's phantom was used with a 1 cm diameter and 7 cm height of line source placed in the middle. The first geometry was fully filled the line source with 0.50 mCi radioactivity. In contrast, the second geometry decreased the source definition to 2.4 cm in height, covering 1 cm above and below the sub-block detector level. The source volume definition approach led to a 71% reduction in the total photons to be simulated. Results showed that the proposed variance reduction strategy could produce spatial resolution as precise as fully filled geometry and sped up the simulation time by approximately 65%. Hence, this strategy can be utilized for further PET optimizing simulation studies.

Public Awareness of Consumer Products Containing Radioactive Materials: Empirical Evidence from Malaysia.

The emergence of online purchase platforms makes products containing radioactive materials more accessible to consumers. These products are gaining popularity and are widely available and easily accessible in the market today. This study examined how consumer's psychological factors affect their decision of purchasing products containing radioactive materials in the market. Based on the protective action decision model (PADM) and the heuristic-systematic model (HSM), this study proposed a model to add to the literature on consumer awareness of risky products. In particular, this study investigated which type of regulatory focus message (promotion-focused advertisement or prevention-focused advertisement) is significant in moderating the effects of radiation safety knowledge and product knowledge on risk perception when purchasing products containing radioactive materials. The relationship between consumers' risk perception and information seeking, which leads to the purchase intention of such products was also investigated. Advertisements with varying regulatory focus messages were randomly distributed to participants to determine whether consumers are more influenced by promotion-focused advertisement or prevention-focused advertisement to mitigate the risk of purchasing products containing radioactive materials. The results revealed that promotion-focused advertising messages evoked a positive effect on consumers' radiation safety knowledge and product knowledge toward risk perception. However, prevention-focused regulatory advertising messages did not moderate the relationships between both radiation safety knowledge and product knowledge on consumers' risk perception. This study offers guidelines for manufacturers, sellers, and marketers of products containing radioactive materials, and, importantly, for the government to devise strategies in designing effective social marketing advertisement for business, environmental and societal benefits.

Radiological assessment subjected to outdoor radon and thoron concentrations and terrestrial gamma radiation measurements in Perak Malaysia.

The concentrations of radon, thoron and terrestrial gamma radiation were measured to evaluate the outdoor effective dose. The outdoor radon activity concentration ranged from 5.79 to 5110 ± 46.36 Bq m-3, with a mean of 320.03 Bq m-3 which is higher than the EPA level of 14.8 Bq m-3. The range of the thoron activity concentration outdoor was from 0.00 to 4226.7 ± 58.5 Bq m-3, with a mean of 226.1 Bq m-3 which was above the UNSCEAR recommended level of 10 Bq m-3. The terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates range was from 98.31 to 3769.71 nGy h-1 with a mean of 446.27 nGy h-1. The effective dose contribution from radon exposures in the study was estimated to be 3.2 ± 0.5 mSv y-1 is about 84% total annual effective dose received by the population in those areas. The estimated thoron and gamma dose contributions (15%, and 1% respectively) were not significant. The outdoor doses for thoron and gamma were lower than the ICRP (2007) value of 1 mSv. The total annual outdoor effective dose with an occupancy factor of 1825 h (5 h day-1) was estimated to be within the range of 0.30-551.41 ± 0.65 mSv, with a mean of 3.75 mSv which is a little higher than the world average of 2.4 mSv.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Bracelets and Necklaces: Radiological Risk Evaluation.

A particular category of jewelry is one involving bracelets and necklaces that are deliberately made to contain naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)-purveyors making unsubstantiated claims for health benefits from the release of negative ions. Conversely, within the bounds of the linear no-threshold model, long-term use presents a radiological risk to wearers. Evaluation is conducted herein of the radiological risk arising from wearing these products and gamma-ray spectrometry is used to determine the radioactivity levels and annual effective dose of 15 commercially available bracelets (samples B1 to B15) and five necklaces (samples N16 to N20). Various use scenarios are considered; a Geant4 Monte Carlo (Geant4 MC) simulation is also performed to validate the experimental results. The dose conversion coefficient for external radiation and skin equivalent doses were also evaluated. Among the necklaces, sample N16 showed the greatest levels of radioactivity, at 246 ± 35, 1682 ± 118, and 221 ± 40 Bq, for 238U, 232Th, and 40K, respectively. For the bracelets, for 238U and 232Th, sample B15 displayed the greatest level of radioactivity, at 146 ± 21 and 980 ± 71 Bq, respectively. N16 offered the greatest percentage concentrations of U and Th, with means of 0.073 ± 0.0002% and 1.51 ± 0.0015%, respectively, giving rise to an estimated annual effective dose exposure of 1.22 mSv, substantially in excess of the ICRP recommended limit of 1 mSv/year.

Soil gas radon and soil permeability assessment: Mapping radon risk areas in Perak State, Malaysia.

In this study geogenic radon potential (GRP) mapping was carried out on the bases of field radon in soil gas concentration and soil gas permeability measurements by considering the corresponding geological formations. The spatial pattern of soil gas radon concentration, soil permeability, and GRP and the relationship between geological formations and these parameters was studied by performing detailed spatial analysis. The radon activity concentration in soil gas ranged from 0.11 to 434.5 kBq m-3 with a mean of 18.96 kBq m-3, and a standard deviation was 55.38 kBq m-3. The soil gas permeability ranged from 5.2×10-14 to 5.2×10-12 m2, with a mean of 5.65×10-13 m2. The GRP values were computed from the 222Rn activity concentration and soil gas permeability data. The range of GRP values was from 0.04 to 154.08. Locations on igneous granite rock geology were characterized by higher soil radon gas activity and higher GRP, making them radon-prone areas according to international standards. The other study locations fall between the low to medium risk, except for areas with high soil permeability, which are not internationally classified as radon prone. A GRP map was created displaying radon-prone areas for the study location using Kriging/Cokriging, based on in situ and predicted measured values. The GRP map assists in human health risk assessment and risk reduction since it indicates the potential of the source of radon and can serve as a vital tool for radon combat planning.

The naturally occurring radioactivity of 'scalar energy' pendants and concomitant radiation risk.

Forming part of a study of radiological risk arising from use of radioactive consumer products, investigation is made of pendants containing naturally occurring radioactive material. Based on use of gamma-ray spectrometry and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, the study investigates commercially available 'scalar energy pendants'. The doses from these have been simulated using MIRD5 mathematical phantoms, evaluation being made of dose conversion factors (DCFs) and organ dose. Metallic pendants code MP15 were found to contain the greatest activity, at 7043 ± 471 Bq from 232Th, while glass pendants code GP11 were presented the greatest 238U and 40K activity, at 1001 ± 172 and 687 ± 130 Bq respectively. MP15 pendants offered the greatest percentage concentrations of Th, Ce, U and Zr, with means of 25.6 ± 0.06, 5.6 ± 0.005, 1.03 ± 0.04 and 28.5 ± 0.08 respectively, giving rise to an effective dose of 2.8 mSv for a nominal wearing period of 2000 h. Accordingly, these products can give rise to annual doses in excess of the public limit of 1 mSv.

SCATTER RADIATION IN THE FLUOROSCOPY-GUIDED INTERVENTIONAL ROOM.

Radiation scattered throughout the room during fluoroscopy-guided interventional (FGI) procedures was quantified at different locations using nanoDot optically stimulated luminescence dosemeters. All the tube angulation imaging shows that the radiation spectrum resembled a single peak distribution. The left anterior oblique 90° shows the highest single peak distribution (28.65 mSv/h). The single peak distribution for standard anteroposterior, left anterior oblique 45° and right anterior oblique 45° imaging was 13.32, 22.99 and 17.40 mSv/h, respectively. All tube angulation shows that the position of the interventional radiologist experienced a higher radiation level compared to other staffs. The doses of radiation varied widely around the perimeter of the patient's table and changed in accordance to imaging angles during procedures. Knowledge pertaining to radiation exposure levels is integral in order to avoid adverse risks, particularly among staff.

Measurement of gross alpha and beta activity concentration in groundwater of Jordan: groundwater quality, annual effective dose and lifetime risk assessment.

The current study was conducted to measure the activity concentration of the gross alpha and beta in 87 groundwater samples collected from the productive aquifers that constitute a major source of groundwater to evaluate the annual effective dose and the corresponding health impact on the population and to investigate the quality of groundwater in Jordan. The mean activity concentration of gross alpha and beta in groundwater ranges from 0.26 ± 0.03 to 3.58 ± 0.55 Bq L-1 and from 0.51 ± 0.07 to 3.43 ± 0.46 Bq L-1, respectively. A very strong relationship was found between gross alpha and beta activity concentrations. The annual effective dose for alpha and beta was found in the range of 0.32-2.40 mSv with a mean value of 0.89 mSv, which is nine times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limit and one and half times higher than the national regulation limit. The mean lifetime risk was found to be 45.47 × 10-4 higher than the Jordanian estimated upper-bound lifetime risk of 25 × 10-4. The data obtained in the study would be the baseline for further epidemiological studies on health effects related to the exposure to natural radioactivity in Jordan.

ASSESSMENT ON THE INTERCHANGEABILITY OF PERSONAL EFFECTIVE DOSE ALGORITHMS IN FLUOROSCOPY-GUIDED INTERVENTIONS USING BLAND-ALTMAN ANALYSIS.

Long exposure to radiation from fluoroscopy-guided interventions (FGIs) can be detrimental to both patients and radiologists. The effective doses received by the interventional radiology staff after performing 230 FGIs in a year were assessed by using double dosimetry and five various algorithms. The Shapiro-Wilk test revealed normally-distributed data (p < 0.01), while the significant correlation coefficients between the effective doses ranged between 0.88 and 1.00. As for the Bland-Altman analysis, both Niklason and Boetticher algorithms strongly supported the absence of statistical significance between the estimated effective doses. This portrays that the occupational doses received by the interventional radiology staff during FGIs fall within the acceptable limit regardless of the varied algorithms applied. In short, the Niklason and Boetticher algorithms appeared to be the more interchangeable ones for effective evaluation of doses. This is in view of their strong mutual correlations and excellent agreement.

Simple and efficient estimation of photovoltaic cells and modules parameters using approximation and correction technique.

The behavior of solar cells and modules under various operational conditions can be determined effectively when their intrinsic parameters are accurately estimated and used to simulate the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. This work proposed a new computational approach based on approximation and correction technique (ACT) for simple and efficient extraction of solar cells and modules parameters from the single-diode model. In this technique, an approximated value of series resistance (Rs) was first derived and used to determine the initial value of parallel resistance (Rp). Later, the final corrected values of Rs and Rp were obtained by resubstituting their approximated values in a five-loop iteration using the manipulated equations. For rapid evaluation and validation of the proposed technique, a software application was also created using MATLAB program. The correctness and robustness of the proposed technique was validated on five types of solar cells and modules operated at varied temperatures and irradiances. The lowest RMSE value was achieved for RTC France (7.78937E-4) and PVM 752 GaAs (2.10497E-4) solar cell. The legitimacy of ACT extracted parameters was established using a simple yet competitive implementation approach wherein the performance of the developed technique was compared with several state-of-the-art methods recently reported in the literature.

Statistical relationship between activity concentrations of radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs and geological formations in surface soil of Jordan.

An extensive study was conducted to determine the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in soil samples of each governate of Jordan. A total of 370 samples have been measured using a high-purity germanium detector. The activity concentration for 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs has mean values of 42 ± 3, 23 ± 3, 309 ± 21, and 3.7 ± 0.9 Bq kg-1, respectively. The highest mean activity concentration for 226Ra was found to be 138 ± 4 Bq kg-1 in the Alkarak governate. In the Ajloun and Jarash governates, the highest mean activity concentration was 35 ± 3 Bq kg-1 for 232Th, and 14.2 ± 1.9 Bq kg-1 for 137Cs, respectively. Geological influence on the activity concentrations was investigated using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent samples. The ANOVA results indicate that there are strong significant differences between the activity concentrations of 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs based on geological formations the radionuclides occur. The main contribution to gamma dose rate was due to 226Ra activity concentration. Radium equivalent and external hazard index are associated with a mean value of 98 Bq kg-1, and 0.266, respectively.

Development of underwater radiography scanner for reactor-pool experiment at the TRIGA PUSPATI reactor.

This paper describes the development of a custom-designed underwater scanner to support the experimental works for characterizing irradiated fuel stored in the TRIGA PUSPATI pool by means of radiography technique. Materials used to build the scanner are aluminum 6061, lead and teflon. Three main units that make up the scanner are rig structure, arm block and collimator. Collimator is designed to control radiation exposure by opening and closing the shutter. The experimental works were conducted underwater at 5-m depth hence water tightness is one of the main design criteria. Radiation in terms of gamma energy is captured by radiography film which after development and processing revealed the image of the radiation impact in terms of pixel and gray value. The film size used is 4in x 8in which was slot in the collimator. To validate the scanner, fuel element containing 8.5 wt% and 12 wt% enriched Uranium 235 were used. It was found that the experimental output is consistent with the fuel type and confirmed that the scanner is viable for fuel characterization study.

Luminescence characteristics of Li2CO3-K2CO3-H3BO3 glasses co-doped with TiO2/MgO.

Understanding the influence of co-dopants in the luminescence enhancement of carbonate glasses is the key issue in dosimetry. A series of borate glasses modified by lithium and potassium carbonate were synthesized by the melt-quenching method. The glass mixture activated with various concentrations of TiO2 and MgO was subjected to various doses of gamma-rays ((60)Co). The amorphous nature of the samples was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The simple glowing curve of the glass doped with TiO2 features a peak at 230°C, whose intensity is maximal at 0.5 mol% of the dopant. The intensity of the glowing curve increases with the concentration of MgO added as a co-dopant up to 0.25 mol%, where it is two times higher than for the material without MgO thermoluminescence properties, including dose response, reproducibility, and fading were studied. The effective atomic number of the material was also determined. Kinetic parameters, such as kinetics order, activation energy, and frequency factor are estimated. The photoluminescence spectra of the titanium-doped glass consist of a prominent peaks at 480 nm when laser excitation at 650 nm is used. A three-fold photoluminescence enhancement and a blue shift of the peak were observed when 0.1% MgO was introduced. In addition, various physical parameters, such as ion concentration, polaron radius and internuclear distances were calculated. The mechanism for the thermoluminescence and photoluminescence enhancements are discussed.

Thermoluminescence properties of Li2CO3-K2CO3-H3BO3glass system co-doped with CuO and MgO.

The thermoluminescent properties of boric glass modified with lithium and potassium carbonates (LKB) and co-doped with CuO and MgO are reported for the first time. Two techniques are applied to investigate the effect of dopants and co-dopants on the thermal stimulation properties of LKB. The induced TL glow curves of a CuO-doped sample are found to be at 220°C with a single peak. An enhancement of about three times is shown with the increment of 0.1 mol % MgO as a co-dopant impurity. This enhancement may contribute to the ability of magnesium to create extra electron traps and consequently the energy transfer to monovalent Cu(+) ions. LKB:Cu,Mg is low Z material (Zeff=8.55), and observed 15 times less sensitive than LiF: Mg, Ti (TLD-100). The proposed dosemeter showed good linearity in TL dose-response, low fading and excellent reproducibility with a simple glow curve, and thus, can be used in the radiation dosimetry.

The thermoluminescence response of doped SiO2 optical fibres subjected to alpha-particle irradiation.

Ion beams are used in radiotherapy to deliver a more precise dose to the target volume while minimizing dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. For optimum dose monitoring in ion-beam therapy, it is essential to be able to measure the delivered dose with a sensitivity, spatial resolution and dynamic range that is sufficient to meet the demands of the various therapy situations. Optical fibres have been demonstrated by this group to show promising thermoluminescence properties with respect to photon, electron and proton irradiation. In particular, and also given the flexibility and small size of optical fibre cores, for example 125.0+/-0.1 microm for the Al- and Ge-doped fibres used in this study, these fibres have the potential to fulfill the above requirements. This study investigates the thermoluminescence dosimetric characteristics of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres irradiated with alpha particles from (241)Am. Following subtraction of the gamma contribution from the above source, the thermoluminescence characteristics of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres have been compared with that of TLD-100 rods. The irradiations were performed in a bell jar. Of related potential significance is the effective atomic number, Z(eff) of the fibre, modifying measured dose from that deposited in tissues; in the present work, a scanning electron microscope and associated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy facility have been used to provide evaluation of Z(eff). For Ge-doped fibres, the effective atomic numbers value was 11.4, the equivalent value for Al-doped fibres was 12.3. This paper further presents results on dose response and the glow curves obtained. The results obtained indicate there to be good potential for use of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres in measuring ion-beam doses in radiotherapeutic applications.