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The aim of this work is to investigate, in a wide range of gamma-ray energies, the validity of the "Virtual Point Detector" (VPD) approach to evaluate Full-Energy-Peak Efficiency (FEPE) values for a Cerium-doped Lanthanum Bromide scintillator (LaBr 3 :Ce). With VPD approximation, the detector is assumed equivalent to a virtual point inside the crystal where all the interactions can be considered to occur. The distance of VPD from detector cap is evaluated through experimental point source measurements. The knowledge of the trend of VPD depth as a function of gamma radiation energy allows the evaluation of FEPE values starting from an experimental reference value. The validation of the procedure has been performed by applying the VPD approach to measurement geometries already characterized such as a disk source, an Havar foil irradiated inside a target of a medical cyclotron, and a parallelepided sample geometry, an atmospheric particulate paper filter reduced to 6 cm × 6 cm × 0.7 cm dimensions. FEPE values determined by VPD approach lead to radionuclide activities very close to the ones already obtained with measurements carried out with other detectors. • Validity of Virtual Point Detector approach for a LaBr 3 :Ce scintillator. • Efficiency evaluation for a LaBr 3 :Ce scintillator through a VPD approximation. • Experimental validation of VPD approach also for disk and volume sources. • Knowledge of the detector size and composition is not necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A full-energy-peak efficiency (FEPE) calibration procedure for gamma-ray spectrometric analysis of air particulate samples collected on large filters is described herein. The experimental results are obtained for an unconventional measurement geometry, termed a “packet-sample”. The sample is obtained from a large cellulose filter (45cm×45cm) used to collect air particulate samples that is resized to dimensions suitable for spectrometric measurements (6cm×6cm×0.7cm). To determine the FEPEs, many standards were created, i.e., some filters containing a small amount of ThO2 and others containing a known amount of KCl. Efficiency curves obtained through best fits to experimental data for three high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors, one of them for X-ray measurement, cover the energy range from 40keV to 2600keV. To validate the efficiency calibration procedure two experimental tests with the use of calibrated sources were conducted and, as application example, airborne concentrations of 131I (particulate matter), 134Cs and 137Cs at Palermo (Italy) in the days following the Fukushima accident in Japan were evaluated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

THERP and HEART integrated methodology is proposed to investigate accident scenarios that involve operator errors during high-dose-rate (HDR) treatments. The new approach has been modified on the basis of fuzzy set concept with the aim of prioritizing an exhaustive list of erroneous tasks that can lead to patient radiological overexposures. The results allow for the identification of human errors that are necessary to achieve a better understanding of health hazards in the radiotherapy treatment process, so that it can be properly monitored and appropriately managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fricke infused gel matrices offer several features making them suitable for dosimetric applications; among these there are tissue equivalence, low cost and ease of preparation. Their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation properties can be used as a radiation detector for the dosimetry of beams used in cancer therapy. In recent years neutron capture therapy has been resumed for the treatment of various types of cancer and it requires three-dimensional mapping of the neutron fields. In this work, we investigated this particular application through NMR relaxometry and MR imaging of Fricke gels exposed to neutrons. We analyzed both the R 1 and R 2 relaxation rates, which relate to the longitudinal T 1 and transversal T 2 relaxation times. In particular, we found that the relaxation rate R 2 does not depend on the neutron fluence, whereas the relaxation rate R 1 increases linearly with the fluence. The magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions showed that T 1 -weighted images allow the characterization of samples exposed to different neutron fluences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]