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64Cu is a cyclotron-produced radionuclide suitable for positron emission tomography (PET) and internal radiotherapy. We have been focused on 64Cu radioisotope due to its favorable nuclear characteristics (β+ emission, 18% and β− emission, 39%). Moreover, the electron capture (43%) implies Auger electron emission with high linear energy transfer in the targeted cells. Also, the 12.7 hours half-life allows a good uptake and distribution of the radiopharmaceuticals to obtain qualitative images with high contrast. The production of no-carrier-added 64Cu via the 64Ni(p,n)64Cu nuclear reaction using a variable energy cyclotron (TR-19, ACSI, Canada) was studied in our work involving the implementation of a fully automated solid target irradiation and processing system. In this paper we report the validation of the process for the automated production and purification of 64Cu produced in a variable energy (14-19 MeV) cyclotron, using a commercially available automated solid target system (ALCEO, Comecer S.p.A, Italy), comprising modules for electrodeposition, pneumatic transfer, irradiation unit, dissolving and purification. The obtained 64CuCl2 solution complies with the requirements of a radiopharmaceutical for medical applications. The process is to be translated for production of other copper radioisotopes of medical interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of environmental isotope as a tracer in water resources studies is presented. The main objectives of this paper are to investigate the distribution and origin of water resources involved in the study. Isotope technique is a useful tool in determining the groundwater recharge sources, ages of water bodies, interaction between surface water and groundwater, source of groundwater contamination, degree of mixing and for estimating subsurface residence time. The environmental isotopes, particularly stables isotopes of water (18O and 2H) are measured using Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (CF–IRMS). Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions are reported as delta (δ) and denoted as % or per mill, a variation which is relative to a known standard (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, VSMOW). This study has successfully demonstrated the ability of isotope technique in delineating the water resources. The findings that are obtained from this study would greatly assist local water authorities or related agencies to manage their water resources for the socio–economic benefit of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper relates to a technique for generating true random numbers at high speed from the nuclear decay of beta radioisotopes. The true random number is obtained by detecting beta radiation from Ni-63 radioisotope which emits only pure beta particle. For high rate random number generation, the best specification on Ni-63 beta radiation source is introduced. Then, a high-sensitivity detection circuit that can detect the beta radiation and make short pulse will be briefly described. A series of pulses from the detection circuit are converted to random numbers. Finally, it is confirmed that the random number is a true random number by statistical analysis and the NIST 800-22 test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone pain due to cancer which have spread to the skeleton become one of the major problem facing by cancer patients. Systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and narcotic analgesics such as codeine and morphine were used but have their own limitations. Samarium-153 has been approved by the US FDA as "bone palliative treatment" which can be used as the alternative to treat bone pain when labelled with ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonate (EDTMP) ligand, a bone-targeted agent. It is not a cure but rather a palliative treatment for patients which cancer has spread to their bone. Samarium-153 was produced by neutron activation of raw materials of Samarium-152 trioxide. Samarium-153 produces beta particles that work to reduce bone pain due to cancer and gamma rays that act as imaging agents and allow patients to perform imaging through gamma cameras. The average energy of the beta particle for Samarium-153 is 233 keV. The beta particle Samarium-153 moves a maximum distance of 3.0 mm in a soft tissue and 1.7 mm in the bone where the Samarium-153 properties are ideal for therapeutic treatment to reduce bone pain and bone loss to patients due to cancer-causing illness. The Medical Technology Division is capable of producing Samarium-153 radioisotope using TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP) in Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Irradiation was often performed continuously for 18 hours on the neutron flux of 0.6 × 1013 ncm−2s−1 and the activity strength obtained was about 30 mCi/mg Samarium trioxide which is sufficient for use in nuclear medicine at hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, single phase of nickel oxides was synthesized using a feasible precipitation technique. The sample was irradiated by argon ion beams with pulsed plasma of kilojoules energy to induce microstructural changes in the materials before it was assembled on a graphene support as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions in fuel cell. Physical and electrochemical characterizations have been carried out to study the structure-property relationship of the electrocatalyst. Irradiated graphene supported nickel oxides demonstrated improved catalytic performance for the oxygen reactions due to the increased exposed surface area available as active sites resulting from the structural modification induced by the plasma radiation, apart from the high synergistic effect with graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A PET-CT procedure has many steps that contribute to the occupational radiation exposure of a nuclear medicine staff. Most of them are well studied, measured, and documented except for the radiation emission of an actual PET acquisition. This study aims to fill that knowledge gap. We measure the estimated whole-body radiation exposure to nuclear medicine staff during a PET acquisition of a routine whole-body PET-CT procedure by electronic pocket dosimeters for 1 month at a distance of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 m from the center of the PET-CT machine. PET acquisition radiation emission measurements of 159 subjects (83 M, 76 F) who underwent whole-body PET-CT were included in the study. Average radiation emission rate at 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 m from the center of the PET-CT machine were; 6.94 0.85, 0.14 0.60, 0.99 1.38 and 0.02 0.22 µSv/hr respectively. In our study, based on subject's weight, emission rates follow the general rule in radiation emission, the heavier the subject, the higher the radiation. Among the different types of malignancy evaluated by PET-CT, lymphoma exhibited the highest emission rate at 5.4 µSv/hr, followed by thyroid and lung cancer at 4.48 and 4.26 µSv/hr, respectively (p ¡ 0.001). The estimated annual radiation emission from a PET acquisition was 3.98 (1.0 m), 0.08 (1.5 m), 0.58 (2.0 m) and 0.01 (3.0 m) mSv/yr. Computed annual whole-body occupational dose rate are the following 9.74 (1.0 m), 5.84 (1.5 m), 6.34 (2.0 m), 5.77 (3.0 m) mSv/yr, respectively, which are below the regulatory limit (p <0.001). Computed annual radiation emission from a PET acquisition of a whole-body PET-CT procedure, was relatively low. Incorporating this data to other radiation-emitting PET-CT steps, annual occupational radiation exposure estimate to the nuclear medicine staff will not exceed regulatory limit. Lymphoma showed the highest radiation emission rates among the different types of malignancy but data is inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the growth of radiopharmaceuticals usage is contributed by the rising incidence of chronic diseases, the emergence of novel radiopharmaceuticals and imaging technology, accessibility and awareness of public towards nuclear medicine. However, the local usage and demand data of radiopharmaceuticals is still remains limited. This cross-sectional survey study was conducted with a universal sampling of all licensed nuclear medicine facilities in Malaysia. The online self-administering questionnaire was participated by public hospitals (5), university hospitals (6) and private hospitals (21). Based on the survey outcomes, 99mTc, 131I and 18F were the common radioisotopes used in current local settings. Monthly average usage of 99mTc, 131I and 18F were found to be <2000mCi, <1000mCi and >1000mCi respectively. 177Lu, 186Re and 90Y have opted as the common therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. The highly demanded medical radioisotopes from local users were found as 99mTc, 131I, 18F, 68Ga, 51Cr, 123I, 177Lu, 153Sm, 90Y and 186Re. Apart from 18F, other radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals are routinely sourced from other countries. The majority of the respondents recognized the role of cyclotron based radioisotopes and expressed their willingness to purchase locally produced radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. However, the majority of the respondents remain undecided with the use of in-house non-GMP graded radiopharmaceuticals. At present, the local production of radioisotope and radiopharmaceutical could not complement the growing demand for nuclear medicine facilities in Malaysia. Alternative technologies shall be explored to ensure the more affordable, accessible, and sustainable supply of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals to the local market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Energy Sweep Compact Rapid Cycling Hadron Therapy driver for future cancer therapies based on the induction synchrotron concept is described. This fast cycling synchrotron allows for energy sweep beam scanning. Assuming a 1.5 T bending magnet, the ring can deliver heavy ions of 430 MeV/u at 10 Hz. A beam fraction is dropped from the barrier bucket within a set period, and the increasing negative momentum deviation of this beam fraction becomes large enough for the fraction to fall in the electrostatic septum extraction gap, placed at the large D(s) region. The programmed energy sweeping extraction makes spot scanning beam irradiation on a cancer area in depth possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gamma-Ray Computed Tomography was used to detect the amount of resin in the Agarwood trees. In order to get the acquired result, scanning was done by placing the equipment around the trunk of the tree and only on the cross-sections of the trees will be scanned. The results were imagesconsistingof the density profile of the tree trunk. It can easily detect the gross amount of the valuable resin in the trees. The sampleswill be brought to the laboratory and be scanned with different types of Gamma Ray and X-ray Computed Tomography. The image comparisons will determine the exact amount of resins in the tree samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy and precision of a radiotracer's activity concentration is essential in obtaining credible and sustainable analytical data. This study illustrated the in-house re-calibration method of an unknown Plutonium-236 (236Pu) solution by radiochemical analysis and alpha spectrometry that have been completed in our laboratory. The objective of this study was to recalibrate and determine the accurate activity of the unknown radioactive solution, which was a challenging task for five years experienced radiation measurement laboratory (RML). Six non-sustained consecutive test points data were below 3σ in the weekly quality control chart of 236Pu blank samples. The cause and effect tool was implemented to investigate the discrepancy in data by evaluating several parameters. The tracer was the most probable parameter that needed to be verified due to some uncontrolled laboratory and vial storage conditions. It was assumed that radioactive hot particles could be formed, producing a concentric fraction of Plutonium in the unknown 236Pu solution. Therefore, the recalibration of the unknown 236Pu activity concentration solution was proposed and implemented. To confirm this observation, triple blank samples underwent a radiochemical analysis, and they were found to be less than the certified value. The verified recalibration method was approached through a full radiochemical pre-preparation (triple full digestions, triple purifications). Then, a certified Plutonium-242 reference (242Pu) was used as across calibration source, and measurements were done using spectrometry measurements. The average of the recalibrated values and the associated uncertainties were estimated to be 0.632 ±0.024 in the 236Pu solution. The new verified concentration value was validated with the analysis of two different International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Certified Reference Materials (CRMs), and the obtained results were found to be in good agreement with the IAEA certified values. Therefore, the method used to recalibrate the activity concentration was successful and it can be implemented for recalibrating unknown activity sources in the future. The newly derived 236Pu activity concentration can be used as a verified radiotracer for future plutonium radioisotopes analytical applications. Conclusively, professional and decent practice of radio analytical laboratories should be conducted following quality management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on the levels of uranium (U) in urban soils of Samarahan was conducted to assess the contamination of uranium in the soil. Uranium was extracted from soil samples using aqua regia and extract was analyzed using ICP-OES. Results showed that acidic soils influence the absorption of uranium in soils and the binding of uranium due to the presence of organic matter. The highest concentration of uranium obtained from UM2 with 60 mg kg-1 and the lowest from UM3 with < 0.01 mg kg-1. Based on the contamination factors (CF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) calculations, the locations presented from low to high contamination of uranium and fall in Class 0 to Class 3. Most of the concentrations of the studied areas are within the tolerable value which was 23 mg kg−1 for residential lands and 33 mg kg−1 for commercial lands except for UM2 based on the soil quality guidelines. In conclusion, the current U concentrations in soil of Kota Samarahan do not pose any hazardous effect towards the environment and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment samples were collected at 17 sampling points in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia within 2017 until 2018. The purposes of this study were mainly to quantify availability and distribution of Ra-226 and Ra-228 and its ratio in marine surface sediment around the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. All samples were counted using high- purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometer after 30 days of secular equilibrium to quantify the activity concentrations of those radionuclides. The activity concentrations of Ra-226 and Ra-228 and its ratios were varied with the ranges of 5.6 Bq/kg dw. to 64.9 Bq/kg dw., 8.3 Bq/kg dw. to 42.2 Bq/kg dw., and 0.61 to 2.39, respectively. However, there were found to be comparable to previous studies and even lower than other regions. Thus, it can be confirmed that these radionuclides were mainly supplied and transported from terrestrial sources. It also can be concluded that the factors affected the availability and distribution of these radionuclides and its ratio were strictly related to their half-life, other potential input sources, geological formation of the study area, environment origin and behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid flow in most reservoirs is anisotropic. The reservoir structures are usually layered and frequently contain significant heterogeneities leading to directional variations in the extent of flow. Hence, the effective fluid movement can be difficult to predict. Hence, there is an immediate need to investigate and understand the behavior of reservoir during water-flooding specifically the fluid flow and transport behavior using radiotracer. Thus, a lab scale of sand pack has been set up to investigate the compatibility of radiotracer technique in assisting the behavior of sandstone reservoir in Malaysia. A full packed of sandstone with grain size of 800-900µm has been set up for this study. The sand pack is then connected to water reservoir to introduce water-flooding activity. The radiotracer used is Br-82 with activity of approximately 1mCi. The irradiation of NH4Br is carried out at Nuclear Malaysia research reactor using Pneumatic Transfer System (PTS) facility for 3 minutes. Five (5) NaI scintillation detectors are also located at various places outside the reservoir to look at the anisotropic effect, the property of being directionally dependent, which implies different properties in different directions of Br-82. The optimization of Residence Time Distribution (RTD) model from radiotracer experiments will present the characterization of the porous media. This is important knowledge in order to optimize the oil recovery. The present study shows that, the porous media represents perfect mixers in parallel model. The selection of this model is due to the minimum value of root mean square RMS which is 0.217e−8. The optimized parameters of the respective model are τ1 = 848, τ2 = 145, J1 = 3.14, J2 = 3.18 and Q1/Q2 = 0.952. The objective of this study is to leverage the potential of radio-tracing technique, a method that is scarcely utilized in water-flooding studies. It is able to analyze the reservoir behavior and the information obtained can be set and optimize a development plan for increasing the oil recovery efficiency for EOR application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its wide usage in medical applications, the hydrophobic nature of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) prevents its osseointegration with surrounding tissues at the implant site, thus reduces its biocompatibility in regards as a polymeric implant. In altering the hydrophobicity property, surface modification of ePTFE with copolymer acrylic acid (AA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was conducted through the utilisation of 60Co gamma irradiation as the grafting inducer. The modified ePTFE was characterised via FTIR and FESEM/EDX analyses. Post grafting process, the modified ePTFE was shown to exhibit hydrophilicity. Whereby, radiation dose of 0.5 kGy with 1.5 M total monomer concentration was determined as the optimum grafting conditions with a resulting grafting yield value of 51±4 % and water uptake of more than 100 %. The ability of modified ePTFE in having excellent percentage of water uptake is due to to the employment of dual comonomer with its desired monomer properties in relative to conventional usage of single comonomer. This study elucidates the potential of developed modified ePTFE as a novel implant material for medical applications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of microorganisms with Cs in aqueous solution and soil is a key for Cs bioremediation as an alternative of physical and chemical remediation and for understanding the Cs mobility in the environment. In the present study, we isolated cesium tolerant bacteria (CsT-tb) strain having very high tolerance level toward Cs, although it has relatively low Cs sorption capacity from the solution. The effect of CsT-tb strain for bioremediation was analyzed by adding CsT-tb strain solution to the broth containing Cs adsorbed soil, revealing the comparable Cs removal with H2S04 treatment. The Cs desorption enhancement from the silt and clay soil fraction by CsT-tb strain showed its potential for Cs bioremediation and important information of Cs migration promoted by microorganism. From the phylogenetic tree of the 16S rDNA, the CsT-tb strain was closely related to Bacillus sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to assess the concentration levels of some heavy metals and natural radioactivities within the surface sediments collected along the Juru river at Penang from upstream to downstream. The elemental concentrations were measured using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) technique while natural radioactivities were quantified using HPGe gamma spectrometry. Using the continental crust value that normalized with iron concentration, enrichment for each element within the surface sediments was calculated. Overall, the enrichment appeared to be extremely severe for zinc, followed by severe enriched for arsenic and uranium, moderate enriched for antimony and thorium and no enrichment in elements barium, cobalt and chromium. Meanwhile, based on the radioactivity concentration in sediment, radiation risk was calculated using radium equivalent activity concentration index where three locations were found to have the index value higher than those recommended by UNSCEAR. The average elemental concentration found in the heavy metals of As, Ba, Co, Cr, Fe, Sb, Th, U, and Zn was 11.4 ppm, 297 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 128 ppm, 41400 ppm, 1.3 ppm, 36.3 ppm, 10.7 ppm and 1420 ppm, respectively. The enrichment factors (EFs) for zinc were between 3.5 to 80.5 with the average value of 20.2, whilst for the elements of arsenic and uranium, they were between 4.1 – 15.3 and 4.6 – 17.0, respectively. In antimony and thorium, the EFs were between 2.5 – 9.4 and 1.9 – 9.6, respectively. EFs for barium, cobalt and chromium were less than 3.0. The activity concentration of 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K were found in ranges from 43 Bq/kg to 268 Bq/kg (mean 125 Bq/kg), 88 Bq/kg to 328 Bq/kg with a mean value of 165 Bq/kg and from 339 Bq/kg to 777 Bq/kg (mean 485 Bq/kg), respectively. The estimated radium equivalent index were between 199 – 792 Bq/kg and average of 395 Bq/kg which was exceeding the 370 Bq/kg suggested value by UNSCEAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multipurpose Cyclotron was proposed as a Malaysian national accelerator facility for radio-isotope production, alpha therapy, neutron science, material science and mutation. The requirements of the facility with the basic parameters are discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Szilard-Chalmers effect was used for 99Mo production by proton bombardment of molybdenum nanolayers. Yield of 99Mo recoil atoms to collector at the 100Mo(p,x)99Mo nuclear reaction was measured. High enrichment coefficient and satisfactory specific activity of produced 99Mo were achieved by introduction of thin diffusion barrier between parent Mo nanolayer and 99Mo collector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gantry-moving dual-projection inspection system was successfully invented by Institute of Nuclear and new Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University. This system can provide two projected images from two different views at the same time. Comparing with traditional single-projection systems, a special feature of this system is that two cobalt-60 radiation sources are adopted, and there are two high-voltage gas ionization chamber arrays corresponding to the two sources, respectively. By examining the two images rather than one, more information can be trapped. However, there will be inter scatter effect between the two sources, which will decrease the image quality. This paper provides research of measurement and analysis on this issue, and provides effective solution to reduce inter scatter, and the result proves to be good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy supply in Malaysia is mostly produced by non-renewable resources. According to the Malaysia Energy Statistic Handbook 2018, 42.5% of the energy mix is supplied by coal, 39.2% by gas, 16.6% by hydropower, and 1.8% others. Malaysia is the highest contributor to carbon dioxide emission in South East Asian [1] and is committed to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. To achieve this goal, a new energy mix is needed. The government's target is a 20% increase in renewable energy sources by 2030 [2]. Relying solely on renewables to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is difficult due to fluctuations in electric output. However, the European Union is including nuclear energy to meet their climate objective [3]. A nuclear-renewable hybrid energy approach can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing a secure baseload energy supply. This approach will increase the energy conversion efficiency necessary to optimize electricity supply stability and profitability [4]. To investigate the potential validity of this approach, this paper will use a concept schematic of a hybrid system potentially adoptable into Malaysia's energy mix. Using an SMR (small modular reactor) will reduce the required power plant investment, be a reasonable introduction for Malaysia into nuclear energy and provide flexibility in siting locations. Additionally, SMR's produce sufficient heat (300C) to potentially supply the torrefaction of oil palms. Introducing a nuclear-renewable hybrid energy system can help Malaysia reduce carbon dioxide emission and secure a continuous supply of electricity. This paper will suggest what should be investigated to determine the basic suitability of an SMR and the potential for using a hybrid energy approach in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]