Simplified Assessment of Radioiodine Biokinetics for Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Practical Approach Using Continuous External Radiation Monitoring.

Introduction: The biokinetics of radioiodine (RAI) in thyroid cancer patients are complex. This study aims to develop a practical approach for assessing RAI biokinetics to predict patient discharge time and estimate radiation exposure to caregivers.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma undergoing RAI treatment.

Establishment of a NORM baseline for selected seafood in the Gulf of Mexico.

Naturally occurring radioactive material was characterized in selected seafood samples from three areas in the Gulf of Mexico. Relatively desirable and abundant fish such as Red Snapper, Red Drum, Northern Whiting, and Spotted Trout as well as oysters were collected and analyzed using gamma spectroscopy to determine the concentration of Ra, Ra, and K. Average total activity concentration from these radionuclides were 0.

Novel Spiroplasma sp. Isolated From CWD Is an Extreme Bacterial Thermoacidophile That Survives Autoclaving, Boiling, Formalin Treatment, and Significant Gamma Irradiation.

Rapid spreading of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wildlife and captive cervid populations has exposed lack of progress in dealing with the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) of man and animals. Since the TSE transmissible agent was resistant to extremes in environmental and chemical treatments, focus was on an unconventional agent including the prion theory. Recent breakthrough research has revealed consistent isolation of a novel Spiroplasma sp.

Determination of Uranium Series Activity Before Secular Equilibrium Is Established.

Timely achievement of uranium series' secular equilibrium is not always feasible. Our objective is to mathematically justify methods for early uranium series gamma spectroscopy measurements that can accurately predict naturally occurring radioactive material equilibrium activities long before equilibrium is established. It was believed that, regardless of prior Rn escape, after sealing a sample for a few hours the activities of Rn, Ra, and U could theoretically be determined with a single measurement of both Pb and Bi.

Visualizing High-Order Decay after Disequilibria.

High-order decay equations are often difficult to study without significant care taken with variables and assumptions. As parent and progeny activities evolve over time, the effects of uncertainties and approximations confound the quality and interpretation of results. Of particular concern is the situation when decay equilibrium has been disturbed and progenies have arbitrary initial activities.

Using Geographic Information Systems to Determine Site Suitability for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility.

Radioactive waste is an inevitable product of using radioactive material in education and research activities, medical applications, energy generation, and weapons production. Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) makes up a majority of the radioactive waste produced in the United States. In 2010, over two million cubic feet of LLW were shipped to disposal sites.

The use of photographic film to pinpoint accelerator beam losses.

Following removal of a superconducting wiggler that has a maximum magnetic-field of 7 T in a high-energy synchrotron facility, sufficient lead shielding was placed upstream of the removal point in the normal-conducting electron storage ring to account for any radiation sources from the upstream components. As is customary in such cases, when vacuum has been breached, there is a period of time required for vacuum re-conditioning of the ring. During this re-conditioning phase, poor vacuum contributes to gas bremsstrahlung formation that typically is visualized as an increase in overall radiation exposure from standard operating conditions.

Interleukin-15 receptor is essential to facilitate GABA transmission and hippocampal-dependent memory.

Interleukin-15 (IL15) is a cytokine produced by normal brain, but the functions of the IL15 system in normal adults are not yet clear. The hypothesis that the hippocampal IL15 system is essential for memory consolidation was tested by use of IL15Ralpha knock-out mice in behavioral, biochemical, immunohistological, and electron microscopic analyses. The knock-out mice showed deficits in memory, determined by the Stone T-maze and fear conditioning.

Dose rates from a cobalt-60 pool irradiator measured with Fricke dosimeters.

This project used Fricke dosimeters to determine the dose rates at multiple locations in a Co pool irradiator. Fricke dosimetry is widely accepted as a chemical dosimetry method to measure radiation absorbed dose due to its simple recipe, linear response, wide dose range, good reproducibility, ease of measurements, and low operational cost. Calibration measurements were used to determine a molar extinction coefficient of 2,185 +/- 14 L mol cm at 303 nm and 25 degrees C; the molar extinction coefficient is comparable to values from the published literature.

Lessons learned in responding to and recovering from a fire incident.

A review is presented of the response by emergency personnel, including radiation safety staff, to a fire incident in an academic radiation facility. The handling of the incident during the incident itself as well as during post-fire cleanup and recovery efforts are described. The preparation of a variety of written notification reports and the physical and procedural corrective actions taken as a result of the fire are also discussed.

Simulating gaseous 131I distribution in a silver zeolite cartridge using sodium iodide solution.

131I is one of the most significant gaseous fission products in a nuclear power plant. Because of its high volatility at room temperature, iodine can be easily inhaled by radiation workers following release of radioiodine into the atmosphere. The thyroid gland is the critical organ for iodine uptake and is subject to radioiodine carcinogenesis.

Evaluation of a radiation survey training video developed from a real-time video radiation detection system.

This project incorporates radiation survey training into a real-time video radiation detection system, thus providing a practical perspective for the radiation worker on efficient performance of radiation surveys. Regular surveys to evaluate radiation levels are necessary not only to recognize potential radiological hazards but also to keep the radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable. By developing and implementing an instructional learning system using a real-time radiation survey training video showing specific categorization of work elements, radiation workers trained with this system demonstrated better radiation survey practice.

Determination of the attenuation properties of laboratory gloves exposed to an ultraviolet transilluminator.

The transmission of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from an ultraviolet transilluminator through three types of laboratory gloves (latex, nitrile, vinyl) was determined using two independent methods. First, transmittance was measured with a radiometer equipped with UVA and actinic UV detectors. Second, a spectrophotometer was used to determine the UVR transmittance vs.

Validation of the integrity of a HEPA filter system.

The objective of this study was to establish a delayed air sampling method to verify the integrity of an existing HEPA filter system in a ventilated fume hood. (238U,232Th)O2 microspheres were generated to fabricate cement nuclear fuel pellets in a HEPA-filtered hood. To comply with the air effluent concentration limits by NRC, the capture efficiency of the HEPA filter was examined.