In this paper, the details of the development and performance characterisation of a compact, low-power gamma spectrometer for environmental gamma radiation monitoring networks are presented. To reduce the power consumption and the size of the spectrometer, a gamma detector comprising a silicon photomultiplier coupled to a Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce,B (GGAG:Ce,B) scintillator has been used for gamma spectrometry. Initially, a Monte Carlo simulation study was carried out to verify the suitability of the 5 mm × 5 mm × 5 mm GGAG:Ce,B crystal for spectrometry of gamma sources in the energy range 60-1332 keV. For minimising the power consumption, the signal processing electronics has been custom designed. This electronics was realised using standard off-the-shelf components to reduce the cost. The developed spectrometer is of size 16 cm × 10 cm × 6 cm, weighs 600 g and consumes 600 mW power. The spectrometer is developed such that it could be directly interfaced with GSM/Xbee for wireless communication with the radiation monitoring networks. The lower-level discriminator threshold of the system is 40 keV and the total electronic noise is <20 keV. The experimentally measured sensitivity of the spectrometer for 137Cs (662 keV) is 2.4 cps/μGy/h at 3.5 V overvoltage. The spectrometer offers excellent linearity over the measured energy range of 60-1332 keV and an energy resolution of ~10% for 662 keV gamma-ray at room temperature.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncad256 | DOI Listing |
J Bone Miner Res
January 2025
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Bone turnover assessment and monitoring are essential for chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated bone care. Patients with CKD suffer from significantly elevated fracture risk due to abnormally high or low bone turnover, which requires diametrically opposite treatments informed by patient-specific bone turnover data. However, a reliable, accessible, non-invasive bone turnover assessment and monitoring tool remains an unmet clinical need.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Radiat Res
January 2025
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, Av. Tony Garnier, Lyon 69007, France.
Between 1949 and 1962 the Soviet Union performed atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan, resulting in widespread contamination of the surrounding region with radioactive fallout. Settlements in the southeast Abai oblast of Kazakhstan, close to the border with China, are not thought to have received significant fallout from the SNTS. There is, however, evidence that the study area, including Makanchi, Urdzhar and Taskesken villages, was contaminated by atmospheric nuclear tests performed by China at the Lop Nor NTS between 1964 and 1980.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrz Gastroenterol
November 2023
Department of Internal Medicine, Hepato-gastroenterology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease patients are exposed to frequent procedures and hospital admissions as well as recurrent need for radiological examinations with a high risk of exposure to radiation and contrast.
Aim: Our objective was to evaluate the role of a combination of both intestinal ultrasound (IUS) and colour Doppler with different parameters for monitoring changes in inflammation over time and to reveal their potential role in the assessment of response to biologic therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.
Material And Methods: Before the induction of biological therapy, IUS together with colour Doppler of the intestine was conducted.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02114.
Radon, a common radioactive indoor air pollutant, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Knowledge about its distribution is essential for risk assessment and designing efficient protective regulations. However, the three current radon maps for the United States are unable to provide the up-to-date, high-resolution, and time-varying radon concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLasers Med Sci
January 2025
Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
Background: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a common cosmetic concern, often leading to significant psychological distress for the patients. With the widespread application of lasers including ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) with a 10,600 nm CO laser, PIH caused by lasers is becoming increasingly common. But due to the absence of an appropriate animal research model, our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms and preventive strategies for PIH remains limited.
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