Karol Sučák, Miroslav Ješkovský, Boris Bobáľ, Jakub Kaizer, Ivan Kontuľ, Pavel P. Povinec, Jakub Zeman
{"title":"Analysis of elemental composition of atmospheric aerosols in Bratislava using the PIXE method with an external ion beam","authors":"Karol Sučák, Miroslav Ješkovský, Boris Bobáľ, Jakub Kaizer, Ivan Kontuľ, Pavel P. Povinec, Jakub Zeman","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Air pollution, which usually occurs in the form of aerosols, decreases the quality of life around the world. Aerosols come in different sizes, but a fine aerosol fraction is the main cause of many health problems, especially if aerosols contain toxic metals. Altogether 26 aerosol samples, collected over a one-year period (April 2023–April 2024) at the Comenius University campus in Bratislava, were analysed for elemental concentrations using the PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) method with an external ion beam, developed at the Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA). Ten elements (Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) were identified in the samples. Due to the inhomogeneity in the distribution of aerosols on the sampling filters several spots were irradiated to determine average concentrations. Sulphur was the element with the highest concentrations in most filters (the range of 0.05–2 μg/m<sup>3</sup>), while the highest level of concentrations for calcium was observed during the Saharan dust event in Bratislava (2.1 μg/m<sup>3</sup>). Variations in elemental concentrations observed over a year were associated with meteorological conditions, with maximum levels for some elements (mainly K, Ca, Mn, and Fe) occurring during autumn and winter, likely due to soil resuspension.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112203"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Radiation safety analysis of a generic 2 MCi multipurpose gamma irradiator.","authors":"Hery Adrial, Anis Rohanda, Azizul Khakim, Suwoto Suwoto, Sukmanto Dibyo, Zuhair Zuhair, Muksin Aji Setiawan, Lily Suparlina, Daddy Setyawan","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112202","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study presents a three-dimensional model of a generic 2 MCi multipurpose gamma irradiator, developed to perform a comprehensive radiation safety analysis based on an existing reference design. Using MCNP and QAD-CGGP codes, the gamma dose rate distribution within the irradiation room was calculated for a 3 MCi Co-60 source board. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of the shielding system in meeting regulatory dose limits for occupational and public exposure. The dose rates in the irradiation room (10<sup>11</sup> μSv/h within a 270 cm radius), the very low dose rates above the pool (10<sup>-6</sup> μSv/h), and the dose rates in the personnel access lanes (maximum 6.55 μSv/h) all remain below the regulatory limit of 10 μSv/h. The results demonstrate that the facility's design ensures full compliance with regulatory requirements across all zones, including areas routinely accessed by personnel, thereby confirming its adequacy in protecting both workers and the surrounding environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"112202"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Doğan Bor , Betul Yaman , Özlem Birgul , Yusuf Serdar Akyar , Turan Olgar
{"title":"The use of anthropomorphic phantoms for patient dose and image contrast surveys in digital radiography","authors":"Doğan Bor , Betul Yaman , Özlem Birgul , Yusuf Serdar Akyar , Turan Olgar","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work aims to investigate the relationship of dose and local contrast values between the standard anthropomorphic phantoms and patients with different body mass index (BMI) in chest and abdominal radiography. Entrance Surface Air Kerma (ESAK) values for chest and abdomen examinations were determined for patients categorized into three BMI groups and they were also measured for chest and abdomen anthropomorphic phantoms using three digital radiographic systems. Tissue regions were selected from different anatomical structures for the measurement of image contrast from patient and phantom images. Since the phantoms used are constructed to represent standard body size, ESAK values for these phantoms did not correlate “well” with the results from patients having different body mass index (BMI) for some examinations and systems. The means ESAK for thorax and abdomen examinations was 0.16 and 1.46 mGy, respectively. The calculated mean effective dose was 0.03 mSv for thorax and 0.20 mSv for abdomen examinations. For three digital radiographic systems, while a moderate or strong Spearman rank correlation coefficient (r<sub>s</sub> = 0.601–0.794) was established between ESAK and BMI for thorax examinations, strong or very strong correlation (r<sub>s</sub> = 0.710–0.904) was determined for abdomen examinations. The contrast between different tissue regions measured from the phantoms generally matched the patient results. It is shown that the use of phantom data, which are recorded using similar exposure and processing parameters to patient examinations, can provide useful information for better evaluation of patient results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112201"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Romain Coulon , Camille Queruel , Christophe Bobin , Cheick Thiam , Haoran Liu , Zihao Fan , Eric Macedo , Tiphaine Choteau
{"title":"Description of the ballistic dependance in triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) method using a surrogate optical model","authors":"Romain Coulon , Camille Queruel , Christophe Bobin , Cheick Thiam , Haoran Liu , Zihao Fan , Eric Macedo , Tiphaine Choteau","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Triple-to-Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR) method is a widely used technique for absolute activity measurements in liquid scintillation counting. While the standard TDCR model assumes statistical independence in photon detection across photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), this study investigates the impact of <em>ballistic dependence</em>, where photon detection probabilities are influenced by the spatial origin of decay events within the scintillator. Using a surrogate bidimensional optical model, the probability distribution of scintillation photon flux among PMTs is sampled and integrated into a Poisson-Multinomial-Binomial hierarchical model of TDCR optics simulation. The results reveal that ballistic dependence leads to a reduction in both double and triple coincidence count rates, causing a corresponding decrease in the TDCR value—particularly for emitters of low energy ionizing radiations such as <sup>55</sup>Fe or <sup>51</sup>Cr. This effect diminishes with increasing optical diffusion, which effectively decouples photon detection probabilities from the emission site. These results highlight the critical role of maximizing photon diffusion in TDCR counters and underscore the need for refined TDCR models incorporating Monte Carlo-based optical transport to enhance measurement accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112200"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A method of evaluating the amplitude and width of the giant dipole resonance. Cross section for photonuclear production of 47Sc on 48Ti","authors":"V.L. Uvarov, A.A. Zakharchenko, R.I. Pomatsalyuk, V.A. Kushnir, YuV. Lyashko, L.I. Selivanov, D.V. Titov","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A new method is proposed for determining the maximum and FWHM of the excitation function of a photonuclear reaction with dominating giant dipole resonance (GDR). The technique is based on joint application of experimental study, analytical model and Monte Carlo simulations. A special regime for activation of an isotopic target by bremsstrahlung radiation, as well as a data processing algorithm providing an explicit connection between the target partial activity and Lorentz parameters of GDR have been developed. The novel approach is used to determine the cross section of the <sup>48</sup>Ti(γ,p)<sup>47</sup>Sc reaction. A way for verifying the obtained data is offered.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112185"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dose assessment due to radon exposure in some Egyptian dwellings using LR-115 nuclear track detectors","authors":"S. Hussein A","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Indoor radon concentrations were measured in 180 dwellings across 15 selected cities in Egypt, using the cup technique with LR-115 nuclear track detectors in place over a one-year period. Radon activity concentrations ranged from 28 to 53 Bq m<sup>−3</sup>, with an average value of 38 Bq m<sup>−3</sup>. These values are below the threshold set by US-EPA (148 Bq m<sup>−3</sup>), WHO (100 Bq m<sup>−3</sup>) and ICRP (200–300 Bq m<sup>−3</sup>). The indoor radon equilibrium factor (F) ranged from 0.31 to 0.41, averaging 0.37, close to the UNSCEAR recommended value of 0.40. The annual effective indoor dose to residents was estimated to range between 0.99 and 2.00 mSv, averaging 1.38 mSv, which is lower than both the global background level (1.1 mSvy<sup>−1</sup>) and the ICRP's recommended action level (10 mSvy<sup>−1</sup>). The mean excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) was estimated at 0.53 %. These findings suggest that radon levels in the surveyed dwellings pose no significant health risks to the occupants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112188"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gamma spectroscopic investigation of construction materials from Rajasthan, India: Assessment of radioactivity and radiological hazards","authors":"Surendra Degra , Nitin Kumar Bawalia , Vijay Pal Yadav , Raveena Malviya , Ram Kumar Meena , Pushpa Meena , Rajpal Gill , Shailesh Nath Tiwari , Sanjeet S. Kaintura , Pushpendra P. Singh , Karel Katovsky , Rajnikant Makwana , Nabanita Naskar , Dalpat Meena , Shailendra Kumar Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112195","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112195","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focused on assessing the radioactivity of <sup>226</sup>Ra, <sup>232</sup>Th, and <sup>40</sup>K, along with their radiological health impacts in cement, marble slurry, and lime (CaO) samples used as construction materials collected from Rajasthan, India. The activity concentrations of <sup>226</sup>Ra, and <sup>232</sup>Th, with averages of 49.4 and 63.0 Bq kg<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, were higher than the world average. Consequently, the radium equivalent (Ra<sub>eq</sub>) in cement samples was 154.5 Bq kg<sup>−1</sup>, exceeding the world average of 129.6 Bq kg<sup>−1</sup> but remaining below the safety guideline of 370 Bq kg<sup>−1</sup>. In contrast, the levels of <sup>226</sup>Ra, <sup>232</sup>Th, <sup>40</sup>K, and Ra<sub>eq</sub> in marble slurry and CaO were well below the world average. Notably, there is no existing literature on the radioactivity of CaO, a primary construction material in India, making this the first study to report on its radiological implications. The various parameters such as hazard indices (H<sub>ex</sub>, H<sub>in</sub>), level indices (I<sub>α</sub>, I<sub>γ</sub>), and activity utilization index (I) have been studied in all sample types for health risk assessment and found to be within permissible limits. Cement samples were found to have higher average ELCR resulting from AEDE which is derived from AGDR values in both indoor and outdoor environments compared to marble slurry and CaO samples. Hence, the average ELCR values resulting from AEDE which were derived from AGDR in both indoor and outdoor environments follow the trend: (ELCR)<sub>Cement</sub> > (ELCR)<sub>Slurry</sub> > (ELCR)<sub>Lime</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112195"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rahul Roy , Rajesh Sankhla , Deepak K. Akar , Pramilla D. Sawant
{"title":"Influence of time-dependent biodistribution of activity on the counting efficiencies of standing-type whole body counter","authors":"Rahul Roy , Rajesh Sankhla , Deepak K. Akar , Pramilla D. Sawant","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112192","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112192","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Partially shielded systems such as Quick Scan Whole Body Counter (QSWBC) are used to assess internal contamination due to fission and activation products. The present work aims at studying the counting efficiencies (CEs) of the QSWBC taking into account the biodistribution of <sup>131</sup>I, <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>60</sup>Co in computational phantoms within the scope of occupational and environmental exposures. For this purpose, the age-specific biokinetic models of the radionuclides were used to compute the fractional retained activities in biokinetically relevant compartments. Monte Carlo simulations were carried out in FLUKA to estimate the CEs for these radionuclides considering both time-dependent biodistribution and homogeneous distribution using ICRP adult and paediatric reference computational phantoms for both male and female. The time-dependent efficiency correction factors (ECFs) were derived to investigate the influence of biodistribution of activity on the CEs. The results highlight that CEs are highest for <sup>131</sup>I and most pronounced in the case of organs located in the anterior regions of the body. The ECFs are highest on the first day of intake and then decline, tending towards constant values after ∼10 days of intake. For all the age groups, the ECFs vary between 0.90–2.34, 0.97–1.25 and 0.93–1.56 for <sup>131</sup>I, <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>60</sup>Co respectively. The age and gender specific ECFs will be useful in reducing the impact of biodistribution of radionuclides on the whole body counting measurements, thereby enhancing the accuracy of internal dose assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112192"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ACORES, a software for fitting efficiency calibration curves including correlations","authors":"Bruno Boyer, Marie-Christine Lépy","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>ACORES is a software developed by the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel (LNHB) for the efficiency calibration of semi-conductor detectors. It calculates the efficiency curve from the measurements and analysis of full-energy peaks (position and net area). The adjustment is performed using polynomial functions of the logarithm of the energy or its inverse. ACORES takes into account correlations between input data via the relative uncertainty on the activity associated to each radionuclide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112198"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Measurement of the 147Pm beta decay spectrum with a 4π Si(Li) beta spectrometer","authors":"Gaël Craveiro, Sylvain Leblond, Xavier Mougeot","doi":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apradiso.2025.112193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work presents major upgrades of a custom beta spectrometer, based on a quasi-4π configuration of two large-volume Si(Li) detectors, supporting beta spectra measurements up to 3 MeV. The electronics was modernized and a FASTER digital acquisition system was implemented for independent channel processing. Characterization using a <sup>207</sup>Bi source confirmed good linearity and agreement with Geant4 simulations, though energy resolution remains limited by electronic noise. The first forbidden non-unique spectrum of <sup>147</sup>Pm decay was measured and, after a neat coincidence analysis, was corrected for the remaining distortion using Tikhonov unfolding. Discrepancies below 80 keV were identified to unoptimized source preparation, later confirmed by autoradiography. These upgrades enhance the apparatus precision, with future efforts aimed at better resolution, lower thresholds and optimized source preparation. Eventually, a new Q-value of 225.84 (49) keV was determined from the analysis of the Kurie plot.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8096,"journal":{"name":"Applied Radiation and Isotopes","volume":"226 ","pages":"Article 112193"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}