• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2016

Background: To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment" was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. Materials and Methods: To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the "small room model" surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. Results and Discussion: The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and $19000Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ for $^{226}Ra$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of $^{40}K$, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. Conclusion: In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.138-143
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• 2013

Objective: Building materials can generate radon in indoor environments. This study aims to assess the radon concentrations of studio apartments around a university. Methods: 25 studio apartments around a University in Gyoungsan, Korea were measured for concentrations of radon. We evaluated the radon concentrations by using short-term continuous radon monitors at the studio apartments around the university, and analyzed the correlation between indoor radon concentration and factors affecting it, such as year of construction. Results: The average concentration of radon was 2.03 pCi/L(75.11 $Bq/m^3$)${\pm}1.34$ in the studio apartments. This radon level was lower than the radon standard for public use facilities in Korea and US EPA's standard of 4 pCi/L. However the measured radon levels were much higher than those previously reported in conventional dwellings. There was a statistically correlation between year of construction and radon concentrations in studio apartment buildings. Conclusion: It is suggested that recently built studio apartments might be constructed with phosphogypsum board that features higher radon emissions, and occupants are highly exposed to radon.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.275-278
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• 2002

The recognition of the natural background radiation is important not only for radiological education but also for the promotion of people's scientific view about radiation. We made a "room" on the web showing natural background radiation as part of a VRM (Virtual Radiation Museum). The "room" shows the video images of the tracks of charged particles from natural background radiation, alpha and beta ray track from known sources using a Large Scale Diffusion Cloud Chamber. The purpose of this study is to make clear the origin of a kind of track (named A-track) which is thick and easy to recognize with the length less than several cm in the cloud chamber, and to make numerical explanation of its counting rate. The study was carried out using a Large Scale Diffusion Cloud Chamber (Phywe, Germany) installed in the Niigata Science Museum. The Model RNC (Pylon Electronics, Canada) was used as Rn-222 source. Ra-226 activity in RNC was 111.6 Bq calibrated with NIST protocol. Rn-222 gas was injected into the cloud chamber. Continuous video recording with use of Digital Handycam (SONY, Japan) was carried out for 360 min. after injection of Rn-222 gas. The number of alpha-ray track (alpha track) in the video images was analyzed. The growth and decay curve of the total activity of Rn-222 and its alpha emitting progeny were calculated and compared with the count of the alpha tracks. As a result the alpha tracks formed by Rn-222 injection resemble A-Tracks. The relationship between A-track in the cloud chamber and atmospheric Rn is discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2141-2144
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• 2016

Background: Many cancer patients still experience pain worldwide. There are many barriers for effective control of cancer pain and many of these are related to health care providers. There is a need for further investigation of these barriers. The aim of this study was to investigate nurse-related barriers to control of cancer pain among Iranian nurses. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study 49 nurses from two hospitals affiliated to Tabriz and Ardebil Universities of Medical Sciences participated using a census sampling method. A demographic and profession related checklist and Barriers Questionnaire II (BQ-II) were used for data collection. Results: The results showed negative attitudes of participants regarding control of cancer pain. Participants believed that cancer pain medications do not manage cancer pain at acceptable levels; patients may become addicted by using these drugs; cancer pain medications have many uncontrollable effects; and controlling cancer pain may distract the physicians from treating disease. Conclusions: Iranian nurses have negative attitudes toward pain control in cancer patients especially about effectiveness of pain medication and their side effects. Educational intervention to reduce these misconceptions is needed.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2017

Laboratory and in-situ tests were conducted to evaluate the cone factors for the layers with low plasticity containing a lot of silty and sand soils from the west coast (Incheon, Hwaseong and Gunsan areas) and its applicability was evaluated based on these results. The cone factors were evaluated from 19 to 23 based on unconfined compression strengths (qu), from 13 to 13.8 based on simple CU strengths and from 11.6 to 13.1 based on field vane strengths, respectively. The unconfined compression strengths of undisturbed silty soil samples with low plasticity were considerably underestimated due to the change of in-situ residual effective stress during sampling. Half of unconfined compression strength (qu/2) based cone factors of silty soils with low plasticity fluctuated and were approximately 1.8 times higher than simple CU based values of these soils. When evaluating cone factors of these soils, it should be judged overall on the physical properties such as the grain size distribution and soil plasticity and on the fluctuation of the corrected cone resistance and the sleeve friction due to the distribution of sandseam in the ground including pore pressure parameter.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.128-137
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the effects of oriental herbal tea on the brain function elders at the day care center and the nursing home. Methods: This study used a pre-post quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group. Total 38 of elderly population (20 of experimental group and 18 of control group) was recruited. 100 mL of a type of oriental herbal tea developed for purpose of this study was given to each subject 3 times a day for 30 days (from May to Jun 2013). The brain function quotient was used to measure brain function. The data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: After drinking the oriental herbal tea, more significant improvement on attention quotient (AQ), anti-stress quotient (ASQ), emotion quotient (EQ) and brain quotient (BQ) were found in the experimental group than control group. Conclusion: This study shows that oriental herbal tea can be a health promotion option in elders. Therefore the tea can be utilized as an effective intervention for the health of elders in health facilities.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.2853-2877
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• 1973

Models of cross-sections and channels were made in order to measure seepage losses. Cross-sections were made of sand, sandy clay loam and loam, their thicknesses being 30cm and 40cm, respectively. Flow depths kept in the cross-sections were 4cm, 6cm, 8cm and 10cm. Straight and curved channel models were provided so as to measure seepage losses, when constant water depths maintained at the heads of the channels were 7.3cm and 5.7cm, respectively. The results obtained in this experiment are presented as follows: 1) A cumulative seepage loss per unit length at a point in the channel varies in accordance with time and flow depth. The general equation of cumulative seepage loss may be as follows(Ref. to Table V.25): $$q_{cum}=\int_{o}^aq(a)dt+\int_a^bq(b)dt+\int_b^tq(c)dt$$ 2) In case that the variation of water depth through the channel is slight, the total seepage loss may be computed by applying the following general equation: $$\={q}_{cum}{\cdot}x=\int_o^tq_{cum}\frac{{\partial}x}{{\partial}t}dt$$ 3) Because seepage loss varies considerably according to water depth in case that the variation of flow depth through the channel is great, seepage loss should be computed by taking account of the change of flow depth. 4) The relation between time and traveling distance of water flow may be presented as the following general equation(Ref. to Table V.29): $$x=pt^r$$ 5) The ratios of the seepage losses of the straight channel to the curved channel are 1:1.03 for a flow depth of 7.3cm and 1:1.068 for that of 5.7cm. 6) The ratios of the seepage losses occurring through the bottom to those through the inclined plane in the channel cross-section are 1:2.24 for a water depth of 8cm and 1:2.47 for a depth of 10cm in case that soil-layer is 30cm in thickness. Similarly, those ratios are 1:2.62 and 1:2.93 in case of a soil-layer thickness of 40cm(Ref. to Table V.5).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.583-592
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• 2011

The radiological characteristics for waste classification were assessed for neutron-activated decommissioning wastes from a CANDU reactor. The MCNP/ORIGEN2 code system was used for the source term analysis. The neutron flux and activation cross-section library for each structural component generated by MCNP simulation were used in the radionuclide buildup calculation in ORIGEN2. The specific activities of the relevant radionuclides in the activated metal waste were compared with the specified limits of the specific activities listed in the Korean standard and 10 CFR 61. The time-average full-core model of Wolsong Unit 1 was used as the neutron source for activation of in-core and ex-core structural components. The approximated levels of the neutron flux and cross-section, irradiated fuel composition, and a geometry simplification revealing good reliability in a previous study were used in the source term calculation as well. The results revealed the radioactivity, decay heat, hazard index, mass, and solid volume for the activated decommissioning waste to be $1.04{\times}10^{16}$ Bq, $2.09{\times}10^3$ W, $5.31{\times}10^{14}\;m^3$-water, $4.69{\times}10^5$ kg, and $7.38{\times}10^1\;m^3$, respectively. According to both Korean and US standards, the activated waste of the pressure tubes, calandria tubes, reactivity devices, and reactivity device supporters was greater than Class C, which should be disposed of in a deep geological disposal repository, whereas the side structural components were classified as low- and intermediate-level waste, which can be disposed of in a land disposal repository. Finally, this study confirmed that, regardless of the cooling time of the waste, 15% of the decommissioning waste cannot be disposed of in a land disposal repository. It is expected that the source terms and waste classification evaluated through this study can be widely used to establish a decommissioning/disposal strategy and fuel cycle analysis for CANDU reactors.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.261-266
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• 2008

We established a model to calculate radioactive waste from sewage disposal tank of hospitals to optimize the number of patients receiving inpatient radioiodine therapy within the safety guideline in our country. According to this model and calculation of radioactivity concentration using the number of patients per week, the treatment dose of radioiodine, the capacity and the number of sewage tanks and the daily amount of water waste per patient, estimated concentration of radioactivity in sewage waste upon disposal from disposal tanks after longterm retention were within the safety guideline (30 Bq/L) in all the hospitals examined. In addition to the fact that we could increase the number of patients in two thirds of hospitals, we found that the daily amount of waste water was the most important variable to allow the increase of the number of patients within the safety margin of disposed radioactivity. We propose that saving the water amount be led to increase the number of patients and they allow two patients in an already furnished hospital inpatient room to meet the increasing need of inpatient radioiodine treatment for thyroid cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.29-33
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• 2017

Purpose In this study, we evaluated image by applying normalization factor during 30 days to the PET images. Materials and Methods Normalization factor was acquired during 30 days. We compared with 30 normalization factors. We selected 3 clinical case (PNS study). We applied for normalization factor to PET raw data and evaluated SUV and count (kBq/ml) by drawing ROI to liver and lesion. Results There is no significant difference normalization factor. SUV and count are not different for PET image according to normalization factor. Conclusion We can get a lot of information doing the quality assurance such as performance of sinogram and detector. That's why we need to do quality assurance daily.