• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2003

A prototype liquid scillatillator system for measurement of multiple beta-labeled mixtures was developed and its characteristic was investigated. The signal processing system consists of two photomultiplier tubes and the coincident count circuit. The characteristic of the system was analyzed using 4 beta-labeled samples $(^3H,\;^{14}C,\;^{36}Cl\;and\;^{90}Sr)$. Beta spectra from the samples were obtained without radiation shielding, and the detection limits for each nuclides were estimated based on the spectra. The estimated detection limits were compared to the legal regulation values. It is found that the liquid radioactive nuclides are detectable well below the legal regulation values.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.17-25
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• 1993

Beta ray spectra of $^3H,\;^{14}C\;and\;^{36}Cl$ in liquid scintillation counting system have been calculated using the Monte Carlo method by which physical behaviors of particle transport in medium were simulated. The calculations have been carried out on the basis of beta rays being slowing down according to the continuous slowing down approximation(CSDA) model. Beta rays generated in simulation geometry were traced until they lost their energy below 0.3keV that in known to be the detection limit in the liquid scintillation counter. Scintillator solution in which pure beta emitting radionuclides were dissolved uniformly was assumed to be bottled in the shape of right circular cylinder with 12.5mm in radius and 35mm in height. The comparison of the calculated and measured results showed satisfactory agreement between those two, with slight discrepancy due to self quenching in the case of lower energy of emitted beta particles in the solution.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.359-362
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• 2005

알파전용 액체섬광기를 이용하여 지하수내 Polonium을 간편하고 신속하게 측정하는 방법을 연구하였다. 추출섬광용액으로 HDEHP, TNOA, TOPO 또는 NDA 등을 사용하지만 본 실험에서는 POREX(77g TOPO, 180g Naphthalene, 4.0g PBBO/1L Toluene)를 사용하였다. 지하수의 액상을 $1M\;H_2SO_4-0.01M\;NaCl$로 맞추어주고 0.012M POREX를 추출액으로 사용하여, 분리 추출하므로써 실험의 추출효율 및 재현성을 조사하였다. 위 조건에서의 Polonium 분배계수는 $10^4$ 이상으로 알려져 있다. 표준물질인 Po-209(NIST SRM 4326)를 Po의 측정효율 및 추출효율을 조사하는데 이용하였다. 실제 지하수에 위 실험방법을 적용하여 지하수의 Polonium을 측정하였다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 1995

PERALS(Photon Electron Rejecting Alpha Liquid Scintillation) spectrometry coupled with solvent extraction method has been set up for the analysis of $^{222}Rn\;and\;^{226}Ra$ in the groundwater. This analytical method offers low background, better energy resolution and lower quenching problem than the other techniques. By the analysis of NIST SRM 4966 $^{226}Ra$ standard, the analytical accuracy and precision were found to be 3% and 1%, respectively, and the relative standard deviation of the recovery of Rn extraction between pH2 and pH10 was 7%. Detection limits of $^{222}Rn$ and $^{226}Ra$ for 10 hours counting were counted to be $0.42 pCi/{\iota}\;and\;0.016 pCi/{\iota}$, respectively. For the test analysis of $^{222}Rn\;and\;^{226}Ra$ in the graundwater, hot spring water samples of 17 regions were analyzed. The concentration of $^{222}Rn$ were in the range of $90{\sim}5200pCi/{\iota}$ and average value was $1470pCi/{\iota}\;^{226}Ra$ concentration showed a peak value of $97.9pCi/{\iota}$ in a Kangwon region, but the average value was $1.14pCi/{\iota}$ except that region.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.53-59
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• 2007

Optimal quenching curves have been studied for the accurate analysis of $^{14}C$ in groundwater polluted by reducing efficiency of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in liquid scintillation counter (LSC). The quenching parameters (SQP(E)) were measured for ten VOCs such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-(m-,p-)xylene, trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene(PCE), carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. The quenching curves were plotted using $^{14}C$ standard solution and chloroform as a quenching agent. Optimal plotting conditions were determined for standard solution, LSC measuring time and the concentration of chloroform. The quenching effects of chlorinated organic compounds such as TCE, PCE, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform were greater than those of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene). Optimum measuring time was 100 minutes far 7,000 dpm/mL standard solution. A few mL of chloroform should be added for good quenching curves. These quenching curves have good correlation coefficients (> 0.99) and the curves could be applied to accurate analysis of $^{14}C$ in groundwater and tap water.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.193-200
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• 2005

[ $^{14}C$ ] and $^{3}H$ in the evaporator bottom (EB) discharged from the Nuclear power plant (NPP) were extracted simultaneously into a gaseous $^{14}CO_{2}$ and liquefied HTO by using the chemical oxidation, which is the method to oxidize samples completely using potassium persulfate and sulfuric acid. The extracted $^{14}C$ and $^{3}H$ were counted by the liquid scintillation counter (LSC) after the quench correction. To examine the recovery of $^{14}C$ using the radioactive standards, $Na_{2}^{14}CO_{3}$, $^{14}C-alcohol$, and $^{14}C-toluene$ as $^{14}C$, and HTO as $^{3}H$ were used. Also, the most suitable method for oxidizing $^{14}C-toluene$, which is difficult to be oxidized, was investigated through FT-IR spectra according to the concentration of sulfuric acid. With the identical method, $^{14}C$ and $^{3}H$ in the EB generated in the NPP were assayed in the range of $8.35{\sim}l.38{\times}10^3$ Bq/g and $2.46{\times}10^2{\sim}1.40{\times}10^4$ Bq/g, respectively.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.375-384
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• 2001

It is possible to count and perform quench correction on two ${\beta}$ -label samples so long as the maximum ${\beta}$-energies are sufficiently different. However, when 4he conventional technique is applied to the radioassay of a mixture of more than three nuclides, the reliability of the activities determined is considerably reduced, resulting from the large overlapping of liquid scintillation pulse height distributions of each nuclide. A technique that allows the activities of multiple ${\beta}$-labeled samples to be radioassayed was proposed by using the least square method. The technique was applied to mixture samples of $^3H,\;^{14}C,\;^{36}Cl$, and $^{90}Sr$. The analytical values were in good agreement with the reference values within 7% relative error.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.25-35
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• 1992

To evaluate tritium level in some environmental samples, tissue-free water tritium (TFWT) and tissue-bound tritium (TBT) were analyzed in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles collected at 12 locations in Korea. The TFWT was recovered by freeze-drying of the samples and the TBT was obtained in the form of water by combustion of the dried samples. Tritium was measured by liquid scintillation counter. The concentrations of TFWT were in the range of $0.96{\sim}3.96 Bq/1,\; 0.83{\sim}3.40 Bq/1\;and\;1.02{\sim}3.01 Bq/1$ in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles, respectively. The mean specific activity ratios (TBT/TFWT) were 0.94, 1.71 and 1.39 in rices, chinese cabbages and pine needles, respectiviely. This excess TBT in the samples may be attributed to the fact that the residence time of TBT in the plant is longer than that of TFWT. The specific activity ratio depends on the plant species, the exposed time to tritiated atmosphere, atmospheric moisture, temperature and diffusion factor.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 1998

The goal of this work was to optimize the liquid scintillation counting techniques for the determination of C-14 in environmental samples such as biological and air samples. Carbon-14 activities in most environmental samples were measured with direct $CO_2$ absorption method. The highest figure of merit was found through the variation of Carbosorb $E^{TM}$ and Permatluor $V^{TM}$ ratio, in the measurement windows. The best condition was 1:1 volume ratio. Average 2.35 g of $CO_2$ was reproducibly absorbed in the 20 ml mixture within 40 min. The counting efficiency determined by repeated analysis of NIST oxalic acid standard and the background count rate were measured to be $58.8{\pm}1.4%$ and $1.88{\pm}0.06\;cpm$, respectively in case of saturated solution. The correction curves of counting efficiency for partially saturated solutions and for saturated solutions with quenching were prepared, respectively. The overall uncertainty of the sample specific activity for near background levels was estimated to be about 7 % for 4 hours counting at 95 % confidence level. The long-term stability of samples has been checked for all the counting techniques over a two week periods, and no apparent change in counting efficiency and background level was found at that time.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2005

Purpose: $^{14}C$-urea breath test (UBT) is a non-invasive and reliable method for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of a new and rapid $^{14}C$-UBT (Heliprobe method), which was equipped with $Geiger-M\ddot{u}ller$ counter and compared the results with those obtained by using the conventional method. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine patients with dyspepsia underwent gastroduodenoscopy and $^{14}C$-UBT. A 37 KBq $^{14}C$-urea capsule was administered to patients and breath samples were collected. In Heliprobe method, patients exhaled into a Hellprobe BreathCard for 10 min. And then the activities of the BreathCard were countered using Heliprobe analyzer. In the conventional method, results were countered using liquid scintillation counter. During gastroduodenoscopy, 18 of 49 patients were underwent biopsies. According to these histologic results, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of two different methods and compared them. Also we evaluated the concordant and disconcordant rates between them. Results: In all 49 patients, concordant rate of both conventional and Heliprobe methods was 98% (48/49) and the discordant rate was 2% (1/49). Thirteen of 18 patients to whom biopsies were applied, were found to be HP positive on histologic results. And both Heliprobe method and conventional method classified 13 of 13 HP-positive patients and 5 of 5 HP-negative patients correctly (sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%, accuracy 100%). Conclusion: The Heliprobe method demonstrated the same diagnostic performance compared with the conventional method and was a simpler and more rapid technique.