• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2008

Beta rays emitted from tritium in titanium tritide film were simulated with cathode rays of a scanning electron microscope to investigate the effect of beta rays from tritium on semiconductor devices. The cathode ray currents, which vary with the change of applied energy and beam spot size, were measured with Faraday cup. The current from the semiconductor device irradiated with cathode rays at various conditions was measured. The cathode ray current increased with the increase of spot size to a maximum then decreased when the spot sized increased further. The magnitude of current produced in the semiconductor device is proportional to the magnitude of cathode ray current. The magnitude of cathode ray current at each energy level was matched to the intensity of beta ray to simulate the tritium beta ray spectrum. Then the semiconductor characteristics were analyzed with I-V curves.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1259-1265
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• 2020

A beta ray scanner was proposed for in-situ discrimination of beta and gamma ray radioactivity. This scanner is based on the principle that gamma and beta rays experience different changes in detection efficiency in scintillators with different geometries, especially with regard to the scintillator thickness. The ratios of the counting rates of gamma rays (R_gamma), beta rays (R_beta), and sample measurements (R_total) in a thick scintillator to those in a thin one are reported. The parameter X_thick, which represents the counting rate contributed by beta rays to the total counting rate in the thick scintillator, was derived as a function of those ratios. The values of R_gamma and R_beta for ⁶⁰Co and ⁹⁰Sr sources were estimated as 3.2 ± 0.057 and 0.99 ± 0.0049, respectively. The estimated beta ray contributions had relative standard deviations of 2.05-4.96%. The estimated range of the beta rays emitted from ⁹⁰Sr was 19 mm as per the Monte Carlo N-Particle simulation, and this value was experimentally verified. Homogeneous and surface contaminations of ⁶⁰Co and ⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y were simulated for application of the proposed method. The counting rate contributed by the beta rays was derived and found to be proportional to the concentration of ⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y contamination.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.189-196
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• 2017

Background: The effects of radiation on tissues vary depending on the radiation type. In this study, a minipig model was used to compare the effects of ${\beta}$-rays from $^{166}Ho$ and ${\gamma}$-rays from $^{60}Co$ on the skin. Materials and Methods: In this study, the detrimental effects of ${\beta}$- and ${\gamma}$-irradiation on the skin were assessed in minipigs. The histopathological changes in the skin from 1 to 12 weeks after exposure to 50 Gy of either ${\beta}$- (using $^{166}Ho$ patches) or ${\gamma}$- (using $^{60}Co$) irradiation were assessed. Results and Discussion: The skin irradiated by ${\beta}$-rays was shown to exhibit more severe skin injury than that irradiated by ${\gamma}$-rays at 1-3 weeks post-exposure; however, while the skin lesions caused by ${\beta}$-rays recovered after 8 weeks, the ${\gamma}$-irradiated skin lesions were not repaired after this time. The observed histopathological changes corresponded with gross appearance scores. Seven days post-irradiation, apoptotic cells in the basal layer were detected more frequently in ${\beta}$-irradiated skin than in ${\gamma}$-irradiated skin. The basal cell density and skin thickness gradually decreased until 4 weeks after ${\gamma}$- and ${\beta}$- irradiation. In ${\beta}$-irradiated skin lesions, and the density and thickness increased sharply back to control levels by 6-9 weeks. However, this was not the case in ${\gamma}$-irradiated skin lesions. In ${\gamma}$-irradiated skin, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was shown to be expressed in the epidermis, endothelial cells of vessels, and fibroblasts, while ${\beta}$-irradiated lesions exhibited COX-2 expression that was mostly limited to the epidermis. Conclusion: In this study, ${\beta}$-rays were shown to induce more severe skin injury than ${\gamma}$-rays; however, the ${\beta}$-rays-induced injury was largely repaired over time, while the ${\gamma}$-rays-induced injury was not repaired and instead progressed to necrosis. These findings reveal the differential effects of ${\gamma}$- and ${\beta}$-irradiation on skin and demonstrate the use of minipigs as a beneficial experimental model for studying irradiation-induced skin damage.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.284-290
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• 2014

A fiber-optic beta/gamma dual detector system with two types of sensing probes was fabricated to detect the beta- and gamma-rays simultaneously. As scintillators of the sensing probe type 1, two different inorganic scintillators, $CaF_2(Eu)$ and LYSO(Ce) crystals, were used to obtain the each scintillating efficiency with respect to beta-and gamma-rays and the inherent energy spectra of radioactive isotopes. In the case of the sensing probe type 2, which is composed of two identical inorganic scintillators and a beta shielding material based on the lead, it could discriminate beta- and gamma-rays using a subtraction method. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the proposed fiber-optic beta/gamma dual detector could measure and discriminate beta- and gamma-rays using both energy spectroscopy and subtraction method.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2018

In the surface contamination test using the end-window Geiger-Muller type counter, the wrap is used as a method for protecting the detector exposed to the outside in order to measure the beta-rays. We analyze the effect of this method on the measurement rate and the correction factor, and wanted to make it clear to radiation workers that excessive use of the wrap can affect the measured value of the beta-rays. The experimental method was to compare and analyze the change of the beta-rays measurement counting rate and the calibration factor according to the wrap thickness using the beta-rays with different energy of 3 KBq, 1.5 KBq and 0.3 KBq. The subjects of this study were the end-window Geiger-Muller type counter which were held at the calibration center certified by Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) in March 2012, Cl-36 (Chlorine) and Sr-90 (Strontium) were used as the source of beta radiation. The measurement counting rate decreased with increasing wrap thickness, and the calibration factor increased with increasing wrap thickness. Since the changes of the measurement counting rate and the calibration factors can reduce the accuracy of the instrument readings, but also have a significant impact on detector contamination and damage, so there is a need to find out what thickness of wrap is most effective. If we using a wraps with thickness that show a low rate of change of the measurement counting rate and the calibration factor, it will protect the detector and minimize the effect on the measured value of the beta-rays.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.460-467
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• 2007

Dose rate conversion factor was calculated to estimate the absorbed effective annual doses for soils for the beta-rays and gamma-rays, which were emitted from $^{238,235}U$, $^{232}Th$, and $^{40}K$ isotopes. The most recent data of the emitted energies per decay, half-lifes, and branching ratios, which were obtained from National Nuclear Data Center, were used. When this factor and the effective annual doses for the beta-rays and the gamma-rays of natural radioisotopes were compared with those of Aitken, these of $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$ are estimated to have good agreements but a large difference is shown in this for $^{235}U$. Through the calculations of effective annual doses by using these factor and the measurements of gamma-ray spectra for soils, which were extracted from prehistoric remains (Mansuri) on Osong, Chungchengbuk-do, The annual effective doses were obtained to be 3.8~5.9 mGy/yr. Also, when these doses including decay elements upper Rn were compared with those on all isotopes, the differences within 9~30 % were obtained. The analysis method of the annual effective doses for the beta-rays and the gamma-rays of the natural isotopes of soils was established by this dose rate conversion factor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.524-528
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• 2001

The measurement of radiation response using simple and informative techniques would be of great value in studying the genetic risk following occupational, therapeutic, or accidental exposure to radiation. When patients receive radiation therapy, many suffer from side effects. Since each patient receives a different dose due to different physical conditions, it is important to measure the exact dose of radiation received by each patient to lessen the side effects. Even though several biological dosimetric systems have already been developed, there is no ideal system that can satisfy all the criteria for an idean dosimetric system, especially for low-dose radiation as used in radiation therapy. In this study, an SOS Chromotest of E. coli PQ37 was evaluated as a novel dosimeter for low-dose gamma-rays. E. coli PQ37 was originally developed to screen chemical mutagens using the SOS Chromotest-a colorimtric assay, based on the induction of ${\beta}$-galactosidase ue to DNA damage. The survival fraction of E. coli PQ37 decreased dose-dependently with an increasing dose of cobalt-60 gamma-rays. Also, a good linear correlation was found between the biological damage revealed by the ${\beta}$-galactosidase expression and the doses of gamma-rays. The expression of ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity that responded to low-dose radiation under 1 Gy was $Y=0.404+(0.089{\pm}0.3)D+(-0.018{\pm}0.16)D^2$ (Y, absorbance at 420 nm; D, Dose of irradiation) as calculated using Graph Pad In Plot and Excel. When a rabbit was fed with capsules containing an agar block embdded with E. coli PQ37 showed a linear response to the radiation doses. Accordingly, the results confirm that E. coli PQ37 can be used as a sensitive biological dosimeter fro cobalt-60 gamma-rays. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a bacterium has been used as a biological dosimeter, especially for low-dose radiation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2748-2754
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• 2022

Because existing reactant coolant system (RCS) leakage detection mechanisms are insensitive to small leaks, a real-time, direct detection system with a detection threshold below 0.5 gpm·hr^-1 was studied. A beta-ray detection system using a silicon detector with good energy resolution for beta rays and a low gamma-ray response was proposed. The detection performance in the leakage condition was evaluated through experiments and simulations. The concentration of ¹⁶N in the coolant corresponding to a coolant leakage of 0.5 gpm was calculated using the analytic method and ORIGEN-ARP. Based on the concentration of ¹⁶N and the measurement of the silicon detector with ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y, the beta-ray count rate was estimated using MCNPX. To evaluate the effect of gamma rays inside the containment building, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated. To evaluate the count rate ratio, the radiation field inside the containment building was simulated using MCNPX, and response evaluation experiments were performed using beta and gamma rays on the silicon detector. The expected beta-ray count rate at 0.5 gpm leakage was 7.26 × 10⁵ counts/sec, and the signal-to-background count rate ratio exceeded 88 for a transport time of 10 s, demonstrating its suitability for operation inside a reactor containment building.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.433-438
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• 2022

Targeted radionuclides treatment (TRT) requires the establishment of treatment plans that consider various factors, such as the type of radionuclides, target organs, and administration methods. For this reason, in this study, the absorption dose of a single cell was analyzed according to the type of radioisotope used to treat target radionuclides. In this study, a simulation was performed on beta rays used in the treatment of target radionuclides at the cell level using MCNPX (ver. 2.5.0). First, according to the calculation formula, the beam path according to the type of radioisotope for treatment was calculated. Second, the amount of self-radiation by beta rays emitted from cell diameters of 5 ㎛ and 10 ㎛ cell nuclei was evaluated. As a result, it showed a high range proportional to the maximum energy of the beta-ray, and the highest self-dose distribution from 177 Lu radiation sources among therapeutic radioisotopes. This was analyzed as a result that is inversely proportional to the maximum energy of the beta-ray, and it suggests that the selection of a nuclide considering the range of the beta-ray is necessary in the treatment of target radionuclides in the future.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.285-291
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• 2012

In the present study, we measured the pure beta particle energy spectra of $^{147}Pm$, $^{85}Kr$, $^{90}Sr+^{90}Y$ radionuclide sources. We confirmed the residual maximum energies of KRISS sources meet the requirement of ISO 6980 and calculated mass collision stopping power ratio, which is essential for absolute measurement of absorbed dose from the reference ${\beta}$-rays. The residual maximum energies of KRISS $^{147}Pm$, $^{85}Kr$, $^{90}Sr+^{90}Y$ sources are 0.14, 0.57 and 0.93 MeV, respectively and the mass collision stopping power ratios are 1.123, 1.120 and 1.109, respectively.