P. Assimakopoulos

Flow measurements with a high-speed computed tomography scanner.

A high-speed computed tomography (CT) scanner with a scan time of 50 ms was used to measure flow in a phantom constructed to simulate both tissue and vessels. After a bolus injection of iodinated contrast medium, the phantom was scanned at a rate of up to 2 images/s. A gamma-variate curve was fit to the time-density data obtained from the inlet and outlet, as well as from the tissue-equivalent part of the phantom. Flow was then calculated using different curves and curve parameters according to the Stewart-Hamilton equation, the mean transit time, and a modification of the Sapirstein principle. Actual flow rates were assessed by timed sampling. The results demonstrated that high-speed CT can measure flow accurately by all these methods. Application of high-speed CT for flow measurements in experimental animals and patients is, therefore, promising. The limitations of each technique for clinical application are discussed.

Use of HPGe γ-ray spectrometry to assess the isotopic compositiion of uranium in soils

Gamma-ray spectrometry was used to determine uranium activity and investigate the presence of depleted uranium in soil samples collected from camping sites of the Greek expeditionary force in Kosovo. Assessment of 238 U concentrations was based on measurements of the 63.3 keV and 92.38 keV emissions of its first daughter nuclide, 234 Th. To determine the isotopic ratio of 238 U/ 235 U, secular equilibrium along the two radioactive series was first ensured and thereby the contribution of 235 U under the 186 keV peak was deduced. The uranium activity in the samples varied from 48 to 112 Bq kg 1 , whereas the activity ratio of 238 U/ 235 U aver

Strontium-90 concentration measurements in human bones and teeth in Greece.

Strontium-90 concentration was measured in human bones and teeth collected in Greece during the period 1992-1996. One hundred and five bone samples, mainly cancellous bone, and 108 samples, taken from a total of 896 individual teeth were processed. Samples were classified according to the age and sex of the donors. Samples were chemically pre-treated according to a specially devised method to enable extraction of 90Y, at equilibrium with 90Sr in the original sample. Subsequently, 90Y beta activity was measured with a gas proportional counter. Radiostrontium concentration in bone samples showed small variations with respect to age or sex, with an average value of 30 mBq 90Sr/g Ca. However, 90Sr concentration measurements in teeth demonstrated a pronounced structure, which clearly reflects contamination from the 1960s atmospheric nuclear weapons tests and the more recent Chernobyl accident. This difference is attributed to the different histological structure of skeletal bones and teeth, the later consisting mainly of compact bone. An age-dependent model for radiostrontium concentration in human bones and teeth is developed which is able to successfully reproduce the experimental data. Through a fitting process, the model also yielded calcium turnover rates for compact bone, as a function of age, as well as an estimate of radiostrontium contamination of foodstuffs in Greece for the past four decades. The results obtained in this study indicate that radiostrontium environmental contamination which resulted from the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the 1960s, exceed by far that caused by the Chernobyl accident.

An aluminum pillared montmorillonite with fast uptake of strontium and cesium from aqueous solutions

The uptake of Sr and Cs by 2 types of aluminum pillared layered clays (Al-PILC), a reference sample (AZA) and a specially tailored sample (FRAZA), were investigated. The AZA sample was prepared from air-dried precursors and the FRAZA sample from freeze-dried precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD), pore and grain size measurements revealed that freeze-drying leads to a very fine-grained material with substantial mesoporosity. In contrast, air-drying results in coarse grains and an essentially micro-porous material. Four different methods were tested for restoring the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the prepared PILCs. The most effective method proved to be exposing the material to ammonia fumes, then soaking it in a NaCl solution at pH =10. Strontium and Cs kinetic experiments were carried out with PILCs after restoring their CEC by this method. The results revealed 1 fast uptake component in both materials but with different relaxation times for each PILC.

The 7Li+d → α+α+n reaction

Abstract The reaction 7 Li+d → α + α +n is studied at deuteron bombarding energy 0.380 MeV. The 9 Be compound nucleus is formed with an excitation around 17 MeV. The two α -particles are detected in coincidence by two solid state detectors. Thus, the kinematics of the reaction are completely determined and discrimination between sequential two-body decay and direct three-body decay is possible. The reaction mechanism is found to be sequential two-body decay involving the ground and broad first excited states of 5 He. Contributions from the direct three-body decay and the sequential two-body decay involving the 8 Be, J π = 4 + second excited state, if at all present, are not more than a few percent of the total reaction output. Kinematically possible contributions from the 8 Be ground, J π = 0 + and the 2.9 MeV, J π = 2 + excited state fall within the energy region excluded by the apparatus.

Neutron cross-section measurements in the Th–U cycle by the activation method

The 232 Th(n,2n) 231 Th reaction cross-section was measured relative to the 56 Fe(n,p) 56 Mn and 27 Al(n,a) 24 Na reaction cross-sections with the activation method for neutron energies up to 11 MeV. Neutrons were produced by the 2 H(d,n) reaction in the 5.5 MV Tandem accelerator of the NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’. The characteristic g lines of the product nuclei 231 Th (25.646 keV) and 56 Mn (846.771 keV) or 24 Na (1368 keV) were measured with an 80 mm 2 Si(Li) and a 20% reverseelectrode coaxial germanium detector, respectively. The results indicate that our values are in agreement with the JEF2 and BROND2 database values up to 9 MeV and slightly higher than those from all the libraries for higher energies. r 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulations of channeling spectra in the system p+28Si

The channeling process in the system p+ 28 Si was studied at the energy range Epa 1.7‐2.5 MeV in a back scattering geometry. Energy spectra were taken at several energies in both random orientation of the target and aligned at the directionh 100 i. The channeling spectra were simulated assuming an exponential behavior of the dechanneling process and the energy loss of protons in channeling direction was determined. ” 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Radiostrontium transfer to sheep's milk as a result of soil ingestion

Soil ingestion as a source of radiostrontium contamination of ruminant milk products was studied by measuring the transfer coefficient to ovine milk. This is a follow-up report from a previous experiment (Assimakopoulos et al., 1993), which investigated radiocaesium transfer to sheeps milk as a result of soil ingestion. Milk samples from three lactating ewes, housed in individual metabolism cages, were used. Fifty grams per day of heavily contaminated sandy topsoil, collected in the Chernobyl area, were administered orally to the animals for a period of 1 week. The daily intake of 90Sr was 78 Bq day-1. During this contamination period, daily milk production and excreta output were measured. Excreta and milk was collected for an additional 7-day decontamination period, while they were fed on uncontaminated feed. The transfer coefficient was obtained through a best fit (minimum chi 2) of the data to predictions of a linear compartment model. The value obtained was fm = 0.041 +/- 0.016 d kg-1 for radiostrontium transport to milk. This result suggests that soil ingestion can be a major source of radiostrontium contamination in sheep and other free-grazing ruminants.

Natural radioactivity and radon emanation factors in building material used in Epirus (north-western Greece)

The natural radioactivity (228Ac, 226Ra, 40K) in typical building materials of the north-western part of Greece (Epirus), has been measured. The results are discussed in terms of limits to the accepted natural radioactivity levels and are compared with similar values reported in the literature. Radon emanation factors have also been determined via γ-spectroscopy.

A general multiple-compartment model for the transport of trace elements through animals

Multiple-compartment models employed in the analysis of trace element transport in animals are often based on linear differential equations which relate the rate of change of contaminant (or contaminant concentration) in each compartment to the amount of contaminant (or contaminant concentration) in every other compartment in the system. This has the serious disadvantage of mixing intrinsic physiological properties with the geometry of the animal. The basic equations on which the model presented here is developed are derived from the actual physical process under way and are capable of separating intrinsic physiological properties from geometry. It is thus expected that rate coefficients determined through this model will be applicable to a wider category of physiologically similar animals. A specific application of the model for the study of contamination of sheep--or indeed for any ruminant--is presented, and the temporal evolution of contaminant concentration in the various compartments of the animal is calculated. The application of this model to a system of compartments with changing geometry is also presented.