Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-40). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2006. / Thesis Advisor(s): Christopher Bellavita. "March 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-97). Also available online.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2007. / "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-81). Also available via the Internet.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / Considering the ever-rising threat of terrorist attack and disruption of the economy and of daily activity, the potential strength of a radiological dispersion device must be evaluated. A "dirty bomb" is a weapon in the terrorist arsenal that is highly effective in creating chaos, panic and disruption. All of the immediate deaths caused by a "dirty bomb" are due to blast effects, however the public association with radiation and nuclear devices is one of fear and hyperbole. The individuals and agencies that respond to this type of event will have the greatest impact on the general public. By looking at case studies and potential scenarios or exercises the first responder can appreciate the nature of radiation as well as its impact on response. The goal of this paper is to provide first responders with basic information on nuclear physics and expose relevant issues in responding to a radiological dispersion device. An understandable link between nuclear physics and radiation response does exist. / Ensign, United States Navy

Thesis (M.S. in Applied Physics)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Xavier Maruyama. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-77, 79-81). Also available online.

Thesis (M. S.)--Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Hertel, Nolan; Committee Member: Ansari, Armin; Committee Member: Wang, C. K. Chris.

Thesis (M. S.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. / Dr. Armin J. Ansari, Committee Member ; Dr. Farzad Rahnema, Committee Member ; Dr. Rebecca Howell, Committee Member ; Dr. Nolan E. Hertel, Committee Chair.

After a radiation dispersion device (RDD) event, there may be internally and/or externally contaminated victims. After the RDD event, victims may require immediate medical assistance prior to decontamination. The dose rates to which a healthcare provider is exposed due to the internal and external contamination of the victim were computed using Monte Carlo simulations and five anthropomorphic phantoms. The dose rates to which the victim is exposed due to his/her own external contamination were also computed. For the external contamination modeling, the contamination is assumed to be distributed over the entire exterior of the victimâ s body. The geometrical models of the human body were based on the MIRD stylized phantom. The specific isotopes considered were 60Co, 137Cs, 131I, 192Ir, and 241Am. The surface contamination was generated by creating a 2-mm thick layer adjacent to the outside of the skin of the victim and uniformly sampling the emissions of the radioactive sources throughout this volume. The attending healthcare provider was assumed to be standing 20 cm from mid-torso of the victim. The organ absorbed doses in both the contaminated individual and a healthcare professional were computed. The effective dose to the victim and the attending healthcare professional were computed using the tissue weighting factors in ICRP Publication 60. For example, the dose rate to a reference male healthcare provider from the victim six hours after the inhalation of one ALI by an adipose male victim will be 0.277 mSv/hr. In addition, the air kerma was computed at different distances from the surfaces of the victim phantom and ratios were generated for the air kerma and the effective dose due to the victim from the surface contamination on the victim.

Thesis (M. S.)--Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Hertel, Nolan; Committee Member: Ansari, Armin; Committee Member: Wang, C.K. Chris

In the event of a radioactive dispersal device (RDD), the assessment of the internal contamination level of victims is necessary to determine if immediate medical follow-up is necessary. Thermo Scientific's TPM-903B Portal Monitor was investigated to determine if it is a suitable first cut screening tool for internal contamination assessment of victims. A portal monitor was chosen for this study because they are readily accessible, transportable, easy to assemble, and provide whole body count rates due to the detector size. The TPM-903B was modeled in Monte Carlo N-Particles Transport Code Version 5 (MCNP). This computational model was validated against the portal monitor's response to a series of measurements made with four point sources in a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) slab box. Using the validated MCNP5 model and models of the MIRD male and female anthropomorphic phantoms, the response of the portal monitor was simulated for the inhalation and ingestion radionuclides from an RDD. Six representative phantoms were considered: Reference Male, Reference Female, Adipose Male, Adipose Female, Post-Menopausal Adipose Female, and 10-Year-Old Child. The biokinetics via Dose and Risk Calculation Software (DCAL) was implemented using both the inhalation and ingestion pathways to determine the radionuclide concentrations in the organs of the body which were then used to determine the count rate of the portal monitor as a function of time. Dose coefficients were employed to determine the count rate of the detector associated with specific dose limits. These count rates were then compiled into procedure sheets to be used by first responders during the triaging of victims following an RDD.