CdZnTe-Detektoren, zur direkten Messung von Gammastrahlung, die bei der Behandlung mit beschleunigten Teilchen entsteht, besitzen das Potential eine Reichweitenkontrolle zu ermöglichen und die Strahlendosis zu erfassen. Jedoch stellt die Identifizierung einzelner, energetisch nahe beieinander liegenden Photonenenergien, bei einem solchen Volumendetektor eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Entwicklung von Methoden zur Korrektur der Signalformen am Volumenhalbleiter CdZnTe und der damit verbundenen Verbesserung der Energie- und Zeitinformation des Detektors. Dies ist wichtig für den Einsatz in der therapeutischen Medizin mit beschleunigten Teilchen, da Ladungsträger durch Gammastrahlung in unterschiedlichen Tiefen des Detektors generiert werden und einen tiefenabhängigen Fehler in der Detektorgenauigkeit erzeugen. / CdZnTe detectors, used for the direct measurement of gamma radiation generated during the treatment with accelerated particles, have the potential to provide a range control and to detect the radiation dose. However, the identification of individual energetically close photon energies in such a volume detector is a particular challenge. The present work deals with the development of methods for correcting the signal forms of the CdZnTe and the associated improvement of the energy and time information of the detector This is important for use in accelerated particle medicine because charge carriers are generated by gamma radiation at different depths of the detector and produce a depth dependent error in detector accuracy.

Ce travail étudie la faisabilité de différents procédés d’oxydation avancée (POAs) pour le traitement d’eaux usées industrielles. Le secteur visé est l’industrie pharmaceutique, les essais ont été menés sur des eaux synthétiques contenant deux molécules modèles: le paracétamol et la ciprofloxacine. Les procédés étudiés dans ce travail sont l’ozonation, la sonochimie, le traitement par radiation gamma et la dégradation par radiation ultraviolet. Ces techniques sont envisagées en mono-traitement ou en combinaison avec des oxydants et/ou des catalyseurs (peroxyde d’hydrogène, réactif de Fenton et zéolite Fe/MFI). Pour chaque procédé, l'influence de différents paramètres opératoires est analysée et interprétée dans l'objectif de déterminer les meilleures conditions pour la conversion et la minéralisation du chaque polluant. Parmi les paramètres étudiés se trouvent le pH, la concentration en oxydant, la concentration du catalyseur, la dose de la radiation gamma, la fréquence et la puissance ultrasonore. Des effets synergiques importants sont trouvés pour l’ozonation catalytique et pour le photo-Fenton par rapport aux procédés seuls. D’un point de vue purement énergétique, les traitements les plus efficaces sont l’oxydation radio- Fenton et l’oxydation photo-Fenton. Sur la base de ces résultats, un photo-réacteur solaire à recirculation est mis en oeuvre pour traiter par oxydation photo-Fenton des solutions synthétiques préparées avec un mélange de paracétamol et de ciprofloxacine dans l’eau du robinet mais aussi avec des eaux usées réelles dopées avec les deux composés. Dans les deux cas, la dégradation des molécules dépasse 95% dans les 15 premières minutes et la minéralisation dépasse 55% en 180 minutes. / In this work, the feasibility of paracetamol and ciprofloxacin degradation by different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) was investigated. These molecules are representative of pharmaceutical pollutants found in wastewater. The used processes were the ozonation, the high frequency ultrasound, the gamma radiation and the ultraviolet radiation, alone or in combination with oxidizers and/or catalysts (hydrogen peroxide, Fenton’s reagent and zeolite Fe/MFI). The influence of different operations parameters (pH, oxidant concentration, catalyst concentration, gamma radiation dose and ultrasonic power and frequency) for each processes were studied, in order to determine the optimal operating ranges for the degradation and mineralization of the pharmaceuticals pollutants. Results showed marked synergistic effects by combining individual processes with hydrogen peroxide or Fenton’s reagent, being the most important synergy factors those corresponding to the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation and photo-Fenton processes. Taking into account the energy consumption, the mineralization and the synergy factor, the most effective treatments were radio-Fenton oxidation and photo-Fenton oxidation. Optimal conditions for photo-Fenton oxidation were studied in an open channel reactor at bench scale in tap water and in a real matrix from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Samples were spiked with a mixture of the pharmaceuticals. In both cases 95% degradation within the first 15 minutes was achieved and its mineralization exceeded 55% in three hours.

In dieser Arbeit wird eine Analyse der TeV gamma-Strahlung in der Region um den galaktischen Sternhaufen Westerlund 2 präsentiert. Der dazu analysierte Datensatz beruht auf Observationen mit den Cherenkov Teleskopen des High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Experiments und umfasst ~80h Beobachtungszeit. Für die Datenanalyse wird die open-source Software gammapy benutzt, um morphologische und spektrale Modelle der gamma-Emission zu erstellen. Zur Modellauswahl wird das Akaike-Informationskriterium angewandt. Die Ergebisse der Analysen werden weiter mit Daten aus anderen Wellenlängenbereichen kombiniert, um Schlüsse auf den möglichen Ursprung der TeV-Signale zu ziehen. Neben Hinweisen auf eine diffuse gamma-Emission und mehrerer Hotspots um Westerlund 2 ist die Detektion von drei ausgedehnten gamma-Strahlungsquellen das Hauptergebnis der dargelegten Analysen. Zusätzlich zu den bekannten Quellen HESS J1023-575 und HESS J1026-582 wird die Detektion einer neuen, elliptischen Quelle südöstlich von HESS J1023-575 präsentiert. Diese neue Quelle, als ''TeV jet cloud'' bezeichnet, zeigt räumliche Übereinstimmung mit länglichen Gaswolken, die in CO und HI Radio Daten gefunden wurden. Der Ursprung dieser Gaswolken könnte der Jet eines Mikroquasars oder einer anisotropischen Supernova sein. Eine weitere räumliche Übereinstimmung zeigt HESS J1023-575 mit einer sphärischen Gaswolke, die ihren Ursprung in einer Supernova haben könnte. HESS J1023-575 und die Gaswolken sind dabei symmetrisch zur Hauptachse der neuen elliptischen gamma-Quelle ausgerichtet, was eine Verbindung der Komponenten in einem hadronischen Emissionszenario nahelegt. Aus den Wolkenmassen und der gamma-Emission ergibt sich eine Verstärkung der kosmischen Strahlung in der Region, was auf aktive Teilchenbeschleunigung hindeutet. Sollte ein Mikroquasar in der Region gefunden werden, könnte dieses die erste Detektion eines galaktischen hochenergetischen Jets mit Cherenkov Teleskopen sein. / This work presents a study of the TeV gamma-ray emission in the region of the stellar cluster Westerlund 2. The main dataset analysed in this work was obtained with the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), comprising a total of ~80h of observation time. The high-level analysis of the dataset is performed with the open-source software gammapy to produce extensive spectral and spatial models for the observed emission. The best-fitting models are determined by using the Akaike information criterion. The results are combined with findings from other wavelengths to probe different emission scenarios. Besides hints of a diffuse emission and the detection of multiple hotspots, the presented studies yield three extended gamma-ray sources around Westerlund 2. Besides the known sources HESS J1026-582 and HESS J1023-575, an elongated elliptical gamma-ray source referred to as ''TeV jet cloud'' is newly found to the south east of HESS J1023-575. It shows a spatial coincidence with elongated cloud structures seen in CO and HI radio data which may originate from a high energy jet of a mircroquasar or an anisotropic supernova. Another spatial agreement is seen between HESS J1023-575 and a spherical shell of hydrogen gas which may be the remains of an old supernova remnant. HESS J1023-575 and the gas cloud structures symmetrically align along the major axis of the TeV jet cloud. This suggests a connection of these components in a hadronic emission scenario. Combining the masses of the clouds with the measured gamma-ray flux yields a high cosmic ray enhancement factor, suggesting active particle acceleration in the region. If a microquasar would be found around the best-fit position of HESS J1023-575, this could be the first detection of a galactic high energy jet at TeV energies with Cherenkov telescopes.

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Quelle hochenergetischer Gammastrahlung HESS J1745-290, welche in Richtung des galaktischen Zentrums liegt und präsentiert die Analyse eines Datensatzes, der von den H.E.S.S. Teleskopen zwischen 2004 und 2014 aufgezeichnet wurde. Ziel der Untersuchung war es, eine zeitliche Variabilität des beobachteten Flusses festzustellen. Die Frage ob der Fluss von HESS J1745-290 variables Verhalten zeigt stellt sich, da sich die Quelle in der gleichen Richtung wie das supermassive schwarze Loch Sgr A* befindet, aus dessen Umgebung bereits variable Strahlung in verschiedenen Frequenzbereichen detektiert wurde. Die Beobachtung einer Variabilität des hochenergetischen Gammastrahlenflusses von HESS J1745-290 würde die Hypothese eines Zusammenhangs zwischen diesem Objekt und Sgr A* stützen, welche bis dato nicht bestätigt werden konnte. Die Suche nach Variabilität wurde für verschiedene Zeitskalen von Minuten bis hin zu Jahren durchgeführt, wobei Hinweise für Variabilität in verschiedenen statistischen Tests gefunden wurden. Die Suche konzentriert sich auf Variabilität ohne periodischen Charakter sowie auf Periodizität. Es wurden Hinweise auf eine Periode von 110 Tagen bei einem Signifikanzniveau von 4.1σ gefunden und auch der Fit einer H.E.S.S. Lichtkurve, die von 2004–2014 reicht, zeigt Variabilität bei einem Signifikanzniveau von 6.1σ, welches sich nach Anwendung eines systematischen Fehlers von 10% auf 4.5σ reduziert. Auch Anzeichen für Variabilität auf einer Zeitskala von Minuten wurden gefunden. Diese Variabilität auf einer Zeitskala von Minuten zeigt quasi-periodischen Charakter, ähnlich derer, welche während Infrarot und Röntgenbeobachtungen von Sgr A* festgestellt wurde. Die Möglichkeit einer Verbindung zwischen HESS J1745-290 und Sgr A* und insbesondere auch die Fragestellung, ob die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse als erster Hinweis auf solch einen Zusammenhang gewertet werden können, werden Thema der Diskussion am Ende der Arbeit sein. / A detailed study on the very-high-energy (VHE) γ-ray source HESS J1745-290 in direction of the Galactic Center using 10 years of data from the H.E.S.S. array of Cherenkov telescopes from 2004 to 2014 with the objective to search for variability of the γ-ray flux of this object is presented. The question if HESS J1745-290 shows variability is of special interest, since the source is located at the same direction as the super-massive black hole Sgr A*. From the vicinity of this black hole variable radiation has been reported for different wavelength bands. The detection of a variability of the VHE γ-ray flux of HESS J1745-290 would favor the hypothesis of a connection of this object and Sgr A* which could not be confirmed so far. The search for variability was performed for different timescales from minutes to years and indeed revealed evidence for variability in different statistical tests which will be discussed in detail together with systematic cross-checks. The study focuses on both variability with and without periodic character. While there is evidence for a long-term flux modulation with a period of 110 d at the 4.1σ significance level, the fit of a H.E.S.S. run-wise light curve from 2004–2014 shows variability at the 6.1σ level, which reduces to 4.5σ after adding a 10% systematic error to each flux measurement. Also signs of variability at a timescale of minutes were found at the 3.1σ level. This tentative VHE short-term variability also shows quasi-periodic behavior as it was reported during infrared and X-ray observations of Sgr A*. Such a tentative long-term flux modulation with a period of 110 d has previously also been reported for the radio band. Due to the similarity of time structure of the variability, which is reported for HESS J1745-290 in this thesis to observations of Sgr A* at other wavelength bands, the thesis will close with the discussion if these results can be considered to be first evidence for a link between HESS J1745-290 and Sgr A*.

For several decades, the idea of flying and landing a less-than-man-rated nuclear reactor for planetary surface applications has been considered. This approach promises significant mass savings and therefore reduction in launch cost. To compensate for the lack of shielding, it has been suggested the use of in-situ materials for providing radiation protection. This would take the form of either raw dirt walls or processed soil materials into blocks or tile elements. As a first step in determining the suitability of this approach, it is necessary to understand the neutron activation characteristics of these soils. A simple assessment of these activation characteristics was conducted for both Martian and Lunar soils using ORIGEN2.2. An average composition for these soils was assumed. As a baseline material, commonly used NBS-03 concrete was compared against the soils. Preliminary results indicate that over 2.5 times more gamma-radiation production of these soils vs. concrete took place during the irradiation phase (a baseline of 2.4 x 1011 neutrons/sec-cm2 was assumed). This was due primarily to radiative capture on Na23 and Mn55 and subsequent decay of their activation products. This is does not necessarily disqualify these materials as potential shielding material since the -radiation output was only in the order of 4.2 x 108 photons/cm3-sec. Furthermore, these soils did not show any significant activity after shutdown of the neutron source (the reactor), since all activation products had very short half lives. Their performance in this area was comparable to that of NBS-03 concrete. / text

L´apoptosi, o mort cel.lular programada, és un procés actiu que mobilitza els recursos cel.lulars amb l´objectiu de mantenir l´homeostasi de l´organisme a expenses del suïcidi de cèl.lules individuals. Diferents estudis han mostrat un increment de l´activiat d´algunes cdk, especialment Cdk1 i Cdk2, en correlació amb la progressió dels primers estadis apoptòtics. En el nostre laboratori l´estudi de l´apoptosi en timòcits, els quals no tenen una activitat cdk significativa degut a l´aturada del cicle cel.lular en G1, demostren que la inducció de l´activitat de Cdk2 després del tractament amb radiació gamma o amb glucocorticoides és necessària per l´inici de l´apoptosi. Mentre cap de les ciclines conegudes sembla ser la proteïna activadora de Cdk2 en apoptosi, en el nostre laboratori hem identificat un nou membre de la família de les ciclines, denominada Ciclina O, capaç d´activar aquesta kinasa in vivo en línies cel.lulars. L´expressió d´aquesta nova ciclina en el timus, i altres teixits, s´indueix ràpidament després del tractament amb radiació gamma i coincideix amb l´aparició de l´apoptosi. Aquests resultats posicionen la Ciclina O com a millor candidat a ser l´activador de Cdk2 necessari per induïr la mort cel.lular programada en el timus, i probablement també en altres òrgans. / The apoptosis, also called programmed cell death, is an active process able to use the cellular mechanisms to kill individual cells in order to keep the functional homeostasis of the whole organism. Different studies had shown a correlation between the first apoptotic events and the induction of some cdk proteins, particularly Cdk1 and Cdk2. The studies of thymocytes in our laboratory, wich lacks the most amount of cdk activity related to the cell cycle because of its arrest in G1, had shown that the induction of Cdk2 activity after the treatment with gamma radiation or glucocorticoids is a necessary step for the apoptosis induction. While any of the cyclins described at the moment seems to be the Cdk2 activator for apoptosis a new member of the cyclin family able to activate the kinase Cdk2 in vivo in cell lines has been identified in our laboratory. The expresion of this cyclin, known as Cyclin O, is quickly induced in the thymus after the treatment with gamma radiation and correlates with the induction of apoptosis. These results position Cyclin O as the best candidate to activate Cdk2 and inuce the programmed cell death in the thymus, and probably other tissues.

The aim of this thesis is the characterization of a protein involved in apoptosis. Our group has identified an early step common to different forms of intrinsic apoptosis stimuli. This step requires de novo synthesis of a novel Cyclin, Cyclin O, that upon apoptosis induction in lymphoid cells forms active complexes, primarily with Cdk2. Cyclin O expression precedes glucocorticoid and gamma radiation-induced apoptosis in vivo in mouse thymus and its overexpression induces apoptosis in cultured cells. Knocking down the endogenous expression of Cyclin O by shRNA leads to the inhibition of glucocorticoid and DNA damage-induced apoptosis while leaving CD95 death receptor mediated apoptosis intact. This data demonstrates that apoptosis induction in lymphoid cells is one of the physiological roles of Cyclin O and it does not act by perturbing a normal cellular process such as the cell cycle. In addition we have identified c-Myb a substrate of Cdk2-Cyclin O complexes and we show that c-Myb is downregulated during apoptosis of lymphoid cells. / L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és la caracterització d'una proteïna involucrada en l'apoptosi. El nostre grup ha identificat un pas primerenc comú en diversos estímuls apoptòtics de la ruta intrínseca. Aquest pas requereix la síntesi de novo d'una nova Ciclina, Ciclina O, que quan s'indueix apoptosi en cèl·lules limfoides forma complexes actius majoritàriament amb Cdk2. L'expressió de la Ciclina O és prèvia a l'apoptosi induïda per glucocorticoids i radiació gamma i la seva sobreexpressió indueix apoptosi en cultius cel·lulars. La baixada dels nivells d'expressió de la Ciclina O endògena amb shRNA provoca una inhibició de l'apoptosi induïda per glucocorticoids o agents que danyen el DNA, mentre que l'apoptosi mediada pel receptor CD95 es manté intacta. Aquests resultats demostren que la inducció d'apoptosi en cèl·lules limfoides és una de les funcions fisiològiques de la Ciclina O i que no es deu a una pertorbació de processos cel·lulars normals com ara el cicle cel·lular. A més a més, hem identificat c-Myb com a substrat dels complexes Cdk2-Ciclina O i demostrem que els nivells de c-Myb baixen durant l'apoptosis de cèl·lules limfoides.

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2016-08-26T11:43:46Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-26T11:43:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / O Ipen/Cnen-SP possui um Reator de Pesquisa(IEA-R1) em operação desde 1957. Ele utiliza água leve como blindagem, moderador e como fluido refrigerante, o volume desta piscina é de 273m3. Até 1995 a operação do Reator era descontinua, ou seja, operava diariamente sendo desligado no final do dia, a uma potência de 2,0 MW. A partir daquele ano, após algumas modificações de segurança, o Reator passou a operar de forma continua, ou seja, de segunda-feira a quarta-feira sem ser desligado, totalizando 64 horas semanais. A potência também foi aumentando até 4,5 MW em 2012. Em virtude dessas alterações, a saber, operação contínua e do aumento da potência, as doses dos trabalhadores aumentaram e por isso foram realizados vários estudos para diminui-las. Estudos demonstraram que uma das principais limitações para operação de um reator em potência elevada, provém das radiações gama emitidas pelo sódio-24. Outros elementos como magnésio-27, Alumínio-28, Argônio-51, contribuem de forma considerável para a atividade da água da piscina. A introdução de uma camada de água quente em sua superfície, estável e isenta de elementos radioativos com 1,5m a 2m de espessura constituiria uma blindagem às radiações provenientes dos elementos radioativos dissolvidos na água. Estudos de otimização provaram que a instalação da camada quente não era necessária para o regime e potência atual de operação do Reator, pois outros procedimentos adotados eram mais eficazes. A partir desta decisão o serviço de Proteção Radiológica do Reator IEA-R1, montou um programa de avaliação das doses para certificar-se de que elas se mantinham em valores razoáveis baseados em princípios estabelecidos em normas nacionais e internacionais. O intuito deste trabalho é realizar uma análise das doses individuais dos IOE (Individuo Ocupacionalmente Expostos), considerando as mudanças no regime de operação do Reator e sugerir opções de proteção e segurança, viáveis em primeira instância, para reduzir as doses analisadas, visando se chegar aos níveis de referencia de 3 mSv/ano adotados pela instalação em apreço. / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

La caméra Compton est un dispositif permettant d’imager les sources de rayonnement gamma. Ses avantages sont sa sensibilité (absence de collimateur mécanique) et la possibilité de reconstruire des images 3D avec un dispositif immobile. Elle également adaptée pour des sources à large spectre énergétique. Ce dispositif est un candidat prometteur en médecine nucléaire et en hadronthérapie. Ces travaux, financés par le projet européen ENVISION (European NoVel Imaging Systems for ION therapy) Coopération-FP7, portent sur le développement de méthodes de reconstruction d’images pour la caméra Compton pour la surveillance de la thérapie par ions. Celle-ci nécessite idéalement une reconstruction temps réel avec une précision millimétrique, même si le nombre de données acquises est relativement faible. Nous avons développé des méthodes analytiques et itératives. Leurs performances sont analysées dans le contexte d’acquisitions réalistes (géométrie de la caméra, nombre d’événements). Nous avons développé une méthode analytique de rétroprojection filtrée. Cette méthode est rapide mais nécessite beaucoup de données. Nous avons également développé des méthodes itératives utilisant un algorithme de maximisation de la fonction de vraisemblance. Nous avons proposé un modèle probabiliste pour l’estimation des éléments de la matrice système nécessaire à la reconstruction et nous avons développé différentes approches pour le calcul de ses éléments : l’une néglige les incertitudes de mesure sur l’énergie, l’autre les prend en compte en utilisant une distribution gaussienne. Nous avons étudié une méthode simplifiée utilisant notre modèle probabiliste. Plusieurs reconstructions sont menées à partir de données simulées, obtenues avec Geant4, mais provenant aussi de plusieurs prototypes simulés de caméra Compton proposés par l’Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon (IPNL) et par le Centre de recherche de Dresde-Rossendorf en Allemagne. Les résultats sont prometteurs et des études plus poussées, à partir de données encore plus réalistes, viseront à les confirmer. / The Compton camera is a device for imaging gamma radiation sources. The advantages of the system lie in its sensitivity, due to the absence of mechanical collimator, and the possibility of imaging wide energy spectrum sources. These advantages make it a promising candidate for application in hadrontherapy. Funded by the european project ENVISION, FP7-Cooperation Work Program, this work deals with the development of image reconstruction methods for the Compton camera. We developed both analytical and iterative methods in order to reconstruct the source from cone-surface projections. Their performances are analyzed with regards to the context (geometry of the camera, number of events). We developped an analytical method using a Filtered BackProjection (FBP) formulation. This method is fast but really sensitive to the noise. We have also developped iterative methods using a List Mode-Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (LM-MLEM) algorithm. We proposed a new probabilistic model for the computation of the elements of the system matrix and different approaches for the calculation of these elements neglecting or not the measurement uncertainties. We also implemented a simplified method using the probabilistic model we proposed. The novelty of the method also lies on the specific discretization of the cone-surface projections. Several studies are carried out upon the reconstructions of simulated data worked out with Geant4, but also simulated data obtained from several prototypes of Compton cameras under study at the Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon (IPNL) and at the Research Center of Dresden-Rossendorf. Results are promising, and further investigations on more realistic data are to be done.

This master’s thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the conventional neutron sources from the perspective of reactions which lead to the production of neutrons, advantages, disadvantages, properties and their possible utilization. In the relation to the assembly of the laboratory neutron source and the unique experimental stand “Candle” basic methods of the neutron field analysis are outlined and two of them, the neutron activation analysis and the calculation using the MCNP software code are discussed in depth to apply and compare these methods. The experimental part deals with the realization of neutron activation analysis from its design itself, through gamma spectrometry to the cadmium ratio calculation. In compliance with the measurements, a calculation with MCNP code was run and both methods were evaluated and compared. The computation is complemented with the analysis of radiation situation on the borders of the supervised area, which is compared to the legal limit.