A exposição da população em geral à radiação ionizante surge principalmente a partir de fontes naturais. A principal contribuição é decorrente da inalação do radônio (Rn-222), um gás que ocorre naturalmente (UNSCEAR, 2000). A concentração de Rn-222 num ambiente é controlada por fatores como a permeabilidade do solo e teor de água, a variabilidade meteorológica, características de construção da fundação e da pressão diferencial positivo habitual entre o solo e o ambiente interno. Estudos indicam que a concentração de radônio, apresenta uma variação significativa no subsolo, térreo e andares superiores das edificações. O objetivo deste estudo é determinar os níveis de radônio, nos subsolos, térreos e andares acima do nível do solo, em uma universidade na cidade de São Paulo e um edifício residencial na cidade de Peruíbe. As medidas de Rn-222 foram realizadas através do método passivo com detectores de traços nucleares de estado sólido (CR-39). Os ambientes estudados apresentam concentrações de Rn-222 bastante inferiores aos valores recomendados pela Comissão Internacional de Proteção Radiológica, publicados no documento de 2009, de 300 Bq/m3 para residências e 1000 Bq/m3 para locais de trabalho. No edifício residencial na cidade de Peruíbe, analisaram-se ainda, as concentrações de Ra-266, Th-232 e K-40 em materiais de construção utilizados na construção do edifício, por meio de espectrometria gama. A dose efetiva total para o morador devido à exposição externa foi de 0,8 mSv a-1, inferior ao limite de dose anual para público em geral de 1 mSv a-1. / Exposure of the general population to ionizing radiation comes mainly from natural sources. The main contribution is due to inhalation of radon (Rn-222), a gas that occurs naturally (UNSCEAR, 2000). The Rn-222 concentration in the environment is controlled by factors such as soil permeability and water content, the weather variability, materials used in the foundation and the usual positive pressure differential between the soil and the internal environment. Studies indicate that the concentration of radon shows a wide variation in the basement, ground floor and upper floors of buildings. The objective of this study is to determine radon levels in basements, ground floor and floors above ground level, at a university in the city of São Paulo and in one residential building in the city of Peruíbe. Rn-222 measurements were performed using the method with nuclear track of solid state detectors (CR-39). The studied environments present Rn-222 concentration well below the values recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, published in the 2009 document, of 300 Bq/m3 for homes and 1000 Bq/m3 for the workplace. In the residential building, the concentration of Ra-266, Th-232 and K-40 in the materials used in the building construction was also analyzed, by gamma spectrometry. The effective total dose for the resident due to external exposure was 0.8 mSv y-1, lower than the annual dose limit for the general public of 1 mSv y-1.

Alvos naturais de Mg, Al, Si, Cr, Ti, Ni e Zr foram irradiados com prótons e as seções de choque para várias reações nucleares foram determinadas a energias inferiores a 30 MeV. As irradiações foram efetuadas nos ciclotrons CV-28 e CYCLONE 30 do IPEN, que possuem energia nominal de 24 e 30 MeV, respectivamente. O feixe de prótons foi monitorado por meio de lâminas de Cu ou a partir da formação de nuclídeos na própria amostra com seção de choque conhecida para as energias utilizadas. Especial interesse foi dedicado às reações raras di tipo (p, 2alfa) e (p, ANTPOT.3 H) das quais existem, em geral, poucos dados publicados, principalmente para energias próximas do limiar. A determinação da seção de choque foi realizada a partir da medida da atividade residual dos produtos pelo método de espectroscopia gama simples. Um detector HPG com resolução menor que 2 keV foi utilizado. Devido ao valor reduzido da seção de choque das reações de interesse no intervalo de energia considerado, uma análise estatística cuidadosa dos dado foi necessária. Em áreas reduzidas dos picos detectados precisaram da quantificação, em alguns casos, da contribuição de nuclídeos formados na própria amostra por outras reações, a partir de impurezas ou provenientes do fundo radioativo. Entre os produtos obtidos encontram-se os nuclídeos ANTPOT.22 Na, ANTPOT.26 Al, ANTPOT.44 Ti, e ANTPOT.54 Mn. A detecção de ANTPOT.26 Al nas amostras de Al e Si, permitiu estimar os limites do método proposto para o estudo de reações raras de interesse astrofísico. No total, são apresentados neste trabalho 72 valores de seção de choque. Desse total, 21 dados são apresentados pela primeira vez ou foram obtidos pela primeira vez pelo método proposto ou às energias estudadas. Os resultados mais importantes referem-se às reações ANTPOT.29 Si(p, 2alfa)ANTPOT.22 Na,ANTPOT.53 Cr(p, 2alfa)ANTPOT.46 Sc, ANTPOT.46 Ti(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.44 Ti, )ANTPOT.58 Ni(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.56 Ni e ANTPOT.90 Zr(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.88 Zr. Os resultados foram comparados com valores publicados na literatura e com o resultado do cálculo realizado a partir de modelos teóricos conhecidos, permitindo a obtenção de conclusões relativas ao método experimental, assim como aos mecanismos da reação envolvidos. / Natural targets of Mg, Al, Si, Cr, Ti, Ni and Zr were irradiated with protons and the cross section for several reactions were determined for incident energies up to 30 MeV. The irradiations were performed at the CV-28 and CYCLONE 30 cyclotrons from the IPEN, which have nominal energies of 24 and 30 MeV, respectively. The protons beams were monitored by copper foils or by the nuclide formation in the irradiated targets with known cross sections for the used energy. Special interest was dedicated to rare reactions of the (p, 2alfa) and (p, ANTPOT.3 H) kind, from which we have a few published data, mainly for energies near the threshold. The cross section determination was accomplished by the residual actives measurement of the reaction products by the simple gamma spectroscopy method using an HPGe detector with resolution better than 2 keV. Due to the low value of the cross section for the considered reaction, a careful statistical analysis of the obtained data was needed. The small areas of the detected peaks required the quantification of the contributions of nuclides produced by others reactions, from contaminants or from the radioactive background. Among others, the ANTPOT.22 Na, ANTPOT.26 Al, ANTPOT.44 Ti and ANTPOT.54 Mn products have been detected. The detection of ANTPOT.26 Al in the Al and Si targets allow the estimation of the limits of the proposed method for the study of astrophysical interest reaction. In total, 72 cross section values are being presented. Out of this amount, 21 are being presented for the first time or have been obtained for the first time by the method or for the studied energies. The most important results refer to the ANTPOT.29 Si(p, 2gamma)²²Na, ANTPOT.53 Cr(p, 2gamma)ANTPOT.46 Sc, ANTPOT.46 Ti(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.44 Ti, ANTPOT.58 Ni(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.56 Ni and ANTPOT.90 Zr(p, ANTPOT.3 H)ANTPOT.88 Zr reactions. The results have been compared to published vales and calculations using known theoretical models, allowing the achievement of conclusions related to the experimental method, as well as the reaction mechanism involved.

<p>Compounds labelled with ¹¹C (<i>β</i>⁺, t_1/2 = 20.4 min) are used in positron emission tomography (PET), which is a quantitative non-invasive molecular imaging technique. It utilizes computerized reconstruction methods to produce time-resolved images of the radioactivity distribution in living subjects. </p><p>The feasibility of preparing [¹¹C]methyl iodide from [¹¹C]methane and iodine via a single pass through a non-thermal plasma reactor was explored. [¹¹C]Methyl iodide with a specific radioactivity of 412 ± 32 GBq/µmol was obtained in 13 ± 3% decay-corrected radiochemical yield within 6 min via catalytic hydrogenation of [¹¹C]carbon dioxide (24 GBq) and subsequent iodination, induced by electron impact. </p><p>Labelled ethyl-, propyl- and butyl iodide was synthesized, within 15 min, via palladium-mediated carbonylation using [¹¹C]carbon monoxide. The carbonylation products, labelled carboxylic acids, esters and aldehydes, were reduced to their corresponding alcohols and converted to alkyl iodides. [1-¹¹C]Ethyl iodide was obtained via palladium-mediated carbonylation of methyl iodide with a decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 55 ± 5%. [1-¹¹C]Propyl iodide and [1-¹¹C]butyl iodide were synthesized via the hydroformylation of ethene and propene with decay-corrected radiochemical yields of 58 ± 4% and 34 ± 2%, respectively. [1-¹¹C]Ethyl iodide was obtained with a specific radioactivity of 84 GBq/mmol from 10 GBq of [¹¹C]carbon monoxide. [1-¹¹C]Propyl iodide was synthesized with a specific radioactivity of 270 GBq/mmol from 12 GBq and [1-¹¹C]butyl iodide with 146 GBq/mmol from 8 GBq. </p><p>Palladium-mediated hydroxycarbonylation of acetylene was used in the synthesis of [1-¹¹C]acrylic acid. The labelled carboxylic acid was converted to its acid chloride and subsequently treated with amine to yield <i>N-</i>[<i>carbonyl</i>-¹¹C]benzylacrylamide. In an alternative method, [<i>carbonyl</i>-¹¹C]acrylamides were synthesized in decay-corrected radiochemical yields up to 81% via palladium-mediated carbonylative cross-coupling of vinyl halides and amines. Starting from 10 ± 0.5 GBq of [¹¹C]carbon monoxide, <i>N-</i>[<i>carbonyl</i>-¹¹C]benzylacrylamide was obtained in 4 min with a specific radioactivity of 330 ± 4 GBq/µmol. </p>

<p><font face="TimesNewRomanPSMT"> <p align="left">Natural radioactivity studies have been carried out to study the textural characteristics, heavy mineral composition, provenance, sediment transport, and depositional environment of beach placer deposits. The naturally occurring radionuclides such as properties of beach sands, which reflect the geological characteristics such as transport and sorting processes and the depositional environment. The present work focuses on the radiometric characteristics of beach sand deposits along the west coastof South Africa. Beach sands samples were collected at the Melkbosstrand (MBS) and Ouskip (OSK) beach. The activity concentrations of these radionuclides were determined by high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector in a low-background configuration.</p> </font></p>

Developments in high-performance computing instruments and advancements in the numerical algorithms combined with lattice gauge theory make it possible to simulate Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of strongly-interacting quarks and gluons, numerically at nearly physical light-quark masses. In this work we present our results for the $D^*Dpi$ coupling constant as simulated on $32^3 imes 64$, unquenched $2+1$-flavor lattices. We estimate the coupling at the chiral limit as $g_{D^*Dpi} = 16.23 pm 1.71$, which is in good agreement with its experimental value $g^{(exp)}_{D^*Dpi} = 17.9pm0.3pm1.9$ as obtained by CLEO II Collaboration.

Compounds labelled with 11C (β+, t1/2 = 20.4 min) are used in positron emission tomography (PET), which is a quantitative non-invasive molecular imaging technique. It utilizes computerized reconstruction methods to produce time-resolved images of the radioactivity distribution in living subjects. The feasibility of preparing [11C]methyl iodide from [11C]methane and iodine via a single pass through a non-thermal plasma reactor was explored. [11C]Methyl iodide with a specific radioactivity of 412 ± 32 GBq/µmol was obtained in 13 ± 3% decay-corrected radiochemical yield within 6 min via catalytic hydrogenation of [11C]carbon dioxide (24 GBq) and subsequent iodination, induced by electron impact. Labelled ethyl-, propyl- and butyl iodide was synthesized, within 15 min, via palladium-mediated carbonylation using [11C]carbon monoxide. The carbonylation products, labelled carboxylic acids, esters and aldehydes, were reduced to their corresponding alcohols and converted to alkyl iodides. [1-11C]Ethyl iodide was obtained via palladium-mediated carbonylation of methyl iodide with a decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 55 ± 5%. [1-11C]Propyl iodide and [1-11C]butyl iodide were synthesized via the hydroformylation of ethene and propene with decay-corrected radiochemical yields of 58 ± 4% and 34 ± 2%, respectively. [1-11C]Ethyl iodide was obtained with a specific radioactivity of 84 GBq/mmol from 10 GBq of [11C]carbon monoxide. [1-11C]Propyl iodide was synthesized with a specific radioactivity of 270 GBq/mmol from 12 GBq and [1-11C]butyl iodide with 146 GBq/mmol from 8 GBq. Palladium-mediated hydroxycarbonylation of acetylene was used in the synthesis of [1-11C]acrylic acid. The labelled carboxylic acid was converted to its acid chloride and subsequently treated with amine to yield N-[carbonyl-11C]benzylacrylamide. In an alternative method, [carbonyl-11C]acrylamides were synthesized in decay-corrected radiochemical yields up to 81% via palladium-mediated carbonylative cross-coupling of vinyl halides and amines. Starting from 10 ± 0.5 GBq of [11C]carbon monoxide, N-[carbonyl-11C]benzylacrylamide was obtained in 4 min with a specific radioactivity of 330 ± 4 GBq/µmol.

In dem Bericht werden Strahlungsquelle aufgeführt, die den Untergrund bei der Messung geringer Radioaktivitäten verursachen und dargestellt wie zur Unterdrückung der kosmischen Strahlung Laboratorien untertägig eingerichtet werden und wie durch Koinzidenz und Antikoinzidenzverfahren der verbleibende Untergrund weiter reduziert werden kann. / The radiation sources are described, which causes the background at the measurement of low radioactivities. To reduce the influence of cosmic rays counting devises are installed in underground laboratories. The remaining background may be further reduced by coincidence and anti-coincidence methods.

A unique tool is developed that allows the user to model physical representations of complicated glovebox facilities in two dimensions and determine neutral-particle flux and ambient dose-equivalent fields throughout that geometry. The code Pandemonium, originally designed to determine flux and dose rates only, has been improved to include realistic glovebox geometries, time-dependent source and detector positions, time-dependent shielding thickness calculations, time-integrated doses, a representative criticality accident scenario based on time-dependent reactor kinetics, and more rigorous photon treatment. The photon model has been significantly enhanced by expanding the energy range to 10 MeV to include fission photons, and by including a set of new buildup factors, the result of an extensive study into the previously unknown "purely-angular effect" on photon buildup. Purely-angular photon buildup factors are determined using discrete ordinates and coupled electron-photon cross sections to account for coherent and incoherent scattering and secondary photon effects of bremsstrahlung and florescence. Improvements to Pandemonium result in significant modeling capabilities for processing facilities using intense neutron and photon sources, and the code obtains comparable results to Monte Carlo calculations but within a fraction of the time required to run such codes as MCNPX.

The emulsion target of the CHORUS detector was exposed to the wide-band neutrino beam of the CERN SPS between the years 1994 and 1997. In total about 130.000 neutrino interactions were located in the nuclear emulsion target and fully reconstructed. Detailed DATA and Monte Carlo (MC) comparisons were done in order to test reliability of the detector simulation. There is reasonable agreement between DATA and MC. The ratio of deep inelastic neutral-current (NC) to the deep inelastic (DIS) charged-current(CC) $nu_{mu}$ interactions was measured to be frac{NC_{dis}}{CC_{dis}}=0.350pm0.003$. This measurement was compared with the previous measurements. Based on three double charm decays found in NC interactions we measured the ratio of double charm cross-section in NC $nu_{mu}$ interactions to be [ frac{sigma (cbar{c}nu_mu)}{sigma_{NC}}=(3.37^{+3.06}_{-2.51}(stat.)pm 0.51(syst.))times 10^{-3}. ] One double charm decay has been observed in CC $nu_{mu}$ interactions the upper limit on associated charm production in $nu_{mu}$ CC interaction has been found to be [ frac{sigma cbar{c}mu^{-})}{sigma_{CC}}&lt / 9.69 times 10^{-4}. ] at 90% C.L.

For the anti-charmed pentaquark state with and without strangeness a QCD sum rule analysis, which is one of the nonperturbative approaches, is presented. For this purpose we employ pentaquark currents with and without strangeness, with two different current for each case. To refine the sum rules we also consider the DN continuum contribution in our analysis since this procedure is important to identify the signal of the pentaquark state. While the sum rules for most of the currents are either non-convergent or dominated by the DN continuum, the one for the non-strange pentaquark current composed of two diquarks and an antiquark, is convergent and has a structure consistent with a positive parity pentaquark state after subtracting out the DN continuum contribution. Arguments are presented on the similarity between the result of the present analysis and that based on the constituent quark models, which predict more stable pentaquark states when the antiquark is heavy.