• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.175-184
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• 2023

Based on the actual shape of the detector and the data provided by the manufacturer, the shape of the detector was implemented through Penelope simulation and applied to the appropriate four-layer thickness based on the efficiency obtained from the measurements. Efficiency calculations to determine the effect of the simulated number of Full Energy Peak Efficiency(FEPE) channels in the detector and the outside contact layer in the crystal on the Full Energy Peak Efficiency were performed for various four-layer thicknesses of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 mm using the Penelope Code. When the thickness of the external contact layer was increased by 5 times, the Full Energy Peak Efficiency decreased by about 36% for 59.50 keV, and the Full Energy Peak Efficiency decreased by 10% for 1836. In addition, as it increased by 10 times, the Full Energy Peak Efficiency decreased by about 20% for 59.54 keV, and 7% for 1836.01 keV. The Penelope simulated Full Energy Peak Efficiency channel decreases exponentially with the increase in the four layers. In addition, it was confirmed that the total effect curve was well matched with a relative difference of less than 3.5% in the 0.3-1.4 mm dead layer thickness region. However, it was found that the inhomogeneous dead layer is still a parameter in the Monte Carlo model.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.557-563
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• 2018

Coincidence summing correction effects are known to be greater as the efficiency of the detector increases and as the distance between the source and the detector increases. A point source($^{60}Co$) was used to vary the distance in the direction of the detector's center axis and in the radial direction to obtain the P/T ratio for Coincidence summing correction calibration. In this study, values for coincidence summing corrected calibration of the values in the central and radial directions were applied to the mixed volume source(450 ml CRM source) to compare the overall peak efficiency change according to P/T with Geant4. In addition, the efficiency obtained from the mapping method is applied to the seaweed, a marine sample, and the compatibility of the P/T ratio with the detector and sample very dose together. The efficiency corrected to 1,836 keV was applied to the energy zone affected by the efficiency of 500 keV and the relative error of the measured and corrected values was well matcched by the 3.2 % peak efficiency correction. As with 450 mL CRM source, the larger the volume, the lower the P/T ratio was by ${\pm}5%$. This is due to the increased scattering of gamma-rays emitted as the source becomes farther away from the detector, and this change in P/T has been confirmed to affect the Coincidence summing corrected peak efficiency.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.605-611
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• 2017

The structure of the actual detector was computed using the code of the PENELOPE. Using the standard mixed sources (450, 1,000 ml), compare the effectiveness of each energy according to various densities and height of the PENELOPE computer simulation, and calculate the effectiveness of the various environmental specimens and apply them to various environmental specimens to determine the lower limit. The values obtained by the obtained value were obtained by applying the obtained efficiency to the actual environmental specimens and obtaining the lower limit values. The density correction factor is 1.155 g of the density correction factor of $0.4g/cm^3$ (59.54keV), 1.153 (661 keV), $1.06g/cm^3$ 1.064 (1,836.04keV), 1.03, and 1.033. It was confirmed that the radioactivity concentration of environmental samples decreased as the amount of specimen was measured increases, and the MDA value decreased as time measured increases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.637-643
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• 2019

To verify internal movements of the body, a DICOM file obtained from CT and a Geant4 code were used to simulate lung cancer patients. In addition, the method is applied to measure the movement of tumor when the movement of t he tumor is located inhale and exhale by creating a virtual tumor in the self-produced moving phantom, and to check the distribution of dose in the treatment plan and the accuracy of tumor in PTV for respiratory and lung cancer patients. It was confirmed that 97% or more respiratory control radiation therapy was effective even if the moving area was more than 3cm, in the 40% to 70% range. Dose distribution with respiratory radiation therapy applied to moving targets, measured by film in the actuation phantom, was shown to be within a 3mm margin of error for dose distribution containing 90%. It was confirmed that for actual patient breathing curves, the treatment time may be shorter than that due to the longer expiratory time.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2014

IAEA has employed various types of radiation detectors - HPGe, NaI, CZT - for accountancy of nuclear material. Among them, HPGe has been mainly used in verification activities required for high accuracy. Due to its essential cooling component(a liquid-nitrogen cooling or a mechanical cooling system), it is large and heavy and needs long cooling time before use. New hand-held portable HPGe has been developed to address such problems. This paper deals with results of performance evaluation test of the new hand-held portable HPGe prototype which was used during IAEA's inspection activities. Radioactive spectra obtained with the new portable HPGe showed different characteristics depending on types and enrichments of nuclear materials inspected. Also, Gamma-rays from daughter radioisotopes in the decay series of $^{235}U$ and $^{238}U$ and characteristic x-rays from uranium were able to be remarkably separated from other peaks in the spectra. A relative error of enrichment measured by the new portable HPGe was in the range of 9 to 27%. The enrichment measurement results didn't meet partially requirement of IAEA because of a small size of a radiation sensing material. This problem might be solved through a further study. This paper discusses how to determine enrichment of nuclear material as well as how to apply the new hand-held portable HPGe to safeguard inspection. There have been few papers to deal with IAEA inspection activity in Korea to verify accountancy of nuclear material in national nuclear facilities. This paper would contribute to analyzing results of safeguards inspection. Also, it is expected that things discussed about further improvement of a radiation detector would make contribution to development of a radiation detector in the related field.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 1997

Recently, the conclusion of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty(CTBT) is globally constructing a network system for nuclear test monitoring. The radionuclide experts of the Conference on Disarmament recommended that the detection of nuclear debris in the atmosphere was an essential factor of nuclear test monitoring and proposed the technical requirements. Based on those requirements, atmospheric radionuclide monitoring system to detect nuclear debris generated from the nuclear explosion test was composed. The system is comprised of high volume air sampler(HVAS), filter paper presser and high purity germanium detector(HPGe). Minimum detectable concentrations(MDCs) of the key nuclides requiring in CTBT monitoring strategies are determined by considering of decay time, counting time and flow rate of the high volume air sampler for the rapid explosion and the optimum measurement condition. The results were selected $10{\pm}$2h, $20{\pm}$2h and $850{\pm}50m^3$/h as parameters, respectively. The relation between the natural air-borne radionuclide concentration of $^{212}Pb$ and MDC were calculated which gave effect in the Compton continuum baseline due to those nuclides in the gamma-ray spectroscopy. These results can be used as an actually tool in the CTBT monitoring strategies.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.247-252
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• 2021

As the number of single-person households increases, the consumption of bottled water is increasing. In addition, as the public's interest in radioactivity increases, interest in the field of living radioactivity is also increasing. Since drinking water is an essential element in our daily life, it must be safe from radioactivity. In this study, gamma radiation of drinking spring water was measured and internal exposure dose evaluation was performed to determine its harmfulness. K-40 and uranium-based radioactivity analysis was performed through a high-purity germanium detector, and as a result, drinking water was detected somewhat higher than that of mixing water. Since there is no regulation on the natural radioactivity concentration in Korea, it was compared with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Regulations and World Health Organization standard. As a result, there were some items that exceeded standards. Internal exposure was evaluated according to the effective dose formula of ICRP 119. As the result was derived that a maximum of 1.17 mSv per year could be received. This result means that the dose limit for the general public may be exceeded, and it was judged that it is necessary to set an appropriate standard value and present a recommendation value through continuous monitoring in the future.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.261-265
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• 2014

The ${\gamma}$-ray concentration and gross-${\beta}$ activity by age group were measured in the teeth of males and females of the domestic residents. They were divided into 7 age groups from 10s to the age of 70s. The gross-${\beta}$ activity concentration was measured by using the Tennelec XLB measuring instrument filled with P10 gas (argon 90%, methane 10%). The ${\gamma}$-ray was measured through the ${\gamma}$-ray spectroscopic analytical method by using the high purity germanium (HPGe) radiation detector. The range of gross-${\beta}$ activity concentration was measured 0.089 to 0.32 Bq/kg in females and 0.13 to 0.26 Bq/kg in males. From the ${\gamma}$-ray spectroscopic analysis of the teeth, the natural radioactive isotopes of $^{40}K$, $^{208}Tl$, $^{228}Ac$ and $^{234}Th$ were detected and their measured ${\gamma}$-ray activity concentrations were found to be 20.7, 21.9, 3.88 and 5.24 Bq/kg, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.243-250
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Recently, the use of $^{131}I$ for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer has been increasing, and the radionuclide is continuously released into aquatic ecosystem. This study was carried out to investigate the $^{131}I$ concentrations in mainstreams, tributaries, and sewage wastewater treatment plants (SWTPs) of the Yeongsan River Basin and to identify their origins from the assessment of behaviors in the rivers. METHODS AND RESULTS: The water samples were collected from 19 sites including mainstreams (13), tributaries (4) and SWTPs (2). The $^{131}I$ concentration was measured using a gamma-ray spectrometry with a HPGe detector. The $^{131}I$ in SWTPs was detected mostly in the discharged effluent at the sampling sites. However, from the surface water of the rivers, $^{131}I$ was found only at two sites from each sampling period of the first (MS4 and MS10) and the second half (MS4 and MS7) of the year 2017. The concentrations of $^{131}I$ in the effluent discharged from SWTPs were in the range of 0.0870 to 3.87 Bq/L for SWTP1, and $^{131}I$ in the river revealed that it was not detected in the upper streams of the mainstreams and tributaries, while continuous detection was found in the SWTPs and downstream sites affected by the effluent. However, the concentration of $^{131}I$ decreased downstream, eventually becoming undetectable. Such behavior was closely related to the behavior found in the SWTPs. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that medically-derived $^{131}I$ was discharged to the river via sewage effluent at the SWTPs. It is necessary to evaluate the influence of aquatic ecosystems through continuous monitoring in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.123-131
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• 2009

Purpose: We tested a sample of nuclear medicine workers at Korean healthcare institutions for internal contamination with radioactive isotopes, measuring concentrations and evaluating doses of individual exposure. Materials and Methods: The detection and measurement was performed on urine samples collected from 25 nuclear medicine workers at three large hospitals located in Seoul. Urine samples were collected once a week, 100~200 mL samples were gathered up to 6~10 times weekly. A high-purity germanium detector was used to measure gamma radiations in urine samples for the presence of radioactive isotopes. Based on the detection results, we estimated the amounts of intake and committed effective doses using IMBA software. In cases where committed effective doses could not be adequately evaluated with IMBA software, we estimated individual committed effective doses for radionuclides with a very short half life such as $^{99m}Tc$ and $^{123}I$, using the methods recommended by International Atomic Energy Agency. Results: Radionuclides detected through the analysis of urine samples included $^{99m}Tc$, $^{123}I$, $^{131}I$ and $^{201}Tl$, as well as $^{18}F$, a nuclide used in Positron Emission Tomography examinations. The committed effective doses, calculated based on the radionuclide concentrations in urine samples, ranged from 0 to 5 mSv, but were, in the majority of cases, less than 1 mSv. The committed effective dose exceeded 1 mSv in three of the samples, and all three were workers directly handling radioactive sources. No nurses were found to have a committed effective dose in excess of 1 mSv. Conclusions: To improve the accuracy of results, it may be necessary to conduct a long-term study, performed over a time span wide enough to allow the clear determination of the influence of seasonal factors. A larger sample should also help increase the reliability of results. However, as most Korean nuclear medicine workers are currently not necessary to monitored routinely for internal contamination with radionuclides. Notwithstanding, a continuous effort is recommended to reduce any unnecessary exposure to radioactive substances, even if in inconsequential amounts, by regularly surveying workplace environments and frequently monitoring atmospheric concentrations of radionuclides.