Development of Dose Conversion Coefficients for Radionuclides Produced in Spallation Neutron Sources Quarterly Progress Report 4/01/05 – 6/30/05

The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. These dose coefficients fill data gaps exist in Federal Guide Report No. 11 and in Publications 68 and 72 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and two articles containing the data have been accepted for publication in the Journal of Health Physics. Currently, more nuclear data is needed for the rare radionuclides produced from a mercury target. While attempting to develop a workable plan to acquire this missing data, Q-value discrepancies are being investigated

Vacuum-assisted closure therapy as adjunct to treatment of grotesque subcutaneous emphysema after blunt chest trauma: A case report

Subcutaneous emphysema (SE) is a potentially life-threatening complication derived from a pneumothorax. Treatment can be challenging and on an emergency basis. A 79-year-old patient was admitted with blunt chest trauma after a motor vehicle accident. Computed tomography showed incarceration of lung parenchyma in a fractured rib without pneumothorax. The patient was initially stable, but later on developed several episodes of acute dyspnea with bilateral pneumothoraces and life-threatening SE. Further assessment using chest X-ray was complicated by SE. Treatment consisted of chest tube insertion and additional vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy of the SE using a pectoral incision. Symptoms resolved quickly, and chest tube and VAC-therapy could be discontinued by day 7 and 3, respectively. Immediate chest tube insertion is the first-line treatment for trauma patients with massive SE, even if a pneumothorax may not reliably be diagnosed initially. Supportive VAC-therapy must be considered to accelerate the decline of massive SE

Dose Coefficient (DC) Methodology Report

The purpose of this report is to present the methodology developed to calculate internal and external dose coefficients for radionuclides produced in the spallation process. Much of the information regarding computer codes in this report comes from various technical manuals and professional papers. References are provided at the beginning of each section for documentation and for the user who requires more specific information. The report also includes the results of applying the methodology to determine dose coefficients for five radionuclides. This effort identified potential areas of concern that will need to be addressed when the methodology is used in the future to generate additional dose coefficients. The Appendices provide student generated notes on the loading of software and more user specific instructions on how to use the various computer codes

Reconciliation and the Constitution: A Transcript of the Roundtable

As described in the opening piece in this Volume of the Supreme Court Law Review, unprecedented national media and political attention was given to the relationship between Indigenous people and the Canadian state in 2016. As part of our conference, we asked a group of people to come together and talk about the future of the Constitution as a means or an obstacle to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and First Nations in Canada. Amnesty International’s most recent global report on the State of the World’s Human Rights praised Canada’s action regarding refugees, but then noted that “[c]oncerns persisted about the failure to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the face of economic development projects”. We asked our panelists about the connection between the rhetoric of reconciliation and the situation on the ground. Would the Court continue to play a significant role in the development of section 35 Aboriginal rights? Are these discussions likely to play out in courts, at constitutional amendment conferences, or in the political arena

Development of Dose Conversion Coefficients for Radionuclides Produced in Spallation Neutron Sources Quarterly Progress Report 1/1/05 – 3/31/05

The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. In addition, the group has identified twenty radionuclide that are missing electron capture files and eighteen additional radionuclides missing substantial physical data. The goal for the current year is to develop a methodology that will allow for producing the dose coefficients for these radionuclides with missing data. Methods to obtain these data are being investigated

Development of Dose Coefficients for Radionuclides Produced in Spallation Targets

Dose coefficients permit simple determination of radiation dose associated with various exposure scenarios, and ultimately permit radiation safety personnel to assess the health risks to workers in a nuclear facility. Specifically, radiation safety personnel use dose coefficients to determine the radiation dose incurred to a tissue or organ system from a given exposure. These parameters are often expressed in terms of Annual Limits on Intake (ALIs) and Derived Air Concentrations (DACs). The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. These dose coefficients fill data gaps exist in Federal Guide Report No. 11 and in Publications 68 and 72 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and two articles containing the data have been accepted for publication in the Journal of Health Physics. Currently, more nuclear data is needed for the rare radionuclides produced from a mercury target. While attempting to develop a workable plan to acquire this missing data, Q-value discrepancies are being investigated

Development of Dose Coefficients for Radionulides Produced in Spallation Neutron Sources: Annual Report

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Transmutation Research Program has been tasked to support U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to assess the health risks associated with the operation of each of their accelerator-driven nuclear facilities for both NEPA and PSAR development. Quantifying the radiological risks to workers will have to be addressed during the design and siting of each of these facilities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Federal Guidance Report No. 11 “Limiting Values of Intake and Air Concentration and Dose Conversion Factors for Inhalation, Submersion, and Ingestion”, developed two derived guides, Annual Limit on Intake (ALI) and the Derived Air Concentration (DAC), to be used to control radiation exposure in the workplace. The ALI is the annual intake of a radionuclide which would result in a committed effective dose equivalent of 0.05 Sv/yr for stochastic effects, or a committed dose equivalent to an individual organ or tissue of 0.5 Sv/yr for deterministic effects, to Reference Man (ICRP 1975). A DAC is that concentration of a radionuclide in air which, if breathed by Reference Man for a work-year, would result in an intake corresponding to its ALI (EPA 1988). Therefore, ALIs and DACs can be used for assessing radiation doses due to accidental ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides and are used for limiting radionuclide intake through breathing of, or submersion in, contaminated air. It is the intent of the current research to implement the methodology developed in the first year of the research and generate internal and external dose coefficients for radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. Results from this study will expand the ALI and DAC data of Federal Guidance Report No. 11 in order to include radionuclides produced by current technology, such as that used in the AAA and SNS programs

Development of Dose Conversion Coefficients for Radionuclides Produced in Spallation Neutron Sources: Quarterly Progress Report 5/1/04 – 8/31/04

The research consortium comprised of representatives from several universities and national laboratories has successfully generated internal and external dose conversion coefficients for twenty radionuclides produced in spallation neutron sources. These dose coefficients fill data gaps exist in Federal Guide Report No. 11 and in Publications 68 and 72 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Currently, more nuclear data is needed for the rare radionuclides produced from a mercury target