Health and Medical Physics Commons^™

A Case Study Assessing The Integration Of Nuclear Safety And Security In Facilities Using A Monte Carlo Simulation Aided Analytical Hierarchy Process, Theodore A. Thomas, Shraddha Rane, Jason Timothy Harris

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Nuclear safety and security are essential in all operations using nuclear and radioactive materials. Even though both elements are important, the evolution of these programs has not developed at the same rate. As such, their integration has been met with challenges. This study analyzed the potential for synergy across different criteria and settings when integrating nuclear safety and security. The criteria included eight points where overlap could be identified between nuclear safety and security. Three work settings—industrial, medical, and research—were evaluated. Responses were collected from nine individuals who worked with nuclear materials in various capacities and different nuclear work settings. …

Infrastructure Development For Personalized Risk Prediction To Reduce Cardiovascular Disease In Childhood Cancer Survivors, Suman Shrestha

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Although childhood cancer survivors have lengthy life expectancies, they run the risk of experiencing long-term health issues as a result of their treatment. The most frequent non-cancerous cause of morbidity and mortality for these survivors is cardiac disease. Radiation therapy (RT) has been linked in numerous cohort studies to a higher chance of developing a late cardiac disease in these survivors, and this risk rises with higher mean heart doses and increased RT exposure to larger cardiac volumes. Since, the heart is a heterogeneous organ made up of several distinct substructures, RT dose received by the entire heart does not …

Nuclear Security Awareness Survey At A University, Marcia P. Robinson, Naomi German, Destiny B. White, Shraddha V. Rane, Jason Timothy Harris

International Journal of Nuclear Security

The concept of assessing safety culture in an organization emerged with its application at the nuclear power industry and has expanded since then. An assessment of nuclear security, on the contrary, is still under-developed, especially at non-nuclear facilities, such as academic institutions and medical facilities. To identify the level of the awareness and understanding of credible nuclear and radiological threats, response preparedness, security culture, and the integrity of nuclear security systems among non-radioactive material users at a university setting; a campus-wide survey was deployed. A total of 3,336 non-radioactive material users, including students, faculty, and staff participated in the survey. …

Comparison Of Signaling Profiles In The Low Dose Range Following Low And High Let Radiation, Deepa M. Sridharan, Lung-Chang Chien, Francis A. Cucinotta, Janice M. Pluth

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

During space travel astronauts will be exposed to a very low, mixed field of radiation containing different high LET particles of varying energies, over an extended period. Thus, defining how human cells respond to these complex low dose exposures is important in ascertaining risk. In the current study, we have chosen to investigate how low doses of three different ion's at various energies uniquely change the kinetics of three different phospho-proteins. A normal hTERT immortalized fibroblast cell line, 82–6, was exposed to a range of lower doses (0.05–0.5 Gy) of radiation of different qualities and energies (Si 1000 MeV/u, Si …

Theoretical Investigation Of The Low Frequency Fundamental Mechanism Of The Objective Occlusion Effect Induced By Bone-Conducted Stimulation, Kevin Carillo, Olivier Doutres, Franck Sgard

Études primaires

The objective occlusion effect induced by bone-conducted stimulation refers to the low frequency acoustic pressure increase that results from occluding the ear canal opening. This phenomenon is commonly interpreted as follows: the bone-conducted sound “leaks” through the earcanal opening and is “trapped” by the occlusion device. This instinctive interpretation misrepresents the fundamental mechanism of the occlusion effect related to the earcanal impedance increase and already highlighted by existing electro-acoustic models. However, these models simplify the earcanal wall vibration (i.e., the origin of the phenomenon) to a volume velocity source which, in the authors' opinion, (i) hinders an exhaustive comprehension of …

Comparative Performance Of The Nanoscan And The Classic Smps In Determining N95 Filtering Facepiece Efficiency Against Nanoparticles, Clothilde Brochot, Fariborz Haghighat, Ali Bahloul

Études primaires

Nanoparticles are defined as particles with at least one dimension in the range of 1–100 nm. Due to the special properties of nanoparticles, they are used in many workplaces, thus leading to occupational exposure. Filtering facepieces (FFPs) are generally used in these workplaces to reduce the exposure. Many studies have measured FFP efficiency in laboratories using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The aim of this study was to determine whether a NanoScan could be used to measure FFP efficiency against nanoparticles in workplaces for one type of N95 FFP. The results showed that the NanoScan gave maximum penetration and …

Quantitative Study Of The Antimicrobial Effects Of Silver On The Motility Of Escherichia Coli, Benjamin Russell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections has grown to become a serious global threat. This rise can be attributed to the widespread misuse of antibiotics and the lack of newly developed drugs to fight resistant organisms. Novel bactericidal substances have, therefore, garnered significant research interest. Silver, due to its powerful antimicrobial effects, is one such substance. Silver is typically most effective in cationic form; however, advancements in nanotechnology have paved the way for the controlled fabrication of nano-silver. Silver nanoparticles have been shown to have increased antibacterial potency for a variety of reasons, including the release of …

Feedforward And Feedback Signals In The Olfactory System, Srimoy Chakraborty

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The conglomeration of myriad activities in neural systems often results in prominent oscillations. The primary goal of the research presented in this thesis was to study effects of sensory stimulus on the olfactory system of rats, focusing on the olfactory bulb (OB) and the anterior piriform cortex (aPC). Extracellular electrophysiological measurements revealed distinct frequency bands of oscillations in OB and aPC. However, how these oscillatory fluctuations help the animal to process sensory input is not clearly understood. Here we show high frequency oscillations in olfactory bulb carry feedforward signals to anterior piriform cortex whereas feedback from the aPC is predominantly …

Classification Of Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy Plans, Louise Gabrielle Lima '19, Alice Liu '19

Student Publications & Research

Proton Radiotherapy

Proton radiotherapy is a form of radiation treatment that uses energized protons to break DNA, leading to cell death and killing cancers.

Fabrication And Characterization Of Thinner Solid-State Nanopores, Denis Forbi Tita

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Solid State nanopores that are fabricated by the ion beam sculpting process and electron beam drilling have shown great promise as a sensing device for DNA and protein molecules. Even though biological pores such as the alpha-Haemolysin have been in use for quite some time, the use of solid state Nanopores in single biomolecule detection has been on the rise since the mid 1990s. Solid State nanopores have an advantage over biological pores in that they are more robust, stable, and can be sculpted to any desired size for use in translocation experiments. One of the major challenges in Nanopore …