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NASA NTRS2001

Radiation transport modeling and assessment to better predict radiation exposure, dose, and toxicological effects to human organs on long duration space flights

NASA is very interested in improving its ability to monitor and forecast the radiation levels that pose a health risk to space-walking astronauts as they construct the International Space Station and astronauts that will participate in long-term and deep-space missions. Human exploratory missions to the moon and Mars within the next quarter century, will expose crews to transient radiation from solar particle events which include high-energy galactic cosmic rays and high-energy protons. Because the radiation levels in space are high and solar activity is presently unpredictable, adequate shielding is needed to minimize the deleterious health effects of exposure to radiation. Today, numerous models have been developed and used to predict radiation exposure. Such a model is the Space Environment Information Systems (SPENVIS) modeling program, developed by the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronautics. SPENVIS, which has been assessed to be an excellent tool in characterizing the radiation environment for microelectronics and investigating orbital debris, is being evaluated for its usefulness with determining the dose and dose-equivalent for human exposure. Thus far. the calculations for dose-depth relations under varying shielding conditions have been in agreement with calculations done using HZETRN and PDOSE, which are well-known and widely used models for characterizing the environments for human exploratory missions. There is disagreement when assessing the impact of secondary radiation particles since SPENVIS does a crude estimation of the secondary radiation particles when calculating LET versus Flux. SPENVIS was used to model dose-depth relations for the blood-forming organs. Radiation sickness and cancer are life-threatening consequences resulting from radiation exposure. In space. exposure to radiation generally includes all of the critical organs. Biological and toxicological impacts have been included for discussion along with alternative risk mitigation methods--shielding and anti-carcinogens. c 2001. Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

STS-91 Shuttle Project↗
DOE OSTI2016

Influence of proton radiation on the minority carrier lifetime in midwave infrared InAs/InAsSb superlattices

Influence of proton radiation on the minority carrier lifetime and on carrier concentrations in InAs/InAsSb superlattices has been studied for radiation doses up to 300 krad. The lifetime decreased from 1.8 μs down to 430 ns as the dose was increased. A variation of the carrier concentration in the range 1–2 × 10{sup 15} with increasing radiation dose was observed. The lifetime drop was however mainly caused by added Shockley-Read-Hall defects in the material. The position of these Shockley-Read-Hall centers was estimated to ∼60 meV below the conduction band edge from comparison between calculated and measured temperature dependencies of the minority carrier lifetime.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accurate Dosimetry for Radiobiology

Accurate radiation dose is required to ensure reproducibility in establishing the radiobiological effect in biological systems among institutions. The dose should be the most precise and accurate parameter of the entire process. The goal is a system to provide uniform radiation dose verification among institutions that is traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through an Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-D-204-06: Dose and Image Quality Evaluation of a Low-Dose Slot-Scanning X-Ray System for Pediatric Orthopedic Studies

Purpose: Children in early teens with scoliosis require repeated radiographic exams over a number of years. The EOS (EOS imaging S.A., Paris, France) is a novel low-dose slot-scanning digital radiographic system designed to produce full-spine images of a free-standing patient. The radiation dose and image quality characteristics of the EOS were evaluated relative to those of a Computed Radiography (CR) system for scoliosis imaging. Methods: For dose evaluation, a full-torso anthropomorphic phantom was scanned five times using the default standard clinical protocols for both the EOS and a CR system, which include both posteroanterior and lateral full-spine views. Optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs), also known as nanoDots™ (Landauer, Inc., Glenwood, IL), were placed on the phantom’s surface to measure entrance skin dose. To assess image quality, MTF curves were generated from sampling the noise levels within the high-contrast regions of a line-pair phantom. Vertical and horizontal distortions were measured for the square line-pair phantom with the EOS system to evaluate the effects of geometric magnification and misalignment with the indicated imaging plane. Results: The entrance skin dose was measured to be 0.4 to 1.1 mGy for the EOS, and 0.7 to 3.6 mGy for the CR study. MTF comparison shows that CR greatly outperforms the EOS, despite both systems having a limiting resolution at 1.8 line-pairs per mm. Vertical distortion was unaffected by phantom positioning, because of the EOS slot-scanning geometry. Horizontal distortion increased linearly with miscentering distance. Conclusion: The EOS system resulted in approximately 70% lower radiation dose than CR for full-spine images. Image quality was found to be inferior to CR. Further investigation is required to see if EOS system is an acceptable modality for performing clinically diagnostic scoliosis examinations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Volumetric tumor burden and its effect on brachial plexus dosimetry in head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy

To determine the effect of gross tumor volume of the primary (GTV-P) and nodal (GTV-N) disease on planned radiation dose to the brachial plexus (BP) in head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Overall, 75 patients underwent definitive IMRT to a median total dose of 69.96 Gy in 33 fractions. The right BP and left BP were prospectively contoured as separate organs at risk. The GTV was related to BP dose using the unpaired t-test. Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed to determine optimized volumetric thresholds of GTV-P and GTV-N corresponding to a maximum BP dose cutoff of > 66 Gy. Multivariate analyses were performed to account for factors associated with a higher maximal BP dose. A higher maximum BP dose (> 66 vs ≤ 66 Gy) correlated with a greater mean GTV-P (79.5 vs 30.8 cc; p = 0.001) and ipsilateral GTV-N (60.6 vs 19.8 cc; p = 0.014). When dichotomized by the optimized nodal volume, patients with an ipsilateral GTV-N ≥ 4.9 vs < 4.9 cc had a significant difference in maximum BP dose (64.2 vs 59.4 Gy; p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that an ipsilateral GTV-N ≥ 4.9 cc was an independent predictor for the BP to receive a maximal dose of > 66 Gy when adjusted individually for BP volume, GTV-P, the use of a low anterior neck field technique, total planned radiation dose, and tumor category. Although both the primary and the nodal tumor volumes affected the BP maximal dose, the ipsilateral nodal tumor volume (GTV-N ≥ 4.9 cc) was an independent predictor for high maximal BP dose constraints in head and neck IMRT.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Verification of RESRAD-BUILD Code Version 4

This report documents the verification of the RESRAD-BUILD code, Version 4.0, which was released on December 22, 2022. Two earlier reports verifying Versions 3.0 and 3.1, respectively, were published in 2001 (Kamboj, et al. 2001) and 2003 (Tetra Tech NUS 2003). Version 4.0 of the RESRAD-BUILD code has many new features and modeling enhancements over the earlier versions, including the previously released Version 3.5. Chapter 2 of this report focuses on verifying the external dose and risk modeling for point, line, area, and volume sources, as well as for floor deposition. Besides verification, the external radiation doses calculated by RESRAD-BUILD were also benchmarked with those calculated by the MCNP code (Briemeister 1993). Section J.3 of the RESRAD-BUILD User’s Manual Vol. 1 (Yu et al. 2022) documents the results of that benchmarking effort. Chapter 3 of this report focuses on verifying the ventilation modeling, from checking the remaining source inventory, releases of radionuclides to the air, air concentrations and deposited floor concentrations over time, to the radiation dose and risk associated with inhalation, ingestion, and air submersion, with and without vacuuming. The verification efforts involve designing spreadsheets to perform calculations the same as or like those performed by the RESRAD-BUILD code and then comparing the spreadsheet results with those produced by the code. When the results agree or the differences are within acceptable range, the accuracy of model implementation in the code is verified. In addition to model implementation, the implementation of key functions and features that facilitate the modeling or the use of the code were also verified during the release testing of the code. Appendix A presents the test cases developed for these verification testing, and Appendix B presents the testing results that verify proper implementation of key functions and features.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

WE-G-18A-01: JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR WINNER - Low-Dose C-Arm Cone-Beam CT with Model-Based Image Reconstruction for High-Quality Guidance of Neurosurgical Intervention

Purpose: To address the challenges of image quality, radiation dose, and reconstruction speed in intraoperative cone-beam CT (CBCT) for neurosurgery by combining model-based image reconstruction (MBIR) with accelerated algorithmic and computational methods. Methods: Preclinical studies involved a mobile C-arm for CBCT imaging of two anthropomorphic head phantoms that included simulated imaging targets (ventricles, soft-tissue structures/bleeds) and neurosurgical procedures (deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode insertion) for assessment of image quality. The penalized likelihood (PL) framework was used for MBIR, incorporating a statistical model with image regularization via an edgepreserving penalty. To accelerate PL reconstruction, the ordered-subset, separable quadratic surrogates (OS-SQS) algorithm was modified to incorporate Nesterov's method and implemented on a multi-GPU system. A fair comparison of image quality between PL and conventional filtered backprojection (FBP) was performed by selecting reconstruction parameters that provided matched low-contrast spatial resolution. Results: CBCT images of the head phantoms demonstrated that PL reconstruction improved image quality (∼28% higher CNR) even at half the radiation dose (3.3 mGy) compared to FBP. A combination of Nesterov's method and fast projectors yielded a PL reconstruction run-time of 251 sec (cf., 5729 sec for OS-SQS, 13 sec for FBP). Insertion of a DBS electrode resulted in severe metal artifact streaks in FBP reconstructions, whereas PL was intrinsically robust against metal artifact. The combination of noise and artifact was reduced from 32.2 HU in FBP to 9.5 HU in PL, thereby providing better assessment of device placement and potential complications. Conclusion: The methods can be applied to intraoperative CBCT for guidance and verification of neurosurgical procedures (DBS electrode insertion, biopsy, tumor resection) and detection of complications (intracranial hemorrhage). Significant improvement in image quality, dose reduction, and reconstruction time of ∼4 min will enable practical deployment of low-dose C-arm CBCT within the operating room. AAPM Research Seed Funding (2013-2014); NIH Fellowship F32EB017571; Siemens Healthcare (XP Division)

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

[{sup 18}F]FDG-PET Standard Uptake Value as a Metabolic Predictor of Bone Marrow Response to Radiation: Impact on Acute and Late Hematological Toxicity in Cervical Cancer Patients Treated With Chemoradiation Therapy

Purpose: To quantify the relationship between bone marrow (BM) response to radiation and radiation dose by using {sup 18}F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography [{sup 18}F]FDG-PET standard uptake values (SUV) and to correlate these findings with hematological toxicity (HT) in cervical cancer (CC) patients treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials: Seventeen women with a diagnosis of CC were treated with standard doses of CRT. All patients underwent pre- and post-therapy [{sup 18}F]FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT). Hemograms were obtained before and during treatment and 3 months after treatment and at last follow-up. Pelvic bone was autosegmented as total bone marrow (BM{sub TOT}). Active bone marrow (BM{sub ACT}) was contoured based on SUV greater than the mean SUV of BM{sub TOT}. The volumes (V) of each region receiving 10, 20, 30, and 40 Gy (V{sub 10}, V{sub 20}, V{sub 30}, and V{sub 40}, respectively) were calculated. Metabolic volume histograms and voxel SUV map response graphs were created. Relative changes in SUV before and after therapy were calculated by separating SUV voxels into radiation therapy dose ranges of 5 Gy. The relationships among SUV decrease, radiation dose, and HT were investigated using multiple regression models. Results: Mean relative pre-post-therapy SUV reductions in BM{sub TOT} and BM{sub ACT} were 27% and 38%, respectively. BM{sub ACT} volume was significantly reduced after treatment (from 651.5 to 231.6 cm{sup 3}, respectively; P<.0001). BM{sub ACT} V{sub 30} was significantly correlated with a reduction in BM{sub ACT} SUV (R{sup 2}, 0.14; P<.001). The reduction in BM{sub ACT} SUV significantly correlated with reduction in white blood cells (WBCs) at 3 months post-treatment (R{sup 2}, 0.27; P=.04) and at last follow-up (R{sup 2}, 0.25; P=.04). Different dosimetric parameters of BM{sub TOT} and BM{sub ACT} correlated with long-term hematological outcome. Conclusions: The volumes of BM{sub TOT} and BM{sub ACT} that are exposed to even relatively low doses of radiation are associated with a decrease in WBC counts following CRT. The loss in proliferative BM SUV uptake translates into low WBC nadirs after treatment. These results suggest the potential of intensity modulated radiation therapy to spare BM{sub TOT} to reduce long-term hematological toxicity.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-J-04: A Data-Driven, Response-Based, Multi-Criteria Decision Support System for Personalized Lung Radiation Treatment Planning

Purpose: To develop a decision support tool to predict a patient's potential overall survival (OS) and radiation induced toxicity (RIT) based on clinical factors and responses during the course of radiotherapy, and suggest appropriate radiation dose adjustments to improve therapeutic effect. Methods: Important relationships between a patient's basic information and their clinical features before and during the radiation treatment are identified from historical clinical data by using statistical learning and data mining approaches. During each treatment period, a data analysis (DA) module predicts radiotherapy features such as time to local progression (TTLP), time to distant metastases (TTDM), radiation toxicity to different organs, etc., under possible future treatment plans based on patient specifics or responses. An information fusion (IF) module estimates intervals for a patient's OS and the probabilities of RIT from a treatment plan by integrating the outcomes of module DA. A decision making (DM) module calculates “satisfaction” with the predicted radiation outcome based on trade-offs between OS and RIT, and finds the best treatment plan for the next time period via multi-criteria optimization. Results: Using physical and biological data from 130 lung cancer patients as our test bed, we were able to train and implement the 3 modules of our decision support tool. Examples demonstrate how it can help predict a new patient's potential OS and RIT with different radiation dose plans along with how these combinations change with dose, thus presenting a range of satisfaction/utility for use in individualized decision support. Conclusion: Although the decision support tool is currently developed from a small patient sample size, it shows the potential for the improvement of each patient's satisfaction in personalized radiation therapy. The radiation treatment outcome prediction and decision making model needs to be evaluated with more patients and demonstrated for use in radiation treatments for other cancers. P01-CA59827;R01CA142840.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Association of Radiation Exposure with Stable Chromosome Aberrations in Atomic Bomb Survivors Based on DS02R1 Dosimetry and FISH Methods

The frequency of stable chromosome aberrations (sCA) in lymphocytes is a recognized radiation biological dosimeter. Its analysis can provide insights into factors that affect individual susceptibility as well as into the adequacy of radiation dose estimates used in studies of atomic bomb survivors. We analyzed the relationship between atomic bomb radiation exposure using the most recent DS02R1 dose estimates and the frequency of sCA as determined by FISH in 1,868 atomic bomb survivors. We investigated factors that may affect the background sCA rate and the shape and magnitude of the dose response. As in previous analyses of sCA in atomic bomb survivors that were based on Giemsa staining methods and used older DS86 dose estimates, the relationship between radiation dose and sCA rate was significant (P < 0.0001) with a linear-quadratic relationship at lower doses that did not persist at higher doses. As before, age at the time of the bombing and type of radiation shielding were significant dose-effect modifiers (P < 0.0001), but in contrast the difference in dose response by city was not so pronounced (P = 0.026) with a city effect not evident at doses below 1.25Gy. Background sCA rate increased with age at the time of examination (P < 0.0001), but neither sex, city, nor smoking was significantly associated with background rate. Based on FISH methods and recent dosimetry, the relationship between radiation dose and sCA frequency is largely consistent with previous findings, although the lesser importance of city as an effect modifier may reflect better dosimetry as well as more reproducible scoring of sCA. The persisting difference in sCA dose response by shielding category points to remaining problems with the accuracy or precision of radiation dose estimates in some A-bomb survivors.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-QI-13: Predictable Models for Radio-Sensitizing Agent Kinetics: Application to Stereotactic Synchrotron Radiation Therapy

Purpose: Iodine-enhanced radiotherapy is an innovative treatment combining the selective accumulation of an iodinated contrast agent in brain tumors with irradiations using monochromatic medium energy x-rays. The radiation dose enhancement depends on the time course of iodine in the tumors. A prolonged CT scanning (∼30 min) is required to follow-up iodine kinetics for recruited patients. This protocol could lead to substantial radiation dose to the patient. A novel method is proposed to reduce the acquisition time. Methods: 12 patients received an intravenous bolus of iodinated contrast agent, followed by a steady-state infusion to ensure stable intra-tumoral amounts of iodine during the treatment. Absolute iodine concentrations (IC) were derived from 40 multi-slice dynamic conventional CT images of the brain. The impulse response function (IRF) to the bolus was estimated using the adiabatic approximation of the Johnson and Wilson's model. The arterial input function (AIF) of the steady-state infusion was fitted with several models: Gamma, Gamma with recirculation and hybrid. Estimated IC were calculated by convolving the IRF with the modeled AIF and were compared to the measured data. Results: The gamma variate function was not relevant to model the AIF due to high differences with the measured AIF. The hybrid and the gamma with recirculation models provided differences below 8% during the whole acquisition time. The absolute difference between the measured and the estimated IC was lower than 0.5 mg/ml, which corresponds to 5% of dose enhancement error. Conclusion: The proposed method allows a good estimation of the iodine time course with reduced scanning delays (3 instead of 30 min) and dose to the patient. The results suggest that the dose errors may stay within the radiotherapy standards.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2013: DOE Operations at The Boeing Company, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Area IV

This Annual Site Environmental Report (ASER) for 2013 describes the environmental conditions related to work performed for the Department of Energy (DOE) at Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL). The Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC), a government-owned, company-operated test facility, was located in Area IV. The operations in Area IV included development, fabrication, operation and disassembly of nuclear reactors, reactor fuel, and other radioactive materials. Other activities in the area involved the operation of large-scale liquid metal facilities that were used for testing non-nuclear liquid metal fast breeder reactor components. All nuclear work was terminated in 1988, and all subsequent radiological work has been directed toward environmental restoration and decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of the former nuclear facilities and their associated sites. Liquid metal research and development ended in 2002. Since May 2007, the D&D operations in Area IV have been suspended by the DOE, but the environmental monitoring and characterization programs have continued. Results of the radiological monitoring program for the calendar year 2013 continue to indicate that there are no significant releases of radioactive material from Area IV of SSFL. All potential exposure pathways are sampled and/or monitored, including air, soil, surface water, groundwater, direct radiation, transfer of property (land, structures, waste), and recycling. Due to the suspension of D&D activities in Area IV, no effluents were released into the atmosphere during 2013. Therefore, the potential radiation dose to the general public through airborne release was zero. Similarly, the radiation dose to an offsite member of the public (maximally exposed individual) due to direct radiation from SSFL is indistinguishable from background. All radioactive wastes are processed for disposal at DOE disposal sites and/or other licensed sites approved by DOE for radioactive waste disposal. No liquid radioactive wastes were released into the environment in 2013.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations compared to in-vivo MDCT dosimetry

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of a Monte Carlo simulation-based method for estimating radiation dose from multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) by comparing simulated doses in ten patients to in-vivo dose measurements. Methods: MD Anderson Cancer Center Institutional Review Board approved the acquisition of in-vivo rectal dose measurements in a pilot study of ten patients undergoing virtual colonoscopy. The dose measurements were obtained by affixing TLD capsules to the inner lumen of rectal catheters. Voxelized patient models were generated from the MDCT images of the ten patients, and the dose to the TLD for all exposures was estimated using Monte Carlo based simulations. The Monte Carlo simulation results were compared to the in-vivo dose measurements to determine accuracy. Results: The calculated mean percent difference between TLD measurements and Monte Carlo simulations was −4.9% with standard deviation of 8.7% and a range of −22.7% to 5.7%. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate very good agreement between simulated and measured doses in-vivo. Taken together with previous validation efforts, this work demonstrates that the Monte Carlo simulation methods can provide accurate estimates of radiation dose in patients undergoing CT examinations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Identification of mechanisms responsible for low dose radioprotective responses in vivo

This project was a renewal of our previous Low Dose Radiation Research Program grant. In the previous grant we used the very sensitive pKZ1 chromosomal inversion assay in vivo to study the effect of very low doses of X-radiation. Using this assay we studied doses ranging from single whole body doses of 1 μGy up to 2 Gy X-rays and confirmed a 3 phase dose-response with an increase in inversions in the 5-10 μGy range, a decrease below sham-treated in the 1-10 mGy dose range and an increase in inversions for greater than 100 mGy. The same results were observed in both spleen and prostate. All doses below 10 mGy and as low as 1 μGy were capable of protecting from high dose radiation induced inversions and were therefore conditioning (adapting) doses. We also carried out a study in pKZ1 heterozygous ATM mice and found that the responses were the same as in normal ATM animals. We were the first to show that the low conditioning dose could be administered 3 hours after the high dose and still induce an adaptive response. In the previous grant we also commenced temporal studies to determine if the changes in the frequency of inversions after radiation exposure were permanent effects. We developed a lymphocyte adoptive transfer method with the aim of providing evidence for bystander effects in vivo and we started investigating intercellular induced apoptosis as a potential mechanism to explain adaptive responses for cancer end-points via radiation-induced removal of pre-tumour cells. We also studied the effect of the chemical radioprotector, amifostine, on pKZ1 chromosomal inversions where we found remarkable similarities to the pKZ1 chromosomal inversion dose-response patterns and adaptive response patterns that we had previously observed with low dose radiation. In this renewal grant we continued on with many of these experiments and concentrated on understanding the mechanism of adaptive responses in vivo. Studying mechanism in vivo is very difficult, time consuming and expensive. The pKZ1 assay, because of its extreme sensitivity to low doses of ionising radiation, potentially provides a system whereby we can gain some insight into low dose radiation adaptive response mechanisms in vivo. The overall goal of this project was to identify mechanisms responsible for low dose radioprotective responses in vivo.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

How accurately can the peak skin dose in fluoroscopy be determined using indirect dose metrics?

Purpose: Skin dosimetry is important for fluoroscopically-guided interventions, as peak skin doses (PSD) that result in skin reactions can be reached during these procedures. There is no consensus as to whether or not indirect skin dosimetry is sufficiently accurate for fluoroscopically-guided interventions. However, measuring PSD with film is difficult and the decision to do so must be madea priori. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of different types of indirect dose estimates and to determine if PSD can be calculated within ±50% using indirect dose metrics for embolization procedures. Methods: PSD were measured directly using radiochromic film for 41 consecutive embolization procedures at two sites. Indirect dose metrics from the procedures were collected, including reference air kerma. Four different estimates of PSD were calculated from the indirect dose metrics and compared along with reference air kerma to the measured PSD for each case. The four indirect estimates included a standard calculation method, the use of detailed information from the radiation dose structured report, and two simplified calculation methods based on the standard method. Indirect dosimetry results were compared with direct measurements, including an analysis of uncertainty associated with film dosimetry. Factors affecting the accuracy of the different indirect estimates were examined. Results: When using the standard calculation method, calculated PSD were within ±35% for all 41 procedures studied. Calculated PSD were within ±50% for a simplified method using a single source-to-patient distance for all calculations. Reference air kerma was within ±50% for all but one procedure. Cases for which reference air kerma or calculated PSD exhibited large (±35%) differences from the measured PSD were analyzed, and two main causative factors were identified: unusually small or large source-to-patient distances and large contributions to reference air kerma from cone beam computed tomography or acquisition runs acquired at large primary gantry angles. When calculated uncertainty limits [−12.8%, 10%] were applied to directly measured PSD, most indirect PSD estimates remained within ±50% of the measured PSD. Conclusions: Using indirect dose metrics, PSD can be determined within ±35% for embolization procedures. Reference air kerma can be used without modification to set notification limits and substantial radiation dose levels, provided the displayed reference air kerma is accurate. These results can reasonably be extended to similar procedures, including vascular and interventional oncology. Considering these results, film dosimetry is likely an unnecessary effort for these types of procedures when indirect dose metrics are available.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

1.5 MeV proton irradiation effects on electrical and structural properties of TiO{sub 2}/n-Si interface

In this paper, we report the effect of 1.5 MeV proton beam irradiation dose on the structural and electrical properties of TiO{sub 2} thin films deposited on n–Si substrates. The formation and transformation of different TiO{sub 2} phases in the irradiated thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the as grown film was rich in Ti{sub 5}O{sub 9} phase and then converted to mixed phases of TiO{sub 2} (rutile and anatase) after exposure with radiation doses up to 5 × 10{sup 14} cm{sup −2}. The XPS results revealed the formation of oxygen vacancy (negative) traps in the exposed TiO{sub 2} films, which showed strong dependence on the dose. The C-V measurements showed that proton radiations also damaged the Si substrate and created deep level defects in the substrate, which caused a shift of 0.26 ± 0.01 V in the flat band voltage (V{sub FB}). I–V measurements showed that the ideality factor increased and the rectification ratio dropped with the increase in the radiation dose. The present study showed the stability of TiO{sub 2}/Si interface and TiO{sub 2} film as an oxide layer against proton radiations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Role of Defects in Swelling and Creep of Irradiated SiC

Silicon carbide is a promising cladding material because of its high strength and relatively good corrosion resistance. However, SiC is brittle and therefore SiC-based components need to be carefully designed to avoid cracking and failure by fracture. In design of SiC-based composites for nuclear reactor applications it is essential to take into account how mechanical properties are affected by radiation and temperature, or in other words, what strains and stresses develop in this material due to environmental conditions. While thermal strains in SiC can be predicted using classical theories, radiation-induced strains are much less understood. In particular, it is critical to correctly account for radiation swelling and radiation creep, which contribute significantly to dimensional instability of SiC under radiation. Swelling typically increases logarithmically with radiation dose and saturates at relatively low doses (damage levels of a few dpa). Consequently, swelling-induced stresses are likely to develop within a few months of operation of a reactor. Radiation-induced volume swelling in SiC can be as high as 2%, which is significantly higher than the cracking strain of 0.1% in SiC. Swelling-induced strains will lead to enormous stresses and fracture, unless these stresses can be relaxed via some other mechanism. An effective way to achieve stress relaxation is via radiation creep. Although it has been hypothesized that both radiation swelling and radiation creep are driven by formation of defect clusters, existing models for swelling and creep in SiC are limited by the lack of understanding of specific defects that form due to radiation in the range of temperatures relevant to fuel cladding in light water reactors (LWRs) (<1000°C). For example, defects that can be detected with traditional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques account only for 10-45% of the swelling measured in irradiated SiC. Here, we have undertaken an integrated experimental and modeling effort to discover the previously invisible defects in irradiated SiC and to determine the contributions of these defects to radiation swelling. Knowledge of the most stable defect structures and the rate controlling processes during defect evolution is essential for development of predictive models for swelling and creep as a function of temperature and radiation dose. This research has been enabled by state-of-the-art imaging techniques, such as the aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) (FEI TITAN) closely coupled with multi-scale models of stable defect clusters and their evolution.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Magnetic properties of square Py nanowires: Irradiation dose and geometry dependence

Arrays of ferromagnetic patterned nanostructures with single particle lateral dimensions between 160 nm and 400 nm were created by electron-beam lithography. The fourfold particles with rectangular-shaped walls around a square open area were produced from permalloy. Their magnetic properties were measured using the longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect. The article reports about the angle-dependent coercive fields and the influence of the e-beam radiation dose on sample shapes. It is shown that a broad range of radiation dose intensities enables reliable creation of nanostructures with parameters relevant for the desired magnetization reversal scenario. The experimental results are finally compared with micromagnetic simulations to explain the findings.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗