A benchmark for Monte Carlo simulations in gamma-ray spectrometry Part II: True coincidence summing correction factors

The goal of this study is to provide a benchmark for the use of Monte Carlo simulation when applied to coincidence summing corrections. The examples are based on simple geometries: two types of germanium detectors and four kinds of sources, to mimic eight typical measurement conditions. The coincidence corrective factors are computed for four radionuclides. The exercise input files and calculation results with practical recommendations are made available for new users on a dedicated webpage.

Gamma spectrometric measurement of uranium isotopic composition and mass in sintered UO2 pellets using the efficiency transfer method

Gamma spectrometric measurements to determine the isotopic composition and total uranium mass in UO₂ pellets (D = 7.5 mm; H = 3.5 mm, ρ = 10 g/cm³) were carried out. The required efficiency curve was obtained by applying the efficiency transfer method from a calibration standard (D = 65 mm; H = 20 mm) of a slightly acidified water solution. The average isotopic composition of ten UO₂ pellets was consistent with values of natural uranium given by IUPAC. The average relative bias for the ²³⁵U/²³⁸U amount ratio was -0.73% using the 1001 keV gamma line for ²³⁸U and 0.50% using the 63 keV gamma line (186 keV was always used for ²³⁵U). For the total uranium mass, the mean deviation as compared to mass determinations using a balance was 5.5% using the 1001 keV gamma line for ²³⁸U and 4.3% using the 63 keV gamma line.

Consistency test of coincidence-summing calculation methods for extended sources

An internal consistency test of the calculation of coincidence-summing correction factors F_C for volume sources is presented. The test is based on exact equations relating the values of F_C calculated for three ideal measurement configurations. The test is applied to a number of 33 sets of F_C values sent by 21 teams. Most sets passed the test, but not the results obtained using the quasi-point source approximation; in the latter case the test qualitatively indicated the magnitude of the bias of F_C.

Progression of Serosal Vascular Proliferative Lesions to Hemangiosarcomas in the Uterus of the 26-Week Tg.rasH2 Mice Carcinogenicity Studies

Tg.rasH2 mice are predisposed to hemangiosarcomas. Following the spleen, the uterus is the second most commonly affected organ in the female mice. Female mice are also predisposed to spontaneous vascular proliferative lesions on the serosal surface of the uterus, in which there is proliferation of normal vessels that are lined by well-differentiated endothelial cells. The hemangiosarcomas and vascular proliferative lesions can occur independently. In our facility, we have recorded a total of 47 uterine hemangiosarcomas in 3,985 female Tg.rasH2 mice assigned to various groups in 38 studies. Of these 47 cases, we have seen 22 (46.8%) cases where there was a clear progression of the serosal uterine vascular proliferative lesion into a hemangiosarcoma. In the remaining 25 (53.2%) cases, the uterine hemangiosarcomas involved myometrium and endometrium, but there was no serosal vascular proliferation. Based on the retrospective analysis of our data, we demonstrate that the vascular proliferative lesions noted on the serosal surfaces can progress to hemangiosarcomas and therefore these vascular proliferative lesions should be considered as preneoplastic lesions.

Exudative Inflammatory Lesions in the Nasal Cavities of the 26-Week Tg.rasH2 Mice Oral Gavage Carcinogenicity Studies

Three levels of nasal cavity sections (anterior, middle, and most posterior) are routinely examined as protocol required tissues in our 26-week carcinogenicity studies involving Tg.rasH2 mice. Exudative inflammation of the nasal cavity was noted in the most posterior section of both males and females that were administered vehicle and/or test article via oral gavage, particularly when the vehicle and/or test article had irritant properties, was in the form of a salt, had a low pH, and/or was viscous. The exudative inflammatory lesion was characterized by the presence of eosinophilic proteinaceous fluid, fibrin, mucin, sloughed cells, and degenerate neutrophils within the nasal cavities. In lesions of increased severity, there was often degeneration, necrosis, and erosion of the underlying mucosa. Often, there was hyperplasia as well as squamous metaplasia of the mucosa. Retrospective analysis of our data, involving thirty-two 26-week Tg.rasH2 carcinogenicity studies, revealed that despite the presence of these exudative inflammatory changes with degeneration, necrosis, and mucosal hyperplasia, progression to tumor formation in the nasal cavities was rare and the incidence of nasal tumors was comparable in animals with or without exudative inflammatory lesions.

Assessing sample attenuation parameters for use in low-energy efficiency transfer in gamma-ray spectrometry

We present a numerical fitting method for transmission data that outputs an equivalent sample composition. This output is used as input to a generalised efficiency transfer model based on the EFFTRAN software integrated in a LIMS. The procedural concept allows choosing between efficiency transfer with a predefined sample composition or with an experimentally determined composition based on a transmission measurement. The method can be used for simultaneous quantification of low-energy gamma emitters like (210)Pb, (241)Am, (234)Th in typical environmental samples.

Trend Analysis of Body Weight Parameters, Mortality, and Incidence of Spontaneous Tumors in Tg.rasH2 Mice

Carcinogenicity studies have been performed in conventional 2-year rodent studies for at least 3 decades, whereas the short-term carcinogenicity studies in transgenic mice, such as Tg.rasH2, have only been performed over the last decade. In the 2-year conventional rodent studies, interlinked problems, such as increasing trends in the initial body weights, increased body weight gains, high incidence of spontaneous tumors, and low survival, that complicate the interpretation of findings have been well established. However, these end points have not been evaluated in the short-term carcinogenicity studies involving the Tg.rasH2 mice. In this article, we present retrospective analysis of data obtained from control groups in 26-week carcinogenicity studies conducted in Tg.rasH2 mice since 2004. Our analysis showed statistically significant decreasing trends in initial body weights of both sexes. Although the terminal body weights did not show any significant trends, there was a statistically significant increasing trend toward body weight gains, more so in males than in females, which correlated with increasing trends in the food consumption. There were no statistically significant alterations in mortality trends. In addition, the incidence of all common spontaneous tumors remained fairly constant with no statistically significant differences in trends.

A dedicated LIMS for routine gamma-ray spectrometry

We developed a Microsoft(®) Access-based LIMS (Laboratory Information and Management Systems), γ-LIMS, for the management of our gamma-spectrometry laboratory, in which thousands of routine, but high-quality analyses are performed each year. This paper explains the main features of the γ-LIMS and puts special attention on the interfacing methods and solutions for using the Genie™2000 spectrometry software in conjunction with the EFFTRAN package, which serves for efficiency transfer calculations, coincidence summing corrections and a procedure for uncertainty estimation.

Intercomparison of methods for coincidence summing corrections in gamma-ray spectrometry--part II (volume sources)

The second part of an intercomparison of the coincidence summing correction methods is presented. This exercise concerned three volume sources, filled with liquid radioactive solution. The same experimental spectra, decay scheme and photon emission intensities were used by all the participants. The results were expressed as coincidence summing corrective factors for several energies of (152)Eu and (134)Cs, and different source-to-detector distances. They are presented and discussed.

Cartilage degradation biomarkers predict efficacy of a novel, highly selective matrix metalloproteinase 13 inhibitor in a dog model of osteoarthritis: confirmation by multivariate analysis that modulation of type II collagen and aggrecan degradation peptides parallels pathologic changes

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate that the novel highly selective matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) inhibitor PF152 reduces joint lesions in adult dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) and decreases biomarkers of cartilage degradation.

METHODS

The potency and selectivity of PF152 were evaluated in vitro using 16 MMPs, TACE, and ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5, as well as ex vivo in human cartilage explants. In vivo effects were evaluated at 3 concentrations in mature beagles with partial medial meniscectomy. Gross and histologic changes in the femorotibial joints were evaluated using various measures of cartilage degeneration. Biomarkers of cartilage turnover were examined in serum, urine, or synovial fluid. Results were analyzed individually and in combination using multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

The potent and selective MMP-13 inhibitor PF152 decreased human cartilage degradation ex vivo in a dose-dependent manner. PF152 treatment of dogs with OA reduced cartilage lesions and decreased biomarkers of type II collagen (type II collagen neoepitope) and aggrecan (peptides ending in ARGN or AGEG) degradation. The dose required for significant inhibition varied with the measure used, but multivariate analysis of 6 gross and histologic measures indicated that all doses differed significantly from vehicle but not from each other. Combined analysis of cartilage degradation markers showed similar results.

CONCLUSION

This highly selective MMP-13 inhibitor exhibits chondroprotective effects in mature animals. Biomarkers of cartilage degradation, when evaluated in combination, parallel the joint structural changes induced by the MMP-13 inhibitor. These data support the potential therapeutic value of selective MMP-13 inhibitors and the use of a set of appropriate biomarkers to predict efficacy in OA clinical trials.

Twenty-year follow-up study of radiocesium migration in soil

The profile of (137)Cs present in undisturbed soil due to the Chernobyl accident was measured repeatedly for approximately 20 y. The vertical migration of (137)Cs in soil is a very slow process. The mean vertical migration velocity is estimated at approximately 0.1-0.2 cm y(-1). A method based on in situ gamma spectrometry measurements and Monte Carlo computations, aimed at estimating the profile of (137)Cs without performing any soil sampling, is investigated.

Close-geometry efficiency calibration of p-type HPGe detectors with a Cs-134 point source

When close-geometry detector calibration is required in gamma-ray spectrometry, single-line emitters are usually used in order to avoid true coincidence summing effects. We managed to overcome this limitation by developing a method for the determination of the efficiency of p-type HPGe detectors in close-geometry with a calibrated Cs-134 point source. No separate determination of coincidence summing correction factors is required and a single measurement furnishes the full-energy-peak efficiencies in the 475-1365 keV energy range.

Systematic and non-systematic effects of the uncertainty of the sample position in gamma-ray spectrometry

When cylindrical samples placed coaxially with the detector are measured on a gamma-ray spectrometer, the position of the sample very often deviates from an ideal one with the axes of the sample and the detector less than perfectly aligned. If a calibrated source is used prior to the measurement and is presumed to have been positioned correctly, one might conclude that the misalignment of the measured sample should result in an uncertainty of the reported nuclide activity, since the efficiencies of the sample and the calibrated source are effectively different due to the difference in placement. The efficiency of a displaced cylindrical sample, however, is always lower than the one of a sample that is perfectly aligned. The net effect of misalignment can therefore be not only an increase in the uncertainty of the activity, but also a systematic error in its evaluation. Since the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement requires that all such systematic effects be corrected for, we have developed a method to assess the change in the efficiency resulting from misalignment and to introduce the required correction. The calculation of this correction only requires knowledge of basic sample and detector data. The uncertainty of the reported activity can then also be assessed and is influenced by the uncertainty of the efficiency evaluated around its new, corrected value. An appropriate expression for this uncertainty has been derived.

Monte Carlo calculation of entire in situ gamma-ray spectra

We present a method for the synthesis of entire in situ gamma-ray spectra based on Monte Carlo calculations and measured data that characterize the detector properties. The method can serve for the determination of the effective depth of 137Cs in soil based on the information contained in the low-energy part of an in situ spectrum. Effective depth is defined as the depth of a plane distribution of 137Cs beneath the surface that reproduces the fluence energy and angular distribution at 1 m above the ground of gamma rays belonging to the real 137Cs distributions. We managed to reproduce the measured in situ spectra with our method and to demonstrate that the method allows the determination of the effective depth of 137Cs with a precision of 10(-2) m. The method requires minimal experimental characterization of the detector and is not sensitive to the details of the detector model and the soil composition and density employed in the Monte Carlo calculations.

Analysis of gamma-ray spectra from HPGe detectors in field conditions without explicit energy calibration

A novel approach to the analysis of high-resolution gamma-ray spectra from HPGe detectors is presented. Identification of the nuclides contributing to the spectrum is performed in an energy-calibration-free manner by a correlation technique. The performance of the system proves to be robust with a possibility of integrating a high degree of expertise. This is most suitable for in-field emergency applications, where intelligent software is of essential importance. The approach is also suitable for laboratory analysis in less experienced laboratories, where HPGe detectors are used sporadically.

Automated construction of detector models for efficiency interpolation in gamma-ray spectrometry

A method was developed for automated construction of detector models in gamma-ray spectrometry, which can be used in Monte Carlo calculations of efficiency calibration curves. Full-energy peak efficiencies were first measured for different gamma-ray energies and for a given sample-detector arrangement and then calculated by the Monte Carlo method. For these calculations a detector model was employed along with a computer algorithm, which seeks agreement between the experimental efficiencies and the calculated ones by automatically determining the parameters of the model. The resulting agreement of the calculated data with the experimental one was within the relative uncertainty of the latter (3-4%) and the parameters of the detector models obtained were close to the values specified by the manufacturers. The detector models thus constructed can then be used for interpolation of calibration curves.

Intercomparison of efficiency transfer software for gamma-ray spectrometry

The EUROMET project 428 examines efficiency transfer results for Ge gamma-ray spectrometers when the efficiency is known for a reference point source geometry. For this, different methods are used, such as Monte Carlo simulation or semi-empirical computation. The exercise compares the application of these methods to the same selected experimental cases to determine the usage limitations versus the requested accuracy. For carefully examining these results and trying to derive information for improving the computation codes, this study was limited to a few simple cases. The first part concerns the simplest case of geometry transfer, i.e., using point sources for 3 source-to-detector distances: 2, 5 and 20 cm; the second part deals with transfer from point source geometry to cylindrical geometry with three different matrices. The general conclusion is that the deviations between the computed results and the measured efficiencies are mostly within 10%. The quality of the results is rather inhomogeneous and shows that these codes cannot be used directly for metrological purposes. However, most of them are operational for routine measurements when efficiency uncertainties of 5-10% can be sufficient.

A theoretical description of diffusion and migration of 137Cs in soil

Careful measurements of activity concentrations of 137Cs in soil samples taken layer by layer in autumn of 1999 in Slovenia are confronted with a prediction based on the diffusion-convection equation with a boundary condition which--unlike the boundary conditions applied in the literature so far--conserves the deposited activity over time, except for the natural decay. It is shown that it is essential to consider the deposits from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests and the Chernobyl accident to arrive at a good fit to the measured data. The corresponding Green's function as well as the diffusion constant and migration speed based on the analysis are given.

Monte Carlo determination of gamma-ray dose rate with the GEANT system

Conversion factors for the dose rate 1 m above the ground level from the measured activities for different gamma-ray emitters in soil are calculated using the Monte Carlo method. The calculations are based on the GEANT system developed at CERN, Geneva. Results for the uniform and surface distribution of the emitters in the soil are given for gamma-ray energies in the interval between 20 keV and 3 MeV. They are similar to those of the recent report of ICRU that indicates that GEANT system is suitable for application in health physics problems. For 137Cs the dose rates for plane sources at different depths are given, which allow for the calculation of the dose rate for any depth distribution of the activity in the soil.

Morphometric analysis of the vagus nerve in non-diabetic and ketonuric diabetic Chinese hamsters

Morphometric analysis of axons from the ventral division of the vagus nerve of ketonuric diabetic Chinese hamsters and age-sex matched non-diabetic controls was performed to determine the frequency distribution and numerical and volume density. Myelinated fibres of diabetics displayed a significant reduction in diameter (P less than 0.001) compared with controls, which was correlated inversely with progressive ketonuria (P less than 0.05). The reduced calibre of myelinated fibres was the result of thin myelin sheaths rather than a reduction in axon diameter. A marked decrease in numerical density (P less than 0.05) and volume density (P less than 0.005) was found in the myelinated fibres of diabetics compared with controls. Non-myelinated axons showed a significant shift to smaller diameter (P less than 0.001) in diabetics, which was correlated inversely with duration of ketonuria (P less than 0.05). Numerical density of non-myelinated axons was increased (P less than 0.01) in diabetic hamsters whereas volume density was comparable in diabetic and control animals. These data provide morphological evidence of impairment in the parasympathetic nervous system which may be a major factor underlying previously reported gastrointestinal and pancreatic islet dysfunction in the diabetic Chinese hamster.