Herramienta basada en código abierto para el cálculo de blindaje en las instalaciones de Medicina Nuclear / Open Source Based Tool for Shielding Calculation in Nuclear Medicine Installations

Uno de los requerimientos indispensables en el diseño de las instalaciones donde se trabaja con radiación ionizante es la determinación del espesor adecuado de las paredes, pisos, techo y puertas de los locales, que garanticen dosis por debajo de las restricciones establecidas por la autoridad regulatoria. El objetivo del presente trabajo es desarrollar una herramienta interactiva, libre y de código abierto para calcular los blindajes requeridos en una instalación de Medicina Nuclear. En el código, desarrollado en Phyton utilizando el entorno interactivo Jupiter Notebook, se incluyó el análisis tanto para Tomografía por Emisión de Fotón Único como para Tomografía por Emisión de Positrones. La herramienta fue implementada para el cálculo de los blindajes de un departamento de Medicina Nuclear del Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurológica (CIREN). Esta herramienta libre y de código abierto facilita los cálculos de blindaje aumentando la velocidad, lo que contribuye a lograr una optimización de la protección radiológica, pero también puede usarse como herramienta pedagógica(AU)

One of the indispensable requirements in the design of the facilities where ionizing radiation is used is the determination of the adequate thickness of the walls, floors, ceiling and doors of the premises, which guarantee doses below the restrictions established by the regulatory authority. The goal of this work is to develop an interactive, free and open source tool to calculate the shields required in a Nuclear Medicine installation. Analysis for both Single Photon Emission Tomography and Positron Emission Tomography was included in the code, developed in Phyton using the interactive Jupiter Notebook environment. The tool was implemented to calculate the shields of a Nuclear Medicine department of the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN). This free and open source tool facilitates shielding calculations by increasing speed, which contributes to the optimization of radiation protection, but can also be used as a pedagogical tool(AU)

Variability of radon concentrations in different compartments of dwellings in Egypt

Inhalation of indoor radon has been recognized as one of the health hazards. Building materials, natural gas and underground-derived water supply are considered the major sources of indoor radon and its daughters. In this work a set of radon measurements was carried out, using CR-39 solid state nuclear track detector, in different compartments of dwellings in Cairo built of the same type of building materials. The results showed that the radon concentrations and exhalation rates in these houses varied from 47.94 to 84.32 Bqm-3 and 2.59 to 4.04 mBqm-2 h-2 respectively. The mean values of radon concentrations in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens were 50.98 +/- 1.94, 53.18 +/- 3.69, 79.36 +/- 2.96, and 81.29 +/- 1.93 Bqm-3, respectively. The mean values of exhalation rates were 2.68 +/- 0.11, 2.79 +/- 0.19, 4.01 +/- 0.18, and 4.22 +/- 0.12 mBqm-2 h-1, respectively. This data show that bathrooms and kitchens have significantly higher radon concentrations and exhalation rates compared with other compartments and the outdoor levels

Status on Occurrence and Preventive Measures of Disasters in Korea / 한국역학회지

Disasters are emergencies of a severity and magnitude resulting in deaths, injuries, illness and/or property damage that cannot be effectively managed by the application of routine procedures or resources. These events are caused by nature, the result of technological or manmade error. Natural disasters include typhoon, flood, heavy snowfall, drought, famine, and earthquake. Natural disasters are unpreventable and, for the most part, uncontrollable. Technological or manmade disasters include fire, nuclear accidents, bombings, and bioterrorism. The severity of damage caused by natural or technological disasters is affected by population density in disaster-prone areas, local building codes, community preparedness, and the use of public safety announcements and education on how to respond correctly at the first signs of danger. Recovery following a disaster varies according to the public's access to pertinent information, pre-existing conditions that increase or reduce vulnerability, prior experience with stressful situations, and availability of sufficient savings and insurance. Epidemiology can be used to investigate the public health and medical consequences of disasters. The aim of disaster epidemiology is to ascertain strategies for the prevention of both acute and chronic health events. Disaster epidemiology includes rapid needs assessment, disease control strategies, assessment of the availability and use of health services, surveillance systems for both descriptive and analytic investigations of disease and injury, and research on risk factors contributing to disease, injury, or death. With both disasters and the number of people affected by such events on the increase, the importance of disasters as a public health program is now widely recognized in Korea. The epidemiologists must do their best effort for prevention of disasters.

Physico-chemical studies on hydrothermal characteristics of calcite-rich clays

Marl-clay deposits containing 30% CaCO3 from Sinai, Egypt, were calcined at different temperatures between 800C to 950C for 30 min. The processed briquettes from these powders were hydrothermally treated at 202C [16 atm] for 4 hours. The evaluation and assessment of the treated specimens were achieved through the determination of their physical properties and the phases developed by XRD, IR- spectroscopy, SEM and chemical analysis. The thermochemistry of these phases were followed using DSC and TG technique. A correlation between the determined properties and the developed phases were also discussed. The results encountered in this investigation indicated that the physical properties of the hydrothermally treated bodies are improved with increasing the precalcination temperature. Also, the data encourage the utilization of this technique [autoclaving] in production of building units from lime-rich clays as is followed in sand lime bricks industry without any additives

Regional and central centers: standards for technical specifications / Guidelines for Medical Supplies Distribution Centers

This volume provides general guidelines to specifications for materials, products, equipment, and installation techniques for some of the industrial equipment, installations, or construction components in industrial-type buildings designated for the receiving, storage, distribution, and repackaging of médical supplies. It is not an exhaustive document to be used for the purpose of making construction bids, but rather a guide that provides engineers and architects in charge of a project of this type with useful information and criteria. For this reason, the standards has been broken dawn into three áreas: architectural standards, mechanical standards, and fire safety standards. Each unit includes general information, materials, products, and execution

Análisis de riesgo en el diseño de hospitales en zonas sísmicas / Risk analysis in the design of hospitals in sismic aereas

Esta publicación reune las contribuciones de especialistas conocedores de los aspectos fundamentales de las instalaciones hospitalarias en zonas sísmicas encaminadas al establecimiento de acciones preventivas. Se tratan: principios de ingenieria estructural en zonas sísmicas, problemas de diseño arquitectónico, normas de diseño sismorresistente, reducción de riesgos en componentes no estructurales, consideraciones de seguridad, prevención de incendios y métodos de evaluación de resistencia sísmica