The effects of the Brazilian regulatory inspection programme on nuclear medicine facilities.

This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of the regulatory inspections carried out by the Brazilian regulatory body in the area of nuclear medicine. The main aspects observed during the inspections are presented as well as the time evolution of the non-compliances, according to their occurrence by type. We also evaluate factors concerning the working of the nuclear medicine facility responsible for solving the non-compliances. The results suggest a decrease of occurrence of non-compliances with time that can be related to the strictness of the inspections and the awareness of the personnel in the nuclear medicine facilities. An analysis of radiation dose exposure levels for the professionals involved in nuclear medicine was carried out; although dose values are below regulatory dose limits, their occurrence is not decreasing satisfactorily. Results indicate the need for staff training and commitment of the responsible nuclear medicine facility staff to the radiological protection procedures. Our results also emphasise the importance of continuous coercive actions to improve the level of radiological protection in nuclear medicine facilities in compliance with the standards established by the national regulatory authority and international recommendations.

Fourier Transform Spectroscopy of the BaI Molecule: Simultaneous Analysis of Seven Electronic States Including the D(2)Sigma(+) and the G(2)Sigma(+) States.

In this work, the BaI D(2)Sigma(+) and G(2)Sigma(+) electronic states were investigated using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS). The LIF visible spectra were obtained by using the second harmonic of the Ti:sapphire single-mode laser and the Ar(+) and Kr(+) multimode lasers as excitation sources. Previously recorded data, taken from C. A. Leach, A. A. Tsekouras, and R. N. Zare (1992, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 153, 59-72) and from R. F. Gutterres, J. Vergès, and C. Amiot (1999, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 196, 29-44; 2000, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 200, 253-260; and 2000, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 201, 326-327) were combined with the present data. Accurate and improved molecular constants for the X(2)Sigma(+), B(2)Sigma(+), A('2)Delta, A(2)Pi, C(2)Pi, and D(2)Sigma(+) states and 16 term values of the G(2)Sigma(+) state were derived from a simultaneous treatment of the whole data set (12 684 transitions) with a standard deviation of 3.26x10(-3) cm(-1). Copyright 2001 Academic Press.