Consolidation of Health Physics Computer Codes: Sustainable Gains in Efficiency, Innovation, and Collaboration.

A decade ago, the nuclear power industry in the United States was on the verge of a nuclear renaissance with the potential to create jobs, funding streams, and great demand for radiation protection personnel. However, based on the high capital investment cost of building and licensing nuclear reactors and declining fossil fuel prices, the renaissance did not reach its full potential. Radiation protection initiatives were developed to bring attention to the profession in order to increase funding for the health physics community during these times of declining resources. It is now essential that the community be innovative in how it uses existing funds and acquires resources. This paper describes a radiation protection computer code program that uses existing resources and international funding to sustain computer codes and tools used in the health physics profession. The program is called the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Radiation Protection Computer Code Analysis and Maintenance Program or RAMP. This collaborative, innovative, and transformative model can be followed by others seeking to alleviate the resource issues that exist within the health physics field.

Endoscopic capacity in West Africa.

BACKGROUND: Levels of endoscopic demand and capacity in West Africa are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to: 1. describe the current labor and endoscopic capacity, 2. quantify the impact of a mixed-methods endoscopy course on healthcare professionals in West Africa, and 3. quantify the types of diagnoses encountered. METHODS: In a three-day course, healthcare professionals were surveyed on endoscopic resources and capacity and were taught through active observation of live cases, case discussion, simulator experience and didactics. Before and after didactics, multiple-choice exams as well as questionnaires were administered to assess for course efficacy. Also, a case series of 23 patients needing upper GI endoscopy was done. RESULTS: In surveying physicians, less than half had resources to perform an EGD and none could perform an ERCP, while waiting time for emergency endoscopy in urban populations was at least one day. In assessing improvement in medical knowledge among participants after didactics, objective data paired with subjective responses was more useful than either alone. Of 23 patients who received endoscopy, 7 required endoscopic intervention with 6 having gastric or esophageal varices. Currently the endoscopic capacity in West Africa is not sufficient. A formal GI course with simulation and didactics improves gastrointestinal knowledge amongst participants.

Validation of the photon dose calculation model in the VARSKIN 4 skin dose computer code.

An updated version of the skin dose computer code VARSKIN, namely VARSKIN 4, was examined to determine the accuracy of the photon model in calculating dose rates with different combinations of source geometry and radionuclides. The reference data for this validation were obtained by means of Monte Carlo transport calculations using MCNP5. The geometries tested included the zero volume sources point and disc, as well as the volume sources sphere and cylinder. Three geometries were tested using source directly on the skin, source off the skin with an absorber material between source and skin, and source off the skin with only an air gap between source and skin. The results of these calculations showed that the non-volume sources produced dose rates that were in very good agreement with the Monte Carlo calculations, but the volume sources resulted in overestimates of the dose rates compared with the Monte Carlo results by factors that ranged up to about 2.5. The results for the air gap showed poor agreement with Monte Carlo for all source geometries, with the dose rates overestimated in all cases. The conclusion was that, for situations where the beta dose is dominant, these results are of little significance because the photon dose in such cases is generally a very small fraction of the total dose. For situations in which the photon dose is dominant, use of the point or disc geometries should be adequate in most cases except those in which the dose approaches or exceeds an applicable limit. Such situations will often require a more accurate dose assessment and may require the use of methods such as Monte Carlo transport calculations.