Eye plaque brachytherapy is an established technique for the treatment of ocular melanoma that allows for the preservation of the affected eye as well as visual function. A common treatment planning system for eye plaque procedures, Plaque Simulator (PS), assists physicists in calculating the radiation dose to the tumor and...
The use of Ionization Chambers and Thermo-luminescent dosimeters (TLD's) in the medical field has established a need to determine if the skin depth dose response is comparable between the two detectors. This research will determine if the dose response from an Ionization chamber is comparable to a Thermo-luminescent dosimeter system...
Uranium is the most common radionuclide that found in the nature. It is a radionuclide with a very low specific activity. There is limited data on plan uptake of uranium. This research was to determine the plant uptake of uranium, calculate the concentration ratio, and estimate the dose from eating...
An alternative extractant for the TRUEX/UNEX process was investigated in solid phase extraction chromatography. The para and ortho isomers of diamides derivatives of dipicolinic acid (N,N'-diethyl-N,N'-ditolyl-dipicolinamide, EtTDPA) have been found in the past to effectively separate actinides from lanthanides in solvent extraction and were successfully impregnated on two uncoated, inert...
Coal power is the prominent source of energy in the United States (U.S.) and around the world. The byproducts of coal power contain many of the same radioactive nuclides that are found in the local environment just in higher concentrations. With so much of this ash being stockpiled, the amount...
Coal-fired power plants constitute a significant source of energy production for the United States, and are projected to do so for decades to come. Most of the scrutiny coal-fired power plants receive is in the form of environmental concerns regarding green house gas emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and...
The Multi-Application Small Light Water Reactor (MASLWR) is a small natural circulation pressurized light water reactor design that was developed by Oregon State University (OSU) and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) under the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) program to address the growing demand for energy and electricity....
The objective of this research was to estimate the radiological impact on various non-human biotas by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant radiation release resulting from Japan's tsunami in March 2011 consistent with the recent recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Soil concentration data given by Japan's Ministry...
Concentration ratios are used to determine the transfer of nuclides from soil to biota to fauna. Some nuclides have limited associated data though, this has not prevented predictions from being performed at sites without associated data. These ratios are site specific and are not fully applicable when applied to other...
A provenance study of crypto-crystalline silicates was performed at the Cooper's Ferry archaeological site in west-central Idaho on the Columbia Plateau. In this research, the author used instrumental neutron activation analysis as well as portable x-ray fluorescence to examine and characterize the geochemistry of 300 geologic samples of crypto-crystalline silicates...