Boron Neutron Capture Synovectomy (BNCS) is a novel application of the B(n,α) reaction for potential treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. During BNCS clinical trials, real-time knowledge of boron dose delivered to the synovium is necessary so that the remaining irradiation time can be determined. A 478 keV photon is emitted following 94% of boron neutron capture reactions, and detection of 478 ke...

BACKGROUND Hadron therapy is a novel technique of cancer radiation therapy which employs charged particles beams, (1)H and light ions in particular. Due to their physical and radiobiological properties, they allow one to obtain a more conformal treatment, sparing better the healthy tissues located in proximity of the tumor and allowing a higher control of the disease. Objective : As it is well ...

Solid-state geometry optimizations and corresponding normal-mode analysis of the widely used energetic material cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) were performed using density functional theory with both the generalized gradient approximation (BLYP and BP functionals) and the local density approximation (PWC and VWN functionals). The structural results were found to be in good agreement with e...

At the ENEA TRIGA research reactor (Casaccia Research Center, Rome), a new neutron collimator has been designed and installed at the neutron tangential channel. This collimator, that is part of a neutron/X-ray facility for NDT analysis, was experimentally characterized and optimized in terms of thermal neutron flux, its spatial/energetic distribution, photon air KERMA and effective beam diamete...

This paper is aimed to investigate the design of an optimized neutron radiography system that utilizes the flux of a reactor. Moderation, collimation aspects are studied. A Monte Carlo code, MCNP4C, was utilized to achieve a maximum and more homogenous neutron flux in the collimator outlet next to the image plane, taking into account geometric characteristics. It was possible to obtain a normal...

this study aimed to determine the effects of different shading ratio and covers on “sultana seedless” table grape quality and storability. grapevines were covered at the veraison stage with 3 shading nets (0, 35, and 75% shading), which were then replaced with covering materials including polypropylene cross-stitch (pc), life pack (lp) and mogul (mg), just before harvest. harvested grapes in al...

We present the observations of the pulsar SMC X-1 with the ART-P telescope onboard the Granat observatory. We investigate the variability of the flux from the source on time scales of several tens of days. The intensity variation of the pulsar are shown to be consistent with the presence of a periodicity in the system with a characteristic time scale of ∼ 61 days. The precession of an inclined ...

The neutron flux induced by radioactivity at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory is revisited. We have performed calculations and Monte Carlo simulations; the results offer an independent check to the available experimental data reported by different authors, which vary rather widely. This study gives detailed information on the expected spectrum and on the variability of the neutron flux due...

Prior studies revealed neutron beam-induced alkali-metal spin relaxation in He cells polarized in-situ by spin-exchange optical pumping. These effects are minor for neutron beams of low to moderate intensity, but become important at the highest neutron flux levels available in the full spectrum beams of high flux neutron sources. It was found that the relaxation consisted of a fast and a slow c...