Modelling Natural Radioactivity in Sand Beaches of Guarapari,Espírito Santo State,Brazil

Using gamma-ray spectrometry, the activity concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides 226Ra, 212Pb, 214Pb, 232Th, and 40K was determined in sand beaches samples from different areas in Guarapari, Espírito Santo state, from Brazil. The absorbed dose rates and annual effective dose were calculated and the results were compared with the internationally accepted values as well as others high background radiation areas (HBRAs). The activity concentration of the 232Th in Areia Preta as well as the absorbed dose rates and annual effective dose were higher than the others regions compared. The results show that Areia Preta in Guarapari has higher background found in beaches in world. This work is part of a research project for the natural background determination of the Brazilian coast.

Recovery of Iron Ore Tailings by Column Flotation

The exploration of iron ore in small mining companies results in a large amount of unrecovered fine material, representing 35% of the run of mine. Millions of tons of useful minerals are discarded every year into tailings, incurring operation costs, raising production losses and environmental impact. In addition to the disposal of 300 t/h of this material, millions of tons are already stored in tailings. CDTN carried out a study of the process in a column flotation pilot plant installed in the mining facilities with a slime sample, with a view to recovering this sludge using the reverse flotation technique. The aim of this experiment was to obtain a final concentrate whose Fe content assigned 66% with a SiO2 content below 0.8% and P lower than 0.03%. The results showed that the ultrafine flotation is an economical alternative if the improvement of the recovery in the mineral sector is concerned. Ultrafine flotation can also be assessed when dealing with reduction and treatment of effluent discharged in the environment.

On the viability of wearing evaluation by Thin Layer Activation in the presence of non-occupationally exposed individuals

Thin Layer Activation is a nuclear technique that has key advantages over other wear measuring techniques for mechanical systems,especially for in site experiments on equipment important to safety in nuclear plants.Still,it incurs radioactive dose and,thus,must be proved radiologically safe before use,otherwise,the utilization of this technique may be hindered inviable.Proving said technique is safe previous to any operational/monetary cost is key,providing a methodology for this early assertion is the main contribution of this work—here,only non-occupationally exposed individuals are considered.This work offers a methodology,through a case study,to ascertain the Thin Layer Activation parameters to obtain safe levels of radioactive dose while maintaining statistically reliable results.This methodology consists of using simulations,through the Monte Carlo Method,to obtain the floors and ceilings for the previously mentioned activation parameters based on operation and work conditions on site.

Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Collagen/Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles Hybrid System Containing Yttrium-90 as a Potential Agent to Treat Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumors, affecting mostly children, adolescents and young adults. This is an aggressive tumor that results in a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Due to the low sensitivity of osteosarcoma to ionizing radiation, such treatment is not used very often and it can be recommended only to postsurgical therapy. As an alternative therapy, functionalized nanomaterials allow their accumulation in tumor tissues due to their unique properties, making them good agents to act as stable carriers for radionuclides. In this work, mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized and the functionalization process with poly(vinyl alcohol) and collagen was investigated. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, elemental analysis (CHN), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nitrogen Adsorption, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Thermal Analysis. Also, the yttrium incorporation potential and its release kinetics in the hydroxyapatite matrix were evaluated to study the capacity of this system to treat osteosarcomas. The results indicate that this material has a promisor potential to treat this kind of tumor.

Calculation of Dose in Healthy Organs,during Radiotherapy 4-Field Box 3D Conformal for Prostate Cancer,Simulation of the Linac 2300,Radiotherapy Room and MAX Phantom

In men, prostate cancer is one of the most frequent types, and radiotherapy is adopted as a form of treatment. Although there are efforts to minimize the dose in the healthy organ and tissues adjacent to the tumor during radiotherapy, these organs are affected by the secondary scattered and leakage radiation originating from the therapeutic beam and these doses deposited in the healthy organs, can induce the appearance of new focal points of cancer. The aim of this study is to calculate the equivalent and effective doses, due to photons and neutrons, in healthy organs of a patient submitted to radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. Computed simulation of radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer was used to perform the dose calculations, adopting the treatment protocol used at INCA (Brazilian National Cancer Institute). The MCNPX code was employed in the simulation radiation transport while the male voxel MAX phantom was used to represent the patient's human anatomy. The results obtained in this study indicate that the organs close to the irradiated region are predominantly affected by the dose due to photons, with an impact on organs from different systems of the body, such as the bladder, colon, and testicles, besides bone structures such as the femur, pelvis and spinal column. The results obtained from the doses deposited due to neutrons suggest that tibia and fibula, mandible, cranium, brain and thyroid, had the highest dose deposited due to neutrons in relation to photons. The result obtained from the effective dose was 31.47 mSv due to photons, while the dose due to neutrons was 0.42 mSv. Note that the effective dose due to photons is significantly higher than the effective dose due to neutrons. The values calculated in this study were compared with the experimental values obtained in the literature, presenting reasonable concordance. Additionally, as described in the literature, it was verified that the dose due to photons decreases considerably with the increase in the distance of the target organ, while the dose due to neutrons is distributed homogeneously in the organs. It is concluded that the contribution of neutrons to the appearance of secondary cancers is more relevant in the organs furthest from the target volume, and that organs close to the tumor, are affected predominantly by the dose due to photons.

GO FAIR Brazil:A Challenge for Brazilian Data Science

The FAIR principles,an acronym for Findable,Accessible,Interoperable and Reusable,are recognised worldwide as key elements for good practice in all data management processes.To understand how the Brazilian scientific community is adhering to these principles,this article reports Brazilian adherence to the GO FAIR initiative through the creation of the GO FAIR Brazil Office and the manner in which they create their implementation networks.To contextualise this understanding,we provide a brief presentation of open data policies in Brazilian research and government,and finally,we describe a model that has been adopted for the GO FAIR Brazil implementation networks.The Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology is responsible for the GO FAIR Brazil Office,which operates in all fields of knowledge and supports thematic implementation networks.Today,GO FAIR Brazil-Health is the first active implementation network in operation,which works in all health domains,serving as a model for other fields like agriculture,nuclear energy,and digital humanities,which are in the process of adherence negotiation.This report demonstrates the strong interest and effort from the Brazilian scientific communities in implementing the FAIR principles in their research data management practices.