Systematic variations in polymer gel dosimeter calibration due to container influence and deviations from water equivalence

There are a number of gel dosimeter calibration methods in contemporary usage. The present study is a detailed Monte Carlo investigation into the accuracy of several calibration techniques. Results show that for most arrangements the dose to gel accurately reflects the dose to water, with the most accurate method involving the use of a large diameter flask of gel into which multiple small fields of varying dose are directed. The least accurate method was found to be that of a long test tube in a water phantom, coaxial with the beam. The large flask method is also the most straightforward and least likely to introduce errors during setup, though, to its detriment, the volume of gel required is much more than other methods.

Phenothiazine UVA dosimeter : characteristics and performance

This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of a phenothiazine-mylar dosimeter which can be used as an effective solar UVA exposure assessment tool. This dosimeter is sensitive to UVA wavelengths (315–400 nm); its performance has been characterized in a series of tests such as (a) UVA exposure response (dose-response), (b) temperature stability of the response, (c) impact of long term storage, and (d) angular response. There is no effect of long term storage post-exposure and no effect of temperature up to 30 °C. For angles up to 70°, the cosine error of the normalized UVA is less than approximately 0.1. These characterizations have confirmed the reliability and reproducibility of a phenothiazine-mylar combined dosimeter as an effective solar UVA exposure tool for field-based studies of the UVA exposures to population groups.

Measurement of a PAGAT gel dosimeter by ultrasound computed tomography

In this work we used a 3D quantitative CT ultrasound imaging system to characterise polymer gel dosimeters. The system comprised of two identical 5 MHz 128 element phased-array ultrasound transducers co-axially aligned and submerged in water as a coupling agent. Rotational and translational movement of the gel dosimeter sample between the transducers were performed using a robotic arm. Ultrasound signals were generated and received using an Olympus Omniscan unit. Dose sensitivity of attenuation and time of flight ultrasonic parameters were assessed using this system.

Factors affecting the extraction of absorbed dose information in a 3D polymer gel dosimeter by X ray computed tomography (IAEA-CN-96/122P)

Two sources of uncertainty in the X ray computed tomography imaging of polymer gel dosimeters are investigated in the paper.The first cause is a change in postirradiation density, which is proportional to the computed tomography signal and is associated with a volume change. The second cause of uncertainty is reconstruction noise.A simple technique that increases the residual signal to noise ratio by almost two orders of magnitude is examined.

An investigation of the pre-irradiation temporal stability of PAGAT gel dosimeter

In this work we examine two aspects of the PAGAT gel dosimeter. The first aspect studied is determination of a stable range of concentrations of the anti-oxidant Tetrakis Hydroxy Phosphonium Chloride (THPC). Once the desired THPC concentration is determined, we proceed to an investigation into the effect of pre-irradiation storage time and how this affects the dose response of the gel.

UV dosimeter based on dichloroindophenol and tin(IV) oxide

A UVB specific dosimeter is described comprising: a redox dye (2,6-dichloroindophenol, DCIP), a semiconductor ( tin(IV) oxide, SnO2) and a sacrificial electron donor ( glycerol) dispersed in a polymer ( hydroxy ethyl cellulose, HEC) film. The dosimeter is blue in the absence of UVB light but rapidly loses colour on exposure to UVB light. The spectral characteristics of a typical UVB dosimeter film and the mechanism by which the colour change occurs are detailed. DCIP UVB dosimeter films exhibit a response that is related to the irradiance level and duration of UVB exposure, the level of SnO2 present and to a lesser extent the level of glycerol present. The response of the dosimeter appears to be independent of dye concentration and film thickness. Furthermore, DCIP UVB dosimeter films respond to solar simulated light, exhibiting a colour loss that can be simply related to the Minimal Erythemal Dose (MED) exposure for skin type II. As a consequence, such indicators have potential for measuring solar radiation exposure and providing an early warning of erythema for most Caucasian skin (i.e. skin type II).

A viologen-based UV indicator and dosimeter

A UV indicator/dosimeter based on benzyl viologen (BV2+) encapsulated in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is described. Upon exposure to UV light, the BV2+/PVA film turns a striking purple colour due to the formation of the cation radical, BV center dot+. The usual oxygen sensitivity of BV center dot+ is significantly reduced due to the very low oxygen permeability of the encapsulating polymer, PVA. Exposure of a typical BV2+/PVA film, for a set amount of time, to UVB light with different UV indices produces different levels of BV center dot+, as measured by the absorbance of the film at 550 nm. A plot of the change in absorbance at this wavelength, Delta Abs(550), as a function of UV index, UVI, produces a linear calibration curve which allows the film to be used as a UVB indicator, and a similar procedure could be employed to allow it to be used as a solar UVI indicator. A typical BV2+/PVA film generates a significant, semi-permanent (stable for > 24 h) saturated purple colour (absorbance similar to 0.8-0.9) upon exposure to sunlight equivalent to a minimal erythemal dose associated with Caucasian skin, i.e. skin type II. The current drawbacks of the film and the possible future use of the BV2+/PVA film as a personal solar UV dosimeter for all skin types are briefly discussed.

Development of a novel UV indicator and dosimeter film

A novel UV indicator is described, comprising nanocrystalline particles of titania dispersed in a film of a polymer, hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HEC), containing: a mild reducing agent, triethanolamine (TEOA) and a redox indicator, methylene blue (MB). The UV indicator film is blue-coloured in the absence of UV light and loses colour upon exposure to UV light, attaining within a few min a steady-state degree of bleaching that can provide a measure of the irradiance of the incident light. The original blue colour of the film returns once the source of UV light is removed. The spectral characteristics of a typical UV indicator film, and its components, are discussed and the UV-absorbing action of the titania particles highlighted. From the measured %bleaching undergone by a typical UV indicator as a function of light irradiance the indicator appears fully bleached, within 7 min, by a UV irradiance of 3 mW cm (-) or greater. The mechanism by which the UV indicator works is described. The reversible nature of the UV indicator is removed by covering a typical UV indicator with a thin, largely oxygen impermeable, polymer film, such as the regenerated cellulose found in Sellotape(TM). The product is a UV dosimeter, the response of which is related to the intensity and duration of the incident UV light, as well as the amount of titania in the film. A typical UV dosimeter film is fully bleached by 250 mJ cm(-2) of UV light. The possible use of these novel indicators to measure UV exposure levels, irradiance and dose, is discussed.

Reliable and fast sensor for in vitro evaluation of solar protection factor based on the photobleaching kinetics of a nanocrystalline TiO(2)/dye UV-dosimeter

A reliable and fast sensor for in vitro evaluation of solar protection factors (SPFs) of cosmetic products, based on the photobleaching kinetics of a nanocrystalline TiO(2)/dye UV-dosimeter, has been devised. The accuracy, robustness and suitability of the new device was demonstrated by the excellent matching of the predicted and the in vivo results up to SPF 70, for four standard samples analyzed in blind. These results strongly suggest that our device can be useful for routine SPF evaluation in laboratories devoted to the development or production of cosmetic formulations, since the conventional in vitro methods tend to exhibit unacceptably high errors above SPF similar to 30 and the conventional in vivo methods tend to be expensive and exceedingly time consuming. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Undoped and calcium doped borate glass system for thermoluminescent dosimeter

Borate glasses present an absorption coefficient very close to that of human tissue. This fact makes some borates ideal materials to develop medical and environmental dosimeters. Glass compositions with calcium tetraborate (CaB4O7) and calcium metaborate (CaB2O4), such as the xCaB(4)O(7) - (100-x)CaB2O4 System (0 <= x <= 100 wt%) were obtained by the traditional melting/quenching method. A phenomenon widely known as the 'boron anomaly' was observed in our thermal analysis measurements, as indicated by the increase of T, and the appearance of a maximum value in the composition with 40 wt% of CaB2O4. The Dy doped and Li co-doped 80CaB(4)O(7)-20CaB(2)O(4) (Wt%) glass samples were studied by the thermoluminescence technique. The addition of Dy improved the signal sensitivity in about three times with respect to the undoped glass sample. The addition of Li as a co-dopant in this glass caused a shift to a lower temperature of about 20 degrees C in the main glow peak. The structural analysis of the 80CaB(4)O(7)-20CaB(2)O(4) (wt%) undoped and doped samples were studied through infrared absorption. We have noted an increase in the coordination number of the boron atoms from 3 to 4, i.e., the conversion of the BO3 triangular structural units into BO4 tetrahedra. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.