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AbstiactExcitation functions and isomeric cross sections ratios have been measured for the ""Cd (d, 2n) and "'Cd (d, 3n) reactions in whichthe isomeric pair is produced. Isomeric ratios show different trends in the case of (d, 2n) and (d, 3n) reactions.

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The results of an unprecedented international effort involving 26 countries are reported. The EUROMET.RI(I)-K1 and EUROMET.RI(I)-K4 key comparisons were conducted with the goal of supporting the relevant calibration and measurement capabilities (CMC) planned for publication by the participant laboratories. The measured quantities were the air kerma (Kair) and the absorbed dose to water (Dw) in 60Co radiotherapy beams. The comparison was conducted by the pilot laboratory MKEH (Hungary), in a star-shaped arrangement from January 2005 to December 2008. The calibration coefficients of four transfer ionization chambers were measured using two electrometers. The largest deviation between any two calibration coefficients for the four chambers in terms of air kerma and absorbed dose to water was 2.7% and 3.3% respectively. An analysis of the participant uncertainty budgets enabled the calculation of degrees of equivalence (DoE), in terms of the deviations of the results and their associated uncertainties. As a result of this EUROMET project 813 comparison, the BIPM key comparison database (KCDB) will include eleven new Kair and fourteen new Dw DoE values of European secondary standard dosimetry laboratories (SSDLs), and the KCDB will be updated with the new DoE values of the other participant laboratories. The pair-wise degrees of equivalence of participants were also calculated. In addition to assessing calibration techniques and uncertainty calculations of the participants, these comparisons enabled the experimental determinations of NDw/NKair ratios in the 60Co gamma radiation beam for the four radiotherapy transfer chambers.Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI Section I, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

Transfer chambers were used to compare the standards for 60Co air kerma maintained by seven laboratories. Six of the laboratories are members of the Sistema Interamericano de Metrología (SIM) regional metrology organization while the seventh is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) laboratory in Vienna. The National Research Council (NRC) acted as the pilot laboratory for the comparison. Because of the participation of laboratories holding primary standards, the comparison results could be linked to the key comparison reference value maintained by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). The results for all laboratories were within the expanded uncertainty (two standard deviations) of the reference value. The estimated relative standard uncertainty of the comparison between any pair of laboratories ranged from 0.5% to 1.0%. The largest discrepancy between any two laboratories was 1.0%.Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI Section I, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

A new 125I source under the name Braquibac has been developed in Argentina for interstitial brachytherapy applications. The aim of this work is to study the new seed's design and to calculate its dosimetric parameters. Radiographic and destructive tests were carried out on inactive seeds to determine the physical characteristics of the source. Values of g(r), Lambda, F(r, Theta), and phi(an)(r), were obtained in water and air by simulation using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code according to the methodology recommended in TG-43 and updated in TG-43U1. The dose rate constant was determined to be 0.937+/-0.004 cGy h(-1) U(-1) (overall statistical uncertainty +/-2.7%). Sk per unity activity was calculated to be 0.671+/-0.003 cGy cm2 h(-1) mCi(-1) by simulation of the seed in dry air using point detectors. Spectroscopic studies for both the new and the Amersham model 6711 seed were performed using an HPGe planar detector. The emission spectra of both seeds proved to be very similar. The anisotropy of the total photon intensity in air was measured in planes containing the seed's short and long axes using the HPGe detector. The minimum photon intensity for the new seed was 31.14+/-3.10% of the transverse intensity.

An Intercomparison Programme is being carried out in Argentina for individual monitoring services. The programme was designed to test, on a voluntary basis, the performance of the laboratories that provide individual monitoring services for X and gamma radiation fields in the range from low-level dose up to 100 mSv. Irradiations were performed in full accordance with ISO 4037-3 recommendations by the Regional Reference Centre for Dosimetry (CRRD), belonging to Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and the Physical Dosimetry Laboratory of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN). At the same time, several items have been asked to each participant pertaining to the action range, the detectors' characteristics, the laboratory procedures, the existence of an algorithm and its use for the dosemeter evaluation. In this study the evolution of the laboratories' performance throughout the programme, based on ISO 14146 acceptance criteria, is shown.