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In this study, we used the Monte Carlo N-Particle program to simulate the gamma-ray spectra obtained from plastic scintillators holes filled with bismuth nanoparticles. We confirmed that the incorporation of bismuth nanoparticles into a plastic scintillator enhances its performance for gamma-ray spectroscopy using the subtraction method. The subtracted energy spectra obtained from the bismuth-nanoparticle-incorporated and the original plastic scintillator exhibit a distinct energy peak that does not appear in the corresponding original spectra. We varied the diameter and depth of the bismuth-filled holes to determine the optimal hole design for gamma-ray spectroscopy using the subtraction method. We evaluated the energy resolutions of the energy peaks in the gamma-ray spectra to estimate the effects of the bismuth nanoparticles and determine their optimum volume in the plastic scintillator. In addition, we calculated the peak-to-total ratio of the energy spectrum to evaluate the energy measuring limit of the bismuth nanoparticle-containing plastic scintillator using the subtraction method.

We developed a miniaturized multi-dimensional radiation sensor system consisting of an inorganic scintillator array and plastic optical fibers. This system can be applied to remotely obtain the radioactivity distribution and identify the radionuclides in radioactive waste by utilizing a scanning method. Variation in scintillation light was measured in two-dimensional regions of interest and then converted into radioactivity distribution images. Outliers present in the images were removed by using a digital filter to make the hot spot location more accurate and cubic interpolation was applied to make the images smoother and clearer. Next, gamma-ray spectroscopy was performed to identify the radionuclides, and three-dimensional volume scanning was also performed to effectively find the hot spot using the proposed array sensor.

In this study, we fabricated a liquid light-guide-based radiation sensor with a LaBr3:Ce scintillator for remote gamma-ray spectroscopy. We acquired the energy spectra of Cs-137 and Co-60 using the proposed sensor, estimated the energy resolutions of the full energy peaks, and compared the scintillation light output variations. The major peaks of the radionuclides were observed in each result, and the estimated energy resolutions were similar to that of a general NaI(Tl) scintillation detector without a liquid light guide. Moreover, we showed the relationships of energy resolution and analog-to-digital channel regarding the number of photoelectrons produced and confirmed the effects of light guide length on remote gamma-ray spectroscopy. The proposed sensor is expected to be utilized to perform remote gamma-ray spectroscopy for distances of 3 m or more and would find application in many fields of nuclear facilities and industry.

In this study, one-dimensional gamma ray source positions are estimated using a plastic scintillating optical fiber, two photon counters and via data processing with a machine learning algorithm. A nonlinear regression algorithm is used to construct a machine learning model for the position estimation of radioactive sources. The position estimation results of radioactive sources using machine learning are compared with the theoretical position estimation results based on the same measured data. Various tests at the source positions are conducted to determine the improvement in the accuracy of source position estimation. In addition, an evaluation is performed to compare the change in accuracy when varying the number of training datasets. The proposed one-dimensional gamma ray source position estimation system with plastic scintillating fiber using machine learning algorithm can be used as radioactive leakage scanners at disposal sites.

In this study, we developed a fiber-optic humidity sensor (FOHS) system for the monitoring and detection of coolant leakage in nuclear power plants. The FOHS system includes an FOHS, a spectrometer, a halogen white-light source, and a Y-coupler. The FOHS is composed of a humidity-sensing material, a metal tube, a multi-mode plastic optical fiber, and a subminiature version A (SMA) fiber-optic connector. The humidity-sensing material is synthesized from a mixture of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) in distilled water. We measured the optical intensity of the light signals reflected from the FOHS placed inside the humidity chamber with relative humidity (RH) variation from 40 to 95%. We found that the optical intensity of the sensing probe increased linearly with the RH. The reversibility and reproducibility of the FOHS were also evaluated.

This study developed a defect-monitoring system with an artificial intelligence model, YOLOv7, which is tailored for processing image data from an ultrasonic visualization system within sodium fast reactor (SFR) internal structures. For the safety of SFR internal structures, although it is a crucial inspection for defect monitoring, it is difficult to identify structural defects because of the invisible environment. Therefore, we applied the YOLOv7 model in this study; however, we encountered challenges including decreased accuracy with complex defect shapes and complications from data augmentation during pre-training. To solve these problems, we additionally applied the enhanced super-resolution generative adversarial network for higher resolution and a Sobel noise-filtering algorithm to enhance the defect detection accuracy. And we evaluated our system by comparing it with a confidence score. This underscores the effectiveness of the approach in enhancing the defect detection capabilities. Therefore, this defect-monitoring system should be designed to preemptively identify internal structure deformations and enhance SFR safety and maintenance practices.

In this study, a Cherenkov radiation sensor was developed utilizing a reflector-coated liquid light guide (LLG). In the proposed configuration, a reflector replaced one of the two photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), forming the core sensing element alongside the LLG, with gamma-ray (60Co and 137Cs) and a beta-ray (90Sr) emitters employed to assess its performance as a position-sensitive detector. The time-of-flight method was utilized to determine time differences corresponding to source positions. Position spectra were generated based on these time differences, with the Cherenkov radiation count rates compared across different types of reflectors to identify the optimal choice. We compared position spectra obtained from two PMTs and one PMT with a reflector, confirming the ability to detect multiple sources. Subsequently, each source was positioned perpendicular or parallel to the sensor axis to capture position spectra. The results demonstrate the sensor's potential as a long-distance position-sensitive detector. By leveraging the simplicity of a single PMT system, the proposed sensor facilitates challenging tasks such as pipeline inspection or non-destructive testing of radioactive waste drums.

Dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a candidate to substitute conventional photovoltaic devices due to efficiency, cost in comparison with silicon devices. In this report, graphene quantum dots have attracted considerable potential merit for the development of photo‐electrodes of dye‐sensitized photovoltaic cells. The incorporation of graphene quantum dots into DSSCs photo‐electrodes induced lower recombination, enhanced electron transport, increased light scattering. The conventional semiconductor quantum dots usually has surface defect and instable. To overcome such limitations, we have developed a hydrothermal synthesis process fabricating graphene quantum dots (GQD) with strong visible range emission. The reduced GOs graphene oxide (RGO) underwent sonication, heating, filtering, and dialysis producing GQD. Various sizes of GQDs with circular shape determined using scanning electron microscopy, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were successfully fabricated. In addition, the impedance nyquist plot, the electron transport resistance was smallest and the incident photo to charge carrier efficiency (IPCE) was the maximum when the size of graphene quantum dots (5 nm) was used. Thus, the GQD with unique optical and structural properties can be a very attractive candidate for dye‐sensitized solar cells, optoelectronics, active layer of display, and bio‐imaging devices. We have developed a hydrothermal synthesis process fabricating graphene quantum dots (GQD) with strong visible range emission. The GQD with unique optical and structural properties can be a very attractive candidate for DSSCs, optoelectronics, active structure of display, and bio‐imaging devices.

As a feasibility study on the development of a fiber-optic radiation sensor for proton therapy dosimetry, we characterized light transmissions of various commercial optical fibers such as silica and plastic based optical fibers by the irradiation of proton beams. In this study, we measured light transmission spectra of optical fibers as a function of absorbed doses of proton beams using a deuterium & tungsten halogen lamps and a spectrometer. To be used as a fiber-optic radiation sensor, the optical fibers should have the radiation resistant characteristics and provide stable output signals during the proton beam irradiation. In this study, we could select suitable optical fibers to be used in the fiber-optic radiation sensor without quenching effects for proton therapy dosimetry. As a result, the light transmittance of the optical fibers had decreasing trends with increasing absorbed dose as expected.

In this study, we fabricated a dual-type fiber-optic radiation sensor (DFORS) system using a spectroscopic technique, for simultaneous and separate measurement of alpha and beta particles. The DFORS is composed of a sensing probe, plastic optical fiber (POF), photomultiplier tube (PMT)- amplifier system, and multichannel analyzer (MCA). A dual scintillator consisting of a ZnS(Ag) film and a CaF2(Eu) crystal was used for alpha and beta spectroscopy as a sensing probe. 210Po and 90Sr were used as alpha and beta emitters, respectively, and alpha and beta energy spectra were measured using the proposed DFORS system to discriminate species of the radioisotopes emitting alpha or beta particles. From the experimental results, we demonstrated that the small-sized, flexible, and insertable DFORS system could discriminate the alpha and beta events successfully using the spectral information of each radiation sources.

Nitride-based nanowires (NWs) have several advantages, such as flexibility in choosing a substrate, easy fabrication, large light-emitting area, no internal electric field, enhanced light extraction, and reduced defects by strain relief, that are useful for enhancing the efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we report how crucial the formation properties of the InGaN active layer are for enhancing the efficiency of core-shell InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well (MQW)-NW LEDs that are selectively grown on oxide templates with perfectly-circular hole patterns. The nanostructures are analyzed for two types of LEDs, one containing defect-free MQW active layer and the other containing MQW layer with defects by using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The I-V curve of the defect-free LED shows a rectifying behavior with an on/off ratio of ~109, typical of a diode, and the off-state leakage current of the LED with defects is much larger than that of the defect-free LED, resulting in brighter electroluminescence from the latter device. These results suggest that well-defined nonpolar InGaN/GaN MQW-NWs can be utilized for the realization of high-performance LEDs.

We employ inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition for non-catalytic growth of graphene on a Si (111) wafer or glass substrate, which is useful for practical device applications of graphene without transfer processes. At a RF power (P) of 500 W under C2H2flow, defect-free 3 ∼ 5-layer graphene is grown on Si (111) wafers, but on glass substrate, the layer is thicker and defective, as characterized by Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The graphene is produced on Si (111) for P down to 190 W whereas it is almost not formed on glass for P < 250 W, possibly resulting from the weak catalytic-reaction-like effect on glass. These results are discussed based on possible growth mechanisms.

In this research, we fabricated a fiber-optic gamma imaging probe that could measure the scintillation image induced by gamma-rays. For evaluating the spatial resolution of the optical and the scintillation images measured by using the proposed gamma imaging probe, first, we obtained the light intensity distributions across the sharp edge from the optical and the scintillation images by using a USAF 1951 resolution target and an X-ray beam and then analyzed each modulation transfer function (MTF) curve. Next, we measured the scintillation images with information regarding the distribution by the gamma-rays emitted from Cs-137 sources with four different radioactivities. Finally, we evaluated the intensity variation of the scintillating light from the region of interest (ROI) in the scintillation image according to the radioactivity of Cs-137.

In this study, a Cerenkov radiation sensor for detecting low-energy beta-particles was fabricated using various Cerenkov radiators such as an aerogel and CaF2-, SiO2-, and Al2O3-based optical glasses. Because the Cerenkov threshold energy (CTE) is determined by the refractive index of the Cerenkov radiator, the intensity of Cerenkov radiation varies according to the refractive indices of the Cerenkov radiators. Therefore, we measured the intensities of Cerenkov radiation induced by beta-particles generated from a radioactive isotope as a function of the refractive indices of the Cerenkov radiators. Also, the electron fluxes were calculated for various Cerenkov radiators by using a Monte Carlo N-Particle extended transport code (MCNPX) to determine the relationship between the intensities of the Cerenkov radiation and the electron fluxes.

A fiber-optic radiation sensor (FORS) was fabricated using a cerium-doped silicate-yttriumlutetium (LYSO:Ce) scintillator crystal and a silica optical fiber (SOF) to measure gamma-rays accurately in elevated temperature conditions. Throughout this study, a LYSO:Ce crystal was employed as a sensing material of the FORS due to its high light yield (32,000 photons/MeV), fast decay time (≤ 47 ns) and high detection efficiency. Although the LYSO:Ce crystal has many desirable qualities, the thermoluminescence (TL) should be eliminated by using a heat annealing process because the light yield of the LYSO:Ce crystal varies with its TL. In this study, therefore, we obtained the TL curve of the LYSO:Ce crystal by increasing the temperature up to 280 ℃, and we demonstrated that almost all of the TL of the LYSO:Ce crystal was eliminated by the heat annealing process.

In this study, we characterized the Cerenkov radiation generated from optical fibers as fundamental research for the development of a fiber-optic Cerenkov radiation sensor to verify spent fuel. We measured the amount of Cerenkov radiation according to OH content and numerical aperture of the optical fiber. Also, we measured the Cerenkov radiation as functions of the length and the diameter of the optical fiber. As a result, the silica optical fibers with high numerical aperture and high OH content were efficient and stable for gathering the Cerenkov radiation generated in the optical fiber. Also, the intensity of the Cerenkov radiation generated in the optical fiber was proportional to the irradiated length and to the square of the irradiated diameter.

In this study, we developed an embedded infrared fiber-optic temperature sensor for thermometry in high temperature/pressure and water-chemistry environments by using two identical silver-halide optical fibers. The performance of the fabricated temperature sensor was assessed in an autoclave filled with an aqueous coolant solution containing boric acid and lithium hydroxide. We carried out real-time monitoring of the infrared radiation emitted from the signal and reference probes for various temperatures over a temperature range from 95 to 225 °C. In order to decide the temperature of the synthetic coolant solution, we measured the difference between the infrared radiation emitted from the two temperature-sensing probes. Thermometry with the proposed sensor is immune to any changes in the physical conditions and the emissivity of the heat source. From the experimental results, the embedded infrared fiber-optic temperature sensor can withstand, and normally operate in a high temperature/pressure test loop system corresponding to the coolant system used for nuclear power plant simulation. We expect that the proposed sensor can be developed to accurately monitor temperatures in harsh environments.In this study, we developed an embedded infrared fiber-optic temperature sensor for thermometry in high temperature/pressure and water-chemistry environments by using two identical silver-halide optical fibers. The performance of the fabricated temperature sensor was assessed in an autoclave filled with an aqueous coolant solution containing boric acid and lithium hydroxide. We carried out real-time monitoring of the infrared radiation emitted from the signal and reference probes for various temperatures over a temperature range from 95 to 225 °C. In order to decide the temperature of the synthetic coolant solution, we measured the difference between the infrared radiation emitted from the two temperature-sensing probes. Thermometry with the proposed sensor is immune to any changes in the physical conditions and the emissivity of the heat source. From the experimental results, the embedded infrared fiber-optic temperature sensor can withstand, and normally operate in a high temperature/pressure test loop system corresponding to the coolant system used for nuclear power plant simulation. We expect that the proposed sensor can be developed to accurately monitor temperatures in harsh environments.

We fabricated a 15 m long position-sensitive plastic scintillation optical fiber (PSOF) detector consisting of a PSOF, two photomultiplier tubes, four fast amplifiers, and a digitizer. A single PSOF was used as a sensing part to estimate the gamma-ray source position, and 137Cs, an uncollimated solid-disk-type radioactive isotope, was used as a gamma-ray emitter. To improve the sensitivity, accuracy, and measurement time of a PSOF detector compared to those of previous studies, the performance of the amplifier was optimized, and the digital signal processing (DSP) was newly designed in this study. Moreover, we could measure very low dose rates of gamma-rays with high sensitivity and accuracy in a very short time using our proposed PSOF detector. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to accurately and quickly locate the position of a very low dose rate gamma-ray source in a wide range of contaminated areas using the proposed position-sensitive PSOF detector.

In radiotherapy, interest in real-time dosimetry stems from the desire to monitor the dose delivered to the target volume and the surrounding normal tissue to enable clinicians to track the progress of the treatment, and prevent surrounding tissue from receiving too much radiation dose. In this study, the dosimetric performance of the new MOSkin dosimeter and a Bicron BCF-20 scintillating fiber was compared to depth dose measurements taken with a Farmer-type ionization chamber. The performance of the MOSkinand BCF-20 detectors in the build-up region of the depth dose curve, where the dose gradient is steep, is also compared to readings taken with an Attix chamber. At depths greater than 15 mm, the MOSkinreadings deviated from the ion chamber readings by up to 4%, while the fiber optic dosimeter always remained within 3% of the ionization chamber reading. In the build-up region, the MOSkinproved quite capable of measuring the dose at build up when compared to the Attix chamber results, while the fiber optic dosimeter was not able to measure the dose in this region with a high level of precision due to the thick sensitive volume of the scintillating crystal.

In this study, we have fabricated one-dimensional fiber-optic radiation sensor array for high energy electron beam therapy dosimetry. Fiber-optic radiation sensor comprises an organic scintillator as a sensing volume, optical fiber as a light guider and photo-detector as a light measuring device. Usually, photomultiplier tube or photodiode is used as a photo-detector however we have tried to use a charge-coupled device as a scintillating light measuring system for one-dimensional fiber-optic radiation sensor array. This system can take an image of the proximal ends of one-dimensional fiber-optic sensor array and can measure light intensities of individual image of optical fibers simultaneously using simple imaging software. Charge-coupled device as a light measuring detector has many advantages which are easy in multi-dimensional measurements, high spatial resolution and relatively low cost. We have measured one-dimensional electron beam distributions in a PMMA phantom with different energies and field sizes of electron beam using a fiber-optic sensor and a charge-coupled device. Also, the percentage depth dose curves for high energy electron beams are obtained.

In this study, we have developed two-dimensional fiber-optic radiation sensors using organic scintillators and plastic optical fibers for high energy photon beam therapy dosimetry. The scintillating lights generated from each organic sensor probe embedded and arrayed in a polymethylmethacrylate phantom are guided by 10 m plastic optical fibers to the light-measuring devices such as 25 channel photodiode-amplifiers system. Two-dimensional photon beam distributions in a polymethylmethacrylate phantom are measured with different energies and field sizes of photon beam. Also, percent depth dose curves for 6 and 15 MV photon beams are obtained using a two-dimensional fiber-optic sensor. This sensor has many advantages such as high resolution, real-time measurement, two-dimensional dose measurement and ease calibration over conventional radiation measurement devices.

The study was done to check replication of changes in sensitivity with a simple simulator as had been obtained in an experiment using the real road situation. Another purpose was to control simulator sickness which could have confounded data from testing with a simulator or in actual driving. Sensitivity of the drivers (72 healthy young adults, Mage=24 yr., SD=5) while performing the driving task was measured in terms of subjective ratings of simulator sickness and affect, and physiological measures (i.e., galvanic skin responses and skin temperature) at different driving speeds and in driving mode conditions, using a simple vehicle simulator. Analysis showed measures of drivers' state, including simulator sickness, physiological indices, and subjective reports, increased with driving speed (30→90→120 km/hr.) and driving mode change from the regular speed to sudden increasing to sudden decreasing speeds. Particularly, the results suggest that the increased autonomic nervous activation induces increase of rated simulator sickness. Based upon the same tendency in change of the simulator sickness and physiological state with driving speed and driving mode conditions, it was concluded that, if the results obtained from the simulator experiment can be generalized to the real situation, the simulator sickness must be considered a confounding factor. The results also suggest that the changes in human sensitivity are dependent upon aspects related to speed of a vehicle and driving mode.

In this article, we propose a new algorithm using the characteristics of reconstructed phase portraits by delay-coordinate mapping utilizing lag rotundity for a real-time detection of QRS complexes in ECG signals. In reconstructing phase portrait the mapping parameters, time delay, and mapping dimension play important roles in shaping of portraits drawn in a new dimensional space. Experimentally, the optimal mapping time delay for detection of QRS complexes turned out to be 20 ms. To explore the meaning of this time delay and the proper mapping dimension, we applied a fill factor, mutual information, and autocorrelation function algorithm that were generally used to analyze the chaotic characteristics of sampled signals. From these results, we could find the fact that the performance of our proposed algorithms relied mainly on the geometrical property such as an area of the reconstructed phase portrait. For the real application, we applied our algorithm for designing a small cardiac event recorder. This system was to record patients’ ECG and R–R intervals for 1 h to investigate HRV characteristics of the patients who had vasovagal syncope symptom and for the evaluation, we implemented our algorithm in C language and applied to MIT/BIH arrhythmia database of 48 subjects. Our proposed algorithm achieved a 99.58% detection rate of QRS complexes. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2002: 8719Nn, 8719Hh, 8780-y

ABSTRACTPlant tissues naturally senesce over time. Attempts to improve plant robustness and increase longevity have involved genetic modification, application of synthetic chemicals, and use of beneficial microbes. Recently, culture supernatant from a microalga Chlorella fuscawas found to prime innate immunity against Pseudomonas syringaein Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the capacity of Chlorellaculture supernatants to prevent or delay aging in higher plants has not been elucidated. In this study, roots of the ornamental flowering plant Erinus alpinusL. were drenched with cell-free supernatants from three Chlorellaspecies. Flower and leaf senescence in E. alpinuswas significantly reduced and delayed with all three Chlorellasupernatants. Investigations of the mode of action underlying delayed senescence showed that the Chlorellasupernatants did not act as a chemical trigger to elicit plant immunity or as a growth-promoting fertilizer in E. alpinus. The mechanisms underlying the anti-aging effects remain undetermined, and several possible hypotheses are discussed. Several Chlorellaspecies are industrially cultivated, and disposal of cell-free supernatant can be economically and environmentally challenging. This study provides a novel method for extending plant lifespan through use of Chlorellasupernatant and discusses the potential of using industrial waste supernatants in agriculture and horticulture to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and genetic modification.

Fiber-optic imaging systems such as the medical endoscope, the boroscope, the fused-image faceplate, and the image conduit are now made from glass step-index (SI) fibers, and the image resolution of the SI fiber-optic imaging systems is limited to ∼5 µm. Ultrahigh-resolution fiber-optic fused-image plates with fiber diameter sizes of 5 and 2.8 µm were fabricated with plastic graded-index (GRIN) fibers. The measured image resolutions of the 5‐µm SI and GRIN-based guides were comparable, and the resolution of the plastic GRIN image guides improved as the fiber diameter was reduced from 5 to 2.8 µm.

The wavelength shifting fiber (WSF) is employed to examine experimentally the characteristics on 100 MeV proton beams generated from the fixed-field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). Profile and intensity of proton beams are deduced by the WSF detectors through the radiation induced by emissions at the location of target and the thermal neutron signals in the core, respectively, when the accelerator-driven system (ADS) experiments are carried out by combining with the KUCA core and the FFAG accelerator. From the experimental results, the applicability of WSF to the analyses of proton beam characteristics is significantly demonstrated in the ADS facility at KUCA through the measurements of protons and thermal neutrons.