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Re-entrant ionization chambers (ICs) are essential to radionuclide metrology and nuclear medicine for maintaining standards and measuring half-lives. The requirements of top-level metrology demand that systems must be precise and stable to 0.1 % over many years, and linear from 10 -14 A to 10 -8 A. Thus, laboratories depend on bespoke current measurement systems and often rely on sealed sources to generate reference currents. To maintain and improve present capabilities, metrologists need to overcome two looming challenges: ageing electronics and decreasing availability of sealed sources. Possible solutions using Ultrastable Low-Noise Current Amplifiers (ULCAs), resistive-feedback electrometers, and (quantum) single-electron pumps are reviewed. Broader discussions of IC design and methodology are discussed. ULCAs show promise and resistive-feedback systems which take advantage of standard resistor calibrations offer an alternative., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI) has coordinated the development of a long-term strategy to support the international measurement system for radionuclide metrology. Supported by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) and its associated institutional members, the CCRI strategy captures how an NMI/DI can demonstrate capability in radionuclide metrology with the support that is available through the CCRI and the BIPM. The CCRI strategy, specifically the aspects with direct impact on radionuclide metrology, is described. Various projects to ensure that the international measurement system for radioactivity can be sustained in the short and long term will also be outlined., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

We present a brief report on the progress towards the construction of the National Nuclear Array (NANA), a gamma-ray coincidence spectrometer for discrete-line nuclear structure and decay measurements. The proposed spectrometer will combine a gamma-ray energy resolution of approximately 3% at 1MeV with sub-nanosecond timing discrimination between successive gamma rays in mutually coincident decay cascades. We also review a number of recent measurements using coincidence fast-timing gamma-ray spectroscopy for nuclear structure studies, which have helped to inform the design criteria for the NANA spectrometer., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The discipline of radionuclide metrology at national standards institutes started in 1913 with the certification by Curie, Rutherford and Meyer of the first primary standards of radium. In early years, radium was a valuable commodity and the aim of the standards was largely to facilitate trade. The focus later changed to providing standards for the new wide range of radionuclides, so that radioactivity could be used for healthcare and industrial applications while minimising the risk to patients, workers and the environment. National measurement institutes responded to the changing demands by developing new techniques for realising primary standards of radioactivity. Looking ahead, there are likely to be demands for standards for new radionuclides used in nuclear medicine, an expansion of the scope of the field into quantitative imaging to facilitate accurate patient dosimetry for nuclear medicine, and an increasing need for accurate standards for radioactive waste management and nuclear forensics., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

High resolution gamma spectrometry offers a rapid method to characterise waste materials on a decommissioning nuclear site. To meet regulatory requirements, measurements must be traceable to national standards, meaning that the spectrometers must be calibrated for a wide range of materials. Semi-empirical modelling software (such as ANGLE™) offers a convenient method to carry out such calibrations. This paper describes an assessment of the modelling software for use by a small laboratory based on a nuclear site. The results confirmed the need for accurate information on the detection construction if the calibration were to be accurate to within 10%., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to partially characterize the steroid binding activity of murine renal tumor cells in continuous culture. The steroid receptor content of a cloned renal tumor cell line (RAG) and a subline RAG-2 was examined by sucrose gradient analysis, hydroxylapatite and dextran-coated charcoal methods. The RAG cells lacked estrogen- and progestin-binding activity, whereas specific 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and dexamethasone (Dx) binding activities were detected as 8S peaks on low salt gradients. The specificity of DHT binding was examined by sucrose gradient analysis: DHT, R1881 and ORG2058 all completely inhibited [3H]DHT binding whereas diethylstilbestrol and Dx were ineffective. The androgen receptor content of the RAG cells was approx. 15 fmol/mg cytosol protein by the hydroxylapatite-filter assay, with an estimated Kd for methyltrienolone (R1881) of 5 nM at 0 degrees C. Scatchard analysis of [3H]Dx binding by RAG cytosol showed a Kd of 6 nM for Dx and 44 nM for corticosterone at 0 degrees C. Glucocorticoid receptor levels were estimated to be 182 fmol/mg cytosol protein by dextran-coated charcoal assay. Metabolism of [3H]testosterone and [3H]DHT by RAG cells was examined 1, 4 and 6 h after exposure to labeled hormone. Radioactive DHT was the primary intracellular metabolite recovered after exposure to [3H]testosterone. There was little conversion of DHT to androstanediol.

Measurements of the relative emission rates of the 776 keV gamma ray, the positrons and the K x-rays in the decay of 82Rb have been repeated. This has led to the finding that the gamma ray to positron ratio is 0.1578 +/- 0.0019 and that the 776 keV gamma-ray probability per decay is (15.12 +/- 0.18)%.