Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Biological Effects of Radiation

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...

Absorption of Radiation

Absorption of Radiation

The rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation is described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation:

Mutations

Mutations

Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...

Types of Radioactivity

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.

Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current

Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current

An applied magnetic field causes the electrons present in the molecule to circulate, setting up a local diamagnetic current within the molecule. The local diamagnetic current arising from circulating sigma-bonding electrons induces a magnetic field, Blocal that opposes the applied magnetic field, B0. The effective magnetic field experienced by these nuclei is given by the difference between the applied and local magnetic fields in a phenomenon called local diamagnetic shielding. Essentially,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Estimation of absorbed radiation doses to skin and S-values for organs at risk due to nasal administration of PET agents using Monte Carlo simulations.

Medical physics·2020

Same author

Maintenance of Near Normal Bone Mass and Architecture in Lethally Irradiated Female Mice following Adoptive Transfer with as few as 750 Purified Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Radiation research·2019

Same author

SCALING PARAMETERS FOR HOT-PARTICLE BETA DOSIMETRY.

Radiation protection dosimetry·2016

Same author

The effect of cognitive load on decision making with graphically displayed uncertainty information.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis·2013

Same author

Decision making for risk management: a comparison of graphical methods for presenting quantitative uncertainty.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis·2012

Same author

The creation of an historical meteorological database for environmental dose assessment.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2003

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Published on: March 11, 2021

Bremsstrahlung Dose Rate Kernels in Tissue.

David L Boozer¹, David M Hamby

¹Renaissance Code Development, LLC, Bowlby Building, 310 NW 5th Street, Suite 107, Corvallis, OR 97330.

|May 20, 2024

Summary

High-energy beta-emitting radionuclides used in medicine can produce bremsstrahlung radiation. This study introduces a novel method to estimate the dose rate from this radiation, considering source properties and decay.

More Related Videos

Dosimetry for Cell Irradiation using Orthovoltage 40-300 kV X-Ray Facilities

Dosimetry for Cell Irradiation using Orthovoltage 40-300 kV X-Ray Facilities

Published on: February 20, 2021

Characterization of Recombination Effects in a Liquid Ionization Chamber Used for the Dosimetry of a Radiosurgical Accelerator

Characterization of Recombination Effects in a Liquid Ionization Chamber Used for the Dosimetry of a Radiosurgical Accelerator

Published on: May 9, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Published on: March 11, 2021

Dosimetry for Cell Irradiation using Orthovoltage 40-300 kV X-Ray Facilities

Dosimetry for Cell Irradiation using Orthovoltage 40-300 kV X-Ray Facilities

Published on: February 20, 2021

Characterization of Recombination Effects in a Liquid Ionization Chamber Used for the Dosimetry of a Radiosurgical Accelerator

Characterization of Recombination Effects in a Liquid Ionization Chamber Used for the Dosimetry of a Radiosurgical Accelerator

Published on: May 9, 2014

Area of Science:

Medical Physics
Nuclear Medicine
Radiation Dosimetry

Background:

Radionuclides emitting high-energy beta rays are crucial for medical therapies.
These radionuclides can generate in vivo bremsstrahlung radiation, posing a dosimetry challenge.
Accurate estimation of this radiation dose is essential for patient safety and treatment efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dose rate of bremsstrahlung radiation from internally embedded radioactive sources.
To develop a novel method for estimating the bremsstrahlung dose rate kernel.
To account for photon buildup, attenuation, and source encapsulation in dose calculations.

Main Methods:

Estimation of the spectral energy distribution of bremsstrahlung radiation.
Development of a dose rate kernel estimation method based on spectral distribution.
Inclusion of photon buildup, attenuation, and source encapsulation.
Formulation for monoenergetic and beta-transition electrons, incorporating radioactive decay.

Main Results:

A novel method for estimating the bremsstrahlung dose rate kernel was developed.
The method accurately accounts for key physical processes like photon buildup and attenuation.
Formulas were derived for various electron types and radioactive decay.

Conclusions:

The developed method provides a more accurate estimation of bremsstrahlung dose rates in medical applications.
This research contributes to improved radiation dosimetry for beta-emitting radionuclides in therapy.
The findings can enhance the safety and effectiveness of radionuclide-based medical treatments.