Natural radioactivity in underground water from the Outer Carpathians in Poland with the use of nuclear spectrometry techniques

The investigations of natural radioactivity in underground mineral water and spring water in health resorts in the Outer Carpathians were performed. Samples from 40 water springs were collected 3–4 times over a period of 10 years (1997–2007). In order to obtain necessary data, two different nuclear spectrometry techniques were applied: WinSpectral α?β 1414 liquid scintillation counter from Wallac and α-spectrometer 7401 VR from Canberra–Packard, USA with the silicon surface barrier detector. The activity concentrations of ²²²Rn in the investigated samples varied from below 1 to 50 Bq/l. For radium isotopes the concentrations were in a range from below 10 to 490 mBq/l for ²²⁶Ra and from 29 to 397 mBq/l for ²²⁸Ra. The highest concentrations for both radium isotopes were obtained for medicinal water Zuber III from Krynica spa. The activity concentrations for uranium isotopes varied from below 0.5 to 16 mBq/l for ²³⁸U and from below 0.5 to 162 mBq/l for ²³⁴U with the highest values obtained for water Zuber IV. The highest annual effective dose arising from mainly radium isotopes was obtained for Zuber III water and was equal to 75 μSv/yr. Additionally, the annual effective doses due to ²²²Rn consumed with water were also estimated. The isotopic ratios between isotopes originating from the same decay chain (²³⁴U/²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra/²³⁸U) and from different radioactive decay chains (²²⁶Ra/²²⁸Ra) were determined. The correlations between different isotopes were presented.     

Radium-226 concentration in spring water sampled in high radon regions

Water ²²⁶Ra concentration in springs was measured in regions with high indoor radon: Ural, North Caucasus (Russia), Niska Banja (Serbia), Piestany (Slovakia), and Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan). This paper presents the results for ²²⁶Ra concentration above 0.03 Bq l^–1. Radium in water could indicate indoor radon problem in the region and water investigation is useful at the initial stage of radon survey. Even low ²²⁶Ra concentration in water (0.1–0.6 Bq l^–1) caused high ²²⁶Ra activity in travertine (up to 1500 Bq kg^?1), which resulted in indoor radon concentration above 2000 Bq m^?3 (Niska Banja).     

Determination of the four natural Ra isotopes in thermal waters by gamma-ray spectrometry

Our method for the simultaneous determination of the four natural Ra isotopes (²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra) in thermal waters involves a separation of Ra on a selective filter (3 M EMPORE? Radium Rad disk), and a single counting using a broad-energy HPGe detector (BE Ge manufactured by CANBERRA?). The calculation of ²²³Ra and ²²⁸Ra activities requires interference and cascade summing corrections. The ²²⁶Ra activities in CO₂-rich thermal waters of the Lodève Basin (South of France) range from 530 to 2240 mBq/l. The low (²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra) activity ratios (0.19–0.29) suggest that Ra is mostly derived from the aquifer carbonates. The short-lived ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra are probably added to the water through recoil or desorption processes from Th-enriched coatings on the fracture walls.     

The effect of uranium migration on radionuclide distributions for soil samples at the El-Gor area,Sinai, Egypt

The concentrations and distributions of the activity of natural radionuclides in soil samples were investigated in fifteen soil samples at El-Gor area representing two profiles (A and B) using a HP–Ge detector and alpha counting by SSNTD (CR-39), respectively. The average concentrations of the radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁵U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K are 203.4, 177.23, 9.77, 43.33 and 386.22 Bq kg⁻¹ (dry weight), respectively, and profile A and ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³⁵U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K have average concentrations of 232.58, 246, 11.7, 31.7, and 277.07 Bq kg⁻¹ for profile B, respectively. The eTh and eU were estimated to detect the migration process of uranium into or out of an area or uranium to or from the studied profiles. The results indicate a migration of uranium by 29% for profile A and 65.37% for profile B. The activity ratio (²³⁸U/²²⁶Ra) was found to be 0.9 in profile A and 1.15 in profile B. These ratios coincide with the uranium migration processes. The responsible mass corresponding to the measured ²²⁶Ra activity was also calculated. The radon activity concentrations for the two profiles are nearly 300 Bq m⁻³. The emanation coefficient (η) was calculated from the ratio of the expected radon activity to the measured radon for the studied soil samples. The value of η was found to depend only on the radium activity regardless to soil formation.     

238U, 235U, 137Cs and 133Xe in soils from two campuses in University of Douala—Cameroon

An evaluation of ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³³Xe in soils from two campuses in University of Douala—Cameroon using gamma spectroscopy based Broad Energy Germanium Detector (BEGe6530) has been performed. The mean activities in soils from Campuse 1 were 40.16±8.98 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, 3.39±0.33 Bq/kg for ²³⁵U, 0.46±0.33 Bq/kg for ¹³⁷Cs and 0.14±0.16 Bq/kg for ¹³³Xe. In Campus 2, the mean activities in soils were 31.45±12.24 Bq/kg, 3.02±1.00 Bq/kg, 0.30±0.26 Bq/kg and 0.35±0.24 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U, ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³³Xe, respectively. Using the in situ survey meter, the mean values of the absorbed dose rate measured was 71.43 nGy/h for Campus 1 and 62.72 nGy/h for Campus 2. The evaluated average outdoor effective dose for Campus 1 and 2 were 87.60 µSv/yr and 76.93 µSv/yr, respectively. The overall results obtained in this work were generally low compared to that of UNSCEAR.     

Distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides activity concentration in East Malaysian marine sediment

Studies of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) distribution of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K in East Malaysia were carried out as part of a marine coastal environment project. The results of measurements will serve as baseline data and background reference level for Malaysia coastlines. Sediments from 21 coastal locations and 10 near shore locations were collected for analyses. The samples were dried, finely ground, sealed in a container and stored for a minimum of 30 days to establish secular equilibrium between ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra and their respective radioactive progenies. They were counted using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometer covering the respective progeny energy peak. For ⁴⁰K, the presence of this was measured directly via its 1460 keV energy peak. The concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K in samples obtained from coastal Sarawak ranged between 23 and 41 (mean 30±2) Bq/kg, 27 and 45 (mean 39±4) Bq/kg and 142 and 680 (mean 462±59) Bq/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, the concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K for samples obtained from coastal Sabah ranged between 16 and 30 (mean 23±2) Bq/kg, 23 and 45 (mean 35±4) Bq/kg and 402 and 842 (mean 577±75) Bq/kg, respectively. For the Sarawak near shore stations, the concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K ranged between 11 and 36 (mean 22±2) Bq/kg, 21 and 65 (mean 39±5) Bq/kg and 149 and 517 (mean 309±41) Bq/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, the concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K for samples obtained from Sabah ranged between 9 and 31 (mean 14±2) Bq/kg, 10 and 48 (mean 21±3) Bq/kg and 140 and 580 (mean 269±36) Bq/kg, respectively. The calculated external hazard values of between 0.17 and 0.33 (less than unity) showed that there is little risk of external hazard to the workers handling the sediments.     

A new low-level γ-ray spectrometry system for environmental radioactivity at the underground laboratory Felsenkeller

A low-level γ-ray spectrometry system, based on an HPGe-detector with 92% relative efficiency recently installed in the underground laboratory Felsenkeller at 110 m water equivalent (w.e.) depth, is described. The integral background count rate normalised to the Ge-crystal mass in the energy range from 40 keV until 2.7 MeV of 0.034 s⁻¹ kg⁻¹ has been achieved by careful material selection of the detector construction material, a graded shielding construction and effective radon suppression. The detector is highly suitable for the effective surveillance of water for human consumption with decision thresholds for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra in the order of some mBq L⁻¹.     

Evaluation of 235U decay data

Evaluation of the complete decay scheme and data for ²³⁵U including new measurements are presented in this report; literature data available up to June 2008 are included. The half-life is determined to be (7.04±0.01)×10⁸ yr. All known measured γ-ray absolute intensities have been examined; the γ-ray emission probability of the reference γ-ray line of 185.72 keV is recommended to be 57.0±0.3%. The calculated internal conversion coefficients and their uncertainties have been used to obtain the complete decay intensity balance. The other decay characteristics are calculated using the ENSDF analysis program. Finally the new decay scheme for ²³⁵U is presented.     

Institutional (local) diagnostic reference levels in fluoroscopically guided spine surgery

In this study, institutional (local) diagnostic reference levels (LDRLs) and action levels (ALs) for spine interventional procedures are reported. Fluoroscopy time (FT), kerma area product (KAP), cumulative dose (CD), as well as anatomical, clinical and technical factors affecting procedure complexity were recorded for 156 patients who underwent cervical and thoraco-lumbar interventions. Patient entrance surface dose (ESD), effective dose (ED), thyroid absorbed dose and gonadal dose were also estimated, based on KAP measurements. The LDRLs and ALs were calculated as the 75th and 10th percentile of FT, KAP and CD values for the total group of patients, as well as utilizing the weight banding method and the size correction method. For the total distribution of patients, the LDRLs for cervical and thoraco-lumbar interventions are 0.15 min and 0.29 min for FT values, 0.10 Gy cm² and 0.71 Gy cm² for KAP values, as well as 0.47 mGy and 3.24 mGy for CD values, respectively. The corresponding ALs are 0.03 min and 0.03 min, 0.01 Gy cm² and 0.07 Gy cm², as well as 0.05 mGy and 0.33 mGy for FT, KAP and CD values, respectively. The age and treated levels had a significant influence on the reference dose values only for cervical interventions, whereas none of the other included factors showed statistically significant association for both cervical and thoraco-lumbar interventions. The weight banding method resulted to reference values comparable to those obtained for the whole group of patients, while the size correction method resulted to lower values. The mean ESD values were 1.58 mGy (range 0.02–13.58 mGy) for cervical and 23 mGy (range 0.004–390.3 mGy) for thoraco-lumbar interventions. The corresponding mean ED values were 0.012 mSv (range 0.001–0.097 mSv) and 0.124 mSv (range 0.00002–2.11 mSv), respectively. The mean thyroid and gonadal doses were 0.14 mGy (range 0.002–1.12 mGy) and 0.044 mGy (range 0.000003–1.56 mGy), respectively. The LDRLs and ALs reported could contribute in the effort for establishing national DRLs and for increasing neurosurgeons awareness regarding patient dose and radiation protection issues during spine interventional procedures.     

Effects of using the GlobalFiler™ multiplex system on parent–child analyses of cases with single locus inconsistency

Parent–child analyses sometimes reveal inconsistency of shared alleles at only one locus. This is conventionally called “single locus exclusion”, which results from mutational events and the presence of null alleles. Here, in parent–child analyses of the Japanese population, we detected exclusions by using the GlobalFiler™ system comprising 21 short tandem repeat loci. One- or two-step mutations resulting from strand slippage causing gain or loss were observed in seven of 221 parent–child transmissions. The incidences of single locus inconsistency of alleles were 5.88 × 10⁻² and 8.40 × 10⁻³ for paternal and maternal relationships, respectively. With calculation using a set of 15 loci in the Identifiler® multiplex system, the combined likelihood ratio (CLR) values were limited to less than 100 in all five cases accompanied by single inconsistency. The addition of six loci recovered the CLR values to over 10,000 in three cases. Application of this advanced system may increase the detected occurrence of mutational events, but it should be beneficial for inference in parent–child analyses, particularly in cases accompanied by genetic inconsistency.     

Population and forensic data for three sets of forensic genetic markers in four ethnic groups from Iran: Persians,Lurs, Kurds and Azeris

A total of 255 individuals (Persians, Lurs, Kurds and Azeris) from Iran were typed for three sets of forensic genetic markers with the NGM SElect™, DIPplex^® and Argus X-12 kits. Statistically significant deviations (P ≤ 0.002) from Hardy–Weinberg expectations were observed for the insertion-deletion markers HLD97 and HLD93 after Holm–Šidák correction. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) levels of linkage disequilibrium were observed between markers within two of the four studied X-chromosomal linkage groups. AMOVA analyses of the three sets of markers did not show population structure when the individuals were grouped according to their ethnic group. The Iranian population grouped closely to populations living geographically near to Iran based on pairwise F_ST distances. The matching probabilities ranged from 1 in 3.2 × 10⁷ males by using haplotype frequencies of four X-chromosomal haplogroups to 1 in 3.4 × 10²¹ individuals for the 16 autosomal STRs.     

Spectral interference corrections for the measurement of 238U in materials rich in thorium by a high resolution γ-ray spectrometry

In this study, the spectral interferences are investigated for the analytical peaks at 63.3 keV of ²³⁴Th and 1001.0 keV of ^234mPa, which are often used in the measurement of ²³⁸U activity by the γ-ray spectrometry. The correction methods are suggested to estimate the net peak areas of the γ-rays overlapping the analytical peaks, due to the contribution of ²³²Th that may not be negligible in materials rich in natural thorium. The activity results for the certified reference materials (CRMs) containing U and Th were measured with a well type Ge detector. The self-absorption and true coincidence-summing (TCS) effects were also taken into account in the measurements. It is found that ignoring the contributions of the interference γ-rays of ²³²Th and ²³⁵U to the mixed peak at 63.3 keV of ²³⁴Th (²³⁸U) leads to the remarkably large systematic influence of 0.8–122% in the measured ²³⁸U activity, but in case of ignoring the contribution of ²³²Th via the interference γ-ray at 1000.7 keV of ²²⁸Ac to the mixed peak at 1001 keV of ^234mPa (²³⁸U) results in relatively smaller systematic influence of 0.05–3%, depending on thorium contents in the samples. The present results showed that the necessary correction for the spectral interferences besides self-absorption and TCS effects is also very important to obtain more accurate ²³⁸U activity results. Additionally, if one ignores the contribution of ²³²Th to both ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K activities in materials, the maximum systematic influence on the effective radiation dose is estimated to be ~6% and ~1% via the analytical peaks at 63.3 and 1001 keV for measurement of the ²³⁸U activity, respectively.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of diffusion-weighted imaging of gestational trophoblastic disease: Can it predict progression of molar pregnancy to persistent form of disease?

PurposeTo describe the diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) appearance of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) and to determine its apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. To evaluate the feasibility of DWI to predict progression of hydatidiform mole (HM) to persistent disease.MethodsDuring a period of 6 months, women with preliminary diagnosis of GTD, based on ultrasound and ßhCG levels, underwent 1.5T MRI (T2 high-resolution and DWI; b values 50, 400, 800; sagittal and perpendicular to the endometrium; and T1, T2 Turbo Spin Echo [TSE] axial images). Patients were followed for 6–12 months to monitor progression to persistent form of the disease. ADC values and image characteristics were compared between HM and persistent neoplasia and between GTD and non-molar pregnancy using Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests, respectively.ResultsAmong the 23 studied patients, 19 (83%) were classified as molar and 4 (17%) as non-molar, based on pathology reports. After 6–12 months of follow-up, 5 (26%) cases progressed to persistent disease and 14 (74%) cases were benign HM. There was no significant difference between ADC values for HM (1.93 ± 0.33 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) and persistent neoplasia (2.03 ± 0.28 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) (P = 0.69). The ADC of non-molar pregnancies was (0.96 ± 0.46 × 10⁻³ mm²/s), which was significantly different from GTD (1.96  ± 0.32 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) (P = 0.001). Heterogeneous snowstorm appearance, focal intratumoral hemorrhage, myometrial contraction, and prominent myometrial vascularity were more common in GTD compared to non-molar pregnancy (P < 0.05).ConclusionHeterogeneous snowstorm appearance, focal intratumoral hemorrhage, myometrial contraction, and prominent myometrial vascularity are among the imaging characteristics of GTD. We cannot use ADC values to predict progression to persistent disease.     

A prospective study of health problems at the 2018 17/U and 19/U Australian National Netball Championships with comparison of surveillance methodology

ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence, site, nature and cause of injuries sustained during and four weeks following the 2018 Australian National Netball Championships (ANNC’s) using medical attention and self-report surveillance tools.DesignProspective cohort study.MethodInjuries were recorded prospectively using medical attention and self-report data collection methods. One hundred and ninety-two athletes competed at the 2018 ANNC’s with 96 athletes in each age group (17/U & 19/U).ResultsThere were 103 medical attention injuries sustained by 80 athletes resulting in an incidence rate of 89.4 per 1000 player hours. The most frequently recorded medical attention injury diagnoses across both age groups were lateral ankle ligament sprain (n = 14, 13.6%), foot blisters (n = 11, 10.7%), and lumbar pain (n = 10, 9.7%). Ankle sprains (n = 4), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures (n = 3) and concussion (n = 3) recorded as the highest sports incapacity injuries. The self-report data collection revealed that 46 (27.2%) athletes arrived at the tournament with an existing self-reported injury/illness and 57 (39.3%) athletes had a self-reported injury/illness at the conclusion of the ANNC (RR 1.44 95%CI 1.05–1.99, p = 0.030).ConclusionThere are no recent studies reporting injury rates specifically in pre-elite netball players. This study found an incidence rate of 89.4 per 1000 player hours. Ankle sprains are the highest medical attention and sports-incapacity injury in pre-elite netball athletes. Foot blisters and low back pain also feature in the highest medical attention injuries and ACL rupture and concussion were high sports incapacity injuries at the ANNC’s. Finally, combining both the medical attention and self-report injury/illness data collection methods identified more injuries/illnesses than the use of one method alone.     

Analysis of 49 autosomal SNPs in three ethnic groups from Iran: Persians,Lurs and Kurds

A total number of 149 individuals from Iran (Persians, Lurs and Kurds) were analyzed for 49 autosomal SNPs using PCR, SBE and capillary electrophoresis. No deviation from Hardy–Weinberg expectations was observed. One SNP pair (rs1015250–rs251934) showed significant linkage disequilibrium in Kurds. However, this was most likely due to chance. High intrapopulation variability and no significant population structure were observed among the three ethnic groups from Iran. Pairwise F_ST values obtained from the mean numbers of pairwise differences between SNP profiles were calculated for Persians, Lurs, Kurds and eighteen other worldwide populations. For each of the three Iranian ethnic groups, the lowest F_ST values calculated between an Iranian and non-Iranian populations were observed between Iranians and populations in Iraq and Turkey. The three Iranian ethnic groups grouped together with other West Asian populations in the MDS plot drawn from the F_ST values. Statistical parameters of forensic interest calculated for the Iranian ethnic groups showed values of the same order of magnitudes as those obtained for Asians. The mean match probability calculated for the 49 SNPs ranged from 1.7 x 10⁻¹⁸ for Kurds to 1.3 x 10⁻¹⁹ for Persians. Despite the low level of genetic structure observed among Persians, Lurs and Kurds, a single autosomal SNP database should be used with care when extending its forensic application to other Iranian ethnic groups.     

Concordance study and population frequencies for 16 autosomal STRs analyzed with PowerPlex® ESI 17 and AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™ in Somalis,Danes and Greenlanders

A concordance study of the results of PowerPlex^® ESI 17 and AmpFℓSTR^® NGM SElect™ kits obtained from 591 individuals from Somalia (N = 198), Denmark (N = 199) and Greenland (N = 194) was performed. Among 9456 STR types, seven discordant results were found with the two kits: one observed in the D19S433 system in an individual from Denmark and six in the SE33 system in six individuals from Somalia. Sequencing of SE33 in the six samples with discordant results showed G > A transition 15 bp downstream of the repeat unit in three of the individuals, and G > A transition 68 bp downstream of the repeat unit in the other three individuals. Population data for 16 autosomal STR systems analyzed in 989 individuals from Somalia, Denmark and Greenland are also presented. The highest mean heterozygosity was observed in Danes (82.5%). With the exception of D8S1179 in Danes, no significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations were observed. Only one pair of systems (D12S391 and D18S51) showed significant allelic association in Greenlanders (after Holm-Šidák correction). A MDS plot drawn from pairwise F_ST values calculated between 21 populations showed a clear displacement of the Greenlandic population versus the other ones included in the analyses. The highest combined chance of exclusion and power of discrimination was observed for Danes reaching values of 99.9999987% and 1 in 1.8 × 10²¹, respectively.     

Evaluation of two methods for concentrating perrhenate (188Re) eluates obtained from 188W–188Re generator

Two novel and simple methods for post-elution concentration (PEC) of ¹⁸⁸Re-perrhenate, using (i) a single diethyl amino ethyl (DEAE) cellulose anion exchanger column and (ii) a combination of Dowex-1×8 and AgCl columns, are described here. In the first system, 20–25 ml of ¹⁸⁸Re-perrhenate in acidic ammonium acetate was trapped in the small anion exchanger column of DEAE cellulose which was subsequently recovered in 4 ml of normal saline. In the second method, ¹⁸⁸Re-perrhenate eluate in 20–40 ml normal saline was trapped on a small strong base anion exchanger column, Dowex-1×8, and recovered in 5 ml of 0.2 M NaI solution and finally processed over 1 g AgCl column so as to obtain it in physiological saline solution in a final volume of 6.5 ml including 1.5 ml de-ionized water washings. In both the methods, the radiochemical purity of ¹⁸⁸Re-perrhenate was >98% and ¹⁸⁸W breakthrough was less than 10⁻³%.     

Low-level γ-ray spectrometry at the underground laboratory Garching

Two low-background setups for material screening based on HPGe detectors were built in the Garching Underground Laboratory with an overburden of ~10 m.w.e. They include several layers of passive shielding as well as an active muon veto. The first setup (GEM) comprises a 150% efficiency HPGe detector which can optionally be surrounded by a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector that serves as anti-Compton veto. The second setup (LoAx) consists of two smaller HPGe detectors which are arranged face-to-face to cover a larger solid angle around the sample and to allow coincidence measurements.For a 5.6 kg piece of copper after 11 days of measurement we have reached a sensitivity for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra/²²⁸Th of ~5 mBq kg⁻¹ with the GEM setup. In the LoAx setup we have achieved limits of less than 100 mBq kg⁻¹ for ²³⁴Th and ²¹⁰Pb with a 156 g sample of PPO wavelength shifter after 18 days of measurement.     

Wrist-specific accelerometry methods for estimating free-living physical activity

ObjectivesTo compare accelerometry-derived estimates of physical activity from 9 wrist-specific predictive models and a reference hip-specific method.DesignProspective cohort repeated measures study.Methods110 participants wore an accelerometer at wrist and hip locations for 1 week of free-living. Accelerometer data from three axes were used to calculate physical activity estimates using existing wrist-specific models (3 linear and 6 artificial neural network models) and a reference hip-specific method. Estimates of physical activity were compared to reference values at both epoch (≤60-s) and weekly levels.Results9044 h were analysed. Physical activity ranged from 7 to 96 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Method of analysis influenced determination of sedentary behaviour (<1.5 METs), light physical activity (1.5 to <3 METs) and MVPA (>3 METs) (p < 0.001, respectively). All wrist-specific models produced total weekly MVPA values that were different to the reference method. At the epoch level, Hildebrand et al. (2014) produced the strongest correlation (r = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.67–0.71) with tightest ratio limits of agreement (95%CI: 0.53–1.30) for MVPA, and highest agreement to predict MVPA (94.1%, 95%CI: 94.0–94.1%) with sensitivity of 63.1% (95%CI: 62.6–63.7%) and specificity of 96.0% (95%CI: 95.9–96.0%).ConclusionsCaution is required when comparing results from studies that use inconsistent analysis methods. Although a wrist-specific linear model produced results that were most similar to the hip-specific reference method when estimating total weekly MVPA, modest absolute and relative agreement at the epoch level suggest that additional analysis methods are required to improve estimates of physical activity derived from wrist-worn accelerometers.     

10B-NMR determination of 10B-BPA, 10B-BPA–fructose complex and total 10B in blood for BNCT

First spontaneous, noninvasive determination method of ¹⁰B-BPA, ¹⁰B-BPA–fructose complex, and total ¹⁰B in blood is described. ¹⁰B-NMR measurement with 100,000 FT accumulation enables us to obtain the result within 100 min/sample. The detection limits for the simultaneous analysis were 3 ppm, 3 ppm and 6 ppm for ¹⁰B-BPA, ¹⁰B-BPA–fructose complex and total ¹⁰B respectively in this study. By this method, we can actually discuss behavior of the ¹⁰B-BPA–fructose complex in blood.