Spatial distributions of radionuclides deposited onto ground soil around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and their temporal change until December 2012

Mikami, Satoshi; Maeyama, Takeshi*; Hoshide, Yoshifumi*; Sakamoto, Ryuichi*; Sato, Shoji*; Okuda, Naotoshi*; Demongeot, S.*; Gurriaran, R.*; Uwamino, Yoshitomo*; Kato, Hiroaki*; et al.

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 139, p.320 - 343, 2015/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.09.010

Mechanism of radiation-induced reactions in aqueous solution of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid; Effects of concentration, gas and additive on fluorescent product yield

Yamashita, Shinichi; Baldacchino, G.*; Maeyama, Takuya*; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Muroya, Yusa*; Lin, M.*; Kimura, Atsushi; Murakami, Takeshi*; Katsumura, Yosuke

Free Radical Research, 46(7), p.861 - 871, 2012/07

https://doi.org/10.3109/10715762.2012.684879

Radiation-induced reactions in aqueous solutions of a water-soluble coumarin derivative, coumarin-3-carboxyl acid (C3CA), have been investigated by pulse radiolysis with 35-MeV electron beam, final product analysis after Co -irradiations, and deterministic model simulations. It was found that C3CA reacts with the hydroxyl radical (OH) as well as the hydrated electron at nearly diffusion-controlled rate constants: 6.810 and 2.110 Ms, respectively. Reactivity of C3CA toward O was not confirmed. Production of a fluorescent molecule 7-hydroxy-coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (7OH-C3CA) was detected by a fluorescence spectrometer coupled with high performance liquid chromatography. Production yields of 7OH-C3CA were in a range from 0.025 to 0.18 (100 eV), depending on irradiation conditions. A variety of the yield with saturating gas, additive, and C3CA concentration implied that there are at least two pathways from scavenging reaction of C3CA toward OH to 7OH-C3CA: peroxidation reaction followed by elimination of perhydroxyl radical and disproportionation reaction. A reaction mechanism involving the two pathways was proposed and incorporated into the simulations, showing good explanation of experimentally measured 7OH-C3CA yields with a constant conversion factor from OH scavenging to 7OH-C3CA production, 4.7%, unless -BuOH is not added.

Production of a fluorescence probe in ion-beam radiolysis of aqueous coumarin-3-carboxylic acid solution, 1; Beam quality and concentration dependences

Maeyama, Takuya*; Yamashita, Shinichi; Baldacchino, G.*; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Kimura, Atsushi; Murakami, Takeshi*; Katsumura, Yosuke

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 80(4), p.535 - 539, 2011/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2010.11.013

Aqueous coumarin-3-carboxylic Acid (3CCA) solutions were irradiated with eight different ion beams covering LET range from 0.5 to above 2000 eV/nm. -values of 7OH-3CCA, one of hydroxylated products in radiolysis of the solutions, have been determined by fluorescence-HPLC technique in 3CCA concentration range from 0.1 to 26 mM. The formation yield of 7OH-3CCA increased with increasing concentration of 3CCA while it decreased with increasing LET value of ion beam. Compared with our previous reports on (OH) at a scavenging capacity of 10 s with absorption spectroscopy, it was found that (7OH-3CCA) is about (4.70.6)% of (OH), which is consistent for all of the ion beams used in the present study. However, 7OH-3CCA yields in high CCA concentration region, especially by using extremely high LET ions, were much higher than expected values based on the above conversion factor and (OH) value predicted in theoretical work.

Water radiolysis with heavy ions of energies up to 28 GeV, 2; Extension of primary yield measurements to very high LET values

Yamashita, Shinichi; Katsumura, Yosuke; Lin, M.; Muroya, Yusa*; Maeyama, Takuya*; Murakami, Takeshi*

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 77(10-12), p.1224 - 1229, 2008/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2008.05.037

Measurements of primary -values (at 10 s after the initial ionizing event) of e, OH and HO were extended to the very high linear energy transfer (LET) region ( 700 eV per nm) near the Bragg peak. Heavy ions (He, C, Ne, Si, Ar and Fe) of energies up to 28 GeV were provided by the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba, Japan. Energies of the ions were decreased down to about 10 MeV per u for He using an energy absorber made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates in order to vary the LET values. Beam was visualized after passing through the energy absorber using agarose gel of aqueous solution containing methyl viologen and sodium formate in order to determine how long ions can penetrate into water. Based on the information of the penetration depth of ions in samples, much attention was paid to dose correction and LET evaluation. The obtained data were plotted as a function of ( /) also instead of LET in order to discuss effects of physical track structures on product yields, resulted in better universality.

Water radiolysis with high-energy ion beams

Yamashita, Shinichi; Katsumura, Yosuke; Maeyama, Takuya*; Lin, M.; Muroya, Yusa*; Murakami, Takeshi*; Meesungnoen, J.*; Jay-Gerin, J.-P.*

no journal, , 

It is phenomenologically well known that heavy-ion beams, which are known to be typical high-LET radiations, give distinctive irradiation effects compared to more popular low-LET radiations such as electron beam and -rays. Here, LET is abbreviation of linear energy transfer, defined as energy deposition from radiation to surrounding matter per unit length of its trajectory. Most of earlier studies focus lighter ions (H, etc.) of lower energies ( 10 MeV/nucleon). Moreover, knowledge under neutral pH, which is close to human body, has not been accumulated well. In this study, it is purposed to investigate chemical change occurring in neutral aqueous solutions after irradiation of high-energy (10-500 MeV/nucleon) heavy ions (C, Fe, etc.). Especially, structure of heavy-ion track and radiation-chemical yields are discussed.

Yield of OH near the Bragg peak of heavy-ion beam from HIMAC, 2; Contribution of fragmentation evaluated with HIBRAC code

Maeyama, Takuya*; Yamashita, Shinichi; Baldacchino, G.*; Katsumura, Yosuke; Muroya, Yusa*; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Kimura, Atsushi; Murakami, Takeshi*

no journal, , 

OH yield near the Bragg peak of high-energy heavy ions, of which energies are comparable to those used in cancer therapy, has been determined in the previous work. Because fragmentations of primary projectile are significant in the energy region, it was purposed to calculate the fragmentations with an existing code and to reproduce the already obtained experimental results for verification of the code as well as for estimation of how much each fragmentated ions contributes in terms of OH yield.

Water radiolysis with heavy ions

Yamashita, Shinichi; Katsumura, Yosuke; Maeyama, Takuya*; Lin, M.; Muroya, Yusa*; Murakami, Takeshi*; Meesungnoen, J.*; Jay-Gerin, J.-P.*

no journal, , 

Water radiolysis with high-energy heavy ions has been investigated through measurement of product yield and simulation of intra-track reactions. Ions from helium to xenon of energies up to 500 MeV per nucleon were taken for irradiation at the biological irradiation port of HIMAC installed at NIRS, Japan. Taking long range of the ions, typically longer than 10 cm, as an advantage, track-segment yields of main water decomposition products, e, OH and HO, have been determined. Utilizing energy absorber made of PMMA, ion energies were decreased down to about 10 MeV per nucleon to vary beam properties in sample solutions, and then, product yields for wide ranges of ion types and energies were accumulated. Influences of scavenger concentration have also been discussed and yield of approximate sum of OH, H and e was measured. In parallel to these measurements, Monte-Carlo simulation of intra-track reactions has been conducted not only to reproduce the experimental results but also to discuss further track structure and its dynamics from microscopic viewpoint.

Yield of OH near the Bragg peak of heavy-ion beam from HIMAC

Maeyama, Takuya*; Yamashita, Shinichi; Baldacchino, G.*; Katsumura, Yosuke; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Kimura, Atsushi; Muroya, Yusa*; Murakami, Takeshi*

no journal, , 

Cancer therapy needs ions of several GeV to attain sufficiently long penetration depth into human body (normally 30 cm) to treat cancer in deep position. While advantages of heavy ion therapy are well-known phenomenologically, details of mechanism in which heavy ion irradiation leads to distinctive biological effectiveness have not been clarified yet. Then, understanding of water radiolysis with heavy ions is necessary because water is main component of human body. Aqueous solution of Coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (CCA) has been applied to yield-measurement of OH produced in water radiolysis with therapeutic carbon ion beam provided from HIMAC at NIRS. Production yield of a fluorescent probe, 7OH-CCA, which is a stable product produced after scavenging reaction for OH by CCA, was determined by using HPLC connected to a fluorometer. By using this chemical system, OH yields near the Bragg peak have been measured. Contribution of fragmentations, which are known to be significant near the Bragg peak of high-energy heavy ions, is also discussed by conducting fragmentation simulation.

Measurement of OH yields around the Bragg Peak with therapeutic carbon ion beams and its simulation with the PHITS code

Maeyama, Takuya*; Yamashita, Shinichi; Baldacchino, G.*; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Kimura, Atsushi; Muroya, Yusa*; Kudo, Hisaaki*; Oka, Toshitaka; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Katsumura, Yosuke; et al.

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Water radiolysis with heavy ions; Spatial distributions and dynamics of water radicals

Yamashita, Shinichi; Katsumura, Yosuke; Maeyama, Takuya*; Meesungnoen, J.*; Jay-Gerin, J.-P.*; Baldacchino, G.*; Murakami, Takeshi*

no journal, , 

Although water is one of the most ubiquitous molecules as well as a main component of human body, understanding of water radiolysis is not always sufficient. Among many types of ionizing radiations, heavy ions deposit their energies very densely, resulting in distinctive following processes. Comprehension of water radiolysis itself is essential to consider indirect actions of ionizing radiations. Moreover, energy deposition distributions in water is related to that in/on biomolecules including DNA, proteins, and so on, and spatial distributions and temporal behaviors of water radicals give a clue to think over the fate of DNA damage produced within several nanoseconds. In this presentation, yields of water decomposition products which have been measured at HIMAC will be introduced in comparison to one of the most advanced Monte-Carlo simulation.