Novel medical applications using natural radionuclides contained in the reagents were developed. Attenuation properties for nuclides by shielding test showed the specific D_1/2 related to E_max. ⁸⁷Rb based bone radioluminography in rat section was established. Moreover, a novel quantification for K⁺ (⁴⁰K) concentration in infusion solutions was developed. Furthermore, objective structured clinical examination for dispending of infusion was performed. These methods are expected to be useful application in clinical practice.

In the latest nuclear data libraries ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JENDL-5, the inelastic scattering cross-section data for reactor graphite and crystalline graphite are employed. The data for reactor graphite reproduces the measurement values very well, while the data for crystalline graphite tends to underestimate the measurement values, and there is room for improvement. Therefore, in the present study, for future updates of JENDL, a new molecular dynamics simulation model for crystalline graphite is prepared and inelastic scattering cross-section data are evaluated based on both incoherent approximation and Vineyard approximation. As a result, the obtained inelastic scattering cross-section data of crystalline graphite show very good agreement with the measured data and successfully presented more reliable data than those employed in ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JENDL-5.

When the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident occurred in March 2011, a large-scale power outage made it impossible to utilize data from monitoring posts inside and outside the Power Station in real time. In order to understand the role of monitoring posts during nuclear power plant accidents (particularly in the early stages), we compared the data collected from monitoring posts with the situation at the reactor where the accident occurred. To have adequate understanding of status of the reactor at the initial stage of FDNPS accident and to assess radiological effects to the environment, information of the monitoring posts, including energy spectrum measurements, is important. We also examined radionuclides that contribute to the “dose” measured at monitoring posts at the time of the accident.

Loss of quality and limits on the storage life of potatoes are very difficult problems for farmers around the world. Farmers normally apply chemicals to minimize the number of aerobic colonies and increase the storage life of potato tubers for year-round supply. However, these methods pose harmful health risks to consumers. This research study evaluates the effect of gamma irradiation, in doses ranging from 0.0 to 1,500 Gy, on the storage life of potatoes at ambient temperature with the aim of optimizing the irradiation dose. The results show that gamma irradiation with ⁶⁰Co at a dose of 1,000 Gy significantly prolonged the storage life of potatoes to 180 days compared with a control group of nonirradiated potatoes, which had a maximum storage life of 60 days. Nonirradiated potato samples showed maximum sprouting, decay of 44%, and weight loss of approximately 10% after 45 days of storage. Storage duration and radiation treatment influenced potato acidity (pH), although this effect was not deemed significant. Findings indicated that doses of 1,000 Gy can be considered tolerable for consumers because they effectively prolong the shelf life of potatoes, reduce weight loss, and curb decay while maintaining the chemical integrity of the tubers.

Silver iodide (AgI) is an ice-nucleating substance because its crystal is structurally analogous to ice crystal. To extend the application of AgI as a supercooling breaker, we immobilized AgI precipitates onto an anion-exchange fiber prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization. The AgI-immobilized fiber was immersed in water in a plastic tube before the temperature of the tube-placed water bath was decreased from 1 to −4°C. In the presence of the AgI-immobilized fiber, the breaking of supercooling of water was demonstrated by direct observation of the phase transition of water and by measuring the temperature of water.

The Expert Committee on the Search for Radiation Target Molecules, Science and Engineering/Life Science Committee, Japan Radioisotope Association, reports on the information it has gathered and reviewed on the status of the development of radionuclide therapeutic agents using short-range radiation, including the physicochemical properties of short-range radiation and its biological effects at the cellular level, the molecular mechanism of cell killing, and the short-range radiation-emitting nuclides that are applicable to radionuclide therapy.