Browsing by Author "Lindsay, James, committee member"
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Item Open Access Analysis of potential airborne radionuclide emissions during and after fires through contaminated soil areas on the INL(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Williams, Connor, author; Johnson, Thomas, advisor; Brandl, Alexander, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe risk of wildfires burning through legacy soil contamination areas of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) facility with consequent airborne radiological releases has been a concern for some time and this concern has only increased in recent years with an increasing number and size of wildfires burning through the property. The question of personnel safety has been raised in terms of firefighters and other first responders who might be in close proximity to an ongoing fire as well as the health risks to facility staff and members of the general public. As a result, this study seeks to update the current soil nuclide inventory of the known legacy contamination sites which pose a fire risk as well as update previous fire resuspension studies made of INL contamination sites through the use of updated modeling techniques and inputs available in more recent literature. Baseline soil contamination values were developed for the contaminated areas starting with average measured radionuclide concentrations in soil, using in-situ gamma spectroscopy or decay correcting the best available data from previous reports. Soil-to-plant uptake fractions from the literature were used to estimate radionuclide concentrations in plants growing on the sites. Worst case estimates of plant biomass were used to yield release estimates during a fire. Doses to first responders or other high-exposure individuals were estimated through a comparison to the minimum soil screening concentrations calculated specifically for the INL facility in the literature. This study involved using dynamic dispersion models to determine the minimum soil and plant concentration, for various common nuclides found at INL, which would be necessary to produce an exposure of 10 mrem or greater either during a fire due to release of radionuclides from plant tissue, or after a fire due to resuspension of rootless soil. Based on the relatively low level of soil radionuclide concentrations in even the most contaminated sites, the low soil-to-plant transfer coefficients of the specific measured nuclides remaining in the soil and the likely quick dispersion and dilution of any released nuclides in the smoke/dust column, the overall exposure is likely to be small. Therefore, it is hypothesized that that any measurable radiological doses which could be expected to any given individual would be well below current occupational or public exposure limits and thus would not present a health hazard.Item Open Access Baptists and slavery in frontier Missouri during the antebellum era(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Woodward, Nathan, author; Knight, Fred, advisor; Gudmestad, Robert, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee member; Kim, Joon, committee memberThis thesis examines the way residents of the Missouri frontier viewed and reacted to slavery, with a particular emphasis on Missouri Baptist thought. I argue that Baptists were ambivalent toward slavery because of their religion and their unique agricultural position on the frontier far from the large cotton plantations of the Deep South. Their attitude toward slavery manifested itself in Frontier Baptist Conventions and within Baptist newspapers in Missouri. Because of this ambivalence, Baptist slaveholders and slaveholders in the largely Baptist town of Liberty, Missouri, had to find a way to reconcile their growing antislavery thoughts with their largely proslavery surroundings. Their answer came in the form of gradual emancipation of the slaves. Missouri Baptists sought to free and expatriate African Americans in colonization movements to Africa. To gauge these sentiments, this project relies heavily on three newspapers published in Missouri during the antebellum era: The Western Watchmen of St. Louis, The Liberty Tribune of Liberty, and The Border Star of Westport. The first is the only Baptist paper and the latter two are both secular. To ascertain their opinions on slavery, I used the papers to focus on ideas relating to the colonization movement, John Brown, Bleeding Kansas, states' rights, and secession. The final part of the thesis examines how southern Baptists reacted to the newly freed slave population during and after Reconstruction.Item Open Access Characteristics of gamma radiation fields in subterranean structures for radiation protection and decision making(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Parker, Alex R., author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Johnson, Thomas E., committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe threat of a CBRN attack or accident within subterranean space presents unique challenges for decision makers and emergency planners due to the operational constraints imposed by the physical environment. Radiological exposure device threat scenarios have not previously been explored for vulnerable subsurface infrastructure, like mass transit tunnels. It is important to investigate the impact that radiation exposure devices could have in these types of environments because radiation fields from gamma ray emitting sources behave peculiarly in well shielded and confined spaces where radiation scattering is substantial. This project began with benchmark measurements of a Cs-137 source in several different well shielded, small scale tunnel geometries as a proof of concept study demonstrating the complexity of radiation fields in such environments. Follow on calculations utilizing the radiation transport code, MCNP®, confirmed that the high scattering environment results in apparent radiation streaming down the length of the tunnel, where the calculated dose rates are higher than observed in a free field at equivalent distances. The tunnel material also proved important for the impact of radiation scattering, implying that there is an optimization between the probability of scattering and self-absorption in walls. Other simulated tunnel geometries confirmed the presence of scatter and increased radiation dose rates beyond the line-of-sight of the source, where virtually no transmission is expected through the tunnel materials. The final part of this project was implementing the modeling techniques into real world threat scenarios for subterranean infrastructure. Two models of a full sized underground roadway were completed using two known radiological exposure device threat materials, Cs-137 and Co-60. Both models resulted in similarly shaped radiation fields and confirmed that the near wall of a crossing roadway offered lower radiation dose rates than the far wall upon approach. These findings could prove useful to decision makers facing a subsurface infrastructure CBRN incident and could lead to the development of tools that can be implemented into emergency preparedness framework.Item Open Access Characterization of X-ray transmission and scattering during equine radiology procedures at the Johnson Family Equine Hospital(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Parajuli, Bal K., author; Brandl, Alexandar, advisor; Johnson, Thomas, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberPersonnel handling radioactive materials or radiation-emitting devices are at risk of exposure to ionizing radiation, directly from primary beams and indirectly from scattered beams. Hence, radiation workers are enrolled in a radiation dosimetry program to comply with regulations and effectively track exposures. Because X-ray radiation is used daily for diagnostics and therapeutics of animals at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the Colorado State University (CSU), the Radiation Control Office (RCO) at CSU monitors the workers' radiation dose monthly to ensure safety and compliance. The RCO has set an ALARA Level 1 investigation at 150 millirems (mrem) in a month to keep doses As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA). Personnel exceeding 150 mrem in a month are notified, and the dose is investigated. An investigation level of 150 mrem provides an opportunity for the RCO to intervene early and is low compared to the regulatory annual dose limit of 5000 mrem per year. Over the course of the last few years, the ALARA Level 1 has been exceeded on various occasions by radiology technicians at the Johnson Family Equine Hospital (JFEH), which is affiliated with the VTH at CSU. This project was designed to bridge a substantial knowledge gap regarding the procedures conducted at the JFEH, associated radiation doses, and the facility's suitability for large-animal veterinary applications. This experiment design characterizes the facility and anticipates radiation exposures across various spatial points within the radiology areas, facilitating the identification of radiation exposure hotspots. This study started with staff interview, comprehensive analysis of the daily diagnostic imaging procedures at the JFEH and cross-referencing months with elevated exposure to images. Radiation exposures in the primary beam were modelled for all Technique Factors (TFs) at various distances using SpekCalc® software generated photon fluence energy spectra. The output spectrum data were entered into an MCNP® model for dose assessment using effective dose conversion coefficients. The benchmarked outcome for Cesium-137 differed 3% from the theoretical value. An MCNP® model was used to replicate the direct measurements conducted at 1 meter. The results were consistent with exposure measured by a Biomedical Fluke 451P ionization chamber, previously published exposure measurement for the given kVp and mAs, the calculated exposure for X-ray using kVp and mAs, and the typical effective radiation dose from diagnostic X-ray published by NCRP 160. Finally, another simulation was conducted to recreate the conditions within the radiology facility using phantoms. This simulation facilitated the quantification of effective doses across various spatial points. The simulated absorbed dose was highest in the primary beam, then directly behind the X-ray source, and lowest at a 90-degree angle from the direction of the beam, at the same distance from the source. The absorbed dose also differed considerably in front of and behind the phantom due to photoelectric absorption. After analyzing data, to measure dose accurately, two dosimeters are recommended, one inside and one outside the lead vest. Absorbed dose can be minimized by avoiding primary beam exposure and standing behind the X-ray tube while operating the handheld X-ray switch.Item Open Access Climate change contributions to conflict: an analysis of Syria, Yemen and Egypt(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Harmon, Daniel, author; Harris, Peter, advisor; Stevis, Dimitris, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberAscriptions of false, causal connections between climate change and conflict sets a dangerous precedent for future refugee migration. Classification of refugees fleeing murderous regimes and/or circumstances, as climate migrants attempting to escape areas impacted climatically, reduces the subjective severity of the actual situations they were fleeing. Potential harmful ramifications to their asylum claims could result, consequential of a reduction in perceived threat to those migrants' lives by Consular officials. It also delegitimizes future climate refugees' asylum claims, those truly fleeing areas devastated by the effects of climate change/variability. Responsible consideration of the latest 2018 IPCC Special Report indicates, absent aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement measures, these are migrant circumstances that are increasingly likely to manifest. Such false assertions also detract from placing responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions where it should be placed: with the Syrian, Yemeni and Egyptian governments. Affirming climate change as the main causal factor that initiated the Syrian conflict allows the regime to shift focus from its own administrative failures that were in fact the largest contribution to a conflict that has witnessed the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Similarly, false attribution of climate effects to Yemen's calamitous situation allows the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, involving famine conditions for millions of Yemenis, to be mistakenly viewed within an environmental context. Deaths and atrocities purportedly resulting from climate phenomena shift responsibility from where it should lay, with the Yemeni conflict's belligerents and their egregious actions. Also, the identification of Egypt's socio and political maladies as primarily consequent of climatic events disallows for the reckoning of the true causes that fomented rebellion during Egypt's Arab Spring "awakening." Finally, such false proclamations inhibit accurate advances to empirical knowledge that could be used in the future towards conflict mitigation and prevention. Implications for future climate refugees and those fleeing violent conflict demand accurate identification of conflict causation. To demand anything less as a member of a global citizenry is a dereliction of one's responsibility to humanity.Item Open Access Crimson streets and violent bodies: identity, physicality, and the twilight of Colorado's vice districts(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Gunvaldson, Nicholas Ryan, author; Alexander, Ruth, advisor; Lindsay, James, committee member; Hutchins, Zachary, committee memberThis master’s project focuses on the changing moral and legal status of Colorado’s vice districts during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The thesis argues that once informally organized vice districts were formally regulated and geographically delineated as “red-light districts” at the behest of middle- and upper-class Progressives near the end of the century they became more vulnerable to actual suppression. This result had not been anticipated. Reformers considered commercial sex an offensive but ineradicable behavior, and they hoped districting would be an effective way to control, document, and tax this vice – while keeping it separate and hidden from respectable society. To the surprise of reformers, the establishment of special vice districts rendered them not only more visible and subject to regulation, but also, more vulnerable to suppression and eradication. This may have seemed like a victory for vice reformers, yet prostitution did not disappear. Rather, the formal elimination of vice districts early in the twentieth century worsened the circumstances in which prostitution was practiced, and widened the differential societal treatment of prostitutes and their customers. Prostitution became more difficult to monitor and prostitutes became more susceptible to control by pimps, organized crime syndicates, and corrupt police. In addition to documenting the emergence and demise of vice districts in Colorado, this project examines the identity and experience of the women and men who frequented vice districts as prostitutes, sexual clients, pimps, and drug dealers.Item Restricted Decommission(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Raunig, Colin, author; Doenges, Judy, advisor; Sloane, Sarah, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe novel-in-progress is first person female and follows Brittany, a Naval Flight Officer, two weeks before the decommissioning, or retirement of the naval airplane known as the E-6B Mercury, two years after the E-6B plane crash that initiated the decommissioning process, and which killed everyone on board, including Brittany's only female friend in the squadron. Brittany's next job in the navy will be as a speechwriter at the Pentagon. As such, at the direction of her superior, she is charged with giving a speech at the ceremony on the last day of the ceremony. Brittany is undergoing inner turmoil while trying to continue her poised external self. By the end of the novel, and by her speech, she needs to reconcile these two parts of herself in order to give a good speech and in order to live a good life.Item Open Access Decontaminating cobalt-60 from wounds(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Mannis, Daniel, author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Johnson, Thomas, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberRemoving radionuclide contamination from wounds in tissue is essential to minimizing incorporation and dose to an individual. This experiment compared the effectiveness of decontaminating wounds inflicted in pig tissue that were contaminated with cobalt-60. The process was established to compare three decontamination methods consisting of: commercially available, non-prescription, surfactant based, non-ionic wound cleanser spray; physiologic saline solution spray; physiologic saline solution pour. Three wound types were used: smooth incision, jagged cut, and blunt force trauma wounds. The cleanser spray and the saline spray were more effective at decontaminating all three wounds than the saline pour. The difference between the cleanser spray and saline spray was not statistically significant, but the cleanser spray did decontaminate the wound to a lower mean value. The spray pressure used for the saline and cleanser sprays produced the most noticeable impact in the decontamination process.Item Open Access Design of a Compton scatter based radiation tracking system(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Healy, Heather, author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Johnson, Thomas, advisor; Lindsay, James, committee memberGamma spectroscopy is one of the most common techniques used for the detection of radiologic materials. This technology is deployed in a variety of scenarios such as emergency response, monitoring, and the recovery of lost, stolen, or otherwise unaccounted radiologic material. In most practical scenarios, it is useful to know the location of a source in relation to a detector, in addition to the classic output from gamma spectrometers such as decay rate and energy peak information. In collaboration with the Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) at Andrew's Air Force Base, a novel detector design by RSL, which utilizes a 360° detectable range in order to increase the probability of remote detection, was investigated for the possibility to recreate source location information from Compton scattering events within the detector. A recreation of this novel detector is simulated using Geant4 to determine the optimal dimensions of sodium iodide detectors that produce the most single Compton scattering events in order to facilitate source location through the back-projection of Compton scattering angles. The optimal detector dimensions are determined by maximizing the number of single Compton scatter events and minimizing the percentage of Compton events that undergo multiple successive scatters in detectors of varying thicknesses and lengths. The optimal detector thickness was chosen to be 1.88 in, and the optimal detector length was chosen to be 4 to 4.5 in. In future projects, these optimized detectors can be used to apply suggested back-projection algorithms in order to determine the feasibility and functionality of this detector design for the purpose of radiologic source location.Item Open Access Effects of pH, temperature and competing ions on the adsorption of radiocesium on Prussian blue coated detonation nanodiamonds from aqueous solutions(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Zaiger, Megan, author; Sudowe, Ralf, advisor; Johnson, Thomas, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Powerplant, in 2011, resulted in the generation of radioactive contaminated water which is currently being stored on site. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), who owns the powerplant has begun treating and releasing the water into the ocean after most of the radioactivity has been removed by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). Current techniques for preconcentration of radioisotopes, particularly radiocesium, from ocean waters are very labor and time intensive and often take months. Therefore, efficient, rapid, and reliable methods are needed for the determination of radiocesium in ocean water which represents a critical gap that this work seeks to address. A new technique using Prussian Blue (PB) coated detonation nanodiamonds (DND) to adsorb radiocesium from water samples is being investigated by the research group. The new technique takes hours to preconcentrate the radiocesium instead of months. The current study focuses on the effects of varying pH, temperature, competing ions, and stable cesium (Cs) on adsorption behavior of radiocesium. The results of the study show that high pH will result in a minimal decrease in Cs adsorption, while adsorption increases as pH increases, with the lowest adsorption of 95%. Temperature changes resulted in minimal decreases in Cs adsorption with the lowest adsorption of 98% measured at 4°C. Presence of potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), and lithium chloride (LiCl) at concentrations up to 1.0 M had no effect on the uptake of radiocesium showing adsorption of above 97% for all elements. However, adsorption decreased significantly in the presence of rubidium chloride (RbCl) as interferent concentration increased, with the lowest adsorption of 68% recorded for 1.0 M RbCl. The addition of stable Cs to low amounts of Cs-137 (1 Bq) saw high uncertainties and low adsorption reflecting the difficulty to obtain consistent results at very low concentrations. The study has shown promise for the use of DND in environmental settings with a continued need to be able to detect low levels of Cs-137.Item Open Access Female Muslim consumer purchase preferences for digitally printed portable prayer rugs(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Altilmisani, Maram M., author; Sparks, Diane, advisor; Yan, Ruoh-Nan, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe purpose of this study was to investigate female Muslim consumer preferences related to digitally-printed portable prayer rugs in the context of the FEA (Functional, Expressive, and Aesthetic) consumer needs model. For this study, the researcher designed and produced a series of eight digitally printed portable prayer rugs using motifs influenced by Islamic ornamental art to use as examples in this study. The FEA consumer needs model by Lamb and Kallal (1992) was incorporated as framework for the study in order to evaluate the digitally-printed portable prayer rugs. Fifty participants of female Muslim consumers participated in this study. A quantitative method was implemented in this study in terms of data collection process to measure the level of interest among Muslim women in purchasing digitally printed portable prayer rugs for their functional, expressive, and aesthetic values. Simultaneously, the potential for marketing digitally printed portable prayer rugs as a social enterprise to provide employment for low-income Muslim women and its influence on the purchase decisions of socially concerned Muslim consumers was examined. Findings from this study indicated that female Muslim consumers were interested in purchasing the digitally-printed portable prayer rugs. Results revealed that the functional value of the digitally-printed portable prayer rug was the most influential factor affecting the purchase intention of female Muslim consumers. Finally, the strategy of marketing digitally-printed portable prayer rugs as a socially responsible product (fair trade product) positively influenced purchase intentions of female Muslim consumers toward those rugs.Item Open Access Fracking politics: a case study of policy in New York and Pennsylvania from 2008-2011(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Clarke, Chad, author; Davis, Sandra, advisor; Davis, Charles, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThis paper focuses on the politics of regulating natural gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New York and Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2011 and how policy has changed in each state during this time. By applying Kingdon's multiple streams model as a tool, this paper finds four major influences on the stringency of fracking in New York and Pennsylvania. First, is increased negative news reporting, which results in the problem being seen as more significant than previously believed and contributing to a change in policy stringency. Second, the presence of focusing events increases the likelihood of a change in policy stringency. Third, policy entrepreneurs exert influence over policy stringency. Fourth, when Republicans are in control, they seek less stringent fracking regulation while Democrats work for more stringent fracking regulation. Finally this paper observes that when the aforementioned streams converge and a window of opportunity opens there is significant policy stringency change in both New York and Pennsylvania.Item Open Access Gross count multi-spectra analysis of weak activity sources amid elevated background and various shielded conditions(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Fischer, Joseph Christian, author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Johnson, Thomas E., committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberCurrent methods to detect low activity radiological sources in areas with elevated or changing background may be insufficient for assessing real-time events. Background radiation fluctuates throughout the day, which thwarts the effectiveness of decision thresholds (y*) extrapolated from long background count times. However, decision thresholds calculated from a string of spectral measurements can be used to optimize the decision threshold (y*) at which count rates statistically exceed background. The goal of this project is to apply a frequentist string data analysis tool to real-time gross count sodium iodide (NaI) spectra under varying background radiation and shielding conditions. A sodium iodide scintillator is utilized with the ProSpect acquisition software to acquire gross count data for analysis of the source detection efficiency under varying background and shielding conditions. A series of measurements is taken using short count times, and assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves. The best combination of N measurements, with n events individually exceeding a discriminator threshold, is determined using true positive rates from the generated ROC curves. Ideally, the optimized combination of n exceedances of the discriminator threshold in N measurements discerns weak signals from elevated background, while minimizing false positive events.Item Open Access Neutron production and transport at a medical linear accelerator(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Allardice, Amber, author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Custis, James, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberThe Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) uses a Varian Trilogy™ linear accelerator (linac) for radiation oncology treatment. The high-energy electron beam is used to treat superficial tumors (deep tissues are spared with this modality) or is accelerated against a target to produce high-energy photons that are used to treat deep seated tumors (skin is spared with this modality). Either application might exceed the neutron production threshold for various materials. This study evaluates neutron production and transport in the environment surrounding the VTH trilogy through MCNP modeling and physical measurements of the 10 MV photon and 18 MeV electron beam modalities. MCNP modeling was accomplished in two phases. The first phase involved simulating the linear accelerator and determining the relevant parameters for neutron production for both modalities. This was accomplished by using various target specifications and replicating the geometry of the machine. In the second phase, MCNP modeling of the accelerator vault as well as other locations of interest within the treatment suite was conducted. This phase determined measurable neutron fluence and dose rates at the test locations where physical measurements were taken. The MCNP results (for neutron energies between 0.2 to 10 MeV) were compared with the physical measurements. Physical measurements were performed with a BF3 detector (responsive to energies between 0.2 and 10 MeV) and taken at the same test locations. For both modalities, MCNP and physical measurements demonstrated neutron production. Large uncertainties were associated with the physical measurements for both modalities. For the photon mode, MCNP modeling resulted in neutron equivalent doses per photon Gy up to 0.112 mrem/photon Gy, and physical measurements up to 0.133 mrem/photon Gy. For the electron mode, MCNP modeling resulted in measureable neutron equivalent doses per electron Gy up to 14.88 mrem/electron Gy, and physical measurements up to 3.83 x 10-04 mrem/electron Gy. Taking the entire neutron spectrum into account, MCNP results showed neutron doses up to 347.81 mrem/ photon Gy at the isocenter for the photon beam, and up to 1.77 x 105 mrem/electron Gy at the isocenter for the electron beam. These numbers could not be compared to the physical measurements because the BF3 detector used in this experiment only responded to neutron energies between 0.2 and 10 MeV. The conclusion made from this research is that neutrons are generated at various locations in and outside the room. For the photon modality, the neutron dose to the patient can be considered negligible when compared with the treatment dose. Neutron production does not appear to exceed the tolerance for workers in appropriate locations surrounding the VTH linac vault. Further research is recommended for an accurate analysis of both modalities.Item Open Access Quantifying biomarkers in wildlife exposed to low doses of environmental radiation pilot study(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Halim, Nadia, author; Johnson, Thomas, advisor; Brandl, Alexander, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberExposure of free-ranging wildlife to environmental radiation is of concern following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi facilities in 2011. The uncertainty associated with exposure to chronic ionizing radiation in the vicinity of the accident continues to concern the general population, as well as produce seemingly conflicting scientific results. The risk from prolonged, low dose/low dose rate radiation exposures, specifically to wildlife, remains relatively uncertain. The quantification of chromosomal aberrations such as dicentrics and micronuclei was evaluated as a method of estimating radiation dose to wild boar. Dicentrics and micronuclei found in blood samples of humans are known as a biomarkers of radiation exposure. Blood samples were collected from wild boar in two towns in Fukushima prefecture in Japan and from Kentucky in the USA. External dose was also estimated using soil sample analysis. As a pilot study, only the feasibility of using dicentrics and micronuclei to estimate radiation dose in wild boar was investigated. Additional studies will be required to ascertain the suitability of measuring other chromosomal aberrations and/or decreased telomere length as a method of ascertaining wild boar radiation dose. The hypothesis of the pilot study was that it is possible to estimate chronic radiation dose to wild boar exposed to low levels of lingering environmental ionizing radiation in Fukushima prefecture as well as in irradiated blood from wild boar residing in areas experiencing only natural background radiation with biodosimetry techniques. The data obtained from this investigation do not prove the feasibility of using dicentrics and micronuclei formation to estimate wild boar radiation dose. While the technique for processing wild boar blood in order to observe chromosomal aberrations was successful, the levels of radiation exposure to the wild boar were too low and did not produce biomarkers for use as an indicator of internal radiation dose indicating the hypothesis to be incorrect. Other methods of estimating low radiation dose to wild boar will need to be investigated in future studies.Item Open Access Rapid acute dose assessment using MCNP6(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Owens, Andrew Steven, author; Brandl, Alexander, advisor; Johnson, Thomas, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberAcute radiation doses due to physical contact with a high-activity radioactive source have proven to be an occupational hazard. Multiple radiation injuries have been reported due to manipulating a radioactive source with bare hands or by placing a radioactive source inside a shirt or pants pocket. An effort to reconstruct the radiation dose must be performed to properly assess and medically manage the potential biological effects from such doses. Using the reference computational phantoms defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code (MCNP6), dose rate coefficients are calculated to assess doses for common acute doses due to beta and photon radiation sources. The research investigates doses due to having a radioactive source in either a breast pocket or pants back pocket. The dose rate coefficients are calculated for discrete energies and can be used to interpolate for any given energy of photon or beta emission. The dose rate coefficients allow for quick calculation of whole-body dose, organ dose, and/or skin dose if the source, activity, and time of exposure are known. Doses are calculated with the dose rate coefficients and compared to results from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports from accidents that occurred in Gilan, Iran and Yanango, Peru. Skin and organ doses calculated with the dose rate coefficients appear to agree, but there is a large discrepancy when comparing whole-body doses assessed using biodosimetry and whole-body doses assessed using the dose rate coefficients.Item Open Access "The tonic of wildness": religion and the environment at the YMCA of the Rockies(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Blankers, Ellen, author; Alexander, Ruth, advisor; Lindsay, James, committee member; Hutchins, Zachary, committee memberAmericans in the 1920s and 30s were fascinated with the idea of a pure, untrammeled wilderness, particularly as an antidote to the perceived depravity and degeneracy of urban environments. Looking for sites of wilderness that might promote environmental engagement among children and adolescents, American educators and parents identified the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, as a place that perfectly embodied the ideal wilderness. Summer programs at the YMCA of the Rockies encouraged participants to actively engage with the wilderness setting of the region while simultaneous reaching for spiritual and moral growth. The summer camps and programs offered at and through the YMCA of the Rockies provided opportunities for children to engage with an ideal wilderness and thereby strengthen their relationship to the divine, improve their moral character, and build up their physical health. By analyzing the culture and context of the 1920s and 30s, the ways in which the summer programs promoted their camps, and the extent to which campers embraced and internalized the lessons offered at these summer programs associated with the YMCA of the Rockies, this thesis will deepen historians' understanding of the critical role that early-twentieth-century wilderness values were intended to have towards leading young boys and girls toward lives of spiritual, moral, and physical uprightness. It will also reveal significant differences in the way that wilderness values and camp settings were expected to shape the maturation of boys and girls.Item Open Access Utilizing electron spin resonance on teeth to determine external lifetime dose to wild boar near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Heard, Jadtrl Christina, author; Johnson, Thomas, advisor; Brandl, Alexander, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberFollowing the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the flora and fauna surrounding the affected area were exposed to radioactive contamination. The purpose of this project is to determine if the external radiation dose to the wild boar living in Fukushima Prefecture can be determined using Electron Spin Resonance. Electron spin resonance (ESR), sometimes referred to as electron paramagnetic resonance, is a spectroscopic technique for studying materials with unpaired electrons to ascertain radiation dose. ESR was performed on wild boar teeth to ascertain if a signal was present that could be used to quantify external radiation dose. Teeth can function as an integrating dosimeter which records the accumulated dose to an animal. The results of this experiment demonstrated that an ESR signal exists in wild boar teeth that appears to be proportional to dose. This pilot study will assist in developing methods to enhance our understanding and verifying the external radiation dose received by the wildlife in the Fukushima area.Item Open Access Vertical distribution of radiocesium in soil deposits on the contaminated areas after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Carradine, Matthew Keyon, author; Johnson, Thomas, advisor; Brandl, Alexander, committee member; Lindsay, James, committee memberAn accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) occurred on March 11, 2011 which resulted in an environmental contamination with the radiocesium species 134Cs and 137Cs. Vertical distribution of radiocesium is important as it impacts the area dose rate. The vertical distribution of radiocesium is sensitive to wash-off by surface runoff, wind resuspension, and soil to plant transfer. Soil core samples were extracted to develop soil profiles. The purpose of this research is to study the vertical distribution of radiocesium in different soils contaminated after the accident, and to characterize the mechanisms by which the element moves through the soil. The results were compared to data on radiocesium vertical migration observed in Fukushima contaminated area for the year 2015 (Konoplev et al. 1992; Konoplev et al. 2016). The hypothesis is that reliable predictions of future soil contamination can be made based on the results from our soil samples. Predictions regarding radiocesium movement in soils will assist and improve remediation efforts in the Fukushima District. The vertical distribution of radiocesium was found to have a rate of movement of up to 12 cm/y in fluvisol type soils of Inkyozaka, 1 cm/y in andosol soils (Funasawa) and 3 cm/y in terrestrial regosol soils (Kashiramori). The results compared well with previous studies. Movement of radiocesium in Fukushima soils is most likely due to the high precipitation rate, combined with the weak bonding of cesium to fluvisol type soils.