Tech&d

Processing

time

Consider the processing time involved in these

procedures.
One configuration weve employed
uses an IBM 7090 Data Processing System for analysis
and display generation and an IBM 1401 Data
Processing System for display presentation.
On a per-scan basis, that is, one view of the patient,
the 7090 time required for reading, correcting, filing,
analyzing, and display generation is 2 min. Most of
this time is spent reading and writing tapes.
The 1401 then requires about 2 min, to present a
full set of displays on the high-speed .printer. Isoactivity contours on the x-y plotter require about 2
min. per contour, or 30 min. for a 15-level contour
map.
The same programs are operating on an IBM
7040-1401 combination with essentially the same
results. Running time of these systems is almost the
same because the process is limited by tape reading
and writing time.
We have processed scans on an IBM 1460 except
for the iso-activity contours. Computation requirements for these plots render them impractical (20 min.
of computing time). With this exception, the 1460
processes the data in about 20 min. The display
available is the multi-level alphanumeric contour
plot (Fig. 11).
Additional incremental displays are available at
4 min. per page (or activity level), that is, 4 min. per
page of data as illustrated in Fig. 12.

The most popular approaches to improving radioactive-sca~nning procedures (television enhancement,

color-coded photographs, and scanner replay via
magnetic tape), have been described to show their
deficiencies in providing the clinician with the means
of significantly advancing his diagnostic techniques.
Subsequently, a description was presented of one
approach to the application of digital computers to
field of radionuclide scanning. In this description,
consideration was given to the nature of the scanner
as a data source, the equally important auxiliary
information (such as patient identification), a data
collection technique (magnetic tape) and finally the
basic flow of the computer analysis and display
functions. In addition, typical computation times
were presented for a few representative systems
(IBM 7090,7040, and 1460 Data Processing Systems).
Advanced Systemr Development
Division, I.B.M. Corporation
Rochester, Minnesota

D. W. CHAAPEL
A. C. SPRAU

Section of Clinical Pathology

W. NEWLON TAUXE
Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation
Rochester, Minnesota

nvtes

727

International oumal of AppliedRadiation and Lotcopes, 1967, Vol.

18. pp. 727-7d8. Pegunon PrcwLtd. Printed in Northern Ireland

The Beta Self-Absorption of NP as Metallic

Nickel
(Received 2 May 1967)
m.roduction
NICKEL-63 is a low-energy beta-emitter (end-point
energy 0.067 MeV) with a half-life of 120 yr.(ll
The fact that nickel can be spread in uniform thin
layers by standard plating techniques gives Niss a
distinct advantage over other low-energy betaemitters as a potential source in ionization gauges@)
and thickness gauges.(s) Since Niss is a very lowenergy beta-emitter a critical factor in the performance of these gauges will be the beta absorption
coefficient of Ni. SCHWEITZERet aI.t4) have reported
self-absorption coefficient values of 1.56 cm*/mg for
plated nickel metal and I.35 cms/mg for nickel
dimethylglyoxime samples; PATE and YAFFE(~)have
reported a value of O-87 cmslmg for nickel dimethylglyoxime samples.
In view of the potential
importance of Niss plated sources, confirmation of
SCH~E~~ZERS value was desirable. Four plating
solutions containing Ni of different specific activity
were used to improve the statistical accuracy of the
result and to confirm that the specific activity of the
NP had no effect on the self absorption coefficient.
Erparknental
Niss was obtained from AECL
Commercial
Products as NiCl, in HCl solution. Traces of Co56
and Coao were removed by ion exchange@) so that the
beta-gamma ratio was greater than 10s: 1. The
purified solution was 1 N in HCl and the plating
solutions were prepared by adding concentrated
ammonia solution until the product was about 1 N
in NH,OH.
The specific activity of Niss in the stock solution
was 34.0 mcjg and inactive nickel as NiCl,.GH,O
was added to prepare three additional solutions of
lower specific activity, i.e. 27.3 me/g, 20.3 me/g and
9.30 mclg.
Plating was carried out in a cylindrical polythene
plating vessel using a rotating platinum anode. The
cathode was a 2.5 in. square (40.3 ems) sheet of
0.002 in. thick copper foil bent to provide a tight fit
inside the plating vessel. The outer surface of the
cathode was painted. The plating current in all the
experiments was 500 m.4 ( 1.24 A/dms) . The cathode
was weighed on a semi-micro balance before and
after electrolysis to determine the amount of nickel
deposited.
It was necessary to use a large cathode in order to
minimize weighing errors when plating nickel at

728

Technical noks
This agrees well with the value of 1a56 cm2/g found by
SCHWEITZER et al.(4)
Since the value of A, varies with the specific
activity of the solution the ratio of Am to the specific
activity must be constant. This was found to be the
case within an experimental range of f7%.

6.0

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Commercial Products
Ottawa, Canada

G. H. E. SIMS
D. G. JUHNKE

Refemmces

cl

Thickness. mg/cm
1. Variations of activity output with plating
thickness for Niss of varying specific activity.

FIG.

low surface densities but the cathode was too large

to be counted satisfactorily. As a result counting
samples were prepared by punching & in. dia. discs
from the foil. Four samples were taken, one from the
center of each quarter of the foil. The mean value of
of the four samples was taken as representing the
activity of the foil.
Radioactive measurements were made with a Chalk
River Nuclear Laboratory beta electroscope Serial
TQQ.
The instrument was calibrated using a
standard Cs- 13 7 sample.

1. Nuclear Data Sheets, National Academy of

Sciences, National Research Council, Revised to
May (1963).
2. ZITOG. V. IRE International ConventionRecord Part 8,
81 (1960).
3. UEMURAT. Radioisotopes (Tokyo) 13, 205 (1964).
(Cited in NSA 18, 30081).
4. SCHWEITZER G. K., STEIN B. R. and NEHLS J. W.
J. phys. Chem. 56,692 (1952).
5. PATE B. D. and YAFFE L. Can. J. Chem. 34, 265
(1956).
6. MOOREG. E. and KRAUSK. A. J. Am. Chem. Sot.
74,843 (1952).
7. HICKS C. R. Fundamental Concepts in the Design of
Experiments, Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1964).

InternationalJournalof Applied Radiationand Isotopes,1967, Vol.

18,pp. 726-731. PergamonPreaaLtd. Printedin Northern Ireland

A Complicating Factor in the Use of

Plastic Scintillators in the Detection
of Low-Energy Beta-Rays: The
Solubility and Diffuehity of
Carbon Dioxide in a Solution of Phosphors in
Polyvinyltoluene

Results
Various thicknesses of nickel were plated on to the
copper cathodes from each of the four solutions and
the activities were measured. The activity was
plotted against thickness as shown in Fig. 1.
The curves in each case were found to fit the equation
A = A-(1

- e-w)

(1)

where A is the measured activity

Am is a constant for each solution
x is the thickness of nickel (mglcms) ;
p is the self-absorption coefficient (cm2/mg)
The value of A g) is of course the saturation value of
A at infinite thickness and can be obtained from the
experimental results. Using this value and the measured values of A and x, the values of p for the experimental points were calculated. The experimental
errors in the value of p were calculated on the basis
of 95% confidence linits using Students t distribution(r), and the value of ,u was found to be
p = 1.60 & O-09 cmslmg.

(Acceptedfor publication 1 May 1967)

Introduction
years plastic phosphors have found
increasing use in thedetectionof low-energy beta-rays.
Easily cast, molded, machined and bonded, these
solid solution scintillators can be fabricated into an
almost unlimited variety of shapes and sizes. A
possible deterrent to their use exists, however, in the
fact that they absorb and thus are contaminated by
the various components of the gases and liquids
which are being assayed. Days may be required for
the desorption process, even under the most favorable
conditions.
IN

RECENT