[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication

[en] The National Medical Cyclotron, under construction at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital(RPAH) is to be operated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization in collaboration with the hospital. Its main purpose is to produce radioisotopes on commercial basis for distribution to hospitals through Australia as well as short-lived radioisotopes (2 minutes to 2 hours) for immediate application at RPAH in Positron Emission Tomography, to study the dynamics of human physiology and metabolism in organs, bones and soft tissues. A list of the principal cyclotron-produced radionuclides is provided. ills

[en] Short communication

[en] Short Communication

[en] The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) aims to suppress or eradicate pest populations by flooding wild populations with sterile males. To control fruit fly million of flies of both sexes are mass reared at the Gosford Post-Harvest laboratory near Sydney, mixed with sawdust and fluorescent dye at the pupal stage and transported to Ansto where they are exposed to low dose of 70-75Gy of gamma radiation from a Cobalt-60 source. Following irradiation the pupae are transported to the release site in plastic sleeves then transferred to large plastic garbage bins for hatching. These bins are held at 30 deg. C. to synchronise hatching and files are released 48-72 hours after hatching begins. In most cases these bins are placed among fruit trees in the form of an 800 metre grid. This maximises survival of the emerging flies which are released on an almost daily basis. Progress of the SIT program is monitored by collecting flies from traps dotted all over the infested site. The ratio of sterile to wild flies can be detected because the sterile files are coated with the fluorescent dust which can be seen under ultra-violet light. If the SIT program is successful entomologists will trap a high proportion of sterile flies to wild flies and this should result in a clear reduction in maggot infestations. Surveillance, quarantine, and trapping activities continue for 8 or 9 months to check for any surviving pockets of infestation. If any are found the SIT program is reactivated. These programs demonstrated that SIT was an efficient and environmental friendly non-chemical control method for eradicating outbreaks or suppressing fruit fly populations in important fruit growing areas. ills

[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication. ill

[en] The Applications of Nuclear Physics team of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) began the commissioning of a tandem accelerator on December 1990. Since then the machine has been refurbished for optimum accelerator mass spectrometry work, and high energy ion beam measurements. Each of the ion injection lines is designed to produce and accelerate ions of different species up to about 80 keV. ANSTO's tandem will provide support for ion beam analysis including particle induced X-ray emission, nuclear reaction analysis, Rutherford backscattering and particle induced gamma-ray emission. The establishment of a national radiocarbon dating service is also planned. ills