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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
J. F. Latkowski, Ryan P. Abbott, Ray Laning, Steve Manson, Kevin Morris, Susana Reyes, Eric Williams
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 52 | Number 4 | November 2007 | Pages 807-811
Technical Paper | Nuclear Analysis and Experiments | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1590
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During the past two years a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has used Raytheon's TopAct code to convert a variety of CAD models into TART and MCNP Monte Carlo input files. TopAct offers the possibility of enormous savings by largely eliminating the need for manual generation of models via combinatorial geometry. Also, TopAct is expected to deliver improvements in quality assurance and configuration management. We detail our experiences with various test problems. The reader will see the steady improvements that have been made in the conversion process and understand our expectations for further progress. Finally, we explain how TopAct will become a cornerstone of our future neutronics efforts.