Sky and Elemental Planetary Mapping Via Gamma Ray Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roland, John M.

2011-01-01

Low-energy gamma ray emissions ((is) approximately 30keV to (is) approximately 30MeV) are significant to astrophysics because many interesting objects emit their primary energy in this regime. As such, there has been increasing demand for a complete map of the gamma ray sky, but many experiments to do so have encountered obstacles. Using an innovative method of applying the Radon Transform to data from BATSE (the Burst And Transient Source Experiment) on NASA's CGRO (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory) mission, we have circumvented many of these issues and successfully localized many known sources to 0.5 - 1 deg accuracy. Our method, which is based on a simple 2-dimensional planar back-projection approximation of the inverse Radon transform (familiar from medical CAT-scan technology), can thus be used to image the entire sky and locate new gamma ray sources, specifically in energy bands between 200keV and 2MeV which have not been well surveyed to date. Samples of these results will be presented. This same technique can also be applied to elemental planetary surface mapping via gamma ray spectroscopy. Due to our method's simplicity and power, it could potentially improve a current map's resolution by a significant factor.

Gallbladder radionuclide scan (image)

MedlinePlus

... gallbladder radionuclide scan is performed by injecting a tracer (radioactive chemical) into the bloodstream. A gamma camera ... detect the gamma rays being emitted from the tracer, and the image of where the tracer is ...

Comparison of 133 xenon ventilation equilibrium scan (XV) and 99m technetium transmission (TT) scan for use in regional lung analysis by 2D gamma scintigraphy in healthy and cystic fibrosis lungs.

PubMed

Zeman, Kirby L; Wu, Jihong; Donaldson, Scott H; Bennett, William D

2013-04-01

Quantification of particle deposition in the lung by gamma scintigraphy requires a reference image for location of regions of interest (ROIs) and normalization to lung thickness. In various laboratories, the reference image is made by a transmission scan ((57)Co or (99m)Tc) or gas ventilation scan ((133)Xe or (81)Kr). There has not been a direct comparison of measures from the two methods. We compared (99m)Tc transmission scans to (133)Xe equilibrium ventilation scans as reference images for 38 healthy subjects and 14 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients for their effects on measures of regional particle deposition: the central-to-peripheral ratio of lung counts (C/P); and ROI area versus forced vital capacity. Whole right lung ROI was based on either an isocontour threshold of three times the soft tissue transmission (TT) or a threshold of 20% of peak xenon ventilation counts (XV). We used a central ROI drawn to 50% of height and of width of the whole right lung ROI and placed along the left lung margin and centered vertically. In general, the correlation of normalized C/P (nC/P) between the two methods was strong. However, the value of nC/P was significantly smaller for the XV method than the TT method. Regression equations for the relationship of nC/P between the two methods were, for healthy subjects, y=0.75x+0.61, R(2)=0.64 using rectangular ROIs and y=0.76x+0.45, R(2)=0.66 using isocontour ROIs; and for CF patients, y=0.94x+0.46, R(2)=0.43 and y=0.85x+0.42, R(2)=0.41, respectively. (1) A transmission scan with an isocontour outline in combination with a rectangular central region to define the lung borders may be more useful than a ventilation scan. (2) Close correlation of nC/Ps measured by transmission or gas ventilation should allow confident comparison of values determined by the two methods.

Novel edge treatment method for improving the transmission reconstruction quality in Tomographic Gamma Scanning.

PubMed

Han, Miaomiao; Guo, Zhirong; Liu, Haifeng; Li, Qinghua

2018-05-01

Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) is a method used for the nondestructive assay of radioactive wastes. In TGS, the actual irregular edge voxels are regarded as regular cubic voxels in the traditional treatment method. In this study, in order to improve the performance of TGS, a novel edge treatment method is proposed that considers the actual shapes of these voxels. The two different edge voxel treatment methods were compared by computing the pixel-level relative errors and normalized mean square errors (NMSEs) between the reconstructed transmission images and the ideal images. Both methods were coupled with two different interative algorithms comprising Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) with a non-negativity constraint and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM). The results demonstrated that the traditional method for edge voxel treatment can introduce significant error and that the real irregular edge voxel treatment method can improve the performance of TGS by obtaining better transmission reconstruction images. With the real irregular edge voxel treatment method, MLEM algorithm and ART algorithm can be comparable when assaying homogenous matrices, but MLEM algorithm is superior to ART algorithm when assaying heterogeneous matrices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Probe for contamination detection in recyclable materials

DOEpatents

Taleyarkhan, Rusi

2003-08-05

A neutron detection system for detection of contaminants contained within a bulk material during recycling includes at least one neutron generator for neutron bombardment of the bulk material, and at least one gamma ray detector for detection of gamma rays emitted by contaminants within the bulk material. A structure for analyzing gamma ray data is communicably connected to the gamma ray detector, the structure for analyzing gamma ray data adapted. The identity and concentration of contaminants in a bulk material can also be determined. By scanning the neutron beam, discrete locations within the bulk material having contaminants can be identified. A method for recycling bulk material having unknown levels of contaminants includes the steps of providing at least one neutron generator, at least one gamma ray detector, and structure for analyzing gamma ray data, irradiating the bulk material with neutrons, and then determining the presence of at least one contaminant in the bulk material from gamma rays emitted from the bulk material.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ginsz, M.; Duchene, G.; Didierjean, F.

The state-of-the art gamma-ray spectrometers such as AGATA and GRETA are using position sensitive multi-segmented HPGe crystals. Pulse-shape analysis (PSA) allows to retrieve the localisation of the gamma interactions and to perform gamma-ray tracking within germanium. The precision of the localisation depends on the quality of the pulse-shape database used for comparison. The IPHC laboratory developed a new fast scanning table allowing to measure experimental pulse shapes in the whole volume of any crystal. The results of the scan of an AGATA 36-fold segmented tapered coaxial detector are shown here, 48580 experimental pulse shapes are extracted within 2 weeks ofmore » scanning. These data will contribute to AGATA PSA performances, but have also applications for gamma cameras or Compton-suppressed detectors. (authors)« less

Comparison of myocardial perfusion imaging between the new high-speed gamma camera and the standard anger camera.

PubMed

Tanaka, Hirokazu; Chikamori, Taishiro; Hida, Satoshi; Uchida, Kenji; Igarashi, Yuko; Yokoyama, Tsuyoshi; Takahashi, Masaki; Shiba, Chie; Yoshimura, Mana; Tokuuye, Koichi; Yamashina, Akira

2013-01-01

Cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) solid-state detectors have been recently introduced into the field of myocardial perfusion imaging. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic performance of the CZT high-speed gamma camera (Discovery NM 530c) with that of the standard 3-head gamma camera in the same group of patients. The study group consisted of 150 consecutive patients who underwent a 1-day stress-rest (99m)Tc-sestamibi or tetrofosmin imaging protocol. Image acquisition was performed first on a standard gamma camera with a 15-min scan time each for stress and for rest. All scans were immediately repeated on a CZT camera with a 5-min scan time for stress and a 3-min scan time for rest, using list mode. The correlations between the CZT camera and the standard camera for perfusion and function analyses were strong within narrow Bland-Altman limits of agreement. Using list mode analysis, image quality for stress was rated as good or excellent in 97% of the 3-min scans, and in 100% of the ≥4-min scans. For CZT scans at rest, similarly, image quality was rated as good or excellent in 94% of the 1-min scans, and in 100% of the ≥2-min scans. The novel CZT camera provides excellent image quality, which is equivalent to standard myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography, despite a short scan time of less than half of the standard time.

Grafting of thermo-sensitive N-vinylcaprolactam onto silicone rubber through the direct radiation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia-Mora, Ricardo A.; Zavala-Lagunes, Edgar; Bucio, Emilio

2016-07-01

The modification of silicone rubber films (SR) was performed by radiation-induced graft polymerization of thermosensitive poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) using gamma rays from a Co-60 source. The graft polymerization was obtained by a direct radiation method with doses from 5 to 70 kGy, at monomer concentrations between 5% and 70% in toluene. Grafting was confirmed by infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and swelling studies. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the grafted SR was measured by swelling and differential scanning calorimetry.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brezovich, I; Wu, X; Popple, R

Purpose: To test spatial and dosimetric accuracy of small cranial target irradiation based on 1.5 T MRI scans using static arcs with MLC-defined fields Methods: A plastic (PMMA) phantom simulating a small brain lesion was mounted on a GammaKnife headframe equipped with MRI localizer. The lesion was a 3 mm long, 3.175 mm diameter cylindrical cavity filled with MRI contrast. Radiochromic film passing through the cavity was marked with pin pricks at the cavity center. The cavity was contoured on an MRI image and fused with CT to simulate treatment of a lesion not visible on CT. The transfer ofmore » the target to CT involved registering the MRI contrast cannels of the localizer that were visible on both modalities. Treatments were planned to deliver 800 cGy to the cavity center using multiple static arcs with 5.0×2.4 mm MLC-defined fields. The phantom was aligned on a STx accelerator by registering the conebeam CT with the planning CT. Films from coronal and sagittal planes were scanned and evaluated using ImageJ software Results: Geographic errors in treatment based on 1.5 T scans agreed within 0.33, −0.27 and 1.21 mm in the vertical, lateral and longitudinal dimensions, respectively. The doses delivered to the cavity center were 7.2% higher than planned. The dose distributions were similar to those of a GammaKnife. Conclusion: Radiation can be delivered with an accelerator at mm accuracy to small cranial targets based on 1.5 MRI scans fused to CTs using a standard GammaKnife headframe and MRI localizer. MLC-defined static arcs produce isodose lines very similar to the GammaKnife.« less

Pixelized Measurement of (99m)Tc-HDP Micro Particles Formed in Gamma Correction Phantom Pinhole Scan: a Reference Study.

PubMed

Jung, Joo-Young; Cheon, Gi Jeong; Lee, Yun-Sang; Ha, Seunggyun; Chae, Mi-Hye; Chung, Yong-An; Yoon, Do Kyun; Bahk, Yong-Whee

2016-09-01

Currently, traumatic bone diseases are diagnosed by assessing the micro (99m)Tc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HDP) uptake in injured trabeculae with ongoing osteoneogenesis demonstrated by gamma correction pinhole scan (GCPS). However, the mathematic size quantification of micro-uptake is not yet available. We designed and performed this phantom-based study to set up an in-vitro model of the mathematical calculation of micro-uptake by the pixelized measurement. The micro (99m)Tc-HDP deposits used in this study were spontaneously formed both in a large standard flood and small house-made dish phantoms. The processing was as follows: first, phantoms were flooded with distilled water and (99m)Tc-HDP was therein injected to induce micro (99m)Tc-HDP deposition; second, the deposits were scanned using parallel-hole and pinhole collimator to generally survey (99m)Tc-HDP deposition pattern; and third, the scans underwent gamma correction (GC) to discern individual deposits for size measurement. In original naïve scans, tracer distribution was simply nebulous in appearance and, hence, could not be measured. Impressively, however, GCPS could discern individual micro deposits so that they were calculated by pixelized measurement. Phantoms naturally formed micro (99m)Tc-HDP deposits that are analogous to (99m)Tc-HDP uptake on in-vivo bone scan. The smallest one we measured was 0.414 mm. Flooded phantoms and therein injected (99m)Tc-HDP form nebulous micro (99m)Tc-HDP deposits that are rendered discernible by GCPB and precisely calculable using pixelized measurement. This method can be used for precise quantitative and qualitative diagnosis of bone and joint diseases at the trabecular level.

High-resolution gamma ray attenuation density measurements on mining exploration drill cores, including cut cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, P.-S.; Bourke, A.

2017-01-01

Physical property measurements are increasingly important in mining exploration. For density determinations on rocks, one method applicable on exploration drill cores relies on gamma ray attenuation. This non-destructive method is ideal because each measurement takes only 10 s, making it suitable for high-resolution logging. However calibration has been problematic. In this paper we present new empirical, site-specific correction equations for whole NQ and BQ cores. The corrections force back the gamma densities to the "true" values established by the immersion method. For the NQ core caliber, the density range extends to high values (massive pyrite, 5 g/cm3) and the correction is thought to be very robust. We also present additional empirical correction factors for cut cores which take into account the missing material. These "cut core correction factors", which are not site-specific, were established by making gamma density measurements on truncated aluminum cylinders of various residual thicknesses. Finally we show two examples of application for the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Canada. The gamma ray attenuation measurement system is part of a multi-sensor core logger which also determines magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry and mineralogy on rock cores, and performs line-scan imaging.

SU-F-J-166: Volumetric Spatial Distortions Comparison for 1.5 Tesla Versus 3 Tesla MRI for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Scans Using Frame Marker Fusion and Co-Registration Modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neyman, G

Purpose: To compare typical volumetric spatial distortions for 1.5 Tesla versus 3 Tesla MRI Gamma Knife radiosurgery scans in the frame marker fusion and co-registration frame-less modes. Methods: Quasar phantom by Modus Medical Devices Inc. with GRID image distortion software was used for measurements of volumetric distortions. 3D volumetric T1 weighted scans of the phantom were produced on 1.5 T Avanto and 3 T Skyra MRI Siemens scanners. The analysis was done two ways: for scans with localizer markers from the Leksell frame and relatively to the phantom only (simulated co-registration technique). The phantom grid contained a total of 2002more » vertices or control points that were used in the assessment of volumetric geometric distortion for all scans. Results: Volumetric mean absolute spatial deviations relatively to the frame localizer markers for 1.5 and 3 Tesla machine were: 1.39 ± 0.15 and 1.63 ± 0.28 mm with max errors of 1.86 and 2.65 mm correspondingly. Mean 2D errors from the Gamma Plan were 0.3 and 1.0 mm. For simulated co-registration technique the volumetric mean absolute spatial deviations relatively to the phantom for 1.5 and 3 Tesla machine were: 0.36 ± 0.08 and 0.62 ± 0.13 mm with max errors of 0.57 and 1.22 mm correspondingly. Conclusion: Volumetric spatial distortions are lower for 1.5 Tesla versus 3 Tesla MRI machines localized with markers on frames and significantly lower for co-registration techniques with no frame localization. The results show the advantage of using co-registration technique for minimizing MRI volumetric spatial distortions which can be especially important for steep dose gradient fields typically used in Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Consultant for Elekta AB.« less

Influence of gamma irradiation on the surface morphology, XRD and thermophysical properties of silicide hexoboride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzayev, Matlab N.; Mehdiyeva, Ravan N.; Garibov, Ramin G.; Ismayilova, Narmin A.; Jabarov, Sakin H.

2018-05-01

In this study, compounds of B6Si were irradiated using a 60Co gamma source that have an energy line of 1.25 MeV at the absorbed dose rates from 14.6 kGy to 194.4 kGy. Surface morphology images of the sample obtained by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) show that the crystal structure at a high absorbed doses (D ≥ 145.8kGy) starts to be destroyed. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that with increasing radiation absorption dose, the spectrum intensity of the sample was decreased 1.96 times compared with the initial value. Thermal properties were studied by Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method in the temperature range of 30-1000∘C.

Brain early infarct detection using gamma correction extreme-level eliminating with weighting distribution.

PubMed

Teh, V; Sim, K S; Wong, E K

2016-11-01

According to the statistic from World Health Organization (WHO), stroke is one of the major causes of death globally. Computed tomography (CT) scan is one of the main medical diagnosis system used for diagnosis of ischemic stroke. CT scan provides brain images in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format. The presentation of CT brain images is mainly relied on the window setting (window center and window width), which converts an image from DICOM format into normal grayscale format. Nevertheless, the ordinary window parameter could not deliver a proper contrast on CT brain images for ischemic stroke detection. In this paper, a new proposed method namely gamma correction extreme-level eliminating with weighting distribution (GCELEWD) is implemented to improve the contrast on CT brain images. GCELEWD is capable of highlighting the hypodense region for diagnosis of ischemic stroke. The performance of this new proposed technique, GCELEWD, is compared with four of the existing contrast enhancement technique such as brightness preserving bi-histogram equalization (BBHE), dualistic sub-image histogram equalization (DSIHE), extreme-level eliminating histogram equalization (ELEHE), and adaptive gamma correction with weighting distribution (AGCWD). GCELEWD shows better visualization for ischemic stroke detection and higher values with image quality assessment (IQA) module. SCANNING 38:842-856, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Solubility Enhancement of Steviol Glycosides and Characterization of Their Inclusion Complexes with Gamma-Cyclodextrin

PubMed Central

Upreti, Mani; Strassburger, Ken; Chen, You L.; Wu, Shaoxiong; Prakash, Indra

2011-01-01

Steviol glycosidesrebaudioside (reb) A, C and D have low aqueous solubilities. To improve their aqueous solubilities, inclusion complex of steviol glycosides, reb A, C and D and gamma cyclodextrin were prepared by freeze drying method and further characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of gamma cyclodextrin on chemical shifts of the steviol glycosides was also studied in proton NMR experiments as well as in solid state 13C CP/MAS NMR experiments. These results indicated that the steviol glycosides were clearly in inclusion complex formation with the gamma cyclodextrin which also results in solubility enhancement of these steviol glycosides. Phase solubility studies showed that amounts of soluble reb A, C and D increased with increasing amounts of gamma cyclodextrin indicating formation of 1:1 stoichiometric and higher order inclusion complexes. PMID:22174615

A library least-squares approach for scatter correction in gamma-ray tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meric, Ilker; Anton Johansen, Geir; Valgueiro Malta Moreira, Icaro

2015-03-01

Scattered radiation is known to lead to distortion in reconstructed images in Computed Tomography (CT). The effects of scattered radiation are especially more pronounced in non-scanning, multiple source systems which are preferred for flow imaging where the instantaneous density distribution of the flow components is of interest. In this work, a new method based on a library least-squares (LLS) approach is proposed as a means of estimating the scatter contribution and correcting for this. The validity of the proposed method is tested using the 85-channel industrial gamma-ray tomograph previously developed at the University of Bergen (UoB). The results presented here confirm that the LLS approach can effectively estimate the amounts of transmission and scatter components in any given detector in the UoB gamma-ray tomography system.

TU-A-12A-01: Consistency of Lung Expansion and Contraction During Respiration: Implications for Quantitative Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patton, T; Du, K; Bayouth, J

Purpose: Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) can be used to evaluate longitudinal changes in pulmonary function. The sensitivity of such measurements to identify function change may be improved with reproducible breathing patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine if inhale was more consistent than exhale, i.e., lung expansion during inhalation compared to lung contraction during exhalation. Methods: Repeat 4DCT image data acquired within a short time interval from 8 patients. Using a tissue volume preserving deformable image registration algorithm, Jacobian ventilation maps in two scanning sessions were computed and compared on the same coordinate for reproducibility analysis. Equivalent lungmore » volumes (ELV) were used for 5 subjects and equivalent title volumes (ETV) for the 3 subjects who experienced a baseline shift between scans. In addition, gamma pass rate was calculated from a modified gamma index evaluation between two ventilation maps, using acceptance criterions of 2mm distance-to-agreement and 5% ventilation difference. The gamma pass rates were then compared using paired t-test to determine if there was a significant difference. Results: Inhalation was more reproducible than exhalation. In the 5 ELV subjects 78.5% of the lung voxels met the gamma criteria for expansion during inhalation when comparing the two scans, while significantly fewer (70.9% of the lung voxels) met the gamma criteria for contraction during exhalation (p = .027). In the 8 total subjects analyzed the average gamma pass rate for expansion during inhalation was 75.2% while for contraction during exhalation it was 70.3%; which trended towards significant (p = .064). Conclusion: This work implies inhalation is more reproducible than exhalation, when equivalent respiratory volumes are considered. The reason for this difference is unknown. Longitudinal investigation of pulmonary function change based on inhalation images appears appropriate for Jacobian-based measure of lung tissue expansion. NIH Grant: R01 CA166703.« less

A novel fibrinogen variant--Praha I: hypofibrinogenemia associated with gamma Gly351Ser substitution.

PubMed

Kotlín, Roman; Chytilová, Martina; Suttnar, Jirí; Salaj, Peter; Riedel, Tomás; Santrůcek, Jirí; Klener, Pavel; Dyr, Jan Evangelista

2007-05-01

A 25-yr-old man from Prague had abnormal bleeding after several surgical operations with low fibrinogen level and hypofibrinogenemia was suspected. The patient, 25 yr-old male had a low fibrinogen concentration as determined by the thrombin time and immunoturbidimetrical method. His 48-yr-old mother presented with normal coagulation tests, normal fibrinogen level and reported no history of bleeding. To identify the genetic mutation responsible for this hypofibrinogen, genomic DNA extracted from the blood was analyzed. Fibrin polymerization measurement, kinetics of fibrinopeptide release, fibrinogen clottability measurement, mass spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were performed. DNA sequencing showed heterogeneous fibrinogen gammaG351S mutation in the propositus. The mutant chain was found not to be expressed to the circulation by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Scanning electron micrographs of the patient's fibrin clot as well as kinetics of fibrinopeptide release and fibrin polymerization were found to be normal. A case of hypofibrinogenemia gammaG351S was found by routine coagulation testing and was genetically identified.

An Analysis of the Utility of Handheld PET Probes for the Intraoperative Localization of Malignant Tissue

PubMed Central

González, Segundo Jaime; González, Lorena; Wong, Joyce; Brader, Peter; Zakowski, Maureen; Gönen, Mithat; Daghighian, Farhad; Fong, Yuman

2012-01-01

Introduction The intraoperative localization of suspicious lesions detected by positron emission tomography (PET) scan remains a challenge. To solve this, two novel probes have been created to accurately detect the 18F-FDG radiotracer intraoperatively. Methods Nude rats were inoculated with mesothelioma. When PET scans detected 10-mm tumors, animals were dissected and the PET probes analyzed the intraoperative radiotracer uptake of these lesions as tumor to background ratio (TBR). Results The 17 suspicious lesions seen on PET scan were localized intraoperatively (by their high TBR) using the PET probes and found malignant on pathology. Interestingly, smaller tumors not visualized on PET scan were detected intraoperatively by their high TBR and found malignant on pathology. Furthermore, using a TBR threshold as low as 2.0, both gamma (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 80%; positive predictive value (PPV), 96%; and negative predictive value (NPV), 100%) and beta (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 60%; PPV, 93%; and NPV, 100%) probes reliably detected suspicious lesions on PET scan imaging. They also showed an excellent area under the curve of 0.9 and 0.97 (95% CI of 0.81–0.99 and 0.93–1.0) for gamma and beta probes, respectively, in the receiver operating characteristic analysis for detecting malignancy. Conclusion This novel tool could be used synergistically with a PET scan imaging to maximize tissue selection intraoperatively. PMID:21108016

An atlas of Copernicus ultraviolet spectra of Wolf-Rayet stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, H. M.

1978-01-01

An atlas of Copernicus UV scans is presented, and line identifications are tabulated, for the Wolf-Rayet stars Gamma-2 Vel (WC 8 + O7), HD 50896 (= EZ CMa; WN 5), and HD 92740 (WN 7). The atlas covers the wavelength ranges from 946.8 to 3182 A for Gamma-2 Vel, from 1012 to 1294 A for HD 50896, and from 1051 to 1243 A for HD 92740. The wavelengths include corrections for components of satellite velocity, earth velocity, and stellar heliocentric velocity; each spectral feature is classified as interstellar, photospheric, emission, UV-displaced P Cygni line absorption, or P Cygni line emission. UV-edge velocities of the P Cygni profiles are estimated, P Cygni profile types are discussed, and the results are compared with Copernicus scans of OB stars exhibiting UV P Cygni profiles. It is noted that: (1) the line-strength ratio of molecular hydrogen to atomic species appears to be substantially greater in the scans of the WN stars than in the Gamma-2 Vel scans; (2) some of the P Cygni profiles in Gamma-2 Vel differ significantly from the corresponding profiles in OB stars; and (3) there may be a slight inverse correlation between ejection velocities and excitation potentials in Gamma-2 Vel.

Dual-energy imaging method to improve the image quality and the accuracy of dose calculation for cone-beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Men, Kuo; Dai, Jianrong; Chen, Xinyuan; Li, Minghui; Zhang, Ke; Huang, Peng

2017-04-01

To improve the image quality and accuracy of dose calculation for cone-beam computed tomography (CT) images through implementation of a dual-energy cone-beam computed tomography method (DE-CBCT), and evaluate the improvement quantitatively. Two sets of CBCT projections were acquired using the X-ray volumetric imaging (XVI) system on a Synergy (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) system with 120kV (high) and 70kV (low) X-rays, respectively. Then, the electron density relative to water (relative electron density (RED)) of each voxel was calculated using a projection-based dual-energy decomposition method. As a comparison, single-energy cone-beam computed tomography (SE-CBCT) was used to calculate RED with the Hounsfield unit-RED calibration curve generated by a CIRS phantom scan with identical imaging parameters. The imaging dose was measured with a dosimetry phantom. The image quality was evaluated quantitatively using a Catphan 503 phantom with the evaluation indices of the reproducibility of the RED values, high-contrast resolution (MTF 50% ), uniformity, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Dose calculation of two simulated volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans using an Eclipse treatment-planning system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, USA) was performed on an Alderson Rando Head and Neck (H&N) phantom and a Pelvis phantom. Fan-beam planning CT images for the H&N and Pelvis phantom were set as the reference. A global three-dimensional gamma analysis was used to compare dose distributions with the reference. The average gamma values for targets and OAR were analyzed with paired t-tests between DE-CBCT and SE-CBCT. In two scans (H&N scan and body scan), the imaging dose of DE-CBCT increased by 1.0% and decreased by 1.3%. It had a better reproducibility of the RED values (mean bias: 0.03 and 0.07) compared with SE-CBCT (mean bias: 0.13 and 0.16). It also improved the image uniformity (57.5% and 30.1%) and SNR (9.7% and 2.3%), but did not affect the MTF 50% . Gamma analyses of the 3D dose distribution with criteria of 1%/1mm showed a pass rate of 99.0-100% and 85.3-97.6% for DE-CBCT and 73.5-99.1% and 80.4-92.7% for SE-CBCT. The average gamma values were reduced significantly by DE-CBCT (p< 0.05). Gamma index maps showed that matching of the dose distribution between CBCT-based and reference was improved by DE-CBCT. DE-CBCT can achieve both better image quality and higher accuracy of dose calculation, and could be applied to adaptive radiotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of gamma ray irradiation on stoichiometry of hydrothermally synthesized bismuth telluride nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abishek, N. S.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

2018-05-01

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanoparticles were synthesized by the hydrothermal method at 200 °C for 24 h. The synthesized Bi2Te3 nanoparticles were irradiated with gamma rays at doses of 50 kGy and 100 kGy. The structural characterization of the pre-irradiated and post-irradiated samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction technique and was found to have rhombohedral phase having R3 ¯m (166) space group. The X-ray diffraction peaks were found to shift towards lower diffraction angle with gamma ray irradiation. The morphologies and compositions of the grown Bi2Te3 nanoparticles were studied using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray energy dispersive analysis, respectively. The possible cause for the shift in the X-ray diffraction peaks with gamma ray irradiation has been discussed in the present work.

Catalysis study for space shuttle vehicle thermal protection systems. [for vehicle surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breen, J.; Rosner, D. E.; Delgass, W. N.; Nordine, P. C.; Cibrian, R.; Krishnan, N. G.

1973-01-01

Experimental results on the problem of reducing aerodynamic heating on space shuttle orbiter surfaces are presented. Data include: (1) development of a laboratory flow reactor technique for measuring gamma sub O and gamma sub N on candidate materials at surfaces, T sub w, in the nominal range 1000 to 2000, (2) measurements of gamma sub O and gamma sub N above 1000 K for both the glass coating of a reusable surface insulation material and the siliconized surface of a reinforced pyrolyzed plastic material, (3) measurement of the ablation behavior of the coated RPP material at T sub w is greater than or equal to 2150 K, (4) X-ray photoelectron spectral studies of the chemical constituents on these surfaces before and after dissociated gas exposure, (5) scanning electron micrograph examination of as-received and reacted specimens, and (6) development and exploitation of a method of predicting the aerodynamic heating consquences of these gamma sub O(T sub w) and gamma sub N(T sub w) measurements for critical locations on a radiation cooled orbiter vehicle.

Mössbauer Magnetic Scan experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasquevich, G. A.; Mendoza Zélis, P.; Lencina, A.; Veiga, A.; Fernández van Raap, M. B.; Sánchez, F. H.

2014-06-01

We report an application of the Mössbauer Effect designed to retrieve specific information on the magnetic response of iron-containing materials. It consists in the measurement of the nuclear absorption of gamma-rays as a function of an external magnetic field for a specific nuclear transition between magnetically-split nuclear levels. The experiments, here termed Mössbauer Magnetic Scan experiments, were carried out recording the absorption of 57Fe 14.4 keV gamma-ray in α-Fe at constant Doppler energies coincident with some of the spectral lines of the magnetically split Mössbauer spectrum. Due to the dependence of the transition probabilities on the relative orientation between the nuclear magnetic moment and the gamma-ray direction, the present application results in a useful method to study the magnetic-field evolution of the distribution of atomic-magnetic-moment orientations. The proposed technique inherit from the Mössbauer Spectroscopy the chemical-element selectiveness as well as the ability to differentiate responses from iron atoms located at inequivalent site or at different phases. In this work, we show that the data analysis for these experiments depends on the sample thickness that the gamma-ray has to cross. For thin samples (i.e.samples with Mössbauer effective thicknesses lower than one) the magnetic-field dependence of the second-order-moment of the orientation distribution in the direction of the gamma ray is obtained. On the other hand, for thicker samples, although the data analysis is more complex, the dependences of the three second-order-moments of the orientation distribution are obtained. The experiments were performed on two α-Fe foils of different Mössbauer effective thicknesses. They were chosen to represent the cases of thin and thick Mössbauer absorbers. The magnetic evolution of the orientations distribution is compared with results obtained from magnetometric measurements showing a good agreement as well indicating the complementarity of both techniques. A complete description of the experimental set up and the formalism for Mössbauer Magnetic Scan data analysis are presented.

SU-F-SPS-10: The Dosimetric Comparison of GammaKnife and Cyberknife Treatment Plans for Brain SRS Treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanli, E; Mabhouti, H; Cebe, M

Purpose: Brain stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) involves the use of precisely directed, single session radiation to create a desired radiobiologic response within the brain target with acceptable minimal effects on surrounding structures or tissues. In this study, the dosimetric comparison of GammaKnife perfection and Cyberknife M6 treatment plans were made. Methods: Treatment plannings were done for GammaKnife perfection unit using Gammaplan treatment planning system (TPS) on the CT scan of head and neck randophantom simulating the treatment of sterotactic treatments for one brain metastasis. The dose distribution were calculated using TMR 10 algorithm. The treatment planning for the same target weremore » also done for Cyberknife M6 machine using Multiplan (TPS) with Monte Carlo algorithm. Using the same film batch, the net OD to dose calibration curve was obtained using both machine by delivering 0- 800 cGy. Films were scanned 48 hours after irradiation using an Epson 1000XL flatbed scanner. Dose distribution were measured using EBT3 film dosimeter. The measured and calculated doses were compared. Results: The dose distribution in the target and 2 cm beyond the target edge were calculated on TPSs and measured using EBT3 film. For cyberknife treatment plans, the gamma analysis passing rates between measured and calculated dose distributions were 99.2% and 96.7% for target and peripheral region of target respectively. For gammaknife treatment plans, the gamma analysis passing rates were 98.9% and 93.2% for target and peripheral region of target respectively. Conclusion: The study shows that dosimetrically comparable plans are achievable with Cyberknife and GammaKnife. Although TMR 10 algorithm predicts the target dose.« less

Quantitative Laser-Saturated Fluorescence Measurements of Nitric Oxide in a Heptane Spray Flame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Clayton S.; Laurendeau, Normand M.; Lee, Chi (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

We report spatially resolved laser-saturated fluorescence measurements of NO concentration in a pre-heated, lean-direct injection (LDI) spray flame at atmospheric pressure. The spray is produced by a hollow-cone, pressure-atomized nozzle supplied with liquid heptane. NO is excited via the Q2(26.5) transition of the gamma(0,0) band. Detection is performed in a 2-nm region centered on the gamma(0,1) band. Because of the relatively close spectral spacing between the excitation (226 nm) and detection wavelengths (236 nm), the gamma(0,1) band of NO cannot be isolated from the spectral wings of the Mie scattering signal produced by the spray. To account for the resulting superposition of the fluorescence and scattering signals, a background subtraction method has been developed that utilizes a nearby non-resonant wavelength. Excitation scans have been performed to locate the optimum off-line wavelength. Detection scans have been performed at problematic locations in the flame to determine possible fluorescence interferences from UHCs and PAHs at both the on-line and off-line excitation wavelengths. Quantitative radial NO profiles are presented and analyzed so as to better understand the operation of lean-direct injectors for gas turbine combustors.

Optimized blind gamma-ray pulsar searches at fixed computing budget

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pletsch, Holger J.; Clark, Colin J., E-mail: holger.pletsch@aei.mpg.de

The sensitivity of blind gamma-ray pulsar searches in multiple years worth of photon data, as from the Fermi LAT, is primarily limited by the finite computational resources available. Addressing this 'needle in a haystack' problem, here we present methods for optimizing blind searches to achieve the highest sensitivity at fixed computing cost. For both coherent and semicoherent methods, we consider their statistical properties and study their search sensitivity under computational constraints. The results validate a multistage strategy, where the first stage scans the entire parameter space using an efficient semicoherent method and promising candidates are then refined through a fullymore » coherent analysis. We also find that for the first stage of a blind search incoherent harmonic summing of powers is not worthwhile at fixed computing cost for typical gamma-ray pulsars. Further enhancing sensitivity, we present efficiency-improved interpolation techniques for the semicoherent search stage. Via realistic simulations we demonstrate that overall these optimizations can significantly lower the minimum detectable pulsed fraction by almost 50% at the same computational expense.« less

Effects of beam irregularity on uniform scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Chang Hyeuk; Jang, Sea duk; Yang, Tae-Keun

2016-09-01

An active scanning beam delivery method has many advantages in particle beam applications. For the beam is to be successfully delivered to the target volume by using the active scanning technique, the dose uniformity must be considered and should be at least 2.5% in the case of therapy application. During beam irradiation, many beam parameters affect the 2-dimensional uniformity at the target layer. A basic assumption in the beam irradiation planning stage is that the shape of the beam is symmetric and follows a Gaussian distribution. In this study, a pure Gaussian-shaped beam distribution was distorted by adding parasitic Gaussian distribution. An appropriate uniform scanning condition was deduced by using a quantitative analysis based on the gamma value of the distorted beam and 2-dimensional uniformities.

Morphobiochemical diagnosis of acute trabecular microfractures using gamma correction Tc-99m HDP pinhole bone scan with histopathological verification.

PubMed

Bahk, Yong-Whee; Hwang, Seok-Ha; Lee, U-Young; Chung, Yong-An; Jung, Joo-Young; Jeong, Hyeonseok S

2017-11-01

We prospectively performed gamma correction pinhole bone scan (GCPBS) and histopathologic verification study to make simultaneous morphobiochemical diagnosis of trabecular microfractures (TMF) occurred in the femoral head as a part of femoral neck fracture.Materials consisted of surgical specimens of the femoral head in 6 consecutive patients. The specimens were imaged using Tc-99m hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HDP) pinhole scan and processed by the gamma correction. After cleansing with 10% formalin solution, injured specimen surface was observed using a surgical microscope to record TMF. Morphological findings shown in the photograph, naive pinhole bone scan, GCPBS, and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stain of the specimen were reciprocally correlated for histological verification and the usefulness of suppression and enhancement of Tc-99m HDP uptake was biochemically investigated in TMF and edema and hemorrhage using gamma correction.On the one hand, GCPBS was able to depict the calcifying calluses in TMF with enhanced Tc-99m HDP uptake. They were pinpointed, speckled, round, ovoid, rod-like, geographic, and crushed in shape. The smallest callus measured was 0.23 mm in this series. On the other hand, GCPBS biochemically was able to discern the calluses with enhanced high Tc-99m HDP uptake from the normal and edema dipped and hemorrhage irritated trabeculae with washed out uptake.Morphobiochemically, GCPBS can clearly depict microfractures in the femoral head produced by femoral neck fracture. It discerns the microcalluses with enhanced Tc-99m HDP uptake from the intact and edema dipped and hemorrhage irritated trabeculae with suppressed washed out Tc-99m HDP uptake. Both conventional pinhole bone scan and gamma correction are useful imaging means to specifically diagnose the microcalluses naturally formed in TMF.

Results of the survey activities and mobile gamma scanning in Monticello, Utah

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Little, C.A.; Berven, B.A.

The town of Monticello, Utah, was once the site of an active mill which processed vanadium ore (1942 to 1948), and uranium ore (1948 to 1960). Properties in the vicinity of that mill have become contaminated with radioactive material from ore processing. The Radiological Survey Activities (RASA) group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was requested by the Division of Remedial Action Projects (DRAP) in the Department of Energy (DOE) to: (1) identify potentially contaminated properties; (2) assess natural background radiation levels; and (3) rapidly assess the magnitude, extent, and type (i.e. ore, tailings, etc.) of contamination present on thesemore » properties (if any). This survey was conducted by RASA during April 1983. In addition to the 114 properties previously identified from historical information, the ORNL mobile gamma scanning van located 36 new properties exhibiting anomalous gamma radiation levels. Onsite surveys were conducted on 145 of the 150 total properties identified either historically or with the gamma scanning van. Of these 145 properties, 122 of them appeared to have some type of contaminated material present on them; however, only 48 appeared to be contaminated to the extent where they were in excess of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria (40 CFR 192). Twenty-one other properties were recommended for additional investigation (indoor gamma scanning and radon daughter measurements); of these, only ten required further analysis. This report provides the detailed data and analyses related to the radiological survey efforts performed by ORNL in Monticello, Utah.« less

A Novel Color Fluorescence Navigation System for Intraoperative Transcutaneous Lymphatic Mapping and Resection of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Breast Cancer: Comparison with the Combination of Gamma Probe Scanning and Visible Dye Methods.

PubMed

Hokimoto, Norihiro; Sugimoto, Takeki; Namikawa, Tsutomu; Funakoshi, Taku; Oki, Toyokazu; Ogawa, Maho; Fukuhara, Hideo; Inoue, Keiji; Sato, Takayuki; Hanazaki, Kazuhiro

2018-01-01

This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of a novel imaging system (HyperEye Medical System [HEMS]; Mizuho Corp., Tokyo, Japan) that uses the near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence of indocyanine green to analyze sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies for the staging of breast cancer. This study enrolled 91 patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer that was clinically node negative with a tumor size <3 cm. We compared SLN identification rates between HEMS and conventional methods (gamma probe scanning using a colloidal radioisotope [RI] and a blue dye method) by analyzing the relationships of lymphatic to axillary lesions and SLNs. The identification rate of SLNs was 100% using HEMS, 97.8% using the RI method, and 95.6% using the blue dye method. Two types of lymphatic pathway (LP) were detected in 39 patients (42.9%) and also clearly identified using HEMS-captured color and NIR fluorescence. The incidence of two or more SLNs was significantly higher in patients with a two-route LP to the axilla group than in those with only one route (p < 0.001; 43.6 vs. 9.6%). The HEMS NIR fluorescence color imaging method is a promising potential modality for higher-level identification of SLNs than a standard combination of the RI and blue dye methods. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Electrochemical behavior of phytochelatins and related peptides at the hanging mercury drop electrode in the presence of cobalt(II) ions.

PubMed

Dorcák, Vlastimil; Sestáková, Ivana

2006-01-01

Direct current voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry have been used to investigate the electrochemical behaviour of two phytochelatins: heptapeptide (gamma-Glu-Cys)3-Gly and pentapeptide (gamma-Glu-Cys)2-Gly, tripeptide glutathione gamma-Glu-Cys-Gly and its fragments: dipeptides Cys-Gly and gamma-Glu-Cys at the hanging mercury drop electrode in the presence of cobalt(II) ions. Most interesting results were obtained with direct current voltammetry in the potential region of -0.80 V up to -1.80 V. Differential pulse voltammetry of the same solutions of Co(II) with peptides gives more complicated voltammograms with overlapping peaks, probably in connection with the influence of adsorption at slow scan rates necessarily used in this method. However, in using Brdicka catalytic currents for analytical purposes, differential pulse voltammograms seem to be more helpful. Presented investigations have shown that particularly the prewave of cobalt(II) allows distinguishing among phytochelatins, glutathione, and its fragments.

Completion of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for AVM treatment after unplanned interruption-technical note.

PubMed

Raman, Hari S; Santanam, Lakshmi; Vellimana, Ananth K; Drzymala, Robert E; Tsien, Christina I; Zipfel, Gregory J

2018-02-17

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an established technique for non-urgent treatment of various intracranial pathologies. Intra-procedural dislodgement of the stereotactic frame is an uncommon occurrence that could lead to abortion of ongoing treatment and necessitate more invasive treatment strategies. In this case report, we describe a novel method for resumption of Gamma Knife treatment after an unplanned intra-procedural interruption. The case example involves a radiosurgical treatment of a Spetzler-Martin grade I arteriovenous malformation. Our technique involves integration of scans and coordinate systems from two imaging sessions using the composite isodose line to resolve translational differences, thereby limiting delivery of remaining shots to the untreated region of the lesion. MRI follow-up at 13 months showed a reduction in the nidus size with no evidence of any radiation injury to the surrounding brain parenchyma. We believe this technique will allow care teams to effectively salvage interrupted Gamma Knife procedures and reduce progression to more invasive treatment options.

Dielectron widths of the Gamma(1S,2S,3S) resonances.

PubMed

Rosner, J L; Adam, N E; Alexander, J P; Berkelman, K; Cassel, D G; Duboscq, J E; Ecklund, K M; Ehrlich, R; Fields, L; Galik, R S; Gibbons, L; Gray, R; Gray, S W; Hartill, D L; Heltsley, B K; Hertz, D; Jones, C D; Kandaswamy, J; Kreinick, D L; Kuznetsov, V E; Mahlke-Krüger, H; Meyer, T O; Onyisi, P U E; Patterson, J R; Peterson, D; Phillips, E A; Pivarski, J; Riley, D; Ryd, A; Sadoff, A J; Schwarthoff, H; Shi, X; Stroiney, S; Sun, W M; Wilksen, T; Weinberger, M; Athar, S B; Avery, P; Breva-Newell, L; Patel, R; Potlia, V; Stoeck, H; Yelton, J; Rubin, P; Cawlfield, C; Eisenstein, B I; Karliner, I; Kim, D; Lowrey, N; Naik, P; Sedlack, C; Selen, M; White, E J; Wiss, J; Shepherd, M R; Besson, D; Pedlar, T K; Cronin-Hennessy, D; Gao, K Y; Gong, D T; Hietala, J; Kubota, Y; Klein, T; Lang, B W; Poling, R; Scott, A W; Smith, A; Dobbs, S; Metreveli, Z; Seth, K K; Tomaradze, A; Zweber, P; Ernst, J; Arms, K; Severini, H; Dytman, S A; Love, W; Mehrabyan, S; Savinov, V; Aquines, O; Li, Z; Lopez, A; Mendez, H; Ramirez, J; Huang, G S; Miller, D H; Pavlunin, V; Sanghi, B; Shipsey, I P J; Xin, B; Adams, G S; Anderson, M; Cummings, J P; Danko, I; Napolitano, J; He, Q; Insler, J; Muramatsu, H; Park, C S; Thorndike, E H; Coan, T E; Gao, Y S; Liu, F; Stroynowski, R; Artuso, M; Blusk, S; Butt, J; Li, J; Menaa, N; Mountain, R; Nisar, S; Randrianarivony, K; Redjimi, R; Sia, R; Skwarnicki, T; Stone, S; Wang, J C; Zhang, K; Csorna, S E; Bonvicini, G; Cinabro, D; Dubrovin, M; Lincoln, A; Asner, D M; Edwards, K W; Briere, R A; Chen, J; Ferguson, T; Tatishvili, G; Vogel, H; Watkins, M E

2006-03-10

We determine the dielectron widths of the Gamma(1S), Gamma(2S), and Gamma(3S) resonances with better than 2% precision by integrating the cross section of e+e- -->Gamma over the e+e- center-of-mass energy. Using e+e- energy scans of the Gamma resonances at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring and measuring Gamma production with the CLEO detector, we find dielectron widths of 1.252+/-0.004(sigma(stat))+/-0.019(sigma(syst)) keV, 0.581+/-0.004+/-0.009 keV, and 0.413+/-0.004+/-0.006 keV for the Gamma(1S), Gamma(2S), and Gamma(3S), respectively.

INTERIM REPORT--INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION SURVEY OF SECTION 3, SURVEY UNITS 1, 4 AND 5 EXCAVATED SURFACES, WHITTAKER CORPORATION, REYNOLDS INDUSTRIAL PARK, TRANSFER, PENNSYLVANIA DCN: 5002-SR-04-0"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ADAMS, WADE C

At Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's request, ORAU's IEAV program conducted verification surveys on the excavated surfaces of Section 3, SUs 1, 4, and 5 at the Whittaker site on March 13 and 14, 2013. The survey activities included visual inspections, gamma radiation surface scans, gamma activity measurements, and soil sampling activities. Verification activities also included the review and assessment of the licensee's project documentation and methodologies. Surface scans identified four areas of elevated direct gamma radiation distinguishable from background; one area within SUs 1 and 4 and two areas within SU5. One area within SU5 was remediated by removingmore » a golf ball size piece of slag while ORAU staff was onsite. With the exception of the golf ball size piece of slag within SU5, a review of the ESL Section 3 EXS data packages for SUs 1, 4, and 5 indicated that these locations of elevated gamma radiation were also identified by the ESL gamma scans and that ESL personnel performed additional investigations and soil sampling within these areas. The investigative results indicated that the areas met the release criteria.« less

Simulation of pseudo-CT images based on deformable image registration of ultrasound images: A proof of concept for transabdominal ultrasound imaging of the prostate during radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meer, Skadi van der; Camps, Saskia M.; Oncology Solutions Department, Philips Research, High Tech Campus 34, Eindhoven 5656 AE

Purpose: Imaging of patient anatomy during treatment is a necessity for position verification and for adaptive radiotherapy based on daily dose recalculation. Ultrasound (US) image guided radiotherapy systems are currently available to collect US images at the simulation stage (US{sub sim}), coregistered with the simulation computed tomography (CT), and during all treatment fractions. The authors hypothesize that a deformation field derived from US-based deformable image registration can be used to create a daily pseudo-CT (CT{sub ps}) image that is more representative of the patients’ geometry during treatment than the CT acquired at simulation stage (CT{sub sim}). Methods: The three prostatemore » patients, considered to evaluate this hypothesis, had coregistered CT and US scans on various days. In particular, two patients had two US–CT datasets each and the third one had five US–CT datasets. Deformation fields were computed between pairs of US images of the same patient and then applied to the corresponding US{sub sim} scan to yield a new deformed CT{sub ps} scan. The original treatment plans were used to recalculate dose distributions in the simulation, deformed and ground truth CT (CT{sub gt}) images to compare dice similarity coefficients, maximum absolute distance, and mean absolute distance on CT delineations and gamma index (γ) evaluations on both the Hounsfield units (HUs) and the dose. Results: In the majority, deformation did improve the results for all three evaluation methods. The change in gamma failure for dose (γ{sub Dose}, 3%, 3 mm) ranged from an improvement of 11.2% in the prostate volume to a deterioration of 1.3% in the prostate and bladder. The change in gamma failure for the CT images (γ{sub CT}, 50 HU, 3 mm) ranged from an improvement of 20.5% in the anus and rectum to a deterioration of 3.2% in the prostate. Conclusions: This new technique may generate CT{sub ps} images that are more representative of the actual patient anatomy than the CT{sub sim} scan.« less

Prompt Gamma Imaging for In Vivo Range Verification of Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy.

PubMed

Xie, Yunhe; Bentefour, El Hassane; Janssens, Guillaume; Smeets, Julien; Vander Stappen, François; Hotoiu, Lucian; Yin, Lingshu; Dolney, Derek; Avery, Stephen; O'Grady, Fionnbarr; Prieels, Damien; McDonough, James; Solberg, Timothy D; Lustig, Robert A; Lin, Alexander; Teo, Boon-Keng K

2017-09-01

To report the first clinical results and value assessment of prompt gamma imaging for in vivo proton range verification in pencil beam scanning mode. A stand-alone, trolley-mounted, prototype prompt gamma camera utilizing a knife-edge slit collimator design was used to record the prompt gamma signal emitted along the proton tracks during delivery of proton therapy for a brain cancer patient. The recorded prompt gamma depth detection profiles of individual pencil beam spots were compared with the expected profiles simulated from the treatment plan. In 6 treatment fractions recorded over 3 weeks, the mean (± standard deviation) range shifts aggregated over all spots in 9 energy layers were -0.8 ± 1.3 mm for the lateral field, 1.7 ± 0.7 mm for the right-superior-oblique field, and -0.4 ± 0.9 mm for the vertex field. This study demonstrates the feasibility and illustrates the distinctive benefits of prompt gamma imaging in pencil beam scanning treatment mode. Accuracy in range verification was found in this first clinical case to be better than the range uncertainty margin applied in the treatment plan. These first results lay the foundation for additional work toward tighter integration of the system for in vivo proton range verification and quantification of range uncertainties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Robust and fast-converging level set method for side-scan sonar image segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yan; Li, Qingwu; Huo, Guanying

2017-11-01

A robust and fast-converging level set method is proposed for side-scan sonar (SSS) image segmentation. First, the noise in each sonar image is removed using the adaptive nonlinear complex diffusion filter. Second, k-means clustering is used to obtain the initial presegmentation image from the denoised image, and then the distance maps of the initial contours are reinitialized to guarantee the accuracy of the numerical calculation used in the level set evolution. Finally, the satisfactory segmentation is achieved using a robust variational level set model, where the evolution control parameters are generated by the presegmentation. The proposed method is successfully applied to both synthetic image with speckle noise and real SSS images. Experimental results show that the proposed method needs much less iteration and therefore is much faster than the fuzzy local information c-means clustering method, the level set method using a gamma observation model, and the enhanced region-scalable fitting method. Moreover, the proposed method can usually obtain more accurate segmentation results compared with other methods.

TU-AB-303-09: Investigation of Simple Method to Guide Adaptive Radiotherapy of Head-And-Neck Treatment Using Portal Imager

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al Etreby, M; Elshemey, W; El Sherbini, N

2015-06-15

Purpose: Planned dose distribution for IMRT or VMAT could be altered by tissue changes during treatment course as in head and neck patients. Thus the aim of our study is to investigate a simple method that guides decision for re-planning. We will correlate changes in exit fluence tracked through entire treatment course with the anatomical changes. Methods: Fifteen patients were planned for IMRT; weekly CT scan was registered to original CT. Volume changes of different structures were assessed for each week. Frequently integrated images were acquired for all fields twice weekly via portal imager. The delivered fluences were compared withmore » reference images. Gamma analysis (3% and 3 mm) including maximum γ, and percentage of points with γ≥ 1, were calculated for all fields. Results: Continuous reduction in GTV, CTV1 and parotids volumes during treatment was found [median value of 5.3 (1.3–20.8), 23.8 (3.0–128.7) and 1.7 (0.5–6.3) cm3 respectively] with significant change on week 2 (p= < 0.005). Also the value of gamma area >1 parameter continued to increase, significantly (P < 0.005), starting from second week (1.8 ± 1.9%) reaching 4.1 ± 1.6% by the end of treatment. Most of these changes in the exit fluences are significantly correlated to patient anatomy variations. Pearson correlation coefficient was −0.984 (P = 0.002) and −0.984 (P = 0.014) for the maximum gamma value and the value of gamma area >1, respectively. Conclusion: The changes in exit fluences are reflecting the corresponding anatomical changes. We proposed a method to track the changes in the averaged maximum gamma value and the gamma area > 1 value for the exit fluences during treatment. Maximum gamma value of 2.6% and Maximum gamma area > 1 value of 1.8% would be useful boarder lines that if exceeded a re-planning would be recommended.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verburg, J; Bortfeld, T

Purpose: We present a new system to perform prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy during proton pencil-beam scanning treatments, which enables in vivo verification of the proton range. This system will be used for the first clinical studies of this technology. Methods: After successful pre-clinical testing of prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy, a full scale system for clinical studies is now being assembled. Prompt gamma-rays will be detected during patient treatment using an array of 8 detector modules arranged behind a tungsten collimator. Each detector module consists of a lanthanum(III) bromide scintillator, a photomultiplier tube, and custom electronics for stable high voltage supply and signalmore » amplification. A new real-time data acquisition and control system samples the signals from the detectors with analog-to-digital converters, analyses events of interest, and communicates with the beam delivery systems. The timing of the detected events was synchronized to the cyclotron radiofrequency and the pencil-beam delivery. Range verification is performed by matching measured energy- and timeresolved gamma-ray spectra to nuclear reaction models based on the clinical treatment plan. Experiments in phantoms were performed using clinical beams in order to assess the performance of the systems. Results: The experiments showed reliable real-time analysis of more than 10 million detector events per second. The individual detector modules acquired accurate energy- and time-resolved gamma-ray measurements at a rate of 1 million events per second, which is typical for beams delivered with a clinical dose rate. The data acquisition system successfully tracked the delivery of the scanned pencil-beams to determine the location of range deviations within the treatment field. Conclusion: A clinical system for proton range verification using prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy has been designed and is being prepared for use during patient treatments. We anticipate to start a first clinical study in the near future. This work was supported by the Federal Share of program income earned by Massachusetts; General Hospital on C06-CA059267, Proton Therapy Research and Treatment Center.« less

Fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography scanner for the detection of contraband in air cargo containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eberhardt, J.; Liu, Y.; Rainey, S.; Roach, G.; Sowerby, B.; Stevens, R.; Tickner, J.

2006-05-01

There is a worldwide need for efficient inspection of cargo containers at airports, seaports and road border crossings. The main objectives are the detection of contraband such as illicit drugs, explosives and weapons. Due to the large volume of cargo passing through Australia's airports every day, it is critical that any scanning system should be capable of working on unpacked or consolidated cargo, taking at most 1-2 minutes per container. CSIRO has developed a fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography (FNGR) method for the rapid screening of air freight. By combining radiographs obtained using 14 MeV neutrons and 60Co gamma-rays, high resolution images showing both density and material composition are obtained. A near full-scale prototype scanner has been successfully tested in the laboratory. With the support of the Australian Customs Service, a full-scale scanner has recently been installed and commissioned at Brisbane International Airport.

Co nanoparticle effects on the thermoluminescent signal induced by UV and gamma radiation in ZrO2 powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa-Sánchez, G.; Mendoza-Anaya, D.; Eufemia Fernández-García, M.; Escobar-Alarcón, L.; Olea-Mejía, O.; González-Martínez, P. R.

2014-05-01

Zirconia powders, both pure and doped with Co nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by thermal treatment at 1000 °C. The morphological and crystallographic characteristics were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and the Rietveld refinements method. Analysis of the thermoluminescent (TL) signal induced by UV and gamma radiation was also conducted. According to the results, Co nanoparticles have a strong influence on the growth of ZrO2 particles and favor the formation of monoclinic zirconia. Moreover, an important influence of the added Co nanoparticles was observed on the position of the TL peaks of ZrO2, inducing a shift in the luminescence towards higher temperatures as well as the presence of more TL peaks at higher temperatures.

Skeletal Scintigraphy (Bone Scan)

MedlinePlus

... The special camera and imaging techniques used in nuclear medicine include the gamma camera and single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT). The gamma camera, also called a scintillation camera, detects radioactive energy that is emitted from the patient's body and ...

Phase formation and microstructure of gamma irradiated Bi-2223 Superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

‘Atiqah Mohiju, Zaahidah; Alieya Adnan, Natasha; Hamid, Nasri A.; Abdullah, Yusof

2018-01-01

The Bi-2223 superconductor has been synthesized using the conventional solid state reaction method. The effect of gamma irradiation on phase formation and microstructure of high-temperature Bi-2223 superconductor ceramic was investigated. The bulk samples sample were palletized with 7 tons pressure of hydraulic press machine and sintered at 840°C for 48 hours. The gamma irradiation was performed at the Nuclear Malaysian Agency with dose of 50 kGray at room temperature. Structure characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the patterns for all the samples demonstrate well-defined peaks all of which could be indexed on the basis of a Bi-2223 phase structure. However, for irradiated sample, it showed reduction in the peak intensity indicating a decrease in the content of the Bi-2223 superconducting phase. The effect of gamma (γ) irradiation on surface morphology and its composites has also been investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the micrograph shows that the grains are distributed randomly with poorly connected inter and intra-grain microstructure. This shows that the morphology of the Bi-2223 superconductor is very sensitive to gamma irradiation. The effect on the phase formation and microstructure of non-irradiated and gamma irradiated of Bi-2223 superconductor is compared and evaluated.

Intercomparison of gamma scattering, gammatography, and radiography techniques for mild steel nonuniform corrosion detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priyada, P.; Margret, M.; Ramar, R.; Shivaramu, Menaka, M.; Thilagam, L.; Venkataraman, B.; Raj, Baldev

2011-03-01

This paper focuses on the mild steel (MS) corrosion detection and intercomparison of results obtained by gamma scattering, gammatography, and radiography techniques. The gamma scattering non-destructive evaluation (NDE) method utilizes scattered gamma radiation for the detection of corrosion, and the scattering experimental setup is an indigenously designed automated personal computer (PC) controlled scanning system consisting of computerized numerical control (CNC) controlled six-axis source detector system and four-axis job positioning system. The system has been successfully used to quantify the magnitude of corrosion and the thickness profile of a MS plate with nonuniform corrosion, and the results are correlated with those obtained from the conventional gammatography and radiography imaging measurements. A simple and straightforward reconstruction algorithm to reconstruct the densities of the objects under investigation and an unambiguous interpretation of the signal as a function of material density at any point of the thick object being inspected is described. In this simple and straightforward method the density of the target need not be known and only the knowledge of the target material's mass attenuation coefficients (composition) for the incident and scattered energies is enough to reconstruct the density of the each voxel of the specimen being studied. The Monte Carlo (MC) numerical simulation of the phenomena is done using the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) and the quantitative estimates of the values of signal-to-noise ratio for different percentages of MS corrosion derived from these simulations are presented and the spectra are compared with the experimental data. The gammatography experiments are carried out using the same PC controlled scanning system in a narrow beam, good geometry setup, and the thickness loss is estimated from the measured transmitted intensity. Radiography of the MS plates is carried out using 160 kV x-ray machine. The digitized radiographs with a resolution of 50 μm are processed for the detection of corrosion damage in five different locations. The thickness losses due to the corrosion of the MS plate obtained by gamma scattering method are compared with those values obtained by gammatography and radiography techniques. The percentage thickness loss estimated at different positions of the corroded MS plate varies from 17.78 to 27.0, from 18.9 to 24.28, and from 18.9 to 24.28 by gamma scattering, gammatography, and radiography techniques, respectively. Overall, these results are consistent and in line with each other.

A study on evaluation of the dependences of the function and the shape in a 99 m Tc-DMSA renal scan on the difference in acquisition count

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Kyung-Rae; Shim, Dong-Oh; Kim, Ho-Sung; Park, Yong-Soon; Chung, Woon-Kwan; Cho, Jae-Hwan

2013-02-01

In a nuclear medicine examination, methods to acquire a static image include the preset count method and the preset time method. The preset count method is used mainly in a static renal scan that utilizes 99 m Tc-DMSA (dimoercaptosuccinic acid) whereas the preset time method is used occasionally. When the preset count method is used, the same number of acquisition counts is acquired for each time, but the scan time varies. When the preset time method is used, the scan time is constant, but the number of counts acquired is not the same. Therefore, this study examined the dependence of the difference in information on the function and the shape of both sides of the kidneys on the counts acquired during a renal scan that utilizes 99 m Tc-DMSA. The study involved patients who had 40-60% relative function of one kidney among patients who underwent a 99 m Tc-DMSA renal scan in the Nuclear Medicine Department during the period from January 11 to March 31, 2012. A gamma camera was used to obtain the acquisition count continuously using 100,000 counts and 300,000 counts, and an acquisition time of 7 minutes (exceeding 300,000 counts). The function and the shape of the kidney were evaluated by measuring the relative function of both sides of the kidneys, the geometric mean, and the size of kidney before comparative analysis. According to the study results, neither the relative function nor the geometric mean of both sides of the kidneys varied significantly with the acquisition count. On the other hand, the size of the kidney tended to be larger with increasing acquisition count.

Copper crystal lens for medical imaging: first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roa, Dante E.; Smither, Robert K.

2001-06-01

A copper crystal lens designed to focus gamma ray energies of 100 to 200 keV has been assembled at Argonne National Laboratory. In particular, the lens has been optimized to focus the 140.6 keV gamma rays from technetium-99 m typically used in radioactive tracers. This new approach to medical imaging relies on crystal diffraction to focus incoming gamma rays in a manner similar to a simple convex lens focusing visible light. The lens is envisioned to be part of an array of lenses that can be used as a complementary technique to gamma cameras for localized scans of suspected tumor regions in the body. In addition, a 2- lens array can be used to scan a woman's breast in search of tumors with no discomfort to the patient. The incoming gamma rays are diffracted by a set of 828 copper crystal cubes arranged in 13 concentric rings, which focus the gamma rays into a very small area on a well-shielded NaI detector. Experiments performance with technetium-99 m and cobalt 57 radioactive sources indicate that a 6-lens array should be capable of detecting sources with (mu) Ci strength.

Multiparameter linear least-squares fitting to Poisson data one count at a time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheaton, Wm. A.; Dunklee, Alfred L.; Jacobsen, Allan S.; Ling, James C.; Mahoney, William A.; Radocinski, Robert G.

1995-01-01

A standard problem in gamma-ray astronomy data analysis is the decomposition of a set of observed counts, described by Poisson statistics, according to a given multicomponent linear model, with underlying physical count rates or fluxes which are to be estimated from the data. Despite its conceptual simplicity, the linear least-squares (LLSQ) method for solving this problem has generally been limited to situations in which the number n(sub i) of counts in each bin i is not too small, conventionally more than 5-30. It seems to be widely believed that the failure of the LLSQ method for small counts is due to the failure of the Poisson distribution to be even approximately normal for small numbers. The cause is more accurately the strong anticorrelation between the data and the wieghts w(sub i) in the weighted LLSQ method when square root of n(sub i) instead of square root of bar-n(sub i) is used to approximate the uncertainties, sigma(sub i), in the data, where bar-n(sub i) = E(n(sub i)), the expected value of N(sub i). We show in an appendix that, avoiding this approximation, the correct equations for the Poisson LLSQ (PLLSQ) problems are actually identical to those for the maximum likelihood estimate using the exact Poisson distribution. We apply the method to solve a problem in high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy for the JPL High-Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectrometer flown on HEAO 3. Systematic error in subtracting the strong, highly variable background encountered in the low-energy gamma-ray region can be significantly reduced by closely pairing source and background data in short segments. Significant results can be built up by weighted averaging of the net fluxes obtained from the subtraction of many individual source/background pairs. Extension of the approach to complex situations, with multiple cosmic sources and realistic background parameterizations, requires a means of efficiently fitting to data from single scans in the narrow (approximately = 1.2 keV, HEAO 3) energy channels of a Ge spectrometer, where the expected number of counts obtained per scan may be very low. Such an analysis system is discussed and compared to the method previously used.

Topological and morphological analysis of gamma rays irradiated chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) blends using atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatt, Rinkesh; Bisen, D. S.; Bajpai, R.; Bajpai, A. K.

2017-04-01

In the present communication, binary blends of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) were prepared by solution cast method and the roughness parameters of PVA, native CS and CS-PVA blend films were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moreover, the changes in the morphology of the samples were also investigated after irradiation of gamma rays at absorbed dose of 1 Mrad and 10 Mrad for the scanning areas of 5×5 μm2, 10×10 μm2 and 20×20 μm2. Amplitude, statistical and spatial parameters, including line, 3D and 2D image profiles of the experimental surfaces were examined and compared to un-irradiated samples. For gamma irradiated CS-PVA blends the larger waviness over the surface was found as compared to un-irradiated CS-PVA blends but the values of average roughness for both the films were found almost same. The coefficient of skewness was positive for gamma irradiated CS-PVA blends which revealed the presence of more peaks than valleys on the blend surfaces.

ProxiScan™: A Novel Camera for Imaging Prostate Cancer

ScienceCinema

Ralph James

2017-12-09

ProxiScan is a compact gamma camera suited for high-resolution imaging of prostate cancer. Developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory and Hybridyne Imaging Technologies, Inc., ProxiScan won a 2009 R&D 100 Award, sponsored by R&D Magazine to recognize t

Environmental gamma radiation analysis for Ulsan city with the highest nuclear power plant density in Korea.

PubMed

Lee, UkJae; Bae, Jun Woo; Kim, Hee Reyoung

2017-11-01

This study presents a real-time measurement-based rapid radiation distribution visualization system for radionuclide recognition, which can quickly scan a contaminated environment. The system combines a portable detector with a digital map and a program for quick data treatment. Radiation information at the measurement location is transferred between a detector and a laptop. It includes environmental and artificial components, specific radionuclides, and total radionuclides. After scanning the area, the radiation distributions are comprehensively displayed in 2D and 3D maps corresponding to the measured area, all in a few tens of seconds. The proposed method was verified using the standard 137 Cs and 60 Co sources. The gamma radiation distribution of the areas measured in Ulsan city, which included non-destructive testing and radioisotope treatment facilities, hospitals, transportation spots, and residential and commercial areas, showed that Ulsan city has maintained safe levels of radiation. The system performed well. In addition, it was found that this system could detect unexpected hot spots quickly in affected environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of immersion time to low carbon steel hardness and microstructure with hot dip galvanizing coating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakim, A. A.; Rajagukguk, T. O.; Sumardi, S.

2018-01-01

Along with developing necessities of metal materials, these rise demands of quality improvements and material protections especially the mechanical properties of the material. This research used hot dip galvanizing coating method. The objectives of this research were to find out Rockwell hardness (HRb), layer thickness, micro structure and observation with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) from result of coating by using Hot Dip Galvanizing coating method with immersion time of 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes at 460°C. The result shows that Highest Rockwell hardness test (HRb) was at 3 minutes immersion time with 76.012 HRb. Highest thickness result was 217.3 μm at 12 minutes immersion. Microstructure test result showed that coating was formed at eta, zeta, delta and gamma phases, while Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) showed Fe, Zn, Mn, Si and S elements at the specimens after coating.

Method of detecting leakage of reactor core components of liquid metal cooled fast reactors

DOEpatents

Holt, Fred E.; Cash, Robert J.; Schenter, Robert E.

1977-01-01

A method of detecting the failure of a sealed non-fueled core component of a liquid-metal cooled fast reactor having an inert cover gas. A gas mixture is incorporated in the component which includes Xenon-124; under neutron irradiation, Xenon-124 is converted to radioactive Xenon-125. The cover gas is scanned by a radiation detector. The occurrence of 188 Kev gamma radiation and/or other identifying gamma radiation-energy level indicates the presence of Xenon-125 and therefore leakage of a component. Similarly, Xe-126, which transmutes to Xe-127 and Kr-84, which produces Kr-85.sup.m can be used for detection of leakage. Different components are charged with mixtures including different ratios of isotopes other than Xenon-124. On detection of the identifying radiation, the cover gas is subjected to mass spectroscopic analysis to locate the leaking component.

Evaluation of the stability of the stereotactic Leksell Frame G in Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

PubMed

Rojas-Villabona, Alvaro; Miszkiel, Katherine; Kitchen, Neil; Jäger, Rolf; Paddick, Ian

2016-05-08

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of the Leksell Frame G in Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKR). Forty patients undergoing GKR underwent pretreatment stereotactic MRI for GKR planning and stereotactic CT immediately after GKR. The stereotactic coordinates of four anatomical landmarks (cochlear apertures and the summits of the anterior post of the superior semicircular canals, bilaterally) were measured by two evaluators on two separate occasions in the pre-treatment MRI and post-treatment CT scans and the absolute distance between the observations is reported. The measurement method was validated with an indepen-dent group of patients who underwent both stereotactic MRI and CT imaging before treatment (negative controls; n: 5). Patients undergoing GKR for arteriovenous malformations (AVM) also underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA), which could result in extra stresses on the frame. The distance between landmark local-ization in the scans for the negative control group (0.63 mm; 95% CI: 0.57-0.70; SD: 0.29) represents the overall consistency of the evaluation method and provides an estimate of the minimum displacement that could be detected by the study. Two patients in the study group had the fiducial indicator box accidentally misplaced at post-treatment CT scanning. This simulated the scenario of a frame displacement, and these cases were used as positive controls to demonstrate that the evaluation method is capable of detecting a discrepancy between the MRI and CT scans, if there was one. The mean distance between the location of the landmarks in the pretreatment MRI and post-treatment CT scans for the study group was 0.71 mm (95% CI: 0.68-0.74; SD:0.32), which was not statistically different from the over-all uncertainty of the evaluation method observed in the negative control group (p = 0.06). The subgroup of patients with AVM (n: 9), who also underwent DSA, showed a statistically significant difference between the location of the landmarks compared to subjects with no additional imaging: 0.78 mm (95% CI: 0.72-0.84) vs. 0.69 mm (95% CI: 0.66-0.72), p = 0.016. This is however a minimal differ-ence (0.1 mm) and the mean difference in landmark location for each AVM patient remained submillimeter. This study demonstrates submillimeter stability of the Leksell Frame G in GKR throughout the treatment procedure.

Towards aging mechanisms of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation materials in nuclear power plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Shuaishuai; Fifield, Leonard S.; Bowler, Nicola

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable insulation material undergoes simultaneous, accelerated thermal and gamma-radiation aging to simulate the long-term aging environment within nuclear power plants (NPPs). A variety of materials characterization tests, including scanning electron microscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, oxidation induction time, gel-fraction and dielectric properties measurement, are conducted on pristine and differently aged XLPE samples. A preliminary model of one possible aging mechanism of XLPE cable insulation material under gamma radiation at elevated temperature of 115 °C is suggested.

Efficient Interplay Effect Mitigation for Proton Pencil Beam Scanning by Spot-Adapted Layered Repainting Evenly Spread out Over the Full Breathing Cycle.

PubMed

Poulsen, Per Rugaard; Eley, John; Langner, Ulrich; Simone, Charles B; Langen, Katja

2018-01-01

To develop and implement a practical repainting method for efficient interplay effect mitigation in proton pencil beam scanning (PBS). A new flexible repainting scheme with spot-adapted numbers of repainting evenly spread out over the whole breathing cycle (assumed to be 4 seconds) was developed. Twelve fields from 5 thoracic and upper abdominal PBS plans were delivered 3 times using the new repainting scheme to an ion chamber array on a motion stage. One time was static and 2 used 4-second, 3-cm peak-to-peak sinusoidal motion with delivery started at maximum inhalation and maximum exhalation. For comparison, all dose measurements were repeated with no repainting and with 8 repaintings. For each motion experiment, the 3%/3-mm gamma pass rate was calculated using the motion-convolved static dose as the reference. Simulations were first validated with the experiments and then used to extend the study to 0- to 5-cm motion magnitude, 2- to 6-second motion periods, patient-measured liver tumor motion, and 1- to 6-fraction treatments. The effect of the proposed method was evaluated for the 5 clinical cases using 4-dimensional (4D) dose reconstruction in the planning 4D computed tomography scan. The target homogeneity index, HI = (D 2 - D 98 )/D mean , of a single-fraction delivery is reported, where D 2 and D 98 is the dose delivered to 2% and 98% of the target, respectively, and D mean is the mean dose. The gamma pass rates were 59.6% ± 9.7% with no repainting, 76.5% ± 10.8% with 8 repaintings, and 92.4% ± 3.8% with the new repainting scheme. Simulations reproduced the experimental gamma pass rates with a 1.3% root-mean-square error and demonstrated largely improved gamma pass rates with the new repainting scheme for all investigated motion scenarios. One- and two-fraction deliveries with the new repainting scheme had gamma pass rates similar to those of 3-4 and 6-fraction deliveries with 8 repaintings. The mean HI for the 5 clinical cases was 14.2% with no repainting, 13.7% with 8 repaintings, 12.0% with the new repainting scheme, and 11.6% for the 4D dose without interplay effects. A novel repainting strategy for efficient interplay effect mitigation was proposed, implemented, and shown to outperform conventional repainting in experiments, simulations, and dose reconstructions. This strategy could allow for safe and more optimal clinical delivery of thoracic and abdominal proton PBS and better facilitate hypofractionated and stereotactic treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Mobile Automated Tomographic Gamma Scanning System - 13231

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirkpatrick, J.M.; LeBlanc, P.J.; Nakazawa, D.

2013-07-01

Canberra Industries have recently designed and built a new automated Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) system for mobile deployment. The TGS technique combines high-resolution gamma spectroscopy with low spatial resolution 3-dimensional image reconstruction to provide increased accuracy over traditional approaches for the assay of non-uniform source distributions in low-to medium-density, non-heterogeneous matrices. Originally pioneered by R. Estep at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the TGS method has been further developed and commercialized by Canberra Industries in recent years. The present system advances the state of the art on several fronts: it is designed to be housed in a standard cargo transportmore » container for ease of transport, allowing waste characterization at multiple facilities under the purview of a single operator. Conveyor feed, drum rotator, and detector and collimator positioning mechanisms operated by programmable logic control (PLC) allow automated batch mode operation. The variable geometry settings can accommodate a wide range of waste packaging, including but not limited to standard 220 liter drums, 380 liter overpack drums, and smaller 20 liter cans. A 20 mCi Eu-152 transmission source provides attenuation corrections for drum matrices up to 1 g/cm{sup 3} in TGS mode; the system can be operated in Segmented Gamma Scanning (SGS) mode to measure higher density drums. To support TGS assays at higher densities, the source shield is sufficient to house an alternate Co-60 transmission source of higher activity, up to 250 mCi. An automated shutter and attenuator assembly is provided for operating the system with a dual intensity transmission source. The system's 1500 kg capacity rotator turntable can handle heavy containers such as concrete lined 380 liter overpack drums. Finally, data acquisition utilizes Canberra's Broad Energy Germanium (BEGE) detector and Lynx MCA, with 32 k channels, providing better than 0.1 keV/channel resolution to support both isotopic analysis with the MGA/MGAU software and a wide 3 MeV dynamic range. The calibration and verification of the system is discussed, and quantitative results are presented for a variety of drum types and matrices. (authors)« less

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, Exploding Stars, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, David J.

2010-01-01

Since August, 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has been scanning the sky, producing a full-sky image every three hours. These cosmic gamma-rays come from extreme astrophysical phenomena, many related to exploding stars (supernovae) or what these explosions leave behind: supernova remnants, neutron stars, and black holes. This talk uses sample Fermi results, plus simple demonstrations, to illustrate the exotic properties of these endpoints of stellar evolution.

Mechanical properties of acellular mouse lungs after sterilization by gamma irradiation.

PubMed

Uriarte, Juan J; Nonaka, Paula N; Campillo, Noelia; Palma, Renata K; Melo, Esther; de Oliveira, Luis V F; Navajas, Daniel; Farré, Ramon

2014-12-01

Lung bioengineering using decellularized organ scaffolds is a potential alternative for lung transplantation. Clinical application will require donor scaffold sterilization. As gamma-irradiation is a conventional method for sterilizing tissue preparations for clinical application, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of lung scaffold sterilization by gamma irradiation on the mechanical properties of the acellular lung when subjected to the artificial ventilation maneuvers typical within bioreactors. Twenty-six mouse lungs were decellularized by a sodium dodecyl sulfate detergent protocol. Eight lungs were used as controls and 18 of them were submitted to a 31kGy gamma irradiation sterilization process (9 kept frozen in dry ice and 9 at room temperature). Mechanical properties of acellular lungs were measured before and after irradiation. Lung resistance (RL) and elastance (EL) were computed by linear regression fitting of recorded signals during mechanical ventilation (tracheal pressure, flow and volume). Static (Est) and dynamic (Edyn) elastances were obtained by the end-inspiratory occlusion method. After irradiation lungs presented higher values of resistance and elastance than before irradiation: RL increased by 41.1% (room temperature irradiation) and 32.8% (frozen irradiation) and EL increased by 41.8% (room temperature irradiation) and 31.8% (frozen irradiation). Similar increases were induced by irradiation in Est and Edyn. Scanning electron microscopy showed slight structural changes after irradiation, particularly those kept frozen. Sterilization by gamma irradiation at a conventional dose to ensure sterilization modifies acellular lung mechanics, with potential implications for lung bioengineering. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of formation of deep trapping mechanism by UV, beta and gamma irradiated Eu(3+) activated SrY2O4 and Y4Al2O9 phosphors.

PubMed

Dubey, Vikas; Kaur, Jagjeet; Parganiha, Yogita; Suryanarayana, N S; Murthy, K V R

2016-04-01

This paper reports the thermoluminescence properties of Eu(3+) doped different host matrix phosphors (SrY2O4 and Y4Al2O9). The phosphor is prepared by high temperature solid state reaction method. The method is suitable for large scale production and fixed concentration of boric acid using as a flux. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction technique and the crystallite size calculated by Scherer's formula. The prepared phosphor characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), thermoluminescence (TL) and Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) techniques. The prepared phosphors for different concentration of Eu(3+) ions were examined by TL glow curve for UV, beta and gamma irradiation. The UV 254nm source used for UV irradiation, Sr(90) source was used for beta irradiation and Co(60) source used for gamma irradiation. SrY2O4:Eu(3+)and Y4Al2O9:Eu(3+) phosphors which shows both higher temperature peaks and lower temperature peaks for UV, beta and gamma irradiation. Here UV irradiated sample shows the formation of shallow trap (surface trapping) and the gamma irradiated sample shows the formation of deep trapping. The estimation of trap formation was evaluated by knowledge of trapping parameters. The trapping parameters such as activation energy, order of kinetics and frequency factor were calculated by peak shape method. Here most of the peak shows second order of kinetics. The effect of gamma, beta and UV exposure on TL studies was also examined and it shows linear response with dose which indicate that the samples may be useful for TL dosimetry. Formation of deep trapping mechanism by UV, beta and gamma irradiated Eu(3+) activated SrY2O4 and Y4Al2O9 phosphors is discussed in this paper. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of molybdenum catalysts supported on {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-CeO{sub 2} composite oxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farooq, Muhammad; Ramli, Anita; Subbarao, Duvvuri

2012-09-26

The physical and chemical properties of a catalyst play a vital role in various industrial applications. Molybdenum catalysts supported on {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-CeO{sub 2} mixed oxides with varying loading of CeO{sub 2} (5, 10, 15, 20 wt% with respect to {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) were prepared by wet impregnation method. The physiochemical properties of these synthesized Mo catalysts were studied with various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive analysis (FESEM-EDX) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). The results showed that the addition of CeO{submore » 2} into the support affected the binding energies of the elements and reducibility of the metal oxides formed after calcination of catalyst samples due to the change in metal-support interaction. Further, the characterization techniques showed that the active metal was well dispersed on the surface of support material.« less

Thermal behavior of gamma-irradiated low-density polyethylene/paraffin wax blend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdou, Saleh M.; Elnahas, H. H.; El-Zahed, H.; Abdeldaym, A.

2016-05-01

The thermal properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/paraffin wax blends were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and melt flow index (MFI). Blends of LDPE/wax in ratios of 100/0, 98/2, 96/4, 94/6, 92/8, 90/10 and 85/15 (w/w) were prepared by melt-mixing at the temperature of 150°C. It was found that increasing the wax content more than 15% leads to phase separation. DSC results showed that for all blends both the melting temperature (Tm) and the melting enthalpy (ΔHm) decrease linearly with an increase in wax content. TGA analysis showed that the thermal stability of all blends decreases linearly with increasing wax content. No clear correlation was observed between the melting point and thermal stability. Horowitz and Metzger method was used to determine the thermal activation energy (Ea). MFI increased exponentially by increasing the wax content. The effect of gamma irradiation on the thermal behavior of the blends was also investigated at different gamma irradiation doses. Significant correlations were found between the thermal parameters (Tm, ΔHm, T5%, Ea and MFI) and the amount of wax content and gamma irradiation.

Radiation portal monitor system and method

DOEpatents

Morris, Christopher [Los Alamos, NM; Borozdin, Konstantin N [Los Alamos, NM; Green, J Andrew [Los Alamos, NM; Hogan, Gary E [Los Alamos, NM; Makela, Mark F [Los Alamos, NM; Priedhorsky, William C [Los Alamos, NM; Saunders, Alexander [Los Alamos, NM; Schultz, Larry J [Los Alamos, NM; Sossong, Michael J [Los Alamos, NM

2009-12-15

A portal monitoring system has a cosmic ray charged particle tracker with a plurality of drift cells. The drift cells, which can be for example aluminum drift tubes, can be arranged at least above and below a volume to be scanned to thereby track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray muons, whilst also detecting gamma rays. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can also detect any radioactive sources occupying the volume from gamma rays emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift tubes can be sealed to eliminate the need for a gas handling system. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Papain incorporated chitin dressings for wound debridement sterilized by gamma radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Durgeshwer; Singh, Rita

2012-11-01

Wound debridement is essential for the removal of necrotic or nonviable tissue from the wound surface to create an environment conducive to healing. Nonsurgical enzymatic debridement is an attractive method due to its effectiveness and ease of use. Papain is a proteolytic enzyme derived from the fruit of Carica papaya and is capable of breaking down a variety of necrotic tissue substrates. The present study was focused on the use of gamma radiation for sterilization of papain dressing with wound debriding activity. Membranes with papain were prepared using 0.5% chitin in lithium chloride/dimethylacetamide solvent and sterilized by gamma radiation. Fluid absorption capacity of chitin-papain membranes without glycerol was 14.30±6.57% in 6 h. Incorporation of glycerol resulted in significant (p<0.001) increase in the absorption capacity. Moisture vapour transmission rate of the membranes was 4285.77±455.61 g/m2/24 h at 24 h. Gamma irradiation at 25 kGy was found suitable for sterilization of the dressings. Infrared (IR) spectral scanning has shown that papain was stable on gamma irradiation at 25-35 kGy. The irradiated chitin-papain membranes were impermeable to different bacterial strains and also exhibited strong bactericidal action against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The fluid handling characteristics and the antimicrobial properties of chitin-papain membranes sterilized by gamma radiation were found suitable for use as wound dressing with debriding activity.

Effects of a Tantalum Addition on the Morphological and Compositional Evolutions of a Model Ni-AL-Cr Superalloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Booth-Morrison, Christopher; Seidman, David N.; Noebe, Ronald D.

2008-01-01

The effects of a 2.0 at.% addition of Ta to a model Ni-Al-Cr superalloy aged at 1073 K are assessed using scanning electron microscopy and atom-probe tomography. The addition of Ta results in appreciable strengthening, and the morphology is found to evolve from a bimodal distribution of spheroidal precipitates, to cuboidal precipitates aligned along the elastically soft <001>-type directions. Tantalum is observed to partition preferentially to the gamma -precipitate phase and decreases the mobility of Ni in the gamma- matrix sufficiently to cause an accumulation of Ni on the gamma-matrix side of the gamma -precipitate/gamma-matrix heterophase interface.

WDR-PK-AK-018

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollister, R

2009-08-26

Method - CES SOP-HW-P556 'Field and Bulk Gamma Analysis'. Detector - High-purity germanium, 40% relative efficiency. Calibration - The detector was calibrated on February 8, 2006 using a NIST-traceable sealed source, and the calibration was verified using an independent sealed source. Count Time and Geometry - The sample was counted for 20 minutes at 72 inches from the detector. A lead collimator was used to limit the field-of-view to the region of the sample. The drum was rotated 180 degrees halfway through the count time. Date and Location of Scans - June 1,2006 in Building 235 Room 1136. Spectral Analysismore » Spectra were analyzed with ORTEC GammaVision software. Matrix and geometry corrections were calculated using OR TEC Isotopic software. A background spectrum was measured at the counting location. No man-made radioactivity was observed in the background. Results were determined from the sample spectra without background subtraction. Minimum detectable activities were calculated by the Nureg 4.16 method. Results - Detected Pu-238, Pu-239, Am-241 and Am-243.« less

Effects of MAR-M247 substrate (modified) composition on coating oxidation coating/substrate interdiffusion. M.S. Thesis. Final Report; [protective coatings for hot section components of gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilsner, B. H.

1985-01-01

The effects of gamma+gamma' Mar-M247 substrate composition on gamma+beta Ni-Cr-Al-Zr coating oxidation and coating/substrate interdiffusion were evaluated. These results were also compared to a prior study for a Ni-Cr-Al-Zr coated gamma Ni-Cr-Al substrate with equivalent Al and Cr atomic percentages. Cyclic oxidation behavior at 1130 C was investigated using change in weight curves. Concentration/distance profiles were measured for Al, Cr, Co, W, and Ta. The surface oxides were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that variations of Ta and C concentrations in the substrate do not affect oxidation resistance, while additions of grain boundary strengthening elements (Zr, Hf, B) increase oxidation resistance. In addition, the results indicate that oxidation phenomena in gamma+beta/gamma+gamma' Mar-M247 systems have similar characteristics to the l gamma+beta/gamma Ni-Cr-Al system.

Investigation of three-dimensional localisation of radioactive sources using a fast organic liquid scintillator detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamage, K. A. A.; Joyce, M. J.; Taylor, G. C.

2013-04-01

In this paper we discuss the possibility of locating radioactive sources in space using a scanning-based method, relative to the three-dimensional location of the detector. The scanning system comprises an organic liquid scintillator detector, a tungsten collimator and an adjustable equatorial mount. The detector output is connected to a bespoke fast digitiser (Hybrid Instruments Ltd., UK) which streams digital samples to a personal computer. A radioactive source has been attached to a vertical wall and the data have been collected in two stages. In the first case, the scanning system was placed a couple of metres away from the wall and in the second case it moved few centimetres from the previous location, parallel to the wall. In each case data were collected from a grid of measurement points (set of azimuth angles for set of elevation angles) which covered the source on the wall. The discrimination of fast neutrons and gamma rays, detected by the organic liquid scintillator detector, is carried out on the basis of pulse gradient analysis. Images are then produced in terms of the angular distribution of events for total counts, gamma rays and neutrons for both cases. The three-dimensional location of the neutron source can be obtained by considering the relative separation of the centres of the corresponding images of angular distribution of events. The measurements have been made at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, UK.

Gamma irradiation induced method in preparation of Gd2O2S:Eu3+ phosphors: the effect of dose towards luminescent properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahim, S.; Hasim, M. H.; Ayob, M. T. M.; Rahman, I. A.; Radiman, S.

2018-01-01

A novel gamma irradiation induced synthesis method of Gd2O2S:Eu3+ phosphors was investigated in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The effect of irradiation doses (50-150kGy) on structural and morphology analysis as well as luminescence properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) and photoluminescence spectrometer (PL). The results show that gamma radiation is potentially induced formation of Gd2O2S:Eu3+ phosphors from radiation reduction and/or precipitation of insoluble compounds as the hexagonal phase structure was formed without any impurities as proven in XRD pattern. The morphologies were observed that the obtained Gd2O2S:Eu3+ phosphors possess sphere structure with smooth surface at 100 kGy irradiated dose. PL spectroscopy reveals that the strongest red emission peaks is located at 626 nm under 325 nm light excitation, which corresponds to 5D0→7F2 transition of Eu3+ ions. An optimized dose for excellent luminescent was observed at 100 kGy. The results suggested that the Gd2O2S:Eu3+ phosphors may have a beneficial approach in field of imaging device or media.

Origin of coloration in beetle scales: An optical and structural investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagi, Ramneet Kaur

In this thesis the origin of angle-independent yellowish-green coloration of the exoskeleton of a beetle was studied. The beetle chosen was a weevil with the Latin name Eupholus chevrolati. The origin of this weevil's coloration was investigated by optical and structural characterization techniques, including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy imaging and focused ion beam milling, combined with three-dimensional modeling and photonic band structure calculations. Furthermore, using color theory the pixel-like coloring of the weevil's exoskeleton was investigated and an interesting additive color mixing scheme was discovered. For optical studies, a microreflectance microscopy/spectroscopy set-up was optimized. This set-up allowed not only for imaging of individual colored exoskeleton domains with sizes ˜2-10 μm, but also for obtaining reflection spectra of these micrometer-sized domains. Spectra were analyzed in terms of reflection intensity and wavelength position and shape of the reflection features. To find the origin of these colored exoskeleton spots, a combination of focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy imaging was employed. A three-dimensional photonic crystal in the form of a face-centered cubic lattice of ABC-stacked air cylinders in a biopolymeric cuticle matrix was discovered. Our photonic band structure calculations revealed the existence of different sets of stop-gaps for the lattice constant of 360, 380 and 400 nm in the main lattice directions, Gamma-L, Gamma-X, Gamma-U, Gamma-W and Gamma-K. In addition, scanning electron microscopy images were compared to the specific directional-cuts through the constructed face-centered cubic lattice-based model and the optical micrographs of individual domains to determine the photonic structure corresponding to the different lattice directions. The three-dimensional model revealed stop-gaps in the Gamma-L, Gamma-W and Gamma-K directions. Finally, the coloration of the weevil as perceived by an unaided human eye was represented (mathematically) on the xy-chromaticity diagram, based on XYZ color space developed by CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage), using the micro-reflectance spectroscopy measurements. The results confirmed the additive mixing of various colors produced by differently oriented photonic crystal domains present in the weevil's exoskeleton scales, as a reason for the angle-independent dull yellowish-green coloration of the weevil E. chevrolati.

Solar gamma ray monitor for OSO-H (0.3-10 MeV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chupp, E. L.; Gleske, I. U.; Forrest, D. J.

1974-01-01

A gamma ray experiment to be flown aboard the OSO-7 spacecraft is described along with a history of the development of the experiment, a description of the gamma ray detector and its operation, and a short preliminary review of the scientific information obtained during the instruments' lifetime. The gamma ray detector operated an average of 18 hours a day for approximately 15 months. The majority of the data was collected in the solar and antisolar direction, but data at right angles to the spacecraft-sun line was also accumulated. In all, at least two full scans of the celestial sphere were completed.

Preparation and characterization of gamma irradiated Starch/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhavan, Azam; Khoylou, Farah; Ataeivarjovi, Ebrahim

2017-09-01

In this study starch/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite films with antibacterial activity were prepared and modified using gamma irradiation for packaging applications. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized from Zn(OH)2 using hydrothermal process and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared ZnO NPs were incorporated into blend films of starch and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with different concentrations from 0.1 to 1 wt% using solution casting method. The results of SEM confirmed good dispersion of ZnO NPs into the films while FTIR spectroscopy showed interactions between ZnO particles and starch/PVA blend. The nanocomposite films were irradiated at the dose range of 1-5 kGy. It was found that gamma irradiation induces a significant reduction in water absorptions of the films at the dose of 3 kGy. Different trends were observed for the tensile and elongation properties of the irradiated films. Based on the results, the bacterial growth on the films was effectively inhibited when the dosage of ZnO NPs was only 0.5 wt%.

Revolutionizing (robot-assisted) laparoscopic gamma tracing using a drop-in gamma probe technology

PubMed Central

van Oosterom, Matthias N; Simon, Hervé; Mengus, Laurent; Welling, Mick M; van der Poel, Henk G; van den Berg, Nynke S; van Leeuwen, Fijs WB

2016-01-01

In complex (robot-assisted) laparoscopic radioguided surgery procedures, or when low activity lesions are located nearby a high activity background, the limited maneuverability of a laparoscopic gamma probe (LGP; 4 degrees of freedom (DOF)) may hinder lesion identification. We investigated a drop-in gamma probe (DIGP) technology to be inserted via a trocar, after which the laparoscopic surgical tool at hand can pick it up and maneuver it. Phantom experiments showed that distinguishing a low objective from a high background source (1:100 ratio) was only possible with the detector faced >90° from the high background source. Signal-low-objective-to-background ratios of 3.77, 2.01 and 1.84 were found for detector angles of 90°, 135° and 180°, respectively, whereas detector angles of 0° and 45° were unable to distinguish the sources. This underlines the critical role probe positioning plays. We then focused on engineering of the gripping part for optimal DIGP pick-up with a conventional laparoscopic forceps (4 DOF) or a robotic forceps (6 DOF). DIGPs with 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° -grip orientations were designed, and their maneuverability- and scanning direction were evaluated and compared to a conventional LGP. The maneuverability- and scanning direction of the DIGP was found highest when using the robotic forceps, with the largest effective scanning direction range obtained with the 90° -grip design (0-180° versus 0-111°, 0-140°, and 37-180° for 0°, 45° and 135° -grip designs, respectively). For the laparoscopic forceps, the scan direction directly translated from the angle of the grip design with the advantage that the 135° -gripped DIGP could be faced backwards (not possible with the conventional LGP). In the ex vivo clinical setup, the surgeon rated DIGP pick-up most convenient for the 45°-grip design. Concluding, the DIGP technology was successfully introduced. Optimization of the grip design and grasping angle of the DIGP increased its utility for (robot-assisted) laparoscopic gamma tracing. PMID:27069762

Methods of chemical and phase composition analysis of gallstones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvorova, E. I.; Pantushev, V. V.; Voloshin, A. E.

2017-11-01

This review presents the instrumental methods used for chemical and phase composition investigation of gallstones. A great body of data has been collected in the literature on the presence of elements and their concentrations, obtained by fluorescence microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, neutron activation analysis, proton (particle) induced X-ray emission, atomic absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry, electron paramagnetic resonance. Structural methods—powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy—provide information about organic and inorganic phases in gallstones. Stone morphology was studied at the macrolevel with optical microscopy. Results obtained by analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopy with X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry are discussed. The chemical composition and structure of gallstones determine the strategy of removing stone from the body and treatment of patients: surgery or dissolution in the body. Therefore one chapter of the review describes the potential of dissolution methods. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of the disease depend on the development of clinical methods for in vivo investigation, which gave grounds to present the main characteristics and potential of ultrasonography (ultrasound scanning), magnetic resonance imaging, and X-ray computed tomography.

Contruction and physical parameters of multiscan whole-body scanner (in Czech)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silar, J.; Smidova, M.; Vacek, J.

The construction of a commercial whole-body scanner which permits scanning in the form of a photographic picture, and the distribution in the human body of the activity of gamma emitters having an energy of up to 1.3 MeV, at relatively short intervals are described. The results are presented of the measurement of physical parameters affecting the scanning possibilities of a Model No. 602 Multiscan, produced by Cyclotron Corporation. The resulting radiometric parameters are listed. The results of measurement show that the device can be used in the whole-body scanning of the distribution of the activity of gamma emitters applied inmore » routine procedures, such as 100 mu Ci of /sup 85/ Sr, with a position resolution of 25 to 50 mm in a tissue layer in a height of up to 100 mm above the Multiscan table. (INIS)« less

SU-E-T-563: Multi-Fraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery with Extend System of Gamma Knife: Treatment Verification Using Indigenously Designed Patient Simulating Multipurpose Phantom

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bisht, R; Kale, S; Gopishankar, N

2015-06-15

Purpose: Aim of the study is to evaluate mechanical and radiological accuracy of multi-fraction regimen and validate Gamma knife based fractionation using newly developed patient simulating multipurpose phantom. Methods: A patient simulating phantom was designed to verify fractionated treatments with extend system (ES) of Gamma Knife however it could be used to validate other radiotherapy procedures as well. The phantom has options to insert various density material plugs and mini CT/MR distortion phantoms to analyze the quality of stereotactic imaging. An additional thorax part designed to predict surface doses at various organ sites. The phantom was positioned using vacuum headmore » cushion and patient control unit for imaging and treatment. The repositioning check tool (RCT) was used to predict phantom positioning under ES assembly. The phantom with special inserts for film in axial, coronal and sagittal plane were scanned with X-Ray CT and the acquired images were transferred to treatment planning system (LGP 10.1). The focal precession test was performed with 4mm collimator and an experimental plan of four 16mm collimator shots was prepared for treatment verification of multi-fraction regimen. The prescription dose of 5Gy per fraction was delivered in four fractions. Each fraction was analyzed using EBT3 films scanned with EPSON 10000XL Scanner. Results: The measurement of 38 RCT points showed an overall positional accuracy of 0.28mm. The mean deviation of 0.28% and 0.31 % were calculated as CT and MR image distortion respectively. The radiological focus accuracy test showed its deviation from mechanical center point of 0.22mm. The profile measurement showed close agreement between TPS planned and film measured dose. At tolerance criteria of 1%/1mm gamma index analysis showed a pass rate of > 95%. Conclusion: Our results show that the newly developed multipurpose patient simulating phantom is highly suitable for the verification of fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery using ES of Gamma knife. The study is a part of intramural research project of Research Section, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi India (A 247)« less

Complex formation of sericoside with hydrophilic cyclodextrins: improvement of solubility and skin penetration in topical emulsion based formulations.

PubMed

Rode, T; Frauen, M; Müller, B W; Düsing, H J; Schönrock, U; Mundt, C; Wenck, H

2003-03-01

The main objective of this study was to devise novel methods for improving the solubility of the anti-inflammatory triterpenoid sericoside, the main component of Terminalia sericea extract, thus enabling its incorporation into topical formulations. Sericoside was stabilized by complex formation with hydrophilic derivatives of beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins in a molar ratio of 1.0:1.1. The complex of extract and cyclodextrin was equilibrated in water at 25 degrees C for approximately 24 h. The dehydrated complexes of T. sericea extract and cyclodextrin were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry analysis and X-ray diffraction. Complex formation with beta-cyclodextrin as well as gamma-cyclodextrin derivatives was detectable using these three analytical tools; however, only complexes with gamma-cyclodextrin derivatives showed stability upon storage after incorporation into topical o/w or w/o formulations. Furthermore, a T. sericea extract/gamma-cyclodextrin complex incorporated in an o/w formulation resulted in a 2.6-fold higher percutaneous penetration of sericoside in in vitro excised pig skin as compared to pure T. sericea extract. For the first time, the virtually insoluble anti-inflammatory active sericoside was incorporated into a topical emulsion based formulation in a stable manner, resulting in efficient skin penetration. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science B.V.

Constraints on the gamma-ray emission from the cluster-scale AGN outburst in the Hydra A galaxy cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

HESS Collaboration; Abramowski, A.; Acero, F.; Aharonian, F.; Akhperjanian, A. G.; Anton, G.; Balenderan, S.; Balzer, A.; Barnacka, A.; Becherini, Y.; Becker, J.; Bernlöhr, K.; Birsin, E.; Biteau, J.; Bochow, A.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bordas, P.; Brucker, J.; Brun, F.; Brun, P.; Bulik, T.; Büsching, I.; Carrigan, S.; Casanova, S.; Cerruti, M.; Chadwick, P. M.; Charbonnier, A.; Chaves, R. C. G.; Cheesebrough, A.; Cologna, G.; Conrad, J.; Couturier, C.; Daniel, M. K.; Davids, I. D.; Degrange, B.; Deil, C.; Dickinson, H. J.; Djannati-Ataï, A.; Domainko, W.; O'C. Drury, L.; Dubus, G.; Dutson, K.; Dyks, J.; Dyrda, M.; Egberts, K.; Eger, P.; Espigat, P.; Fallon, L.; Fegan, S.; Feinstein, F.; Fernandes, M. V.; Fiasson, A.; Fontaine, G.; Förster, A.; Füßling, M.; Gajdus, M.; Gallant, Y. A.; Garrigoux, T.; Gast, H.; Gérard, L.; Giebels, B.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Glück, B.; Göring, D.; Grondin, M.-H.; Häffner, S.; Hague, J. D.; Hahn, J.; Hampf, D.; Harris, J.; Hauser, M.; Heinz, S.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henri, G.; Hermann, G.; Hillert, A.; Hinton, J. A.; Hofmann, W.; Hofverberg, P.; Holler, M.; Horns, D.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jahn, C.; Jamrozy, M.; Jung, I.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Katarzyński, K.; Katz, U.; Kaufmann, S.; Khélifi, B.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; Kneiske, T.; Komin, Nu.; Kosack, K.; Kossakowski, R.; Krayzel, F.; Laffon, H.; Lamanna, G.; Lenain, J.-P.; Lennarz, D.; Lohse, T.; Lopatin, A.; Lu, C.-C.; Marandon, V.; Marcowith, A.; Masbou, J.; Maurin, G.; Maxted, N.; Mayer, M.; McComb, T. J. L.; Medina, M. C.; Méhault, J.; Moderski, R.; Mohamed, M.; Moulin, E.; Naumann, C. L.; Naumann-Godo, M.; de Naurois, M.; Nedbal, D.; Nekrassov, D.; Nguyen, N.; Nicholas, B.; Niemiec, J.; Nolan, S. J.; Ohm, S.; de Oña Wilhelmi, E.; Opitz, B.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I.; Panter, M.; Paz Arribas, M.; Pekeur, N. W.; Pelletier, G.; Perez, J.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Peyaud, B.; Pita, S.; Pühlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Raue, M.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; de los Reyes, R.; Rieger, F.; Ripken, J.; Rob, L.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rulten, C. B.; Sahakian, V.; Sanchez, D. A.; Santangelo, A.; Schlickeiser, R.; Schulz, A.; Schwanke, U.; Schwarzburg, S.; Schwemmer, S.; Sheidaei, F.; Skilton, J. L.; Sol, H.; Spengler, G.; Stawarz, Ł.; Steenkamp, R.; Stegmann, C.; Stinzing, F.; Stycz, K.; Sushch, I.; Szostek, A.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Terrier, R.; Tluczykont, M.; Valerius, K.; van Eldik, C.; Vasileiadis, G.; Venter, C.; Viana, A.; Vincent, P.; Völk, H. J.; Volpe, F.; Vorobiov, S.; Vorster, M.; Wagner, S. J.; Ward, M.; White, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Zacharias, M.; Zajczyk, A.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zechlin, H.-S.; Ali, M. O.

2012-09-01

Context. In some galaxy clusters, powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) have blown bubbles with cluster scale extent into the ambient medium. The main pressure support of these bubbles is not known to date, but cosmic rays are a viable possibility. For such a scenario copious gamma-ray emission is expected as a tracer of cosmic rays from these systems. Aims: Hydra A, the closest galaxy cluster hosting a cluster scale AGN outburst, located at a redshift of 0.0538, is investigated for being a gamma-ray emitter with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) array and the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). Methods: Data obtained in 20.2 h of dedicated H.E.S.S. observations and 38 months of Fermi-LAT data, gathered by its usual all-sky scanning mode, have been analyzed to search for a gamma-ray signal. Results: No signal has been found in either data set. Upper limits on the gamma-ray flux are derived and are compared to models. These are the first limits on gamma-ray emission ever presented for galaxy clusters hosting cluster scale AGN outbursts. Conclusions: The non-detection of Hydra A in gamma-rays has important implications on the particle populations and physical conditions inside the bubbles in this system. For the case of bubbles mainly supported by hadronic cosmic rays, the most favorable scenario, which involves full mixing between cosmic rays and embedding medium, can be excluded. However, hadronic cosmic rays still remain a viable pressure support agent to sustain the bubbles against the thermal pressure of the ambient medium. The largest population of highly-energetic electrons, which are relevant for inverse-Compton gamma-ray production is found in the youngest inner lobes of Hydra A. The limit on the inverse-Compton gamma-ray flux excludes a magnetic field below half of the equipartition value of 16 μG in the inner lobes.

SU-E-T-205: Improving Quality Assurance of HDR Brachytherapy: Verifying Agreement Between Planned and Delivered Dose Distributions Using DICOM RTDose and Advanced Film Dosimetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palmer, A L; University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey; Bradley, D A

Purpose: HDR brachytherapy is undergoing significant development, and quality assurance (QA) checks must keep pace. Current recommendations do not adequately verify delivered against planned dose distributions: This is particularly relevant for new treatment planning system (TPS) calculation algorithms (non TG-43 based), and an era of significant patient-specific plan optimisation. Full system checks are desirable in modern QA recommendations, complementary to device-centric individual tests. We present a QA system incorporating TPS calculation, dose distribution export, HDR unit performance, and dose distribution measurement. Such an approach, more common in external beam radiotherapy, has not previously been reported in the literature for brachytherapy.more » Methods: Our QA method was tested at 24 UK brachytherapy centres. As a novel approach, we used the TPS DICOM RTDose file export to compare planned dose distribution with that measured using Gafchromic EBT3 films placed around clinical brachytherapy treatment applicators. Gamma analysis was used to compare the dose distributions. Dose difference and distance to agreement were determined at prescription Point A. Accurate film dosimetry was achieved using a glass compression plate at scanning to ensure physically-flat films, simultaneous scanning of known dose films with measurement films, and triple-channel dosimetric analysis. Results: The mean gamma pass rate of RTDose compared to film-measured dose distributions was 98.1% at 3%(local), 2 mm criteria. The mean dose difference, measured to planned, at Point A was -0.5% for plastic treatment applicators and -2.4% for metal applicators, due to shielding not accounted for in TPS. The mean distance to agreement was 0.6 mm. Conclusion: It is recommended to develop brachytherapy QA to include full-system verification of agreement between planned and delivered dose distributions. This is a novel approach for HDR brachytherapy QA. A methodology using advanced film dosimetry and gamma comparison to DICOM RTDose files has been demonstrated as suitable to fulfil this need.« less

Effects of Tantalum on the Temporal Evolution of a Model Ni-Al-Cr Superalloy During Phase Decomposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Booth, Morrison, Christopher; Seidman, David N.; Noebe, Ronald D.

2009-01-01

The effects of a 2.0 at.% addition of Ta to a model Ni-10.0Al-8.5Cr (at.%) superalloy aged at 1073 K are assessed using scanning electron microscopy and atom-probe tomography. The gamma'(Ll2)-precipitate morphology that develops as a result of gamma-(fcc)matrix phase decomposition is found to evolve from a bimodal distribution of spheroidal precipitates, to {001}-faceted cuboids and parallelepipeds aligned along the elastically soft {001}-type directions. The phase compositions and the widths of the gamma'-precipitate/gamma-matrix heterophase interfaces evolve temporally as the Ni-Al-Cr-Ta alloy undergoes quasi-stationary state coarsening after 1 h of aging. Tantalum is observed to partition preferentially to the gamma'-precipitate phase, and suppresses the mobility of Ni in the gamma-matrix sufficiently to cause an accumulation of Ni on the gamma-matrix side of the gamma'/gamma interface. Additionally, computational modeling, employing Thermo-Calc, Dictra and PrecipiCalc, is employed to elucidate the kinetic pathways that lead to phase decomposition in this concentrated Ni-Al-Cr-Ta alloy.

Development of the instruments for the Gamma Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, J. J.; Kniffen, D. A.

1986-01-01

The Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) is to be launched in 1988 by the STS. The GRO will feature four very large instruments: the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) and the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE). The instruments weigh from 900-1200 kg each, and required the development of specialized lifting and dolly devices to permit their assembly, manipulation and testing. The GRO is intended a{s a tool for studying discrete celestial objects such as black holes, neutron stars and other gamma-ray emitting objects, scanning for nucleosynthesis processes, mapping the Galaxy and other, high energy galaxies in terms of gamma rays, searching for cosmological effects and observing gamma ray bursts. The instruments will be sensitive from the upper end mof X-rya wavelengths to the highest energies possible. Details of the hardware and performance specifications of each of the instruments are discussed.

Evaluation of stability of stereotactic space defined by cone-beam CT for the Leksell Gamma Knife Icon.

PubMed

AlDahlawi, Ismail; Prasad, Dheerendra; Podgorsak, Matthew B

2017-05-01

The Gamma Knife Icon comes with an integrated cone-beam CT (CBCT) for image-guided stereotactic treatment deliveries. The CBCT can be used for defining the Leksell stereotactic space using imaging without the need for the traditional invasive frame system, and this allows also for frameless thermoplastic mask stereotactic treatments (single or fractionated) with the Gamma Knife unit. In this study, we used an in-house built marker tool to evaluate the stability of the CBCT-based stereotactic space and its agreement with the standard frame-based stereotactic space. We imaged the tool with a CT indicator box using our CT-simulator at the beginning, middle, and end of the study period (6 weeks) for determining the frame-based stereotactic space. The tool was also scanned with the Icon's CBCT on a daily basis throughout the study period, and the CBCT images were used for determining the CBCT-based stereotactic space. The coordinates of each marker were determined in each CT and CBCT scan using the Leksell GammaPlan treatment planning software. The magnitudes of vector difference between the means of each marker in frame-based and CBCT-based stereotactic space ranged from 0.21 to 0.33 mm, indicating good agreement of CBCT-based and frame-based stereotactic space definition. Scanning 4-month later showed good prolonged stability of the CBCT-based stereotactic space definition. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

A search for spectral lines in gamma-ray bursts using TGRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurczynski, P.; Palmer, D.; Seifert, H.; Teegarden, B. J.; Gehrels, N.; Cline, T. L.; Ramaty, R.; Hurley, K.; Madden, N. W.; Pehl, R. H.

1998-05-01

We present the results of an ongoing search for narrow spectral lines in gamma-ray burst data. TGRS, the Transient Gamma-Ray Spectrometer aboard the Wind satellite is a high energy-resolution Ge device. Thus it is uniquely situated among the array of space-based, burst sensitive instruments to look for line features in gamma-ray burst spectra. Our search strategy adopts a two tiered approach. An automated `quick look' scan searches spectra for statistically significant deviations from the continuum. We analyzed all possible time accumulations of spectra as well as individual spectra for each burst. Follow-up analysis of potential line candidates uses model fitting with F-test and χ2 tests for statistical significance.

Gamma and fast neutron radiation monitoring inside spent reactor fuel assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakosi, L.; Tam Nguyen, C.

2007-09-01

Gamma and neutron signatures of spent reactor fuel were monitored by small-size silicon diode and track etch detectors, respectively, in a nuclear power plant (NPP). These signatures, reflecting gross gamma intensity and the 242,244Cm content, contain information on the burn-up (BU) and cooling time (CT) of the fuel. The small size of the detectors allows close access to inside parts of the assemblies out of reach of other methods. A commercial Si diode was encapsulated in a cylindrical steel case and was used for gross γ monitoring. CR-39 detectors were used for neutron measurements. Irradiation exposures at the NPP were implemented in the central dosimetric channel of spent fuel assemblies (SFAs) stored in borated water. Gross γ and neutron axial profiles were taken up by scanning with the aid of a long steel guide tube, lowered down to the spent fuel pond by crane and fitted to the headpiece of the fuel assemblies. Gamma measurements were performed using a long cable introduced in this tube, with the Si diode at the end. A long steel wire was also led through the guide tube, to which a chain of 15 sample holder capsules was attached, each containing a track detector. Gamma dose rates of 0.1-10 kGy h -1, while neutron fluxes in a range of (0.25-26) 10 4 cm -2 s -1 were recorded. The results are in good correlation with those of a calculation for spent fuel neutron yield.

Gamma (γ) irradiated and non-irradiated poly (L-lactide) carboxymethyl starch composite film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusof, Mohd Reusmaazran; Shamsudin, Roslinda; Abdullah, Yusof; Yaacob, Norzita

2018-04-01

A film of poly (L-lactide)(PLLA) and carboxymethyl starch (CMS) is prepared by casting evaporation method. The use of CMS blended with PLLA induces the porous film that is potentially used in tissue engineering applications. PLLA is blended with CMS in solution form and rolled on glass to produce a film. The film is then irradiated with gamma-ray (γ) at 10 and 80 kGy. FTIR analysis indicates weak interaction between PLLA and CMS at 10 kGy. Degradation and crosslinking are predicted to have occurred simultaneously at 10 kGy and massive degradation at 80 kGy as indicated in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves. Mechanical analysis shows a higher strength at 10 kGy indicating that crosslinking has occured whereas degradation takes place at higher doses as shown in the reduction of mechanical strength for both PLLA and PLLA/CMS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilcox, Ellen; Daskalov, George; Nedialkova, Lucy

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment plan verification is often done using Kodak EDR2 film and a Vidar Dosimetry PRO trade mark sign film digitizer. However, since many hospitals are moving towards a filmless environment, access to a film processor may not be available. Therefore, we have investigated a newly available Gafchromic[reg] EBT film for IMRT dosimetry. Planar IMRT dose distributions are delivered to both EBT and EDR2 film and scanned with the Vidar VXR-16 as well as an Epson Expression 1680 flatbed scanner. The measured dose distributions are then compared to those calculated with a Pinnacle treatment planning system. The IMRTmore » treatments consisted of 7-9 6 MV beams for treatment of prostate, head and neck, and a few other sites. The films were analyzed using FilmQA trade mark sign (3cognition LLC) software. Comparisons between measured and calculated dose distributions are reported as dose difference (DD) (pixels within {+-}5%), distance to agreement (DTA) (3 mm), as well as gamma values ({gamma}) (dose={+-}3%, dist.=2 mm). Using EDR2 with the Vidar scanner is an established technique and agreement between calculated and measured dose distributions was better than 90% in all indices (DD, DTA, and {gamma}). However, agreement with calculations deteriorated reaching the lower 80% for EBT film scans with the Vidar scanner in logarithmic mode. The EBT Vidar scans obtained in linear mode showed an improved agreement to the upper 80% range, but artifacts were still observed across the scan. These artifacts were very distinct in all EBT scans and can be attributed to the way the film is transported through the scanner. In the Epson scanner both films are rigidly immobilized and the light source scans over the film. It was found that the Epson scanner performed equally well with both types of film giving agreement to better than 90% in all indices.« less

The Copernicus ultraviolet spectral atlas of Gamma Pegasi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogerson, J. B., Jr.

1985-01-01

An ultraviolet spectral atlas is presented for the B2 IV star Gamma Pegasi, which has been scanned from 970 to 1501 A by the Princeton spectrometer aboard the Copernicus satellite. From 970 to 1430 A the observations have a nominal resolution of 0.05 A. At the longer wavelengths the resolution is 0.1 A. The atlas is presented in graphs. Line identifications are also listed.

Stellar and interstellar K lines - Gamma Pegasi and iota Herculis.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hobbs, L. M.

1973-01-01

High-resolution scans show that the relatively strong (about 90 mA) K lines of Ca II in the early B stars gamma-Peg and iota-Her are almost entirely stellar in origin, although the latter case includes a small interstellar contribution. Such stellar lines can be of great importance in augmenting the interstellar absorption, up through the earliest of the B stars.

Crosslinking of aromatic polyamides via pendant propargyl groups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

St.clair, A. K.; St.clair, T. L.; Barrick, J. D.; Campbell, F. J.

1980-01-01

Methods for crosslinking N-methyl substituted aromatic polyamides were investigated in an effort to improve the applicability of these polymers as matrix resins for Kavlar trademark fiber composites. High molecular weight polymers were prepared from isophthaloyl dichloride and 4,4'- bis(methylamino)diphenylmethane with varying proportions of the N,N'bispropargyl diamine incorporated as a crosslinking agent. The propargylcontaining diamines were crosslinked thermally and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Attempts were also made to crosslink polyamide films by exposure to ultraviolet light, electron beam, and gamma radiation.

X-ray and gamma-ray computed tomography for industrial nondestructive testing and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costello, Ian; Wells, Peter; Davis, John R.; Benci, Nino; Skerrett, David; Davies, D. R.

1994-03-01

This paper presents an overview of two recently constructed computed tomography (CT) scanners that have been designed to provide structural information for industrially relevant materials and components. CT enables cross-sectional slices of an object to be nondestructively imaged and represented as a map of linear attenuation coefficient. As linear attenuation is the product of mass attenuation and density, this usually enables a straightforward interpretation of the image in terms of density. The two instruments are a transportable scanner using a 160 kV(peak) powered x-ray tube for the inspection of wooden power poles up to 450 mm in diameter, and an industrial scanning system designed around an Ir-192 gamma-ray source for materials characterization and the testing and evaluation of castings, ceramics, and composites. The images presented in this paper have generally been reconstructed using the summation convolution back-projection (SCBP) method, and this technique is outlined. Direct Fourier reconstruction is also used and compared with the SCBP method. A brief discussion is offered on incorporating edge detection methods into the image reconstruction process for the improved identification of defects such as cracks and voids.

Tumour regression of uveal melanoma after ruthenium-106 brachytherapy or stereotactic radiotherapy with gamma knife or linear accelerator.

PubMed

Georgopoulos, Michael; Zehetmayer, Martin; Ruhswurm, Irene; Toma-Bstaendig, Sabine; Ségur-Eltz, Nikolaus; Sacu, Stefan; Menapace, Rupert

2003-01-01

This study assesses differences in relative tumour regression and internal acoustic reflectivity after 3 methods of radiotherapy for uveal melanoma: (1) brachytherapy with ruthenium-106 radioactive plaques (RU), (2) fractionated high-dose gamma knife stereotactic irradiation in 2-3 fractions (GK) or (3) fractionated linear-accelerator-based stereotactic teletherapy in 5 fractions (Linac). Ultrasound measurements of tumour thickness and internal reflectivity were performed with standardised A scan pre-operatively and 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months postoperatively. Of 211 patients included in the study, 111 had a complete 3-year follow-up (RU: 41, GK: 37, Linac: 33). Differences in tumour thickness and internal reflectivity were assessed with analysis of variance, and post hoc multiple comparisons were calculated with Tukey's honestly significant difference test. Local tumour control was excellent with all 3 methods (>93%). At 36 months, relative tumour height reduction was 69, 50 and 30% after RU, GK and Linac, respectively. In all 3 treatment groups, internal reflectivity increased from about 30% initially to 60-70% 3 years after treatment. Brachytherapy with ruthenium-106 plaques results in a faster tumour regression as compared to teletherapy with gamma knife or Linac. Internal reflectivity increases comparably in all 3 groups. Besides tumour growth arrest, increasing internal reflectivity is considered as an important factor indicating successful treatment. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

SU-F-T-154: An Evaluation and Quantification of Secondary Neutron Radiation Dose Due to Double Scatter and Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glick, A; Diffenderfer, E

2016-06-15

Proton radiation therapy can deliver high radiation doses to tumors while sparing normal tissue. However, protons yield secondary neutron and gamma radiation that is difficult to detect, small in comparison to the prescribed dose, and not accounted for in most treatment planning systems. The risk for secondary malignancies after proton therapy may be dependent on the quality of this dose. Consequently, there is interest in characterizing the secondary radiation. Previously, we used the dual ionization chamber method to measure the separate absorbed dose from gamma-rays and neutrons secondary to the proton beam1, relying on characterization of ionization chamber response inmore » the unknown neutron spectrum from Monte Carlo simulation. We developed a procedure to use Shieldwerx activation foils, with neutron activation energies ranging from 0.025 eV to 13.5 MeV, to measure the neutron energy spectrum from double scattering (DS) and pencil beam scanning (PBS) protons outside of the treatment volume in a water tank. The activated foils are transferred to a NaI well chamber for gamma-ray spectroscopy and activity measurement. Since PBS treats in layers, the switching time between layers is used to correct for the decay of the activated foils and the relative dose per layer is assumed to be proportional to the neutron fluence per layer. MATLAB code was developed to incorporate the layer delivery and switching time into a calculation of foil activity, which is then used to determine the neutron energy fluence from tabulated foil activation energy thresholds.1. Diffenderfer et. al., Med. Phys., 38(11) 2011.« less

Plan delivery quality assurance for CyberKnife: Statistical process control analysis of 350 film-based patient-specific QAs.

PubMed

Bellec, J; Delaby, N; Jouyaux, F; Perdrieux, M; Bouvier, J; Sorel, S; Henry, O; Lafond, C

2017-07-01

Robotic radiosurgery requires plan delivery quality assurance (DQA) but there has never been a published comprehensive analysis of a patient-specific DQA process in a clinic. We proposed to evaluate 350 consecutive film-based patient-specific DQAs using statistical process control. We evaluated the performance of the process to propose achievable tolerance criteria for DQA validation and we sought to identify suboptimal DQA using control charts. DQAs were performed on a CyberKnife-M6 using Gafchromic-EBT3 films. The signal-to-dose conversion was performed using a multichannel-correction and a scanning protocol that combined measurement and calibration in a single scan. The DQA analysis comprised a gamma-index analysis at 3%/1.5mm and a separate evaluation of spatial and dosimetric accuracy of the plan delivery. Each parameter was plotted on a control chart and control limits were calculated. A capability index (Cpm) was calculated to evaluate the ability of the process to produce results within specifications. The analysis of capability showed that a gamma pass rate of 85% at 3%/1.5mm was highly achievable as acceptance criteria for DQA validation using a film-based protocol (Cpm>1.33). 3.4% of DQA were outside a control limit of 88% for gamma pass-rate. The analysis of the out-of-control DQA helped identify a dosimetric error in our institute for a specific treatment type. We have defined initial tolerance criteria for DQA validations. We have shown that the implementation of a film-based patient-specific DQA protocol with the use of control charts is an effective method to improve patient treatment safety on CyberKnife. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ADAMS, WADE C

The objectives of the confirmatory activities were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the contractor's procedures and FSS results. ORAU reviewed ABB CE's decommissioning plan, final status survey plan, and the applicable soil DCGLs, which were developed based on an NRC-approved radiation dose assessment. The surveys include gamma surface scans, gamma direct measurements, and soil sampling.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ADAMS, WADE C

The objectives of the confirmatory activities were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the contractor's procedures and FSS results. ORAU reviewed ABB CE's decommissioning plan, final status survey plan, and the applicable soil DCGLs, which were developed based on an NRC-approved radiation dose assessment. The surveys included gamma surface scans, gamma direct measurements, and soil sampling.

Detecting Cavitation Pitting Without Disassembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barkhoudarian, S.

1986-01-01

Technique for detecting cavitation pitting in pumps, turbines, and other machinery uses low-level nuclear irradiation. Isotopes concentrated below surface emit gamma radiation, a portion of which is attenuated by overlying material. Where there are cavitation pits, output of gamma-ray detector fluctuates as detector is scanned near pits. Important to detect cavitation pits because nozzle, turbine blade, or other pump component weakened by cavitation could fail catastrophically and cause machine to explode.

Optimizing modelling in iterative image reconstruction for preclinical pinhole PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goorden, Marlies C.; van Roosmalen, Jarno; van der Have, Frans; Beekman, Freek J.

2016-05-01

The recently developed versatile emission computed tomography (VECTor) technology enables high-energy SPECT and simultaneous SPECT and PET of small animals at sub-mm resolutions. VECTor uses dedicated clustered pinhole collimators mounted in a scanner with three stationary large-area NaI(Tl) gamma detectors. Here, we develop and validate dedicated image reconstruction methods that compensate for image degradation by incorporating accurate models for the transport of high-energy annihilation gamma photons. Ray tracing software was used to calculate photon transport through the collimator structures and into the gamma detector. Input to this code are several geometric parameters estimated from system calibration with a scanning 99mTc point source. Effects on reconstructed images of (i) modelling variable depth-of-interaction (DOI) in the detector, (ii) incorporating photon paths that go through multiple pinholes (‘multiple-pinhole paths’ (MPP)), and (iii) including various amounts of point spread function (PSF) tail were evaluated. Imaging 18F in resolution and uniformity phantoms showed that including large parts of PSFs is essential to obtain good contrast-noise characteristics and that DOI modelling is highly effective in removing deformations of small structures, together leading to 0.75 mm resolution PET images of a hot-rod Derenzo phantom. Moreover, MPP modelling reduced the level of background noise. These improvements were also clearly visible in mouse images. Performance of VECTor can thus be significantly improved by accurately modelling annihilation gamma photon transport.

Performance of NDA techniques on a vitrified waste form

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hurd, J.R.; Veazey, G.W.; Prettyman, T.H.

1997-11-01

Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) is currently considering the use of vitrified transuranic (TRU)-waste forms for the final disposition of several waste materials. To date, however, little nondestructive assay (NDA) data have been acquired in the general NDA community to assist in this endeavor. This paper describes the efforts to determine constraints and operating parameters for using NDA instrumentation on vitrified waste. The present study was conducted on a sample composed of a plutonium-contaminated ash, similar to that found in the RFETS inventory, and a borosilicate-based glass. The vitrified waste item was fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)more » using methods and equipment similar to those being proposed by RFETS to treat their ash material. The focus of this study centered on the segmented gamma scanner (SGS) with 1/2-inch collimation, a technique that is presently available at RFETS. The accuracy and precision of SGS technology was evaluated, with particular attention to bias issues involving matrix geometry, homogeneity, and attenuation. Tomographic gamma scanning was utilized in the determination of the waste form homogeneity. A thermal neutron technique was also investigated and comparisons made with the gamma results.« less

SU-F-T-578: Characterization of Vidar DosimetryPro Advantage RED Scanner with Application to SBRT and SRS QA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dumas, M; Wen, N

Purpose: To use Gafchromic EBT3 film to quantify key dosimetric characteristics of the Vidar DosimetryPro Advantage RED film scanner for use in SBRT/SRS QA, by analyzing scanner uniformity and dose sensitivity. Method: Gafchromic EBT3 film was used in this study. Films were irradiated using 6MV FFF and 10MV FFF beams from a Varian Edge linear accelerator, with setup of 100cm SAD at depth 5 cm. Nine doses were delivered per film, with calibration dose ranges of 1–10 Gy and 3–24 Gy for 6MV FFF, and 3–27 Gy for 10MV FFF. Films were scanned with the long side of the filmmore » parallel to the detector array. Dose calibration curves were fitted to a 3rd degree polynomial. The derivative of a calibration curve was taken to determine the scanner’s sensitivity per dose delivered (OD/Gy). Scanner non-uniformity was calculated in 2 dimensions by taking the mean of standard deviation in each row and column. Absolute dose SRS/SBRT Gamma analyses were performed with passing criteria of 3% and 1mm DTA. For comparison, Gamma analyses were also performed using an Epson Expression 10000 XL. Results: Uniformity for the Vidar scanner was 0.37% +/− 0.03% in the perpendicular to scan direction and 0.67% +/− 0.05% in the parallel to scan direction, with an overall uniformity of 0.52% +/− 0.03%. Epson red channel uniformity was 0.85% +/− 0.05% and 0.88% +/− 0.08% for the green channel. The Vidar average dose sensitivity from 1–10 Gy was 0.112 OD/Gy and 0.061 OD/Gy for 3–24 Gy. SBRT/SRS Gamma pass rates were 97.8 +/− 1.4 for Vidar and 97.5 +/− 1.4 for Epson. Conclusion: The Vidar scanner has 41% less non-uniformity compared to Epson XL10000 green channel. The dose sensitivity is 2–3 time greater for the Vidar scanner compared to the Epson in the SRS/SBRT dose range of 5–24 Gy.« less

Effects of cobalt on the microstructure of Udimet 700. M.S. Thesis Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engel, M. A.

1982-01-01

Cobalt, a critical and "strategic" alloying element in many superalloys, was systematically substituted by nickel in experimental alloys Udimet 700 containing 0.1, 4.3, 8.6, 12.8 and the standard 17.0 wt.% cobalt. Electrolytic and chemical extraction techniques, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron and optical microscopy were used for the microstructural studies. The total weight fraction of gamma' was not significantly affected by the cobalt content, although a difference in the size and quantities of the primary and secondary gamma' phases was apparent. The lattice parameters of the gamma' were found to increase with increasing cobalt content while the lattice mismatch between the gamma matrix and gamma' phases decreased. Other significant effects of cobalt on the weight fraction, distribution and formation of the carbide and boride phases as well as the relative stability of the experimental alloys during long-time aging are also discussed.

Stacked search for time shifted high energy neutrinos from gamma ray bursts with the Antares neutrino telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Albert, A.; André, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Aubert, J.-J.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Marti, J.; Basa, S.; Bertin, V.; Biagi, S.; Bormuth, R.; Bouwhuis, M. C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Busto, J.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Carr, J.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Coniglione, R.; Costantini, H.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Dekeyser, I.; Deschamps, A.; De Bonis, G.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Drouhin, D.; Dumas, A.; Eberl, T.; Elsässer, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Fehn, K.; Felis, I.; Fermani, P.; Folger, F.; Fusco, L. A.; Galatà, S.; Gay, P.; Geißelsöder, S.; Geyer, K.; Giordano, V.; Gleixner, A.; Gracia-Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Heijboer, A. J.; Hello, Y.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Hößl, J.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C.; James, C. W.; de Jong, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Katz, U.; Kießling, D.; Kooijman, P.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lahmann, R.; Lefèvre, D.; Leonora, E.; Loucatos, S.; Marcelin, M.; Margiotta, A.; Marinelli, A.; Martínez-Mora, J. A.; Mathieu, A.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Moussa, A.; Müller, C.; Nezri, E.; Păvălaş, G. E.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Piattelli, P.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Racca, C.; Riccobene, G.; Richter, R.; Roensch, K.; Saldaña, M.; Samtleben, D. F. E.; Sánchez-Losa, A.; Sanguineti, M.; Sapienza, P.; Schmid, J.; Schnabel, J.; Schüssler, F.; Seitz, T.; Sieger, C.; Spurio, M.; Steijger, J. J. M.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Taiuti, M.; Tamburini, C.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Tönnis, C.; Vallage, B.; Vallée, C.; Van Elewyck, V.; Visser, E.; Vivolo, D.; Wagner, S.; Wilms, J.; Zornoza, J. D.; Zúñiga, J.

2017-01-01

A search for high-energy neutrino emission correlated with gamma-ray bursts outside the electromagnetic prompt-emission time window is presented. Using a stacking approach of the time delays between reported gamma-ray burst alerts and spatially coincident muon-neutrino signatures, data from the Antares neutrino telescope recorded between 2007 and 2012 are analysed. One year of public data from the IceCube detector between 2008 and 2009 have been also investigated. The respective timing profiles are scanned for statistically significant accumulations within 40 days of the Gamma Ray Burst, as expected from Lorentz Invariance Violation effects and some astrophysical models. No significant excess over the expected accidental coincidence rate could be found in either of the two data sets. The average strength of the neutrino signal is found to be fainter than one detectable neutrino signal per hundred gamma-ray bursts in the Antares data at 90% confidence level.

Helios-2 Vela-Ariel-5 gamma-ray burst source position

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cline, T. L.; Trainor, J. H.; Desai, U. D.; Klebesadel, R. W.; Ricketts, M.; Heluken, H.

1979-01-01

The gamma-ray burst of 28 January 1976, one of 18 events thus far detected in interplanetary space with Helios-2, was also observed with the Vela-5A, -6A and the Ariel-5 satellites. A small source field is obtained from the intersection of the region derived from the observed time delays between Helios-2 and Vela-5A and -6A with the source region independently found with the Ariel-5 X-ray detector. This area contains neither any steady X-ray source as scanned by HEAO-A nor any previously catalogued X-ray, radio or infrared sources, X-ray transients, quasars, seyferts, globular clusters, flare stars, pulsars, white dwarfs or high energy gamma-ray sources. The region is however, within the source field of a gamma-ray transient observed in 1974, which exhibited nuclear gamma-ray line structure.

Crystalline gamma-Al2O3 physical vapour deposition-coating for steel thixoforging tools.

PubMed

Bobzin, K; Hirt, G; Bagcivan, N; Khizhnyakova, L; Ewering, M

2011-10-01

The process of thixoforming, which has been part of many researches during the last decades, combines the advantages of forging and casting for the shaping of metallic components. But due to the high temperatures of semi-solid steel alloys high demands on the tools are requested. To resists the thermal and mechanical loads (wear, friction, thermal and thermomechanical fatigue) protecting thin films are necessary. In this regard crystalline gamma-Al2O3 deposited via Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) is a promising candidate: It exhibits high thermal stability, high oxidation resistance and high hot hardness. In the present work the application of a (Ti, Al)N/gamma-Al2O3 coating deposited by means of Magnetron Sputter Ion Plating in an industrial coating unit is presented. The coating was analysed by means of Rockwell test, nanoindentation, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The coated tool was tested in thixoforging experiments with steel grade X210CrW12 (AlSI D6). The surface of the coated dies was examined with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) after 22, 42, 90 and 170 forging cycles.

Technical note: patient-specific quality assurance methods for TomoDirect(TM) whole breast treatment delivery.

PubMed

Catuzzo, P; Zenone, F; Aimonetto, S; Peruzzo, A; Casanova Borca, V; Pasquino, M; Franco, P; La Porta, M R; Ricardi, U; Tofani, S

2012-07-01

To investigate the feasibility of implementing a novel approach for patient-specific QA of TomoDirect(TM) whole breast treatment. The most currently used TomoTherapy DQA method, consisting in the verification of the 2D dose distribution in a coronal or sagittal plane of the Cheese Phantom by means of gafchromic films, was compared with an alternative approach based on the use of two commercially available diode arrays, MapCHECK2(TM) and ArcCHECK(TM). The TomoDirect(TM) plans of twenty patients with a primary unilateral breast cancer were applied to a CT scan of the Cheese Phantom and a MVCT dataset of the diode arrays. Then measurements of 2D dose distribution were performed and compared with the calculated ones using the gamma analysis method with different sets of DTA and DD criteria (3%-3 mm, 3%-2 mm). The sensitivity of the diode arrays to detect delivery and setup errors was also investigated. The measured dose distributions showed excellent agreement with the TPS calculations for each detector, with averaged fractions of passed Γ values greater than 95%. The percentage of points satisfying the constraint Γ < 1 was significantly higher for MapCHECK2(TM) than for ArcCHECK(TM) and gafchromic films using both the 3%-3 mm and 3%-2 mm gamma criteria. Both the diode arrays show a good sensitivity to delivery and setup errors using a 3%-2 mm gamma criteria. MapCHECK2™ and ArcCHECK(TM) may fulfill the demands of an adequate system for TomoDirect(TM) patient-specific QA.

Tendon allograft sterilized by peracetic acid/ethanol combined with gamma irradiation.

PubMed

Zhou, Mo; Zhang, Naili; Liu, Xiaoming; Li, Youchen; Zhang, Yumin; Wang, Xusheng; Li, Baoming; Li, Baoxing

2014-07-01

Research and clinical applications have demonstrated that the effects of tendon allografts are comparable to those of autografts when reconstructing injured tendons or ligaments, but allograft safety remains problematic. Sterilisation could eliminate or decrease the possibility of disease transmission, but current methods seldom achieve satisfactory sterilisation without affecting the mechanical properties of the tendon. Peracetic acid-ethanol in combination with low-dose gamma irradiation (PE-R) would inactivate potential deleterious microorganisms without affecting mechanical and biocompatible properties of tendon allograft. Controlled laboratory design. HIV, PPV, PRV and BVDV inactivation was evaluated. After verifying viral inactivation, the treated tendon allografts were characterised by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and tensile testing, and the cytocompatibility was assessed with an MTT assay and by subcutaneous implantation. Effective and efficient inactivation of HIV, PPV, PRV and BVDV was observed. Histological structure and ultrastructure were unchanged in the treated tendon allograft, which also exhibited comparable biomechanical properties and good biocompatibility. The preliminary results confirmed our hypothesis and demonstrated that the PE-R tendon allograft has significant potential as an alternative to ligament/tendon reconstruction. Tendon allografts have been extensively used in ligament reconstruction and tendon repair. However, current sterilisation methods have various shortcomings, so PE-R has been proposed. This study suggests that PE-R tendon allograft has great potential as an alternative for ligament/tendon reconstruction. Sterilisation has been a great concern for tendon allografts. However, most sterilisation methods cannot inactivate viruses and bacteria without impairing the mechanical properties of the tendon allograft. Peracetic acid/ethanol with gamma irradiation can effectively inactivate viruses and bacteria. Meanwhile, tendon allografts sterilised by this method maintain their physiological tendon structure, biomechanical integrity and good compatibility.

MO-F-16A-01: Implementation of MPPG TPS Verification Tests On Various Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smilowitz, J; Bredfeldt, J; Geurts, M

2014-06-15

Purpose: To demonstrate the implementation of the Medical Physics Practice Guideline (MPPG) for dose calculation and beam parameters verification of treatment planning systems (TPS). Methods: We implemented the draft TPS MPPG for three linacs: Varian Trilogy, TomoHDA and Elekta Infinity. Static and modulated test plans were created. The static fields are different than used in commissioning. Data was collected using ion chambers and diodes in a scanning water tank, Delta4 phantom and a custom phantom. MatLab and Microsoft Excel were used to create analysis tools to compare reference DICOM dose with scan data. This custom code allowed for the interpolation,more » registration and gamma analysis of arbitrary dose profiles. It will be provided as open source code. IMRT fields were validated with Delta4 registration and comparison tools. The time for each task was recorded. Results: The tests confirmed the strengths, and revealed some limitations, of our TPS. The agreement between calculated and measured dose was reported for all beams. For static fields, percent depth dose and profiles were analyzed with criteria in the draft MPPG. The results reveal areas of slight mismatch with the model (MLC leaf penumbra, buildup region.) For TomoTherapy, the IMRT plan 2%/2 mm gamma analysis revealed poorest agreement in the low dose regions. For one static test plan for all 10MV Trilogy photon beams, the plan generation, scan queue creation, data collection, data analysis and report took 2 hours, excluding tank setup. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the implementation feasibility of the TPS MPPG. This exercise generated an open source tool for dose comparisons between scan data and DICOM dose data. An easily reproducible and efficient infrastructure with streamlined data collection was created for repeatable robust testing of the TPS. The tests revealed minor discrepancies in our models and areas for improvement that are being investigated.« less

High-resolution radiography by means of a hodoscope

DOEpatents

De Volpi, Alexander

1978-01-01

The fast neutron hodoscope, a device that produces neutron radiographs with coarse space resolution in a short time, is modified to produce neutron or gamma radiographs of relatively thick samples and with high space resolution. The modification comprises motorizing a neutron and gamma collimator to permit a controlled scanning pattern, simultaneous collection of data in a number of hodoscope channels over a period of time, and computerized image reconstruction of the data thus gathered.

Effect of gamma irradiation on ethylene propylene diene terpolymer rubber composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abou Zeid, M. M.; Rabie, S. T.; Nada, A. A.; Khalil, A. M.; Hilal, R. H.

2008-01-01

Composites of ethylene propylene dine terpolymer rubber (EPDM), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and ground tire rubber powder (GTR) at different ratios were subjected to gamma irradiation at various doses up to 250 kGy. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties were investigated as a function of irradiation dose and blend composition. Gamma irradiation led to a significant improvement in the properties for all blend compositions. The results indicate that the improvement in properties is inversely proportional to the substituted ratio of GTR, attributed to the development of an interfacial adhesion between GTR and blend components. The results were confirmed by examining the fracture surfaces by scanning electron microscopy.

Commissioning an in-room mobile CT for adaptive proton therapy with a compact proton system.

PubMed

Oliver, Jasmine A; Zeidan, Omar; Meeks, Sanford L; Shah, Amish P; Pukala, Jason; Kelly, Patrick; Ramakrishna, Naren R; Willoughby, Twyla R

2018-05-01

To describe the commissioning of AIRO mobile CT system (AIRO) for adaptive proton therapy on a compact double scattering proton therapy system. A Gammex phantom was scanned with varying plug patterns, table heights, and mAs on a CT simulator (CT Sim) and on the AIRO. AIRO-specific CT-stopping power ratio (SPR) curves were created with a commonly used stoichiometric method using the Gammex phantom. A RANDO anthropomorphic thorax, pelvis, and head phantom, and a CIRS thorax and head phantom were scanned on the CT Sim and AIRO. Clinically realistic treatment plans and nonclinical plans were generated on the CT Sim images and subsequently copied onto the AIRO CT scans for dose recalculation and comparison for various AIRO SPR curves. Gamma analysis was used to evaluate dosimetric deviation between both plans. AIRO CT values skewed toward solid water when plugs were scanned surrounded by other plugs in phantom. Low-density materials demonstrated largest differences. Dose calculated on AIRO CT scans with stoichiometric-based SPR curves produced over-ranged proton beams when large volumes of low-density material were in the path of the beam. To create equivalent dose distributions on both data sets, the AIRO SPR curve's low-density data points were iteratively adjusted to yield better proton beam range agreement based on isodose lines. Comparison of the stoichiometric-based AIRO SPR curve and the "dose-adjusted" SPR curve showed slight improvement on gamma analysis between the treatment plan and the AIRO plan for single-field plans at the 1%, 1 mm level, but did not affect clinical plans indicating that HU number differences between the CT Sim and AIRO did not affect dose calculations for robust clinical beam arrangements. Based on this study, we believe the AIRO can be used offline for adaptive proton therapy on a compact double scattering proton therapy system. © 2018 Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) in canine nasal carcinomas.

PubMed

Paciello, O; Borzacchiello, G; Varricchio, E; Papparella, S

2007-10-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor belonging to the steroid receptor superfamily. PPAR-gamma is expressed in multiple normal and neoplastic tissues, such as the breast, colon, lung, ovary and placenta. In addition to adipogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, PPAR-gamma activation has been shown to be anti-proliferative by its differentiation-promoting effect, suggesting that activation of PPAR-gamma may be useful in slowing or arresting the proliferation of de-differentiated tumour cells. In this study, we investigated the expression of PPAR-gamma in normal and neoplastic canine nasal epithelium. Twenty-five samples composed of five normal nasal epithelia and 20 canine nasal carcinomas, were immunohistochemically stained for PPAR-gamma. The specificity of the antibody was verified by Western Blot analysis. Confocal laser scanning microscopical investigation was also performed. In normal epithelium, the staining pattern was cytoplasmic and polarized at the cellular free edge. In carcinomas, the neoplastic cells showed mainly strong cytoplasmatic PPAR-gamma expression; moreover, perinuclear immunoreactivity was also detected and few neoplastic cells exhibited a nuclear positivity. Our results demonstrate different patterns of PPAR-gamma expression in normal canine nasal epithelium when compared with canine nasal carcinoma. The importance of this transcription factor in the pathophysiology of several different tumours has stimulated much research in this field and has opened new opportunities for the treatment of the tumours.

Influence of pH and method of crystallization on the solid physical form of indomethacin.

PubMed

Dubbini, Alessandra; Censi, Roberta; Martena, Valentina; Hoti, Ela; Ricciutelli, Massimo; Malaj, Ledjan; Di Martino, Piera

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pH and method of crystallization on the solid physical form of indomethacin (IDM). IDM, a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug poorly soluble in water, underwent two different crystallization methods: crystallization by solvent evaporation under reduced pressure at 50.0°C (method A), and crystallization by cooling of solution from 50.0 to 5.0°C (method B). In both cases, several aqueous ethanolic solutions of IDM of different pHs were prepared. pHs were adjusted by adding acidic solutions (HCl 2M) or alkali (NaOH or NH4OH 2M) to an aqueous ethanolic solution of IDM. Thus, several batches were recovered after crystallization. The chemical stability of IDM was verified through (1)H NMR and mass spectroscopy (FIA-ESI-MS), that revealed that IDM degraded in strong alkali media (pH ≥ 12). Crystals obtained under different crystallization conditions at pHs of 1.0, 4.5, 7.0, 8.0, 10.0 and chemically stable were thus characterized for crystal habit by scanning electron microscopy, for thermal behaviour by differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry, and for solid state by X-ray powder diffractometry. Under the Method A, IDM always crystallized into pure metastable alpha form when solutions were acidified or alkalized respectively with HCl and NH4OH. On the contrary, in presence of NaOH, IDM crystallized under a mixture of alpha and sodium trihydrate form, because the presence of the sodium counter ion orientates the crystallization towards the formation of the trihydrate salt. Under the method B, at pH of 1.0, IDM crystallized under the alpha form; at pH 4.5, IDM crystallized under the form alpha in presence of some nuclei of gamma form; at pH 7.0, 8.0, and 10.0 for NH4OH, IDM crystallized under the most stable polymorph gamma form, whereas in presence of NaOH, a mix of alpha, and salt forms was formed whatever the pH of the solution. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Initial Gamma Spectrometry Examination of the AGR-3/4 Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harp, Jason M.; Demkowicz, Paul A.; Stempien, John D.

2016-11-01

The initial results from gamma spectrometry examination of the different components from the combined third and fourth US Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development TRISO-coated particle fuel irradiation tests (AGR-3/4) have been analyzed. This experiment was designed to provide information about in-pile fission product migration. In each of the 12 capsules, a single stack of four compacts with designed-to-fail particles surrounded by two graphitic diffusion rings (inner and outer) and a graphite sink were irradiated in the Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor. Gamma spectrometry has been used to evaluate the gamma-emitting fission product inventory of compacts from the irradiation andmore » evaluate the burnup of these compacts based on the activity of the radioactive cesium isotopes (Cs-134 and Cs-137) in the compacts. Burnup from gamma spectrometry compares well with predicted burnup from simulations. Additionally, inner and outer rings were also examined by gamma spectrometry both to evaluate the fission product inventory and the distribution of gamma-emitting fission products within the rings using gamma emission computed tomography. The cesium inventory of the scanned rings compares acceptably well with the expected inventory from fission product transport modeling. The inventory of the graphite fission product sinks is also being evaluated by gamma spectrometry.« less

Linac based photofission inspection system employing novel detection concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, John; Gozani, Tsahi; Elsalim, Mashal; Condron, Cathie; Brown, Craig

2011-10-01

Rapiscan Systems is developing a LINAC based cargo inspection system for detection of special nuclear material (SNM) in cargo containers. The system, called Photofission Based Alarm Resolution (PBAR) is being developed under a DHD/DNDO Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. The PBAR system is based on the Rapiscan Eagle P9000 X-ray system, which is a portal system with a commercial 9 MeV LINAC X-ray source. For the purposes of the DNDO ATD program, a conveyor system was installed in the portal to allow scanning and precise positioning of 20 ft ISO cargo containers. The system uses a two step inspection process. In the first step, the basic scan, the container is quickly and completely inspected using two independent radiography arrays: the conventional primary array with high spatial resolution and a lower resolution spectroscopic array employing the novel Z-Spec method. The primary array uses cadmium tungstate (CdWO 4) detectors with conventional current mode readouts using photodiodes. The Z-Spec array uses small plastic scintillators capable of performing very fast (up to 10 8 cps) gamma-ray spectroscopy. The two radiography arrays are used to locate high-Z objects in the image such as lead, tungsten, uranium, which could be potential shielding materials as well as SNM itself. In the current system, the Z-Spec works by measuring the energy spectrum of transmitted X-rays. For high-Z materials the higher end of the energy spectrum is more attenuated than for low-Z materials and thus has a lower mean energy and a narrower width than low- and medium-Z materials. The second step in the inspection process is the direct scan or alarm clearing scan. In this step, areas of the container image, which were identified as high Z, are re-inspected. This is done by precisely repositioning the container to the location of the high-Z object and performing a stationary irradiation of the area with X-ray beam. Since there are a large number of photons in the 9 MV Bremsstrahlung spectrum above the photofission "threshold" of about 6 MeV, the X-ray beam induces numerous fissions if nuclear material is present. The PBAR system looks for the two most prolific fission signatures to confirm the presence of special nuclear materials (SNM). These are prompt neutrons and delayed gamma rays. The PBAR system uses arrays of two types of fast and highly efficient gamma ray detectors: plastic and fluorocarbon scintillators. The latter serves as a detector of fission prompt neutrons using the novel threshold activation detector (TAD) concept as well as a very efficient delayed gamma ray detector. The major advantage of TAD for detecting the prompt neutrons is its insensitivity to the intense source related backgrounds. The current status of the system and experimental results will be shown and discussed.

MO-F-CAMPUS-I-05: Radiation Dosimetry of 99mTc-IDA-D-[c(RGDfK)]2, a SPECT Agent for Angiogenesis Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: Tc-99m labeled IDA-D-[c(RGDfK){sub 2} ( {sup 99m}Tc-RGD) is a recently developed radiotracer for gamma camera or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and promising agent for the visualization of angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated the internal radiation dosimetry of {sup 99m}Tc-RGD in humans. Methods: Six normal controls (F:M=4:2; 68.3±3.2 years; 56.5±10.7 kg) were participated in this study. Simultaneous anterior and posterior scans of whole-body were performed using dual head gamma camera system. Before the emission scan, transmission scan was performed just before injection of {sup 99m}Tc-RGD using Co-57 flood source. After an intravenous injection of 388.7±29.3 MBqmore » of {sup 99m}Tc-RGD, six serial emission scans were performed at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours post-injection. The anterior and posterior images were geometrically averaged and attenuation correction was applied using transmission scan image. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on liver, gallbladder, kidneys, urinary bladder, spleen, brain, and large intestine. Time activity curves were obtained from serial emission scan and ROIs. The number of disintegrations per unit activity administered (residence time) were calculated from the area under the curve of time activity curves and injected dose of each patient. Finally, the radiation dose for each organ and effective doses were obtained using OLINDA/EXM 1.1 software and residence time. Results: High radiation doses were reported on renal and biliary excretion tracks such as urinary bladder wall, upper large intestine, kidneys, liver and gallbladder wall and their doses were 19.15±6.84, 19.28±4.78, 15.67±0.90, 9.13±1.71 and 9.09±2.03 µGy/MBq, respectively. The effective dose and effective dose equivalent were 5.08±0.53 and 7.11±0.58 µSv/MBq, respectively. Conclusion: We evaluated the radiation dose of 99mTc-RGD, which has an acceptable effective radiation dose compare to the other Tc-99m labeled radio-tracers.« less

Investigations on landmine detection by neutron-based techniques.

PubMed

Csikai, J; Dóczi, R; Király, B

2004-07-01

Principles and techniques of some neutron-based methods used to identify the antipersonnel landmines (APMs) are discussed. New results have been achieved in the field of neutron reflection, transmission, scattering and reaction techniques. Some conclusions are as follows: The neutron hand-held detector is suitable for the observation of anomaly caused by a DLM2-like sample in different soils with a scanning speed of 1m(2)/1.5 min; the reflection cross section of thermal neutrons rendered the determination of equivalent thickness of different soil components possible; a simple method was developed for the determination of the thermal neutron flux perturbation factor needed for multi-elemental analysis of bulky samples; unfolded spectra of elastically backscattered neutrons using broad-spectrum sources render the identification of APMs possible; the knowledge of leakage spectra of different source neutrons is indispensable for the determination of the differential and integrated reaction rates and through it the dimension of the interrogated volume; the precise determination of the C/O atom fraction requires the investigations on the angular distribution of the 6.13MeV gamma-ray emitted in the (16)O(n,n'gamma) reaction. These results, in addition to the identification of landmines, render the improvement of the non-intrusive neutron methods possible.

Synthesis and characterization of CaF2:Dy nanophosphor for dosimetric application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadane, Mahesh S.; Patil, B. J.; Dahiwale, S. S.; Kulkarni, M. S.; Bhatt, B. C.; Bhoraskar, V. N.; Dhole, S. D.

2015-06-01

In this work, nanoparticles (NPs) of dysprosium doped calcium fluoride (CaF2:Dy) 1 mol % has been prepared using simple chemical co-precipitation method and its thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetric properties were studied. The synthesized nanoparticle sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the particle size of face centered cubic phase NPs was found around 30 nm. The shape, morphology and size were also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From gamma irradiated CaF2:Dy TL curves, it was observed that the total areas of all the glow peak intensities are dramatically changed with increase in annealing temperature. Further, TL glow curve of the CaF2:Dy at 183 °C annealed at 400 °C, showed very sharp linear response in the dose range from 1 Gy to 750 Gy. This linear response of CaF2:Dy nanophosphor as a function of gamma dose is very useful from radiation dosimetric point of view.

Method and apparatus for measuring reactivity of fissile material

DOEpatents

Lee, David M.; Lindquist, Lloyd O.

1985-01-01

Given are a method and apparatus for measuring nondestructively and non-invasively (i.e., using no internal probing) the burnup, reactivity, or fissile content of any material which emits neutrons and which has fissionable components. No external neutron-emitting interrogation source or fissile material is used and no scanning is required, although if a profile is desired scanning can be used. As in active assays, here both reactivity and content of fissionable material can be measured. The assay is accomplished by altering the return flux of neutrons into the fuel assembly. The return flux is altered by changing the reflecting material. The existing passive neutron emissions in the material being assayed are used as the source of interrogating neutrons. Two measurements of either emitted neutron or emitted gamma-ray count rates are made and are then correlated to either reactivity, burnup, or fissionable content of the material being assayed, thus providing a measurement of either reactivity, burnup, or fissionable content of the material being assayed. Spent fuel which has been freshly discharged from a reactor can be assayed using this method and apparatus. Precisions of 1000 MWd/tU appear to be feasible.

Method of fission heat flux determination from experimental data

DOEpatents

Paxton, Frank A.

1999-01-01

A method is provided for determining the fission heat flux of a prime specimen inserted into a specimen of a test reactor. A pair of thermocouple test specimens are positioned at the same level in the holder and a determination is made of various experimental data including the temperature of the thermocouple test specimens, the temperature of bulk water channels located in the test holder, the gamma scan count ratios for the thermocouple test specimens and the prime specimen, and the thicknesses of the outer clads, the fuel fillers, and the backclad of the thermocouple test specimen. Using this experimental data, the absolute value of the fission heat flux for the thermocouple test specimens and prime specimen can be calculated.

Commissioning of a new SeHCAT detector and comparison with an uncollimated gamma camera.

PubMed

Taylor, Jonathan C; Hillel, Philip G; Himsworth, John M

2014-10-01

Measurements of SeHCAT (tauroselcholic [75selenium] acid) retention have been used to diagnose bile acid malabsorption for a number of years. In current UK practice the vast majority of centres calculate uptake using an uncollimated gamma camera. Because of ever-increasing demands on gamma camera time, a new 'probe' detector was designed, assembled and commissioned. To validate the system, nine patients were scanned at day 0 and day 7 with both the new probe detector and an uncollimated gamma camera. Commissioning results were largely in line with expectations. Spatial resolution (full-width 95% of maximum) at 1 m was 36.6 cm, the background count rate was 24.7 cps and sensitivity at 1 m was 720.8 cps/MBq. The patient comparison study showed a mean absolute difference in retention measurements of 0.8% between the probe and uncollimated gamma camera, and SD of ± 1.8%. The study demonstrated that it is possible to create a simple, reproducible SeHCAT measurement system using a commercially available scintillation detector. Retention results from the probe closely agreed with those from the uncollimated gamma camera.

The role of DNA repair in herpesvirus pathogenesis.

PubMed

Brown, Jay C

2014-10-01

In cells latently infected with a herpesvirus, the viral DNA is present in the cell nucleus, but it is not extensively replicated or transcribed. In this suppressed state the virus DNA is vulnerable to mutagenic events that affect the host cell and have the potential to destroy the virus' genetic integrity. Despite the potential for genetic damage, however, herpesvirus sequences are well conserved after reactivation from latency. To account for this apparent paradox, I have tested the idea that host cell-encoded mechanisms of DNA repair are able to control genetic damage to latent herpesviruses. Studies were focused on homologous recombination-dependent DNA repair (HR). Methods of DNA sequence analysis were employed to scan herpesvirus genomes for DNA features able to activate HR. Analyses were carried out with a total of 39 herpesvirus DNA sequences, a group that included viruses from the alpha-, beta- and gamma-subfamilies. The results showed that all 39 genome sequences were enriched in two or more of the eight recombination-initiating features examined. The results were interpreted to indicate that HR can stabilize latent herpesvirus genomes. The results also showed, unexpectedly, that repair-initiating DNA features differed in alpha- compared to gamma-herpesviruses. Whereas inverted and tandem repeats predominated in alpha-herpesviruses, gamma-herpesviruses were enriched in short, GC-rich initiation sequences such as CCCAG and depleted in repeats. In alpha-herpesviruses, repair-initiating repeat sequences were found to be concentrated in a specific region (the S segment) of the genome while repair-initiating short sequences were distributed more uniformly in gamma-herpesviruses. The results suggest that repair pathways are activated differently in alpha- compared to gamma-herpesviruses. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

DSC studies on gamma irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride) applied to high gamma dose dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batista, Adriana S. M.; Faria, Luiz O.

2017-11-01

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) homopolymer (PVDF) was investigated for use on high gamma dose dosimetry. Samples were irradiated with gamma doses ranging from 100 kGy to 3000 kGy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to construct an unambiguous relationship between the melting transition latent heat (LM) and the absorbed dose (D). DSC thermograms were taken immediately, 1, 2 and 8 months after the irradiation process revealing that the LMx D relationship presented no change for doses ranging from 100 to 2750 kGy. FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy data revealed the radio-induction of C˭O and C˭C bonds. These radio-induced bonds were responsible by the chain stiffening and chain oxidation, respectively. SEM microscopy demonstrates that the spherulitic large crystalline structures present in pristine PVDF are destroyed with doses as low as 100 kGy. The DRX analysis revealed that the main effect of high gamma doses in the crystalline structure of PVDF is to provoke a change from the pristine PVDF α-phase to the γ-phase. Both the ability to detect gamma doses in a large dose range and the low fading features make PVDF homopolymers good candidates to be investigated as high gamma dose dosimeters.

SPECT reconstruction with nonuniform attenuation from highly under-sampled projection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cuifen; Wen, Junhai; Zhang, Kangping; Shi, Donghao; Dong, Haixiang; Li, Wenxiao; Liang, Zhengrong

2012-03-01

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an important nuclear medicine imaging technique and has been using in clinical diagnoses. The SPECT image can reflect not only organizational structure but also functional activities of human body, therefore diseases can be found much earlier. In SPECT, the reconstruction is based on the measurement of gamma photons emitted by the radiotracer. The number of gamma photons detected is proportional to the dose of radiopharmaceutical, but the dose is limited because of patient safety. There is an upper limit in the number of gamma photons that can be detected per unit time, so it takes a long time to acquire SPECT projection data. Sometimes we just can obtain highly under-sampled projection data because of the limit of the scanning time or imaging hardware. How to reconstruct an image using highly under-sampled projection data is an interesting problem. One method is to minimize the total variation (TV) of the reconstructed image during the iterative reconstruction. In this work, we developed an OSEM-TV SPECT reconstruction algorithm, which could reconstruct the image from highly under-sampled projection data with non-uniform attenuation. Simulation results demonstrate that the OSEM-TV algorithm performs well in SPECT reconstruction with non-uniform attenuation.

Optimising in situ gamma measurements to identify the presence of radioactive particles in land areas.

PubMed

Rostron, Peter D; Heathcote, John A; Ramsey, Michael H

2014-12-01

High-coverage in situ surveys with gamma detectors are the best means of identifying small hotspots of activity, such as radioactive particles, in land areas. Scanning surveys can produce rapid results, but the probabilities of obtaining false positive or false negative errors are often unknown, and they may not satisfy other criteria such as estimation of mass activity concentrations. An alternative is to use portable gamma-detectors that are set up at a series of locations in a systematic sampling pattern, where any positive measurements are subsequently followed up in order to determine the exact location, extent and nature of the target source. The preliminary survey is typically designed using settings of detector height, measurement spacing and counting time that are based on convenience, rather than using settings that have been calculated to meet requirements. This paper introduces the basis of a repeatable method of setting these parameters at the outset of a survey, for pre-defined probabilities of false positive and false negative errors in locating spatially small radioactive particles in land areas. It is shown that an un-collimated detector is more effective than a collimated detector that might typically be used in the field. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Study of the effect of gamma irradiation on a commercial polycyclooctene I. Thermal and mechanical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Huete, N.; Laza, J. M.; Cuevas, J. M.; Vilas, J. L.; Bilbao, E.; León, L. M.

2014-09-01

A gamma radiation process for modification of commercial polymers is a widely applied technique to promote new physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Gamma irradiation originates free radicals able to induce chain scission or recombination of radicals, which induces annihilation, branching or crosslinking processes. The aim of this work is to research the structural, thermal and mechanical changes induced on a commercial polycyclooctene (PCO) when it is irradiated with a gamma source of 60Co at different doses (25-200 kGy). After gamma irradiation, gel content was determined by Soxhlet extraction in cyclohexane. Furthermore, thermal properties were evaluated before and after Soxhlet extraction by means of Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), as well as mechanical properties were measured by Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA). The results showed the variations of the properties depending on the irradiation dose. Finally, a first approach to evaluate qualitatively the shape memory behaviour of all irradiated PCO samples was performed by a visually monitoring shape recovery process.

A Novel Study Connecting Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays, Neutrinos, and Gamma-Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coenders, Stefan; Resconi, Elisa; Padovani, Paolo; Giommi, Paolo; Caccianiga, Lorenzo

We present a novel study connecting ultra-high energy cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gamma-rays with the objective to identify common counterparts of the three astrophysical messengers. In the test presented here, we first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering gamma-ray emitters that are in spatial coincidence with IceCube neutrinos. Subsequently, these objects are correlated against ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array, scanning in gamma-ray flux and angular separation between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal excess of 80 cosmic rays (41.9 expected) is observed for the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT objects of blazars of the high synchrotron peak type. This corresponds to a deviation from the null-hypothesis of 2.94σ . No excess is observed for objects not in spatial connection with neutrinos. The gamma-ray sources that make up the excess are blazars of the high synchrotron peak type.

Sci-Fri PM: Radiation Therapy, Planning, Imaging, and Special Techniques - 05: A novel respiratory motion simulation program for VMAT treatment plans: a phantom validation study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hubley, Emily; Pierce, Greg; Ploquin, Nicolas

Purpose: To develop and validate a computational method to simulate craniocaudal respiratory motion in a VMAT treatment plan. Methods: Three 4DCTs of the QUASAR respiratory motion phantom were acquired with a 2cm water-density spherical tumour embedded in cedar to simulate lung. The phantom was oscillating sinusoidally with an amplitude of 2cm and periods of 3, 4, and 5 seconds. An ITV was contoured and 5mm PTV margin was added. High and a low modulation factor VMAT plans were created for each scan. An in-house program was developed to simulate respiratory motion in the treatment plans by shifting the MLC leafmore » positions relative to the phantom. Each plan was delivered to the phantom and the dose was measured using Gafchromic film. The measured and calculated plans were compared using an absolute dose gamma analysis (3%/3mm). Results: The average gamma pass rate for the low modulation plan and high modulation plans were 91.1% and 51.4% respectively. The difference between the high and low modulation plans gamma pass rates is likely related to the different sampling frequency of the respiratory curve and the higher MLC leaf speeds in the high modulation plan. A high modulation plan has a slower gantry speed and therefore samples the breathing cycle at a coarser frequency leading to inaccuracies between the measured and planned doses. Conclusion: A simple program, including a novel method for increasing sampling frequency beyond the control point frequency, has been developed to simulate respiratory motion in VMAT plans by shifting the MLC leaf positions.« less

Effects of gamma radiation on hard dental tissues of albino rats using scanning electron microscope - Part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Faramawy, Nabil; Ameen, Reham; El-Haddad, Khaled; Maghraby, Ahmed; El-Zainy, Medhat

2011-12-01

In the present study, 40 adult male albino rats were used to study the effect of gamma radiation on the hard dental tissues (enamel surface, dentinal tubules and the cementum surface). The rats were irradiated at 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 Gy gamma doses. The effects of irradiated hard dental tissues samples were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. For doses up to 0.5 Gy, there was no evidence of the existence of cracks on the enamel surface. With 1 Gy irradiation dose, cracks were clearly observed with localized erosive areas. At 2 Gy irradiation dose, the enamel showed morphological alterations as disturbed prismatic and interprismatic areas. An increase in dentinal tubules diameter and a contemporary inter-tubular dentine volume decrease were observed with higher irradiation dose. Concerning cementum, low doses,<0.5 Gy, showed surface irregularities and with increase in the irradiation dose to≥1 Gy, noticeable surface irregularities and erosive areas with decrease in Sharpey's fiber sites were observed. These observations could shed light on the hazardous effects of irradiation fields to the functioning of the human teeth.

Developing new extension of GafChromic RTQA2 film to patient quality assurance field using a plan-based calibration method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jiayuan; Zhang, Zhen; Wang, Jiazhou; Xie, Jiang; Chen, Junchao; Hu, Weigang

2015-10-01

GafChromic RTQA2 film is a type of radiochromic film designed for light field and radiation field alignment. The aim of this study is to extend the application of RTQA2 film to the measurement of patient specific quality assurance (QA) fields as a 2D relative dosimeter. Pre-irradiated and post-irradiated RTQA2 films were scanned in reflection mode using a flatbed scanner. A plan-based calibration (PBC) method utilized the mapping information of the calculated dose image and film grayscale image to create a dose versus pixel value calibration model. This model was used to calibrate the film grayscale image to the film relative dose image. The dose agreement between calculated and film dose images were analyzed by gamma analysis. To evaluate the feasibility of this method, eight clinically approved RapidArc cases (one abdomen cancer and seven head-and-neck cancer patients) were tested using this method. Moreover, three MLC gap errors and two MLC transmission errors were introduced to eight Rapidarc cases respectively to test the robustness of this method. The PBC method could overcome the film lot and post-exposure time variations of RTQA2 film to get a good 2D relative dose calibration result. The mean gamma passing rate of eight patients was 97.90%  ±  1.7%, which showed good dose consistency between calculated and film dose images. In the error test, the PBC method could over-calibrate the film, which means some dose error in the film would be falsely corrected to keep the dose in film consistent with the dose in the calculated dose image. This would then lead to a false negative result in the gamma analysis. In these cases, the derivative curve of the dose calibration curve would be non-monotonic which would expose the dose abnormality. By using the PBC method, we extended the application of more economical RTQA2 film to patient specific QA. The robustness of the PBC method has been improved by analyzing the monotonicity of the derivative of the calibration curve.

Nurse exposure doses resulted from bone scintigraphy patient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tunçman, Duygu; Kovan, Bilal; Poyraz, Leyla; ćapali, Veli; Demir, Bayram; Türkmen, Cüneyt

2016-03-01

Bone scintigraphy is used for displaying the radiologic undiagnosed bone lesions in nuclear medicine. It's general indications are researching bone metastases, detection of radiographically occult fractures, staging and follow-up in primary bone tumors, diagnosis of paget's disease, investigation of loosening and infection in orthopedic implants. It is applied with using 99mTc labeled radiopharmaceuticals (e.g 99m Tc MDP,99mTc HEDP and 99mTc HMDP). 20 -25 mCi IV radiotracer was injected into vein and radiotracer emits gamma radiation. Patient waits in isolated room for about 3 hours then a gamma camera scans radiation area and creates an image. When some patient's situation is not good, patients are hospitalized until the scanning because of patients' close contact care need. In this study, measurements were taken from ten patients using Geiger Muller counter. After these measurements, we calculated nurse's exposure radiations from patient's routine treatment, examination and emergency station.

Results of a laboratory experiment that tests rotating unbalanced-mass devices for scanning gimbaled payloads and free-flying spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alhorn, D. C.; Polites, M. E.

1994-01-01

Rotating unbalanced-mass (RUM) devices are a new way to scan space-based, balloon-borne, and ground-based gimbaled payloads, like x-ray and gamma-ray telescopes. They can also be used to scan free-flying spacecraft. Circular scans, linear scans, and raster scans can be generated. A pair of RUM devices generates the basic scan motion and an auxiliary control system using torque motors, control moment gyros, or reaction wheels keeps the scan centered on the target and produces some complementary motion for raster scanning. Previous analyses and simulation results show that this approach offers significant power savings compared to scanning only with the auxiliary control system, especially with large payloads and high scan frequencies. However, these claims have never been proven until now. This paper describes a laboratory experiment which tests the concept of scanning a gimbaled payload with RUM devices. A description of the experiment is given and test results that prove the concept are presented. The test results are compared with those from a computer simulation model of the experiment and the differences are discussed.

Additive Manufacturing of IN100 Superalloy Through Scanning Laser Epitaxy for Turbine Engine Hot-Section Component Repair: Process Development, Modeling, Microstructural Characterization, and Process Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acharya, Ranadip; Das, Suman

2015-09-01

This article describes additive manufacturing (AM) of IN100, a high gamma-prime nickel-based superalloy, through scanning laser epitaxy (SLE), aimed at the creation of thick deposits onto like-chemistry substrates for enabling repair of turbine engine hot-section components. SLE is a metal powder bed-based laser AM technology developed for nickel-base superalloys with equiaxed, directionally solidified, and single-crystal microstructural morphologies. Here, we combine process modeling, statistical design-of-experiments (DoE), and microstructural characterization to demonstrate fully metallurgically bonded, crack-free and dense deposits exceeding 1000 μm of SLE-processed IN100 powder onto IN100 cast substrates produced in a single pass. A combined thermal-fluid flow-solidification model of the SLE process compliments DoE-based process development. A customized quantitative metallography technique analyzes digital cross-sectional micrographs and extracts various microstructural parameters, enabling process model validation and process parameter optimization. Microindentation measurements show an increase in the hardness by 10 pct in the deposit region compared to the cast substrate due to microstructural refinement. The results illustrate one of the very few successes reported for the crack-free deposition of IN100, a notoriously "non-weldable" hot-section alloy, thus establishing the potential of SLE as an AM method suitable for hot-section component repair and for future new-make components in high gamma-prime containing crack-prone nickel-based superalloys.

One-dimensional Spatial Distributions of Gamma-ray Emitting Contaminants in Field Lysimeters Using a Collimated Gamma-ray Spectroscopy System.

PubMed

Erdmann, Bryan J; Powell, Brian A; Kaplan, Daniel I; DeVol, Timothy A

2018-05-01

One-dimensional scans of gamma-ray emitting contaminants were conducted on lysimeters from the RadFLEX facility at the Savannah River Nationals Laboratory (SRNL). The lysimeters each contained a contamination source that was buried in SRNL soil. A source consisted of Cs, Co, Ba, and Eu incorporated either into a solid waste form (Portland cement and reducing grout) or applied to a filter paper for direct soil exposure. The lysimeters were exposed to natural environmental conditions for 3 to 4 y. The initial contaminant activities range from 4.0 to 9.0 MBq for the solid wasteforms and 0.25 to 0.47 MBq for the soil-incorporated source. The measurements were performed using a collimated high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometer with a spatial resolution of 2.5 mm. These scans showed downward mobility of Co and Ba when the radionuclides were incorporated directly into the SRNL soil. When radionuclides were incorporated into the solid waste forms positioned in the SRNL soil, Cs exhibited both upward and downward dispersion while the other radionuclides showed no movement. This dispersion was more significant for the Portland cement than the reducing grout wasteform. Europium-152 was the only radionuclide of those studied that showed no movement within the spatial resolution of the scanner from the original placement within the lysimeter. Understanding radionuclide movement in the environment is important for developing strategies for waste management and disposal.

Evaluation of a single-scan protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry.

PubMed

Shimohigashi, Yoshinobu; Araki, Fujio; Maruyama, Masato; Nakaguchi, Yuji; Kuwahara, Satoshi; Nagasue, Nozomu; Kai, Yudai

2015-03-08

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single-scan protocol using Gafchromic EBT3 film (EBT3) by comparing it with the commonly used 24-hr measurement protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry. Radiochromic film is generally scanned 24 hr after film exposure (24-hr protocol). The single-scan protocol enables measurement results within a short time using only the verification film, one calibration film, and unirradiated film. The single-scan protocol was scanned 30 min after film irradiation. The EBT3 calibration curves were obtained with the multichannel film dosimetry method. The dose verifications for each protocol were performed with the step pattern, pyramid pattern, and clinical treatment plans for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The absolute dose distributions for each protocol were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS) using gamma evaluation at 3% and 3 mm. The dose distribution for the single-scan protocol was within 2% of the 24-hr protocol dose distribution. For the step pattern, the absolute dose discrepancies between the TPS for the single-scan and 24-hr protocols were 2.0 ± 1.8 cGy and 1.4 ± 1.2 cGy at the dose plateau, respectively. The pass rates were 96.0% for the single-scan protocol and 95.9% for the 24-hr protocol. Similarly, the dose discrepancies for the pyramid pattern were 3.6 ± 3.5cGy and 2.9 ± 3.3 cGy, respectively, while the pass rates for the pyramid pattern were 95.3% and 96.4%, respectively. The average pass rates for the four IMRT plans were 96.7% ± 1.8% for the single-scan protocol and 97.3% ± 1.4% for the 24-hr protocol. Thus, the single-scan protocol measurement is useful for dose verification of IMRT, based on its accuracy and efficiency.

Evaluation of a single‐scan protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry

PubMed Central

Araki, Fujio; Maruyama, Masato; Nakaguchi, Yuji; Kuwahara, Satoshi; Nagasue, Nozomu; Kai, Yudai

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single‐scan protocol using Gafchromic EBT3 film (EBT3) by comparing it with the commonly used 24‐hr measurement protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry. Radiochromic film is generally scanned 24 hr after film exposure (24‐hr protocol). The single‐scan protocol enables measurement results within a short time using only the verification film, one calibration film, and unirradiated film. The single‐scan protocol was scanned 30 min after film irradiation. The EBT3 calibration curves were obtained with the multichannel film dosimetry method. The dose verifications for each protocol were performed with the step pattern, pyramid pattern, and clinical treatment plans for intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The absolute dose distributions for each protocol were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS) using gamma evaluation at 3% and 3 mm. The dose distribution for the single‐scan protocol was within 2% of the 24‐hr protocol dose distribution. For the step pattern, the absolute dose discrepancies between the TPS for the single‐scan and 24‐hr protocols were 2.0±1.8 cGy and 1.4±1.2 cGy at the dose plateau, respectively. The pass rates were 96.0% for the single‐scan protocol and 95.9% for the 24‐hr protocol. Similarly, the dose discrepancies for the pyramid pattern were 3.6±3.5 cGy and 2.9±3.3 cGy, respectively, while the pass rates for the pyramid pattern were 95.3% and 96.4%, respectively. The average pass rates for the four IMRT plans were 96.7%±1.8% for the single‐scan protocol and 97.3%±1.4% for the 24‐hr protocol. Thus, the single‐scan protocol measurement is useful for dose verification of IMRT, based on its accuracy and efficiency. PACS number: 87.55.Qr PMID:26103194

End-to-end test of spatial accuracy in Gamma Knife treatments for trigeminal neuralgia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brezovich, Ivan A., E-mail: ibrezovich@uabmc.edu; Wu, Xingen; Duan, Jun

2014-11-01

Purpose: Spatial accuracy is most crucial when small targets like the trigeminal nerve are treated. Although current quality assurance procedures typically verify that individual apparatus, like the MRI scanner, CT scanner, Gamma Knife, etc., are meeting specifications, the cumulative error of all equipment and procedures combined may exceed safe margins. This study uses an end-to-end approach to assess the overall targeting errors that may have occurred in individual patients previously treated for trigeminal neuralgia. Methods: The trigeminal nerve is simulated by a 3 mm long, 3.175 mm (1/8 in.) diameter MRI-contrast filled cavity embedded within a PMMA plastic capsule. Themore » capsule is positioned within the head frame such that the location of the cavity matches the Gamma Knife coordinates of an arbitrarily chosen, previously treated patient. Gafchromic EBT2 film is placed at the center of the cavity in coronal and sagittal orientations. The films are marked with a pinprick to identify the cavity center. Treatments are planned for radiation delivery with 4 mm collimators according to MRI and CT scans using the clinical localizer boxes and acquisition protocols. Shots are planned so that the 50% isodose surface encompasses the cavity. Following irradiation, the films are scanned and analyzed. Targeting errors are defined as the distance between the pinprick, which represents the intended target, and the centroid of the 50% isodose line, which is the center of the radiation field that was actually delivered. Results: Averaged over ten patient simulations, targeting errors along the x, y, and z coordinates (patient’s left-to-right, posterior-to-anterior, and head-to-foot) were, respectively, −0.060 ± 0.363, −0.350 ± 0.253, and 0.348 ± 0.204 mm when MRI was used for treatment planning. Planning according to CT exhibited generally smaller errors, namely, 0.109 ± 0.167, −0.191 ± 0.144, and 0.211 ± 0.094 mm. The largest errors along individual axes in MRI- and CT-planned treatments were, respectively, −0.761 mm in the y-direction and 0.428 mm in the x-direction, well within safe limits. Conclusions: The highly accurate dose delivery was possible because the Gamma Knife, MRI scanner, and other equipment performed within tight limits and scans were acquired using the thinnest slices and smallest pixel sizes available. Had the individual devices performed only near the limits of their specifications, the cumulative error could have left parts of the trigeminal nerve undertreated. The presented end-to-end test gives assurance that patients had received the expected high quality treatment. End-to-end tests should become part of clinical practice.« less

Theory and Performance of AIMS for Active Interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walters, William J.; Royston, Katherine E. K.; Haghighat, Alireza

2014-06-01

A hybrid Monte Carlo and deterministic methodology has been developed for application to active interrogation systems. The methodology consists of four steps: i) determination of neutron flux distribution due to neutron source transport and subcritical multiplication; ii) generation of gamma source distribution from (n, γ) interactions; iii) determination of gamma current at a detector window; iv) detection of gammas by the detector. This paper discusses the theory and results of the first three steps for the case of a cargo container with a sphere of HEU in third-density water. In the first step, a response-function formulation has been developed to calculate the subcritical multiplication and neutron flux distribution. Response coefficients are pre-calculated using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The second step uses the calculated neutron flux distribution and Bugle-96 (n, γ) cross sections to find the resulting gamma source distribution. Finally, in the third step the gamma source distribution is coupled with a pre-calculated adjoint function to determine the gamma flux at a detector window. A code, AIMS (Active Interrogation for Monitoring Special-Nuclear-materials), has been written to output the gamma current for an source-detector assembly scanning across the cargo using the pre-calculated values and takes significantly less time than a reference MCNP5 calculation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langner, U; Langen, K

Purpose: To investigate the effect of spot size variation as function of gantry angle on the quality of treatment plans for pencil beam scanning proton plans. Method: Three homogeneous 26×26×7cm dose volumes with different ranges and SOBPs were delivered on the matrixxPT 2D array at gantry angles of 0 and 270 degrees. The spot size sigma varies by 1.8, 7.8, and 1.4%, for nominal energies of 215, 183, and 103 MeV (Range 29, 22, and 8cm, respectively). The resulting dose planes are compared and evaluated with the gamma index for 2%/2mm and 1%/1mm criteria. Results: Patient specific QA is performedmore » at a gantry angle of 0 degrees. However, beam sigmas vary as function of gantry angle because of the beam optics for each gantry. This will cause differences between the delivered and planned treatment plans. Delivered plans were compared and a gamma pass rate of 96.5% for criteria of 2%/2mm and 91.4% for 1%/1mm were seen for plans with a nominal energy of 183 MeV. For plans with a nominal energy of 103 MeV, gamma pass rates of 97.3% for 2%/2mm and 91.5% for 1%/1mm were seen. For plans with a nominal energy of 215 MeV the pass rate was 99.8% for 1%/1mm between the two gantry angles. Conclusion: Differences in beam sigma of up to 7.8% do not cause significant differences in the dose distribution of different spot size gammas.« less

Gamma ray shielding characteristic of BiZnBo-SLS and PbZnBo-SLS glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syuhada Ahmad, Nor; Shahrim Mustafa, Iskandar; Mansor, Ishak; Malik, Muhammad Fadhirul Izwan bin Abdul; Ain Nabilah Razali, Nur; Nordin, Sufiniza

2018-05-01

The radiation shielding and optical properties of x [RmOn] (0.5‑x) [ZnO] 0.2 [B2O3] 0.3 [SLS], where RmOn are Bi2O3 and PbO with x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.45 have been prepared by using the melt-quenching method at 1200 °C and was investigated on their physical, structural and gamma ray shielding properties. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) data revealed that the particle morphologies is aggregated and irregular in shapes and size. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping data confirmed that all mentioned element all present on the prepared glass. Soda Lime Silica (SLS) that is mainly composed of SiO2 has been utilized in this study as the source of SiO2 for fabrication of glass system. From the result, the density and molar volume of both glass samples increased as Bi2O3 and PbO content increased. The gamma ray shielding properties, such as linear attenuation and mass attenuation coefficient, were increased while half value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) were decreased as the increased in Bi2O3 and PbO concentrations. It is recognized that the mass attenuation coefficient value of Bi2O3 and PbO glass are slightly different. From this study, it can be concluded that from the non-toxicity and shielding point of view, the bismuth glass is a good shield to gamma radiation as compared to lead glass.

Accuracy of non-operative identification of the sentinel lymph node using combined gamma and ultrasound scanning.

PubMed

Whelehan, P; Vinnicombe, S J; Brown, D C; McLean, D; Evans, A

2014-08-01

To assess how accurately the sentinel lymph node (SLN) can be identified percutaneously, using gamma probe and ultrasound technology. Women with breast cancer, scheduled for wide local excision or mastectomy with SLN biopsy (SLNB), were included. Peri-areolar intradermal injection of technetium-99 nanocolloid was performed on the morning of surgery and 1-2 ml of blue dye was injected in the peri-areolar region once the patient was anaesthetized. Prior to surgery, a gamma probe was used over the skin to identify any hot spot that could represent a SLN. Ultrasound, guided by the hot spot, was then used to visualize potential SLNs and guide the insertion of a localizing wire. The accuracy in localizing the SLN by preoperative gamma-probe guided ultrasonography was assessed by comparison to SLNB. A SLN was correctly identified and marked using gamma-probe guided ultrasonography in 44 of 59 cases (75%; 95% CI: 63-86%). This study supports the case for investigating percutaneous gamma probe and ultrasound guided interventions in the axilla in women with breast cancer, as a potential alternative to surgical SLNB. Copyright © 2014 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Liyong, E-mail: linl@uphs.upenn.edu; Huang, Sheng; Kang, Minglei

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of a comprehensive test pattern in validating calculation models that include the halo component (low-dose tails) of proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) spots. Such a pattern has been used previously for quality assurance purposes to assess spot shape, position, and dose. Methods: In this study, a scintillation detector was used to measure the test pattern in air at isocenter for two proton beam energies (115 and 225 MeV) of two IBA universal nozzles (UN #1 and UN #2). Planar measurements were compared with calculated dose distributions based on themore » weighted superposition of location-independent (UN #1) or location-dependent (UN #2) spot profiles, previously measured using a pair-magnification method and between two nozzles. Results: Including the halo component below 1% of the central dose is shown to improve the gamma-map comparison between calculation and measurement from 94.9% to 98.4% using 2 mm/2% criteria for the 115 MeV proton beam of UN #1. In contrast, including the halo component below 1% of the central dose does not improve the gamma agreement for the 115 MeV proton beam of UN #2, due to the cutoff of the halo component at off-axis locations. When location-dependent spot profiles are used for calculation instead of spot profiles at central axis, the gamma agreement is improved from 98.0% to 99.5% using 2 mm/2% criteria. The two nozzles clearly have different characteristics, as a direct comparison of measured data shows a passing rate of 89.7% for the 115 MeV proton beam. At 225 MeV, the corresponding gamma comparisons agree better between measurement and calculation, and between measurements in the two nozzles. Conclusions: In addition to confirming the primary component of individual PBS spot profiles, a comprehensive test pattern is useful for the validation of the halo component at off-axis locations, especially for low energy protons.« less

HCP to FCT + precipitate transformations in lamellar gamma-titanium aluminide alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karadge, Mallikarjun Baburao

Fully lamellar gamma-TiAl [alpha2(HCP) + gamma(FCT)] based alloys are potential structural materials for aerospace engine applications. Lamellar structure stabilization and additional strengthening mechanisms are major issues in the ongoing development of titanium aluminides due to the microstructural instability resulting from decomposition of the strengthening alpha 2 phase. This work addresses characterization of multi-component TiAl systems to identify the mechanism of lamellar structure refinement and assess the effects of light element additions (C and Si) on creep deformation behavior. Transmission electron microscopy studies directly confirmed for the first time that, fine lamellar structure is formed by the nucleation and growth of a large number of basal stacking faults on the 1/6<112¯0> dislocations cross slipping repeatedly into and out of basal planes. This lamellar structure can be tailored by modifying jog heights through chemistry and thermal processing. alpha 2 → gamma transformation during heating (investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction) is a two step process involving the formation of a novel disordered FCC gamma' TiAl [with a(gamma') = c(gamma)] as an intermediate phase followed by ordering. Addition of carbon and silicon induced Ti2AlC H-type carbide precipitation inside the alpha2 lath and Ti 5(Al,Si)3 zeta-type silicide precipitation at the alpha 2/gamma interface. The H-carbides preserve alpha2/gamma type interfaces, while zeta-silicide precipitates restrict ledge growth and interfacial sliding enabling strong resistance to creep deformation.

Novel methods for estimating 3D distributions of radioactive isotopes in materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, Y.; Kataoka, J.; Kishimoto, A.; Nishiyama, T.; Taya, T.; Okochi, H.; Ogata, H.; Yamamoto, S.

2016-09-01

In recent years, various gamma-ray visualization techniques, or gamma cameras, have been proposed. These techniques are extremely effective for identifying "hot spots" or regions where radioactive isotopes are accumulated. Examples of such would be nuclear-disaster-affected areas such as Fukushima or the vicinity of nuclear reactors. However, the images acquired with a gamma camera do not include distance information between radioactive isotopes and the camera, and hence are "degenerated" in the direction of the isotopes. Moreover, depth information in the images is lost when the isotopes are embedded in materials, such as water, sand, and concrete. Here, we propose two methods of obtaining depth information of radioactive isotopes embedded in materials by comparing (1) their spectra and (2) images of incident gamma rays scattered by the materials and direct gamma rays. In the first method, the spectra of radioactive isotopes and the ratios of scattered to direct gamma rays are obtained. We verify experimentally that the ratio increases with increasing depth, as predicted by simulations. Although the method using energy spectra has been studied for a long time, an advantage of our method is the use of low-energy (50-150 keV) photons as scattered gamma rays. In the second method, the spatial extent of images obtained for direct and scattered gamma rays is compared. By performing detailed Monte Carlo simulations using Geant4, we verify that the spatial extent of the position where gamma rays are scattered increases with increasing depth. To demonstrate this, we are developing various gamma cameras to compare low-energy (scattered) gamma-ray images with fully photo-absorbed gamma-ray images. We also demonstrate that the 3D reconstruction of isotopes/hotspots is possible with our proposed methods. These methods have potential applications in the medical fields, and in severe environments such as the nuclear-disaster-affected areas in Fukushima.

Testing and Performance Validation of a Sensitive Gamma Ray Camera Designed for Radiation Detection and Decommissioning Measurements in Nuclear Facilities-13044

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mason, John A.; Looman, Marc R.; Poundall, Adam J.

2013-07-01

This paper describes the measurements, testing and performance validation of a sensitive gamma ray camera designed for radiation detection and quantification in the environment and decommissioning and hold-up measurements in nuclear facilities. The instrument, which is known as RadSearch, combines a sensitive and highly collimated LaBr{sub 3} scintillation detector with an optical (video) camera with controllable zoom and focus and a laser range finder in one detector head. The LaBr{sub 3} detector has a typical energy resolution of between 2.5% and 3% at the 662 keV energy of Cs-137 compared to that of NaI detectors with a resolution of typicallymore » 7% to 8% at the same energy. At this energy the tungsten shielding of the detector provides a shielding ratio of greater than 900:1 in the forward direction and 100:1 on the sides and from the rear. The detector head is mounted on a pan/tile mechanism with a range of motion of ±180 degrees (pan) and ±90 degrees (tilt) equivalent to 4 π steradians. The detector head with pan/tilt is normally mounted on a tripod or wheeled cart. It can also be mounted on vehicles or a mobile robot for access to high dose-rate areas and areas with high levels of contamination. Ethernet connects RadSearch to a ruggedized notebook computer from which it is operated and controlled. Power can be supplied either as 24-volts DC from a battery or as 50 volts DC supplied by a small mains (110 or 230 VAC) power supply unit that is co-located with the controlling notebook computer. In this latter case both power and Ethernet are supplied through a single cable that can be up to 80 metres in length. If a local battery supplies power, the unit can be controlled through wireless Ethernet. Both manual operation and automatic scanning of surfaces and objects is available through the software interface on the notebook computer. For each scan element making up a part of an overall scanned area, the unit measures a gamma ray spectrum. Multiple radionuclides may be selected by the operator and will be identified if present. In scanning operation the unit scans a designated region and superimposes over a video image the distribution of measured radioactivity. For the total scanned area or object RadSearch determines the total activity of operator selected radionuclides present and the gamma dose-rate measured at the detector head. Results of hold-up measurements made in a nuclear facility are presented, as are test measurements of point sources distributed arbitrarily on surfaces. These latter results are compared with the results of benchmarked MCNP Monte Carlo calculations. The use of the device for hold-up and decommissioning measurements is validated. (authors)« less

Anti-Toxoplasma activity and impact evaluation of lyophilization, hot molding process, and gamma-irradiation techniques on CLH-PLGA intravitreal implants.

PubMed

Fernandes-Cunha, Gabriella M; Rezende, Cíntia M F; Mussel, Wagner N; da Silva, Gisele R; de L Gomes, Elionai C; Yoshida, Maria I; Fialho, Sílvia L; Goes, Alfredo M; Gomes, Dawison A; de Almeida Vitor, Ricardo W; Silva-Cunha, Armando

2016-01-01

Intraocular delivery systems have been developed to treat many eye diseases, especially those affecting the posterior segment of the eye. However, ocular toxoplasmosis, the leading cause of infectious posterior uveitis in the world, still lacks an effective treatment. Therefore, our group developed an intravitreal polymeric implant to release clindamycin, a potent anti-Toxoplasma antibiotic. In this work, we used different techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate drug/polymer properties while manufacturing the delivery system. We showed that the lyophilization, hot molding process, and sterilization by gamma irradiation did not change drug/polymer physical-chemistry properties. The drug was found to be homogeneously dispersed into the poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) chains and the profile release was characterized by an initial burst followed by prolonged release. The drug profile release was not modified after gamma irradiation and non-covalent interaction was found between the drug and the PLGA. We also observed the preservation of the drug activity by showing the potent anti-Toxoplasma effect of the implant, after 24-72 h in contact with cells infected by the parasite, which highlights this system as an alternative to treat toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis.

Adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP in wastewater onto CS/CoFe₂O ₄ nanocomposite synthesized using gamma radiation.

PubMed

Taleb, Manal F Abou

2014-12-19

Photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was studied using the photocatalyst chitosane/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite (CS/CF) under visible light. CS/CF nanocomposites were synthesized via gamma irradiation cross-linking method with the aid of sonication. Physical characteristics of CS/CF were studied using infrared spectrophotometer (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic activity was tested for the degradation of 2-CP in aqueous medium using sunlight. The effect of different parameters such as catalyst concentration, 2-CP concentration and reaction pH on degradation was also examined. It was verified that the 2-CP degradation rate fits a pseudo-first-order kinetics for initial 2-CP concentrations between 25 and 100mg/l, at 30°C. The degradation kinetics fit well Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate law. The degradation of (2-CP) follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. Results showed that after the catalyst had been used 5 times repeatedly, the degradation rate was still above 80%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hollow-core screw dislocations in 6H-SiC single crystals: A test of Frank`s theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Si, W.; Dudley, M.; Glass, R.

1997-03-01

Hollow-core screw dislocations, also known as `micropipes`, along the [0001] axis in 6H-SiC single crystals, have been studied by synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Nomarski optical microscopy (NOM). Using SWBXT, the magnitude of the burgers vector of screw dislocations has been determined by measuring the following four parameters: (1) the diameter of dislocation images in back-reflection topographs; (2) the width of bimodal dislocation images in transmission topographs; (3) the magnitude of the tilt of lattice planes on both sides of dislocation core in projection topographs; and (4) the magnitude of the tilt of latticemore » planes in section topographs. The four methods show good agreement. The burgers vector magnitude of screw dislocations, b, and the diameter of associated micropipes, D, were fitted to Frank`s prediction for hollow-core screw dislocations: D = {mu}b{sup 2}/4{pi}{sup 2}{gamma}, where {mu} is shear modulus, and {gamma} is specific surface energy. 15 refs., 17 figs.« less

A-4 scientific results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matteson, J.

1979-01-01

Observations of galactic sources, extragalactic sources and gamma bursts with the A-4 instrument at energy 1 energies of between 0.1 to 10 MeV are discussed. Aximuthal scans are presented. The Crab Nebula and its spectrum and the spectrum of Cygnus Z-1 are described.

Thyroid Scan and Uptake

MedlinePlus

... minutes prior to the test. When it is time for the imaging to begin, you will lie down on a moveable examination table with your head tipped backward and neck extended. The gamma camera will then take a series of images, capturing images of the thyroid gland ...

Selenium homocholic acid taurocholate scanning, selenium-75-labeled bile acid, a novel method for testing the function of the terminal ileum in small bowel transplant recipients: a pilot study.

PubMed

Beath, S V; Lanchbury, E; Alton, H; Mahandru, R; Toy, M; van Mouirk, I D; McKiernan, P J; Hartley, J; Kelly, D A; Sharif, K; Gupte, G

2014-01-01

The terminal ileum (TI) is important for the active reabsorption of bile salts and is the site of allograft rejection; disruption of enterohepatic circulation (EHC) may give insights to inflammatory and other physiologic processes at the TI. Four children aged 5 to 12 years who had received small bowel transplantation (SBTx), 3 recovering from post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and 1 with acute rejection, were studied. Two of the 4 had stoma reversal. Another child (15 years) with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and pruritus, despite liver transplantation and biliary diversion, was studied. Selenium homocholic acid taurocholate scanning ((75)SeHCAT) capsule was given orally (n = 3) or via introducer during endoscopy (n = 2); a baseline whole-body gamma camera scan was done 4 hours later and on days 1 to 5. The normal 3-day bile salt retention is 30% to 70% of baseline and normal adult biological half-life, t½ is 62 ± 17 hours. The results in children with a stoma were very low (0.1% at 7.6 hours; 5% at 17 hours). The children with reversed stoma had retention and t½ closer to the reference range (18% at 29 hours; 22% at 33 hours). The child with PFIC + biliary diversion had an initial very high gamma emission from the stoma bag suggesting excellent reabsorption of bile salts from his TI, but retention was 0.6% and t½ 9.8 hours, demonstrating efficient biliary diversion. These results confirm children with stomas malabsorb bile acids, which can be ameliorated after stoma closure. SeHCAT demonstrated that the biliary diversion was working well and may be helpful in preoperative assessment of abnormal EHC. The role of SeHCAT in SBTx requires further evaluation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy resolution in semiconductor gamma radiation detectors using heterojunctions and methods of use and preparation thereof

DOEpatents

Nikolic, Rebecca J.; Conway, Adam M.; Nelson, Art J.; Payne, Stephen A.

2012-09-04

In one embodiment, a system comprises a semiconductor gamma detector material and a hole blocking layer adjacent the gamma detector material, the hole blocking layer resisting passage of holes therethrough. In another embodiment, a system comprises a semiconductor gamma detector material, and an electron blocking layer adjacent the gamma detector material, the electron blocking layer resisting passage of electrons therethrough, wherein the electron blocking layer comprises undoped HgCdTe. In another embodiment, a method comprises forming a hole blocking layer adjacent a semiconductor gamma detector material, the hole blocking layer resisting passage of holes therethrough. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

Physical principles of neutron-gamma materials monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pekarskii, G. Sh.

1986-03-01

The physical principles of secondary radiation methods in nondestructive testing are discussed. Among the techniques considered are: neutron activation analysis (NAA); the induced-radiation method; and quasialbedo recording of secondary gamma-radiation. Emphasis is given to the neutron-gamma method which consists of exposing test material to a neutron flux and recording the secondary gamma-radiation by means of a spectrometer. The limitations of the method in detecting local inhomogeneous defects (filled pores cracks, and inclusions) in metal layers and multicomponents materials are described, and some advantages of the method over NAA are discussed. Formulas are derived for estimating the optimum density of the gamma-ray flux which is received by the detector.

Physical principles of neutron-gamma materials monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pekarskii, G. Sh.

1985-07-01

The physical principles of secondary radiation methods in nondestructive testing are discussed. Among the techniques considered are: neutron activation analysis (NAA); the induced-radiation method; and quasialbedo recording of secondary gamma-radiation. Emphasis is given to the neutron-gamma method which consists of exposing test material to a neutron flux and recording the secondary gamma-radiation by means of a spectrometer. The limitations of the method in detecting local inhomogeneous defects (filled pores cracks, and inclusions) in metal layers and multicomponents materials are described, and some advantages of the method over NAA are discussed. Formulas are derived for estimating the optimum density of the gamma-ray flux which is received by the detector.

Composition and Properties of Deposits Formed on the Internal Surface of Oil Pipelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulieva, N. K.; Mustafaev, I. I.; Sabzaliev, A. A.; Garibov, R. G.

2018-03-01

The composition and physicochemical properties of oil deposits formed in pipelines during the transport of oil from Azerbaijani fields were studied by atomic absorption, chromatography-mass spectrometry, gamma spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy methods. Up to 20% of the deposits were shown to be composed of paraffins, tars, and other heavy oil fractions, while asphaltenes and mechanical impurities (iron, sulfur, manganese, calcium, and silicon compounds) comprise about 80%. The contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and radionuclides are within permissible levels, while the content of some heavy metals exceeds the permissible level by a factor of 1000. These data should be used in the management of waste products in petroleum pipelines.

Effect of [gamma]-irradiation on latent tracks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiroki, A.; Asano, M.; Yamaki, T.; Yoshida, M.

2005-04-01

The pre-treatment effect of γ-irradiation on latent tracks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films bombarded with swift heavy ions was investigated by electric conductometry and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. The Xe-ion bombarded PET films were etched for 6 h in 0.2 M NaOH aqueous solution at 70 °C to prepare track-etched membranes. As γ-irradiation doses increased in the range of 0-160 kGy, the surface pore diameter obtained by SEM observation decreased while that obtained by conductometry became large. This inconsistent result between the two methods was due to an increase in the crosslinked region in the latent tracks caused by γ-irradiation.

Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory being released from the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. In January 1999, the instrument, via the Internet, cued a computer-controlled telescope at Las Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within 20 seconds of registering a burst. With this capability, the gamma-ray experiment came to serve as a gamma-ray burst alert for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and major gound-based observatories around the world. Thirty-seven universities, observatories, and NASA centers in 19 states, and 11 more institutions in Europe and Russia, participated in BATSE's science program.

Interaction of hydrogen chloride with alumina. [atmospheric effluent concentrations and interaction of solid rocket propellants used in space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, R. R.; Wightman, J. P.

1978-01-01

The influence of temperature, pressure, and outgas conditions on the absorption of hydrogen chloride and water vapor on both alpha and gamma alumina was studied. Characterization of the adsorbents was performed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low temperature nitrogen adsorption desorption measurements, BET nitrogen surface area measurements and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Water vapor adsorption isotherms at 30, 40, and 50 C were measured on alpha and gamma alumina after outgassing at 80, 200, and 400 C. Both outgas temperature and adsorption temperature influenced the adsorption of water vapor on the aluminas. The water vapor adsorption was completely reversible. Alpha alumina absorbed more water per unit area than gamma alumina. Differences in the adsorption capacity for water vapor of the two aluminas were explained on the basis of ideal surface models of alpha and gamma alumina. Isosteric heats of adsorption for water vapor on the aluminas were determined over a limited range of surface coverage.

Tuning the properties of tin oxide thin films for device fabrications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudha, A.; Sharma, S. L.; Gupta, A. N.; Sharma, S. D.

2017-11-01

Tin oxide thin films were deposited on well cleaned glass substrates by thermal evaporation in vacuum and were annealed at 500 ∘C in the open atmosphere inside a furnace for 90 min for promoting the sensitivity of the films. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the as-deposited films were amorphous in nature and the annealed films showed appreciable crystalline behavior. The annealed thin films were then irradiated using 60Co gamma source. The radiation induced changes were then studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and I- V characterization. The remarkable increase in the average grain size, the decrement in the energy band gap and resistivity due to the gamma irradiations up to a certain dose and the reversal of these properties at higher doses are the important observations. The large changes in the conductivity and energy band gap of the annealed thin films due to gamma irradiation make these films quite important device material for the fabrication of gamma sensors and dosimeters.

Development and application of a hybrid transport methodology for active interrogation systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Royston, K.; Walters, W.; Haghighat, A.

A hybrid Monte Carlo and deterministic methodology has been developed for application to active interrogation systems. The methodology consists of four steps: i) neutron flux distribution due to neutron source transport and subcritical multiplication; ii) generation of gamma source distribution from (n, 7) interactions; iii) determination of gamma current at a detector window; iv) detection of gammas by the detector. This paper discusses the theory and results of the first three steps for the case of a cargo container with a sphere of HEU in third-density water cargo. To complete the first step, a response-function formulation has been developed tomore » calculate the subcritical multiplication and neutron flux distribution. Response coefficients are pre-calculated using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The second step uses the calculated neutron flux distribution and Bugle-96 (n, 7) cross sections to find the resulting gamma source distribution. In the third step the gamma source distribution is coupled with a pre-calculated adjoint function to determine the gamma current at a detector window. The AIMS (Active Interrogation for Monitoring Special-Nuclear-Materials) software has been written to output the gamma current for a source-detector assembly scanning across a cargo container using the pre-calculated values and taking significantly less time than a reference MCNP5 calculation. (authors)« less

Space Science

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-01-01

In this photograph, Dr. Gerald Fishman of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a principal investigator of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (GRO's) instrument, the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), works on the BATSE detector module. For nearly 9 years, GRO's BATSE, designed and built by MSFC, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. Because gamma-rays are so powerful, they pass through conventional telescope mirrors. Instead of a mirror, the heart of each BATSE module was a large, flat, transparent crystal that generated a tiny flash of light when struck by a gamma-ray. With an impressive list of discoveries and diverse accomplishments, BATSE could claim to have rewritten astronomy textbooks. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991, the GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful 9-year mission in June 2000.

SU-F-T-571: Objective Assessment of 3D Dosimetry for Flattened and Flattened Filter Free Stereotactic Rotational Delivery Using 729-Array Detector with Octavius 4D Phantom

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vikraman, S; Arun, C; Jain, K Sandeep

2016-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of 3D dosimetry for flattened and flattened filter free stereotactic rotational delivery in high definition MLC using 729-detector array with Octavius 4D phantom Methods: Twenty rapid arc plans were assessed for this study. For each patient two plans for 6X and 6FFF photon beams were generated with same prescription and critical organ constraints in Eclipse TPS version 13.0 using high definition MLC. Verification plans were generated in scanned Octavius 4D phantom in TPS. 3D dose measurements were collected from 729-ion chamber detector array in Octavius 4D phantom using verisoftmore » software v 6.0. TPS calculated dose was compared with measured 3D dose in verisoft using the following gamma analysis parameters such as 3D volumetric, 3D planar and 2D global gamma in transverse, sagittal and coronal planes for 3mm/3% and 2mm/2% distance to agreement criteria.Passing rate and arithmetic mean of global gamma were analysed for 2D and 3D global gamma in all planes. Results: The average number of dose points passing rate for 2D global gamma with 3mm/3% criteria in transverse, sagittal and coronal planes was 99.06%±2.89%, 98.8%±0.88% and 99.06%±91%, respectively. For 2mm/2% criteria 97.86%±2.26%, 94.49± 2.64% and 94.34%±2.9% was observed. In 3D planar global gamma with 3mm/3% was 99.53%±0.49%, 98.93%±1.03% and 99.29%±1.29%, for 2mm 2% criteria was 97.50%±2.24%, 94.5%±2.5% and 95.38%±4.5%. The maximum arithmetic mean gamma deviation of 0.505%±0.13% was observed in coronal plane for 2D global gamma with 2mm/2% criteria. The 3D volumetric gamma passing rate was observed as 99.61%±0.433% for 3mm /3% and 95.91%±2.51% for 2mm/2%. Conclusion: The objective assessment of 3D dosimetry have demonstrated that the rotational delivery accuracy for flattened and flattened filter free stereotactic plans can be verified by using Octavius system comprising with 729 ion chamber array and Octavius 4D phantom.« less

Intensity measurements for the /2, O/ gamma-band of O2, b 1Sigma-g/+/ - X 3Sigma-g/-/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. H.; Giver, L. P.; Boese, R. W.

1976-01-01

Line intensities for the P sub P and P sub Q branches of the (2-O) vibrational band of the magnetic dipole electronic transition for the oxygen red system at 6280 A were measured, and the sum of the R sub R and R sub Q branch intensities was taken. A large number of repetitive spectral scans were required for accuracy, because of low absorption values even at optical path lengths from 300 to 600 m. A total of 557 individual measurements of P-branch lines yielded an intensity value for the P-branches, and equivalent widths for 24 spectral scans yielded an intensity value for the R-branch. R-branch to P-branch intensity ratios were taken for the A-band, B-band, and gamma-band (respectively, O-O at 7620 A, 1-O at 6880 A, and 2-O at 6280 A). Intensities for some rotational lines are found, and effects of combined rotation-vibration interaction are probed.

Nurse exposure doses resulted from bone scintigraphy patient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tunçman, Duygu, E-mail: duygutuncman@gmail.com; Demir, Bayram; Kovan, Bilal

Bone scintigraphy is used for displaying the radiologic undiagnosed bone lesions in nuclear medicine. It’s general indications are researching bone metastases, detection of radiographically occult fractures, staging and follow-up in primary bone tumors, diagnosis of paget’s disease, investigation of loosening and infection in orthopedic implants. It is applied with using {sup 99m}Tc labeled radiopharmaceuticals (e.g {sup 99m} Tc MDP,{sup 99m}Tc HEDP and {sup 99m}Tc HMDP). 20 -25 mCi IV radiotracer was injected into vein and radiotracer emits gamma radiation. Patient waits in isolated room for about 3 hours then a gamma camera scans radiation area and creates an image. Whenmore » some patient’s situation is not good, patients are hospitalized until the scanning because of patients’ close contact care need. In this study, measurements were taken from ten patients using Geiger Muller counter. After these measurements, we calculated nurse’s exposure radiations from patient’s routine treatment, examination and emergency station.« less

Torsional deformity of apical vertebra in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

PubMed

Kotwicki, Tomasz; Napiontek, Marek

2002-01-01

CT scans of structural thoracic idiopathic scoliosis were reviewed in nine patients admitted to our department for scoliosis surgery. The apical vertebra scans were chosen and the following parameters were evaluated: 1) alpha angle formed by the axis of vertebra and the axis of spinous process 2) beta concave and beta convex angle between the spinous process and the left and right transverse process, respectively, 3) gamma concave and gamma convex angle between the axis of vertebra and the left and right transverse process, respectively, 4) the rotation angle to the sagittal plane. The constant deviation of the spinous process towards the convex side of the curve was observed. The vertebral body itself was distorted towards the concavity of the curve. The angle between the spinous process and the transverse process was smaller on the convex side of the curve. The torsional, intravertebral deformity of the apical vertebra was a factor acting in the direction opposite to the rotation, in the sense to reduce the deformity of the spine in idiopathic scoliosis.

Effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties of commercial poly(lactic acid) clamshell for food packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madera-Santana, Tomás J.; Meléndrez, R.; González-García, Gerardo; Quintana-Owen, Patricia; Pillai, Suresh D.

2016-06-01

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a well-known biodegradable polymer with strong potential application in food packaging industry. In this paper, samples of PLA clamshell for tomatoes packaging were exposed with 60CO γ-ray's source (1.33 MeV) at different dose levels (0, 10, 60, 150, 300, and 600 kGy), at room temperature and in presence of air. The physicochemical properties of neat PLA and sample exposed to gamma irradiation were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile measurements. Results show as the dose increases, the molecular weight (Mw), melting temperature (Tm), tensile strength and elongation at break decreased. However, the tensile modulus increased with increasing doses. The surface of PLA clamshells was degraded (scratches and minor cracks) when samples were exposed to doses greater than 60 kGy.

In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement of gray-matter and white-matter gamma-aminobutyric acid concentration in sensorimotor cortex using a motion-controlled MEGA point-resolved spectroscopy sequence.

PubMed

Bhattacharyya, Pallab K; Phillips, Micheal D; Stone, Lael A; Lowe, Mark J

2011-04-01

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Understanding the GABA concentration, in vivo, is important to understand normal brain function. Using MEGA point-resolved spectroscopy sequence with interleaved water scans to detect subject motion, GABA level of sensorimotor cortex was measured using a voxel identified from a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The GABA level in a 20×20×20-mm(3) voxel consisting of 37%±7% gray matter, 52%±12% white matter and 11%±8% cerebrospinal fluid in the sensorimotor region was measured to be 1.43±0.48 mM. In addition, using linear regression analysis, GABA concentrations within gray and white matter were calculated to be 2.87±0.61 and 0.33±0.11 mM, respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of gamma-irradiation technology in the manufacture of biopolymer-based packaging films for shelf-stable foods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parra, Duclerc F.; Rodrigues, Juliana A. F. R.; Lugão, Ademar B.

2005-07-01

Gamma irradiation is an alternative method for the manufacture of sterilized packaging with increased storage stability and microbiological safety. Biopolymer-based packaging films are a potential solution to many environmental problems that have emerged from the production and accumulation of significant amounts of synthetic polymeric waste. This work was undertaken to verify the effectiveness of low-dose gamma-irradiation in obtaining biopolymer-based packaging films for shelf-stable foods. PHB polyester poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) is an interesting biodegradable polymer that has been intensely investigated as cast and sheet films, with applications in the food industry and medicine. The films obtained are, however, typically brittle, and many scientists have attempted to reduce this brittleness by blending PHB with other polymers. In the present work, PHB was blended with PEG (polyethyleneglycol) to obtain films by the casting method that were then irradiated at a dose rate of 5.72 kGy/h with a 60Co source. Samples were melted at 200 °C and quenched to 0 °C in order to evaluate film crystallinity levels by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC analyses were performed with the samples (10 mg) under N2 atmosphere, heating from -50 to 200 °C (10 °C min-1), cooling from 200 to -50 °C (10 °C min-1); and heating from -50 to 200 °C (10 °C min-1). The thermal and mechanical resistances of the films after irradiation at low doses (5, 10, 20 kGy) are discussed. Water vapour transmission decreased with increasing irradiation dose, indicating that the films' performance as water vapour barrier had improved. Critical loss of the mechanical properties was observed at 40 kGy.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, J; Li, X; Liu, G

Purpose: We compare and investigate the dosimetric impacts on pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton treatment plans generated with CT calibration curves from four different CT scanners and one averaged ‘global’ CT calibration curve. Methods: The four CT scanners are located at three different hospital locations within the same health system. CT density calibration curves were collected from these scanners using the same CT calibration phantom and acquisition parameters. Mass density to HU value tables were then commissioned in a commercial treatment planning system. Five disease sites were chosen for dosimetric comparisons at brain, lung, head and neck, adrenal, and prostate.more » Three types of PBS plans were generated at each treatment site using SFUD, IMPT, and robustness optimized IMPT techniques. 3D dose differences were investigated using 3D Gamma analysis. Results: The CT calibration curves for all four scanners display very similar shapes. Large HU differences were observed at both the high HU and low HU regions of the curves. Large dose differences were generally observed at the distal edges of the beams and they are beam angle dependent. Out of the five treatment sites, lung plans exhibits the most overall range uncertainties and prostate plans have the greatest dose discrepancy. There are no significant differences between the SFUD, IMPT, and the RO-IMPT methods. 3D gamma analysis with 3%, 3 mm criteria showed all plans with greater than 95% passing rate. Two of the scanners with close HU values have negligible dose difference except for lung. Conclusion: Our study shows that there are more than 5% dosimetric differences between different CT calibration curves. PBS treatment plans generated with SFUD, IMPT, and the robustness optimized IMPT has similar sensitivity to the CT density uncertainty. More patient data and tighter gamma criteria based on structure location and size will be used for further investigation.« less

Measurement of total-body cobalt-57 vitamin B12 absorption with a gamma camera.

PubMed

Cardarelli, J A; Slingerland, D W; Burrows, B A; Miller, A

1985-08-01

Previously described techniques for the measurement of the absorption of [57Co]vitamin B12 by total-body counting have required an iron room equipped with scanning or multiple detectors. The present study uses simplifying modifications which make the technique more available and include the use of static geometry, the measurement of body thickness to correct for attenuation, a simple formula to convert the capsule-in-air count to a 100% absorption count, and finally the use of an adequately shielded gamma camera obviating the need of an iron room.

[Adenovirus-mediated canine interferon-gamma expression and its antiviral activity against canine parvovirus].

PubMed

Zhang, Kao; Jin, Huijun; Zhong, Fei; Li, Xiujin; Neng, Changai; Chen, Huihui; Li, Wenyan; Wen, Jiexia

2012-11-04

To construct recombinant adenovirus containing canine interferon-gamma (cIFN-gamma) gene and to investigate its antiviral activity against canine parvovirus in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK). [Methods] The cIFN-gamma gene was inserted into adenovirus shuttle plasmid to construct pShuttle3-cIFN-gamma expression vector, from which the cIFN-gamma expression cassette was transferred into the adenovirus genomic plasmid pAdeno-X by specific restriction sites to generate recombinant adenovirus genomic plasmid pAd-cIFN-gamma. The pAd-cIFN-gamma plasmid was linearized by digestion and transfected into human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells to generate the replication-defective cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus (Ad-cIFN-gamma). To analyze its anti-canine parvovirus activity, the MDCK cells were pre-infected by Ad-cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus, and then infected by canine parvovirus. The antiviral activity of the Ad-cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus against parvovirus was analyzed. The recombinant adenovirus containing cIFN-gamma gene was constructed by the ligation method. The recombinant adenovirus could mediates recombinant cIFN-gamma secretory expression in MDCK cells. The Ad-cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus could significantly inhibit canine parvovirus replication in MDCK cells pre-infected with the recombinant adenovirus. These results indicate that the Ad-cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus has the potent antiviral activity against canine parvovirus. The Ad-cIFN-gamma recombinant adenovirus was successfully constructed by the ligation method and possessed a powerful antiviral activity against canine parvovirus.

Bacterial and iron oxide aggregates mediate secondary iron mineral formation: green rust versus magnetite.

PubMed

Zegeye, A; Mustin, C; Jorand, F

2010-06-01

In the presence of methanoate as electron donor, Shewanella putrefaciens, a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe, is able to transform lepidocrocite (gamma-FeOOH) to secondary Fe (II-III) minerals such as carbonated green rust (GR1) and magnetite. When bacterial cells were added to a gamma-FeOOH suspension, aggregates were produced consisting of both bacteria and gamma-FeOOH particles. Recently, we showed that the production of secondary minerals (GR1 vs. magnetite) was dependent on bacterial cell density and not only on iron reduction rates. Thus, gamma-FeOOH and S. putrefaciens aggregation pattern was suggested as the main mechanism driving mineralization. In this study, lepidocrocite bioreduction experiments, in the presence of anthraquinone disulfonate, were conducted by varying the [cell]/[lepidocrocite] ratio in order to determine whether different types of aggregate are formed, which may facilitate precipitation of GR1 as opposed to magnetite. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to analyze the relative cell surface area and lepidocrocite concentration within the aggregates and captured images were characterized by statistical methods for spatial data (i.e. variograms). These results suggest that the [cell]/[lepidocrocite] ratio influenced both the aggregate structure and the nature of the secondary iron mineral formed. Subsequently, a [cell]/[lepidocrocite] ratio above 1 x 10(7) cells mmol(-1) leads to densely packed aggregates and to the formation of GR1. Below this ratio, looser aggregates are formed and magnetite was systematically produced. The data presented in this study bring us closer to a more comprehensive understanding of the parameters governing the formation of minerals in dense bacterial suspensions and suggest that screening mineral-bacteria aggregate structure is critical to understanding (bio)mineralization pathways.

Real time method and computer system for identifying radioactive materials from HPGe gamma-ray spectroscopy

DOEpatents

Rowland, Mark S.; Howard, Douglas E.; Wong, James L.; Jessup, James L.; Bianchini, Greg M.; Miller, Wayne O.

2007-10-23

A real-time method and computer system for identifying radioactive materials which collects gamma count rates from a HPGe gamma-radiation detector to produce a high-resolution gamma-ray energy spectrum. A library of nuclear material definitions ("library definitions") is provided, with each uniquely associated with a nuclide or isotope material and each comprising at least one logic condition associated with a spectral parameter of a gamma-ray energy spectrum. The method determines whether the spectral parameters of said high-resolution gamma-ray energy spectrum satisfy all the logic conditions of any one of the library definitions, and subsequently uniquely identifies the material type as that nuclide or isotope material associated with the satisfied library definition. The method is iteratively repeated to update the spectrum and identification in real time.

TH-CD-207A-10: Using the Gamma Index to Flag Changes in Anatomy During Radiation Therapy of Head and Neck Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaly, B; Battista, J; Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario Canada

Purpose: This article presents a fast algorithm for comparing 3-D anatomy from Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) imaging using the gamma comparison index and to demonstrate how this can be used to flag patients for possible re-planning of treatment. Methods: CBCT scans acquired on a Varian linear accelerator during treatment were used as input to the gamma comparator using thresholds of 5 mm distance to agreement and 30 Hounsfield Unit CT number difference. The fraction 1 CBCT study was initially used as the reference. Should there be a re-plan during treatment, the reference resets to the CBCT study acquired on the daymore » 1 of the re-plan. Histograms of failing pixels (γ > 1) were generated from each 3-D gamma map. An indicator of anatomy congruence, the match quality parameter (MQP), was derived from failed pixel histograms using the 90th percentile gamma value. The MQP was plotted versus fraction number and related to actual repeat computed tomography (re-CT) order dates as decided by a radiation oncologist. From this, decision criteria were derived for the algorithm to “trigger” re-CT consideration and predictive power was scored using receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: The MQP plot generally showed that the on-line match from CBCT image guidance deteriorated as the treatment progressed due to weight loss and tumor regression. The optimized MQP criteria for triggering re-CT consideration demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, consistent with actual re-CT order dates within ± 3 fractions. Out of 20 patients that were actually re-planned, the algorithm failed to trigger a re-CT recommendation only twice and this was caused by CBCT ring artifacts. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that gamma comparisons can be used to evaluate CBCT-acquired anatomy pairs and, from this, an algorithm can be “trained” to flag patients for possible re-planning in a manner consistent with local radiation oncology practice.« less

Ectopic Cushing' syndrome caused by a neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery.

PubMed

Fasshauer, Mathias; Lincke, Thomas; Witzigmann, Helmut; Kluge, Regine; Tannapfel, Andrea; Moche, Michael; Buchfelder, Michael; Petersenn, Stephan; Kratzsch, Juergen; Paschke, Ralf; Koch, Christian A

2006-04-27

ACTH overproduction within the pituitary gland or ectopically leads to hypercortisolism. Here, we report the first case of Cushing' syndrome caused by an ectopic ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery. Moreover, diagnostic procedures and pitfalls associated with ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors are demonstrated and discussed. A 41 year-old man presented with clinical features and biochemical tests suggestive of ectopic Cushing's syndrome. First, subtotal thyroidectomy was performed without remission of hypercortisolism, because an octreotide scan showed increased activity in the left thyroid gland and an ultrasound revealed nodules in both thyroid lobes one of which was autonomous. In addition, the patient had a 3 mm hypoenhancing lesion of the neurohypophysis and a 1 cm large adrenal tumor. Surgical removal of the pituitary lesion within the posterior lobe did not improve hypercortisolism and we continued to treat the patient with metyrapone to block cortisol production. At 18-months follow-up from initial presentation, we detected an ACTH-producing neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery by using a combination of octreotide scan, computed tomography scan, and positron emission tomography. Intraoperatively, use of a gamma probe after administration of radiolabeled (111)In-pentetreotide helped identify the mesenteric neuroendocrine tumor. After removal of this carcinoma, the patient improved clinically. Laboratory testing confirmed remission of hypercortisolism. An octreotide scan 7 months after surgery showed normal results. This case underscores the diagnostic challenge in identifying an ectopic ACTH-producing tumor and the pluripotency of cells, in this case of mesenteric cells that can start producing and secreting ACTH. It thereby helps elucidate the pathogenesis of neuroendocrine tumors. This case also suggests that patients with ectopic Cushing's syndrome and an octreotide scan positive in atypical locations may benefit from explorative radioguided surgery using (111)In-pentetreotide and a gamma probe.

Ectopic Cushing' syndrome caused by a neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery

PubMed Central

Fasshauer, Mathias; Lincke, Thomas; Witzigmann, Helmut; Kluge, Regine; Tannapfel, Andrea; Moche, Michael; Buchfelder, Michael; Petersenn, Stephan; Kratzsch, Juergen; Paschke, Ralf; Koch, Christian A

2006-01-01

Background ACTH overproduction within the pituitary gland or ectopically leads to hypercortisolism. Here, we report the first case of Cushing' syndrome caused by an ectopic ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery. Moreover, diagnostic procedures and pitfalls associated with ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors are demonstrated and discussed. Case presentation A 41 year-old man presented with clinical features and biochemical tests suggestive of ectopic Cushing's syndrome. First, subtotal thyroidectomy was performed without remission of hypercortisolism, because an octreotide scan showed increased activity in the left thyroid gland and an ultrasound revealed nodules in both thyroid lobes one of which was autonomous. In addition, the patient had a 3 mm hypoenhancing lesion of the neurohypophysis and a 1 cm large adrenal tumor. Surgical removal of the pituitary lesion within the posterior lobe did not improve hypercortisolism and we continued to treat the patient with metyrapone to block cortisol production. At 18-months follow-up from initial presentation, we detected an ACTH-producing neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mesentery by using a combination of octreotide scan, computed tomography scan, and positron emission tomography. Intraoperatively, use of a gamma probe after administration of radiolabeled 111In-pentetreotide helped identify the mesenteric neuroendocrine tumor. After removal of this carcinoma, the patient improved clinically. Laboratory testing confirmed remission of hypercortisolism. An octreotide scan 7 months after surgery showed normal results. Conclusion This case underscores the diagnostic challenge in identifying an ectopic ACTH-producing tumor and the pluripotency of cells, in this case of mesenteric cells that can start producing and secreting ACTH. It thereby helps elucidate the pathogenesis of neuroendocrine tumors. This case also suggests that patients with ectopic Cushing's syndrome and an octreotide scan positive in atypical locations may benefit from explorative radioguided surgery using 111In-pentetreotide and a gamma probe. PMID:16643652

Comprehensive clinical commissioning and validation of the RayStation treatment planning system for proton therapy with active scanning and passive treatment techniques.

PubMed

Bäumer, C; Geismar, D; Koska, B; Kramer, P H; Lambert, J; Lemke, M; Plaude, S; Pschichholz, L; Qamhiyeh, S; Schiemann, A; Timmermann, B; Vermeren, X

2017-11-01

To commission the treatment planning system (TPS) RayStation for proton therapy including beam models for spot scanning and for uniform scanning. Tests consist of procedures from ESTRO booklet number 7, the German DIN for constancy checks of TPSs, and extra tests checking the dose perturbation function. The dose distributions within patients were verified in silico by a comparison of 65 clinical treatment plans with the TPS XiO. Dose-volume parameters, dose differences, and three-dimensional gamma-indices serve as measures of similarity. The monthly constancy checks of Raystation have been automatized with a script. The basic functionality of the software complies with ESTRO booklet number 7. For a few features minor enhancements are suggested. The dose distribution in RayStation agrees with the calculation in XiO. This is supported by a gamma-index (3mm/3%) pass rate of >98.9% (median over 59 plans) for the volume within the 20% isodose line and a difference of <0.3% of V 95 of the PTV (median over 59 plans). If spot scanning is used together with a range shifter, the dose level calculated by RayStation can be off by a few percent. RayStation can be used for the creation of clinical proton treatment plans. Compared to XiO RayStation has an improved modelling of the lateral dose fall-off in passively delivered fields. For spot scanning fields with range shifter blocks an empirical adjustment of monitor units is required. The computation of perturbed doses also allows the evaluation of the robustness of a treatment plan. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vehicle and cargo inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbinski, Victor V.; Orphan, Victor J.

1997-02-01

Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) is comprised of a 1 Curie 137Cs gamma-ray source in a shield and collimator which produces a fan-shaped beam designed to intercept a vertical array of gama-ray detectors contained in a tower structure. The source and detector modules straddle the vehicle or container being inspected and are mounted on self-propelled trolleys which travel in synchronization along two parallel tracks covering the length of the scanned object. The signals from the gamma-ray detector array are processed and displayed so as to produce a 2D gamma-radiographic image of the object. Testing of the system on a variety of empty and lightly-loaded vehicles and containers has demonstrated the effectiveness of VACIS in detecting hidden contraband. For example, a small sample of cocaine only 1.5 inches thick was readily detected in a container.

A new method of differential structural analysis of gamma-family basic parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melkumian, L. G.; Ter-Antonian, S. V.; Smorodin, Y. A.

1985-01-01

The maximum likelihood method is used for the first time to restore parameters of electron photon cascades registered on X-ray films. The method permits one to carry out a structural analysis of the gamma quanta family darkening spots independent of the gamma quanta overlapping degree, and to obtain maximum admissible accuracies in estimating the energies of the gamma quanta composing a family. The parameter estimation accuracy weakly depends on the value of the parameters themselves and exceeds by an order of the values obtained by integral methods.

Fermi LAT detection of a GeV gamma-ray flare from blazar CGRaBS J0809+5341 (87GB 080551.6+535010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparrini, Dario

2017-10-01

The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed increasing gamma-ray emission from a source positionally consistent with the flat spectrum radio quasar CGRaBS J0809+5341 (also known as 87GB 080551.6+535010, BZQ J0809+5341 and 3FGL J0809.5+5342) with radio coordinates (J2000) R.A.: 122.4238862 deg, Dec.: 53.6903033 deg (Petrov et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 89). This blazar has a redshift z = 2.133 (Healey et al. 2008, ApJS, 175, 97). Preliminary analysis indicates that on 2017 October 26, CGRaBS J0809+5341 was in a high state with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E > 100 MeV) of (0.23+/-0.15) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only), about 20 times greater than its four-year average flux reported in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog (3FGL, Acero et al. 2015, ApJS, 218, 23). Because Fermi operates in an all-sky scanning mode, regular gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue.

Waste inspection tomography (WIT)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bernardi, R.T.

1996-12-31

WIT is a self-sufficient mobile semitrailer for nondestructive evaluation and nondestructive assay of nuclear waste drums using x-ray and gamma-ray tomography. The recently completed Phase I included the design, fabrication, and initial testing of all WIT subsystems installed on-board the trailer. Initial test results include 2 MeV digital radiography, computed tomography, Anger camera imaging, single photon emission computed tomography, gamma-ray spectroscopy, collimated gamma scanning, and active and passive computed tomography using a 1.4 mCi source of {sup 166}Ho. These techniques were initially demonstrated on a 55-gallon phantom drum with 3 simulated waste matrices of combustibles, heterogeneous metals, and cement usingmore » check sources of gamma active isotopes such as {sup 137}Cs and {sup 133}Ba with 9-250 {mu}Ci activities. Waste matrix identification, isotopic identification, and attenuation-corrected gamma activity determination were demonstrated nondestructively and noninvasively in Phase I. Currently ongoing Phase II involves DOE site field test demonstrations at LLNL, RFETS, and INEL with real nuclear waste drums. Current WIT experience includes 55 gallon drums of cement, graphite, sludge, glass, metals, and combustibles. Thus far WIT has inspected drums with 0-20 gms of {sup 239}Pu.« less

SU-F-T-142: An Analytical Model to Correct the Aperture Scattered Dose in Clinical Proton Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, B; Liu, S; Zhang, T

2016-06-15

Purpose: Apertures or collimators are used to laterally shape proton beams in double scattering (DS) delivery and to sharpen the penumbra in pencil beam (PB) delivery. However, aperture-scattered dose is not included in the current dose calculations of treatment planning system (TPS). The purpose of this study is to provide a method to correct the aperture-scattered dose based on an analytical model. Methods: A DS beam with a non-divergent aperture was delivered using a single-room proton machine. Dose profiles were measured with an ion-chamber scanning in water and a 2-D ion chamber matrix with solid-water buildup at various depths. Themore » measured doses were considered as the sum of the non-contaminated dose and the aperture-scattered dose. The non-contaminated dose was calculated by TPS and subtracted from the measured dose. Aperture scattered-dose was modeled as a 1D Gaussian distribution. For 2-D fields, to calculate the scatter-dose from all the edges of aperture, a sum of weighted distance was used in the model based on the distance from calculation point to aperture edge. The gamma index was calculated between the measured and calculated dose with and without scatter correction. Results: For a beam with range of 23 cm and aperture size of 20 cm, the contribution of the scatter horn was ∼8% of the total dose at 4 cm depth and diminished to 0 at 15 cm depth. The amplitude of scatter-dose decreased linearly with the depth increase. The 1D gamma index (2%/2 mm) between the calculated and measured profiles increased from 63% to 98% for 4 cm depth and from 83% to 98% at 13 cm depth. The 2D gamma index (2%/2 mm) at 4 cm depth has improved from 78% to 94%. Conclusion: Using the simple analytical method the discrepancy between the measured and calculated dose has significantly improved.« less

Influence of poly (lactide-co-glycolide) type and gamma irradiation on the betamethasone acetate release from the in situ forming systems.

PubMed

Rafienia, Mohammad; Emami, Shahriar Hojjati; Mirzadeh, Hamid; Mobedi, Hamid; Karbasi, Saeed

2009-04-01

In situ forming biodegradable polymeric systems were prepared from Poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide), RG504H (50:50, lactide:glycolide), RG756 (75:25) and mixture of them. They were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (33% w/w) and mixed with betamethasone acetate (BTMA, 5 and 10% w/w) and ethyl heptanoate (5% w/w, as an additive). The effects of gamma irradiation, drug loading, type of polymers and solvent removal were evaluated on release profiles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of RG756 samples loaded by BTMA did not show any degradation until two weeks. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments confirmed insignificant decrease in T(g), and consequently release rate. Declining T(g) of RG504H and RG756 after gamma irradiation was about 0.4 and 1.46 degrees C, respectively. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed that BTMA release is more rapid from the formulations prepared using the RG504H with lower molecular weight. The formulations prepared by RG756 had lower burst release (2.5-41%) than the samples based on RG504H (60-67%) and mixture of them (30-33%). Regarding this research three different kinds of steriled in situ forming systems were developed which can release BTMA for 24, 90 and 60 days.

X-ray Measurements of a Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

E.H. Seabury; D.L. Chichester; A.J. Caffrey

2001-08-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X-rays are a normal byproduct from a neutron generator and depending on their intensity and energy they can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum was measuredmore » with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x-rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60° between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and the x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric within the neutron generator.« less

Vehicle and cargo container inspection system for drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbinski, Victor V.; Orphan, Victor J.

1999-06-01

A vehicle and cargo container inspection system has been developed which uses gamma-ray radiography to produce digital images useful for detection of drugs and other contraband. The system is comprised of a 1 Ci Cs137 gamma-ray source collimated into a fan beam which is aligned with a linear array of NaI gamma-ray detectors located on the opposite side of the container. The NaI detectors are operated in the pulse-counting mode. A digital image of the vehicle or container is obtained by moving the aligned source and detector array relative to the object. Systems have been demonstrated in which the object is stationary (source and detector array move on parallel tracks) and in which the object moves past a stationary source and detector array. Scanning speeds of ˜30 cm/s with a pixel size (at the object) of ˜1 cm have been achieved. Faster scanning speeds of ˜2 m/s have been demonstrated on railcars with more modest spatial resolution (4 cm pixels). Digital radiographic images are generated from the detector count rates. These images, recorded on a PC-based data acquisition and display system, are shown from several applications: 1) inspection of trucks and containers at a border crossing, 2) inspection of railcars at a border crossing, 3) inspection of outbound cargo containers for stolen automobiles, and 4) inspection of trucks and cars for terrorist bombs.

Influence of gamma irradiation on polymerization of pyrrole and glucose oxidase immobilization onto poly (pyrrole)/poly (vinyl alcohol) matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idris, Sarada; A. Bakar, Ahmad Ashrif; Thevy Ratnam, Chantara; Kamaruddin, Nur Hasiba; Shaari, Sahbudin

2017-04-01

This paper describes the immobilization of glucose oxidase, GOx onto polymer matrix comprising of poly(pyrrole), PPy and poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA using gamma irradiation technique. Py/PVA-GOx film was prepared by spreading PVA:GOx, 1:1 solution onto dried pyrrole film and exposed to gamma irradiation from cobalt 60 source at doses ranging from 0 to 60 kGy. The films were subjected to structural and morphological analyses by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Similar studies were also made on pristine pyrrole film which served as control. The SEM and FTIR spectra of Py/PVA-GOx film revealed that pyrrole has been successfully polymerized through irradiation-induced reactions. The results on the morphological properties of the samples characterize using FESEM, SEM and AFM further confirmed the occurrence of radiation-induced modification of Py/PVA-GOx film. The FTIR spectra showed the existence of intermolecular interaction between polymer matrix and GOx indicating that GOx had been successfully immobilized onto Ppy/PVA matrix by radiation-induced reactions. Results revealed that radiation induced reactions such as polymerization of pyrrole, crosslinking of PVA, grafting between the adjacent PVA and pyrrole molecules as well as immobilization of GOx onto Ppy/PVA matrix occurred simultaneously upon gamma irradiation. The optimum dose for GOx immobilization in the polymer matrix found to be 40 kGy. Therefore it is clear that this irradiation technique offered a simple single process to produce Py/PVA-GOx film without additional crosslinking and polymerization agents.

A fast forward algorithm for real-time geosteering of azimuthal gamma-ray logging.

PubMed

Qin, Zhen; Pan, Heping; Wang, Zhonghao; Wang, Bintao; Huang, Ke; Liu, Shaohua; Li, Gang; Amara Konaté, Ahmed; Fang, Sinan

2017-05-01

Geosteering is an effective method to increase the reservoir drilling rate in horizontal wells. Based on the features of an azimuthal gamma-ray logging tool and strata spatial location, a fast forward calculation method of azimuthal gamma-ray logging is deduced by using the natural gamma ray distribution equation in formation. The response characteristics of azimuthal gamma-ray logging while drilling in the layered formation models with different thickness and position are simulated and summarized by using the method. The result indicates that the method calculates quickly, and when the tool nears a boundary, the method can be used to identify the boundary and determine the distance from the logging tool to the boundary in time. Additionally, the formation parameters of the algorithm in the field can be determined after a simple method is proposed based on the information of an offset well. Therefore, the forward method can be used for geosteering in the field. A field example validates that the forward method can be used to determine the distance from the azimuthal gamma-ray logging tool to the boundary for geosteering in real-time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TU-G-BRA-03: Predicting Radiation Therapy Induced Ventilation Changes Using 4DCT Jacobian Calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patton, T; Du, K; Bayouth, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: Longitudinal changes in lung ventilation following radiation therapy can be mapped using four-dimensional computed tomography(4DCT) and image registration. This study aimed to predict ventilation changes caused by radiation therapy(RT) as a function of pre-RT ventilation and delivered dose. Methods: 4DCT images were acquired before and 3 months after radiation therapy for 13 subjects. Jacobian ventilation maps were calculated from the 4DCT images, warped to a common coordinate system, and a Jacobian ratio map was computed voxel-by-voxel as the ratio of post-RT to pre-RT Jacobian calculations. A leave-one-out method was used to build a response model for each subject: post-RTmore » to pre-RT Jacobian ratio data and dose distributions of 12 subjects were applied to the subject’s pre-RT Jacobian map to predict the post-RT Jacobian. The predicted Jacobian map was compared to the actual post-RT Jacobian map to evaluate efficacy. Within this cohort, 8 subjects had repeat pre-RT scans that were compared as a reference for no ventilation change. Maps were compared using gamma pass rate criteria of 2mm distance-to-agreement and 6% ventilation difference. Gamma pass rates were compared using paired t-tests to determine significant differences. Further analysis masked non-radiation induced changes by excluding voxels below specified dose thresholds. Results: Visual inspection demonstrates the predicted post-RT ventilation map is similar to the actual map in magnitude and distribution. Quantitatively, the percentage of voxels in agreement when excluding voxels receiving below specified doses are: 74%/20Gy, 73%/10Gy, 73%/5Gy, and 71%/0Gy. By comparison, repeat scans produced 73% of voxels within the 6%/2mm criteria. The agreement of the actual post-RT maps with the predicted maps was significantly better than agreement with pre-RT maps (p<0.02). Conclusion: This work validates that significant changes to ventilation post-RT can be predicted. The differences between the predicted and actual outcome are similar to differences between repeat scans with equivalent ventilation. This work was supported by NIH grant CA166703 and a Pilot Grant from University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.« less

A method to describe inelastic gamma field distribution in neutron gamma density logging.

PubMed

Zhang, Feng; Zhang, Quanying; Liu, Juntao; Wang, Xinguang; Wu, He; Jia, Wenbao; Ti, Yongzhou; Qiu, Fei; Zhang, Xiaoyang

2017-11-01

Pulsed neutron gamma density logging (NGD) is of great significance for radioprotection and density measurement in LWD, however, the current methods have difficulty in quantitative calculation and single factor analysis for the inelastic gamma field distribution. In order to clarify the NGD mechanism, a new method is developed to describe the inelastic gamma field distribution. Based on the fast-neutron scattering and gamma attenuation, the inelastic gamma field distribution is characterized by the inelastic scattering cross section, fast-neutron scattering free path, formation density and other parameters. And the contribution of formation parameters on the field distribution is quantitatively analyzed. The results shows the contribution of density attenuation is opposite to that of inelastic scattering cross section and fast-neutron scattering free path. And as the detector-spacing increases, the density attenuation gradually plays a dominant role in the gamma field distribution, which means large detector-spacing is more favorable for the density measurement. Besides, the relationship of density sensitivity and detector spacing was studied according to this gamma field distribution, therefore, the spacing of near and far gamma ray detector is determined. The research provides theoretical guidance for the tool parameter design and density determination of pulsed neutron gamma density logging technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the Number of Light Neutrino Generations, Z Resonance Parameters, and Absolute Luminosity at the Aleph Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wear, James A.

Measurements of the production cross section sigma (e^+e^-to Z to hadrons) have been made with the ALEPH detector in a seven-point energy scan across the Z resonance at the LEP e^+e^ - collider. The selection of hadronic Z decays is performed with a systematic uncertainty of 0.3%, resulting in 147,836 events. The absolute luminosity has been determined with a systematic uncertainty of 0.9%. These hadronic cross sections and ALEPH's measurement of Z decay into charged leptons, sigma(e^+e^ -to Z to l^+l^ -), are used in fits to extract parameters of the Z resonance in a model-independent way. The Z mass and total width are measured to be M_{Z } = 91.177 +/- 0.010 _{exp} +/- 0.020_{LEP} GeV and Gamma_{Z} = 2.482 +/- 0.018_{exp} +/- 0.006_{LEP } GeV where the second errors are due to LEP beam energy uncertainties. The Z decay partial widths are measured to be Gamma_{h} = 1.738 +/- 0.016 GeV, Gamma_{l} = 83.45 +/- 0.76 MeV, and Gamma_ {inv} = 0.493 +/- 0.015 GeV. The Born-level peak hadronic cross section is sigma_sp{had}{0 } = 41.58 +/- 0.44 nb, R = Gamma_{h }/Gamma_{l} = 20.83 +/- 0.21, and Gamma_{inv}/Gamma _{l} = 5.91 +/- 0.18. The number of light neutrino generations is determined to be N_{nu} = 2.96 +/- 0.09 and the Standard Model electroweak mixing angle to be sin^2 theta_{W} = 0.2325 +/- 0.0027.

Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO) being deployed by the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-37 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered Earth atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, the GRO Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientists to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of stars, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. In January 1999, the instrument, via the Internet, cued a computer-controlled telescope at Las Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within 20 seconds of registering a burst. With this capability, the gamma-ray experiment came to serve as a gamma-ray burst alert for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and major gound-based observatories around the world. Thirty-seven universities, observatories, and NASA centers in 19 states, and 11 more institutions in Europe and Russia, participated in the BATSE science program.

Methods to Collect, Compile, and Analyze Observed Short-lived Fission Product Gamma Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finn, Erin C.; Metz, Lori A.; Payne, Rosara F.

2011-09-29

A unique set of fission product gamma spectra was collected at short times (4 minutes to 1 week) on various fissionable materials. Gamma spectra were collected from the neutron-induced fission of uranium, neptunium, and plutonium isotopes at thermal, epithermal, fission spectrum, and 14-MeV neutron energies. This report describes the experimental methods used to produce and collect the gamma data, defines the experimental parameters for each method, and demonstrates the consistency of the measurements.

Dr. Gerald Fishman Working on the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

In this photograph, Dr. Gerald Fishman of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a principal investigator of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (GRO's) instrument, the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), works on the BATSE detector module. For nearly 9 years, GRO's BATSE, designed and built by MSFC, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. Because gamma-rays are so powerful, they pass through conventional telescope mirrors. Instead of a mirror, the heart of each BATSE module was a large, flat, transparent crystal that generated a tiny flash of light when struck by a gamma-ray. With an impressive list of discoveries and diverse accomplishments, BATSE could claim to have rewritten astronomy textbooks. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991, the GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful 9-year mission in June 2000.

Comparison of the effect of plasma treatment and gamma ray irradiation on PS-Cu nanocomposite films surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farag, O. F.

2018-06-01

Polystyrene-copper (PS-Cu) nanocomposite films were treated with DC N2 plasma and gamma rays irradiations. The plasma treatment of PS-Cu film surface was carried out at different treatment times, gas pressure 0.4 Torr and the applied power 3.5 W. On the other hand, the treatment with gamma rays irradiation were carried out at irradiation doses 10, 30 and 50 kGy. The induced changes in surface properties of PS-Cu films were investigated with UV-viss spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR spectroscopy techniques. In addition, the wettability property, surface free energy, spreading coefficient and surface roughness of the treated samples were studied by measuring the contact angle. The UV-viss spectroscopy analysis revealed that the optical band gap decreases with increasing the treatment time and the irradiation dose for plasma and gamma treatments, respectively. SEM observations showed that the particle size of copper particles was increased with increasing the treatment time and the irradiation dose, but gamma treatment changes the copper particles size from nano scale to micro scale. The contact angle measurements showing that the wettability property, surface free energy, spreading coefficient and surface roughness of the treated PS-Cu samples were increased remarkably with increasing the treatment time and the irradiation dose for plasma and gamma treatments, respectively. The contact angle, surface free energy, spreading coefficient and surface roughness of the treated PS-Cu samples are more influenced by plasma treatment than gamma treatment.

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-04-01

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO) being deployed by the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-37 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered Earth atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, the GRO Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientists to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of stars, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. In January 1999, the instrument, via the Internet, cued a computer-controlled telescope at Las Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within 20 seconds of registering a burst. With this capability, the gamma-ray experiment came to serve as a gamma-ray burst alert for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and major gound-based observatories around the world. Thirty-seven universities, observatories, and NASA centers in 19 states, and 11 more institutions in Europe and Russia, participated in the BATSE science program.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-04-01

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory being released from the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. In January 1999, the instrument, via the Internet, cued a computer-controlled telescope at Las Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within 20 seconds of registering a burst. With this capability, the gamma-ray experiment came to serve as a gamma-ray burst alert for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and major gound-based observatories around the world. Thirty-seven universities, observatories, and NASA centers in 19 states, and 11 more institutions in Europe and Russia, participated in BATSE's science program.

Space Science

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-01-01

In this photograph, Dr. Gerald Fishman of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a principal investigator of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (GRO's) instrument, the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), and Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou of Universities Space Research Associates review data from the BATSE. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept a blinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of stars, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. Because gamma-rays are so powerful, they pass through conventional telescope mirrors. Instead of a mirror, the heart of each BATSE module was a large, flat, transparent crystal that generated a tiny flash of light when struck by a gamma-ray. With an impressive list of discoveries and diverse accomplishments, BATSE could claim to have rewritten astronomy textbooks. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991, the GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful 9-year mission in June 2000.

Low temperature gamma sterilization of a bioresorbable polymer, PLGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davison, Lisa; Themistou, Efrosyni; Buchanan, Fraser; Cunningham, Eoin

2018-02-01

Medical devices destined for insertion into the body must be sterilised before implantation to prevent infection or other complications. Emerging biomaterials, for example bioresorbable polymers, can experience changes in their properties due to standard industrial sterilization processes. Gamma irradiation is one of the most reliable, large scale sterilization methods, however it can induce chain scission, cross-linking or oxidation reactions in polymers. sterilization at low temperature or in an inert atmosphere has been reported to reduce the negative effects of gamma irradiation. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of low temperature sterilization (at -80 °C) when compared to sterilization at ambient temperature (25 °C) both in inert atmospheric conditions of nitrogen gas, on poly(lactide co-glycolide) (PLGA). PLGA was irradiated at -80 and 25 °C at 40 kGy in a nitrogen atmosphere. Samples were characterised using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile test, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results showed that the molecular weight was significantly reduced as was the glass transition temperature, an indication of chain scission. FTIR showed small changes in chemical structure in the methyl and carbonyl groups after irradiation. Glass transition temperature was significantly different between irradiation at -80 °C and irradiation at 25 °C, however this was a difference of only 1 °C. Ultimately, the results indicate that the sterilization temperature used does not affect PLGA when carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Smart poly(oligo(propylene glycol) methacrylate) hydrogel prepared by gamma radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suljovrujic, E.; Micic, M.

2015-01-01

The synthesis of poly(oligo(propylene glycol) methacrylate) (POPGMA) from functionalised oligo(propylene glycol) methacrylate (OPGMA) monomers by gamma radiation-induced radical polymerisation is reported for the first time; POPGMA homopolymeric hydrogel with oligo(propylene glycol) (OPG) pendant chains, as a non-linear PPGMA-analogue, was synthesised from an monomer-solvent (OPGMA375-water/ethanol) mixture at different irradiation doses (5, 10, 25, and 40 kGy). Determination of the gel fraction was conducted after synthesis. The swelling properties of the POPGMA hydrogel were preliminarily investigated over wide pH (2.2-9.0) and temperature (4-70 °C) ranges. Additional characterisation of structure and properties was conducted by UV-vis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as well as by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In order to evaluate the potential for biomedical applications, biocompatibility (cytocompatibility and haemolytic activity) studies were performed as well. Sol-gel conversion was relatively high for all irradiation doses, indicating radiation-induced synthesis as a good method for fabricating this hydrogel. Thermoresponsiveness and variations in swelling capacity as a result of thermosensitive OPG pendant chains with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) were mainly observed below room temperature; thus, the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of POPGMA homopolymeric hydrogel is about 15 °C. Furthermore, POPGMA has satisfactory biocompatibility. The results indicate that the hydrogels with propylene glycol pendant chains can be easily prepared by gamma radiation and have potential for different applications as smart and biocompatible polymers.

Physicochemical impact studies of gamma rays on "aspirin" analgesics drug and its metal complexes in solid form: Synthesis, spectroscopic and biological assessment of Ca(II), Mg(II), Sr(II) and Ba(II) aspirinate complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refat, Moamen S.; Sharshar, T.; Elsabawy, Khaled M.; Heiba, Zein K.

2013-09-01

Metal aspirinate complexes, M2(Asp)4, where M is Mg(II), Ca(II), Sr(II) or Ba(II) are formed by refluxed of aspirin (Asp) with divalent non-transition metal ions of group (II) and characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic measurements (infrared, electronic, 1H NMR, Raman, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy). Elemental analysis of the chelates suggests the stoichiometry is 1:2 (metal:ligand). Infrared spectra of the complexes agree with the coordination to the central metal atom through three donation sites of two oxygen atoms of bridge bidentate carboxylate group and oxygen atom of sbnd Cdbnd O of acetyl group. Infrared spectra coupled with the results of elemental analyzes suggested a distorted octahedral structure for the M(II) aspirinate complexes. Gamma irradiation was tested as a method for stabilization of aspirin as well as their complexes. The effect of gamma irradiation, with dose of 80 Gy, on the properties of aspirinate complexes was studied. The aspirinate chelates have been screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against four bacteria, gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two strains of fungus (Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans). The metal chelates were shown to possess more antibacterial activity than the free aspirin chelate.

Machine learning-based patient specific prompt-gamma dose monitoring in proton therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueth, P.; Dauvergne, D.; Freud, N.; Létang, J. M.; Ray, C.; Testa, E.; Sarrut, D.

2013-07-01

Online dose monitoring in proton therapy is currently being investigated with prompt-gamma (PG) devices. PG emission was shown to be correlated with dose deposition. This relationship is mostly unknown under real conditions. We propose a machine learning approach based on simulations to create optimized treatment-specific classifiers that detect discrepancies between planned and delivered dose. Simulations were performed with the Monte-Carlo platform Gate/Geant4 for a spot-scanning proton therapy treatment and a PG camera prototype currently under investigation. The method first builds a learning set of perturbed situations corresponding to a range of patient translation. This set is then used to train a combined classifier using distal falloff and registered correlation measures. Classifier performances were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and maximum associated specificity and sensitivity. A leave-one-out study showed that it is possible to detect discrepancies of 5 mm with specificity and sensitivity of 85% whereas using only distal falloff decreases the sensitivity down to 77% on the same data set. The proposed method could help to evaluate performance and to optimize the design of PG monitoring devices. It is generic: other learning sets of deviations, other measures and other types of classifiers could be studied to potentially reach better performance. At the moment, the main limitation lies in the computation time needed to perform the simulations.

Feasibility of Using Gluconolactone, Trehalose and Hydroxy-Propyl Gamma Cyclodextrin to Enhance Bendroflumethiazide Dissolution Using Lyophilisation and Physical Mixing Techniques.

PubMed

Saleh, Ashraf; McGarry, Kenneth; Chaw, Cheng Shu; Elkordy, Amal Ali

2018-02-01

Hydrophobic drugs are facing a major challenge in dissolution rate enhancement and solubility in aqueous solutions; therefore, a variety of methods have been used to improve dissolution rate and/or solubility of bendroflumethiazide as a model hydrophobic drug. In this study, two main methods (physical mixing and lyophilisation) were used with gluconolactone, hydroxyl propyl γ-ccyclodextrin, and trehalose to explore this challenge. Bendroflumethiazide, practically insoluble in water, was mixed with one of the three excipients gluconolactone, hydroxyl propyl γ-cyclodextrin, and trehalose in three different ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:5. To the best of our knowledge, the dissolution of the drug has not been previously enhanced by using either these methods or any of the used excipients. Samples containing drug and each of the excipients were characterized via dissolution testing, Fourier Transform infra-red spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The used methods showed a significant enhancement in dug dissolution rate; physical mixing significantly, p < 0.05, increased the percentage of the drug released with time; for example, bendroflumethiazide dissolution in distilled water was improved from less than 20% to 99.79% within 90 min for physically mixed drug-cyclodextrin 1:5. The lyophilisation process was enhanced and the drug dissolution rate and the highest drug dissolution was achieved for (drug-gluconolactone 1:1) with 98.98% drug release within 90 min. the physical mixing and freeze drying processes significantly increased the percentage of drug release with time.

Multiple-energy Techniques in Industrial Computerized Tomography

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Schneberk, D.; Martz, H.; Azevedo, S.

1990-08-01

Considerable effort is being applied to develop multiple-energy industrial CT techniques for materials characterization. Multiple-energy CT can provide reliable estimates of effective Z (Z{sub eff}), weight fraction, and rigorous calculations of absolute density, all at the spatial resolution of the scanner. Currently, a wide variety of techniques exist for CT scanners, but each has certain problems and limitations. Ultimately, the best multi-energy CT technique would combine the qualities of accuracy, reliability, and wide range of application, and would require the smallest number of additional measurements. We have developed techniques for calculating material properties of industrial objects that differ somewhat from currently used methods. In this paper, we present our methods for calculating Z{sub eff}, weight fraction, and density. We begin with the simplest case -- methods for multiple-energy CT using isotopic sources -- and proceed to multiple-energy work with x-ray machine sources. The methods discussed here are illustrated on CT scans of PBX-9502 high explosives, a lexan-aluminum phantom, and a cylinder of glass beads used in a preliminary study to determine if CT can resolve three phases: air, water, and a high-Z oil. In the CT project at LLNL, we have constructed several CT scanners of varying scanning geometries using {gamma}- and x-ray sources. In our research, we employed two of these scanners: pencil-beam CAT for CT data using isotopic sources and video-CAT equipped with an IRT micro-focal x-ray machine source.

WWER-1000 core and reflector parameters investigation in the LR-0 reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zaritsky, S. M.; Alekseev, N. I.; Bolshagin, S. N.

2006-07-01

Measurements and calculations carried out in the core and reflector of WWER-1000 mock-up are discussed: - the determination of the pin-to-pin power distribution in the core by means of gamma-scanning of fuel pins and pin-to-pin calculations with Monte Carlo code MCU-REA and diffusion codes MOBY-DICK (with WIMS-D4 cell constants preparation) and RADAR - the fast neutron spectra measurements by proton recoil method inside the experimental channel in the core and inside the channel in the baffle, and corresponding calculations in P{sub 3}S{sub 8} approximation of discrete ordinates method with code DORT and BUGLE-96 library - the neutron spectra evaluations (adjustment)more » in the same channels in energy region 0.5 eV-18 MeV based on the activation and solid state track detectors measurements. (authors)« less

Comparison of mechanical and friction properties of composite materials based on AlMg2 containing nano-dimensional particles of crystalline graphite and nanofibers of gamma oxide of aluminum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aborkin, A. V.; Babin, D. M.; Soboĺkov, A. V.

2018-04-01

The method of mechanical synthesis in a planetary ball mill was used for production of composite powders based on the AlMg2 alloy containing 1 wt. % of nanosized particles of crystalline graphite or γ-Al2O3. The resulting powders are consolidated by the sintering under pressure. Using the methods of X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, the structural-phase composition of bulk composite materials was studied. Comparative analysis of the microhardness, the conditional yield stress at compression, and the friction coefficient of bulk composite materials is carried out. It has been found out that the mechanical properties of composites reinforced with γ-Al2O3 nanofibers are higher than when reinforcing with nanoscale particles of crystalline graphite.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oshima, Masumi; Kin, Tadahiro; Kimura, Atsushi

Multi-step cascades from the {sup 62}Ni(n{sub cold},{gamma}) {sup 63}Ni reaction were studied via a {gamma}-ray spectroscopy method. With a {gamma}-ray detector array multiple {gamma}-ray coincident events were accumulated. By selecting full cascade events from the capture state to the ground state, we have developed a new computer-based level construction method and it is applied to excited level assignment in {sup 63}Ni.

Doped Lanthanum Hafnates as Scintillating Materials for High-Energy Photon Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahid, Kareem; Pokhrel, Madhab; Mao, Yuanbing

Recent years have seen the emergence of nanocrystalline complex oxide scintillators for use in X-ray and gamma-ray detection. In this study, we investigate the structural and optical properties of La2Hf2O7 nanoparticles doped with varying levels of Eu3+ or Ce3+ by use of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and optical photoluminescence. In addition, scintillation response under X-ray and gamma-ray exposure is reported. The authors thank the support from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (Award #HDTRA1-10-1-0114).

Noble liquid detectors for fundamental physics and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curioni, A.

2009-12-01

Noble liquid detectors come in many sizes and configurations and cover a lot of ground as particle and radiation detectors: from calorimeters for colliders to imaging detectors for neutrino physics and proton decay to WIMP Dark Matter detectors. It turns out that noble liquid detectors are a mature technology for imaging and spectroscopy of gamma rays and for neutron detection, a fact that makes them suitable for applications, e.g. cargo scanning and Homeland Security. In this short paper I will focus on liquid xenon and liquid argon, which make excellent detectors for hypothetical WIMP Dark Matter and neutrinos and for much less exotic gamma rays.

X-Ray Scan Detection for Cargo Integrity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valencia, Juan D.; Miller, Steven D.

ABSTRACT The increase of terrorism and its global impact has made the determination of the contents of cargo containers a necessity. Existing technology allows non-intrusive inspections to determine the contents of a container rapidly and accurately. However, some cargo shipments are exempt from such inspections. Hence, there is a need for a technology that enables rapid and accurate means of detecting whether such containers were non-intrusively inspected. Non-intrusive inspections are most commonly performed utilizing high powered X-ray equipment. The challenge is creating a device that can detect short duration X-ray scans while maintaining a portable, battery powered, low cost, andmore » easy to use platform. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a methodology and prototype device focused on this challenge. The prototype, developed by PNNL, is a battery powered electronic device that continuously measures its X-ray and Gamma exposure, calculates the dose equivalent rate, and makes a determination of whether the device has been exposed to the amount of radiation experienced during an X-ray inspection. Once an inspection is detected, the device will record a timestamp of the event and relay the information to authorized personnel via a visual alert, USB connection, and/or wireless communication. The results of this research demonstrate that PNNL’s prototype device can be effective at determining whether a container was scanned by X-ray equipment typically used for cargo container inspections. This paper focuses on laboratory measurements and test results acquired with the PNNL prototype device using several X-ray radiation levels. Keywords: Radiation, Scan, X-ray, Gamma, Detection, Cargo, Container, Wireless, RF« less

Application of gamma-ray radiography and gravimetric measurements after accelerated corrosion tests of steel embedded in mortar

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duffó, Gustavo, E-mail: duffo@cnea.gov.ar; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Av. Gral. Paz 1499, 1650 San Martín, Buenos Aires

2015-08-15

The accelerated corrosion by the impressed current technique is widely used in studies of concrete durability since it has the advantage that tests can be carried out within reasonable periods of time. In the present work the relationship between the applied current density and the resulting damage on the reinforcing steel, by applying optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, gamma-ray radiography and gravimetric measurements, was studied by means of the implementation of accelerated corrosion tests on reinforced mortar. The results show that the efficiency of the applied current is between 1 and 77%, regardless of the applied current density, the water/cementmore » ratio and the mortar cover depth of the specimens. The results show the applicability of the gamma-ray radiography technique to detect localized corrosion of steel rebars in laboratory specimens.« less

Method and system for detecting explosives

DOEpatents

Reber, Edward L [Idaho Falls, ID; Jewell, James K [Idaho Falls, ID; Rohde, Kenneth W [Idaho Falls, ID; Seabury, Edward H [Idaho Falls, ID; Blackwood, Larry G [Idaho Falls, ID; Edwards, Andrew J [Idaho Falls, ID; Derr, Kurt W [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-03-10

A method of detecting explosives in a vehicle includes providing a first rack on one side of the vehicle, the rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a second rack on another side of the vehicle, the second rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a control system, remote from the first and second racks, coupled to the neutron generators and gamma ray detectors; using the control system, causing the neutron generators to generate neutrons; and performing gamma ray spectroscopy on spectra read by the gamma ray detectors to look for a signature indicative of presence of an explosive. Various apparatus and other methods are also provided.

Explosives detection system and method

DOEpatents

Reber, Edward L.; Jewell, James K.; Rohde, Kenneth W.; Seabury, Edward H.; Blackwood, Larry G.; Edwards, Andrew J.; Derr, Kurt W.

2007-12-11

A method of detecting explosives in a vehicle includes providing a first rack on one side of the vehicle, the rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a second rack on another side of the vehicle, the second rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a control system, remote from the first and second racks, coupled to the neutron generators and gamma ray detectors; using the control system, causing the neutron generators to generate neutrons; and performing gamma ray spectroscopy on spectra read by the gamma ray detectors to look for a signature indicative of presence of an explosive. Various apparatus and other methods are also provided.

Reducing fischer-tropsch catalyst attrition losses in high agitation reaction systems

DOEpatents

Singleton, Alan H.; Oukaci, Rachid; Goodwin, James G.

2001-01-01

A method for reducing catalyst attrition losses in hydrocarbon synthesis processes conducted in high agitation reaction systems; a method of producing an attrition-resistant catalyst; a catalyst produced by such method; a method of producing an attrition-resistant catalyst support; and a catalyst support produced by such method. The inventive method of reducing catalyst attrition losses comprises the step of reacting a synthesis gas in a high agitation reaction system in the presence of a catalyst. In one aspect, the catalyst preferably comprises a .gamma.-alumina support including an amount of titanium effective for increasing the attrition resistance of the catalyst. In another aspect, the catalyst preferably comprises a .gamma.-alumina support which has been treated, after calcination, with an acidic, aqueous solution. The acidic aqueous solution preferably has a pH of not more than about 5. In another aspect, the catalyst preferably comprises cobalt on a .gamma.-alumina support wherein the cobalt has been applied to the .gamma.-alumina support by totally aqueous, incipient wetness-type impregnation. In another aspect, the catalyst preferably comprises cobalt on a .gamma.-alumina support with an amount of a lanthana promoter effective for increasing the attrition resistance of the catalyst. In another aspect, the catalyst preferably comprises a .gamma.-alumina support produced from boehmite having a crystallite size, in the 021 plane, in the range of from about 30 to about 55 .ANG.ngstrons. In another aspect, the inventive method of producing an attrition-resistant catalyst comprises the step of treating a .gamma.-alumina support, after calcination of and before adding catalytic material to the support, with an acidic solution effective for increasing the attrition resistance of the catalyst. In another aspect, the inventive method of producing an attrition-resistant catalyst support comprises the step of treating calcined .gamma.-alumina with an acidic, aqueous solution effective for increasing the attrition resistance of the .gamma.-alumina.

Comparison of forward- and back-projection in vivo EPID dosimetry for VMAT treatment of the prostate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedford, James L.; Hanson, Ian M.; Hansen, Vibeke N.

2018-01-01

In the forward-projection method of portal dosimetry for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), the integrated signal at the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) is predicted at the time of treatment planning, against which the measured integrated image is compared. In the back-projection method, the measured signal at each gantry angle is back-projected through the patient CT scan to give a measure of total dose to the patient. This study aims to investigate the practical agreement between the two types of EPID dosimetry for prostate radiotherapy. The AutoBeam treatment planning system produced VMAT plans together with corresponding predicted portal images, and a total of 46 sets of gantry-resolved portal images were acquired in 13 patients using an iViewGT portal imager. For the forward-projection method, each acquisition of gantry-resolved images was combined into a single integrated image and compared with the predicted image. For the back-projection method, iViewDose was used to calculate the dose distribution in the patient for comparison with the planned dose. A gamma index for 3% and 3 mm was used for both methods. The results were investigated by delivering the same plans to a phantom and repeating some of the deliveries with deliberately introduced errors. The strongest agreement between forward- and back-projection methods is seen in the isocentric intensity/dose difference, with moderate agreement in the mean gamma. The strongest correlation is observed within a given patient, with less correlation between patients, the latter representing the accuracy of prediction of the two methods. The error study shows that each of the two methods has its own distinct sensitivity to errors, but that overall the response is similar. The forward- and back-projection EPID dosimetry methods show moderate agreement in this series of prostate VMAT patients, indicating that both methods can contribute to the verification of dose delivered to the patient.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jazrawi, R.P.; Ferraris, R.; Bridges, C.

The apparent fractional turnover rate of the gamma-labeled bile acid analogue 75-selenohomocholic acid-taurine (75-SeHCAT) was assessed from decline in radioactivity over the gallbladder area on 4 successive days using a gamma-camera, and was compared in the same subjects with the fractional turnover rate of the corresponding natural bile acid, cholic acid-taurine, labeled with 14C ((14C)CAT) using the classical Lindstedt technique. Very similar results were obtained in 5 healthy individuals (coefficient of variation 4.8%, medians 0.35 and 0.34, respectively). By contrast, the fractional deconjugation rate assessed from zonal scanning of glycine- and taurine-conjugated bile acids on thin-layer chromatography was much lessmore » for 75-SeHCAT than for (14C)CAT (0.02 and 0.13, respectively; p less than 0.05). The fractional rate for deconjugation plus dehydroxylation was also determined by zonal scanning, and gave lower values for 75-SeHCAT than for (14C)CAT (0.02 and 0.12, respectively; p less than 0.05). There was a striking similarity between the fractional rate for deconjugation alone and that for deconjugation plus dehydroxylation for both bile acids in individual samples (r = 0.999, p less than 0.001), suggesting that these two processes might occur simultaneously and probably involve the same bacteria. We conclude that our scintiscanning technique provides an accurate, noninvasive method of measuring fractional turnover rate of a bile acid in humans, and that the finding that 75SeHCAT remains conjugated with taurine during enterohepatic recycling means that absorption should be specific for the ileal active transport site, thus rendering it an ideal substance for assessing ileal function.« less

SU-F-SPS-11: The Dosimetric Comparison of Truebeam 2.0 and Cyberknife M6 Treatment Plans for Brain SRS Treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mabhouti, H; Sanli, E; Cebe, M

Purpose: Brain stereotactic radiosurgery involves the use of precisely directed, single session radiation to create a desired radiobiologic response within the brain target with acceptable minimal effects on surrounding structures or tissues. In this study, the dosimetric comparison of Truebeam 2.0 and Cyberknife M6 treatment plans were made. Methods: For Truebeam 2.0 machine, treatment planning were done using 2 full arc VMAT technique with 6 FFF beam on the CT scan of Randophantom simulating the treatment of sterotactic treatments for one brain metastasis. The dose distribution were calculated using Eclipse treatment planning system with Acuros XB algorithm. The treatment planningmore » of the same target were also done for Cyberknife M6 machine with Multiplan treatment planning system using Monte Carlo algorithm. Using the same film batch, the net OD to dose calibration curve was obtained using both machine by delivering 0- 800 cGy. Films were scanned 48 hours after irradiation using an Epson 1000XL flatbed scanner. Dose distribution were measured using EBT3 film dosimeter. The measured and calculated doses were compared. Results: The dose distribution in the target and 2 cm beyond the target edge were calculated on TPSs and measured using EBT3 film. For cyberknife plans, the gamma analysis passing rates between measured and calculated dose distributions were 99.2% and 96.7% for target and peripheral region of target respectively. For Truebeam plans, the gamma analysis passing rates were 99.1% and 95.5% for target and peripheral region of target respectively. Conclusion: Although, target dose distribution calculated accurately by Acuros XB and Monte Carlo algorithms, Monte carlo calculation algorithm predicts dose distribution around the peripheral region of target more accurately than Acuros algorithm.« less

A method for determination mass absorption coefficient of gamma rays by Compton scattering.

PubMed

El Abd, A

2014-12-01

A method was proposed for determination mass absorption coefficient of gamma rays for compounds, alloys and mixtures. It is based on simulating interaction processes of gamma rays with target elements having atomic numbers from Z=1 to Z=92 using the MCSHAPE software. Intensities of Compton scattered gamma rays at saturation thicknesses and at a scattering angle of 90° were calculated for incident gamma rays of different energies. The obtained results showed that the intensity of Compton scattered gamma rays at saturations and mass absorption coefficients can be described by mathematical formulas. These were used to determine mass absorption coefficients for compound, alloys and mixtures with the knowledge of their Compton scattered intensities. The method was tested by calculating mass absorption coefficients for some compounds, alloys and mixtures. There is a good agreement between obtained results and calculated ones using WinXom software. The advantages and limitations of the method were discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Determination of exogenous gamma-amylase residue in honey].

PubMed

Fei, Xiaoqing; Wu, Bin; Shen, Chongyu; Zhang, Rui; Ding, Tao; Li, Lihua

2012-08-01

A novel method for the determination of exogenous gamma-amylase residue in honey using liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS) was established. After pre-separation by gel column chromatography, the gamma-amylase in honey samples was separated from the sugars. The gamma-amylase was then used to catalyze maltose into glucose. This enzymatic reaction was under the conditions of 55 degrees C and 0.03 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 4.5) for 48 h. The maltose and glucose in the above enzymatic reaction solution were separated using liquid chromatography. By measuring the content of glucose with isotope ratio mass spectrometry, the gamma-amylase in honey can be determined. The linear range of gamma-amylase was 5 - 200 U/kg with the quantification limit of 5 U/kg. The recoveries were between 89.6% and 108.2% with the relative standard deviations from 3.3% to 4.9%. This method was used to analyze 38 honey and rice syrup samples, and the detection rate of gamma-amylase was 76.3%. To further verify the detection capability of this method, an authentic honey was adulterated with 15% (mass fraction) rice syrup. The gamma-amylase content in this sample was 10.2 U/kg. This method can effectively identify honey adulteration with rice syrups from the perspective of enzymology.

Quantification of 235U and 238U activity concentrations for undeclared nuclear materials by a digital gamma-gamma coincidence spectroscopy.

PubMed

Zhang, Weihua; Yi, Jing; Mekarski, Pawel; Ungar, Kurt; Hauck, Barry; Kramer, Gary H

2011-06-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of verifying depleted uranium (DU), natural uranium (NU), low enriched uranium (LEU) and high enriched uranium (HEU) by a developed digital gamma-gamma coincidence spectroscopy. The spectroscopy consists of two NaI(Tl) scintillators and XIA LLC Digital Gamma Finder (DGF)/Pixie-4 software and card package. The results demonstrate that the spectroscopy provides an effective method of (235)U and (238)U quantification based on the count rate of their gamma-gamma coincidence counting signatures. The main advantages of this approach over the conventional gamma spectrometry include the facts of low background continuum near coincident signatures of (235)U and (238)U, less interference from other radionuclides by the gamma-gamma coincidence counting, and region-of-interest (ROI) imagine analysis for uranium enrichment determination. Compared to conventional gamma spectrometry, the method offers additional advantage of requiring minimal calibrations for (235)U and (238)U quantification at different sample geometries. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chapter 16 Lumen Modification

Treesearch

Rebecca E. Ibach; Roger M. Rowell

2012-01-01

When wood is vacuum impregnated with liquid vinyl monomers that do not swell wood, and then in situ polymerized either by chemical catalyst-heat, or gamma radiation, the polymer is located almost solely in the lumens of the wood. Figure 16.1 is a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph of unmodified wood showing open cells that are...

Assessment and Control of the Transoceanic Fallout Threat

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-08-01

15 150 Peach 300 30 90 900 Orange 50 5.0 15 150 27 where m is the muscle mass in grams, f. is the fraction of the nuclide that is assimulated (in...Yearly composites are analyzed for eight radionuclides by a gamma scan, and radiochemical analyses are performed to obtain radium and strontium-90

76 FR 32240 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting on the ACRS Subcommittee on Power Uprates

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-03

... Expanded Operating Domains-Power Distribution Validation and Pin-by-Pin Gamma Scan). The Subcommittee will... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting on the ACRS Subcommittee on Power Uprates Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Power Uprates will hold a meeting on...

Rheological and morphological characterizations on physical stability of gamma-oryzanol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs).

PubMed

Seetapan, Nispa; Bejrapha, Piyawan; Srinuanchai, Wanwisa; Ruktanonchai, Uracha Rungsardthong

2010-01-01

In the present study, gamma-oryzanol was incorporated into glycerol behenate (Compritol 888 ATO) nanoparticles (SLNs) at 5 and 10% (w/w) of lipid phase. Increasing lipid phase concentration resulted in increased consistency and particle diameter of SLNs. Upon storage over 60 days at 4, 25 and 40 degrees C, the instability was observed by rheological analysis for all samples due to the formation of gelation. Rheological measurement revealed the increase in storage modulus and critical stress during storage at all temperatures. However, at 40 degrees C, the pronounced instability was observed from the highest increase in storage modulus and a formation of rod-like network structure from scanning electron micrographs. An increase in crystallinity, determined by differential scanning calorimetry, was also found during storage at all temperatures, confirming the instability of SLNs. Particle diameters and zeta potentials of both concentrations at all storage conditions failed to explain the observed instability. These investigations may help to develop formulations of solid lipid nanoparticles, which are optimized with respect to the desired rheological properties.

Management of brain metastasis in a patient with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma by gamma-knife radiosurgery.

PubMed

Nikolaoul, Marinos; Stamenković, Srdjan; Stergiou, Christos; Skarleas, Christos; Torrens, Michael

2015-01-01

Brain metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are rare events. We present a rare case of single ovarian cancer metastasis to the brain treated with gamma-knife radiosurgery (GKRS). A 65-year-old woman with advanced EOC presented with severe neurologic symptoms. A single brain metastasis of 3.2 cm with surrounding edema in the left parietal lobe was detected by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan during the work-up. The decision to perform GKRS was due to a surgical inaccessibility of intracranial lesion. Twelve weeks after the procedure, the MRI scan showed reduction in the diameter of brain metastasis and surrounding edema and the patient returned to good mental and motor performance.The patient survived for 22 months following treatment and died from a progressive intra-abdominal disease. Prognosis of ovarian cancer patients with brain metastases is generally poor regardless of treatment. Our case shows that GKRS as primary treatment modality for the control of ovarian cancer metastases to the brain was effective and can be considered as a treatment of choice if international selection criteria are followed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wegemar, B.

Operating experiences from the Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3 BWRs have been evaluated during the first two cycles of their operation. The objective of this work was to determine the influence on water chemistry quality and radiation field buildup from the special design characteristics of these plants. Important differences from older ASEA-ATOM BWRs include the concept of forward pumped high pressure heater drains, magnetic filtration of high pressure drains and use of more erosion-resistant materials in turbine components. Data obtained from water radiochemistry measurements, shutdown dose rates and gamma scanning surveys, fuel deposit analyses and occuptional exposure statistics have beenmore » used in order to enable a comparsion to older ASEA-ATOM BWRs. At the end of the second cycles, satisfactory feedwater quality was reported in both plants. Radiation levels around components in the primary systems are higher in Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3 as compared to other plants. This is in agreement with reactor water activities, fuel deposits and gamma scanning surveys, indicating somewhat higher amounts of cobalt-60 and cobalt-58. However, in both plants occupational exposures were low during the first two years of operation.« less

Continuous wave dye-laser technique for simultaneous, spatially resolved measurements of temperature, pressure, and velocity of NO in an underexpanded free jet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Di Rosa, Michael D.; Chang, Albert Y.; Hanson, Ronald K.

1993-01-01

Gas dynamic quantities within an underexpanded nitrogen free jet, seeded with 0.5 percent NO, were measured nonintrusively by using an intracavity-doubled, rapid-tuning, CW ring dye laser. The UV beam passed obliquely through the jet axis, and its frequency repetitively scanned across adjacent rotational lines in the NO gamma band near 225 nm at a rate of 4 kHz. Spatially resolved excitation scans were obtained by monitoring the induced broadband fluoresence. Modeling the Doppler-shifted excitation scans with Voigt profiles permitted simultaneous determinations of NO velocity, rotational temperature, and pressure. Zero Doppler shift was referenced to an absorption trace obtained across a static cell and recorded concurrently with the excitation scan. Typically, the measured and predicted axial distributions agreed within 10 percent. At high Mach numbers there was evidence of rotational freezing of NO.

SU-F-T-173: One-Scan Protocol: Verifying the Delivery of Spot-Scanning Proton Beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chan, M; Li, J; Chen, C

Purpose: Radiochromic film for spot-scanning QA provides high spatial resolution and efficiency gains from one-shot irradiation for multiple depths. However, calibration can be a tedious procedure which may limit widespread use. Moreover, since there may be an energy dependence, which manifests as a depth dependence, this may require additional measurements for each patient. We present a one-scan protocol to simplify the procedure. Methods: We performed the calibration using an EBT3 film at depths of 18, 20, 24cm of Plastic Water exposed by a 6-level step-wedge plan on a Proteus Plus proton system (IBA, Belgium). The calibration doses ranged 65–250 cGy(RBE)more » for proton energies of 170–200MeV. A clinical prostate+nodes plan was used for validation. The planar doses at selected depths were measured with EBT3 films and analyzed using one-scan protocol (one-scan digitization of QA film and at least one film exposed to known dose). The Gamma passing rates, dose-difference maps, and profiles of 2D planar doses measured with EBT3 film, IBA MatriXX PT, versus TPS calculations were analyzed and compared. Results: The EBT3 film measurement results matched well with the TPS calculation data with an average passing rate of ∼95% for 2%/2mm and slightly lower passing rates were obtained from an ion chamber array detector. We were able to demonstrate that the use of a proton step-wedge provided clinically acceptable results and minimized variations between film-scanner orientation, inter-scan, and scanning conditions. Furthermore, it could be derived from no more than two films exposed to known doses (one could be zero) for rescaling the master calibration curve at each depth. Conclusion: The use of a proton step-wedge for calibration of EBT3 film increases efficiency. The sensitivity of the calibration to depth variations has been explored. One-scan protocol results appear to be comparable to that of the ion chamber array detector. One author has a research grant from Ashland Inc., the manufacturer of the GafChromic film.« less

Effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the optical properties of amorphous Se100-xHgx thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Shabir; Islam, Shama; Nasir, Mohd.; Asokan, K.; Zulfequar, M.

2018-06-01

In this study, the thermal quenching technique was employed to prepare bulk samples of Se100-xHgx (x = 0, 5, 10, 15). Thin films with a thickness of ∼250 nm were deposited on glass substrates using the thermal evaporation technique. These films were irradiated with gamma rays at doses of 25-100 kGy. The elemental compositions of the as-deposited thin films were confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of these thin films upto the dose of 75 kGy. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy showed that the concentration of defects decreased after gamma irradiation. Microstructural analysis by field emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the grain size increases after irradiation. Optical study based on spectrophotometry showed that the optical band gap values of these films increase after the addition of Hg whereas they decrease after gamma irradiation. We found that the absorption coefficient increases with doses up to 75 kGy but decreases at higher doses. These remarkable shifts in the optical band gap and absorption coefficient values are interpreted in terms of the creation and annihilation of defects, which are the main effects produced by gamma irradiation.

In vitro corrosion resistance of plasma source ion nitrided austenitic stainless steels.

PubMed

Le, M K; Zhu, X M

2001-04-01

Plasma source ion nitriding has emerged as a low-temperature, low-pressure nitriding approach for low-energy implanting nitrogen ions and then diffusing them into steel and alloy. In this work, a single high nitrogen face-centered-cubic (f.c.c.) phase (gammaN) formed on the 1Cr18Ni9Ti and AISI 316L austenitic stainless steels with a high nitrogen concentration of about 32 at % was characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy, electron probe microanalysis, glancing angle X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance of the gammaN-phase layer was studied by the electrochemical cyclic polarization measurement in Ringer's solutions buffered to pH from 3.5 to 7.2 at a temperature of 37 degrees C. No pitting corrosion in the Ringer's solutions with pH = 7.2 and 5.5 was detected for the gammaN-phase layers on the two stainless steels. The high pitting potential for the gammaN-phase layers is higher, about 500 and 600 mV, above that of the two original stainless steels, respectively, in the Ringer's solution with pH = 3.5. The corroded surface morphologies of the gammaN-phase layers observed by scanning electron microscopy are consistent with the results of the electrochemical polarization measurement.

Gamma model and its analysis for phase measuring profilometry.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Wang, Yongchang; Lau, Daniel L; Hao, Qi; Hassebrook, Laurence G

2010-03-01

Phase measuring profilometry is a method of structured light illumination whose three-dimensional reconstructions are susceptible to error from nonunitary gamma in the associated optical devices. While the effects of this distortion diminish with an increasing number of employed phase-shifted patterns, gamma distortion may be unavoidable in real-time systems where the number of projected patterns is limited by the presence of target motion. A mathematical model is developed for predicting the effects of nonunitary gamma on phase measuring profilometry, while also introducing an accurate gamma calibration method and two strategies for minimizing gamma's effect on phase determination. These phase correction strategies include phase corrections with and without gamma calibration. With the reduction in noise, for three-step phase measuring profilometry, analysis of the root mean squared error of the corrected phase will show a 60x reduction in phase error when the proposed gamma calibration is performed versus 33x reduction without calibration.

Investigating the Role of Global Histogram Equalization Technique for 99mTechnetium-Methylene diphosphonate Bone Scan Image Enhancement

PubMed Central

Pandey, Anil Kumar; Sharma, Param Dev; Dheer, Pankaj; Parida, Girish Kumar; Goyal, Harish; Patel, Chetan; Bal, Chandrashekhar; Kumar, Rakesh

2017-01-01

Purpose of the Study: 99mTechnetium-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) bone scan images have limited number of counts per pixel, and hence, they have inferior image quality compared to X-rays. Theoretically, global histogram equalization (GHE) technique can improve the contrast of a given image though practical benefits of doing so have only limited acceptance. In this study, we have investigated the effect of GHE technique for 99mTc-MDP-bone scan images. Materials and Methods: A set of 89 low contrast 99mTc-MDP whole-body bone scan images were included in this study. These images were acquired with parallel hole collimation on Symbia E gamma camera. The images were then processed with histogram equalization technique. The image quality of input and processed images were reviewed by two nuclear medicine physicians on a 5-point scale where score of 1 is for very poor and 5 is for the best image quality. A statistical test was applied to find the significance of difference between the mean scores assigned to input and processed images. Results: This technique improves the contrast of the images; however, oversaturation was noticed in the processed images. Student's t-test was applied, and a statistically significant difference in the input and processed image quality was found at P < 0.001 (with α = 0.05). However, further improvement in image quality is needed as per requirements of nuclear medicine physicians. Conclusion: GHE techniques can be used on low contrast bone scan images. In some of the cases, a histogram equalization technique in combination with some other postprocessing technique is useful. PMID:29142344

X-Ray Measurements Of A Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wharton, C. J.; Seabury, E. H.; Chichester, D. L.

2011-06-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X rays are a normal byproduct from neutron generators, but depending on their intensity and energy, x rays can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum wasmore » measured with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60 deg. between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and its x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric. A thin lead shield, 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) thick, reduced the 70-keV generator x rays to negligible levels.« less

Is bone mineral density measurement using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry affected by gamma rays?

PubMed

Xie, Liang-Jun; Li, Jian-Fang; Zeng, Feng-Wei; Jiang, Hang; Cheng, Mu-Hua; Chen, Yi

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether the gamma rays emitted from the radionuclide effect bone mineral density (BMD) measurement. Nine subjects (mean age: 56 ± 17.96 yr) scheduled for bone scanning underwent BMD measurement using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (Hologic/Discovery A) before and 1, 2, and 4 h after injection of technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP). Ten subjects (mean age: 41 ± 15.47 yr) scheduled for therapy of differentiated thyroid carcinoma with iodine-131 underwent BMD measurement before and 2 h after therapeutic radionuclide administration. All patients were given whole body BMD measurement, including head, arm, ribs, lumbar spine, pelvis, and leg sites. Besides, patients who referred to radioiodine therapy were given total hip and femoral neck BMD measurement as well. No statistically significant changes in BMD values were detected after 99mTc-MDP and iodine-131 administration for all measurement sites (p > 0.05), and individual difference of BMD before and after radionuclide imaging or therapy was less than the least significant change in lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck. In conclusion, BMD measurements are not influenced by the gamma rays emitted from technetium-99m and iodine-131. DXA bone densitometry may be performed simultaneously with bone scanning and radioiodine therapy. Copyright © 2013 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

X-Ray Measurements Of A Thermo Scientific P385 DD Neutron Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wharton, C. J.; Seabury, E. H.; Chichester, D. L.; Caffrey, A. J.; Simpson, J.; Lemchak, M.

2011-06-01

Idaho National Laboratory is experimenting with electrical neutron generators, as potential replacements for californium-252 radioisotopic neutron sources in its PINS prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system for the identification of military chemical warfare agents and explosives. In addition to neutron output, we have recently measured the x-ray output of the Thermo Scientific P385 deuterium-deuterium neutron generator. X rays are a normal byproduct from neutron generators, but depending on their intensity and energy, x rays can interfere with gamma rays from the object under test, increase gamma-spectrometer dead time, and reduce PGNAA system throughput. The P385 x-ray energy spectrum was measured with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and a broad peak is evident at about 70 keV. To identify the source of the x rays within the neutron generator assembly, it was scanned by collimated scintillation detectors along its long axis. At the strongest x-ray emission points, the generator also was rotated 60° between measurements. The scans show the primary source of x-ray emission from the P385 neutron generator is an area 60 mm from the neutron production target, in the vicinity of the ion source. Rotation of the neutron generator did not significantly alter the x-ray count rate, and its x-ray emission appears to be axially symmetric. A thin lead shield, 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) thick, reduced the 70-keV generator x rays to negligible levels.

Neutron monitoring systems including gamma thermometers and methods of calibrating nuclear instruments using gamma thermometers

DOEpatents

Moen, Stephan Craig; Meyers, Craig Glenn; Petzen, John Alexander; Foard, Adam Muhling

2012-08-07

A method of calibrating a nuclear instrument using a gamma thermometer may include: measuring, in the instrument, local neutron flux; generating, from the instrument, a first signal proportional to the neutron flux; measuring, in the gamma thermometer, local gamma flux; generating, from the gamma thermometer, a second signal proportional to the gamma flux; compensating the second signal; and calibrating a gain of the instrument based on the compensated second signal. Compensating the second signal may include: calculating selected yield fractions for specific groups of delayed gamma sources; calculating time constants for the specific groups; calculating a third signal that corresponds to delayed local gamma flux based on the selected yield fractions and time constants; and calculating the compensated second signal by subtracting the third signal from the second signal. The specific groups may have decay time constants greater than 5.times.10.sup.-1 seconds and less than 5.times.10.sup.5 seconds.

Method of incident low-energy gamma-ray direction reconstruction in the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray space telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kheymits, M. D.; Leonov, A. A.; Zverev, V. G.; Galper, A. M.; Arkhangelskaya, I. V.; Arkhangelskiy, A. I.; Suchkov, S. I.; Topchiev, N. P.; Yurkin, Yu T.; Bakaldin, A. V.; Dalkarov, O. D.

2016-02-01

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray space-based telescope has as its main goals to measure cosmic γ-ray fluxes and the electron-positron cosmic-ray component produced, theoretically, in dark-matter-particles decay or annihilation processes, to search for discrete γ-ray sources and study them in detail, to examine the energy spectra of diffuse γ-rays — both galactic and extragalactic — and to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and γ-rays from the active Sun. Scientific goals of GAMMA-400 telescope require fine angular resolution. The telescope is of a pair-production type. In the converter-tracker, the incident gamma-ray photon converts into electron-positron pair in the tungsten layer and then the tracks are detected by silicon- strip position-sensitive detectors. Multiple scattering processes become a significant obstacle in the incident-gamma direction reconstruction for energies below several gigaelectronvolts. The method of utilising this process to improve the resolution is proposed in the presented work.

Dr. Fishman Reviewing Data From the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

In this photograph, Dr. Gerald Fishman of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a principal investigator of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (GRO's) instrument, the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), and Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou of Universities Space Research Associates review data from the BATSE. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept a blinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of stars, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. Because gamma-rays are so powerful, they pass through conventional telescope mirrors. Instead of a mirror, the heart of each BATSE module was a large, flat, transparent crystal that generated a tiny flash of light when struck by a gamma-ray. With an impressive list of discoveries and diverse accomplishments, BATSE could claim to have rewritten astronomy textbooks. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991, the GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful 9-year mission in June 2000.

Novel Concrete Chemistry Achieved with Low Dose Gamma Radiation Curing and Resistance to Neutron Activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnham, Steven Robert

As much as 50% of ageing-related problems with concrete structures can be attributed to con-struction deficiencies at the time of placement. The most influential time affecting longevity of concrete structures is the curing phase, or commonly the initial 28 days following its placement. A novel advanced atomistic analysis of novel concrete chemistry is presented in this dissertation with the objective to improve concrete structural properties and its longevity. Based on experiments and computational models, this novel concrete chemistry is discussed in two cases: (a) concrete chemistry changes when exposed to low-dose gamma radiation in its early curing stage, thus improving its strength in a shorter period of time then curing for the conventional 28 days; (b) concrete chemistry is controlled by its atomistic components to assure strength is not reduced but that its activation due to long-term exposure to neutron flux in nuclear power plants is negligible. High dose gamma radiation is well documented as a degradation mechanism that decreases concrete's compressive strength; however, the effects of low-dose gamma radiation on the initial curing phase of concrete, having never been studied before, proved its compressive strength increases. Using a 137 Cs source, concrete samples were subjected to gamma radiation during the initial curing phase for seven, 14, and 28 days. The compressive strength after seven days is improved for gamma cured concrete by 24% and after 14 days by 76%. Concrete shows no improvement in compressive strength after 28 days of exposure to gamma radiation, showing that there is a threshold effect. Scanning Electron Microscopy is used to examine the microstructure of low-dose gamma radiation where no damage to its microstructure is found, showing no difference between gamma cured and conventionally cured concrete. Molecular dynamics modeling based on the MOPAC package is used to study how gamma radiation during the curing stage improves compressive strength of concrete. The modeling shows that when radiolysis occurs in freshly mixed concrete, the reactivity between key molecules responsible for bonding between cement and aggregate is enhanced due to improved reactivity at the molecular level. A new method is developed that successfully controls a concrete chemistry at the atomistic level by assuring its long-term exposure to neutron flux in nuclear power plants will not activate the dome wall to the level of low-level radioactive waste. This methodology is established to detect and select the level of trace elemental composition in concrete based on a low-flux neutron activation analysis (NAA). By carefully selecting aggregates that do not contain certain elements that activate to high concentrations after decades of concrete exposure to neutron flux, the end of life for concrete is improved by declassifying it as low-level radioactive waste. Directly, it improves economy of commissioning nuclear power plants to be built in near future and reducing important quantities of waste to be disposed at high costs.

A novel method for quantitative geosteering using azimuthal gamma-ray logging.

PubMed

Yuan, Chao; Zhou, Cancan; Zhang, Feng; Hu, Song; Li, Chaoliu

2015-02-01

A novel method for quantitative geosteering by using azimuthal gamma-ray logging is proposed. Real-time up and bottom gamma-ray logs when a logging tool travels through a boundary surface with different relative dip angles are simulated with the Monte Carlo method. Study results show that response points of up and bottom gamma-ray logs when the logging tool moves towards a highly radioactive formation can be used to predict the relative dip angle, and then the distance from the drilling bit to the boundary surface is calculated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwartz, S. B.; Wrede, C.; Bennett, M. B.

Background: The Doppler broadening of gamma-ray peaks is due to nuclear recoil from beta-delayed nucleon emission can be used to measure the energies of the nucleons. This method has never been tested using beta-delayed proton emission or applied to a recoil heavier than A = 10. Purpose: To test and apply this Doppler broadening method using gamma-ray peaks from the P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay sequence. Methods: A fast beam of P-26 was implanted into a planar Ge detector, which was used as a P-26 beta-decay trigger. The SeGA array of high-purity Ge detectors was used to detect gamma rays frommore » the P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay sequence. Results: Radiative Doppler broadening in beta-delayed proton-gamma decay was observed for the first time. Moreover, the Doppler broadening analysis method was verified using the 1613-keV gamma-ray line for which the proton energies were previously known. The 1776-keV gamma ray de-exciting the 2720 keV Al-25 level was observed in P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay for the first time and used to determine that the center-of-mass energy of the proton emission feeding the 2720-keV level is 5.1 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.6 (syst.) MeV, corresponding to a Si-26 excitation energy of 13.3 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.6 (syst.) MeV for the proton-emitting level. Conclusions: Finally, the Doppler broadening method has been demonstrated to provide practical measurements of the energies for beta-delayed nucleon emissions populating excited states of nuclear recoils at least as heavy as A = 25.« less

Observation of Doppler broadening in β -delayed proton- γ decay

DOE PAGES

Schwartz, S. B.; Wrede, C.; Bennett, M. B.; ...

2015-09-14

Background: The Doppler broadening of gamma-ray peaks is due to nuclear recoil from beta-delayed nucleon emission can be used to measure the energies of the nucleons. This method has never been tested using beta-delayed proton emission or applied to a recoil heavier than A = 10. Purpose: To test and apply this Doppler broadening method using gamma-ray peaks from the P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay sequence. Methods: A fast beam of P-26 was implanted into a planar Ge detector, which was used as a P-26 beta-decay trigger. The SeGA array of high-purity Ge detectors was used to detect gamma rays frommore » the P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay sequence. Results: Radiative Doppler broadening in beta-delayed proton-gamma decay was observed for the first time. Moreover, the Doppler broadening analysis method was verified using the 1613-keV gamma-ray line for which the proton energies were previously known. The 1776-keV gamma ray de-exciting the 2720 keV Al-25 level was observed in P-26(beta p gamma)Al-25 decay for the first time and used to determine that the center-of-mass energy of the proton emission feeding the 2720-keV level is 5.1 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.6 (syst.) MeV, corresponding to a Si-26 excitation energy of 13.3 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.6 (syst.) MeV for the proton-emitting level. Conclusions: Finally, the Doppler broadening method has been demonstrated to provide practical measurements of the energies for beta-delayed nucleon emissions populating excited states of nuclear recoils at least as heavy as A = 25.« less

MO-F-CAMPUS-T-02: Dosimetric Accuracy of the CrystalBallâ„¢: New Reusable Radiochromic Polymer Gel Dosimeter for Patient QA in Proton Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Avery, S; Kraus, J; Lin, L

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of monoexponential normalization in a new class of commercial, reusable, human-soft-tissue-equivalent, radiochromic polymer gel dosimeters for patient-specific QA in proton therapy. Methods: Eight formulations of the dosimeter (sealed in glass spheres of 166 mm OD), were exposed to a 150 MeV proton beam (5 cm x 5 cm square field, range 15 cm, modulation10 cm), with max dose ranging from 2.5 Gy to 20 Gy, depending on formulation. Exposed dosimeters were promptly placed in the commercial OCTOPUS™ laser CT scanner which was programmed to scan the central slice every 5 minutes for 20 hours (15more » seconds per slice scan). This procedure was repeated several times. Reconstructed data were analyzed using the log-lin scale to determine the time range over which a monoexponential relaxation model could be applied. Next, a simple test plan was devised and delivered to each dosimeter. The OCTOPUS™ was programmed to rescan the central slice at the end of each volume scan, for signal relaxation reference. Monoexponential normalization was applied to sinograms before FBP reconstruction. Dose calibration was based on a volume-lookup table built within the central spherical volume of 12 cm diameter. 3D gamma and sigma passing rates were measured at 3%/3mm criteria down to 50% isodose. Results: Approximately monoexponential signal relaxation time ranges from 25 minutes to 3.5 hours, depending on formulation, followed by a slower-relaxation component. Noise in reconstructed OD/cm images is less than 0.5%. Dose calibration accuracy is better than 99%. Measured proton PDDs demonstrate absence of Bragg-peak quenching. Estimated number of useful cycles is at least 20, with a theoretical limit above 100. 3D gamma and sigma passing rates exceed 95%. Conclusion: Monoexponential normalization was found to yield adequate dosimetric accuracy in the new class of commercial radiochromic polymer gel dosimeters for patient QA in proton therapy.« less

Dose calculation with respiration-averaged CT processed from cine CT without a respiratory surrogate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riegel, Adam C.; Ahmad, Moiz; Sun Xiaojun

2008-12-15

Dose calculation for thoracic radiotherapy is commonly performed on a free-breathing helical CT despite artifacts caused by respiratory motion. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) is one method to incorporate motion information into the treatment planning process. Some centers now use the respiration-averaged CT (RACT), the pixel-by-pixel average of the ten phases of 4D-CT, for dose calculation. This method, while sparing the tedious task of 4D dose calculation, still requires 4D-CT technology. The authors have recently developed a means to reconstruct RACT directly from unsorted cine CT data from which 4D-CT is formed, bypassing the need for a respiratory surrogate. Using RACTmore » from cine CT for dose calculation may be a means to incorporate motion information into dose calculation without performing 4D-CT. The purpose of this study was to determine if RACT from cine CT can be substituted for RACT from 4D-CT for the purposes of dose calculation, and if increasing the cine duration can decrease differences between the dose distributions. Cine CT data and corresponding 4D-CT simulations for 23 patients with at least two breathing cycles per cine duration were retrieved. RACT was generated four ways: First from ten phases of 4D-CT, second, from 1 breathing cycle of images, third, from 1.5 breathing cycles of images, and fourth, from 2 breathing cycles of images. The clinical treatment plan was transferred to each RACT and dose was recalculated. Dose planes were exported at orthogonal planes through the isocenter (coronal, sagittal, and transverse orientations). The resulting dose distributions were compared using the gamma ({gamma}) index within the planning target volume (PTV). Failure criteria were set to 2%/1 mm. A follow-up study with 50 additional lung cancer patients was performed to increase sample size. The same dose recalculation and analysis was performed. In the primary patient group, 22 of 23 patients had 100% of points within the PTV pass {gamma} criteria. The average maximum and mean {gamma} indices were very low (well below 1), indicating good agreement between dose distributions. Increasing the cine duration generally increased the dose agreement. In the follow-up study, 49 of 50 patients had 100% of points within the PTV pass the {gamma} criteria. The average maximum and mean {gamma} indices were again well below 1, indicating good agreement. Dose calculation on RACT from cine CT is negligibly different from dose calculation on RACT from 4D-CT. Differences can be decreased further by increasing the cine duration of the cine CT scan.« less

Text, photo, and line extraction in scanned documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erkilinc, M. Sezer; Jaber, Mustafa; Saber, Eli; Bauer, Peter; Depalov, Dejan

2012-07-01

We propose a page layout analysis algorithm to classify a scanned document into different regions such as text, photo, or strong lines. The proposed scheme consists of five modules. The first module performs several image preprocessing techniques such as image scaling, filtering, color space conversion, and gamma correction to enhance the scanned image quality and reduce the computation time in later stages. Text detection is applied in the second module wherein wavelet transform and run-length encoding are employed to generate and validate text regions, respectively. The third module uses a Markov random field based block-wise segmentation that employs a basis vector projection technique with maximum a posteriori probability optimization to detect photo regions. In the fourth module, methods for edge detection, edge linking, line-segment fitting, and Hough transform are utilized to detect strong edges and lines. In the last module, the resultant text, photo, and edge maps are combined to generate a page layout map using K-Means clustering. The proposed algorithm has been tested on several hundred documents that contain simple and complex page layout structures and contents such as articles, magazines, business cards, dictionaries, and newsletters, and compared against state-of-the-art page-segmentation techniques with benchmark performance. The results indicate that our methodology achieves an average of ˜89% classification accuracy in text, photo, and background regions.

Unidentified Gamma-Ray Sources: Hunting Gamma-Ray Blazars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Massaro, F.; D'Abrusco, R.; Tosti, G.

2012-04-02

One of the main scientific objectives of the ongoing Fermi mission is unveiling the nature of the unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs). Despite the large improvements of Fermi in the localization of {gamma}-ray sources with respect to the past {gamma}-ray missions, about one third of the Fermi-detected objects are still not associated to low energy counterparts. Recently, using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey, we discovered that blazars, the rarest class of Active Galactic Nuclei and the largest population of {gamma}-ray sources, can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources on the basis of their infrared (IR) colors. Basedmore » on this result, we designed an association method for the {gamma}-ray sources to recognize if there is a blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic {gamma}-ray source. With this new IR diagnostic tool, we searched for {gamma}-ray blazar candidates associated to the UGS sample of the second Fermi {gamma}-ray catalog (2FGL). We found that our method associates at least one {gamma}-ray blazar candidate as a counterpart each of 156 out of 313 UGSs analyzed. These new low-energy candidates have the same IR properties as the blazars associated to {gamma}-ray sources in the 2FGL catalog.« less

UNIDENTIFIED {gamma}-RAY SOURCES: HUNTING {gamma}-RAY BLAZARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Massaro, F.; Ajello, M.; D'Abrusco, R.

2012-06-10

One of the main scientific objectives of the ongoing Fermi mission is unveiling the nature of unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs). Despite the major improvements of Fermi in the localization of {gamma}-ray sources with respect to the past {gamma}-ray missions, about one-third of the Fermi-detected objects are still not associated with low-energy counterparts. Recently, using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer survey, we discovered that blazars, the rarest class of active galactic nuclei and the largest population of {gamma}-ray sources, can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources on the basis of their infrared (IR) colors. Based on this result, wemore » designed an association method for the {gamma}-ray sources to recognize if there is a blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic {gamma}-ray source. With this new IR diagnostic tool, we searched for {gamma}-ray blazar candidates associated with the UGS sample of the second Fermi {gamma}-ray LAT catalog (2FGL). We found that our method associates at least one {gamma}-ray blazar candidate as a counterpart to each of 156 out of 313 UGSs analyzed. These new low-energy candidates have the same IR properties as the blazars associated with {gamma}-ray sources in the 2FGL catalog.« less

Digital methods of recording color television images on film tape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krivitskaya, R. Y.; Semenov, V. M.

1985-04-01

Three methods are now available for recording color television images on film tape, directly or after appropriate finish of signal processing. Conventional recording of images from the screens of three kinescopes with synthetic crystal face plates is still most effective for high fidelity. This method was improved by digital preprocessing of brightness color-difference signal. Frame-by-frame storage of these signals in the memory in digital form is followed by gamma and aperture correction and electronic correction of crossover distortions in the color layers of the film with fixing in accordance with specific emulsion procedures. The newer method of recording color television images with line arrays of light-emitting diodes involves dichromic superposing mirrors and a movable scanning mirror. This method allows the use of standard movie cameras, simplifies interlacing-to-linewise conversion and the mechanical equipment, and lengthens exposure time while it shortens recording time. The latest image transform method requires an audio-video recorder, a memory disk, a digital computer, and a decoder. The 9-step procedure includes preprocessing the total color television signal with reduction of noise level and time errors, followed by frame frequency conversion and setting the number of lines. The total signal is then resolved into its brightness and color-difference components and phase errors and image blurring are also reduced. After extraction of R,G,B signals and colorimetric matching of TV camera and film tape, the simultaneous R,B, B signals are converted from interlacing to sequential triades of color-quotient frames with linewise scanning at triple frequency. Color-quotient signals are recorded with an electron beam on a smoothly moving black-and-white film tape under vacuum. While digital techniques improve the signal quality and simplify the control of processes, not requiring stabilization of circuits, image processing is still analog.

Confirmatory Survey Report for Area B1S/B2S at the Chevron Mining Washington Remediation Project, Washington, PA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

W. C. Adams

2007-11-20

During the period of October 2 and 3, 2007, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) performed confirmatory radiological survey activities which included gamma surface scans within Area B1S/B2S and the collection of soil samples from these areas.

OPERATION DOMINIC, FISH BOWL SERIES. Project Officer’s Report. Project 6.2. Gamma-Ray Scanning of Debris Cloud

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

Astro Corporation (AGAC) The superheterodyne receiver operated In the 5,400- to 5,900-Mc frequency band. The receiver sensitivity was -65 dbm over...212 km—, \\ ^V^C \\ \\ 0^\\ 223 km-7Y A ^ fX / 4>^ ,♦ v 1 6L / 8.000 / S

Effect of Silicon in U-10Mo Alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kautz, Elizabeth J.; Devaraj, Arun; Kovarik, Libor

2017-08-31

This document details a method for evaluating the effect of silicon impurity content on U-10Mo alloys. Silicon concentration in U-10Mo alloys has been shown to impact the following: volume fraction of precipitate phases, effective density of the final alloy, and 235-U enrichment in the gamma-UMo matrix. This report presents a model for calculating these quantities as a function of Silicon concentration, which along with fuel foil characterization data, will serve as a reference for quality control of the U-10Mo final alloy Si content. Additionally, detailed characterization using scanning electron microscope imaging, transmission electron microscope diffraction, and atom probe tomography showedmore » that Silicon impurities present in U-10Mo alloys form a Si-rich precipitate phase.« less

Radiation dosimetry for quality control of food preservation and disinfestation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLaughlin, W. L.; Miller, A.; Uribe, R. M.

In the use of x and gamma rays and scanned electron beams to extend the shelf life of food by delay of sprouting and ripening, killing of microbes, and control of insect population, quality assurance is provided by standardized radiation dosimetry. By strategic placement of calibrated dosimeters that are sufficiently stable and reproducible, it is possible to monitor minimum and maximum radiation absorbed dose levels and dose uniformity for a given processed foodstuff. The dosimetry procedure is especially important in the commisioning of a process and in making adjustments of process parameters (e.g. conveyor speed) to meet changes that occur in product and source parameters (e.g. bulk density and radiation spectrum). Routine dosimetry methods and certain corrections of dosimetry data may be selected for the radiations used in typical food processes.

Results of the radiological survey of the Carpenter Steel Facility, Reading, Pennsylvania

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cottrell, W.D.; Carrier, R.F.

1990-07-01

In 1944, experimental uranium-forming work was conducted by Carpenter Technology Corporation at the Carpenter Steel Facility in Reading, Pennsylvania, under contract to the Manhattan Engineer District (MED). The fabrication method, aimed at producing sounder uranium metal and improving the yields of rods from billets, was reportedly soon discarded as unsatisfactory. As part of the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to verify the closeout status of facilities under contract to agencies preceding DOE during early nuclear energy development, the site was included in the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). At the request of DOE, the Measurement Applications and Developmentmore » Group of the Health and Safety Research Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory performed a radiological assessment survey in July and August 1988. The purpose of the survey was to determine if past operations had deposited radioactive residues in the facility, and whether those residuals were in significant quantities when compared to DOE guidelines. The survey included gamma scanning; direct measurements of alpha activity levels and beta-gamma dose rates; sampling for transferable alpha and beta-gamma residuals on selected surfaces; and sampling of soil, debris and currently used processing materials for radionuclide analysis. All survey results were within DOE FUSRAP guidelines derived to determine the eligibility of a site for remedial action. These guidelines are derived to ensure that unrestricted use of the property will not result in any measurable radiological hazard to the site occupants or the general public. 4 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Influence of gamma-irradiation sterilization and temperature on the fracture toughness of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.

PubMed

Pascaud, R S; Evans, W T; McCullagh, P J; FitzPatrick, D P

1997-05-01

Surface damage of the tibial plateau components of knee prostheses made from medical grade ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) has been attributed to delamination wear caused by a fatigue fracture mechanism. It has been proposed that factors such as component design and method of sterilization contribute to such failure mechanisms. Understanding the fracture behaviour of UHMW-PE is therefore critical in optimizing the in vivo life-span of total joint components. The elastic-plastic fracture toughness parameter J was consequently determined for a commercial UHMW-PE at ambient and body temperatures, before and after gamma-irradiation sterilization in air at a minimum dose of 29 kGy. Both ductile stability theory and experimental data suggest that cracks propagate in a stable manner, although stability is affected by the sterilization process. Sterilization with gamma-irradiation results in a loss in fracture toughness JIc of 50% and a decrease in tearing modulus (Tm) of 30%. This dramatic reduction could result in a 50% decrease in the residual strength of the components, maximum permissible crack size under service loading and service life (assuming flaws such as fusion defects exist). The time required for a crack to grow from its original size to the maximum permissible size could be decreased by 30%, resulting in earlier failure. In terms of the design of joint replacement components the critical factor to envisage is the design stress level, which should be halved to account for the irradiation process. A scanning electron microscope study reveals that the material fails in layers parallel to the fracture surface.

Method and System for Gamma-Ray Localization Induced Spacecraft Navigation Using Celestial Gamma-Ray Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hisamoto, Chuck (Inventor); Arzoumanian, Zaven (Inventor); Sheikh, Suneel I. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A method and system for spacecraft navigation using distant celestial gamma-ray bursts which offer detectable, bright, high-energy events that provide well-defined characteristics conducive to accurate time-alignment among spatially separated spacecraft. Utilizing assemblages of photons from distant gamma-ray bursts, relative range between two spacecraft can be accurately computed along the direction to each burst's source based upon the difference in arrival time of the burst emission at each spacecraft's location. Correlation methods used to time-align the high-energy burst profiles are provided. The spacecraft navigation may be carried out autonomously or in a central control mode of operation.

Gamma-ray tracking method for pet systems

DOEpatents

Mihailescu, Lucian; Vetter, Kai M.

2010-06-08

Gamma-ray tracking methods for use with granular, position sensitive detectors identify the sequence of the interactions taking place in the detector and, hence, the position of the first interaction. The improved position resolution in finding the first interaction in the detection system determines a better definition of the direction of the gamma-ray photon, and hence, a superior source image resolution. A PET system using such a method will have increased efficiency and position resolution.

Attrition resistant gamma-alumina catalyst support

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singleton, Alan H.; Oukaci, Rachid; Goodwin, James G.

2006-03-14

A .gamma.-alumina catalyst support having improved attrition resistance produced by a method comprising the steps of treating a particulate .gamma.-alumina material with an acidic aqueous solution comprising water and nitric acid and then, prior to adding any catalytic material thereto, calcining the treated .gamma.-alumina.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, L; Huang, S; Kang, M

Purpose: The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate the utility of a comprehensive test pattern in validating calculation models of the low-dose tails of proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) spots. Such a pattern has been used previously for quality assurance purposes to assess spot shape and location, and for determining monitor units. Methods: In this study, a scintillation detector was used to measure the test pattern in air at isocenter for two proton beam energies (115 and 225 MeV) of two IBA universal nozzles (UN). Planar measurements were compared with calculated dose distribution based on the weighted superposition ofmore » spot profiles previously measured using a pair-magnification method. Results: Including the halo component below 1% of the central dose is shown to improve the gamma-map comparison between calculation and measurement from 94.9% to 98.4% using 2 mm/2% criteria for the 115 MeV proton beam of UN #1. In contrast, including the halo component below 1% of the central dose does not improve the gamma agreement for the 115 MeV proton beam of UN #2, due to the cutoff of the halo component at off-axis locations. When location-dependent spot profiles are used for calculation instead of spot profiles at central axis, the gamma agreement is improved from 98.0% to 99.5% using 2 mm/2% criteria. The cutoff of the halo component is smaller at higher energies, and is not observable for the 225 MeV proton beam for UN #2. Conclusion: In conclusion, the use of a comprehensive test pattern can facilitate the validation of the halo component of proton PBS spots at off axis locations. The cutoff of the halo component should be taken into consideration for large fields or PBS systems that intend to trim spot profiles using apertures. This work was supported by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command under Contract Agreement No. DAMD17-W81XWH-07-2-0121 and W81XWH-09-2-0174.« less

Characterization of modified PVDF membrane by gamma irradiation for non-potable water reuse.

PubMed

Lim, Seung Joo; Kim, Tak-Hyun; Shin, In Hwan

2015-01-01

Poly(vinylidene fluorine) (PVDF) membranes were grafted by gamma-ray irradiation and were sulfonated by sodium sulfite to modify the surface of the membranes. The characteristics of the modified PVDF membranes were evaluated by the data of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), the contact angle of the membrane surface and the water permeability. From the results of FT-IR, XPS and FE-SEM, it was shown that the modified membranes were successfully grafted by gamma-ray irradiation and were sulfonated. The content of oxygen and sulfur increased with the monomer concentration, while the content of fluorine sharply decreased. The pore size of the modified membranes decreased after gamma-ray irradiation. The contact angle and the water permeability showed that the hydrophilicity of the modified membranes played a role in determining the membrane performance. The feasibility study of the modified PVDF membranes for using non-potable water reuse were carried out using a laboratory-scale microfiltration system. Grey wastewater was used as the influent in the filtration unit, and permeate quality satisfied non-potable water reuse guidelines in the Republic of Korea.

Lithium-doped hydroxyapatite nano-composites: Synthesis, characterization, gamma attenuation coefficient and dielectric properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badran, H.; Yahia, I. S.; Hamdy, Mohamed S.; Awwad, N. S.

2017-01-01

Lithium-hydroxyapatite (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt% Li-HAp) nano-composites were synthesized by sol-gel technique followed by microwave-hydrothermal treatment. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman techniques. Gamma attenuation coefficient and the dielectric properties for all composites were investigated. The crystallinity degree of Li-doped HAp was higher than that of un-doped HAp. Gamma attenuation coefficient values increased from 0.562 cm-1 for 0 wt% Li-HAp to 2.190 cm-1 for 40 wt% Li-HAp. The alternating current conductivity increased with increasing frequency. The concentration of Li affect the values of dielectric constant where Li doped HAp of low dielectric constant can have an advantage for healing in bone fractures. The calcium to phosphorus ratio decreased from 1.43 to 1.37 with the addition of lithium indicating the Ca deficiency in the studied composites. Our findings lead to the conclusion that Li-HAp is a new nano-composite useful for medical applications and could be doped with gamma shield materials.

Effect of gamma-ray irradiation on isothermal crystallization of biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Yu-Fan; Chou, Yu-Cheng; Yang, Fuqian; Lee, Sanboh

2016-09-01

The effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the isothermal crystallization of biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu) and the growth behavior of PESu spherulites have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. The irradiation doses used in the study are 0, 200, 400, and 600 kGy. The kinetic parameters for the isothermal crystallization have been determined, using the Avrami relationship. The nucleation constants and activation energy for the growth of the PESu spherulites have been analyzed, using the Lauritzen-Hoffman growth theory. Triple melting points have been observed for all the irradiated PESu. The gamma irradiation has no observable effect on the Avrami exponent, and the composite rate constant increases first with the increase of the crystallization temperature, reaches maximum at the crystallization temperature of 35 °C, and then decreases with the increase of the crystallization temperature for both the non-irradiated and irradiated PESu. There exists a transition of the growth of the PESu spherulites from regime II to regime III. Both the nucleation constants and activation energy increase with increasing the irradiation dose. The gamma irradiation increases the energy barrier for the migration of polymer chains.

Multi-particle inspection using associated particle sources

DOEpatents

Bingham, Philip R.; Mihalczo, John T.; Mullens, James A.; McConchie, Seth M.; Hausladen, Paul A.

2016-02-16

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for performing combined neutron and gamma ray radiography. For example, one exemplary system comprises: a neutron source; a set of alpha particle detectors configured to detect alpha particles associated with neutrons generated by the neutron source; neutron detectors positioned to detect at least some of the neutrons generated by the neutron source; a gamma ray source; a set of verification gamma ray detectors configured to detect verification gamma rays associated with gamma rays generated by the gamma ray source; a set of gamma ray detectors configured to detect gamma rays generated by the gamma ray source; and an interrogation region located between the neutron source, the gamma ray source, the neutron detectors, and the gamma ray detectors.

Gamma irradiation alters fatigue-crack behavior and fracture toughness in 1900H and GUR 1050 UHMWPE.

PubMed

Cole, Jantzen C; Lemons, Jack E; Eberhardt, Alan W

2002-01-01

Pitting and delamination remain causative factors of polyethylene failure in total knee replacement. Gamma irradiation induces cross linking in ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, which has been shown to improve wear resistance. Irradiation may reduce fracture toughness and fatigue strength, however, and the effects of irradiation are dependent upon the resin, processing technique, and radiation dose. The effects of varying levels of gamma irradiation (0, 33, 66, and 100 kGy) on the fracture toughness and fatigue-crack resistance of UHMWPE, isostatically molded from 1900H and GUR 1050 resins, were examined. Paris law regressions were performed to quantify fatigue-crack propagation rates as functions of change in stress intensity, and J-integral methods were used to quantify the elastic-plastic fracture toughness. The results indicated that gamma irradiation reduced the resistance of both materials to fatigue-crack growth, and that the reductions were radiation dosage and resin dependent. Irradiation at any level was detrimental to the fracture toughness of the 1900H specimens. Irradiation at 33 kGy increased fracture toughness for the GUR 1050 specimens, and substantial reductions were observed only at the highest irradiation level. Scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surface revealed diamond-like fracture patterns of the nonirradiated specimens indicative of ductile, multilevel fracture. Pronounced striations were apparent on these fracture surfaces, oriented perpendicular to the direction of crack growth. The striations appeared as folds in surface layers of the GUR 1050 specimens. At the highest irradiation levels, the striations were nearly eliminated on the fracture surfaces of the 1900H specimens, and were markedly less severe for the GUR 1050. These results demonstrated that at higher irradiation levels the materials became more brittle in fatigue, with less ductile folding and tearing of the fracture surfaces. Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res (Appl Biomater) 63: 559-566, 2002

WE-G-BRA-08: Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Y; Bhatnagar, J; Bednarz, G

2015-06-15

Purpose: To perform a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) study for Gamma Knife (GK) radiosurgery processes at our institution based on our experience with the treatment of more than 13,000 patients. Methods: A team consisting of medical physicists, nurses, radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an external physicist expert was formed for the FMEA study. A process tree and a failure mode table were created for the GK procedures using the Leksell GK Perfexion and 4C units. Three scores for the probability of occurrence (O), the severity (S), and the probability of no detectionmore » (D) for failure modes were assigned to each failure mode by each professional on a scale from 1 to 10. The risk priority number (RPN) for each failure mode was then calculated (RPN = OxSxD) as the average scores from all data sets collected. Results: The established process tree for GK radiosurgery consists of 10 sub-processes and 53 steps, including a sub-process for frame placement and 11 steps that are directly related to the frame-based nature of the GK radiosurgery. Out of the 86 failure modes identified, 40 failure modes are GK specific, caused by the potential for inappropriate use of the radiosurgery head frame, the imaging fiducial boxes, the GK helmets and plugs, and the GammaPlan treatment planning system. The other 46 failure modes are associated with the registration, imaging, image transfer, contouring processes that are common for all radiation therapy techniques. The failure modes with the highest hazard scores are related to imperfect frame adaptor attachment, bad fiducial box assembly, overlooked target areas, inaccurate previous treatment information and excessive patient movement during MRI scan. Conclusion: The implementation of the FMEA approach for Gamma Knife radiosurgery enabled deeper understanding of the overall process among all professionals involved in the care of the patient and helped identify potential weaknesses in the overall process.« less

Effects of gamma ray and electron beam irradiation on the mechanical, thermal, structural and physicochemical properties of poly (ether-block-amide) thermoplastic elastomers.

PubMed

Murray, Kieran A; Kennedy, James E; McEvoy, Brian; Vrain, Olivier; Ryan, Damien; Cowman, Richard; Higginbotham, Clement L

2013-01-01

Both gamma ray and electron beam irradiation are widely used as a means of medical device sterilisation. However, it is known that the radiation produced by both processes can lead to undesirable changes within biomedical polymers. The main objective of this research was to conduct a comparative study on the two key radiosterilisation methods (gamma ray and electron beam) in order to identify the more detrimental process in terms of the mechanical, structural, chemical and thermal properties of a common biomedical grade polymer. Poly (ether-block-amide) (PEBA) was prepared by injection moulding ASTM testing specimens and these were exposed to an extensive range of irradiation doses (5-200 kGy) in an air atmosphere. The effect of varying the irradiation dose concentration on the resultant PEBA properties was apparent. For instance, the tensile strength, percentage elongation at break and shore D hardness can be increased/decreased by controlling the aforementioned criteria. In addition, it was observed that the stiffness of the material increased with incremental irradiation doses as anticipated. Melt flow index demonstrated a dramatic increase in the melting strength of the material indicating a sharp increase in molecular weight. Conversely, modulated differential scanning calorimetry established that there were no significant alterations to the thermal transitions. Noteworthy trends were observed for the dynamic frequency sweeps of the material, where the crosslink density increased according to an increase in electron beam irradiation dose. Trans-vinylene unsaturations and the carbonyl group concentration increased with an increment in irradiation dose for both processes when observed by FTIR. The relationship between the irradiation dose rate, mechanical properties and the subsequent surface properties of PEBA material is further elucidated throughout this paper. This study revealed that the gamma irradiation process produced more adverse effects in the PEBA material in contrast to the electron beam irradiation process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wavelet imaging cleaning method for atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lessard, R. W.; Cayón, L.; Sembroski, G. H.; Gaidos, J. A.

2002-07-01

We present a new method of image cleaning for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The method is based on the utilization of wavelets to identify noise pixels in images of gamma-ray and hadronic induced air showers. This method selects more signal pixels with Cherenkov photons than traditional image processing techniques. In addition, the method is equally efficient at rejecting pixels with noise alone. The inclusion of more signal pixels in an image of an air shower allows for a more accurate reconstruction, especially at lower gamma-ray energies that produce low levels of light. We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of gamma-ray and hadronic air showers which show improved angular resolution using this cleaning procedure. Data from the Whipple Observatory's 10-m telescope are utilized to show the efficacy of the method for extracting a gamma-ray signal from the background of hadronic generated images.

Inter-operator variation in ELISPOT analysis of measles virus-specific IFN-gamma-secreting T cells.

PubMed

Ryan, J E; Ovsyannikova, I G; Dhiman, N; Pinsky, N A; Vierkant, R A; Jacobson, R M; Poland, G A

2005-01-01

The ELISPOT assay is a highly sensitive technique used for the detection of individual cytokine releasing cells. We have developed an IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay utilizing unfractionated frozen peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to quantify the frequency of measles virus (MV)-specific IFN-gamma-secreting T cells in 117 healthy children who had been previously immunized with two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. We have also estimated the variability associated with the quantification of ELISPOT plates and compared the number of MV-specific IFN-gamma-secreting T cells for each subject as determined by two different operators of an ELISPOT reader. The median frequency of MV-specific IFN-gamma-producing memory T cells detected by this assay was 0.005 % and 0.01 % as determined by an in-house and commercial operator, respectively. Although we found a significant correlation (r = 0.83, p<0.0001) between the number of spots counted by the commercial and in-house operators of an ELISPOT reader, the median number of spots counted by the commercial operator was twice the number of spots counted by an in-house operator (p<0.001). This demonstrates the importance of using a common ELISPOT reader and operator, among other parameters, to quantify the number of spots when a large volume of plates are being scanned and analyzed.

The study of gamma irradiation effects on poly (glycolic acid)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao Nakka, Rajeswara; Rao Thumu, Venkatappa; Reddy SVS, Ramana; Rao Buddhiraju, Sanjeeva

2015-05-01

We have investigated the effects of gamma irradiation on chemical structure, thermal and morphological properties of biodegradable semi-crystalline poly (glycolic acid) (PGA). PGA samples were subjected to irradiation treatment using a 60Co gamma source with a delivered dose of 30, 60 and 90 kGy, respectively. Gamma irradiation induces cleavage of PGA main chains forming ∼OĊH2 and ĊH2COO∼ radicals in both amorphous and crystalline regions. The free radicals formed in the amorphous region abstract atmospheric oxygen and convert them to peroxy radicals. The peroxy radical causes chain scission at the crystal interface through hydrogen abstraction from methylene groups forming the ∼ĊHCOO∼ (I) radical. Consequently, the observed electron spin resonance (ESR) doublet of irradiated PGA is assigned to (I). The disappearance of the ESR signal above 190°C indicates that free radicals are formed in the amorphous region and decay below the melting temperature of PGA. Fourier transform infrared and optical absorption studies confirm that the ? groups are not influenced by gamma irradiation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies showed that the melting temperature of PGA decreased from 212°C to 202°C upon irradiation. Degree of crystallinity increased initially and then decreased with an increase in radiation as per DSC and X-ray diffraction studies. Irradiation produced changes in the physical properties of PGA as well as affecting the morphology of the material.

Gamma-resonance Contraband Detection using a high current tandem accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milton, B. F.; Beis, J.; Dale, D.

1999-04-26

TRIUMF and Northrop Grumman have developed a new system for the detection of concealed explosives and drugs. This Contraband Detection System (CDS) is based on the resonant absorption by {sup 14}N of gammas produced using {sup 13}C(p,{gamma}){sup 14}N. The chosen reaction uses protons at 1.75 MeV and the gammas have an energy of 9.17 MeV. By measuring both the resonant and the non-resonant absorption using detectors with good spatial resolution, and applying standard tomographic techniques, we are able to produce 3D images of both the nitrogen partial density and the total density. The images together may be utilized with considerablemore » confidence to determine if small amounts of nitrogen based explosives, heroin or cocaine are present in the interrogated containers. Practical Gamma Resonant Absorption (GRA) scanning requires an intense source of protons. However this proton source must also be very stable, have low energy spread, and have good spatial definition. These demands suggested a tandem as the accelerator of choice. We have therefore constructed a 2 MeV H{sup -} tandem optimized for high current (10 mA) operation, while minimizing the overall size of the accelerator. This has required several special innovations which will be presented in the paper. We will also present initial commissioning results.« less

Chemiluminescence of nitric oxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharp, W. E.; Rusch, D. W.

1981-01-01

Measurements of the intensities of the delta and gamma bands of nitric oxide in the nighttime terrestrial thermosphere are presented and used to infer the rate coefficient for the transition from the C 2 Pi to the A 2 Sigma + states. The nightglow spectrum was observed between 1900 and 2300 A at a resolution of 15 A by a rocket-borne scanning 1/4-m spectrometer pointing north at an apogee of 150 km. Progressions of the delta, gamma and epsilon bands are identified on the spectra by the construction of synthetic spectra, and the contributions of resonance fluorescence to the total band intensities are calculated. Finally, the ratio of the sum of the gamma bands for v-prime = 0 to the sum of the delta bands for v-prime = 0 is used to derive a branching ratio of 0.21 + or - 0.04 to the A 2 Sigma + state, which yields a probability for the C-A transition of 5.6 + or - 1.5 x to the 6th/sec.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahmud, Maznah; Radiation Processing Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, 43000 Kajang, Selangor; Daik, Rusli

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-crosslinked chitosan hydrogels were prepared by gamma radiation at various doses; 1, 3 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30kGy. Gamma radiation was used as a crosslinking tool which requires no chemical initiator, no heating process and need no purification step on the end products obtained. The hydrogel formulations were composed of 6% chitosan with average molecular weight (Mw) = 48 800 g/mol and 14% PVP with Mw = 10 000 g/mol in 2% lactic acid. Physical properties of hydrogels such as gel fraction and swelling property at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0 as well as syneresis activitymore » were determined. It was found that different radiation dose induces different effect on hydrogels’ network formed. Morphological study of hydrogels has been carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM). From these preliminary evaluations, it can be concluded that gamma radiation is an effective tool for network development of hydrogels and it also induces enhancement on characteristics of hydrogels synthesized.« less

Modulated method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser Compton X-ray and gamma-ray sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser compton x-ray and gamma-ray sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Gamma ray cosmology: The extra galactic gamma spectrum and methods to detect the underlying source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cline, David B.

1990-01-01

The possible sources of extragalactic gamma rays and methods to distinguish the different sources are discussed. The sources considered are early universe decays and annihilation of Particles, active galactic nuclei (AGN) sources, and baryon-antibaryon annihilation in a baryon symmetric cosmology. The energy spectrum and possible angular fluctuations due to these sources are described.

Efficient synthesis of gamma-lactams by a tandem reductive amination/lactamization sequence.

PubMed

Nöth, Julica; Frankowski, Kevin J; Neuenswander, Benjamin; Aubé, Jeffrey; Reiser, Oliver

2008-01-01

A three-component method for the synthesis of highly substituted gamma-lactams from readily available maleimides, aldehydes, and amines is described. A new reductive amination/intramolecular lactamization sequence provides a straightforward route to the lactam products in a single manipulation. The general utility of this method is demonstrated by the parallel synthesis of a gamma-lactam library.

Polarization-polarization correlation measurement --- Experimental test of the PPCO methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Droste, Ch.; Starosta, K.; Wierzchucka, A.; Morek, T.; Rohoziński, S. G.; Srebrny, J.; Wesolowski, E.; Bergstrem, M.; Herskind, B.

1998-04-01

A significant fraction of modern multidetector arrays used for "in-beam" gamma-ray spectroscopy consist of a detectors which are sensitive to linear polarization of gamma quanta. This yields the opportunity to carry out correlation measurements between the gamma rays registered in polarimeters to get information concerning spins and parities of excited nuclear states. The aim of the present work was to study the ability of the polarization- polarization correlation method (the PPCO method). The correlation between the linear polarization of one gamma quantum and the polarization of the second quantum emitted in a cascade from an oriented nucleus (due to a heavy ion reaction) was studied in detail. The appropriate formulae and methods of analysis are presented. The experimental test of the method was performed using the EUROGAM II array. The CLOVER detectors are the parts of the array used as polarimeters. The ^164Yb nucleus was produced via the ^138Ba(^30Si, 4n) reaction. It was found that the PPCO method together with the standard DCO analysis and the polarization- direction correlation method (PDCO) can be helpful for spin, parity and multipolarity assignments. The results suggest that the PPCO method can be applied to modern spectrometers in which a large number of detectors (e.g. CLOVER) are sensitive to polarization of gamma rays.

Current gamma knife treatment for ophthalmic branch of primary trigeminal neuralgia

PubMed Central

Shan, Guo-Yong; Liang, Hao-Fang; Zhang, Jian-Hua

2011-01-01

AIM To probe into problems existing in gamma knife treatment of ophthalmic branch of primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and propose a safe and effective solution to the problem. METHODS Through sorting the literature reporting gamma knife treatment of refractory TN in recent years, this article analyzed the advantages and problems of gamma knife treatment of primary TN, and proposed reasonable assessment for existing problems and the possible solution. RESULTS Gamma knife treatment of TN has drawn increasing attention of clinicians due to its unique non-invasion, safety and effectiveness, but there are three related issues to be considered. The first one is the uncertainty of the optimal dose (70-90GY); the second one is the difference in radiotherapy target selection (using a single isocenter or two isocenters); and the third one is the big difference of recurrent pains (specific treatment methods need to be summarized and improved). CONCLUSION For patients with refractory TN, gamma knife treatment can be selected when the medical treatment fails or drug side effects emerge. The analysis of a large number of TN patients receiving gamma knife treatment has shown that this is a safe and effective treatment method. PMID:22553625

Measurement of absolute gamma emission probabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumithrarachchi, Chandana S.; Rengan, Krish; Griffin, Henry C.

2003-06-01

The energies and emission probabilities (intensities) of gamma-rays emitted in radioactive decays of particular nuclides are the most important characteristics by which to quantify mixtures of radionuclides. Often, quantification is limited by uncertainties in measured intensities. A technique was developed to reduce these uncertainties. The method involves obtaining a pure sample of a nuclide using radiochemical techniques, and using appropriate fractions for beta and gamma measurements. The beta emission rates were measured using a liquid scintillation counter, and the gamma emission rates were measured with a high-purity germanium detector. Results were combined to obtain absolute gamma emission probabilities. All sources of uncertainties greater than 0.1% were examined. The method was tested with 38Cl and 88Rb.

In search of best fitted composite model to the ALAE data set with transformed Gamma and inversed transformed Gamma families

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maghsoudi, Mastoureh; Bakar, Shaiful Anuar Abu

2017-05-01

In this paper, a recent novel approach is applied to estimate the threshold parameter of a composite model. Several composite models from Transformed Gamma and Inverse Transformed Gamma families are constructed based on this approach and their parameters are estimated by the maximum likelihood method. These composite models are fitted to allocated loss adjustment expenses (ALAE). In comparison to all composite models studied, the composite Weibull-Inverse Transformed Gamma model is proved to be a competitor candidate as it best fit the loss data. The final part considers the backtesting method to verify the validation of VaR and CTE risk measures.

Method and an apparatus for non-invasively determining the quantity of an element in a body organ

DOEpatents

Vartsky, D.; Ellis, K.J.; Cohn, S.H.

1980-06-27

An apparatus and a method for determining in a body organ the amount of an element with the aid of a gaseous gamma ray source, where the element and the source are paired in predetermined pairs, and with the aid of at least one detector selected from the group consisting of Ge(Li) and NaI(Tl). Gamma rays are directed towards the organ, thereby resonantly scattering the gamma rays from nuclei of the element in the organ; the intensity of the gamma rays is detected by the detector; and the amount of the element in the organ is then substantially proportional to the detected intensity of the gamma rays.

RAPTOR-scan: Identifying and Tracking Objects Through Thousands of Sky Images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davidoff, Sherri; Wozniak, Przemyslaw

2004-09-28

The RAPTOR-scan system mines data for optical transients associated with gamma-ray bursts and is used to create a catalog for the RAPTOR telescope system. RAPTOR-scan can detect and track individual astronomical objects across data sets containing millions of observed points.Accurately identifying a real object over many optical images (clustering the individual appearances) is necessary in order to analyze object light curves. To achieve this, RAPTOR telescope observations are sent in real time to a database. Each morning, a program based on the DBSCAN algorithm clusters the observations and labels each one with an object identifier. Once clustering is complete, themore » analysis program may be used to query the database and produce light curves, maps of the sky field, or other informative displays.Although RAPTOR-scan was designed for the RAPTOR optical telescope system, it is a general tool designed to identify objects in a collection of astronomical data and facilitate quick data analysis. RAPTOR-scan will be released as free software under the GNU General Public License.« less

ELEVATED GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID LEVELS IN CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA

PubMed Central

Öngür, Dost; Prescot, Andrew P.; McCarthy, Julie; Cohen, Bruce M.; Renshaw, Perry F.

2010-01-01

Background Despite widely-replicated abnormalities of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in schizophrenia postmortem, few studies have measured tissue GABA levels in vivo. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure tissue GABA levels in participants with schizophrenia and healthy controls in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and parieto-occipital cortex (POC). Methods 21 schizophrenia participants effectively treated on a stable medication regimen (mean age 39.0, 14 male) and 19 healthy controls (mean age 36.3, 12 male) underwent a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scan using GABA-selective editing at 4 Tesla after providing informed consent. Data were collected from two 16.7cc voxels and analyzed using LCModel. Results We found elevations in GABA/Cr in the schizophrenia group compared with controls (F(1,65)=4.149, p=0.046) in both brain areas (15.5% elevation in ACC, 11.9% in POC). We also found a positive correlation between GABA/Cr and Glu/Cr which was not accounted for by %GM or brain region. Conclusions We found elevated GABA/Cr in participants with chronically treated schizophrenia. Postmortem studies report evidence for dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia. Elevated GABA levels, whether primary to illness or compensatory to another process, may be associated with dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission in chronic schizophrenia. PMID:20598290

A Sensitive, Selective, and Portable Detector for Contraband: The Compact Integrated Narcotics Detection Instrument

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

T. O. Tuemer; L. Doan; C. W. Su

2000-06-04

This paper describes the design and operation of a Compact Integrated Narcotics Detection Instrument (CINDI), which utilizes neutrons emitted from {sup 252}Cf. Neutrons emitted from the front face of CINDI penetrate dense compartment barrier materials with little change in energy but are backscattered by hydrogen-rich materials such as drugs. CINDI has led to a new technology that shows promise for identifying the concealed contraband. Carriers such as vehicles, marine vessels, airplanes, containers, cargo, and luggage will be scanned using both neutron and gamma-ray sources. The signal from both the neutron and gamma-ray backscattering and/or transmission can be used simultaneously tomore » detect and possibly identify the contrabands it has been trained for.« less

Development of the fast and efficient gamma detector using Cherenkov light for TOF-PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canot, C.; Alokhina, M.; Abbon, P.; Bard, J. P.; Tauzin, G.; Yvon, D.; Sharyy, V.

2017-12-01

In this paper we present two configurations of innovative gamma detectors using Cherenkov light for time-of-flight—Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The first uses heavy crystals as a Cherenkov radiator to develop a demonstrator for a whole body PET scanner with high detection efficiency. We demonstrated a 30% detection efficiency and a 180 ps (FWHM) time resolution, mainly limited by the time transit spread of the photomultiplier. The second configuration uses an innovative liquid, the TriMethyl Bismuth, to develop a high precision brain-scanning PET device with time-of-flight capability. According to Geant4 simulation, we expect to reach a precision of 150 ps (FWHM) and an efficiency of about 25%.

Gamma irradiation assisted fungal degradation of the polypropylene/biomass composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butnaru, Elena; Darie-Niţă, Raluca Nicoleta; Zaharescu, Traian; Balaeş, Tiberius; Tănase, Cătălin; Hitruc, Gabriela; Doroftei, Florica; Vasile, Cornelia

2016-08-01

White-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta has been tested for its ability to degrade some biocomposites materials based on polypropylene and biomass (Eucalyptus globulus, pine cones, and Brassica rapa). γ-irradiation was applied to initiate the degradation of relatively inert polypropylene matrix. The degradation process has been studied by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, rheological and chemiluminescence tests. These analyses showed that the polypropylene/biomass composites properties are worsen under the action of the selected microorganism. The formation of cracks and scrap particles over the entire matrix surface and the decrease of the complex viscosity values, as well as the dynamic moduli of gamma irradiated PP/biomass composite and exposed to Bjerkandera adusta fungus, indicate fungal efficiency in composite degradation.

Microstructural evolution and micromechanical properties of gamma-irradiated Au ball bonds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yusoff, Wan Yusmawati Wan, E-mail: yusmawati@upnm.edu.my; Ismail, Roslina, E-mail: roslina.ismail@ukm.my; Jalar, Azman, E-mail: azmn@ukm.my

2014-07-01

The effect of gamma radiation on the mechanical and structural properties of gold ball bonds was investigated. Gold wires from thermosonic wire bonding were exposed to gamma rays from a Cobalt-60 source at a low dose (5 Gy). The load–depth curve of nanoindentation for the irradiated gold wire bond has an apparent staircase shape during loading compared to the as-received sample. The hardness of the specimens calculated from the nanoindentation shows an increase in value from 0.91 to 1.09 GPa for specimens after exposure. The reduced elastic modulus for irradiated specimens significantly increased as well, with values from 75.18 tomore » 98.55 GPa. The change in intrinsic properties due to gamma radiation was investigated using dual-focused ion beam and high-resolution transmission electron microscope analysis. The dual-focused ion beam and high-resolution transmission electron microscope images confirmed the changes in grain structure and the presence of dislocations. The scanning electron microscope micrographs of focused ion beam cross sections showed that the grain structure of the gold became elongated and smaller after exposure to gamma rays. Meanwhile, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy provided evidence that gamma radiation induced dislocation of the atomic arrangement. - Highlights: • Nanoindentation technique provides a detailed characterisation of Au ball bond. • P–h curve of irradiated Au ball bond shows an apparent pop-in event. • Hardness and reduced modulus increased after exposure. • Elongated and smaller grain structure in irradiated specimens • Prevalent presence of dislocations in the atomic arrangement.« less

Confirmatory radiological survey of the BORAX-V turbine building Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stevens, G.H.; Coleman, R.L.; Jensen, M.K.

1993-07-01

An independent assessment of the remediation of the BORAX-V (Boiling Water Reactor Experiment) turbine building at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), Idaho Falls, Idaho, was accomplished by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Pollutant Assessments Group (ORNL/PAG). The purpose of the assessment was to confirm the site`s compliance with applicable Department of Energy guidelines. The assessment included reviews of both the decontamination and decommissioning Plan and data provided from the pre- and post-remedial action surveys and an independent verification survey of the facility. The independent verification survey included determination of background exposure rates and soil concentrations, beta-gamma and gamma radiationmore » scans, smears for detection of removable contamination, and direct measurements for alpha and beta-gamma radiation activity on the basement and mezzanine floors and the building`s interior and exterior walls. Soil samples were taken, and beta-gamma and gamma radiation exposure rates were measured on areas adjacent to the building. Results of measurements on building surfaces at this facility were within established contamination guidelines except for elevated beta-gamma radiation levels located on three isolated areas of the basement floor. Following remediation of these areas, ORNL/PAG reviewed the remedial action contractor`s report and agreed that remediation was effective in removing the source of the elevated direct radiation. Results of all independent soil analyses for {sup 60}Co were below the detection limit. The highest {sup 137}Cs analysis result was 4.6 pCi/g; this value is below the INEL site-specific guideline of 10 pCi/g.« less

Comparison of individual and composite field analysis using array detector for Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy dose verification.

PubMed

Saminathan, Sathiyan; Chandraraj, Varatharaj; Sridhar, C H; Manickam, Ravikumar

2012-01-01

To compare the measured and calculated individual and composite field planar dose distribution of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy plans. The measurements were performed in Clinac DHX linear accelerator with 6 MV photons using Matrixx device and a solid water phantom. The 20 brain tumor patients were selected for this study. The IMRT plan was carried out for all the patients using Eclipse treatment planning system. The verification plan was produced for every original plan using CT scan of Matrixx embedded in the phantom. Every verification field was measured by the Matrixx. The TPS calculated and measured dose distributions were compared for individual and composite fields. The percentage of gamma pixel match for the dose distribution patterns were evaluated using gamma histogram. The gamma pixel match was 95-98% for 41 fields (39%) and 98% for 59 fields (61%) with individual fields. The percentage of gamma pixel match was 95-98% for 5 patients and 98% for other 12 patients with composite fields. Three patients showed a gamma pixel match of less than 95%. The comparison of percentage gamma pixel match for individual and composite fields showed more than 2.5% variation for 6 patients, more than 1% variation for 4 patients, while the remaining 10 patients showed less than 1% variation. The individual and composite field measurements showed good agreement with TPS calculated dose distribution for the studied patients. The measurement and data analysis for individual fields is a time consuming process, the composite field analysis may be sufficient enough for smaller field dose distribution analysis with array detectors.

Adhesion of Streptococcus sanguis CH3 to polymers with different surface free energies.

PubMed Central

van Pelt, A W; Weerkamp, A H; Uyen, M H; Busscher, H J; de Jong, H P; Arends, J

1985-01-01

The adhesion of the oral bacterium Streptococcus sanguis CH3 to various polymeric surfaces with surface free energies (gamma s) ranging from 22 to 141 erg cm-2 was investigated. Suspensions containing nine different bacterial concentrations (2.5 X 10(7) to 2.5 X 10(9) cells per ml) were used. After adhesion for 1 h at 21 degrees C and a standardized rinsing procedure, the number of attached bacteria per square centimeter (nb) was determined by scanning electron microscopy. The highest number of bacteria was consistently found on polytetrafluorethylene (gamma s = 22 erg cm-2), and the lowest number was found on glass (gamma s = 141 erg cm-2) at all bacterial concentrations tested. The overall negative correlation between nb and gamma s was weak. However, the slope of the line showing this decrease, calculated from an assumed linear relationship between nb and gamma s, appeared to depend strongly on the bacterial concentration and increased with increasing numbers of bacteria in the suspension. Analysis of the data for each separate polymer showed that the numbers of attached cells on polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene were higher but that those on polycarbonate were lower than would be expected on basis of a linear relationship between nb and gamma s. Desorption experiments were performed by first allowing the bacteria to attach to substrata for 1 h, after which the substrata and attached bacteria were removed to bacterial suspensions containing 10-fold lower bacterial concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Images PMID:4004241

Application of neutron-gamma analysis for determination of C/N ratio in compost

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Neutron-gamma analysis is based on the acquisition of gamma rays from neutron irradiated study objects. The intensity and energy of the registered gamma rays gives information on the types and amounts of elements in the studied object. The use of this method for measurements of soil carbon demonstra...

ESR/Alanine gamma-dosimetry in the 10-30 Gy range.

PubMed

Fainstein, C; Winkler, E; Saravi, M

2000-05-01

We report Alanine Dosimeter preparation, procedures for using the ESR/Dosimetry method, and the resulting calibration curve for gamma-irradiation in the range from 10-30 Gy. We use calibration curve to measure the irradiation dose in gamma-irradiation of human blood, as required in Blood Transfusion Therapy. The ESR/Alanine results are compared against those obtained using the thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) method.

Height-resolved large-sample INAA of a 1 m long, 13 cm diameter ditch-bottom sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaauw, M.; Baas, H. W.; Donze, M.

2003-06-01

A facility for instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of large samples (up to 1 m long and 15 cm diameter) has been built. Correction methods for the simultaneous occurrence of neutron self-shielding and gamma-ray self-attenuation effects have been implemented and tested with a variety of samples. Now, the method has been extended to allow for the interpretation of scanned, collimated measurements, where results are obtained for individual voxels. As a validation and demonstration, a ditch-bottom sample of the maximum size was taken in a frozen condition. It was cut in 2 cm slices, still frozen, and put together again with each slice in a 2 cm height Petri dish divided in three sections. This allowed for verification of the results by ordinary INAA. Possible explanations for the discrepancies we observed between ordinary and large-sample INAA in the region where the concentration gradients are the steepest are discussed.

Novel one-step route for synthesizing CdS/polystyrene nanocomposite hollow spheres.

PubMed

Wu, Dazhen; Ge, Xuewu; Zhang, Zhicheng; Wang, Mozhen; Zhang, Songlin

2004-06-22

CdS/polystyrene nanocomposite hollow spheres with diameters between 240 and 500 nm were synthesized under ambient conditions by a novel microemulsion method in which the polymerization of styrene and the formation of CdS nanoparticles were initiated by gamma-irradiation. The product was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which show the walls of the hollow spheres are porous and composed of polystyrene containing homogeneously dispersed CdS nanoparticles. The quantum-confined effect of the CdS/polystyrene nanocomposite hollow spheres is confirmed by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and photoluminescent (PL) spectra. We propose that the walls of these nanocomposite hollow spheres originate from the simultaneous synthesis of polystyrene and CdS nanoparticles at the interface of microemulsion droplets. This novel method is expected to produce various inorganic/polymer nanocomposite hollow spheres with potential applications in the fields of materials science and biotechnology.

Purification and Crystal Growth of Lead Iodide by Physical Vapor Transport Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, G. W.; Cole, M.; Chen, Y.-F.; Chen, K.-T.; Chen, H.; Chattopadhyay, K.; Burger, A.

1998-01-01

Lead iodide (PbI2) is a layered compound semiconductor being developed as room temperature x- and gamma-ray detector. Compared to the more studied material, mercuric iodide, PbI2 has a higher melting temperature and no phase transition until liquid phase which are indications of better mechanical properties. In this study, the source material was purified by the zone-refining process, and the purest section was extracted from center of the the zone-refined ingot to be grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) method. The zone-refined material and as-grown crystals were characterized by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to reveal the surface morphology, purity and stoichiometry. The results shows that both materials are near-stoichiometric composition, with the purity of the as-grown crystals higher than zone-refined materials. The resistivity of the as-grown crystal (10" Omega-cm) was derived from current-voltage (I-V) measurement, and is 10 times higher than the zone-refined materials. Detail results will be presented and discussed.

Development of a high sensitivity pinhole type gamma camera using semiconductors for low dose rate fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueno, Yuichiro; Takahashi, Isao; Ishitsu, Takafumi; Tadokoro, Takahiro; Okada, Koichi; Nagumo, Yasushi; Fujishima, Yasutake; Yoshida, Akira; Umegaki, Kikuo

2018-06-01

We developed a pinhole type gamma camera, using a compact detector module of a pixelated CdTe semiconductor, which has suitable sensitivity and quantitative accuracy for low dose rate fields. In order to improve the sensitivity of the pinhole type semiconductor gamma camera, we adopted three methods: a signal processing method to set the discriminating level lower, a high sensitivity pinhole collimator and a smoothing image filter that improves the efficiency of the source identification. We tested basic performances of the developed gamma camera and carefully examined effects of the three methods. From the sensitivity test, we found that the effective sensitivity was about 21 times higher than that of the gamma camera for high dose rate fields which we had previously developed. We confirmed that the gamma camera had sufficient sensitivity and high quantitative accuracy; for example, a weak hot spot (0.9 μSv/h) around a tree root could be detected within 45 min in a low dose rate field test, and errors of measured dose rates with point sources were less than 7% in a dose rate accuracy test.

Electronic structures and nonlinear optical properties of trinuclear transition metal clusters M-(mu-S)-M' (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au).

PubMed

Chen, Xihua; Wu, Kechen; Snijders, Jaap G; Lin, Chensheng

2003-01-27

A series of trinuclear metal clusters MS4(M'PPh3)2(M'PPh3) (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au) have been studied using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The static polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities of the model clusters have been calculated using the finite-field (F-F) method. The model clusters, divided into two groups, are alike in the structure of two fragments of rhombic units M-(mu-S)2-M' (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au), perpendicular to each other, which are joined by sharing the bridge metal M. It is the charge transfer from one of these moieties to the other in these characteristic sulfido-transitional metal cores that is responsible for the polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities. This kind of electronic delocalization, different from that of the planar pi-system, is interesting and warrants further investigation. The structural effects on properties are important. In these models, considerable third-order nonlinearities are exhibited. The element substitution effect of Mo and W is weak, while that of Cu and Ag is relatively substantial. An overall order is gamma xxxx(Mo-Ag) > gamma xxxx(W-Ag) > gamma xxxx(Mo-Au) > gamma xxxx(W-Au) > gamma xxxx (Mo-Cu) > gamma xxxx(W-Cu) and gamma av(Mo-Ag) approximately gamma av(W-Ag) > gamma av(Mo-Au) approximately gamma av(W-Au) approximately gamma av (Mo-Cu) approximately gamma av(W-Cu).

Vector wind profile gust model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adelfang, S. I.

1981-01-01

To enable development of a vector wind gust model suitable for orbital flight test operations and trade studies, hypotheses concerning the distributions of gust component variables were verified. Methods for verification of hypotheses that observed gust variables, including gust component magnitude, gust length, u range, and L range, are gamma distributed and presented. Observed gust modulus has been drawn from a bivariate gamma distribution that can be approximated with a Weibull distribution. Zonal and meridional gust components are bivariate gamma distributed. An analytical method for testing for bivariate gamma distributed variables is presented. Two distributions for gust modulus are described and the results of extensive hypothesis testing of one of the distributions are presented. The validity of the gamma distribution for representation of gust component variables is established.

Medical applications of neutron inelastic scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehayias, Joseph J.; Banuk-Waitekus, Anathea; Valtuena, Silvia; Sheahan, Charles A.

1999-10-01

A sealed, D-T, pulsed neutron generator is used for the in vivo measurement of body carbon and oxygen by neutron inelastic scattering. The generator is operated at 10 KHz, at a neutron output of about 2 X 107 n/s/4(pi) . Gamma ray spectra are collected with two B4Ge3O12 crystal detectors. The measurements are used to measure fat and lean content and distribution in the body, with minimal radiation exposure (0.08 mSv). When combined with other measurements (such as total body potassium), this whole body scanning device provides us with the `quality of lean mass', a measurable outcome of treatments designed to improve nutritional status and function. The method is used in studies of human nutrition and for assessing the efficacy of new anti-obesity and anti-cachexia pharmaceuticals.

Gamma-ray Full Spectrum Analysis for Environmental Radioactivity by HPGe Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Meeyoung; Lee, Kyeong Beom; Kim, Kyeong Ja; Lee, Min-Kie; Han, Ju-Bong

2014-12-01

Odyssey, one of the NASA¡¯s Mars exploration program and SELENE (Kaguya), a Japanese lunar orbiting spacecraft have a payload of Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) for analyzing radioactive chemical elements of the atmosphere and the surface. In these days, gamma-ray spectroscopy with a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector has been widely used for the activity measurements of natural radionuclides contained in the soil of the Earth. The energy spectra obtained by the HPGe detectors have been generally analyzed by means of the Window Analysis (WA) method. In this method, activity concentrations are determined by using the net counts of energy window around individual peaks. Meanwhile, an alternative method, the so-called Full Spectrum Analysis (FSA) method uses count numbers not only from full-absorption peaks but from the contributions of Compton scattering due to gamma-rays. Consequently, while it takes a substantial time to obtain a statistically significant result in the WA method, the FSA method requires a much shorter time to reach the same level of the statistical significance. This study shows the validation results of FSA method. We have compared the concentration of radioactivity of 40K, 232Th and 238U in the soil measured by the WA method and the FSA method, respectively. The gamma-ray spectrum of reference materials (RGU and RGTh, KCl) and soil samples were measured by the 120% HPGe detector with cosmic muon veto detector. According to the comparison result of activity concentrations between the FSA and the WA, we could conclude that FSA method is validated against the WA method. This study implies that the FSA method can be used in a harsh measurement environment, such as the gamma-ray measurement in the Moon, in which the level of statistical significance is usually required in a much shorter data acquisition time than the WA method.

Measured neutron and gamma spectra from californium-252 in a tissue-equivalent medium.

PubMed

Elson, H R; Stupar, T A; Shapiro, A; Kereiakes, J G

1979-01-01

A method of experimentally obtaining both neutron and gamma-ray spectra in a scattering medium is described. The method utilizes a liquid-organic scintillator (NE-213) coupled with a pulse-shape discrimination circuit. This allows the separation of the neutron-induced pulse-height data from the gamma-ray pulse-height data. Using mathematical unfolding techniques, the two sets of pulse-height data were transformed to obtain the neutron and gamma-ray energy spectra. A small spherical detector was designed and constructed to reduce the errors incurred by attempting spectral measurements in a scattering medium. Demonstration of the utility of the system to obtain the neutron and gamma-ray spectra in a scattering medium was performed by characterizing the neutron and gamma-ray spectra at various sites about a 3.7-microgram (1.5 cm active length) californium-252 source in a tissue-equivalent medium.

Proton Neutron Gamma-X Detection (PNGXD): An introduction to contrast agent detection during proton therapy via prompt gamma neutron activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gräfe, James L.

2017-09-01

Proton therapy is an alternative external beam cancer treatment modality to the conventional linear accelerator-based X-ray radiotherapy. An inherent by-product of proton-nuclear interactions is the production of secondary neutrons. These neutrons have long been thought of as a secondary contaminant, nuisance, and source of secondary cancer risk. In this paper, a method is proposed to use these neutrons to identify and localize the presence of the tumor through neutron capture reactions with the gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent. This could provide better confidence in tumor targeting by acting as an additional quality assurance tool of tumor position during treatment. This effectively results in a neutron induced nuclear medicine scan. Gadolinium (Gd), is an ideal candidate for this novel nuclear contrast imaging procedure due to its unique nuclear properties and its widespread use as a contrast agent in MRI. Gd has one of the largest thermal neutron capture cross sections of all the stable nuclides, and the gadolinium-based contrast agents localize in leaky tissues and tumors. Initial characteristics of this novel concept were explored using the Monte Carlo code MCNP6. The number of neutron capture reactions per Gy of proton dose was found to be approximately 50,000 neutron captures/Gy, for a 8 cm3 tumor containing 300 ppm Gd at 8 cm depth with a simple simulation designed to represent the active delivery method. Using the passive method it is estimated that this number can be up to an order of magnitude higher. The thermal neutron distribution was found to not be localized within the spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) for this geometrical configuration and therefore would not allow for the identification of a geometric miss of the tumor by the proton SOBP. However, this potential method combined with nuclear medicine imaging and fused with online CBCT and prior MRI or CT imaging could help to identify tumor position during treatment. More computational and experimental work are required to determine the feasibility of this new technique termed Proton Neutron Gamma-X Detection (PNGXD). The initial concept of this procedure is presented in this paper as well as future research directions.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AND ANALYZING POLARIZED GAMMA RADIATION

DOEpatents

Hamermesh, M.; Hanna, S.S.; Perlow, G.J.

1964-04-21

A method of polarizing and resolving the plane of polarization of gamma rays is described. Polarization is produced by positioning a thin disc of ferromagnetic metal, cortaining /sup 57/Co, in a magnetic field. Resolution is accomplished by rotating a thin disc of iron enriched in /sup 57/Fe relative to a second magnetic field and noting the change of gamma absorption at each rotational position. (AEC)

MEASUREMENTS OF GAMMA-RAY DOSES OF DIFFERENT RADIOISOTOPES BY THE TEST-FILM METHOD (in German)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Domanus, J.; Halski, L.

The test-film method seems to be most suitable for systematic, periodical measurements of individual doses of ionizing radiation. Persons handling radioisotopes are irradiated with gamma rays of different energies. The energy of gamma radiation lies within much broader limits than is the case with x rays. Therefore it was necessary to check whether the test-film method is suitable for measuring doses of gamma-rays of such different energies and to choose the proper combination of film and screen to reach the necessary measuring range. Polish films, Foton Rentgen and Foton Rentgen Super and films from the German Democratic Republic, Agfa Texomore » R and Agfa Texo S were tested. Expositions were made without intensifying screens as well as with lead and fluorescent screens. The investigations showed that for dosimetric purposes the Foton Rentgen Super films are most suitable. However, not one of the film-screen combinations gave satisfactory results for radioisotopes with radiation of different energies. In such a case the test-film method gives only approximate results. If, on the contrary, gamma energies do not differ greatly, the test- film method proves to be quite good. (auth)« less

Report on the analysis of common beverages spiked with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) using NMR and the PURGE solvent-suppression technique.

PubMed

Lesar, Casey T; Decatur, John; Lukasiewicz, Elaan; Champeil, Elise

2011-10-10

In forensic evidence, the identification and quantitation of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) in "spiked" beverages is challenging. In this report, we present the analysis of common alcoholic beverages found in clubs and bars spiked with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). Our analysis of the spiked beverages consisted of using (1)H NMR with a water suppression method called Presaturation Utilizing Relaxation Gradients and Echoes (PURGE). The following beverages were analyzed: water, 10% ethanol in water, vodka-cranberry juice, rum and coke, gin and tonic, whisky and diet coke, white wine, red wine, and beer. The PURGE method allowed for the direct identification and quantitation of both compounds in all beverages except red and white wine where small interferences prevented accurate quantitation. The NMR method presented in this paper utilizes PURGE water suppression. Thanks to the use of a capillary internal standard, the method is fast, non-destructive, sensitive and requires no sample preparation which could disrupt the equilibrium between GHB and GBL. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Real-Time Airborne Gamma-Ray Background Estimation Using NASVD with MLE and Radiation Transport for Calibration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kulisek, Jonathan A.; Schweppe, John E.; Stave, Sean C.

2015-06-01

Helicopter-mounted gamma-ray detectors can provide law enforcement officials the means to quickly and accurately detect, identify, and locate radiological threats over a wide geographical area. The ability to accurately distinguish radiological threat-generated gamma-ray signatures from background gamma radiation in real time is essential in order to realize this potential. This problem is non-trivial, especially in urban environments for which the background may change very rapidly during flight. This exacerbates the challenge of estimating background due to the poor counting statistics inherent in real-time airborne gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements. To address this, we have developed a new technique for real-time estimation ofmore » background gamma radiation from aerial measurements. This method is built upon on the noise-adjusted singular value decomposition (NASVD) technique that was previously developed for estimating the potassium (K), uranium (U), and thorium (T) concentrations in soil post-flight. The method can be calibrated using K, U, and T spectra determined from radiation transport simulations along with basis functions, which may be determined empirically by applying maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to previously measured airborne gamma-ray spectra. The method was applied to both measured and simulated airborne gamma-ray spectra, with and without man-made radiological source injections. Compared to schemes based on simple averaging, this technique was less sensitive to background contamination from the injected man-made sources and may be particularly useful when the gamma-ray background frequently changes during the course of the flight.« less

Optical-CT 3D Dosimetry Using Fresnel Lenses with Minimal Refractive-Index Matching Fluid

PubMed Central

Bache, Steven; Malcolm, Javian; Adamovics, John; Oldham, Mark

2016-01-01

Telecentric optical computed tomography (optical-CT) is a state-of-the-art method for visualizing and quantifying 3-dimensional dose distributions in radiochromic dosimeters. In this work a prototype telecentric system (DFOS—Duke Fresnel Optical-CT Scanner) is evaluated which incorporates two substantial design changes: the use of Fresnel lenses (reducing lens costs from $10-30K t0 $1-3K) and the use of a ‘solid tank’ (which reduces noise, and the volume of refractively matched fluid from 1ltr to 10cc). The efficacy of DFOS was evaluated by direct comparison against commissioned scanners in our lab. Measured dose distributions from all systems were compared against the predicted dose distributions from a commissioned treatment planning system (TPS). Three treatment plans were investigated including a simple four-field box treatment, a multiple small field delivery, and a complex IMRT treatment. Dosimeters were imaged within 2h post irradiation, using consistent scanning techniques (360 projections acquired at 1 degree intervals, reconstruction at 2mm). DFOS efficacy was evaluated through inspection of dose line-profiles, and 2D and 3D dose and gamma maps. DFOS/TPS gamma pass rates with 3%/3mm dose difference/distance-to-agreement criteria ranged from 89.3% to 92.2%, compared to from 95.6% to 99.0% obtained with the commissioned system. The 3D gamma pass rate between the commissioned system and DFOS was 98.2%. The typical noise rates in DFOS reconstructions were up to 3%, compared to under 2% for the commissioned system. In conclusion, while the introduction of a solid tank proved advantageous with regards to cost and convenience, further work is required to improve the image quality and dose reconstruction accuracy of the new DFOS optical-CT system. PMID:27019460

Optical-CT 3D Dosimetry Using Fresnel Lenses with Minimal Refractive-Index Matching Fluid.

PubMed

Bache, Steven; Malcolm, Javian; Adamovics, John; Oldham, Mark

2016-01-01

Telecentric optical computed tomography (optical-CT) is a state-of-the-art method for visualizing and quantifying 3-dimensional dose distributions in radiochromic dosimeters. In this work a prototype telecentric system (DFOS-Duke Fresnel Optical-CT Scanner) is evaluated which incorporates two substantial design changes: the use of Fresnel lenses (reducing lens costs from $10-30K t0 $1-3K) and the use of a 'solid tank' (which reduces noise, and the volume of refractively matched fluid from 1 ltr to 10 cc). The efficacy of DFOS was evaluated by direct comparison against commissioned scanners in our lab. Measured dose distributions from all systems were compared against the predicted dose distributions from a commissioned treatment planning system (TPS). Three treatment plans were investigated including a simple four-field box treatment, a multiple small field delivery, and a complex IMRT treatment. Dosimeters were imaged within 2 h post irradiation, using consistent scanning techniques (360 projections acquired at 1 degree intervals, reconstruction at 2mm). DFOS efficacy was evaluated through inspection of dose line-profiles, and 2D and 3D dose and gamma maps. DFOS/TPS gamma pass rates with 3%/3mm dose difference/distance-to-agreement criteria ranged from 89.3% to 92.2%, compared to from 95.6% to 99.0% obtained with the commissioned system. The 3D gamma pass rate between the commissioned system and DFOS was 98.2%. The typical noise rates in DFOS reconstructions were up to 3%, compared to under 2% for the commissioned system. In conclusion, while the introduction of a solid tank proved advantageous with regards to cost and convenience, further work is required to improve the image quality and dose reconstruction accuracy of the new DFOS optical-CT system.

Long-term outcomes of Gamma Knife radiosurgery in patients with vestibular schwannomas.

PubMed

Murphy, Erin S; Barnett, Gene H; Vogelbaum, Michael A; Neyman, Gennady; Stevens, Glen H J; Cohen, Bruce H; Elson, Paul; Vassil, Andrew D; Suh, John H

2011-02-01

The authors sought to determine the long-term tumor control and side effects of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS). One hundred seventeen patients with VS underwent GKRS between January 1997 and February 2003. At the time of analysis, at least 5 years had passed since GKRS in all patients. The mean patient age was 60.9 years. The mean maximal tumor diameter was 1.77 ± 0.71 cm. The mean tumor volume was 1.95 ± 2.42 ml. Eighty-two percent of lesions received 1300 cGy and 14% received 1200 cGy. The median dose homogeneity ratio was 1.97 and the median dose conformality ratio was 1.78. Follow-up included MR imaging or CT scanning approximately every 6-12 months. Rates of progression to surgery were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Of the 117 patients in whom data were analyzed, 103 had follow-up MR or CT images and 14 patients were lost to follow-up. Fifty-three percent of patients had stable tumors and 37.9% had a radiographically documented response. Imaging-documented tumor progression was present in 8 patients (7.8%), but in 3 of these the lesion eventually stabilized. Only 5 patients required a neurosurgical intervention. The estimated 1-, 3-, and 5-year rates of progression to surgery were 1, 4.6, and 8.9%, respectively. One patient (1%) developed trigeminal neuropathy, 4 patients (5%) developed permanent facial neuropathy, 3 patients (4%) reported vertigo, and 7 patients (18%) had new gait imbalance following GKRS. Gamma Knife radiosurgery results in excellent local control rates with minimal toxicity for patients with VS. The authors recommend standardized follow-up to gain a better understanding of the long-term effects of GKRS.

Usefulness of the advanced neuroimaging protocol based on plain and gadolinium-enhanced constructive interference in steady state images for gamma knife radiosurgery and planning microsurgical procedures for skull base tumors.

PubMed

Hayashi, Motohiro; Chernov, Mikhail F; Tamura, Noriko; Yomo, Shoji; Tamura, Manabu; Horiba, Ayako; Izawa, Masahiro; Muragaki, Yoshihiro; Iseki, Hiroshi; Okada, Yoshikazu; Ivanov, Pavel; Régis, Jean; Takakura, Kintomo

2013-01-01

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) is currently performed with 0.1 mm preciseness, which can be designated microradiosurgery. It requires advanced methods for visualizing the target, which can be effectively attained by a neuroimaging protocol based on plain and gadolinium-enhanced constructive interference in steady state (CISS) images. Since 2003, the following thin-sliced images are routinely obtained before GKS of skull base lesions in our practice: axial CISS, gadolinium-enhanced axial CISS, gadolinium-enhanced axial modified time-of-flight (TOF), and axial computed tomography (CT). Fusion of "bone window" CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and detailed three-dimensional (3D) delineation of the anatomical structures are performed with the Leksell GammaPlan (Elekta Instruments AB). Recently, a similar technique has been also applied to evaluate neuroanatomy before open microsurgical procedures. Plain CISS images permit clear visualization of the cranial nerves in the subarachnoid space. Gadolinium-enhanced CISS images make the tumor "lucid" but do not affect the signal intensity of the cranial nerves, so they can be clearly delineated in the vicinity to the lesion. Gadolinium-enhanced TOF images are useful for 3D evaluation of the interrelations between the neoplasm and adjacent vessels. Fusion of "bone window" CT and MRI scans permits simultaneous assessment of both soft tissue and bone structures and allows 3D estimation and correction of MRI distortion artifacts. Detailed understanding of the neuroanatomy based on application of the advanced neuroimaging protocol permits performance of highly conformal and selective radiosurgical treatment. It also allows precise planning of the microsurgical procedures for skull base tumors.

A method to measure neutron polarization using P-even asymmetry of {gamma}-quantum emission in the neutron-nuclear interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gledenov, Yu. M.; Nesvizhevsky, V. V.; Sedyshev, P. V.

2012-07-15

A new method to measure polarization of cold/thermal neutrons using P-even asymmetry in nuclear reactions induced by polarized neutrons is proposed. A scheme profiting from a large correlation of the neutron spin and the circular {gamma}-quantum polarization in the reaction (n, {gamma}) of polarized neutrons with nuclei is analyzed. This method could be used, for instance, to measure the neutron-beam polarization in experiments with frequently varying configuration. We show that high accuracy and reliability of measurements could be expected.

Quantification of the Spatial Distribution of Radionuclides in Field Lysimeters with a Collimated High-Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdmann, Bryan James

The objective of this work is to quantify the one-dimensional spatial distribution of radionuclides in field lysimeters from the Radionuclide Field Lysimeter Experiment (RadFLEX) facility at the Savannah River Nationals Laboratory (SRNL). The lysimeters, containing 137Cs, 60Co, 133Ba and 152Eu incorporated either into solid wasteforms (Portland cement and reducing grout) or introduced into soil via a filter paper wasteform, were weathered for three to four years. The initial contaminant activities range from 4.0 to 9.0 MBq for the cementitious wasteforms and 0.25 to 0.47 MBq for the filter paper wasteform. An analytical method was developed to perform non-destructive measurements to quantify the spatial distributions measured in field lysimeters. This method provides an alternative to traditional destructive techniques to determine the spatial distribution of activity. This non-destructive method also allows for multiple scans to be performed periodically. Observing how these distributions change with time would improve modeling transport parameters. The detection system consists of a collimated high-purity germanium (HPGe) radiation detector coupled with a linear translational table. A lead collimator is used to achieve spatial resolution as high as 0.25 cm. The lysimeters are positioned relative to the detector using a linear translation stage that can move vertically via a computercontrolled stepping motor. A user control interface was developed with National Instruments LabVIEWRTM that synchronizes the data acquisition from the radiation detector with the lysimeter movement and positioning thus allowing the lysimeter scans to be automated. The detection efficiency of the system was investigated using two methods. Europium-152 is an ideal candidate for calibration source due to its multiple gamma-ray emissions across a wide range of energies. One method uses a 152Eu point source as the calibration standard while the other method uses the 152Eu within the lysimeter systems themselves as the calibration standard. These methods show that system geometry and source distribution are the key factors influencing the detection efficiency. This suggest that to reduce the impact from the source distribution and geometry variability within a volume, that lysimeters be rotated during measurements. These scans showed downward mobility of 60Co and 133Ba when the radionuclides were incorporated directly into the Savannah River Site (SRS) soil via the filter paper wasteform. When radionuclides were incorporated into the cementitious wasteforms positioned in the SRSS soil, 137Cs exhibited both upward and downward dispersion while the other radionuclides showed no movement. This dispersion was more significant for the Portland cement than the reducing grout wasteform. In the case of the filter paper wasteform, 137Cs mobility was greatly reduced. This suggests the presence of a cementitious wasteform enhances 137Cs mobility. The movement of 137Cs from the solid wasteform was modelled using a retarded diffusion model. Retardation factors for 137Cs are determined to range from approximately 700-2500 for Portland cement, 1500-4000 for reducing grout, and up to 2500-8000 the filter paper wasteform. Numerical simulations were run to investigate the hypothesis that ions released from the wasteforms compete for sorption sites in the SRS soil, enhancing the mobility of 137Cs. These simulations suggest ion-competition could be a factor, but more data is needed to explore this mechanism for Cs+ transport. Understanding radionuclide movement in the environment is important for informing strategies used for waste management and disposal.

Preparation and Effect of Gamma Radiation on The Properties and Biodegradability of Poly(Styrene/Starch) Blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, H. E.; Abdel Ghaffar, A. M.

2017-01-01

Biodegradable blends based on Poly(styrene/starch) Poly(Sty/Starch) were prepared by the casting method using different contents of starch in the range of 0-20 wt% aiming at preparing disposable packaging materials. The prepared bio-blends were Characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), swelling behavior, mechanical properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the swelling behavior slightly increased with increasing starch content and not exceeding 7.5%. The results showed that by increasing irradiation dose up to 5 kGy, the mechanical properties of the prepared PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film modified than other blend films, and hence it is selected. Also the water resistant increased, by irradiation of the selected PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction between Starch and PSty of the PSty/10 wt% Starch blend film promote a more homogenous blend film as shown in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared Poly(Sty/Starch) blends with different compositions and the selected irradiated PSty/10 wt% Starch blend were subjected to biodegradation in soil burial tests for 6 months using two different types of soils; agricultural and desert soils, then analyzed gravimetrically and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results suggested that there is a possibility of using irradiated PSty/10 wt% Starch at a dose of 5 kGy as a potential candidate for packaging material.

Non-invasive detection of language-related prefrontal high gamma band activity with beamforming MEG.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Hiroaki; Hasegawa, Yuka; Araki, Toshihiko; Sugata, Hisato; Yanagisawa, Takufumi; Yorifuji, Shiro; Hirata, Masayuki

2017-10-27

High gamma band (>50 Hz) activity is a key oscillatory phenomenon of brain activation. However, there has not been a non-invasive method established to detect language-related high gamma band activity. We used a 160-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system equipped with superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) gradiometers to non-invasively investigate neuromagnetic activities during silent reading and verb generation tasks in 15 healthy participants. Individual data were divided into alpha (8-13 Hz), beta (13-25 Hz), low gamma (25-50 Hz), and high gamma (50-100 Hz) bands and analysed with the beamformer method. The time window was consecutively moved. Group analysis was performed to delineate common areas of brain activation. In the verb generation task, transient power increases in the high gamma band appeared in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) at the 550-750 ms post-stimulus window. We set a virtual sensor on the left MFG for time-frequency analysis, and high gamma event-related synchronization (ERS) induced by a verb generation task was demonstrated at 650 ms. In contrast, ERS in the high gamma band was not detected in the silent reading task. Thus, our study successfully non-invasively measured language-related prefrontal high gamma band activity.

Measurements of neutron distribution in neutrons-gamma-rays mixed field using imaging plate for neutron capture therapy.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kenichi; Endo, Satoru; Hoshi, Masaharu

2010-01-01

The imaging plate (IP) technique is tried to be used as a handy method to measure the spatial neutron distribution via the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction for neutron capture therapy (NCT). For this purpose, IP is set in a water phantom and irradiated in a mixed field of neutrons and gamma-rays. The Hiroshima University Radiobiological Research Accelerator is utilized for this experiment. The neutrons are moderated with 20-cm-thick D(2)O to obtain suitable neutron field for NCT. The signal for IP doped with Gd as a neutron-response enhancer is subtracted with its contribution by gamma-rays, which was estimated using IP without Gd. The gamma-ray response of Gd-doped IP to non-Gd IP is set at 1.34, the value measured for (60)Co gamma-rays, in estimating the gamma-ray contribution to Gd-doped IP signal. Then measured distribution of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate agrees within 10% with the calculated value based on the method that has already been validated for its reproducibility of Au activation. However, the evaluated distribution of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate is so sensitive to gamma-ray energy, e.g. the discrepancy of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate between measurement and calculation becomes 30% for the photon energy change from 33keV to 1.253MeV.

Exfoliated graphite with graphene flakes as potential candidates for TL dosimeters at high gamma doses.

PubMed

Ortiz-Morales, A; López-González, E; Rueda-Morales, G; Ortega-Cervantez, G; Ortiz-Lopez, J

2018-06-06

Graphite powder (GP) subjected to microwave radiation (MWG) results in exfoliation of graphite particles into few-layered graphene flakes (GF) intermixed with partially exfoliated graphite particles (PEG). Characterization of MWG by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy reveal few-layer GF with sizes ranging from 0.2 to 5 µm. Raman D, G, and 2D (G') bands characteristic of graphitic structures include evidence of the presence of bilayered graphene. The thermoluminescent (TL) dosimetric properties of MWG are evaluated and can be characterized as a gamma-ray sensitive and dose-resistant material with kinetic parameters (activation energy for the main peak located at 400 and 408 K is 0.69 and 0.72 eV) and threshold dose (~1 kGy and 5 kGy respectively). MWG is a low-Z material (Z eff = 6) with a wide linear range of TL dose-response (0.170-2.5 kGy) tested at doses in the 1-20 kGy range with promising results for applications in gamma-ray dosimetry. Results obtained in gamma irradiated MWG are compared with those obtained in graphite powder samples (GP) without microwave treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gamma-ray Monitoring of Active Galactic Nuclei with HAWC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Robert; HAWC Collaboration

2016-03-01

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are extra-galactic sources that can exhibit extreme flux variability over a wide range of wavelengths. TeV gamma rays have been observed from about 60 AGN and can help to diagnose emission models and to study cosmic features like extra-galactic background light or inter-galactic magnetic fields. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is a new extensive air shower array that can complement the pointed TeV observations of imaging air Cherenkov telescopes. HAWC is optimized for studying gamma rays with energies between 100 GeV and 100 TeV and has an instantaneous field of view of ~2 sr and a duty cycle >95% that allow us to scan 2/3 of the sky every day. By performing an unbiased monitoring of TeV emissions of AGN over most of the northern and part of the southern sky, HAWC can provide crucial information and trigger follow-up observations in collaborations with pointed TeV instruments. Furthermore, HAWC coverage of AGN is complementary to that provided by the Fermi satellite at lower energies. In this contribution, we will present HAWC flux light curves of TeV gamma rays from various sources, notably the bright AGN Markarian 421 and Markarian 501, and highlight recent results from multi-wavelengths and multi-instrument studies.

Compact FEL-driven inverse compton scattering gamma-ray source

DOE PAGES

Placidi, M.; Di Mitri, Simone; Pellegrini, C.; ...

2017-02-28

Many research and applications areas require photon sources capable of producing gamma-ray beams in the multi-MeV energy range with reasonably high fluxes and compact footprints. Besides industrial, nuclear physics and security applications, a considerable interest comes from the possibility to assess the state of conservation of cultural assets like statues, columns etc., via visualization and analysis techniques using high energy photon beams. Computed Tomography scans, widely adopted in medicine at lower photon energies, presently provide high quality three-dimensional imaging in industry and museums. We explore the feasibility of a compact source of quasi-monochromatic, multi-MeV gamma-rays based on Inverse Compton Scatteringmore » (ICS) from a high intensity ultra-violet (UV) beam generated in a free-electron laser by the electron beam itself. This scheme introduces a stronger relationship between the energy of the scattered photons and that of the electron beam, resulting in a device much more compact than a classic ICS for a given scattered energy. As a result, the same electron beam is used to produce gamma-rays in the 10–20 MeV range and UV radiation in the 10–15 eV range, in a ~4 × 22 m 2 footprint system.« less

Transverse plane of apical vertebra of structural thoracic curve: vertebra displacement versus vertebral deformation.

PubMed

Kotwicki, Tomasz; Napiontek, Marek; Nowakowski, Andrzej

2006-01-01

CT transversal scans of the trunk provided at the level of Th8 or Th9 (apical vertebra) of 23 patients with structural thoracic scoliosis were reviewed. The following parameters were studied: 1) alpha angle formed by the axis of vertebra and the axis of spinous process, 2) beta concave and beta convex angle between the spinous process and the left and right transverse process respectively, 3) gamma concave and gamma convex angle between the axis of vertebra and the left and right transverse process respectively, 4) rotation angle to the sagittal plane according to Aaro and Dahlborn, 5) Cobb angle. Values of measured parameters demonstrated a common pattern of intravertebral deformity: counter clockwise deviation of the spinous process (alpha angle 15,0 +/-8,5 degrees), beta concave (69,8 +/-8,5 degrees) significantly greater than beta convex (38,8 +/-8,5 degrees), gamma concave (54,3 +/-7,8 degrees) not different from gamma convex (56,0 +/-8,0 degrees). Strong linear positive correlation between alpha angle and Aaro-Dahlborn angle was observed (r=0,78, p<0,05). Changes in morphology of apical vertebra due to intravertebral bone remodelling followed the vertebral spatial displacement and there existed a linear correlation in between. The two processes develop in opposite directions.

Gamma-resonance Contraband Detection using a high current tandem accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milton, B. F.; Beis, J.; Dale, D.; Debiak, T.; Kamykowski, E.; Melnychuk, S.; Rathke, J.; Rogers, J.; Ruegg, R.; Sredniawski, J.

1999-04-01

TRIUMF and Northrop Grumman have developed a new system for the detection of concealed explosives and drugs. This Contraband Detection System (CDS) is based on the resonant absorption by 14N of gammas produced using 13C(p,γ)14N. The chosen reaction uses protons at 1.75 MeV and the gammas have an energy of 9.17 MeV. By measuring both the resonant and the non-resonant absorption using detectors with good spatial resolution, and applying standard tomographic techniques, we are able to produce 3D images of both the nitrogen partial density and the total density. The images together may be utilized with considerable confidence to determine if small amounts of nitrogen based explosives, heroin or cocaine are present in the interrogated containers. Practical Gamma Resonant Absorption (GRA) scanning requires an intense source of protons. However this proton source must also be very stable, have low energy spread, and have good spatial definition. These demands suggested a tandem as the accelerator of choice. We have therefore constructed a 2 MeV H- tandem optimized for high current (10 mA) operation, while minimizing the overall size of the accelerator. This has required several special innovations which will be presented in the paper. We will also present initial commissioning results.

Preparation and characterisation of Isophthalic-Bi2O3 polymer composite gamma radiation shields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambika, M. R.; Nagaiah, N.; Harish, V.; Lokanath, N. K.; Sridhar, M. A.; Renukappa, N. M.; Suman, S. K.

2017-01-01

Bi2O3 filled Isophthalic resin based polymer composites of different weight % (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60) were fabricated by open mould cast technique. Gamma attenuation study was carried out using NaI (Tl) gamma ray spectrometer for Cs-137. The shielding parameters such as attenuation coefficient, HVL & λ were investigated. The distribution of the filler within the matrix was studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy. X ray diffractometer and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy were employed to study the structural changes if any. The thermal stability and mechanical strength of the composites were investigated using TGA & UTM respectively. Dielectric properties and AC conductivity were also studied using LCR meter. The composites are found to be thermally stable upto 200 °C. There were no such structural changes observed and all the composites show very low conductivity. The mechanical strength of the composites was found to increase upon adding the bismuth oxide with a slight decrease when the concentration of the filler exceeds 40 wt%. Attenuation results reveal that, the shielding efficiency increases with the increase of the filler wt% and are comparable to those of the conventional shielding materials. Hence, Bi2O3 filled composites can be used for gamma shielding applications.

Compact FEL-driven inverse compton scattering gamma-ray source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Placidi, M.; Di Mitri, Simone; Pellegrini, C.

Many research and applications areas require photon sources capable of producing gamma-ray beams in the multi-MeV energy range with reasonably high fluxes and compact footprints. Besides industrial, nuclear physics and security applications, a considerable interest comes from the possibility to assess the state of conservation of cultural assets like statues, columns etc., via visualization and analysis techniques using high energy photon beams. Computed Tomography scans, widely adopted in medicine at lower photon energies, presently provide high quality three-dimensional imaging in industry and museums. We explore the feasibility of a compact source of quasi-monochromatic, multi-MeV gamma-rays based on Inverse Compton Scatteringmore » (ICS) from a high intensity ultra-violet (UV) beam generated in a free-electron laser by the electron beam itself. This scheme introduces a stronger relationship between the energy of the scattered photons and that of the electron beam, resulting in a device much more compact than a classic ICS for a given scattered energy. As a result, the same electron beam is used to produce gamma-rays in the 10–20 MeV range and UV radiation in the 10–15 eV range, in a ~4 × 22 m 2 footprint system.« less

Microbial colonization of irradiated pathogenic yeast to catheter surfaces: Relationship between adherence, cell surface hydrophobicity, biofilm formation and antifungal susceptibility. A scanning electron microscope analysis.

PubMed

Farrag, Hala Abdallah; A-Karam El-Din, Alzahraa; Mohamed El-Sayed, Zeinab Galal; Abdel-Latifissa, Soheir; Kamal, Mona Mohamed

2015-06-01

Technological advances such as long-term indwelling catheters have created milieu in which infections are a major complication. Thus it is essential to be able to recognize, diagnose, and treat infections occurring in immunocompromised patients. Adherence assay and quantitation of biofilms was performed by a spectrophotometric method, hydrophobicity was evaluated by adhesion to p-xylene. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Nystatin was carried out by a well dilution method. Out of 100 bladder cancer patients, 23 pathogenic yeast isolates were identified. The samples were taken from urinary catheters and urine collected from their attached drainage bags. Pathogenic yeast identified were species of Candida, Cryptococcus, Saccharomyces, Blastoschizomyces, Trichosporn, Hansenula, Prototheca and Rhodotorula. With the exception of Rhodotorula minuta, the yeast were sensitive to the antimycotic agent (Nystatin) used before and after in vitro gamma irradiation at 24.41 Gy as measured by a disc diffusion method. All tested yeast strains were slime producers and showed positive adherence reactions. There were considerable differences in adherence measurements after irradiation. An increase in adherence measurement values (using a spectrophotometric method) after irradiation were detected in four strains whereas eight other strains showed a reduction in their adherence reaction. The cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) was evaluated by adhesion to p-xylene. Candida tropicalis showed a hydrophobic reaction with an increase in the cell surface hydrophobicity after irradiation. Scanning electron microscopy of irradiated C. tropicalis showed marked abnormalities in cell shape and size with significant reduction in adherence ability at the MIC level of Nystatin (4 μg/ml). More basic research at the level of pathogenesis and catheter substance is needed to design novel strategies to prevent fungal adherence and to inhibit biofilm formation.

Potential errors in optical density measurements due to scanning side in EBT and EBT2 Gafchromic film dosimetry.

PubMed

Desroches, Joannie; Bouchard, Hugo; Lacroix, Frédéric

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect on the measured optical density of scanning on either side of a Gafchromic EBT and EBT2 film using an Epson (Epson Canada Ltd., Toronto, Ontario) 10000XL flat bed scanner. Calibration curves were constructed using EBT2 film scanned in landscape orientation in both reflection and transmission mode on an Epson 10000XL scanner. Calibration curves were also constructed using EBT film. Potential errors due to an optical density difference from scanning the film on either side ("face up" or "face down") were simulated. Scanning the film face up or face down on the scanner bed while keeping the film angular orientation constant affects the measured optical density when scanning in reflection mode. In contrast, no statistically significant effect was seen when scanning in transmission mode. This effect can significantly affect relative and absolute dose measurements. As an application example, the authors demonstrate potential errors of 17.8% by inverting the film scanning side on the gamma index for 3%-3 mm criteria on a head and neck intensity modulated radiotherapy plan, and errors in absolute dose measurements ranging from 10% to 35% between 2 and 5 Gy. Process consistency is the key to obtaining accurate and precise results in Gafchromic film dosimetry. When scanning in reflection mode, care must be taken to place the film consistently on the same side on the scanner bed.

High reliability - low noise radionuclide signature identification algorithms for border security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sangkyu

Illicit trafficking and smuggling of radioactive materials and special nuclear materials (SNM) are considered as one of the most important recent global nuclear threats. Monitoring the transport and safety of radioisotopes and SNM are challenging due to their weak signals and easy shielding. Great efforts worldwide are focused at developing and improving the detection technologies and algorithms, for accurate and reliable detection of radioisotopes of interest in thus better securing the borders against nuclear threats. In general, radiation portal monitors enable detection of gamma and neutron emitting radioisotopes. Passive or active interrogation techniques, present and/or under the development, are all aimed at increasing accuracy, reliability, and in shortening the time of interrogation as well as the cost of the equipment. Equally important efforts are aimed at advancing algorithms to process the imaging data in an efficient manner providing reliable "readings" of the interiors of the examined volumes of various sizes, ranging from cargos to suitcases. The main objective of this thesis is to develop two synergistic algorithms with the goal to provide highly reliable - low noise identification of radioisotope signatures. These algorithms combine analysis of passive radioactive detection technique with active interrogation imaging techniques such as gamma radiography or muon tomography. One algorithm consists of gamma spectroscopy and cosmic muon tomography, and the other algorithm is based on gamma spectroscopy and gamma radiography. The purpose of fusing two detection methodologies per algorithm is to find both heavy-Z radioisotopes and shielding materials, since radionuclides can be identified with gamma spectroscopy, and shielding materials can be detected using muon tomography or gamma radiography. These combined algorithms are created and analyzed based on numerically generated images of various cargo sizes and materials. In summary, the three detection methodologies are fused into two algorithms with mathematical functions providing: reliable identification of radioisotopes in gamma spectroscopy; noise reduction and precision enhancement in muon tomography; and the atomic number and density estimation in gamma radiography. It is expected that these new algorithms maybe implemented at portal scanning systems with the goal to enhance the accuracy and reliability in detecting nuclear materials inside the cargo containers.

Analysis of antigen conservation and inactivation of gamma-irradiated avian influenza virus subtype H9N2.

PubMed

Salehi, Bahareh; Motamedi-Sedeh, Farahnaz; Madadgar, Omid; Khalili, Iraj; Ghalyan Chi Langroudi, Arash; Unger, Hermann; Wijewardana, Viskam

2018-06-01

Avian influenza (AI) A subtype H9N2 virus belongs to Orthomyxoviridae family and causes low-pathogenic disease AI. The use of gamma-irradiated viral antigens has been developed in the production of effective vaccines. In this research, LPAIV H9N2 strain, A/Chicken/IRN/Ghazvin/2001, was multiplied on SPF eggs and irradiated by a Nordian gamma cell instrument. Irradiated and non-irradiated AI virus (AIV) samples were titrated by EID50 method and hemagglutinin (HA) antigen was analyzed by HA test as the WHO pattern method. Infectivity of irradiated virus was determined by egg inoculation method during four blind cultures. The results showed that after increasing the dose of gamma radiation, virus titer gradually decreased. D 10 value and optimum dose for complete virus inactivation were calculated by dose/response curve, 3.36 and 29.52 kGy, respectively. In addition, HA antigenicity of gamma-irradiated virus samples from 0 to 30 kGy was not changed. The results of safety test for gamma-irradiated AIV samples showed complete inactivation with gamma ray doses 30 and 35 kGy, without any multiplication on eggs after four blind cultures. According to the results of HA antigen assay and safety test, the gamma-irradiated and complete inactivated AIV subtype H9N2 is a good candidate as an inactivated immunogenic agent for poultry vaccination.

EP-DRAFT-1.1 2014-01-19 OSI-GAM-SOP-00x In Situ High-resolution Gamma Spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wimer, N. G.; Kreek, S. A.

2014-01-27

The standard operating procedure is described for in situ high-resolution gamma spectroscopy, including operational readiness, planning, preparation, conduct, and reporting. Data analysis of in situ gamma spectrum files will be performed together with those of other gamma assay methods by a dedicated Data Analysis process, documented in companion OSI procedures.

A New Method for Synthesizing Radiation Dose-Response Data From Multiple Trials Applied to Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diez, Patricia; Vogelius, Ivan S.; Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792

2010-07-15

Purpose: A new method is presented for synthesizing dose-response data for biochemical control of prostate cancer according to study design (randomized vs. nonrandomized) and risk group (low vs. intermediate-high). Methods and Materials: Nine published prostate cancer dose escalation studies including 6,539 patients were identified in the MEDLINE and CINAHL databases and reviewed to assess the relationship between dose and biochemical control. A novel method of analysis is presented in which the normalized dose-response gradient, {gamma}{sub 50}, is estimated for each study and subsequently synthesized across studies. Our method does not assume that biochemical control rates are directly comparable between studies.more » Results: Nonrandomized studies produced a statistically significantly higher {gamma}{sub 50} than randomized studies for intermediate- to high-risk patients ({gamma}{sub 50} = 1.63 vs. {gamma}{sub 50} = 0.93, p = 0.03) and a borderline significantly higher ({gamma}{sub 50} = 1.78 vs. {gamma}{sub 50} = 0.56, p = 0.08) for low-risk patients. No statistically significant difference in {gamma}{sub 50} was found between low- and intermediate- to high-risk patients (p = 0.31). From the pooled data of low and intermediate- to high-risk patients in randomized trials, we obtain the overall best estimate of {gamma}{sub 50} = 0.84 with 95% confidence interval 0.54-1.15. Conclusions: Nonrandomized studies overestimate the steepness of the dose-response curve as compared with randomized trials. This is probably the result of stage migration, improved treatment techniques, and a shorter follow-up in higher dose patients that were typically entered more recently. This overestimation leads to inflated expectations regarding the benefit from dose-escalation and could lead to underpowered clinical trials. There is no evidence of a steeper dose response for intermediate- to high-risk compared with low-risk patients.« less

Role of albedo from the Gamma-400 telescope calorimeter when recording the primary gamma emission.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginsburg, V. L.; Kurnosova, L. V.; Labensky, A. G.; Topchiev, N. P.; Fradkin, M. I.; Kaplin, V. A.; Kaplin, D. V.; Loginov, V. A.; Maklyaev, E. F.; Runtso, M. F.; Gorchakov, E. V.

A calorimeter albedo emission affecting the Gamma-400 telescope operation is studied, when recording γ-quanta at energies from 10 to 1000 GeV. Methods for diminishing this impact on measuring data are proposed.

Determination of parameters of a new method for predicting alloy properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bozzolo, Guillermo; Ferrante, John

1992-01-01

Recently, a semiempirical method for alloys based on equivalent crystal theory was introduced. The method successfully predicts the concentration dependence of the heat of formation and lattice parameter of binary alloys. A study of the parameters of the method is presented, along with new results for (gamma)Fe-Pd and (gamma)Fe-Ni alloys.

Maximum-Likelihood Methods for Processing Signals From Gamma-Ray Detectors

PubMed Central

Barrett, Harrison H.; Hunter, William C. J.; Miller, Brian William; Moore, Stephen K.; Chen, Yichun; Furenlid, Lars R.

2009-01-01

In any gamma-ray detector, each event produces electrical signals on one or more circuit elements. From these signals, we may wish to determine the presence of an interaction; whether multiple interactions occurred; the spatial coordinates in two or three dimensions of at least the primary interaction; or the total energy deposited in that interaction. We may also want to compute listmode probabilities for tomographic reconstruction. Maximum-likelihood methods provide a rigorous and in some senses optimal approach to extracting this information, and the associated Fisher information matrix provides a way of quantifying and optimizing the information conveyed by the detector. This paper will review the principles of likelihood methods as applied to gamma-ray detectors and illustrate their power with recent results from the Center for Gamma-ray Imaging. PMID:20107527

Application of microscopy technology in thermo-catalytic methane decomposition to hydrogen

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mei, Irene Lock Sow, E-mail: irene.sowmei@gmail.com; Lock, S. S. M., E-mail: serenelock168@gmail.com; Abdullah, Bawadi, E-mail: bawadi-abdullah@petronas.com.my

2015-07-22

Hydrogen production from the direct thermo-catalytic decomposition of methane is a promising alternative for clean fuel production because it produces pure hydrogen without any CO{sub x} emissions. However, thermal decomposition of methane can hardly be of any practical and empirical interest in the industry unless highly efficient and effective catalysts, in terms of both specific activity and operational lifetime have been developed. In this work, bimetallic Ni-Pd on gamma alumina support have been developed for methane cracking process by using co-precipitation and incipient wetness impregnation method. The calcined catalysts were characterized to determine their morphologies and physico-chemical properties by usingmore » Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis. The results suggested that that the catalyst which is prepared by the co-precipitation method exhibits homogeneous morphology, higher surface area, have uniform nickel and palladium dispersion and higher thermal stability as compared to the catalyst which is prepared by wet impregnation method. This characteristics are significant to avoid deactivation of the catalysts due to sintering and carbon deposition during methane cracking process.« less

The incidence of subclinical forms of urogenital tuberculosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

PubMed

Zachoval, Roman; Nencka, Petr; Vasakova, Martina; Kopecka, Emilie; Borovička, Vladimir; Wallenfels, Jiri; Cermak, Pavel

The aim of our study was to determine whether patients with pulmonary tuberculosis may have subclinical forms of urogenital tuberculosis. Between 2011 and 2012, a prospective study was conducted. Basic demographic parameters were recorded and the following investigations were performed: direct bacilloscopy of sputum, evaluation of affected lung fields and presence of cavities on chest X-ray, Mantoux tuberculin skin test II, and interferon gamma release assay. Culture and molecular methods for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in urine were performed. In cases with a positive urine test, an ultrasound examination, computed tomography scan of the abdomen, and endoscopy of the urinary tract were performed. A total of 102 patients (75 men and 27 women) were included in the study, with a median age of 46.8 years. Subclinical forms of urogenital TB were detected in 7 patients; 5 by molecular methods, 1 by urine culture, and 1 with both methods The presence of subclinical forms of genitourinary TB was found in 4 patients without and 3 patients with findings on imaging methods corresponding to TB. A significant number of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis may simultaneously have subclinical forms of urogenital TB. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

TU-D-207B-01: A Prediction Model for Distinguishing Radiation Necrosis From Tumor Progression After Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Based On Radiomics Features From MR Images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Z; MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Ho, A

Purpose: To develop and validate a prediction model using radiomics features extracted from MR images to distinguish radiation necrosis from tumor progression for brain metastases treated with Gamma knife radiosurgery. Methods: The images used to develop the model were T1 post-contrast MR scans from 71 patients who had had pathologic confirmation of necrosis or progression; 1 lesion was identified per patient (17 necrosis and 54 progression). Radiomics features were extracted from 2 images at 2 time points per patient, both obtained prior to resection. Each lesion was manually contoured on each image, and 282 radiomics features were calculated for eachmore » lesion. The correlation for each radiomics feature between two time points was calculated within each group to identify a subset of features with distinct values between two groups. The delta of this subset of radiomics features, characterizing changes from the earlier time to the later one, was included as a covariate to build a prediction model using support vector machines with a cubic polynomial kernel function. The model was evaluated with a 10-fold cross-validation. Results: Forty radiomics features were selected based on consistent correlation values of approximately 0 for the necrosis group and >0.2 for the progression group. In performing the 10-fold cross-validation, we narrowed this number down to 11 delta radiomics features for the model. This 11-delta-feature model showed an overall prediction accuracy of 83.1%, with a true positive rate of 58.8% in predicting necrosis and 90.7% for predicting tumor progression. The area under the curve for the prediction model was 0.79. Conclusion: These delta radiomics features extracted from MR scans showed potential for distinguishing radiation necrosis from tumor progression. This tool may be a useful, noninvasive means of determining the status of an enlarging lesion after radiosurgery, aiding decision-making regarding surgical resection versus conservative medical management.« less

A randomised trial to compare cognitive outcome after gamma knife radiosurgery versus whole brain radiation therapy in patients with multiple brain metastases: research protocol CAR-study B.

PubMed

Schimmel, Wietske C M; Verhaak, Eline; Hanssens, Patrick E J; Gehring, Karin; Sitskoorn, Margriet M

2018-02-21

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is increasingly applied in patients with multiple brain metastases and is expected to have less adverse effects in cognitive functioning than whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). Effective treatment with the least negative cognitive side effects is increasingly becoming important, as more patients with brain metastases live longer due to more and better systemic treatment options. There are no published randomized trials yet directly comparing GKRS to WBRT in patients with multiple brain metastases that include objective neuropsychological testing. CAR-Study B is a prospective randomised trial comparing cognitive outcome after GKRS or WBRT in adult patients with 11-20 newly diagnosed brain metastases on a contrast-enhanced MRI-scan, KPS ≥70 and life expectancy of at least 3 months. Randomisation by the method of minimization, is stratified by the cumulative tumour volume in the brain, systemic treatment, KPS, histology, baseline cognitive functioning and age. The primary endpoint is the between-group difference in the percentage of patients with significant memory decline at 3 months. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, local control, development of new brain metastases, cognitive functioning over time, quality of life, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Cognitive functioning is assessed by a standardised neuropsychological test battery. Assessments (cognitive testing, questionnaires and MRI-scans) are scheduled at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 months after treatment. Knowledge gained from this trial may be used to inform individual patients with BM more precisely about the cognitive effects they can expect from treatment, and to assist both doctors and patients in making (shared) individual treatment decisions. This trial is currently recruiting. Target accrual: 23 patients at 3-months follow-up in both groups. The Netherlands Trials Register number NTR5463. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT02953717 , first received October 27, 2016, 8 patients were enrolled in this study on 31 July 2017.

Statistical Methods Applied to Gamma-ray Spectroscopy Algorithms in Nuclear Security Missions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fagan, Deborah K.; Robinson, Sean M.; Runkle, Robert C.

2012-10-01

In a wide range of nuclear security missions, gamma-ray spectroscopy is a critical research and development priority. One particularly relevant challenge is the interdiction of special nuclear material for which gamma-ray spectroscopy supports the goals of detecting and identifying gamma-ray sources. This manuscript examines the existing set of spectroscopy methods, attempts to categorize them by the statistical methods on which they rely, and identifies methods that have yet to be considered. Our examination shows that current methods effectively estimate the effect of counting uncertainty but in many cases do not address larger sources of decision uncertainty—ones that are significantly moremore » complex. We thus explore the premise that significantly improving algorithm performance requires greater coupling between the problem physics that drives data acquisition and statistical methods that analyze such data. Untapped statistical methods, such as Bayes Modeling Averaging and hierarchical and empirical Bayes methods have the potential to reduce decision uncertainty by more rigorously and comprehensively incorporating all sources of uncertainty. We expect that application of such methods will demonstrate progress in meeting the needs of nuclear security missions by improving on the existing numerical infrastructure for which these analyses have not been conducted.« less

Radioactive anomaly discrimination from spectral ratios

DOEpatents

Maniscalco, James; Sjoden, Glenn; Chapman, Mac Clements

2013-08-20

A method for discriminating a radioactive anomaly from naturally occurring radioactive materials includes detecting a first number of gamma photons having energies in a first range of energy values within a predetermined period of time and detecting a second number of gamma photons having energies in a second range of energy values within the predetermined period of time. The method further includes determining, in a controller, a ratio of the first number of gamma photons having energies in the first range and the second number of gamma photons having energies in the second range, and determining that a radioactive anomaly is present when the ratio exceeds a threshold value.

Gamma-Ray Dose Measurement with Radio-Photoluminescence Glass Dosimeter in Mixed Radiation Field for BNCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiramatsu, K.; Yoshihashi, S.; Kusaka, S.; Sato, F.; Hoashi, E.; Murata, I.

2017-09-01

Accelerator based neutron sources (ABNS) are being developed as the next generation neutron irradiation system for BNCT. From the ABNS, unnecessary gamma-rays will be generated by neutron capture reactions, as well as fast neutrons. To control the whole-body radiation dose to the patient, measurement of gamma-ray dose in the irradiation room is necessary. In this study, the objective is to establish a method to measure gamma-ray dose separately in a neutron/gamma mixed field by using RPL glass dosimeter. For this purpose, we proposed a lead filter method which uses a pair of RPL glasses with and without a lead filter outside. In order to realize this method, the basic characteristics of glass dosimeter was verified in the gamma-ray field, before adapting it in the mixture field. From the result of the experiment using the lead filter, the simulation result especially for the case with a lead filter overestimated the absorbed does obtained from measurement. We concluded that the reason of the discrepancy is caused by existence of gradient of the dose distribution in the glass, and the difference of sensitivity to low-energy photon between measurement and theory.

Support vector machines for prediction and analysis of beta and gamma-turns in proteins.

PubMed

Pham, Tho Hoan; Satou, Kenji; Ho, Tu Bao

2005-04-01

Tight turns have long been recognized as one of the three important features of proteins, together with alpha-helix and beta-sheet. Tight turns play an important role in globular proteins from both the structural and functional points of view. More than 90% tight turns are beta-turns and most of the rest are gamma-turns. Analysis and prediction of beta-turns and gamma-turns is very useful for design of new molecules such as drugs, pesticides, and antigens. In this paper we investigated two aspects of applying support vector machine (SVM), a promising machine learning method for bioinformatics, to prediction and analysis of beta-turns and gamma-turns. First, we developed two SVM-based methods, called BTSVM and GTSVM, which predict beta-turns and gamma-turns in a protein from its sequence. When compared with other methods, BTSVM has a superior performance and GTSVM is competitive. Second, we used SVMs with a linear kernel to estimate the support of amino acids for the formation of beta-turns and gamma-turns depending on their position in a protein. Our analysis results are more comprehensive and easier to use than the previous results in designing turns in proteins.

Thermoluminescent response of LiF:Mg,Ti to 20 keV electrons.

PubMed

Mercado-Uribe, H; Brandan, M E

2002-01-01

The thermoluminescence response of LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) to 20 keV electrons from a scanning electron microscope has been measured. Radiochromic dye films previously calibrated were used to determine the fluence incident on TLD-100 chips. The procedure for irradiation and glow curve deconvolution was adhered to the protocols previously determined in our laboratory for gamma rays and heavy charged particles. The response at electron fluences higher than 4 x 10(10) cm(-2) is supralinear, due to the increasingly relevant contribution of the high temperature peaks. The relative contribution of the high temperature peaks to the TL signal is abnormally small, about half that observed in gamma irradiation and four times smaller than what has been measured in low-energy X ray exposure.

Dosimetric verification of stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic radiotherapy dose distributions using Gafchromic EBT3.

PubMed

Cusumano, Davide; Fumagalli, Maria L; Marchetti, Marcello; Fariselli, Laura; De Martin, Elena

2015-01-01

Aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of using the new Gafchromic EBT3 film in a high-dose stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy quality assurance procedure. Owing to the reduced dimensions of the involved lesions, the feasibility of scanning plan verification films on the scanner plate area with the best uniformity rather than using a correction mask was evaluated. For this purpose, signal values dispersion and reproducibility of film scans were investigated. Uniformity was then quantified in the selected area and was found to be within 1.5% for doses up to 8 Gy. A high-dose threshold level for analyses using this procedure was established evaluating the sensitivity of the irradiated films. Sensitivity was found to be of the order of centiGray for doses up to 6.2 Gy and decreasing for higher doses. The obtained results were used to implement a procedure comparing dose distributions delivered with a CyberKnife system to planned ones. The procedure was validated through single beam irradiation on a Gafchromic film. The agreement between dose distributions was then evaluated for 13 patients (brain lesions, 5 Gy/die prescription isodose ~80%) using gamma analysis. Results obtained using Gamma test criteria of 5%/1 mm show a pass rate of 94.3%. Gamma frequency parameters calculation for EBT3 films showed to strongly depend on subtraction of unexposed film pixel values from irradiated ones. In the framework of the described dosimetric procedure, EBT3 films proved to be effective in the verification of high doses delivered to lesions with complex shapes and adjacent to organs at risk. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dosimetric verification of stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic radiotherapy dose distributions using Gafchromic EBT3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cusumano, Davide, E-mail: davide.cusumano@unimi.it; Fumagalli, Maria L.; Marchetti, Marcello

2015-10-01

Aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of using the new Gafchromic EBT3 film in a high-dose stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy quality assurance procedure. Owing to the reduced dimensions of the involved lesions, the feasibility of scanning plan verification films on the scanner plate area with the best uniformity rather than using a correction mask was evaluated. For this purpose, signal values dispersion and reproducibility of film scans were investigated. Uniformity was then quantified in the selected area and was found to be within 1.5% for doses up to 8 Gy. A high-dose threshold level for analyses usingmore » this procedure was established evaluating the sensitivity of the irradiated films. Sensitivity was found to be of the order of centiGray for doses up to 6.2 Gy and decreasing for higher doses. The obtained results were used to implement a procedure comparing dose distributions delivered with a CyberKnife system to planned ones. The procedure was validated through single beam irradiation on a Gafchromic film. The agreement between dose distributions was then evaluated for 13 patients (brain lesions, 5 Gy/die prescription isodose ~80%) using gamma analysis. Results obtained using Gamma test criteria of 5%/1 mm show a pass rate of 94.3%. Gamma frequency parameters calculation for EBT3 films showed to strongly depend on subtraction of unexposed film pixel values from irradiated ones. In the framework of the described dosimetric procedure, EBT3 films proved to be effective in the verification of high doses delivered to lesions with complex shapes and adjacent to organs at risk.« less

Initial results from a multiple monoenergetic gamma radiography system for nuclear security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Day, Buckley E.; Hartwig, Zachary S.; Lanza, Richard C.; Danagoulian, Areg

2016-10-01

The detection of assembled nuclear devices and concealed special nuclear materials (SNM) such as plutonium or uranium in commercial cargo traffic is a major challenge in mitigating the threat of nuclear terrorism. Currently available radiographic and active interrogation systems use ∼1-10 MeV bremsstrahlung photon beams. Although simple to build and operate, bremsstrahlung-based systems deliver high radiation doses to the cargo and to potential stowaways. To eliminate problematic issues of high dose, we are developing a novel technique known as multiple monoenergetic gamma radiography (MMGR). MMGR uses ion-induced nuclear reactions to produce two monoenergetic gammas for dual-energy radiography. This allows us to image the areal density and effective atomic number (Zeff) of scanned cargo. We present initial results from the proof-of-concept experiment, which was conducted at the MIT Bates Research and Engineering Center. The purpose of the experiment was to assess the capabilities of MMGR to measure areal density and Zeff of container cargo mockups. The experiment used a 3.0 MeV radiofrequency quadrupole accelerator to create sources of 4.44 MeV and 15.11 MeV gammas from the 11B(d,nγ)12C reaction in a thick natural boron target; the gammas are detected by an array of NaI(Tl) detectors after transmission through cargo mockups . The measured fluxes of transmitted 4.44 MeV and 15.11 MeV gammas were used to assess the areal density and Zeff. Initial results show that MMGR is capable of discriminating the presence of high-Z materials concealed in up to 30 cm of iron shielding from low- and mid-Z materials present in the cargo mockup.

Technical Note: Relationships between gamma criteria and action levels: Results of a multicenter audit of gamma agreement index results.

PubMed

Crowe, Scott B; Sutherland, Bess; Wilks, Rachael; Seshadri, Venkatakrishnan; Sylvander, Steven; Trapp, Jamie V; Kairn, Tanya

2016-03-01

The aim of this work was to use a multicenter audit of modulated radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) data to provide a practical examination of gamma evaluation criteria and action level selection. The use of the gamma evaluation method for patient-specific pretreatment QA is widespread, with most commercial solutions implementing the method. Gamma agreement indices were calculated using the criteria 1%/1 mm, 2%/2 mm, 2%/3 mm, 3%/2 mm, 3%/3 mm, and 5%/3 mm for 1265 pretreatment QA measurements, planned at seven treatment centers, using four different treatment planning systems, delivered using three different delivery systems (intensity-modulated radiation therapy, volumetric-modulated arc therapy, and helical tomotherapy) and measured using three different dose measurement systems. The sensitivity of each pair of gamma criteria was evaluated relative to the gamma agreement indices calculated using 3%/3 mm. A linear relationship was observed for 2%/2 mm, 2%/3 mm, and 3%/2 mm. This result implies that most beams failing at 3%/3 mm would also fail for those criteria, if the action level was adjusted appropriately. Some borderline plans might be passed or failed depending on the relative priority (tighter tolerance) used for dose difference or distance to agreement evaluation. Dosimeter resolution and treatment modality were found to have a smaller effect on the results of QA measurements than the number of dimensions (2D or 3D) over which the gamma evaluation was calculated. This work provides a method (and a large sample of results) for calculating equivalent action levels for different gamma evaluation criteria. This work constitutes a valuable guide for clinical decision making and a means to compare published gamma evaluation results from studies using different evaluation criteria. More generally, the data provided by this work support the recommendation that gamma criteria that specifically prioritize the property of greatest clinical importance for each treatment modality of anatomical site should be selected when using gamma evaluations for modulated radiotherapy QA. It is therefore suggested that departments using the gamma evaluation as a QA analysis tool should consider the relative importance of dose difference and distance to agreement, when selecting gamma evaluation criteria.

MO-FG-202-06: Improving the Performance of Gamma Analysis QA with Radiomics- Based Image Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wootton, L; Nyflot, M; Ford, E

2016-06-15

Purpose: The use of gamma analysis for IMRT quality assurance has well-known limitations. Traditionally, a simple thresholding technique is used to evaluated passing criteria. However, like any image the gamma distribution is rich in information which thresholding mostly discards. We therefore propose a novel method of analyzing gamma images that uses quantitative image features borrowed from radiomics, with the goal of improving error detection. Methods: 368 gamma images were generated from 184 clinical IMRT beams. For each beam the dose to a phantom was measured with EPID dosimetry and compared to the TPS dose calculated with and without normally distributedmore » (2mm sigma) errors in MLC positions. The magnitude of 17 intensity histogram and size-zone radiomic features were derived from each image. The features that differed most significantly between image sets were determined with ROC analysis. A linear machine-learning model was trained on these features to classify images as with or without errors on 180 gamma images.The model was then applied to an independent validation set of 188 additional gamma distributions, half with and half without errors. Results: The most significant features for detecting errors were histogram kurtosis (p=0.007) and three size-zone metrics (p<1e-6 for each). The sizezone metrics detected clusters of high gamma-value pixels under mispositioned MLCs. The model applied to the validation set had an AUC of 0.8, compared to 0.56 for traditional gamma analysis with the decision threshold restricted to 98% or less. Conclusion: A radiomics-based image analysis method was developed that is more effective in detecting error than traditional gamma analysis. Though the pilot study here considers only MLC position errors, radiomics-based methods for other error types are being developed, which may provide better error detection and useful information on the source of detected errors. This work was partially supported by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, grant number R18 HS022244-01.« less

Numerical study on determining formation porosity using a boron capture gamma ray technique and MCNP.

PubMed

Liu, Juntao; Zhang, Feng; Wang, Xinguang; Han, Fei; Yuan, Zhelong

2014-12-01

Formation porosity can be determined using the boron capture gamma ray counting ratio with a near to far detector in a pulsed neutron-gamma element logging tool. The thermal neutron distribution, boron capture gamma spectroscopy and porosity response for formations with different water salinity and wellbore diameter characteristics were simulated using the Monte Carlo method. We found that a boron lining improves the signal-to-noise ratio and that the boron capture gamma ray counting ratio has a higher sensitivity for determining porosity than total capture gamma. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SU-E-T-470: Beam Performance of the Radiance 330 Proton Therapy System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nazaryan, H; Nazaryan, V; Wang, F

2014-06-01

Purpose: The ProTom Radiance 330 proton radiotherapy system is a fully functional, compact proton radiotherapy system that provides advanced proton delivery capabilities. It supports three-dimensional beam scanning with energy and intensity modulation. A series of measurements have been conducted to characterize the beam performance of the first installation of the system at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center in Flint, Michigan. These measurements were part of the technical commissioning of the system. Select measurements and results are presented. Methods: The Radiance 330 proton beam energy range is 70–250 MeV for treatment, and up to 330 MeV for proton tomography and radiography.more » Its 3-D scanning capability, together with a small beam emittance and momentum spread, provides a highly efficient beam delivery. During the technical commissioning, treatment plans were created to deliver uniform maps at various energies to perform Gamma Index analysis. EBT3 Gafchromic films were irradiated using the Planned irradiation maps. Bragg Peak chamber was used to test the dynamic range during a scan in one layer for high (250 MeV) and Low (70 MeV) energies. The maximum and minimum range, range adjustment and modulation, distal dose falloff (80%–20%), pencil beam spot size, spot placement accuracy were also measured. The accuracy testing included acquiring images, image registration, receiving correction vectors and applying the corrections to the robotic patient positioner. Results: Gamma Index analysis of the Treatment Planning System (TPS) data vs. Measured data showed more than 90% of points within (3%, 3mm) for the maps created by the TPS. At Isocenter Beam Size (One sigma) < 3mm at highest energy (250 MeV) in air. Beam delivery was within 0.6 mm of the intended target at the entrance and the exit of the beam, through the phantom. Conclusion: The Radiance 330 Beam Performance Measurements have confirmed that the system operates as designed with excellent clinical performance specifications. Hovakim Nazaryan, Vahagn Nazaryan and Fuhua Wang are employees of ProTom International, Inc. who contributed to the development and completed the technical commissioning of the Radiance 330 proton therapy delivery system manufactured by ProTom International.« less

Neutron-gamma discrimination with UGAB scintillator using zero-crossing method.

PubMed

Divani-Vais, N; Bayat, E; Firoozabadi, M M; Ghal-Eh, N

2013-01-01

The new-type scintillator, Ultima Gold Alpha-Beta (UGAB), was studied for its neutron-gamma discrimination capability. The figure-of-merit and peak-to-valley values for the neutron-gamma discrimination spectra of UGAB scintillator when exposed to (241)Am-Be neutron source were presented. The results show that this new-type scintillator can efficiently be used in neutron-gamma discrimination experiments.

Statistical modeling of space shuttle environmental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tubbs, J. D.; Brewer, D. W.

1983-01-01

Statistical models which use a class of bivariate gamma distribution are examined. Topics discussed include: (1) the ratio of positively correlated gamma varieties; (2) a method to determine if unequal shape parameters are necessary in bivariate gamma distribution; (3) differential equations for modal location of a family of bivariate gamma distribution; and (4) analysis of some wind gust data using the analytical results developed for modeling application.

THE APPLICATION OF RADIOISOTOPES IN SHIPBUILDING FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE MATERIAL TESTING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerlach, H.

1962-02-01

S>Safety and reliability in shipbuilding require exact testing methods for all materials, such as plates, sheets, rods, cast pieces, welded joints, etc. Non-visible defects in parts exposed to great stress may cause great damages. Since both x-ray and gamma radiography can detect these defects, a choice has to be made between these radiation sources. ln general, for very thick pieces, gamma emitters such as Co/sup 60/ or Ta/sup 182/ are used; for medium thick pieces, gamma emitters, such as Ir/sup 192/ or Cs/sup 137/ are used; for very thin pieces weak gamma emitters, such as Eu/sup 155/ or x raysmore » are used. There is no competition between x rays and gamma rays in nondestructive testing because both methods supplement each other. The tcchnical and economical advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed. In shipbuilding, Ir/ sup 192/ has extremely good irradiation qualities for sheets from 6 to 50 mm thick and is superior to the x-ray method for checking welds of sheets of this thickness. However, for materials thicker than 50 mm x rays are useless, and defects in this material must be located with hard gamma emitters, such as Co/ sup 60/. Recently, mobile test stations with radioisotopes were established which are of great value for checking and quality control in shipbuilding at the shipyard. (OID)« less

Nondestructive determination of activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chabalier, B.

1996-08-01

Characterization and appraisal tests include the measurement of activity in raw waste and waste packages. After conditioning, variations in density, matrix composition, and geometry make evaluation of the radionuclide activity in a package destined for storage nearly impossible without measurements and with a low uncertainty. Various nondestructive measuring techniques that use ionizing radiation are employed to characterize waste packages and raw waste. Gamma spectrometry is the most widely used technique because of its simple operation and low cost. This technique is used to quantify the beta-gamma and alpha activity of gamma-emitting radionuclides as well as to check the radioactive homogeneitymore » of the waste packages. Numerous systems for directly measuring waste packages have been developed. Two types of methods may be distinguished, depending on whether results that come from the measurements are weighted by an experimentally determined corrective term or by calculation. Through the MARCO and CARACO measuring systems, a method is described that allows one to quantify the activity of the beta-gamma and alpha radionuclides contained in either a waste package or raw waste whose geometries and material compositions are more or less accurately known. This method is based on (a) measurement by gamma spectrometry of the beta-gamma and alpha activity of the gamma-emitting radionuclides contained in the waste package and (b) the application of calculated corrections; thus, the limitations imposed by reference package geometry and matrix are avoided.« less

Aerosol and gamma background measurements at Basic Environmental Observatory Moussala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angelov, Christo; Arsov, Todor; Penev, Ilia; Nikolova, Nina; Kalapov, Ivo; Georgiev, Stefan

2016-03-01

Trans boundary and local pollution, global climate changes and cosmic rays are the main areas of research performed at the regional Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station Moussala BEO (2925 m a.s.l., 42°10'45'' N, 23°35'07'' E). Real time measurements and observations are performed in the field of atmospheric chemistry and physics. Complex information about the aerosol is obtained by using a threewavelength integrating Nephelometer for measuring the scattering and backscattering coefficients, a continuous light absorption photometer and a scanning mobile particle sizer. The system for measuring radioactivity and heavy metals in aerosols allows us to monitor a large scale radioactive aerosol transport. The measurements of the gamma background and the gamma-rays spectrum in the air near Moussala peak are carried out in real time. The HYSPLIT back trajectory model is used to determine the origin of the data registered. DREAM code calculations [2] are used to forecast the air mass trajectory. The information obtained combined with a full set of corresponding meteorological parameters is transmitted via a high frequency radio telecommunication system to the Internet.

Nanostructural evolution and behavior of H and Li in ion-implanted γ-LiAlO 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Weilin; Zhang, Jiandong; Edwards, Danny J.

In-situ He+ ion irradiation is performed under a helium ion microscope to study nanostructural evolution in polycrystalline gamma-LiAlO2 pellets. Various locations within a grain, across grain boundaries and at a cavity are selected. The results exhibit He bubble formation, grain-boundary cracking, nanoparticle agglomeration, increasing surface brightness with dose, and material loss from the surface. Similar brightening effects at grain boundaries are also observed under a scanning electron microscope. Li diffusion and loss from polycrystalline gamma-LiAlO2 is faster than its monocrystalline counterpart during H2+ ion implantation at elevated temperatures. There is also more significant H diffusion and release from polycrystalline pelletsmore » during thermal annealing of 300 K implanted samples. Grain boundaries and cavities could provide a faster pathway for H and Li diffusion. H release is slightly faster from the 573 K implanted monocrystalline gamma-LiAlO2 during annealing at 773 K. Metal hydrides could be formed preferentially along the grain boundaries to immobilize hydrogen.« less

Effect of UV irradiation on the shear bond strength of titanium with segmented polyurethane through gamma-mercapto propyl trimethoxysilane.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Harumi; Hirohashi, Yohei; Doi, Hisashi; Tsutsumi, Yusuke; Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Noda, Kazuhiko; Hanawa, Takao

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of UV irradiation on shear bond strength between a titanium (Ti) and a segmented polyurethane (SPU) composite through gamma-mercapto propyl trimethoxysilane (gamma-MPS). To this end, the shear bond strength of Ti/SPU interface of Ti-SPU composite under varying conditions of ultraviolet ray (UV) irradiation was evaluated by a shear bond test. The glass transition temperatures of SPU with and without UV irradiation were also determined using differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the shear bond strength of Ti/SPU interface increased with UV irradiation. However, excessive UV irradiation decreased the shear bond strength of Ti/SPU interface. Glass transition temperature was found to increase during 40-60 seconds of UV irradiation. In terms of durability after immersion in water at 37 degrees C for 30 days, shear bond strength was found to improve with UV irradiation. In conclusion, UV irradiation to a Ti-SPU composite was clearly one of the means to improve the shear bond strength of Ti/SPU interface.

Neutron-stimulated gamma ray analysis of soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The chapter will discuss methods to use gamma rays to measure elements in soil. In regard to land management, there is a need to develop a non-destructive, non-contact, in-situ method of determining soil elements distributed in a soil volume or on soil surface. A unique method having all of above ...

Radioisotope identification method for poorly resolved gamma-ray spectrum of nuclear security concern

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ninh, Giang Nguyen; Phongphaeth, Pengvanich, E-mail: phongphaeth.p@chula.ac.th; Nares, Chankow

Gamma-ray signal can be used as a fingerprint for radioisotope identification. In the context of radioactive and nuclear materials security at the border control point, the detection task can present a significant challenge due to various constraints such as the limited measurement time, the shielding conditions, and the noise interference. This study proposes a novel method to identify the signal of one or several radioisotopes from a poorly resolved gamma-ray spectrum. In this method, the noise component in the raw spectrum is reduced by the wavelet decomposition approach, and the removal of the continuum background is performed using the baselinemore » determination algorithm. Finally, the identification of radioisotope is completed using the matrix linear regression method. The proposed method has been verified by experiments using the poorly resolved gamma-ray signals from various scenarios including single source, mixing of natural uranium with five of the most common industrial radioactive sources (57Co, 60Co, 133Ba, 137Cs, and 241Am). The preliminary results show that the proposed algorithm is comparable with the commercial method.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kin, Tadahiro; Oshima, Masumi; Furutaka, Kazuyoshi

We are developing a new method to identify nuclear levels based on neutron capture reactions, named 'TELLA-2.' Measured data of prompt gamma rays from {sup 33}S(n,{gamma}){sup 34}S was used to improve the method. We will show how we obtain candidates of nuclear levels.

Effects of Frequency Drift on the Quantification of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Using MEGA-PRESS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Shang-Yueh; Fang, Chun-Hao; Wu, Thai-Yu; Lin, Yi-Ru

2016-04-01

The MEGA-PRESS method is the most common method used to measure γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain at 3T. It has been shown that the underestimation of the GABA signal due to B0 drift up to 1.22 Hz/min can be reduced by post-frequency alignment. In this study, we show that the underestimation of GABA can still occur even with post frequency alignment when the B0 drift is up to 3.93 Hz/min. The underestimation can be reduced by applying a frequency shift threshold. A total of 23 subjects were scanned twice to assess the short-term reproducibility, and 14 of them were scanned again after 2-8 weeks to evaluate the long-term reproducibility. A linear regression analysis of the quantified GABA versus the frequency shift showed a negative correlation (P < 0.01). Underestimation of the GABA signal was found. When a frequency shift threshold of 0.125 ppm (15.5 Hz or 1.79 Hz/min) was applied, the linear regression showed no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). Therefore, a frequency shift threshold at 0.125 ppm (15.5 Hz) can be used to reduce underestimation during GABA quantification. For data with a B0 drift up to 3.93 Hz/min, the coefficients of variance of short-term and long-term reproducibility for the GABA quantification were less than 10% when the frequency threshold was applied.

Development of polarization-controlled multi-pass Thomson scattering system in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshikawa, M.; Morimoto, M.; Shima, Y.

2012-10-15

In the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror, the typical electron density is comparable to that of the peripheral plasma of torus-type fusion devices. Therefore, an effective method to increase Thomson scattering (TS) signals is required in order to improve signal quality. In GAMMA 10, the yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG)-TS system comprises a laser, incident optics, light collection optics, signal detection electronics, and a data recording system. We have been developing a multi-pass TS method for a polarization-based system based on the GAMMA 10 YAG TS. To evaluate the effectiveness of the polarization-based configuration, the multi-pass system was installed in the GAMMA 10 YAG-TSmore » system, which is capable of double-pass scattering. We carried out a Rayleigh scattering experiment and applied this double-pass scattering system to the GAMMA 10 plasma. The integrated scattering signal was made about twice as large by the double-pass system.« less

Method for on-line evaluation of materials using prompt gamma ray analysis

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-12-08

A method for evaluating a material specimen comprises: Mounting a neutron source and a detector adjacent the material specimen; bombarding the material specimen with neutrons from the neutron source to create prompt gamma rays within the material specimen, some of the prompt gamma rays being emitted from the material specimen, some of the prompt gamma rays resulting in the formation of positrons within the material specimen by pair production; collecting positron annihilation data by detecting with the detector at least one emitted annihilation gamma ray resulting from the annihilation of a positron; storing the positron annihilation data on a data storage system for later retrieval and processing; and continuing to collect and store positron annihilation data, the continued collected and stored positron annihilation data being indicative of an accumulation of lattice damage over time.

System and method for assaying a radionuclide

DOEpatents

Cadieux, James R; King, III, George S; Fugate, Glenn A

2014-12-23

A system for assaying a radionuclide includes a liquid scintillation detector, an analyzer connected to the liquid scintillation detector, and a delay circuit connected to the analyzer. A gamma detector and a multi-channel analyzer are connected to the delay circuit and the gamma detector. The multi-channel analyzer produces a signal reflective of the radionuclide in the sample. A method for assaying a radionuclide includes selecting a sample, detecting alpha or beta emissions from the sample with a liquid scintillation detector, producing a first signal reflective of the alpha or beta emissions, and delaying the first signal a predetermined time. The method further includes detecting gamma emissions from the sample, producing a second signal reflective of the gamma emissions, and combining the delayed first signal with the second signal to produce a third signal reflective of the radionuclide.

Observing the Non-Thermal Universe with the Highest Energy Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dingus, Brenda L.; HAWC, VERITAS, CTA

2016-01-01

Astrophysical sources of relativistic particles radiate gamma rays to such high energies that they can be detected from the ground. The existence of high energy gamma rays implies that even higher energy particles are being accelerated placing strong constraints on these non-thermal accelerators. Within our galaxy, TeV gamma rays have been detected from supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebula, x-ray binaries and some yet to be identified sources in the Galactic plane. In addition, these gamma rays have sufficient energy to be attenuated by the interaction with infrared photons producing an electron-positron pair. Thus the spectrum of gamma rays can also constrain the infrared photon density, which for distant extragalactic sources is a direct probe of cosmology. The known extragalactic TeV sources are primarily the blazer class of active galactic nuclei. And TeV gamma rays might even be produced by annihilating dark matter.The US currently supports two ground-based gamma-ray observatories—HAWC and VERITAS—and NSF is developing a prototype for the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory. The HAWC (High Altitude Water Cherenkov) observatory just began operation of the full detector in March 2015 and with its wide field of view scans ~2/3 of the sky each day for TeV sources. VERITAS (Very EneRgetic Imaging Telescope Array System) is an array of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes that follows individual sources to produce lightcurves and spectra from 85 GeV to > 30 TeV. The combination of both a survey and pointed observatory is very complementary with a broad scientific reach that includes the study of extragalactic and Galactic objects as well as the search for astrophysical signatures of dark matter and the measurement of cosmic rays. I will present the current view of the TeV sky and the latest results from HAWC and VERITAS as well as plans for CTA.

Detection of anatomical changes in lung cancer patients with 2D time-integrated, 2D time-resolved and 3D time-integrated portal dosimetry: a simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfs, Cecile J. A.; Brás, Mariana G.; Schyns, Lotte E. J. R.; Nijsten, Sebastiaan M. J. J. G.; van Elmpt, Wouter; Scheib, Stefan G.; Baltes, Christof; Podesta, Mark; Verhaegen, Frank

2017-08-01

The aim of this work is to assess the performance of 2D time-integrated (2D-TI), 2D time-resolved (2D-TR) and 3D time-integrated (3D-TI) portal dosimetry in detecting dose discrepancies between the planned and (simulated) delivered dose caused by simulated changes in the anatomy of lung cancer patients. For six lung cancer patients, tumor shift, tumor regression and pleural effusion are simulated by modifying their CT images. Based on the modified CT images, time-integrated (TI) and time-resolved (TR) portal dose images (PDIs) are simulated and 3D-TI doses are calculated. The modified and original PDIs and 3D doses are compared by a gamma analysis with various gamma criteria. Furthermore, the difference in the D 95% (ΔD 95%) of the GTV is calculated and used as a gold standard. The correlation between the gamma fail rate and the ΔD 95% is investigated, as well the sensitivity and specificity of all combinations of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate threshold. On the individual patient level, there is a correlation between the gamma fail rate and the ΔD 95%, which cannot be found at the group level. The sensitivity and specificity analysis showed that there is not one combination of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate threshold that can detect all simulated anatomical changes. This work shows that it will be more beneficial to relate portal dosimetry and DVH analysis on the patient level, rather than trying to quantify a relationship for a group of patients. With regards to optimizing sensitivity and specificity, different combinations of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate should be used to optimally detect certain types of anatomical changes.

Detection of anatomical changes in lung cancer patients with 2D time-integrated, 2D time-resolved and 3D time-integrated portal dosimetry: a simulation study.

PubMed

Wolfs, Cecile J A; Brás, Mariana G; Schyns, Lotte E J R; Nijsten, Sebastiaan M J J G; van Elmpt, Wouter; Scheib, Stefan G; Baltes, Christof; Podesta, Mark; Verhaegen, Frank

2017-07-12

The aim of this work is to assess the performance of 2D time-integrated (2D-TI), 2D time-resolved (2D-TR) and 3D time-integrated (3D-TI) portal dosimetry in detecting dose discrepancies between the planned and (simulated) delivered dose caused by simulated changes in the anatomy of lung cancer patients. For six lung cancer patients, tumor shift, tumor regression and pleural effusion are simulated by modifying their CT images. Based on the modified CT images, time-integrated (TI) and time-resolved (TR) portal dose images (PDIs) are simulated and 3D-TI doses are calculated. The modified and original PDIs and 3D doses are compared by a gamma analysis with various gamma criteria. Furthermore, the difference in the D 95% (ΔD 95% ) of the GTV is calculated and used as a gold standard. The correlation between the gamma fail rate and the ΔD 95% is investigated, as well the sensitivity and specificity of all combinations of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate threshold. On the individual patient level, there is a correlation between the gamma fail rate and the ΔD 95% , which cannot be found at the group level. The sensitivity and specificity analysis showed that there is not one combination of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate threshold that can detect all simulated anatomical changes. This work shows that it will be more beneficial to relate portal dosimetry and DVH analysis on the patient level, rather than trying to quantify a relationship for a group of patients. With regards to optimizing sensitivity and specificity, different combinations of portal dosimetry method, gamma criteria and gamma fail rate should be used to optimally detect certain types of anatomical changes.

The application of network synthesis to repeating classical gamma-ray bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurley, K.; Kouveliotou, C.; Fishman, J.; Meegan, C.; Laros, J.; Klebesadel, R.

1995-01-01

It has been suggested that the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) gamma-ray burst catalog contains several groups of bursts clustered in space or in space and time, which provide evidence that a substantial fraction of the classical gamma-ray burst sources repeat. Because many of the bursts in these groups are weak, they are not directly detected by the Ulysses GRB experiment. We apply the network synthesis method to these events to test the repeating burst hypothesis. Although we find no evidence for repeating sources, the method must be applied under more general conditions before reaching any definite conclusions about the existence of classical gamma-ray burst repeating sources.

Feasibility of MR-only proton dose calculations for prostate cancer radiotherapy using a commercial pseudo-CT generation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maspero, Matteo; van den Berg, Cornelis A. T.; Landry, Guillaume; Belka, Claus; Parodi, Katia; Seevinck, Peter R.; Raaymakers, Bas W.; Kurz, Christopher

2017-12-01

A magnetic resonance (MR)-only radiotherapy workflow can reduce cost, radiation exposure and uncertainties introduced by CT-MRI registration. A crucial prerequisite is generating the so called pseudo-CT (pCT) images for accurate dose calculation and planning. Many pCT generation methods have been proposed in the scope of photon radiotherapy. This work aims at verifying for the first time whether a commercially available photon-oriented pCT generation method can be employed for accurate intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) dose calculation. A retrospective study was conducted on ten prostate cancer patients. For pCT generation from MR images, a commercial solution for creating bulk-assigned pCTs, called MR for Attenuation Correction (MRCAT), was employed. The assigned pseudo-Hounsfield Unit (HU) values were adapted to yield an increased agreement to the reference CT in terms of proton range. Internal air cavities were copied from the CT to minimise inter-scan differences. CT- and MRCAT-based dose calculations for opposing beam IMPT plans were compared by gamma analysis and evaluation of clinically relevant target and organ at risk dose volume histogram (DVH) parameters. The proton range in beam’s eye view (BEV) was compared using single field uniform dose (SFUD) plans. On average, a (2%, 2 mm) gamma pass rate of 98.4% was obtained using a 10% dose threshold after adaptation of the pseudo-HU values. Mean differences between CT- and MRCAT-based dose in the DVH parameters were below 1 Gy (<1.5% ). The median proton range difference was 0.1 mm, with on average 96% of all BEV dose profiles showing a range agreement better than 3 mm. Results suggest that accurate MR-based proton dose calculation using an automatic commercial bulk-assignment pCT generation method, originally designed for photon radiotherapy, is feasible following adaptation of the assigned pseudo-HU values.

Subnuclear foci quantification using high-throughput 3D image cytometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadduwage, Dushan N.; Parrish, Marcus; Choi, Heejin; Engelward, Bevin P.; Matsudaira, Paul; So, Peter T. C.

2015-07-01

Ionising radiation causes various types of DNA damages including double strand breaks (DSBs). DSBs are often recognized by DNA repair protein ATM which forms gamma-H2AX foci at the site of the DSBs that can be visualized using immunohistochemistry. However most of such experiments are of low throughput in terms of imaging and image analysis techniques. Most of the studies still use manual counting or classification. Hence they are limited to counting a low number of foci per cell (5 foci per nucleus) as the quantification process is extremely labour intensive. Therefore we have developed a high throughput instrumentation and computational pipeline specialized for gamma-H2AX foci quantification. A population of cells with highly clustered foci inside nuclei were imaged, in 3D with submicron resolution, using an in-house developed high throughput image cytometer. Imaging speeds as high as 800 cells/second in 3D were achieved by using HiLo wide-field depth resolved imaging and a remote z-scanning technique. Then the number of foci per cell nucleus were quantified using a 3D extended maxima transform based algorithm. Our results suggests that while most of the other 2D imaging and manual quantification studies can count only up to about 5 foci per nucleus our method is capable of counting more than 100. Moreover we show that 3D analysis is significantly superior compared to the 2D techniques.

Effect of different sterilization modes on the surface morphology, ion release, and bone reaction of retrieved micro-implants.

PubMed

El-Wassefy, Noha; El-Fallal, Abeer; Taha, Mahasen

2015-01-01

To compare as-received and sterilized micro-implants in order to assess the prospects of reusing them. Forty micro-implants from a single manufacturing lot were used in the study. Thirty were retrieved from patients after successful service in their mouth and with no signs of failure. The retrieved micro-implants were divided into three groups, according to method of sterilization: autoclave, gamma radiation, or ultraviolet radiation. All groups were subjected to scanning electron microscope analysis for surface morphology assessment. The specimens were immersed in a standard simulated body-fluid solution kept at 37°C in an incubator; the solution was then withdrawn at 24 hours and 30 days to evaluate aluminum and vanadium ion release by atomic absorption spectrophotometer in parts per billion. The micro-implants were then surgically implanted into the tibia of rabbits for a 1-month healing period, and the bone-implant blocks were processed for routine histologic examination. This study revealed that sterilized micro-implants had altered surface topography, different ion release values, and different histologic cell reactions than the as-received micro-implants. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that retrieved self-drilling micro-implants have tip sharpness variations that require correction before insertion by bone drilling. The autoclave-sterilized micro-implants showed better histologic results than micro-implants sterilized by gamma or ultraviolet rays.

Particle detection systems and methods

DOEpatents

Morris, Christopher L.; Makela, Mark F.

2010-05-11

Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons and neutrons. In one implementation, a particle detection system employs a plurality of drift cells, which can be for example sealed gas-filled drift tubes, arranged on sides of a volume to be scanned to track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray-produced muons. The drift cells can include a neutron sensitive medium to enable concurrent counting of neutrons. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold, uranium, plutonium, and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can concurrently detect any unshielded neutron sources occupying the volume from neutrons emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift cells can be used to also detect gamma rays. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Synthesis and characterization of stimuli-responsive polypropylene containing N-vinylcaprolactam and N-vinylimidazole obtained by ionizing radiation.

PubMed

Zavala-Lagunes, Edgar; Ruiz, Juan-Carlos; Varca, Gustavo H C; Bucio, Emilio

2016-10-01

Polypropylene films were grafted with thermo-responsive N-vinylcaprolactam and pH-responsive N-vinylimidazole polymers by means of gamma radiation using pre-irradiation and direct methods, in order to functionalize the films with thermo- and/or pH-responsiveness. The dependence of grafting yield on parameters such as co-monomer concentration, pre-irradiation dose, temperature, and reaction time was evaluated. The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, swelling studies in different solvents, and water contact angle. The grafted copolymers presented thermo- and pH-sensitiveness, highlighting their potential as advanced biomaterials, capable of providing adequate environment for hosting and sustained release of antimicrobial drugs bearing cationic moieties, such as groups of diclofenac, while still exhibiting good cytocompatibility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Facile synthesis and unique physicochemical properties of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous magnesium oxide, gamma-alumina, and ceria-zirconia solid solutions with crystalline mesoporous walls.

PubMed

Li, Huining; Zhang, Lei; Dai, Hongxing; He, Hong

2009-05-18

Three-dimensionally (3D) ordered macroporous (3DOM) MgO, gamma-Al(2)O(3), Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2), and Ce(0.7)Zr(0.3)O(2) with polycrystalline mesoporous walls have been successfully fabricated with the triblock copolymer EO(106)PO(70)EO(106) (Pluronic F127) and regularly packed monodispersive polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres as the template and magnesium, aluminum, cerium and zirconium nitrate(s), or aluminum isopropoxide as the metal source. The as-synthesized metal oxides were characterized by means of techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy/selected area electron diffraction (HRTEM/SAED), BET, carbon dioxide temperature-programmed desorption (CO(2)-TPD), and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H(2)-TPR). It is shown that the as-fabricated MgO, gamma-Al(2)O(3), Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2), and Ce(0.7)Zr(0.3)O(2) samples possessed single-phase polycrystalline structures and displayed a 3DOM architecture; the MgO, Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2), and Ce(0.7)Zr(0.3)O(2) samples exhibited worm-hole-like mesoporous walls, whereas the gamma-Al(2)O(3) samples exhibited 3D ordered mesoporous walls. The solvent (ethanol or water) nature and concentration, metal precursor, surfactant, and drying condition have an important impact on the pore structure and surface area of the final product. The introduction of surfactant F127 to the synthesis system could significantly enhance the surface areas of the 3DOM metal oxides. With PMMA and F127 in a 40% ethanol solution, one can generate well-arrayed 3DOM MgO with a surface area of 243 m(2)/g and 3DOM Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2) with a surface area of 100 m(2)/g; with PMMA and F127 in an ethanol-HNO(3) solution, one can obtain 3DOM gamma-Al(2)O(3)with a surface area of 145 m(2)/g. The 3DOM MgO and 3DOM gamma-Al(2)O(3) samples showed excellent CO(2) adsorption behaviors, whereas the 3DOM Ce(0.6)Zr(0.4)O(2) sample exhibited exceptional low-temperature reducibility. The unique physicochemical properties associated with the copresence of 3DOM and mesoporous walls make these porous materials ideal candidates for applications in heterogeneous catalysis and CO(2) adsorption.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fattori, G; Klimpki, G; Safai, S

Purpose: We aim to compare the performance of discrete spot- or continuous line scanning combined with rescanning in mitigating residual organ motion during gated proton therapy treatments. Methods: The Quasar respiratory phantom was used to move a 2D scintillation detector on a linear trajectory with sinusoidal motion pattern (sin{sup 4}), 20 mm peak-to-peak amplitude and 5 sec period. Its motion was monitored using a customized solution based on optical tracking technology. We compared spot and line scanning plans for a monoenergetic 150 MeV circular field, 50.4 mm radius at isocenter. Transverse dose distributions at 13 cm depth in PMMA (15.47more » mm water equivalent) were measured to compare three options for motion mitigation: rescanning (10× factor), gating and their combination. The gating window was centered in the trajectory plateau to simulate end-exhale gated treatment in presence of 2 mm and 4 mm residual motion, parallel or perpendicular to the primary scanning direction. Results: When the target moves perpendicular to the primary scanning direction, large dose deviations are measured (γ3%/3mm=47%) without mitigation techniques. Beam gating combined with rescanning restores target coverage (γ3%/3mm=91%). For parallel target motion, observed dose distortions in the non-compensated irradiation are smaller (γ3%/3mm=77%). Beam gating alone recovers the 100% gamma pass-rate at 3%/3mm. Continuous line scanning reduces delivery time by up to 60% with respect to discrete spot scanning in presence of motion mitigation, and improves homogeneity when rescanning is applied (up to 20%, perpendicular motion, 4 mm residual motion). Conclusion: The direction of motion has a large impact on the target dose coverage. Nevertheless, even in the worst case scenario, gating combined with rescanning could mitigate the impact of motion on dose deposition. Moreover, continuous line rescanning improves the robustness against residual motion in the gating window. This study has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n.290605 (PSI-FELLOW/COFUND) and ‘Giuliana and Giorgio Stefanini Foundation’.« less

Fermi Bubbles: an elephant in the gamma-ray sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malyshev, Dmitry

2017-03-01

The Fermi bubbles are one of the most remarkable features in the gamma-ray sky revealed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). The nature of the gamma-ray emission and the origin of the bubbles are still open questions. In this note, we will review some basic features of leptonic and hadronic modes of gamma-ray production. At the moment, gamma rays are our best method to study the bubbles, but in order to resolve the origin of the bubbles multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observations will be crucial.

Photofraction of a 5 cm x 2 cm BGO scintillator. [bismuth germanate crystal for use in cosmic gamma ray detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunphy, P. P.; Forrest, D. J.

1985-01-01

The photofraction of a 5.1 cm x 2.0 cm bismuth germanate (BGO) scintillator was measured over a gamma-ray energy range of 0.2 to 6.1 MeV. Several methods, used to minimize the effect of room scattering on the measurement, are discussed. These include a gamma-gamma coincidence technique, a beta-gamma coincidence technique, and the use of sources calibrated with a standard 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm sodium iodide scintillator.

Angiomatous lesion and delayed cyst formation after gamma knife surgery for intracranial meningioma: case report and review of literatures.

PubMed

Liu, Zhiyong; He, Min; Chen, Hongxu; Liu, Yi; Li, Qiang; Li, Lin; Li, Jin; Chen, Haifeng; Xu, Jianguo

2015-01-01

Gamma Knife has become a major therapeutic method for intracranial meningiomas, vascular malformations and schwannomas with exact effect. In recent years an increasing number of delayed complications after Gamma Knife surgery have been reported, such as secondary tumors, cystic changes or cyst formation. But angiomatous lesion and delayed cyst formation after Gamma Knife for intracranial lesion has rarely been reported. Here we report the first case of angiomatous lesion and delayed cyst formation following Gamma Knife for intracranial meningioma and discuss its pathogenesis.

A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility.

PubMed

Galford, J E

2017-04-01

The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monte-Carlo gamma response simulation of fast/thermal neutron interactions with soil elements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil elemental analysis using characteristic gamma rays induced by neutrons is an effective method of in situ soil content determination. The nuclei of soil elements irradiated by neutrons issue characteristic gamma rays due to both inelastic neutron scattering (e.g., Si, C) and thermal neutron capt...

Gamma radiation effects on phenolics, antioxidants activity and in vitro digestion of pistachio ( Pistachia vera) hull

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behgar, M.; Ghasemi, S.; Naserian, A.; Borzoie, A.; Fatollahi, H.

2011-09-01

The effect of gamma radiation (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 kGy) on tannin, total phenolics, antioxidants activity and in vitro digestion of pistachio hulls has been investigated in this study. The possibility of using the radial diffusion method based on software measurement of the rings area has also been investigated in this study. The software based method in radial diffusion method showed a higher r2 (0.995) value when compared to the traditional method. Irradiation reduced the tannin content ( P<0.01) and activity of antioxidants ( P<0.05) of pistachio hull extracts but increased the total phenolic content ( P<0.05). There was no effect of gamma irradiation on the in vitro digestion of the pistachio hull. Irradiation decreased the digestion rate of the pistachio hull at the dose of 40 kGy when compared to the control. This study showed that gamma irradiation decreased tannin and antioxidants activity of pistachio hull.

Application of artificial neural networks for the prediction of volume fraction using spectra of gamma rays backscattered by three-phase flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholipour Peyvandi, R.; Islami Rad, S. Z.

2017-12-01

The determination of the volume fraction percentage of the different phases flowing in vessels using transmission gamma rays is a conventional method in petroleum and oil industries. In some cases, with access only to the one side of the vessels, attention was drawn toward backscattered gamma rays as a desirable choice. In this research, the volume fraction percentage was measured precisely in water-gasoil-air three-phase flows by using the backscatter gamma ray technique andthe multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The volume fraction determination in three-phase flows requires two gamma radioactive sources or a dual-energy source (with different energies) while in this study, we used just a 137Cs source (with the single energy) and a NaI detector to analyze backscattered gamma rays. The experimental set-up provides the required data for training and testing the network. Using the presented method, the volume fraction was predicted with a mean relative error percentage less than 6.47%. Also, the root mean square error was calculated as 1.60. The presented set-up is applicable in some industries with limited access. Also, using this technique, the cost, radiation safety and shielding requirements are minimized toward the other proposed methods.

Real-time airborne gamma-ray background estimation using NASVD with MLE and radiation transport for calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulisek, J. A.; Schweppe, J. E.; Stave, S. C.; Bernacki, B. E.; Jordan, D. V.; Stewart, T. N.; Seifert, C. E.; Kernan, W. J.

2015-06-01

Helicopter-mounted gamma-ray detectors can provide law enforcement officials the means to quickly and accurately detect, identify, and locate radiological threats over a wide geographical area. The ability to accurately distinguish radiological threat-generated gamma-ray signatures from background gamma radiation in real time is essential in order to realize this potential. This problem is non-trivial, especially in urban environments for which the background may change very rapidly during flight. This exacerbates the challenge of estimating background due to the poor counting statistics inherent in real-time airborne gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements. To address this challenge, we have developed a new technique for real-time estimation of background gamma radiation from aerial measurements without the need for human analyst intervention. The method can be calibrated using radiation transport simulations along with data from previous flights over areas for which the isotopic composition need not be known. Over the examined measured and simulated data sets, the method generated accurate background estimates even in the presence of a strong, 60Co source. The potential to track large and abrupt changes in background spectral shape and magnitude was demonstrated. The method can be implemented fairly easily in most modern computing languages and environments.

Method of photon spectral analysis

DOEpatents

Gehrke, Robert J.; Putnam, Marie H.; Killian, E. Wayne; Helmer, Richard G.; Kynaston, Ronnie L.; Goodwin, Scott G.; Johnson, Larry O.

1993-01-01

A spectroscopic method to rapidly measure the presence of plutonium in soils, filters, smears, and glass waste forms by measuring the uranium L-shell x-ray emissions associated with the decay of plutonium. In addition, the technique can simultaneously acquire spectra of samples and automatically analyze them for the amount of americium and .gamma.-ray emitting activation and fission products present. The samples are counted with a large area, thin-window, n-type germanium spectrometer which is equally efficient for the detection of low-energy x-rays (10-2000 keV), as well as high-energy .gamma. rays (>1 MeV). A 8192- or 16,384 channel analyzer is used to acquire the entire photon spectrum at one time. A dual-energy, time-tagged pulser, that is injected into the test input of the preamplifier to monitor the energy scale, and detector resolution. The L x-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a linear-least-squares spectral fitting technique. The .gamma.-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a standard Ge .gamma.-ray analysis program. This method can be applied to any analysis involving x- and .gamma.-ray analysis in one spectrum and is especially useful when interferences in the x-ray region can be identified from the .gamma.-ray analysis and accommodated during the x-ray analysis.

Method of photon spectral analysis

DOEpatents

Gehrke, R.J.; Putnam, M.H.; Killian, E.W.; Helmer, R.G.; Kynaston, R.L.; Goodwin, S.G.; Johnson, L.O.

1993-04-27

A spectroscopic method to rapidly measure the presence of plutonium in soils, filters, smears, and glass waste forms by measuring the uranium L-shell x-ray emissions associated with the decay of plutonium. In addition, the technique can simultaneously acquire spectra of samples and automatically analyze them for the amount of americium and [gamma]-ray emitting activation and fission products present. The samples are counted with a large area, thin-window, n-type germanium spectrometer which is equally efficient for the detection of low-energy x-rays (10-2,000 keV), as well as high-energy [gamma] rays (>1 MeV). A 8,192- or 16,384 channel analyzer is used to acquire the entire photon spectrum at one time. A dual-energy, time-tagged pulser, that is injected into the test input of the preamplifier to monitor the energy scale, and detector resolution. The L x-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a linear-least-squares spectral fitting technique. The [gamma]-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a standard Ge [gamma]-ray analysis program. This method can be applied to any analysis involving x- and [gamma]-ray analysis in one spectrum and is especially useful when interferences in the x-ray region can be identified from the [gamma]-ray analysis and accommodated during the x-ray analysis.

Simulation Of A Photofission-Based Cargo Interrogation System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, Michael; Gozani, Tsahi; Stevenson, John

A comprehensive model has been developed to characterize and optimize the detection of Bremsstrahlung x-ray induced fission signatures from nuclear materials hidden in cargo containers. An effective active interrogation system should not only induce a large number of fission events but also efficiently detect their signatures. The proposed scanning system utilizes a 9-MV commercially available linear accelerator and the detection of strong fission signals i.e. delayed gamma rays and prompt neutrons. Because the scanning system is complex and the cargo containers are large and often highly attenuating, the simulation method segments the model into several physical steps, representing each changemore » of radiation particle. Each approximation is carried-out separately, resulting in a major reduction in computational time and a significant improvement in tally statistics. The model investigates the effect on the fission rate and detection rate by various cargo types, densities and distributions. Hydrogenous and metallic cargos, homogeneous and heterogeneous, as well as various locations of the nuclear material inside the cargo container were studied. We will show that for the photofission-based interrogation system simulation, the final results are not only in good agreement with a full, single-step simulation but also with experimental results, further validating the full-system simulation.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xing, Y; Macq, B; Bondar, L

Purpose: To quantify the accuracy in predicting the Bragg peak position using simulated in-room measurements of prompt gamma (PG) emissions for realistic treatment error scenarios that combine several sources of errors. Methods: Prompt gamma measurements by a knife-edge slit camera were simulated using an experimentally validated analytical simulation tool. Simulations were performed, for 143 treatment error scenarios, on an anthropomorphic phantom and a pencil beam scanning plan for nasal cavity. Three types of errors were considered: translation along each axis, rotation around each axis, and CT-calibration errors with magnitude ranging respectively, between −3 and 3 mm, −5 and 5 degrees,more » and between −5 and +5%. We investigated the correlation between the Bragg peak (BP) shift and the horizontal shift of PG profiles. The shifts were calculated between the planned (reference) position and the position by the error scenario. The prediction error for one spot was calculated as the absolute difference between the PG profile shift and the BP shift. Results: The PG shift was significantly and strongly correlated with the BP shift for 92% of the cases (p<0.0001, Pearson correlation coefficient R>0.8). Moderate but significant correlations were obtained for all cases that considered only CT-calibration errors and for 1 case that combined translation and CT-errors (p<0.0001, R ranged between 0.61 and 0.8). The average prediction errors for the simulated scenarios ranged between 0.08±0.07 and 1.67±1.3 mm (grand mean 0.66±0.76 mm). The prediction error was moderately correlated with the value of the BP shift (p=0, R=0.64). For the simulated scenarios the average BP shift ranged between −8±6.5 mm and 3±1.1 mm. Scenarios that considered combinations of the largest treatment errors were associated with large BP shifts. Conclusion: Simulations of in-room measurements demonstrate that prompt gamma profiles provide reliable estimation of the Bragg peak position for complex error scenarios. Yafei Xing and Luiza Bondar are funded by BEWARE grants from the Walloon Region. The work presents simulations results for a prompt gamma camera prototype developed by IBA.« less

MAGAT gel and EBT2 film‐based dosimetry for evaluating source plugging‐based treatment plan in Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery

PubMed Central

Vivekanandhan, S.; Kale, S.S.; Rath, G.K.; Senthilkumaran, S.; Thulkar, S.; Subramani, V.; Laviraj, M.A.; Bisht, R.K.; Mahapatra, A.K.

2012-01-01

This work illustrates a procedure to assess the overall accuracy associated with Gamma Knife treatment planning using plugging. The main role of source plugging or blocking is to create dose falloff in the junction between a target and a critical structure. We report the use of MAGAT gel dosimeter for verification of an experimental treatment plan based on plugging. The polymer gel contained in a head‐sized glass container simulated all major aspects of the treatment process of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. The 3D dose distribution recorded in the gel dosimeter was read using a 1.5T MRI scanner. Scanning protocol was: CPMG pulse sequence with 8 equidistant echoes, TR=7 s, echo step=14 ms, pixel size=0.5 mm x 0.5 mm, and slice thickness of 2 mm. Using a calibration relationship between absorbed dose and spin‐spin relaxation rate (R2), we converted R2 images to dose images. Volumetric dose comparison between treatment planning system (TPS) and gel measurement was accomplished using an in‐house MATLAB‐based program. The isodose overlay of the measured and computed dose distribution on axial planes was in close agreement. Gamma index analysis of 3D data showed more than 94% voxel pass rate for different tolerance criteria of 3%/2 mm, 3%/1 mm and 2%/2 mm. Film dosimetry with GAFCHROMIC EBT 2 film was also performed to compare the results with the calculated TPS dose. Gamma index analysis of film measurement for the same tolerance criteria used for gel measurement evaluation showed more than 95% voxel pass rate. Verification of gamma plan calculated dose on account of shield is not part of acceptance testing of Leksell Gamma Knife (LGK). Through this study we accomplished a volumetric comparison of dose distributions measured with a polymer gel dosimeter and Leksell GammaPlan (LGP) calculations for plans using plugging. We propose gel dosimeter as a quality assurance (QA) tool for verification of plug‐based planning. PACS number: 87.53.Ly, 87.55.‐x, 87.56.N‐ PMID:23149780

A matrix-inversion method for gamma-source mapping from gamma-count data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adsley, Ian; Burgess, Claire; Bull, Richard K

In a previous paper it was proposed that a simple matrix inversion method could be used to extract source distributions from gamma-count maps, using simple models to calculate the response matrix. The method was tested using numerically generated count maps. In the present work a 100 kBq Co{sup 60} source has been placed on a gridded surface and the count rate measured using a NaI scintillation detector. The resulting map of gamma counts was used as input to the matrix inversion procedure and the source position recovered. A multi-source array was simulated by superposition of several single-source count maps andmore » the source distribution was again recovered using matrix inversion. The measurements were performed for several detector heights. The effects of uncertainties in source-detector distances on the matrix inversion method are also examined. The results from this work give confidence in the application of the method to practical applications, such as the segregation of highly active objects amongst fuel-element debris. (authors)« less

Observation of Doppler broadening in beta-delayed proton-gamma decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Sarah

The Doppler broadening of gamma-ray peaks due to nuclear recoil from beta-delayed nucleon emission can be used to measure the energies of the nucleons. The purpose of this Thesis is to test and apply this Doppler broadening method using gamma-ray peaks from the 26P(betapgamma) 25Al decay sequence. A fast beam of 26P was implanted into a planar Ge detector, which was used as a 26P beta-decay trigger. The SeGA array of high-purity Ge detectors was used to detect gamma rays from the 26P(betapgamma)25Al decay sequence. Radiative Doppler broadening in beta-delayed proton-gamma decay was observed for the first time. The Doppler broadening analysis method was verified using the 1613 keV gamma-ray line for which the proton energies were previously known. The 1776 keV gamma ray de-exciting the 2720 keV 25Al level was observed in 26P(betapgamma) 25Al decay for the first time and used to determine that the center-of-mass energy of the proton emission feeding the 2720-keV level is 5.1 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.6 (syst.) MeV, corresponding to a 26Si excitation energy of 13.3 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.7 (syst.) MeV for the proton-emitting level. The Doppler broadening method has been demonstrated to provide practical measurements of the energies for beta-delayed nucleon emissions populating excited states of nuclear recoils at least as heavy as A = 25.

Gamma Knife treatment of low-grade gliomas in children.

PubMed

Ekşi, Murat Şakir; Yılmaz, Baran; Akakın, Akın; Toktaş, Zafer Orkun; Kaur, Ahmet Cemil; Demir, Mustafa Kemal; Kılıç, Türker

2015-11-01

Low-grade gliomas have good overall survival rates in pediatric patients compared to adults. There are some case series that reported the effectiveness and safety of Gamma Knife radiosurgery, yet they are limited in number of patients. We aimed to review the relevant literature for pediatric low-grade glial tumors treated with stereotactic radiosurgery, specifically Gamma Knife radiosurgery, and to present an exemplary case. A 6-year-old boy was admitted to clinic due to head trauma. He was alert, cooperative, and had no obvious motor or sensorial deficit. A head CT scan depicted a hypodense zone at the right caudate nucleus. The brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depicted a mass lesion at the same location. A stereotactic biopsy was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was low-grade astrocytoma (grade II, World Health Organization (WHO) classification, 2007). Gamma Knife radiosurgery was applied to the tumor bed. Tumor volume was 21.85 cm(3). Fourteen gray was given to 50% isodose segment of the lesion (maximal dose of 28 Gy). The tumor has disappeared totally in 4 months, and the patient was tumor-free 21 months after the initial treatment. The presented literature review represents mostly single-center experiences with different patient and treatment characteristics. Accordingly, a mean/median margin dose of 11.3-15 Gy with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is successful in treatment of pediatric and adult low-grade glial tumor patients. However, prospective studies with a large cohort of pediatric patients should be conducted to make a more comprehensive conclusion for effectiveness and safety of GKRS in pediatric low-grade glial tumors.

Sentinel node detection in early breast cancer with intraoperative portable gamma camera: UK experience.

PubMed

Ghosh, Debashis; Michalopoulos, Nikolaos V; Davidson, Timothy; Wickham, Fred; Williams, Norman R; Keshtgar, Mohammed R

2017-04-01

Access to nuclear medicine department for sentinel node imaging remains an issue in number of hospitals in the UK and many parts of the world. Sentinella ® is a portable imaging camera used intra-operatively to produce real time visual localisation of sentinel lymph nodes. Sentinella ® was tested in a controlled laboratory environment at our centre and we report our experience on the first use of this technology from UK. Moreover, preoperative scintigrams of the axilla were obtained in 144 patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy using conventional gamma camera. Sentinella ® scans were done intra-operatively to correlate with the pre-operative scintigram and to determine presence of any residual hot node after the axilla was deemed to be clear based on the silence of the hand held gamma probe. Sentinella ® detected significantly more nodes compared with CGC (p < 0.0001). Sentinella ® picked up extra nodes in 5/144 cases after the axilla was found silent using hand held gamma probe. In 2/144 cases, extra nodes detected by Sentinella ® confirmed presence of tumour cells that led to a complete axillary clearance. Sentinella ® is a reliable technique for intra-operative localisation of radioactive nodes. It provides increased nodal visualisation rates compared to static scintigram imaging and proves to be an important tool for harvesting all hot sentinel nodes. This portable gamma camera can definitely replace the use of conventional lymphoscintigrams saving time and money both for patients and the health system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gamma radiation-induced thermoluminescence emission of minerals adhered to Mexican sesame seeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Lazcano, Y.; Correcher, V.; Garcia-Guinea, J.; Cruz-Zaragoza, E.

2013-02-01

The thermoluminescence (TL) emission of minerals isolated from Mexican sesame seeds appear as a good tool to discern between irradiated and non-irradiated samples. According to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) data, the adhered dust in both samples is mainly composed of different amounts of quartz and feldspars. These mineral phases exhibit (i) enough sensitivity to ionizing radiation inducing good TL intensity, (ii) high stability of the TL signal during the storage of the material, i.e. low fading, and (iii) are thermally and chemically stable. Blind tests were performed under laboratory conditions, but simulating industrial preservation processes, allow us to distinguish between 1 kGy gamma-irradiated and non-irradiated samples even 15 months after irradiation processing followed the EN 1788 European Standard protocol in sesame samples.

Thermal and mechanical properties of gamma-irradiated prevulcanized natural rubber latex/low nitrosamines latex blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Pairu; Daik, Rusli; Wan Zin, Wan Manshol

2016-12-01

Thermal and mechanical properties of blended radiation prevulcanized natural rubber latex (RVNRL) and low nitrosamines latex (LNL) were studied. RVNRL was blended with LNL at various composition ratios. From the tensile test, it was found that the optimum tensile value was attained at a total blending ratio of 70% RVNRL and 30% LNL. Latex blending with optimum tensile strength was then subjected to gamma irradiation at various doses with the presence and absence of methyl methacrylate (MMA) at 10 pphr. It was found that the gamma irradiation of latex blend with the presence of MMA could help increase further the tensile value. Composition of blending at a specific ratio and gamma irradiation at a specific dose has led to a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the latex blend. The formation of grafting in the latex blend was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that MMA could be grafted onto blended latex effectively under appropriate irradiation conditions. Two new peaks at 1731 and 1149 cm-1 were observed after irradiation, indicating the presence of an ester group from poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), which was grafted onto rubber chains. This finding was proved by the presence of new Tg in DSC analysis. The increase in new Tg indicates the movement of grafting chains, which are tightly bound onto rubber chains.

A cosmic and solar X-ray and gamma-ray instrument for a scout launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forrest, D. J.; Vestrand, W. T.; Chupp, E. L.

1988-01-01

An overview is presented for a set of simple and robust X-ray and gamma ray instruments which have both cosmic and solar objectives. The primary solar scientific objective is the study of the beaming of energetic electrons and ions in solar flares. The instrument will measure spectra and polarization of flare emissions up to 10 MeV. At X-ray energies both the directly emitted flux and the reflected albedo flux will be measured with a complement of six X-ray sensors. Each of these detectors will have a different high Z filter selected to optimize both the energy resolution and high rate capabilities in the energy band 10 to 300 keV. At energies greater than 100 keV seven 7.6 x 7.6 cm NaI and a set of 30 concentric plastic scattering detectors will record the spectra and polarization of electron bremsstrahlung and nuclear gamma rays. All of the components of the instrument are in existence and have passed flight tests for earlier space missions. The instrument will use a spinning solar oriented Scout spacecraft. The NaI detectors will act as a self-modulating gamma ray detector for cosmic sources in a broad angular band which lies at 90 degrees to the Sun-Earth vector and hence will scan the entire sky in 6 months.

Moessbauer spectroscopy study on the corrosion resistance of plasma nitrided ASTM F138 stainless steel in chloride solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Souza, S.D. de; Olzon-Dionysio, M., E-mail: dmod@df.ufscar.br; Basso, R.L.O.

2010-10-15

Plasma nitriding of ASTM F138 stainless steel samples has been carried out using dc glow discharge under 80% H{sub 2}-20% N{sub 2} gas mixture, at 673 K, and 2, 4, and 7 h time intervals, in order to investigate the influence of treatment time on the microstructure and the corrosion resistance properties. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, glancing angle X-ray diffraction and conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy, besides electrochemical tests in NaCl aerated solution. A modified layer of about 6 {mu}m was observed for all the nitrided samples, independent of nitriding time. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows broadmore » {gamma}{sub N} phase peaks, signifying a great degree of nitrogen supersaturation. Besides {gamma}{sub N,} the Moessbauer spectroscopy results indicated the occurrence of {gamma}' and {epsilon} phases, as well as some other less important phases. Corrosion measurements demonstrate that the plasma nitriding time affects the corrosion resistance and the best performance is reached at 4 h treatment. It seems that the {epsilon}/{gamma}' fraction ratio plays an important role on the resistance corrosion. Additionally, the Moessbauer spectroscopy was decisive in this study, since it was able to identify and quantify the iron phases that influence the corrosion resistance of plasma nitrided ASTM F138 samples.« less

111-Indium platelet imaging, Doppler spectral analysis and angiography compared in patients with transient cerebral ischaemia.

PubMed

Goldman, M; Leung, J O; Aukland, A; Hawker, R J; Drolc, Z; McCollum, C N

1983-01-01

We have evaluated carotid gamma imaging using 111Indium-labelled platelets in the diagnosis of carotid artery disease and measured the accumulation of labelled platelets on endarterectomy specimens. Autologous 111In labelled platelets were injected in 25 patients with TIA. Gamma images were then taken daily and independently interpreted by two observers. Carotid endarterectomy was performed in 11 patients allowing measurement of the radioactivity on the operative specimen. These results were compared to the findings on angiography and Doppler spectral analysis. All endarterectomy specimens accumulated platelets with the most active equivalent to platelets from 1.8 ml blood. Atheromatous ulcers were more active than stenoses with mean (+/- SEM) activities of 1.12 +/- 0.37 and 0.38 +/- 0.10 respectively. These radioactivity levels were at the threshold of gamma camera resolution in a theoretical model. Both observers agreed that 22 of the 50 carotid bifurcations showed platelet accumulation on gamma imaging. Of the 12 atheromatous ulcers demonstrated by angiography 11 were visualized, but only five of ten stenoses greater than 80% were detected. As Doppler identified all stenoses only one angiographically diseased carotid was not detected by combining ultrasound with platelet scanning. Atherosclerotic arteries accumulate 111In platelets and the more thrombogenic ulcerated plaques are identified more frequently than stenoses. Long-term follow-up is required to establish the clinical relevance of platelet deposition.

Gamma-ray shielding effect of Gd3+ doped lead barium borate glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummathi, Harshitha; Naveen Kumar, P.; Vedavathi T., C.; Abhiram, J.; Rajaramakrishna, R.

2018-05-01

The glasses of the batch xPbO: 10BaO: (90-x)B2O3: 0.2Gd2O3 (x = 40,45,50 mol %) were prepared by melt-quench technique. The work emphasizes on gamma ray shielding effect on doped lead glasses. The role of Boron is significant as it acts as better neutron attenuator as compared with any other materials, as the thermal neutron cross-sections are high for Gadolinium, 0.2 mol% is chosen as the optimum concentration for this matrix, as higher the concentration may lead to further increase as it produces secondary γ rays due to inelastic neutron scattering. Shielding effects were studied using Sodium Iodide (NaI) - Scintillation Gamma ray spectrometer. It was found that at higher concentration of lead oxide (PbO) in the matrix, higher the attenuation which can be co-related with density. Infra-red (I.R.) spectra reveals that the conversion of Lose triangles to tight tetrahedral structure results in enhancement of shielding properties. The Differential Scanning Calorimeter (D.S.C.) study also reveals that the increase in glass forming range increases the stability which in-turn results in inter-conversion of BO3 to BO4 units such that the density of glass increases with increase in PbO content, resulting in much stable and efficient gamma ray shielding glasses.

A High Current Tandem Accelerator for Gamma-Resonance Contraband Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milton, Bruce

1997-05-01

TRIUMF and Northrop Grumman have developed a new system for the detection of concealed explosives and drugs. This Contraband Detection System (CDS) is based on the resonant absorption by ^14N of gammas produced using ^13C(p,γ)^14N. The chosen reaction uses protons at 1.75 MeV and the gammas have an energy of 9.17 MeV. By measuring both the resonant and the non -resonant absorption using detectors with good spatial resolution, and applying standard tomographic techniques, we are able to produce 3D images of both the nitrogen partial density and the total density. The images together may be utilized with considerable confidence to determine if small amounts of nitrogen based explosives, heroin or cocaine are present in the interrogated containers. Practical Gamma Resonant Absorption (GRA) scanning requires an intense source of protons. However this proton source must also be very stable, have low energy spread, and have good spatial definition. These demands suggested a tandem as the accelerator of choice. We have therefore constructed a 2 MeV H^- tandem optimized for high current (10 mA) operation, while minimizing the overall size of the accelerator. This has required several special innovations which will be presented in the paper. We will also present initial commissioning results.

Fission products detection in irradiated TRIGA fuel by means of gamma spectroscopy and MCNP calculation.

PubMed

Cagnazzo, M; Borio di Tigliole, A; Böck, H; Villa, M

2018-05-01

Aim of this work was the detection of fission products activity distribution along the axial dimension of irradiated fuel elements (FEs) at the TRIGA Mark II research reactor of the Technische Universität (TU) Wien. The activity distribution was measured by means of a customized fuel gamma scanning device, which includes a vertical lifting system to move the fuel rod along its vertical axis. For each investigated FE, a gamma spectrum measurement was performed along the vertical axis, with steps of 1 cm, in order to determine the axial distribution of the fission products. After the fuel elements underwent a relatively short cooling down period, different fission products were detected. The activity concentration was determined by calibrating the gamma detector with a standard calibration source of known activity and by MCNP6 simulations for the evaluation of self-absorption and geometric effects. Given the specific TRIGA fuel composition, a correction procedure is developed and used in this work for the measurement of the fission product Zr 95 . This measurement campaign is part of a more extended project aiming at the modelling of the TU Wien TRIGA reactor by means of different calculation codes (MCNP6, Serpent): the experimental results presented in this paper will be subsequently used for the benchmark of the models developed with the calculation codes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural and optical analysis of 60Co gamma-irradiated thin films of polycrystalline Ga10Se85Sn5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Shabir; Asokan, K.; Shahid Khan, Mohd.; Zulfequar, M.

2015-12-01

The present study focuses on the effects of gamma irradiation on structural and optical properties of polycrystalline Ga10Se85Sn5 thin films with a thickness of ∼300 nm deposited by the thermal evaporation technique on cleaned glass substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns of the investigated thin films show that crystallite growth occurs in the orthorhombic phase structure. The surface study carried out by using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirms that the grain size increases with gamma irradiation. The optical parameters were estimated from optical transmission spectra data measured from a UV-vis-spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 200-1100 nm. The refractive index dispersion data of the investigated thin films follow the single oscillator model. The estimated values of static refractive index n0, oscillator strength Ed, zero frequency dielectric constant ε0, optical conductivity σoptical and the dissipation factor increases after irradiation, while the single oscillator energy Eo decreases after irradiation. It was found that the value of the optical band gap of the investigated thin films decreases and the corresponding absorption coefficient increases continuously with an increase in the dose of gamma irradiation. This post irradiation changes in the values of optical band gap and absorption coefficient were interpreted in terms of the bond distribution model.

High energy gamma-ray astronomy; Proceedings of the International Conference, ANN Arbor, MI, Oct. 2-5, 1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, James

The present volume on high energy gamma-ray astronomy discusses the composition and properties of heavy cosmic rays greater than 10 exp 12 eV, implications of the IRAS Survey for galactic gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray emission from young neutron stars, and high-energy diffuse gamma rays. Attention is given to observations of TeV photons at the Whipple Observatory, TeV gamma rays from millisecond pulsars, recent data from the CYGNUS experiment, and recent results from the Woomera Telescope. Topics addressed include bounds on a possible He/VHE gamma-ray line signal of Galactic dark matter, albedo gamma rays from cosmic ray interactions on the solar surface, source studies, and the CANGAROO project. Also discussed are neural nets and other methods for maximizing the sensitivity of a low-threshold VHE gamma-ray telescope, a prototype water-Cerenkov air-shower detector, detection of point sources with spark chamber gamma-ray telescopes, and real-time image parameterization in high energy gamma-ray astronomy using transputers. (For individual items see A93-25002 to A93-25039)

Quantification of vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components in rice germ and bran.

PubMed

Yu, Shanggong; Nehus, Zachary T; Badger, Thomas M; Fang, Nianbai

2007-09-05

Rice bran is a rich natural source of vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol, which have been extensively studied and reported to possess important health-promoting properties. However, commercial rice bran is a mixture of rice bran and germ, and profiles of vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components in these two different materials are less well-studied. In the current study, vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components in rice bran and germ were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. The components were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) with both positive- and negative-ion modes. Both deprotonated molecular ion [M - H](-) and protonated molecular ion [M + H](+) found as the base peaks in spectra of vitamin E components made ESI-MS a valuable analytic method in detecting vitamin E compounds, especially when they were at very low levels in samples. Ultraviolet absorption was used for quantification of vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components. While the level of vitamin E in rice germ was 5 times greater than in rice bran, the level of gamma-oryzanol in rice germ was 5 times lower than in rice bran. Also, the major vitamin E component was alpha-tocopherol in rice germ and gamma-tocotrienol in rice bran. These data suggest that rice bran and germ have significantly different profiles of vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components. The method enables rapid and direct on-line identification and quantification of the vitamin E and gamma-oryzanol components in rice bran and germ.

[Evaluation of crossing calibration of (123)I-MIBG H/M ration, with the IDW scatter correction method, on different gamma camera systems].

PubMed

Kittaka, Daisuke; Takase, Tadashi; Akiyama, Masayuki; Nakazawa, Yasuo; Shinozuka, Akira; Shirai, Muneaki

2011-01-01

(123)I-MIBG Heart-to-Mediastinum activity ratio (H/M) is commonly used as an indicator of relative myocardial (123)I-MIBG uptake. H/M ratios reflect myocardial sympathetic nerve function, therefore it is a useful parameter to assess regional myocardial sympathetic denervation in various cardiac diseases. However, H/M ratio values differ by site, gamma camera system, position and size of region of interest (ROI), and collimator. In addition to these factors, 529 keV scatter component may also affect (123)I-MIBG H/M ratio. In this study, we examined whether the H/M ratio shows correlation between two different gamma camera systems and that sought for H/M ratio calculation formula. Moreover, we assessed the feasibility of (123)I Dual Window (IDW) method, which is a scatter correction method, and compared H/M ratios with and without IDW method. H/M ratio displayed a good correlation between two gamma camera systems. Additionally, we were able to create a new H/M calculation formula. These results indicated that the IDW method is a useful scatter correction method for calculating (123)I-MIBG H/M ratios.

PET-Probe: Evaluation of Technical Performance and Clinical Utility of a Handheld High-Energy Gamma Probe in Oncologic Surgery.

PubMed

Gulec, Seza A; Daghighian, Farhad; Essner, Richard

2016-12-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become an invaluable part of patient evaluation in surgical oncology. PET is less than optimal for detecting lesions <1 cm, and the intraoperative localization of small PET-positive lesions can be challenging as a result of difficulties in surgical exposure. We undertook this investigation to assess the utility of a handheld high-energy gamma probe (PET-Probe) for intraoperative identification of 18 F-deoxyglucose (FDG)-avid tumors. Forty patients underwent a diagnostic whole-body FDG-PET scan for consideration for surgical exploration and resection. Before surgery, all patients received an intravenous injection of 7 to 10 mCi of FDG. At surgery, the PET-Probe was used to determine absolute counts per second at the known tumor site(s) demonstrated by whole-body PET and at adjacent normal tissue (at least 4 cm away from tumor-bearing sites). Tumor-to-background ratios were calculated. Thirty-two patients (80%) underwent PET-Probe-guided surgery with therapeutic intent in a recurrent or metastatic disease setting. Eight patients underwent surgery for diagnostic exploration. Anatomical locations of the PET-identified lesions were neck and supraclavicular (n = 8), axilla (n = 5), groin and deep iliac (n = 4), trunk and extremity soft tissue (n = 3), abdominal and retroperitoneal (n = 19), and lung (n = 2). PET-Probe detected all PET-positive lesions. The PET-Probe was instrumental in localization of lesions in 15 patients that were not immediately apparent by surgical exploration. The PET-Probe identified all lesions demonstrated by PET scanning and, in selected cases, was useful in localizing FDG-avid disease not seen with conventional PET scanning.

Prefrontal and Striatal Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Levels and the Effect of Antipsychotic Treatment in First-Episode Psychosis Patients.

PubMed

de la Fuente-Sandoval, Camilo; Reyes-Madrigal, Francisco; Mao, Xiangling; León-Ortiz, Pablo; Rodríguez-Mayoral, Oscar; Jung-Cook, Helgi; Solís-Vivanco, Rodolfo; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel; Shungu, Dikoma C

2018-03-15

Abnormally elevated levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been reported in antipsychotic-free patients with schizophrenia. Whether such GABA elevations are also present in other brain regions and persist after antipsychotic treatment has not been previously investigated. Twenty-eight antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 18 healthy control subjects completed the study. Following baseline proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans targeting the mPFC and a second region, the dorsal caudate, patients with FEP were treated with oral risperidone for 4 weeks at an initial dose of 1 mg/day that was titrated as necessary based on clinical judgment. After the 4-week treatment period, both groups were brought back to undergo outcome magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans, which were identical to the scans conducted at baseline. At baseline, higher GABA levels were found both in the mPFC and in the dorsal caudate of patients with FEP compared with healthy control subjects. Following 4 weeks of antipsychotic treatment, GABA levels in patients with FEP decreased relative to baseline in the mPFC, but decreased only at the trend level relative to baseline in the dorsal caudate. For either brain region, GABA levels at 4 weeks or posttreatment did not differ between patients with FEP and healthy control subjects. The results of the present study documented elevations of GABA levels both in the mPFC and, for the first time, in the dorsal caudate of antipsychotic-naïve patients with FEP, which normalized in both regions following 4 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Wetting characteristics and blood clotting on surfaces of copoly(gamma-Benzyl-L-glutamate, gamma-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine).

PubMed

Yano, E; Komai, T; Kawasaki, T; Kaifu, K; Atsuta, T; Kubo, Y; Fujiwara, Y

1985-09-01

The film surface of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) was modified with 2-aminoethanol to enhance its hydrophilicity. Controlling the reaction conditions of PBLG and 2-aminoethanol, various types of copoly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate, gamma-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine) film surfaces were obtained. Surface free energy (gamma sv), the dispersive component of gamma sv (gamma dsv), the nondispersive component of gamma sv (gamma psv), and the interfacial free energy of polymer surface with water (gamma sw), which were obtained by using the contact angle measurement and calculation method proposed by Andrade et al., were changed remarkably by the aminolysis. The gamma sv value increased after 2 h of aminolysis from 48.2 (PBLG) to 65.3 dyn/cm and gradually increased to around 70 dyn/cm after 12 h reaction. (gamma dsv) and (gamma psv) changed from 31.0 and 17.2 dyn/cm (PBLG) to 26.5 and 44.3 dyn/cm, respectively. These parameters of the material surfaces, modified over 12 h reaction, were found to be similar to those of the surfaces of canine aorta, vein, and human fibrin membrane. Blood clotting times on these polymer surfaces were comparatively longer than on siliconized glass surfaces.

Gamma Radiation Effects on Peanut Skin Antioxidants

PubMed Central

de Camargo, Adriano Costa; de Souza Vieira, Thais Maria Ferreira; Regitano-D’Arce, Marisa Aparecida Bismara; Calori-Domingues, Maria Antonia; Canniatti-Brazaca, Solange Guidolin

2012-01-01

Peanut skin, which is removed in the peanut blanching process, is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. The aims of this study were to measure bioactive compounds in peanut skins and evaluate the effect of gamma radiation on their antioxidant activity. Peanut skin samples were treated with 0.0, 5.0, 7.5, or 10.0 kGy gamma rays. Total phenolics, condensed tannins, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Extracts obtained from the peanut skins were added to refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) soybean oil. The oxidative stability of the oil samples was determined using the Oil Stability Index method and compared to a control and synthetic antioxidants (100 mg/kg BHT and 200 mg/kg TBHQ). Gamma radiation changed total phenolic content, total condensed tannins, total flavonoid content, and the antioxidant activity. All extracts, gamma irradiated or not, presented increasing induction period (h), measured by the Oil Stability Index method, when compared with the control. Antioxidant activity of the peanut skins was higher than BHT. The present study confirmed that gamma radiation did not affect the peanut skin extracts’ antioxidative properties when added to soybean oil. PMID:22489142

Non-destructive in-situ method and apparatus for determining radionuclide depth in media

DOEpatents

Xu, X. George; Naessens, Edward P.

2003-01-01

A non-destructive method and apparatus which is based on in-situ gamma spectroscopy is used to determine the depth of radiological contamination in media such as concrete. An algorithm, Gamma Penetration Depth Unfolding Algorithm (GPDUA), uses point kernel techniques to predict the depth of contamination based on the results of uncollided peak information from the in-situ gamma spectroscopy. The invention is better, faster, safer, and/cheaper than the current practice in decontamination and decommissioning of facilities that are slow, rough and unsafe. The invention uses a priori knowledge of the contaminant source distribution. The applicable radiological contaminants of interest are any isotopes that emit two or more gamma rays per disintegration or isotopes that emit a single gamma ray but have gamma-emitting progeny in secular equilibrium with its parent (e.g., .sup.60 Co, .sup.235 U, and .sup.137 Cs to name a few). The predicted depths from the GPDUA algorithm using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) simulations and laboratory experiments using .sup.60 Co have consistently produced predicted depths within 20% of the actual or known depth.

The neutron-gamma Feynman variance to mean approach: Gamma detection and total neutron-gamma detection (theory and practice)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernikova, Dina; Axell, Kåre; Avdic, Senada; Pázsit, Imre; Nordlund, Anders; Allard, Stefan

2015-05-01

Two versions of the neutron-gamma variance to mean (Feynman-alpha method or Feynman-Y function) formula for either gamma detection only or total neutron-gamma detection, respectively, are derived and compared in this paper. The new formulas have particular importance for detectors of either gamma photons or detectors sensitive to both neutron and gamma radiation. If applied to a plastic or liquid scintillation detector, the total neutron-gamma detection Feynman-Y expression corresponds to a situation where no discrimination is made between neutrons and gamma particles. The gamma variance to mean formulas are useful when a detector of only gamma radiation is used or when working with a combined neutron-gamma detector at high count rates. The theoretical derivation is based on the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation with the inclusion of general reactions and corresponding intensities for neutrons and gammas, but with the inclusion of prompt reactions only. A one energy group approximation is considered. The comparison of the two different theories is made by using reaction intensities obtained in MCNPX simulations with a simplified geometry for two scintillation detectors and a 252Cf-source. In addition, the variance to mean ratios, neutron, gamma and total neutron-gamma are evaluated experimentally for a weak 252Cf neutron-gamma source, a 137Cs random gamma source and a 22Na correlated gamma source. Due to the focus being on the possibility of using neutron-gamma variance to mean theories for both reactor and safeguards applications, we limited the present study to the general analytical expressions for Feynman-alpha formulas.

A novel gamma-fitting statistical method for anti-drug antibody assays to establish assay cut points for data with non-normal distribution.

PubMed

Schlain, Brian; Amaravadi, Lakshmi; Donley, Jean; Wickramasekera, Ananda; Bennett, Donald; Subramanyam, Meena

2010-01-31

In recent years there has been growing recognition of the impact of anti-drug or anti-therapeutic antibodies (ADAs, ATAs) on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior of the drug, which ultimately affects drug exposure and activity. These anti-drug antibodies can also impact safety of the therapeutic by inducing a range of reactions from hypersensitivity to neutralization of the activity of an endogenous protein. Assessments of immunogenicity, therefore, are critically dependent on the bioanalytical method used to test samples, in which a positive versus negative reactivity is determined by a statistically derived cut point based on the distribution of drug naïve samples. For non-normally distributed data, a novel gamma-fitting method for obtaining assay cut points is presented. Non-normal immunogenicity data distributions, which tend to be unimodal and positively skewed, can often be modeled by 3-parameter gamma fits. Under a gamma regime, gamma based cut points were found to be more accurate (closer to their targeted false positive rates) compared to normal or log-normal methods and more precise (smaller standard errors of cut point estimators) compared with the nonparametric percentile method. Under a gamma regime, normal theory based methods for estimating cut points targeting a 5% false positive rate were found in computer simulation experiments to have, on average, false positive rates ranging from 6.2 to 8.3% (or positive biases between +1.2 and +3.3%) with bias decreasing with the magnitude of the gamma shape parameter. The log-normal fits tended, on average, to underestimate false positive rates with negative biases as large a -2.3% with absolute bias decreasing with the shape parameter. These results were consistent with the well known fact that gamma distributions become less skewed and closer to a normal distribution as their shape parameters increase. Inflated false positive rates, especially in a screening assay, shifts the emphasis to confirm test results in a subsequent test (confirmatory assay). On the other hand, deflated false positive rates in the case of screening immunogenicity assays will not meet the minimum 5% false positive target as proposed in the immunogenicity assay guidance white papers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fermi gamma-ray imaging of a radio galaxy.

PubMed

Abdo, A A; Ackermann, M; Ajello, M; Atwood, W B; Baldini, L; Ballet, J; Barbiellini, G; Bastieri, D; Baughman, B M; Bechtol, K; Bellazzini, R; Berenji, B; Blandford, R D; Bloom, E D; Bonamente, E; Borgland, A W; Bregeon, J; Brez, A; Brigida, M; Bruel, P; Burnett, T H; Buson, S; Caliandro, G A; Cameron, R A; Caraveo, P A; Casandjian, J M; Cavazzuti, E; Cecchi, C; Celik, O; Chekhtman, A; Cheung, C C; Chiang, J; Ciprini, S; Claus, R; Cohen-Tanugi, J; Colafrancesco, S; Cominsky, L R; Conrad, J; Costamante, L; Cutini, S; Davis, D S; Dermer, C D; de Angelis, A; de Palma, F; Digel, S W; do Couto e Silva, E; Drell, P S; Dubois, R; Dumora, D; Farnier, C; Favuzzi, C; Fegan, S J; Finke, J; Focke, W B; Fortin, P; Fukazawa, Y; Funk, S; Fusco, P; Gargano, F; Gasparrini, D; Gehrels, N; Georganopoulos, M; Germani, S; Giebels, B; Giglietto, N; Giordano, F; Giroletti, M; Glanzman, T; Godfrey, G; Grenier, I A; Grove, J E; Guillemot, L; Guiriec, S; Hanabata, Y; Harding, A K; Hayashida, M; Hays, E; Hughes, R E; Jackson, M S; Jóhannesson, G; Johnson, A S; Johnson, T J; Johnson, W N; Kamae, T; Katagiri, H; Kataoka, J; Kawai, N; Kerr, M; Knödlseder, J; Kocian, M L; Kuss, M; Lande, J; Latronico, L; Lemoine-Goumard, M; Longo, F; Loparco, F; Lott, B; Lovellette, M N; Lubrano, P; Madejski, G M; Makeev, A; Mazziotta, M N; McConville, W; McEnery, J E; Meurer, C; Michelson, P F; Mitthumsiri, W; Mizuno, T; Moiseev, A A; Monte, C; Monzani, M E; Morselli, A; Moskalenko, I V; Murgia, S; Nolan, P L; Norris, J P; Nuss, E; Ohsugi, T; Omodei, N; Orlando, E; Ormes, J F; Paneque, D; Parent, D; Pelassa, V; Pepe, M; Pesce-Rollins, M; Piron, F; Porter, T A; Rainò, S; Rando, R; Razzano, M; Razzaque, S; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Reposeur, T; Ritz, S; Rochester, L S; Rodriguez, A Y; Romani, R W; Roth, M; Ryde, F; Sadrozinski, H F-W; Sambruna, R; Sanchez, D; Sander, A; Saz Parkinson, P M; Scargle, J D; Sgrò, C; Siskind, E J; Smith, D A; Smith, P D; Spandre, G; Spinelli, P; Starck, J-L; Stawarz, Ł; Strickman, M S; Suson, D J; Tajima, H; Takahashi, H; Takahashi, T; Tanaka, T; Thayer, J B; Thayer, J G; Thompson, D J; Tibaldo, L; Torres, D F; Tosti, G; Tramacere, A; Uchiyama, Y; Usher, T L; Vasileiou, V; Vilchez, N; Vitale, V; Waite, A P; Wallace, E; Wang, P; Winer, B L; Wood, K S; Ylinen, T; Ziegler, M; Hardcastle, M J; Kazanas, D

2010-05-07

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected the gamma-ray glow emanating from the giant radio lobes of the radio galaxy Centaurus A. The resolved gamma-ray image shows the lobes clearly separated from the central active source. In contrast to all other active galaxies detected so far in high-energy gamma-rays, the lobe flux constitutes a considerable portion (greater than one-half) of the total source emission. The gamma-ray emission from the lobes is interpreted as inverse Compton-scattered relic radiation from the cosmic microwave background, with additional contribution at higher energies from the infrared-to-optical extragalactic background light. These measurements provide gamma-ray constraints on the magnetic field and particle energy content in radio galaxy lobes, as well as a promising method to probe the cosmic relic photon fields.

IMRT QA: Selecting gamma criteria based on error detection sensitivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steers, Jennifer M.; Fraass, Benedick A., E-mail: benedick.fraass@cshs.org

Purpose: The gamma comparison is widely used to evaluate the agreement between measurements and treatment planning system calculations in patient-specific intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA). However, recent publications have raised concerns about the lack of sensitivity when employing commonly used gamma criteria. Understanding the actual sensitivity of a wide range of different gamma criteria may allow the definition of more meaningful gamma criteria and tolerance limits in IMRT QA. We present a method that allows the quantitative determination of gamma criteria sensitivity to induced errors which can be applied to any unique combination of device, delivery technique,more » and software utilized in a specific clinic. Methods: A total of 21 DMLC IMRT QA measurements (ArcCHECK®, Sun Nuclear) were compared to QA plan calculations with induced errors. Three scenarios were studied: MU errors, multi-leaf collimator (MLC) errors, and the sensitivity of the gamma comparison to changes in penumbra width. Gamma comparisons were performed between measurements and error-induced calculations using a wide range of gamma criteria, resulting in a total of over 20 000 gamma comparisons. Gamma passing rates for each error class and case were graphed against error magnitude to create error curves in order to represent the range of missed errors in routine IMRT QA using 36 different gamma criteria. Results: This study demonstrates that systematic errors and case-specific errors can be detected by the error curve analysis. Depending on the location of the error curve peak (e.g., not centered about zero), 3%/3 mm threshold = 10% at 90% pixels passing may miss errors as large as 15% MU errors and ±1 cm random MLC errors for some cases. As the dose threshold parameter was increased for a given %Diff/distance-to-agreement (DTA) setting, error sensitivity was increased by up to a factor of two for select cases. This increased sensitivity with increasing dose threshold was consistent across all studied combinations of %Diff/DTA. Criteria such as 2%/3 mm and 3%/2 mm with a 50% threshold at 90% pixels passing are shown to be more appropriately sensitive without being overly strict. However, a broadening of the penumbra by as much as 5 mm in the beam configuration was difficult to detect with commonly used criteria, as well as with the previously mentioned criteria utilizing a threshold of 50%. Conclusions: We have introduced the error curve method, an analysis technique which allows the quantitative determination of gamma criteria sensitivity to induced errors. The application of the error curve method using DMLC IMRT plans measured on the ArcCHECK® device demonstrated that large errors can potentially be missed in IMRT QA with commonly used gamma criteria (e.g., 3%/3 mm, threshold = 10%, 90% pixels passing). Additionally, increasing the dose threshold value can offer dramatic increases in error sensitivity. This approach may allow the selection of more meaningful gamma criteria for IMRT QA and is straightforward to apply to other combinations of devices and treatment techniques.« less

Synthesis, characteristics and thermoluminescent dosimetry features of γ-irradiated Ce doped CaF2 nanophosphor.

PubMed

Zahedifar, M; Sadeghi, E; Mozdianfard, M R; Habibi, E

2013-08-01

Nanoparticles of cerium doped calcium fluoride (CaF2:Ce) were synthesized for the first time using the hydrothermal method. The formation of nanostructures was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, indicating cubic lattice structure for the particles produced. Their shape and size were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermoluminescence characteristics were studied by having the samples irradiated by gamma rays of (60)Co source. The optimum thermal treatment of 400 °C for 30 min was found for the produced nanoparticles. The Tm-Tstop and computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) methods, used to determine the number of component glow peaks and kinetic parameters, indicated seven overlapping glow peaks on the TL glow curve at approximately 394, 411, 425, 445, 556, 594 and 632 K. A linear dose response of up to 2000 Gy, was observed for the prepared nanoparticles. Maximum TL sensitivity was found at 0.4 mol% of Ce impurity. Other TL dosimetry features, including reusability and fading, were also presented and discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of a protocol for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy by using an anthropomorphic phantom*

PubMed Central

Ramos, Susie Medeiros Oliveira; Glavam, Adriana Pereira; Kubo, Tadeu Takao Almodovar; de Sá, Lidia Vasconcellos

2014-01-01

Objective To develop a study aiming at optimizing myocardial perfusion imaging. Materials and Methods Imaging of an anthropomorphic thorax phantom with a GE SPECT Ventri gamma camera, with varied activities and acquisition times, in order to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the quality of the reconstructed medical images. The 99mTc-sestamibi radiotracer was utilized, and then the images were clinically evaluated on the basis of data such as summed stress score, and on the technical image quality and perfusion. The software ImageJ was utilized in the data quantification. Results The results demonstrated that for the standard acquisition time utilized in the procedure (15 seconds per angle), the injected activity could be reduced by 33.34%. Additionally, even if the standard scan time is reduced by 53.34% (7 seconds per angle), the standard injected activity could still be reduced by 16.67%, without impairing the image quality and the diagnostic reliability. Conclusion The described method and respective results provide a basis for the development of a clinical trial of patients in an optimized protocol. PMID:25741088

Non-destructive method for determining neutron exposure

DOEpatents

Gold, R.; McElroy, W.N.

1983-11-01

A non-destructive method for determination of neutron exposure in an object, such as a reactor pressure vessel, is based on the observation of characteristic gamma-rays emitted by activation products in the object by using a unique continuous gamma-ray spectrometer. The spectrometer views the object through appropriate collimators to determine the absolute emission rate of these characteristic gamma-rays, thereby ascertaining the absolute activity of given activation products in the object. These data can then be used to deduce the spatial and angular dependence of neutron exposure at regions of interest within the object.

Gamma ray spectroscopy monitoring method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Stagg, William R; Policke, Timothy A

2017-05-16

The present invention relates generally to the field of gamma ray spectroscopy monitoring and a system for accomplishing same to monitor one or more aspects of various isotope production processes. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a monitoring system, and method of utilizing same, for monitoring one or more aspects of an isotope production process where the monitoring system comprises: (A) at least one sample cell; (B) at least one measuring port; (C) at least one adjustable collimator device; (D) at least one shutter; and (E) at least one high resolution gamma ray spectrometer.

Spectral analysis method for detecting an element

DOEpatents

Blackwood, Larry G [Idaho Falls, ID; Edwards, Andrew J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jewell, James K [Idaho Falls, ID; Reber, Edward L [Idaho Falls, ID; Seabury, Edward H [Idaho Falls, ID

2008-02-12

A method for detecting an element is described and which includes the steps of providing a gamma-ray spectrum which has a region of interest which corresponds with a small amount of an element to be detected; providing nonparametric assumptions about a shape of the gamma-ray spectrum in the region of interest, and which would indicate the presence of the element to be detected; and applying a statistical test to the shape of the gamma-ray spectrum based upon the nonparametric assumptions to detect the small amount of the element to be detected.

Gamma-irradiated bacterial preparation having anti-tumor activity

DOEpatents

Vass, Arpad A.; Tyndall, Richard L.; Terzaghi-Howe, Peggy

1999-01-01

A bacterial preparation from Pseudomonas species isolated #15 ATCC 55638 that has been exposed to gamma radiation exhibits cytotoxicity that is specific for neoplastic carcinoma cells. A method for obtaining a bacterial preparation having antitumor activity consists of suspending a bacterial isolate in media and exposing the suspension to gamma radiation. A bacterial preparation of an aged culture of an amoeba-associated bacteria exhibits anti-reverse transcriptase activity. A method for obtaining a bacterial preparation having anti-reverse transcriptase activity from an amoeba-associated bacterial isolate grown to stationary phase is disclosed.

High-resolution fluence verification for treatment plan specific QA in ion beam radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martišíková, Mária; Brons, Stephan; Hesse, Bernd M.; Jäkel, Oliver

2013-03-01

Ion beam radiotherapy exploits the finite range of ion beams and the increased dose deposition of ions toward the end of their range in material. This results in high dose conformation to the target region, which can be further increased using scanning ion beams. The standard method for patient-plan verification in ion beam therapy is ionization chamber dosimetry. The spatial resolution of this method is given by the distance between the chambers (typically 1 cm). However, steep dose gradients created by scanning ion beams call for more information and improved spatial resolution. Here we propose a clinically applicable method, supplementary to standard patient-plan verification. It is based on ion fluence measurements in the entrance region with high spatial resolution in the plane perpendicular to the beam, separately for each energy slice. In this paper the usability of the RID256 L amorphous silicon flat-panel detector for the measurements proposed is demonstrated for carbon ion beams. The detector provides sufficient spatial resolution for this kind of measurement (pixel pitch 0.8 mm). The experiments were performed at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center in Germany. This facility is equipped with a synchrotron capable of accelerating ions from protons up to oxygen to energies between 48 and 430 MeV u-1. Beam application is based on beam scanning technology. The measured signal corresponding to single energy slices was translated to ion fluence on a pixel-by-pixel basis, using calibration, which is dependent on energy and ion type. To quantify the agreement of the fluence distributions measured with those planned, a gamma-index criterion was used. In the patient field investigated excellent agreement was found between the two distributions. At least 95% of the slices contained more than 96% of points agreeing with our criteria. Due to the high spatial resolution, this method is especially valuable for measurements of strongly inhomogeneous fluence distributions like those in intensity-modulated treatment plans or plans including dose painting. Since no water phantom is needed to perform measurements, the flat-panel detector investigated has high potential for use with gantries. Before the method can be used in the clinical routine, it has to be sufficiently tested for each detector-facility combination.

The evaluation of a 2D diode array in “magic phantom” for use in high dose rate brachytherapy pretreatment quality assurance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Espinoza, A.; Petasecca, M.; Fuduli, I.

2015-02-15

Purpose: High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a treatment method that is used increasingly worldwide. The development of a sound quality assurance program for the verification of treatment deliveries can be challenging due to the high source activity utilized and the need for precise measurements of dwell positions and times. This paper describes the application of a novel phantom, based on a 2D 11 × 11 diode array detection system, named “magic phantom” (MPh), to accurately measure plan dwell positions and times, compare them directly to the treatment plan, determine errors in treatment delivery, and calculate absorbed dose. Methods: Themore » magic phantom system was CT scanned and a 20 catheter plan was generated to simulate a nonspecific treatment scenario. This plan was delivered to the MPh and, using a custom developed software suite, the dwell positions and times were measured and compared to the plan. The original plan was also modified, with changes not disclosed to the primary authors, and measured again using the device and software to determine the modifications. A new metric, the “position–time gamma index,” was developed to quantify the quality of a treatment delivery when compared to the treatment plan. The MPh was evaluated to determine the minimum measurable dwell time and step size. The incorporation of the TG-43U1 formalism directly into the software allows for dose calculations to be made based on the measured plan. The estimated dose distributions calculated by the software were compared to the treatment plan and to calibrated EBT3 film, using the 2D gamma analysis method. Results: For the original plan, the magic phantom system was capable of measuring all dwell points and dwell times and the majority were found to be within 0.93 mm and 0.25 s, respectively, from the plan. By measuring the altered plan and comparing it to the unmodified treatment plan, the use of the position–time gamma index showed that all modifications made could be readily detected. The MPh was able to measure dwell times down to 0.067 ± 0.001 s and planned dwell positions separated by 1 mm. The dose calculation carried out by the MPh software was found to be in agreement with values calculated by the treatment planning system within 0.75%. Using the 2D gamma index, the dose map of the MPh plane and measured EBT3 were found to have a pass rate of over 95% when compared to the original plan. Conclusions: The application of this magic phantom quality assurance system to HDR brachytherapy has demonstrated promising ability to perform the verification of treatment plans, based upon the measured dwell positions and times. The introduction of the quantitative position–time gamma index allows for direct comparison of measured parameters against the plan and could be used prior to patient treatment to ensure accurate delivery.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, S; Yuen, C; Huang, V

Purpose: In this abstract we implement and validate a 4D VMAT Acuros XB dose calculation using Gafchromic film. Special attention is paid to the physical material assignment in the CT dataset and to reported dose to water and dose to medium. Methods: A QUASAR phantom with a 3 cm sinusoidal tumor motion and 5 second period was scanned using 4D computed tomography. A CT was also obtained of the static QUASAR phantom with the tumor at the central position. A VMAT plan was created on the average CT dataset and was delivered on a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator. The trajectorymore » log file from this treatment was acquired and used to create 10 VMAT subplans (one for each portion of the breathing cycle). Motion for each subplan was simulated by moving the beam isocentre in the superior/inferior direction in the Treatment Planning System on the static CT scan. The 10 plans were calculated (both dose to medium and dose to water) and summed for 1) the original HU values from the static CT scan and 2) the correct physical material assignment in the CT dataset. To acquire a breathing phase synchronized film measurements the trajectory log was used to create a VMAT delivery plan which includes dynamic couch motion using the Developer Mode. Three different treatment start phases were investigated (mid inhalation, full inhalation and full exhalation). Results: For each scenario the coronal dose distributions were measured using Gafchromic film and compared to the corresponding calculation with Film QA Pro Software using a Gamma test with a 3%/3mm distance to agreement criteria. Good agreement was found between calculation and measurement. No statistically significant difference in agreement was found between calculations to original HU values vs calculations to over-written (material-assigned) HU values. Conclusion: The investigated 4D dose calculation method agrees well with measurement.« less

Technical Note: Development of a 3D printed subresolution sandwich phantom for validation of brain SPECT analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Negus, Ian S.; Holmes, Robin B.; Thorne, Gareth C.

Purpose: To make an adaptable, head shaped radionuclide phantom to simulate molecular imaging of the brain using clinical acquisition and reconstruction protocols. This will allow the characterization and correction of scanner characteristics, and improve the accuracy of clinical image analysis, including the application of databases of normal subjects. Methods: A fused deposition modeling 3D printer was used to create a head shaped phantom made up of transaxial slabs, derived from a simulated MRI dataset. The attenuation of the printed polylactide (PLA), measured by means of the Hounsfield unit on CT scanning, was set to match that of the brain bymore » adjusting the proportion of plastic filament and air (fill ratio). Transmission measurements were made to verify the attenuation of the printed slabs. The radionuclide distribution within the phantom was created by adding {sup 99m}Tc pertechnetate to the ink cartridge of a paper printer and printing images of gray and white matter anatomy, segmented from the same MRI data. The complete subresolution sandwich phantom was assembled from alternate 3D printed slabs and radioactive paper sheets, and then imaged on a dual headed gamma camera to simulate an HMPAO SPECT scan. Results: Reconstructions of phantom scans successfully used automated ellipse fitting to apply attenuation correction. This removed the variability inherent in manual application of attenuation correction and registration inherent in existing cylindrical phantom designs. The resulting images were assessed visually and by count profiles and found to be similar to those from an existing elliptical PMMA phantom. Conclusions: The authors have demonstrated the ability to create physically realistic HMPAO SPECT simulations using a novel head-shaped 3D printed subresolution sandwich method phantom. The phantom can be used to validate all neurological SPECT imaging applications. A simple modification of the phantom design to use thinner slabs would make it suitable for use in PET.« less

Simultaneous observation of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamine in human brain at 4.7 T using localized two-dimensional constant-time correlation spectroscopy.

PubMed

Watanabe, H; Takaya, N; Mitsumori, F

2008-06-01

Localized two-dimensional constant-time correlation spectroscopy (CT-COSY) was used to resolve glutamate (Glu), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamine (Gln) in the human brain at 4.7 T. In this method, three-dimensional localization was achieved using three radio frequency pulses of the CT-COSY module for slice selection. As this sequence could decouple JHH along the F1 direction, peak resolution of metabolites was improved even on a magnitude-mode display. In experiments on a phantom containing N-acetylaspartate, creatine, Glu, Gln, and GABA with a constant time delay (Tct) of 110 ms, cross peaks of Glu, Gln, and GABA were obtained on a spectrum processed with standard sine-bell windows, which emphasize sine-dependent signals along the t2 direction. In contrast, diagonal peaks of Glu C4H at 2.35 ppm, GABA C2H at 2.28 ppm, and Gln C4H at 2.44 ppm were resolved on a spectrum processed with Gaussian windows, which emphasize cosine-dependent signals along t2. Human brain spectra were obtained from a 27 mL voxel within the parieto-occipital region using a volume transverse electromagnetic (TEM) coil for both transmission and reception. Tct was 110 ms; the total scan time was 30 min. Diagonal peaks of Glu C4H, GABA C2H, and Gln C4H were also resolved on the spectrum processed with Gaussian windows. These results show that the localized two-dimensional CT-COSY method featuring 1H decoupling along the F1 direction could resolve Glu, GABA, and Gln signals in the human brain. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Primary standardization of 57Co.

PubMed

Koskinas, Marina F; Moreira, Denise S; Yamazaki, Ione M; de Toledo, Fábio; Brancaccio, Franco; Dias, Mauro S

2010-01-01

This work describes the method developed by the Nuclear Metrology Laboratory in IPEN, São Paulo, Brazil, for the standardization of a (57)Co radioactive solution. Cobalt-57 is a radionuclide used for calibrating gamma-ray and X-ray spectrometers, as well as a gamma reference source for dose calibrators used in nuclear medicine services. Two 4pibeta-gamma coincidence systems were used to perform the standardization, the first used a 4pi(PC) counter coupled to a pair of 76 mm x 76 mm NaI(Tl) scintillators for detecting gamma-rays, the other one used a HPGe spectrometer for gamma detection. The measurements were performed by selecting a gamma-ray window comprising the (122 keV+136 keV) total absorption energy peaks in the NaI(Tl) and selecting the total absorption peak of 122 keV in the germanium detector. The electronic system used the TAC method developed at LMN for registering the observed events. The methodology recently developed by the LMN for simulating all detection processes in a 4pibeta-gamma coincidence system, by means of the Monte Carlo technique, was applied and the behavior of extrapolation curve compared to experimental data. The final activity obtained by the Monte Carlo calculation agrees with the experimental results within the experimental uncertainty. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radon-222 related influence on ambient gamma dose.

PubMed

Melintescu, A; Chambers, S D; Crawford, J; Williams, A G; Zorila, B; Galeriu, D

2018-04-03

Ambient gamma dose, radon, and rainfall have been monitored in southern Bucharest, Romania, from 2010 to 2016. The seasonal cycle of background ambient gamma dose peaked between July and October (100-105 nSv h -1 ), with minimum values in February (75-80 nSv h -1 ), the time of maximum snow cover. Based on 10 m a.g.l. radon concentrations, the ambient gamma dose increased by around 1 nSv h -1 for every 5 Bq m -3 increase in radon. Radon variability attributable to diurnal changes in atmospheric mixing contributed less than 15 nSv h -1 to the overall variability in ambient gamma dose, a factor of 4 more than synoptic timescale changes in air mass fetch. By contrast, precipitation-related enhancements of the ambient gamma dose were 15-80 nSv h -1 . To facilitate routine analysis, and account in part for occasional equipment failure, an automated method for identifying precipitation spikes in the ambient gamma dose was developed. Lastly, a simple model for predicting rainfall-related enhancement of the ambient gamma dose is tested against rainfall observations from events of contrasting duration and intensity. Results are also compared with those from previously published models of simple and complex formulation. Generally, the model performed very well. When simulations underestimated observations the absolute difference was typically less than the natural variability in ambient gamma dose arising from atmospheric mixing influences. Consequently, combined use of the automated event detection method and the simple model of this study could enable the ambient gamma dose "attention limit" (which indicates a potential radiological emergency) to be reduced from 200 to 400% above background to 25-50%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gamma-camera 18F-FDG PET in diagnosis and staging of patients presenting with suspected lung cancer and comparison with dedicated PET.

PubMed

Oturai, Peter S; Mortensen, Jann; Enevoldsen, Henriette; Eigtved, Annika; Backer, Vibeke; Olesen, Knud P; Nielsen, Henrik W; Hansen, Hanne; Stentoft, Poul; Friberg, Lars

2004-08-01

It is not clear whether high-quality coincidence gamma-PET (gPET) cameras can provide clinical data comparable with data obtained with dedicated PET (dPET) cameras in the primary diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected lung cancer. This study focuses on 2 main issues: direct comparison between foci resolved with the 2 different PET scanners and the diagnostic accuracy compared with final diagnosis determined by the combined information from all other investigations and clinical follow-up. Eighty-six patients were recruited to this study through a routine diagnostic program. They all had changes on their chest radiographs, suggesting malignant lung tumor. In addition to the standard diagnostic program, each patient had 2 PET scans that were performed on the same day. After administration of 419 MBq (range = 305-547 MBq) (18)F-FDG, patients were scanned in a dedicated PET scanner about 1 h after FDG administration and in a dual-head coincidence gamma-camera about 3 h after tracer injection. Images from the 2 scans were evaluated in a blinded set-up and compared with the final outcome. Malignant intrathoracic disease was found in 52 patients, and 47 patients had primary lung cancers. dPET detected all patients as having malignancies (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 50%), whereas gPET missed one patient (sensitivity, 98%; specificity, 56%). For evaluating regional lymph node involvement, sensitivity and specificity rates were 78% and 84% for dPET and 61% and 90% for gPET, respectively. When comparing the 2 PET techniques with clinical tumor stage (TNM), full agreement was obtained in 64% of the patients (Cohen's kappa = 0.56). Comparing categorization of the patients into clinical relevant stages (no malignancy/malignancy suitable for treatment with curative intent/nontreatable malignancy), resulted in full agreement in 81% (Cohen's kappa = 0.71) of patients. Comparing results from a recent generation of gPET cameras obtained about 2 h later than those of dPET, there was a fairly good agreement with regard to detecting primary lung tumors but slightly reduced sensitivity in detecting smaller malignant lesions such as lymph nodes. Depending on the population to be investigated, and if dPET is not available, gPET might provide significant diagnostic information in patients in whom lung cancer is suspected.

Effect of gamma irradiation on microbial load, physicochemical and sensory characteristics of soybeans (Glycine max L. Merrill)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gamma irradiation is highly effective in inactivating microorganisms in various foods and offers a safe alternative method of food decontamination. In the present study, soybeans (Glycine max L. Merrill) were treated with 0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 KGy of gamma irradiation. Microbial populations on s...

Neutron and gamma radiation shielding material, structure, and process of making structure

DOEpatents

Hondorp, Hugh L.

1984-01-01

The present invention is directed to a novel neutron and gamma radiation elding material consisting of 95 to 97 percent by weight SiO.sub.2 and 5 to 3 percent by weight sodium silicate. In addition, the method of using this composition to provide a continuous neutron and gamma radiation shielding structure is disclosed.

The effect of sterilization methods on the physical properties of silk sericin scaffolds.

PubMed

Siritientong, Tippawan; Srichana, Teerapol; Aramwit, Pornanong

2011-06-01

Protein-based biomaterials respond differently to sterilization methods. Since protein is a complex structure, heat, or irradiation may result in the loss of its physical or biological properties. Recent investigations have shown that sericin, a degumming silk protein, can be successfully formed into a 3-D scaffolds after mixing with other polymers which can be applied in skin tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ethanol, ethylene oxide (EtO) and gamma irradiation on the sterilization of sericin scaffolds. The influence of these sterilization methods on the physical properties such as pore size, scaffold dimensions, swelling and mechanical properties, as well as the amount of sericin released from sericin/polyvinyl alcohol/glycerin scaffolds, were also investigated. Ethanol treatment was ineffective for sericin scaffold sterilization whereas gamma irradiation was the most effective technique for scaffold sterilization. Moreover, ethanol also caused significant changes in pore size resulting from shrinkage of the scaffold. Gamma-irradiated samples exhibited the highest swelling property, but they also lost the greatest amount of weight after immersion for 24 h compared with scaffolds obtained from other sterilization methods. The results of the maximum stress test and Young's modulus showed that gamma-irradiated and ethanol-treated scaffolds are more flexible than the EtO-treated and untreated scaffolds. The amount of sericin released, which was related to its collagen promoting effect, was highest from the gamma-irradiated scaffold. The results of this study indicate that gamma irradiation should have the greatest potential for sterilizing sericin scaffolds for skin tissue engineering.

The self-absorption effect of gamma rays in /sup 239/Pu

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsu, Hsiao-Hua

1989-01-01

Nuclear materials assay with gamma-ray spectrum measurement is a well-established method for safeguards. However, for a thick source, the self-absorption of characteristic low-energy gamma rays has been a handicap to accurate assay. I have carried out Monte Carlo simulations to study this effect using the /sup 239/Pu ..cap alpha..-decay gamma-ray spectrum as an example. The thickness of a plutonium metal source can be considered a function of gamma-ray intensity ratios. In a practical application, gamma-ray intensity ratios can be obtained from a measured spectrum. With the help of calculated curves, scientists can find the source thickness and make corrections tomore » gamma-ray intensities, which then lead to an accurate quantitative determination of radioactive isotopes in the material. 2 refs., 9 figs.« less

Using gamma-ray emission to measure areal density of inertial confinement fusion capsulesa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, N. M.; Wilson, D. C.; Herrmann, H. W.; Young, C. S.

2010-10-01

Fusion neutrons streaming from a burning inertial confinement fusion capsule generate gamma rays via inelastic nuclear scattering in the ablator of the capsule. The intensity of gamma-ray emission is proportional to the product of the ablator areal density (ρR) and the yield of fusion neutrons, so by detecting the gamma rays we can infer the ablator areal density, provided we also have a measurement of the capsule's total neutron yield. In plastic-shell capsules, for example, C12 nuclei emit gamma rays at 4.44 MeV after excitation by 14.1 MeV neutrons from D+T fusion. These gamma rays can be measured by a new gamma-ray detector under development. Analysis of predicted signals is in progress, with results to date indicating that the method promises to be useful for diagnosing imploded capsules.

Conducting High Cycle Fatigue Strength Step Tests on Gamma TiAl

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lerch, Brad; Draper, Sue; Pereira, J. Mike

2002-01-01

High cycle fatigue strength testing of gamma TiAl by the step test method is investigated. A design of experiments was implemented to determine if the coaxing effect occurred during testing. Since coaxing was not observed, step testing was deemed a suitable method to define the fatigue strength at 106 cycles.

Radiation shielding for gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

Shielding calculations for gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units are complicated by the fact that the radiation is highly anisotropic. Shielding design for these devices is unique. Although manufacturers will answer questions about the data that they provide for shielding evaluation, they will not perform calculations for customers. More than 237 such units are now installed in centers worldwide. Centers installing a gamma radiosurgery unit find themselves in the position of having to either invent or reinvent a method for performing shielding design. This paper introduces a rigorous and conservative method for barrier design for gamma stereotactic radiosurgery treatment rooms. This method should be useful to centers planning either to install a new unit or to replace an existing unit. The method described here is consistent with the principles outlined in Report No. 151 from the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. In as little as 1 hour, a simple electronic spreadsheet can be set up, which will provide radiation levels on planes parallel to the barriers and 0.3 m outside the barriers. PACS numbers: 87.53.Ly, 87.56By, 87.52Tr

Neutron/Gamma-ray discrimination through measures of fit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amiri, Moslem; Prenosil, Vaclav; Cvachovec, Frantisek

2015-07-01

Statistical tests and their underlying measures of fit can be utilized to separate neutron/gamma-ray pulses in a mixed radiation field. In this article, first the application of a sample statistical test is explained. Fit measurement-based methods require true pulse shapes to be used as reference for discrimination. This requirement makes practical implementation of these methods difficult; typically another discrimination approach should be employed to capture samples of neutrons and gamma-rays before running the fit-based technique. In this article, we also propose a technique to eliminate this requirement. These approaches are applied to several sets of mixed neutron and gamma-ray pulsesmore » obtained through different digitizers using stilbene scintillator in order to analyze them and measure their discrimination quality. (authors)« less

First-principles study of the surface properties of U-Mo system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mei, Zhi-Gang; Liang, Linyun; Yacout, Abdellatif M.

U-Mo alloys are promising fuels for future high-performance research reactors with low enriched uranium. Surface properties, such as surface energy, are important inputs for mesoscale simulations (e.g., phase field method) of fission gas bubble behaviors in irradiated nuclear fuels. The lack of surface energies of U-Mo alloys prevents an accurate modeling of the morphology of gas bubbles and gas bubble-induced fuel swelling. To this end, we study the surface properties of U-Mo system, including bcc Mo, alpha-U, gamma-U, and gamma U-Mo alloys. All surfaces up to a maximum Miller index of three and two are calculated for cubic Mo andmore » gamma-U and non-cubic alpha-U, respectively. The equilibrium crystal shapes of bcc Mo, alpha-U and gamma-U are constructed using the calculated surface energies. The dominant surface orientations and the area fraction of each facet are determined from the constructed equilibrium crystal shape. The disordered gamma U-Mo alloys are simulated using the Special Quasirandom Structure method. The (1 1 0) and (1 0 0) surface energies of gamma U-7Mo and U-10Mo alloys are predicted to lie between those of gamma-U and bcc Mo, following a linear combination of the two constituents' surface energies. To better compare with future measurements of surface energies, the area fraction weighted surface energies of alpha-U, gamma-U and gamma U-7Mo and U-10Mo alloys are also predicted. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.« less

Calibration of а single hexagonal NaI(Tl) detector using a new numerical method based on the efficiency transfer method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Mahmoud I.; Badawi, M. S.; Ruskov, I. N.; El-Khatib, A. M.; Grozdanov, D. N.; Thabet, A. A.; Kopatch, Yu. N.; Gouda, M. M.; Skoy, V. R.

2015-01-01

Gamma-ray detector systems are important instruments in a broad range of science and new setup are continually developing. The most recent step in the evolution of detectors for nuclear spectroscopy is the construction of large arrays of detectors of different forms (for example, conical, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc.) and sizes, where the performance and the efficiency can be increased. In this work, a new direct numerical method (NAM), in an integral form and based on the efficiency transfer (ET) method, is used to calculate the full-energy peak efficiency of a single hexagonal NaI(Tl) detector. The algorithms and the calculations of the effective solid angle ratios for a point (isotropic irradiating) gamma-source situated coaxially at different distances from the detector front-end surface, taking into account the attenuation of the gamma-rays in the detector's material, end-cap and the other materials in-between the gamma-source and the detector, are considered as the core of this (ET) method. The calculated full-energy peak efficiency values by the (NAM) are found to be in a good agreement with the measured experimental data.

Hafnia-based resistive switching devices for non-volatile memory applications and effects of gamma irradiation on device performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arun, N.; Kumar, K. Vinod; Pathak, A. P.; Avasthi, D. K.; Nageswara Rao, S. V. S.

2018-04-01

Non-volatile memory (NVM) devices were fabricated as a Metal- Insulator-Metal (MIM) structures by sandwiching Hafnium dioxide (HfO2) thin film in between two metal electrodes. The top and bottom metal electrodes were deposited by using the thermal evaporation, and the oxide layer was deposited by using the RF magnetron sputtering technique. The Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) device structures such as Ag/HfO2/Au/Si were fabricated and I-V characteristics for the pristine and gamma-irradiated devices with a dose 24 kGy were measured. Further we have studied the thermal annealing effects, in the range of 100°-400°C in a tubular furnace for the HfO2/Au/Si samples. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis measurements were performed to determine the thickness, crystallinity and stoichiometry of these films. The electrical characteristics such as resistive switching, endurance, retention time and switching speed were measured by a semiconductor device analyser. The effects of gamma irradiation on the switching properties of these RRAM devices have been studied.

Characterization of the Shielded Neutron Source at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobson, Chad; Finch, Sean; Howell, Calvin; Malone, Ron; Tornow, Wernew

2016-09-01

In 2015, Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory rebuilt its shielded neutron source (SNS) with the goal of improving neutron beam collimation and reducing neutron and gamma-ray backgrounds. Neutrons are produced via the 2H(d,n)3He reaction and then collimated by heavy shielding to form a beam. The SNS has the ability to produce both a rectangular and circular neutron beam through use of two collimators with different beam apertures. Our work characterized both the neutron beam profiles as well as the neutron and gamma-ray backgrounds at various locations around the SNS. This characterization was performed to provide researchers who use the SNS with beam parameters necessary to plan and conduct an experiment. Vertical and horizontal beam profiles were measured at two different distances from the neutron production cell by scanning a small plastic scintillator across the face of the beam at various energies for each collimator. Background neutron and gamma-ray intensities were measured using time-of-flight techniques at 10 MeV and 16 MeV with the rectangular collimator. We present results on the position and size of neutron beam as well as on the structure and magnitude of the backgrounds.

Gamma-ray irradiation of ohmic MEMS switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciel, John J.; Lampen, James L.; Taylor, Edward W.

2012-10-01

Radio Frequency (RF) Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) switches are becoming important building blocks for a variety of military and commercial applications including switch matrices, phase shifters, electronically scanned antennas, switched filters, Automatic Test Equipment, instrumentation, cell phones and smart antennas. Low power consumption, large ratio of off-impedance to on-impedance, extreme linearity, low mass, small volume and the ability to be integrated with other electronics makes MEMS switches an attractive alternative to other mechanical and solid-state switches for a variety of space applications. Radant MEMS, Inc. has developed an electrostatically actuated broadband ohmic microswitch that has applications from DC through the microwave region. Despite the extensive earth based testing, little is known about the performance and reliability of these devices in space environments. To help fill this void, we have irradiated our commercial-off-the-shelf SPST, DC to 40 GHz MEMS switches with gamma-rays as an initial step to assessing static impact on RF performance. Results of Co-60 gamma-ray irradiation of the MEMS switches at photon energies ≥ 1.0 MeV to a total dose of ~ 118 krad(Si) did not show a statistically significant post-irradiation change in measured broadband, RF insertion loss, insertion phase, return loss and isolation.

The timing of sequences of saccades in visual search.

PubMed Central

Van Loon, E M; Hooge, I Th C; Van den Berg, A V

2002-01-01

According to the LATER model (linear approach to thresholds with ergodic rate), the latency of a single saccade in response to target appearance can be understood as a decision process, which is subject to (i) variations in the rate of (visual) information processing; and (ii) the threshold for the decision. We tested whether the LATER model can also be applied to the sequences of saccades in a multiple fixation search, during which latencies of second and subsequent saccades are typically shorter than that of the initial saccade. We found that the distributions of the reciprocal latencies for later saccades, unlike those of the first saccade, are highly asymmetrical, much like a gamma distribution. This suggests that the normal distribution of the rate r, which the LATER model assumes, is not appropriate to describe the rate distributions of subsequent saccades in a scanning sequence. By contrast, the gamma distribution is also appropriate to describe the distribution of reciprocal latencies for the first saccade. The change of the gamma distribution parameters as a function of the ordinal number of the saccade suggests a lowering of the threshold for second and later saccades, as well as a reduction in the number of target elements analysed. PMID:12184827

Dosimetric property of mineral extracted from calamari and exposed to gamma rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Zaragoza, E.; Roman-Lopez, J.; Cruz, L. Pérez; Furetta, C.; Chiaravalle, E.; Mangiacotti, M.; Marchesani, G.

2013-07-01

Dosimetric property of polymineral fraction, quartz mainly, obtained from calamari was investigated. The commercial calamari samples from China and Sud Africa were collected in the markets of Italy. All polymineral debris were extracted and isolated from the whole body of calamari. The surface of the polymineral samples was analyzed by using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and their chemical composition was determined using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The polymineral was exposed to gamma rays (60Co) at different doses (0.5-80 Gy) to determine dosimetric property. Thermoluminescent (TL) glow curves showed two peaks centered at around 98-100 °C and 128-138 °C temperature range. The glow curves have been analyzed by using a deconvolution program. A linear dose response between 0.5 to 20 Gy was observed. The TL response of the samples as a function of the time storage, fading, presented a reduction of about 36-40 % at the end of 24 h. The reproducibility of the TL response after ten cycles of irradiation-readout showed an acceptable standard deviation in dosimetry. The polimineral fraction obtained from calamari shows an interesting dosimetric property and it may be useful for dosimetry in gamma radiation field.

Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for Robotic Nondestructive Inspection in Harsh Environments.

PubMed

Choi, Sungho; Cho, Hwanjeong; Lindsey, Matthew S; Lissenden, Cliff J

2018-01-11

Elevated temperature, gamma radiation, and geometric constraints inside dry storage casks for spent nuclear fuel represent a harsh environment for nondestructive inspection of the cask and require that the inspection be conducted with a robotic system. Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) using non-contact ultrasonic transduction based on the Lorentz force to excite/receive ultrasonic waves are suited for use in the robotic inspection. Periodic permanent magnet EMATs that actuate/receive shear horizontal guided waves are developed for application to robotic nondestructive inspection of stress corrosion cracks in the heat affected zone of welds in stainless steel dry storage canisters. The EMAT's components are carefully selected in consideration of the inspection environment, and tested under elevated temperature and gamma radiation doses up to 177 °C and 5920 krad, respectively, to evaluate the performance of the EMATs under realistic environmental conditions. The effect of gamma radiation is minimal, but the EMAT's performance is affected by temperatures above 121 °C due to the low Curie temperature of the magnets. Different magnets are needed to operate at 177 °C. The EMAT's capability to detect notches is also evaluated from B-scan measurements on 304 stainless steel welded plate containing surface-breaking notches.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate migration from irradiated poly(vinyl chloride) blood bags for graft-vs-host disease prevention.

PubMed

Ferri, Marcella; Marcella, Ferri; Chiellini, Federica; Federica, Chiellini; Pili, Giorgio; Giorgio, Pili; Grimaldi, Luca; Luca, Grimaldi; Florio, Elena Tiziana; Pili, Stefania; Stefania, Pili; Cucci, Francesco; Francesco, Cucci; Latini, Giuseppe; Giuseppe, Latini

2012-07-01

Irradiation with 20-25 kGy is a process commonly used for sterilizing poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) medical devices. Moreover, whole blood and blood components undergo additional irradiation with 25-50 Gy to inhibit the proliferative capacity of lymphocytes and reduce the risk of transfusion-associated graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) plasticized PVC is extensively used for the production of flexible medical devices including blood bags, but since DEHP is not covalently bound to PVC, it tends to migrate and leach out of the medical device, with harmful consequences for the patients. In this study, the effects of different doses of gamma irradiation on DEHP migration from PVC blood bags was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Our findings indicate that irradiation with 25-100 Gy reduces the ability of DEHP to migrate from the blood bags, and in the case of a primary container a correlation between the doses of gamma ray irradiation was also observed. In particular, a decrease in DEHP leachability was obtained by increasing the dose of gamma ray irradiation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monitoring the distribution of prompt gamma rays in boron neutron capture therapy using a multiple-scattering Compton camera: A Monte Carlo simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Taewoong; Lee, Hyounggun; Lee, Wonho

2015-10-01

This study evaluated the use of Compton imaging technology to monitor prompt gamma rays emitted by 10B in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) applied to a computerized human phantom. The Monte Carlo method, including particle-tracking techniques, was used for simulation. The distribution of prompt gamma rays emitted by the phantom during irradiation with neutron beams is closely associated with the distribution of the boron in the phantom. Maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) method was applied to the information obtained from the detected prompt gamma rays to reconstruct the distribution of the tumor including the boron uptake regions (BURs). The reconstructed Compton images of the prompt gamma rays were combined with the cross-sectional images of the human phantom. Quantitative analysis of the intensity curves showed that all combined images matched the predetermined conditions of the simulation. The tumors including the BURs were distinguishable if they were more than 2 cm apart.

Photon attenuation and neutron moderation correction factors for the inspection of cargo containers with tagged neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carasco, C.; Perot, B.; Viesti, G.; Valkovic, V.; Sudac, D.; Bernard, S.; Mariani, A.; Szabo, J.-L.; Sannie, G.; Lunardon, M.; Bottosso, C.; Moretto, S.; Pesente, S.; Peerani, P.; Sequeira, V.; Salvato, M.

2007-11-01

The EURopean Illicit TRAfficking Countermeasures Kit (EURITRACK) inspection system uses 14 MeV neutrons produced by the D(T,n α) reaction to detect explosives in cargo containers. Fast-neutron-induced reactions inside the container produce gamma rays, which are detected in coincidence with the associated alpha particle. The definition of the neutron path and the time-of-flight measurement allow positioning the source of the gamma ray inside the container, while the chemical composition of the target material is correlated with the energy spectrum of the coincident gamma rays. However, in case of dense cargo, neutron moderation and photon attenuation inside the container make difficult the reconstruction of the material composition from the measured gamma-ray energy spectrum. An analytical method has been developed and validated against experimental data, which allows obtaining the chemical carbon-to-oxygen and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of the inspected items from the gamma-ray energy spectra. The principle of the method is presented along with validation tests.

Reduction of antigenic protein levels in latex gloves after gamma irradiation.

PubMed

Zehr, B D; Gromelski, S; Beezhold, D

1994-01-01

Gamma irradiation is currently the method most commonly used to sterilize surgical gloves. In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation on antigenic proteins in latex gloves was examined. Protein extraction and quantitation were carried out using latex gloves before and after sterilization. Antigenic protein levels were determined by an ELISA assay specific for latex proteins (LEAP). LEAP analysis revealed a significant decrease after gamma-irradiation sterilization. This observation may partially explain the lower levels of extractable antigenic proteins found in sterile surgical gloves compared with nonsterile examination gloves. However, gamma irradiation was less effective than autoclave sterilization in reducing protein levels.

gamma-Glutamyl amino acids. Transport and conversion to 5-oxoproline in the kidney

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bridges, R.J.; Meister, A.

1985-06-25

Transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids, a step in the proposed glutathione-gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-mediated amino acid transport pathway, was examined in mouse kidney. The transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids was demonstrated in vitro in studies on kidney slices. Transport was followed by measuring uptake of /sup 35/S after incubation of the slices in media containing gamma-glutamyl methionine (/sup 35/S)sulfone. The experimental complication associated with extracellular conversion of the gamma-glutamyl amino acid to amino acid and uptake of the latter by slices was overcome by using 5-oxoproline formation (catalyzed by intracellular gamma-glutamyl-cyclotransferase) as an indicator of gamma-glutamyl amino acid transport. This method wasmore » also successfully applied to studies on transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids in vivo. Transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids in vitro and in vivo is inhibited by several inhibitors of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and also by high extracellular levels of glutathione. This seems to explain urinary excretion of gamma-glutamylcystine by humans with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase deficiency and by mice treated with inhibitors of this enzyme. Mice depleted of glutathione by treatment with buthionine sulfoximine (which inhibits glutathione synthesis) or by treatment with 2,6-dimethyl-2,5-heptadiene-4-one (which effectively interacts with tissue glutathione) exhibited significantly less transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids than did untreated controls. The findings suggest that intracellular glutathione functions in transport of gamma-glutamyl amino acids. Evidence was also obtained for transport of gamma-glutamyl gamma-glutamylphenylalanine into kidney slices.« less

Effects of Frequency Drift on the Quantification of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Using MEGA-PRESS

PubMed Central

Tsai, Shang-Yueh; Fang, Chun-Hao; Wu, Thai-Yu; Lin, Yi-Ru

2016-01-01

The MEGA-PRESS method is the most common method used to measure γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain at 3T. It has been shown that the underestimation of the GABA signal due to B0 drift up to 1.22 Hz/min can be reduced by post-frequency alignment. In this study, we show that the underestimation of GABA can still occur even with post frequency alignment when the B0 drift is up to 3.93 Hz/min. The underestimation can be reduced by applying a frequency shift threshold. A total of 23 subjects were scanned twice to assess the short-term reproducibility, and 14 of them were scanned again after 2–8 weeks to evaluate the long-term reproducibility. A linear regression analysis of the quantified GABA versus the frequency shift showed a negative correlation (P < 0.01). Underestimation of the GABA signal was found. When a frequency shift threshold of 0.125 ppm (15.5 Hz or 1.79 Hz/min) was applied, the linear regression showed no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). Therefore, a frequency shift threshold at 0.125 ppm (15.5 Hz) can be used to reduce underestimation during GABA quantification. For data with a B0 drift up to 3.93 Hz/min, the coefficients of variance of short-term and long-term reproducibility for the GABA quantification were less than 10% when the frequency threshold was applied. PMID:27079873

Measuring interfraction and intrafraction lung function changes during radiation therapy using four-dimensional cone beam CT ventilation imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kipritidis, John, E-mail: john.kipritidis@sydney.edu.au; Keall, Paul J.; Hugo, Geoffrey

Purpose: Adaptive ventilation guided radiation therapy could minimize the irradiation of healthy lung based on repeat lung ventilation imaging (VI) during treatment. However the efficacy of adaptive ventilation guidance requires that interfraction (e.g., week-to-week), ventilation changes are not washed out by intrafraction (e.g., pre- and postfraction) changes, for example, due to patient breathing variability. The authors hypothesize that patients undergoing lung cancer radiation therapy exhibit larger interfraction ventilation changes compared to intrafraction function changes. To test this, the authors perform the first comparison of interfraction and intrafraction lung VI pairs using four-dimensional cone beam CT ventilation imaging (4D-CBCT VI), amore » novel technique for functional lung imaging. Methods: The authors analyzed a total of 215 4D-CBCT scans acquired for 19 locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) patients over 4–6 weeks of radiation therapy. This set of 215 scans was sorted into 56 interfraction pairs (including first day scans and each of treatment weeks 2, 4, and 6) and 78 intrafraction pairs (including pre/postfraction scans on the same-day), with some scans appearing in both sets. VIs were obtained from the Jacobian determinant of the transform between the 4D-CBCT end-exhale and end-inhale images after deformable image registration. All VIs were deformably registered to their corresponding planning CT and normalized to account for differences in breathing effort, thus facilitating image comparison in terms of (i) voxelwise Spearman correlations, (ii) mean image differences, and (iii) gamma pass rates for all interfraction and intrafraction VI pairs. For the side of the lung ipsilateral to the tumor, we applied two-sided t-tests to determine whether interfraction VI pairs were more different than intrafraction VI pairs. Results: The (mean ± standard deviation) Spearman correlation for interfraction VI pairs was r{sup -}{sub Inter}=0.52±0.25, which was significantly lower than for intrafraction pairs (r{sup -}{sub Intra}=0.67±0.20, p = 0.0002). Conversely, mean absolute ventilation differences were larger for interfraction pairs than for intrafraction pairs, with |ΔV{sup -}{sub Inter}|=0.42±0.65 and |ΔV{sup -}{sub Intra}|=0.32±0.53, respectively (p < 10{sup −15}). Applying a gamma analysis with ventilation/distance tolerance of 25%/10 mm, we observed mean pass rate of (69% ± 20%) for interfraction VIs, which was significantly lower compared to intrafraction pairs (80% ± 15%, with p ∼ 0.0003). Compared to the first day scans, all patients experienced at least one subsequent change in median ipsilateral ventilation ≥10%. Patients experienced both positive and negative ventilation changes throughout treatment, with the maximum change occurring at different weeks for different patients. Conclusions: The authors’ data support the hypothesis that interfraction ventilation changes are larger than intrafraction ventilation changes for LA-NSCLC patients over a course of conventional lung cancer radiation therapy. Longitudinal ventilation changes are observed to be highly patient-dependent, supporting a possible role for adaptive ventilation guidance based on repeat 4D-CBCT VIs. We anticipate that future improvement of 4D-CBCT image reconstruction algorithms will improve the capability of 4D-CBCT VI to resolve interfraction ventilation changes.« less

Isotopic composition analysis and age dating of uranium samples by high resolution gamma ray spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apostol, A. I.; Pantelica, A.; Sima, O.; Fugaru, V.

2016-09-01

Non-destructive methods were applied to determine the isotopic composition and the time elapsed since last chemical purification of nine uranium samples. The applied methods are based on measuring gamma and X radiations of uranium samples by high resolution low energy gamma spectrometric system with planar high purity germanium detector and low background gamma spectrometric system with coaxial high purity germanium detector. The ;Multigroup γ-ray Analysis Method for Uranium; (MGAU) code was used for the precise determination of samples' isotopic composition. The age of the samples was determined from the isotopic ratio 214Bi/234U. This ratio was calculated from the analyzed spectra of each uranium sample, using relative detection efficiency. Special attention is paid to the coincidence summing corrections that have to be taken into account when performing this type of analysis. In addition, an alternative approach for the age determination using full energy peak efficiencies obtained by Monte Carlo simulations with the GESPECOR code is described.

Gamma-ray momentum reconstruction from Compton electron trajectories by filtered back-projection

DOE PAGES

Haefner, A.; Gunter, D.; Plimley, B.; ...

2014-11-03

Gamma-ray imaging utilizing Compton scattering has traditionally relied on measuring coincident gamma-ray interactions to map directional information of the source distribution. This coincidence requirement makes it an inherently inefficient process. We present an approach to gamma-ray reconstruction from Compton scattering that requires only a single electron tracking detector, thus removing the coincidence requirement. From the Compton scattered electron momentum distribution, our algorithm analytically computes the incident photon's correlated direction and energy distributions. Because this method maps the source energy and location, it is useful in applications, where prior information about the source distribution is unknown. We demonstrate this method withmore » electron tracks measured in a scientific Si charge coupled device. While this method was demonstrated with electron tracks in a Si-based detector, it is applicable to any detector that can measure electron direction and energy, or equivalently the electron momentum. For example, it can increase the sensitivity to obtain energy and direction in gas-based systems that suffer from limited efficiency.« less

Treatment of addiction and addiction-related behavior

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewey, S.L.; Brodie, J.D.; Ashby, C.R. Jr.

2000-05-02

The present invention provides a highly efficient method for treating substance addiction and for changing addiction-related behavior of a primate suffering from substance addiction. The method includes administering to a primate an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition including gamma vinylGABA. The present invention also provides a method of treatment of nicotine addiction by treating a patient with an effective amount of a composition including gamma vinylGABA.

Nuclear radiation analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knies, R. J.; Byrn, N. R.; Smith, H. T.

1972-01-01

A study program of radiation shielding against the deleterious effects of nuclear radiation on man and equipment is reported. The methods used to analyze the radiation environment from bremsstrahlung photons are discussed along with the methods employed by transport code users. The theory and numerical methods used to solve transport of neutrons and gammas are described, and the neutron and cosmic fluxes that would be present on the gamma-ray telescope were analyzed.

Treatment of addiction and addiction-related behavior

DOEpatents

Dewey, Stephen L.; Brodie, Jonathan D.; Ashby, Jr., Charles R.

2000-01-01

The present invention provides a highly efficient method for treating substance addiction and for changing addiction-related behavior of a primate suffering from substance addiction. The method includes administering to a primate an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition including gamma vinylGABA. The present invention also provides a method of treatment of nicotine addiction by treating a patient with an effective amount of a composition including gamma vinylGABA.

Telescope for x ray and gamma ray studies in astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, W. D.; Desai, Upendra D.

1993-01-01

Imaging of x-rays has been achieved by various methods in astrophysics, nuclear physics, medicine, and material science. A new method for imaging x-ray and gamma-ray sources avoids the limitations of previously used imaging devices. Images are formed in optical wavelengths by using mirrors or lenses to reflect and refract the incoming photons. High energy x-ray and gamma-ray photons cannot be reflected except at grazing angles and pass through lenses without being refracted. Therefore, different methods must be used to image x-ray and gamma-ray sources. Techniques using total absorption, or shadow casting, can provide images in x-rays and gamma-rays. This new method uses a coder made of a pair of Fresnel zone plates and a detector consisting of a matrix of CsI scintillators and photodiodes. The Fresnel zone plates produce Moire patterns when illuminated by an off-axis source. These Moire patterns are deconvolved using a stepped sine wave fitting or an inverse Fourier transform. This type of coder provides the capability of an instantaneous image with sub-arcminute resolution while using a detector with only a coarse position-sensitivity. A matrix of the CsI/photodiode detector elements provides the necessary coarse position-sensitivity. The CsI/photodiode detector also allows good energy resolution. This imaging system provides advantages over previously used imaging devices in both performance and efficiency.

Effects of megavoltage computed tomographic scan methodology on setup verification and adaptive dose calculation in helical TomoTherapy.

PubMed

Zhu, Jian; Bai, Tong; Gu, Jiabing; Sun, Ziwen; Wei, Yumei; Li, Baosheng; Yin, Yong

2018-04-27

To evaluate the effect of pretreatment megavoltage computed tomographic (MVCT) scan methodology on setup verification and adaptive dose calculation in helical TomoTherapy. Both anthropomorphic heterogeneous chest and pelvic phantoms were planned with virtual targets by TomoTherapy Physicist Station and were scanned with TomoTherapy megavoltage image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) system consisted of six groups of options: three different acquisition pitches (APs) of 'fine', 'normal' and 'coarse' were implemented by multiplying 2 different corresponding reconstruction intervals (RIs). In order to mimic patient setup variations, each phantom was shifted 5 mm away manually in three orthogonal directions respectively. The effect of MVCT scan options was analyzed in image quality (CT number and noise), adaptive dose calculation deviations and positional correction variations. MVCT scanning time with pitch of 'fine' was approximately twice of 'normal' and 3 times more than 'coarse' setting, all which will not be affected by different RIs. MVCT with different APs delivered almost identical CT numbers and image noise inside 7 selected regions with various densities. DVH curves from adaptive dose calculation with serial MVCT images acquired by varied pitches overlapped together, where as there are no significant difference in all p values of intercept & slope of emulational spinal cord (p = 0.761 & 0.277), heart (p = 0.984 & 0.978), lungs (p = 0.992 & 0.980), soft tissue (p = 0.319 & 0.951) and bony structures (p = 0.960 & 0.929) between the most elaborated and the roughest serials of MVCT. Furthermore, gamma index analysis shown that, compared to the dose distribution calculated on MVCT of 'fine', only 0.2% or 1.1% of the points analyzed on MVCT of 'normal' or 'coarse' do not meet the defined gamma criterion. On chest phantom, all registration errors larger than 1 mm appeared at superior-inferior axis, which cannot be avoided with the smallest AP and RI. On pelvic phantom, craniocaudal errors are much smaller than chest, however, AP of 'coarse' presents larger registration errors which can be reduced from 2.90 mm to 0.22 mm by registration technique of 'full image'. AP of 'coarse' with RI of 6 mm is recommended in adaptive radiotherapy (ART) planning to provide craniocaudal longer and faster MVCT scan, while registration technique of 'full image' should be used to avoid large residual error. Considering the trade-off between IGRT and ART, AP of 'normal' with RI of 2 mm was highly recommended in daily practice.

Gamma-irradiated bacterial preparation having anti-tumor activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vass, A.A.; Tyndall, R.L.; Terzaghi-Howe, P.

1999-11-16

This application describes a bacterial preparation from Pseudomonas species isolated {number{underscore}sign}15 ATCC 55638 that has been exposed to gamma radiation exhibits cytotoxicity that is specific for neoplastic carcinoma cells. A method for obtaining a bacterial preparation having antitumor activity consists of suspending a bacterial isolate in media and exposing the suspension to gamma radiation. A bacterial preparation of an aged culture of an amoeba-associated bacteria exhibits anti-reverse transcriptase activity. A method for obtaining a bacterial preparation having anti-reverse transcriptase activity from an amoeba-associated bacterial isolate grown to stationary phase is disclosed.

A machine learning method to separate cosmic ray electrons from protons from 10 to 100 GeV using DAMPE data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Hao; Peng, Wen-Xi; Wang, Huan-Yu; Qiao, Rui; Guo, Dong-Ya; Xiao, Hong; Wang, Zhao-Min

2018-06-01

DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a general purpose high energy cosmic ray and gamma ray observatory, aiming to detect high energy electrons and gammas in the energy range 5 GeV to 10 TeV and hundreds of TeV for nuclei. This paper provides a method using machine learning to identify electrons and separate them from gammas, protons, helium and heavy nuclei with the DAMPE data acquired from 2016 January 1 to 2017 June 30, in the energy range from 10 to 100 GeV.

Nitriding of AISI 4140 steel by a low energy broad ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ochoa, E. A.; Figueroa, C. A.; Alvarez, F.

2006-11-15

A comprehensive study of the thermochemical nitriding process of steel AISI 4140 by low energy ion implantation (Kaufmann cell) is reported. Different times of implantation were employed and the studied samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, in situ photoemission electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and hardness (nanoindentation) measurements. The linear relationship between nitrogen content and hardness was verified. The structure of the nitrided layer was characterized yielding that the compound layer is formed by coarse precipitates, around small grains, constituted principally by {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2-3}N and {gamma}-Fe{sub 4}N phases and the diffusion zone is formed by fine precipitates, around big grainsmore » of the original martensitic phase, constituted principally by {gamma}-Fe{sub 4}N phase. Finally, a diffusion model for multiphase systems was applied to determine effective diffusion coefficients of nitrogen in the different phases.« less

The Complimentary Role of Methoxy-Isobutyl-Isonitrile and Hand-Held Gamma Probe in Adamantinoma

PubMed Central

Maharaj, Masha; Korowlay, Nisaar; Ellmann, Prof

2016-01-01

Adamantinoma is a rare locally aggressive osteolytic tumor that is found 90% of the time in the diaphysis of the tibia with the remaining lesions found in the fibula and long tubular bones. A case of adamantinoma of the tibia is presented. The added value of nuclear medicine investigations in the workup of this patient is described. A three-phase whole body 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate bone and a whole body 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile scans were complimentary in the demarcation of viable bone tumor and the assessment of the remainder of the bone and soft tissue to exclude other sites. Intra-operative assistance with a hand-held gamma probe, guided the biopsy of the most metabolically active tumor tissue. Histology revealed a biphasic tumor composed of epithelial and fibrous components, in keeping with an adamantinoma. PMID:26912979

The effect of gamma irradiation on chemical, morphology and optical properties of polystyrene nanosphere at various exposure time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhaji Yabagi, Jibrin; Isah Kimpa, Mohammed; Nmayaya Muhammad, Muhammad; Rashid, Saiful Bin; Zaidi, Embong; Arif Agam, Mohd

2018-01-01

Irradiation of polymers causes structural, chemical and the optical properties changes. Polystyrene nanosphere was drop coated to substrates and the gamma irradiation was carried out in a Cesium-137 (Cs-137) source chamber at different time (1-5 hours) with constant dose of 30 kGy. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to characterize the chemical properties of irradiated polystyrene while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to study the surface morphological changes of the samples. The optical energy band gaps of the thin films were investigated and studied using transmittance and absorbance measurements. The results obtained revealed that as irradiation time increases the optical properties changes and polystyrene gradually undergoes crystal to carbonaceous from its amorphous state. The average particles diameter and roughness of the samples decreases with increasing irradiation time.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batista, Adriana S.M.; Gual, Maritza R.; Faria, Luiz O.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) homopolymers [PVDF] homopolymers were irradiated with gamma doses ranging from 0.5 to 2.75 MGy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FTIR spectrometry were used in order to study the effects of gamma radiation in the amorphous and crystalline polymer structures. The FTIR data revealed absorption bands at 1730 and 1853 cm{sup -1} which were attributed to the stretch of C=O bonds, at 1715 and 1754 cm{sup -1} which were attributed to the C=C stretching and at 3518, 3585 and 3673 cm{sup -1} which were associated with NH stretch of NH{sub 2} and OH. The melting latent heat (LM) measuredmore » by DSC was used to construct an unambiguous relationship with the delivered dose. Regression analyses revealed that the best mathematical function that fits the experimental calibration curve is a 4-degree polynomial function, with an adjusted Rsquare of 0.99817. (authors)« less

Systems for detecting charged particles in object inspection

DOEpatents

Morris, Christopher L.; Makela, Mark F.

2013-08-20

Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons. In one implementation, a monitoring system has a cosmic ray-produced charged particle tracker with a plurality of drift cells. The drift cells, which can be for example aluminum drift tubes, can be arranged at least above and below a volume to be scanned to thereby track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray-produced muons, while also detecting gamma rays. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can also detect any radioactive sources occupying the volume from gamma rays emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift tubes can be sealed to eliminate the need for a gas handling system. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Fiber optic Cerenkov radiation sensor system to estimate burn-up of spent fuel: characteristic evaluation of the system using Co-60 source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, S. H.; Jang, K. W.; Jeon, D.; Hong, S.; Kim, S. G.; Sim, H. I.; Yoo, W. J.; Park, B. G.; Lee, B.

2013-09-01

Cerenkov radiation occurs when charged particles are moving faster than the speed of light in a transparent dielectric medium. In optical fibers, the Cerenkov light also can be generated due to their dielectric components. Accordingly, the radiation-induced light signals can be obtained using optical fibers without any scintillating material. In this study, to measure the intensities of Cerenkov radiation induced by gamma-rays, we have fabricated the fiber-optic Cerenkov radiation sensor system using silica optical fibers, plastic optical fibers, multi-anode photomultiplier tubes, and a scanning system. To characterize the Cerenkov radiation generated in optical fibers, the spectra of Cerenkov radiation generated in the silica and plastic optical fibers were measured. Also, the intensities of Cerenkov radiation induced by gamma-rays generated from a cylindrical Co-60 source with or without lead shielding were measured using the fiberoptic Cerenkov radiation sensor system.

Dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate, USP material compatibility with gamma radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betancourt Quiles, Maritza

Gamma radiation is a commonly used method to reduce the microbial bioburden in compatible materials when it is applied at appropriate dose levels. Gamma irradiation kills bacteria and mold by breaking down the organism’s DNA and inhibiting cell division. The purpose of this study is to determine the radiation dosage to be used to treat Dibasic Calcium Phosphate Dihydrate, USP (DCPD) and to evaluate its physicochemical effects if any, on this material. This material will be submitted to various doses of gamma radiation that were selected based on literature review and existing regulations that demonstrate that this method is effective to reduce or eliminate microbial bioburden in natural source and synthetic materials. Analytical testing was conducted to the DCPD exposed material in order to demonstrate that gamma radiation does not alter the physicochemical properties and material still acceptable for use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. The results obtained through this study were satisfactory and demonstrated that the gamma irradiation dosages from 5 to 30 kGy can be applied to DCPD without altering its physicochemical properties. These are supported by the Assay test data evaluation of lots tested before and after gamma irradiation implementation that show no significant statistical difference between irradiated and non irradiated assay results. The results of this study represent an achievement for the industry since they provide as an alternative the use of Gamma irradiation technology to control the microbial growth in DCPD.

Localisation of gamma-ray interaction points in thick monolithic CeBr3 and LaBr3:Ce scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulyanov, Alexei; Morris, Oran; Roberts, Oliver J.; Tobin, Isaac; Hanlon, Lorraine; McBreen, Sheila; Murphy, David; Nelms, Nick; Shortt, Brian

2017-02-01

Localisation of gamma-ray interaction points in monolithic scintillator crystals can simplify the design and improve the performance of a future Compton telescope for gamma-ray astronomy. In this paper we compare the position resolution of three monolithic scintillators: a 28×28×20 mm3 (length×breadth × thickness) LaBr3:Ce crystal, a 25×25×20 mm3 CeBr3 crystal and a 25×25×10 mm3 CeBr3 crystal. Each crystal was encapsulated and coupled to an array of 4×4 silicon photomultipliers through an optical window. The measurements were conducted using 81 keV and 356 keV gamma-rays from a collimated 133Ba source. The 3D position reconstruction of interaction points was performed using artificial neural networks trained with experimental data. Although the position resolution was significantly better for the thinner crystal, the 20 mm thick CeBr3 crystal showed an acceptable resolution of about 5.4 mm FWHM for the x and y coordinates, and 7.8 mm FWHM for the z-coordinate (crystal depth) at 356 keV. These values were obtained from the full position scans of the crystal sides. The position resolution of the LaBr3:Ce crystal was found to be considerably worse, presumably due to the highly diffusive optical interface between the crystal and the optical window of the enclosure. The energy resolution (FWHM) measured for 662 keV gamma-rays was 4.0% for LaBr3:Ce and 5.5% for CeBr3. The same crystals equipped with a PMT (Hamamatsu R6322-100) gave an energy resolution of 3.0% and 4.7%, respectively.

Enhanced lines and box-shaped features in the gamma-ray spectrum from annihilating dark matter in the NMSSM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerdeño, D.G.; Peiró, M.; Robles, S., E-mail: davidg.cerdeno@gmail.com, E-mail: miguel.peiro@uam.es, E-mail: sandra.robles@uam.es

2016-04-01

We study spectral features in the gamma-ray emission from dark matter (DM) annihilation in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), with either neutralino or right-handed (RH) sneutrino DM . We perform a series of scans over the NMSSM parameter space, compute the DM annihilation cross section into two photons and the contribution of box-shaped features, and compare them with the limits derived from the Fermi-LAT search for gamma-ray lines using the latest Pass 8 data. We implement the LHC bounds on the Higgs sector and on the masses of supersymmetric particles as well as the constraints on low-energy observables. Wemore » also consider the recent upper limits from the Fermi-LAT satellite on the continuum gamma-ray emission from dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We show that in the case of the RH sneutrino the constraint on gamma-ray spectral features can be more stringent than the dSph bounds. This is due to the Breit-Wigner enhancement near the ubiquitous resonances with a CP even Higgs and the contribution of scalar and pseudoscalar Higgs final states to box-shaped features. By contrast, for neutralino DM, the di-photon final state is only enhanced in the resonance with a Z boson and box-shaped features are even more suppressed. Therefore, the observation of spectral features could constitute a discriminating factor between both models. In addition, we compare our results with direct DM searches, including the SuperCDMS and LUX limits on the elastic DM-nucleus scattering cross section and show that some of these scenarios would be accessible to next generation experiments. Thus, our findings strengthen the idea of complementarity among distinct DM search strategies.« less

Effect of gamma-ray irradiation on structural properties of GaAsN films grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klangtakai, Pawinee; Sanorpim, Sakuntam; Wattanawareekul, Atiwat; Suwanyangyaun, Pattana; Srepusharawoot, Pornjuk; Onabe, Kentaro

2015-05-01

The effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the structural properties of GaAs1-xNx films (N concentration=1.9 and 5.1 at%) grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates were investigated. The GaAs1-xNx films were irradiated by gamma rays with irradiation strength of 0-2.0 MGy. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results showed that a gamma ray with a strength of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 MGy formed holes with a density of 0.0, 8.8, 9.4, 11.5, and 11.9 μm-2, respectively, on the surface of a GaAs0.981N0.019 film with low N content. On the other hand, the irradiated high-N-content GaAs0.949N0.051 film exhibited a cross-hatch pattern, which was induced by partial strain relaxation at high N levels, with a line density of 0.0, 0.21, 0.37, 0.67, and 0.26 μm-1 corresponding to an irradiation strength of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 MGy, respectively. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering results revealed an increase in N incorporation and strain relaxation after irradiation. In addition, the GaAs0.949N0.051 films exhibited phase separation, which took place via N out-diffusion across the interface when the irradiation strength exceeded 1.0 MGy. Based on these results, the main cause of structural change was determined to be the irradiation effects including displacement damage and gamma-ray heating.

Microstructural studies of hydrogen damage in metastable stainless steels. Ph.D. Thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, S.

1994-12-31

The primary objective of this dissertation is to determine the role of microstructure in hydrogen-induced damage in austenitic stainless steels. Specific attention was focused on the interactions between hydrogen and the austenitic grain, twin boundaries and the matrix, and the associated phase transformations. An experimental program of research was conducted to determine the phase transformation and cracking path in hydrogen charged stainless steels. Normal-purity AISI 304 (Fe18CrYNi) and high-purity 305 (Fe18Cr12Ni) solution-annealet stainless steels were examined. The steels were cathodically charged with hydrogen at 1, 10 and 100 mA/sq cm at room temperature for 5 min. to 32 hours, inmore » an 1N H2SO4 solution with 0.25 g/l of NaAsO2 added as a hydrogen recombination poison. Resultant changes in microstructure and hydrogen damage due to charging and subsequent room temperature aging were studied by x-ray diffraction, optical microscope (in the Nomarski mode), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A new phase in 305 stainless steel was observed, and was identified as an epsilon(*) (hcp) hydride due to hydrogen charging. Two new phases in 304 stainless steel were found as gamma(*) (fcc) and epsilon(*) hydrides from hydrogen charging. The hydride formation mechanisms during charging were: (1) gamma yields gamma(*) hydride and (2) gamma yields epsilon yields epsilon(*) hydride. These hydrides are unstable and decomposed during room temperature aging in air. The decomposition mechanisms were: (1) epsilon(*) hydride (hcp) yields expanded epsilon (hcp) phase yields a (bcc) phase; (2) gamma(*) hydride yields gamma phase. The grain and twin boundary cracks were the results of charging and identified as the preferred cracking sites. Transgranular crack initiation and growth accompanied the decomposition of hydrides and were controlled by hydrogen outgassing during room temperature aging.« less

Comparison of the effects of gamma irradiation and steam sterilization on Southern pine sapwood

Treesearch

Simon Curling; Jerrold E. Winandy

2008-01-01

Gamma irradiation is a commonly used method of sterilization of wood specimens prior to decay testing. As part of a larger series of studies, an investigation was made into the effects of gamma irradiation on flexural bending strength properties and its corresponding relationship to changes in lignin and hemicellulosic contents of wood after exposure to various dose...

The evaluation of a 2D diode array in "magic phantom" for use in high dose rate brachytherapy pretreatment quality assurance.

PubMed

Espinoza, A; Petasecca, M; Fuduli, I; Howie, A; Bucci, J; Corde, S; Jackson, M; Lerch, M L F; Rosenfeld, A B

2015-02-01

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a treatment method that is used increasingly worldwide. The development of a sound quality assurance program for the verification of treatment deliveries can be challenging due to the high source activity utilized and the need for precise measurements of dwell positions and times. This paper describes the application of a novel phantom, based on a 2D 11 × 11 diode array detection system, named "magic phantom" (MPh), to accurately measure plan dwell positions and times, compare them directly to the treatment plan, determine errors in treatment delivery, and calculate absorbed dose. The magic phantom system was CT scanned and a 20 catheter plan was generated to simulate a nonspecific treatment scenario. This plan was delivered to the MPh and, using a custom developed software suite, the dwell positions and times were measured and compared to the plan. The original plan was also modified, with changes not disclosed to the primary authors, and measured again using the device and software to determine the modifications. A new metric, the "position-time gamma index," was developed to quantify the quality of a treatment delivery when compared to the treatment plan. The MPh was evaluated to determine the minimum measurable dwell time and step size. The incorporation of the TG-43U1 formalism directly into the software allows for dose calculations to be made based on the measured plan. The estimated dose distributions calculated by the software were compared to the treatment plan and to calibrated EBT3 film, using the 2D gamma analysis method. For the original plan, the magic phantom system was capable of measuring all dwell points and dwell times and the majority were found to be within 0.93 mm and 0.25 s, respectively, from the plan. By measuring the altered plan and comparing it to the unmodified treatment plan, the use of the position-time gamma index showed that all modifications made could be readily detected. The MPh was able to measure dwell times down to 0.067 ± 0.001 s and planned dwell positions separated by 1 mm. The dose calculation carried out by the MPh software was found to be in agreement with values calculated by the treatment planning system within 0.75%. Using the 2D gamma index, the dose map of the MPh plane and measured EBT3 were found to have a pass rate of over 95% when compared to the original plan. The application of this magic phantom quality assurance system to HDR brachytherapy has demonstrated promising ability to perform the verification of treatment plans, based upon the measured dwell positions and times. The introduction of the quantitative position-time gamma index allows for direct comparison of measured parameters against the plan and could be used prior to patient treatment to ensure accurate delivery. © 2015 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Statistical measurement of the gamma-ray source-count distribution as a function of energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zechlin, H.-S.; Cuoco, A.; Donato, F.; Fornengo, N.; Regis, M.

2017-01-01

Photon counts statistics have recently been proven to provide a sensitive observable for characterizing gamma-ray source populations and for measuring the composition of the gamma-ray sky. In this work, we generalize the use of the standard 1-point probability distribution function (1pPDF) to decompose the high-latitude gamma-ray emission observed with Fermi-LAT into: (i) point-source contributions, (ii) the Galactic foreground contribution, and (iii) a diffuse isotropic background contribution. We analyze gamma-ray data in five adjacent energy bands between 1 and 171 GeV. We measure the source-count distribution dN/dS as a function of energy, and demonstrate that our results extend current measurements from source catalogs to the regime of so far undetected sources. Our method improves the sensitivity for resolving point-source populations by about one order of magnitude in flux. The dN/dS distribution as a function of flux is found to be compatible with a broken power law. We derive upper limits on further possible breaks as well as the angular power of unresolved sources. We discuss the composition of the gamma-ray sky and capabilities of the 1pPDF method.

The determination of accurate dipole polarizabilities alpha and gamma for the noble gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, Julia E.; Taylor, Peter R.; Lee, Timothy J.; Almloef, Jan

1989-01-01

The static dipole polarizabilities alpha and gamma for the noble gases helium through xenon were determined using large flexible one-particle basis sets in conjunction with high-level treatments of electron correlation. The electron correlation methods include single and double excitation coupled-cluster theory (CCSD), an extension of CCSD that includes a perturbational estimate of connected triple excitations, CCSD(T), and second order perturbation theory (MP2). The computed alpha and gamma values are estimated to be accurate to within a few percent. Agreement with experimental data for the static hyperpolarizability gamma is good for neon and xenon, but for argon and krypton the differences are larger than the combined theoretical and experimental uncertainties. Based on our calculations, we suggest that the experimental value of gamma for argon is too low; adjusting this value would bring the experimental value of gamma for krypton into better agreement with our computed result. The MP2 values for the polarizabilities of neon, argon, krypton and zenon are in reasonabe agreement with the CCSD and CCSD(T) values, suggesting that this less expensive method may be useful in studies of polarizabilities for larger systems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hadsell, M; Holcombe, C; Chin, E

Introduction: As diagnostic techniques become more sensitive and targeting methods grow in accuracy, target volumes continue to shrink and SBRT becomes more prevalent. Due to this fact, patient-specific QA must also enhance resolution and accuracy in order to verify dose delivery in these volumes. It has been suggested that when measuring small fields at least two separate detectors be used to verify delivered dose. Therefore, we have instituted a secondary patient QA verification for small (<3cm) SBRT fields using Gafchromic EBT2 film. Methods: Films were cross-calibrated using a Farmer chamber in plastic water at reference conditions as defined by TG-51.more » Films were scanned, and an RGB calibration curve was created according to best practices published by Ashland, Inc. Four SBRT cases were evaluated both with the Scandidos Delta4 and with EBT2 films sandwiched in plastic water. Raw values obtained from the film were converted to dose using an in-house algorithm employing all three color channels to increase accuracy and dosimetric range. Gamma and dose profile comparisons to Eclipse dose calculations were obtained using RIT and compared to values obtained with the Delta4. Results: Film gamma pass rates at 2% and 2mm were similar to those obtained with the Delta4. However, dose difference histograms showed better absolute dose agreement, with the average mean film dose agreeing with calculation to 0.3% and the Delta4 only agreeing to 3.1% across the cases. Additionally, films provided more resolution than the Delta4 and thus their dose profiles better succeeded in diagnosing dose calculation inaccuracies. Conclusion: We believe that the implementation of secondary patient QA using EBT2 film analyzed with all three color channels is an invaluable tool for evaluation of small SBRT fields. Furthermore, we have shown that this method can sometimes provide a more detailed and faithful reproduction of plan dose than the Delta4.« less

Comparison of demons deformable registration-based methods for texture analysis of serial thoracic CT scans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunliffe, Alexandra R.; Al-Hallaq, Hania A.; Fei, Xianhan M.; Tuohy, Rachel E.; Armato, Samuel G.

2013-02-01

To determine how 19 image texture features may be altered by three image registration methods, "normal" baseline and follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans from 27 patients were analyzed. Nineteen texture feature values were calculated in over 1,000 32x32-pixel regions of interest (ROIs) randomly placed in each baseline scan. All three methods used demons registration to map baseline scan ROIs to anatomically matched locations in the corresponding transformed follow-up scan. For the first method, the follow-up scan transformation was subsampled to achieve a voxel size identical to that of the baseline scan. For the second method, the follow-up scan was transformed through affine registration to achieve global alignment with the baseline scan. For the third method, the follow-up scan was directly deformed to the baseline scan using demons deformable registration. Feature values in matched ROIs were compared using Bland- Altman 95% limits of agreement. For each feature, the range spanned by the 95% limits was normalized to the mean feature value to obtain the normalized range of agreement, nRoA. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare nRoA values across features for the three methods. Significance for individual tests was adjusted using the Bonferroni method. nRoA was significantly smaller for affine-registered scans than for the resampled scans (p=0.003), indicating lower feature value variability between baseline and follow-up scan ROIs using this method. For both of these methods, however, nRoA was significantly higher than when feature values were calculated directly on demons-deformed followup scans (p<0.001). Across features and methods, nRoA values remained below 26%.

IMRT QA: Selecting gamma criteria based on error detection sensitivity.

PubMed

Steers, Jennifer M; Fraass, Benedick A

2016-04-01

The gamma comparison is widely used to evaluate the agreement between measurements and treatment planning system calculations in patient-specific intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA). However, recent publications have raised concerns about the lack of sensitivity when employing commonly used gamma criteria. Understanding the actual sensitivity of a wide range of different gamma criteria may allow the definition of more meaningful gamma criteria and tolerance limits in IMRT QA. We present a method that allows the quantitative determination of gamma criteria sensitivity to induced errors which can be applied to any unique combination of device, delivery technique, and software utilized in a specific clinic. A total of 21 DMLC IMRT QA measurements (ArcCHECK®, Sun Nuclear) were compared to QA plan calculations with induced errors. Three scenarios were studied: MU errors, multi-leaf collimator (MLC) errors, and the sensitivity of the gamma comparison to changes in penumbra width. Gamma comparisons were performed between measurements and error-induced calculations using a wide range of gamma criteria, resulting in a total of over 20 000 gamma comparisons. Gamma passing rates for each error class and case were graphed against error magnitude to create error curves in order to represent the range of missed errors in routine IMRT QA using 36 different gamma criteria. This study demonstrates that systematic errors and case-specific errors can be detected by the error curve analysis. Depending on the location of the error curve peak (e.g., not centered about zero), 3%/3 mm threshold = 10% at 90% pixels passing may miss errors as large as 15% MU errors and ±1 cm random MLC errors for some cases. As the dose threshold parameter was increased for a given %Diff/distance-to-agreement (DTA) setting, error sensitivity was increased by up to a factor of two for select cases. This increased sensitivity with increasing dose threshold was consistent across all studied combinations of %Diff/DTA. Criteria such as 2%/3 mm and 3%/2 mm with a 50% threshold at 90% pixels passing are shown to be more appropriately sensitive without being overly strict. However, a broadening of the penumbra by as much as 5 mm in the beam configuration was difficult to detect with commonly used criteria, as well as with the previously mentioned criteria utilizing a threshold of 50%. We have introduced the error curve method, an analysis technique which allows the quantitative determination of gamma criteria sensitivity to induced errors. The application of the error curve method using DMLC IMRT plans measured on the ArcCHECK® device demonstrated that large errors can potentially be missed in IMRT QA with commonly used gamma criteria (e.g., 3%/3 mm, threshold = 10%, 90% pixels passing). Additionally, increasing the dose threshold value can offer dramatic increases in error sensitivity. This approach may allow the selection of more meaningful gamma criteria for IMRT QA and is straightforward to apply to other combinations of devices and treatment techniques.

SU-F-J-200: An Improved Method for Event Selection in Compton Camera Imaging for Particle Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mackin, D; Beddar, S; Polf, J

2016-06-15

Purpose: The uncertainty in the beam range in particle therapy limits the conformality of the dose distributions. Compton scatter cameras (CC), which measure the prompt gamma rays produced by nuclear interactions in the patient tissue, can reduce this uncertainty by producing 3D images confirming the particle beam range and dose delivery. However, the high intensity and short time windows of the particle beams limit the number of gammas detected. We attempt to address this problem by developing a method for filtering gamma ray scattering events from the background by applying the known gamma ray spectrum. Methods: We used a 4more » stage Compton camera to record in list mode the energy deposition and scatter positions of gammas from a Co-60 source. Each CC stage contained a 4×4 array of CdZnTe crystal. To produce images, we used a back-projection algorithm and four filtering Methods: basic, energy windowing, delta energy (ΔE), or delta scattering angle (Δθ). Basic filtering requires events to be physically consistent. Energy windowing requires event energy to fall within a defined range. ΔE filtering selects events with the minimum difference between the measured and a known gamma energy (1.17 and 1.33 MeV for Co-60). Δθ filtering selects events with the minimum difference between the measured scattering angle and the angle corresponding to a known gamma energy. Results: Energy window filtering reduced the FWHM from 197.8 mm for basic filtering to 78.3 mm. ΔE and Δθ filtering achieved the best results, FWHMs of 64.3 and 55.6 mm, respectively. In general, Δθ filtering selected events with scattering angles < 40°, while ΔE filtering selected events with angles > 60°. Conclusion: Filtering CC events improved the quality and resolution of the corresponding images. ΔE and Δθ filtering produced similar results but each favored different events.« less

Equine interferon gamma synthesis in lymphocytes after in vivo infection and in vitro stimulation with EHV-1.

PubMed

Paillot, R; Daly, J M; Juillard, V; Minke, J M; Hannant, D; Kydd, J H

2005-08-22

Equine cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) are well characterised but little is known about the cytokine response after infection or vaccination. EHV-1 is common in horses and infects lymphocytes in vivo. This virus was used as a model to measure the synthesis of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) by equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after in vivo infection and/or in vitro stimulation with EHV-1. Both flow cytometry and ELISPOT assays were used to quantify equine IFN-gamma using a mouse anti-bovine IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody (clone CC302; shown to cross-react with recombinant equine IFN-gamma) and a rabbit anti-canine IFN-gamma polyclonal antibody. The percentage of PBMC synthesising IFN-gamma after in vitro stimulation with EHV-1 increased with age. In yearlings infected experimentally with EHV-1, PBMC showed two peaks of IFN-gamma synthesis, 11 and 56 days after infection. The IFN-gamma synthesis was principally associated with CD8(+) cells. The patterns of IFN-gamma synthesis detected by intracellular IFN-gamma staining or ELISPOT were compared with CTL data and shown to be similar. These methods were also applied successfully to frozen samples of PBMC. Measurement of equine IFN-gamma using these simple techniques can now be applied to future studies on protective cellular immune responses following virus infection and/or vaccination of horses.

EEG gamma synchronization is associated with response to paroxetine treatment.

PubMed

Arikan, Mehmet Kemal; Metin, Baris; Tarhan, Nevzat

2018-08-01

Resistance to medication is a significant problem in psychiatric practice, and effective methods for predicting response are needed to optimize treatment efficacy and limit morbidity. Gamma oscillations are considered as an index of the brain's general cognitive activity; however, the role of gamma oscillations in disease has not been studied sufficiently. This study aimed to determine if gamma power during rest can be used to predict response to anti-depressant medication treatment. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score and resting state gamma power was measured in 18 medication-free patients during an episode of major depression. After 6 weeks of paroxetine monotherapy HDRS was administered again. Baseline gamma power at frontal, central and temporal electrodes before treatment was significantly related to post-treatment change in HDRS scores. The results indicate that gamma oscillations could be considered a marker of response to paroxetine treatment in patients with major depression. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Simulated and measured neutron/gamma light output distribution for poly-energetic neutron/gamma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, S. A.; Zangian, M.; Aghabozorgi, S.

2018-03-01

In the present paper, the light output distribution due to poly-energetic neutron/gamma (neutron or gamma) source was calculated using the developed MCNPX-ESUT-PE (MCNPX-Energy engineering of Sharif University of Technology-Poly Energetic version) computational code. The simulation of light output distribution includes the modeling of the particle transport, the calculation of scintillation photons induced by charged particles, simulation of the scintillation photon transport and considering the light resolution obtained from the experiment. The developed computational code is able to simulate the light output distribution due to any neutron/gamma source. In the experimental step of the present study, the neutron-gamma discrimination based on the light output distribution was performed using the zero crossing method. As a case study, 241Am-9Be source was considered and the simulated and measured neutron/gamma light output distributions were compared. There is an acceptable agreement between the discriminated neutron/gamma light output distributions obtained from the simulation and experiment.

Isotope Identification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karpius, Peter Joseph

2017-09-18

The objective of this training modules is to examine the process of using gamma spectroscopy for radionuclide identification; apply pattern recognition to gamma spectra; identify methods of verifying energy calibration; and discuss potential causes of isotope misidentification.

Accuracy of tree diameter estimation from terrestrial laser scanning by circle-fitting methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koreň, Milan; Mokroš, Martin; Bucha, Tomáš

2017-12-01

This study compares the accuracies of diameter at breast height (DBH) estimations by three initial (minimum bounding box, centroid, and maximum distance) and two refining (Monte Carlo and optimal circle) circle-fitting methods The circle-fitting algorithms were evaluated in multi-scan mode and a simulated single-scan mode on 157 European beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.). DBH measured by a calliper was used as reference data. Most of the studied circle-fitting algorithms significantly underestimated the mean DBH in both scanning modes. Only the Monte Carlo method in the single-scan mode significantly overestimated the mean DBH. The centroid method proved to be the least suitable and showed significantly different results from the other circle-fitting methods in both scanning modes. In multi-scan mode, the accuracy of the minimum bounding box method was not significantly different from the accuracies of the refining methods The accuracy of the maximum distance method was significantly different from the accuracies of the refining methods in both scanning modes. The accuracy of the Monte Carlo method was significantly different from the accuracy of the optimal circle method in only single-scan mode. The optimal circle method proved to be the most accurate circle-fitting method for DBH estimation from point clouds in both scanning modes.

Study of different filtering techniques applied to spectra from airborne gamma spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilhelm, Emilien; Gutierrez, Sebastien; Reboli, Anne

2015-07-01

One of the features of spectra obtained by airborne gamma spectrometry is low counting statistics due to the short acquisition time (1 s) and the large source-detector distance (40 m). It leads to considerable uncertainty in radionuclide identification and determination of their respective activities from the windows method recommended by the IAEA, especially for low-level radioactivity. The present work compares the results obtained with filters in terms of errors of the filtered spectra with the window method and over the whole gamma energy range. The results are used to determine which filtering technique is the most suitable in combination withmore » some method for total stripping of the spectrum. (authors)« less

In situ gamma-spectrometry several years after deposition of radiocesium. II. Peak-to-valley method.

PubMed

Gering, F; Hillmann, U; Jacob, P; Fehrenbacher, G

1998-12-01

A new method is introduced for deriving radiocesium soil contaminations and kerma rates in air from in situ gamma-ray spectrometric measurements. The approach makes use of additional information about gamma-ray attenuation given by the peak-to-valley ratio, which is the ratio of the count rates for primary and forward scattered photons. In situ measurements are evaluated by comparing the experimental data with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of photon transport and detector response. The influence of photons emitted by natural radionuclides on the calculation of the peak-to-valley ratio is carefully analysed. The new method has been applied to several post-Chernobyl measurements and the results agreed well with those of soil sampling.

Measurement of the {sup 12}C({alpha},{gamma}){sup 16}O reaction at TRIAC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Makii, H.; Miyatake, H.; Wakabayashi, Y.

2012-11-12

We have measured the {gamma}-ray angular distribution of the {sup 12}C({alpha},{gamma}){sup 16}O reaction at TRIAC (Tokai Radioactive Ion Accelerator Complex) to accurately determine the E1 and E2 cross sections. In this experiment, we used high efficiency anti-Compton NaI(T1) spectrometers to detect a {gamma}-ray from the reaction with large S/N ratio, intense pulsed {alpha}-beams to discriminate true event from background events due to neutrons from {sup 13}C({alpha},n){sup 16}O reaction with a time-of-flight (TOF) method. We succeeded in removing a background events due to neutrons and clearly detected {gamma}-ray from the {sup 12}C({alpha}{gamma}){sup 16}O reaction with high statistics.

Dosimetric evaluation of lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) as a dosemeter for gamma-radiation dose measurements.

PubMed

Popoca, R; Ureña-Núñez, F

2009-06-01

This work reports the possibility of using lithium carbonate as a dosimetric material for gamma-radiation measurements. Carboxi-radical ions, CO(2)(-) and CO(3)(-), arise from the gamma irradiation of Li(2)CO(3), and these radical ions can be quantified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry. The EPR-signal response of gamma-irradiated lithium carbonate has been investigated to determine some dosimetric characteristics such as: peak-to-peak signal intensity versus gamma dose received, zero-dose response, signal fading, signal repeatability, batch homogeneity, dose rate effect and stability at different environmental conditions. Using the conventional peak-to-peak method of stable ion radicals, it is concluded that lithium carbonate could be used as a gamma dosemeter in the range of 3-100 Gy.