Microfluidics: A Groundbreaking Technology for PET Tracer Production?

Application of microfluidics to Positron Emission Tomography ( PET) tracer synthesis has attracted increasing interest within the last decade. The technical advantages of microfluidics, in particular the high surface to volume ratio and resulting fast thermal heating and cooling rates of reagents can lead to reduced reaction times, increased synthesis yields and reduced by-products. In addition automated reaction optimization, reduced consumption of expensive reagents and a path towards a reduced system footprint have been successfully demonstrated. The processing of radioactivity levels required for routine production, use of microfluidic-produced PET tracer doses in preclinical and clinical imaging as well as feasibility studies on autoradiolytic decomposition have all given promising results. However, the number of microfluidic synthesizers utilized for commercial routine production of PET tracers is very limited. This study reviews the state of the art in microfluidic PET tracer synthesis, highlighting critical design aspects, strengths, weaknesses and presenting several characteristics of the diverse PET market space which are thought to have a significant impact on research, development and engineering of microfluidic devices in this field. Furthermore, the topics of batch- and single-dose production, cyclotron to quality control integration as well as centralized versus de-centralized market distribution models are addressed

First Measurement of the 96^{96}Ru(p,γ\gamma)97^{97}Rh Cross Section for the p-Process with a Storage Ring

This work presents a direct measurement of the $^{96}$Ru($p, \gamma$)$^{97}$Rh cross section via a novel technique using a storage ring, which opens opportunities for reaction measurements on unstable nuclei. A proof-of-principle experiment was performed at the storage ring ESR at GSI in Darmstadt, where circulating $^{96}$Ru ions interacted repeatedly with a hydrogen target. The $^{96}$Ru($p, \gamma$)$^{97}$Rh cross section between 9 and 11 MeV has been determined using two independent normalization methods. As key ingredients in Hauser-Feshbach calculations, the $\gamma$-ray strength function as well as the level density model can be pinned down with the measured ($p, \gamma$) cross section. Furthermore, the proton optical potential can be optimized after the uncertainties from the $\gamma$-ray strength function and the level density have been removed. As a result, a constrained $^{96}$Ru($p, \gamma$)$^{97}$Rh reaction rate over a wide temperature range is recommended for $p$-process network calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figs, Accepted for publication at PR

Measurements of proton-induced reactions on ruthenium-96 in the ESR at GSI

8th International Conference on Nuclear Physics at Storage Rings Stori11, October 9-14, 2011 Laboratori Nazionale di Frascati, Italy. Storage rings offer the possibility of measuring proton- and alpha-induced reactions in inverse kinematics. The combination of this approachwith a radioactive beamfacility allows, in principle, the determination of the respective cross sections for radioactive isotopes. Such data are highly desired for a better understanding of astrophysical nucleosynthesis processes like the p-process. A pioneering experiment has been performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI using a stable 96Ru beam at 9-11 AMeV and a hydrogen target. Monte-Carlo simulations of the experiment were made using the Geant4 code. In these simulations, the experimental setup is described in detail and all reaction channels can be investigated. Based on the Geant4 simulations, a prediction of the shape of different spectral components can be performed. A comparison of simulated predictions with the experimental results shows a good agreement and allows the extraction of the cross section

Bringing New Opportunities to Develop Statistical Software and Data Analysis Tools in Romania

In the last decade, open source programming technology is widely used among statisticians for developing a new statistical software and data analysis. This is R software environment and the main objective of this paper is to underline the importance of R for statistical computations, data analysis, visualization and applications in various fields. Regarding to this, the paper is primarily intended for people already familiar with common statistical concepts. Thus the statistical methods used to illustrate the R performance are not explained in detail. The main intention is to offer an overview to get started, to motivate beginners by illustrating the flexibility of R, and to show how simply it enables the user to carry out statistical computations

Microfluidics: A Groundbreaking Technology for PET Tracer Production?

Application of microfluidics to Positron Emission Tomography ( PET) tracer synthesis has attracted increasing interest within the last decade. The technical advantages of microfluidics, in particular the high surface to volume ratio and resulting fast thermal heating and cooling rates of reagents can lead to reduced reaction times, increased synthesis yields and reduced by-products. In addition automated reaction optimization, reduced consumption of expensive reagents and a path towards a reduced system footprint have been successfully demonstrated. The processing of radioactivity levels required for routine production, use of microfluidic-produced PET tracer doses in preclinical and clinical imaging as well as feasibility studies on autoradiolytic decomposition have all given promising results. However, the number of microfluidic synthesizers utilized for commercial routine production of PET tracers is very limited. This study reviews the state of the art in microfluidic PET tracer synthesis, highlighting critical design aspects, strengths, weaknesses and presenting several characteristics of the diverse PET market space which are thought to have a significant impact on research, development and engineering of microfluidic devices in this field. Furthermore, the topics of batch- and single-dose production, cyclotron to quality control integration as well as centralized versus de-centralized market distribution models are addressed

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

Evidence of small-scale quasi-isentropic mixing in ridges of extratropical baroclinic waves

Stratosphere–troposphere exchange within extratropical cyclones provides the potential for anthropogenic and natural surface emissions to rapidly reach the stratosphere as well as for ozone from the stratosphere to penetrate deep into the troposphere, even down into the boundary layer. The efficiency of this process directly influences the surface climate, the chemistry in the stratosphere, the chemical composition of the extratropical transition layer, and surface pollution levels. Here, we present evidence for a mixing process within extratropical cyclones which has gained only a small amount of attention so far and which fosters the transport of tropospheric air masses into the stratosphere in ridges of baroclinic waves. We analyzed airborne measurement data from a research flight of the WISE (Wave-driven ISentropic Exchange) campaign over the North Atlantic in autumn 2017, supported by forecasts from a numerical weather prediction model and trajectory calculations. Further detailed process understanding is obtained from experiments of idealized baroclinic life cycles. The major outcome of this analysis is that air masses mix in the region of the tropopause and potentially enter the stratosphere in ridges of baroclinic waves at the anticyclonic side of the jet without changing their potential temperature drastically. This quasi-isentropic exchange occurs above the outflow of warm conveyor belts, in regions which exhibit enhanced static stability in the lower stratosphere and a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability across the tropopause. The enhanced static stability is related to radiative cooling below the tropopause and the presence of small-scale waves. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is related to vertical shear of the horizontal wind associated with small-scale waves at the upper edge of the jet stream. The instability leads to the occurrence of turbulence and consequent mixing of trace gases in the tropopause region. While the overall relevance of this process has yet to be assessed, it has the potential to significantly modify the chemical composition of the extratropical transition layer in the lowermost stratosphere in regions which have previously gained a small amount of attention in terms of mixing in baroclinic waves