2,150 research outputs found
Development of Large area Gamma-ray Camera with GSO(Ce) Scintillator Arrays and PSPMTs
We have developed a position-sensitive scintillation camera with a large area
absorber for use as an advanced Compton gamma-ray camera. At first we tested
GSO(Ce) crystals. We compared light output from the GSO(Ce) crystals under
various conditions: the method of surface polishing, the concentration of Ce,
and co-doping Zr. As a result, we chose the GSO(Ce) crystals doped with only
0.5 mol% Ce, and its surface polished by chemical etching as the scintillator
of our camera. We also made a 1616 cm scintillation camera which
consisted of 9 position-sensitive PMTs (PSPMTs Hamamatsu flat-panel H8500), the
each of which had 88 anodes with a pitch of 6 mm and coupled to
88 arrays of pixelated 613 mm GSO(Ce) scintillators.
For the readout system of the 576 anodes of the PMTs, we used chained resistors
to reduce the number of readout channels down to 48 to reduce power
consumption. The camera has a position resolution of less than 6mm and a
typical energy resolution of 10.5% (FWHM) at 662 keV at each pixel in a large
area of 1616 cm. %to choose the best scintillator for our project.
Furthermore we constructed a 1616 array of 313 mm
pixelated GSO(Ce) scintillators, and glued it to a PMT H8500. This camera had
the position resolution of less than 3mm, over an area of 55 cm,
except for some of the edge pixels; the energy resolution was typically 13%
(FWHM) at 662 keV.Comment: Proceedings of PSD7 appear in NIM
Cell transplantation to restore lost auditory nerve function is a realistic clinical opportunity
Hearing is one of our most important means of communication. Disabling hearing loss (DHL) is a long-standing, unmet problem in medicine, and in many elderly people, it leads to social isolation, depression, and even dementia. Traditionally, major efforts to cure DHL have focused on hair cells (HCs). However, the auditory nerve is also important because it transmits electrical signals generated by HCs to the brainstem. Its function is critical for the success of cochlear implants as well as for future therapies for HC regeneration. Over the past two decades, cell transplantation has emerged as a promising therapeutic option for restoring lost auditory nerve function, and two independent studies on animal models show that cell transplantation can lead to functional recovery. In this article, we consider the approaches most likely to achieve success in the clinic. We conclude that the structure and biochemical integrity of the auditory nerve is critical and that it is important to preserve the remaining neural scaffold, and in particular the glial scar, for the functional integration of donor cells. To exploit the natural, autologous cell scaffold and to minimize the deleterious effects of surgery, donor cells can be placed relatively easily on the surface of the nerve endoscopically. In this context, the selection of donor cells is a critical issue. Nevertheless, there is now a very realistic possibility for clinical application of cell transplantation for several different types of hearing loss
Development of an advanced Compton camera with gaseous TPC and scintillator
A prototype of the MeV gamma-ray imaging camera based on the full
reconstruction of the Compton process has been developed. This camera consists
of a micro-TPC that is a gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and
scintillation cameras. With the information of the recoil electrons and the
scattered gamma-rays, this camera detects the energy and incident direction of
each incident gamma-ray. We developed a prototype of the MeV gamma-ray camera
with a micro-TPC and a NaI(Tl) scintillator, and succeeded in reconstructing
the gamma-rays from 0.3 MeV to 1.3 MeV. Measured angular resolutions of ARM
(Angular Resolution Measure) and SPD (Scatter Plane Deviation) for 356 keV
gamma-rays were and , respectively.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop On
Radiation Imaging Detector
Studies of the performance of different front-end systems for flat-panel multi-anode PMTs with CsI(Tl) scintillator arrays
We have studied the performance of two different types of front-end systems
for our gamma camera based on Hamamatsu H8500 (flat-panel 64 channels
multi-anode PSPMT) with a CsI(Tl) scintillator array. The array consists of 64
pixels of which corresponds to the anode pixels of
H8500. One of the system is based on commercial ASIC chips in order to readout
every anode. The others are based on resistive charge divider network between
anodes to reduce readout channels. In both systems, each pixel (6mm) was
clearly resolved by flood field irradiation of Cs. We also investigated
the energy resolution of these systems and showed the performance of the
cascade connection of resistive network between some PMTs for large area
detectors.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on
Radiation Imaging Detectors (IWORID7), submitted to NIM
Articular cartilage degradation induced by extensive treadmill exercise is greatly exacerbated by estrogen depletion in mice
Laboratory study on heterogeneous decomposition of methyl chloroform on various standard aluminosilica clay minerals as a potential tropospheric sink
International audienceMethyl chloroform (1,1,1-trichloroethane, CH3CCl3) was found to decompose heterogeneously on seven types of standard clay minerals (23 materials) in dry air at 313 K in the laboratory. All reactions proceeded through the elimination of HCl; CH3CCl3 was converted quantitatively to CH2=CCl2. The activities of the clay minerals were compared via their pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants (k1). A positive correlation was observed between the k1 value and the specific surface area (S) of clay minerals, where the S value was determined by means of the general Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation. The k1 value was anti-correlated with the value of n, which was a parameter of the general BET equation and related to the average pore size of the clay minerals, and correlated with the water content that can be removed easily from the clay minerals. The reaction required no special pretreatment of clay minerals, such as heating at high temperatures; hence, the reaction can be expected to occur in the environment. Photoillumination by wavelengths present in the troposphere did not accelerate the decomposition of CH3CCl3, but it induced heterogeneous photodecomposition of CH2=CCl2. The temperature dependence of k1, the adsorption equilibrium coefficient of CH3CCl3 and CH2=CCl2, and the surface reaction rate constant of CH3CCl3 were determined for an illite sample. The k1 value increased with increasing temperature. The amount of CH3CCl3 adsorbed on the illite during the reaction was proportional to the partial pressure of CH3CCl3. The reaction was sensitive to relative humidity and the k1 value decreased with increasing relative humidity. However, the reaction was found to proceed at a relative humidity of 22% at 313 K, although the k1 value was about one-twentieth of the value in non-humidified air. The conditions required for the reaction may be present in major desert regions of the world. A simple estimation indicates that the possible heterogeneous decomposition of CH3CCl3 on the ground surface in arid regions is worth taking into consideration when inferring the tropospheric lifetime of CH3CCl3 and global OH concentration from the global budget concentration of CH3CCl3
Synovial mesenchymal stem cells promote healing after meniscal repair in microminipigs
SummaryObjectiveThe induction of synovial tissue to the meniscal lesion is crucial for meniscal healing. Synovial Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive cell source because of their high proliferative and chondrogenic potentials. We examined whether transplantation of synovial MSCs promoted healing after meniscal repair of extended longitudinal tear of avascular area in a microminipig model.DesignLongitudinal tear lesion was made in medial menisci and sutured in both knees, and then a synovial MSC suspension was administered for 10 min only in unilateral knee. The sutured meniscus was evaluated morphologically and biomechanically at 2, 4, and 12 weeks. The behavior of transplanted MSCs was also examined.ResultsThe meniscal healing at 12 weeks was significantly better in the MSC group than in the control group; macroscopically, histologically and by T1rho mapping analysis. Transmission electron microscopic analysis demonstrated that the meniscus lesion was occupied by dense collagen fibrils only in the MSC group. Biomechanical analysis revealed that the tensile strength to failure of the meniscus higher in the MSC group than in the control group in each microminipig. Synovial tissue covered better along the superficial layer from the outer zone into the lesion of the meniscus in the MSC group at 2 and 4 weeks in each microminipig. Synovial MSCs labeled with ferucarbotran were detected in the meniscus lesion and adjacent synovium by MRI at 2 weeks.ConclusionTransplantation of synovial MSCs promoted healing after meniscal repair with induction of synovium into the longitudinal tear in the avascular zone of meniscus in pigs
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