[en] Purpose: To evaluate the performance characteristics of a novel dedicated breast PET system (Mammi-PET, Oncovision). The system has 2 detector rings giving axial/transaxial field of view of 8/17 cm. Each ring consists of 12 monolithic LYSO modules coupled to PSPMTs. Methods: Uniformity, sensitivity, energy and spatial resolution were measured according to NEMA standards. Count rate performance was investigated using a source of F-18 (1384uCi) decayed over 5 half-lives. A prototype PET phantom was imaged for 20 min to evaluate image quality, recovery coefficients and partial volume effects. Under an IRB-approved protocol, 11 patients who just underwent whole body PET/CT exams were imaged prone with the breast pendulant at 5–10 minutes/breast. Image quality was assessed with and without scatter/attenuation correction and using different reconstruction algorithms. Results: Integral/differential uniformity were 9.8%/6.0% respectively. System sensitivity was 2.3% on axis, 2.2% and 2.8% at 3.8 cm and 7.8 cm off-axis. Mean energy resolution of all modules was 23.3%. Spatial resolution (FWHM) was 1.82 mm and 2.90 mm on axis and 5.8 cm off axis. Three cylinders (14 mm diameter) in the PET phantom were filled with activity concentration ratios of 4:1, 3:1, and 2:1 relative to the background. Measured cylinder to background ratios were 2.6, 1.8 and 1.5 (without corrections) and 3.6, 2.3 and 1.5 (with attenuation/scatter correction). Five cylinders (14, 10, 6, 4 and 2 mm diameter) each with an activity ratio of 4:1 were measured and showed recovery coefficients of 1, 0.66, 0.45, 0.18 and 0.18 (without corrections), and 1, 0.53, 0.30, 0.13 and 0 (with attenuation/scatter correction). Optimal phantom image quality was obtained with 3D MLEM algorithm, >20 iterations and without attenuation/scatter correction. Conclusion: The MAMMI system demonstrated good performance characteristics. Further work is needed to determine the optimal reconstruction parameters for qualitative and quantitative applications

[en] Cheap iron scales from steel-rolling industry and technically pure SrCO₃ were used as raw materials. On the basis of hydro-pressing technology of slurry, hot pressing technology was adopted for the sintering of finished products. In comparison with related technology of other countries for this hot-pressing technology of materials of high performance, high density and high orientation degree, there were three advantages. These advantages are discussed

[en] The West Valley melter has been taken out of service. Its design is the direct ancestor of the current melter design for the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. Over its eight years of service, the West Valley melter has endured many of the same challenges that the Hanford melter will encounter with feeds that are similar to many of the Hanford double shell tank wastes. Thus, inspection of the West Valley melter prior to its disposal could provide valuable--even crucial--information to the designers of the melters to be used at the Hanford Site, particularly if quantitative information can be obtained. The objective of Mississippi State University's Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory's (DIAL) efforts is to develop, fabricate, and deploy inspection tools for the West Valley melter that will (i) be remotely operable in the West Valley process cell; (ii) provide quantitative information on melter refractory wear and deposits on the refractory; and (iii) indicate areas of heterogeneity (e.g., deposits) requiring more detailed characterization. A collaborative arrangement has been established with the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) to inspect their melter

[en] The dimerization of thymine in frozen aqueous solution under γ-irradiation is described. The dimer has been separated by ion-exchange resin and analysed by paper chromatography-reversible UV, IR, MS, NMR and compared with known types of dimer of thymine. It is confirmed that it is the isomer of thymine dimer named type A linked by a cyclobutane ring. (author)

[en] Total reaction cross-sections of neutron rich nuclei from C to Mg in a thick Si-target have been measured using the detection of the associated γ-rays in a 4Π-geometry. This cross-section strongly increases with neutron excess, indicating an increase of as much as 15% of the reduced strong absorption radius with respect to stable nuclei

[en] Analytical solutions of the position-dependent mass Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of unequal scalar and vector Yukawa potentials for arbitrary l-state are obtained by using the generalized parametric Nikiforov–Uvarov method. With an approximation scheme to deal with the centrifugal term, we get the bound state energy eigenvalues and the corresponding wave functions, expressed in terms of the Jacobi polynomials. Subsequently, we consider a special case for α = 0 and explicitly obtain the energy eigenvalues as well as the corresponding eigenfunctions in terms of the Laguerre polynomials. Some results are also compared with the previous studies. (author)

[en] To improve the adsorption of perchlorate (ClO/sub 4/ in contaminated water, granular activated carbon (GAC) was modified with cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC). To investigate the adsorption mechanism of perchlorate the structure of GAC-CTAC was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR spectroscopy. Then the GAC-CTAC was used for the adsorption of perchlorate in water. The effects of the adsorption time, pH, initial ClO/sub 4/ concentration, and co-existed anions on perchlorate adsorbed by GAC-CTAC were studied. The results show that the GAC-CTAC could absorb perchlorate better in water. The adsorption capacity of perchlorate on GAC-CTAC decreases in the alkaline solution, and increases with increasing the - initial concentration. The competitive adsorption exists between co-existed anions and ClO/sub 4/ on GAC-CTAC. In addition, adsorption of ClO/sub 4/ on GAC-CTAC fits the Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin isothermal models in the range of the experimental concentration. The adsorption process follows pseudo-second order kinetics. (author)

[en] This study proposed a long short-term memory (LSTM) model for predicting the serrated flow behaviors of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) under nanoindentation. A series of load-controlled nanoindentation tests were conducted on a Pd₄₀Cu₃₀Ni₁₀P₂₀ BMG. The LSTM model was introduced to establish a neural network for predicting the serrated flow at different loading rates, and was verified by the comparisons of experimental data with predictive results. Further investigation based on the predictive serrated flows under different loading rates showed that the serrations exhibit a significant self-organized critical (SOC) phenomenon at different loading rates. The SOC phenomena of the serrations under a lower loading rate were more obvious than that under a higher loading rate. (paper)

[en] Density wave instability in helical coiled tubes has been systematically observed using high pressure ranging from 3.0 to 10.0 Mpa, mass velocity from 400 to 1200 kg/sm², inlet subcooling from 10 to 120 degrees C and heat flux up to 450 kw/m². In the experimental research the effects of system pressure, mass velocity, heat flux, inlet subcooling, inlet resistence and exit resistence have been studied. The experimental results show that the density wave oscillation occurred at positive slope part to mass velocity versus total pressure drop curve, the phase difference of the density wave oscillation between the inlet and exit flow rate is approximately 180 degrees. Increasing heat flux, the periods of density wave oscillation decreased. The periods are about 1-2 times the residence time of fluid in the heater, about 3-14s. System presure, inlet subcooling, mass velocity, inlet resistance and exit resistence affected the threshold of density wave oscillation. Increasing the system pressure, mass velocity and inlet resistence, the limit heat flux of density wave oscillation increased. Increasing exit resistence, the limit heat flux decreased. The stability boundary diagrams of the system have been found. In this paper the empirical correlations for predicting the threshold of density wave oscillations are presented

[en] The Hanford Site is currently in the process of an extensive effort to empty and close its radioactive single-shell and double-shell waste storage tanks. Before this can be accomplished, it is necessary to know how much residual material is left in a given waste tank and the chemical makeup of the residue. The objective of Mississippi State University's Institute for Clean Energy Technology's (ICET) efforts is to develop, fabricate, and deploy inspection tools for the Hanford waste tanks that will (1) be remotely operable; (2) provide quantitative information on the amount of wastes remaining; and (3) provide information on the spatial distribution of the residual waste. A collaborative arrangement has been established with the Hanford Site to develop probe-based inspection systems for deployment in the waste tanks. ICET is currently developing an in-tank inspection system based on Fourier Transform Profilometry, FTP. FTP is a non-contact, 3-D shape measurement technique. By projecting a fringe pattern onto a target surface and observing its deformation due to surface irregularities from a different view angle, FTP is capable of determining the height (depth) distribution (and hence volume distribution) of the target surface, thus reproducing the profile of the target accurately under a wide variety of conditions. Hence FTP has the potential to be utilized for quantitative determination of residual wastes within Hanford waste tanks. We have completed a preliminary performance evaluation of FTP in order to document the accuracy, precision, and operator dependence (minimal) of FTP under conditions similar to those that can be expected to pertain within Hanford waste tanks. Based on a Hanford C-200 series tank with camera access through a riser with significant offset relative to the centerline, we devised a testing methodology that encompassed a range of obstacles likely to be encountered 'in-tank'. These test objects were inspected by use of FTP and the volume of the test objects determined. The volumes of nondescript test objects were independently determined and were not known to the FTP operators. Several stages of testing are ongoing with successive stages imposing aspects that present increasing difficulty and increasingly more accurate approximations of in-tank environments. (authors)