[en] Underwater sonar systems are increasingly being used at frequencies greater than 100 kHz for bathymetry measurement, seabed characterization and object detection [Proceedings of the 5th European Conference on Underwater Acoustics, Vol. 2, p. 1283]. In general, there are two main contributions to the backscattered acoustic wave due to seafloor properties: scattering from interface roughness (interface scattering) and from volume heterogeneities (e.g. due to sediment layering or bioturbation) in the first few decimeters of the seabed (volume scattering) [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95 (1994) 2441]. Until recently, modeling and validated measurements at these very high frequencies have been limited by the difficulty of accurately characterizing seabed properties at centimeter and sub-centimeter scales. This paper examines how X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans of seafloor cores have been used to obtain data sets that not only allow computation of both the statistical and the spatial distribution of density-related parameters relevant to volume scattering modeling, but also represent a valuable tool for selective, nondestructive visual analysis of inner features of cores. The main advantages of X-ray CT are the excellent spatial resolution and the ready availability of digital data sets that naturally lend themselves to computer processing. The methodology of the whole process, from core collection to advanced instruis described here, with special emphasis on image processing and density quantification issues

[en] Present standard treatment planning (TP) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM - a kind of brain tumor), used in all boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) trials, requires the construction (based on CT and/or MRI images) of a 3D model of the patient head, in which several regions, corresponding to different anatomical structures, are identified. The model is then employed by a computer code to simulate radiation transport in human tissues. The assumption is always made that considering a single value of boron concentration for each specific region will not lead to significant errors in dose computation. The concentration values are estimated 'indirectly', on the basis of previous experience and blood sample analysis. This paper describes an original approach, with the introduction of data on the in vivo boron distribution, acquired by a positron emission tomography (PET) scan after labeling the BPA (borono-phenylalanine) with the positron emitter ¹⁸F. The feasibility of this approach was first tested with good results using the code CARONTE. Now a complete TPS is under development. The main features of the first version of this code are described and the results of a preliminary study are presented. Significant differences in dose computation arise when the two different approaches ('standard' and 'PET-based') are applied to the TP of the same GBM case

[en] The idea to couple the treatment planning system (TPS) to the information on the real boron distribution in the patient acquired by positron emission tomography (PET) is the main added value of the new methodology set-up at DIMNP (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Nucleare e della Produzione) of University of Pisa, in collaboration with the JRC (Joint Research Centre) at Petten (NL). This methodology has been implemented in a new TPS, called Boron Distribution Treatment Planning System (BDTPS), which takes into account the actual boron distribution in the patient's organ, as opposed to other TPSs used in BNCT that assume an ideal uniform boron distribution. BDTPS is based on the Monte Carlo technique and has been experimentally validated comparing the computed main parameters (thermal neutron flux, boron dose, etc.) to those measured during the irradiation of an ad hoc designed phantom (HEterogeneous BOron phantoM, HEBOM). The results are also in good agreement with those obtained by the standard TPS SERA and by reference calculations carried out using an analytical model with the MCNP code. In this paper, the methodology followed for both the experimental and the computational validation of BDTPS is described

[en] Since October 1997, a clinical trial of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for glioblastoma patients has been in progress at the High Flux Reactor, Petten, the Netherlands. The trial is a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) protocol (no. 11 961) and, as such, must be conducted following the highest quality management and procedures, according to good clinical practice and also other internationally accepted codes. The complexity of BNCT involves not only strict international procedures, but also a variety of techniques to measure the different aspects of the irradiation involved when treating the patient. Applications include: free beam measurements using packets of activation foils; in-phantom measurements for beam calibration using ionisation chambers, pn-diodes and activation foils; monitoring of the irradiation beam during patient treatment using fission chambers and GM-counters; boron in blood measurements using prompt gamma ray spectroscopy; radiation protection of the patient and staff using portable radiation dosimeters and personal dosimeters; and in vivo measurements of the boron in the patient using a prompt gamma ray telescope. The procedures and applications of such techniques are presented here, with particular emphasis on the importance of the quality assurance/quality control procedures and its reporting

[en] Gadolinium has been recently proposed, as neutron capture agent in NCT (Neutron Capture Therapy), due to both the nuclide high neutron capture cross section, and the remarkable selective uptake inside tumour tissue that Gd-loaded compounds, can provide. When a neutron external source is supplied, different Gd nuclear reactions, and the generated Auger electrons in particular, cause a high local energy deposition, which results in a tumour cell inactivation. Preliminary micro- as well as macro-dosimetric Monte Carlo computational investigations show that the tumour-to-healthy tissue biological damage ratio is in close relation to the neutron beam energy spectrum. The results points out that the optimum neutron spectrum, to be used for Gd-NCT, seems to lie in the 1 to 10 keV energy range. In order to 'tailor' such spectra, an original, accelerator-driven, neutron source and spectrum shaping assembly for hospital-based Gd-NCT are presented and preliminary results are reported. Published by Oxford Univ. of Press. All rights reserved. (authors)