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The accurate measurement of the 3D dose distribution of carbon-ion beams is essential for safe carbon-ion therapy. Although ionization chambers scanned in a water tank or air are conventionally used for this purpose, these measurement methods are time-consuming. We thus developed a rapid 3D dose-measurement tool that employs a silver-activated zinc sulfide (ZnS) scintillator with lower linear energy transfer (LET) dependence than gadolinium-based (Gd) scintillators; this tool enables the measurement of carbon-ion beams with small corrections. A ZnS scintillator sheet was placed vertical to the beam axis and installed in a shaded box. Scintillation images produced by incident carbon-ions were reflected with a mirror and captured with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. A 290 MeV/nucleon mono-energetic beam and spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) carbon-ion passive beams were delivered at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center. A water tank was installed above the scintillator with the water level remotely adjusted to the measurement depth. Images were recorded at various water depths and stacked in the depth direction to create 3D scintillation images. Depth and lateral profiles were analyzed from the images. The ZnS-scintillator-measured depth profile agreed with the depth dose measured using an ionization chamber, outperforming the conventional Gd-based scintillator. Measurements were realized with smaller corrections for a carbon-ion beam with a higher LET than a proton. Lateral profiles at the entrance and the Bragg peak depths could be measured with this tool. The proposed method would make it possible to rapidly perform 3D dose-distribution measurements of carbon-ion beams with smaller quenching corrections.

BackgroundThe majority of gastrointestinal tumors are adenocarcinomas. Rarely, there are other types of tumors, such as acinar cell carcinoma, and these are often called pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinomas. Among these tumors, some are differentiated into neuroendocrine components. A few of them are MiNENs.Case presentationThe patient was an 80-year-old male who was referred to our hospital for treatment of a pedunculated gastric tumor. It was 5 cm in diameter and detected in the upper gastric body with upper GI endoscopy conducted to investigate anemia. In the biopsy, although hyperplasia of gastric gland cells was noted, no tumor cells were found. Retrospectively, the diagnosis was misdiagnosed. An operation was arranged because bleeding from the tumor was suspected as a cause of anemia and because surgical resection was considered to be desirable for accurate diagnosis. Hence, laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery was performed. In the pathological examination, several types of epithelial cells that proliferated in the area between the mucosa and deep inside the submucosa were observed. These consisted of acinar-glandular/trabecular patterns and solid. A diagnosis of pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma of the stomach with NET G2 and G3 was made based on characteristic cellular findings and the results of immunostaining tests. Each of them consisted of more than 30% of the lesion; a diagnosis of pancreatic-type mixed acinar neuroendocrine carcinoma (pancreatic-type MiNEN) of the stomach or a type of gastric MiNEN was obtained. Anemia was resolved after the operation, and the patient was discharged from the hospital without perioperative complications.ConclusionsPancreatic-type ACC of the stomach that is differentiated into neuroendocrine tumors is very rare. Hence, we report this case along with a literature review.

Purpose We developed a novel and simple method to measure the source positions in applicators directly for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy based on Cherenkov emission imaging, and evaluated the performance. Methods The light emission from plastic applicators used in cervical cancer treatments, irradiated by an 192 Ir γ-ray source, was captured using a charge-coupled device camera. Moreover, we attached plastics of different shapes, including tapes, tubes, and plates to a metal applicator, to use as screens for the Cherenkov imaging. We determined the source positions and dwell intervals from the light profiles along with the applicator and compared these with preset values and dummy marker measurements. Results The source positions and dwell intervals measured from the light images were comparable to the dummy marker measurements and preset values. The distance from the applicator tip to the first source positions agreed with the dummy marker measurements within 0.2 mm for the plastic tandem. The dwell intervals measured using the Cherenkov method agreed with the preset values within 0.6 mm. The distances measured with three plastic types on the metal applicator also agreed with the dummy marker measurements within 0.2 mm. The dwell intervals measured using the plastic tape agreed with the preset values within 0.7 mm. Conclusions The proposed method should be suitable for rapid and easy quality assurance (QA) investigations in HDR brachytherapy, as it enables source position using a single image. The method allows for real-time, filmless measurements of the source positions to be obtained and is useful for rapid feedback in QA procedures.

We developed a Gd2Si2O7 (GPS) scintillator-based alpha imaging detector and demonstrated its effectiveness by evaluating the actual Pu particle and 222Rn progeny. The GPS scintillator plate was prepared by a sintering method. The outer dimensions of the GPS scintillator plate were $5\times 5$ cm, and the scintillator layer was approximately $50~\mu \text{m}$ on a 3-mm-thick high-transparency glass. The plate was optically coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu H8500, Hamamatsu, Japan) with silicone grease. The developed imaging detector exhibited good uniformity; Pu particle activities were accurately evaluated at 14 different positions and the difference in activity was within ±6%. The radon-222 progeny counts were reduced by 65.3% by applying an energy window. Although the Pu/222Rn progeny activity ratio was 1/51, the Pu particle was successfully identified among the 222Rn progeny within the 5-min measurement time. The imaging detector has an excellent ability for detecting Pu among the 222Rn progeny. Thus, this detector is useful for alpha contamination monitoring in high-radon-background environments.

Purpose The luminescence images of water during the irradiation of carbon-ions provide useful information such as the ranges and the widths of carbon-ion beams. However, measured luminescence images show higher intensities in shallow depths and wider lateral profiles than those of the dose distributions. These differences prevent the luminescence imaging of water from being applied to a quality assurance for carbon-ion therapy. We assumed that the differences were due to the contaminations of Cerenkov-light from the secondary electrons of carbon-ions as well as the prompt gamma photons in the measured image. In this study, we applied a correction method to a luminescence image of water during the irradiation of carbon-ion beams. Methods We estimated the distribution of the Cerenkov-light in water during the irradiation of carbon-ions by Monte Carlo simulation and subtracted the simulated Cerenkov-light from the depth and lateral profiles of the measured luminescence image for 241.5 MeV/u-carbon-ions. Results With these corrections, we successfully obtained depth and lateral profiles whose distributions are almost identical to the dose distributions of carbon-ions. The high intensities in the shallow depth areas decreased and the Bragg peak intensity increased. The beam widths of the measured images approached those of the ionization chamber. Conclusions These results indicate that the luminescence imaging of water with our proposed correction has potential to be used for dose distribution measurements for carbon-ion therapy dosimetry.

Measurements of three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution of electron-beams in water are important for high-energy electron beams from medical linear accelerators (LINAC). Although ionization chambers are commonly used for this purpose, measurements take a long time for precise 3D dose distribution. To solve the problem, we tried the measurements of the 3D dose distributions using a scintillator plate combined with a mirror. After we placed a 1 mm thick plastic scintillator plate at the upper inside of a black box, a water phantom was set above the plastic scintillator plate outside the black box, and electron beam was irradiated to the water phantom from the upper side. The attenuated electron-beam by the water in the phantom was detected by the plastic scintillator plate and the scintillation image was formed in the plate. The image was reflected by a surface mirror set below the plastic scintillator plate and detected by a cooled charge coupled device (CCD) camera from the side. We changed the depths of the water in the phantom, obtained the scintillation images, and calculated a 3D scintillation image using the measured images. Measurements were made for 9 MeV and 12 MeV electron-beams using the imaging system. From the images, we could successfully form 3D scintillation images. The depth profiles measured from the 3D images showed almost identical distribution with those calculated by the planning system within the difference of 5%. The lateral profiles also showed almost identical within the difference of the widths less than 2.5 mm. We conclude that the proposed method is promising for 3D dose distribution measurements of electron-beams.

Ce doped (Gd , La)2Si2O7 (LaGPS) is a new scintillator which has high light output and is a promising candidate for high resolution radiation imaging detectors. Thus we developed a radiation imaging detector using a LaGPS plate combined with a position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) and evaluated the performance. We found that the decay times of LaGPS were different with the types of radiations and the separations of the images of the different types of radiations were possible using pulse shape discrimination. The spatial resolution for Am-241 alpha particles (5.5 MeV) was better than 0.31 mm FWHM and the energy resolution was 11 % FWHM. The spatial resolution for Sr–Y-90 beta particles was ∼ 0.6 mm FWHM and those for Co-57 gamma photons (122 keV) and Cs-137 X-ray ( ∼ 35 keV) were better than 0.6 mm FWHM and ∼ 0.8 mm FWHM, respectively. The decay times for alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma photons were 143 ns, 124 ns, and 119 ns, respectively. With these different decay times, the separation of alpha particles and gamma photons or beta particles was possible using the pulse shape discrimination. We conclude that the developed LaGPS imaging detector has high resolution for all types of radiations and is also capable of the simultaneous imaging and separating the different types of radiations.

Spatial resolution of a pixelated scintillator-based radiation-imaging detector is sometimes limited by the pixel size of the scintillators. We developed a small-size pixelated GAGG scintillator using a dicing method and combined it with a small channel-size Si-PM array for the development of an ultrahigh resolution radiation-imaging detector. The developed pixelated GAGG scintillator had a pixel size of 0.1 mm × 0.1 mm arranged in 0.15-mm separations. It was combined with a Si-PM array made of 1 mm × 1 mm channels to form a radiation-imaging detector. With the developed radiation imaging detectors, the 0.1 mm × 0.1 mm pixels could be resolved for Am-241 alpha particles (5.5 MeV). The spatial resolutions of this imaging detector were better than 0.31-mm FWHM for Am-241 alpha particles and Ca-45 (maximum energy: 0.257 MeV) beta particles. The spatial resolutions for Am-241 gamma photons (60 keV) and Cs-137 X-ray ( ∼ 32 keV) were better than 0.6-mm FWHM. Separation of the images of alpha particles and gamma photons was possible using the scintillation decay time difference of GAGG between alpha particles and gamma photons. The developed ultrahigh spatial resolution pixelated GAGG radiation-imaging detector is promising for the imaging of alpha particles, beta particles, low-energy gamma photons and X-ray.

A scintillator with a high light output is considered to be required for the development of high spatial resolution radiation imaging detectors. In contrast to this scientific consensus, we found that high spatial resolution images can be obtained using a medium light output scintillator comprising cerium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite, YA1O3 (YAP(Ce)). We evaluated the performance of a radiation imaging detector comprising a 0.5 mm thick YAP(Ce) plate, which was optically coupled to a 25.4 mm (1-inch) square position-sensitive photomultiplier. The Anger principle was used to calculate the radiation positions. The spatial resolution and energy resolution for the imaging detector with 5.5 MeV alpha particles were 0.25 mm full width at half-maximum (FWHM) and 7.4% FWHM, respectively. The spatial resolutions for 60 keV gamma photons and ∼32 keV X-rays were ∼0.6 mm FWHM and ∼0.8 mm FWHM, respectively. The spatial resolution of the detector when imaging beta particles at a maximum energy of 254 keV was less than 0.6 mm FWHM. We conclude that YAP(Ce) is a promising scintillator for developing high spatial resolution and high energy resolution radiation detectors for imaging alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma photons.

We previously developed a radiation detector using a ceramic scintillator made for X-ray computed tomography (CT), Gd3(GaAl)5O12:Ce (GGAG), combined with a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) for the imaging of radiation. However, GGAG's scintillation wavelength is more suitable for silicon-based photodetectors than PSPMT, and so better performance is expected by combining it with a silicon-based photodetector. Therefore, here we combined a GGAG plate with silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) arrays to develop a radiation-imaging detector. Our proposed Si-PM-based GGAG radiation-imaging detector consists of a 0.5-mm-thick GGAG plate, a light guide, and an 8 x 8 Si-PM array. The spatial resolutions of this imaging detector surpassed 0.31-mm FWHM for 5.5-MeV alpha particles. The spatial resolution of the Sr-Y-90 beta particles (maximum energy: 2.28 MeV) was ∼0.8 mm FWHM and 0.6-mm FWHM for Ca-45 (maximum energy: 0.24 MeV). The spatial resolutions for Co-57 (122 keV), Am-241 gamma photons (60 keV), and Cs-137 X-rays (∼35 keV) were 0.6-, 0.8-, and 1.0-mm FWHM, respectively. Since GGAG's scintillation decay curves for alpha particles are different from gamma photons or beta particles, we can use pulse-shape discrimination to separate the Am-241 alpha particles from the Cs-137 gamma photons as well as from the Sr-Y-90 beta particles.

Gd3(GaAl)5O12 :Ce (GGAG) is a ceramic scintillator originally developed for X-ray CT, and it was also an excellent material for the development of an event-by-event-based radiation imaging detector when it was combined with a position sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT). With the developed GGAG imaging detector, we found that the decay times for alpha particles and gamma photons were different. Also, we found that the decay times for alpha particles and beta particles were different. These characteristics are advantageous for developing an imaging detector for the simultaneous imaging of different types of radiation using pulse shape discrimination. Thus, we tested the separation of the images of the alpha particles and gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. Also, we evaluated the separation of the alpha and beta particle images. In the pulse shape spectra, we could separate the peaks of Am-241 alpha particles and Cs-137 gamma photons with a peak-to-valley ratio (P/V) of 3.5. We obtained clearly separated images for Am-241 alpha particles and Cs-137 gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. We could also separate the peaks of Am-241 alpha particles and Sr–Y-90 beta particles with a P/V of 1.5 in the pulse shape spectrum. We obtained separated images for Am-241 alpha particles and Sr–Y-90 beta particles using pulse shape discrimination. In addition, we could separate electrostatically collected natural alpha particles, Po-218 and Po-214, from the environmental beta particles and gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. We conclude that the GGAG imaging detector is promising for simultaneous imaging and separating the images of different types of radiation using pulse shape discrimination.

We developed a positron emission tomography (PET) system for multiple-isotope imaging. Our PET system, named multiple-isotope PET (MI-PET), can distinguish between different tracer nuclides using coincidence measurement of prompt gamma-rays, which are emitted after positron emission. In MI-PET imaging with a pure positron emitter and prompt-gamma emitter, because of the imperfectness of prompt gamma-ray detection, an image for a pure positron emitter taken by MI-PET is superposed by a positron-{\gamma} emitter. Therefore, in order to make isolated images of the pure positron emitter, we developed image reconstruction methods based on data subtraction specific to MI-PET. We tested two methods, subtraction between reconstructed images and subtraction between sinogram data. In both methods, normalization for position dependence of the prompt {\gamma}-ray sensitivity is required in addition to detector sensitivity normalization. For these normalizations, we performed normalization scans using cylindrical phantoms of the positron-gamma emitters Sc-44m and Na-22. A long period measurement using the activity decay of Sc-44m (Half-life 58.6 hours) elucidated that the acquisition ratio between the prompt gamma-rays coincided with PET event and pure PET event changes on the basis of object activities. Therefore, we developed a correction method that involves subtraction parameters dependent on the activities, i.e., the counting rate. From analysis of dual-tracer phantom images, data subtraction in the sinogram data with sensitivity correction gives a higher quality of isolated images for the pure positron emitter than those from image subtractions. Furthermore, from dual-isotope (F-18-FDG and Sc-44m) mouse imaging, we concluded that our developed method can be used for practical imaging of a living organism., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures

Living lab, where various stakeholders such as local residents, local governments and companies collaborate (cf. (European Networks of Living Labs. https://www.openlivinglabs.eu)), has been attracting attention as a design method for local community services. Running a living lab, however, requires the lab staff to have highly specialized skills, and ideation facilitation is one of the important skills required for successful Living Lab management. Supporting novice staff with information technologies is expected to contribute to the further spread and implementation of living labs. In this study, we conducted a preliminary study of interaction state estimation based on nonverbal and speech-event cues to support novice facilitators. The proposed method can serve as a basis for designing a supporting system for novice facilitators by detecting important interaction events.

It is widely believed that light is not emitted in water during irradiation of radiation at energies lower than the Cherenkov light threshold. Contrary to this consensus, we discovered that light (luminescence) is emitted in water during irradiation of radiation, and imaging of this luminescence was possible. In this review, the author describes the optical images obtained for various types of radiation, their characteristics and origins, and potential applications of the luminescence of water during irradiation at a lower energy than the Cherenkov light threshold. The author also describes the luminescence of other transparent materials and future prospects of the discovered luminescence.

In alpha radionuclide therapy, an optical fiber-based alpha particle detector is a new tool that could possibly be employed for the direct detection of alpha particles in subjects. Thus, in the present study, we developed an optical fiber-based alpha particle detector. The alpha particle detector was made of a 1mm diameter, 10 cm long plastic double clad optical fiber drilled a 0.7 mm diameter, 2 mm depth open space at the one end of the fiber. Silver-doped zinc sulfide (ZnS (Ag)) was painted inside this open space to form a ZnS(Ag) small scintillation chamber. To conduct performance comparisons, we also developed a fiber detector using the same fiber in which a Ce-doped Lu1.8Y0·2SiO5 (LYSO(Ce)) scintillator with dimensions of 0.32 mm × 0.5 mm × 5 mm was inserted. Both fiber detectors were wrapped in aluminized Mylar and optically coupled to a position sensitive photomultiplier tube, before calculating the two-dimensional distributions, energy, and pulse shape spectra. For 5.5-MeV alpha particles, the ZnS(Ag) fiber detector produced ~ 5 times larger pulse heights and the count rate was ~2 times higher compared with those using the LYSO(Ce) fiber detector. For the maximum energy 2.28-MeV beta particles and 0.66-MeV gamma photons, the ZnS(Ag) fiber detector produced no counts, but it yielded small counts from natural alpha particles. Our results confirmed that the ZnS(Ag) fiber detector developed in this study could selectively detect alpha particles and it was insensitive to beta particles and gamma photons.

Purpose The luminescence image of water during the irradiation of carbon ions showed higher intensity at shallow depths than dose distribution due to the contamination of Cerenkov-light from secondary electrons. Since Cerenkov-light is coherent and polarized for the light produced during the irradiation of carbon ions to water, the reduction of Cerenkov-light may be possible with a polarizer. In addition, there is no information on the polarization of the luminescence of water. To clarify these points, we measured the optical images of water during the irradiation of carbon ions with a polarizer by changing the directions of the transmission axis. Methods Imaging was conducted using a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera during the irradiation of 241.5 MeV/n energy carbon ions to a water phantom with a polarizer in front of the lens by changing the transmission axis parallel and perpendicular to the carbon-ion beam. Results With the polarizer parallel to the carbon-ion beam, the intensity at the shallow depth was ~26 % higher than that measured with the polarizer perpendicular to the beam. We found no significant intensity difference between these two images at deeper depths where the Cerenkov-light was not included. The difference image of the parallel and perpendicular directions showed almost the same image as the simulated Cerenkov-light distribution. Using the measured difference image, correction of the Cerenkov component was possible from the measured luminescence image of water during the irradiation of carbon ions. Conclusion We could measure the difference of the Cerenkov-light component by changing the transmission axis of the polarizer. Also we clarified that there was no difference in the luminescence of water by changing the transmission axis of the polarizer.

Purpose Astatine-211 (At-211) is a promising alpha emitter for radionuclide therapy. High-resolution in vivo imaging of At-211 in small animals is needed for the development of At-211 radiopharmaceuticals. For this purpose, we developed a low-energy x-ray camera using a thin YAlO3 :Ce (YAP(Ce)) plate to image the low-energy x rays (73-87 keV) from the daughter radionuclide of At-211 (Po-211). Method We optically coupled a 38 × 38 × 1-mm YAP (Ce) plate to a position-sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT) to develop an imaging detector. A pinhole or a parallel hole collimator was attached to the imaging detector, and the performance was measured for 60-keV gamma photons. With the developed x-ray camera, we carried out imaging of a mouse that had been administered At-211-NaAt. Results The intrinsic spatial resolution of the YAP (Ce) x-ray camera was approximately 1.2 mm FWHM, and the energy resolution was 22% FWHM. With a 5-mm-thick parallel hole collimator, the spatial resolution was 3.8 mm FWHM with a sensitivity of 8 × 10-4 at 10 mm, which is a typical distance from the surface of the collimator to a subject in mouse imaging. Using a 1-mm diameter pinhole collimator, the spatial resolution was 1.8 mm FWHM with a sensitivity of 3.5 × 10-4 at 10 mm from the collimator. In the mouse images measured by the developed x-ray camera, we could clearly observe that the At-211 accumulated in the thyroid gland and the stomach of the mouse. Conclusion We concluded that the YAP (Ce) x-ray camera is useful for in vivo imaging of At-211.

Measurements of dose distribution in water are important for high-energy electron beams from medical linear accelerators (LINAC). Although ionization chambers are commonly used for this purpose, measurements take a relatively long time, especially to obtain data for two- or three-dimensional dose distributions. To solve the problem, we tried imaging of produced light in water during irradiations of high energy electron-beams from LINAC. We placed a water phantom on a table of a LINAC system, and images of produced light in water were measured with a high-sensitivity cooled charge coupled device (CCD) camera during electron-beam irradiations of the water phantom. Measurements were made for different energies and doses of electron beams. We also measured the light spectra of the images by changing optical filters, to observe the difference of the images with respect to the wavelengths and to confirm the source of the optical light. In all irradiations of different energies and doses of electron-beams, we could obtain clear images of produced light in water. From the optical images, although the depth profiles were significantly smaller in shallow part of water, the ranges of the beams could be estimated within 1.7 mm difference with those calculated by the planning system. The lateral profiles and widths derived from the images of produced light were almost identical to those calculated by the planning system; the difference of the width was less than 2.3 mm. The light spectra of the images of produced light of water showed similar distribution to that of the Cerenkov-light although the distribution was slightly steeper. There was not a significant difference observed in the depth profiles between different wave lengths of light. The imaging of produced light in water during electron-beam irradiations has potential to be used for lateral profiles measurements, range and width estimations.

For the detection of plutonium particles released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, we developed a high-resolution alpha-particle imaging system. The detector of the alpha-particle imaging system consists of a thin ZnS(Ag) sheet, a light guide, and a high quantum efficiency 1-inch square position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). The ZnS(Ag) sheet was optically coupled to the PSPMT with a 1.5 mm thick light guide between them. The Anger principle was used for the position calculation of the alpha particles. The spatial resolution of the alpha-particle imaging detector was 0.45 mm full width at half maximum for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. The uniformity of the imaging detector in the central part of the field of view was ±7%. The detection efficiency was 76% for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. Although the background count rate was 8.1 counts per minute because of the collection and detection of alpha particles from radon daughters in the air, it could be decreased to 0.1 counts per minute if the detector surface was covered with paper. There was no increase in the background count rates of 137Cs gamma photons and 45Ca beta particles. We obtained high-resolution variable phantom images and particles of alpha emitters with the system. We conclude that the alpha-particle imaging system developed is promising for the detection of plutonium particles in samples collected near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

For a radiation imaging detector, low cost, high light output and short decay time scintillator is required. Although ceramic scintillators developed for X-ray computed tomography (CT) are possible materials for this purpose, the performance of the scintillation imaging detector using ceramic scintillators was not reported. For this purpose, we tested a ceramic scintillator originally developed for X-ray CT, Gd 3(GaAl)5O12 :Ce (GGAG), combined with a position sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT) to test whether an event-by-event based radiation imaging detector is possible to develop. The radiation imaging detector consists of a 0.1 mm thick GGAG plate, light guide and a 1-inch square PSPMT. The GGAG plate was optically coupled to the PSPMT with a 1 mm thick light guide between them. Anger principle was used for the position calculation of the radiations. We also conducted the comparison of the imaging detectors using 0.5 mm thick GGAG and single crystal Ce doped Gd 3(Ga, Al)5O12 (GAGG) plates. The spatial resolution and energy resolution of the developed imaging detector were 0.53mm FWHM and 11.5 % FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles , respectively. The uniformity of the imaging detector at the central part of the field of view (FOV) was ± 11%. We could obtain variable phantom images with the developed imaging detector for alpha particles. Reasonable performance was also obtained for beta particles , low energy gamma photons and X-ray. The spatial resolution of the imaging detector used GGAG plate was twice better and distortion was smaller than that of GAGG. We conclude that GGAG ceramic scintillator is promising for the development of radiation imaging detectors.

Purpose Imaging of the secondary electron bremsstrahlung (SEB) x rays emitted during particle-ion irradiation is a promising method for beam range estimation. However, the SEB x-ray images are not directly correlated to the dose images. In addition, limited spatial resolution of the x-ray camera and low-count situation may impede correctly estimating the beam range and width in SEB x-ray images. To overcome these limitations of the SEB x-ray images measured by the x-ray camera, a deep learning (DL) approach was proposed in this work to predict the dose images for estimating the range and width of the carbon ion beam on the measured SEB x-ray images. Methods To prepare enough data for the DL training efficiently, 10,000 simulated SEB x-ray and dose image pairs were generated by our in-house developed model function for different carbon ion beam energies and doses. The proposed DL neural network consists of two U-nets for SEB x ray to dose image conversion and super resolution. After the network being trained with these simulated x-ray and dose image pairs, the dose images were predicted from simulated and measured SEB x-ray testing images for performance evaluation. Results For the 500 simulated testing images, the average mean squared error (MSE) was 2.5 × 10-5 and average structural similarity index (SSIM) was 0.997 while the error of both beam range and width was within 1 mm FWHM. For the three measured SEB x-ray images, the MSE was no worse than 5.5 × 10-3 and SSIM was no worse than 0.980 while the error of the beam range and width was 2 mm and 5 mm FWHM, respectively. Conclusions We have demonstrated the advantages of predicting dose images from not only simulated data but also measured data using our deep learning approach.

We propose an efficient speech-recognition error-correction interface for Japanese text entry on smart-watches. Although the accuracy of automatic speech recognition (ASR) has significantly improved, an interface for text modification is still essential. Considering the strict limitation of a narrow display area and practical demand of text modification, the proposed interface arranges the N-best results of ASR and a list of morphemes consisting of the 1-best result to enable quick access to any word to be modified. Specifically, multiple screens of the N-best results are switched by horizontal flicks, and another extended screen listing a morpheme sequence of the 1-best result is scrolled by vertical flicks. The proposed interface was compared with a software keyboard and a speech-input-enabled input method editor (IME), which was a simple combination of speech input and software keyboard. The proposed interface outperformed the other two interfaces in terms of time required to complete specified sentences, subjective score using system usability scale (SUS), and perceived workload quantified using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX).

For precise distribution measurements of alpha particles, a high-resolution alpha particle imaging detector is required. Although combining a thin scintillator with a silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) array is a promising method for achieving high resolution, the spatial resolution is limited. Reducing the size of the Si-PM array is a possible approach to improving the spatial resolution of the alpha particle imaging detector. Consequently, we employed a 1 mm channel size Si-PM array combined with a thin ZnS(Ag) sheet to form an alpha particle imaging detector and evaluated the performance. For the developed alpha particle imaging detector, an Si-PM array with 1 mm x 1 mm channel size arranged 8 x 8 was optically coupled to a ZnS(Ag) sheet with a 1-mm-thick light guide between them. The size of the alpha particle imaging detector was 9.5 mm x 9.5 mm. The spatial resolution of the developed alpha particle imaging detector was 0.14 mm FWHM, and the energy resolution was 74% FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. The uniformity of the imaging detector at the central part of the field of view (FOV) was ± 4.7%. The background count rate was 0.06 counts/min. We obtained various high-resolution phantom images for alpha particles with the developed system. We conclude that the developed imaging detector is promising for high-resolution distribution measurements of alpha particles.

Although luminescence imaging of water during proton-beam irradiation can be applied to range estimation, the height of the Bragg peak of the luminescence image was smaller than that measured with an ionization chamber . We hypothesized that the reasons of the difference were attributed to the optical phenomena ; parallax errors of the optical system and the reflection of the luminescence from the water phantom. We estimated the errors cause by these optical phenomena affecting the luminescence image of water. To estimate the parallax error on the luminescence images, we measured the luminescence images during proton-beam irradiation using a cooled charge-coupled camera by changing the heights of the optical axis of the camera from those of the Bragg peak. When the heights of the optical axis matched to the depths of the Bragg peak, the Bragg peak heights in the depth profiles were the highest. The reflection of the luminescence of water with a black wall phantom was slightly smaller than that with a transparent phantom and changed the shapes of the depth profiles. We conclude that the parallax error significantly affects the heights of the Bragg peak and the reflection of the phantom affects the shapes of depth profiles of the luminescence images of water.

In clinical situations, various breast-dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) systems have been used. However, clinical breast-dedicated PET systems have polygonal detector ring. Polygonal detector ring sometimes causes image artifact, so complicated reconstruction algorithm is needed to reduce artifact. Consequently, we developed a circular detector ring for breast-dedicated PET to obtain images without artifact using a simple reconstruction algorithm. We used Lu 1.9 Gd 0.1 SiO5 (LGSO) scintillator block which was made of 1.5 x 1.9 x 15 mm pixels that were arranged in an 8 x 24 matrix. As photodetectors , we used silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) arrays whose channel size was 3 x 3 mm. A detector unit was composed of four scintillator blocks, 16 Si-PM arrays and a light guide. The developed detector unit had angled configuration since the light guide was bending. A detector unit had three gaps with an angle of 5.625° between scintillator blocks. With these configurations, we could arrange 64 scintillator blocks in nearly circular shape (regular 64-sided polygon) using 16 detector units. The use of the smaller number of detector units could reduce the size of the front–end electronics circuits. The inner diameter of the developed detector ring was 260 mm. This size was similar to those of brain PET systems, so our breast-dedicated PET detector ring can measure not only breast but also brain. Measured radial, tangential and axial spatial resolution of the detector ring reconstructed by the filtered back-projection (FBP) algorithm were 2.1 mm FWHM, 2.0 mm FWHM and 1.7 mm FWHM at center of field of view (FOV), respectively. The sensitivity was 2.0% at center of the axial FOV. With the developed detector ring, we could obtain high resolution image of the breast phantom and the brain phantom. We conclude that our developed Si-PM-based detector ring is promising for a high resolution breast-dedicated PET system that can also be used for brain PET system.

Ra-223 has recently been introduced in alpha-targeting radionuclide therapy. According to the decay scheme of Ra-223, beta particles with higher energy than the Cerenkov-light threshold are emitted. In addition, there are reports that the alpha particles themselves emit luminescence in water and air. However, measured optical imaging results from Ra-223 have not yet been reported. Therefore, we conducted optical imaging of an Ra-223 solution and compared it with that of an F-18 solution. Ra-223 and F-18 solutions contained in transparent glass vials were imaged using a high-sensitivity CCD camera. We could obtain an image of the Ra-223 solution with radioactivity of 0.72 MBq in an acquisition time of less than 10 s. At the same level of radioactivity, the intensity of the optical signal in the solution part of the vial of Ra-223 was 21 times higher than that of F-18. Furthermore, in the air part of the vials, Ra-223 had higher luminescence than that of F-18. The light spectra for Ra-223 and F-18 solutions were similar, but those in the vials' air parts were different. The optical signals in the solution part of both Ra-223 and F-18 are attributed to Cerenkov light, while that in the air part of Ra-223 is attributed to the scintillation of N 2 gas in air. No obvious luminescence of water by the alpha particles was observed. We concluded that optical imaging of the Ra-223 solution was possible, and this solution's light intensity was much higher than that of the F-18 solution and thus easier to detect. Therefore, Ra-223 is a promising radionuclide for optical imaging in distribution measurements.

Positron emission mammography (PEM) has higher detection sensitivity for breast cancer compared with whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) due to higher spatial resolution. We have developed a new PEM device with high resolution over a wide field of view. This PEM device comprises novel scintillation crystals, praseodymium-doped lutetium aluminum garnet (Pr:LuAG). In the present study, the clinical use of the newly developed PEM for the detection of small breast cancer was compared with that of the conventional PET-computed tomography (PET/CT). Eighty-two patients with breast cancer less than 20 mm (UICC T1) participated in this study, including 23 patients with T1a or T1b breast cancer (less than 10 mm). Histologically-proved lesions were examined by PET/CT and PEM on the same day after injection of [18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG), a marker of glycolytic activity. The newly developed PEM showed better sensitivity of cancer detection compared with PET/CT especially in case of the small T1a or T1b lesions. Moreover, when the conventional PET/CT and new PEM were combined, the detection sensitivity with [18F]FDG molecular imaging for T1 (N = 82) and T1a plus T1b breast cancer (N = 23) were 90% and 70%, respectively. The uptake of [18F]FDG was proportional to the histological malignancy of breast cancer. Using the newly-developed PEM with [18F]FDG, we are able to identify and characterize exactly the small breast tumors less than 10 mm in combination with the conventional PET/CT. These data indicate that PEM and PET/CT are synergic and complementary for the detection of small breast cancer.

Although optical imaging of muon beams is a possible method for range determination, it has been limited to two-dimensional (2D) projection images. For the precise measurement of an optical image of a muon beam, three-dimensional (3D) imaging is desired. To measure a 3D optical image, we conducted optical imaging of muon beams using a plastic scintillator plate set in a water phantom. When this plate was immersed in the water phantom, irradiation with a positive muon beam was carried out from along the plate’s sides. Optical images of the scintillator plate were acquired using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera from the side during irradiation with a positive muon beam. The imaging system was moved in 10-mm steps perpendicular to the beam direction to acquire a set of sliced optical images of the beam. These sliced images were stacked and interpolated to form a 3D optical image, and the depth and lateral profiles were evaluated. From the depth profiles derived from the 3D optical image, the Bragg peak position was estimated. The lateral profiles at the Bragg peak could also be derived. We confirmed that 3D imaging of muon beams is feasible and in fact a promising method for measuring sliced optical images at any position, which is a capability that is useful for research on muon beams as well as for future muon radiotherapy .

To correct for parallax error in positron emission tomography (PET), phoswich depth-of-interaction (DOI) detector using multiple scintillators with different decay times is a practical approach. However not many scintillator combinations suitable for phoswich DOI detector have been reported. Ce doped Gd 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 (GFAG) is a newly developed promising scintillator for PET detector, which has high density, high light output, appropriate light emission wavelength for silicon-photomultiplier (Si-PM) and faster decay time than that of Ce doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (GAGG). In this study, we developed a Si-PM based phoswich DOI block detector of GFAG with GAGG crystal arrays and evaluated its performance. We assembled a GFAG block and a GAGG block and they were optically coupled in depth direction to form a phoswich detector block. The phoswich block was optically coupled to a Si-PM array with a 1 mm thick light guide. The sizes of the GFAG and GAGG pixels were 0.9 mm x 0.9 mm x 7.5 mm and they were arranged into 24 x 24 matrix with 0.1 mm thick BaSO 4 as reflector. We conducted the performance evaluation for two types of configurations; GFAG block arranged in upper layer (GFAG/GAGG) and GAGG arranged in upper layer (GAGG/GFAG). The measured two dimensional position histograms of these block detectors showed good separation and pulse shape spectra produced two distinct peaks for both configurations although some difference in energy spectra were observed. These results indicate phoswich block detectors composed of GFAG and GAGG are promising for high resolution DOI PET systems.

Although Lu-based scintillators, including Ce-doped Lu 1 . 8 Y 0 . 2 SiO 5 (LYSO) scintillators, are often used for positron emission tomography (PET) detectors, they are not commonly used in gamma cameras for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) because background counts due to contamination of the natural radioisotope in Lu are detected. However, several studies report that deterioration in image contrast due to background counts of the natural radioisotope is not critical and thus LYSO is promising for use in SPECT detectors. Meanwhile, a new scintillator, the Ce-doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (GAGG) with a high light yield and no natural radioisotope, has been developed and is also thought to be a promising scintillator. Thus, we compared the performance of LYSO with that of GAGG to determine which is more appropriate for a silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM)-based high-resolution small field-of-view (FOV) gamma camera for SPECT. We used finely pixelated LYSO and GAGG plates that were optically coupled to Si-PM arrays to form gamma cameras and measured the basic performance for 122-keV gamma photons. The energy resolutions of the LYSO- and GAGG-based Si-PM gamma cameras were 30% and 23% full width at half maximum (FWHM), respectively. The intrinsic spatial resolution of the GAGG ( ∼ 0 . 5 mm FWHM) based gamma camera was better than that of the LYSO ( ∼ 0 . 6 mm FWHM). The background counts of the LYSO-based gamma camera were 28 times larger than that of the GAGG. Based on these results, we conclude that GAGG is more appropriate than LYSO for the development of a Si-PM based gamma camera for high resolution SPECT.

Measurements of dose distribution are important for high energy X-ray beam from linear accelerators (LINAC) for quality assessment (QA) of the system. Although ionization chambers are commonly used for this purpose, measurements need relatively long time to obtain the data especially for the two- or three-dimensional dose distributions. To solve the problem, we conducted optical imaging of water during irradiations of high energy X-ray beam from a LINAC. We placed a water phantom set on a table with a LINAC system, and optical images of water were measured with a high-sensitivity cooled charge coupled device (CCD) camera during X-ray beam irradiations to the water phantom from the upper side. Measurements were made for different energies and doses of X-ray beams. We also measured dynamic images while moving the multi-leaf collimators of the LINAC system to evaluate the performance for more practical condition. Then we measured the light spectra of the optical images of water for X-ray beam by changing the optical filters. In all irradiations of different energies and doses of X-ray beam, we could obtain clear optical images in water. The lateral profiles of the images were almost identical to those calculated by planning system. However the depth profiles were slightly smaller at the deeper area. We obtained dynamic images while moving the multi-leaf collimators. The light spectrum of the image during X-ray beam irradiation was similar to that of the Cerenkov-light. There was not a significant difference in the depth profiles between different wave lengths of light. Optical imaging of water during irradiations of X-ray beam has a potential to be used for the lateral profile of the beams. Also it might be useful to estimate the depth profiles with slight under estimations at deeper areas. Dynamic optical imaging while moving the multi-leaf collimators during irradiation of X-ray were possible.

Although optical imaging of decayed positrons and muons can provide promising methods, it has been attempted only for muons without a collimator, and the beam characteristics with collimators, such as peak position or beam spread in depth and lateral directions, have not yet been evaluated. Therefore, we conducted optical imaging of decayed positrons and muons with different collimators. For the imaging of decayed positrons, Cherenkov-light imaging in fluorescein (FS) water was used, while imaging of a plastic scintillator block was used for the imaging of muons. We conducted these imaging trials during irradiation with 84.5-MeV/c positive muons to an FS water phantom or a plastic scintillator block using a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera with each collimator of a different diameter attached to the beam port. We could measure the Cherenkov-light images of FS water of decayed positrons and optical images of muons using the plastic scintillator block for all collimators. The depth profiles of the Cherenkov-light images were slightly wider for the muons with the collimators of larger diameters, although the estimated peak depths were nearly the same for all collimators. The lateral profiles of the Cherenkov light were wider for the muons when using collimators of larger diameters. Asymmetry in the directions of positron emissions from the muons was observed for all collimators. The depth profiles of the optical image of muons using a plastic scintillator block had nearly the same shape. The estimated lateral widths of the optical images of the plastic scintillator block were the same sizes as the collimator diameters within a 1.1-mm difference at a 10-mm depth of the scintillator block, and the widths were wider at the Bragg peak. With these measured optical images, we conclude that Cherenkov-light imaging of decayed positrons in water and optical imaging of muons using a plastic scintillator block with collimators are useful methods for determining not only peak position but also beam width as well as the asymmetry of the directions of positron emissions from the muons.

Optical imaging that detects Cerenkov-light or the luminescence of water is a promising method to measure dose distributions in radiotherapy due to its ability to provide high-resolution images in a short measurement time. However, it is unclear whether optical imaging is possible for neutron beams in water. Although neutrons do not emit light in water, prompt gamma photons or protons produced from the interaction between neutrons and water may emit light. To clarify this point, we measured the light distribution in water during irradiation of neutron beams from a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) system and compared the result with that calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The light distribution was measured in a black box using a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera during irradiation of neutrons to water for 5 s from a cyclotron-based clinical BNCT system. In the measured optical image in water, clear light distribution could be observed during neutron beam irradiation. The depth and lateral profiles of the optical images were well-matched with those calculated by simulation for produced Cerenkov-light by the secondary electrons from prompt gamma photons. The simulated Cerenkov-light was nearly identical to that of the dose for prompt gamma photons. We conclude that the optical imaging of a neutron beam is possible and that it might be used for the dose distribution measurements of prompt gamma photons produced by the nuclear interactions between neutrons and water in addition to the gamma photons from the port and collimator.

Plutonium dioxide (PuO2) is used to fabricate a mixed oxide fuel for fast breeder reactors. When a glove box containing PuO2 fails, such as by rupture of a glove or a vinyl bag, airborne contamination of plutonium (Pu) can occur. If a worker inhales PuO2 particles, they will be continually irradiating their lung tissue with alpha particles, and this could cause lung cancer. The nasal smear and nose blow methods are useful for checking workers for PuO2 intake in the field. However, neither method can evaluate the quantitative activity of Pu. No alpha-particle detector that can be used for direct measurements in the nasal cavity has been developed. For direct and quantitative measurement, it is required that a shape of the detector should be a fine bar which inserts itself in the nose to measure the accurate activity of Pu. Therefore, we developed a nasal monitor capable of directly measuring the activity of Pu in the nasal cavity to estimate the internal exposure dose of a worker. Prismatic-shaped 2 × 2 acrylic light guides were used to compose a detector block, and a ZnS(Ag) scintillator was adhered to the surface of these light guides. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays with 8 × 8 channels were used as a photodetector. Actual PuO2 particles were measured using the nasal monitor. The nasal monitor could be directly inserted in the nasal cavities, and the activity distribution of Pu was obtained by the nasal monitor. The average efficiencies in 4-pi were 11.4 and 11.6% for the left and right nasal cavities, respectively. The influence of gamma and beta rays from Cesium-137 (137Cs) Strontium-90 (90Sr) on the detection of the alpha particles of Pu was negligible. The difference in the measured Pu activity between the ZnS(Ag) scintillation counter and the nasal monitor was within 4.0%. Therefore, it was considered that the developed nasal monitor could be used in direct Pu determination to estimate the internal exposure dose of workers.

The purpose of this paper is to identify effective methods to reduce the interference between PET and MRI. First, the author theoretically calculated the magnetic and electrical fields from the radiofrequency (RF) coil as a function of the distance from it. Then with a 0.3-T MRI and a silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) block detector, the author measured the RF-induced noise signal amplitudes as a function of the distance from the coil. Although both the magnetic and electrical fields decreased dramatically as the distance from the coil increased, the magnetic field decreased more rapidly than the electrical field. From experiments, the induced noise signal decreased rapidly as the distance from the coil increased. With these results, the most effective method to reduce the interference between PET and MRI is taking the distance between the coil and the Si-PM arrays. Using the Cu shield around the detector will not be very effective in PET/MRI systems since it is located in the near field where the magnetic field in RF is dominant.

We developed a new imaging detector called flexible alpha camera that can identify Pu contamination in narrow spaces at work sites. The thickness of the flexible alpha camera is only ∼1/5th that of the ZnS(Ag) scintillation detector which is commonly used for detecting Pu contamination, and its efficiency in the 4-pi direction is 42.7% for 5.5-MeV alpha particles. The minimal detectable activity (MDA) is 0.014 Bq measured in 30 min. Four types of PuO2 samples, taken from a duct, bag-in/bag-out port, glovebox glove, and vinyl sheet, were measured by the flexible alpha camera. In a two-dimensional distribution of alpha particles, PuO2 was identified automatically using the “AnalyzeParticle” function in the ImageJ plugin, and its activity was evaluated. When acquisition time increased from 10 min to 30 min, a Pu spot with low activity was identified. To verify the measurement in narrow space, a fume hood to which a PuO2 particle was attached was measured using the flexible alpha camera. Since the flexible alpha camera has the thin-thickness of 12 mm and can obtain two-dimensional distribution and energy spectrum of alpha particles, it is effective for detecting Pu contamination in narrow spaces of equipment.

The luminescence imaging of water during irradiation of beta particles with energy lower than the Cerenkov-light threshold has widely been considered impossible because such particles do not emit Cerenkov light. Contrary to this consensus, we found that luminescence imaging of water is in fact possible with such relatively low-energy beta particles. Beta particles from a 500-kBq 45Ca beta source (maximum energy: 257 keV) were irradiated to pure water, and the source’s luminescence images were acquired with a high-sensitivity, cooled charge-coupled device camera. We also conducted image acquisition for an acrylic plate and a plastic scintillator. The water’s luminescence image during beta particle irradiation became visualized after a 1200-s acquisition time. The luminescence intensity with the beta irradiation of water was 0.54 photons/MeV, and the luminescence intensity with that of the acrylic plate was 3.3 photons/MeV. Consequently, we have shown that luminescence imaging of water using beta particles with energy lower than the Cerenkov-light threshold is a promising new method for beta particle detection and distribution measurements.

Eu:SrI2 bulk single crystals with 1.5-in diameter were grown using the Bridgman–Stockbarger technique and special-shaped crucibles. We will report on the growth of the 1.5-in size Eu:SrI2 single crystal and the preliminary test of the same sample cut in size of ${10 \times 10 \times 10}$ mm3 with polishing. An energy resolution of 3.2% full width at half maximum (FWHM) was obtained for 137Cs. After cutting and polishing the grown crystal to the size of ${3 \times 3 \times 3}$ mm3, ${8 \times 8}$ matrix Eu:SrI2 arrays were fabricated. We made a test module consisting of Eu:SrI2 arrays, which was optically coupled with position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) and multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) array. The position and energy performance of the test module were evaluated using 137Cs and 57Co radioactive sources. As a result, we were able to resolve all pixels clearly. A good energy resolution of 6.7% ± 0.7% (FWHM) and 8.2% ± 2.5% (FWHM) for 662 keV was obtained using PSPMT and MPPC arrays, respectively. In the same way, energy resolution of 12.7% ± 1.3% and 14.7% ± 3.4% (FWHM) for 122 keV was obtained using PSPMT and MPPC-array, respectively. These energy resolutions considerably degraded compared with an energy resolution of the single piece of Eu:SrI2 sample owing to the thinness of the Teflon reflector. This conclusion can be considered as a strong motivation for future research on the choice of reflector materials and structure of the Eu:SrI2 array.

Imaging of secondary electron bremsstrahlung x-ray emitted during proton irradiation is a possible method for measurement of the proton beam distribution in phantom. However, it is not clear that the method is used for range estimation of protons. For this purpose, we developed a low-energy x-ray camera and conducted imaging of the bremsstrahlung x-ray produced during irradiation of proton beams. We used a 20 mm × 20 mm × 1 mm finely grooved GAGG scintillator that was optically coupled to a one-inch square high quantum efficiency (HQE)-type position-sensitive photomultiplier tube to form an imaging detector. The imaging detector was encased in a 2 cm-thick tungsten container, and a pinhole collimator was attached to its camera head. After performance of the camera was evaluated, secondary electron bremsstrahlung x-ray imaging was conducted during irradiation of the proton beams for three different proton energies, and the results were compared with Monte Carlo simulation as well as calculated value. The system spatial resolution and sensitivity of the developed x-ray camera with 1.5 mm-diameter pinhole collimator were estimated to be 32 mm FWHM and 5.2 × 10−7 for ~35 keV x-ray photons at 100 cm from the collimator surface, respectively. We could image the proton beam tracks by measuring the secondary electron bremsstrahlung x-ray during irradiation of the proton beams, and the ranges for different proton energies could be estimated from the images. The measured ranges from the images were well matched with the Monte Carlo simulation, and slightly smaller than the calculated values. We confirmed that the imaging of the secondary electron bremsstrahlung x-ray emitted during proton irradiation with the developed x-ray camera has the potential to be a new tool for proton range estimations.

Although a high-energy gamma camera can obtain images of 137Cs distribution by detecting the 662-keV gamma photons, its spatial resolution is reduced because high-energy gamma photons penetrate the edge of the pinhole collimator. To solve this problem, we developed a low-energy X-ray camera that detects the characteristic X-ray photons (32–37 keV) that are emitted from 137Cs to obtain high resolution images. We used a 45 × 45 × 1-mm-thick NaI(Tl) scintillator that was encapsulated in 0.1-mm-thick aluminum and optically coupled to a 2-inch square, position sensitive photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu Photonics, PSPMT:H12700 MOD) as an imaging detector. The imaging detector was encased in a 2-cm-thick tungsten alloy container and a pinhole collimator was attached to its camera head. The spatial resolution and sensitivity were ∼5 mm full-width at half-maximum and ∼0.6 cps/MBq for the 1.5-mm pinhole collimator 10 cm from the collimator surface, respectively. We administered 5 MBq of 137Cs to a soybean se...

It is commonly thought that UV or visible-light luminescence imaging of biological subjects during X-ray irradiation at the energy below 120 keV is impossible because the secondary electrons produced in this energy range do not emit Cerenkov light. Contrary to this consensus, we found UV or visible-light luminescence imaging of the subjects were possible with X-ray irradiations of this energy range. We placed one of the biological subjects in a black box; visible-light luminescence images were measured with a high-sensitivity, cooled charge coupled device (CCD) camera during X-ray irradiation at energy below 120 keV. We also conducted the imaging of air without subjects during irradiation of the same X-ray. The biological subjects emitted visible-light luminescence, and the imaging was possible with the irradiation of the X-ray below 120 keV. The luminescence images were observed in only the X-ray irradiated areas. Also air luminescence images could be obtained and the intensity of the luminescence measured from the images was proportionally increased with the exposure dose. UV or visible-light luminescence imaging of biological subjects was possible during X-ray irradiations lower energy than the Cerenkov-light threshold. The phenomenon was different from general X-ray fluorescence because wavelength of the luminescence is UV or visible-light. The luminescence imaging method is promising for estimating the irradiated area with X-ray, which could be used for interventional radiology (IVR). Also air luminescence imaging would be applied to the exposure dose distribution measurements for X-ray of diagnostic X-ray systems.

We developed an optical lens based alpha-particle imaging system using position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). The alpha-particle imaging system consists of an optical lens, an extension tube and a 1 in. square high quantum efficiency (HQE) type PSPMT. After a ZnS(Ag) is attached to subject, the scintillation image of ZnS(Ag) is focused on the photocathode of the PSPMT by the use of the optical lens. With this configuration we could image the alpha particle distribution with energy information without contacting to the subject. The spatial resolution and energy resolution were ~0.8 mm FWHM and 50% FWHM at 5 mm from the optical lens, respectively. We could successfully image the alpha particle distribution in uranium ore. The developed alpha-particle imaging system will be a new tool for imaging alpha emitters with energy information without contacting the subject.

In positron emission tomography (PET) for breast, brain and small animal imaging, the spatial resolution of a PET detector is crucial to obtain high quality PET images. In this study, a PET detector for sub-millimeter spatial resolution imaging purpose was assembled using 4×4 pixels of a digital silicon photomultiplier (dSiPM, DPC-3200-22-44, Philips) coupled with a 15×15 LGSO array with BaSO4 reflector, and a 1 mm thick acrylic light guide for light distribution between the dSiPM pixels. The active area of each dSiPM pixel was 3.2×3.9 mm2 and the size of each LGSO scintillator element was 0.7×0.7×6 mm3. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrated the performance of the PET detector by measuring the energy resolution, 2D flood map, peak to valley (P/V) ratio, and coincidence resolving time (CRT). All measurements were performed at a temperature of 10±1 ℃. The average energy resolution was 15.6% (without correcting for saturation effects) at 511 keV and the best CRT was 242±5 ps. The 2D flood map obtained with an energy window of 400–600 keV demonstrated clear identification of all pixels, and the average P/V ratio of the X- and Y-directions were 7.31 and 7.81, respectively. This study demonstrated that the PET detector could be suitable for application in high resolution PET while achieving good timing resolution.

Phoswich depth-of-interaction (DOI) detectors utilizing multiple scintillators with different decay time are a useful device for developing a high spatial resolution, high sensitivity PET scanner. However, in order to apply pulse shape discrimination (PSD), there are not many combinations of scintillators for which phoswich technique can be implemented. Ce doped Gd 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 (GFAG) is a recently developed scintillator with a fast decay time. This scintillator is similar to Ce doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (GAGG), which is a promising scintillator for PET detector with high light yield. By stacking these scintillators, it may be possible to realize a high spatial resolution and high timing resolution phoswich DOI detector. Such phoswich DOI detector may be applied to time-of-flight (TOF) systems with high timing performance. Therefore, in this study, we tested the basic performance of the new scintillator –GFAG for use in a TOF phoswich detector. The measured decay time of a GFAG element of 2.9 mmx2.9 mmx10 mm in dimension, which was optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube (PMT), was faster (66 ns) than that of same sized GAGG (103 ns). The energy resolution of the GFAG element was 5.7% FWHM which was slightly worse than that of GAGG with 4.9% FWHM for 662 keV gamma photons without saturation correction. Then we assembled the GFAG and the GAGG crystals in the depth direction to form a 20 mm long phoswich element (GFAG/GAGG). By pulse shape analysis, the two types of scintillators were clearly resolved. Measured timing resolution of a pair of opposing GFAG/GAGG phoswich scintillator coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers (Si-PM) was good with coincidence resolving time of 466 ps FWHM. These results indicate that the GFAG combined with GAGG can be a candidate for TOF-DOI-PET systems.

The intrinsic spatial resolution of the detector is an important aspect to reconstruct high quality nuclear medicine images. In order to realize a high spatial resolution, small pixelated Cerium doped Gd3Al2Ga3O12 (Ce:GAGG) scintillators–known for their high light output, high density and relatively fast decay time, were coupled to a digital silicon photomultiplier (dSiPM) for read out. This detector module consists of a $ {24 \times 24}$ Ce:GAGG scintillator block of 0.4 mm $ {\times }0.4$ mm $ {\times }5$ mm crystal elements and a 2 mm thick light guide made of acrylic resin. The digital silicon photomultiplier (dSiPM), DPC-3200-22-44, was used to acquire 2-D position histogram, energy resolution and coincidence timing resolution. The 2-dimensional position histogram of the Ce:GAGG block detector irradiated with 22Na gamma photons showed that most pixels were clearly resolved with an average peak-to-valley (P/V) ratio of ~3.4. The average energy resolution of the Ce:GAGG block detector was 17.8%. At trigger scheme 1 ( $ {1}^{\mathrm {st}}$ photon trigger), the coincidence timing resolution was 342 ± 7 ps FHWM when acquired in coincidence with a 2 mm $ {\times }2$ mm $ {\times }6$ mm LSO crystal (after skew correction). This study demonstrates that a pixelated Ce:GAGG block coupled with dSiPM provides good position performance and time resolution. We conclude that the highly pixelated Ce:GAGG detector module may be a good candidate for implementing ultrahigh resolution nuclear medicine systems and applications requiring good timing resolution.