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In both the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) schemata of internal dosimetry, the S-value is defined as the absorbed dose to a target organ per nuclear decay of the radionuclide in a source organ. Its computation requires data on the energies and yields of all radiation emissions from radionuclide decay, the mass of the target organ, and the value of the absorbed fraction-the fraction of particle energy emitted in the source organ that is deposited in the target organ. The specific absorbed fraction (SAF) is given as the ratio of the absorbed fraction and the target mass. #link# Historically, in the early development of both schemata, computational simplifications were made to the absorbed fraction in considering both organ self-dose ([Formula see text]) and organ cross-dose ([Formula see text]). In particular, the value of the absorbed fraction was set to unity for all 'non-penetrating' particle emissions (electrons and alpha particles) such that tntoms and source-target combinations. Age-dependent trends in the electron SAF were demonstrated for the majority of the source-target organ pairs, and were consistent to values given for the ICRP adult phantoms. link2 In selected cases, however, anticipated age-dependent trends were not seen, and were attributed to anatomical differences in relative organ positioning at specific phantom ages. Both the electron SAFs of this study, and the photon SAFs from our companion study, are presently being used by ICRP Committee 2 in its upcoming pediatric extension to ICRP Publication 133.This study aims to understand radiological protection systems in diagnostic radiology practices among 30 diagnostic radiology facilities in Mumbai, India. It assesses the status of radiological protection systems in the facilities, continuous professional development (CPD) of workers and their risky working behaviour and perceptions using a semi-structured questionnaire. Then, we examine the perceptions of workers when they were working in facilities without proper protection systems. We also, attempt to understand the reasons why workers engage in risky behaviour despite the availability of protective systems. In doing so, we examine the influence of CPD on their work behaviour. The study observed that about twenty per cent of the diagnostic radiology facilities in Mumbai had lack of implementation of the regulatory requirements and establishment of radiation protection systems. Obviously, it is expected that the workers of regulated facilities would comply with regulatory requirements, and their working behaviour would be better than those of their counterparts of unregulated facilities. link3 However, our study observes that some workers in the regulated practices also indulge in risky working behaviour. About thirty per cent of workers were not using personal monitoring device during work procedures. Although lead aprons were available in the facilities, about fifty-one per cent of workers were not wearing it wherever required. It was observed that about ten per cent of workers engaged in the activities like opening the door during radiation exposure, chatting with others on mobile phone during procedure and not checking collimator light before radiation exposure etc. The factors that contributed to workers' engagement in risky work behaviour are the non-availability of protection systems, lack of exposure to continuous professional development, low-risk perception of workers and dearth of communication between institutes and regulator.In May 2016, a new linear accelerator (Linac) was installed at a hospital oncology department. A team of individuals supervised the installation, including a Radiation Oncologist who acted as an independent observer to the installation, calibration, beam data collection and shielding measurements. In order to ensure the shielding was correct, a licensed representative of the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) carried out formal measurements of the gamma and neutron dose rates at a variety of locations in and around the Linac facility. At 18 MV, the maximum neutron dose rate was 172 μSv/h and the maximum gamma dose rate was approximately 2 μSv/h (ambient dose equivalent in both cases), significantly higher than the expected and local background doses. As the neutron dose rates in particular were so high, it was concluded that the shielding was not sufficient, potentially due to an inadequate design. In order to rule out overexposure during the installation, biological dosimetry was carried out for a number of the individuals involved. The estimated doses were closely aligned with the doses measured using commercially available neutron dosemeters and were also within the tolerance dose ranges estimated using Monte Carlo simulations, which also supported the investigation. The results underline the need for careful planning before and after installation of new radiation exposure facilities, especially high MV Linac operation for which photo-neutrons might need to be mitigated. The results clearly indicate the importance of such checks, in addition to demonstrating the relevance of biological dosimetry supported by modelling strategies complex or unclear exposure scenarios.

Stereotactic technology enables fine navigation to small structures in the human body. While current stereotactic systems facilitate accurate targeting, they are mechanically cumbersome and limited in scope. Here, we hypothesized that a stereotactic system could be developed with a reduced footprint while maintaining broad targeting capabilities in order to improve versatility in frame placement location and surgical workflow.

We designed a stereotactic system around the center-of-arc principle, with mechanical properties that would enable a compact design and ample targeting and trajectory maneuverability. To examine the opportunity for a low-cost rapidly-deployable system we developed two fabrication variants, one using 3D-printing and the other using conventional machining. Mechanical and image-guided accuracies were tested in phantom studies with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography. We assessed the system's surgical workflow and its ability to reliably and accurately implant elect within neurosurgery and beyond.

We developed a light and compact stereotactic system whose accuracy is on par with those used clinically. This technology is suitable for clinical translation and its flexibility in positioning will seamlessly expand the capabilities for stereotaxy to treat a wide range of conditions, both within neurosurgery and beyond.Despite a growth in molecular radiotherapy treatment (MRT) and an increase in interest, centres still rarely perform MRT dosimetry. The aims of this report were to assess the main reasons why centres are not performing MRT dosimetry and provide advice on the resources required to set-up such a service. A survey based in the United Kingdom was developed to establish how many centres provide an MRT dosimetry service and the main reasons why it is not commonly performed. Twenty-eight per cent of the centres who responded to the survey performed some form of dosimetry, with 88% of those centres performing internal dosimetry. The survey showed that a 'lack of clinical evidence', a 'lack of guidelines' and 'not current UK practice' were the largest obstacles to setting up an MRT dosimetry service. More practical considerations, such as 'lack of software' and 'lack of staff training/expertise', were considered to be of lower significance by the respondents. Following on from the survey, this report gives an overview of the current guidelines, and the evidence available demonstrating the benefits of performing MRT dosimetry. PD184352 required to perform such techniques are detailed with reference to guidelines, training resources and currently available software. It is hoped that the information presented in this report will allow MRT dosimetry to be performed more frequently and in more centres, both in routine clinical practice and in multicentre trials. Such trials are required to harmonise dosimetry techniques between centres, build on the current evidence base, and provide the data necessary to establish the dose-response relationship for MRT.The performance of core-shell InGaN/GaN nanowire (NW) light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be limited by wire-to-wire electrical inhomogeneities. Here we investigate an array of core-shell InGaN/GaN NWs which are morphologically identical, but present electrical dissimilarities in order to understand how the nanoscale phenomena observed in individual NWs affect the working performance of the whole array. The LED shows a low number of NWs (∼20%) producing electroluminescence under operating conditions. This is related to a presence of a potential barrier at the interface between the NW core and the radially grown n-doped layer, which differently affects the electrical properties of the NWs although they are morphologically identical. The impact of the potential barrier on the performance of the NW array is investigated by correlating multi-scanning techniques, namely electron beam induced current microscopy, electroluminescence mapping and cathodoluminescence analysis. It is found that the main cause of inhomogeneity in the array is related to a non-optimized charge injection into the active region, which can be overcome by changing the contact architecture so that the electrons become injected directly in the n-doped underlayer. The LED with so-called 'front-n-contacting' is developed leading to an increase of the yield of emitting NWs from 20% to 65%.Optical imaging is a facile tool for visualizing biological processes and disease progression, but its image quality is largely limited by light-induced autofluorescence or background signals. To overcome this issue, low-background optical-imaging techniques including chemiluminescence imaging, afterglow imaging and photoacoustic imaging have been developed, based on their unique working mechanisms, which are the detection of light emissions from chemical reactions, the cessation of light excitation before signal collection, and the detection of ultrasonic signals instead of light signals, respectively. Stimuli-responsive probes are highly desirable for improved imaging results since they can significantly reduce surrounding interference signals. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are closely implicated in a series of diseases such as cancer and inflammation, are frequently employed as initiators for responsive agents to selectively change the imaging signal. Thus, ROS-responsive agents incorporated into low-background imaging techniques can achieve a more promising imaging quality. In this review, recent advances in ROS-responsive probes for low-background optical-imaging techniques are summarized. Moreover, the approaches to improving the sensitivity of probes and tissue penetration depth are discussed in detail. In particular, we highlight the reaction mechanisms between the probes and ROS, revealing the potential for low-background optical imaging.We study hysteretic magnetoresistance in InSb nanowires due to stray magnetic fields from CoFe micromagnets. Devices without any ferromagnetic components show that the magnetoresistance of InSb nanowires commonly exhibits either a local maximum or local minimum at zero magnetic field. Switching of microstrip magnetizations then results in positive or negative hysteretic dependence as conductance maxima or minima shift with respect to the global external field. Stray fields are found to be in the range of tens of millitesla, comparable to the scale over which the nanowire magnetoresistance develops. We observe that the stray field signal is similar to that obtained in devices with ferromagnetic contacts (spin valves). We perform micromagnetic simulations which are in reasonable agreement with the experiment. The use of locally varying magnetic fields may bring new ideas for Majorana circuits in which nanowire networks require control over field orientation at the nanoscale.