Determination of the Terbium-152 half-life from mass-separated samples from CERN-ISOLDE and assessment of the radionuclide purity.

Terbium-152 is one of four terbium radioisotopes that together form a potential theranostic toolbox for the personalised treatment of tumours. As  Tb decay by positron emission it can be utilised for diagnostics by positron emission tomography. For use in radiopharmaceuticals and for activity measurements by an activity calibrator a high radionuclide purity of the material and an accurate and precise knowledge of the half-life is required.

Quantitative validation of Monte Carlo SPECT simulation: application to a Mediso AnyScan GATE simulation.

Background: Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are used in nuclear medicine imaging as they provide unparalleled insight into processes that are not directly experimentally measurable, such as scatter and attenuation in an acquisition. Whilst MC is often used to provide a 'ground-truth', this is only the case if the simulation is fully validated against experimental data. This work presents a quantitative validation for a MC simulation of a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system.

Evidence of Partial Seniority Conservation in the πg_{9/2} Shell for the N=50 Isotones.

The reduced transition probabilities for the 4_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+} and 2_{1}^{+}→0_{1}^{+} transitions in ^{92}Mo and ^{94}Ru and for the 4_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+} and 6_{1}^{+}→4_{1}^{+} transitions in ^{90}Zr have been determined in this experiment making use of a multinucleon transfer reaction. These results have been interpreted on the basis of realistic shell-model calculations in the f_{5/2}, p_{3/2}, p_{1/2}, and g_{9/2} proton valence space. Only the combination of extensive lifetime information and large scale shell-model calculations allowed the extent of the seniority conservation in the N=50 g_{9/2} orbital to be understood.

An open source heterogeneous 3D printed mouse phantom utilising a novel bone representative thermoplastic.

The lack of rigorous quality standards in pre-clinical radiation dosimetry has renewed interest in the development of anthropomorphic phantoms. Using 3D printing customisable phantoms can be created to assess all parts of pre-clinical radiation research: planning, image guidance and treatment delivery. We present the full methodology, including material development and printing designs, for the production of a high spatial resolution, anatomically realistic heterogeneous small animal phantom.

Isospin Properties of Nuclear Pair Correlations from the Level Structure of the Self-Conjugate Nucleus ^{88}Ru.

The low-lying energy spectrum of the extremely neutron-deficient self-conjugate (N=Z) nuclide _{44}^{88}Ru_{44} has been measured using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) spectrometer, the NEDA and Neutron Wall neutron detector arrays, and the DIAMANT charged particle detector array. Excited states in ^{88}Ru were populated via the ^{54}Fe(^{36}Ar,2nγ)^{88}Ru^{*} fusion-evaporation reaction at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) accelerator complex. The observed γ-ray cascade is assigned to ^{88}Ru using clean prompt γ-γ-2-neutron coincidences in anticoincidence with the detection of charged particles, confirming and extending the previously assigned sequence of low-lying excited states.

Positional dependence of activity determination in single photon emission computed tomography.

Accurate image quantification requires accurate calibration of the detector and is vital if dosimetry is to be performed in molecular radiotherapy. A dependence on the position of calibration has been observed in single photon emission computed tomography images when attenuation correction (AC) and scatter correction are applied. This work investigates the origin of this dependence in single photon emission computed tomography scans of phantom inserts filled with Lu solution.

Improving molecular radiotherapy dosimetry using anthropomorphic calibration.

Unlabelled: The optimised delivery of Molecular Radiotherapy requires individualised calculation of absorbed dose to both targeted lesions and neighbouring healthy tissue. To achieve this, accurate quantification of the activity distribution in the patient by external detection is vital.

Methods: This work extends specific anatomy-related calibration to true organ shapes.

Pseudospin Symmetry and Microscopic Origin of Shape Coexistence in the ^{78}Ni Region: A Hint from Lifetime Measurements.

Lifetime measurements of excited states of the light N=52 isotones ^{88}Kr, ^{86}Se, and ^{84}Ge have been performed, using the recoil distance Doppler shift method and VAMOS and AGATA spectrometers for particle identification and gamma spectroscopy, respectively. The reduced electric quadrupole transition probabilities B(E2;2^{+}→0^{+}) and B(E2;4^{+}→2^{+}) were obtained for the first time for the hard-to-reach ^{84}Ge. While the B(E2;2^{+}→0^{+}) values of ^{88}Kr, ^{86}Se saturate the maximum quadrupole collectivity offered by the natural valence (3s, 2d, 1g_{7/2}, 1h_{11/2}) space of an inert ^{78}Ni core, the value obtained for ^{84}Ge largely exceeds it, suggesting that shape coexistence phenomena, previously reported at N≲49, extend beyond N=50.

Lifetime Measurements of Excited States in ^{172}Pt and the Variation of Quadrupole Transition Strength with Angular Momentum.

Lifetimes of the first excited 2^{+} and 4^{+} states in the extremely neutron-deficient nuclide ^{172}Pt have been measured for the first time using the recoil-distance Doppler shift and recoil-decay tagging techniques. An unusually low value of the ratio B(E2:4_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+})/B(E2:2_{1}^{+}→0_{gs}^{+})=0.55(19) was found, similar to a handful of other such anomalous cases observed in the entire Segré chart.

_{36}^{96}Kr_{60}-Low-Z Boundary of the Island of Deformation at N=60.

Prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich ^{96}Kr, produced in transfer- and fusion-induced fission reactions, has been performed using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array and the VAMOS++ spectrometer. A second excited state, assigned to J^{π}=4^{+}, is observed for the first time, and a previously reported level energy of the first 2^{+} excited state is confirmed. The measured energy ratio R_{4/2}=E(4^{+})/E(2^{+})=2.

Role of the Δ Resonance in the Population of a Four-Nucleon State in the ^{56}Fe→^{54}Fe Reaction at Relativistic Energies.

The ^{54}Fe nucleus was populated from a ^{56}Fe beam impinging on a Be target with an energy of E/A=500  MeV. The internal decay via γ-ray emission of the 10^{+} metastable state was observed. As the structure of this isomeric state has to involve at least four unpaired nucleons, it cannot be populated in a simple two-neutron removal reaction from the ^{56}Fe ground state.

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial to compare bone-loading exercises with risedronate for preventing bone loss in osteopenic postmenopausal women.

Background: In the United States, over 34 million American post-menopausal women have low bone mass (osteopenia) which increases their risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Calcium, vitamin D and exercise are recommended for prevention of osteoporosis, and bisphosphonates (BPs) are prescribed in women with osteoporosis. BPs may also be prescribed for women with low bone mass, but are more controversial due to the potential for adverse effects with long-term use.

Superdeformed and Triaxial States in ^{42}Ca.

Shape parameters of a weakly deformed ground-state band and highly deformed slightly triaxial sideband in ^{42}Ca were determined from E2 matrix elements measured in the first low-energy Coulomb excitation experiment performed with AGATA. The picture of two coexisting structures is well reproduced by new state-of-the-art large-scale shell model and beyond-mean-field calculations. Experimental evidence for superdeformation of the band built on 0_{2}^{+} has been obtained and the role of triaxiality in the A∼40 mass region is discussed.

Organ-specific SPECT activity calibration using 3D printed phantoms for molecular radiotherapy dosimetry.

Background: Patient-specific absorbed dose calculations for molecular radiotherapy require accurate activity quantification. This is commonly derived from Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging using a calibration factor relating detected counts to known activity in a phantom insert.

Methods: A series of phantom inserts, based on the mathematical models underlying many clinical dosimetry calculations, have been produced using 3D printing techniques.

The influence of triple energy window scatter correction on activity quantification for (1 7 7)Lu molecular radiotherapy.

Accurate activity quantification is the foundation for all methods of radiation dosimetry for molecular radiotherapy (MRT). The requirements for patient-specific dosimetry using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are challenging, particularly with respect to scatter correction. In this paper data from phantom studies, combined with results from a fully validated Monte Carlo (MC) SPECT camera simulation, are used to investigate the influence of the triple energy window (TEW) scatter correction on SPECT activity quantification for [Formula: see text]Lu MRT.

A comparative study of the bone metabolic response to dried plum supplementation and PTH treatment in adult, osteopenic ovariectomized rat.

Dried plum has been reported to have potent effects on bone in osteopenic animal models, but the mechanisms through which bone metabolism is altered in vivo remain unclear. To address this issue, a study comparing the metabolic response of dried plum to the anabolic agent, parathyroid hormone (PTH), was undertaken. Six month-old female Sprague Dawley rats (n=84) were sham-operated (SHAM) or ovariectomized (OVX) and maintained on a control diet for 6wks until osteopenia was confirmed.

Direct observation of long-lived isomers in 212Bi.

Long-lived isomers in (212)Bi have been studied following (238)U projectile fragmentation at 670 MeV per nucleon. The fragmentation products were injected as highly charged ions into a storage ring, giving access to masses and half-lives. While the excitation energy of the first isomer of (212)Bi was confirmed, the second isomer was observed at 1478(30) keV, in contrast to the previously accepted value of >1910 keV.

N-acetylcysteine increases the frequency of bone marrow pro-B/pre-B cells, but does not reverse cigarette smoking-induced loss of this subset.

Background: We previously showed that mice exposed to cigarette smoke for three weeks exhibit loss of bone marrow B cells at the Pro-B-to-pre-B cell transition, but the reason for this is unclear. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor, has been used as a chemopreventive agent to reduce adverse effects of cigarette smoke exposure on lung function. Here we determined whether smoke exposure impairs B cell development by inducing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis, and whether NAC treatment prevents smoking-induced loss of developing B cells.

Biological constraints that limit compensation of a common skeletal trait variant lead to inequivalence of tibial function among healthy young adults.

Having a better understanding of how complex systems like bone compensate for the natural variation in bone width to establish mechanical function will benefit efforts to identify traits contributing to fracture risk. Using a collection of pQCT images of the tibial diaphysis from 696 young adult women and men, we tested the hypothesis that bone cells cannot surmount the nonlinear relationship between bone width and whole bone stiffness to establish functional equivalence across a healthy population. Intrinsic cellular constraints limited the degree of compensation, leading to functional inequivalence relative to robustness, with slender tibias being as much as two to three times less stiff relative to body size compared with robust tibias.

Discovery of highly excited long-lived isomers in neutron-rich hafnium and tantalum isotopes through direct mass measurements.

A study of cooled ¹⁹⁷Au projectile-fragmentation products has been performed with a storage ring. This has enabled metastable nuclear excitations with energies up to 3 MeV, and half-lives extending to minutes or longer, to be identified in the neutron-rich nuclides ¹⁸³(,)¹⁸⁴(,)¹⁸⁶Hf and ¹⁸⁶(,)¹⁸⁷Ta. The results support the prediction of a strongly favored isomer region near neutron number 116.

The synthesis of a multiblock osteotropic polyrotaxane by copper(I)-catalyzed huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.

The design and synthesis of a novel bone-targeting polyrotaxane delivery system that utilizes alendronate (ALN) as targeting moiety is presented in this manuscript. For the introduction of ALN, it is first conjugated to α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) and subsequently threaded onto a short poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain, forming a pseudopolyrotaxane. Using click chemistry, this assembly is copolymerized with bulky monomers that bear imaging and/or therapeutic agent(s) to prevent ALN-functionalized α-CD from dethreading.

Disuse-related decline in trabecular bone structure.

Sedentary life style may degrade bone mass and microstructure resulting in osteoporosis. We characterized trabecular bone structural properties to determine if the LRP5 G171V mutation will protect against disuse-related bone loss. Forty-eight adult male mice representing three genotypes (WT = wild type, KO = LRP5-knockout +/-, HBM = High bone with the LRP5 G171V mutation) were each randomly divided between control and disuse (4 week hindlimb suspension) groups.

Cigarette smoke-induced effects on bone marrow B-cell subsets and CD4+:CD8+ T-cell ratios are reversed by smoking cessation: influence of bone mass on immune cell response to and recovery from smoke exposure.

Cigarette smoking adversely affects the immune system, and is a risk factor for developing osteoporosis. How smoking contributes to osteoporosis is unclear, but since lymphocytes help maintain bone homeostasis and lymphocyte depletion results in bone loss, one potential mechanism for how smoke exposure promotes osteoporosis is by reducing bone marrow lymphocytes. Since the risk for developing osteoporosis is reportedly greater in smokers with polymorphisms in LRP5, a gene involved in canonical Wnt signaling that regulates bone metabolism, smoking-induced effects on lymphocytes may be influenced by Lrp5 functionality.

Two-particle separation energy trends in the superdeformed well.

A measurement of the energy and spin of superdeformed states in 190Hg, obtained through the observation of transitions directly linking superdeformed and normal states, expands the number of isotopes in which binding energies at superdeformation are known. Comparison with neighboring nuclei shows that two-proton separation energies are higher in the superdeformed state than in the normal state, despite the lower Coulomb barrier and lower total binding energy. This unexpected result provides a critical test for nuclear models.