Signal processing is a core part of any electronic chain for radioactivity measurement systems and can influence measurement results drastically. A thorough study of the different alternatives for this treatment is especially worthwhile when developing a new digital system. This article describes an evaluation performed to optimize the digital pulse processing stage of the β-γ coincidence counting system at the Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA) designated laboratory for the activity unit. This study is a part of IRA's digitalization project to modernize the aging analog electronic hardware of its primary measurement systems. The β-γ coincidence counting system consists of a plastic scintillation detector in the beta channel and a well-type NaI detector in the gamma channel. Six pulse shaping digital filters along with amplitude calculation algorithms were implemented to obtain beta and gamma pulse amplitude values. In addition, four timing digital filters and time pick-off methods were set up to calculate arrival times (timestamps) for the pulses generated by both detectors. Filter parameters and algorithm settings were adjusted to obtain the best performance. Combination of filters into traditional two channel (fast for timing and slow for shaping) or one channel configuration using dCFD (digital constant fraction discrimination) and LE (leading edge) time pick-off methods were also tested and compared to study the whole digital pulse processing system, using both real measurement signals (Am, Cs, Co and Ho) and simulated reference pulses. The results of these tests were quantified by evaluating the following metrics: processing speed, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at different energies, gamma energy resolution, time measurement accuracy, time resolution and detection efficiency. The results of this evaluation provide a rational ground to assess the system and help decide which digital pulse processing (DPP) method should be the most appropriate.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109100 | DOI Listing |
J Rheumatol
January 2025
Florenzo Iannone, Rheumatology Unit - Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine of Jonian Area University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Objective: Bosentan (BOS) is approved for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and preventing digital ulcers (DU) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our study aimed to evaluate whether BOS prescribed for DU could reduce the incidence of PAH in a large SSc cohort from the SPRING registry.
Methods: Patients with SSc from the SPRING registry, meeting ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria with data on PAH onset, DU status, BOS exposure, and at least a one-year follow-up between 2015 and 2020, and no known PAH at baseline were included.
ERJ Open Res
January 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, COPD Center, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Background: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been evaluated in COPD, but with varying results. We aimed to evaluate whether a tablet system that monitors disease-related parameters in patients with COPD could influence physical and mental health-related quality of life, compared with usual care (UC).
Methods: 70 patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) group D COPD (61% women, aged 71±8 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted 41±13%, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) 19±7 points) were recruited at the COPD centre in Gothenburg, Sweden, and randomised to a tablet-based RPM system or UC for a 26-week period, after which they crossed over to the alternative management for another 26 weeks.
Soft Matter
January 2025
Center of Excellence in Energy Conversion (CEEC), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Recent progress in digital microfluidics has revealed the distinct advantages of liquid marbles, such as minimal surface friction, reduced evaporation rates, and non-wettability compared to uncoated droplets. This study provides a comprehensive examination of an innovative technique for the precise, contamination-free manipulation of non-magnetic water liquid marbles (WLMs) carried by a ferrofluid liquid marble (FLM) under the control of direct current (DC) and pulse-width modulation (PWM) magnetic fields. The concept relies on the phenomenon in which an FLM and WLMs form a shared meniscus when placed together on a water surface, causing the WLMs to closely track the magnetically actuated FLM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronobiol Int
January 2025
Google LLC, San Francisco, California, USA.
Circadian rhythms are governed by a biological clock, and are known to occur in a variety of physiological processes. We report results on the circadian rhythm of heart rate observed using a wrist-worn wearable device (Fitbit), consisting of over 17,000 individuals over the course of 30 days. We obtain an underlying heart rate circadian rhythm from the time series heart rate by modeling the circadian rhythm as a sum over the first two Fourier harmonics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Heart Fail
January 2025
Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
Aims: To examine the association of a remote monitoring programme (RMP) with all-cause mortality and hospital admissions for heart failure (HF) within the French healthcare system.
Methods And Results: A national-scale, real-world, propensity-weighted cohort study was conducted using the SNDS French database from August 2018 to December 2022 (NCT06312501). Patients receiving standard of care (SoC) were compared with those receiving RMP (Satelia® Cardio, NP Medical).
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!