• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.282-287
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• 2015

In this study, an optical fiber detector was constructed by using a Ce:GAGG scintillator, optical fiber, and photomultiplier. The single crystal size of the scintillator was set to $3{\times}3{\times}20mm^3$ after simulating the counting efficiency of gamma rays in the scintillator by using the MCNPX code. The constructed detector used the standard gamma ray sources $^{137}Cs$ and $^{133}Ba$ to measure radiation and analyze the spectral characteristics of gamma rays. The resulting trend curve showed excellent linearity with an R-squared value of 0.99741, and the detector characteristics were found to vary 2% or less with distance based on comparison with the MCNPX value. Furthermore, the spectroscopic analysis of the gamma ray energy from the single-ray and mixed-ray sources showed that $^{137}Cs$ had its peak energy at 662 keV, and $^{133}Ba$ had at 356 keV. It seems that if the fiber-optics detector is used, working hours and exposure of worker can be reduced.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.56-59
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• 2003

The Salmonella typhimurium cdd gene encoding cytidine deaminase (cyti-dine/2'-deoxycytidine aminohydrolase; EC 3.5.4.5.) was isolated through shotgun clon-ing by complementation of the E. coli odd mutation. By subsequent deletion and sub-cloning from the original 3.7 Kb of EcoRI insert (pSAMI), the precise region of the cdd structural gene is located around the BglII site in the middle part of 1.7 Kb of NruI/PvuI segment. The 1.7 Kb containing odd gene wag subcloned to the pUC18 vector and the nucleotide sequence of the cdd gene was determined. When the putative ribosorne-binding site (Shine-Dalgarno sequence) and initiation codon were predicted to be GAGG at the position 459 and ATG at the position 470, respectively, there was an open reading frame of 885 nucleotides, encoding an 294 amino acid protein. The cdd gene expression in E. coli JF611/pSAMI was amplified about 50 fold compared to that of the wild type. The cdd gene expression was maintained in the stationary phase after rea-ching the peak in the late logarithmic phase.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2016

Radiopharmaceutical agents for positron emission tomography (PET), such as $^{18}F$-FDG and $^{68}Ga$, have been used not only for whole-body PET imaging but also for intraoperative radionuclide-guided surgery due to their quantitative and sensitive imaging characteristics. Current intraoperative probes detect gamma or beta particles, but not both of them. Gamma probes have low sensitivities since a collimator has to be used to reduce backgrounds. Positron probes have a high tumor-to-background ratio, but they have a 1-2 mm depth limitation from the body surface. Most of current intraoperative probes produce only audible sounds proportional to count rates without providing tumor images. This research aims to detect both positrons and annihilation photons from $^{18}F$ using plastic scintillators and a GAGG scintillation crystal attached to silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The depth-of-interaction (DOI) along the plastic scintillator can be used to obtain the 2-D images of tumors near the body surface. The front and rear part of the intraoperative probe consists of $4{\times}1$ plastic scintillators ($2.9{\times}2.0{\times}12.0mm^3$) for positron detection and a Ce:GAGG scintillation crystal ($12.0{\times}12.0{\times}9.0mm^3$) for annihilation photon detection, respectively. The DOI resolution of $4.4{\pm}1.6mm$ along the plastic scintillator was obtained by using the 3M enhanced specular reflector (ESR) with rectangular holes between the plastic scintillators, which showed the feasibility of a 2-D image pixel size of $2.9{\times}4.4mm^2$ (X-direction ${\times}$ Y-direction).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.409-414
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• 2021

In order to acquire an image from a gamma camera, linearity correction must be performed. To this end, digital coordinates are acquired by using a linearity map to accurately specify the location where the scintillator and gamma rays interact. In this study, a method for acquiring undistorted images and digital coordinates was developed using a lookup table and maximum likelihood position estimation without using a linearity map. The proposed method was verified by configuring a small gamma camera through DETECT2000 simulation. A gamma camera was constructed using a GAGG scintillator and a SiPM optical sensor, and a gamma-ray interaction was generated at the center of the scintillator, and a lookup table was prepared using the ratio of the signals obtained from the SiPM. Through the prepared lookup table and the maximum likelihood position estimation, the position of the signal obtained by the gamma-ray interaction was acquired as digital coordinates to compose an image. As a result, the linearity was maintained compared to the generally acquired image, the accuracy of the location where the gamma-ray interaction was generated was excellent, and the distance between the locations was uniform. Since the lookup table obtained through simulation is created using the ratio of the signal, it can be directly used in the experiment, and the position of the signal can be conveniently obtained with digital coordinates with corrected linearity without creating a linearity map.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2873-2878
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to perform radiation monitoring by acquiring gamma images and real-time optical images for ^99mTc vial source using charge couple device (CCD) cameras equipped with the proposed compact gamma camera. The compact gamma camera measures 86×65×78.5 mm³ and weighs 934 g. It is equipped with a metal 3D printed diverging collimator manufactured in a 45 field of view (FOV) to detect the location of the source. The circuit's system uses system-on-chip (SoC) and field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) to establish a good connection between hardware and software. In detection modules, the photodetector (multi-pixel photon counters) is tiled at 8×8 to expand the activation area and improve sensitivity. The gadolinium aluminium gallium garnet (GAGG) measuring 0.5×0.5×3.5 mm³ was arranged in 38×38 arrays. Intrinsic and extrinsic performance tests such as energy spectrum, uniformity, and system sensitivity for other radioisotopes, and sensitivity evaluation at edges within FOV were conducted. The compact gamma camera can be mounted on unmanned equipment such as drones and robots that require miniaturization and light weight, so a wide range of applications in various fields are possible.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2412-2420
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• 2024

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mandates safeguards to ensure non-proliferation of nuclear materials. Among inspection techniques used to detect partial defects within spent nuclear fuel (SNF), gamma emission tomography (GET) has been reported to be reliable for detection of partial defects on a pin-by-pin level. Conventional GET, however, is limited by low detection efficiency due to the high density of nuclear fuel rods and self-absorption. This paper proposes a new type of GET named Spent Fuel Internal Tomography (SFIT), which can acquire sinograms at the guide tube. The proposed device consists of the housing, shielding, C-shaped collimator, reflector, and gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG) scintillator. For accurate attenuation correction, the source-distinguishable range of the SFIT device was determined using MC simulation to the region away from the proposed device to the second layer. For enhanced inspection accuracy, a proposed specific source-discrimination algorithm was applied. With this, the SFIT device successfully distinguished all source locations. The comparison of images of the existing and proposed inspection methods showed that the proposed method, having successfully distinguished all sources, afforded a 150 % inspection accuracy improvement.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.317-322
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• 2011

Hereditary non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal dominant inheritance syndrome. HNPCC is the most common hereditary variant of colorectal cancer (CRC), which accounts for 2-5% CRCs, mainly due to hMLH1 and hMSH2 mutations that impair DNA repair functions. Our study aimed to identify the patterns of hMSH2 and hMLH1 mutations in Chinese HNPCC patients. Ninety-eight unrelated families from China meeting Amsterdam or Bethesda criteria were included in our study. Germline mutations in MLH1 and MSH2 genes, located in the exons and the splice-site junctions, were screened in the 98 probands by direct sequencing. Eleven mutations were found in ten patients (11%), with six in MLH1 (54.5%) and five in MSH2 (45.5%) genes. One patient had mutations in both MLH1 and MSH2 genes. Three novel mutations in MLH1 gene (c.157_160delGAGG, c.2157dupT and c.-64G>T) were found for the first time, and one suspected hotspot in MSH2 (c.1168C>T) was revealed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2018-2025
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• 2023

In our previous study, we proposed an integrated PG-PET-based imaging method to increase the prediction accuracy for patient dose distributions. The purpose of the present study is to experimentally validate the feasibility of the PG-PET system. Based on the detector geometry optimized in the previous study, we constructed a dual-head PG-PET system consisting of a 16 × 16 GAGG scintillator and KETEK SiPM arrays, BaSO₄ reflectors, and an 8 × 8 parallel-hole tungsten collimator. The performance of this system as equipped with a proof of principle, we measured the PG and positron emission (PE) distributions from a 3 × 6 × 10 cm³ PMMA phantom for a 45 MeV proton beam. The measured depth was about 17 mm and the expected depth was 16 mm in the computation simulation under the same conditions as the measurements. In the comparison result, we can find a 1 mm difference between computation simulation and measurement. In this study, our results show the feasibility of the PG-PET system for in-vivo range verification. However, further study should be followed with the consideration of the typical measurement conditions in the clinic application.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2158-2165
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• 2023

Marine radioactivity monitoring is critical for taking immediate action in case of unexpected nuclear accidents at nuclear facilities located near coastal areas. Especially when the level of contamination is not predictable, mobile monitoring systems will be useful for wide-area ocean radiation survey and for determination of the level of radioactivity. Here, we used a silicon photomultiplier and a high-efficiency GAGG crystal to fabricate a compact, battery-powered gamma spectroscopy that can be used in an ocean environment. The developed spectroscopy has compact dimensions of 6.5 × 6.5× 8 cm³ and weighs 560 g. We used LoRa, a low-power wireless protocol for communication. Successful data transmission was achieved within 1.4 m water depth. The developed gamma spectroscopy was able to detect radioactivity from a ¹³⁷Cs point source (3.7 kBq) at a distance of 20 cm in water. Moreover, we demonstrated an unmanned radioactivity monitoring system in a real sea by combining unmanned surface vehicle with the developed gamma spectroscopy. A hidden ¹³⁷Cs source (3.07 MBq) was detected by the unmanned system at a distance of 3 m. After successfully testing the developed mobile spectroscopy in an ocean environment, we believe that our proposed system will be an effective solution for mobile real-time marine radioactivity monitoring.