Carles, M., Lerche, C. W., Sanchez, F., Mora, F., & Benlloch, J. M. (2011). Position correction with depth of interaction information for a small animal PET system. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 648, S176–S180.
Abstract: In this work we study the effects on the spatial resolution when depth of interaction (001) information is included in the parameterization of the line of response (LOR) for a small animal positron emission tomography (PET) system. One of the most important degrading factors for PET is the parallax error introduced in systems that do not provide DOI information of the recorded gamma-rays. Our group has designed a simple and inexpensive method for DOI determination in continuous scintillation crystals. This method is based, on one hand, in the correlation between the scintillation light distribution width in monolithic crystals and the DOI, and, on the other hand, on a small modification of the widely applied charge dividing circuits (CDR). In this work we present a new system calibration that includes the DOI information, and also the development of the correction equations that relates the LOR without and with DOI information. We report the results obtained for different measurements along the transaxial field of view (FOV) and the image quality enhancement achieved specially at the edge of the FOV.
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Soriano, A., Gonzalez, A., Orero, A., Moliner, L., Carles, M., Sanchez, F., et al. (2011). Attenuation correction without transmission scan for the MAMMI breast PET. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 648, S75–S78.
Abstract: Whole-body Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners are required in order to span large Fields of View (FOV). Therefore, reaching the sensitivity and spatial resolution required for early stage breast tumor detection is not straightforward. MAMMI is a dedicated breast PET scanner with a ring geometry designed to provide PET images with a spatial resolution as high as 1.5 mm, being able to detect small breast tumors ( < 1 cm). The patient lays down in prone position during the scan, thus making possible to image the whole breast, up to regions close to the base of the pectoral without the requirement of breast compression. Attenuation correction (AC) for PET data improves the image quality and the quantitative accuracy of radioactivity distribution determination. In dedicated, high resolution breast cancer scanners, this correction would enhance the proper diagnosis in early disease stages. In whole-body PET scanners, AC is usually taken into account with the use of transmission scans, either by external radioactive rod sources or by Computed Tomography (CT). This considerably increases the radiation dose administered to the patient and time needed for the exploration. In this work we propose a method for breast shape identification by means of PET image segmentation. The breast shape identification will be used for the determination of the AC. For the case of a specific breast PET scanner the procedure we propose should provide AC similar to that obtained by transmission scans as we take advantage of the breast anatomical simplicity. Experimental validation of the proposed approach with a dedicated breast PET prototype is also presented. The main advantage of this method is an important dose reduction since the transmission scan is not required.
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Meloni, D., Morisi, S., & Peinado, E. (2011). Fritzsch neutrino mass matrix from S-3 symmetry. J. Phys. G, 38(1), 015003–10pp.
Abstract: We present an extension of the standard model (SM) based on the discrete flavor symmetry S-3 which gives a neutrino mass matrix with two-zero texture of Fritzsch type and nearly diagonal charged lepton mass matrix. The model is compatible with the normal hierarchy only and predicts sin(2) theta(13) approximate to 0.01 at the best-fit values of solar and atmospheric parameters and maximal leptonic CP violation.
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Xie, J. J., Martinez Torres, A., Oset, E., & Gonzalez, P. (2011). Plausible explanation for the Delta(5/2)+(2000) puzzle. Phys. Rev. C, 83(5), 055204–11pp.
Abstract: From a Faddeev calculation for the pi-(Delta rho)(N5/2)-(1675) system we show the plausible existence of three dynamically generated I (J(P)) = 3/2(5/2(+)) baryon states below 2.3 GeV, whereas only two resonances, Delta(5/2)+ (1905)( ) and Delta(5/2)+(2000)(**), are cataloged in the Particle Data Book Review. Our results give theoretical support to data analyses extracting two distinctive resonances, Lambda(5/2)+(similar to 1740) and Lambda(5/2)+(similar to 2200), from which the mass of Delta(5/2)+ (2000) is estimated. We propose that these two resonances should be cataloged instead of Delta(5/2)+(2000). This proposal gets further support from the possible assignment of the other baryon states found in the approach in the I = 1/2, 3/2 with J(P) = 1/2(+), 3/2(+), 5/(2)+ sectors to known baryonic resonances. In particular, Delta(1/2)+(1750)(*) is naturally interpreted as a pi N-1/2-(1650) bound state.
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Andricek, L. et al, Lacasta, C., Marinas, C., & Vos, M. (2011). Intrinsic resolutions of DEPFET detector prototypes measured at beam tests. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 638(1), 24–32.
Abstract: The paper is based on the data of the 2009 DEPFET beam test at CERN SPS. The beam test used beams of pions and electrons with energies between 40 and 120 GeV, and the sensors tested were prototypes with thickness of 450 μm and pixel pitch between 20 and 32 μm. Intrinsic resolutions of the detectors are calculated by disentangling the contributions of measurement errors and multiple scattering in tracking residuals. Properties of the intrinsic resolution estimates and factors that influence them are discussed. For the DEPFET detectors in the beam test, the calculation yields intrinsic resolutions of approximate to 1 μm, with a typical accuracy of 0.1 μm. Bias scan, angle scan, and energy scan are used as example studies to show that the intrinsic resolutions are a useful tool in studies of detector properties. With sufficiently precise telescopes, detailed resolution maps can be constructed and used to study and optimize detector performance.
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