Comparison of TSE, TGSE, and CPMG measurement techniques for MR polymer gel dosimetry

A radiation dose distribution that optimally conforms to the target volume is of major interest for stereotactic radiotherapy. For this purpose treatment plans have to be verified experimentally before transferring to the patient. The requirements regarding dose accuracy and spatial resolution can be fulfilled with tissue equivalent polymer gel dosimeters which offer the possibility to visualize 3D dose distributions. Herewith, dosimetry can be performed by the spin-spin relaxation rate R2 which varies with the absorbed dose. In this work, different MR measurement techniques were evaluated: The standard Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) method, a modified Turbo-Spin-Echo (TSE) sequence, and a modified Turbo-Gradient-Spin-Echo (TGSE) sequence. Experiments were performed both with a homogeneous water phantom and an irradiated polymer gel. The results show that TGSE and especially TSE are suited well for MR polymer gel dosimetry: The acquisition time of both techniques can be reduced in comparison to CPMG by a factor of 5. The accuracy of dose determination for doses between 2 Gy and 13 Gy lies between 5.6% and 2.0% (TSE), 9.0% and 3.2% (TGSE), and 7.9% and 2.7% (CPMG). These investigations show that especially TSE can be handled as a substitute or at least an alternative to CPMG for the verification of treatment plans in stereotactic radiotherapy.     

Study on energy dependence of PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter evaluated using X-Ray CT

The normoxic polymer gel dosimeter evaluated with X-Ray computed tomography has emerged as a promising tool for measuring the dose delivered during radiotherapy in three dimensions. This study presents the dependence of PAGAT normoxic polymer gel sensitivity to different photon and electron energies. PAGAT polymer gel was prepared under normal atmospheric condition and irradiated with different photon energies of 1.25 MeV from Co-60 and 6 MV and 15 MV from linear accelerator and electron energies of 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 MeV from linear accelerator. Evaluation of dosimeter was performed with an X-Ray CT scanner. Images were acquired with optimum scanning protocols to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. The averaged image was subtracted from the unirradiated polymer gel image for background. Central axis depth dose (PDD) curves obtained for each energy and polymer gel dosimeter measurements were in good agreement with diode and film measurements. Hounsfield (HU) – dose response curve for each photon and electron energy were derived from the PDD curve obtained from the gel dosimeter measurements. From the study it was clear that the HU-dose response curve was linear in the region 1–10 Gy. The dosimeter sensitivity was defined as a slope of these linear HU-dose response curves and found that the sensitivity of polymer gel decreases with increase in both photon and electron energies. This trend in dependence of PAGAT gel dosimeter sensitivity to different photon and electron energies was not dosimetrically significant. However, to evaluate the test phantom exposed with one energy using the calibration curve derived at another energy can produce clinically significant error.     

Kinetics of water flow through a polymer gel

The water flow through the poly(acrylamide) gel under a constant water pressure is measured by newly designed apparatus. The Young modulus and Poisson’s ratio of the rod shape gels are measured by the uni-axial elongation experiments, which determine the longitudinal modulus independently from the water flow experiments. The time evolution of the water flow in the dilute gel is calculated based on the collective diffusion model of the polymer network coupled with the friction between the polymer network and the water. The calculated results are compared with the time evolution of the flow experiments, and the values of the longitudinal modulus and the friction coefficient are estimated. The estimated values are consistent with the results of our mechanical-response experiments and the light scattering experiments reported previously. We find that the time evolution of the water flow is well described by a single characteristic relaxation time predicted by our model for dilute gels.     

Investigation of the dose rate dependency of the PAGAT gel dosimeter at low dose rates

Medical physicists need dosimeters such as gel dosimeters capable of determining three-dimensional dose distributions with high spatial resolution. To date, in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), polyacrylamide gel (PAG) polymers are the most promising gel dosimetry systems. The purpose of this work was to investigate the dose rate dependency of the PAGAT gel dosimeter at low dose rates. The gel dosimeter was used for measurement of the dose distribution around a Cs-137 source from a brachytherapy LDR source to have a range of dose rates from 0.97 Gy h^?1 to 0.06 Gy h^?1. After irradiation of the PAGAT gel, it was observed that the dose measured by gel dosimetry was almost the same at different distances (different dose rates) from the source, although the points nearer the source had been expected to receive greater doses. Therefore, it was suspected that the PAGAT gel is dose rate dependent at low dose rates. To test this further, three other sets of measurements were performed by placing vials containing gel at different distances from a Cs-137 source. In the first two measurements, several plastic vials were exposed to equal doses at different dose rates. An ionization chamber was used to measure the dose rate at each distance. In addition, three TLD chips were simultaneously irradiated in order to verify the dose to each vial. In the third measurement, to test the oxygen diffusion through plastic vials, the experiment was repeated again using plastic vials in a nitrogen box and glass vials. The study indicates that oxygen diffusion through plastic vials for dose rates lower than 2 Gy h^?1 would affect the gel dosimeter response and it is suggested that the plastic vials or (phantoms) in an oxygen free environment or glass vials should be used for the dosimetry of low dose rate sources using PAGAT gel to avoid oxygen diffusion through the vials.     

Ultrasonic absorption in polymer gel dosimeters

Ultrasonic absorption in polymer gel dosimeters was investigated. An ultrasonic interferometer was used to study the frequency (f) dependence of the absorption coefficient (alpha) in a polyacrylamide gel dosimeter (PAG) in the frequency range 5-20 MHz. The frequency dependence of ultrasonic absorption deviated from that of an ideal viscous fluid. The presence of relaxation mechanisms was evidenced by the frequency dependence of alpha/f(2) and the dispersion in ultrasonic velocity. It was concluded that absorption in polymer gel dosimeters is due to a number of relaxation processes which may include polymer-solvent interactions as well as relaxation due to motion of polymer side groups.The dependence of ultrasonic absorption on absorbed dose and formulation was also investigated in polymer gel dosimeters as a function of pH and chemical composition. Changes in dosimeter pH and chemical composition resulted in a variation in ultrasonic dose response curves. The observed dependence on pH was considered to be due to pH induced modifications in the radiation yield while changes in chemical composition resulted in differences in polymerisation kinetics.     

Ionization density dependence of the curve shape and ratio of blue to UV emissions of Al2O3:C optically stimulated luminescence detectors exposed to 6-MV photon and therapeutic proton beams

In this work we characterized the dose and linear energy transfer (LET) (ionization density) dependence of commercial Al₂O₃:C optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) detectors (OSLDs) exposed to clinical photon and proton beams. We characterized the dose-dependence of the OSL signal, OSL curve shape, and the relative intensities of the blue and ultraviolet (UV) OSL emission bands using different readout protocols and beam qualities. We irradiated OSLDs with absorbed doses ranging from 0.1 Gy to 100 Gy in a 6-MV photon beam and from 0.1 Gy to 50 Gy in 140- and 250-MeV proton beams. Readouts were done with both continuous-wave (CWOSL) and pulsed (POSL) stimulation. The linearity of the OSLD dose–response depended on readout protocol and radiation type. Improved linearity was found for OSLDs irradiated with beams of increased LET, and for OSL signals containing only the blue emission band of Al₂O₃:C (which remained linear for doses up to 10 Gy for 140-MeV proton beam irradiations). The OSL curve shape did not vary with dose in the low-dose region (below 5 Gy depending on readout protocol), but beyond this, curves decayed more rapidly with increasing dose. Similarly, the ratio of blue to UV emission band intensities in the OSL signal did not vary with dose up to 5 Gy (depending on readout protocol), beyond which the ratio decreased with increasing dose. Because both the OSL curve shape and the ratio of blue to UV emission intensities have been investigated as potential parameters for measurements of LET, the constancy of these two quantities at doses relevant to radiotherapy is encouraging for the potential development of novel OSL methods to measure LET. Our findings are expected to contribute to the development of (i) improved readout protocols for commercially available Al₂O₃:C OSLDs and (ii) methods to measure radiation quality and LET.     

Linearity studies of HD-810 dosimeters by light ion beams

Radiochromic films (RCF), also called GafChromic? films, represent a performant material for accurate quantitative radiation dosimetry. Their compositions allow high dose sensitivity and fewer environmental dependence, giving a good feedback to the absorbed dose value and to the active media absorption, turning color upon being irradiated. The RCF take into account their reduced response near the Bragg peak due to a high linear energy transfer (LET). HD-810 GafChromic? films are tissue-equivalent, have easy optical readings and can be employed for ion dosimetry in radio diagnostic and therapy and for industrial applications. Such dosimeters were employed at Tandetron-Nuclear Physics Institute (?e?, Czech Republic) to study the responses of helium, proton and carbon beams, commonly employed in radiotherapy and microelectronics. The sensitivity of the detector is low enough to measure multiple-beam exposures. The induced effects by the ions in the energy range of 600?keV to 2.0?MeV were investigated in terms of optical absorbance, measured in the irradiated active region of the polymer. The employed ion dose range was between 40?Gy and 2.5?kGy. The experimental results show that the absorbance increases with the irradiation time (i.e. with the absorbed dose). The absorbance induced in the radio chromic film was measured at 673?nm, at which is observed the highest sensitivity of the films. Such data, together with the dose linearity and the dependence on the ion stopping power will be presented and discussed.     

Evaluation of the dosimetric characteristics of a radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter for high-energy photon and electron beams in the field of radiotherapy

We aimed to evaluate the suitability of a glass dosimeter (GD) for high-energy photon and electron beams in experimental and clinical use, especially for radiation therapy. We examined the expanded dosimetric characteristics of GDs including dose linearity up to 500 Gy, uniformity among GD lots and for individual GDs, the angular dependence, and energy dependence of 4 therapeutic x-ray qualities. In addition, we measured the dosimetric features (dose linearity, uniformity, angular dependence, and energy dependence) of the GD for electron beams of 10 different electron energy qualities. All measurements with the exception of dose linearity for photon beam were performed in a water phantom. For high-energy photon beams, dose linearity has a linear relationship for a dose ranging from 1 to 500 Gy with the coefficient of determination; R² of 0.998. The uniformity of each GD of dose measurements was within ±0.5% for four GD lots and within ±1.2% for 80 GDs. In terms of the effects of photon beam angle, lower absorbed doses of within 1.0% were observed between 60° and 105° than at 90°. The GD energy dependence of 4 photon beam energy qualities was within ±2.0%. On the other hand, the result of the dose linearity for high-energy electron beams showed well fitted regression line with the coefficient of determination; R² of 0.999 between 6 and 20 MeV. The uniformity of GDs exposed to the nominal electron energies 6, 9, 12, 16, and 20 MeV was ±1.2%. In terms of the angular dependence to electron beams, absorbed doses were within 2.0% between 60° and 105° than at 90°. In evaluation of the energy dependence of the GD at nominal electron energies between 5 and 20 MeV, we obtained responses between 1.1% and 3.5% lower than that for a cobalt-60 beam. Our results show that GDs can be used as a detector for determining doses when a high-energy photon beam is used, and that it also has considerable potential for dose measurement of high-energy electron beam.     

Enhancements in 3D dosimetry measurement using polymer gel and MRI

The effects of varying the concentrations of cross-linker N, $N^{\prime }$-methyelene-bis-acrylamide (BIS) from 2% to 4%, and 2-hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA) monomer from 2% to 4% at 5% gelatin on the dose response of BIS–HEA–gelatin (BHEAG) aqueous polymer gel dosimeters have been studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for relaxation rate ($R_2)$ of water proton. The dosimeters were irradiated with ⁶⁰Co teletherapy $\gamma$-ray source at a constant dose rate, receiving doses up to 30 Gy. The radiation polymerization occurs and increases with increasing initial dose. $R_2$ is found to decrease mono-exponentially with depth inside the polymer gel and depend strongly upon the initial concentrations of co-monomers (HEA and BIS). Dose–depth map for BHEAG gel was determined for different concentrations of co-monomer (HEA and BIS). The percentage dose depth was also evaluated which leads to a good agreement with the ionization chamber measurements.     

A self consistent normalized calibration protocol for three dimensional magnetic resonance gel dosimetry

In a clinical setting, mixed and inconsistent results have been reported using Magnetic Resonance Relaxation imaging of irradiated aqueous polymeric gels as a three-dimensional dosimeter, for dose verification of conformal radiation therapy. The problems are attributed to the difficulty of identifying an accurate dose calibration protocol for each delivered gel at the radiation site in a clinical setting. While careful calibration is done at the gel manufacturing site in a controlled laboratory setting, there is no guarantee that the dose sensitivity of the gels remains invariant upon delivery, irradiation, magnetic resonance imaging and storage at the clinical site. In this study, we have compared three different dose calibration protocols on aqueous polymeric gels for a variety of irradiation scenarios done in a clinical setting. After acquiring the three-dimensional proton relaxation maps of the irradiated gels, the dose distributions were generated using the off-site manufacturer provided calibration curve (Cal-1), the on-site external tube gel calibration (Cal-2) and the new on-site internal normalized gel calibration (Cal-3) protocols. These experimental dose distributions were compared with the theoretical dose distributions generated by treatment-planning systems. We observed that the experimental dose distributions generated from the Cal-1 and Cal-2 protocols were off by 10% to 40% and up to 200% above the predicted maximum dose, respectively. On the other hand, the experimental dose distributions generated from the Cal-3 protocol matched reasonably well with the theoretical dose distributions to within 10% difference. Our result suggests that an independent on-site normalized internal calibration must be performed for each batch of gel dosimeters at the time of MR relaxation imaging in order to account for the variations in dose sensitivity caused by various uncontrollable conditions in a clinical setting such as oxygen contamination, temperature changes and shelf life of the delivered gel between manufacturing and MR acquisitions.     

Mri measurements of T1, T2 and D for gels undergoing volume phase transition

Gels consist of crosslinked polymer network swollen in solvent. The network of flexible long-chain molecules traps the liquid medium they are immersed in. Some gels undergo abrupt volume change, a phase transition process, by swelling-shrinking in response to external stimuli changes in solvent composition, temperature, pH, electric field, etc. We report that during volume phase transition changes of NMR longitudinal relaxation time T(1), NMR transverse relaxation time T(2), and diffusion coefficient D of the PMMA gel, and D of the NIPA gel. We describe how the gels were synthesized and the reason of using the snapshot FLASH imaging sequence to measure T(1), T(2), and D. Since T(1), T(2) and D maps have identical field of view and data are extracted from identical areas from their respective maps, these values can be correlated quantitatively on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Thus a complete set of NMR parameters is measured in-situ: the gels are in their natural state, immersed in the liquid, during the phase transition. The results of spectroscopic method agree with that of snapshot FLASH imaging method. For the PMMA gel T(1), T(2) and D decrease when gels undergo volume phase transition between deuterated acetone concentration of 30% and 40%. At its contracted state, T(1) is reduced to a little less than one order of magnitude, T(2) over two orders of magnitude, and D over one order of magnitude, smaller from values of PMMA gel at the swollen state. At an elevated temperature of 54 degrees C the thermosensitive NIPA gel is at a contracted state, with its D reduced to almost one order of magnitude smaller from that of the swollen NIPA at room temperature.     

敏化LiF(Mg,Ti)热释光剂量片γ射线响应特性

敏化LiF(Mg, Ti)热释光剂量片（LiF(Mg, Ti)-M TLD）是用于强脉冲辐射场剂量测量的主要探测器。对国内4个厂家生产的敏化LiF(Mg, Ti)热释光剂量片进行了射线响应的一致性、重复性和线性的比较研究, 测量了射线辐照后4种敏化LiF(Mg, Ti)热释光剂量片试验样品的吸收剂量读数平均值及标准偏差, 比较了4种样品在不同吸收剂量下的灵敏度及其变异系数, 并获得了超出线性上限的大剂量辐照对剂量片线性响应特性的影响规律。研究结果表明, 北京防化研究院生产的剂量片性能最优, 试验样品在吸收剂量为6 Gy(Si)时读数变异系数为3.11%, 重复性指标在5%以内, 线性响应上限在50~100 Gy(Si)之间。吸收剂量为150 Gy(Si)并退火后再次使用时的灵敏度漂移幅度约为11%。     

Radiometric characterization of radiochromic gel material applied for UVA radiation dosimetry

Diverse kinds of chemical products are useful for UVA dosimetry due to chemical incitation properties of ultraviolet radiation. It was recognized and approved that radiochromic gel materials have a specific behavior under UVA radiation exposure. The relationship between the UVA dose and the variation of visible light absorbance was found to follow a second-order function with good accuracy. Specific metrological properties of the gel material for radiometric UVA dosimetry application were studied at irradiation levels simulate deferent natural solar UVA radiation levels. The behavior of the gel absorbance properties, detector linearity, induced reaction and temporal and radiometric stability at various dose rate levels were investigated. The relationship between UVA dose and changes in optical absorbance is found independent of the UVA exposure rate including the solar UVA maximum level which could be detected at sea level. The studied gel material absorbs more than 90% of UVA radiation in 1 cm of the gel thickness. Gel detector linearity was investigated over a UVA range (20-84 W/m²) which exceeds the natural solar UVA radiation level and the linearity factor was found to be close to 1 with statistical differences ≤ 2%. The UVA induced dark reaction in the gel material continues for almost 4 min after stopping irradiation; which must be considered during measurements. The detector has good temporal stability even under high UVA exposure; hence the gel absorption in the UVA spectrum region is stable. Measured deviation was less than 1%, and relative variation of gel optical absorbance in UVA spectrum is about 35 times lower than that occur in visible region.     

An evaluation of dosimetric characteristics of MAGIC gel modified by adding formaldehyde (MAGIC-f)

PurposeTo evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of a new formulation of MAGIC gel, called MAGIC-f, which contains the addition of 3.3% formaldehyde, resulting in a gel with increased thermal stability.MethodsMAGIC-f gel was prepared and stored in hermetically sealed plastic containers. After irradiation, magnetic resonance images (MRI) were acquired to evaluate dose and dose distribution. Dosimetric characterization was performed by means of depth dose measurements, dose response sensitivity and linearity, temporal stability, energy and dose rate dependence, dose integration using sequential beams, temperature influence during MRI acquisition and dose distribution integrity.ResultsMAGIC-f depth dose measurements are compatible with the dosimetric table data within ±4% uncertainty. The dosimeter's R₂ response varies linearly with dose at least from 0 to 6 Gy. The time–course of the sensitivity of the dosimeter following irradiation, indicated stabilization after 2 weeks. The dosimeter's response to irradiation was altered by 6% when increasing the energy from cobalt beams to 10 MV beams. The dose rate dependence of this new formulation of gel dosimeter is small: less than 2.5% for a variation from 200 to 500 cGy/min, and the dependence with the fractionation scheme is about 50% smaller than for standard MAGIC gel. The dependence on scanning temperature was also verified, and the integrity of the dose distribution was confirmed for a period of 90 days.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate the applicability of this new dosimeter in tridimensional dose distribution measurements.     

High-resolution dose profile studies based on MR imaging with polymer BANG(TM) gels in stereotactic radiation techniques

High-resolution dose profiles produced by the Leksell Gamma Knife were obtained in BANG(TM) polymer gel, using a 3 T whole-body scanner upgraded by a magnetic resonance microscopy unit. The gel was contained in 22.3 mm diameter flasks that were inserted into a solid, tissue-equivalent head phantom irradiated by fields of by 8 and 14 mm collimators. Dose profiles were obtained from a linear dose-response curve (R(2) vs. Dose). Excellent agreement was obtained when the gel data were compared to film dosimetry and calculated data.     

Spin charge carrier dynamics in poly(bis-alkylthioacetylene)

Initial and laser-irradiated poly(bis-alkylthioacetylene) (PATAC) samples were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) at X-band (9.6 GHz), Q-band (37 GHz), and D-band (140 GHz) in a wide temperature range. Two types of paramagnetic centers were proved to exist in laser-modified polymer, namely, localized and mobile polarons with the concentration ratio and susceptibility depending on the irradiation dose and temperature. Superslow torsion motion of the polymer chains was studied by the saturation transfer method at D-band EPR. Additional information on the polymer chain segment dynamics was obtained by the spin probe method at X-band EPR. Spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times were measured separately by the steady-state saturation method at D-band EPR. Intrachain and interchain spin diffusion coefficients and conductivity arising from the polaron dynamics were calculated. It was shown that the polaron dynamics in laser-modified polymer is affected by the spin-spin interaction. The interchain charge transfer is stimulated by torsion motion of the polymer chains, whereas the total conductivity of irradiated PATAC is determined mainly by the dynamic of diamagnetic charge carriers. Magnetic, relaxation and dynamics parameters of PATAC were also shown to change during polymer storage.     

MRI detection of tumor in mouse lung using partial liquid ventilation with a perfluorocarbon-in-water emulsion

Transverse relaxation time (T(2*))-weighted (1)H-MRI of mouse lungs has been performed using partial liquid ventilation (PLV) with a perfluorocarbon (PFC)-in-water emulsion as a contrast modality for lung MRI. Significant sensitivity enhancement in MRI of mouse lungs has been demonstrated with the protocol. The results show that the T(2*) value in lung is approximately proportional to the infusion dose up to a dose of 5 ml/kg body weight (BW) (4.5 g PFC/kg BW) and becomes essentially constant beyond this dosage. T(2*) maps of lungs have been calculated and T(2*) in lungs is in the range of 10-35 ms with this technique, which is an order of magnitude greater than the T(2*) value of mouse lungs without using a PFC-in-water emulsion. T(2*)-weighted (1)H-MR images of mouse lungs have been obtained with good quality under our experimental conditions. We have applied this technique to detect tumors in mouse lungs. Our technique can detect small lung tumors of B16 melanoma, about 1 mm in diameter, in mice. With its significant MR sensitivity enhancement and technical simplicity, T(2*)-weighted (1)H-MRI using PLV with PFC-in-water emulsion offers a promising approach to investigate lung cancers using rodent models.     

The influence of field size and off-axis distance on photoneutron spectra of the 18 MV Siemens Oncor linear accelerator beam

At present, high energy electron linear accelerators (LINACs) producing photons with energies higher than 10 MeV have a wide use in radiotherapy (RT). However, in these beams fast neutrons could be generated, which results in undesired contamination of the therapeutic beams. These neutrons affect the shielding requirements in RT rooms and also increase the out-of-field radiation dose to patients. The neutron flux becomes even more important when high numbers of monitor units are used, as in the intensity modulated radiotherapy. Herein, to evaluate the exposure of patients and medical personnel, it is important to determine the full radiation field correctly. A model of the dual photon beam medical LINAC, Siemens ONCOR, used at the University Hospital Centre of Osijek was built using the MCNP611 code. We tuned the model according to measured photon percentage depth dose curves and profiles. Only 18 MV photon beams were modeled. The dependence of neutron dose equivalent and energy spectrum on field size and off-axis distance in the patient plane was analyzed. The neutron source strength (Q) defined as a number of neutrons coming from the head of the treatment unit per x-ray dose (Gy) delivered at the isocenter was calculated and found to be 1.12 × 10¹² neutrons per photon Gy at isocenter. The simulation showed that the neutron flux increases with increasing field size but field size has almost no effect on the shape of neutron dose profiles. The calculated neutron dose equivalent of different field sizes was between 1 and 3 mSv per photon Gy at isocenter. The mean energy changed from 0.21 MeV to 0.63 MeV with collimator opening from 0 × 0 cm² to 40 × 40 cm². At the 50 cm off-axis the change was less pronounced. According to the results, it is reasonable to conclude that the neutron dose equivalent to the patient is proportional to the photon beam-on time as suggested before. Since the beam-on time is much higher when advanced radiotherapy techniques are used to fulfill high conformity demands, this makes the neutron flux determination even more important. We also showed that the neutron energy in the patient plane significantly changes with field size. This can introduce significant uncertainty in dosimetry of neutrons due to strong dependence of the neutron detector response on the neutron energy in the interval 0.1–5 MeV.     

Quasi-elastic neutron scattering studies of the slow dynamics of supercooled and glassy aspirin

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is not only a wonderful drug, but also a good glass former. Therefore, it serves as an important molecular system to study the near-arrest and arrested phenomena. In this paper, a high-resolution quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) technique is used to investigate the slow dynamics of supercooled liquid and glassy aspirin from 410 down to 350 K. The measured QENS spectra can be analyzed with a stretched exponential model. We find that (i) the stretched exponent β(Q) is independent of the wavevector transfer Q in the measured Q range and (ii) the structural relaxation time τ(Q) follows a power-law dependence on Q. Consequently, the Q-independent structural relaxation time τ(0) can be extracted for each temperature to characterize the slow dynamics of aspirin. The temperature dependence of τ(0) can be fitted with the mode-coupling power law, the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation and a universal equation for fragile glass forming liquids recently proposed by Tokuyama in the measured temperature range. The calculated dynamic response function χ(T)(Q, t) using the experimentally determined self-intermediate scattering function of the hydrogen atoms of aspirin shows direct evidence of the enhanced dynamic fluctuations as the aspirin is increasingly supercooled, in agreement with the fixed-time mean squared displacement ?x(2)? and the non-Gaussian parameter α(2) extracted from the elastic scattering.     

A comparison of the dosimetric characteristics of a glass rod dosimeter and a thermoluminescent dosimeter for mailed dosimeter

A radiophotoluminescent glass rod dosimeter (RPL-GRD) system has recently become commercially available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dosimetric characteristics (reproducibility, linearity, fading, energy dependence and angular dependence) of the RPL-GRD for a mailed dosimeter and to compare it with LiF-TLD powder. In this study, the model GD-301 GRD and TLD-700 were powder type used. All measurements with the exception of angular dependence were performed in a water phantom using a holder stand. The RPL-GRD has better reproducibility than the TLD for the Co-60 beam as well as for the clinical photon beam. The RPL-GRD signal was linear as a function of applied dose in the range of 0.5–3 Gy for the Co-60 gamma rays. The fading of the RPL-GRD after a received dose of 2 Gy was initially found to be within 1.7% for five months. The energy dependence of both dosimeters was found to be less than 1.6% for photon beams, but was less than 5.0% for electron beams, which was in agreement with published data. The angular dependence of the RPL-GRD was measured to be approximately 1.4% for angles ranging ±90° from the beam axis using a spherical polystyrene phantom. The measurements comparing RPL-GRD and TLD dosimetric characteristics demonstrated that the RPL-GRD is suitable for mailed dosimetry in a quality assurance (QA) audit program.