Equipment and Supplies Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Quantitative Accuracy Of A Commercially-Available Positron Emission Mammography Scanner, Adam Springer

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Objective: The PEM Flex Solo II (Naviscan, Inc., San Diego, CA) is currently the only commercially-available positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner. This scanner does not apply corrections for count rate effects, attenuation or scatter during image reconstruction, potentially affecting the quantitative accuracy of images. This work measures the overall quantitative accuracy of the PEM Flex system, and determines the contributions of error due to count rate effects, attenuation and scatter.

Materials and Methods: Gelatin phantoms were designed to simulate breasts of different sizes (4 – 12 cm thick) with varying uniform background activity concentration (0.007 – 0.5 μCi/cc), cysts and …

Development And Application Of Computational Tools For The Study And Optimization Of Variable Resolution X-Ray (Vrx) Computed Tomography Scanners, David Alejandro Rendon

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The overall goal of this project was to develop and apply important computerized aids for the design and implementation of Variable Resolution X-ray (VRX) CT scanners developed at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. VRX scanners take advantage of the “projective compression” principle that allows the same device to image objects of very different sizes with the same level of detail by adjusting the field of view and the reconstruction resolution.

The first part of this project aimed to develop a set of computational tools specifically tailored for the design, implementation and study of VRX scanners. This included creating a reconstruction …

Chronic Inflammatory Responses To Microgel-Based Implant Coatings, Amanda W. Bridges, Rachel E. Whitmire, Neetu Singh, Kellie L. Templeman, Julia E. Babensee, L. Andrew Lyon, Andrés J. García

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Inflammatory responses to implanted biomedical devices elicit a foreign body fibrotic reaction that limits device integration and performance in various biomedical applications. We examined chronic inflammatory responses to microgel conformal coatings consisting of thin films of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel microparticles cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate deposited on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Unmodified and microgel-coated PET disks were implanted subcutaneously in rats for 4 weeks and explants were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Microgel coatings reduced chronic inflammation and resulted in a more mature/organized fibrous capsule. Microgel-coated samples exhibited 22% thinner fibrous capsules that contained 40% fewer cells compared to unmodified PET disks. …

Search For The Next "Silver Bullet": A Review Of Literature, V. A. Black, G. Njewel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We present a review on the application of silver containing compounds that have been incorporated in the surfaces of a large variety of medical devices including vascular, urinary, and peritoneal catheters, endotracheal tubes, sutures, and fracture fixation devices, as well as other materials such as plastics in kitchen appliances and fabrics. We found renewed and rising interest in silver-containing materials due to their antimicrobial, including antiviral and antifungal, properties, their good toxicology and environmental record. Silver-containing compounds could be used against bacterial strains that are known to be resistant to antibiotics. More research is necessary to determine safe levels and …