title: Prompt-gamma neutron activation facility for measuring body nitrogen in vivo in small animals.
abstract: We have designed a prompt-gamma neutron activation facility for in vivo measurements of total body N in small animals. The facility incorporates a 252C neutron source with an emission rate of 3.2 x 10(8) n s-1 (140 micrograms), and a heavy-water neutron collimator-moderator assembly, together providing an optimum thermal flux-to-dose ratio for a 0.25-0.5 kg animal. Using two NaI(Tl) detectors we can attain a fractional statistical error of measurement of 3.5% for a dose equivalent of approx 50 mSv, sufficiently low that serial measurements can be made on the same animal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Saint-Savas Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Stamatelatos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002138:Calibration; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008297:Male; D009501:Neutron Activation Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen