Changes In Tracer Concentration Research Articles

High-Temporal-Resolution Lung Kinetic Modeling Using Total-Body Dynamic PET with Time-Delay and Dispersion Corrections.

Tracer kinetic modeling in dynamic PET has the potential to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and research of lung diseases. The advent of total-body PET systems with much greater detection sensitivity enables high-temporal-resolution (HTR) dynamic PET imaging of the lungs. However, existing models may become insufficient for modeling the HTR data. In this paper, we investigate the necessity of additional corrections to the input function for HTR lung kinetic modeling. Methods: Dynamic scans with HTR frames of as short as 1 s were performed on 13 healthy subjects with a bolus injection of about [Formula: see text] of 18F-FDG using the uEXPLORER total-body PET/CT system. Three kinetic models with and without time-delay and dispersion corrections were compared for the quality of lung time-activity curve fitting using the Akaike information criterion. The impact on quantification of 18F-FDG delivery rate [Formula: see text], net influx rate [Formula: see text] and fractional blood volume [Formula: see text] was assessed. Parameter identifiability analysis was also performed to evaluate the reliability of kinetic quantification with respect to noise. Correlation of kinetic parameters with age was investigated. Results: HTR dynamic imaging clearly revealed the rapid change in tracer concentration in the lungs and blood supply (i.e., the right ventricle). The uncorrected input function led to poor time-activity curve fitting and biased quantification in HTR kinetic modeling. The fitting was improved by time-delay and dispersion corrections. The proposed model resulted in an approximately 85% decrease in [Formula: see text], an approximately 75% increase in [Formula: see text], and a more reasonable [Formula: see text] (∼0.14) than the uncorrected model (∼0.04). The identifiability analysis showed that the proposed models had good quantification stability for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] The [Formula: see text] estimated by the proposed model with simultaneous time-delay and dispersion corrections correlated inversely with age, as would be expected. Conclusion: Corrections to the input function are important for accurate lung kinetic analysis of HTR dynamic PET data. The modeling of both delay and dispersion can improve model fitting and significantly impact quantification of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text].

Evaluation of monoamine oxidase A and B type enzyme occupancy using non-radiolabelled tracers in rat brain

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes, type A and B metabolise the amine neurotransmitters of the body. Selective inhibition of either enzyme is an approach for treating neurodegenerative and stress-induced disorders, and inhibition of an enzyme is proportional to the binding of the MAO inhibitor. Conventionally, the binding of test compounds to enzymes is assessed by radiolabelled ligands in ex vivo and in vivo occupancy assays. Regulatory restrictions and turnaround time are the limitations of the methods that use radiolabelled ligands. But the use of non-radiolabelled tracers and sensitive mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based assays accelerated the determination of target occupancy in pre-clinical species. A report on use of non-radiolabelled ligand in in vivo MAO occupancy assay is not available. The objectives of the present study were to optimise non-radiolabelled harmine and deprenyl as selective tracers in MAO-A and MAO-B occupancy assays and evaluate MAO occupancy of test compounds in rat brain. Tracer optimisation resulted in a detectable, stable, and low ratio (<3.0) of tracer concentrations between any two brain tissues. In occupancy assay, tracer was intravenously administered (10 μg/kg, harmine or 60 μg/kg, L-deprenyl) after the treatment with test compound (clorgyline or tranylcypromine or pargyline or phenelzine or thioperamide). Specific brain tissues were isolated at a defined interval and tracer concentrations were quantified using LC-MS/MS method. Pre-treatment with MAO inhibitors resulted in a decrease (maximum, 80–85%) in harmine or an increase (maximum, 85–300%) in L-deprenyl concentrations. But we considered the change in tracer concentration, relative to the vehicle and positive control groups to calculate MAO occupancy. The observed selectivity and ratio of occupancies (ED50) of test compound towards MAO-A and MAO-B are comparable with the results from in vitro radiolabelled ligand-based inhibition assay. The results demonstrated the application of these non-radiolabelled tracers as suitable pre-clinical tools to determine MAO occupancy.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Measured Cerebral Blood Flow from Spontaneous Oxygenation Changes in Neonatal Brain Injury.

Neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic (HI) brain injury were monitored using a broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aim of this work is to use the NIRS cerebral oxygenation data (HbD=oxygenated-haemoglobin- deoxygenated-haemoglobin) combined with arterial saturation (SaO2) from pulse oximetry to calculate cerebral blood flow (CBF) based on the oxygen swing method, during spontaneous desaturation episodes. The method is based on Fick's principle and uses HbD as a tracer; when a sudden change in SaO2 occurs, the change in HbD represents a change in tracer concentration, and thus it is possible to estimate CBF. CBF was successfully calculated with broadband NIRS in 11 HIE infants (3 with severe injury) for 70 oxygenation events on the day of birth. The average CBF was 18.0±12.7 ml 100g-1min-1 with a range of 4 ml 100g-1min-1 to 60 ml 100g-1min-1. For infants with severe HIE (as determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy) CBF was significantly lower (p=0.038, d=1.35) than those with moderate HIE on the day of birth.

A pitfall of white matter reference regions used in [18F] florbetapir PET: a consideration of kinetics.

Many studies have demonstrated the superiority of white matter (WM) reference regions (RR) in amyloid PET studies in comparison to cerebellar RR. However, the principle behind its improved measurement stability is yet to be elucidated. Our study aimed to determine the origin of WM stability; stability over cerebral blood flow and input function fluctuation or the greater statistical noise in the cerebellum due to its smaller size and its location in the axial periphery of the PET scanner bore. We conducted simulations of [[Formula: see text]F] florbetapir using in-house program varying [Formula: see text] and input function, and adding statistical noise. Our simulations revealed that WM RR were more susceptible to CBF variation and input function fluctuation than cerebellar RR. WM RR did not gave superior measurement stability unless cerebellar statistical noise exceeded 4.55 times that in WM, a figure often surpassed in traditional amyloid PET studies. The greater statistical noise in cerebellum is likely the etiology for improved measurement stability of WM RR. A longitudinal [[Formula: see text]F] florbetapir PET study should be conducted with a long bore PET. It can also be hypothesized that a second scan with the cerebellum in the axial center of a 3D PET, using a cerebellar RR to calculate changes in tracer concentration may improve the measurement stability of longitudinal [[Formula: see text]F] florbetapir studies.

Groundwater age, mixing and flow rates in the vicinity of large open pit mines, Pilbara region, northwestern Australia

Determining groundwater ages from environmental tracer concentrations measured on samples obtained from open bores or long-screened intervals is fraught with difficulty because the sampled water represents a variety of ages. A multi-tracer technique (Cl, 14C, 3H, CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113 and SF6) was used to decipher the groundwater ages sampled from long-screened production bores in a regional aquifer around an open pit mine in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia. The changes in tracer concentrations due to continuous dewatering over 7 years (2008–2014) were examined, and the tracer methods were compared. Tracer concentrations suggest that groundwater samples are a mixture of young and old water; the former is inferred to represent localised recharge from an adjacent creek, and the latter to be diffuse recharge. An increase in 14C activity with time in wells closest to the creek suggests that dewatering of the open pit to achieve dry mining conditions has resulted in change in flow direction, so that localised recharge from the creek now forms a larger proportion of the pumped groundwater. The recharge rate prior to development, calculated from a steady-state Cl mass balance, is 6 mm/y, and is consistent with calculations based on the 14C activity. Changes in CFC-12 concentrations with time may be related to the change in water-table position relative to the depth of the well screen.

Multi-variable approach to determine treatment efficiency of wetland: size effect and electro-kinetic effects

AbstractEmpirical stochastic multi-variable models for prediction of treatment efficiency of wetlands are presented in this article. Wetlands of seven different shapes are visualized using tracer studies. Two different variants of experiments are carried out. Numerous flow rate variations are performed keeping surface area of the wetland constant. The experiment is also carried out with a variation in volume of the wetland which helps to study the effect of flow height on the hydrodynamics within the wetland. A multi-variable model for treatment efficiency in terms of change in tracer concentration as a function of shape, volumetric height of water within the wetland, time, and mass flow rate is considered. Further, another set of experiments is performed studying the treatment efficiency in terms of electro-kinetic parameters. This involves measuring the pH, turbidity, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts at inlet and outlet and residence time with varying flow rate, and height of ...

Predicting Vertical Flow Barriers Using Tracer Diffusion in Partially Saturated, Layered Porous Media

Sudden changes in isotopic tracer concentration in pore waters have been interpreted as indicating barriers to vertical advective flow through porous rocks in the subsurface, e.g. step changes in $$^{87}\hbox {Sr}/^{86}$$ Sr ratio are often used in the oil and gas industry as a signature of reservoir compartmentalisation. This study shows that this is not necessarily the case. It can take millions of years for such step changes to equilibrate by diffusion if there is no flow resulting from pressure or density gradients even in high permeability, high porosity rocks, particularly if the water saturation is low. Changes in tracer concentration gradients can be good indicators of changes in porosity (or water saturation) between layers. In contrast changes in sorption without a change in porosity are almost impossible to identify. The time taken for concentration gradients to equilibrate is affected by the layer properties but can be quickly estimated from the harmonic average of the effective diffusion coefficient for each layer and a simple analytical expression for a homogeneous system. This was achieved by performing a sensitivity analysis on different layer properties (porosity contrast, saturation contrast, sorption contrast, thickness ratio) using existing analytical solutions for diffusion in layered systems.

Ambient Changes in Tracer Concentrations from a Multilevel Monitoring System in Basalt

AbstractStarting in 2008, a 4‐year tracer study was conducted to evaluate ambient changes in groundwater concentrations of a 1,3,6‐naphthalene trisulfonate tracer that was added to drill water. Samples were collected under open borehole conditions and after installing a multilevel groundwater monitoring system completed with 11 discrete monitoring zones within dense and fractured basalt and sediment layers in the eastern Snake River aquifer. The study was done in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy to test whether ambient fracture flow conditions were sufficient to remove the effects of injected drill water prior to sample collection. Results from thief samples indicated that the tracer was present in minor concentrations 28 days after coring, but was not present 6 months after coring or 7 days after reaming the borehole. Results from sampling the multilevel monitoring system indicated that small concentrations of the tracer remained in 5 of 10 zones during some period after installation. All concentrations were several orders of magnitude lower than the initial concentrations in the drill water. The ports that had remnant concentrations of the tracer were either located near sediment layers or were located in dense basalt, which suggests limited groundwater flow near these ports. The ports completed in well‐fractured and vesicular basalt had no detectable concentrations.

Investigation of residence time distribution and local mean age of fluid to determine dead-zones in flow field

Residence time and local mean age of flare important parameters of the fl uid fl ow, with which we are able to detect the functioning and non-functioning zones. It is a novel approach to estimate the effect of dead-zones on chemical and biological processes. In this paper, we introduce a numerical tracer study, which is calibrated by fi measurements and which is applied in different cases such as settling tank and aeration tank of wastewater treatment. Using an advective-diffusive passive scalar transport equation, the age of the fl uid can be calculated. It also shows the short-circuits and dead-zones of the fl uid and this corresponds with our observations. This method helps eliminate potential hydraulic problems at the early stage of design. Settling tanks in the wastewater treatment have a key role in the separation of suspended solids and sludge fl ocks. The design of these tanks is based on the ATV-A131 standard (1), which takes into account only the global parameters of the fl ow, e.g. average residence time, but in many cases the inequalities inside the tank may have serious effect on effl uent quality. In this paper, we are fi rst and foremost interested in the detection of dead-zones, where the mixing is adverse due to low velocity, high residence time and fl uid age. In aeration tanks, for example, anaerobic zones may develop because microorganisms consume the oxygen. There is mass transfer between the fl ow and dead-zone because of the presence of turbulence; how- ever, this is much less than the effect of convective transport. On the other hand, hydraulically inactive zones are redundant and these increase the cost of operation. Computational fl uid dynamics is widely applied in wastewater treatment tank design (2-4)) because with the knowledge of hydraulic phenomena, the understanding of biochemical processes could be improved. One signifi cant linking parameter between the hydraulics and biology is residence time; therefore, it is essential to know the precise value for every point. Residence time dis- tribution (RTD) can be measured experimentally (5). In pulse experiment, the tracer is mixed in a small volume of fl which is introduced to the reactor in a very short time interval (Dirac-delta function) and the response function is measured at the outlet. The tracer should be a conservative material without any background concentration of the wastewater. The response function shows the changes in tracer concentration in the course of time, from which we can estimate the hydraulic behavior of the tank. RTD calculations can be performed numerically, and they can be compared to the results of the fi eld measurement. This paper deals with circular fl ow reactors, one aeration tank and one radial fl ow settling reactor. The fi rst is designed as a fully mixed reactor, but the RTD investigation demonstrated that there is a short-circuit, where the nutrients could fl ow through the reactor rapidly and did not have enough time for biodegradation. Circular radial fl ow settling tanks generally have problems with short-circuiting and the wind also could have an infl uence on the fl ow regimes.

Slow‐rotation dynamic SPECT with a temporal second derivative constraint

Dynamic tracer behavior in the human body arises as a result of continuous physiological processes. Hence, the change in tracer concentration within a region of interest (ROI) should follow a smooth curve. The authors propose a modification to an existing slow-rotation dynamic SPECT reconstruction algorithm (dSPECT) with the goal of improving the smoothness of time activity curves (TACs) and other properties of the reconstructed image. The new method, denoted d2EM, imposes a constraint on the second derivative (concavity) of the TAC in every voxel of the reconstructed image, allowing it to change sign at most once. Further constraints are enforced to prevent other nonphysical behaviors from arising. The new method is compared with dSPECT using digital phantom simulations and experimental dynamic 99mTc -DTPA renal SPECT data, to assess any improvement in image quality. In both phantom simulations and healthy volunteer experiments, the d2EM method provides smoother TACs than dSPECT, with more consistent shapes in regions with dynamic behavior. Magnitudes of TACs within an ROI still vary noticeably in both dSPECT and d2EM images, but also in images produced using an OSEM approach that reconstructs each time frame individually, based on much more complete projection data. TACs produced by averaging over a region are similar using either method, even for small ROIs. Results for experimental renal data show expected behavior in images produced by both methods, with d2EM providing somewhat smoother mean TACs and more consistent TAC shapes. The d2EM method is successful in improving the smoothness of time activity curves obtained from the reconstruction, as well as improving consistency of TAC shapes within ROIs.

Reply to Russell: VLDL-TG kinetics: how to interpret a dual-isotope study

TO THE EDITOR: In his letter to the editor, Russell (1) highlights important methodological aspects related to the kinetic analysis of VLDL-TG in relation to our recent publication in this Journal (2). We agree that the constant infusion and bolus injection approaches should theoretically generate similar results, assuming 1) that a steady state of the VLDL-TG tracer specific activity (SA) is reached in all relevant compartments using the constant infusion approach; 2) that a biexponential equation adequately describes the bolus tracer disappearance from plasma; and 3) that no quantitatively significant recycling of tracer occurs during the time of the study. The discrepancy between our results with the constant infusion approach, resulting in 20% greater turnover rates, and the bolus injection method may therefore relate to a violation of any of these three assumptions: 1) that we designed our study with a too-short constant infusion period, resulting in underestimated VLDL-TG SA steady-state levels and therefore higher estimates of total VLDL-TG turnover; 2) that a biexponential equation does not accurately reflect the decay curve; or 3) that our bolus injection study period was long enough to permit a certain degree of hepatic recycling of VLDL-TG tracer, producing falsely high estimates of the late phase of the disappearance curves. The last error will affect the final calculation of VLDL-TG turnover rates greatly, since it increases the area under the disappearance curve and therefore leads to a significant underestimation of VLDL-TG turnover. As we pointed out in our original paper (2), we tend to believe that the last explanation is the correct one; however, we have not yet come up with a feasible experimental approach to actually prove that this is the case. Indeed, as pointed out by Russell, it is also possible that the plasma decay curve following a bolus injection precisely describes VLDL-TG reentry (from a second compartment) as opposed to actual hepatic recycling and that our constantinfusion protocol was too short to capture this phenomenon. If this is the case, the bolus injection method most accurately reflects VLDL-TG production. Some points should be taken into consideration though. First, VLDL particles are not all identical; some have different apolipoproteins that accelerate or delay clearance, so the “compartments” may not be compartments at all but merely more rapid vs. slower removal (3). Second, the bolus infusion technique is not suited to prove (or disprove) whether changes in tracer concentration are caused by recycling or by time-dependent changes (reentry) in the appearance of tracer from different compartments. Extending the observation period of the bolus injection may inadvertently reveal additional compartments, resulting in a multiexponential fit to the data. Finally, we suggest that several other issues are being neglected by multicompartmental models that we think may be a strength of the continuous-infusion approach. We think a continuous infusion, by not creating compartments that don’t exist, is the most reliable and conceptually straightforward approach to estimate VLDL-TG turnover rates. Bearing this in mind, we also find Russell’s thoughts intriguing and hope that further data can support or refute his interpretation. DISCLOSURES

EVALUATION OF SPRAYABLE FIXATIVES ON A SANDY SOIL FOR POTENTIAL USE IN A DIRTY BOMB RESPONSE

After the events of 11 September 2001, the possibility of a dirty bomb being detonated within the United States seems more realistic. Development of tools for use in response to a dirty bomb detonation has become a topic of both discussion and research. While it has been reported that the health risk to the public from such an event would likely be small, it is thought that the psychological impact could be considerable. One response option that has been considered is adapting sprayable solutions for the purpose of fixing contamination in place, thereby limiting the spread of contamination by wind and rain and facilitating subsequent cleanup. This work evaluated two commercially available particle fixatives (IsoFIX-HT and IsoFIX-RC) for their effectiveness in preventing dispersal of simulated contamination. Nonradioactive cesium chloride and cobalt oxide particles were selected as the simulated contamination and applied to the surface of three outdoor test plots. Two test plots were treated with fixatives; the third plot provided a control. Samples were collected over 95 days to observe changes in tracer concentration on the surface of the test plots. One fixative (IsoFIX-RC) effectively held the tracer in place with no net loss of tracer, while the other fixative (IsoFIX-HT) had no impact on the loss of tracer relative to the control. Under the conditions tested, IsoFIX-RC appears capable of fixing surface contamination in place for at least several months.

Tracing experiment in the Ledvica Lake in the Triglav Lakes Valley

The paper presents the tracing experiment which was carried out in June 1999 in the area of the Triglav lakes. Uranine was injected into the Ledvica lake. Changes in tracer concentration were used to estimate the recharge rate of the water in the lake. The tracing experiment also showed a hydraulic connection with the lower-located lakes and springs: Močivec, Dvojno jezero, the spring under Rušnata glava and the Savica.

SCALE MODEL STUDIES OF THE TRANSPORT OF AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS ON COALFACES

Studies have been carried out to investigate airflows in coalmine models, with special regard to the transport of airborne pollutants, and to examine how they relate to what happens at full-scale in an actual underground mine. If such models can be shown to provide data representative of actual mine ventilation engineering, then they can provide cost-effective alternatives to full-scale investigations. The work set out in the first instance to identify the properties of: (a) the bulk airflow and associated transport of airborne pollutants along a longwall coalface; and (b) the transport of material out of regions that were partially enclosed or poorly ventilated (e.g. in the cutting zone, in headings). For the former, an appropriate quantity is the dispersivity of the coalface airflow, for the latter the mean retention time. Both quantities may be rendered non-dimensional with respect to dimensions characteristic of the system and to velocities of the airflow. Their behaviour in relation to a third dimensionless quantity, the flow Reynolds' number is also important. Experiments were performed, using smoke or dust tracers, to investigate how these properties are interrelated and how they scale between small-scale and full-scale systems. They were carried out in a 1/10-scale laboratory model, in a full-scale surface model, and underground in an actual coalmine. The basis of most of the experiments was the 'tracer decay' method, in which the transport properties of the aerodynamic system under investigation were determined from observations of the changes in tracer concentration with time immediately following the removal of the tracer source. During these experiments, the feasibility of using small-scale models to investigate ventilation problems was clearly indicated and preliminary scaling relationships which may be used as an initial basis for predicting the transport and local build-up of pollutants in mines were developed. It is expected that applications of the ideas and methodology described will be relevant to other industries.

Extraplacental transfer of water in the sheep.

1. Ten pregnant ewes were operated on at 130 days of gestation. The fetal trachea was intubated with a double-lumen tube, an inflatable occluder was placed around the umbilical cord, vascular catheters were placed in the fetal carotid artery and jugular vein and in the maternal jugular vein, and multiple catheters were placed in the amniotic and allantoic sacs. 2. At 139 days gestation, the fetus was ventilated in utero, and the umbilical cord was occluded. The extrafetal fluids were circulated by means of roller pumps. Known activities of radio-iodinated human serum albumin, tritium-labelled water and 14C-labelled urea were injected into the amniotic and/or allantoic fluids. Samples were obtained at 30 min intervals for several hours. 3. Extrafetal fluid volumes were calculated from the albumin distribution volumes. The amounts of labelled water transferred to the maternal circulation were calculated from the changes in tracer concentrations in extrafetal fluids and fetal plasma. 4. No labelled albumin was detected in fetal or maternal plasma. The permeability-surface area product of labelled water at the combined amniotic and allantoic interfaces with the ewe was 28.2 +/- 2.8 ml/min (mean +/- S.E.M.). In five preparations the values could be separately calculated for amniotic and allantoic interfaces. The two mean values (19 +/- 4 and 12 +/- 1 ml/min) were not significantly different from each other. The permeability-surface area product at the combined interfaces with the fetus was 0.96 +/- 0.17 ml/min. Urea was so much less permeable than water that no reliable permeability-surface area products could be calculated in all of the preparations. 5. We calculated that the hydraulic conductivity of the combined extraplacental pathway is more than 0.5% of that of the placenta. Because the osmotic gradient across the extraplacental pathway is one to two orders of magnitude greater than that across the placenta, extraplacental transfer of water can significantly affect intrauterine water volume.

Colorimetric device for measurement of transvascular fluid flux in blood-perfused organs

The aim of this study was to develop a device capable of measuring transvascular fluid flux in blood-perfused organs. For any given blood flow through the organ (QT), transvascular flux (QF) can be considered as the fraction of QT exchange. Presumably, QF would change the background concentration of an impermeable tracer residing in the perfusate. Thus QF could be calculated from the relative changes in tracer concentration for any given QT. We have used Blue Dextran (1 g/l of blood) as the reference tracer. Because the minimum molecular weight of Blue Dextran is 2 X 10(6), we anticipated it to behave as an impermeable tracer in most organs. QF was simulated with continuous infusions of plasma, normal saline solution, and a 50% mixture of both. Changes in Blue Dextran concentration were continuously followed colorimetrically by changes in transmission of specific light at a wavelength of 632 nm. Because 632-nm light is affected by hematocrit and O2 saturation changes, two additional wavelengths were used: 815-nm, which is not affected by saturation or Blue Dextran concentration changes, was used to account for changes in hematocrit, and 887-nm specific light, which is not affected by Blue Dextran, served to correct for saturation changes. Red cells could not be used as the reference tracer because of the possibility of hematocrit changes independent of fluid flux (Fahraeus effect). The device so constructed proved capable of measuring rates of fluid infusion in the order of 0.1% of QT with a variability of 10% around the mean.

Interpretation of tracer gas experiments in ventilation research

Many studies to quantify departure from complete mixing in ventilated airspaces have involved the use of tracer gas techniques. The results of tracer experiments do not, in themselves, have any physical significance, but must be interpreted within the context of a valid mixing model. The model most often used in ventilation research accounts for incomplete mixing in terms of a mixing factor, K, usually defined as the ratio of the effective ventilation rate to the actual, or theoretical, ventilation rate. Values of K>1 are interpreted to indicate stagnant regions while values of K<1 are attributed to short-circuiting of supply air to the exhaust outlet. A two-parameter mixing model, first developed for aqueous mixing systems, separates the effects of short-circuiting and stagnant zones, and has been tested for slot-ventilated airspaces. In this paper, a more complicated mixing model was considered in which the airspace was treated as a network of well-mixed regions connected in series or in parallel, with backmixing between adjacent zones. Tracer gas experiments were simulated using a GASP IV computer model to test the response of such an airspace to a step change in tracer concentration in the supply air. Simulated data were compared to experimental data from a tracer study in a scale-model slot-ventilated airspace. This work has shown that mixing factors >1 may be due to a series arrangement of flow regions between the supply and exhaust openings, while mixing factors <1 may be caused by the existence of secondary flow zones. The inability of conventional tracer gas techniques to distinguish positively between alternative causes of incomplete mixing limits the usefulness of tracer techniques for diagnosis of ventilation problems.

A Column Dispersion Experiment

Dispersion experiments using a sandbox model are conducted in either one or two dimensions to simulate the movement of pollutants in groundwater. One-dimensional experiments are performed to show the dispersive characteristics of contaminants in a porous medium and to calculate the longitudinal dispersion coefficient. A literature review reveals there have been few data published on one-dimensional-column dispersion experiments, especially by using dyes as tracers. Neither are there any data available for columns of crushed glass grains with a downward gravitational flow. Hence, a one-dimensional optically scanned column experiment to study the dispersion phenomenon in porous media has been conducted. A rectangular column (119 × 18.3 × 2 cm) filled with crushed glass with grain sizes between #40- and #20- and a Rhodamine B solution (500 ppm) is used. Average downward fluid velocity is 0.41 cm/sec. Photoelectric cells are used to measure changes in tracer concentration. The change of relative concentration...

Dynamic Computed Tomography of the Lung

The spatial resolution provided by computed tomography (CT) yields excellent anatomic specificity, and fast scanners are capable of the serial imaging necessary to monitor rapid changes in tracer concentration over time. In this study, sequential CT imaging defined the temporal changes of xenon concentration in peripheral lung tissue of a nonhuman primate and three sheep, both during and after xenon inhalation. Ventilation rate constants (K) in lung tissue with normal and impaired function were assessed and compared. Limitations and potential solutions involved in the evaluation of regional ventilation using xenon enhanced CT are discussed. Index Terms: Xenon—Computed tomography—Lungs, ventilation—Animal studies.

Dynamic Computed Tomography of the Lung

The spatial resolution provided by computed tomography (CT) yields excellent anatomic specificity, and fast scanners are capable of the serial imaging necessary to monitor rapid changes in tracer concentration over time. In this study, sequential CT imaging defined the temporal changes of xenon concentration in peripheral lung tissue of a nonhuman primate and three sheep, both during and after xenon inhalation. Ventilation rate constants (K) in lung tissue with normal and impaired function in the evaluation of regional ventilation using xenon enhanced CT are discussed.