IAEA-201

WELL SCINTILLATION COUNTING SYSTEMS FOR NUCLEAR MEDICINE APPLICATIONS INDEVELOPING COUNTRIES

REPORT OF A CONSULTANTS' MEETING ORGANIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 23-25 MAY 1977

t#\ ~ A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THE (4..)INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, VIENNA, 1977 Printed by the IAEA in Austria September 1977 PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ALL OF THE MISSING PAGES IN THIS DOCUMENT WERE ORIGINALLY BLANK The IAEA does not maintain stocks of reports in this series. However, microfiche copies of these reports can be obtained from INIS Microfiche Clearinghouse International Atomic Energy Agency Kimtner Ring 11 P.O. Box 590 A-1011 Vienna, Austria on prepayment of US $0.65 or against one IAEAmicrofiche service coupon. FOREWORD

Nuclear medicine instruments employed in developing countries are usually acquired from the commercial market in developed countries. They thus embody the technological refinements characteristic of that market, but are by the same token optimized for purposes and conditions of use that may differ substantially from those found in developing countries. Furthermore, the diversity of instruments in this market is great, and their design is undergoing a very rapid evolution. It is, therefore, inevitable both that the instruments are not optimized for use in developing countries and that a rational selection even from among those available is difficult for the consumer in the developing country to make.

A consultants' meeting was organized by the Medical Applications Section of the Division of Life Sciences, IAE&, during the period 23-25 May 1977, to examine well scintillation counting systems in the light of the requirements of laboratories in developing` countries. The deliberations of these consultants, summarized in this report, may provide guidance both as to selection from currently available instruments and as to directions in instrument design that might be followed to the advantage of such laboratories. CONTENTS

I. Introduction ...... 1

II. General Remarks ...... 2

III. Tasks for Well Scintillation Counting Systems ...... 4

IV. Manual vs. Automatic Counting Systems ...... 6

V. Desirable Characteristics of Manual Well Scintillation Counters ...... 6

VI. Automatic Well Scintillation Counters ...... 9

VII. Alternative Systems for Handling Samples Containing 2 I ...... 15

VIII. Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 15

Appendix 1. Participants in Consultants t Meeting ...... 19

Appendix 2. Characteristics of Commercially Available Well Scintillation Counting Systems ...... 20

Appendix 3. Agency's Prototype Automatic Well Scintillation Counter ...... 37 WELL SCINTILLATION COUNTING SYSTEMS FOR NUCLEAR MEDICINE APPLICATIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

I. INTRODUCTION *) This Group of Consultants) was convened by the Medical Applications Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency to identify the design characteristics that well scintillation counting systems should incorporate in order to perform nuclear medicine measurements effectively in developing countries. The term "well scintillation counting system" was taken to include any system optimized to measure the activity of gamma-ray emitting samples of volume up to about 5 ml, whatever the size and form of the cavity in which the sample was located while being measured. Systems intended for measurement of bulk samples, such as urine and faeces, were not considered. (However, it was noted that a detector designed for the former purpose could function well in the latter application with suitable adaptations (Potter, 1977).)

The context of the meeting was summarized in introductory remarks by the Agency's Secretariat. The Medical Applications Section has as one component of its programme an effort to assure a more effective use of nuclear medicine instruments in developing countries. This effort has three facets: (1) identification of the most rewarding applications of nuclear medicine techniques, (2) identification of favourable design attributes of instruments used in such applications, and (3) development of maintenance strategies to assure reliable performance of the instruments once put into service. It must be expected that with regard to all three facets the circumstances distinctive to developing countries - in health, in wealth, in technological capability - would lead to allocations of priorities and resources somewhat different from those in the developed countries

*) Members of the Group are listed in Appendix 1.

- 1 - where most applications and instruments have originated. This meeting of consultants, convened in relation to the second facet, was the first of a series planned by the Medical Applications Section to examine in turn the design attributes of specific instrument systems. It was hoped that the recommendations of the Group would help the Agency and laboratories in its Member States to select from among the multitude of available instruments the most suitable well scintillation counting systems for their purposes, and also that they would guide the Agency in its attempts to stimulate the development of more appropriate instruments of this type.

The Group took particular note of the reports of two previous meetings organized by the IAEA and WHO. The first of these (WHO, 1976), in analyzing how nuclear medicine services could be best established at various levels of medical care, described some of the conditions nuclear medicine instruments should meet in developing countries. The second (IAEA, 1976), in reviewing the problem of maintenance of nuclear medicine instruments in developing countries, identified certain design attributes that might alleviate maintenance difficulties. The Group also made reference to a collection of brochures provided by the Secretariat on currently available commercial well scintillation counting systems (summarized in Appendix 2), and to a recent review of automatic counters for gamma-ray emitting samples (Robert S. First, Inc., 1977).

The following report gives the opinions and r commendations of the Group on the issues it was asked to review.

II. GEIMRAL REWMRES In terms of the numbers of patients studied or the numbers of tests performed, it is likely that well scintillation counters are the single most important instrument system in nuclear medicine laboratories in developing countries. As is evident from Appendix 2, the equipment currently available ranges from manual instruments priced at a few hundred dollars to large systems costing nearly one hundred times as much and offering automated sample changing and

-2- data processing. In view of this wide range of options, it is worthwhile to examine which of the features may be of greatest importance in developing countries.

In general terms, and drawing upon the two IAEA and WHO documents already referred to, high priority should be given to the following features : (1) Low cost. This is doubly important, first because funds are anyway limited, second because it is highly desirable at present levels of instrument reliability to duplicate instrumentation, both to insure that at least one working instrument will be available at all times and to assist diagnosis of faults by substitution of component parts. (2) Ease of operation. Equipment may be operated by personnel with less specialized training than is the case in developed countries, and requirements for complicated adjustments of instruments may not be reliably observed. (3) Convenience of quality control. It should be possible to discover the existence of faults by use of simple tests not requiring technical knowledge. (4) Freedom from breakdown and ease of repair if it occurs. Spare parts and trained servicemen are often unavailable, and major administrative barriers involving customs and currency exchange regulations impede acquisition of support from outside the country. (5) Capability to operate satisfactorily in the presence of unreliable electrical mains. Mains voltage levels in many laboratories undergo wide fluctuations, and power failures are common.

As discussed in the remainder of this report, it appears that these objectives are most likely to be reached with the following approach. A laboratory should start with a basic manual well scintillation counter capable of giving reasonable performance for most tasks. This instrument should have certain further attributes: (1) It should be constructed of components, preferably on plug-in boards, for which spares and service are locally available. (2) It should form part of an instrument system that upgrades and degrades gracefully, i.e., it should be possible to improve performance by addition of options (e.g., a sample changer) without expensive

-3- conversion or replication of existing features, and if part of the upgraded instrument were to break down the surviving components should be capable of still performing satisfactorily, even if at a lower level of sophistication (e.g., failure of a printer or sample changer should not prevent manual use). (3) The system should have diagnostic indicators or test routines capable of revealing the location of faults. (4) The system should be capable of operating from a battery power supply.

At present there are few if any commercial instruments that offer all of these features, and there are several barriers that make difficult their realization. To some extent the goals are themselves contradictory. In view of the comparatively small size of the market, it may be impossible for commercial companies to develop a special line of equipment to such specifications without each unit's having to carry an intolerable share of development costs. Alternatively, if instruments are assembled largely from sub-systems produced by other manufacturers, the small size of the value added by the assembling company may make the effort commercially unattractive. Finally, a non-specialist customer might fail to recognize the virtues of a simple function-oriented instrument in the presence of more glamorous (and expensive) competition.

III. TASKS FOR WELL SCINTILLATION COUNTING SYSTES

The attributes that instruments should incorporate obviously depend upon the tasks they are to perform. The samples that well scintillation counters are required to measure fall into two broad categories, those originating from in vitro tests (in which no radioactivity is administered to the patient) and those originating from in vivo tests (in which radioactivity is administered to the patient and a sample of blood, urine, etc., is subsequently collected). These tasks differ in several significant respects, as described below, but a basic well scintillation counter should be capable of performing either task reasonably effectively.

Typical samples from in vitro tests are encountered in radioimmunoassay or related measurements. Characteristically, they involve only a single radionuclide. This is usually 125I, with its low

-4- energy (predominantly 27 keV) photon radiation; occasionally the radionuclide may be 75Se. Some radioimmunoassay kits use a second tracer, usually 51Cr, in addition to 25I in order to correct for incomplete separation of supernatant from precipitate. Activity levels are largely under the investigator's control, and usually result in counting rates in a range of 103 - 104 cpm. Sample volume is nearly always small (about 1 ml). Sample containers, namely test tubes that are preferably stoppered, are in many assays subject to the investigator's choice; however, in many others they constitute a part of the assay kit supplied by the manufacturer, and are not subject to his choice. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is developing recommendations for standard test tube sizes, and these include the two perhaps most commonly used sizes of 10 mm 0 x 75 mm and 12 mm 0 x 75 mm. However, diversity is still found among commercial kits. The numbers of samples to be assayed may become quite large, ranging typically from perhaps 100 per kit, to be measured in one or a few days, to thousands of samples per day in large institutions.

Samples from in vivo tests include a wider variety of radionuclides; however, at least when averaged over many institutions in developing countries, the great majority of the samples would contain one only of the radionuclides 125I, 57Co, 51r, 131 I, or possibly 5 9Fe. (Thus, incidentally, most would emit gamma rays of only moderate energy.) Occasionally, double isotope tests might be performed, including for example 57Co and 58Co; 51Or and 59Fe; 12I and 131I. Activity levels would in general be rather low; in fact the amount of radioactivity administered would be chosen, on grounds of radiation toxicity, to be as low as possible consistent with the ability of the instrument to measure the resultant samples with acceptable statistical accuracy. (Hence counting times per sample tend to be considerably longer than is typical of samples from in vitro tests.) Reference samples, dose aliquots, etc., might nevertheless yield counting rates of 104 - 10 cpm. Sample volume ranges up to about 5 ml - a convenient amount of, for example, plasma, which can also be accommodated in counter wells of conventional size. The sample

-5- container (counting tube) is usually subject to the investigator's choice, and often has a diameter of about 16 mm. The IEC recommendations foresee counting tubes of diameter 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 and 25 mm and length 55, 75, and 100 mm. Numbers of samples are likely to be more modest than for in vitro tests, for example well under 100 per day in most laboratories.

IV. MANUAL VS. AUTOMATIC COUNTING SYSTEMS

As automated well scintillation counter systems cost substantially more than manual, their acquisition should be carefully justified on the basis of need. Automation of sample changing becomes necessary either when some number of samples is reached that cannot reasonably be handled manually, or when a total counting time is required that exceeds the length of the working day. It was suggested that manual sample changing is more practical than commonly admitted: automatic changing merely on account of the number of samples is considered in one country to be justified on the basis of cost-benefit arguments only when a rate of about one thousand samples per week is reached. (However, this number might be considerably lower if an inexpensive automatic sample counter were available). Automation of data processing may be required by the numbers of samples, by the complexity of the calculations, or by the unreliability of the human calculator. It is to be noted that automation of either process can be carried out independently of the other.

V. DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF MANUAL WELL SCINTILLATION COUNTERS

The basic well scintillation counter would be a manually operated instrument capable of handling samples from both in vitro and in vivo tests. The characteristics outlined below appear suitable. Automated or specialized instruments for more demanding conditions are considered in subsequent sections.

- 6 - A. NaI(T1) Detector

Outer dimensions of the scintillator should be about 50 mm x 50 mm or, if funds allow, about 75 mm x 75 mm. The larger detector can have a larger well capable of accommodating larger samples if such are desired. It may offer a marginally higher sensitivity under conditions where simple threshold pulse- height discrimination is acceptable; for photopeak counting its sensitivity advantage is appreciable at the higher photon energies. A slight preference is given to a "through-side-hole" (i.e., a hole perpendicular to crystal axis and extending completely through the detector) rather than a well (i.e., a hole with a bottom, usually along the crystal axis): the former configuration allows adjustment of effective cavity depth to accommodate samples of variable size and perhaps easier protection against contamination, and the horizontal orientation of the detector allows a simpler design of shield. Spectral resolution is slightly better with the well-type detector. A hole diameter of 18 mm would accommodate most samples. The hole may be lined with easily replaceable aluminium foil to facilitate decontamination after spill of a sample. A slight preference is expressed for a sealed photomultiplier-crystal combination (integral mount) rather than a demountable assembly.

B. Lead Shield

The conventional thickness of about 50 mm is suitable. Consideration should be given to local fabrication of the lead shield, possibly using lead shot in suitably shaped containers, so as to avoid the costs of air-freighting lead to developing countries. Closely packed lead shot can have an average density equal to 91% of that of solid lead.

C. Scintillation Head Electronics

The scintillation head should usually be separate from the main electronic unit and connected to it by means of a single co- axial cable. High voltage for the photomultiplier tube should be adjustable on the main unit. A preamplifier is seldom used on present day instruments, whose main amplifiers are normally designed with appropriate integrating and shaping circuits to accept current pulses directly from the photomultiplier tube.

-7- D. Pulse-Height Analysis

The electronics should provide at least one single channel analyzer (SCA), with associated scaler; a second SCA-soaler pair should perhaps be available as an optional accessory. For measurements on samples containing only a single radionuclide an SCA would reduce background and, therefore, increase sensitivity, in some circumstances significantly. For double radionuclide investigations, which however might constitute only a few percent of the total number of investigations, two SCA's would be more convenient and perhaps more reliable than two sequential measurements on a single channel instrument using different window settings. Furthermore, replication of the SCA and scaler gives greater assurance that at least one pair will be operable.

E. Ratemeter

A ratemeter, probably offered as an optional accessorywould add little to the cost of the instrument (e.g., $ 150) and would give added versatility for centering a window on a peak, for monitoring the output of a fraction collector, or by allowing the same electronics to be used for other purposes (e.g., renography).

F. Scaler-Timer

The scaler(s), one for each SCA, should have a capacity of not less than 10 counts and a resolving time of less than 1 usec. A timer offering a selection of preset times should also be provided.

G. Readout

Visual readout of the scaler or ratemeter will usually suffice. However, an output (e.g., 0-100 mV) for driving a potentiometric chart recorder should also be provided if a ratemeter is embodied in the instrument. A printer output should be available as an option.

-8- H. Data Reduction Capability

No data reduction capability in the instrument is necessary; it could be performed by hand on a small calculator.

I. Power Supply

The instrument should be capable of operating either from the electrical mains supply or from batteries. In the latter mode the battery should ideally be on float charge and be capable of serving as a buffer against the typically unreliable mains power found in many laboratories in developing countries. Compatibility with 12 volt car batteries would be desirable as these are universally available.

VI. AUTOMATIC WELL SCINTILLATICO COUNTERS

At an early stage in its deliberations the Group examined a prototype automatic well scintillation counter designed in the Agency's laboratory with the needs of developing country nuclear medicine establishments in mind. Comments are made upon it before taking up the general problem of automatic counters.

A. Agency's Prototype Automatic Well Scintillation Counter

A description of this counter, as provided by the Secretariat, is given in Appendix 3. This device represents a promising attempt to implement several of the general concepts about instrumentation for developing countries which have been discussed earlier. While it is too early to determine what, if any, of its features should appear in their present form in a final design, it seems clear that the concepts have genuine potential. The following particular features may be noted: (1) Two of the three main components (the sample changer and the calculator) have been developed and manufactured in quantity for other purposes. Therefore, little of their undoubtedly very high development costs devolve upon the comparatively small number of well scintillation counter systems that might incorporate them; i.e., they are of high

-9- quality but inexpensive. (2) As consumer products, these two devices (or analogues of them) are probably already present in the market of many developing countries: therefore, service and parts should be widely available within national boundaries. (3) The calculator offers powerful data reduction and quality control possibilities in on-line operation, and solely in its role as a desk calculator (which role is not compromised by its incorporation in the counter) it would be a valuable acquisition in a nuclear medicine laboratory. (4) The instrument upgrades and degrades gracefully: the sample changer and calculator are added to a manual well scintillation counter, at least potentially without excessive duplication; breakdown of either would not prevent use of the surviving parts of the system. (5) The electronics circuitry is adaptable to battery operation. (6) The crystal and sample size now offered are not optimum except for samples from in vitro tests; a major increase in versatility would result if the instrument could be modified to count 5 ml samples in a 50 mmB x 50 mm crystal. (7) It is not clear whether use of a calculator for which the manufacturer has not provided interfacing is a sound approach; the comparative costs, and the availability of service, should be studied for such systems and for alternative systems using a higher-level calculator having an IEC-standard interface. (Whatever arguments are advanced about the relative merits of these alternative types of calculator, however, the arguments are likely to become irrelevant within months as capabilities of calculators increase and costs decrease.)

B. Desirable Characteristics of Automatic Well Scintillation Counting Systems

Automatic well scintillation counters would normally include a mechanism for changing samples and some means for recording the results of measurements (either with or without prior data reduction).

- 10 - 1. Sample Changers

The number of samples that the sample changer should be able to accommodate (i.e., its capacity) depends on circumstances. For a laboratory processing samplesfrom in vivo tests, for which sample counting times might be 15 minutes apiece, a comparatively small capacity of, for example, 50 could provide more than twice as many counting hours per day as could a manual instrument. On the other hand, for a large institution processing thousands of in vitro samples per day (possibly with the aid of automated chemistry '), a capacity of at least hundreds would be recuired. For the former type of laboratory,which is more common than the latter in developing countries, instruments having a sample capacity of only 50 - 100 would represent a rational first step of upgrading from manual counting. This would be even more clearly the case if such instruments were acquired in duplicate. Until counting tubes become standardized, the sample changer should be capable of accommodating a variety of tube sizes, including at least diameters in a range 10 - 16 mm and length in a range 50 - 100 mm. Sample changers should not prevent manual insertion of samples; otherwise the whole instrument is incapacitated by a breakdown in the changer.

2. Automatic Data Processing

It is difficult to generalize about requirements for data processing and methods for meeting them as the tasks are varied, computing and calculating facilities are diverse, and hardware is undergoing revolutionary development. Clearly, however, very powerful data reduction is becoming available at very low cost, and in view of human fallibility it will be desirable as well as practical to incorporate it even into comparatively simple instruments. An illustration of this is provided by the Agency's prototype counter.

- 11 - The Group speculated as to the relative roles of microprocessors and programmable calculators. While guesses about the future of this field may be futile, it seems likely that neither approach is likely to displace the other. Microprocessors might find a niche in routine control of the measurement prooess and in the more standard data reduction operations, while calculators might be used predominantly where frequent alterations of the program were likely. Some misgivings were expressed regarding the advisability of encouraging a transition by non-specialized personnel (e.g., nuclear medicine doctors who want to concentrate on the medical rather than the analytical problems) from keys and knobs to programs. However, programs that merely accomplish those data processing functions heretofore established by turning knobs are elementary, and would be offered by the instrument supplier at negligible extra cost. The stimulus for switching to programs (either fixed as in microprocessors or selectable as with magnetic cards for the programmable calculators) arises from their ability to perform much more sophisticated and reliable data processing than would be feasible by traditional means. It would not be expected that the ordinary user would create his own complex programs, although this is not excluded in the case of software programs. As this inevitable transition to programmed data processing takes place, the Agency could perform a valuable service by stimulating development of useful programs and facilitating the exchange of software programs among user laboratories.

3. Quality Control within Measurements

Only a part, and perhaps the lesser part, of a comprehensive quality control programme in tracer investigations lies within the domain of the sample counter. Nevertheless, within this domain at least three different sorts of quality control can be recognized. The first sort includes automatic processes within the counter that announce or correct instrument errors, for example, automatic

- 12 - gain stabilization. The second includes the use of reference samples (standards, background) counted before or among the unknown samples to check the overall integrity of the measurement system. The third is concerned not with instrument errors but rather with the optimum allocation of the available measurement time among the unknown samples, and makes use of such criteria as preset time, preset counts, preset counting errors, or more sophisticated determinants of quality. Within the Group divergent recommendations were expressed regarding quality control within measurement runs. One view was that active gain stabilization is desirable and that drifts of other sorts should also be monitored within the instrument itself on the grounds that users of the instrument could not be relied upon to carry out quality control checks with reference sources. Another view was that such instriuenltal aberrations are rather rare with modern devices, and that it is not unreasonable to expect users to employ the simpler yet more comprehensive procedure of testing performance periodically with reference sources. With regard to the third means of quality control, it was felt that a reasonably efficient apportionment of measuremient time among the various samples is achieved simply by use of preset counts, overridden by a maximum allowable counting time per sample. It may be noted that if the counting operation is under the control of an on-line calculator the last two sorts of quality control can be built into the program if desired. For example, the program can be made to abort a measurement run unless reference and background sources are counted in the prescribed sequence among the unknowns and yield acceptable answers. In addition, measurement time can be allotted to different samples according to quite discerning criteria appropriate to the particular test and particular sample activity, thereby increasing throughput at a given level of measurement accuracy.

- 13 - 4. Power Supply

The integrity of the power supply is of even greater concern for automatic counters than for manual counters, as their unattended operation spans a longer period of time. It seems evident that a buffered battery supply offers the best protection, although automatic counters can consume considerable power and, therefore, require battery systems that are rather expensive. The fact That such battery systems are now seldom used even where mains power is unreliable may represent a false economy, as their cost is much lower than that of a non-imnctioning counter. A possible compromise in newly designed instruments might be to operate only the electronics from a buffered battery supply (either directly or tkrough an inverter), the electro-mechanical parts remaining on mains. However, additional precautions would be introduced so that in the event of a power failure that prevented completion of a cycle of mechanical operations (i.e., sample change, readout) the electronic systems would hold their status until power returned and the mechanical operations were concluded; thereupon the electronic operations would continue from the point where they left off. Since a comparatively small buffered battery system will suffice for modern electronics, and since mains failures seldom add up to a substantial fraction of a.day, an inexpensive battery system could thus assure reliable operation of a counter, and in most laboratories without interruptions of intolerable duration.

5. Other Features

Many of the comments made earlier with regard to other features of a manual system apply with equal force to automatic systems. The shield, however, must normally be substantially thicker than 50 mm in order to exclude variable background contributions from other sources held in the changer. Readout must include a Teletype machine, printer, or other device consistent with the requirements of any calculator or computer that precedes or follows it.

- 14 - VII. ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS FOR HANDLING SAMPLES CONTAINING 125I

For the important special case of samples containing 2I, an alternative approach to handling large numbers of samples has recently been offered commercially. This scheme provides 16 well detectors with associated electronics and a multiplexed data read/ system, thereby permitting simultaneous measurement of 16 samples contained in a single plastic tray. While more complex electronically than conventional systems, it has no moving mechanical parts and by virtue of this feature might be especially attractive in developing countries where maintenance of fault-prone mechanical systems can be a special nuisance. If continuously supplied with loaded sample trays, this instrument can measure samples at a rate 16 times as high as a conventional system. Furthermore, inter-leaving of jobs becomes more convenient. Finally, it is potentially less subject to incapacitation through unreliability of mains power: its high throughput might allow completion of the measurements during those intervals when power was satisfactory, or alternatively its low power consumption would allow operation from a comparatively inexpensive buffered battery power supply. Extension of such systems to accommodate samples emitting gamma rays of substantially higher energy (i.e., >150 keV) would not be very practical : requirements for larger crystals, more shielding, and replication of more elaborate electronics would result in major cost increases. In view of this limitation to low-energy photon emitters, introduction of such an instrument into a laboratory would normally be justified only when the load of samples from in vitro tests had built up to hundreds per day.

VIII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS

When a well-scintillation counting system is to be acquired in the present commercial market for use in a nuclear medicine laboratory in a developing country, the purchaser should bear in mind the numerous issues discussed in this report including such

- 15 - general Questions as : (1) whether a manual system might suffice, (2) what level of maintenance is assured in the local environment, (3) whether electrical mains power is of adequate quality to drive the equipment reliably without use of batteries or other special power conditioners, and (4) whether the performance and technical attributes of the instrument are compatible with the laboratory's program and present inventory of equipment. The classification of available instruments in Appendix 2 may assist this assessment. With regard to development of new instruments, the Group believes that the equipment now on the market is in several respects not well matched to the basic needs of laboratories in developing countries. The considerations that it has stressed in its foregoing remarks lead the Group to propose the following general specifications for further exploration by the Agency and for the possible stimulation of commercial designers and manufacturers of instruments.

The instrument should be designed as two complementary parts: first, a basic manual counter, and second, the accessories which could be added to the manual counter to convert it to an automatic counter. The manual counter should have approximately the following features, as discussed above: 50 mm $ x 50 mm (or possibly 75 mm 0 x 75 mm) NaI(T1) crystal capable of accommodating in its well (or "through-side-hole") a counting tube having a diameter of at least 16 mm; counting electronics including a single channel analyzer with associated scaler; a power supply capable of operating from mains or from a 12 V car battery. Options separately available should include an additional SCA-scaler pair, a ratemeter and a ratemeter output as required by a potentiometric chart recorder, and a printer output. Construction should make maximum use of plug-in boards, but probably not NIM or analogous modules, to maximize ease of servicing at minimum cost.

- 16 - The accessories for automatic operation, whose addition should not compromise manual operation, should include a sample changer with a capacity of at least 50 - 100 samples, a data processing unit with printer,and an appropriate interface. To the maximum extent possible these accessories should be capable of being professionally serviced within the country of use. At least the electronics should be capable of operation from batteries on float charge. The sample changer might be operated from mains, provided protective measures are introduced to prevent the electronics from being thrown into confusion by failure of the sample changer to function during a drop-out of mains power.

Further development of battery power supply systems for power levels of 0.1 - 2 kW would be useful.

One realization of many of these concepts may be offered by the Agency's prototype counter. The current rush of electronic developments, especially in the realm of calculators, will undoubtedly insure that both more powerful and less expensive instruments could be assembled in the near future.

The Group would expect that a market for some hundreds of such units might exist (including the demand from developed countries as well as developing), that their price might be substantially lower than that of present instruments having comparable performance, that duplication of instruments would become practical, and that with the additional features of invulnerability to low quality mains power and improved access to local service they would substantially overcome the instrumentation barriers to reliable counting of y-ray emitting samples in developing countries.

Finally, it is to be assumed that in major laboratories in developing countries the same needs will arise for more advanced and more specialized instrunents (e.g., for high volume radioimmunoassay work) as is commonly felt in the developed countries. These more sophisticated needs may be reasonably well met by the normal market

- 17 - processes of developed countries, although additional attention to the integrity of the power supply will be required.

References

IAEA (1976). Maintenance of Nuclear Medicine Instruments in Developing Countries. IAEA-184. IAEA, Vienna.

Potter, D.C. (1977). Bulk Sample Assay Equipment Specification. U.K. Department of Health and Social Security, Scientific and Technical Branch, 14 Russell Square, London WC1 5 EP.

Robert S. First, Inc. (1977). A Technological Survey and Evaluation of Automatic Gamma Counters. Robert S. First, Inc., 405 Lexington Avenue, N.Y., N.Y. 10017.

WHO (1976). Nuclear Medicine. Report of a Joint IAEA/WHO Expert Committee on the Use of Ionizing Radiation and Radioisotopes for Medical Purposes (Nuclear Medicine). Technical Report Series 591. WHO, Geneva.

- 18 - Appendix 1

Participants in Consultants' Meeting

Name Current Affiliation

A. Ambro Gamma Mlvek Feh6rvari u. 85 Budapest XI Hungary

R. H'ftr Nuclear Medicine Department II. Medizinische Universitatsklinik Allgemeines Krankenhaus Spitalgasse A-1090 Vienna Austria

R. B. Owen Electronics and Applied Physics Division AERE Harwell Oxfordshire OX11 ORA U.K.

V. A. Pethe Electronics Division, NDIS Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Trombay, Bombay India

E. Touya ALASBIMN Instrumentation Committee Centro de Med cina Nuclear Hospital de Clinicas Av. Italia s/n Montevideo Uruguay

N. Veall Clinical Research Centre Watford Road Harrow, Middx. HA1 3UJ U. K Scientific Secretaries:

R. A. Dudley International Atomic Energy Agency A-1010 Vienna Austria

A. C. Morris, Jr. International Atomic Energy Agency A-1010 Vienna Austria

- 19 - Appendix 2

Characteristics of Commercially Available Well Scintillation Countinlg Stems

This Appendix contains data on commercially available well scintillation counting systems as collected during early 1977, and up-dated in July 1977, by the staff of the Medical Ppplications Section, Division of Life Sciences, IAFA. An attempt was made to include instruments currently offered by all manufacturers. However, it is inevitable that several manufacturers remain unknown to the Section, and a number of known manufacturers failed to provide adequate information. Many manufacturers offer a number of instrument systems, which may be still further differentiated by inclusion or exclusion of options. It has been impossible to include all configurations in this tabulation. Instead, only representative systems covering the range of sophistication have been included. For certain features, the availability of options beyond those identified in the tables has been specifically noted. Every effort has been exerted to make these data complete and accurate, including submission of the first draft to the manufacturers for their corrections. However, some data are still missing, a fact reflected by blanks in the following tables. Undoubtedly some errors remain, and these should be brought to the attention of the Medical Applications Section. In any case, as specifications and prices are subject to change without notice, and as a great diversity of instruments can be E rathesized accordi g to which options are included or omitted, confirmation of all information should be sought from the manufacturers prior to purchase. This Appendix is divided into 4 parts. Part 1 is an explanation of column headings and coding used in the tables of Parts 2 and 3. Part 2 is a listing of the data sorted according to alphabetical order of company name, and thereunder according to price of instrument system. Part 3 offers the same data, except sorted according to the instrument's sample capacity and thereunder the price. Part 4 includes a glossary of abbreviations for companies and instrument systems as used in Parts 2 and 3, and also company addresses.

- 20 - Appendix 2, Part 1

HEADLINE EXPLANATIONS AND CODING

MANUFACTURER. Name of firm or facility producing instrument, in abbreviated form to fill 4 spaces.

MODEL. Instrument model identified by company description, contracted if necessary to fill 5 spaces.

PRICE. Price category (for export, FOB factory, as of July 1977) for the instrument as described in the tabulation, but excluding those items identified as optionally offered or "available" (A).

A $ 1, 000 B > $ 1,000 - $ 2,000 C > $ 2,000 - $ 4,000 D > $ 4,000 - $ 6,000 E > $ 6,000 - $10,000 F > $10, 000 - $15,000 G > $15, 000 - $20,000 H > $20, 000 - $30,000 I > $30, 000

PHS. Pulse-height selection. 1 = Threshold discriminator only 2 = Single-channel analyzer 3 = More than one single-channel analyzer, or a multi-channel analyzer

PHS OPT. Does manufacturer optionally offer any other pulse-height selection? Y = Yes N = No

- 21 - ISOTOPE SEL. Is preset isotope selection offered?

Y = Isotope selection by button, plug, card, etc. N = Isotope selection only by dial(s), or no adjustment outside cabinet

XTAL 0 (mm). Outside diameter of crystal as quoted by manufacturer, to nearest mm.

XTAL < OPT. Does manufacturer optionally offer crystals of other diameters?

Y = Yes N = No

WELL 0 (mm). Diameter of largest counting vial that will fit into crystal well, as quoted by manufacturer, to nearest mm.

WELL 0 OPT. Does manufacturer optionally offer wells of other diameters?

Y = Yes N = No

WELL TYPE. W = Well with closed bottom, and scintillator between bottom of sample and photomultiplier tube

T = Through-side-hole - - no scintillator at bottom of well

SHIELD (mm). Thickness of lead shield, as quoted by manufacturer, to nearest mm.

NO. OF SAMP. Sample capacity of instrument per loading.

DATA REDUCTION. Data reduction capability of instrument.

0 = None 1 = Basic calculations: e.g., background subtraction, counts per minute, counting standard deviation

- 22 - 2 = Same as (1), plus ability to convert counts per minute to concentration in unknowns from data on standards, using procedures simpler than spline curve fits

3 = Same as (2), plus ability to perform spline curve fits

INTERFACE. Does manufacturer include interface to a computer or programmable calculator for on-line data processing?

Y = Yes N = No A = Available, but not included with this entry

QUAL. ASS. Quality assurance available for sample counting:

0 = Nothing more than preset timing 1 = Preset count, coefficient of variation, etc. 2 = Same as (1), plus comparison of background against previous background or comparison of reference against previous reference, or external standardization, etc.

VIS. DISP. Is at least one visual display included in instrument?

Y = Yes N No A = Available, but not included with this entry

PRINTER. Is printer included with instrument?

Y = Yes N = No A = Available,but not included with this entry

OFF-LINE COMP. Does manufacturer include output (e.g., Teletype punch, paper-tape punch, magnetic tape unit, etc. ) that allows data to be transferred off-line to a computer?

Y = Yes N = No A = Available, but not included with this entry

- 23 - POWER OPT. Power options available.

E = European: 220 VAC/50 Hz A = American: 120 VAC/60 Hz U = Both E and A, or can be ordered for either E or A

WATTS. Rated power consumption in watts.

BATTERY OPER. Is it possible to operate instrument using standard or optional battery supplies, or are power requirements less than 50 watts such that a battery-inverter supply can be conveniently used?

Y = Yes N = No

NIM, CAMAC CONST. Are NIM, CAMAC, or equivalent forms of modular construction employed? Y = Yes N = No

- 24 - Appendix 2, Part 2 INSTPRUMETS SORTED BY' GOMPANY, THSI PRICE

I E . b a0 - o

t;C riL e 0 -CC0 2) '"*Pc 0ECs > u n. » ZSiS c 0 u9 mwwS 0 re o - - ;;*;*- iC £: ££ 9 . i-- 0a

ABST LIOlB C 2NY N 16NW 15 1 ON I YA Y U 100 t N ABBT Lt111 C 2NN N 16NW 15 1 ON 1 A Y U 100 N N ABBT AL121 E 2NN S5N 20NW 51 100 1A I Y Y U 360 N N ABST ALlOl E 2NN 5IN 2ONW 100 1A 1 Y Y VY 360 N N ABBT AL211 E 2NN S5N 20NW 51 100 lA 1 Y Y Y U 360 N N

ALOK J0113 C 1NN 44Y 19YW 76 1 ON 0 Y N NU 18 Y N ALOK TNC1C C 2NY 44N 1SNW 50 1 IN 1 Y N N U 90 N N ALOK JD701 D 2NY 44Y 19YW 76 1 1N 1 Y NN U 90 N N ALOK AR221 F 2NY 3 W 200 OY 0 YY N U 270 N Y ALOK AR251 G 2NY 13 W 500 OY 0 Y Y N U 270 N Y ALOK AR321 H 2NY 13 W 200 1 Y 0 YYN U 270 N Y

AMES THYRI C NN N 16NW I IN 0 Y N N E N AMES GAMMA F 2NY 51N 17NT 38 50 IN 1 Y Y N U 200 N N

BATR BA987 D 2YY 45Y 17YW 64 1 IA Y A A U 85 N Y

BECK GM100 D 2NY 38N 18NW 1 IN Y N U N N BECK BIOT1 H 3YY 76N 12NW 200 IY 1 N V Y U N N BECK G7000 H 3YY 76N 25NW 300 1Y 2 Y Y V U 800 N N

BERT BF207 D 2NN AOY 19YW 30 1 OA Y N A N Y BERT BF530 G 3Y 51Y 22YT 300 1Y 1 Y Y E N Y BERT LBS10 I 2NN 51Y 22YW 100 510 3V 2 Y Y Y N N

CANB 92000 D 2YN 51Y 17YW 51 1 ON I Y A A U 200 N Y CANE OMEGA E 3N 44 W 25 1 0 0 Y Y N

ECIL GRS23 C 2YN 44N 17NW 51 1 ON 0 Y N A E 200 N Y

ELSC INS30 C 2NN 51Y 17YW 51 1 ON 1 Y NNU N N ELSC !NS11 0 2NN SY 17YW 1 ON 1 N Y U N N ELSC ELNIM D 2YN SlY 17YW 51 1 ON I Y N Y U 200 N Y ELSC RA125 F 3NY 38N 16NW 7 1260 iN Y Y U 350 N N

GAMA NZ138 D 2YN 76Y 16YW 50 1 IN I Y Y E 100 V N GAMA NZ310 E 3YN 76Y 17YW 51 100 ON 1 YYY E 200 N N GAMA NZ322 E 2NN 50Y 13NT 30 256 iN 1 YYN E 100 N N

HARW £6000 C 2YN 51Y 17YW 51 1 OA 0 YAY U 200 N Y

ICNL 402ST A 1NN 44N NW 1 ON 0 Y N N U N ICNL GAMSO D 2NY 51N 18NT 30 50 Y Y Y U N N ICNL G3.33 F 3YN 5SY 18YT 50 300 lY 1 Y Y Y U N Y ICNL GSSOO G 3YN 51Y 18YW 200 500 1A 1 Y Y U N N

INOT INPP9 A 2NN 25N 18NW 1 ON 0 V N N U 1 Y N

- 25 - s 0c & g 8 E a E E : LI E o E Q3 oo o 0@ .e. *s1- a C!. 3 4) 0 g r o m Ea 4 0 .. a. . ' O"- 0 0 0 Ua z 0c O > a.O ao I &I

INTR C4000 H 3YN SlY 18YW 100 760 1Y 1 Y Y U 600 N N

JPEN MS311 C 2NN SIN 19NW 50 1 ON 1 Y A A U 100 Y N JPEN SC120 E 2NN 51Y iqywgYW 50 120 ON I YYA U 250 N N iPEN JSC60 E 2NN S5Y 19YW 50 60 ON 1 Y Y A U 250 N N JPEN MC120 F 3YY 51Y 50 120 OA I Y YA U 250 N N JPEN MSC60 F 3YY 51Y 19YW 50 60 OA 1 Y YA U 250 N N

KGNT MR101 C 2NN 32N 16NW 1 IN 1 Y NN U N N KONT MR252 F 2YY 75Y 16NW 252 1Y 1 YYY U N N KGNT M 032 H 2YY 5Y 16NW 1032 3Y 1 Y Y Y U N N

R1270 F 3YN 51N 12 T 500 1Y 1 AAA U 170 A N R1270 H 3YY 5IN 12 T 2000 3Y 2 A A U 170 Y N LK3B U1280 H 3YY 51Y 17YW 80 300 2Y 2 YAY U 270 N N tics! U1280 I 3YY 51Y 17YW 80 900 2Y 2 YAY U 270 N N

LUDL L2000 C INN 45 16 W 1ON Y N N A 50 Y N LUOL L2200 D 2NN 45 16 W I ON 0 N N A 50 Y N LUDL L2600 D 2NN 45 16 W 1 1N 1 Y N A N

MICR MS588 H 3YN 76Y 15YW 588 OA 1Y Y Y U 400 N Y

MNNI MI620 A INN 25N 16NW 13 1 ON 0 Y A N U 15 Y N

NUCE NPSR6 C 2NN 44Y 17YW 44 1 ON 1 Y N U 20 Y N NUCE NEST6 C 2NN 44N 17YW 44 1 ON 1 Y N N U 60 N N NUCE NESR5 C 2NN 44N 17YW 44 1 OW 1 Y N Y U 60 N N NUCE N1600 F NY 25N 16NW 25 16* 1Y 1 Y YY E 20 Y Y bUCL NU600 B 2NN 38N 17NT 15 1N Y N N U 20 Y N NUCL N1000 C 2NN 38N 18NW 18 1 ON 1 Y N N U N NUCL N1200 D 2NY 44N 19NW 19 24 1N 1 Y YN U 60 N N NUCL N1400 D 2NY 44N 19NW 19 48 IN Y Y N U 60 N N

CRTC #4800 E 2YN S1Y 16YW 62 1 OA 0 Y V A U 150 N Y

PACK P5105 D 2NY 38N 18NW 25 1 1N 1 Y N N U 105 N N PACK P5176 E 2NY 38N 1 NW 25 75 1N 1 Y N U 450 N N PACK PRIAS G 2YY 51 17NT 55 240 3Y 2 Y Y A U 999 N N PACK PMOOI G 2YN 51 17NT 65 300 OY 1 N Y Y U 400 N Y PACK MODV I H 3YN 76 17YT 115 600 1Y 1 Y Y U 400 N Y PACK MOD I H 3YN 76 3ONT 300 1Y 1 Y Y Y U 400 N Y PACK MDIII H 3YN 76 17YT 115 300 1Y 1 YY Y U 400 N Y PACK P5912 I 3NN 73 17NT 115 600 OY 1 Y U 999 N Y

PANX MABIO B 2NY 32N 2ONW 20 1 ON 1 Y N N E N N

*measures 16 samples simultaneously

- 26 - c o d. k e-E E " oE o 5 m. E00 c C0 o 0.- O w X - -a'S- t ° - , CI tL C . - X X 1 B 3 z oCSir t 5

PANX RRA31 8 INN 32Y S8YW 32 1 ON 1 Y N N U N Y PANX AUBIO E 2NY 32N 20NW 20 100 ON I Y YV E N N PANX NAA17 G 3YN 45Y g9YW 75 160 ON 0 Y Y Y U N Y

PHIL MNCTR D 2NY 45Y 16YW 50 1 ON 1 Y YY U 150 N N PHIL AUSCH E 3NY 75Y 18YW 50 100 ON 1 YY U 150 N N PHIL P4580 G 3YY 76Y 16YT 76 310 OY 1 YY A U 180 N N

PICK PACEI G 3YY 51Y 6NT 70 200 2Y 2 Y Y Y U 450 N Y PICK PACEI H 3YY 5lY 16NT 70 400 2Y 2Y Y Y U 450 N Y

RAYT SIGM2 D 2NN 51 17 W 51 1 ON 1 Y N N A N N

SEAR S4454 D 2 N 12 W 1 2N 2 YYN U 60 N N SEAR 1190A F 2NY 15NT 300 2A 2 Y A U N N SEAR S1197 G 3YN 51 23NW 300 2A 2 Y Y A U N N SEAR 1175Z H 2YY I6NW 300 2A 2 Y V Y U N N SEAR 1185U H 3YY 51Y 15Y 300 2A 3 Y Y Y U N SEAR 1285C I 3NY 12NW 1008 2V 3 Y Y Y U N N

SHIM RA600 G 2NY 50 22 W 60 600 IY 2 Y Y N A 350 N N SHIM AL201 H 2NY 50 22 W 60 200 1Y 2 Y YN A 400 N N

TECH FMW22 B INN 51 17 W 51 1 ON I Y NN 15 N Y TECH CCC4R B lYN 32 16 W 25 1 O 3 Y N A 15 N N TECH FMW23 C 2NN 51 17 W 51 1 0 i Y N A 15 N Y TECH FMW24 C 2NN 51 17 W 51 i OY Y Y A 15 N V

TENN T2000 C 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 3 OA 0 YAA U 100 N Y TENN T2100 C 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 1 OA 0 V A A U 100 N Y TENN T2200 D 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 1 OA 0 Y A A U 100 N Y

TOSH RI52A H 2NN 51 17 W 50 504 1 1 YV Y A 999 N N

UNIN CENTR H 2NY 44 18 W 6 3e* 3Y 2 Y Y Y U 345 N N

WENZ WENIM E 2YN 51Y YW S OA 1 Y A A U 190 N Y

WILJ 02001 8 2NY 33Y 18NW 25 1 N 0 Y N N U 20 Y N WILJ 12201 D 2NY 33Y I8NW 25 100 1A 0 Y V A U 175 N N

*measures 3 samples simultaneously

- 27 - Appendix 2, Pa.rt 3 INSTRUMENTS SORTED BY SAMPLE CAPACITY, THLN PRICE g d . d?6 a dE S 'E E O c 19 E0 M ~J 0 . 6. 8 - E (1 - 0 - o O e e C 0 80 E ., .cr 0 4, 1 1- I E2 0 a.C. 2 XX u, I0 S£z a >a5d 8 a RI c MINI MI620 A INN 25N 16NW 13 1 ON 0 VAN U 15 Y N INOT I NPP9 A 2NN 25N 18NW I ON 0 YN N U 1 Y N ICNL 402ST A INN 44N NW 1 ON 0 YN N U N NUCL NU600 8 2NN 38N 17NT 15 1 1N 0 YN N U 20 Y N WILJ #2001 B 2NY 33Y 18NW 25 1 ON 0 YNN U 20 Y N PANX MASIO B 2NY 32N 20NW 20 1 ON 1 YNN E N N TECH FMW22 B 1NN 51 17 W 51 ON 1 YN N 15 N Y TECH CCC4R 8 1YN 32 16 W 25 1 OY 1 YN A 15 N N PANX RRA31 B INN 32Y 18YW 32 1 ON 1 YNN U N Y TECH FMW23 C 2NN 51 17 W 51 1 OY 1 YNA 15 N Y NUCE NPSR6 C 2NN 44Y 17YW 44 1 ON 1 YN N U 20 Y N NUCL N1000 C 2NN 38N 18NW 18 1 ON 1 YNN U N TENN T2000 C 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 I OA 0 YA A U 100 N Y ALOK JD11 3 C INN 44Y 19YW 76 1 ON 0 Y NN U 18 Y N JPEN MS311 C 2NN S1N 19NW 50 1 ON 1 YAA U 100 Y N NUCE NEST6 C 2NN 44N 17YW 44 1 ON 1 N N U 60 N N NUCE NESR5 C 2NN 44N 7TYW 44 1OW 1 Y NY U 60 N N TECH FMW24 C 2NN 51 17 W 51 1 OY YY A 15 N Y ALOK TNC C C 2NY 44N 15NW 50 I 1N 1 YNN U 90 N N HARW #6000 C 2YN 51Y 17YW 51 1 0A 0 Y AY U 200 N Y AMES THYR I C NN N 16NW 1 N 0 YNN E N KONT MR101 C 2NN 32N 16NW 1 1N 1 YNN U N N TENN T2100 C 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 1 OA 0 YAA U 100 N V ABBT LIOI0 C 2NY N 16NW 15 1 ON 1 YAY U 100 N N ELSC TNS30 C 2NN 51Y 17YW 51 I ON 1 YN N U N N LUDL L2000 C INN 45 16 W 1 ON 0 YNN A 50 Y N ECIL GRS23 C 2YN 44N 17NW 51 1 ON 0 YN A E 200 N Y ABBT L118 C 2NN N 16NW 15 1 ON 1 Y AY U 100 N N CANG #2000 D 2YN 51Y 1 7YW 51 1 ON 1 YAA U 200 N Y LUDL L2200 D 2NN 45 16 W 1 ON 0 Y NN A 50 Y N LUDL L2600 D 2NN 45 16 W 1 IN 1 YNN A N BERT BF207 D 2NN 40Y S9YW 30 1 OA 1 YNA N Y ALOK JD701 D 2NY 44Y 1 9YW 76 1 IN 1 N N U 90 N N RAYT SIGM2 0 2NN 51 17 W 51 1 ON 1 YN N A N N PHIL MNCTR D 2NY 45Y 16YW 50 1 ON 1 Y Y U 150 N N TENN T2200 D 2YN 51Y 19YW 51 I OA 0 YAA U 100 N Y SECK GM100 0 2NY 38N 8NW I 1N 1 YNN U N N GAMA NZ138 D 2YN 76Y 16YW 50 1 IN 1 VY Y E 100 Y N ELSC INS11 D 2NN 51Y 51 1 ON 1 YNY U N N P AIR BA987 D 2YY 45Y 17YW 64 1 1A 1 YAA U 85 N Y 17TW ELSC ELNIM 0 2YN 51Y S7YW 51 1 ON 1 YNY U 200 N Y SEAR 54454 D 2 N 12 W 1 2N 2 YY N U 60 N N PACK P5105 D 2NY 38N 18NW 25 1 IN 1 YNN U 105 N N WENZ WENIM E 2YN 51Y YW I OA 1 YAA U 190 N Y ORTC #4800 E 2YN 51Y 16YW 62 1 OA 0 YY A U 150 N Y CANB OMEGA E 3N 44 W 25 0 0 Y N

NUCE N1600 F NY 25N 16NW 25 16* 1Y 1 Y Y E 20 Y Y

'measures16 samples simultaneously

- 28 - c 0 8 ki E E E U a 0 E 0 , E E W ao ps 5 $- ' o oo >3 2: S .a iaS- o I t c E ° °oa Xl :E »' . S SB ' (i>.- zZ 8L c- ai i c z

NUCL N1200 D 2NY 44N 19NW 19 24 IN 1 Y N U 60 N N

UNIN CENTR H 2NY 44 18 W 6 36* 3Y 2 Y Y U 345 N N

NUCL N1400 D 2NY 44N 19NW 19 48 1N 1 Y Y N U 60 N N

ICNL GAM5 D0 2NY SIN 18NT 30 50 1Y Y Y Y U N N AMES GAMMA F 2NY SiN 17NT 38 50 1N 1 Y Y N U 200 N N

JPEN JSC60 E 2NN 5lY 19YW 50 60 ON 1 Y V A U 250 N N JPEN MSC60 F 3Y 51Y 19YW 50 60 OA 1 Y Y A U 250 N N

PACK P5176 E 2NY 38N 18NW 25 75 IN 1 Y Y N U 450 N N

WILJ 02201 D 2NY 33Y 18NW 25 100 1A 0 Y Y A U 175 N N PHIL AUSCH E 3NY 75Y 18VW 50 100 ON 1 Y Y A U 150 N N ABBT AL121 E 2NN 5£N 20NW 51 100 1A 1 YV Y U 360 N N ABBT ALlOt E 2NN 5IN 20NW 51 100 1A 1 Y Y U 360 N N GAMA NZ310 E 3YN 76Y 17YW 51 100 ON 1 Y YY E 200 N N ABBT AL111 E 2NN 1 N 20NW 51 100 1A 1 Y Y U 360 N N PANX AUBIO E 2NY 32N 20NW 20 100 ON 1 Y Y E N N

JPEN SC120 E 2NN 51Y 19YW 50 120 ON 1 YYA U 250 N N JPEN MC120 F 3YY 51Y 19YT 50 120 OA 1 Y Y A U 250 N N

PANX NAA17 G 3YN 45Y 19YW 75 160 ON 0 YYY U N Y

ALOK AR221 F 2NY 13 W 200 OY 0 YV N U 270 N Y PICK PACE1 G 3YY 51Y 1 6NT 70 200 2Y 2 Y Y U 450 N Y SHIM AL201 H 2NY 50 22 W 60 200 2 Y N A 400 N N 1Y BECK 81I01 H 3YY 76N 12NW 200 1 N Y U N N IY ALOK AR321 H 2NY 13 W 200 lY 0 Y Y N U 270 N Y

PACK PRfAS G 2YY 51 17NT 55 240 3Y 2 V Y A U 999 N N

KONT MR252 F 2Y Y75Y 6NW 252 I I1 YV Y U N N

GAMA NZ322 E 2NN 50Y 13NT 30 256 IN I Y N E 100 N N

SEAR 1190A F 2NY 1 NT 300 2A 2 Y Y A U N N ICNL G3.33 F 3YN S1Y 18YT 50 300 1Y 1 YYY U N Y SEAR S1197 G 3YN 51 23NW 300 2A 2 YY A U N N BERT EF530 G 3YY 51Y 22YT 300 1Y Y Y E N Y PACK PMODI G 2YN 51 17NT 65 300 OY 1 N Y Y U 400 N V SEAR 117SZ H 2YY 16NW 300 2A 2 Y Y U N N SEAR 1185U H 3YY 51Y 15VW 300 2A 3 Y YY U N Y BECK G7000 H 3YY 76N 2 5NW 300 1Y 2 V YY U 800 N N

*measures 3 samples simultaneously

- 29 - - E eU E & E E U C o X o E ,e. (n* X o ,E 3 0o '$1- 0. 7 E e Z 8 a>a o£3 3: ca z PACK MODI I H 3YN 76 30NT 300 1Y 1 YY Y U 400 N Y PACK MDI I H 3YN 76 17YT 115 300 1Y 1 YYY U 400 N Y LKBI U1280 H 3YY 51Y 17YW 80 300 2Y 2 A Y U 270 N N

PHIL P4580 G 3YY 76Y 16YT 76 310 OY 1 Y A U 180 N N

PICK PACEI H 3VY 51Y 16NT 70 400 2Y 2 Y Y U 450 N Y

LKBI R1270 F 3YN 51N 12 T 500 Y 1 A AA U 170 A N ALOK AR251 G 2NY 13 W 500 OY 0 YY N U 270 N Y ICNL GS500 G 3YN 51Y 18YW 200 500 1A 1 Y Y U N N

TOSH RI52A H 2NN 51 17 W 50 504 1 1 Y Y A 999 N N

BERT LB51 0 I 2NN 51Y 22YW 100 510 3Y 2 Y Y Y N N

MICR MS588 H 3YN 76Y 15YW 588 OA 1 YYY U 400 N Y

SHIM RA600 G 2NY 50 22 W 60 600 1Y 2 Y Y N A 350 N N PACK MODVI H 3YN 76 17YT 115 600 1Y 1 Y Y U 400 N Y PACK P5912 I 3NN 73 7NT 115 600 OY 1 YYY U 999 N Y

INTR C4000 H 3YN 51Y 18YW 100 760 1Y 1 Y Y U 600 N N

LKB I U1280 I 3YY 51Y 17YW 80 900 2Y 2 A Y U 270 N N

SEAR 1285C I 3NY 12NW 1008 2Y 3 Y Y U N N

KONT M1032 H 2YY 75Y 16NW 1032 3Y 1 Y Y U N N

ELSC RA125 F 3NY 38N 16NW 7 1260 IN 1 Y Y U 350 N N

LKBI R1270 H 3YY SiN 12 T 2000 3Y 2 A A A U 170 Y N

- 30 - Appendix ?, Part 4 CONMPANY A.D'RES:A3.^ A1 iMODEftlI, NIlMiBEfRS

ABBT ABBCTT LABCRATORIES9 INCD LlOIB = LOSIC X1O 8 DIAGNOSTICS DIVISION = LOGIC 111B NORTH ChICAGO, IL.6CCe4 ALl 01 = AUTOLOGIC 101 USA ALI 11 = AUTOLOGIC 111 ALI 21 = AUTOLOGIC 121 TEL: 800/323-9100

ALOK ALOKA CO. LTD. TNCIC TNC-1C C/O K.*RANO & CO.,LTD. JD701 = JOC-701 CENTRAL F*C. EOX 1701 JD113 = JOC-113-S TOKYO 100-51 AR221 = ARC-221 JAPAN AR251 ARC-251 AR321 = ARC-321 TEL: e66-EI5 AR351 = ARC-351

AMES AMES CCMFAbY THYRI = THYRIMETER (DIVISIOt CF MILES LABS.,INC.) GAMMA = GAMMACORD II 1127 MYRTLE STREET ELKIAR1, INh46514 USA

TEL: 219/2t4-ef35

BAIR BAIRD ATCM1C INC. BA987 = * 987-10 WELL NUCLEA; CIVISION 125 MICCLESEX TLRNPIKE BEDFORD, MA.017-0 USA

TEL :617/27-600C

BECK BECKMAN INSTRUMENTS CO. GM100 = GAMMA-MATE 100 SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS DIVISION BIOII = BIOGAMMA II 2500 HAREOR BCULEVARD G7000 = GAMMA 7000 FULLEfTOCN CA.92634 USA

TEL: 714/871-4848

BERT BERTHOLD LABORATORIUM BF207 = BF4207 CALMBAChERSTRASSE 22 BF530 = BF-530/2G POSTFACH 160 LB510 = LB-MAG-510/1G25 D-7e47 WILEBAD FED. REPe CF GERMANY

- 31 - CANB CANEERRA INDUSTRIES. INC. 02000 = # 2000 NIM SYSTEM 45 GRACEY AVENUE OMEGA - OMEGA WELL COUNTING MERIDEN. CT*0e450 SYSTEM USA

TEL: 203'/2_8-23E1

ECIL ELECTRONICS CORP, OF INDIA LTD. GRS23 = GRS23 NIM SYSTEM MARKETING GROUP HYDERABAD E00762 INDIA

TEL: 78311

ELSC ELSCINT LTC. INS30 = INS-30 WELL COUNTER SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS DIVISION INS11 _ # INSI1S COUNTER ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTER ELNIM = NIM SYSTEM P.O. BeX S258 RA125 = # RA-125 RADIO- HAIFA 31-051 IMMUNOASSAY ANALYZER ISRAEL

TEL: C2'216

GAMA GAMMA MUVEK NZ138 = NZ-138 WELL COUNTER PF.l NZ310 = NZ-310 COUNTER FEHERVARI LT E5 NZ322 = NZ-322 COUNTER HUNGARY

TEL: 4E2-E20

HARW HARWELL INSTRUMENTATION H6000 = 9 6000 NIM SYSTEM BUILDING 347/T1 1ARWELL9 OXll ORA UNITED KINGDOM

TEL: AEINGCON (023E)4141-2468

ICNL ICN PHARMACEUTICALS N-Ve GAM50 = GAMMINI 50 COUNTER ANTWERPSE STEENtEG 277 G3.33 = GAMMA 3*33 e-2800 MICI-ELIN GS500 = GAMMA SET 500 BELGIUt 402ST = 402S-T EDUCATION COUNTER

INOT INOTRON LTD. INPP9 = 1-125 GAMMA COUNTER NEWLAND hOUSE NEWLANC STREET EYNShAW* CXFORD OX8 IQW UNITED KINGDOM

TEL: CE65/880479

- 32 - INTR INTERTECHNIQUE C4000 = CG 4000 COUNTING F-78370 PLAYSIR SYSTEM FRANCE

TEL: 1/4.033CC

JPFN J.& PoENGITEERING (READING) LTDe MS311 = U MS311 - 0 EP158 PORTMAN HtLSE CCUNTER CARDIFF FC^D JSC60 = SC 60 SYSTEM READING, RG1 8TF BE9KS. SC120 = SC 120 SYSTEM UNITED KINGDOM MSC60 = MSC 60 SYSTEM MS120 = MSC 120 SYSTEM TEL: C734/ESEE44

KONT KONTRCh TECHNIK GMEi MR101 = MR-101 COUNTING SYSTEM BIOCHEIlSCF-E ANALYTIK MR252 = MR-252 COUNTING SYSTEM OSKAR-VOh-MILLER STRASSE 1 M1032 = MR-1032 COUNTING SYSTEM D-8057 ECHING BEI MUENCHEN FED* REP. CF GERMANY

TEL: 0e165/77-1

LKBI LKB PRODUKTER AB R1270 = 1270 RACKGAMMA S-16125 BRCMMA U1280 = 1280-004 ULTROGAMMA II SWECEN

TEL: 3C1/755-7000

LUDL LUDLUM MEASUREMENTS, INC. L2000 = MODEL # 2000 PORTABLE 1219 EAST EROADWAY SCALER SWEETliATER TX.7S556 L2200 = MODEL # 2200 PORTABLE USA SCALER RATEMETER L2600 = MODEL # 2600 TEL: 915/225-E4S4 SPECTROMETER

MICR MICROMEDIC SYSTEMSe INC. MS588 = MS-588 COUNTER 102 iW'M'ER ROAD HORSHAN PA.19044 USA

TEL: 215/674-e500

MINI MINI-INSTRUMENTS LTD* MI620 MINI-ASSAY 8( STATICN INDLSTRIAL ESTATE BURNHAM-ON-CRCUCH, ESSEX CMO 8RN UNITEC KINGDCM

TEL: CE21/8e3282

-. 33 - NUCE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISES LTD. NPSR5 = # SR5 COUNTER SIGHTHILL NEST6 = 1 ST6 SPECTROMETER EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND EH11 4EY N1600 = NE 1600 MULTISAMPLE UNITEC KINGDOM COUNTER NPSR6 = PSR6 PORTABLE TEL: C31-443-4060 SPECTROMETER

NUCL THE NUCLEU'S INCe NU600 = # 600 GAMMA TEC P«O0 ECX R N1000 = 1000 CLINICAL OAK RICGE. TN.37830 SPECTROMETER USA N1200 = # 1000/1200 SYSTEM N1400 = S 1000/1400 SYSTEM TEL: 615/483-00C8

ORTC ORTEC, INC* #4800 = NIM # 4800 SYSTEM 100 MIDLAND ROAD OAK RICCEt TNe37830 USA

TEL: 615/4e2-4411

PACK PACKAFC INSTRUMENT COMPANY, INC. P5105 = # 5105 SYSTEM 220C WARRENVILLE ROAC PRIAS = PRIAS SYSTEM DOWNERS GROVE, ILe6CE1E PMODI = MODUMATIC I USA MODII = MODUMATIC II MDIII = MODUMATIC III TEL: _ 12/S69-E0CO MODVI = MODUMATIC VI P5176 = 5176 SYSTEM P5912 = 5912 MCA GAMMA SYSTEM

PANX PANAX EQUIPMENT LTD. MABIO = MAAUAL-BIOSCINT WILLOt LANE RRA31 = C*0921/RRA-31/6 MITCHAM9 SLRREY CR4 4UX AUBIO = UTO-BIOSCINT UNITED KINCGOM NAA17 = Ce0512/NAA-17?

TEL: C1-~4e 7C80

PHIL PHILIFS MEDICAL SYSTEMS AUSCH = AUTOMATIC SAMPLE COMBINED SALES DIVISION CHANGER CONCEr;h FRCJECTS GROUP MNCTR = MANUAL COUNTER EINCHCVEN P4580 = PW 4580 SYSTEM NETf-ERL ANC

TEL: 3154SC18291

- 34 - PICK PICKER INTERNATIONAL CORP. PACE1 = PACE 1 WITH PAC MEDICAL PRCDUCTS CIVISION CALCULATOR 595 MINER FOAD CLEVELANCD OH.44143 USA

TEL: 216/449-30CC

RAYT RAYThECN CC. SIGM2 = SIGMA 2 WITH 230 MEDICAL ELECTRONICS WELL COUNTER P.O. ECX 397 EURLIhGTCN, MA.01803 LSA

TEL: 617/272-7270

SEAR G.De SEARLE* INC. S4454 = # 4454 MANUAL SYSTEM 2000 NUCLEAR DRIVE 1190A = # 1190A SYSTEM DES PLAINES, ILe60018 S1197 = 1197 SYSTEM USA 1175Z = # 1175Z SYSTEM 11851 = # 1185U SYSTEM TEL: 212/258-66C0 1285C = N 1285C SYSTEM

SHIM SHIMAEZU SEISAKU-SHC. LTD RA600 = RAW-600 SYSTEM IYOKIKI JIGYO-BU AL201 = AL-201A SYSTEM KUWAEARA-MACHI 1, NISINOKYO CHUKYtKU KYOTO-SHI. 604 JAPAN

TEL: 07-E/E1-1111

TECH TECHNICAL ASSOCIATES FMW22 = FMW-22 SYSTEM INSTRUMENTATICN FOR NUCLEAR RES. FMW23 = FMW-23 SYSTEM 7051 EION AVENUE FMW24 = FMW-24 SYSTEM CANCGA PARK, CA,913C3 CCC4R = CCC-4R CLINICAL COUNT USA COMPARATOR

TEL: 213/883-7043

TENN TENNELECt INC. T2000 = TM-2000 SYSTEM 601 OAK RICGE TURNPIKE T2100 = TM-2100 SYSTEM OAK RIDGE. TN.37830 T2200 = TM-2200 SYSTEM USA

TEL: el5/4E3-e405

- 35 - TOSH TOSHIEA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CO. R152A = * RDI-52A SYSTEM 26-5, 3-C¢CME HONGO, BUNKYO-KU TOKYO, 113 JAPAN

TEL: 03/E1E7211

UNIN UNION CARBIDE CCPPOCATION CENTR = CENTRIA COUNTER/ CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS COMPUTER 401 ThEOCORE FRE6C AVENUE RYE, bYa1080 USA

TEL: 914/9d7-7800

WENZ WENZEL ELECTRCNIK WENIM = NIM SYSTEM WARCEI'STRASSE 3 D-8000 MtEhChEN FED. REP CF GERMANY

TEL: Oe/9Se 65 58

WILJ WILJ INTERNATIONAL LTC* #2001 = # 2001 MANUAL COUNTER KINGSNCRTH INDUSTRIAL ESTATE #2201 = # 2201 AUTOMATIC ASHFORD, KENT TN25 2LW COUNTER UNITEC KINCDOG

TEL: 0233/32131

- 36 - Appendix 3

Agency's Prototype Automatic Well

Scintillation Counter

This counter, now in prototype stage but wi several modifications planned, represents an attempt to create an instrument optimized for service in a developing country. It has four basic components: (1) automatic sample changer consisting of an essentially unmodified Kodak Carousel S-AV2000 projector for 35 mm slides (- $ 250) ) with added sample holder and other minor features, (2) simple well scintillation counter (Mini-Assay, made by Mini-Instruments Ltd., 8 Station Industrial Estate, Burnham on Crouch, Essex C1M 8RN, U.K.,- $ 650), (3) Hewlett Packard HP-97 calculator (- $ 750) and (4) interface among the preceding three components (built in the Agency's laboratory).

The sample changer holds 80 counting vials of dimensions 12 mm 0 x 75 mm, and can be easily adapted to hold other small vials. It can probably be adapted to hold 40 vials of 16 mm 0 and 75 mm or 100 mm length. In an endurance test it changed half a million samples without evidence of mechanical wear.

The well scintillation counter is designed for 125I sources with a 25 mm 0 x 25 mm NaI(Tl) crystal, HV, threshold discriminator, 5 decade scaler, and preset timer.

The HP-97 is a printing calculator with 224 program steps and 26 registers programmed from the keyboard or by inserting magnetic cards.

)Idea developed by W. J. Palenscar Co., 3788 Highland Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008, USA. The concept is the subject of US Patent No. 3,951,609.

- 37 - The interface now duplicates several components of the counter; in a finished product these redundancies would be eliminated. It transfers the scaler reading into the calculator essentially as to a printer by electrically "depressing" the digit keys (0.1 second per key). When the calculator prints the result of a measurement the interface senses the start of the printing motor and electrically closes the Carousel advance switch to change the sample.

The calculator is able to control the measurement process on- line by virtue of the fact that every 15 seconds the counts accumulated by the counter are transferred into it from the scaler, via a "latch", whereupon under program control the calculator determines whether the prescribed counting time has elapsed or whether enough counts have been accumulated according to whatever criteria are contained in its program. Its program capacity is adequate for quite complex data processing routines. One program has been prepared in which the calculator keeps track of sample number, thereby identifying background sources, reference sources, and unknown sources positioned in a prescribed sequence in a single sample tray. It processes each of the three according to a different subprogram, announces shifts in background or reference count rates, converts counts on unknown samples to hormone concentration via a standard curve (inserted into its memory from a previous tray of standards) using linear interpolation in logit-log space, measures each unknown to a prescribed statistical error in hormone concentration or to a prescribed maximum counting period, prints out sample number, hormone concentration, % error in hormone concentration, and overall random error (by combining in quadrature the error from counting statistics and a pre-inserted curve of other random errors as a function of hormone concentration in this type of assay), averages results for duplicate unknown samples and prints out the average result and combined errors appropriate thereto. This program is undoubtedly unrealistic in part, but illustrates the calculator's computational power, which stands comparison with many computer-based commercial systems.

- 38 - Once the program is available the instrument comes close to the ideal in simplicity of operation in that the setting of control switches is replaced by a single operation: insertion of the magnetic card.

The calculator operates on a buffered battery. The counter and interface could do so. The Kodak Carousel consumes 100 watts when in motion, and would require a large inverter if driven from a battery without modifying the motor. It is intended to leave the Carousel on mains power while operating the electronics from batteries. Protective circuitry should be able to preserve the integrity of the measurem ents if mains power (and, therefore, sample changing) fails. Counting could continue in the event of a mains failure, but as soon as the measurerent of the current sample was completed the instrument would wait in a standby mode until power was restored to the Carousel and the next sample was presented for counting.

It is hoped that the instrument can be used with a two-inch well crystal to allow more efficient counting of higher energy Y rays. However, the small dimensions of the changer prevent thick shielding, so that only 20 or 40 higher energy sources could be tolerated in one tray.

Larger numbers of samples could be handled by an expansion of the system in several alternative ways: (l) use of two Carousels consecutively feeding one crystal, (2) use of two Carousels feeding two crystals and counters, but the same calculator, either simultaneously or consecutively, or (3) use of two or more independent systems.

- 39 -