John Broadhurst

CEO of small company (Sysmed Inc.) involved in the development of high gradient small electrostatic accelerators. CFO of small company (Spectrameasure Inc.) involved in medical instrumentation for pulmonary function analysis. Collaboration in extending the solar work of the Birmingham UK BISON organization to measurements of stellar properties. Collaboration with the PET group at the Mayo Clinic Rochester Minn on developing novel PET isotope complexes.

This year two of my students graduated, Steven Gardeeen from the physics department and Frank Barnett from the department of medical physics.. Steven’s work established that the human hearing (auditory cortex) is capable of discriminating small frequency shifts in equal loudness anharmonic partials (Fourier components). Also resulting from this research was the discovery that ‘mismatch’ sounds, i.e. a sound differing from the sound immediately preceding it, is processed at a different brain location in male and female subjects. Also determined was that the proessing of this sound to sound mismatch contains filters to dtermine whether the brsin should be involved at the conscious level. Two papers are in the process of submission to the appropriate journals.

Frank’s work was to determine if one could quantitatively measure permanent radiation damage to biological tissue due to ionizing radiation. (This is important in radiation cancer treatment, increasing the dose by 60% will change the cure rate from 5% to 95%). Currently dose is measured by mechanical eqipment. Frank’s work was to measure permanent changes in the complex impedance of tissue (bovine muscle) as a function of radiation ‘dose’. E found that although the conductivity was relatively unchanged, the permittivity decreased as complex molecules were dissociated into smaller molecules . (With smaller dipole moments). Two papers have been written on Frank’s work, currently they are being held from publication by the U patent office, who are assessing the patent prospects.

The two projects on selective local enhancement of cancer treatment dose by high energy photon induced nuclear processes are continuing. My medical physics graduate student Pamela Soorian is studying selectively enhancing radiation dose in bones using the giant dipole resonance (at 16 Mev photon energy) of the bone calcium nuclei. The experimental verification is expected to be complete in the coming summer. My physics student, Yao Meng is starting his research on local enhancement of radiation dose by the injection of high Z (gold) nanoparticles. The process is photon induced pair production using >10 Mev photons, with the resultant beta +-partilcle recoils., This work has already been proven by my previous study using tissue equivalent plastic films, and has now reached the animal tests. Yao will be using pocine kidney to perform a quantitative comparison.

This last work is currently funded by a University grant. We are currently discussing the possibility of government funding with the National Cancer Institute of the NIH. Their opinion was that an introductory animal study would greatly enhance the possibility of funding of a larger scale animal study.