Characterization of a double-sided silicon strip detector autoradiography system

The most commonly used technology currently used for autoradiography is storage phosphor screens, which has many benefits such as a large field of view but lacks particle-counting detection of the time and energy of each detected radionuclide decay. A number of alternative designs, using either solid state or scintillator detectors, have been developed to address these issues. The aim of this study is to characterize the imaging performance of one such instrument, a double-sided silicon strip detector (DSSD) system for digital autoradiography. A novel aspect of this work is that the instrument, in contrast to previous prototype systems using the same detector type, provides the ability for user accessible imaging with higher throughput. Studies were performed to compare its spatial resolution to that of storage phosphor screens and test the implementation of multiradionuclide ex vivo imaging in a mouse preclinical animal study

Essays on subjective wellbeing and behaviour

This thesis seeks to improve our understanding of the relationship between behaviour and subjective wellbeing (SWB). The thesis looks at three different sides of this relationship in the three main chapters. First, I conduct experiments to analyse the effect of happiness on willingness to compete (WTC). Happiness does not change WTC significantly. Subjective attitudes toward competition are mediators for WTC and provide a potential explanation for this null result. Second, the thesis analyses the relationship between SWB and a set of behavioural preferences in a global data set. SWB is usually positively correlated to the preferences meaning that for example being more patient or risk-taking is correlated with higher SWB. The coefficients are remarkably similar for the different regions of the world. Third, the thesis estimates the effect of mass shootings as a form of extreme behaviour on SWB. The results show that the effect of mass shootings on life satisfaction is relatively small and short-lived