In this work the concept of a novel slow neutron collimator and the way to operate it are presented. The idea is based on the possibility to decouple the device's field-of-view from its collimation power. A multi-channel geometry is proposed consisting of a chess-board structure where highly neutron-absorbing channels are alternated to air channels. A borated polymer was purposely developed to produce the attenuating components in the form of square-sectioned long rods. A scalable structure consisting of multiple collimation sectors can be arranged. The geometrical parameter L/D, corresponding to the ratio between the length of a channel and its width, defines the collimation power. Several sectors can be arranged one after the other to reach relevant collimation powers. Each sector, 100 mm long, is composed by several channels with D = 2.5 mm corresponding to an L/D coefficient of 40. The target field of view is 50 × 50 mm 2 . This novel collimator, developed inside the INFN-ANET collaboration, due to its intrinsic compactness, will be of great importance to enhance the neutron imaging capability of small to medium-size neutron sources.

The pro-apoptotic effect of new 2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone derivative Les-3331 on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines ..

A directional neutron spectrometer called NCT-WES (Neutron Capture Therapy Wide Energy Spectrometer), conceived as a spectrometric beam monitor in neutron capture therapy, was designed and prototyped. As other types of single moderator neutron spectrometers, NCT-WES condenses the functionality of Bonner Spheres in a single moderator embedding multiple thermal neutron detectors in previously optimized positions. NCT-WES is a polyethylene cylinder with 36 cm diameter and 41.5 cm height. To achieve a sharply directional response, the sensitive part is shielded with a thick barrier made of polyethylene and borated rubber, except in the direction identified by the collimating aperture. The size, geometry, materials and detector locations were previously optimized to emphasise the spectrometric capability in the epithermal range. TNPD-type thermal neutron detectors, consisting of 1 cm 2 silicon p-i-n diodes covered with 6 LiF are used as internal thermal neutron detectors. The simulation model of NCT-WES was experimentally verified by exposing the prototype in the reference neutron field of 241 Am-Be available at the Politecnico di Milano. The count rate in the NCT-WES internal detectors, as calculated from the simulation model, coincided with the experimental ones within about ±2%, confirming the high degree of accuracy of the NCT-WES simulation model. Aspects related to the future use of NCT-WES in therapeutic neutron beams are finally discussed.

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The e\_LiBANS project aims at creating accelerator based compact neutron facilities for diverse interdisciplinary applications. After the successful setting up and characterization of a thermal neutron source based on a medical electron LINAC, a similar assembly for epithermal neutrons has been developed. The project is based on an Elekta 18 MV LINAC coupled with a photoconverter-moderator system which deploys the (γ,n) photonuclear reaction to convert a bremsstrahlung photon beam into a neutron field. This communication describes the development of novel diagnostics to qualify the thermal and epithermal neutron fields that have been produced. In particular, a proof of concept for the use of silicon carbide photodiodes as thermal neutron rate detector is presented.

The pro-apoptotic effect of new 2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone derivative Les-3331 on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines ..