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DOE OSTI2012

Analysis of moire fringes by Wiener filtering: An extension to the Fourier method

In X-ray Talbot interferometry, tilting the phase grating with respect to the absorption grating results in the formation of spatial fringes. The analysis of this moire pattern, classically performed by the Fourier method, allows the extraction of the sample phase shift information from a single image. In this context, an extension to the Fourier method is proposed. The filter used to extract the fringe information is chosen optimally in the least-squares sense, given models for the zeroth and first order modes, noise and the modulation transfer function. The latter is obtained by measuring the detector response to moire fringes with increasing frequencies. The obtained Wiener filter allows a better reconstruction of the phase information at all fringe frequencies, compared to the usual box or gaussian filters. This is demonstrated quantitatively by experiments using synchrotron radiation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2012

Constructing a multi-scan synchrotron X-ray microscope to study the function of osteocyte canaliculi in mouse bone

Formulating a multi-scan method applied to an X-ray microscope CT with synchrotron radiation, we attempted to analyze the 3D functional structure of osteocyte canaliculi inside the cortical bone of a mouse tibia. We employed a two-method combination to scan the same position of the specimen. To extract the internal bone canalicular structure, we first combined a Talbot interferometer with an X-ray microscope, and applied a differential phase imaging method to measure the absolute value of bone mineral around the canaliculi. Next, we used the X-ray microscope without the Talbot interferometer under a defocus condition, moving the specimen toward the zone plate by 6 mm. This defocus contrast method visualizes the canaliculi by emphasizing the edges of the bone. We performed CT scans by the two configurations and precisely aligned resultant 3D images so that the same position in the specimen is compared. We could extract the osteocyte canaliculi and evaluate the mineral density of their surroundings. The degree of mineralization varied for each osteocyte lacuna and canaliculus. The multi-scan microscopic X-ray CT is a powerful tool for analyzing bone mineralization.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Optimization of X-ray phase contrast imaging system toward high-sensitivity measurements of biological organs

X-ray phase contrast imaging and tomography using a Talbot grating interferometer is currently available for user experiments at BL20B2 in SPring-8. The measurement condition for X-ray phase contrast tomography has been optimized to achieve high-sensitivity measurements of biological soft tissues and organs. Some biological samples were measured to demonstrate the high-sensitivity imaging.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Sensitivity in X-ray grating interferometry on compact systems

The optimization of compact X-ray grating interferometry systems is crucial for the progress of this technique in industrial devices. Here, an analytical formulation for the sensitivity of the phase contrast image acquisition is derived using previous results from noise analyses. Furthermore, experimental measurements of the sensitivity for different configurations are compared, providing further insight into the dependence on polychromatic radiation. Finally, strategies for the geometrical optimization are given.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2012

Radiometric calibration and SNR calculation of a SWIR imaging telescope

Radiometric calibration of an imaging telescope is usually made using a uniform illumination sphere in a laboratory. In this study, we used the open-sky images taken during bright day conditions to calibrate our telescope. We found a dark signal offset value and a linear response coefficient value for each pixel by using three different algorithms. Then we applied these coefficients to the taken images, and considerably lowered the image non-uniformity. Calibration can be repeated during the operation of telescope with an object that has better uniformity than open-sky. Also SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of each pixel was calculated from the open-sky images using the temporal mean and standard deviations. It is found that SNR is greater than 80 for all pixels even at low light levels.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Mean glandular dose in a breast screening programme

Breast density has an important role in early detection of breast cancer, because has been reported the strong association between breast density and invasive breast cancer risk. Mammography is the gold standard to early detection of breast cancer, despite of this require ionizing radiation that may increase radio-induced cancer risk. This maybe limited with a quality control programme of mammographic units, with the main goal of achieving high quality images with low radiation dose. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published in 2011 the {sup Q}uality assurance programme for digital mammography{sup ,} where glandular tissue quantity is an important parameter to compute mean glandular dose (MGD), which is necessary to reduce its associated risk. In this work we show the first results in our country applying this protocol and studying breast density in a small group. MGD complies with national and IAEA dose limits.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2012

CR mammography: Design and implementation of a quality control program

Despite the recent acquisition of significant quantities of computed radiography CR equipment for mammography, Mexican regulations do not specify the performance requirements for digital systems such as those of CR type. The design of a quality control program QCP specific for CR mammography systems was thus considered relevant. International protocols were taken as reference to define tests, procedures and acceptance criteria. The designed QCP was applied in three CR mammography facilities. Important deficiencies in spatial resolution, noise, image receptor homogeneity, artifacts and breast thickness compensation were detected.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2013

Charged particle velocity map image reconstruction with one-dimensional projections of spherical functions

Velocity map imaging (VMI) is used in mass spectrometry and in angle resolved photo-electron spectroscopy to determine the lateral momentum distributions of charged particles accelerated towards a detector. VM-images are composed of projected Newton spheres with a common centre. The 2D images are usually evaluated by a decomposition into base vectors each representing the 2D projection of a set of particles starting from a centre with a specific velocity distribution. We propose to evaluate 1D projections of VM-images in terms of 1D projections of spherical functions, instead. The proposed evaluation algorithm shows that all distribution information can be retrieved from an adequately chosen set of 1D projections, alleviating the numerical effort for the interpretation of VM-images considerably. The obtained results produce directly the coefficients of the involved spherical functions, making the reconstruction of sliced Newton spheres obsolete.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2013

Test of 3D CT reconstructions by EM + TV algorithm from undersampled data

Computerized tomography (CT) plays an important role in medical imaging for diagnosis and therapy. However, CT imaging is connected with ionization radiation exposure of patients. Therefore, the dose reduction is an essential issue in CT. In 2011, the Expectation Maximization and Total Variation Based Model for CT Reconstruction (EM+TV) was proposed. This method can reconstruct a better image using less CT projections in comparison with the usual filtered back projection (FBP) technique. Thus, it could significantly reduce the overall dose of radiation in CT. This work reports the results of an independent numerical simulation for cone beam CT geometry with alternative virtual phantoms. As in the original report, the 3D CT images of 128 Multiplication-Sign 128 Multiplication-Sign 128 virtual phantoms were reconstructed. It was not possible to implement phantoms with lager dimensions because of the slowness of code execution even by the CORE i7 CPU.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2013

Preliminary study of an angiographic and angio-tomographic technique based on K-edge filters

Digital Subtraction Angiography is commonly affected by artifacts due to the patient movements during the acquisition of the images without and with the contrast medium. This paper presents a preliminary study on an angiographic and angio-tomographic technique based on the quasi-simultaneous acquisition of two images, obtained using two different filters at the exit of an X-ray tube. One of the two filters (K-edge filter) contains the same chemical element used as a contrast agent (gadolinium in this study). This filter absorbs more radiation with energy just above the so called K-edge energy of gadolinium than the radiation with energy just below it. The other filter (an aluminium filter in this study) is simply used to suppress the low-energy contribution to the spectrum. Using proper calibration curves, the two images are combined to obtain an image of the contrast agent distribution. In the angio-tomographic application of the proposed technique two images, corresponding to the two filter types, are acquired for each viewing angle of the tomographic scan. From the two tomographic reconstructions, it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional map of the contrast agent distribution. The technique was tested on a sample consisting of a rat skull placed inside a container filled with water. Six small cylinders with 4.7 mm internal diameter containing the contrast medium at different concentrations were placed inside the skull. In the plain angiographic application of the technique, five out of six cylinders were visible, with gadolinium concentration down to 0.96%. In the angio-tomographic application, all six cylinders were visible, with gadolinium concentration down to 0.49%. This preliminary study shows that the proposed technique can provide images of the contrast medium at low concentration without most of the artifacts that are present in images produced by conventional techniques. The results encourage further investigation on the feasibility of a clinical implementation of the technique.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2013

Phase contrast tomography of the mouse cochlea at microfocus x-ray sources

We present phase contrast x-ray tomography of functional soft tissue within the bony cochlear capsule of mice, carried out at laboratory microfocus sources with well-matched source, detector, geometry, and reconstruction algorithms at spatial resolutions down to 2 μm. Contrast, data quality and resolution enable the visualization of thin membranes and nerve fibers as well as automated segmentation of surrounding bone. By complementing synchrotron radiation imaging techniques, a broad range of biomedical applications becomes possible as demonstrated for optogenetic cochlear implant research.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2013

Invited Review Article: Methods for imaging weak-phase objects in electron microscopy

Contrast has traditionally been produced in electron-microscopy of weak phase objects by simply defocusing the objective lens. There now is renewed interest, however, in using devices that apply a uniform quarter-wave phase shift to the scattered electrons relative to the unscattered beam, or that generate in-focus image contrast in some other way. Renewed activity in making an electron-optical equivalent of the familiar “phase-contrast” light microscope is based in part on the improved possibilities that are now available for device microfabrication. There is also a better understanding that it is important to take full advantage of contrast that can be had at low spatial frequency when imaging large, macromolecular objects. In addition, a number of conceptually new phase-plate designs have been proposed, thus increasing the number of options that are available for development. The advantages, disadvantages, and current status of each of these options is now compared and contrasted. Experimental results that are, indeed, superior to what can be accomplished with defocus-based phase contrast have been obtained recently with two different designs of phase-contrast aperture. Nevertheless, extensive work also has shown that fabrication of such devices is inconsistent, and that their working lifetime is short. The main limitation, in fact, appears to be electrostatic charging of any device that is placed into the electron diffraction pattern. The challenge in fabricating phase plates that are practical to use for routine work in electron microscopy thus may be more in the area of materials science than in the area of electron optics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

Development of spectrally selective imaging system for negative hydrogen ion source

A spectrally selective imaging system has been developed to obtain a distribution of H{sub α} emissions at the extraction region in a hydrogen negative ion source. The diagnostic system consisted of an aspherical lens, optical filters, a fiber image conduit, and a charge coupled device detector was installed on the 1/3-scaled hydrogen negative ion source in the National Institute for Fusion Science. The center of sight line passes beside the plasma grid (PG) surface with the distance of 11 mm, and the viewing angle has coverage 35 mm from the PG surface. Two dimensional H{sub α} distribution in the range up to 20 mm from the PG surface was clearly observed. The reduction area for H{sub α} emission caused by beam extraction was widely distributed in the extraction region near the PG surface.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2013

Fast and gentle side approach for atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy is one of the most popular imaging tools with atomic resolution in different research fields. Here, a fast and gentle side approach for atomic force microscopy is proposed to image the same surface location and to reduce the time delay between modification and imaging without significant tip degradation. This reproducible approach to image the same surface location using atomic force microscopy shortly after, for example, any biological, chemical, or physical modification on a geometrically separated position has the potential to become widely used.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2014

Analysis of the multigroup model for muon tomography based threat detection

We compare different algorithms for detecting a 5 cm tungsten cube using cosmic ray muon technology. In each case, a simple tomographic technique was used for position reconstruction, but the scattering angles were used differently to obtain a density signal. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare images made using average angle squared, median angle squared, average of the squared angle, and a multi-energy group fit of the angular distributions for scenes with and without a 5 cm tungsten cube. The receiver operating characteristic curves show that the multi-energy group treatment of the scattering angle distributions is the superior method for image reconstruction.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2014

Design and evaluation of a device for fast multispectral time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging

The application of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) to in vivo tissue diagnosis requires a method for fast acquisition of fluorescence decay profiles in multiple spectral bands. This study focusses on development of a clinically compatible fiber-optic based multispectral TRFS (ms-TRFS) system together with validation of its accuracy and precision for fluorescence lifetime measurements. It also presents the expansion of this technique into an imaging spectroscopy method. A tandem array of dichroic beamsplitters and filters was used to record TRFS decay profiles at four distinct spectral bands where biological tissue typically presents fluorescence emission maxima, namely, 390, 452, 542, and 629 nm. Each emission channel was temporally separated by using transmission delays through 200 μm diameter multimode optical fibers of 1, 10, 19, and 28 m lengths. A Laguerre-expansion deconvolution algorithm was used to compensate for modal dispersion inherent to large diameter optical fibers and the finite bandwidth of detectors and digitizers. The system was found to be highly efficient and fast requiring a few nano-Joule of laser pulse energy and <1 ms per point measurement, respectively, for the detection of tissue autofluorescent components. Organic and biological chromophores with lifetimes that spanned a 0.8–7 ns range were used for system validation, and the measured lifetimes from the organic fluorophores deviated by less than 10% from values reported in the literature. Multi-spectral lifetime images of organic dye solutions contained in glass capillary tubes were recorded by raster scanning the single fiber probe in a 2D plane to validate the system as an imaging tool. The lifetime measurement variability was measured indicating that the system provides reproducible results with a standard deviation smaller than 50 ps. The ms-TRFS is a compact apparatus that makes possible the fast, accurate, and precise multispectral time-resolved fluorescence lifetime measurements of low quantum efficiency sub-nanosecond fluorophores.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2014

Frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy operation by imaging at the frequency shift minimum: The dip-df mode

In frequency modulated non-contact atomic force microscopy, the change of the cantilever frequency (Δf) is used as the input signal for the topography feedback loop. Around the Δf(z) minimum, however, stable feedback operation is challenging using a standard proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback design due to the change of sign in the slope. When operated under liquid conditions, it is furthermore difficult to address the attractive interaction regime due to its often moderate peakedness. Additionally, the Δf signal level changes severely with time in this environment due to drift of the cantilever frequency f{sub 0} and, thus, requires constant adjustment. Here, we present an approach overcoming these obstacles by using the derivative of Δf with respect to z as the input signal for the topography feedback loop. Rather than regulating the absolute value to a preset setpoint, the slope of the Δf with respect to z is regulated to zero. This new measurement mode not only makes the minimum of the Δf(z) curve directly accessible, but it also benefits from greatly increased operation stability due to its immunity against f{sub 0} drift. We present isosurfaces of the Δf minimum acquired on the calcite CaCO{sub 3}(101{sup ¯}4) surface in liquid environment, demonstrating the capability of our method to image in the attractive tip-sample interaction regime.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2014

Four dimensional hybrid ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging via passive element optical excitation in a hand-held probe

Ultrasonography and optoacoustic imaging share powerful advantages related to the natural aptitude for real-time image rendering with high resolution, the hand-held operation, and lack of ionizing radiation. The two methods also possess very different yet highly complementary advantages of the mechanical and optical contrast in living tissues. Nonetheless, efficient integration of these modalities remains challenging owing to the fundamental differences in the underlying physical contrast, optimal signal acquisition, and image reconstruction approaches. We report on a method for hybrid acquisition and reconstruction of three-dimensional pulse-echo ultrasound and optoacoustic images in real time based on passive ultrasound generation with an optical absorber, thus avoiding the hardware complexity of active ultrasound generation. In this way, complete hybrid datasets are generated with a single laser interrogation pulse, resulting in simultaneous rendering of ultrasound and optoacoustic images at an unprecedented rate of 10 volumetric frames per second. Performance is subsequently showcased in phantom experiments and in-vivo measurements from a healthy human volunteer, confirming general clinical applicability of the method.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗