Efficient production of ligand-free microscintillators at gram-scale for high-resolution X-ray luminescence imaging

The efficient production of high-quality scintillators with long radioluminescence afterglow is crucial for high-performance X-ray luminescence extension imaging.However,scaling-up the synthesis of ligand-free scintillators to fabricate large-area X-ray imaging screens for industrial applications remains a challenge.In this study,we report an efficient method to synthesize ligand-free,lanthanide-doped microscintillators by a one-pot reaction via the concentrated hydrothermal method.The as-synthesized microscintillators exhibit prolonged persistent radioluminescence for up to 30 days after X-ray exposure and remain high stability in air or water for more than 18 months without deterioration.Monte Carlo simulations indicate that the size effect is responsible for the excellent afterglow performance of the microscintillators.We employ these high-quality lanthanide-doped microscintillators to fabricate a large-area X-ray imaging detector using a blade-coating method,a spatial resolution of 24.9 lp/mm for X-ray imaging.Our study offers a solution for scaling-up the synthesis of low-cost microscintillators for practical applications.

Performance evaluation of the simpli¯ed spherical harmonics approximation for cone-beam X-ray luminescence computed tomography imaging

As an emerging molecular imaging modality,cone-beam X-ray luminescence computed tomog-raphy(CB-XLCT)uses X-ray-excitable probes to produce near-infrared(NIR)luminescence and then reconst ructs three-dimensional(3D)distribution of the probes from surface measurements.A proper photon-transportation model is critical to accuracy of XLCT.Here,we presented a systematic comparison between the common-used Monte Carlo model and simplified spherical harmonics(SPN).The performance of the two methods was evaluated over several main spec-trums using a known XLCT material.We designed both a global measurement based on the cosine similarity and a locally-averaged relative error,to quantitatively assess these methods.The results show that the SP_(3) could reach a good balance between the modeling accuracy and computational efficiency for all of the tested emission spectrums.Besides,the SP_(1)(which is equivalent to the difusion equation(DE))can be a reasonable alternative model for emission wavelength over 692nm.In vivo experiment further demonstrates the reconstruction perfor-mance of the SP:and DE.This study would provide a valuable guidance for modeling the photon-transportation in CB-XLCT.

X-ray luminescence computed tomography:an emerging molecular imaging modality

X-ray luminescence computed tomography(XLCT) is an emerging hybrid imaging modality that can be used as a new tool in molecular imaging. XLCT has the potential to achieve the high spatial resolution of X-ray imaging and the high sensitivity feature of optical imaging in deep tissues. In XLCT,high energy X-ray photons are used to excite X-ray excitable particles emitting optical photons to be measured for reconstruction of the particle distribution inside tissues. Numerical simulations and experimental studies have been performed and proved that XLCT is suitable for in vivo small animal imaging. The aim of this review paper is to introduce the background of XLCT and to detail the concept of XLCT,including a brief review of tw o types of XLCT imaging system designs. The major challenges in the development of XLCT are also described. Finally,the future applications and development directions of XLCT are discussed.

Two-Dimensional Perovskite Single Crystals for High-Performance X-ray Imaging and Exploring MeV X-ray Detection

Scintillation semiconductors play increasingly important medical diagnosis and industrial inspection roles.Recently,two-dimensional(2D)perovskites have been shown to be promising materials for medical X-ray imaging,but they are mostly used in low-energy(≤130 keV)regions.Direct detection of MeV X-rays,which ensure thorough penetration of the thick shell walls of containers,trucks,and aircraft,is also highly desired in practical industrial applications.Unfortunately,scintillation semiconductors for high-energy X-ray detection are currently scarce.Here,This paper reports a 2D(C_(4)H_(9)NH_(3))_(2)PbBr_(4)single crystal with outstanding sensitivity and stability toward X-ray radiation that provides an ultra-wide detectable X-ray range of between 8.20 nGy_(air)s^(-1)(50 keV)and 15.24 mGy_(air)s^(-1)(9 MeV).The(C_(4)H_(9)NH_(3))_(2)PbBr_(4)single-crystal detector with a vertical structure is used for high-performance X-ray imaging,delivering a good spatial resolution of 4.3 Ip mm^(-1)in a plane-scan imaging system.Low ionic migration in the 2D perovskite enables the vertical device to be operated with hundreds of keV to MeV X-ray radiation at high bias voltages,leading to a sensitivity of 46.90μC Gy_(air)-1 cm^(-2)(-1.16 Vμm^(-1))with 9 MeV X-ray radiation,demonstrating that 2D perovskites have enormous potential for high-energy industrial applications.

Insights into the hydrogen evolution reaction in vanadium redox flow batteries:A synchrotron radiation based X-ray imaging study

The parasitic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in the negative half-cell of vanadium redox flow batteries(VRFBs)causes severe efficiency losses.Thus,a deeper understanding of this process and the accompanying bubble formation is crucial.This benchmarking study locally analyzes the bubble distribution in thick,porous electrodes for the first time using deep learning-based image segmentation of synchrotron X-ray micro-tomograms.Each large three-dimensional data set was processed precisely in less than one minute while minimizing human errors and pointing out areas of increased HER activity in VRFBs.The study systematically varies the electrode potential and material,concluding that more negative electrode potentials of-200 m V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)and lower cause more substantial bubble formation,resulting in bubble fractions of around 15%–20%in carbon felt electrodes.Contrarily,the bubble fractions stay only around 2%in an electrode combining carbon felt and carbon paper.The detected areas with high HER activity,such as the border subregion with more than 30%bubble fraction in carbon felt electrodes,the cutting edges,and preferential spots in the electrode bulk,are potential-independent and suggest that larger electrodes with a higher bulk-to-border ratio might reduce HER-related performance losses.The described combination of electrochemical measurements,local X-ray microtomography,AI-based segmentation,and 3D morphometric analysis is a powerful and novel approach for local bubble analysis in three-dimensional porous electrodes,providing an essential toolkit for a broad community working on bubble-generating electrochemical systems.

Anisotropy of Trabecular Bone from Ultra-Distal Radius Digital X-Ray Imaging: Effects on Bone Mineral Density and Age

Background: When applied to trabecular bone X-ray images, the anisotropic properties of trabeculae located at ultra-distal radius were investigated by using the trabecular bone scores (TBS) calculated along directions parallel and perpendicular to the forearm. Methodology: Data from more than two hundred subjects were studied retrospectively. A DXA (GE Lunar Prodigy) scan of the forearm was performed on each subject to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) value at the location of ultra-distal radius, and an X-ray digital image of the same forearm was taken on the same day. The values of trabecular bone score along the direction perpendicular to the forearm, TBSx, and along the direction parallel to the forearm, TBSy, were calculated respectively. The statistics of TBSx and TBSy were calculated, and the anisotropy of the trabecular bone, which was defined as the ratio of TBSy to TBSx and changed with subjects’ BMD and age, was reported and analyzed. Results: The results show that the correlation coefficient between TBSx and TBSy was 0.72 (p BMD and age was reported. The results showed that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with deceased BMD and increased age in the subject group. Conclusions: This study shows that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with decreased BMD and increased age.

Quantum dots enhanced Cerenkov luminescence imaging

Cerenkov luminescence imaging(CLI) has been widely investigated for biological imaging. However, the luminescence generated from Cerenkov effect is relatively weak and has poor penetration ability in biological tissues.These limitations consequently hindered the clinical translation of CLI. In this study, we proposed an in vitro experimental study for the demonstration of quantum dots(QDs) configurations affected by the improvement of the signal intensity of CLI. Results revealed that the optimal concentrations were 0.1 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL for the studied CdSe/ZnS QDs with fluorescence emission peaks of 580 nm and 660 nm, respectively. The detected optical signal intensity with long-wavelength emission QDs were stronger than those with short-wavelength emission QDs.This study illustrates an experiment to study the effects of concentrations and fluorescence emission peaks of QDs on an enhanced optical signal for the external detection of CLI.

A novel denoising framework for cerenkov luminescence imaging based on spatial information improved clustering and curvature-driven diffusion

With widely availed clinically used radionuclides,Cer enkov luminescence imaging(CLI)has become a potential tool in the field of optical molecular imaging.However,the impulse noises introduced by high-energy gamma rays that are generated during the decay of radionuclide reduce the image quality significantly,which affects the acauracy of quantitative analysis,as well as the three dimensional reconstruction.In this work,a novel denoising framework based on fuzzy dlustering and curvat ure driven difusion(CDD)is proposed to remove this kind of impulse noises.To improve the accuracy,the F u1zzy Local Information C-Means algorithm,where spatial information is evolved,is used.We evaluate the per formance of the proposed framework sys-tematically with a series of experiments,and the corresponding results demonstrate a better denoising effect than those from the commonly used median filter method.We hope this work may provide a useful data pre processing tool for CLI and its following studies.

Simultaneous Morphologies and Luminescence Control of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er Nanophosphors by Surfactants for Cancer Cell Imaging

Hydrophilic rare-earth up-conversion nanophosphors(UCNPs)with small sizes and a strong up-conversion luminescence have attracted much interest.Herein the simultaneous control of morphologies and the up-conversion luminescence intensities was reported for NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors by a facile hydrothermal procedure with different surfactants.With the change of the surfactants from polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)to sodium citrate(CIT),edetate disodium(EDTA)or sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS),the morphology of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors transformed from nanoparticles with a diameter of about 70.0 nm to hexagonal nanoblocks with a thickness of about 125.0 nm and a length of about 240.0 nm,nanorods with a diameter of about 700.0 nm and a length of about 2.6μm,or nanowires with a diameter of 250.0 nm and a length of about 3.2μm.Simultaneously,their up-conversion luminescence intensity went down gradually under laser irradiation at a wavelength of 980 nm due to the increase of photobleaching.PVP-capped NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanoparticles exhibited the smallest size and the strongest up-conversion luminescence intensity.Biological experiment results revealed that NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors exhibited a high biocompatibility and could be used as biological labels with a perfect signal-to-noise ratio for cancer cell imaging.

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)on the SMILE Mission

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and is due for launch in 2025.SXI is a compact X-ray telescope with a wide field-of-view(FOV)capable of encompassing large portions of Earth’s magnetosphere from the vantage point of the SMILE orbit.SXI is sensitive to the soft X-rays produced by the Solar Wind Charge eXchange(SWCX)process produced when heavy ions of solar wind origin interact with neutral particles in Earth’s exosphere.SWCX provides a mechanism for boundary detection within the magnetosphere,such as the position of Earth’s magnetopause,because the solar wind heavy ions have a very low density in regions of closed magnetic field lines.The sensitivity of the SXI is such that it can potentially track movements of the magnetopause on timescales of a few minutes and the orbit of SMILE will enable such movements to be tracked for segments lasting many hours.SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom(UK)with collaborating organisations on hardware,software and science support within the UK,Europe,China and the United States.

Using restored two-dimensional X-ray images to reconstruct the three-dimensional magnetopause

Astronomical imaging technologies are basic tools for the exploration of the universe,providing basic data for the research of astronomy and space physics.The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)carried by the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)aims to capture two-dimensional(2-D)images of the Earth’s magnetosheath by using soft X-ray imaging.However,the observed 2-D images are affected by many noise factors,destroying the contained information,which is not conducive to the subsequent reconstruction of the three-dimensional(3-D)structure of the magnetopause.The analysis of SXI-simulated observation images shows that such damage cannot be evaluated with traditional restoration models.This makes it difficult to establish the mapping relationship between SXIsimulated observation images and target images by using mathematical models.We propose an image restoration algorithm for SXIsimulated observation images that can recover large-scale structure information on the magnetosphere.The idea is to train a patch estimator by selecting noise–clean patch pairs with the same distribution through the Classification–Expectation Maximization algorithm to achieve the restoration estimation of the SXI-simulated observation image,whose mapping relationship with the target image is established by the patch estimator.The Classification–Expectation Maximization algorithm is used to select multiple patch clusters with the same distribution and then train different patch estimators so as to improve the accuracy of the estimator.Experimental results showed that our image restoration algorithm is superior to other classical image restoration algorithms in the SXI-simulated observation image restoration task,according to the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity.The restoration results of SXI-simulated observation images are used in the tangent fitting approach and the computed tomography approach toward magnetospheric reconstruction techniques,significantly improving the reconstruction results.Hence,the proposed technology may be feasible for processing SXI-simulated observation images.

SMILE soft X-ray Imager flight model CCD370 pre-flight device characterisation

Throughout the SMILE mission the satellite will be bombarded by radiation which gradually damages the focal plane devices and degrades their performance.In order to understand the changes of the CCD370s within the soft X-ray Imager,an initial characterisation of the devices has been carried out to give a baseline performance level.Three CCDs have been characterised,the two flight devices and the flight spa re.This has been carried out at the Open University in a bespo ke cleanroom measure ment facility.The results show that there is a cluster of bright pixels in the flight spa re which increases in size with tempe rature.However at the nominal ope rating tempe rature(-120℃) it is within the procure ment specifications.Overall,the devices meet the specifications when ope rating at -120℃ in 6 × 6 binned frame transfer science mode.The se rial charge transfer inefficiency degrades with temperature in full frame mode.However any charge losses are recovered when binning/frame transfer is implemented.

Simulation of the SMILE Soft X-ray Imager response to a southward interplanetary magnetic field turning

The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)will shine a spotlight on magnetopause dynamics during magnetic reconnection.We simulate an event with a southward interplanetary magnetic field turning and produce SXI count maps with a 5-minute integration time.By making assumptions about the magnetopause shape,we find the magnetopause standoff distance from the count maps and compare it with the one obtained directly from the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)simulation.The root mean square deviations between the reconstructed and MHD standoff distances do not exceed 0.2 RE(Earth radius)and the maximal difference equals 0.24 RE during the 25-minute interval around the southward turning.

Methodology development and application of X-ray imaging beamline at SSRF

This paper introduces some latest developments regarding the X-ray imaging methodology and applications of the X-ray imaging and biomedical application beamline(BL13W1)at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility in the past 5 years.The photon energy range of the beamline is 8–72.5 keV.Several sets of X-ray imaging detectors with different pixel sizes(0.19–24 lm)are used to realize X-ray microcomputed tomography(X-ray micro-CT)and X-ray in-line phase-contrast imaging.To satisfy the requirements of user experiments,new X-ray imaging methods and image processing techniques are developed.In vivo dynamic micro-CT experiments with living insects are performed in 0.5 s(sampling rate of 2 Hz,2 tomograms/s)with a monochromatic beam from a wiggler source and in 40 ms(sampling rate of 25 Hz,25 tomograms/s)with a white beam from a bending magnet source.A new X-ray imaging method known as move contrast X-ray imaging is proposed,with which blood flow and moving tissues in raw images can be distinguished according to their moving frequencies in the time domain.Furthermore,X-ray speckle-tracking imaging with twice exposures to eliminate the edge enhancement effect is developed.A high-precision quantification method is realized to measure complex three-dimensional blood vessels obtained via X-ray micro-CT.X-ray imaging methods such as three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy,small-angle X-ray scattering CT,and X-ray fluorescence CT are developed,in which the X-ray micro-CT imaging method is combined with other contrast mechanisms such as diffraction,scattering,and fluorescence contrasts respectively.Moreover,an X-ray nano-CT experiment is performed with a 100 nm spatial resolution.Typical user experimental results from the fields of material science,biomedicine,paleontology,physics,chemistry,and environmental science obtained on the beamline are provided.

Combined molybdenum target X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging examinations improve breast cancer diagnostic efficacy

BACKGROUND Early-stage breast cancer patients often lack specific clinical manifestations,making diagnosis difficult.Molybdenum target X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)examinations both have their own advantages.Thus,a combined examination methodology may improve early breast cancer diagnoses.AIM To explore the combined diagnostic efficacy of molybdenum target X-ray and MRI examinations in breast cancer.METHODS Patients diagnosed with breast cancer at our hospital from March 2019 to April 2021 were recruited,as were the same number of patients during the same period with benign breast tumors.Both groups underwent molybdenum target X-ray and MRI examinations,and diagnoses were given based on each exam.The single(i.e.,X-ray or MRI)and combined(i.e.,using both methods)diagnoses were counted,and the MRI-related examination parameters(e.g.,T-wave peak,peak and early enhancement rates,and apparent diffusion coefficient)were compared between the groups.RESULTS In total,63 breast cancer patients and 63 benign breast tumor patients were recruited.MRI detected 53 breast cancer cases and 61 benign breast tumor cases.Molybdenum target X-ray detected 50 breast cancer cases and 60 benign breast tumor cases.The combined methodology detected 61 breast cancer cases and 61 benign breast tumor cases.The sensitivity(96.83%)and accuracy(96.83%)of the combined methodology were higher than single-method MRI(84.13%and 90.48%,respectively)and molybdenum target X-ray(79.37%and 87.30%,respectively)(P<0.05).The combined methodology specificity(96.83%)did not differ from singlemethod MRI(96.83%)or molybdenum target X-ray(95.24%)(P>0.05).The Twave peak(169.43±32.05)and apparent diffusion coefficient(1.01±0.23)were lower in the breast cancer group than in the benign tumor group(228.86±46.51 and 1.41±0.35,respectively).However,the peak enhancement rate(1.08±0.24)and early enhancement rate(1.07±0.26)were significantly higher in the breast cancer group than in the benign tumor group(0.83±0.19 and 0.75±0.19,respectively)(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Combined molybdenum target X-ray and MRI examinations for diagnosing breast cancer improved the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy,minimizing the missedand misdiagnoses risks and promoting timely treatment intervention.

Ultra-stable CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanosheets for X-Ray Imaging Screen

Wet chemistry methods,including hot-injection and precipitation methods,have emerged as major synthetic routes for high-quality perovskite nanocrystals in backlit display and scintillation applications.However,low chemical yield hinders their upscale production for practical use.Meanwhile,the labile nature of halide-based perovskite poses a major challenge for long-term storage of perovskite nanocrystals.Herein,we report a green synthesis at room temperature for gram-scale production of CsPbBr3 nanosheets with minimum use of solvent,saving over 95% of the solvent for the unity mass nanocrystal production.The perovskite colloid exhibits record stability upon long-term storage for up to 8 months,preserving a photoluminescence quantum yield of 63% in solid state.Importantly,the colloidal nanosheets show self-assembly behavior upon slow solidification,generating a crack-free thin film in a large area.The uniform film was then demonstrated as an efficient scintillation screen for X-ray imaging.Our findings bring a scalable tool for synthesis of high-quality perovskite nanocrystals,which may inspire the industrial optoelectronic application of large-area perovskite film.

A fast and adaptive method for automatic weld defect detection in various real-time X-ray imaging systems

A first and effective method is proposed to detect weld deject adaptively in various Dypes of real-time X-ray images obtained in different conditions. After weld extraction and noise reduction, a proper template of median filter is used to estimate the weld background. After the weld background is subtracted from the original image, an adaptite threshold segmentation algorithm is proposed to obtain the binary image, and then the morphological close and open operation, labeling algorithm and fids＇e alarm eliminating algorithm are applied to pracess the binary image to obtain the defect, ct detection result. At last, a fast realization procedure jbr proposed method is developed. The proposed method is tested in real-time X-ray image,s obtairted in different X-ray imaging sutems. Experiment results show that the proposed method is effective to detect low contrast weld dejects with few .false alarms and is adaptive to various types of real-time X-ray imaging systems.

Detecting Lumbar Implant and Diagnosing Scoliosis from Vietnamese X-Ray Imaging Using the Pre-Trained API Models and Transfer Learning

With the rapid growth of the autonomous system,deep learning has become integral parts to enumerate applications especially in the case of healthcare systems.Human body vertebrae are the longest and complex parts of the human body.There are numerous kinds of conditions such as scoliosis,vertebra degeneration,and vertebrate disc spacing that are related to the human body vertebrae or spine or backbone.Early detection of these problems is very important otherwise patients will suffer from a disease for a lifetime.In this proposed system,we developed an autonomous system that detects lumbar implants and diagnoses scoliosis from the modified Vietnamese x-ray imaging.We applied two different approaches including pre-trained APIs and transfer learning with their pre-trained models due to the unavailability of sufficient x-ray medical imaging.The results show that transfer learning is suitable for the modified Vietnamese x-ray imaging data as compared to the pre-trained API models.Moreover,we also explored and analyzed four transfer learning models and two pre-trained API models with our datasets in terms of accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity.

Automated Algorithms for Detecting and Classifying X-Ray Images of Spine Fractures

This paper emphasizes a faster digital processing time while presenting an accurate method for identifying spinefractures in X-ray pictures. The study focuses on efficiency by utilizing many methods that include picturesegmentation, feature reduction, and image classification. Two important elements are investigated to reducethe classification time: Using feature reduction software and leveraging the capabilities of sophisticated digitalprocessing hardware. The researchers use different algorithms for picture enhancement, including theWiener andKalman filters, and they look into two background correction techniques. The article presents a technique forextracting textural features and evaluates three picture segmentation algorithms and three fractured spine detectionalgorithms using transformdomain, PowerDensity Spectrum(PDS), andHigher-Order Statistics (HOS) for featureextraction.With an emphasis on reducing digital processing time, this all-encompassing method helps to create asimplified system for classifying fractured spine fractures. A feature reduction program code has been built toimprove the processing speed for picture classification. Overall, the proposed approach shows great potential forsignificantly reducing classification time in clinical settings where time is critical. In comparison to other transformdomains, the texture features’ discrete cosine transform (DCT) yielded an exceptional classification rate, and theprocess of extracting features from the transform domain took less time. More capable hardware can also result inquicker execution times for the feature extraction algorithms.

Geant4 simulation of fast-electron bremsstrahlung imaging at the HL-3 tokamak

To further research on high-parameter plasma,we plan to develop a two-dimensional hard X-ray(HXR)imaging system at the HL-3 tokamak to measure HXRs with energies ranging from 20 to 300 keV.The application of an array-structured detector ensures that this system can measure HXR-radiation spectra from the entire plasma cross section.Therefore,it is suitable for the study of fast-electron physics,such as radio-frequency wave current drives,fast electrons driving instabilities,and plasma disruptions in fusion research.In this study,we develop a simulation for calculating fast-electron bremsstrahlung in the HL-3 tokamak based on the Monte Carlo simulation code Geant4,in which the plasma geometry and forward scattering of fast-electron bremsstrahlung are considered.The preliminary calculation results indicate that the HXR energy deposi-tion on the detector is symmetrically distributed,even though the plasma distribution is asymmetric owing to the toroidal effect.These simulation results are helpful in constructing the relationship between the energy deposition on the detector and parameter distribution on the plasma cross section during HL-3 experiments.This is beneficial for the reconstruction of the fast-electron-distribution function and for optimizing the design of the HXR-imaging system.