A high sensitivity wide bandwidth spectral system for multiple K-edge imaging

Spectral K-edge subtraction (SKES) is an imaging technique that takes advantage of the sharp rise in the mass attenuation coefficient of specific elements within an object at their K-edge to produce separate and quantifiable distributions of each element. In this paper, a high-sensitivity and wide bandwidth SKES imaging system for computed tomography applications on biological samples is presented. X-ray images are acquired using a wide and continuous energy spectrum that encompasses the absorption edges of the target materials. System characterization shows that high energy resolution (approximately 3 x 10 - 3 ) and unprecedented large energy bandwidth (around 15%) are achieved over a field-of-view of several centimeters. Imaging results obtained on contrast elements relevant for biomedical applications, namely silver, iodine, xenon, and barium, demonstrate the system sensitivity to concentrations down to 0.5 mg ml-1. The achievement of a large energy bandwidth allowed the simultaneous imaging of the K-edges of iodine, xenon, and barium and provided an accurate concentration estimation and distinction of co-localized contrast elements, leading the way for future simultaneous cardiovascular (iodine), pulmonary (xenon), and gastrointestinal/inflammatory (barium) imaging applications

Spectral micro-CT for simultaneous gold and iodine detection, and multi-material identification

Multiple energy bin spectral micro-CT (SμCT) is an advanced imaging technique that allows multi-material decomposition according to their specific absorption patterns at a sub-100 μm scale. Typically, iodine is the preferred CT contrast agent for cardiovascular imaging, while gold nanoparticles have gained attention in recent years owing to their high absorption properties, biocompatibility and ability to target tumors. In this work, we demonstrate the potential for multi-material decomposition through SμCT imaging of a test sample at the PEPI lab of INFN Trieste. The sample, consisting of gold, iodine, calcium, and water, was imaged using a Pixirad1/PixieIII chromatic detector with multiple energy thresholds and a wide spectrum (100 kV) produced by a micro-focus X-ray tube. The results demonstrate the simultaneous detection and separation of the four materials at a spatial scale of 35 μm, suggesting the potential of this technique in improving material detectability and quantification in a range of pre-clinical applications, including cardiovascular and oncologic imaging.

Factors That Correlate Between Dividend Signaling and Dividend Acceleration Through Digital Investment Among Online Investors in Iligan City

Digital investments are becoming mainstream but must be secured to avoid sudden loss. This study measures the correlation between dividend signaling and acceleration through digital assets among online jobbers in Iligan City. It has become a full-fledged investment tool, creating a new, booming market with unknown potential. Thanks to the Internet, many businesses are interconnected worldwide, which sparked the industrial revolution centered on globalization. Several solutions have been developed to provide Fast and low-cost payments globally in the Philippines, but third parties manage these payments. Cryptocurrency has drawn the attention of online jobbers during the lockdown, but many people need to learn what they can do for financial services or start investing. This research employed a descriptive correlational research design to describe the profile of respondents in terms of age, gender, salary, Investment capital, and length of the Investment. It was a correlation to determine the relationship between demographic profiles and dividend signaling in dividend acceleration. Only those online Investors who were available and signified their interest in participating in the study were included as the sources of the respondents. The research environment of this study covered online Investors in Iligan City. This study examines how investing in digital Investment has become a full-fledged investment tool, enabling rapid and low-cost payments worldwide. It is recognized in the market for dividend signaling and acceleration, but many people hesitate to start investing. Some of the biggest financial companies still need to build and launch digital investment solutions, creating a new, booming market with unknown potential

Analyse métabolomique comparée entre des modèles cutanés in vitro et in vivo

International audienceDans le cadre de l’étude des processus de processus physiopathologiques cutanés, une approche métabolomique LC-HRMS a été mise en œuvre afin de comparer les profils métaboliques issus de deux modèles expérimentaux : un modèle in vitro basé sur des explants de peaux humaines stressées et cultivées dans des conditions contrôlées, et un modèle in vivo reposant sur des prélèvements cutanés humains réaliséssur des peaux stressées. Les écouvillons issus des prélèvements de surface des échantillons et les explants ont été extraits, puis les phases aqueuses ont été analysées par UHPLC (I-Class, Waters) couplée à un spectromètre SYNAPT G2-Si (Waters) par electrospray. Le traitement des données a été effectué avec XCMS (Workflow4Metabolomics), avec alignement, filtrage des blancs et des QC. Après analyses statistiques multivariées, les variables discriminantes présentant un VIP>1 et une p-value <0.05 ont été annotées grâce à CAMERA et notre base de données interne de temps de rétention. Les métabolites annotés ont été identifiés sur un spectromètre LTQ-Orbitrap XL (Thermo Scientific) à l’aide de notre base de données interne MS/MS et des bases externes.Suite aux analyses métabolomiques, environ 3500 variables ont été obtenues en modes positif et négatif après nettoyage des données. Les analyses statistiques ont permis l’obtention de modèles statistiques valides et robustes. L’annotation des variables discriminantes a conduit à l’identification de 56 métabolites à partir du modèle in vitro, et 35 à partir des prélèvements cutanés in vivo

Spectral phase-contrast X-ray imaging with high-resolution detectors

X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) records phase shifts in X-rays as they pass through matter, enabling the distinction of features, such as soft tissues, that have low contrast in conventional absorption-based methods. Phase contrast beam tracking technique uses an absorbing mask to shape the X-ray beam into an array of beamlets before they reach the detector. Analyzing these beamlets provides information on X-ray absorption, refraction (differential phase), and ultra-small-angle scattering. In XPCI, mask visibility is typically defined as the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean value measured from a chosen region in the mask image. The primary focus of this study is to investigate the influence of detector spatial resolution on mask visibility. Three different scintillator-coupled scientific CMOS detectors, with varying pixel sizes and scintillator thicknesses, were tested to highlight the difference in response in terms of visibility from a given mask. Additionally, the impact of visibility on the image quality in refraction images was investigated through a wave optics simulation. The results showcase the trends of contrast and signal-to-noise ratio values as a function of mask visibility. This work is part of the development of a novel setup for combined X-ray Spectral Imaging (XSI) and XPCI undertaken by INFN's Sphere-X project implemented at the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste.

A high sensitivity wide bandwidth spectral system for multiple K-edge imaging

Spectral K-edge subtraction (SKES) is an imaging technique that takes advantage of the sharp rise in the mass attenuation coefficient of specific elements within an object at their K-edge to produce separate and quantifiable distributions of each element. In this paper, a high-sensitivity and wide bandwidth SKES imaging system for computed tomography applications on biological samples is presented. X-ray images are acquired using a wide and continuous energy spectrum that encompasses the absorption edges of the target materials. System characterization shows that high energy resolution (approximately 3 x 10 - 3 ) and unprecedented large energy bandwidth (around 15%) are achieved over a field-of-view of several centimeters. Imaging results obtained on contrast elements relevant for biomedical applications, namely silver, iodine, xenon, and barium, demonstrate the system sensitivity to concentrations down to 0.5 mg ml-1. The achievement of a large energy bandwidth allowed the simultaneous imaging of the K-edges of iodine, xenon, and barium and provided an accurate concentration estimation and distinction of co-localized contrast elements, leading the way for future simultaneous cardiovascular (iodine), pulmonary (xenon), and gastrointestinal/inflammatory (barium) imaging applications