Method for observing phase objects without halos and directional shadows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Yoshimasa; Kajitani, Kazuo; Ohde, Hisashi

2015-03-01

A new microscopy method for observing phase objects without halos and directional shadows is proposed. The key optical element is an annular aperture at the front focal plane of a condenser with a larger diameter than those used in standard phase contrast microscopy. The light flux passing through the annular aperture is changed by the specimen's surface profile and then passes through an objective and contributes to image formation. This paper presents essential conditions for realizing the method. In this paper, images of colonies formed by induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells using this method are compared with the conventional phase contrast method and the bright-field method when the NA of the illumination is small to identify differences among these techniques. The outlines of the iPS cells are clearly visible with this method, whereas they are not clearly visible due to halos when using the phase contrast method or due to weak contrast when using the bright-field method. Other images using this method are also presented to demonstrate a capacity of this method: a mouse ovum and superimposition of several different images of mouse iPS cells.

The second-order differential phase contrast and its retrieval for imaging with x-ray Talbot interferometry.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Tang, Xiangyang

2012-12-01

The x-ray differential phase contrast imaging implemented with the Talbot interferometry has recently been reported to be capable of providing tomographic images corresponding to attenuation-contrast, phase-contrast, and dark-field contrast, simultaneously, from a single set of projection data. The authors believe that, along with small-angle x-ray scattering, the second-order phase derivative Φ(") (s)(x) plays a role in the generation of dark-field contrast. In this paper, the authors derive the analytic formulae to characterize the contribution made by the second-order phase derivative to the dark-field contrast (namely, second-order differential phase contrast) and validate them via computer simulation study. By proposing a practical retrieval method, the authors investigate the potential of second-order differential phase contrast imaging for extensive applications. The theoretical derivation starts at assuming that the refractive index decrement of an object can be decomposed into δ = δ(s) + δ(f), where δ(f) corresponds to the object's fine structures and manifests itself in the dark-field contrast via small-angle scattering. Based on the paraxial Fresnel-Kirchhoff theory, the analytic formulae to characterize the contribution made by δ(s), which corresponds to the object's smooth structures, to the dark-field contrast are derived. Through computer simulation with specially designed numerical phantoms, an x-ray differential phase contrast imaging system implemented with the Talbot interferometry is utilized to evaluate and validate the derived formulae. The same imaging system is also utilized to evaluate and verify the capability of the proposed method to retrieve the second-order differential phase contrast for imaging, as well as its robustness over the dimension of detector cell and the number of steps in grating shifting. Both analytic formulae and computer simulations show that, in addition to small-angle scattering, the contrast generated by the second-order derivative is magnified substantially by the ratio of detector cell dimension over grating period, which plays a significant role in dark-field imaging implemented with the Talbot interferometry. The analytic formulae derived in this work to characterize the second-order differential phase contrast in the dark-field imaging implemented with the Talbot interferometry are of significance, which may initiate more activities in the research and development of x-ray differential phase contrast imaging for extensive preclinical and eventually clinical applications.

High sensitivity phase retrieval method in grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Zhao; Gao, Kun; Chen, Jian

2015-02-15

Purpose: Grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging is considered as one of the most promising techniques for future medical imaging. Many different methods have been developed to retrieve phase signal, among which the phase stepping (PS) method is widely used. However, further practical implementations are hindered, due to its complex scanning mode and high radiation dose. In contrast, the reverse projection (RP) method is a novel fast and low dose extraction approach. In this contribution, the authors present a quantitative analysis of the noise properties of the refraction signals retrieved by the two methods and compare their sensitivities. Methods: Using themore » error propagation formula, the authors analyze theoretically the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the refraction images retrieved by the two methods. Then, the sensitivities of the two extraction methods are compared under an identical exposure dose. Numerical experiments are performed to validate the theoretical results and provide some quantitative insight. Results: The SNRs of the two methods are both dependent on the system parameters, but in different ways. Comparison between their sensitivities reveals that for the refraction signal, the RP method possesses a higher sensitivity, especially in the case of high visibility and/or at the edge of the object. Conclusions: Compared with the PS method, the RP method has a superior sensitivity and provides refraction images with a higher SNR. Therefore, one can obtain highly sensitive refraction images in grating-based phase contrast imaging. This is very important for future preclinical and clinical implementations.« less

X-ray phase-contrast tomography for high-spatial-resolution zebrafish muscle imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vågberg, William; Larsson, Daniel H.; Li, Mei; Arner, Anders; Hertz, Hans M.

2015-11-01

Imaging of muscular structure with cellular or subcellular detail in whole-body animal models is of key importance for understanding muscular disease and assessing interventions. Classical histological methods for high-resolution imaging methods require excision, fixation and staining. Here we show that the three-dimensional muscular structure of unstained whole zebrafish can be imaged with sub-5 μm detail with X-ray phase-contrast tomography. Our method relies on a laboratory propagation-based phase-contrast system tailored for detection of low-contrast 4-6 μm subcellular myofibrils. The method is demonstrated on 20 days post fertilization zebrafish larvae and comparative histology confirms that we resolve individual myofibrils in the whole-body animal. X-ray imaging of healthy zebrafish show the expected structured muscle pattern while specimen with a dystrophin deficiency (sapje) displays an unstructured pattern, typical of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The method opens up for whole-body imaging with sub-cellular detail also of other types of soft tissue and in different animal models.

Flow-gated radial phase-contrast imaging in the presence of weak flow.

PubMed

Peng, Hsu-Hsia; Huang, Teng-Yi; Wang, Fu-Nien; Chung, Hsiao-Wen

2013-01-01

To implement a flow-gating method to acquire phase-contrast (PC) images of carotid arteries without use of an electrocardiography (ECG) signal to synchronize the acquisition of imaging data with pulsatile arterial flow. The flow-gating method was realized through radial scanning and sophisticated post-processing methods including downsampling, complex difference, and correlation analysis to improve the evaluation of flow-gating times in radial phase-contrast scans. Quantitatively comparable results (R = 0.92-0.96, n = 9) of flow-related parameters, including mean velocity, mean flow rate, and flow volume, with conventional ECG-gated imaging demonstrated that the proposed method is highly feasible. The radial flow-gating PC imaging method is applicable in carotid arteries. The proposed flow-gating method can potentially avoid the setting up of ECG-related equipment for brain imaging. This technique has potential use in patients with arrhythmia or weak ECG signals.

Breast tumor segmentation in high resolution x-ray phase contrast analyzer based computed tomography.

PubMed

Brun, E; Grandl, S; Sztrókay-Gaul, A; Barbone, G; Mittone, A; Gasilov, S; Bravin, A; Coan, P

2014-11-01

Phase contrast computed tomography has emerged as an imaging method, which is able to outperform present day clinical mammography in breast tumor visualization while maintaining an equivalent average dose. To this day, no segmentation technique takes into account the specificity of the phase contrast signal. In this study, the authors propose a new mathematical framework for human-guided breast tumor segmentation. This method has been applied to high-resolution images of excised human organs, each of several gigabytes. The authors present a segmentation procedure based on the viscous watershed transform and demonstrate the efficacy of this method on analyzer based phase contrast images. The segmentation of tumors inside two full human breasts is then shown as an example of this procedure's possible applications. A correct and precise identification of the tumor boundaries was obtained and confirmed by manual contouring performed independently by four experienced radiologists. The authors demonstrate that applying the watershed viscous transform allows them to perform the segmentation of tumors in high-resolution x-ray analyzer based phase contrast breast computed tomography images. Combining the additional information provided by the segmentation procedure with the already high definition of morphological details and tissue boundaries offered by phase contrast imaging techniques, will represent a valuable multistep procedure to be used in future medical diagnostic applications.

T1 and susceptibility contrast at high fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neelavalli, Jaladhar

Clinical imaging at high magnetic field strengths (≥ 3Tesla) is sought after primarily due to the increased signal strength available at these fields. This increased SNR can be used to perform: (a) high resolution imaging in the same time as at lower field strengths; (b) the same resolution imaging with much faster acquisition; and (c) functional MR imaging (fMRI), dynamic perfusion and diffusion imaging with increased sensitivity. However they are also associated with increased power deposition (SAR) due to increase in imaging frequency and longer T1 relaxation times. Longer T1s mean longer imaging times for generating good T1 contrast images. On the other hand for faster imaging, at high fields fast spin echo or magnetization prepared sequences are conventionally proposed which are, however, associated with high SAR values. Imaging with low SAR is more and more important as we move towards high fields and particularly for patients with metallic implants like pacemakers or deep brain stimulator. The SAR limit acceptable for these patients is much less than the limit acceptable for normal subjects. A new method is proposed for imaging at high fields with good contrast with simultaneous reduction in power deposition. Further, T1 based contrast optimization problem in FLASH imaging is considered for tissues with different T1s but same spin densities. The solution providing optimal imaging parameters is simplified for quick and easy computation in a clinical setting. The efficacy of the simplification is evaluated and practical limits under which the simplification can be applied are worked out. The phase difference due to variation in magnetic susceptibility property among biological tissues is another unique source of contrast which is different from the conventional T1, T2 and T2* contrast. This susceptibility based phase contrast has become more and more important at high fields, partly due to contrast generation issues due to longer T 1s and shorter T2s and partly because of the invariance of most tissue susceptibilities with field strength. This essentially ensures a constant available phase contrast between tissues across field strengths. In fact, with the increased SNR at high fields, the phase CNR actually increases with field strength which is even better. Susceptibility weighted imaging, which uniquely combines this phase and magnitude information to generate enhanced susceptibility contrast magnitude images, has proven to be an important tool in the study of various neurological conditions like, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis even at conventional field strength of 1.5T and should have more applicability at high fields. A major issue in using phase images for susceptibility contrast, directly or as processed SWI magnitude images, is the large scale background phase variations that obscure the local susceptibility based contrast. A novel method is proposed for removing such geometrically induced large scale phase variations using a Fourier Transform based field calculation method. It is shown that the new method is capable of successfully removing the background field effects. It is shown that the new method is not only capable of successfully removing the background field effects but also helps in preserving more local phase information.

Diffraction enhance x-ray imaging for quantitative phase contrast studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agrawal, A. K.; Singh, B., E-mail: balwants@rrcat.gov.in; Kashyap, Y. S.

2016-05-23

Conventional X-ray imaging based on absorption contrast permits limited visibility of feature having small density and thickness variations. For imaging of weakly absorbing material or materials possessing similar densities, a novel phase contrast imaging techniques called diffraction enhanced imaging has been designed and developed at imaging beamline Indus-2 RRCAT Indore. The technique provides improved visibility of the interfaces and show high contrast in the image forsmall density or thickness gradients in the bulk. This paper presents basic principle, instrumentation and analysis methods for this technique. Initial results of quantitative phase retrieval carried out on various samples have also been presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brun, E., E-mail: emmanuel.brun@esrf.fr; Grandl, S.; Sztrókay-Gaul, A.

Purpose: Phase contrast computed tomography has emerged as an imaging method, which is able to outperform present day clinical mammography in breast tumor visualization while maintaining an equivalent average dose. To this day, no segmentation technique takes into account the specificity of the phase contrast signal. In this study, the authors propose a new mathematical framework for human-guided breast tumor segmentation. This method has been applied to high-resolution images of excised human organs, each of several gigabytes. Methods: The authors present a segmentation procedure based on the viscous watershed transform and demonstrate the efficacy of this method on analyzer basedmore » phase contrast images. The segmentation of tumors inside two full human breasts is then shown as an example of this procedure’s possible applications. Results: A correct and precise identification of the tumor boundaries was obtained and confirmed by manual contouring performed independently by four experienced radiologists. Conclusions: The authors demonstrate that applying the watershed viscous transform allows them to perform the segmentation of tumors in high-resolution x-ray analyzer based phase contrast breast computed tomography images. Combining the additional information provided by the segmentation procedure with the already high definition of morphological details and tissue boundaries offered by phase contrast imaging techniques, will represent a valuable multistep procedure to be used in future medical diagnostic applications.« less

Trimodal low-dose X-ray tomography

PubMed Central

Zanette, I.; Bech, M.; Rack, A.; Le Duc, G.; Tafforeau, P.; David, C.; Mohr, J.; Pfeiffer, F.; Weitkamp, T.

2012-01-01

X-ray grating interferometry is a coherent imaging technique that bears tremendous potential for three-dimensional tomographic imaging of soft biological tissue and other specimens whose details exhibit very weak absorption contrast. It is intrinsically trimodal, delivering phase contrast, absorption contrast, and scattering (“dark-field”) contrast. Recently reported acquisition strategies for grating-interferometric phase tomography constitute a major improvement of dose efficiency and speed. In particular, some of these techniques eliminate the need for scanning of one of the gratings (“phase stepping”). This advantage, however, comes at the cost of other limitations. These can be a loss in spatial resolution, or the inability to fully separate the three imaging modalities. In the present paper we report a data acquisition and processing method that optimizes dose efficiency but does not share the main limitations of other recently reported methods. Although our method still relies on phase stepping, it effectively uses only down to a single detector frame per projection angle and yields images corresponding to all three contrast modalities. In particular, this means that dark-field imaging remains accessible. The method is also compliant with data acquisition over an angular range of only 180° and with a continuous rotation of the specimen. PMID:22699500

Recent advances in synchrotron-based hard x-ray phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Nelson, J.; Holzner, C.; Andrews, J. C.; Pianetta, P.

2013-12-01

Ever since the first demonstration of phase contrast imaging (PCI) in the 1930s by Frits Zernike, people have realized the significant advantage of phase contrast over conventional absorption-based imaging in terms of sensitivity to ‘transparent’ features within specimens. Thus, x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) holds great potential in studies of soft biological tissues, typically containing low Z elements such as C, H, O and N. Particularly when synchrotron hard x-rays are employed, the favourable brightness, energy tunability, monochromatic characteristics and penetration depth have dramatically enhanced the quality and variety of XPCI methods, which permit detection of the phase shift associated with 3D geometry of relatively large samples in a non-destructive manner. In this paper, we review recent advances in several synchrotron-based hard x-ray XPCI methods. Challenges and key factors in methodological development are discussed, and biological and medical applications are presented.

Regularized iterative integration combined with non-linear diffusion filtering for phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography.

PubMed

Burger, Karin; Koehler, Thomas; Chabior, Michael; Allner, Sebastian; Marschner, Mathias; Fehringer, Andreas; Willner, Marian; Pfeiffer, Franz; Noël, Peter

2014-12-29

Phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography has a high potential to become clinically implemented because of its complementarity to conventional absorption-contrast.In this study, we investigate noise-reducing but resolution-preserving analytical reconstruction methods to improve differential phase-contrast imaging. We apply the non-linear Perona-Malik filter on phase-contrast data prior or post filtered backprojected reconstruction. Secondly, the Hilbert kernel is replaced by regularized iterative integration followed by ramp filtered backprojection as used for absorption-contrast imaging. Combining the Perona-Malik filter with this integration algorithm allows to successfully reveal relevant sample features, quantitatively confirmed by significantly increased structural similarity indices and contrast-to-noise ratios. With this concept, phase-contrast imaging can be performed at considerably lower dose.

Optimization of propagation-based x-ray phase-contrast tomography for breast cancer imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baran, P.; Pacile, S.; Nesterets, Y. I.; Mayo, S. C.; Dullin, C.; Dreossi, D.; Arfelli, F.; Thompson, D.; Lockie, D.; McCormack, M.; Taba, S. T.; Brun, F.; Pinamonti, M.; Nickson, C.; Hall, C.; Dimmock, M.; Zanconati, F.; Cholewa, M.; Quiney, H.; Brennan, P. C.; Tromba, G.; Gureyev, T. E.

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to optimise the experimental protocol and data analysis for in-vivo breast cancer x-ray imaging. Results are presented of the experiment at the SYRMEP beamline of Elettra Synchrotron using the propagation-based phase-contrast mammographic tomography method, which incorporates not only absorption, but also x-ray phase information. In this study the images of breast tissue samples, of a size corresponding to a full human breast, with radiologically acceptable x-ray doses were obtained, and the degree of improvement of the image quality (from the diagnostic point of view) achievable using propagation-based phase-contrast image acquisition protocols with proper incorporation of x-ray phase retrieval into the reconstruction pipeline was investigated. Parameters such as the x-ray energy, sample-to-detector distance and data processing methods were tested, evaluated and optimized with respect to the estimated diagnostic value using a mastectomy sample with a malignant lesion. The results of quantitative evaluation of images were obtained by means of radiological assessment carried out by 13 experienced specialists. A comparative analysis was performed between the x-ray and the histological images of the specimen. The results of the analysis indicate that, within the investigated range of parameters, both the objective image quality characteristics and the subjective radiological scores of propagation-based phase-contrast images of breast tissues monotonically increase with the strength of phase contrast which in turn is directly proportional to the product of the radiation wavelength and the sample-to-detector distance. The outcomes of this study serve to define the practical imaging conditions and the CT reconstruction procedures appropriate for low-dose phase-contrast mammographic imaging of live patients at specially designed synchrotron beamlines.

Phase contrast imaging simulation and measurements using polychromatic sources with small source-object distances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Golosio, Bruno; Carpinelli, Massimo; Masala, Giovanni Luca

Phase contrast imaging is a technique widely used in synchrotron facilities for nondestructive analysis. Such technique can also be implemented through microfocus x-ray tube systems. Recently, a relatively new type of compact, quasimonochromatic x-ray sources based on Compton backscattering has been proposed for phase contrast imaging applications. In order to plan a phase contrast imaging system setup, to evaluate the system performance and to choose the experimental parameters that optimize the image quality, it is important to have reliable software for phase contrast imaging simulation. Several software tools have been developed and tested against experimental measurements at synchrotron facilities devotedmore » to phase contrast imaging. However, many approximations that are valid in such conditions (e.g., large source-object distance, small transverse size of the object, plane wave approximation, monochromatic beam, and Gaussian-shaped source focal spot) are not generally suitable for x-ray tubes and other compact systems. In this work we describe a general method for the simulation of phase contrast imaging using polychromatic sources based on a spherical wave description of the beam and on a double-Gaussian model of the source focal spot, we discuss the validity of some possible approximations, and we test the simulations against experimental measurements using a microfocus x-ray tube on three types of polymers (nylon, poly-ethylene-terephthalate, and poly-methyl-methacrylate) at varying source-object distance. It will be shown that, as long as all experimental conditions are described accurately in the simulations, the described method yields results that are in good agreement with experimental measurements.« less

Single grating x-ray imaging for dynamic biological systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Kaye S.; Paganin, David M.; Parsons, David W.; Donnelley, Martin; Yagi, Naoto; Uesugi, Kentaro; Suzuki, Yoshio; Takeuchi, Akihisa; Siu, Karen K. W.

2012-07-01

Biomedical studies are already benefiting from the excellent contrast offered by phase contrast x-ray imaging, but live imaging work presents several challenges. Living samples make it particularly difficult to achieve high resolution, sensitive phase contrast images, as exposures must be short and cannot be repeated. We therefore present a single-exposure, high-flux method of differential phase contrast imaging [1, 2, 3] in the context of imaging live airways for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) treatment assessment [4]. The CF study seeks to non-invasively observe the liquid lining the airways, which should increase in depth in response to effective treatments. Both high spatial resolution and sensitivity are required in order to track micron size changes in a liquid that is not easily differentiated from the tissue on which it lies. Our imaging method achieves these goals by using a single attenuation grating or grid as a reference pattern, and analyzing how the sample deforms the pattern to quantitatively retrieve the phase depth of the sample. The deformations are mapped at each pixel in the image using local cross-correlations comparing each 'sample and pattern' image with a reference 'pattern only' image taken before the sample is introduced. This produces a differential phase image, which may be integrated to give the sample phase depth.

Measurements and simulations analysing the noise behaviour of grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, T.; Bartl, P.; Durst, J.; Haas, W.; Michel, T.; Ritter, A.; Anton, G.

2011-08-01

In the last decades, phase-contrast imaging using a Talbot-Lau grating interferometer is possible even with a low-brilliance X-ray source. With the potential of increasing the soft-tissue contrast, this method is on its way into medical imaging. For this purpose, the knowledge of the underlying physics of this technique is necessary.With this paper, we would like to contribute to the understanding of grating-based phase-contrast imaging by presenting results on measurements and simulations regarding the noise behaviour of the differential phases.These measurements were done using a microfocus X-ray tube with a hybrid, photon-counting, semiconductor Medipix2 detector. The additional simulations were performed by our in-house developed phase-contrast simulation tool “SPHINX”, combining both wave and particle contributions of the simulated photons.The results obtained by both of these methods show the same behaviour. Increasing the number of photons leads to a linear decrease of the standard deviation of the phase. The number of used phase steps has no influence on the standard deviation, if the total number of photons is held constant.Furthermore, the probability density function (pdf) of the reconstructed differential phases was analysed. It turned out that the so-called von Mises distribution is the physically correct pdf, which was also confirmed by measurements.This information advances the understanding of grating-based phase-contrast imaging and can be used to improve image quality.

Phase contrast imaging using a micro focus x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wei; Majidi, Keivan; Brankov, Jovan G.

2014-09-01

Phase contrast x-ray imaging, a new technique to increase the imaging contrast for the tissues with close attenuation coefficients, has been studied since mid 1990s. This technique reveals the possibility to show the clear details of the soft tissues and tumors in small scale resolution. A compact and low cost phase contrast imaging system using a conventional x-ray source is described in this paper. Using the conventional x-ray source is of great importance, because it provides the possibility to use the method in hospitals and clinical offices. Simple materials and components are used in the setup to keep the cost in a reasonable and affordable range.Tungsten Kα1 line with the photon energy 59.3 keV was used for imaging. Some of the system design details are discussed. The method that was used to stabilize the system is introduced. A chicken thigh bone tissue sample was used for imaging followed by the image quality, image acquisition time and the potential clinical application discussion. High energy x-ray beam can be used in phase contrast imaging. Therefore the radiation dose to the patients can be greatly decreased compared to the traditional x-ray radiography.

Understanding the optics to aid microscopy image segmentation.

PubMed

Yin, Zhaozheng; Li, Kang; Kanade, Takeo; Chen, Mei

2010-01-01

Image segmentation is essential for many automated microscopy image analysis systems. Rather than treating microscopy images as general natural images and rushing into the image processing warehouse for solutions, we propose to study a microscope's optical properties to model its image formation process first using phase contrast microscopy as an exemplar. It turns out that the phase contrast imaging system can be relatively well explained by a linear imaging model. Using this model, we formulate a quadratic optimization function with sparseness and smoothness regularizations to restore the "authentic" phase contrast images that directly correspond to specimen's optical path length without phase contrast artifacts such as halo and shade-off. With artifacts removed, high quality segmentation can be achieved by simply thresholding the restored images. The imaging model and restoration method are quantitatively evaluated on two sequences with thousands of cells captured over several days.

Grating-Based Phase-Contrast Imaging of Tumor Angiogenesis in Lung Metastases

PubMed Central

Li, Xiangting; Wang, Yujie; Ding, Bei; Shi, Chen; Liu, Huanhuan; Tang, Rongbiao; Sun, Jianqi; Yan, Fuhua; Zhang, Huan

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess the feasibility of the grating-based phase-contrast imaging (GPI) technique for studying tumor angiogenesis in nude BALB/c mice, without contrast agents. Methods We established lung metastatic models of human gastric cancer by injecting the moderately differentiated SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell line into the tail vein of nude mice. Samples were embedded in a 10% formalin suspension and dried before imaging. Grating-based X-ray phase-contrast images were obtained at the BL13W beamline of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and compared with histological sections. Results Without contrast agents, grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging still differentiated angiogenesis within metastatic tumors with high spatial resolution. Vessels, down to tens of microns, showed gray values that were distinctive from those of the surrounding tumors, which made them easily identifiable. The vessels depicted in the imaging study were similar to those identified on histopathology, both in size and shape. Conclusions Our preliminary study demonstrates that grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging has the potential to depict angiogenesis in lung metastases. PMID:25811626

A single-image method for x-ray refractive index CT.

PubMed

Mittone, A; Gasilov, S; Brun, E; Bravin, A; Coan, P

2015-05-07

X-ray refraction-based computer tomography imaging is a well-established method for nondestructive investigations of various objects. In order to perform the 3D reconstruction of the index of refraction, two or more raw computed tomography phase-contrast images are usually acquired and combined to retrieve the refraction map (i.e. differential phase) signal within the sample. We suggest an approximate method to extract the refraction signal, which uses a single raw phase-contrast image. This method, here applied to analyzer-based phase-contrast imaging, is employed to retrieve the index of refraction map of a biological sample. The achieved accuracy in distinguishing the different tissues is comparable with the non-approximated approach. The suggested procedure can be used for precise refraction computer tomography with the advantage of a reduction of at least a factor of two of both the acquisition time and the dose delivered to the sample with respect to any of the other algorithms in the literature.

In-line phase shift tomosynthesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hammonds, Jeffrey C.; Price, Ronald R.; Pickens, David R.

2013-08-15

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to (1) demonstrate laboratory measurements of phase shift images derived from in-line phase-contrast radiographs using the attenuation-partition based algorithm (APBA) of Yan et al.[Opt. Express 18(15), 16074–16089 (2010)], (2) verify that the APBA reconstructed images obey the linearity principle, and (3) reconstruct tomosynthesis phase shift images from a collection of angularly sampled planar phase shift images.Methods: An unmodified, commercially available cabinet x-ray system (Faxitron LX-60) was used in this experiment. This system contains a tungsten anode x-ray tube with a nominal focal spot size of 10 μm. The digital detector uses CsI/CMOS withmore » a pixel size of 50 × 50 μm. The phantoms used consisted of one acrylic plate, two polystyrene plates, and a habanero pepper. Tomosynthesis images were reconstructed from 51 images acquired over a ±25° arc. All phase shift images were reconstructed using the APBA.Results: Image contrast derived from the planar phase shift image of an acrylic plate of uniform thickness exceeded the contrast of the traditional attenuation image by an approximate factor of two. Comparison of the planar phase shift images from a single, uniform thickness polystyrene plate with two polystyrene plates demonstrated an approximate linearity of the estimated phase shift with plate thickness (−1600 rad vs −2970 rad). Tomographic phase shift images of the habanero pepper exhibited acceptable spatial resolution and contrast comparable to the corresponding attenuation image.Conclusions: This work demonstrated the feasibility of laboratory-based phase shift tomosynthesis and suggests that phase shift imaging could potentially provide a new imaging biomarker. Further investigation will be needed to determine if phase shift contrast will be able to provide new tissue contrast information or improved clinical performance.« less

Report of improved performance in Talbot–Lau phase-contrast computed tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weber, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.weber@fau.de; Pelzer, Georg; Rieger, Jens

Purpose: Many expectations have been raised since the use of conventional x-ray tubes on grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Despite a reported increase in contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in many publications, there is doubt on whether phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) is advantageous in clinical CT scanners in vivo. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by analyzing the performance of a phase-contrast CT laboratory setup. Methods: A phase-contrast CT performance analysis was done. Projection images of a phantom were recorded, and image slices were reconstructed using standard filtered back projection methods. The resulting image slices were analyzed bymore » determining the CNRs in the attenuation and phase image. These results were compared to analytically calculated expectations according to the already published phase-contrast CT performance analysis by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)]. There, a severe mistake was found leading to wrong predictions of the performance of phase-contrast CT. The error was corrected and with the new formulae, the experimentally obtained results matched the analytical calculations. Results: The squared ratios of the phase-contrast CNR and the attenuation CNR obtained in the authors’ experiment are five- to ten-fold higher than predicted by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)]. The effective lateral spatial coherence length deduced outnumbers the already optimistic assumption of Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761–4774 (2012)] by a factor of 3. Conclusions: The authors’ results indicate that the assumptions made in former performance analyses are pessimistic. The break-even point, when phase-contrast CT outperforms attenuation CT, is within reach even with realistic, nonperfect gratings. Further improvements to state-of-the-art clinical CT scanners, like increasing the spatial resolution, could change the balance in favor of phase-contrast computed tomography even more. This could be done by, e.g., quantum-counting pixel detectors with four-fold smaller pixel pitches.« less

Characterization of a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype.

PubMed

Wu, Di; Yan, Aimin; Li, Yuhua; Wong, Molly D; Zheng, Bin; Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2015-05-01

In this research, a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype was developed and characterized through quantitative investigations and phantom studies. The prototype system consists of an x-ray source, a motorized rotation stage, and a CMOS detector with a pixel pitch of 0.05 mm. The x-ray source was operated at 120 kVp for this study, and the objects were mounted on the rotation stage 76.2 cm (R1) from the source and 114.3 cm (R2) from the detector. The large air gap between the object and detector guarantees sufficient phase-shift effects. The quantitative evaluation of this prototype included modulation transfer function and noise power spectrum measurements conducted under both projection mode and tomosynthesis mode. Phantom studies were performed including three custom designed phantoms with complex structures: a five-layer bubble wrap phantom, a fishbone phantom, and a chicken breast phantom with embedded fibrils and mass structures extracted from an ACR phantom. In-plane images of the phantoms were acquired to investigate their image qualities through observation, intensity profile plots, edge enhancement evaluations, and/or contrast-to-noise ratio calculations. In addition, the robust phase-attenuation duality (PAD)-based phase retrieval method was applied to tomosynthesis for the first time in this research. It was utilized as a preprocessing method to fully exhibit phase contrast on the angular projection before reconstruction. The resolution and noise characteristics of this high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype were successfully investigated and demonstrated. The phantom studies demonstrated that this imaging prototype can successfully remove the structure overlapping in phantom projections, obtain delineate interfaces, and achieve better contrast-to-noise ratio after applying phase retrieval to the angular projections. This research successfully demonstrated a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype. In addition, the PAD-based method of phase retrieval was combined with tomosynthesis imaging for the first time, which demonstrated its capability in significantly improving the contrast-to-noise ratios in the images.

Phase contrast imaging of buccal mucosa tissues-Feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatima, A.; Tripathi, S.; Shripathi, T.; Kulkarni, V. K.; Banda, N. R.; Agrawal, A. K.; Sarkar, P. S.; Kashyap, Y.; Sinha, A.

2015-06-01

Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) technique has been used to interpret physical parameters obtained from the image taken on the normal buccal mucosa tissue extracted from cheek of a patient. The advantages of this method over the conventional imaging techniques are discussed. PCI technique uses the X-ray phase shift at the edges differentiated by very minute density differences and the edge enhanced high contrast images reveal details of soft tissues. The contrast in the images produced is related to changes in the X-ray refractive index of the tissues resulting in higher clarity compared with conventional absorption based X-ray imaging. The results show that this type of imaging has better ability to visualize microstructures of biological soft tissues with good contrast, which can lead to the diagnosis of lesions at an early stage of the diseases.

Use of Caval Subtraction 2D Phase-Contrast MR Imaging to Measure Total Liver and Hepatic Arterial Blood Flow: Preclinical Validation and Initial Clinical Translation.

PubMed

Chouhan, Manil D; Mookerjee, Rajeshwar P; Bainbridge, Alan; Walker-Samuel, Simon; Davies, Nathan; Halligan, Steve; Lythgoe, Mark F; Taylor, Stuart A

2016-09-01

Purpose To validate caval subtraction two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging measurements of total liver blood flow (TLBF) and hepatic arterial fraction in an animal model and evaluate consistency and reproducibility in humans. Materials and Methods Approval from the institutional ethical committee for animal care and research ethics was obtained. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2D phase-contrast MR imaging of the portal vein (PV) and infrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). TLBF and hepatic arterial flow were estimated by subtracting infrahepatic from suprahepatic IVC flow and PV flow from estimated TLBF, respectively. Direct PV transit-time ultrasonography (US) and fluorescent microsphere measurements of hepatic arterial fraction were the standards of reference. Thereafter, consistency of caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging-derived TLBF and hepatic arterial flow was assessed in 13 volunteers (mean age, 28.3 years ± 1.4) against directly measured phase-contrast MR imaging PV and proper hepatic arterial inflow; reproducibility was measured after 7 days. Bland-Altman analysis of agreement and coefficient of variation comparisons were undertaken. Results There was good agreement between PV flow measured with phase-contrast MR imaging and that measured with transit-time US (mean difference, -3.5 mL/min/100 g; 95% limits of agreement [LOA], ±61.3 mL/min/100 g). Hepatic arterial fraction obtained with caval subtraction agreed well with those with fluorescent microspheres (mean difference, 4.2%; 95% LOA, ±20.5%). Good consistency was demonstrated between TLBF in humans measured with caval subtraction and direct inflow phase-contrast MR imaging (mean difference, -1.3 mL/min/100 g; 95% LOA, ±23.1 mL/min/100 g). TLBF reproducibility at 7 days was similar between the two methods (95% LOA, ±31.6 mL/min/100 g vs ±29.6 mL/min/100 g). Conclusion Caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging is a simple and clinically viable method for measuring TLBF and hepatic arterial flow. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Single-shot quantitative phase microscopy with color-multiplexed differential phase contrast (cDPC).

PubMed

Phillips, Zachary F; Chen, Michael; Waller, Laura

2017-01-01

We present a new technique for quantitative phase and amplitude microscopy from a single color image with coded illumination. Our system consists of a commercial brightfield microscope with one hardware modification-an inexpensive 3D printed condenser insert. The method, color-multiplexed Differential Phase Contrast (cDPC), is a single-shot variant of Differential Phase Contrast (DPC), which recovers the phase of a sample from images with asymmetric illumination. We employ partially coherent illumination to achieve resolution corresponding to 2× the objective NA. Quantitative phase can then be used to synthesize DIC and phase contrast images or extract shape and density. We demonstrate amplitude and phase recovery at camera-limited frame rates (50 fps) for various in vitro cell samples and c. elegans in a micro-fluidic channel.

Analysis of gene expression levels in individual bacterial cells without image segmentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kwak, In Hae; Son, Minjun; Hagen, Stephen J., E-mail: sjhagen@ufl.edu

2012-05-11

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present a method for extracting gene expression data from images of bacterial cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The method does not employ cell segmentation and does not require high magnification. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fluorescence and phase contrast images of the cells are correlated through the physics of phase contrast. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We demonstrate the method by characterizing noisy expression of comX in Streptococcus mutans. -- Abstract: Studies of stochasticity in gene expression typically make use of fluorescent protein reporters, which permit the measurement of expression levels within individual cells by fluorescence microscopy. Analysis of such microscopy images is almost invariably based on amore » segmentation algorithm, where the image of a cell or cluster is analyzed mathematically to delineate individual cell boundaries. However segmentation can be ineffective for studying bacterial cells or clusters, especially at lower magnification, where outlines of individual cells are poorly resolved. Here we demonstrate an alternative method for analyzing such images without segmentation. The method employs a comparison between the pixel brightness in phase contrast vs fluorescence microscopy images. By fitting the correlation between phase contrast and fluorescence intensity to a physical model, we obtain well-defined estimates for the different levels of gene expression that are present in the cell or cluster. The method reveals the boundaries of the individual cells, even if the source images lack the resolution to show these boundaries clearly.« less

Redefining the lower statistical limit in x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschner, M.; Birnbacher, L.; Willner, M.; Chabior, M.; Fehringer, A.; Herzen, J.; Noël, P. B.; Pfeiffer, F.

2015-03-01

Phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (PCCT) is currently investigated and developed as a potentially very interesting extension of conventional CT, because it promises to provide high soft-tissue contrast for weakly absorbing samples. For data acquisition several images at different grating positions are combined to obtain a phase-contrast projection. For short exposure times, which are necessary for lower radiation dose, the photon counts in a single stepping position are very low. In this case, the currently used phase-retrieval does not provide reliable results for some pixels. This uncertainty results in statistical phase wrapping, which leads to a higher standard deviation in the phase-contrast projections than theoretically expected. For even lower statistics, the phase retrieval breaks down completely and the phase information is lost. New measurement procedures rely on a linear approximation of the sinusoidal phase stepping curve around the zero crossings. In this case only two images are acquired to obtain the phase-contrast projection. The approximation is only valid for small phase values. However, typically nearly all pixels are within this regime due to the differential nature of the signal. We examine the statistical properties of a linear approximation method and illustrate by simulation and experiment that the lower statistical limit can be redefined using this method. That means that the phase signal can be retrieved even with very low photon counts and statistical phase wrapping can be avoided. This is an important step towards enhanced image quality in PCCT with very low photon counts.

Technical Note: Synchrotron-based high-energy x-ray phase sensitive microtomography for biomedical research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Huiqiang; Wu, Xizeng, E-mail: xwu@uabmc.edu, E-mail: tqxiao@sinap.ac.cn; Xiao, Tiqiao, E-mail: xwu@uabmc.edu, E-mail: tqxiao@sinap.ac.cn

Purpose: Propagation-based phase-contrast CT (PPCT) utilizes highly sensitive phase-contrast technology applied to x-ray microtomography. Performing phase retrieval on the acquired angular projections can enhance image contrast and enable quantitative imaging. In this work, the authors demonstrate the validity and advantages of a novel technique for high-resolution PPCT by using the generalized phase-attenuation duality (PAD) method of phase retrieval. Methods: A high-resolution angular projection data set of a fish head specimen was acquired with a monochromatic 60-keV x-ray beam. In one approach, the projection data were directly used for tomographic reconstruction. In two other approaches, the projection data were preprocessed bymore » phase retrieval based on either the linearized PAD method or the generalized PAD method. The reconstructed images from all three approaches were then compared in terms of tissue contrast-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution. Results: The authors’ experimental results demonstrated the validity of the PPCT technique based on the generalized PAD-based method. In addition, the results show that the authors’ technique is superior to the direct PPCT technique as well as the linearized PAD-based PPCT technique in terms of their relative capabilities for tissue discrimination and characterization. Conclusions: This novel PPCT technique demonstrates great potential for biomedical imaging, especially for applications that require high spatial resolution and limited radiation exposure.« less

Enhancing Tabletop X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Nano-Fabrication

PubMed Central

Miao, Houxun; Gomella, Andrew A.; Harmon, Katherine J.; Bennett, Eric E.; Chedid, Nicholas; Znati, Sami; Panna, Alireza; Foster, Barbara A.; Bhandarkar, Priya; Wen, Han

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a promising approach for improving soft-tissue contrast and lowering radiation dose in biomedical applications. While current tabletop imaging systems adapt to common x-ray tubes and large-area detectors by employing absorptive elements such as absorption gratings or monolithic crystals to filter the beam, we developed nanometric phase gratings which enable tabletop x-ray far-field interferometry with only phase-shifting elements, leading to a substantial enhancement in the performance of phase contrast imaging. In a general sense the method transfers the demands on the spatial coherence of the x-ray source and the detector resolution to the feature size of x-ray phase masks. We demonstrate its capabilities in hard x-ray imaging experiments at a fraction of clinical dose levels and present comparisons with the existing Talbot-Lau interferometer and with conventional digital radiography. PMID:26315891

Characterization of a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype

PubMed Central

Wu, Di; Yan, Aimin; Li, Yuhua; Wong, Molly D.; Zheng, Bin; Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2015-01-01

Purpose: In this research, a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype was developed and characterized through quantitative investigations and phantom studies. Methods: The prototype system consists of an x-ray source, a motorized rotation stage, and a CMOS detector with a pixel pitch of 0.05 mm. The x-ray source was operated at 120 kVp for this study, and the objects were mounted on the rotation stage 76.2 cm (R1) from the source and 114.3 cm (R2) from the detector. The large air gap between the object and detector guarantees sufficient phase-shift effects. The quantitative evaluation of this prototype included modulation transfer function and noise power spectrum measurements conducted under both projection mode and tomosynthesis mode. Phantom studies were performed including three custom designed phantoms with complex structures: a five-layer bubble wrap phantom, a fishbone phantom, and a chicken breast phantom with embedded fibrils and mass structures extracted from an ACR phantom. In-plane images of the phantoms were acquired to investigate their image qualities through observation, intensity profile plots, edge enhancement evaluations, and/or contrast-to-noise ratio calculations. In addition, the robust phase-attenuation duality (PAD)-based phase retrieval method was applied to tomosynthesis for the first time in this research. It was utilized as a preprocessing method to fully exhibit phase contrast on the angular projection before reconstruction. Results: The resolution and noise characteristics of this high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype were successfully investigated and demonstrated. The phantom studies demonstrated that this imaging prototype can successfully remove the structure overlapping in phantom projections, obtain delineate interfaces, and achieve better contrast-to-noise ratio after applying phase retrieval to the angular projections. Conclusions: This research successfully demonstrated a high-energy in-line phase contrast tomosynthesis prototype. In addition, the PAD-based method of phase retrieval was combined with tomosynthesis imaging for the first time, which demonstrated its capability in significantly improving the contrast-to-noise ratios in the images. PMID:25979035

An iterative method for near-field Fresnel region polychromatic phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Aidan J.; van Riessen, Grant A.; Balaur, Eugeniu; Dolbnya, Igor P.; Tran, Giang N.; Peele, Andrew G.

2017-07-01

We present an iterative method for polychromatic phase contrast imaging that is suitable for broadband illumination and which allows for the quantitative determination of the thickness of an object given the refractive index of the sample material. Experimental and simulation results suggest the iterative method provides comparable image quality and quantitative object thickness determination when compared to the analytical polychromatic transport of intensity and contrast transfer function methods. The ability of the iterative method to work over a wider range of experimental conditions means the iterative method is a suitable candidate for use with polychromatic illumination and may deliver more utility for laboratory-based x-ray sources, which typically have a broad spectrum.

Contrast-to-noise ratio optimization for a prototype phase-contrast computed tomography scanner.

PubMed

Müller, Mark; Yaroshenko, Andre; Velroyen, Astrid; Bech, Martin; Tapfer, Arne; Pauwels, Bart; Bruyndonckx, Peter; Sasov, Alexander; Pfeiffer, Franz

2015-12-01

In the field of biomedical X-ray imaging, novel techniques, such as phase-contrast and dark-field imaging, have the potential to enhance the contrast and provide complementary structural information about a specimen. In this paper, a first prototype of a preclinical X-ray phase-contrast CT scanner based on a Talbot-Lau interferometer is characterized. We present a study of the contrast-to-noise ratios for attenuation and phase-contrast images acquired with the prototype scanner. The shown results are based on a series of projection images and tomographic data sets of a plastic phantom in phase and attenuation-contrast recorded with varying acquisition settings. Subsequently, the signal and noise distribution of different regions in the phantom were determined. We present a novel method for estimation of contrast-to-noise ratios for projection images based on the cylindrical geometry of the phantom. Analytical functions, representing the expected signal in phase and attenuation-contrast for a circular object, are fitted to individual line profiles of the projection data. The free parameter of the fit function is used to estimate the contrast and the goodness of the fit is determined to assess the noise in the respective signal. The results depict the dependence of the contrast-to-noise ratios on the applied source voltages, the number of steps of the phase stepping routine, and the exposure times for an individual step. Moreover, the influence of the number of projection angles on the image quality of CT slices is investigated. Finally, the implications for future imaging purposes with the scanner are discussed.

Use of Caval Subtraction 2D Phase-Contrast MR Imaging to Measure Total Liver and Hepatic Arterial Blood Flow: Preclinical Validation and Initial Clinical Translation

PubMed Central

Walker-Samuel, Simon; Davies, Nathan; Halligan, Steve; Lythgoe, Mark F.

2016-01-01

Purpose To validate caval subtraction two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging measurements of total liver blood flow (TLBF) and hepatic arterial fraction in an animal model and evaluate consistency and reproducibility in humans. Materials and Methods Approval from the institutional ethical committee for animal care and research ethics was obtained. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2D phase-contrast MR imaging of the portal vein (PV) and infrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). TLBF and hepatic arterial flow were estimated by subtracting infrahepatic from suprahepatic IVC flow and PV flow from estimated TLBF, respectively. Direct PV transit-time ultrasonography (US) and fluorescent microsphere measurements of hepatic arterial fraction were the standards of reference. Thereafter, consistency of caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging–derived TLBF and hepatic arterial flow was assessed in 13 volunteers (mean age, 28.3 years ± 1.4) against directly measured phase-contrast MR imaging PV and proper hepatic arterial inflow; reproducibility was measured after 7 days. Bland-Altman analysis of agreement and coefficient of variation comparisons were undertaken. Results There was good agreement between PV flow measured with phase-contrast MR imaging and that measured with transit-time US (mean difference, −3.5 mL/min/100 g; 95% limits of agreement [LOA], ±61.3 mL/min/100 g). Hepatic arterial fraction obtained with caval subtraction agreed well with those with fluorescent microspheres (mean difference, 4.2%; 95% LOA, ±20.5%). Good consistency was demonstrated between TLBF in humans measured with caval subtraction and direct inflow phase-contrast MR imaging (mean difference, −1.3 mL/min/100 g; 95% LOA, ±23.1 mL/min/100 g). TLBF reproducibility at 7 days was similar between the two methods (95% LOA, ±31.6 mL/min/100 g vs ±29.6 mL/min/100 g). Conclusion Caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging is a simple and clinically viable method for measuring TLBF and hepatic arterial flow. Online supplemental material is available for this article. PMID:27171018

Single-shot quantitative phase microscopy with color-multiplexed differential phase contrast (cDPC)

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

We present a new technique for quantitative phase and amplitude microscopy from a single color image with coded illumination. Our system consists of a commercial brightfield microscope with one hardware modification—an inexpensive 3D printed condenser insert. The method, color-multiplexed Differential Phase Contrast (cDPC), is a single-shot variant of Differential Phase Contrast (DPC), which recovers the phase of a sample from images with asymmetric illumination. We employ partially coherent illumination to achieve resolution corresponding to 2× the objective NA. Quantitative phase can then be used to synthesize DIC and phase contrast images or extract shape and density. We demonstrate amplitude and phase recovery at camera-limited frame rates (50 fps) for various in vitro cell samples and c. elegans in a micro-fluidic channel. PMID:28152023

Experimentally enhanced model-based deconvolution of propagation-based phase-contrast data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pichotka, M.; Palma, K.; Hasn, S.; Jakubek, J.; Vavrik, D.

2016-12-01

In recent years phase-contrast has become a much investigated modality in radiographic imaging. The radiographic setups employed in phase-contrast imaging are typically rather costly and complex, e.g. high performance Talbot-Laue interferometers operated at synchrotron light sources. In-line phase-contrast imaging states the most pedestrian approach towards phase-contrast enhancement. Utilizing small angle deflection within the imaged sample and the entailed interference of the deflected and un-deflected beam during spatial propagation, in-line phase-contrast imaging only requires a well collimated X-ray source with a high contrast & high resolution detector. Employing high magnification the above conditions are intrinsically fulfilled in cone-beam micro-tomography. As opposed of 2D imaging, where contrast enhancement is generally considered beneficial, in tomographic modalities the in-line phase-contrast effect can be quite a nuisance since it renders the inverse problem posed by tomographic reconstruction inconsistent, thus causing reconstruction artifacts. We present an experimentally enhanced model-based approach to disentangle absorption and in-line phase-contrast. The approach employs comparison of transmission data to a system model computed iteratively on-line. By comparison of the forward model to absorption data acquired in continuous rotation strong local deviations of the data residual are successively identified as likely candidates for in-line phase-contrast. By inducing minimal vibrations (few mrad) to the sample around the peaks of such deviations the transmission signal can be decomposed into a constant absorptive fraction and an oscillating signal caused by phase-contrast which again allows to generate separate maps for absorption and phase-contrast. The contributions of phase-contrast and the corresponding artifacts are subsequently removed from the tomographic dataset. In principle, if a 3D handling of the sample is available, this method also allows to track discontinuities throughout the volume and therefore states a powerful tool in 3D defectoscopy.

Investigation of gastric cancers in nude mice using X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging.

PubMed

Tao, Qiang; Luo, Shuqian

2014-07-24

This paper is to report the new imaging of gastric cancers without the use of imaging agents. Both gastric normal regions and gastric cancer regions can be distinguished by using the principal component analysis (PCA) based on the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). Human gastric cancer BGC823 cells were implanted into the stomachs of nude mice. Then, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 days after cancer cells implantation, the nude mice were sacrificed and their stomachs were removed. X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging (XILPCI), an X-ray phase contrast imaging method, has greater soft tissue contrast than traditional absorption radiography and generates higher-resolution images. The gastric specimens were imaged by an XILPCIs' charge coupled device (CCD) of 9 μm image resolution. The PCA of the projective images' region of interests (ROIs) based on GLCM were extracted to discriminate gastric normal regions and gastric cancer regions. Different stages of gastric cancers were classified by using support vector machines (SVMs). The X-ray in-line phase contrast images of nude mice gastric specimens clearly show the gastric architectures and the details of the early gastric cancers. The phase contrast computed tomography (CT) images of nude mice gastric cancer specimens are better than the traditional absorption CT images without the use of imaging agents. The results of the PCA of the texture parameters based on GLCM of normal regions is (F1+F2) >8.5, but those of cancer regions is (F1+F2) <8.5. The classification accuracy is 83.3% that classifying gastric specimens into different stages using SVMs. This is a very preliminary feasibility study. With further researches, XILPCI could become a noninvasive method for future the early detection of gastric cancers or medical researches.

Propagation-based x-ray phase contrast imaging using an iterative phase diversity technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Aidan J.; van Riessen, Grant A.; Balaur, Eugeniu; Dolbnya, Igor P.; Tran, Giang N.; Peele, Andrew G.

2018-03-01

Through the use of a phase diversity technique, we demonstrate a near-field in-line x-ray phase contrast algorithm that provides improved object reconstruction when compared to our previous iterative methods for a homogeneous sample. Like our previous methods, the new technique uses the sample refractive index distribution during the reconstruction process. The technique complements existing monochromatic and polychromatic methods and is useful in situations where experimental phase contrast data is affected by noise.

Investigation of gastric cancers in nude mice using X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This paper is to report the new imaging of gastric cancers without the use of imaging agents. Both gastric normal regions and gastric cancer regions can be distinguished by using the principal component analysis (PCA) based on the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). Methods Human gastric cancer BGC823 cells were implanted into the stomachs of nude mice. Then, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 days after cancer cells implantation, the nude mice were sacrificed and their stomachs were removed. X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging (XILPCI), an X-ray phase contrast imaging method, has greater soft tissue contrast than traditional absorption radiography and generates higher-resolution images. The gastric specimens were imaged by an XILPCIs’ charge coupled device (CCD) of 9 μm image resolution. The PCA of the projective images’ region of interests (ROIs) based on GLCM were extracted to discriminate gastric normal regions and gastric cancer regions. Different stages of gastric cancers were classified by using support vector machines (SVMs). Results The X-ray in-line phase contrast images of nude mice gastric specimens clearly show the gastric architectures and the details of the early gastric cancers. The phase contrast computed tomography (CT) images of nude mice gastric cancer specimens are better than the traditional absorption CT images without the use of imaging agents. The results of the PCA of the texture parameters based on GLCM of normal regions is (F1 + F2) > 8.5, but those of cancer regions is (F1 + F2) < 8.5. The classification accuracy is 83.3% that classifying gastric specimens into different stages using SVMs. Conclusions This is a very preliminary feasibility study. With further researches, XILPCI could become a noninvasive method for future the early detection of gastric cancers or medical researches. PMID:25060352

Table-top phase-contrast imaging employing photon-counting detectors towards mammographic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, K. D.; Pichotka, M.; Hasn, S.; Granja, C.

2017-02-01

In mammography the difficult task to detect microcalcifications (≈ 100 μm) and low contrast structures in the breast has been a topic of interest from its beginnings. The possibility to improve the image quality requires the effort to employ novel X-ray imaging techniques, such as phase-contrast, and high resolution detectors. Phase-contrast techniques are promising tools for medical diagnosis because they provide additional and complementary information to traditional absorption-based X-ray imaging methods. In this work a Hamamatsu microfocus X-ray source with tungsten anode and a photon counting detector (Timepix operated in Medipix mode) was used. A significant improvement in the detection of phase-effects using Medipix detector was observed in comparison to an standard flat-panel detector. An optimization of geometrical parameters reveals the dependency on the X-ray propagation path and the small angle deviation. The quantification of these effects was achieved taking into account the image noise, contrast, spatial resolution of the phase-enhancement, absorbed dose, and energy dependence.

Ponderomotive phase plate for transmission electron microscopes

DOEpatents

Reed, Bryan W [Livermore, CA

2012-07-10

A ponderomotive phase plate system and method for controllably producing highly tunable phase contrast transfer functions in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for high resolution and biological phase contrast imaging. The system and method includes a laser source and a beam transport system to produce a focused laser crossover as a phase plate, so that a ponderomotive potential of the focused laser crossover produces a scattering-angle-dependent phase shift in the electrons of the post-sample electron beam corresponding to a desired phase contrast transfer function.

Analysis of speckle patterns in phase-contrast images of lung tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitchen, M. J.; Paganin, D.; Lewis, R. A.; Yagi, N.; Uesugi, K.

2005-08-01

Propagation-based phase-contrast images of mice lungs have been obtained at the SPring-8 synchrotron research facility. Such images exhibit a speckled intensity pattern that bears a superficial resemblance to alveolar structures. This speckle results from focussing effects as projected air-filled alveoli form aberrated compound refractive lenses. An appropriate phase-retrieval algorithm has been utilized to reconstruct the approximate projected lung tissue thickness from single-phase-contrast mice chest radiographs. The results show projected density variations across the lung, highlighting regions of low density corresponding to air-filled regions. Potentially, this offers a better method than conventional radiography for detecting lung diseases such as fibrosis, emphysema and cancer, though this has yet to be demonstrated. As such, the approach can assist in continuing studies of lung function utilizing propagation-based phase-contrast imaging.

Efficient linear phase contrast in scanning transmission electron microscopy with matched illumination and detector interferometry

DOE PAGES

Ophus, Colin; Ciston, Jim; Pierce, Jordan; ...

2016-02-29

The ability to image light elements in soft matter at atomic resolution enables unprecedented insight into the structure and properties of molecular heterostructures and beam-sensitive nanomaterials. In this study, we introduce a scanning transmission electron microscopy technique combining a pre-specimen phase plate designed to produce a probe with structured phase with a high-speed direct electron detector to generate nearly linear contrast images with high efficiency. We demonstrate this method by using both experiment and simulation to simultaneously image the atomic-scale structure of weakly scattering amorphous carbon and strongly scattering gold nanoparticles. Our method demonstrates strong contrast for both materials, makingmore » it a promising candidate for structural determination of heterogeneous soft/hard matter samples even at low electron doses comparable to traditional phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Ultimately, simulated images demonstrate the extension of this technique to the challenging problem of structural determination of biological material at the surface of inorganic crystals.« less

Efficient linear phase contrast in scanning transmission electron microscopy with matched illumination and detector interferometry.

PubMed

Ophus, Colin; Ciston, Jim; Pierce, Jordan; Harvey, Tyler R; Chess, Jordan; McMorran, Benjamin J; Czarnik, Cory; Rose, Harald H; Ercius, Peter

2016-02-29

The ability to image light elements in soft matter at atomic resolution enables unprecedented insight into the structure and properties of molecular heterostructures and beam-sensitive nanomaterials. In this study, we introduce a scanning transmission electron microscopy technique combining a pre-specimen phase plate designed to produce a probe with structured phase with a high-speed direct electron detector to generate nearly linear contrast images with high efficiency. We demonstrate this method by using both experiment and simulation to simultaneously image the atomic-scale structure of weakly scattering amorphous carbon and strongly scattering gold nanoparticles. Our method demonstrates strong contrast for both materials, making it a promising candidate for structural determination of heterogeneous soft/hard matter samples even at low electron doses comparable to traditional phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Simulated images demonstrate the extension of this technique to the challenging problem of structural determination of biological material at the surface of inorganic crystals.

Efficient linear phase contrast in scanning transmission electron microscopy with matched illumination and detector interferometry

PubMed Central

Ophus, Colin; Ciston, Jim; Pierce, Jordan; Harvey, Tyler R.; Chess, Jordan; McMorran, Benjamin J.; Czarnik, Cory; Rose, Harald H.; Ercius, Peter

2016-01-01

The ability to image light elements in soft matter at atomic resolution enables unprecedented insight into the structure and properties of molecular heterostructures and beam-sensitive nanomaterials. In this study, we introduce a scanning transmission electron microscopy technique combining a pre-specimen phase plate designed to produce a probe with structured phase with a high-speed direct electron detector to generate nearly linear contrast images with high efficiency. We demonstrate this method by using both experiment and simulation to simultaneously image the atomic-scale structure of weakly scattering amorphous carbon and strongly scattering gold nanoparticles. Our method demonstrates strong contrast for both materials, making it a promising candidate for structural determination of heterogeneous soft/hard matter samples even at low electron doses comparable to traditional phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Simulated images demonstrate the extension of this technique to the challenging problem of structural determination of biological material at the surface of inorganic crystals. PMID:26923483

3D widefield light microscope image reconstruction without dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larkin, S.; Larson, J.; Holmes, C.; Vaicik, M.; Turturro, M.; Jurkevich, A.; Sinha, S.; Ezashi, T.; Papavasiliou, G.; Brey, E.; Holmes, T.

2015-03-01

3D image reconstruction using light microscope modalities without exogenous contrast agents is proposed and investigated as an approach to produce 3D images of biological samples for live imaging applications. Multimodality and multispectral imaging, used in concert with this 3D optical sectioning approach is also proposed as a way to further produce contrast that could be specific to components in the sample. The methods avoid usage of contrast agents. Contrast agents, such as fluorescent or absorbing dyes, can be toxic to cells or alter cell behavior. Current modes of producing 3D image sets from a light microscope, such as 3D deconvolution algorithms and confocal microscopy generally require contrast agents. Zernike phase contrast (ZPC), transmitted light brightfield (TLB), darkfield microscopy and others can produce contrast without dyes. Some of these modalities have not previously benefitted from 3D image reconstruction algorithms, however. The 3D image reconstruction algorithm is based on an underlying physical model of scattering potential, expressed as the sample's 3D absorption and phase quantities. The algorithm is based upon optimizing an objective function - the I-divergence - while solving for the 3D absorption and phase quantities. Unlike typical deconvolution algorithms, each microscope modality, such as ZPC or TLB, produces two output image sets instead of one. Contrast in the displayed image and 3D renderings is further enabled by treating the multispectral/multimodal data as a feature set in a mathematical formulation that uses the principal component method of statistics.

Are Human Peripheral Nerves Sensitive to X-Ray Imaging?

PubMed Central

Scopel, Jonas Francisco; de Souza Queiroz, Luciano; O’Dowd, Francis Pierce; Júnior, Marcondes Cavalcante França; Nucci, Anamarli; Hönnicke, Marcelo Gonçalves

2015-01-01

Diagnostic imaging techniques play an important role in assessing the exact location, cause, and extent of a nerve lesion, thus allowing clinicians to diagnose and manage more effectively a variety of pathological conditions, such as entrapment syndromes, traumatic injuries, and space-occupying lesions. Ultrasound and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging are becoming useful methods for this purpose, but they still lack spatial resolution. In this regard, recent phase contrast x-ray imaging experiments of peripheral nerve allowed the visualization of each nerve fiber surrounded by its myelin sheath as clearly as optical microscopy. In the present study, we attempted to produce high-resolution x-ray phase contrast images of a human sciatic nerve by using synchrotron radiation propagation-based imaging. The images showed high contrast and high spatial resolution, allowing clear identification of each fascicle structure and surrounding connective tissue. The outstanding result is the detection of such structures by phase contrast x-ray tomography of a thick human sciatic nerve section. This may further enable the identification of diverse pathological patterns, such as Wallerian degeneration, hypertrophic neuropathy, inflammatory infiltration, leprosy neuropathy and amyloid deposits. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful phase contrast x-ray imaging experiment of a human peripheral nerve sample. Our long-term goal is to develop peripheral nerve imaging methods that could supersede biopsy procedures. PMID:25757086

High resolution laboratory grating-based x-ray phase-contrast CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viermetz, Manuel P.; Birnbacher, Lorenz J. B.; Fehringer, Andreas; Willner, Marian; Noel, Peter B.; Pfeiffer, Franz; Herzen, Julia

2017-03-01

Grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography (gbPC-CT) is a promising imaging method for imaging of soft tissue contrast without the need of any contrast agent. The focus of this study is the increase in spatial resolution without loss in sensitivity to allow visualization of pathologies comparable to the convincing results obtained at the synchrotron. To improve the effective pixel size a super-resolution reconstruction based on subpixel shifts involving a deconvolution of the image is applied on differential phase-contrast data. In our study we could achieve an effective pixel sizes of 28mm without any drawback in terms of sensitivity or the ability to measure quantitative data.

Mouse blood vessel imaging by in-line x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Liu, Xiao-Song; Yang, Xin-Rong; Chen, Shao-Liang; Zhu, Pei-Ping; Yuan, Qing-Xi

2008-10-01

It is virtually impossible to observe blood vessels by conventional x-ray imaging techniques without using contrast agents. In addition, such x-ray systems are typically incapable of detecting vessels with diameters less than 200 µm. Here we show that vessels as small as 30 µm could be detected using in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging without the use of contrast agents. Image quality was greatly improved by replacing resident blood with physiological saline. Furthermore, an entire branch of the portal vein from the main axial portal vein to the eighth generation of branching could be captured in a single phase-contrast image. Prior to our work, detection of 30 µm diameter blood vessels could only be achieved using x-ray interferometry, which requires sophisticated x-ray optics. Our results thus demonstrate that in-line phase-contrast x-ray imaging, using physiological saline as a contrast agent, provides an alternative to the interferometric method that can be much more easily implemented and also offers the advantage of a larger field of view. A possible application of this methodology is in animal tumor models, where it can be used to observe tumor angiogenesis and the treatment effects of antineoplastic agents.

3D visualization of subcellular structures of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by hard X-ray tomography.

PubMed

Yang, Y; Li, W; Liu, G; Zhang, X; Chen, J; Wu, W; Guan, Y; Xiong, Y; Tian, Y; Wu, Z

2010-10-01

Cellular structures of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, were examined by using hard X-ray tomography. Since cells are nearly transparent to hard X-rays, Zernike phase contrast and heavy metal staining were introduced to improve image contrast. Through using such methods, images taken at 8 keV displayed sufficient contrast for observing cellular structures. The cell wall, the intracellular organelles and the entire structural organization of the whole cells were visualized in three-dimensional at a resolution better than 100 nm. Comparison between phase contrast and absorption contrast was also made, indicating the obvious advantage of phase contrast for cellular imaging at this energy. Our results demonstrate that hard X-ray tomography with Zernike phase contrast is suitable for cellular imaging. Its unique abilities make it have potential to become a useful tool for revealing structural information from cells, especially thick eukaryotic cells. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 The Royal Microscopical Society.

Segmentation of the Clustered Cells with Optimized Boundary Detection in Negative Phase Contrast Images

PubMed Central

Wang, Yuliang; Zhang, Zaicheng; Wang, Huimin; Bi, Shusheng

2015-01-01

Cell image segmentation plays a central role in numerous biology studies and clinical applications. As a result, the development of cell image segmentation algorithms with high robustness and accuracy is attracting more and more attention. In this study, an automated cell image segmentation algorithm is developed to get improved cell image segmentation with respect to cell boundary detection and segmentation of the clustered cells for all cells in the field of view in negative phase contrast images. A new method which combines the thresholding method and edge based active contour method was proposed to optimize cell boundary detection. In order to segment clustered cells, the geographic peaks of cell light intensity were utilized to detect numbers and locations of the clustered cells. In this paper, the working principles of the algorithms are described. The influence of parameters in cell boundary detection and the selection of the threshold value on the final segmentation results are investigated. At last, the proposed algorithm is applied to the negative phase contrast images from different experiments. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated. Results show that the proposed method can achieve optimized cell boundary detection and highly accurate segmentation for clustered cells. PMID:26066315

Quantitative differential phase contrast imaging at high resolution with radially asymmetric illumination.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Zi; Huang, Kuang-Yuh; Luo, Yuan

2018-06-15

Half-circle illumination-based differential phase contrast (DPC) microscopy has been utilized to recover phase images through a pair of images along multiple axes. Recently, the half-circle based DPC using 12-axis measurements significantly provides a circularly symmetric phase transfer function to improve accuracy for more stable phase recovery. Instead of using half-circle-based DPC, we propose a new scheme of DPC under radially asymmetric illumination to achieve circularly symmetric phase transfer function and enhance the accuracy of phase recovery in a more stable and efficient fashion. We present the design, implementation, and experimental image data demonstrating the ability of our method to obtain quantitative phase images of microspheres, as well as live fibroblast cell samples.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Müller, Mark, E-mail: mark-mueller@ph.tum.de; Yaroshenko, Andre; Velroyen, Astrid

In the field of biomedical X-ray imaging, novel techniques, such as phase-contrast and dark-field imaging, have the potential to enhance the contrast and provide complementary structural information about a specimen. In this paper, a first prototype of a preclinical X-ray phase-contrast CT scanner based on a Talbot-Lau interferometer is characterized. We present a study of the contrast-to-noise ratios for attenuation and phase-contrast images acquired with the prototype scanner. The shown results are based on a series of projection images and tomographic data sets of a plastic phantom in phase and attenuation-contrast recorded with varying acquisition settings. Subsequently, the signal andmore » noise distribution of different regions in the phantom were determined. We present a novel method for estimation of contrast-to-noise ratios for projection images based on the cylindrical geometry of the phantom. Analytical functions, representing the expected signal in phase and attenuation-contrast for a circular object, are fitted to individual line profiles of the projection data. The free parameter of the fit function is used to estimate the contrast and the goodness of the fit is determined to assess the noise in the respective signal. The results depict the dependence of the contrast-to-noise ratios on the applied source voltages, the number of steps of the phase stepping routine, and the exposure times for an individual step. Moreover, the influence of the number of projection angles on the image quality of CT slices is investigated. Finally, the implications for future imaging purposes with the scanner are discussed.« less

Hard-X-ray dark-field imaging using a grating interferometer.

PubMed

Pfeiffer, F; Bech, M; Bunk, O; Kraft, P; Eikenberry, E F; Brönnimann, Ch; Grünzweig, C; David, C

2008-02-01

Imaging with visible light today uses numerous contrast mechanisms, including bright- and dark-field contrast, phase-contrast schemes and confocal and fluorescence-based methods. X-ray imaging, on the other hand, has only recently seen the development of an analogous variety of contrast modalities. Although X-ray phase-contrast imaging could successfully be implemented at a relatively early stage with several techniques, dark-field imaging, or more generally scattering-based imaging, with hard X-rays and good signal-to-noise ratio, in practice still remains a challenging task even at highly brilliant synchrotron sources. In this letter, we report a new approach on the basis of a grating interferometer that can efficiently yield dark-field scatter images of high quality, even with conventional X-ray tube sources. Because the image contrast is formed through the mechanism of small-angle scattering, it provides complementary and otherwise inaccessible structural information about the specimen at the micrometre and submicrometre length scale. Our approach is fully compatible with conventional transmission radiography and a recently developed hard-X-ray phase-contrast imaging scheme. Applications to X-ray medical imaging, industrial non-destructive testing and security screening are discussed.

Analyser-based phase contrast image reconstruction using geometrical optics.

PubMed

Kitchen, M J; Pavlov, K M; Siu, K K W; Menk, R H; Tromba, G; Lewis, R A

2007-07-21

Analyser-based phase contrast imaging can provide radiographs of exceptional contrast at high resolution (<100 microm), whilst quantitative phase and attenuation information can be extracted using just two images when the approximations of geometrical optics are satisfied. Analytical phase retrieval can be performed by fitting the analyser rocking curve with a symmetric Pearson type VII function. The Pearson VII function provided at least a 10% better fit to experimentally measured rocking curves than linear or Gaussian functions. A test phantom, a hollow nylon cylinder, was imaged at 20 keV using a Si(1 1 1) analyser at the ELETTRA synchrotron radiation facility. Our phase retrieval method yielded a more accurate object reconstruction than methods based on a linear fit to the rocking curve. Where reconstructions failed to map expected values, calculations of the Takagi number permitted distinction between the violation of the geometrical optics conditions and the failure of curve fitting procedures. The need for synchronized object/detector translation stages was removed by using a large, divergent beam and imaging the object in segments. Our image acquisition and reconstruction procedure enables quantitative phase retrieval for systems with a divergent source and accounts for imperfections in the analyser.

Hard x-ray phase contrastmicroscopy - techniques and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzner, Christian

In 1918, Einstein provided the first description of the nature of the refractive index for X-rays, showing that phase contrast effects are significant. A century later, most x-ray microscopy and nearly all medical imaging remains based on absorption contrast, even though phase contrast offers orders of magnitude improvements in contrast and reduced radiation exposure at multi-keV x-ray energies. The work presented is concerned with developing practical and quantitative methods of phase contrast for x-ray microscopy. A theoretical framework for imaging in phase contrast is put forward; this is used to obtain quantitative images in a scanning microscope using a segmented detector, and to correct for artifacts in a commercial phase contrast x-ray nano-tomography system. The principle of reciprocity between scanning and full-field microscopes is then used to arrive at a novel solution: Zernike contrast in a scanning microscope. These approaches are compared on a theoretical and experimental basis in direct connection with applications using multi-keV x-ray microscopes at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Phase contrast provides the best means to image mass and ultrastructure of light elements that mainly constitute biological matter, while stimulated x-ray fluorescence provides high sensitivity for studies of the distribution of heavier trace elements, such as metals. These approaches are combined in a complementary way to yield quantitative maps of elemental concentration from 2D images, with elements placed in their ultrastructural context. The combination of x-ray fluorescence and phase contrast poses an ideal match for routine, high resolution tomographic imaging of biological samples in the future. The presented techniques and demonstration experiments will help pave the way for this development.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larsson, Daniel H.; Lundstroem, Ulf; Burvall, Anna

Purpose: Small-animal studies require images with high spatial resolution and high contrast due to the small scale of the structures. X-ray imaging systems for small animals are often limited by the microfocus source. Here, the authors investigate the applicability of liquid-metal-jet x-ray sources for such high-resolution small-animal imaging, both in tomography based on absorption and in soft-tissue tumor imaging based on in-line phase contrast. Methods: The experimental arrangement consists of a liquid-metal-jet x-ray source, the small-animal object on a rotating stage, and an imaging detector. The source-to-object and object-to-detector distances are adjusted for the preferred contrast mechanism. Two different liquid-metal-jetmore » sources are used, one circulating a Ga/In/Sn alloy and the other an In/Ga alloy for higher penetration through thick tissue. Both sources are operated at 40-50 W electron-beam power with {approx}7 {mu}m x-ray spots, providing high spatial resolution in absorption imaging and high spatial coherence for the phase-contrast imaging. Results: High-resolution absorption imaging is demonstrated on mice with CT, showing 50 {mu}m bone details in the reconstructed slices. High-resolution phase-contrast soft-tissue imaging shows clear demarcation of mm-sized tumors at much lower dose than is required in absorption. Conclusions: This is the first application of liquid-metal-jet x-ray sources for whole-body small-animal x-ray imaging. In absorption, the method allows high-resolution tomographic skeletal imaging with potential for significantly shorter exposure times due to the power scalability of liquid-metal-jet sources. In phase contrast, the authors use a simple in-line arrangement to show distinct tumor demarcation of few-mm-sized tumors. This is, to their knowledge, the first small-animal tumor visualization with a laboratory phase-contrast system.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soliman, A; Safigholi, H; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON

Purpose: To propose a new method that provides a positive contrast visualization of the prostate brachytherapy seeds using the phase information from MR images. Additionally, the feasibility of using the processed phase information to distinguish seeds from calcifications is explored. Methods: A gel phantom was constructed using 2% agar dissolved in 1 L of distilled water. Contrast agents were added to adjust the relaxation times. Four iodine-125 (Eckert & Ziegler SML86999) dummy seeds were placed at different orientations with respect to the main magnetic field (B0). Calcifications were obtained from a sheep femur cortical bone due to its close similaritymore » to human bone tissue composition. Five samples of calcifications were shaped into different dimensions with lengths ranging between 1.2 – 6.1 mm.MR imaging was performed on a 3T Philips Achieva using an 8-channel head coil. Eight images were acquired at eight echo-times using a multi-gradient echo sequence. Spatial resolution was 0.7 × 0.7 × 2 mm, TR/TE/dTE = 20.0/2.3/2.3 ms and BW = 541 Hz/pixel. Complex images were acquired and fed into a two-step processing pipeline: the first includes phase unwrapping and background phase removal using Laplacian operator (Wei et al. 2013). The second step applies a specific phase mask on the resulting tissue phase from the first step to provide the desired positive contrast of the seeds and to, potentially, differentiate them from the calcifications. Results: The phase-processing was performed in less than 30 seconds. The proposed method has successfully resulted in a positive contrast of the brachytherapy seeds. Additionally, the final processed phase image showed difference between the appearance of seeds and calcifications. However, the shape of the seeds was slightly distorted compared to the original dimensions. Conclusion: It is feasible to provide a positive contrast of the seeds from MR images using Laplacian operator-based phase processing.« less

Ptychography: use of quantitative phase information for high-contrast label free time-lapse imaging of living cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suman, Rakesh; O'Toole, Peter

2014-03-01

Here we report a novel label free, high contrast and quantitative method for imaging live cells. The technique reconstructs an image from overlapping diffraction patterns using a ptychographical algorithm. The algorithm utilises both amplitude and phase data from the sample to report on quantitative changes related to the refractive index (RI) and thickness of the specimen. We report the ability of this technique to generate high contrast images, to visualise neurite elongation in neuronal cells, and to provide measure of cell proliferation.

High-resolution electron microscopy and its applications.

PubMed

Li, F H

1987-12-01

A review of research on high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) carried out at the Institute of Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is presented. Apart from the direct observation of crystal and quasicrystal defects for some alloys, oxides, minerals, etc., and the structure determination for some minute crystals, an approximate image-contrast theory named pseudo-weak-phase object approximation (PWPOA), which shows the image contrast change with crystal thickness, is described. Within the framework of PWPOA, the image contrast of lithium ions in the crystal of R-Li2Ti3O7 has been observed. The usefulness of diffraction analysis techniques such as the direct method and Patterson method in HREM is discussed. Image deconvolution and resolution enhancement for weak-phase objects by use of the direct method are illustrated. In addition, preliminary results of image restoration for thick crystals are given.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krumeich, F., E-mail: krumeich@inorg.chem.ethz.ch; Mueller, E.; Wepf, R.A.

While HRTEM is the well-established method to characterize the structure of dodecagonal tantalum (vanadium) telluride quasicrystals and their periodic approximants, phase-contrast imaging performed on an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) represents a favorable alternative. The (Ta,V){sub 151}Te{sub 74} clusters, the basic structural unit in all these phases, can be visualized with high resolution. A dependence of the image contrast on defocus and specimen thickness has been observed. In thin areas, the projected crystal potential is basically imaged with either dark or bright contrast at two defocus values close to Scherzer defocus as confirmed by image simulations utilizing the principlemore » of reciprocity. Models for square-triangle tilings describing the arrangement of the basic clusters can be derived from such images. - Graphical abstract: PC-STEM image of a (Ta,V){sub 151}Te{sub 74} cluster. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer C{sub s}-corrected STEM is applied for the characterization of dodecagonal quasicrystals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The projected potential of the structure is mirrored in the images. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phase-contrast STEM imaging depends on defocus and thickness. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer For simulations of phase-contrast STEM images, the reciprocity theorem is applicable.« less

Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; Medvedev, Nikita; Wang, Fenglin; Chapman, Henry N.; Shih, Yanhua

2017-10-01

Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. In this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

Thermal x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging

DOE PAGES

Li, Zheng; Classen, Anton; Peng, Tao; ...

2017-12-27

Using higher-order coherence of thermal light sources, the resolution power of standard x-ray imaging techniques can be enhanced. Here in this work, we applied the higher-order measurement to far-field x-ray diffraction and near-field phase contrast imaging (PCI), in order to achieve superresolution in x-ray diffraction and obtain enhanced intensity contrast in PCI. The cost of implementing such schemes is minimal compared to the methods that achieve similar effects by using entangled x-ray photon pairs.

Enhanced Positive-Contrast Visualization of Paramagnetic Contrast Agents Using Phase Images

PubMed Central

Mills, Parker H.; Ahrens, Eric T.

2009-01-01

Iron oxide–based MRI contrast agents are increasingly being used to noninvasively track cells, target molecular epitopes, and monitor gene expression in vivo. Detecting regions of contrast agent accumulation can be challenging if resulting contrast is subtle relative to endogenous tissue hypointensities. A postprocessing method is presented that yields enhanced positive-contrast images from the phase map associated with T2*-weighted MRI data. As examples, the method was applied to an agarose gel phantom doped with superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles and in vivo and ex vivo mouse brains inoculated with recombinant viruses delivering transgenes that induce overexpression of paramagnetic ferritin. Overall, this approach generates images that exhibit a 1- to 8-fold improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio in regions where paramagnetic agents are present compared to conventional magnitude images. This approach can be used in conjunction with conventional T2* pulse sequences, requires no prescans or increased scan time, and can be applied retrospectively to previously acquired data. PMID:19780169

Atomic force microscope image contrast mechanisms on supported lipid bilayers.

PubMed

Schneider, J; Dufrêne, Y F; Barger, W R; Lee, G U

2000-08-01

This work presents a methodology to measure and quantitatively interpret force curves on supported lipid bilayers in water. We then use this method to correlate topographic imaging contrast in atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of phase-separated Langmuir-Blodgett bilayers with imaging load. Force curves collected on pure monolayers of both distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE) and monogalactosylethanolamine (MGDG) and dioleoylethanolamine (DOPE) deposited at similar surface pressures onto a monolayer of DSPE show an abrupt breakthrough event at a repeatable, material-dependent force. The breakthrough force for DSPE and MGDG is sizable, whereas the breakthrough force for DOPE is too small to measure accurately. Contact-mode AFM images on 1:1 mixed monolayers of DSPE/DOPE and MGDG/DOPE have a high topographic contrast at loads between the breakthrough force of each phase, and a low topographic contrast at loads above the breakthrough force of both phases. Frictional contrast is inverted and magnified at loads above the breakthrough force of both phases. These results emphasize the important role that surface forces and mechanics can play in imaging multicomponent biomembranes with AFM.

High-energy x-ray grating-based phase-contrast radiography of human anatomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Florian; Hauke, Christian; Lachner, Sebastian; Ludwig, Veronika; Pelzer, Georg; Rieger, Jens; Schuster, Max; Seifert, Maria; Wandner, Johannes; Wolf, Andreas; Michel, Thilo; Anton, Gisela

2016-03-01

X-ray grating-based phase-contrast Talbot-Lau interferometry is a promising imaging technology that has the potential to raise soft tissue contrast in comparison to conventional attenuation-based imaging. Additionally, it is sensitive to attenuation, refraction and scattering of the radiation and thus provides complementary and otherwise inaccessible information due to the dark-field image, which shows the sub-pixel size granularity of the measured object. Until recent progress the method has been mainly limited to photon energies below 40 keV. Scaling the method to photon energies that are sufficient to pass large and spacious objects represents a challenging task. This is caused by increasing demands regarding the fabrication process of the gratings and the broad spectra that come along with the use of polychromatic X-ray sources operated at high acceleration voltages. We designed a setup that is capable to reach high visibilities in the range from 50 to 120 kV. Therefore, spacious and dense parts of the human body with high attenuation can be measured, such as a human knee. The authors will show investigations on the resulting attenuation, differential phase-contrast and dark-field images. The images experimentally show that X-ray grating-based phase-contrast radiography is feasible with highly absorbing parts of the human body containing massive bones.

Image contrast enhancement of Ni/YSZ anode during the slice-and-view process in FIB-SEM.

PubMed

Liu, Shu-Sheng; Takayama, Akiko; Matsumura, Syo; Koyama, Michihisa

2016-03-01

Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) is a widely used and easily operational equipment for three-dimensional reconstruction with flexible analysis volume. It has been using successfully and increasingly in the field of solid oxide fuel cell. However, the phase contrast of the SEM images is indistinct in many cases, which will bring difficulties to the image processing. Herein, the phase contrast of a conventional Ni/yttria stabilized zirconia anode is tuned in an FIB-SEM with In-Lens secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron detectors. Two accessories, tungsten probe and carbon nozzle, are inserted during the observation. The former has no influence on the contrast. When the carbon nozzle is inserted, best and distinct contrast can be obtained by In-Lens SE detector. This method is novel for contrast enhancement. Phase segmentation of the image can be automatically performed. The related mechanism for different images is discussed. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Bilateral filtering using the full noise covariance matrix applied to x-ray phase-contrast computed tomography.

PubMed

Allner, S; Koehler, T; Fehringer, A; Birnbacher, L; Willner, M; Pfeiffer, F; Noël, P B

2016-05-21

The purpose of this work is to develop an image-based de-noising algorithm that exploits complementary information and noise statistics from multi-modal images, as they emerge in x-ray tomography techniques, for instance grating-based phase-contrast CT and spectral CT. Among the noise reduction methods, image-based de-noising is one popular approach and the so-called bilateral filter is a well known algorithm for edge-preserving filtering. We developed a generalization of the bilateral filter for the case where the imaging system provides two or more perfectly aligned images. The proposed generalization is statistically motivated and takes the full second order noise statistics of these images into account. In particular, it includes a noise correlation between the images and spatial noise correlation within the same image. The novel generalized three-dimensional bilateral filter is applied to the attenuation and phase images created with filtered backprojection reconstructions from grating-based phase-contrast tomography. In comparison to established bilateral filters, we obtain improved noise reduction and at the same time a better preservation of edges in the images on the examples of a simulated soft-tissue phantom, a human cerebellum and a human artery sample. The applied full noise covariance is determined via cross-correlation of the image noise. The filter results yield an improved feature recovery based on enhanced noise suppression and edge preservation as shown here on the example of attenuation and phase images captured with grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography. This is supported by quantitative image analysis. Without being bound to phase-contrast imaging, this generalized filter is applicable to any kind of noise-afflicted image data with or without noise correlation. Therefore, it can be utilized in various imaging applications and fields.

Halo-free phase contrast microscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tan H.; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Shakir, Haadi M.; Best, Catherine; Do, Minh N.; Popescu, Gabriel

2017-02-01

The phase contrast (PC) method is one of the most impactful developments in the four-century long history of microscopy. It allows for intrinsic, nondestructive contrast of transparent specimens, such as live cells. However, PC is plagued by the halo artifact, a result of insufficient spatial coherence in the illumination field, which limits its applicability. We present a new approach for retrieving halo-free phase contrast microscopy (hfPC) images by upgrading the conventional PC microscope with an external interferometric module, which generates sufficient data for reversing the halo artifact. Measuring four independent intensity images, our approach first measures haloed phase maps of the sample. We solve for the halo-free sample transmission function by using a physical model of the image formation under partial spatial coherence. Using this halo-free sample transmission, we can numerically generate artifact-free PC images. Furthermore, this transmission can be further used to obtain quantitative information about the sample, e.g., the thickness with known refractive indices, dry mass of live cells during their cycles. We tested our hfPC method on various control samples, e.g., beads, pillars and validated its potential for biological investigation by imaging live HeLa cells, red blood cells, and neurons.

Edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging with Pt-based metallic glass masks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saghamanesh, Somayeh; Aghamiri, Seyed Mahmoud-Reza; Olivo, Alessandro; Sadeghilarijani, Maryam; Kato, Hidemi; Kamali-Asl, Alireza; Yashiro, Wataru

2017-06-01

Edge-illumination x-ray phase contrast imaging (EI XPCI) is a non-interferometric phase-sensitive method where two absorption masks are employed. These masks are fabricated through a photolithography process followed by electroplating which is challenging in terms of yield as well as time- and cost-effectiveness. We report on the first implementation of EI XPCI with Pt-based metallic glass masks fabricated by an imprinting method. The new tested alloy exhibits good characteristics including high workability beside high x-ray attenuation. The fabrication process is easy and cheap, and can produce large-size masks for high x-ray energies within minutes. Imaging experiments show a good quality phase image, which confirms the potential of these masks to make the EI XPCI technique widely available and affordable.

Automatic neuron segmentation and neural network analysis method for phase contrast microscopy images.

PubMed

Pang, Jincheng; Özkucur, Nurdan; Ren, Michael; Kaplan, David L; Levin, Michael; Miller, Eric L

2015-11-01

Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) is an important tool for the long term study of living cells. Unlike fluorescence methods which suffer from photobleaching of fluorophore or dye molecules, PCM image contrast is generated by the natural variations in optical index of refraction. Unfortunately, the same physical principles which allow for these studies give rise to complex artifacts in the raw PCM imagery. Of particular interest in this paper are neuron images where these image imperfections manifest in very different ways for the two structures of specific interest: cell bodies (somas) and dendrites. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel parametric image model using the level set framework and an associated variational approach which simultaneously restores and segments this class of images. Using this technique as the basis for an automated image analysis pipeline, results for both the synthetic and real images validate and demonstrate the advantages of our approach.

Isotropic differential phase contrast microscopy for quantitative phase bio-imaging.

PubMed

Chen, Hsi-Hsun; Lin, Yu-Zi; Luo, Yuan

2018-05-16

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has been investigated to retrieve optical phase information of an object and applied to biological microscopy and related medical studies. In recent examples, differential phase contrast (DPC) microscopy can recover phase image of thin sample under multi-axis intensity measurements in wide-field scheme. Unlike conventional DPC, based on theoretical approach under partially coherent condition, we propose a new method to achieve isotropic differential phase contrast (iDPC) with high accuracy and stability for phase recovery in simple and high-speed fashion. The iDPC is simply implemented with a partially coherent microscopy and a programmable thin-film transistor (TFT) shield to digitally modulate structured illumination patterns for QPI. In this article, simulation results show consistency of our theoretical approach for iDPC under partial coherence. In addition, we further demonstrate experiments of quantitative phase images of a standard micro-lens array, as well as label-free live human cell samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Noise in x-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weber, Thomas; Bartl, Peter; Bayer, Florian

Purpose: Grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging is a fast developing new modality not only for medical imaging, but as well for other fields such as material sciences. While these many possible applications arise, the knowledge of the noise behavior is essential. Methods: In this work, the authors used a least squares fitting algorithm to calculate the noise behavior of the three quantities absorption, differential phase, and dark-field image. Further, the calculated error formula of the differential phase image was verified by measurements. Therefore, a Talbot interferometer was setup, using a microfocus x-ray tube as source and a Timepix detector for photonmore » counting. Additionally, simulations regarding this topic were performed. Results: It turned out that the variance of the reconstructed phase is only dependent of the total number of photons used to generate the phase image and the visibility of the experimental setup. These results could be evaluated in measurements as well as in simulations. Furthermore, the correlation between absorption and dark-field image was calculated. Conclusions: These results provide the understanding of the noise characteristics of grating-based phase-contrast imaging and will help to improve image quality.« less

Magnetic resonance angiography: current status and future directions

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

With recent improvement in hardware and software techniques, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has undergone significant changes in technique and approach. The advent of 3.0 T magnets has allowed reduction in exogenous contrast dose without compromising overall image quality. The use of novel intravascular contrast agents substantially increases the image windows and decreases contrast dose. Additionally, the lower risk and cost in non-contrast enhanced (NCE) MRA has sparked renewed interest in these methods. This article discusses the current state of both contrast-enhanced (CE) and NCE-MRA. New CE-MRA methods take advantage of dose reduction at 3.0 T, novel contrast agents, and parallel imaging methods. The risks of gadolinium-based contrast media, and the NCE-MRA methods of time-of-flight, steady-state free precession, and phase contrast are discussed. PMID:21388544

First application of liquid-metal-jet sources for small-animal imaging: high-resolution CT and phase-contrast tumor demarcation.

PubMed

Larsson, Daniel H; Lundström, Ulf; Westermark, Ulrica K; Arsenian Henriksson, Marie; Burvall, Anna; Hertz, Hans M

2013-02-01

Small-animal studies require images with high spatial resolution and high contrast due to the small scale of the structures. X-ray imaging systems for small animals are often limited by the microfocus source. Here, the authors investigate the applicability of liquid-metal-jet x-ray sources for such high-resolution small-animal imaging, both in tomography based on absorption and in soft-tissue tumor imaging based on in-line phase contrast. The experimental arrangement consists of a liquid-metal-jet x-ray source, the small-animal object on a rotating stage, and an imaging detector. The source-to-object and object-to-detector distances are adjusted for the preferred contrast mechanism. Two different liquid-metal-jet sources are used, one circulating a Ga∕In∕Sn alloy and the other an In∕Ga alloy for higher penetration through thick tissue. Both sources are operated at 40-50 W electron-beam power with ∼7 μm x-ray spots, providing high spatial resolution in absorption imaging and high spatial coherence for the phase-contrast imaging. High-resolution absorption imaging is demonstrated on mice with CT, showing 50 μm bone details in the reconstructed slices. High-resolution phase-contrast soft-tissue imaging shows clear demarcation of mm-sized tumors at much lower dose than is required in absorption. This is the first application of liquid-metal-jet x-ray sources for whole-body small-animal x-ray imaging. In absorption, the method allows high-resolution tomographic skeletal imaging with potential for significantly shorter exposure times due to the power scalability of liquid-metal-jet sources. In phase contrast, the authors use a simple in-line arrangement to show distinct tumor demarcation of few-mm-sized tumors. This is, to their knowledge, the first small-animal tumor visualization with a laboratory phase-contrast system.

Biofilm imaging in porous media by laboratory X-Ray tomography: Combining a non-destructive contrast agent with propagation-based phase-contrast imaging tools.

PubMed

Carrel, Maxence; Beltran, Mario A; Morales, Verónica L; Derlon, Nicolas; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Kaufmann, Rolf; Holzner, Markus

2017-01-01

X-ray tomography is a powerful tool giving access to the morphology of biofilms, in 3D porous media, at the mesoscale. Due to the high water content of biofilms, the attenuation coefficient of biofilms and water are very close, hindering the distinction between biofilms and water without the use of contrast agents. Until now, the use of contrast agents such as barium sulfate, silver-coated micro-particles or 1-chloronaphtalene added to the liquid phase allowed imaging the biofilm 3D morphology. However, these contrast agents are not passive and potentially interact with the biofilm when injected into the sample. Here, we use a natural inorganic compound, namely iron sulfate, as a contrast agent progressively bounded in dilute or colloidal form into the EPS matrix during biofilm growth. By combining a very long source-to-detector distance on a X-ray laboratory source with a Lorentzian filter implemented prior to tomographic reconstruction, we substantially increase the contrast between the biofilm and the surrounding liquid, which allows revealing the 3D biofilm morphology. A comparison of this new method with the method proposed by Davit et al (Davit et al., 2011), which uses barium sulfate as a contrast agent to mark the liquid phase was performed. Quantitative evaluations between the methods revealed substantial differences for the volumetric fractions obtained from both methods. Namely, contrast agent-biofilm interactions (e.g. biofilm detachment) occurring during barium sulfate injection caused a reduction of the biofilm volumetric fraction of more than 50% and displacement of biofilm patches elsewhere in the column. Two key advantages of the newly proposed method are that passive addition of iron sulfate maintains the integrity of the biofilm prior to imaging, and that the biofilm itself is marked by the contrast agent, rather than the liquid phase as in other available methods. The iron sulfate method presented can be applied to understand biofilm development and bioclogging mechanisms in porous materials and the obtained biofilm morphology could be an ideal basis for 3D numerical calculations of hydrodynamic conditions to investigate biofilm-flow coupling.

Biofilm imaging in porous media by laboratory X-Ray tomography: Combining a non-destructive contrast agent with propagation-based phase-contrast imaging tools

PubMed Central

Beltran, Mario A.; Morales, Verónica L.; Derlon, Nicolas; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Kaufmann, Rolf; Holzner, Markus

2017-01-01

X-ray tomography is a powerful tool giving access to the morphology of biofilms, in 3D porous media, at the mesoscale. Due to the high water content of biofilms, the attenuation coefficient of biofilms and water are very close, hindering the distinction between biofilms and water without the use of contrast agents. Until now, the use of contrast agents such as barium sulfate, silver-coated micro-particles or 1-chloronaphtalene added to the liquid phase allowed imaging the biofilm 3D morphology. However, these contrast agents are not passive and potentially interact with the biofilm when injected into the sample. Here, we use a natural inorganic compound, namely iron sulfate, as a contrast agent progressively bounded in dilute or colloidal form into the EPS matrix during biofilm growth. By combining a very long source-to-detector distance on a X-ray laboratory source with a Lorentzian filter implemented prior to tomographic reconstruction, we substantially increase the contrast between the biofilm and the surrounding liquid, which allows revealing the 3D biofilm morphology. A comparison of this new method with the method proposed by Davit et al (Davit et al., 2011), which uses barium sulfate as a contrast agent to mark the liquid phase was performed. Quantitative evaluations between the methods revealed substantial differences for the volumetric fractions obtained from both methods. Namely, contrast agent—biofilm interactions (e.g. biofilm detachment) occurring during barium sulfate injection caused a reduction of the biofilm volumetric fraction of more than 50% and displacement of biofilm patches elsewhere in the column. Two key advantages of the newly proposed method are that passive addition of iron sulfate maintains the integrity of the biofilm prior to imaging, and that the biofilm itself is marked by the contrast agent, rather than the liquid phase as in other available methods. The iron sulfate method presented can be applied to understand biofilm development and bioclogging mechanisms in porous materials and the obtained biofilm morphology could be an ideal basis for 3D numerical calculations of hydrodynamic conditions to investigate biofilm-flow coupling. PMID:28732010

Reconstruction methods for phase-contrast tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raven, C.

Phase contrast imaging with coherent x-rays can be distinguished in outline imaging and holography, depending on the wavelength {lambda}, the object size d and the object-to-detector distance r. When r << d{sup 2}{lambda}, phase contrast occurs only in regions where the refractive index fastly changes, i.e. at interfaces and edges in the sample. With increasing object-to-detector distance we come in the area of holographic imaging. The image contrast outside the shadow region of the object is due to interference of the direct, undiffracted beam and a beam diffracted by the object, or, in terms of holography, the interference of amore » reference wave with the object wave. Both, outline imaging and holography, offer the possibility to obtain three dimensional information of the sample in conjunction with a tomographic technique. But the data treatment and the kind of information one can obtain from the reconstruction is different.« less

Quantitative x-ray phase-contrast imaging using a single grating of comparable pitch to sample feature size.

PubMed

Morgan, Kaye S; Paganin, David M; Siu, Karen K W

2011-01-01

The ability to quantitatively retrieve transverse phase maps during imaging by using coherent x rays often requires a precise grating or analyzer-crystal-based setup. Imaging of live animals presents further challenges when these methods require multiple exposures for image reconstruction. We present a simple method of single-exposure, single-grating quantitative phase contrast for a regime in which the grating period is much greater than the effective pixel size. A grating is used to create a high-visibility reference pattern incident on the sample, which is distorted according to the complex refractive index and thickness of the sample. The resolution, along a line parallel to the grating, is not restricted by the grating spacing, and the detector resolution becomes the primary determinant of the spatial resolution. We present a method of analysis that maps the displacement of interrogation windows in order to retrieve a quantitative phase map. Application of this analysis to the imaging of known phantoms shows excellent correspondence.

X-Ray Phase Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm in the Fresnel diffraction regime, and is much more robust against image noise than the TIE-based method. For details...developed efficient coding with the software modules for the image registration, flat-filed correction , and phase retrievals. In addition, we...X, Liu H. 2010. Performance analysis of the attenuation-partition based iterative phase retrieval algorithm for in-line phase-contrast imaging

Development of optics for x-ray phase-contrast imaging of high energy density plasmas.

PubMed

Stutman, D; Finkenthal, M; Moldovan, N

2010-10-01

Phase-contrast or refraction-enhanced x-ray radiography can be useful for the diagnostic of low-Z high energy density plasmas, such as imploding inertial confinement fusion (ICF) pellets, due to its sensitivity to density gradients. To separate and quantify the absorption and refraction contributions to x-ray images, methods based on microperiodic optics, such as shearing interferometry, can be used. To enable applying such methods with the energetic x rays needed for ICF radiography, we investigate a new type of optics consisting of grazing incidence microperiodic mirrors. Using such mirrors, efficient phase-contrast imaging systems could be built for energies up to ∼100 keV. In addition, a simple lithographic method is proposed for the production of the microperiodic x-ray mirrors based on the difference in the total reflection between a low-Z substrate and a high-Z film. Prototype mirrors fabricated with this method show promising characteristics in laboratory tests.

Quantification of signal detection performance degradation induced by phase-retrieval in propagation-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, Cheng-Ying; Anastasio, Mark A.

2016-04-01

In propagation-based X-ray phase-contrast (PB XPC) imaging, the measured image contains a mixture of absorption- and phase-contrast. To obtain separate images of the projected absorption and phase (i.e., refractive) properties of a sample, phase retrieval methods can be employed. It has been suggested that phase-retrieval can always improve image quality in PB XPC imaging. However, when objective (task-based) measures of image quality are employed, this is not necessarily true and phase retrieval can be detrimental. In this work, signal detection theory is utilized to quantify the performance of a Hotelling observer (HO) for detecting a known signal in a known background. Two cases are considered. In the first case, the HO acts directly on the measured intensity data. In the second case, the HO acts on either the retrieved phase or absorption image. We demonstrate that the performance of the HO is superior when acting on the measured intensity data. The loss of task-specific information induced by phase-retrieval is quantified by computing the efficiency of the HO as the ratio of the test statistic signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the two cases. The effect of the system geometry on this efficiency is systematically investigated. Our findings confirm that phase-retrieval can impair signal detection performance in XPC imaging.

Revising the lower statistical limit of x-ray grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography.

PubMed

Marschner, Mathias; Birnbacher, Lorenz; Willner, Marian; Chabior, Michael; Herzen, Julia; Noël, Peter B; Pfeiffer, Franz

2017-01-01

Phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (PCCT) is currently investigated as an interesting extension of conventional CT, providing high soft-tissue contrast even if examining weakly absorbing specimen. Until now, the potential for dose reduction was thought to be limited compared to attenuation CT, since meaningful phase retrieval fails for scans with very low photon counts when using the conventional phase retrieval method via phase stepping. In this work, we examine the statistical behaviour of the reverse projection method, an alternative phase retrieval approach and compare the results to the conventional phase retrieval technique. We investigate the noise levels in the projections as well as the image quality and quantitative accuracy of the reconstructed tomographic volumes. The results of our study show that this method performs better in a low-dose scenario than the conventional phase retrieval approach, resulting in lower noise levels, enhanced image quality and more accurate quantitative values. Overall, we demonstrate that the lower statistical limit of the phase stepping procedure as proposed by recent literature does not apply to this alternative phase retrieval technique. However, further development is necessary to overcome experimental challenges posed by this method which would enable mainstream or even clinical application of PCCT.

Grating-based x-ray differential phase contrast imaging with twin peaks in phase-stepping curves—phase retrieval and dewrapping

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Yi; Xie, Huiqiao; Tang, Xiangyang, E-mail: xiangyang.tang@emory.edu

Purpose: X-ray differential phase contrast CT implemented with Talbot interferometry employs phase-stepping to extract information of x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering. Since inaccuracy may exist in the absorption grating G{sub 2} due to an imperfect fabrication, the effective period of G{sub 2} can be as large as twice the nominal period, leading to a phenomenon of twin peaks that differ remarkably in their heights. In this work, the authors investigate how to retrieve and dewrap the phase signal from the phase-stepping curve (PSC) with the feature of twin peaks for x-ray phase contrast imaging. Methods: Based on themore » paraxial Fresnel–Kirchhoff theory, the analytical formulae to characterize the phenomenon of twin peaks in the PSC are derived. Then an approach to dewrap the retrieved phase signal by jointly using the phases of the first- and second-order Fourier components is proposed. Through an experimental investigation using a prototype x-ray phase contrast imaging system implemented with Talbot interferometry, the authors evaluate and verify the derived analytic formulae and the proposed approach for phase retrieval and dewrapping. Results: According to theoretical analysis, the twin-peak phenomenon in PSC is a consequence of combined effects, including the inaccuracy in absorption grating G{sub 2}, mismatch between phase grating and x-ray source spectrum, and finite size of x-ray tube’s focal spot. The proposed approach is experimentally evaluated by scanning a phantom consisting of organic materials and a lab mouse. The preliminary data show that compared to scanning G{sub 2} over only one single nominal period and correcting the measured phase signal with an intuitive phase dewrapping method that is being used in the field, stepping G{sub 2} over twice its nominal period and dewrapping the measured phase signal with the proposed approach can significantly improve the quality of x-ray differential phase contrast imaging in both radiograph and CT. Conclusions: Using the phase retrieval and dewrapping methods proposed to deal with the phenomenon of twin peaks in PSCs and phase wrapping, the performance of grating-based x-ray differential phase contrast radiography and CT can be significantly improved.« less

Computational method for multi-modal microscopy based on transport of intensity equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiaji; Chen, Qian; Sun, Jiasong; Zhang, Jialin; Zuo, Chao

2017-02-01

In this paper, we develop the requisite theory to describe a hybrid virtual-physical multi-modal imaging system which yields quantitative phase, Zernike phase contrast, differential interference contrast (DIC), and light field moment imaging simultaneously based on transport of intensity equation(TIE). We then give the experimental demonstration of these ideas by time-lapse imaging of live HeLa cell mitosis. Experimental results verify that a tunable lens based TIE system, combined with the appropriate post-processing algorithm, can achieve a variety of promising imaging modalities in parallel with the quantitative phase images for the dynamic study of cellular processes.

Grating-based phase contrast tomosynthesis imaging: Proof-of-concept experimental studies

PubMed Central

Li, Ke; Ge, Yongshuai; Garrett, John; Bevins, Nicholas; Zambelli, Joseph; Chen, Guang-Hong

2014-01-01

Purpose: This paper concerns the feasibility of x-ray differential phase contrast (DPC) tomosynthesis imaging using a grating-based DPC benchtop experimental system, which is equipped with a commercial digital flat-panel detector and a medical-grade rotating-anode x-ray tube. An extensive system characterization was performed to quantify its imaging performance. Methods: The major components of the benchtop system include a diagnostic x-ray tube with a 1.0 mm nominal focal spot size, a flat-panel detector with 96 μm pixel pitch, a sample stage that rotates within a limited angular span of ±30°, and a Talbot-Lau interferometer with three x-ray gratings. A total of 21 projection views acquired with 3° increments were used to reconstruct three sets of tomosynthetic image volumes, including the conventional absorption contrast tomosynthesis image volume (AC-tomo) reconstructed using the filtered-backprojection (FBP) algorithm with the ramp kernel, the phase contrast tomosynthesis image volume (PC-tomo) reconstructed using FBP with a Hilbert kernel, and the differential phase contrast tomosynthesis image volume (DPC-tomo) reconstructed using the shift-and-add algorithm. Three inhouse physical phantoms containing tissue-surrogate materials were used to characterize the signal linearity, the signal difference-to-noise ratio (SDNR), the three-dimensional noise power spectrum (3D NPS), and the through-plane artifact spread function (ASF). Results: While DPC-tomo highlights edges and interfaces in the image object, PC-tomo removes the differential nature of the DPC projection data and its pixel values are linearly related to the decrement of the real part of the x-ray refractive index. The SDNR values of polyoxymethylene in water and polystyrene in oil are 1.5 and 1.0, respectively, in AC-tomo, and the values were improved to 3.0 and 2.0, respectively, in PC-tomo. PC-tomo and AC-tomo demonstrate equivalent ASF, but their noise characteristics quantified by the 3D NPS were found to be different due to the difference in the tomosynthesis image reconstruction algorithms. Conclusions: It is feasible to simultaneously generate x-ray differential phase contrast, phase contrast, and absorption contrast tomosynthesis images using a grating-based data acquisition setup. The method shows promise in improving the visibility of several low-density materials and therefore merits further investigation. PMID:24387511

Weight-adapted iodinated contrast media administration in abdomino-pelvic CT: Can image quality be maintained?

PubMed

Perrin, E; Jackson, M; Grant, R; Lloyd, C; Chinaka, F; Goh, V

2018-02-01

In many centres, a fixed method of contrast-media administration is used for CT regardless of patient body habitus. The aim of this trial was to assess contrast enhancement of the aorta, portal vein, liver and spleen during abdomino-pelvic CT imaging using a weight-adapted contrast media protocol compared to the current fixed dose method. Thirty-nine oncology patients, who had previously undergone CT abdomino-pelvic imaging at the institution using a fixed contrast media dose, were prospectively imaged using a weight-adapted contrast media dose (1.4 ml/kg). The two sets of images were assessed for contrast enhancement levels (HU) at locations in the liver, aorta, portal vein and spleen during portal-venous enhancement phase. The t-test was used to compare the difference in results using a non-inferiority margin of 10 HU. When the contrast dose was tailored to patient weight, contrast enhancement levels were shown to be non-inferior to the fixed dose method (liver p < 0.001; portal vein p = 0.003; aorta p = 0.001; spleen p = 0.001). As a group, patients received a total contrast dose reduction of 165 ml using the weight-adapted method compared to the fixed dose method, with a mean cost per patient of £6.81 and £7.19 respectively. Using a weight-adapted method of contrast media administration was shown to be non-inferior to a fixed dose method of contrast media administration. Patients weighing 76 kg, or less, received a lower contrast dose which may have associated cost savings. A weight-adapted contrast media protocol should be implemented for portal-venous phase abdomino-pelvic CT for oncology patients with adequate renal function (>70 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ). Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary research on dual-energy X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Hua-Jie; Wang, Sheng-Hao; Gao, Kun; Wang, Zhi-Li; Zhang, Can; Yang, Meng; Zhang, Kai; Zhu, Pei-Ping

2016-04-01

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) has been widely applied to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) and soft-tissue composition of the human body. However, the use of DEXA is greatly limited for low-Z materials such as soft tissues due to their weak absorption, while X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) shows significantly improved contrast in comparison with the conventional standard absorption-based X-ray imaging for soft tissues. In this paper, we propose a novel X-ray phase-contrast method to measure the area density of low-Z materials, including a single-energy method and a dual-energy method. The single-energy method is for the area density calculation of one low-Z material, while the dual-energy method aims to calculate the area densities of two low-Z materials simultaneously. Comparing the experimental and simulation results with the theoretical ones, the new method proves to have the potential to replace DEXA in area density measurement. The new method sets the prerequisites for a future precise and low-dose area density calculation method for low-Z materials. Supported by Major State Basic Research Development Program (2012CB825800), Science Fund for Creative Research Groups (11321503) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (11179004, 10979055, 11205189, 11205157)

Fourier domain image fusion for differential X-ray phase-contrast breast imaging.

PubMed

Coello, Eduardo; Sperl, Jonathan I; Bequé, Dirk; Benz, Tobias; Scherer, Kai; Herzen, Julia; Sztrókay-Gaul, Anikó; Hellerhoff, Karin; Pfeiffer, Franz; Cozzini, Cristina; Grandl, Susanne

2017-04-01

X-Ray Phase-Contrast (XPC) imaging is a novel technology with a great potential for applications in clinical practice, with breast imaging being of special interest. This work introduces an intuitive methodology to combine and visualize relevant diagnostic features, present in the X-ray attenuation, phase shift and scattering information retrieved in XPC imaging, using a Fourier domain fusion algorithm. The method allows to present complementary information from the three acquired signals in one single image, minimizing the noise component and maintaining visual similarity to a conventional X-ray image, but with noticeable enhancement in diagnostic features, details and resolution. Radiologists experienced in mammography applied the image fusion method to XPC measurements of mastectomy samples and evaluated the feature content of each input and the fused image. This assessment validated that the combination of all the relevant diagnostic features, contained in the XPC images, was present in the fused image as well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laboratory-based x-ray phase-contrast tomography enables 3D virtual histology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Töpperwien, Mareike; Krenkel, Martin; Quade, Felix; Salditt, Tim

2016-09-01

Due to the large penetration depth and small wavelength hard x-rays offer a unique potential for 3D biomedical and biological imaging, combining capabilities of high resolution and large sample volume. However, in classical absorption-based computed tomography, soft tissue only shows a weak contrast, limiting the actual resolution. With the advent of phase-contrast methods, the much stronger phase shift induced by the sample can now be exploited. For high resolution, free space propagation behind the sample is particularly well suited to make the phase shift visible. Contrast formation is based on the self-interference of the transmitted beam, resulting in object-induced intensity modulations in the detector plane. As this method requires a sufficiently high degree of spatial coherence, it was since long perceived as a synchrotron-based imaging technique. In this contribution we show that by combination of high brightness liquid-metal jet microfocus sources and suitable sample preparation techniques, as well as optimized geometry, detection and phase retrieval, excellent three-dimensional image quality can be obtained, revealing the anatomy of a cobweb spider in high detail. This opens up new opportunities for 3D virtual histology of small organisms. Importantly, the image quality is finally augmented to a level accessible to automatic 3D segmentation.

Quantitative x-ray phase imaging at the nanoscale by multilayer Laue lenses

PubMed Central

Yan, Hanfei; Chu, Yong S.; Maser, Jörg; Nazaretski, Evgeny; Kim, Jungdae; Kang, Hyon Chol; Lombardo, Jeffrey J.; Chiu, Wilson K. S.

2013-01-01

For scanning x-ray microscopy, many attempts have been made to image the phase contrast based on a concept of the beam being deflected by a specimen, the so-called differential phase contrast imaging (DPC). Despite the successful demonstration in a number of representative cases at moderate spatial resolutions, these methods suffer from various limitations that preclude applications of DPC for ultra-high spatial resolution imaging, where the emerging wave field from the focusing optic tends to be significantly more complicated. In this work, we propose a highly robust and generic approach based on a Fourier-shift fitting process and demonstrate quantitative phase imaging of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode by multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs). The high sensitivity of the phase to structural and compositional variations makes our technique extremely powerful in correlating the electrode performance with its buried nanoscale interfacial structures that may be invisible to the absorption and fluorescence contrasts. PMID:23419650

High Resolution X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Acoustic Tissue-Selective Contrast Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

Ultrasonics Symp 1319 (1999). 17. Sarvazyan, A. P. Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging: A New Ultrasonic Technology of Medical Diagnostics. Ultrasound in...samples using acoustically modulated X-ray phase contrast imaging. 15. SUBJECT TERMS x-ray, ultrasound, phase contrast, imaging, elastography 16...x-rays, phase contrast imaging is based on phase changes as x-rays traverse a body resulting in wave interference that result in intensity changes in

Towards Dynamic Contrast Specific Ultrasound Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demi, Libertario; van Sloun, Ruud J. G.; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2016-10-01

We report on the first study demonstrating the ability of a recently-developed, contrast-enhanced, ultrasound imaging method, referred to as cumulative phase delay imaging (CPDI), to image and quantify ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) kinetics. Unlike standard ultrasound tomography, which exploits changes in speed of sound and attenuation, CPDI is based on a marker specific to UCAs, thus enabling dynamic contrast-specific ultrasound tomography (DCS-UST). For breast imaging, DCS-UST will lead to a more practical, faster, and less operator-dependent imaging procedure compared to standard echo-contrast, while preserving accurate imaging of contrast kinetics. Moreover, a linear relation between CPD values and ultrasound second-harmonic intensity was measured (coefficient of determination = 0.87). DCS-UST can find clinical applications as a diagnostic method for breast cancer localization, adding important features to multi-parametric ultrasound tomography of the breast.

Towards Dynamic Contrast Specific Ultrasound Tomography.

PubMed

Demi, Libertario; Van Sloun, Ruud J G; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2016-10-05

We report on the first study demonstrating the ability of a recently-developed, contrast-enhanced, ultrasound imaging method, referred to as cumulative phase delay imaging (CPDI), to image and quantify ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) kinetics. Unlike standard ultrasound tomography, which exploits changes in speed of sound and attenuation, CPDI is based on a marker specific to UCAs, thus enabling dynamic contrast-specific ultrasound tomography (DCS-UST). For breast imaging, DCS-UST will lead to a more practical, faster, and less operator-dependent imaging procedure compared to standard echo-contrast, while preserving accurate imaging of contrast kinetics. Moreover, a linear relation between CPD values and ultrasound second-harmonic intensity was measured (coefficient of determination = 0.87). DCS-UST can find clinical applications as a diagnostic method for breast cancer localization, adding important features to multi-parametric ultrasound tomography of the breast.

Towards Dynamic Contrast Specific Ultrasound Tomography

PubMed Central

Demi, Libertario; Van Sloun, Ruud J. G.; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2016-01-01

We report on the first study demonstrating the ability of a recently-developed, contrast-enhanced, ultrasound imaging method, referred to as cumulative phase delay imaging (CPDI), to image and quantify ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) kinetics. Unlike standard ultrasound tomography, which exploits changes in speed of sound and attenuation, CPDI is based on a marker specific to UCAs, thus enabling dynamic contrast-specific ultrasound tomography (DCS-UST). For breast imaging, DCS-UST will lead to a more practical, faster, and less operator-dependent imaging procedure compared to standard echo-contrast, while preserving accurate imaging of contrast kinetics. Moreover, a linear relation between CPD values and ultrasound second-harmonic intensity was measured (coefficient of determination = 0.87). DCS-UST can find clinical applications as a diagnostic method for breast cancer localization, adding important features to multi-parametric ultrasound tomography of the breast. PMID:27703251

Measurement of absolute regional lung air volumes from near-field x-ray speckles.

PubMed

Leong, Andrew F T; Paganin, David M; Hooper, Stuart B; Siew, Melissa L; Kitchen, Marcus J

2013-11-18

Propagation-based phase contrast x-ray (PBX) imaging yields high contrast images of the lung where airways that overlap in projection coherently scatter the x-rays, giving rise to a speckled intensity due to interference effects. Our previous works have shown that total and regional changes in lung air volumes can be accurately measured from two-dimensional (2D) absorption or phase contrast images when the subject is immersed in a water-filled container. In this paper we demonstrate how the phase contrast speckle patterns can be used to directly measure absolute regional lung air volumes from 2D PBX images without the need for a water-filled container. We justify this technique analytically and via simulation using the transport-of-intensity equation and calibrate the technique using our existing methods for measuring lung air volume. Finally, we show the full capabilities of this technique for measuring regional differences in lung aeration.

Identification of ginseng root using quantitative X-ray microtomography.

PubMed

Ye, Linlin; Xue, Yanling; Wang, Yudan; Qi, Juncheng; Xiao, Tiqiao

2017-07-01

The use of X-ray phase-contrast microtomography for the investigation of Chinese medicinal materials is advantageous for its nondestructive, in situ , and three-dimensional quantitative imaging properties. The X-ray phase-contrast microtomography quantitative imaging method was used to investigate the microstructure of ginseng, and the phase-retrieval method is also employed to process the experimental data. Four different ginseng samples were collected and investigated; these were classified according to their species, production area, and sample growth pattern. The quantitative internal characteristic microstructures of ginseng were extracted successfully. The size and position distributions of the calcium oxalate cluster crystals (COCCs), important secondary metabolites that accumulate in ginseng, are revealed by the three-dimensional quantitative imaging method. The volume and amount of the COCCs in different species of the ginseng are obtained by a quantitative analysis of the three-dimensional microstructures, which shows obvious difference among the four species of ginseng. This study is the first to provide evidence of the distribution characteristics of COCCs to identify four types of ginseng, with regard to species authentication and age identification, by X-ray phase-contrast microtomography quantitative imaging. This method is also expected to reveal important relationships between COCCs and the occurrence of the effective medicinal components of ginseng.

3D map of theranostic nanoparticles distribution in mice brain and liver by means of X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longo, E.; Bravin, A.; Brun, F.; Bukreeva, I.; Cedola, A.; Fratini, M.; Le Guevel, X.; Massimi, L.; Sancey, L.; Tillement, O.; Zeitoun, P.; de La Rochefoucauld, O.

2018-01-01

The word "theranostic" derives from the fusion of two terms: therapeutic and diagnostic. It is a promising research field that aims to develop innovative therapies with high target specificity by exploiting the therapeutic and diagnostic properties, in particular for metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) developed to erase cancer. In the framework of a combined research program on low dose X-ray imaging and theranostic nanoparticles (NPs), high resolution Phase-Contrast Tomography images of mice organs injected with gadolinium and gold-NPs were acquired at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Both compounds are good X-ray contrast agents due to their high attenuation coefficient with respect to biological tissues, especially immediately above K-edge energy. X-ray tomography is a powerful non-invasive technique to image the 3D vasculature network in order to detect abnormalities. Phase contrast methods provide more detailed anatomical information with higher discrimination among soft tissues. We present the images of mice liver and brain injected with gold and gadolinium NPs, respectively. We discuss different image processing methods used aiming at enhancing the accuracy on localizing nanoparticles.

Programmable Colored Illumination Microscopy (PCIM): A practical and flexible optical staining approach for microscopic contrast enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, Chao; Sun, Jiasong; Feng, Shijie; Hu, Yan; Chen, Qian

2016-03-01

Programmable colored illumination microscopy (PCIM) has been proposed as a flexible optical staining technique for microscopic contrast enhancement. In this method, we replace the condenser diaphragm of a conventional microscope with a programmable thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). By displaying different patterns on the LCD, numerous established imaging modalities can be realized, such as bright field, dark field, phase contrast, oblique illumination, and Rheinberg illuminations, which conventionally rely on intricate alterations in the respective microscope setups. Furthermore, the ease of modulating both the color and the intensity distribution at the aperture of the condenser opens the possibility to combine multiple microscopic techniques, or even realize completely new methods for optical color contrast staining, such as iridescent dark-field and iridescent phase-contrast imaging. The versatility and effectiveness of PCIM is demonstrated by imaging of several transparent colorless specimens, such as unstained lung cancer cells, diatom, textile fibers, and a cryosection of mouse kidney. Finally, the potentialities of PCIM for RGB-splitting imaging with stained samples are also explored by imaging stained red blood cells and a histological section.

Soft-tissue and phase-contrast imaging at the Swiss Light Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Philipp; Mohan, Nishant; Stampanoni, Marco; Muller, Ralph

2004-05-01

Recent results show that bone vasculature is a major contributor to local tissue porosity, and therefore can be directly linked to the mechanical properties of bone tissue. With the advent of third generation synchrotron radiation (SR) sources, micro-computed tomography (μCT) with resolutions in the order of 1 μm and better has become feasible. This technique has been employed frequently to analyze trabecular architecture and local bone tissue properties, i.e. the hard or mineralized bone tissue. Nevertheless, less is known about the soft tissues in bone, mainly due to inadequate imaging capabilities. Here, we discuss three different methods and applications to visualize soft tissues. The first approach is referred to as negative imaging. In this case the material around the soft tissue provides the absorption contrast necessary for X-ray based tomography. Bone vasculature from two different mouse strains was investigated and compared qualitatively. Differences were observed in terms of local vessel number and vessel orientation. The second technique represents corrosion casting, which is principally adapted for imaging of vascular systems. The technique of corrosion casting has already been applied successfully at the Swiss Light Source. Using the technology we were able to show that pathological features reminiscent of Alzheimer"s disease could be distinguished in the brain vasculature of APP transgenic mice. The third technique discussed here is phase contrast imaging exploiting the high degree of coherence of third generation synchrotron light sources, which provide the necessary physical conditions for phase contrast. The in-line approach followed here for phase contrast retrieval is a modification of the Gerchberg-Saxton-Fienup type. Several measurements and theoretical thoughts concerning phase contrast imaging are presented, including mathematical phase retrieval. Although up-to-now only phase images have been computed, the approach is now ready to retrieve the phase for a large number of angular positions of the specimen allowing application of holotomography, which is the three-dimensional reconstruction of phase images.

Performance Sensitivity Studies on the PIAA Implementation of the High-Contrast Imaging Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidick, Erkin; Lou, John; Shaklan, Stuart; Levine, Marie

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the sensitivity studies on the Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA), or pupil mapping using the High-Contrast Imaging Testbed (HCIT). PIAA is a promising technique in high-dynamic range stellar coronagraph. This presentation reports on the investigation of the effects of the phase and rigid-body errors of various optics on the narrowband contrast performance of the PIAA/HCIT hybrid system. The results have shown that the 2-step wavefront control method utilizing 2-DMs is quite effective in compensating the effects of realistic phase and rigid-body errors of various optics

Analyser-based mammography using single-image reconstruction.

PubMed

Briedis, Dahliyani; Siu, Karen K W; Paganin, David M; Pavlov, Konstantin M; Lewis, Rob A

2005-08-07

We implement an algorithm that is able to decode a single analyser-based x-ray phase-contrast image of a sample, converting it into an equivalent conventional absorption-contrast radiograph. The algorithm assumes the projection approximation for x-ray propagation in a single-material object embedded in a substrate of approximately uniform thickness. Unlike the phase-contrast images, which have both directional bias and a bias towards edges present in the sample, the reconstructed images are directly interpretable in terms of the projected absorption coefficient of the sample. The technique was applied to a Leeds TOR[MAM] phantom, which is designed to test mammogram quality by the inclusion of simulated microcalcifications, filaments and circular discs. This phantom was imaged at varying doses using three modalities: analyser-based synchrotron phase-contrast images converted to equivalent absorption radiographs using our algorithm, slot-scanned synchrotron imaging and imaging using a conventional mammography unit. Features in the resulting images were then assigned a quality score by volunteers. The single-image reconstruction method achieved higher scores at equivalent and lower doses than the conventional mammography images, but no improvement of visualization of the simulated microcalcifications, and some degradation in image quality at reduced doses for filament features.

Penalized maximum likelihood reconstruction for x-ray differential phase-contrast tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brendel, Bernhard, E-mail: bernhard.brendel@philips.com; Teuffenbach, Maximilian von; Noël, Peter B.

2016-01-15

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to propose a cost function with regularization to iteratively reconstruct attenuation, phase, and scatter images simultaneously from differential phase contrast (DPC) acquisitions, without the need of phase retrieval, and examine its properties. Furthermore this reconstruction method is applied to an acquisition pattern that is suitable for a DPC tomographic system with continuously rotating gantry (sliding window acquisition), overcoming the severe smearing in noniterative reconstruction. Methods: We derive a penalized maximum likelihood reconstruction algorithm to directly reconstruct attenuation, phase, and scatter image from the measured detector values of a DPC acquisition. The proposed penaltymore » comprises, for each of the three images, an independent smoothing prior. Image quality of the proposed reconstruction is compared to images generated with FBP and iterative reconstruction after phase retrieval. Furthermore, the influence between the priors is analyzed. Finally, the proposed reconstruction algorithm is applied to experimental sliding window data acquired at a synchrotron and results are compared to reconstructions based on phase retrieval. Results: The results show that the proposed algorithm significantly increases image quality in comparison to reconstructions based on phase retrieval. No significant mutual influence between the proposed independent priors could be observed. Further it could be illustrated that the iterative reconstruction of a sliding window acquisition results in images with substantially reduced smearing artifacts. Conclusions: Although the proposed cost function is inherently nonconvex, it can be used to reconstruct images with less aliasing artifacts and less streak artifacts than reconstruction methods based on phase retrieval. Furthermore, the proposed method can be used to reconstruct images of sliding window acquisitions with negligible smearing artifacts.« less

Pump-probe nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy.

PubMed

Robles, Francisco E; Samineni, Prathyush; Wilson, Jesse W; Warren, Warren S

2013-04-22

Pump-probe microscopy is an imaging technique that delivers molecular contrast of pigmented samples. Here, we introduce pump-probe nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy (PP-NLDS), a method that leverages pump-probe microscopy and spectral-domain interferometry to ascertain information from dispersive and resonant nonlinear effects. PP-NLDS extends the information content to four dimensions (phase, amplitude, wavelength, and pump-probe time-delay) that yield unique insight into a wider range of nonlinear interactions compared to conventional methods. This results in the ability to provide highly specific molecular contrast of pigmented and non-pigmented samples. A theoretical framework is described, and experimental results and simulations illustrate the potential of this method. Implications for biomedical imaging are discussed.

Pump-probe nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Robles, Francisco E.; Samineni, Prathyush; Wilson, Jesse W.; Warren, Warren S.

2013-01-01

Pump-probe microscopy is an imaging technique that delivers molecular contrast of pigmented samples. Here, we introduce pump-probe nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy (PP-NLDS), a method that leverages pump-probe microscopy and spectral-domain interferometry to ascertain information from dispersive and resonant nonlinear effects. PP-NLDS extends the information content to four dimensions (phase, amplitude, wavelength, and pump-probe time-delay) that yield unique insight into a wider range of nonlinear interactions compared to conventional methods. This results in the ability to provide highly specific molecular contrast of pigmented and non-pigmented samples. A theoretical framework is described, and experimental results and simulations illustrate the potential of this method. Implications for biomedical imaging are discussed. PMID:23609646

High-Resolution Phase-Contrast Imaging of Submicron Particles in Unstained Lung Tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schittny, J. C.; Barré, S. F.; Mokso, R.; Haberthür, D.; Semmler-Behnke, M.; Kreyling, W. G.; Tsuda, A.; Stampanoni, M.

2011-09-01

To access the risks and chances of deposition of submicron particles in the gas-exchange area of the lung, a precise three-dimensional (3D)-localization of the sites of deposition is essential—especially because local peaks of deposition are expected in the acinar tree and in individual alveoli. In this study we developed the workflow for such an investigation. We administered 200-nm gold particles to young adult rats by intratracheal instillation. After fixation and paraffin embedding, their lungs were imaged unstained using synchrotron radiation x-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) at the beamline TOMCAT (Swiss Light Source, Villigen, Switzerland) at sample detector distances of 2.5 mm (absorption contrast) and of 52.5 mm (phase contrast). A segmentation based on a global threshold of grey levels was successfully done on absorption-contrast images for the gold and on the phase-contrast images for the tissue. The smallest spots containing gold possessed a size of 1-2 voxels of 370-nm side length. We conclude that a combination of phase and absorption contrast SRXTM imaging is necessary to obtain the correct segmentation of both tissue and gold particles. This method will be used for the 3D localization of deposited particles in the gas-exchange area of the lung.

Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.

Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samplesmore » using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.« less

Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

DOE PAGES

Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.; ...

2018-03-06

Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samplesmore » using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.« less

Phase modulation due to crystal diffraction by ptychographic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civita, M.; Diaz, A.; Bean, R. J.; Shabalin, A. G.; Gorobtsov, O. Yu.; Vartanyants, I. A.; Robinson, I. K.

2018-03-01

Solving the phase problem in x-ray crystallography has occupied a considerable scientific effort in the 20th century and led to great advances in structural science. Here we use x-ray ptychography to demonstrate an interference method which measures the phase of the beam transmitted through a crystal, relative to the incoming beam, when diffraction takes place. The observed phase change of the direct beam through a small gold crystal is found to agree with both a quasikinematical model and full dynamical theories of diffraction. Our discovery of a diffraction contrast mechanism will enhance the interpretation of data obtained from crystalline samples using the ptychography method, which provides some of the most accurate x-ray phase-contrast images.

Soft x-ray coherent diffraction imaging on magnetic nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xiaowen; Lee, James; Mishra, Shrawan; Parks, Daniel; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Shapiro, David; Roy, Sujoy; Kevan, Steve; Stxm Team At Als Collaboration; Soft X-Ray Microscopy Group At Als Collaboration; Soft X-ray scattering at ALS, LBL Team

2014-03-01

Coherent soft X-rays diffraction imaging enable coherent magnetic resonance scattering at transition metal L-edge to be probed so that magnetic domains could be imaged with very high spatial resolution with phase contrast, reaching sub-10nm. One of the overwhelming advantages of using coherent X-rays is the ability to resolve phase contrast images with linearly polarized light with both phase and absorption contrast comparing to real-space imaging, which can only be studied with circularly polarized light with absorption contrast only. Here we report our first results on high-resolution of magnetic domains imaging of CoPd multilayer thin film with coherent soft X-ray ptychography method. We are aiming to resolve and understand magnetic domain wall structures with the highest obtainable resolution here at Advanced Light Source. In principle types of magnetic domain walls could be studied so that Neel or Bloch walls can be distinguished by imaging. This work at LBNL was supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the US Department of Energy (contract no. DE-AC02- 05CH11231).

Nondestructive Evaluation of Advanced Materials with X-ray Phase Mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Zhengwei

2005-01-01

X-ray radiation has been widely used for imaging applications since Rontgen first discovered X-rays over a century ago. Its large penetration depth makes it ideal for the nondestructive visualization of the internal structure and/or defects of materials unobtainable otherwise. Currently used nondestructive evaluation (NDE) tools, X-ray radiography and tomography, are absorption-based, and work well in heavy-element materials where density or composition variations due to internal structure or defects are high enough to produce appreciable absorption contrast. However, in many cases where materials are light-weight and/or composites that have similar mass absorption coefficients, the conventional absorption-based X-ray methods for NDE become less useful. Indeed, the light-weight and ultra-high-strength requirements for the most advanced materials used or developed for current flight mission and future space exploration pose a great challenge to the standard NDE tools in that the absorption contrast arising from the internal structure of these materials is often too weak to be resolved. In this presentation, a solution to the problem, the use of phase information of X-rays for phase contrast X-ray imaging, will be discussed, along with a comparison between the absorption-based and phase-contrast imaging methods. Latest results on phase contrast X-ray imaging of lightweight Space Shuttle foam in 2D and 3D will be presented, demonstrating new opportunities to solve the challenging issues encountered in advanced materials development and processing.

Ideal-observer detectability in photon-counting differential phase-contrast imaging using a linear-systems approach

PubMed Central

Fredenberg, Erik; Danielsson, Mats; Stayman, J. Webster; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H.; Åslund, Magnus

2012-01-01

Purpose: To provide a cascaded-systems framework based on the noise-power spectrum (NPS), modulation transfer function (MTF), and noise-equivalent number of quanta (NEQ) for quantitative evaluation of differential phase-contrast imaging (Talbot interferometry) in relation to conventional absorption contrast under equal-dose, equal-geometry, and, to some extent, equal-photon-economy constraints. The focus is a geometry for photon-counting mammography. Methods: Phase-contrast imaging is a promising technology that may emerge as an alternative or adjunct to conventional absorption contrast. In particular, phase contrast may increase the signal-difference-to-noise ratio compared to absorption contrast because the difference in phase shift between soft-tissue structures is often substantially larger than the absorption difference. We have developed a comprehensive cascaded-systems framework to investigate Talbot interferometry, which is a technique for differential phase-contrast imaging. Analytical expressions for the MTF and NPS were derived to calculate the NEQ and a task-specific ideal-observer detectability index under assumptions of linearity and shift invariance. Talbot interferometry was compared to absorption contrast at equal dose, and using either a plane wave or a spherical wave in a conceivable mammography geometry. The impact of source size and spectrum bandwidth was included in the framework, and the trade-off with photon economy was investigated in some detail. Wave-propagation simulations were used to verify the analytical expressions and to generate example images. Results: Talbot interferometry inherently detects the differential of the phase, which led to a maximum in NEQ at high spatial frequencies, whereas the absorption-contrast NEQ decreased monotonically with frequency. Further, phase contrast detects differences in density rather than atomic number, and the optimal imaging energy was found to be a factor of 1.7 higher than for absorption contrast. Talbot interferometry with a plane wave increased detectability for 0.1-mm tumor and glandular structures by a factor of 3–4 at equal dose, whereas absorption contrast was the preferred method for structures larger than ∼0.5 mm. Microcalcifications are small, but differ from soft tissue in atomic number more than density, which is favored by absorption contrast, and Talbot interferometry was barely beneficial at all within the resolution limit of the system. Further, Talbot interferometry favored detection of “sharp” as opposed to “smooth” structures, and discrimination tasks by about 50% compared to detection tasks. The technique was relatively insensitive to spectrum bandwidth, whereas the projected source size was more important. If equal photon economy was added as a restriction, phase-contrast efficiency was reduced so that the benefit for detection tasks almost vanished compared to absorption contrast, but discrimination tasks were still improved close to a factor of 2 at the resolution limit. Conclusions: Cascaded-systems analysis enables comprehensive and intuitive evaluation of phase-contrast efficiency in relation to absorption contrast under requirements of equal dose, equal geometry, and equal photon economy. The benefit of Talbot interferometry was highly dependent on task, in particular detection versus discrimination tasks, and target size, shape, and material. Requiring equal photon economy weakened the benefit of Talbot interferometry in mammography. PMID:22957600

Conventional and phase contrast x-ray imaging techniques and ultrasound imaging method in breast tumor detection: initial comparison studies using phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yuran; Wu, Di; Omoumi, Farid H.; Li, Yuhua; Wong, Molly Donovan; Ghani, Muhammad U.; Zheng, Bin; Liu, Hong

2018-02-01

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the capability of the high-energy in-line phase contrast imaging in detecting the breast tumors which are undetectable by conventional x-ray imaging but detectable by ultrasound. Experimentally, a CIRS multipurpose breast phantom with heterogeneous 50% glandular and 50% adipose breast tissue was imaged by high-energy in-line phase contrast system, conventional x-ray system and ultrasonography machine. The high-energy in-line phase contrast projection was acquired at 120 kVp, 0.3 mAs with the focal spot size of 18.3 μm. The conventional x-ray projection was acquired at 40 kVp, 3.3 mAs with the focal spot size of 22.26 μm. Both of the x-ray imaging acquisitions were conducted with a unique mean glandular dose of 0.08 mGy. As the result, the high-energy in-line phase contrast system was able to detect one lesion-like object which was also detected by the ultrasonography. This object was spherical shape with the length of about 12.28 mm. Also, the conventional x-ray system was not able to detect any objects. This result indicated the advantages provided by high-energy in-line phase contrast over conventional x-ray system in detecting lesion-like object under the same radiation dose. To meet the needs of current clinical strategies for high-density breasts screening, breast phantoms with higher glandular densities will be employed in future studies.

High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre; Yildirim, Ali Önder; Hertz, Hans M.

2016-12-01

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-power small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. The tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.

Gradient light interference microscopy (GLIM) for imaging thick specimens (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tan H.; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Popescu, Gabriel

2016-03-01

Compared to the Phase Contrast, Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) has been known to give higher depth sectioning as well as a halo-free images when investigating transparent specimens. Thanks to relying on generating two slightly shifted replicas with a small amount of shift, within the coherence area, DIC is able to operate with very low coherence light. More importantly, the method is able to work with very large numerical aperture of the illumination, which offer comparable sectioning capability to bright field microscopy. However, DIC is still a qualitative method, which limits potential applications of the technique. In this paper, we introduce a method that extends the capability of DIC by combining it with a phase shifting module to extract the phase gradient information. A theoretical model of the image formation is developed and the possibility of integrating the gradient function is analyzed.. Our method is benchmarked on imaging embryos during their 7-day development, HeLa cells during mitosis, and control samples.

Ultrasound phase contrast thermal imaging with reflex transmission imaging methods in tissue phantoms

PubMed Central

Farny, Caleb H.; Clement, Gregory T.

2009-01-01

Thermal imaging measurements using ultrasound phase contrast have been performed in tissue phantoms heated with a focused ultrasound source. Back projection and reflex transmission imaging principles were employed to detect sound speed-induced changes in the phase caused by an increase in the temperature. The temperature was determined from an empirical relationship for the temperature dependence on sound speed. The phase contrast was determined from changes in the sound field measured with a hydrophone scan conducted before and during applied heating. The lengthy scanning routine used to mimic a large two-dimensional array required a steady-state temperature distribution within the phantom. The temperature distribution in the phantom was validated with magnetic resonance (MR) thermal imaging measurements. The peak temperature was found to agree within 1°C with MR and good agreement was found between the temperature profiles. The spatial resolution was 0.3 × 0.3 × 0.3 mm, comparing favorably with the 0.625 × 0.625 × 1.5 mm MR spatial resolution. PMID:19683380

A reconstruction method for cone-beam differential x-ray phase-contrast computed tomography.

PubMed

Fu, Jian; Velroyen, Astrid; Tan, Renbo; Zhang, Junwei; Chen, Liyuan; Tapfer, Arne; Bech, Martin; Pfeiffer, Franz

2012-09-10

Most existing differential phase-contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT) approaches are based on three kinds of scanning geometries, described by parallel-beam, fan-beam and cone-beam. Due to the potential of compact imaging systems with magnified spatial resolution, cone-beam DPC-CT has attracted significant interest. In this paper, we report a reconstruction method based on a back-projection filtration (BPF) algorithm for cone-beam DPC-CT. Due to the differential nature of phase contrast projections, the algorithm restrains from differentiation of the projection data prior to back-projection, unlike BPF algorithms commonly used for absorption-based CT data. This work comprises a numerical study of the algorithm and its experimental verification using a dataset measured with a three-grating interferometer and a micro-focus x-ray tube source. Moreover, the numerical simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can deal with several classes of truncated cone-beam datasets. We believe that this feature is of particular interest for future medical cone-beam phase-contrast CT imaging applications.

Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging.

PubMed

Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R; Vila-Comamala, Joan; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Robinson, Ian K

2016-11-18

Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single-diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit wave. This coherent modulation imaging method removes inherent ambiguities of coherent diffraction imaging and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works for extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. Coherent modulation imaging provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free-electron lasers.

Quantitative phase imaging of retinal cells (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaForest, Timothé; Carpentras, Dino; Kowalczuk, Laura; Behar-Cohen, Francine; Moser, Christophe

2017-02-01

Vision process is ruled by several cells layers of the retina. Before reaching the photoreceptors, light entering the eye has to pass through a few hundreds of micrometers thick layer of ganglion and neurons cells. Macular degeneration is a non-curable disease of themacula occurring with age. This disease can be diagnosed at an early stage by imaging neuronal cells in the retina and observing their death chronically. These cells are phase objects locatedon a background that presents an absorption pattern and so difficult to see with standard imagingtechniques in vivo. Phase imaging methods usually need the illumination system to be on the opposite side of the sample with respect to theimaging system. This is a constraintand a challenge for phase imaging in-vivo. Recently, the possibility of performing phase contrast imaging from one side using properties of scattering media has been shown. This phase contrast imaging is based on the back illumination generated by the sample itself. Here, we present a reflection phase imaging technique based on oblique back-illumination. The oblique back-illumination creates a dark field image of the sample. Generating asymmetric oblique illumination allows obtaining differential phase contrast image, which in turn can be processed to recover a quantitative phase image. In the case of the eye, a transcleral illumination can generate oblique incident light on the retina and the choroidal layer.The back reflected light is then collected by the eye lens to produce dark field image. We show experimental results of retinal phase imagesin ex vivo samples of human and pig retina.

Smartphone based hand-held quantitative phase microscope using the transport of intensity equation method.

PubMed

Meng, Xin; Huang, Huachuan; Yan, Keding; Tian, Xiaolin; Yu, Wei; Cui, Haoyang; Kong, Yan; Xue, Liang; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Shouyu

2016-12-20

In order to realize high contrast imaging with portable devices for potential mobile healthcare, we demonstrate a hand-held smartphone based quantitative phase microscope using the transport of intensity equation method. With a cost-effective illumination source and compact microscope system, multi-focal images of samples can be captured by the smartphone's camera via manual focusing. Phase retrieval is performed using a self-developed Android application, which calculates sample phases from multi-plane intensities via solving the Poisson equation. We test the portable microscope using a random phase plate with known phases, and to further demonstrate its performance, a red blood cell smear, a Pap smear and monocot root and broad bean epidermis sections are also successfully imaged. Considering its advantages as an accurate, high-contrast, cost-effective and field-portable device, the smartphone based hand-held quantitative phase microscope is a promising tool which can be adopted in the future in remote healthcare and medical diagnosis.

2D and 3D X-ray phase retrieval of multi-material objects using a single defocus distance.

PubMed

Beltran, M A; Paganin, D M; Uesugi, K; Kitchen, M J

2010-03-29

A method of tomographic phase retrieval is developed for multi-material objects whose components each has a distinct complex refractive index. The phase-retrieval algorithm, based on the Transport-of-Intensity equation, utilizes propagation-based X-ray phase contrast images acquired at a single defocus distance for each tomographic projection. The method requires a priori knowledge of the complex refractive index for each material present in the sample, together with the total projected thickness of the object at each orientation. The requirement of only a single defocus distance per projection simplifies the experimental setup and imposes no additional dose compared to conventional tomography. The algorithm was implemented using phase contrast data acquired at the SPring-8 Synchrotron facility in Japan. The three-dimensional (3D) complex refractive index distribution of a multi-material test object was quantitatively reconstructed using a single X-ray phase-contrast image per projection. The technique is robust in the presence of noise, compared to conventional absorption based tomography.

Low dose reconstruction algorithm for differential phase contrast imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Zhentian; Huang, Zhifeng; Zhang, Li; Chen, Zhiqiang; Kang, Kejun; Yin, Hongxia; Wang, Zhenchang; Marco, Stampanoni

2011-01-01

Differential phase contrast imaging computed tomography (DPCI-CT) is a novel x-ray inspection method to reconstruct the distribution of refraction index rather than the attenuation coefficient in weakly absorbing samples. In this paper, we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm for DPCI-CT which benefits from the new compressed sensing theory. We first realize a differential algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) by discretizing the projection process of the differential phase contrast imaging into a linear partial derivative matrix. In this way the compressed sensing reconstruction problem of DPCI reconstruction can be transformed to a resolved problem in the transmission imaging CT. Our algorithm has the potential to reconstruct the refraction index distribution of the sample from highly undersampled projection data. Thus it can significantly reduce the dose and inspection time. The proposed algorithm has been validated by numerical simulations and actual experiments.

Dynamic phase differences based on quantitative phase imaging for the objective evaluation of cell behavior.

PubMed

Krizova, Aneta; Collakova, Jana; Dostal, Zbynek; Kvasnica, Lukas; Uhlirova, Hana; Zikmund, Tomas; Vesely, Pavel; Chmelik, Radim

2015-01-01

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) brought innovation to noninvasive observation of live cell dynamics seen as cell behavior. Unlike the Zernike phase contrast or differential interference contrast, QPI provides quantitative information about cell dry mass distribution. We used such data for objective evaluation of live cell behavioral dynamics by the advanced method of dynamic phase differences (DPDs). The DPDs method is considered a rational instrument offered by QPI. By subtracting the antecedent from the subsequent image in a time-lapse series, only the changes in mass distribution in the cell are detected. The result is either visualized as a two dimensional color-coded projection of these two states of the cell or as a time dependence of changes quantified in picograms. Then in a series of time-lapse recordings, the chain of cell mass distribution changes that would otherwise escape attention is revealed. Consequently, new salient features of live cell behavior should emerge. Construction of the DPDs method and results exhibiting the approach are presented. Advantage of the DPDs application is demonstrated on cells exposed to an osmotic challenge. For time-lapse acquisition of quantitative phase images, the recently developed coherence-controlled holographic microscope was employed.

Dynamic phase differences based on quantitative phase imaging for the objective evaluation of cell behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krizova, Aneta; Collakova, Jana; Dostal, Zbynek; Kvasnica, Lukas; Uhlirova, Hana; Zikmund, Tomas; Vesely, Pavel; Chmelik, Radim

2015-11-01

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) brought innovation to noninvasive observation of live cell dynamics seen as cell behavior. Unlike the Zernike phase contrast or differential interference contrast, QPI provides quantitative information about cell dry mass distribution. We used such data for objective evaluation of live cell behavioral dynamics by the advanced method of dynamic phase differences (DPDs). The DPDs method is considered a rational instrument offered by QPI. By subtracting the antecedent from the subsequent image in a time-lapse series, only the changes in mass distribution in the cell are detected. The result is either visualized as a two-dimensional color-coded projection of these two states of the cell or as a time dependence of changes quantified in picograms. Then in a series of time-lapse recordings, the chain of cell mass distribution changes that would otherwise escape attention is revealed. Consequently, new salient features of live cell behavior should emerge. Construction of the DPDs method and results exhibiting the approach are presented. Advantage of the DPDs application is demonstrated on cells exposed to an osmotic challenge. For time-lapse acquisition of quantitative phase images, the recently developed coherence-controlled holographic microscope was employed.

Phase Imaging using Focusing Polycapillary Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashir, Sajid

The interaction of X rays in diagnostic energy range with soft tissues can be described by Compton scattering and by the complex refractive index, which together characterize the attenuation properties of the tissue and the phase imparted to X rays passing through it. Many soft tissues exhibit extremely similar attenuation, so that their discrimination using conventional radiography, which generates contrast in an image through differential attenuation, is challenging. However, these tissues will impart phase differences significantly greater than attenuation differences to the X rays passing through them, so that phase-contrast imaging techniques can enable their discrimination. A major limitation to the widespread adoption of phase-contrast techniques is that phase contrast requires significant spatial coherence of the X-ray beam, which in turn requires specialized sources. For tabletop sources, this often requires a small (usually in the range of 10-50 micron) X-ray source. In this work, polycapillary optics were employed to create a small secondary source from a large spot rotating anode. Polycapillary optics consist of arrays of small hollow glass tubes through which X rays can be guided by total internal reflection from the tube walls. By tapering the tubes to guide the X rays to a point, they can be focused to a small spot which can be used as a secondary source. The polycapillary optic was first aligned with the X-ray source. The spot size was measured using a computed radiography image plate. Images were taken at a variety of optic-to-object and object-to-detector distances and phase-contrast edge enhancement was observed. Conventional absorption images were also acquired at a small object-to detector distances for comparison. Background division was performed to remove strong non-uniformity due to the optics. Differential phase contrast reconstruction demonstrates promising preliminary results. This manuscript is divided into six chapters. The second chapter describes the limitations of conventional imaging methods and benefits of the phase imaging. Chapter three covers different types of X-ray photon interactions with matter. Chapter four describes the experimental set-up and different types of images acquired along with their analysis. Chapter five summarizes the findings in this project and describes future work as well.

In-line phase contrast micro-CT reconstruction for biomedical specimens.

PubMed

Fu, Jian; Tan, Renbo

2014-01-01

X-ray phase contrast micro computed tomography (micro-CT) can non-destructively provide the internal structure information of soft tissues and low atomic number materials. It has become an invaluable analysis tool for biomedical specimens. Here an in-line phase contrast micro-CT reconstruction technique is reported, which consists of a projection extraction method and the conventional filter back-projection (FBP) reconstruction algorithm. The projection extraction is implemented by applying the Fourier transform to the forward projections of in-line phase contrast micro-CT. This work comprises a numerical study of the method and its experimental verification using a biomedical specimen dataset measured at an X-ray tube source micro-CT setup. The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the presented technique can improve the imaging contrast of biomedical specimens. It will be of interest for a wide range of in-line phase contrast micro-CT applications in medicine and biology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kagias, M.; Cartier, S.; Wang, Z.

X-ray phase contrast imaging enables the measurement of the electron density of a sample with high sensitivity compared to the conventional absorption contrast. This is advantageous for the study of dose-sensitive samples, in particular, for biological and medical investigations. Recent developments relaxed the requirement for the beam coherence, such that conventional X-ray sources can be used for phase contrast imaging and thus clinical applications become possible. One of the prominent phase contrast imaging methods, Talbot-Lau grating interferometry, is limited by the manufacturing, alignment, and photon absorption of the analyzer grating, which is placed in the beam path in front ofmore » the detector. We propose an alternative improved method based on direct conversion charge integrating detectors, which enables a grating interferometer to be operated without an analyzer grating. Algorithms are introduced, which resolve interference fringes with a periodicity of 4.7 μm recorded with a 25 μm pitch Si microstrip detector (GOTTHARD). The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by an experiment at the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source on a polyethylene sample.« less

Asymmetric masks for laboratory-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging with edge illumination.

PubMed

Endrizzi, Marco; Astolfo, Alberto; Vittoria, Fabio A; Millard, Thomas P; Olivo, Alessandro

2016-05-05

We report on an asymmetric mask concept that enables X-ray phase-contrast imaging without requiring any movement in the system during data acquisition. The method is compatible with laboratory equipment, namely a commercial detector and a rotating anode tube. The only motion required is that of the object under investigation which is scanned through the imaging system. Two proof-of-principle optical elements were designed, fabricated and experimentally tested. Quantitative measurements on samples of known shape and composition were compared to theory with good agreement. The method is capable of measuring the attenuation, refraction and (ultra-small-angle) X-ray scattering, does not have coherence requirements and naturally adapts to all those situations in which the X-ray image is obtained by scanning a sample through the imaging system.

High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-powermore » small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. Lastly, the tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.« less

High-resolution short-exposure small-animal laboratory x-ray phase-contrast tomography

DOE PAGES

Larsson, Daniel H.; Vågberg, William; Yaroshenko, Andre; ...

2016-12-13

X-ray computed tomography of small animals and their organs is an essential tool in basic and preclinical biomedical research. In both phase-contrast and absorption tomography high spatial resolution and short exposure times are of key importance. However, the observable spatial resolutions and achievable exposure times are presently limited by system parameters rather than more fundamental constraints like, e.g., dose. Here we demonstrate laboratory tomography with few-ten μm spatial resolution and few-minute exposure time at an acceptable dose for small-animal imaging, both with absorption contrast and phase contrast. The method relies on a magnifying imaging scheme in combination with a high-powermore » small-spot liquid-metal-jet electron-impact source. Lastly, the tomographic imaging is demonstrated on intact mouse, phantoms and excised lungs, both healthy and with pulmonary emphysema.« less

A resolution-enhancing image reconstruction method for few-view differential phase-contrast tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Huifeng; Anastasio, Mark A.

2017-03-01

It is well-known that properly designed image reconstruction methods can facilitate reductions in imaging doses and data-acquisition times in tomographic imaging. The ability to do so is particularly important for emerging modalities such as differential X-ray phase-contrast tomography (D-XPCT), which are currently limited by these factors. An important application of D-XPCT is high-resolution imaging of biomedical samples. However, reconstructing high-resolution images from few-view tomographic measurements remains a challenging task. In this work, a two-step sub-space reconstruction strategy is proposed and investigated for use in few-view D-XPCT image reconstruction. It is demonstrated that the resulting iterative algorithm can mitigate the high-frequency information loss caused by data incompleteness and produce images that have better preserved high spatial frequency content than those produced by use of a conventional penalized least squares (PLS) estimator.

Automatic detection and analysis of cell motility in phase-contrast time-lapse images using a combination of maximally stable extremal regions and Kalman filter approaches.

PubMed

Kaakinen, M; Huttunen, S; Paavolainen, L; Marjomäki, V; Heikkilä, J; Eklund, L

2014-01-01

Phase-contrast illumination is simple and most commonly used microscopic method to observe nonstained living cells. Automatic cell segmentation and motion analysis provide tools to analyze single cell motility in large cell populations. However, the challenge is to find a sophisticated method that is sufficiently accurate to generate reliable results, robust to function under the wide range of illumination conditions encountered in phase-contrast microscopy, and also computationally light for efficient analysis of large number of cells and image frames. To develop better automatic tools for analysis of low magnification phase-contrast images in time-lapse cell migration movies, we investigated the performance of cell segmentation method that is based on the intrinsic properties of maximally stable extremal regions (MSER). MSER was found to be reliable and effective in a wide range of experimental conditions. When compared to the commonly used segmentation approaches, MSER required negligible preoptimization steps thus dramatically reducing the computation time. To analyze cell migration characteristics in time-lapse movies, the MSER-based automatic cell detection was accompanied by a Kalman filter multiobject tracker that efficiently tracked individual cells even in confluent cell populations. This allowed quantitative cell motion analysis resulting in accurate measurements of the migration magnitude and direction of individual cells, as well as characteristics of collective migration of cell groups. Our results demonstrate that MSER accompanied by temporal data association is a powerful tool for accurate and reliable analysis of the dynamic behaviour of cells in phase-contrast image sequences. These techniques tolerate varying and nonoptimal imaging conditions and due to their relatively light computational requirements they should help to resolve problems in computationally demanding and often time-consuming large-scale dynamical analysis of cultured cells. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

Electron ptychographic phase imaging of light elements in crystalline materials using Wigner distribution deconvolution

DOE PAGES

Yang, Hao; MacLaren, Ian; Jones, Lewys; ...

2017-04-01

Recent development in fast pixelated detector technology has allowed a two dimensional diffraction pattern to be recorded at every probe position of a two dimensional raster scan in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), forming an information-rich four dimensional (4D) dataset. Electron ptychography has been shown to enable efficient coherent phase imaging of weakly scattering objects from a 4D dataset recorded using a focused electron probe, which is optimised for simultaneous incoherent Z-contrast imaging and spectroscopy in STEM. Thus coherent phase contrast and incoherent Z-contrast imaging modes can be efficiently combined to provide a good sensitivity of both light andmore » heavy elements at atomic resolution. Here, we explore the application of electron ptychography for atomic resolution imaging of strongly scattering crystalline specimens, and present experiments on imaging crystalline specimens including samples containing defects, under dynamical channelling conditions using an aberration corrected microscope. A ptychographic reconstruction method called Wigner distribution deconvolution (WDD) was implemented. Our experimental results and simulation results suggest that ptychography provides a readily interpretable phase image and great sensitivity for imaging light elements at atomic resolution in relatively thin crystalline materials.« less

Phase-and-amplitude recovery from a single phase-contrast image using partially spatially coherent x-ray radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beltran, Mario A.; Paganin, David M.; Pelliccia, Daniele

2018-05-01

A simple method of phase-and-amplitude extraction is derived that corrects for image blurring induced by partially spatially coherent incident illumination using only a single intensity image as input. The method is based on Fresnel diffraction theory for the case of high Fresnel number, merged with the space-frequency description formalism used to quantify partially coherent fields and assumes the object under study is composed of a single-material. A priori knowledge of the object’s complex refractive index and information obtained by characterizing the spatial coherence of the source is required. The algorithm was applied to propagation-based phase-contrast data measured with a laboratory-based micro-focus x-ray source. The blurring due to the finite spatial extent of the source is embedded within the algorithm as a simple correction term to the so-called Paganin algorithm and is also numerically stable in the presence of noise.

Micro-CT at the imaging beamline P05 at PETRA III

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilde, Fabian, E-mail: fabian.wilde@hzg.de; Ogurreck, Malte; Greving, Imke

2016-07-27

The Imaging Beamline (IBL) P05 is operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht and located at the DESY storage ring PETRA III. IBL is dedicated to X-ray full field imaging and consists of two experimental end stations. A micro tomography end station equipped for spatial resolutions down to 1 µm and a nano tomography end station for spatial resolutions down to 100 nm. The micro tomography end station is in user operation since 2013 and offers imaging with absorption contrast, phase enhanced absorption contrast and phase contrast methods. We report here on the current status and developments of the micro tomography endmore » station including technical descriptions and show examples of research performed at P05.« less

Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R.

Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit-wave. This coherent modulation imaging (CMI) method removes inherent ambiguities of CDI and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works formore » extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence, and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. CMI provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free electron laser.« less

Phase retrieval by coherent modulation imaging

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Fucai; Chen, Bo; Morrison, Graeme R.; ...

2016-11-18

Phase retrieval is a long-standing problem in imaging when only the intensity of the wavefield can be recorded. Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is a lensless technique that uses iterative algorithms to recover amplitude and phase contrast images from diffraction intensity data. For general samples, phase retrieval from a single diffraction pattern has been an algorithmic and experimental challenge. Here we report a method of phase retrieval that uses a known modulation of the sample exit-wave. This coherent modulation imaging (CMI) method removes inherent ambiguities of CDI and uses a reliable, rapidly converging iterative algorithm involving three planes. It works formore » extended samples, does not require tight support for convergence, and relaxes dynamic range requirements on the detector. CMI provides a robust method for imaging in materials and biological science, while its single-shot capability will benefit the investigation of dynamical processes with pulsed sources, such as X-ray free electron laser.« less

Holographic 3D imaging through diffuse media by compressive sampling of the mutual intensity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falldorf, Claas; Klein, Thorsten; Agour, Mostafa; Bergmann, Ralf B.

2017-05-01

We present a method for holographic imaging through a volume scattering material, which is based on selfreference and light with good spatial but limited temporal coherence. In contrast to existing techniques, we do not require a separate reference wave, thus our approach provides great advantages towards the flexibility of the measurement system. The main applications are remote sensing and investigation of moving objects through gaseous streams, bubbles or foggy water for example. Furthermore, due to the common path nature, the system is also insensitive to mechanical disturbances. The measurement result is a complex amplitude which is comparable to a phase shifted digital hologramm and therefore allows 3D imaging, numerical refocusing and quantitative phase contrast imaging. As an example of application, we present measurements of the quantitative phase contrast of the epidermis of an onion through a volume scattering material.

Algorithms for image recovery calculation in extended single-shot phase-shifting digital holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, Shin-ya; Hirata, Ryo

2018-04-01

The single-shot phase-shifting method of image recovery using an inclined reference wave has the advantages of reducing the effects of vibration, being capable of operating in real time, and affording low-cost sensing. In this method, relatively low reference angles compared with that in the conventional method using phase shift between three or four pixels has been required. We propose an extended single-shot phase-shifting technique which uses the multiple-step phase-shifting algorithm and the corresponding multiple pixels which are the same as that of the period of an interference fringe. We have verified the theory underlying this recovery method by means of Fourier spectral analysis and its effectiveness by evaluating the visibility of the image using a high-resolution pattern. Finally, we have demonstrated high-contrast image recovery experimentally using a resolution chart. This method can be used in a variety of applications such as color holographic interferometry.

Tunable X-ray speckle-based phase-contrast and dark-field imaging using the unified modulated pattern analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zdora, M.-C.; Thibault, P.; Deyhle, H.; Vila-Comamala, J.; Rau, C.; Zanette, I.

2018-05-01

X-ray phase-contrast and dark-field imaging provides valuable, complementary information about the specimen under study. Among the multimodal X-ray imaging methods, X-ray grating interferometry and speckle-based imaging have drawn particular attention, which, however, in their common implementations incur certain limitations that can restrict their range of applications. Recently, the unified modulated pattern analysis (UMPA) approach was proposed to overcome these limitations and combine grating- and speckle-based imaging in a single approach. Here, we demonstrate the multimodal imaging capabilities of UMPA and highlight its tunable character regarding spatial resolution, signal sensitivity and scan time by using different reconstruction parameters.

Low-dose quantitative phase contrast medical CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittone, A.; Bravin, A.; Coan, P.

2018-02-01

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a powerful and routinely used clinical diagnostic technique, which is well tolerated by patients, and which provides high-resolution images and volumetric information about the body. However, two important limitations still affect this examination procedure: (1) its low sensitivity with respect to soft tissues, and (2) the hazards associated with x-ray exposure. Conventional radiology is based on the detection of the different photon absorption properties that characterize biological tissues, and thus the obtainable image contrast from soft and/or similar tissues is intrinsically limited. In this scenario, x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) has been extensively tested and proven to overcome some of the main issues surrounding standard x-ray imaging. In addition to the absorption signal, XPCI relies on detecting the phase shifts induced by an object. Interestingly, as the order of magnitude of the phase contrast is higher than that of absorption, XPCI can, in principle, offer higher sensitivity at lower radiation doses. However, other technical aspects may counterbalance this gain, and an optimized setup and image processing solutions need to be implemented. The work presented here describes the strategies and developments we have realized, with the aim of controlling the radiation dose for the highly sensitive and quantitative XPCI-CT. Different algorithms for the phase retrieval and CT reconstruction of the XPCI data are presented. The CT algorithms we have implemented, namely the equally sloped tomography and the dictionary learning method, allow the image quality to be preserved while reducing the number of angular projections required by a factor of five. The results applied to breast imaging report accurate reconstructions at clinically compatible doses of the 3D distribution of the refractive properties of full human organs obtained by using three different phase retrieval methods. The described methodologies and the presented results have been validated by a team of clinical radiologists and represent an important step in the exploitation of XPCI-CT for in vivo and possible clinical applications.

High Resolution X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging with Acoustic Tissue-Selective Contrast Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

Imaging with Acoustic Tissue-Selective Contrast Enhancement PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Gerald J. Diebold, Ph.D. CONTRACTING... Contrast Imaging with Acoustic Tissue-Selective Contrast Enhancement 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-04-1-0481 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...additional phase contrast features are visible at the interfaces of soft tissues as slight contrast enhancements . The image sequence in Fig. 2 shows an image

Combined Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Liver MRI and MRA Using Interleaved Variable Density Sampling

PubMed Central

Rahimi, Mahdi Salmani; Korosec, Frank R.; Wang, Kang; Holmes, James H.; Motosugi, Utaroh; Bannas, Peter; Reeder, Scott B.

2014-01-01

Purpose To develop and evaluate a method for volumetric contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the liver, with high spatial and temporal resolutions, for combined dynamic imaging and MR angiography using a single injection of contrast. Methods An interleaved variable density (IVD) undersampling pattern was implemented in combination with a real-time-triggered, time-resolved, dual-echo 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence. Parallel imaging autocalibration lines were acquired only once during the first time-frame. Imaging was performed in ten subjects with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and compared with their clinical MRI. The angiographic phase of the proposed method was compared to a dedicated MR angiogram acquired during a second injection of contrast. Results A total of 21 FNH, 3 cavernous hemangiomas, and 109 arterial segments were visualized in 10 subjects. The temporally-resolved images depicted the characteristic arterial enhancement pattern of the lesions with a 4 s update rate. Images were graded as having significantly higher quality compared to the clinical MRI. Angiograms produced from the IVD method provided non-inferior diagnostic assessment compared to the dedicated MRA. Conclusion Using an undersampled IVD imaging method, we have demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining high spatial and temporal resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging and simultaneous MRA of the liver. PMID:24639130

Efficient phase contrast imaging in STEM using a pixelated detector. Part 1: Experimental demonstration at atomic resolution

DOE PAGES

Pennycook, Timothy J.; Lupini, Andrew R.; Yang, Hao; ...

2014-10-15

In this paper, we demonstrate a method to achieve high efficiency phase contrast imaging in aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with a pixelated detector. The pixelated detector is used to record the Ronchigram as a function of probe position which is then analyzed with ptychography. Ptychography has previously been used to provide super-resolution beyond the diffraction limit of the optics, alongside numerically correcting for spherical aberration. Here we rely on a hardware aberration corrector to eliminate aberrations, but use the pixelated detector data set to utilize the largest possible volume of Fourier space to create high efficiency phasemore » contrast images. The use of ptychography to diagnose the effects of chromatic aberration is also demonstrated. In conclusion, the four dimensional dataset is used to compare different bright field detector configurations from the same scan for a sample of bilayer graphene. Our method of high efficiency ptychography produces the clearest images, while annular bright field produces almost no contrast for an in-focus aberration-corrected probe.« less

Quantification of synthesized hydration products using synchrotron microtomography and spectral analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deboodt, Tyler; Ideker, Jason H.; Isgor, O. Burkan

2017-12-01

The use of x-ray computed tomography (CT) as a standalone method has primarily been used to characterize pore structure, cracking and mechanical damage in cementitious systems due to low contrast in the hydrated phases. These limitations have resulted in the inability to extract quantifiable information on such phases. The goal of this research was to address the limitations caused by low contrast and improving the ability to distinguish the four primary hydrated phases in portland cement; C-S-H, calcium hydroxide, monosulfate, and ettringite. X-ray CT on individual layers, binary mixtures of phases, and quaternary mixtures of phases to represent a hydratedmore » portland cement paste were imaged with synchrotron radiation. Known masses of each phase were converted to a volume and compared to the segmented image volumes. It was observed that adequate contrast in binary mixing of phases allowed for segmentation, and subsequent image analysis indicated quantifiable volumes could be extracted from the tomographic volume. However, low contrast was observed when C-S-H and monosulfate were paired together leading to difficulties segmenting in an unbiased manner. Quantification of phases in quaternary mixtures included larger errors than binary mixes due to histogram overlaps of monosulfate, C-S-H, and calcium hydroxide.« less

Analysis of gene expression levels in individual bacterial cells without image segmentation.

PubMed

Kwak, In Hae; Son, Minjun; Hagen, Stephen J

2012-05-11

Studies of stochasticity in gene expression typically make use of fluorescent protein reporters, which permit the measurement of expression levels within individual cells by fluorescence microscopy. Analysis of such microscopy images is almost invariably based on a segmentation algorithm, where the image of a cell or cluster is analyzed mathematically to delineate individual cell boundaries. However segmentation can be ineffective for studying bacterial cells or clusters, especially at lower magnification, where outlines of individual cells are poorly resolved. Here we demonstrate an alternative method for analyzing such images without segmentation. The method employs a comparison between the pixel brightness in phase contrast vs fluorescence microscopy images. By fitting the correlation between phase contrast and fluorescence intensity to a physical model, we obtain well-defined estimates for the different levels of gene expression that are present in the cell or cluster. The method reveals the boundaries of the individual cells, even if the source images lack the resolution to show these boundaries clearly. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High energy X-ray phase and dark-field imaging using a random absorption mask.

PubMed

Wang, Hongchang; Kashyap, Yogesh; Cai, Biao; Sawhney, Kawal

2016-07-28

High energy X-ray imaging has unique advantage over conventional X-ray imaging, since it enables higher penetration into materials with significantly reduced radiation damage. However, the absorption contrast in high energy region is considerably low due to the reduced X-ray absorption cross section for most materials. Even though the X-ray phase and dark-field imaging techniques can provide substantially increased contrast and complementary information, fabricating dedicated optics for high energies still remain a challenge. To address this issue, we present an alternative X-ray imaging approach to produce transmission, phase and scattering signals at high X-ray energies by using a random absorption mask. Importantly, in addition to the synchrotron radiation source, this approach has been demonstrated for practical imaging application with a laboratory-based microfocus X-ray source. This new imaging method could be potentially useful for studying thick samples or heavy materials for advanced research in materials science.

Comparison of different phase retrieval algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufmann, Rolf; Plamondon, Mathieu; Hofmann, Jürgen; Neels, Antonia

2017-09-01

X-ray phase contrast imaging is attracting more and more interest. Since the phase cannot be measured directly an indirect method using e.g. a grating interferometer has to be applied. This contribution compares three different approaches to calculate the phase from Talbot-Lau interferometer measurements using a phase-stepping approach. Besides the usually applied Fourier coefficient method also a linear fitting technique and Taylor series expansion method are applied and compared.

From synchrotron radiation to lab source: advanced speckle-based X-ray imaging using abrasive paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hongchang; Kashyap, Yogesh; Sawhney, Kawal

2016-02-01

X-ray phase and dark-field imaging techniques provide complementary and inaccessible information compared to conventional X-ray absorption or visible light imaging. However, such methods typically require sophisticated experimental apparatus or X-ray beams with specific properties. Recently, an X-ray speckle-based technique has shown great potential for X-ray phase and dark-field imaging using a simple experimental arrangement. However, it still suffers from either poor resolution or the time consuming process of collecting a large number of images. To overcome these limitations, in this report we demonstrate that absorption, dark-field, phase contrast, and two orthogonal differential phase contrast images can simultaneously be generated by scanning a piece of abrasive paper in only one direction. We propose a novel theoretical approach to quantitatively extract the above five images by utilising the remarkable properties of speckles. Importantly, the technique has been extended from a synchrotron light source to utilise a lab-based microfocus X-ray source and flat panel detector. Removing the need to raster the optics in two directions significantly reduces the acquisition time and absorbed dose, which can be of vital importance for many biological samples. This new imaging method could potentially provide a breakthrough for numerous practical imaging applications in biomedical research and materials science.

Condenser-free contrast methods for transmitted-light microscopy

PubMed Central

WEBB, K F

2015-01-01

Phase contrast microscopy allows the study of highly transparent yet detail-rich specimens by producing intensity contrast from phase objects within the sample. Presented here is a generalized phase contrast illumination schema in which condenser optics are entirely abrogated, yielding a condenser-free yet highly effective method of obtaining phase contrast in transmitted-light microscopy. A ring of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is positioned within the light-path such that observation of the objective back focal plane places the illuminating ring in appropriate conjunction with the phase ring. It is demonstrated that true Zernike phase contrast is obtained, whose geometry can be flexibly manipulated to provide an arbitrary working distance between illuminator and sample. Condenser-free phase contrast is demonstrated across a range of magnifications (4–100×), numerical apertures (0.13–1.65NA) and conventional phase positions. Also demonstrated is condenser-free darkfield microscopy as well as combinatorial contrast including Rheinberg illumination and simultaneous, colour-contrasted, brightfield, darkfield and Zernike phase contrast. By providing enhanced and arbitrary working space above the preparation, a range of concurrent imaging and electrophysiological techniques will be technically facilitated. Condenser-free phase contrast is demonstrated in conjunction with scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), using a notched ring to admit the scanned probe. The compact, versatile LED illumination schema will further lend itself to novel next-generation transmitted-light microscopy designs. The condenser-free illumination method, using rings of independent or radially-scanned emitters, may be exploited in future in other electromagnetic wavebands, including X-rays or the infrared. PMID:25226859

In-vivo dark-field and phase-contrast x-ray imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bech, M.; Tapfer, A.; Velroyen, A.; Yaroshenko, A.; Pauwels, B.; Hostens, J.; Bruyndonckx, P.; Sasov, A.; Pfeiffer, F.

2013-11-01

Novel radiography approaches based on the wave nature of x-rays when propagating through matter have a great potential for improved future x-ray diagnostics in the clinics. Here, we present a significant milestone in this imaging method: in-vivo multi-contrast x-ray imaging of a mouse using a compact scanner. Of particular interest is the enhanced contrast in regions related to the respiratory system, indicating a possible application in diagnosis of lung diseases (e.g. emphysema).

Coherent diffraction imaging of non-isolated object with apodized illumination.

PubMed

Khakurel, Krishna P; Kimura, Takashi; Joti, Yasumasa; Matsuyama, Satoshi; Yamauchi, Kazuto; Nishino, Yoshinori

2015-11-02

Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is an established lensless imaging method widely used at the x-ray regime applicable to the imaging of non-periodic materials. Conventional CDI can practically image isolated objects only, which hinders the broader application of the method. We present the imaging of non-isolated objects by employing recently proposed "non-scanning" apodized-illumination CDI at an optical wavelength. We realized isolated apodized illumination with a specially designed optical configuration and succeeded in imaging phase objects as well as amplitude objects. The non-scanning nature of the method is important particularly in imaging live cells and tissues, where fast imaging is required for non-isolated objects, and is an advantage over ptychography. We believe that our result of phase contrast imaging at an optical wavelength can be extended to the quantitative phase imaging of cells and tissues. The method also provides the feasibility of the lensless single-shot imaging of extended objects with x-ray free-electron lasers.

Quantitative DIC microscopy using an off-axis self-interference approach.

PubMed

Fu, Dan; Oh, Seungeun; Choi, Wonshik; Yamauchi, Toyohiko; Dorn, August; Yaqoob, Zahid; Dasari, Ramachandra R; Feld, Michael S

2010-07-15

Traditional Normarski differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a very powerful method for imaging nonstained biological samples. However, one of its major limitations is the nonquantitative nature of the imaging. To overcome this problem, we developed a quantitative DIC microscopy method based on off-axis sample self-interference. The digital holography algorithm is applied to obtain quantitative phase gradients in orthogonal directions, which leads to a quantitative phase image through a spiral integration of the phase gradients. This method is practically simple to implement on any standard microscope without stringent requirements on polarization optics. Optical sectioning can be obtained through enlarged illumination NA.

The optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system for the characterization of low Z materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kai; Lin, Wei; Dai, Fei; Li, Jun; Qi, Xiaobo; Lei, Haile; Liu, Yuanqiong

2018-05-01

Due to the high spatial resolution and contrast, the optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system with the secondary optical magnification is more suitable for the characterization of the low Z materials. The influence of the source to object distance and the object to scintillator distance on the image resolution and contrast is studied experimentally. A phase correlation algorithm is used for the image mosaic of a serial of X-ray phase contrast images acquired with high resolution, the resulting resolution is less than 1.0 μm, and the whole field of view is larger than 1.4 mm. Finally, the geometric morphology and the inner structure of various weakly absorbing samples and the evaporation of water in the plastic micro-shell are in situ characterized by the optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system.

Portable smartphone based quantitative phase microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xin; Tian, Xiaolin; Yu, Wei; Kong, Yan; Jiang, Zhilong; Liu, Fei; Xue, Liang; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Shouyu

2018-01-01

To realize portable device with high contrast imaging capability, we designed a quantitative phase microscope using transport of intensity equation method based on a smartphone. The whole system employs an objective and an eyepiece as imaging system and a cost-effective LED as illumination source. A 3-D printed cradle is used to align these components. Images of different focal planes are captured by manual focusing, followed by calculation of sample phase via a self-developed Android application. To validate its accuracy, we first tested the device by measuring a random phase plate with known phases, and then red blood cell smear, Pap smear, broad bean epidermis sections and monocot root were also measured to show its performance. Owing to its advantages as accuracy, high-contrast, cost-effective and portability, the portable smartphone based quantitative phase microscope is a promising tool which can be future adopted in remote healthcare and medical diagnosis.

A semi-Markov model for mitosis segmentation in time-lapse phase contrast microscopy image sequences of stem cell populations.

PubMed

Liu, An-An; Li, Kang; Kanade, Takeo

2012-02-01

We propose a semi-Markov model trained in a max-margin learning framework for mitosis event segmentation in large-scale time-lapse phase contrast microscopy image sequences of stem cell populations. Our method consists of three steps. First, we apply a constrained optimization based microscopy image segmentation method that exploits phase contrast optics to extract candidate subsequences in the input image sequence that contains mitosis events. Then, we apply a max-margin hidden conditional random field (MM-HCRF) classifier learned from human-annotated mitotic and nonmitotic sequences to classify each candidate subsequence as a mitosis or not. Finally, a max-margin semi-Markov model (MM-SMM) trained on manually-segmented mitotic sequences is utilized to reinforce the mitosis classification results, and to further segment each mitosis into four predefined temporal stages. The proposed method outperforms the event-detection CRF model recently reported by Huh as well as several other competing methods in very challenging image sequences of multipolar-shaped C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells. For mitosis detection, an overall precision of 95.8% and a recall of 88.1% were achieved. For mitosis segmentation, the mean and standard deviation for the localization errors of the start and end points of all mitosis stages were well below 1 and 2 frames, respectively. In particular, an overall temporal location error of 0.73 ± 1.29 frames was achieved for locating daughter cell birth events.

Correction of data truncation artifacts in differential phase contrast (DPC) tomosynthesis imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrett, John; Ge, Yongshuai; Li, Ke; Chen, Guang-Hong

2015-10-01

The use of grating based Talbot-Lau interferometry permits the acquisition of differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging with a conventional medical x-ray source and detector. However, due to the limited area of the gratings, limited area of the detector, or both, data truncation image artifacts are often observed in tomographic DPC acquisitions and reconstructions, such as tomosynthesis (limited-angle tomography). When data are truncated in the conventional x-ray absorption tomosynthesis imaging, a variety of methods have been developed to mitigate the truncation artifacts. However, the same strategies used to mitigate absorption truncation artifacts do not yield satisfactory reconstruction results in DPC tomosynthesis reconstruction. In this work, several new methods have been proposed to mitigate data truncation artifacts in a DPC tomosynthesis system. The proposed methods have been validated using experimental data of a mammography accreditation phantom, a bovine udder, as well as several human cadaver breast specimens using a bench-top DPC imaging system at our facility.

Improved specimen reconstruction by Hilbert phase contrast tomography.

PubMed

Barton, Bastian; Joos, Friederike; Schröder, Rasmus R

2008-11-01

The low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in images of unstained specimens recorded with conventional defocus phase contrast makes it difficult to interpret 3D volumes obtained by electron tomography (ET). The high defocus applied for conventional tilt series generates some phase contrast but leads to an incomplete transfer of object information. For tomography of biological weak-phase objects, optimal image contrast and subsequently an optimized SNR are essential for the reconstruction of details such as macromolecular assemblies at molecular resolution. The problem of low contrast can be partially solved by applying a Hilbert phase plate positioned in the back focal plane (BFP) of the objective lens while recording images in Gaussian focus. Images recorded with the Hilbert phase plate provide optimized positive phase contrast at low spatial frequencies, and the contrast transfer in principle extends to the information limit of the microscope. The antisymmetric Hilbert phase contrast (HPC) can be numerically converted into isotropic contrast, which is equivalent to the contrast obtained by a Zernike phase plate. Thus, in-focus HPC provides optimal structure factor information without limiting effects of the transfer function. In this article, we present the first electron tomograms of biological specimens reconstructed from Hilbert phase plate image series. We outline the technical implementation of the phase plate and demonstrate that the technique is routinely applicable for tomography. A comparison between conventional defocus tomograms and in-focus HPC volumes shows an enhanced SNR and an improved specimen visibility for in-focus Hilbert tomography.

A comparison of phase imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping in the imaging of multiple sclerosis lesions at ultrahigh field.

PubMed

Cronin, Matthew John; Wharton, Samuel; Al-Radaideh, Ali; Constantinescu, Cris; Evangelou, Nikos; Bowtell, Richard; Gowland, Penny Anne

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to compare the use of high-resolution phase and QSM images acquired at ultra-high field in the investigation of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions with peripheral rings, and to discuss their usefulness for drawing inferences about underlying tissue composition. Thirty-nine Subjects were scanned at 7 T, using 3D T 2*-weighted and T 1-weighted sequences. Phase images were then unwrapped and filtered, and quantitative susceptibility maps were generated using a thresholded k-space division method. Lesions were compared visually and using a 1D profiling algorithm. Lesions displaying peripheral rings in the phase images were identified in 10 of the 39 subjects. Dipolar projections were apparent in the phase images outside of the extent of several of these lesions; however, QSM images showed peripheral rings without such projections. These projections appeared ring-like in a small number of phase images where no ring was observed in QSM. 1D profiles of six well-isolated example lesions showed that QSM contrast corresponds more closely to the magnitude images than phase contrast. Phase images contain dipolar projections, which confounds their use in the investigation of tissue composition in MS lesions. Quantitative susceptibility maps correct these projections, providing insight into the composition of MS lesions showing peripheral rings.

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

PubMed Central

Glaeser, Robert M.

2013-01-01

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. PMID:24289381

A software platform for phase contrast x-ray breast imaging research.

PubMed

Bliznakova, K; Russo, P; Mettivier, G; Requardt, H; Popov, P; Bravin, A; Buliev, I

2015-06-01

To present and validate a computer-based simulation platform dedicated for phase contrast x-ray breast imaging research. The software platform, developed at the Technical University of Varna on the basis of a previously validated x-ray imaging software simulator, comprises modules for object creation and for x-ray image formation. These modules were updated to take into account the refractive index for phase contrast imaging as well as implementation of the Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction theory of the propagating x-ray waves. Projection images are generated in an in-line acquisition geometry. To test and validate the platform, several phantoms differing in their complexity were constructed and imaged at 25 keV and 60 keV at the beamline ID17 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The software platform was used to design computational phantoms that mimic those used in the experimental study and to generate x-ray images in absorption and phase contrast modes. The visual and quantitative results of the validation process showed an overall good correlation between simulated and experimental images and show the potential of this platform for research in phase contrast x-ray imaging of the breast. The application of the platform is demonstrated in a feasibility study for phase contrast images of complex inhomogeneous and anthropomorphic breast phantoms, compared to x-ray images generated in absorption mode. The improved visibility of mammographic structures suggests further investigation and optimisation of phase contrast x-ray breast imaging, especially when abnormalities are present. The software platform can be exploited also for educational purposes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

4D phase contrast flow imaging for in-stent flow visualization and assessment of stent patency in peripheral vascular stents--a phantom study.

PubMed

Bunck, Alexander C; Jüttner, Alena; Kröger, Jan Robert; Burg, Matthias C; Kugel, Harald; Niederstadt, Thomas; Tiemann, Klaus; Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Crelier, Gerard R; Heindel, Walter; Maintz, David

2012-09-01

4D phase contrast flow imaging is increasingly used to study the hemodynamics in various vascular territories and pathologies. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and validity of MRI based 4D phase contrast flow imaging for the evaluation of in-stent blood flow in 17 commonly used peripheral stents. 17 different peripheral stents were implanted into a MR compatible flow phantom. In-stent visibility, maximal velocity and flow visualization were assessed and estimates of in-stent patency obtained from 4D phase contrast flow data sets were compared to a conventional 3D contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) as well as 2D PC flow measurements. In all but 3 of the tested stents time-resolved 3D particle traces could be visualized inside the stent lumen. Quality of 4D flow visualization and CE-MRA images depended on stent type and stent orientation relative to the magnetic field. Compared to the visible lumen area determined by 3D CE-MRA, estimates of lumen patency derived from 4D flow measurements were significantly higher and less dependent on stent type. A higher number of stents could be assessed for in-stent patency by 4D phase contrast flow imaging (n=14) than by 2D phase contrast flow imaging (n=10). 4D phase contrast flow imaging in peripheral vascular stents is feasible and appears advantageous over conventional 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography and 2D phase contrast flow imaging. It allows for in-stent flow visualization and flow quantification with varying quality depending on stent type. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulation tools for analyzer-based x-ray phase contrast imaging system with a conventional x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caudevilla, Oriol; Zhou, Wei; Stoupin, Stanislav; Verman, Boris; Brankov, J. G.

2016-09-01

Analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast imaging (ABI) belongs to a broader family of phase-contrast (PC) X-ray imaging modalities. Unlike the conventional X-ray radiography, which measures only X-ray absorption, in PC imaging one can also measures the X-rays deflection induced by the object refractive properties. It has been shown that refraction imaging provides better contrast when imaging the soft tissue, which is of great interest in medical imaging applications. In this paper, we introduce a simulation tool specifically designed to simulate the analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast imaging system with a conventional polychromatic X-ray source. By utilizing ray tracing and basic physical principles of diffraction theory our simulation tool can predicting the X-ray beam profile shape, the energy content, the total throughput (photon count) at the detector. In addition we can evaluate imaging system point-spread function for various system configurations.

Synchrotron based planar imaging and digital tomosynthesis of breast and biopsy phantoms using a CMOS active pixel sensor.

PubMed

Szafraniec, Magdalena B; Konstantinidis, Anastasios C; Tromba, Giuliana; Dreossi, Diego; Vecchio, Sara; Rigon, Luigi; Sodini, Nicola; Naday, Steve; Gunn, Spencer; McArthur, Alan; Olivo, Alessandro

2015-03-01

The SYRMEP (SYnchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics) beamline at Elettra is performing the first mammography study on human patients using free-space propagation phase contrast imaging. The stricter spatial resolution requirements of this method currently force the use of conventional films or specialized computed radiography (CR) systems. This also prevents the implementation of three-dimensional (3D) approaches. This paper explores the use of an X-ray detector based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) technology as a possible alternative, for acquisitions both in planar and tomosynthesis geometry. Results indicate higher quality of the images acquired with the synchrotron set-up in both geometries. This improvement can be partly ascribed to the use of parallel, collimated and monochromatic synchrotron radiation (resulting in scatter rejection, no penumbra-induced blurring and optimized X-ray energy), and partly to phase contrast effects. Even though the pixel size of the used detector is still too large - and thus suboptimal - for free-space propagation phase contrast imaging, a degree of phase-induced edge enhancement can clearly be observed in the images. Copyright © 2014 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic three-dimensional phase-contrast technique in MRI: application to complex flow analysis around the artificial heart valve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Soo Jeong; Lee, Dong Hyuk; Song, Inchang; Kim, Nam Gook; Park, Jae-Hyeung; Kim, JongHyo; Han, Man Chung; Min, Byong Goo

1998-07-01

Phase-contrast (PC) method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has bee used for quantitative measurements of flow velocity and volume flow rate. It is a noninvasive technique which provides an accurate two-dimensional velocity image. Moreover, Phase Contrast Cine magnetic resonance imaging combines the flow dependent contrast of PC-MRI with the ability of cardiac cine imaging to produce images throughout the cardiac cycle. However, the accuracy of the data acquired from the single through-plane velocity encoding can be reduced by the effect of flow direction, because in many practical cases flow directions are not uniform throughout the whole region of interest. In this study, we present dynamic three-dimensional velocity vector mapping method using PC-MRI which can visualize the complex flow pattern through 3D volume rendered images displayed dynamically. The direction of velocity mapping can be selected along any three orthogonal axes. By vector summation, the three maps can be combined to form a velocity vector map that determines the velocity regardless of the flow direction. At the same time, Cine method is used to observe the dynamic change of flow. We performed a phantom study to evaluate the accuracy of the suggested PC-MRI in continuous and pulsatile flow measurement. Pulsatile flow wave form is generated by the ventricular assistant device (VAD), HEMO-PULSA (Biomedlab, Seoul, Korea). We varied flow velocity, pulsatile flow wave form, and pulsing rate. The PC-MRI-derived velocities were compared with Doppler-derived results. The velocities of the two measurements showed a significant linear correlation. Dynamic three-dimensional velocity vector mapping was carried out for two cases. First, we applied to the flow analysis around the artificial heart valve in a flat phantom. We could observe the flow pattern around the valve through the 3-dimensional cine image. Next, it is applied to the complex flow inside the polymer sac that is used as ventricle in totally implantable artificial heart (TAH). As a result we could observe the flow pattern around the valves of the sac, though complex flow can not be detected correctly in the conventional phase contrast method. In addition, we could calculate the cardiac output from TAH sac by quantitative measurement of the volume of flow across the outlet valve.

Detection of fresh bruises in apples by structured-illumination reflectance imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yuzhen; Li, Richard; Lu, Renfu

2016-05-01

Detection of fresh bruises in apples remains a challenging task due to the absence of visual symptoms and significant chemical alterations of fruit tissues during the initial stage after the fruit have been bruised. This paper reports on a new structured-illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) technique for enhanced detection of fresh bruises in apples. Using a digital light projector engine, sinusoidally-modulated illumination at the spatial frequencies of 50, 100, 150 and 200 cycles/m was generated. A digital camera was then used to capture the reflectance images from `Gala' and `Jonagold' apples, immediately after they had been subjected to two levels of bruising by impact tests. A conventional three-phase demodulation (TPD) scheme was applied to the acquired images for obtaining the planar (direct component or DC) and amplitude (alternating component or AC) images. Bruises were identified in the amplitude images with varying image contrasts, depending on spatial frequency. The bruise visibility was further enhanced through post-processing of the amplitude images. Furthermore, three spiral phase transform (SPT)-based demodulation methods, using single and two images and two phase-shifted images, were proposed for obtaining AC images. Results showed that the demodulation methods greatly enhanced the contrast and spatial resolution of the AC images, making it feasible to detect the fresh bruises that, otherwise, could not be achieved by conventional imaging technique with planar or uniform illumination. The effectiveness of image enhancement, however, varied with spatial frequency. Both 2-image and 2-phase SPT methods achieved the performance similar to that by conventional TPD. SIRI technique has demonstrated the capability of detecting fresh bruises in apples, and it has the potential as a new imaging modality for enhancing food quality and safety detection.

An automated tool for cortical feature analysis: Application to differences on 7 Tesla T2* -weighted images between young and older healthy subjects.

PubMed

Doan, Nhat Trung; van Rooden, Sanneke; Versluis, Maarten J; Buijs, Mathijs; Webb, Andrew G; van der Grond, Jeroen; van Buchem, Mark A; Reiber, Johan H C; Milles, Julien

2015-07-01

High field T 2 * -weighted MR images of the cerebral cortex are increasingly used to study tissue susceptibility changes related to aging or pathologies. This paper presents a novel automated method for the computation of quantitative cortical measures and group-wise comparison using 7 Tesla T 2 * -weighted magnitude and phase images. The cerebral cortex was segmented using a combination of T 2 * -weighted magnitude and phase information and subsequently was parcellated based on an anatomical atlas. Local gray matter (GM)/white matter (WM) contrast and cortical profiles, which depict the magnitude or phase variation across the cortex, were computed from the magnitude and phase images in each parcellated region and further used for group-wise comparison. Differences in local GM/WM contrast were assessed using linear regression analysis. Regional cortical profiles were compared both globally and locally using permutation testing. The method was applied to compare a group of 10 young volunteers with a group of 15 older subjects. Using local GM/WM contrast, significant differences were revealed in at least 13 of 17 studied regions. Highly significant differences between cortical profiles were shown in all regions. The proposed method can be a useful tool for studying cortical changes in normal aging and potentially in neurodegenerative diseases. Magn Reson Med 74:240-248, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Closed Loop, DM Diversity-based, Wavefront Correction Algorithm for High Contrast Imaging Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Give'on, Amir; Belikov, Ruslan; Shaklan, Stuart; Kasdin, Jeremy

2007-01-01

High contrast imaging from space relies on coronagraphs to limit diffraction and a wavefront control systems to compensate for imperfections in both the telescope optics and the coronagraph. The extreme contrast required (up to 10(exp -10) for terrestrial planets) puts severe requirements on the wavefront control system, as the achievable contrast is limited by the quality of the wavefront. This paper presents a general closed loop correction algorithm for high contrast imaging coronagraphs by minimizing the energy in a predefined region in the image where terrestrial planets could be found. The estimation part of the algorithm reconstructs the complex field in the image plane using phase diversity caused by the deformable mirror. This method has been shown to achieve faster and better correction than classical speckle nulling.

Halo-free Phase Contrast Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tan H.; Kandel, Mikhail; Shakir, Haadi M.; Best-Popescu, Catherine; Arikkath, Jyothi; Do, Minh N.; Popescu, Gabriel

2017-03-01

We present a new approach for retrieving halo-free phase contrast microscopy (hfPC) images by upgrading the conventional PC microscope with an external interferometric module, which generates sufficient data for reversing the halo artifact. Acquiring four independent intensity images, our approach first measures haloed phase maps of the sample. We solve for the halo-free sample transmission function by using a physical model of the image formation under partial spatial coherence. Using this halo-free sample transmission, we can numerically generate artifact-free PC images. Furthermore, this transmission can be further used to obtain quantitative information about the sample, e.g., the thickness with known refractive indices, dry mass of live cells during their cycles. We tested our hfPC method on various control samples, e.g., beads, pillars and validated its potential for biological investigation by imaging live HeLa cells, red blood cells, and neurons.

A feasibility study of X-ray phase-contrast mammographic tomography at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron.

PubMed

Nesterets, Yakov I; Gureyev, Timur E; Mayo, Sheridan C; Stevenson, Andrew W; Thompson, Darren; Brown, Jeremy M C; Kitchen, Marcus J; Pavlov, Konstantin M; Lockie, Darren; Brun, Francesco; Tromba, Giuliana

2015-11-01

Results are presented of a recent experiment at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron intended to contribute to the implementation of low-dose high-sensitivity three-dimensional mammographic phase-contrast imaging, initially at synchrotrons and subsequently in hospitals and medical imaging clinics. The effect of such imaging parameters as X-ray energy, source size, detector resolution, sample-to-detector distance, scanning and data processing strategies in the case of propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) have been tested, quantified, evaluated and optimized using a plastic phantom simulating relevant breast-tissue characteristics. Analysis of the data collected using a Hamamatsu CMOS Flat Panel Sensor, with a pixel size of 100 µm, revealed the presence of propagation-based phase contrast and demonstrated significant improvement of the quality of phase-contrast CT imaging compared with conventional (absorption-based) CT, at medically acceptable radiation doses.

Low Dose High Energy X-ray In-Line Phase Sensitive Imaging Prototype: Investigation of Optimal Geometric Conditions and Design Parameters

PubMed Central

Ghani, Muhammad. U.; Yan, Aimin; Wong, Molly. D.; Li, Yuhua; Ren, Liqiang; Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the optimization of a high energy in-line phase sensitive x-ray imaging prototype under different geometric and operating conditions for mammography application. A phase retrieval algorithm based on phase attenuation duality (PAD) was applied to the phase contrast images acquired by the prototype. Imaging performance was investigated at four magnification values of 1.67, 2, 2.5 and 3 using an acrylic edge, an American College of Radiology (ACR) mammography phantom and contrast detail (CD) phantom with tube potentials of 100, 120 and 140 kVp. The ACR and CD images were acquired at the same mean glandular dose (MGD) of 1.29 mGy with a computed radiography (CR) detector of 43.75 µm pixel pitch at a fixed source to image distance (SID) of 170 cm. The x-ray tube focal spot size was kept constant as 7 µm while a 2.5 mm thick aluminum (Al) filter was used for beam hardening. The performance of phase contrast and phase retrieved images were compared with computer simulations based on the relative phase contrast factor (RPF) at high x-ray energies. The imaging results showed that the x-ray tube operated at 100 kVp under the magnification of 2.5 exhibits superior imaging performance which is in accordance to the computer simulations. As compared to the phase contrast images, the phase retrieved images of the ACR and CD phantoms demonstrated improved imaging contrast and target discrimination. We compared the CD phantom images acquired in conventional contact mode with and without the anti-scatter grid using the same prototype at 1.295 mGy and 2.59 mGy using 40 kVp, a 25 µm rhodium (Rh) filter. At the same radiation dose, the phase sensitive images provided improved detection capabilities for both the large and small discs, while compared to the double dose image acquired in conventional mode, the observer study also indicated that the phase sensitive images provided improved detection capabilities for the large discs. This study therefore validates the potential of using high energy phase contrast x-ray imaging to improve lesion detection and reduce radiation dose for clinical applications such as mammography. PMID:26756405

X-ray phase-contrast imaging of the breast—advances towards clinical implementation

PubMed Central

Herzen, J; Willner, M; Grandl, S; Scherer, K; Bamberg, F; Reiser, M F; Pfeiffer, F; Hellerhoff, K

2014-01-01

Breast cancer constitutes about one-quarter of all cancers and is the leading cause of cancer death in women. To reduce breast cancer mortality, mammographic screening programmes have been implemented in many Western countries. However, these programmes remain controversial because of the associated radiation exposure and the need for improvement in terms of diagnostic accuracy. Phase-contrast imaging is a new X-ray-based technology that has been shown to provide enhanced soft-tissue contrast and improved visualization of cancerous structures. Furthermore, there is some indication that these improvements of image quality can be maintained at reduced radiation doses. Thus, X-ray phase-contrast mammography may significantly contribute to advancements in early breast cancer diagnosis. Feasibility studies of X-ray phase-contrast breast CT have provided images that allow resolution of the fine structure of tissue that can otherwise only be obtained by histology. This implies that X-ray phase-contrast imaging may also lead to the development of entirely new (micro-) radiological applications. This review provides a brief overview of the physical characteristics of this new technology and describes recent developments towards clinical implementation of X-ray phase-contrast imaging of the breast. PMID:24452106

Concept of contrast transfer function for edge illumination x-ray phase-contrast imaging and its comparison with the free-space propagation technique.

PubMed

Diemoz, Paul C; Vittoria, Fabio A; Olivo, Alessandro

2016-05-16

Previous studies on edge illumination (EI) X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCi) have investigated the nature and amplitude of the signal provided by this technique. However, the response of the imaging system to different object spatial frequencies was never explicitly considered and studied. This is required in order to predict the performance of a given EI setup for different classes of objects. To this scope, in the present work we derive analytical expressions for the contrast transfer function of an EI imaging system, using the approximation of near-field regime, and study its dependence upon the main experimental parameters. We then exploit these results to compare the frequency response of an EI system with respect of that of a free-space propagation XPCi one. The results achieved in this work can be useful for predicting the signals obtainable for different types of objects and also as a basis for new retrieval methods.

Ultrasonically modulated x-ray phase contrast and vibration potential imaging methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Theron J.; Cao, Guohua; Wang, Shougang; Bailat, Claude J.; Nguyen, Cuong K.; Li, Shengqiong; Gehring, Stephan; Wands, Jack; Gusev, Vitalyi; Rose-Petruck, Christoph; Diebold, Gerald J.

2006-02-01

We show that the radiation pressure exerted by a beam of ultrasound can be used for contrast enhancement in high resolution x-ray imaging of tissue. Interfacial features of objects are highlighted as a result of both the displacement introduced by the ultrasound and the inherent sensitivity of x-ray phase contrast imaging to density variations. The potential of the method is demonstrated by imaging various tumor phantoms and tumors from mice. The directionality of the acoustic radiation force and its localization in space permits the imaging of ultrasound-selected tissue volumes. In a related effort we report progress on development of an imaging technique using and electrokinetic effect known as the ultrasonic vibration potential. The ultrasonic vibration potential refers to the voltage generated when ultrasound traverses a colloidal or ionic fluid. The theory of imaging based on the vibration potential is reviewed, and an expression given that describes the signal from an arbitrary object. The experimental apparatus consists of a pair of parallel plates connected to the irradiated body, a low noise preamplifier, a radio frequency lock-in amplifier, translation stages for the ultrasonic transducer that generates the ultrasound, and a computer for data storage and image formation. Experiments are reported where bursts of ultrasound are directed onto colloidal silica objects placed within inert bodies.

X-ray Moiré deflectometry using synthetic reference images

DOE PAGES

Stutman, Dan; Valdivia, Maria Pia; Finkenthal, Michael

2015-06-25

Moiré fringe deflectometry with grating interferometers is a technique that enables refraction-based x-ray imaging using a single exposure of an object. To obtain the refraction image, the method requires a reference fringe pattern (without the object). Our study shows that, in order to avoid artifacts, the reference pattern must be exactly matched in phase with the object fringe pattern. In experiments, however, it is difficult to produce a perfectly matched reference pattern due to unavoidable interferometer drifts. We present a simple method to obtain matched reference patterns using a phase-scan procedure to generate synthetic Moiré images. As a result, themore » method will enable deflectometric diagnostics of transient phenomena such as laser-produced plasmas and could improve the sensitivity and accuracy of medical phase-contrast imaging.« less

A beam hardening and dispersion correction for x-ray dark-field radiography.

PubMed

Pelzer, Georg; Anton, Gisela; Horn, Florian; Rieger, Jens; Ritter, André; Wandner, Johannes; Weber, Thomas; Michel, Thilo

2016-06-01

X-ray dark-field imaging promises information on the small angle scattering properties even of large samples. However, the dark-field image is correlated with the object's attenuation and phase-shift if a polychromatic x-ray spectrum is used. A method to remove part of these correlations is proposed. The experimental setup for image acquisition was modeled in a wave-field simulation to quantify the dark-field signals originating solely from a material's attenuation and phase-shift. A calibration matrix was simulated for ICRU46 breast tissue. Using the simulated data, a dark-field image of a human mastectomy sample was corrected for the finger print of attenuation- and phase-image. Comparing the simulated, attenuation-based dark-field values to a phantom measurement, a good agreement was found. Applying the proposed method to mammographic dark-field data, a reduction of the dark-field background and anatomical noise was achieved. The contrast between microcalcifications and their surrounding background was increased. The authors show that the influence of and dispersion can be quantified by simulation and, thus, measured image data can be corrected. The simulation allows to determine the corresponding dark-field artifacts for a wide range of setup parameters, like tube-voltage and filtration. The application of the proposed method to mammographic dark-field data shows an increase in contrast compared to the original image, which might simplify a further image-based diagnosis.

Applications of phase-contrast x-ray imaging to medicine using an x-ray interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Yoneyama, Akio; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Tu, Jinhong; Hirano, Keiichi

1999-10-01

We are investigating possible medical applications of phase- contrast X-ray imaging using an X-ray interferometer. This paper introduces the strategy of the research project and the present status. The main subject is to broaden the observation area to enable in vivo observation. For this purpose, large X-ray interferometers were developed, and 2.5 cm X 1.5 cm interference patterns were generated using synchrotron X-rays. An improvement of the spatial resolution is also included in the project, and an X-ray interferometer designed for high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray imaging was fabricated and tested. In parallel with the instrumental developments, various soft tissues are observed by phase- contrast X-ray CT to find correspondence between the generated contrast and our histological knowledge. The observation done so far suggests that cancerous tissues are differentiated from normal tissues and that blood can produce phase contrast. Furthermore, this project includes exploring materials that modulate phase contrast for selective imaging.

Equilibrium-phase MR angiography: Comparison of unspecific extracellular and protein-binding gadolinium-based contrast media with respect to image quality.

PubMed

Erb-Eigner, Katharina; Taupitz, Matthias; Asbach, Patrick

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare contrast and image quality of whole-body equilibrium-phase high-spatial-resolution MR angiography using a non-protein-binding unspecific extracellular gadolinium-based contrast medium with that of two contrast media with different protein-binding properties. 45 patients were examined using either 15 mL of gadobutrol (non-protein-binding, n = 15), 32 mL of gadobenate dimeglumine (weakly protein binding, n = 15) or 11 mL gadofosveset trisodium (protein binding, n = 15) followed by equilibrium-phase high-spatial-resolution MR-angiography of four consecutive anatomic regions. The time elapsed between the contrast injection and the beginning of the equilibrium-phase image acquisition in the respective region was measured and was up to 21 min. Signal intensity was measured in two vessels per region and in muscle tissue. Relative contrast (RC) values were calculated. Vessel contrast, artifacts and image quality were rated by two radiologists in consensus on a five-point scale. Compared with gadobutrol, gadofosveset trisodium revealed significantly higher RC values only when acquired later than 15 min after bolus injection. Otherwise, no significant differences between the three contrast media were found regarding vascular contrast and image quality. Equilibrium-phase high-spatial-resolution MR-angiography using a weakly protein-binding or even non-protein-binding contrast medium is equivalent to using a stronger protein-binding contrast medium when image acquisition is within the first 15 min after contrast injection, and allows depiction of the vasculature with high contrast and image quality. The protein-binding contrast medium was superior for imaging only later than 15 min after contrast medium injection. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Zernike phase-contrast electron cryotomography applied to marine cyanobacteria infected with cyanophages.

PubMed

Dai, Wei; Fu, Caroline; Khant, Htet A; Ludtke, Steven J; Schmid, Michael F; Chiu, Wah

2014-11-01

Advances in electron cryotomography have provided new opportunities to visualize the internal 3D structures of a bacterium. An electron microscope equipped with Zernike phase-contrast optics produces images with markedly increased contrast compared with images obtained by conventional electron microscopy. Here we describe a protocol to apply Zernike phase plate technology for acquiring electron tomographic tilt series of cyanophage-infected cyanobacterial cells embedded in ice, without staining or chemical fixation. We detail the procedures for aligning and assessing phase plates for data collection, and methods for obtaining 3D structures of cyanophage assembly intermediates in the host by subtomogram alignment, classification and averaging. Acquiring three or four tomographic tilt series takes ∼12 h on a JEM2200FS electron microscope. We expect this time requirement to decrease substantially as the technique matures. The time required for annotation and subtomogram averaging varies widely depending on the project goals and data volume.

A Fusion Algorithm for GFP Image and Phase Contrast Image of Arabidopsis Cell Based on SFL-Contourlet Transform

PubMed Central

Feng, Peng; Wang, Jing; Wei, Biao; Mi, Deling

2013-01-01

A hybrid multiscale and multilevel image fusion algorithm for green fluorescent protein (GFP) image and phase contrast image of Arabidopsis cell is proposed in this paper. Combining intensity-hue-saturation (IHS) transform and sharp frequency localization Contourlet transform (SFL-CT), this algorithm uses different fusion strategies for different detailed subbands, which include neighborhood consistency measurement (NCM) that can adaptively find balance between color background and gray structure. Also two kinds of neighborhood classes based on empirical model are taken into consideration. Visual information fidelity (VIF) as an objective criterion is introduced to evaluate the fusion image. The experimental results of 117 groups of Arabidopsis cell image from John Innes Center show that the new algorithm cannot only make the details of original images well preserved but also improve the visibility of the fusion image, which shows the superiority of the novel method to traditional ones. PMID:23476716

Preliminary studies of enhanced contrast radiography in anatomy and embryology of insects with Elettra synchrotron light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hönnicke, M. G.; Foerster, L. A.; Navarro-Silva, M. A.; Menk, R.-H.; Rigon, L.; Cusatis, C.

2005-08-01

Enhanced contrast X-ray imaging is achieved by exploiting the real part of the refraction index, which is responsible for the phase shifts, in addition to the imaginary part, which is responsible for the absorption. Such techniques are called X-ray phase contrast imaging. An analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast imaging set-up with Diffraction Enhanced Imaging processing (DEI) were used for preliminary studies in anatomy and embryology of insects. Parasitized stinkbug and moth eggs used as control agents of pests in vegetables and adult stinkbugs and mosquitoes ( Aedes aegypti) were used as samples. The experimental setup was mounted in the SYRMEP beamline at ELETTRA. Images were obtained using a high spatial resolution CCD detector (pixel size 14×14 μm 2) coupled with magnifying optics. Analyzer-based X-ray phase contrast images (PCI) and edge detection images show contrast and details not observed with conventional synchrotron radiography and open the possibility for future study in the embryonic development of insects.

Acquiring 3-D information about thick objects from differential interference contrast images using texture extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sierra, Heidy; Brooks, Dana; Dimarzio, Charles

2010-07-01

The extraction of 3-D morphological information about thick objects is explored in this work. We extract this information from 3-D differential interference contrast (DIC) images by applying a texture detection method. Texture extraction methods have been successfully used in different applications to study biological samples. A 3-D texture image is obtained by applying a local entropy-based texture extraction method. The use of this method to detect regions of blastocyst mouse embryos that are used in assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization is presented as an example. Results demonstrate the potential of using texture detection methods to improve morphological analysis of thick samples, which is relevant to many biomedical and biological studies. Fluorescence and optical quadrature microscope phase images are used for validation.

Small angle x-ray scattering with edge-illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modregger, Peter; Cremona, Tiziana P.; Benarafa, Charaf; Schittny, Johannes C.; Olivo, Alessandro; Endrizzi, Marco

2016-08-01

Sensitivity to sub-pixel sample features has been demonstrated as a valuable capability of phase contrast x-ray imaging. Here, we report on a method to obtain angular-resolved small angle x-ray scattering distributions with edge-illumination- based imaging utilizing incoherent illumination from an x-ray tube. Our approach provides both the three established image modalities (absorption, differential phase and scatter strength), plus a number of additional contrasts related to unresolved sample features. The complementarity of these contrasts is experimentally validated by using different materials in powder form. As a significant application example we show that the extended complementary contrasts could allow the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema in a murine model. In support of this, we demonstrate that the properties of the retrieved scattering distributions are consistent with the expectation of increased feature sizes related to pulmonary emphysema. Combined with the simplicity of implementation of edge-illumination, these findings suggest a high potential for exploiting extended sub-pixel contrasts in the diagnosis of lung diseases and beyond.

System Characterizations and Optimized Reconstruction Methods for Novel X-ray Imaging Modalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Huifeng

In the past decade there have been many new emerging X-ray based imaging technologies developed for different diagnostic purposes or imaging tasks. However, there exist one or more specific problems that prevent them from being effectively or efficiently employed. In this dissertation, four different novel X-ray based imaging technologies are discussed, including propagation-based phase-contrast (PB-XPC) tomosynthesis, differential X-ray phase-contrast tomography (D-XPCT), projection-based dual-energy computed radiography (DECR), and tetrahedron beam computed tomography (TBCT). System characteristics are analyzed or optimized reconstruction methods are proposed for these imaging modalities. In the first part, we investigated the unique properties of propagation-based phase-contrast imaging technique when combined with the X-ray tomosynthesis. Fourier slice theorem implies that the high frequency components collected in the tomosynthesis data can be more reliably reconstructed. It is observed that the fringes or boundary enhancement introduced by the phase-contrast effects can serve as an accurate indicator of the true depth position in the tomosynthesis in-plane image. In the second part, we derived a sub-space framework to reconstruct images from few-view D-XPCT data set. By introducing a proper mask, the high frequency contents of the image can be theoretically preserved in a certain region of interest. A two-step reconstruction strategy is developed to mitigate the risk of subtle structures being oversmoothed when the commonly used total-variation regularization is employed in the conventional iterative framework. In the thirt part, we proposed a practical method to improve the quantitative accuracy of the projection-based dual-energy material decomposition. It is demonstrated that applying a total-projection-length constraint along with the dual-energy measurements can achieve a stabilized numerical solution of the decomposition problem, thus overcoming the disadvantages of the conventional approach that was extremely sensitive to noise corruption. In the final part, we described the modified filtered backprojection and iterative image reconstruction algorithms specifically developed for TBCT. Special parallelization strategies are designed to facilitate the use of GPU computing, showing demonstrated capability of producing high quality reconstructed volumetric images with a super fast computational speed. For all the investigations mentioned above, both simulation and experimental studies have been conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodologies.

Imaging the Vessel Wall in Major Peripheral Arteries using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging

PubMed Central

Yang, Qi; Liu, Jiantao; Barnes, Samuel R.S.; Wu, Zhen; Li, Kuncheng; Neelavalli, Jaladhar; Hu, Jiani; Haacke, E. Mark

2009-01-01

Purpose To demonstrate a novel contrast mechanism for imaging the vessel wall and vessel wall calcification using susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI). Materials and Methods 18 subjects were imaged with multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and high resolution SWI at 3T. The SWI imaging parameters were optimized to allow for the best visualization of the femoral artery lumen and the arterial wall in magnitude and phase images, respectively. SWI filtered phase data were used to evaluate the diamagnetic susceptibility of vessel wall and of putative vessel wall calcification. Imaging was performed using TE = 15.6 ms (in-phase for fat); TR = 25 ms, FA = 10°, BW = 80 Hz/pixel, resolution = 0.5mm ×0.5mm in-plane and 1.0mm through-plane, an acquisition matrix of 512 × 384 × 64 (for read, phase and slice-select directions) and a total scan time of 8 minutes. Results Nineteen calcifications were identified in CT and SWI and they correlated well in both size and position. The contrast-to-noise ratio between the blood signal in the lumen of the artery and arterial wall was 11.7:1 and 7.4:1 in magnitude and in phase images, respectively. Conclusion SWI provides a novel means to visualize vessel wall and recognize the presence of calcification. PMID:19629989

Potential for Imaging Engineered Tissues with X-Ray Phase Contrast

PubMed Central

Appel, Alyssa; Anastasio, Mark A.

2011-01-01

As the field of tissue engineering advances, it is crucial to develop imaging methods capable of providing detailed three-dimensional information on tissue structure. X-ray imaging techniques based on phase-contrast (PC) have great potential for a number of biomedical applications due to their ability to provide information about soft tissue structure without exogenous contrast agents. X-ray PC techniques retain the excellent spatial resolution, tissue penetration, and calcified tissue contrast of conventional X-ray techniques while providing drastically improved imaging of soft tissue and biomaterials. This suggests that X-ray PC techniques are very promising for evaluation of engineered tissues. In this review, four different implementations of X-ray PC imaging are described and applications to tissues of relevance to tissue engineering reviewed. In addition, recent applications of X-ray PC to the evaluation of biomaterial scaffolds and engineered tissues are presented and areas for further development and application of these techniques are discussed. Imaging techniques based on X-ray PC have significant potential for improving our ability to image and characterize engineered tissues, and their continued development and optimization could have significant impact on the field of tissue engineering. PMID:21682604

Phase-sensitive dual-inversion recovery for accelerated carotid vessel wall imaging.

PubMed

Bonanno, Gabriele; Brotman, David; Stuber, Matthias

2015-03-01

Dual-inversion recovery (DIR) is widely used for magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. However, optimal contrast may be difficult to obtain and is subject to RR variability. Furthermore, DIR imaging is time-inefficient and multislice acquisitions may lead to prolonged scanning times. Therefore, an extension of phase-sensitive (PS) DIR is proposed for carotid vessel wall imaging. The statistical distribution of the phase signal after DIR is probed to segment carotid lumens and suppress their residual blood signal. The proposed PS-DIR technique was characterized over a broad range of inversion times. Multislice imaging was then implemented by interleaving the acquisition of 3 slices after DIR. Quantitative evaluation was then performed in healthy adult subjects and compared with conventional DIR imaging. Single-slice PS-DIR provided effective blood-signal suppression over a wide range of inversion times, enhancing wall-lumen contrast and vessel wall conspicuity for carotid arteries. Multislice PS-DIR imaging with effective blood-signal suppression is enabled. A variant of the PS-DIR method has successfully been implemented and tested for carotid vessel wall imaging. This technique removes timing constraints related to inversion recovery, enhances wall-lumen contrast, and enables a 3-fold increase in volumetric coverage at no extra cost in scanning time.

Phase-contrast Hounsfield units of fixated and non-fixated soft-tissue samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willner, Marian; Fior, Gabriel; Marschner, Mathias

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a novel technology that achieves high soft-tissue contrast. Although its clinical impact is still under investigation, the technique may potentially improve clinical diagnostics. In conventional attenuation-based X-ray computed tomography, radiological diagnostics are quantified by Hounsfield units. Corresponding Hounsfield units for phase-contrast imaging have been recently introduced, enabling a setup-independent comparison and standardized interpretation of imaging results. Thus far, the experimental values of few tissue types have been reported; these values have been determined from fixated tissue samples. This study presents phase-contrast Hounsfield units for various types of non-fixated human soft tissues. A large variety of tissuemore » specimens ranging from adipose, muscle and connective tissues to liver, kidney and pancreas tissues were imaged by a grating interferometer with a rotating-anode X-ray tube and a photon-counting detector. In addition, we investigated the effects of formalin fixation on the quantitative phase-contrast imaging results.« less

Phase-Contrast Hounsfield Units of Fixated and Non-Fixated Soft-Tissue Samples

PubMed Central

Willner, Marian; Fior, Gabriel; Marschner, Mathias; Birnbacher, Lorenz; Schock, Jonathan; Braun, Christian; Fingerle, Alexander A.; Noël, Peter B.; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Pfeiffer, Franz; Herzen, Julia

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a novel technology that achieves high soft-tissue contrast. Although its clinical impact is still under investigation, the technique may potentially improve clinical diagnostics. In conventional attenuation-based X-ray computed tomography, radiological diagnostics are quantified by Hounsfield units. Corresponding Hounsfield units for phase-contrast imaging have been recently introduced, enabling a setup-independent comparison and standardized interpretation of imaging results. Thus far, the experimental values of few tissue types have been reported; these values have been determined from fixated tissue samples. This study presents phase-contrast Hounsfield units for various types of non-fixated human soft tissues. A large variety of tissue specimens ranging from adipose, muscle and connective tissues to liver, kidney and pancreas tissues were imaged by a grating interferometer with a rotating-anode X-ray tube and a photon-counting detector. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of formalin fixation on the quantitative phase-contrast imaging results. PMID:26322638

Phase-contrast Hounsfield units of fixated and non-fixated soft-tissue samples

DOE PAGES

Willner, Marian; Fior, Gabriel; Marschner, Mathias; ...

2015-08-31

X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a novel technology that achieves high soft-tissue contrast. Although its clinical impact is still under investigation, the technique may potentially improve clinical diagnostics. In conventional attenuation-based X-ray computed tomography, radiological diagnostics are quantified by Hounsfield units. Corresponding Hounsfield units for phase-contrast imaging have been recently introduced, enabling a setup-independent comparison and standardized interpretation of imaging results. Thus far, the experimental values of few tissue types have been reported; these values have been determined from fixated tissue samples. This study presents phase-contrast Hounsfield units for various types of non-fixated human soft tissues. A large variety of tissuemore » specimens ranging from adipose, muscle and connective tissues to liver, kidney and pancreas tissues were imaged by a grating interferometer with a rotating-anode X-ray tube and a photon-counting detector. In addition, we investigated the effects of formalin fixation on the quantitative phase-contrast imaging results.« less

Low cost label-free live cell imaging for biological samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seniya, C.; Towers, C. E.; Towers, D. P.

2017-02-01

This paper reports the progress to develop a practical phase measuring microscope offering new capabilities in terms of phase measurement accuracy and quantification of cell:cell interactions over the longer term. A novel, low cost phase interference microscope for imaging live cells (label-free) is described. The method combines the Zernike phase contrast approach with a dual mirror design to enable phase modulation between the scattered and un-scattered optical fields. Two designs are proposed and demonstrated, one of which retains the common path nature of Zernike's original microscopy concept. In both setups the phase shift is simple to control via a piezoelectric driven mirror in the back focal plane of the imaging system. The approach is significantly cheaper to implement than those based on spatial light modulators (SLM) at approximately 20% of the cost. A quantitative assessment of the performance of a set of phase shifting algorithms is also presented, specifically with regard to broad bandwidth illumination in phase contrast microscopy. The simulation results show that the phase measurement accuracy is strongly dependent on the algorithm selected and the optical path difference in the sample.

Spatial resolution characterization of differential phase contrast CT systems via modulation transfer function (MTF) measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ke; Zambelli, Joseph; Bevins, Nicholas; Ge, Yongshuai; Chen, Guang-Hong

2013-06-01

By adding a Talbot-Lau interferometer to a conventional x-ray absorption computed tomography (CT) imaging system, both differential phase contrast (DPC) signal and absorption contrast signal can be simultaneously measured from the same set of CT measurements. The imaging performance of such multi-contrast x-ray CT imaging systems can be characterized with standard metrics such as noise variance, noise power spectrum, contrast-to-noise ratio, modulation transfer function (MTF), and task-based detectability index. Among these metrics, the measurement of the MTF can be challenging in DPC-CT systems due to several confounding factors such as phase wrapping and the difficulty of using fine wires as probes. To address these technical challenges, this paper discusses a viable and reliable method to experimentally measure the MTF of DPC-CT. It has been found that the spatial resolution of DPC-CT is degraded, when compared to that of the corresponding absorption CT, due to the presence of a source grating G0 in the Talbot-Lau interferometer. An effective MTF was introduced and experimentally estimated to describe the impact of the Talbot-Lau interferometer on the system MTF.

A user-friendly LabVIEW software platform for grating based X-ray phase-contrast imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Shenghao; Han, Huajie; Gao, Kun; Wang, Zhili; Zhang, Can; Yang, Meng; Wu, Zhao; Wu, Ziyu

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging can provide greatly improved contrast over conventional absorption-based imaging for weakly absorbing samples, such as biological soft tissues and fibre composites. In this study, we introduced an easy and fast way to develop a user-friendly software platform dedicated to the new grating-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging setup at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory of the University of Science and Technology of China. The control of 21 motorized stages, of a piezoelectric stage and of an X-ray tube are achieved with this software, it also covers image acquisition with a flat panel detector for automatic phase stepping scan. Moreover, a data post-processing module for signals retrieval and other custom features are in principle available. With a seamless integration of all the necessary functions in one software package, this platform greatly facilitate users' activities during experimental runs with this grating based X-ray phase contrast imaging setup.

An Off-Axis Four-Quadrant Phase Mask (FQPM) Coronagraph for Palomar: High-Contrast Near Bright Stars Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haguenauer, Pierre; Serabyn, Eugene; Bloemhof, Eric E.; Troy, Mitchell; Wallace, James K.; Koresko, Chris D.; Mennesson, Bertrand

2005-01-01

Direct detection of planets around nearby stars requires the development of high-contrast imaging techniques because of the high difference between their respective fluxes. This led us to test a new coronagraphic approach based on the use of phase mask instead of dark occulting ones. Combined with high-level wavefront correction on an unobscured off-axis section of a large telescope, this method allows imaging very close to the star. Calculations indicate that for a given ground-based on-axis telescope, use of such an off-axis coronagraph provides a near-neighbor detection capability superior to that of a traditional coronagraph utilizing the full telescope aperture. Setting up a laboratory experiment working in near infrared allowed us to demonstrate the principle of the method, and a rejection of 2000:1 has already been achieved.

Quantitative breast tissue characterization using grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willner, M.; Herzen, J.; Grandl, S.; Auweter, S.; Mayr, D.; Hipp, A.; Chabior, M.; Sarapata, A.; Achterhold, K.; Zanette, I.; Weitkamp, T.; Sztrókay, A.; Hellerhoff, K.; Reiser, M.; Pfeiffer, F.

2014-04-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging has received growing interest in recent years due to its high capability in visualizing soft tissue. Breast imaging became the focus of particular attention as it is considered the most promising candidate for a first clinical application of this contrast modality. In this study, we investigate quantitative breast tissue characterization using grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) at conventional polychromatic x-ray sources. Different breast specimens have been scanned at a laboratory phase-contrast imaging setup and were correlated to histopathology. Ascertained tumor types include phylloides tumor, fibroadenoma and infiltrating lobular carcinoma. Identified tissue types comprising adipose, fibroglandular and tumor tissue have been analyzed in terms of phase-contrast Hounsfield units and are compared to high-quality, high-resolution data obtained with monochromatic synchrotron radiation, as well as calculated values based on tabulated tissue properties. The results give a good impression of the method’s prospects and limitations for potential tumor detection and the associated demands on such a phase-contrast breast CT system. Furthermore, the evaluated quantitative tissue values serve as a reference for simulations and the design of dedicated phantoms for phase-contrast mammography.

X-Ray Phase Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

the inline phase contrast imaging has good potential of greatly enhanc - ing the detection sensitivity and reducing radiation doses involved in the...the edge- enhancement generated by phase- contrast is generally useful for imaging the wrap, however, such edge- enhancements may lead interpretation...Kotre and I. P. Birch, “Phase contrast enhancement of x-ray mam- mography: A design study,” Phys. Med. Biol. 44, 2853–2866 (1999). 6F. Arfelli et al

X-ray phase contrast tomography from whole organ down to single cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krenkel, Martin; Töpperwien, Mareike; Bartels, Matthias; Lingor, Paul; Schild, Detlev; Salditt, Tim

2014-09-01

We use propagation based hard x-ray phase contrast tomography to explore the three dimensional structure of neuronal tissues from the organ down to sub-cellular level, based on combinations of synchrotron radiation and laboratory sources. To this end a laboratory based microfocus tomography setup has been built in which the geometry was optimized for phase contrast imaging and tomography. By utilizing phase retrieval algorithms, quantitative reconstructions can be obtained that enable automatic renderings without edge artifacts. A high brightness liquid metal microfocus x-ray source in combination with a high resolution detector yielding a resolution down to 1.5 μm. To extend the method to nanoscale resolution we use a divergent x-ray waveguide beam geometry at the synchrotron. Thus, the magnification can be easily tuned by placing the sample at different defocus distances. Due to the small Fresnel numbers in this geometry the measured images are of holographic nature which poses a challenge in phase retrieval.

Single-Shot X-Ray Phase-Contrast Computed Tomography with Nonmicrofocal Laboratory Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diemoz, P. C.; Hagen, C. K.; Endrizzi, M.; Minuti, M.; Bellazzini, R.; Urbani, L.; De Coppi, P.; Olivo, A.

2017-04-01

We present a method that enables performing x-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) computed tomography with a laboratory setup using a single image per projection angle, eliminating the need to move optical elements during acquisition. Theoretical derivation of the method is presented, and its validity conditions are provided. The object is assumed to be quasihomogeneous, i.e., to feature a ratio between the refractive index and the linear attenuation coefficient that is approximately constant across the field of view. The method is experimentally demonstrated on a plastics phantom and on biological samples using a continuous rotation acquisition scheme achieving scan times of a few minutes. Moreover, we show that such acquisition times can be further reduced with the use of a high-efficiency photon-counting detector. Thanks to its ability to substantially simplify the image-acquisition procedure and greatly reduce collection times, we believe this method represents a very important step towards the application of XPCI to real-world problems.

'Taking X-ray phase contrast imaging into mainstream applications' and its satellite workshop 'Real and reciprocal space X-ray imaging'.

PubMed

Olivo, Alessandro; Robinson, Ian

2014-03-06

A double event, supported as part of the Royal Society scientific meetings, was organized in February 2013 in London and at Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire by Dr A. Olivo and Prof. I. Robinson. The theme that joined the two events was the use of X-ray phase in novel imaging approaches, as opposed to conventional methods based on X-ray attenuation. The event in London, led by Olivo, addressed the main roadblocks that X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) is encountering in terms of commercial translation, for clinical and industrial applications. The main driver behind this is the development of new approaches that enable XPCI, traditionally a synchrotron method, to be performed with conventional laboratory sources, thus opening the way to its deployment in clinics and industrial settings. The satellite meeting at Chicheley Hall, led by Robinson, focused on the new scientific developments that have recently emerged at specialized facilities such as third-generation synchrotrons and free-electron lasers, which enable the direct measurement of the phase shift induced by a sample from intensity measurements, typically in the far field. The two events were therefore highly complementary, in terms of covering both the more applied/translational and the blue-sky aspects of the use of phase in X-ray research. 

Intact Imaging of Human Heart Structure Using X-ray Phase-Contrast Tomography.

PubMed

Kaneko, Yukihiro; Shinohara, Gen; Hoshino, Masato; Morishita, Hiroyuki; Morita, Kiyozo; Oshima, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Masashi; Yagi, Naoto; Okita, Yutaka; Tsukube, Takuro

2017-02-01

Structural examination of human heart specimens at the microscopic level is a prerequisite for understanding congenital heart diseases. It is desirable not to destroy or alter the properties of such specimens because of their scarcity. However, many of the currently available imaging techniques either destroy the specimen through sectioning or alter the chemical and mechanical properties of the specimen through staining and contrast agent injection. As a result, subsequent studies may not be possible. X-ray phase-contrast tomography is an imaging modality for biological soft tissues that does not destroy or alter the properties of the specimen. The feasibility of X-ray phase-contrast tomography for the structural examination of heart specimens was tested using infantile and fetal heart specimens without congenital diseases. X-ray phase-contrast tomography was carried out at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility using the Talbot grating interferometer at the bending magnet beamline BL20B2 to visualize the structure of five non-pretreated whole heart specimens obtained by autopsy. High-resolution, three-dimensional images were obtained for all specimens. The images clearly showed the myocardial structure, coronary vessels, and conduction bundle. X-ray phase-contrast tomography allows high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of human heart specimens. Intact imaging using X-ray phase-contrast tomography can contribute to further structural investigation of heart specimens with congenital heart diseases.

Mesh-based phase contrast Fourier transform imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahir, Sajjad; Bashir, Sajid; MacDonald, C. A.; Petruccelli, Jonathan C.

2017-04-01

Traditional x-ray radiography is limited by low attenuation contrast in materials of low electron density. Phase contrast imaging offers the potential to improve the contrast between such materials, but due to the requirements on the spatial coherence of the x-ray beam, practical implementation of such systems with tabletop (i.e. non-synchrotron) sources has been limited. One phase imaging technique employs multiple fine-pitched gratings. However, the strict manufacturing tolerances and precise alignment requirements have limited the widespread adoption of grating-based techniques. In this work, we have investigated a recently developed technique that utilizes a single grid of much coarser pitch. Our system consisted of a low power 100 μm spot Mo source, a CCD with 22 μm pixel pitch, and either a focused mammography linear grid or a stainless steel woven mesh. Phase is extracted from a single image by windowing and comparing data localized about harmonics of the mesh in the Fourier domain. The effects on the diffraction phase contrast and scattering amplitude images of varying grid types and periods, and of varying the width of the window function used to separate the harmonics were investigated. Using the wire mesh, derivatives of the phase along two orthogonal directions were obtained and combined to form improved phase contrast images.

Accelerating non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography with inflow inversion recovery imaging by skipped phase encoding and edge deghosting (SPEED).

PubMed

Chang, Zheng; Xiang, Qing-San; Shen, Hao; Yin, Fang-Fang

2010-03-01

To accelerate non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) with inflow inversion recovery (IFIR) with a fast imaging method, Skipped Phase Encoding and Edge Deghosting (SPEED). IFIR imaging uses a preparatory inversion pulse to reduce signals from static tissue, while leaving inflow arterial blood unaffected, resulting in sparse arterial vasculature on modest tissue background. By taking advantage of vascular sparsity, SPEED can be simplified with a single-layer model to achieve higher efficiency in both scan time reduction and image reconstruction. SPEED can also make use of information available in multiple coils for further acceleration. The techniques are demonstrated with a three-dimensional renal non-contrast-enhanced IFIR MRA study. Images are reconstructed by SPEED based on a single-layer model to achieve an undersampling factor of up to 2.5 using one skipped phase encoding direction. By making use of information available in multiple coils, SPEED can achieve an undersampling factor of up to 8.3 with four receiver coils. The reconstructed images generally have comparable quality as that of the reference images reconstructed from full k-space data. As demonstrated with a three-dimensional renal IFIR scan, SPEED based on a single-layer model is able to reduce scan time further and achieve higher computational efficiency than the original SPEED.

Enhanced renal image contrast by ethanol fixation in phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography.

PubMed

Shirai, Ryota; Kunii, Takuya; Yoneyama, Akio; Ooizumi, Takahito; Maruyama, Hiroko; Lwin, Thet Thet; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Takeda, Tohoru

2014-07-01

Phase-contrast X-ray imaging using a crystal X-ray interferometer can depict the fine structures of biological objects without the use of a contrast agent. To obtain higher image contrast, fixation techniques have been examined with 100% ethanol and the commonly used 10% formalin, since ethanol causes increased density differences against background due to its physical properties and greater dehydration of soft tissue. Histological comparison was also performed. A phase-contrast X-ray system was used, fitted with a two-crystal X-ray interferometer at 35 keV X-ray energy. Fine structures, including cortex, tubules in the medulla, and the vessels of ethanol-fixed kidney could be visualized more clearly than that of formalin-fixed tissues. In the optical microscopic images, shrinkage of soft tissue and decreased luminal space were observed in ethanol-fixed kidney; and this change was significantly shown in the cortex and outer stripe of the outer medulla. The ethanol fixation technique enhances image contrast by approximately 2.7-3.2 times in the cortex and the outer stripe of the outer medulla; the effect of shrinkage and the physical effect of ethanol cause an increment of approximately 78% and 22%, respectively. Thus, the ethanol-fixation technique enables the image contrast to be enhanced in phase-contrast X-ray imaging.

Quantitative T1 and T2* carotid atherosclerotic plaque imaging using a three-dimensional multi-echo phase-sensitive inversion recovery sequence: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Yasuhiro; Maruyama, Hirotoshi; Toyomaru, Kanako; Nishizaka, Yuri; Fukamatsu, Masahiro

2018-06-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to detect carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Although it is important to evaluate vulnerable carotid plaques containing lipids and intra-plaque hemorrhages (IPHs) using T 1 -weighted images, the image contrast changes depending on the imaging settings. Moreover, to distinguish between a thrombus and a hemorrhage, it is useful to evaluate the iron content of the plaque using both T 1 -weighted and T 2 *-weighted images. Therefore, a quantitative evaluation of carotid atherosclerotic plaques using T 1 and T 2 * values may be necessary for the accurate evaluation of plaque components. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the multi-echo phase-sensitive inversion recovery (mPSIR) sequence can improve T 1 contrast while simultaneously providing accurate T 1 and T 2 * values of an IPH. T 1 and T 2 * values measured using mPSIR were compared to values from conventional methods in phantom and in vivo studies. In the phantom study, the T 1 and T 2 * values estimated using mPSIR were linearly correlated with those of conventional methods. In the in vivo study, mPSIR demonstrated higher T 1 contrast between the IPH phantom and sternocleidomastoid muscle than the conventional method. Moreover, the T 1 and T 2 * values of the blood vessel wall and sternocleidomastoid muscle estimated using mPSIR were correlated with values measured by conventional methods and with values reported previously. The mPSIR sequence improved T 1 contrast while simultaneously providing accurate T 1 and T 2 * values of the neck region. Although further study is required to evaluate the clinical utility, mPSIR may improve carotid atherosclerotic plaque detection and provide detailed information about plaque components.

Simulation of a compact analyzer-based imaging system with a regular x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caudevilla, Oriol; Zhou, Wei; Stoupin, Stanislav; Verman, Boris; Brankov, J. G.

2017-03-01

Analyzer-based Imaging (ABI) belongs to a broader family of phase-contrast (PC) X-ray techniques. PC measures X-ray deflection phenomena when interacting with a sample, which is known to provide higher contrast images of soft tissue than other X-ray methods. This is of high interest in the medical field, in particular for mammogram applications. This paper presents a simulation tool for table-top ABI systems using a conventional polychromatic X-ray source.

Interior tomography from differential phase contrast data via Hilbert transform based on spline functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qingsong; Cong, Wenxiang; Wang, Ge

2016-10-01

X-ray phase contrast imaging is an important mode due to its sensitivity to subtle features of soft biological tissues. Grating-based differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging is one of the most promising phase imaging techniques because it works with a normal x-ray tube of a large focal spot at a high flux rate. However, a main obstacle before this paradigm shift is the fabrication of large-area gratings of a small period and a high aspect ratio. Imaging large objects with a size-limited grating results in data truncation which is a new type of the interior problem. While the interior problem was solved for conventional x-ray CT through analytic extension, compressed sensing and iterative reconstruction, the difficulty for interior reconstruction from DPC data lies in that the implementation of the system matrix requires the differential operation on the detector array, which is often inaccurate and unstable in the case of noisy data. Here, we propose an iterative method based on spline functions. The differential data are first back-projected to the image space. Then, a system matrix is calculated whose components are the Hilbert transforms of the spline bases. The system matrix takes the whole image as an input and outputs the back-projected interior data. Prior information normally assumed for compressed sensing is enforced to iteratively solve this inverse problem. Our results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can successfully reconstruct an interior region of interest (ROI) from the differential phase data through the ROI.

Influence of sample preparation and identification of subcelluar structures in quantitative holographic phase contrast microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemper, Björn; Schmidt, Lisa; Przibilla, Sabine; Rommel, Christina; Vollmer, Angelika; Ketelhut, Steffi; Schnekenburger, Jürgen; von Bally, Gert

2010-04-01

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) provides label-free quantitative phase contrast with low demands on sample preparation. Nevertheless, for DHM measurements on fixed cells the mounting medium has to be considered while the phase contrast of living cells may be influenced by the used buffer solution. To quantify these effects, the maximum cell caused phase contrast and the visibility of the nucleoli were analyzed. A second aim of the study was to identify subcellular components in DHM phase contrast images. Therefore, comparative investigations using bright field imaging, DHM and fluorescence microscopy with 4',6- Diamidino-2-phenylindol (DAPI) staining were performed. DAPI-staining visualizes cell components containing DNA. The obtained results demonstrate exemplarily for two tumor cell lines that from DHM phase contrast images of fixed cells in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) cell thickness values are obtained which are comparable to living cells. Furthermore, it is shown that in many cases nucleus components can be identified only by DHM phase contrast.

Biological applications of phase-contrast electron microscopy.

PubMed

Nagayama, Kuniaki

2014-01-01

Here, I review the principles and applications of phase-contrast electron microscopy using phase plates. First, I develop the principle of phase contrast based on a minimal model of microscopy, introducing a double Fourier-transform process to mathematically formulate the image formation. Next, I explain four phase-contrast (PC) schemes, defocus PC, Zernike PC, Hilbert differential contrast, and schlieren optics, as image-filtering processes in the context of the minimal model, with particular emphases on the Zernike PC and corresponding Zernike phase plates. Finally, I review applications of Zernike PC cryo-electron microscopy to biological systems such as protein molecules, virus particles, and cells, including single-particle analysis to delineate three-dimensional (3D) structures of protein and virus particles and cryo-electron tomography to reconstruct 3D images of complex protein systems and cells.

3D nanoscale imaging of the yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy at 5.4 keV.

PubMed

Chen, Jie; Yang, Yunhao; Zhang, Xiaobo; Andrews, Joy C; Pianetta, Piero; Guan, Yong; Liu, Gang; Xiong, Ying; Wu, Ziyu; Tian, Yangchao

2010-07-01

Three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale structures of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, can be obtained by full-field transmission hard X-ray microscopy with 30 nm resolution using synchrotron radiation sources. Sample preparation is relatively simple and the samples are portable across various imaging environments, allowing for high-throughput sample screening. The yeast cells were fixed and double-stained with Reynold's lead citrate and uranyl acetate. We performed both absorption contrast and Zernike phase contrast imaging on these cells in order to test this method. The membranes, nucleus, and subcellular organelles of the cells were clearly visualized using absorption contrast mode. The X-ray images of the cells could be used to study the spatial distributions of the organelles in the cells. These results show unique structural information, demonstrating that hard X-ray microscopy is a complementary method for imaging and analyzing biological samples.

Microscale reconstruction of biogeochemical substrates using multimode X-ray tomography and scanning electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, M.; Miller, E.; Liu, J.; Lund, R. M.; McKinley, J. P.

2012-12-01

X-ray computed tomography (CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron microprobe analysis (EMP), and computational image analysis are mature technologies used in many disciplines. Cross-discipline combination of these imaging and image-analysis technologies is the focus of this research, which uses laboratory and light-source resources in an iterative approach. The objective is to produce images across length scales, taking advantage of instrumentation that is optimized for each scale, and to unify them into a single compositional reconstruction. Initially, CT images will be collected using both x-ray absorption and differential phase contrast modes. The imaged sample will then be physically sectioned and the exposed surfaces imaged and characterized via SEM/EMP. The voxel slice corresponding to the physical sample surface will be isolated computationally, and the volumetric data will be combined with two-dimensional SEM images along CT image planes. This registration step will take advantage of the similarity between the X-ray absorption (CT) and backscattered electron (SEM) coefficients (both proportional to average atomic number in the interrogated volume) as well as the images' mutual information. Elemental and solid-phase distributions on the exposed surfaces, co-registered with SEM images, will be mapped using EMP. The solid-phase distribution will be propagated into three-dimensional space using computational methods relying on the estimation of compositional distributions derived from the CT data. If necessary, solid-phase and pore-space boundaries will be resolved using X-ray differential phase contrast tomography, x-ray fluorescence tomography, and absorption-edge microtomography at a light-source facility. Computational methods will be developed to register and model images collected over varying scales and data types. Image resolution, physically and dynamically, is qualitatively different for the electron microscopy and CT methodologies. Routine CT images are resolved at 10-20 μm, while SEM images are resolved at 10-20 nm; grayscale values vary according to collection time and instrument sensitivity; and compositional sensitivities via EMP vary in interrogation volume and scale. We have so far successfully registered SEM imagery within a multimode tomographic volume and have used standard methods to isolate pore space within the volume. We are developing a three-dimensional solid-phase identification and registration method that is constrained by bulk-sample X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinements. The results of this project will prove useful in fields that require the fine-scale definition of solid-phase distributions and relationships, and could replace more inefficient methods for making these estimations.

Origins of phase contrast in the atomic force microscope in liquids

PubMed Central

Melcher, John; Carrasco, Carolina; Xu, Xin; Carrascosa, José L.; Gómez-Herrero, Julio; José de Pablo, Pedro; Raman, Arvind

2009-01-01

We study the physical origins of phase contrast in dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) in liquids where low-stiffness microcantilever probes are often used for nanoscale imaging of soft biological samples with gentle forces. Under these conditions, we show that the phase contrast derives primarily from a unique energy flow channel that opens up in liquids due to the momentary excitation of higher eigenmodes. Contrary to the common assumption, phase-contrast images in liquids using soft microcantilevers are often maps of short-range conservative interactions, such as local elastic response, rather than tip-sample dissipation. The theory is used to demonstrate variations in local elasticity of purple membrane and bacteriophage ϕ29 virions in buffer solutions using the phase-contrast images. PMID:19666560

Origins of phase contrast in the atomic force microscope in liquids.

PubMed

Melcher, John; Carrasco, Carolina; Xu, Xin; Carrascosa, José L; Gómez-Herrero, Julio; José de Pablo, Pedro; Raman, Arvind

2009-08-18

We study the physical origins of phase contrast in dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) in liquids where low-stiffness microcantilever probes are often used for nanoscale imaging of soft biological samples with gentle forces. Under these conditions, we show that the phase contrast derives primarily from a unique energy flow channel that opens up in liquids due to the momentary excitation of higher eigenmodes. Contrary to the common assumption, phase-contrast images in liquids using soft microcantilevers are often maps of short-range conservative interactions, such as local elastic response, rather than tip-sample dissipation. The theory is used to demonstrate variations in local elasticity of purple membrane and bacteriophage 29 virions in buffer solutions using the phase-contrast images.

Segmentation of knee MRI using structure enhanced local phase filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Mikhiel; Hacihaliloglu, Ilker

2016-03-01

The segmentation of bone surfaces from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data has applications in the quanti- tative measurement of knee osteoarthritis, surgery planning for patient specific total knee arthroplasty and its subsequent fabrication of artificial implants. However, due to the problems associated with MRI imaging such as low contrast between bone and surrounding tissues, noise, bias fields, and the partial volume effect, segmentation of bone surfaces continues to be a challenging operation. In this paper, a new framework is presented for the enhancement of knee MRI scans prior to segmentation in order to obtain high contrast bone images. During the first stage, a new contrast enhanced relative total variation (RTV) regularization method is used in order to remove textural noise from the bone structures and surrounding soft tissue interface. This salient bone edge information is further enhanced using a sparse gradient counting method based on L0 gradient minimization, which globally controls how many non-zero gradients are resulted in order to approximate prominent bone structures in a structure-sparsity-management manner. The last stage of the framework involves incorporation of local phase bone boundary information in order to provide an intensity invariant enhancement of contrast between the bone and surrounding soft tissue. The enhanced images are segmented using a fast random walker algorithm. Validation against expert segmentation was performed on 10 clinical knee MRI images, and achieved a mean dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.975.

Double sided grating fabrication for high energy X-ray phase contrast imaging

DOE PAGES

Hollowell, Andrew E.; Arrington, Christian L.; Finnegan, Patrick; ...

2018-04-19

State of the art grating fabrication currently limits the maximum source energy that can be used in lab based x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) systems. In order to move to higher source energies, and image high density materials or image through encapsulating barriers, new grating fabrication methods are needed. In this work we have analyzed a new modality for grating fabrication that involves precision alignment of etched gratings on both sides of a substrate, effectively doubling the thickness of the grating. Furthermore, we have achieved a front-to-backside feature alignment accuracy of 0.5 µm demonstrating a methodology that can be appliedmore » to any grating fabrication approach extending the attainable aspect ratios allowing higher energy lab based XPCI systems.« less

Double sided grating fabrication for high energy X-ray phase contrast imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollowell, Andrew E.; Arrington, Christian L.; Finnegan, Patrick

State of the art grating fabrication currently limits the maximum source energy that can be used in lab based x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) systems. In order to move to higher source energies, and image high density materials or image through encapsulating barriers, new grating fabrication methods are needed. In this work we have analyzed a new modality for grating fabrication that involves precision alignment of etched gratings on both sides of a substrate, effectively doubling the thickness of the grating. Furthermore, we have achieved a front-to-backside feature alignment accuracy of 0.5 µm demonstrating a methodology that can be appliedmore » to any grating fabrication approach extending the attainable aspect ratios allowing higher energy lab based XPCI systems.« less

High energy x-ray phase contrast CT using glancing-angle grating interferometers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sarapata, A., E-mail: adrian.sarapata@tum.de; Stayman, J. W.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

Purpose: The authors present initial progress toward a clinically compatible x-ray phase contrast CT system, using glancing-angle x-ray grating interferometry to provide high contrast soft tissue images at estimated by computer simulation dose levels comparable to conventional absorption based CT. Methods: DPC-CT scans of a joint phantom and of soft tissues were performed in order to answer several important questions from a clinical setup point of view. A comparison between high and low fringe visibility systems is presented. The standard phase stepping method was compared with sliding window interlaced scanning. Using estimated dose values obtained with a Monte-Carlo code themore » authors studied the dependence of the phase image contrast on exposure time and dose. Results: Using a glancing angle interferometer at high x-ray energy (∼45 keV mean value) in combination with a conventional x-ray tube the authors achieved fringe visibility values of nearly 50%, never reported before. High fringe visibility is shown to be an indispensable parameter for a potential clinical scanner. Sliding window interlaced scanning proved to have higher SNRs and CNRs in a region of interest and to also be a crucial part of a low dose CT system. DPC-CT images of a soft tissue phantom at exposures in the range typical for absorption based CT of musculoskeletal extremities were obtained. Assuming a human knee as the CT target, good soft tissue phase contrast could be obtained at an estimated absorbed dose level around 8 mGy, similar to conventional CT. Conclusions: DPC-CT with glancing-angle interferometers provides improved soft tissue contrast over absorption CT even at clinically compatible dose levels (estimated by a Monte-Carlo computer simulation). Further steps in image processing, data reconstruction, and spectral matching could make the technique fully clinically compatible. Nevertheless, due to its increased scan time and complexity the technique should be thought of not as replacing, but as complimentary to conventional CT, to be used in specific applications.« less

A new method for fusion, denoising and enhancement of x-ray images retrieved from Talbot-Lau grating interferometry.

PubMed

Scholkmann, Felix; Revol, Vincent; Kaufmann, Rolf; Baronowski, Heidrun; Kottler, Christian

2014-03-21

This paper introduces a new image denoising, fusion and enhancement framework for combining and optimal visualization of x-ray attenuation contrast (AC), differential phase contrast (DPC) and dark-field contrast (DFC) images retrieved from x-ray Talbot-Lau grating interferometry. The new image fusion framework comprises three steps: (i) denoising each input image (AC, DPC and DFC) through adaptive Wiener filtering, (ii) performing a two-step image fusion process based on the shift-invariant wavelet transform, i.e. first fusing the AC with the DPC image and then fusing the resulting image with the DFC image, and finally (iii) enhancing the fused image to obtain a final image using adaptive histogram equalization, adaptive sharpening and contrast optimization. Application examples are presented for two biological objects (a human tooth and a cherry) and the proposed method is compared to two recently published AC/DPC/DFC image processing techniques. In conclusion, the new framework for the processing of AC, DPC and DFC allows the most relevant features of all three images to be combined in one image while reducing the noise and enhancing adaptively the relevant image features. The newly developed framework may be used in technical and medical applications.

Cross-phase modulation spectral shifting: nonlinear phase contrast in a pump-probe microscope

PubMed Central

Wilson, Jesse W.; Samineni, Prathyush; Warren, Warren S.; Fischer, Martin C.

2012-01-01

Microscopy with nonlinear phase contrast is achieved by a simple modification to a nonlinear pump-probe microscope. The technique measures cross-phase modulation by detecting a pump-induced spectral shift in the probe pulse. Images with nonlinear phase contrast are acquired both in transparent and absorptive media. In paraffin-embedded biopsy sections, cross-phase modulation complements the chemically-specific pump-probe images with structural context. PMID:22567580

Phase contrast imaging with coherent high energy X-rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snigireva, I.

X-ray imaging concern high energy domain (>6 keV) like a contact radiography, projection microscopy and tomography is used for many years to discern the features of the internal structure non destructively in material science, medicine and biology. In so doing the main contrast formation is absorption that makes some limitations for imaging of the light density materials and what is more the resolution of these techniques is not better than 10-100 {mu}m. It was turned out that there is now way in which to overcome 1{mu}m or even sub-{mu}m resolution limit except phase contrast imaging. It is well known inmore » optics that the phase contrast is realised when interference between reference wave front and transmitted through the sample take place. Examples of this imaging are: phase contrast microscopy suggested by Zernike and Gabor (in-line) holography. Both of this techniques: phase contrast x-ray microscopy and holography are successfully progressing now in soft x-ray region. For imaging in the hard X-rays to enhance the contrast and to be able to resolve phase variations across the beam the high degree of the time and more importantly spatial coherence is needed. Because of this it was reasonable that the perfect crystal optics was involved like Bonse-Hart interferometry, double-crystal and even triple-crystal set-up using Laue and Bragg geometry with asymmetrically cut crystals.« less

Phase Tomography Reconstructed by 3D TIE in Hard X-ray Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Gung-Chian; Chen, Fu-Rong; Pyun, Ahram; Je, Jung Ho; Hwu, Yeukuang; Liang, Keng S.

2007-01-01

X-ray phase tomography and phase imaging are promising ways of investigation on low Z material. A polymer blend of PE/PS sample was used to test the 3D phase retrieval method in the parallel beam illuminated microscope. Because the polymer sample is thick, the phase retardation is quite mixed and the image can not be distinguished when the 2D transport intensity equation (TIE) is applied. In this study, we have provided a different approach for solving the phase in three dimensions for thick sample. Our method involves integration of 3D TIE/Fourier slice theorem for solving thick phase sample. In our experiment, eight sets of de-focal series image data sets were recorded covering the angular range of 0 to 180 degree. Only three set of image cubes were used in 3D TIE equation for solving the phase tomography. The phase contrast of the polymer blend in 3D is obviously enhanced, and the two different groups of polymer blend can be distinguished in the phase tomography.

Assessment of imaging quality in magnified phase CT of human bone tissue at the nanoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Boliang; Langer, Max; Pacureanu, Alexandra; Gauthier, Remy; Follet, Helene; Mitton, David; Olivier, Cecile; Cloetens, Peter; Peyrin, Francoise

2017-10-01

Bone properties at all length scales have a major impact on the fracture risk in disease such as osteoporosis. However, quantitative 3D data on bone tissue at the cellular scale are still rare. Here we propose to use magnified X-ray phase nano-CT to quantify bone ultra-structure in human bone, on the new setup developed on the beamline ID16A at the ESRF, Grenoble. Obtaining 3D images requires the application of phase retrieval prior to tomographic reconstruction. Phase retrieval is an ill-posed problem for which various approaches have been developed. Since image quality has a strong impact on the further quantification of bone tissue, our aim here is to evaluate different phase retrieval methods for imaging bone samples at the cellular scale. Samples from femurs of female donors were scanned using magnified phase nano-CT at voxel sizes of 120 and 30 nm with an energy of 33 keV. Four CT scans at varying sample-to-detector distances were acquired for each sample. We evaluated three phase retrieval methods adapted to these conditions: Paganin's method at single distance, Paganin's method extended to multiple distances, and the contrast transfer function (CTF) approach for pure phase objects. These methods were used as initialization to an iterative refinement step. Our results based on visual and quantitative assessment show that the use of several distances (as opposed to single one) clearly improves image quality and the two multi-distance phase retrieval methods give similar results. First results on the segmentation of osteocyte lacunae and canaliculi from such images are presented.

Glancing angle Talbot-Lau grating interferometers for phase contrast imaging at high x-ray energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutman, D.; Finkenthal, M.

2012-08-01

A Talbot-Lau interferometer is demonstrated using micro-periodic gratings inclined at a glancing angle along the light propagation direction. Due to the increase in the effective thickness of the absorption gratings, the device enables differential phase contrast imaging at high x-ray energy, with improved fringe visibility (contrast). For instance, at 28° glancing angle, we obtain up to ˜35% overall interferometer contrast with a spectrum having ˜43 keV mean energy, suitable for medical applications. In addition, glancing angle interferometers could provide high contrast at energies above 100 keV, enabling industrial and security applications of phase contrast imaging.

Quantitative phase microscopy via optimized inversion of the phase optical transfer function.

PubMed

Jenkins, Micah H; Gaylord, Thomas K

2015-10-01

Although the field of quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has wide-ranging biomedical applicability, many QPI methods are not well-suited for such applications due to their reliance on coherent illumination and specialized hardware. By contrast, methods utilizing partially coherent illumination have the potential to promote the widespread adoption of QPI due to their compatibility with microscopy, which is ubiquitous in the biomedical community. Described herein is a new defocus-based reconstruction method that utilizes a small number of efficiently sampled micrographs to optimally invert the partially coherent phase optical transfer function under assumptions of weak absorption and slowly varying phase. Simulation results are provided that compare the performance of this method with similar algorithms and demonstrate compatibility with large phase objects. The accuracy of the method is validated experimentally using a microlens array as a test phase object. Lastly, time-lapse images of live adherent cells are obtained with an off-the-shelf microscope, thus demonstrating the new method's potential for extending QPI capability widely in the biomedical community.

Contrast enhanced liver MRI in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis: inverse appearance of focal confluent fibrosis on delayed phase MR images with hepatocyte specific versus extracellular gadolinium based contrast agents.

PubMed

Husarik, Daniela B; Gupta, Rajan T; Ringe, Kristina I; Boll, Daniel T; Merkle, Elmar M

2011-12-01

To assess the enhancement pattern of focal confluent fibrosis (FCF) on contrast-enhanced hepatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using hepatocyte-specific (Gd-EOB-DTPA) and extracellular (ECA) gadolinium-based contrast agents in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). After institutional review board approval, 10 patients with PSC (6 male, 4 female; 33-61 years) with 13 FCF were included in this retrospective study. All patients had a Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced liver MRI exam, and a comparison ECA-enhanced MRI. On each T1-weighted dynamic dataset, the signal intensity (SI) of FCF and the surrounding liver as well as the paraspinal muscle (M) were measured. In the Gd-EOB-DTPA group, hepatocyte phase images were also included. SI FCF/SI M, SI liver/SI M, and [(SI liver - SI FCF)/SI liver] were compared between the different contrast agents for each dynamic phase using the paired Student's t-test. There was no significant difference in SI FCF/SI M in all imaging phases. SI liver/SI M was significantly higher for the Gd-EOB-DTPA group in the delayed phase (P < .001), whereas there was no significant difference in all other imaging phases. In the Gd-EOB-DTPA group, mean [(SI liver - SI FCF)/SI liver] were as follows (values for ECA group in parentheses): unenhanced phase: 0.26 (0.26); arterial phase: 0.01 (-0.31); portal venous phase (PVP): -0.05 (-0.26); delayed phase (DP): 0.14 (-0.54); and hepatocyte phase: 0.26. Differences were significant for the DP (P < .001). On delayed phase MR images the FCF-to-liver contrast is reversed with the lesions appearing hyperintense on ECA enhanced images and hypointense on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced images. Copyright © 2011 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative characterization of edge enhancement in phase contrast x-ray imaging.

PubMed

Monnin, P; Bulling, S; Hoszowska, J; Valley, J F; Meuli, R; Verdun, F R

2004-06-01

The aim of this study was to model the edge enhancement effect in in-line holography phase contrast imaging. A simple analytical approach was used to quantify refraction and interference contrasts in terms of beam energy and imaging geometry. The model was applied to predict the peak intensity and frequency of the edge enhancement for images of cylindrical fibers. The calculations were compared with measurements, and the relationship between the spatial resolution of the detector and the amplitude of the phase contrast signal was investigated. Calculations using the analytical model were in good agreement with experimental results for nylon, aluminum and copper wires of 50 to 240 microm diameter, and with numerical simulations based on Fresnel-Kirchhoff theory. A relationship between the defocusing distance and the pixel size of the image detector was established. This analytical model is a useful tool for optimizing imaging parameters in phase contrast in-line holography, including defocusing distance, detector resolution and beam energy.

Classification of C2C12 cells at differentiation by convolutional neural network of deep learning using phase contrast images.

PubMed

Niioka, Hirohiko; Asatani, Satoshi; Yoshimura, Aina; Ohigashi, Hironori; Tagawa, Seiichi; Miyake, Jun

2018-01-01

In the field of regenerative medicine, tremendous numbers of cells are necessary for tissue/organ regeneration. Today automatic cell-culturing system has been developed. The next step is constructing a non-invasive method to monitor the conditions of cells automatically. As an image analysis method, convolutional neural network (CNN), one of the deep learning method, is approaching human recognition level. We constructed and applied the CNN algorithm for automatic cellular differentiation recognition of myogenic C2C12 cell line. Phase-contrast images of cultured C2C12 are prepared as input dataset. In differentiation process from myoblasts to myotubes, cellular morphology changes from round shape to elongated tubular shape due to fusion of the cells. CNN abstract the features of the shape of the cells and classify the cells depending on the culturing days from when differentiation is induced. Changes in cellular shape depending on the number of days of culture (Day 0, Day 3, Day 6) are classified with 91.3% accuracy. Image analysis with CNN has a potential to realize regenerative medicine industry.

SU-E-I-90: Characterizing Small Animal Lung Properties Using Speckle Observed with An In-Line X-Ray Phase Contrast Benchtop System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garson, A; Gunsten, S; Guan, H

Purpose: We demonstrate a novel X-ray phase-contrast (XPC) method for lung imaging representing a paradigm shift in the way small animal functional imaging is performed. In our method, information regarding airway microstructure that is encoded within speckle texture of a single XPC radiograph is decoded to produce 2D parametric images that will spatially resolve changes in lung properties such as microstructure sizes and air volumes. Such information cannot be derived from conventional lung radiography or any other 2D imaging modality. By computing these images at different points within a breathing cycle, dynamic functional imaging will be readily achieved without themore » need for tomography. Methods: XPC mouse lung radiographs acquired in situ with an in-line X-ray phase contrast benchtop system. The lung air volume is varied and controlled with a small animal ventilator. XPC radiographs will be acquired for various lung air volume levels representing different phases of the respiratory cycle. Similar data will be acquired of microsphere-based lung phantoms containing hollow glass spheres with known distributions of diameters. Image texture analysis is applied to the data to investigate relationships between texture characteristics and airspace/microsphere physical properties. Results: Correlations between Fourier-based texture descriptors (FBTDs) and regional lung air volume indicate that the texture features in 2D radiographs reveal information on 3D properties of the lungs. For example, we find for a 350 × 350 πm2 lung ROI a linear relationship between injected air volume and FBTD value with slope and intercept of 8.9×10{sup 5} and 7.5, respectively. Conclusion: We demonstrate specific image texture measures related to lung speckle features are correlated with physical characteristics of refracting elements (i.e. lung air spaces). Furthermore, we present results indicating the feasibility of implementing the technique with a simple imaging system design, short exposures, and low dose which provides potential for widespread use in laboratory settings for in vivo studies. This research was supported in part by NSF Award CBET1263988.« less

Phase contrast portal imaging using synchrotron radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umetani, K.; Kondoh, T.

2014-07-01

Microbeam radiation therapy is an experimental form of radiation treatment with great potential to improve the treatment of many types of cancer. We applied a synchrotron radiation phase contrast technique to portal imaging to improve targeting accuracy for microbeam radiation therapy in experiments using small animals. An X-ray imaging detector was installed 6.0 m downstream from an object to produce a high-contrast edge enhancement effect in propagation-based phase contrast imaging. Images of a mouse head sample were obtained using therapeutic white synchrotron radiation with a mean beam energy of 130 keV. Compared to conventional portal images, remarkably clear images of bones surrounding the cerebrum were acquired in an air environment for positioning brain lesions with respect to the skull structure without confusion with overlapping surface structures.

Zernike Phase Contrast Electron Cryo-Tomography Applied to Marine Cyanobacteria Infected with Cyanophages

PubMed Central

Dai, Wei; Fu, Caroline; Khant, Htet A.; Ludtke, Steven J.; Schmid, Michael F.; Chiu, Wah

2015-01-01

Advances in electron cryo-tomography have provided a new opportunity to visualize the internal 3D structures of a bacterium. An electron microscope equipped with Zernike phase contrast optics produces images with dramatically increased contrast compared to images obtained by conventional electron microscopy. Here we describe a protocol to apply Zernike phase plate technology for acquiring electron tomographic tilt series of cyanophage-infected cyanobacterial cells embedded in ice, without staining or chemical fixation. We detail the procedures for aligning and assessing phase plates for data collection, and methods to obtain 3D structures of cyanophage assembly intermediates in the host, by subtomogram alignment, classification and averaging. Acquiring three to four tomographic tilt series takes approximately 12 h on a JEM2200FS electron microscope. We expect this time requirement to decrease substantially as the technique matures. Time required for annotation and subtomogram averaging varies widely depending on the project goals and data volume. PMID:25321408

Effect of fringe-artifact correction on sub-tomogram averaging from Zernike phase-plate cryo-TEM

PubMed Central

Kishchenko, Gregory P.; Danev, Radostin; Fisher, Rebecca; He, Jie; Hsieh, Chyongere; Marko, Michael; Sui, Haixin

2015-01-01

Zernike phase-plate (ZPP) imaging greatly increases contrast in cryo-electron microscopy, however fringe artifacts appear in the images. A computational de-fringing method has been proposed, but it has not been widely employed, perhaps because the importance of de-fringing has not been clearly demonstrated. For testing purposes, we employed Zernike phase-plate imaging in a cryo-electron tomographic study of radial-spoke complexes attached to microtubule doublets. We found that the contrast enhancement by ZPP imaging made nonlinear denoising insensitive to the filtering parameters, such that simple low-frequency band-pass filtering made the same improvement in map quality. We employed sub-tomogram averaging, which compensates for the effect of the “missing wedge” and considerably improves map quality. We found that fringes (caused by the abrupt cut-on of the central hole in the phase plate) can lead to incorrect representation of a structure that is well-known from the literature. The expected structure was restored by amplitude scaling, as proposed in the literature. Our results show that de-fringing is an important part of image-processing for cryo-electron tomography of macromolecular complexes with ZPP imaging. PMID:26210582

Quantitative investigation of the edge enhancement in in-line phase contrast projections and tomosynthesis provided by distributing microbubbles on the interface between two tissues: a phantom study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Di; Donovan Wong, Molly; Li, Yuhua; Fajardo, Laurie; Zheng, Bin; Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2017-12-01

The objective of this study was to quantitatively investigate the ability to distribute microbubbles along the interface between two tissues, in an effort to improve the edge and/or boundary features in phase contrast imaging. The experiments were conducted by employing a custom designed tissue simulating phantom, which also simulated a clinical condition where the ligand-targeted microbubbles are self-aggregated on the endothelium of blood vessels surrounding malignant cells. Four different concentrations of microbubble suspensions were injected into the phantom: 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4%. A time delay of 5 min was implemented before image acquisition to allow the microbubbles to become distributed at the interface between the acrylic and the cavity simulating a blood vessel segment. For comparison purposes, images were acquired using three system configurations for both projection and tomosynthesis imaging with a fixed radiation dose delivery: conventional low-energy contact mode, low-energy in-line phase contrast and high-energy in-line phase contrast. The resultant images illustrate the edge feature enhancements in the in-line phase contrast imaging mode when the microbubble concentration is extremely low. The quantitative edge-enhancement-to-noise ratio calculations not only agree with the direct image observations, but also indicate that the edge feature enhancement can be improved by increasing the microbubble concentration. In addition, high-energy in-line phase contrast imaging provided better performance in detecting low-concentration microbubble distributions.

Large-field high-contrast hard x-ray Zernike phase-contrast nano-imaging beamline at Pohang Light Source.

PubMed

Lim, Jun; Park, So Yeong; Huang, Jung Yun; Han, Sung Mi; Kim, Hong-Tae

2013-01-01

We developed an off-axis-illuminated zone-plate-based hard x-ray Zernike phase-contrast microscope beamline at Pohang Light Source. Owing to condenser optics-free and off-axis illumination, a large field of view was achieved. The pinhole-type Zernike phase plate affords high-contrast images of a cell with minimal artifacts such as the shade-off and halo effects. The setup, including the optics and the alignment, is simple and easy, and allows faster and easier imaging of large bio-samples.

Noise in x-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging.

PubMed

Weber, Thomas; Bartl, Peter; Bayer, Florian; Durst, Jürgen; Haas, Wilhelm; Michel, Thilo; Ritter, André; Anton, Gisela

2011-07-01

Grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging is a fast developing new modality not only for medical imaging, but as well for other fields such as material sciences. While these many possible applications arise, the knowledge of the noise behavior is essential. In this work, the authors used a least squares fitting algorithm to calculate the noise behavior of the three quantities absorption, differential phase, and dark-field image. Further, the calculated error formula of the differential phase image was verified by measurements. Therefore, a Talbot interferometer was setup, using a microfocus x-ray tube as source and a Timepix detector for photon counting. Additionally, simulations regarding this topic were performed. It turned out that the variance of the reconstructed phase is only dependent of the total number of photons used to generate the phase image and the visibility of the experimental setup. These results could be evaluated in measurements as well as in simulations. Furthermore, the correlation between absorption and dark-field image was calculated. These results provide the understanding of the noise characteristics of grating-based phase-contrast imaging and will help to improve image quality.

Non-interferometric quantitative phase imaging of yeast cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poola, Praveen K.; Pandiyan, Vimal Prabhu; John, Renu

2015-12-01

Real-time imaging of live cells is quite difficult without the addition of external contrast agents. Various methods for quantitative phase imaging of living cells have been proposed like digital holographic microscopy and diffraction phase microscopy. In this paper, we report theoretical and experimental results of quantitative phase imaging of live yeast cells with nanometric precision using transport of intensity equations (TIE). We demonstrate nanometric depth sensitivity in imaging live yeast cells using this technique. This technique being noninterferometric, does not need any coherent light sources and images can be captured through a regular bright-field microscope. This real-time imaging technique would deliver the depth or 3-D volume information of cells and is highly promising in real-time digital pathology applications, screening of pathogens and staging of diseases like malaria as it does not need any preprocessing of samples.

On-axis programmable microscope using liquid crystal spatial light modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Martínez, Pascuala; Martínez, José Luís.; Moreno, Ignacio

2017-06-01

Spatial light modulators (SLM) are currently used in many applications in optical microscopy and imaging. One of the most promising methods is the use of liquid crystal displays (LCD) as programmable phase diffractive optical elements (DOE) placed in the Fourier plane giving access to the spatial frequencies which can be phased shifted individually, allowing to emulate a wealth of contrast enhancing methods for both amplitude and phase samples. We use phase and polarization modulation of LCD to implement an on-axis microscope optical system. The LCD used are Hamamatsu liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) SLM free of flicker, thus showing a full profit of the SLM space bandwidth, as opposed to optical systems in the literature forced to work off-axis due to the strong zero-order component. Taking benefits of the phase modulation of the LCOS we have implemented different microscopic imaging operations, such as high-pass and low-pass filtering in parallel using programmable blazed gratings. Moreover, we are able to control polarization modulation to display two orthogonal linear state of polarization images than can be subtracted or added by changing the period of the blazed grating. In that sense, Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy can be easily done by generating two images exploiting the polarization splitting properties when a blazed grating is displayed in the SLM. Biological microscopy samples are also used.

High-Resolution Multi-Shot Spiral Diffusion Tensor Imaging with Inherent Correction of Motion-Induced Phase Errors

PubMed Central

Truong, Trong-Kha; Guidon, Arnaud

2014-01-01

Purpose To develop and compare three novel reconstruction methods designed to inherently correct for motion-induced phase errors in multi-shot spiral diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) without requiring a variable-density spiral trajectory or a navigator echo. Theory and Methods The first method simply averages magnitude images reconstructed with sensitivity encoding (SENSE) from each shot, whereas the second and third methods rely on SENSE to estimate the motion-induced phase error for each shot, and subsequently use either a direct phase subtraction or an iterative conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm, respectively, to correct for the resulting artifacts. Numerical simulations and in vivo experiments on healthy volunteers were performed to assess the performance of these methods. Results The first two methods suffer from a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or from residual artifacts in the reconstructed diffusion-weighted images and fractional anisotropy maps. In contrast, the third method provides high-quality, high-resolution DTI results, revealing fine anatomical details such as a radial diffusion anisotropy in cortical gray matter. Conclusion The proposed SENSE+CG method can inherently and effectively correct for phase errors, signal loss, and aliasing artifacts caused by both rigid and nonrigid motion in multi-shot spiral DTI, without increasing the scan time or reducing the SNR. PMID:23450457

Cross-correlation photothermal optical coherence tomography with high effective resolution.

PubMed

Tang, Peijun; Liu, Shaojie; Chen, Junbo; Yuan, Zhiling; Xie, Bingkai; Zhou, Jianhua; Tang, Zhilie

2017-12-01

We developed a cross-correlation photothermal optical coherence tomography (CC-PTOCT) system for photothermal imaging with high lateral and axial resolution. The CC-PTOCT system consists of a phase-sensitive OCT system, a modulated pumping laser, and a digital cross-correlator. The pumping laser was used to induce the photothermal effect in the sample, causing a slight phase modulation of the OCT signals. A spatial phase differentiation method was employed to reduce phase accumulation. The noise brought by the phase differentiation method and the strong background noise were suppressed efficiently by the cross-correlator, which was utilized to extract the photothermal signals from the modulated signals. Combining the cross-correlation technique with spatial phase differentiation can improve both lateral and axial resolution of the PTOCT imaging system. Clear photothermal images of blood capillaries of a mouse ear in vivo were successfully obtained with high lateral and axial resolution. The experimental results demonstrated that this system can enhance the effective transverse resolution, effective depth resolution, and contrast of the PTOCT image effectively, aiding the ongoing development of the accurate 3D functional imaging.

Zernike phase contrast cryo-electron tomography of whole bacterial cells

PubMed Central

Guerrero-Ferreira, Ricardo C.; Wright, Elizabeth R.

2014-01-01

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) provides three-dimensional (3D) structural information of bacteria preserved in a native, frozen-hydrated state. The typical low contrast of tilt-series images, a result of both the need for a low electron dose and the use of conventional defocus phase-contrast imaging, is a challenge for high-quality tomograms. We show that Zernike phase-contrast imaging allows the electron dose to be reduced. This limits movement of gold fiducials during the tilt series, which leads to better alignment and a higher-resolution reconstruction. Contrast is also enhanced, improving visibility of weak features. The reduced electron dose also means that more images at more tilt angles could be recorded, further increasing resolution. PMID:24075950

Quantitative phase imaging of arthropods

PubMed Central

Sridharan, Shamira; Katz, Aron; Soto-Adames, Felipe; Popescu, Gabriel

2015-01-01

Abstract. Classification of arthropods is performed by characterization of fine features such as setae and cuticles. An unstained whole arthropod specimen mounted on a slide can be preserved for many decades, but is difficult to study since current methods require sample manipulation or tedious image processing. Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is a quantitative phase imaging (QPI) technique that is an add-on module to a commercial phase contrast microscope. We use SLIM to image a whole organism springtail Ceratophysella denticulata mounted on a slide. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that an entire organism has been imaged using QPI. We also demonstrate the ability of SLIM to image fine structures in addition to providing quantitative data that cannot be obtained by traditional bright field microscopy. PMID:26334858

Multimodal imaging of human cerebellum - merging X-ray phase microtomography, magnetic resonance microscopy and histology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, Georg; Waschkies, Conny; Pfeiffer, Franz; Zanette, Irene; Weitkamp, Timm; David, Christian; Müller, Bert

2012-11-01

Imaging modalities including magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray computed tomography are established methods in daily clinical diagnosis of human brain. Clinical equipment does not provide sufficient spatial resolution to obtain morphological information on the cellular level, essential for applying minimally or non-invasive surgical interventions. Therefore, generic data with lateral sub-micrometer resolution have been generated from histological slices post mortem. Sub-cellular spatial resolution, lost in the third dimension as a result of sectioning, is obtained using magnetic resonance microscopy and micro computed tomography. We demonstrate that for human cerebellum grating-based X-ray phase tomography shows complementary contrast to magnetic resonance microscopy and histology. In this study, the contrast-to-noise values of magnetic resonance microscopy and phase tomography were comparable whereas the spatial resolution in phase tomography is an order of magnitude better. The registered data with their complementary information permit the distinct segmentation of tissues within the human cerebellum.

Tomographic image reconstruction using x-ray phase information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Hirano, Keiichi

1996-04-01

We have been developing phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (CT) to make possible the observation of biological soft tissues without contrast enhancement. Phase-contrast x-ray CT requires for its input data the x-ray phase-shift distributions or phase-mapping images caused by an object. These were measured with newly developed fringe-scanning x-ray interferometry. Phase-mapping images at different projection directions were obtained by rotating the object in an x-ray interferometer, and were processed with a standard CT algorithm. A phase-contrast x-ray CT image of a nonstained cancerous tissue was obtained using 17.7 keV synchrotron x rays with 12 micrometer voxel size, although the size of the observation area was at most 5 mm. The cancerous lesions were readily distinguishable from normal tissues. Moreover, fine structures corresponding to cancerous degeneration and fibrous tissues were clearly depicted. It is estimated that the present system is sensitive down to a density deviation of 4 mg/cm3.

Accelerated radial Fourier-velocity encoding using compressed sensing.

PubMed

Hilbert, Fabian; Wech, Tobias; Hahn, Dietbert; Köstler, Herbert

2014-09-01

Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a tool for non-invasive determination of flow velocities inside blood vessels. Because Phase Contrast MRI only measures a single mean velocity per voxel, it is only applicable to vessels significantly larger than the voxel size. In contrast, Fourier Velocity Encoding measures the entire velocity distribution inside a voxel, but requires a much longer acquisition time. For accurate diagnosis of stenosis in vessels on the scale of spatial resolution, it is important to know the velocity distribution of a voxel. Our aim was to determine velocity distributions with accelerated Fourier Velocity Encoding in an acquisition time required for a conventional Phase Contrast image. We imaged the femoral artery of healthy volunteers with ECG-triggered, radial CINE acquisition. Data acquisition was accelerated by undersampling, while missing data were reconstructed by Compressed Sensing. Velocity spectra of the vessel were evaluated by high resolution Phase Contrast images and compared to spectra from fully sampled and undersampled Fourier Velocity Encoding. By means of undersampling, it was possible to reduce the scan time for Fourier Velocity Encoding to the duration required for a conventional Phase Contrast image. Acquisition time for a fully sampled data set with 12 different Velocity Encodings was 40 min. By applying a 12.6-fold retrospective undersampling, a data set was generated equal to 3:10 min acquisition time, which is similar to a conventional Phase Contrast measurement. Velocity spectra from fully sampled and undersampled Fourier Velocity Encoded images are in good agreement and show the same maximum velocities as compared to velocity maps from Phase Contrast measurements. Compressed Sensing proved to reliably reconstruct Fourier Velocity Encoded data. Our results indicate that Fourier Velocity Encoding allows an accurate determination of the velocity distribution in vessels in the order of the voxel size. Thus, compared to normal Phase Contrast measurements delivering only mean velocities, no additional scan time is necessary to retrieve meaningful velocity spectra in small vessels. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Cholangiography: Practical Tips and Clinical Indications for Biliary Disease Management.

PubMed

Palmucci, Stefano; Roccasalva, Federica; Piccoli, Marina; Fuccio Sanzà, Giovanni; Foti, Pietro Valerio; Ragozzino, Alfonso; Milone, Pietro; Ettorre, Giovanni Carlo

2017-01-01

Since its introduction, MRCP has been improved over the years due to the introduction of several technical advances and innovations. It consists of a noninvasive method for biliary tree representation, based on heavily T2-weighted images. Conventionally, its protocol includes two-dimensional single-shot fast spin-echo images, acquired with thin sections or with multiple thick slabs. In recent years, three-dimensional T2-weighted fast-recovery fast spin-echo images have been added to the conventional protocol, increasing the possibility of biliary anatomy demonstration and leading to a significant benefit over conventional 2D imaging. A significant innovation has been reached with the introduction of hepatobiliary contrasts, represented by gadoxetic acid and gadobenate dimeglumine: they are excreted into the bile canaliculi, allowing the opacification of the biliary tree. Recently, 3D interpolated T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo images have been proposed for the evaluation of the biliary tree, obtaining images after hepatobiliary contrast agent administration. Thus, the acquisition of these excretory phases improves the diagnostic capability of conventional MRCP-based on T2 acquisitions. In this paper, technical features of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography are briefly discussed; main diagnostic tips of hepatobiliary phase are showed, emphasizing the benefit of enhanced cholangiography in comparison with conventional MRCP.

Prestack depth migration for complex 2D structure using phase-screen propagators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, P.; Huang, Lian-Jie; Burch, C.

1997-11-01

We present results for the phase-screen propagator method applied to prestack depth migration of the Marmousi synthetic data set. The data were migrated as individual common-shot records and the resulting partial images were superposed to obtain the final complete Image. Tests were performed to determine the minimum number of frequency components required to achieve the best quality image and this in turn provided estimates of the minimum computing time. Running on a single processor SUN SPARC Ultra I, high quality images were obtained in as little as 8.7 CPU hours and adequate images were obtained in as little as 4.4more » CPU hours. Different methods were tested for choosing the reference velocity used for the background phase-shift operation and for defining the slowness perturbation screens. Although the depths of some of the steeply dipping, high-contrast features were shifted slightly the overall image quality was fairly insensitive to the choice of the reference velocity. Our jests show the phase-screen method to be a reliable and fast algorithm for imaging complex geologic structures, at least for complex 2D synthetic data where the velocity model is known.« less

Diagnostic Accuracy of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Characterizing Lung Masses

PubMed Central

Inan, Nagihan; Arslan, Arzu; Donmez, Muhammed; Sarisoy, Hasan Tahsin

2016-01-01

Background Imaging plays a critical role not only in the detection, but also in the characterization of lung masses as benign or malignant. Objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lung masses. Patients and Methods Ninety-four masses were included in this prospective study. Five dynamic series of T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo (FFE) images were obtained, followed by a T1-weighted FFE sequence in the late phase (5th minutes). Contrast enhancement patterns in the early (25th second) and late (5th minute) phase images were evaluated. For the quantitative evaluation, signal intensity (SI)-time curves were obtained and the maximum relative enhancement, wash-in rate, and time-to-peak enhancement of masses in both groups were calculated. Results The early phase contrast enhancement patterns were homogeneous in 78.2% of the benign masses, while heterogeneous in 74.4% of the malignant tumors. On the late phase images, 70.8% of the benign masses showed homogeneous enhancement, while most of the malignant masses showed heterogeneous enhancement (82.4%). During the first pass, the maximum relative enhancement and wash-in rate values of malignant masses were significantly higher than those of the benign masses (P = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). The cutoff value at 15% yielded a sensitivity of 85.4%, specificity of 61.2%, and positive predictive value of 68.7% for the maximum relative enhancement. Conclusion Contrast enhancement patterns and SI-time curve analysis of MRI are helpful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lung masses. PMID:27703654

Interferometric imaging of acoustical phenomena using high-speed polarization camera and 4-step parallel phase-shifting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, K.; Yatabe, K.; Ikeda, Y.; Oikawa, Y.; Onuma, T.; Niwa, H.; Yoshii, M.

2017-02-01

Imaging of sound aids the understanding of the acoustical phenomena such as propagation, reflection, and diffraction, which is strongly required for various acoustical applications. The imaging of sound is commonly done by using a microphone array, whereas optical methods have recently been interested due to its contactless nature. The optical measurement of sound utilizes the phase modulation of light caused by sound. Since light propagated through a sound field changes its phase as proportional to the sound pressure, optical phase measurement technique can be used for the sound measurement. Several methods including laser Doppler vibrometry and Schlieren method have been proposed for that purpose. However, the sensitivities of the methods become lower as a frequency of sound decreases. In contrast, since the sensitivities of the phase-shifting technique do not depend on the frequencies of sounds, that technique is suitable for the imaging of sounds in the low-frequency range. The principle of imaging of sound using parallel phase-shifting interferometry was reported by the authors (K. Ishikawa et al., Optics Express, 2016). The measurement system consists of a high-speed polarization camera made by Photron Ltd., and a polarization interferometer. This paper reviews the principle briefly and demonstrates the high-speed imaging of acoustical phenomena. The results suggest that the proposed system can be applied to various industrial problems in acoustical engineering.

A Flexible Method for Multi-Material Decomposition of Dual-Energy CT Images.

PubMed

Mendonca, Paulo R S; Lamb, Peter; Sahani, Dushyant V

2014-01-01

The ability of dual-energy computed-tomographic (CT) systems to determine the concentration of constituent materials in a mixture, known as material decomposition, is the basis for many of dual-energy CT's clinical applications. However, the complex composition of tissues and organs in the human body poses a challenge for many material decomposition methods, which assume the presence of only two, or at most three, materials in the mixture. We developed a flexible, model-based method that extends dual-energy CT's core material decomposition capability to handle more complex situations, in which it is necessary to disambiguate among and quantify the concentration of a larger number of materials. The proposed method, named multi-material decomposition (MMD), was used to develop two image analysis algorithms. The first was virtual unenhancement (VUE), which digitally removes the effect of contrast agents from contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT exams. VUE has the ability to reduce patient dose and improve clinical workflow, and can be used in a number of clinical applications such as CT urography and CT angiography. The second algorithm developed was liver-fat quantification (LFQ), which accurately quantifies the fat concentration in the liver from dual-energy CT exams. LFQ can form the basis of a clinical application targeting the diagnosis and treatment of fatty liver disease. Using image data collected from a cohort consisting of 50 patients and from phantoms, the application of MMD to VUE and LFQ yielded quantitatively accurate results when compared against gold standards. Furthermore, consistent results were obtained across all phases of imaging (contrast-free and contrast-enhanced). This is of particular importance since most clinical protocols for abdominal imaging with CT call for multi-phase imaging. We conclude that MMD can successfully form the basis of a number of dual-energy CT image analysis algorithms, and has the potential to improve the clinical utility of dual-energy CT in disease management.

X-ray phase contrast imaging of biological specimens with femtosecond pulses of betatron radiation from a compact laser plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kneip, S.; Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109; McGuffey, C.

2011-08-29

We show that x-rays from a recently demonstrated table top source of bright, ultrafast, coherent synchrotron radiation [Kneip et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 980 (2010)] can be applied to phase contrast imaging of biological specimens. Our scheme is based on focusing a high power short pulse laser in a tenuous gas jet, setting up a plasma wakefield accelerator that accelerates and wiggles electrons analogously to a conventional synchrotron, but on the centimeter rather than tens of meter scale. We use the scheme to record absorption and phase contrast images of a tetra fish, damselfly and yellow jacket, in particular highlightingmore » the contrast enhancement achievable with the simple propagation technique of phase contrast imaging. Coherence and ultrafast pulse duration will allow for the study of various aspects of biomechanics.« less

Whole slide imaging of unstained tissue using lensfree microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morel, Sophie Nhu An; Hervé, Lionel; Bordy, Thomas; Cioni, Olivier; Delon, Antoine; Fromentin, Catherine; Dinten, Jean-Marc; Allier, Cédric

2016-04-01

Pathologist examination of tissue slides provides insightful information about a patient's disease. Traditional analysis of tissue slides is performed under a binocular microscope, which requires staining of the sample and delays the examination. We present a simple cost-effective lensfree imaging method to record 2-4μm resolution wide-field (10 mm2 to 6 cm2) images of unstained tissue slides. The sample processing time is reduced as there is no need for staining. A wide field of view (10 mm2) lensfree hologram is recorded in a single shot and the image is reconstructed in 2s providing a very fast acquisition chain. The acquisition is multispectral, i.e. multiple holograms are recorded simultaneously at three different wavelengths, and a dedicated holographic reconstruction algorithm is used to retrieve both amplitude and phase. Whole tissue slides imaging is obtained by recording 130 holograms with X-Y translation stages and by computing the mosaic of a 25 x 25 mm2 reconstructed image. The reconstructed phase provides a phase-contrast-like image of the unstained specimen, revealing structures of healthy and diseased tissue. Slides from various organs can be reconstructed, e.g. lung, colon, ganglion, etc. To our knowledge, our method is the first technique that enables fast wide-field lensfree imaging of such unlabeled dense samples. This technique is much cheaper and compact than a conventional phase contrast microscope and could be made portable. In sum, we present a new methodology that could quickly provide useful information when a rapid diagnosis is needed, such as tumor margin identification on frozen section biopsies during surgery.

Potential of phase contrast x-ray imaging for detecting tumors in dense breast: initial phantom studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omoumi, Farid H.; Wu, Di; Guo, Yuran; Ghani, Muhammad U.; Li, Yuhua; Boyce, Kari E.; Liu, Hong

2018-02-01

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the potential of using the High-energy in-line phase contrast x-ray imaging to detect lesions that are indistinguishable by conventional x-ray mammography but are detectable by supplemental ultrasound screening within dense breasts. For this study, a custom-made prototype x-ray/ultrasound dualmodality phantom that mimics dense breast is created to include embedded carbon fiber disks with multiple diameters and thicknesses. The phase contrast image is acquired using a prototype at 120kVp, 67μA, exposure time of 16.7sec and focal spot size of 18.3μm with average glandular dose (AGD) of 0.3mGy under a geometric magnification of 2.48. The conventional x-ray image is acquired with a bench top system operating at 40kVp, 300μA, exposure time of 50sec and same AGD. The results demonstrate that conventional x-ray imaging is unable to detect any of the carbon fiber disks, while phase contrast imaging and ultrasonography are able to detect most or all of the disks under the applied experimental conditions. These results illustrate phase contrast imaging is capable of detecting targets in a dual-modality phantom which simulates lesions in dense breast tissue, when the simulated lesions are not distinguishable by conventional mammography. Therefore mammographic screening with phase contrast technique could eventually replace both x-ray and ultrasonography for screening detection of small lesions with microcalcification in dense breasts where pathologic lesions are masked due to highly glandular tissue. These results encourage further investigation using high glandular density phantoms to further evaluate the effectiveness of phase contrast imaging as a single modality test, which combines the advantages of both x-ray and ultrasound imaging in cancer screening of patients with dense breasts.

Synchrotron-radiation phase-contrast imaging of human stomach and gastric cancer: in vitro studies.

PubMed

Tang, Lei; Li, Gang; Sun, Ying-Shi; Li, Jie; Zhang, Xiao-Peng

2012-05-01

The electron density resolution of synchrotron-radiation phase-contrast imaging (SR-PCI) is 1000 times higher than that of conventional X-ray absorption imaging in light elements, through which high-resolution X-ray imaging of biological soft tissue can be achieved. For biological soft tissue, SR-PCI can give better imaging contrast than conventional X-ray absorption imaging. In this study, human resected stomach and gastric cancer were investigated using in-line holography and diffraction enhanced imaging at beamline 4W1A of the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. It was possible to depict gastric pits, measuring 50-70 µm, gastric grooves and tiny blood vessels in the submucosa layer by SR-PCI. The fine structure of a cancerous ulcer was displayed clearly on imaging the mucosa. The delamination of the gastric wall and infiltration of cancer in the submucosa layer were also demonstrated on cross-sectional imaging. In conclusion, SR-PCI can demonstrate the subtle structures of stomach and gastric cancer that cannot be detected by conventional X-ray absorption imaging, which prompt the X-ray diagnosis of gastric disease to the level of the gastric pit, and has the potential to provide new methods for the imageology of gastric cancer.

Contrast Enhanced Microscopy Digital Image Correlation: A General Method to Contact-Free Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Measurement of Polymer Films

Treesearch

Jairo A. Diaz; Robert J. Moon; Jeffrey P. Youngblood

2014-01-01

Thermal expansion represents a vital indicator of the processing history and dimensional stability of materials. Solvent-sensitive, thin, and compliant samples are particularly challenging to test. Here we describe how textures highlighted by contrast enhanced optical microscopy modes (i.e., polarized light (PL), phase contrast (PC)) and bright field (BF) can be used...

Methods and algorithms for optical coherence tomography-based angiography: a review and comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Anqi; Zhang, Qinqin; Chen, Chieh-Li; Wang, Ruikang K.

2015-10-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography is increasingly becoming a clinically useful and important imaging technique due to its ability to provide volumetric microvascular networks innervating tissue beds in vivo without a need for exogenous contrast agent. Numerous OCT angiography algorithms have recently been proposed for the purpose of contrasting microvascular networks. A general literature review is provided on the recent progress of OCT angiography methods and algorithms. The basic physics and mathematics behind each method together with its contrast mechanism are described. Potential directions for future technical development of OCT based angiography is then briefly discussed. Finally, by the use of clinical data captured from normal and pathological subjects, the imaging performance of vascular networks delivered by the most recently reported algorithms is evaluated and compared, including optical microangiography, speckle variance, phase variance, split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography, and correlation mapping. It is found that the method that utilizes complex OCT signal to contrast retinal blood flow delivers the best performance among all the algorithms in terms of image contrast and vessel connectivity. The purpose of this review is to help readers understand and select appropriate OCT angiography algorithm for use in specific applications.

Quantitative X-ray Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Takashi

Full-field soft x-ray microscopes are widely used in many fields of sciences. Advances in nanofabrication technology enabled short wavelength focusing elements with significantly improved spatial resolution. In the soft x-ray spectral region, samples as small as 12 nm can be resolved using micro zone-plates as the objective lens. In addition to conventional x-ray microscopy in which x-ray absorption difference provides the image contrast, phase contrast mechanisms such as differential phase contrast (DIC) and Zernike phase contrast have also been demonstrated These phase contrast imaging mechanisms are especially attractive at the x-ray wavelengths where phase contrast of most materials is typically 10 times stronger than the absorption contrast. With recent progresses in plasma-based x- ray sources and increasing accessibility to synchrotron user facilities, x-ray microscopes are quickly becoming standard measurement equipment in the laboratory. To further the usefulness of x-ray DIC microscopy this thesis explicitly addresses three known issues with this imaging modality by introducing new techniques and devices First, as opposed to its visible-light counterpart, no quantitative phase imaging technique exists for x-ray DIC microscopy. To address this issue, two nanoscale x-ray quantitative phase imaging techniques, using exclusive OR (XOR) patterns and zone-plate doublets, respectively, are proposed. Unlike existing x-ray quantitative phase imaging techniques such as Talbot interferometry and ptychography, no dedicated experimental setups or stringent illumination coherence are needed for quantitative phase retrieval. Second, to the best of our knowledge, no quantitative performance characterization of DIC microscopy exists to date. Therefore the imaging system's response to sample's spatial frequency is not known In order to gain in-depth understanding of this imaging modality, performance of x-ray DIC microscopy is quantified using modulation transfer function. A new illumination apparatus required for the transfer function analysis under partially coherent illumination is also proposed. Such a characterization is essential for a proper selection of DIC optics for various transparent samples under study. Finally, optical elements used for x-ray DIC microscopy are highly absorptive and high brilliance x-ray sources such as synchrotrons are generally needed for image contrast. To extend the use of x-ray DIC microscopy to a wider variety of applications, a high efficiency large numerical aperture optical element consisting of high reflective Bragg reflectors is proposed. Using Bragg reflectors, which have 70% ˜99% reflectivity at extreme ultraviolet and soft x-rays for all angles of glancing incidence, the first order focusing efficiency is expected to increase by ˜ 8 times compared to that of a typical Fresnel zone-plate. This thesis contributes to current nanoscale x-ray phase contrast imaging research and provides new insights for biological, material, and magnetic sciences

X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endrizzi, Marco

2018-01-01

X-ray imaging is a standard tool for the non-destructive inspection of the internal structure of samples. It finds application in a vast diversity of fields: medicine, biology, many engineering disciplines, palaeontology and earth sciences are just few examples. The fundamental principle underpinning the image formation have remained the same for over a century: the X-rays traversing the sample are subjected to different amount of absorption in different parts of the sample. By means of phase-sensitive techniques it is possible to generate contrast also in relation to the phase shifts imparted by the sample and to extend the capabilities of X-ray imaging to those details that lack enough absorption contrast to be visualised in conventional radiography. A general overview of X-ray phase contrast imaging techniques is presented in this review, along with more recent advances in this fast evolving field and some examples of applications.

Cardiac contraction motion compensation in gated myocardial perfusion SPECT: A comparative study.

PubMed

Salehi, Narges; Rahmim, Arman; Fatemizadeh, Emad; Akbarzadeh, Afshin; Farahani, Mohammad Hossein; Farzanefar, Saeed; Ay, Mohammad Reza

2018-05-01

Cardiac contraction significantly degrades quality and quantitative accuracy of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) images. In this study, we aimed to explore different techniques in motion-compensated temporal processing of MPS images and their impact on image quality and quantitative accuracy. 50 patients without known heart condition underwent gated MPS. 3D motion compensation methods using Motion Freezing by Cedars Sinai (MF), Log-domain Diffeomorphic Demons (LDD) and Free-Form Deformation (FFD) were applied to warp all image phases to fit the end-diastolic (ED) phase. Afterwards, myocardial wall thickness, myocardial to blood pool contrast, and image contrast-to noise ratio (CNR) were measured in summed images with no motion compensation (NoMC) and compensated images (MF, LDD and FFD). Total Perfusion Defect (TPD) was derived from Cedars-Sinai software, on the basis of sex-specific normal limits. Left ventricle (LV) lateral wall thickness was reduced after applying motion compensation (p < 0.05). Myocardial to blood pool contrast and CNR in compensated images were greater than NoMC (p < 0.05). TPD_LDD was in good agreement with the corresponding TPD_MF (p = 0.13). All methods have improved image quality and quantitative performance relative to NoMC. LDD and FFD are fully automatic and do not require any manual intervention, while MF is dependent on contour definition. In terms of diagnostic parameters LDD is in good agreement with MF which is a clinically accepted method. Further investigation along with diagnostic reference standards, in order to specify diagnostic value of each technique is recommended. Copyright © 2018 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. All rights reserved.

Local ablation therapy with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for hepatocellular carcinoma: a practical review

PubMed Central

Kim, Tae Kyoung; Khalili, Korosh; Jang, Hyun-Jung

2015-01-01

A successful program for local ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requires extensive imaging support for diagnosis and localization of HCC, imaging guidance for the ablation procedures, and post-treatment monitoring. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) has several advantages over computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI), including real-time imaging capability, sensitive detection of arterial-phase hypervascularity and washout, no renal excretion, no ionizing radiation, repeatability, excellent patient compliance, and relatively low cost. CEUS is useful for image guidance for isoechoic lesions. While contrast-enhanced CT/MRI is the standard method for the diagnosis of HCC and post-ablation monitoring, CEUS is useful when CT/MRI findings are indeterminate or CT/MRI is contraindicated. This article provides a practical review of the role of CEUS in imaging algorithms for pre- and post-ablation therapy for HCC. PMID:26169081

Ethanol fixed brain imaging by phase-contrast X-ray technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Tohoru; Thet-Thet-Lwin; Kunii, Takuya; Sirai, Ryota; Ohizumi, Takahito; Maruyama, Hiroko; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Yoneyama, Akio; Ueda, Kazuhiro

2013-03-01

The two-crystal phase-contrast X-ray imaging technique using an X-ray crystal interferometer can depict the fine structures of rat's brain such as cerebral cortex, white matter, and basal ganglia. Image quality and contrast by ethanol fixed brain showed significantly better than those by usually used formalin fixation at 35 keV X-ray energy. Image contrast of cortex by ethanol fixation was more than 3-times higher than that by formalin fixation. Thus, the technique of ethanol fixation might be better suited to image cerebral structural detail at 35 keV X-ray energy.

3D nanoscale imaging of the yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, by full-field transmission x-ray microscopy at 5.4 keV

PubMed Central

Chen, Jie; Yang, Yunhao; Zhang, Xiaobo; Andrews, Joy C.; Pianetta, Piero; Guan, Yong; Liu, Gang; Xiong, Ying; Wu, Ziyu; Tian, Yangchao

2010-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale structures of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, can be obtained by full-field transmission hard x-ray microscopy with 30 nm resolution using synchrotron radiation sources. Sample preparation is relatively simple and the samples are portable across various imaging environments, allowing for high throughput sample screening. The yeast cells were fixed and double stained with Reynold’s lead citrate and uranyl acetate. We performed both absorption contrast and Zernike phase contrast imaging on these cells in order to test this method. The membranes, nucleus and subcellular organelles of the cells were clearly visualized using absorption contrast mode. The x-ray images of the cells could be used to study the spatial distributions of the organelles in the cells. These results show unique structural information, demonstrating that hard x-ray microscopy is a complementary method for imaging and analyzing biological samples. PMID:20349228

Zernike phase contrast cryo-electron tomography of whole bacterial cells.

PubMed

Guerrero-Ferreira, Ricardo C; Wright, Elizabeth R

2014-01-01

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) provides three-dimensional (3D) structural information of bacteria preserved in a native, frozen-hydrated state. The typical low contrast of tilt-series images, a result of both the need for a low electron dose and the use of conventional defocus phase-contrast imaging, is a challenge for high-quality tomograms. We show that Zernike phase-contrast imaging allows the electron dose to be reduced. This limits movement of gold fiducials during the tilt series, which leads to better alignment and a higher-resolution reconstruction. Contrast is also enhanced, improving visibility of weak features. The reduced electron dose also means that more images at more tilt angles could be recorded, further increasing resolution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

3D undersampled golden-radial phase encoding for DCE-MRA using inherently regularized iterative SENSE.

PubMed

Prieto, Claudia; Uribe, Sergio; Razavi, Reza; Atkinson, David; Schaeffter, Tobias

2010-08-01

One of the current limitations of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR angiography is the requirement of both high spatial and high temporal resolution. Several undersampling techniques have been proposed to overcome this problem. However, in most of these methods the tradeoff between spatial and temporal resolution is constant for all the time frames and needs to be specified prior to data collection. This is not optimal for dynamic contrast-enhanced MR angiography where the dynamics of the process are difficult to predict and the image quality requirements are changing during the bolus passage. Here, we propose a new highly undersampled approach that allows the retrospective adaptation of the spatial and temporal resolution. The method combines a three-dimensional radial phase encoding trajectory with the golden angle profile order and non-Cartesian Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE) reconstruction. Different regularization images, obtained from the same acquired data, are used to stabilize the non-Cartesian SENSE reconstruction for the different phases of the bolus passage. The feasibility of the proposed method was demonstrated on a numerical phantom and in three-dimensional intracranial dynamic contrast-enhanced MR angiography of healthy volunteers. The acquired data were reconstructed retrospectively with temporal resolutions from 1.2 sec to 8.1 sec, providing a good depiction of small vessels, as well as distinction of different temporal phases.

In Vitro Validation of an Artefact Suppression Algorithm in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Sunaguchi, Naoki; Yuasa, Tetsuya; Hirano, Shin-Ichi; Gupta, Rajiv; Ando, Masami

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast tomography can significantly increase the contrast-resolution of conventional attenuation-contrast imaging, especially for soft-tissue structures that have very similar attenuation. Just as in attenuation-based tomography, phase contrast tomography requires a linear dependence of aggregate beam direction on the incremental direction alteration caused by individual voxels along the path of the X-ray beam. Dense objects such as calcifications in biological specimens violate this condition. There are extensive beam deflection artefacts in the vicinity of such structures because they result in large distortion of wave front due to the large difference of refractive index; for such large changes in beam direction, the transmittance of the silicon analyzer crystal saturates and is no longer linearly dependent on the angle of refraction. This paper describes a method by which these effects can be overcome and excellent soft-tissue contrast of phase tomography can be preserved in the vicinity of such artefact-producing structures.

Phase imaging in brain using SWIFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehto, Lauri Juhani; Garwood, Michael; Gröhn, Olli; Corum, Curtis Andrew

2015-03-01

The majority of MRI phase imaging is based on gradient recalled echo (GRE) sequences. This work studies phase contrast behavior due to small off-resonance frequency offsets in brain using SWIFT, a FID-based sequence with nearly zero acquisition delay. 1D simulations and a phantom study were conducted to describe the behavior of phase accumulation in SWIFT. Imaging experiments of known brain phase contrast properties were conducted in a perfused rat brain comparing GRE and SWIFT. Additionally, a human brain sample was imaged. It is demonstrated how SWIFT phase is orientation dependent and correlates well with GRE, linking SWIFT phase to similar off-resonance sources as GRE. The acquisition time is shown to be analogous to TE for phase accumulation time. Using experiments with and without a magnetization transfer preparation, the likely effect of myelin water pool contribution is seen as a phase increase for all acquisition times. Due to the phase accumulation during acquisition, SWIFT phase contrast can be sensitized to small frequency differences between white and gray matter using low acquisition bandwidths.

3D algebraic iterative reconstruction for cone-beam x-ray differential phase-contrast computed tomography.

PubMed

Fu, Jian; Hu, Xinhua; Velroyen, Astrid; Bech, Martin; Jiang, Ming; Pfeiffer, Franz

2015-01-01

Due to the potential of compact imaging systems with magnified spatial resolution and contrast, cone-beam x-ray differential phase-contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT) has attracted significant interest. The current proposed FDK reconstruction algorithm with the Hilbert imaginary filter will induce severe cone-beam artifacts when the cone-beam angle becomes large. In this paper, we propose an algebraic iterative reconstruction (AIR) method for cone-beam DPC-CT and report its experiment results. This approach considers the reconstruction process as the optimization of a discrete representation of the object function to satisfy a system of equations that describes the cone-beam DPC-CT imaging modality. Unlike the conventional iterative algorithms for absorption-based CT, it involves the derivative operation to the forward projections of the reconstructed intermediate image to take into account the differential nature of the DPC projections. This method is based on the algebraic reconstruction technique, reconstructs the image ray by ray, and is expected to provide better derivative estimates in iterations. This work comprises a numerical study of the algorithm and its experimental verification using a dataset measured with a three-grating interferometer and a mini-focus x-ray tube source. It is shown that the proposed method can reduce the cone-beam artifacts and performs better than FDK under large cone-beam angles. This algorithm is of interest for future cone-beam DPC-CT applications.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of hepatocellular carcinoma not detected during the screening procedure.

PubMed

Dong, Yi; Wang, Wen-Ping; Mao, Feng; Dietrich, Christoph

2017-08-01

Aim  The aim of this retrospective study is to report on the characteristics of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) of primarily not detected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during the screening procedure of patients at risk. Methods  Sixty-four patients with a finally solitary and histologically proven HCC not detected HCC during the screening procedure were retrospectively analyzed. Most of HCC lesions (90.6 %, 58/64) measured < 20 mm in diameter. All HCC lesions were not detected during the initial screening procedure but suspected using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The final gold standard was biopsy or surgery with histological examination. Results  On CEUS, 62/64 (96.8 %) of HCC were characterized as an obviously hyperenhanced lesion in arterial phase, and 41/64 (64.1 %) of HCC were characterized as hypoenhancing lesions in the portal venous and late phases. During the arterial phase of CEUS, 96.8 % of HCC displayed homogeneous hyperenhancement. Knowing the CEUS and magnetic resonance imaging findings, 45/64 (70.3 %) could have been detected using B-mode ultrasound (BMUS). Conclusion  BMUS as a screening procedure is generally accepted. Contrast-enhanced imaging modalities have improved detection and characterization of HCC. Homogeneous hyperenhancement during the arterial phase and mild washout are indicative for HCC in liver cirrhosis. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Translation of Atherosclerotic Plaque Phase-Contrast CT Imaging from Synchrotron Radiation to a Conventional Lab-Based X-Ray Source

PubMed Central

Saam, Tobias; Herzen, Julia; Hetterich, Holger; Fill, Sandra; Willner, Marian; Stockmar, Marco; Achterhold, Klaus; Zanette, Irene; Weitkamp, Timm; Schüller, Ulrich; Auweter, Sigrid; Adam-Neumair, Silvia; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Reiser, Maximilian F.; Pfeiffer, Franz; Bamberg, Fabian

2013-01-01

Objectives Phase-contrast imaging is a novel X-ray based technique that provides enhanced soft tissue contrast. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of visualizing human carotid arteries by grating-based phase-contrast tomography (PC-CT) at two different experimental set-ups: (i) applying synchrotron radiation and (ii) using a conventional X-ray tube. Materials and Methods Five ex-vivo carotid artery specimens were examined with PC-CT either at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility using a monochromatic X-ray beam (2 specimens; 23 keV; pixel size 5.4 µm), or at a laboratory set-up on a conventional X-ray tube (3 specimens; 35-40 kVp; 70 mA; pixel size 100 µm). Tomographic images were reconstructed and compared to histopathology. Two independent readers determined vessel dimensions and one reader determined signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) between PC-CT and absorption images. Results In total, 51 sections were included in the analysis. Images from both set-ups provided sufficient contrast to differentiate individual vessel layers. All PCI-based measurements strongly predicted but significantly overestimated lumen, intima and vessel wall area for both the synchrotron and the laboratory-based measurements as compared with histology (all p<0.001 with slope >0.53 per mm2, 95%-CI: 0.35 to 0.70). Although synchrotron-based images were characterized by higher SNRs than laboratory-based images; both PC-CT set-ups had superior SNRs compared to corresponding conventional absorption-based images (p<0.001). Inter-reader reproducibility was excellent (ICCs >0.98 and >0.84 for synchrotron and for laboratory-based measurements; respectively). Conclusion Experimental PC-CT of carotid specimens is feasible with both synchrotron and conventional X-ray sources, producing high-resolution images suitable for vessel characterization and atherosclerosis research. PMID:24039969

Anatomical background noise power spectrum in differential phase contrast breast images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrett, John; Ge, Yongshuai; Li, Ke; Chen, Guang-Hong

2015-03-01

In x-ray breast imaging, the anatomical noise background of the breast has a significant impact on the detection of lesions and other features of interest. This anatomical noise is typically characterized by a parameter, β, which describes a power law dependence of anatomical noise on spatial frequency (the shape of the anatomical noise power spectrum). Large values of β have been shown to reduce human detection performance, and in conventional mammography typical values of β are around 3.2. Recently, x-ray differential phase contrast (DPC) and the associated dark field imaging methods have received considerable attention as possible supplements to absorption imaging for breast cancer diagnosis. However, the impact of these additional contrast mechanisms on lesion detection is not yet well understood. In order to better understand the utility of these new methods, we measured the β indices for absorption, DPC, and dark field images in 15 cadaver breast specimens using a benchtop DPC imaging system. We found that the measured β value for absorption was consistent with the literature for mammographic acquisitions (β = 3.61±0.49), but that both DPC and dark field images had much lower values of β (β = 2.54±0.75 for DPC and β = 1.44±0.49 for dark field). In addition, visual inspection showed greatly reduced anatomical background in both DPC and dark field images. These promising results suggest that DPC and dark field imaging may help provide improved lesion detection in breast imaging, particularly for those patients with dense breasts, in whom anatomical noise is a major limiting factor in identifying malignancies.

Automated method for the rapid and precise estimation of adherent cell culture characteristics from phase contrast microscopy images.

PubMed

Jaccard, Nicolas; Griffin, Lewis D; Keser, Ana; Macown, Rhys J; Super, Alexandre; Veraitch, Farlan S; Szita, Nicolas

2014-03-01

The quantitative determination of key adherent cell culture characteristics such as confluency, morphology, and cell density is necessary for the evaluation of experimental outcomes and to provide a suitable basis for the establishment of robust cell culture protocols. Automated processing of images acquired using phase contrast microscopy (PCM), an imaging modality widely used for the visual inspection of adherent cell cultures, could enable the non-invasive determination of these characteristics. We present an image-processing approach that accurately detects cellular objects in PCM images through a combination of local contrast thresholding and post hoc correction of halo artifacts. The method was thoroughly validated using a variety of cell lines, microscope models and imaging conditions, demonstrating consistently high segmentation performance in all cases and very short processing times (<1 s per 1,208 × 960 pixels image). Based on the high segmentation performance, it was possible to precisely determine culture confluency, cell density, and the morphology of cellular objects, demonstrating the wide applicability of our algorithm for typical microscopy image processing pipelines. Furthermore, PCM image segmentation was used to facilitate the interpretation and analysis of fluorescence microscopy data, enabling the determination of temporal and spatial expression patterns of a fluorescent reporter. We created a software toolbox (PHANTAST) that bundles all the algorithms and provides an easy to use graphical user interface. Source-code for MATLAB and ImageJ is freely available under a permissive open-source license. © 2013 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Automated Method for the Rapid and Precise Estimation of Adherent Cell Culture Characteristics from Phase Contrast Microscopy Images

PubMed Central

Jaccard, Nicolas; Griffin, Lewis D; Keser, Ana; Macown, Rhys J; Super, Alexandre; Veraitch, Farlan S; Szita, Nicolas

2014-01-01

The quantitative determination of key adherent cell culture characteristics such as confluency, morphology, and cell density is necessary for the evaluation of experimental outcomes and to provide a suitable basis for the establishment of robust cell culture protocols. Automated processing of images acquired using phase contrast microscopy (PCM), an imaging modality widely used for the visual inspection of adherent cell cultures, could enable the non-invasive determination of these characteristics. We present an image-processing approach that accurately detects cellular objects in PCM images through a combination of local contrast thresholding and post hoc correction of halo artifacts. The method was thoroughly validated using a variety of cell lines, microscope models and imaging conditions, demonstrating consistently high segmentation performance in all cases and very short processing times (<1 s per 1,208 × 960 pixels image). Based on the high segmentation performance, it was possible to precisely determine culture confluency, cell density, and the morphology of cellular objects, demonstrating the wide applicability of our algorithm for typical microscopy image processing pipelines. Furthermore, PCM image segmentation was used to facilitate the interpretation and analysis of fluorescence microscopy data, enabling the determination of temporal and spatial expression patterns of a fluorescent reporter. We created a software toolbox (PHANTAST) that bundles all the algorithms and provides an easy to use graphical user interface. Source-code for MATLAB and ImageJ is freely available under a permissive open-source license. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 504–517. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:24037521

Respiratory motion compensation algorithm of ultrasound hepatic perfusion data acquired in free-breathing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Kaizhi; Zhang, Xuming; Chen, Guangxie; Weng, Fei; Ding, Mingyue

2013-10-01

Images acquired in free breathing using contrast enhanced ultrasound exhibit a periodic motion that needs to be compensated for if a further accurate quantification of the hepatic perfusion analysis is to be executed. In this work, we present an algorithm to compensate the respiratory motion by effectively combining the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) method and block matching method. The respiratory kinetics of the ultrasound hepatic perfusion image sequences was firstly extracted using the PCA method. Then, the optimal phase of the obtained respiratory kinetics was detected after normalizing the motion amplitude and determining the image subsequences of the original image sequences. The image subsequences were registered by the block matching method using cross-correlation as the similarity. Finally, the motion-compensated contrast images can be acquired by using the position mapping and the algorithm was evaluated by comparing the TICs extracted from the original image sequences and compensated image subsequences. Quantitative comparisons demonstrated that the average fitting error estimated of ROIs (region of interest) was reduced from 10.9278 +/- 6.2756 to 5.1644 +/- 3.3431 after compensating.

Time reversal and phase coherent music techniques for super-resolution ultrasound imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Lianjie; Labyed, Yassin

Systems and methods for super-resolution ultrasound imaging using a windowed and generalized TR-MUSIC algorithm that divides the imaging region into overlapping sub-regions and applies the TR-MUSIC algorithm to the windowed backscattered ultrasound signals corresponding to each sub-region. The algorithm is also structured to account for the ultrasound attenuation in the medium and the finite-size effects of ultrasound transducer elements. A modified TR-MUSIC imaging algorithm is used to account for ultrasound scattering from both density and compressibility contrasts. The phase response of ultrasound transducer elements is accounted for in a PC-MUSIC system.

Mathematical imaging methods for mitosis analysis in live-cell phase contrast microscopy.

PubMed

Grah, Joana Sarah; Harrington, Jennifer Alison; Koh, Siang Boon; Pike, Jeremy Andrew; Schreiner, Alexander; Burger, Martin; Schönlieb, Carola-Bibiane; Reichelt, Stefanie

2017-02-15

In this paper we propose a workflow to detect and track mitotic cells in time-lapse microscopy image sequences. In order to avoid the requirement for cell lines expressing fluorescent markers and the associated phototoxicity, phase contrast microscopy is often preferred over fluorescence microscopy in live-cell imaging. However, common specific image characteristics complicate image processing and impede use of standard methods. Nevertheless, automated analysis is desirable due to manual analysis being subjective, biased and extremely time-consuming for large data sets. Here, we present the following workflow based on mathematical imaging methods. In the first step, mitosis detection is performed by means of the circular Hough transform. The obtained circular contour subsequently serves as an initialisation for the tracking algorithm based on variational methods. It is sub-divided into two parts: in order to determine the beginning of the whole mitosis cycle, a backwards tracking procedure is performed. After that, the cell is tracked forwards in time until the end of mitosis. As a result, the average of mitosis duration and ratios of different cell fates (cell death, no division, division into two or more daughter cells) can be measured and statistics on cell morphologies can be obtained. All of the tools are featured in the user-friendly MATLAB®Graphical User Interface MitosisAnalyser. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

NMR Hyperpolarization Techniques for Biomedicine

PubMed Central

Nikolaou, Panayiotis; Goodson, Boyd M.

2015-01-01

Recent developments in NMR hyperpolarization have enabled a wide array of new in vivo molecular imaging modalities—ranging from functional imaging of the lungs to metabolic imaging of cancer. This Concept article explores selected advances in methods for the preparation and use of hyperpolarized contrast agents, many of which are already at or near the phase of their clinical validation in patients. PMID:25470566

Quantification of organ motion based on an adaptive image-based scale invariant feature method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paganelli, Chiara; Peroni, Marta; Baroni, Guido

2013-11-15

Purpose: The availability of corresponding landmarks in IGRT image series allows quantifying the inter and intrafractional motion of internal organs. In this study, an approach for the automatic localization of anatomical landmarks is presented, with the aim of describing the nonrigid motion of anatomo-pathological structures in radiotherapy treatments according to local image contrast.Methods: An adaptive scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) was developed from the integration of a standard 3D SIFT approach with a local image-based contrast definition. The robustness and invariance of the proposed method to shape-preserving and deformable transforms were analyzed in a CT phantom study. The application ofmore » contrast transforms to the phantom images was also tested, in order to verify the variation of the local adaptive measure in relation to the modification of image contrast. The method was also applied to a lung 4D CT dataset, relying on manual feature identification by an expert user as ground truth. The 3D residual distance between matches obtained in adaptive-SIFT was then computed to verify the internal motion quantification with respect to the expert user. Extracted corresponding features in the lungs were used as regularization landmarks in a multistage deformable image registration (DIR) mapping the inhale vs exhale phase. The residual distances between the warped manual landmarks and their reference position in the inhale phase were evaluated, in order to provide a quantitative indication of the registration performed with the three different point sets.Results: The phantom study confirmed the method invariance and robustness properties to shape-preserving and deformable transforms, showing residual matching errors below the voxel dimension. The adapted SIFT algorithm on the 4D CT dataset provided automated and accurate motion detection of peak to peak breathing motion. The proposed method resulted in reduced residual errors with respect to standard SIFT, providing a motion description comparable to expert manual identification, as confirmed by DIR.Conclusions: The application of the method to a 4D lung CT patient dataset demonstrated adaptive-SIFT potential as an automatic tool to detect landmarks for DIR regularization and internal motion quantification. Future works should include the optimization of the computational cost and the application of the method to other anatomical sites and image modalities.« less

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of Human Brain Reflects Spatial Variation in Tissue Composition

PubMed Central

Li, Wei; Wu, Bing; Liu, Chunlei

2011-01-01

Image phase from gradient echo MRI provides a unique contrast that reflects brain tissue composition variations, such as iron and myelin distribution. Phase imaging is emerging as a powerful tool for the investigation of functional brain anatomy and disease diagnosis. However, the quantitative value of phase is compromised by its nonlocal and orientation dependent properties. There is an increasing need for reliable quantification of magnetic susceptibility, the intrinsic property of tissue. In this study, we developed a novel and accurate susceptibility mapping method that is also phase-wrap insensitive. The proposed susceptibility mapping method utilized two complementary equations: (1) the Fourier relationship of phase and magnetic susceptibility; and (2) the first-order partial derivative of the first equation in the spatial frequency domain. In numerical simulation, this method reconstructed the susceptibility map almost free of streaking artifact. Further, the iterative implementation of this method allowed for high quality reconstruction of susceptibility maps of human brain in vivo. The reconstructed susceptibility map provided excellent contrast of iron-rich deep nuclei and white matter bundles from surrounding tissues. Further, it also revealed anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in brain white matter. Hence, the proposed susceptibility mapping method may provide a powerful tool for the study of brain physiology and pathophysiology. Further elucidation of anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in vivo may allow us to gain more insight into the white matter microarchitectures. PMID:21224002

Study of Tissue Phantoms, Tissues, and Contrast Agent with the Biophotoacoustic Radar and Comparison to Ultrasound Imaging for Deep Subsurface Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alwi, R.; Telenkov, S.; Mandelis, A.; Gu, F.

2012-11-01

In this study, the imaging capability of our wide-spectrum frequency-domain photoacoustic (FD-PA) imaging alias "photoacoustic radar" methodology for imaging of soft tissues is explored. A practical application of the mathematical correlation processing method with relatively long (1 ms) frequency-modulated optical excitation is demonstrated for reconstruction of the spatial location of the PA sources. Image comparison with ultrasound (US) modality was investigated to see the complementarity between the two techniques. The obtained results with a phased array probe on tissue phantoms and their comparison to US images demonstrated that the FD-PA technique has strong potential for deep subsurface imaging with excellent contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio. FD-PA images of blood vessels in a human wrist and an in vivo subcutaneous tumor in a rat model are presented. As in other imaging modalities, the employment of contrast agents is desirable to improve the capability of medical diagnostics. Therefore, this study also evaluated and characterized the use of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) as PA contrast agents.

Software for imaging phase-shift interference microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinovski, I.; França, R. S.; Couceiro, I. B.

2018-03-01

In recent years absolute interference microscope was created at National Metrology Institute of Brazil (INMETRO). The instrument by principle of operation is imaging phase-shifting interferometer (PSI) equipped with two stabilized lasers of different colour as traceable reference wavelength sources. We report here some progress in development of the software for this instrument. The status of undergoing internal validation and verification of the software is also reported. In contrast with standard PSI method, different methodology of phase evaluation is applied. Therefore, instrument specific procedures for software validation and verification are adapted and discussed.

External and internal structure of weevils (Insecta: Coleoptera) investigated with phase-contrast X-ray imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hönnicke, M. G.; Cusatis, C.; Rigon, L.; Menk, R.-H.; Arfelli, F.; Foerster, L. A.; Rosado-Neto, G. H.

2010-08-01

Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are identified by the external structure (dorsal, ventral and lateral features) and also by internal structure. The genitalia can be used to distinguish the sex and to identify the insects when the external structure appears identical. For this purpose, a destructive dissecting microscopy procedure is usually employed. In this paper, phase contrast X-ray imaging (radiography and tomography) is employed to investigate the internal structure (genitalia) of two entire species of weevils that presents very similar external structures ( Sitophilus oryzae and Sitophilus zeamais). The detection of features, which looks like the genital structure, shows that such non-destructive technique could be used as an alternative method for identification of insects. This method is especially useful in examining the internal features of precious species from museum collections, as already described in the recent literature.

Slit-scanning differential x-ray phase-contrast mammography: proof-of-concept experimental studies.

PubMed

Koehler, Thomas; Daerr, Heiner; Martens, Gerhard; Kuhn, Norbert; Löscher, Stefan; van Stevendaal, Udo; Roessl, Ewald

2015-04-01

The purpose of this work is to investigate the feasibility of grating-based, differential phase-contrast, full-field digital mammography (FFDM) in terms of the requirements for field-of-view (FOV), mechanical stability, and scan time. A rigid, actuator-free Talbot interferometric unit was designed and integrated into a state-of-the-art x-ray slit-scanning mammography system, namely, the Philips MicroDose L30 FFDM system. A dedicated phase-acquisition and phase retrieval method was developed and implemented that exploits the redundancy of the data acquisition inherent to the slit-scanning approach to image generation of the system. No modifications to the scan arm motion control were implemented. The authors achieve a FOV of 160 × 196 mm consisting of two disjoint areas measuring 77 × 196 mm with a gap of 6 mm between them. Typical scanning times vary between 10 and 15 s and dose levels are lower than typical FFDM doses for conventional scans with identical acquisition parameters due to the presence of the source-grating G0. Only minor to moderate artifacts are observed in the three reconstructed images, indicating that mechanical vibrations induced by other system components do not prevent the use of the platform for phase contrast imaging. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to integrate x-ray gratings hardware into a clinical mammography unit. The results demonstrate that a scanning differential phase contrast FFDM system that meets the requirements of FOV, stability, scan time, and dose can be build.

MO-G-BRF-01: BEST IN PHYSICS (JOINT IMAGING-THERAPY) - Sensitivity of PET-Based Texture Features to Respiratory Motion in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yip, S; Aerts, H; Berbeco, R

2014-06-15

Purpose: PET-based texture features are used to quantify tumor heterogeneity due to their predictive power in treatment outcome. We investigated the sensitivity of texture features to tumor motion by comparing whole body (3D) and respiratory-gated (4D) PET imaging. Methods: Twenty-six patients (34 lesions) received 3D and 4D [F-18]FDG-PET scans before chemo-radiotherapy. The acquired 4D data were retrospectively binned into five breathing phases to create the 4D image sequence. Four texture features (Coarseness, Contrast, Busyness, and Complexity) were computed within the the physician-defined tumor volume. The relative difference (δ) in each measure between the 3D- and 4D-PET imaging was calculated. Wilcoxonmore » signed-rank test (p<0.01) was used to determine if δ was significantly different from zero. Coefficient of variation (CV) was used to determine the variability in the texture features between all 4D-PET phases. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate the impact of tumor size and motion amplitude on δ. Results: Significant differences (p<<0.01) between 3D and 4D imaging were found for Coarseness, Busyness, and Complexity. The difference for Contrast was not significant (p>0.24). 4D-PET increased Busyness (∼20%) and Complexity (∼20%), and decreased Coarseness (∼10%) and Contrast (∼5%) compared to 3D-PET. Nearly negligible variability (CV=3.9%) was found between the 4D phase bins for Coarseness and Complexity. Moderate variability was found for Contrast and Busyness (CV∼10%). Poor correlation was found between the tumor volume and δ for the texture features (R=−0.34−0.34). Motion amplitude had moderate impact on δ for Contrast and Busyness (R=−0.64− 0.54) and no impact for Coarseness and Complexity (R=−0.29−0.17). Conclusion: Substantial differences in textures were found between 3D and 4D-PET imaging. Moreover, the variability between phase bins for Coarseness and Complexity was negligible, suggesting that similar quantification can be obtained from all phases. Texture features, blurred out by respiratory motion during 3D-PET acquisition, can be better resolved by 4D-PET imaging with any phase.« less

Imaging of cochlear tissue with a grating interferometer and hard X-rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richter, Claus-Peter; Shintani-Smith, Stephanie; Fishman, Andrew

This article addresses an important current development in medical and biological imaging: the possibility of imaging soft tissue at resolutions in the micron range using hard X-rays. Challenging environments, including the cochlea, require the imaging of soft tissue structure surrounded by bone. We demonstrate that cochlear soft tissue structures can be imaged with hard X-ray phase contrast. Furthermore, we show that only a thin slice of the tissue is required to introduce a large phase shift. It is likely that the phase contrast image of the soft tissue structures is sufficient to image the structures even if surrounded by bone.more » For the present set of experiments, structures with low-absorption contrast have been visualized using in-line phase contrast imaging and a grating interferometer. The experiments have been performed at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratories, a third generation source of synchrotron radiation. The source provides highly coherent X-ray radiation with high-photon flux (>10{sup 12} photons/s) at high-photon energies (5-70 keV). Radiographic and light microscopy images of the gerbil cochlear slice samples were compared. It has been determined that a 20-{micro}m thick tissue slice induces a phase shift between 1/3{pi} and 2/3{pi}.« less

Simultaneous multicolor imaging of wide-field epi-fluorescence microscopy with four-bucket detection

PubMed Central

Park, Kwan Seob; Kim, Dong Uk; Lee, Jooran; Kim, Geon Hee; Chang, Ki Soo

2016-01-01

We demonstrate simultaneous imaging of multiple fluorophores using wide-field epi-fluorescence microscopy with a monochrome camera. The intensities of the three lasers are modulated by a sinusoidal waveform in order to excite each fluorophore with the same modulation frequency and a different time-delay. Then, the modulated fluorescence emissions are simultaneously detected by a camera operating at four times the excitation frequency. We show that two different fluorescence beads having crosstalk can be clearly separated using digital processing based on the phase information. In addition, multiple organelles within multi-stained single cells are shown with the phase mapping method, demonstrating an improved dynamic range and contrast compared to the conventional fluorescence image. These findings suggest that wide-field epi-fluorescence microscopy with four-bucket detection could be utilized for high-contrast multicolor imaging applications such as drug delivery and fluorescence in situ hybridization. PMID:27375944

Approximated transport-of-intensity equation for coded-aperture x-ray phase-contrast imaging.

PubMed

Das, Mini; Liang, Zhihua

2014-09-15

Transport-of-intensity equations (TIEs) allow better understanding of image formation and assist in simplifying the "phase problem" associated with phase-sensitive x-ray measurements. In this Letter, we present for the first time to our knowledge a simplified form of TIE that models x-ray differential phase-contrast (DPC) imaging with coded-aperture (CA) geometry. The validity of our approximation is demonstrated through comparison with an exact TIE in numerical simulations. The relative contributions of absorption, phase, and differential phase to the acquired phase-sensitive intensity images are made readily apparent with the approximate TIE, which may prove useful for solving the inverse phase-retrieval problem associated with these CA geometry based DPC.

Quantitative photothermal phase imaging of red blood cells using digital holographic photothermal microscope.

PubMed

Vasudevan, Srivathsan; Chen, George C K; Lin, Zhiping; Ng, Beng Koon

2015-05-10

Photothermal microscopy (PTM), a noninvasive pump-probe high-resolution microscopy, has been applied as a bioimaging tool in many biomedical studies. PTM utilizes a conventional phase contrast microscope to obtain highly resolved photothermal images. However, phase information cannot be extracted from these photothermal images, as they are not quantitative. Moreover, the problem of halos inherent in conventional phase contrast microscopy needs to be tackled. Hence, a digital holographic photothermal microscopy technique is proposed as a solution to obtain quantitative phase images. The proposed technique is demonstrated by extracting phase values of red blood cells from their photothermal images. These phase values can potentially be used to determine the temperature distribution of the photothermal images, which is an important study in live cell monitoring applications.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of nodules in liver cirrhosis

PubMed Central

Kim, Tae Kyoung; Jang, Hyun-Jung

2014-01-01

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) using microbubble contrast agents are useful for the diagnosis of the nodules in liver cirrhosis. CEUS can be used as a problem-solving method for indeterminate nodules on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or as an initial diagnostic test for small newly detected liver nodules. CEUS has unique advantages over CT and MRI including no renal excretion of contrast, real-time imaging capability, and purely intravascular contrast. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by arterial-phase hypervascularity and later washout (negative enhancement). Benign nodules such as regenerative nodules or dysplastic nodules are usually isoechoic or slightly hypoechoic in the arterial phase and isoechoic in the late phase. However, there are occasional HCC lesions with atypical enhancement including hypovascular HCC and hypervascular HCC without washout. Cholangiocarcinomas are infrequently detected during HCC surveillance and mostly show rim-like or diffuse hypervascularity followed by rapid washout. Hemangiomas are often found at HCC surveillance and are easily diagnosed by CEUS. CEUS can be effectively used in the diagnostic work-up of small nodules detected at HCC surveillance. CEUS is also useful to differentiate malignant and benign venous thrombosis and to guide and monitor the local ablation therapy for HCC. PMID:24707142

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of nodules in liver cirrhosis.

PubMed

Kim, Tae Kyoung; Jang, Hyun-Jung

2014-04-07

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) using microbubble contrast agents are useful for the diagnosis of the nodules in liver cirrhosis. CEUS can be used as a problem-solving method for indeterminate nodules on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or as an initial diagnostic test for small newly detected liver nodules. CEUS has unique advantages over CT and MRI including no renal excretion of contrast, real-time imaging capability, and purely intravascular contrast. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by arterial-phase hypervascularity and later washout (negative enhancement). Benign nodules such as regenerative nodules or dysplastic nodules are usually isoechoic or slightly hypoechoic in the arterial phase and isoechoic in the late phase. However, there are occasional HCC lesions with atypical enhancement including hypovascular HCC and hypervascular HCC without washout. Cholangiocarcinomas are infrequently detected during HCC surveillance and mostly show rim-like or diffuse hypervascularity followed by rapid washout. Hemangiomas are often found at HCC surveillance and are easily diagnosed by CEUS. CEUS can be effectively used in the diagnostic work-up of small nodules detected at HCC surveillance. CEUS is also useful to differentiate malignant and benign venous thrombosis and to guide and monitor the local ablation therapy for HCC.

Max CAPR: high-resolution 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography with acquisition times under 5 seconds.

PubMed

Haider, Clifton R; Borisch, Eric A; Glockner, James F; Mostardi, Petrice M; Rossman, Phillip J; Young, Phillip M; Riederer, Stephen J

2010-10-01

High temporal and spatial resolution is desired in imaging of vascular abnormalities having short arterial-to-venous transit times. Methods that exploit temporal correlation to reduce the observed frame time demonstrate temporal blurring, obfuscating bolus dynamics. Previously, a Cartesian acquisition with projection reconstruction-like (CAPR) sampling method has been demonstrated for three-dimensional contrast-enhanced angiographic imaging of the lower legs using two-dimensional sensitivity-encoding acceleration and partial Fourier acceleration, providing 1mm isotropic resolution of the calves, with 4.9-sec frame time and 17.6-sec temporal footprint. In this work, the CAPR acquisition is further undersampled to provide a net acceleration approaching 40 by eliminating all view sharing. The tradeoff of frame time and temporal footprint in view sharing is presented and characterized in phantom experiments. It is shown that the resultant 4.9-sec acquisition time, three-dimensional images sets have sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to clearly portray arterial and venous phases of contrast passage. It is further hypothesized that these short temporal footprint sequences provide diagnostic quality images. This is tested and shown in a series of nine contrast-enhanced MR angiography patient studies performed with the new method.

Continuous Rapid Quantification of Stroke Volume Using Magnetohydrodynamic Voltages in 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

PubMed

Gregory, T Stan; Oshinski, John; Schmidt, Ehud J; Kwong, Raymond Y; Stevenson, William G; Ho Tse, Zion Tsz

2015-12-01

To develop a technique to noninvasively estimate stroke volume in real time during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided procedures, based on induced magnetohydrodynamic voltages (VMHD) that occur in ECG recordings during MRI exams, leaving the MRI scanner free to perform other imaging tasks. Because of the relationship between blood flow (BF) and VMHD, we hypothesized that a method to obtain stroke volume could be derived from extracted VMHD vectors in the vectorcardiogram (VCG) frame of reference (VMHDVCG). To estimate a subject-specific BF-VMHD model, VMHDVCG was acquired during a 20-s breath-hold and calibrated versus aortic BF measured using phase-contrast magnetic resonance in 10 subjects (n=10) and 1 subject diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions. Beat-to-beat validation of VMHDVCG-derived BF was performed using real-time phase-contrast imaging in 7 healthy subjects (n=7) during 15-minute cardiac exercise stress tests and 30 minutes after stress relaxation in 3T MRIs. Subject-specific equations were derived to correlate VMHDVCG with BF at rest and validated using real-time phase-contrast. An average error of 7.22% and 3.69% in stroke volume estimation, respectively, was found during peak stress and after complete relaxation. Measured beat-to-beat BF time history derived from real-time phase-contrast and VMHD was highly correlated using a Spearman rank correlation coefficient during stress tests (0.89) and after stress relaxation (0.86). Accurate beat-to-beat stroke volume and BF were estimated using VMHDVCG extracted from intra-MRI 12-lead ECGs, providing a means to enhance patient monitoring during MR imaging and MR-guided interventions. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Multi-organ segmentation from multi-phase abdominal CT via 4D graphs using enhancement, shape and location optimization.

PubMed

Linguraru, Marius George; Pura, John A; Chowdhury, Ananda S; Summers, Ronald M

2010-01-01

The interpretation of medical images benefits from anatomical and physiological priors to optimize computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) applications. Diagnosis also relies on the comprehensive analysis of multiple organs and quantitative measures of soft tissue. An automated method optimized for medical image data is presented for the simultaneous segmentation of four abdominal organs from 4D CT data using graph cuts. Contrast-enhanced CT scans were obtained at two phases: non-contrast and portal venous. Intra-patient data were spatially normalized by non-linear registration. Then 4D erosion using population historic information of contrast-enhanced liver, spleen, and kidneys was applied to multi-phase data to initialize the 4D graph and adapt to patient specific data. CT enhancement information and constraints on shape, from Parzen windows, and location, from a probabilistic atlas, were input into a new formulation of a 4D graph. Comparative results demonstrate the effects of appearance and enhancement, and shape and location on organ segmentation.

Re-evaluation of differential phase contrast (DPC) in a scanning laser microscope using a split detector as an alternative to differential interference contrast (DIC) optics.

PubMed

Amos, W B; Reichelt, S; Cattermole, D M; Laufer, J

2003-05-01

In this paper, differential phase imaging (DPC) with transmitted light is implemented by adding a suitable detection system to a standard commercially available scanning confocal microscope. DPC, a long-established method in scanning optical microscopy, depends on detecting the intensity difference between opposite halves or quadrants of a split photodiode detector placed in an aperture plane. Here, DPC is compared with scanned differential interference contrast (DIC) using a variety of biological specimens and objective lenses of high numerical aperture. While DPC and DIC images are generally similar, DPC seems to have a greater depth of field. DPC has several advantages over DIC. These include low cost (no polarizing or strain-free optics are required), absence of a double scanning spot, electronically variable direction of shading and the ability to image specimens in plastic dishes where birefringence prevents the use of DIC. DPC is also here found to need 20 times less laser power at the specimen than DIC.

Detectability comparison between a high energy x-ray phase sensitive and mammography systems in imaging phantoms with varying glandular-adipose ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghani, Muhammad U.; Wong, Molly D.; Wu, Di; Zheng, Bin; Fajardo, Laurie L.; Yan, Aimin; Fuh, Janis; Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2017-05-01

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the potential benefits of using high energy x-rays in comparison with the conventional mammography imaging systems for phase sensitive imaging of breast tissues with varying glandular-adipose ratios. This study employed two modular phantoms simulating the glandular (G) and adipose (A) breast tissue composition in 50 G-50 A and 70 G-30 A percentage densities. Each phantom had a thickness of 5 cm with a contrast detail test pattern embedded in the middle. For both phantoms, the phase contrast images were acquired using a micro-focus x-ray source operated at 120 kVp and 4.5 mAs, with a magnification factor (M) of 2.5 and a detector with a 50 µm pixel pitch. The mean glandular dose delivered to the 50 G-50 A and 70 G-30 A phantom sets were 1.33 and 1.3 mGy, respectively. A phase retrieval algorithm based on the phase attenuation duality that required only a single phase contrast image was applied. Conventional low energy mammography images were acquired using GE Senographe DS and Hologic Selenia systems utilizing their automatic exposure control (AEC) settings. In addition, the automatic contrast mode (CNT) was also used for the acquisition with the GE system. The AEC mode applied higher dose settings for the 70 G-30 A phantom set. As compared to the phase contrast images, the dose levels for the AEC mode acquired images were similar while the dose levels for the CNT mode were almost double. The observer study, contrast-to-noise ratio and figure of merit comparisons indicated a large improvement with the phase retrieved images in comparison to the AEC mode images acquired with the clinical systems for both density levels. As the glandular composition increased, the detectability of smaller discs decreased with the clinical systems, particularly with the GE system, even at higher dose settings. As compared to the CNT mode (double dose) images, the observer study also indicated that the phase retrieved images provided similar or improved detection for all disc sizes except for the disk diameters of 2 mm and 1 mm for the 50 G-50 A phantom and 3 mm and 0.5 mm for the 70 G-30 A phantom. This study demonstrated the potential of utilizing a high energy phase sensitive x-ray imaging system to improve lesion detection and reduce radiation dose when imaging breast tissues with varying glandular compositions.

Spatial Phase Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Frequently, scientists grow crystals by dissolving a protein in a specific liquid solution, and then allowing that solution to evaporate. The methods used next have been, variously, invasive (adding a dye that is absorbed by the protein), destructive (crushing protein/salt-crystal mixtures and observing differences between the crushing of salt and protein), or costly and time-consuming (X-ray crystallography). In contrast to these methods, a new technology for monitoring protein growth, developed in part through NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from Marshall Space Flight Center, is noninvasive, nondestructive, rapid, and more cost effective than X-ray analysis. The partner for this SBIR, Photon-X, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama, developed spatial phase imaging technology that can monitor crystal growth in real time and in an automated mode. Spatial phase imaging scans for flaws quickly and produces a 3-D structured image of a crystal, showing volumetric growth analysis for future automated growth.

Imaging of cardiac perfusion of free-breathing small animals using dynamic phase-correlated micro-CT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sawall, Stefan; Kuntz, Jan; Socher, Michaela

Purpose:Mouse models of cardiac diseases have proven to be a valuable tool in preclinical research. The high cardiac and respiratory rates of free breathing mice prohibit conventional in vivo cardiac perfusion studies using computed tomography even if gating methods are applied. This makes a sacrification of the animals unavoidable and only allows for the application of ex vivo methods. Methods: To overcome this issue the authors propose a low dose scan protocol and an associated reconstruction algorithm that allows for in vivo imaging of cardiac perfusion and associated processes that are retrospectively synchronized to the respiratory and cardiac motion ofmore » the animal. The scan protocol consists of repetitive injections of contrast media within several consecutive scans while the ECG, respiratory motion, and timestamp of contrast injection are recorded and synchronized to the acquired projections. The iterative reconstruction algorithm employs a six-dimensional edge-preserving filter to provide low-noise, motion artifact-free images of the animal examined using the authors' low dose scan protocol. Results: The reconstructions obtained show that the complete temporal bolus evolution can be visualized and quantified in any desired combination of cardiac and respiratory phase including reperfusion phases. The proposed reconstruction method thereby keeps the administered radiation dose at a minimum and thus reduces metabolic inference to the animal allowing for longitudinal studies. Conclusions: The authors' low dose scan protocol and phase-correlated dynamic reconstruction algorithm allow for an easy and effective way to visualize phase-correlated perfusion processes in routine laboratory studies using free-breathing mice.« less

Quantitative 3D imaging of yeast by hard X-ray tomography.

PubMed

Zheng, Ting; Li, Wenjie; Guan, Yong; Song, Xiangxia; Xiong, Ying; Liu, Gang; Tian, Yangchao

2012-05-01

Full-field hard X-ray tomography could be used to obtain three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale structures of biological samples. The image of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, was clearly visualized based on Zernike phase contrast imaging technique and heavy metal staining method at a spatial resolution better than 50 nm at the energy of 8 keV. The distributions and shapes of the organelles during the cell cycle were clearly visualized and two types of organelle were distinguished. The results for cells during various phases were compared and the ratios of organelle volume to cell volume can be analyzed quantitatively. It showed that the ratios remained constant between growth and division phase and increased strongly in stationary phase, following the shape and size of two types of organelles changes. Our results demonstrated that hard X-ray microscopy was a complementary method for imaging and revealing structural information for biological samples. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Phase contrast microscopy of living cells within the whole lens: spatial correlations and morphological dynamics

PubMed Central

Kong, Zhiying; Zhu, Xiangjia; Zhang, Shenghai; Wu, Jihong

2012-01-01

Purpose Images from cultured lens cells do not convey enough spatial information, and imaging of fixed lens specimens cannot reveal dynamic changes in the cells. As such, a real-time, convenient approach for monitoring label-free imaging of dynamic processes of living cells within the whole lens is urgently needed. Methods Female Wistar rat lenses were kept in organ culture. Insulin-like growth factor-I was added to the culture medium to induce cell mitosis. A novel method of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was used to induce cell apoptosis and fiber damage. The cellular morphological dynamics within the whole lens were monitored by inverted phase contrast microscopy. Apoptosis was assessed using a commercial kit with Hoechst 33342/YO-PRO®-1/propidium iodide (PI). Results The intrinsic transparency and low-light scattering property of the rat lens permitted direct imaging of the lens epithelial cells (LECs) and the superficial fiber cells. We visualized the processes of mitosis and apoptosis of the LECs, and we obtained dynamic images of posterior fiber cells following UVA irradiation. Conclusions This method opens a new window for observing lens cells in their physiologic location, and it can be readily applied in studies on lens physiology and pathology. PMID:22879736

Non-destructive phase contrast hard x-ray imaging to reveal the three-dimensional microstructure of soft and hard tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khimchenko, Anna; Schulz, Georg; Deyhle, Hans; Hieber, Simone E.; Hasan, Samiul; Bikis, Christos; Schulz, Joachim; Costeur, Loïc.; Müller, Bert

2016-04-01

X-ray imaging in the absorption contrast mode is an established method of visualising calcified tissues such as bone and teeth. Physically soft tissues such as brain or muscle are often imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the spatial resolution of MRI is insufficient for identifying individual biological cells within three-dimensional tissue. X-ray grating interferometry (XGI) has advantages for the investigation of soft tissues or the simultaneous three-dimensional visualisation of soft and hard tissues. Since laboratory microtomography (μCT) systems have better accessibility than tomography set-ups at synchrotron radiation facilities, a great deal of effort has been invested in optimising XGI set-ups for conventional μCT systems. In this conference proceeding, we present how a two-grating interferometer is incorporated into a commercially available nanotom m (GE Sensing and Inspection Technologies GmbH) μCT system to extend its capabilities toward phase contrast. We intend to demonstrate superior contrast in spiders (Hogna radiata (Fam. Lycosidae) and Xysticus erraticus (Fam. Thomisidae)), as well as the simultaneous visualisation of hard and soft tissues. XGI is an imaging modality that provides quantitative data, and visualisation is an important part of biomimetics; consequently, hard X-ray imaging provides a sound basis for bioinspiration, bioreplication and biomimetics and allows for the quantitative comparison of biofabricated products with their natural counterparts.

Noninvasive identification of peripheral vessels of oral and maxillofacial regions by using electrocardiography-triggered three-dimensional fast asymmetric spin-echo sequences.

PubMed

Tanaka, Tatsurou; Oda, Masafumi; Kito, Shinji; Wakasugi-Sato, Nao; Matsumoto-Takeda, Shinobu; Otsuka, Kozue; Yoshioka, Izumi; Habu, Manabu; Kokuryo, Shinya; Kodama, Masaaki; Nogami, Shinnosuke; Miyamoto, Ikuya; Yamamoto, Noriaki; Ishikawa, Ayataka; Matsuo, Kou; Shiiba, Shunji; Seta, Yuji; Yamashita, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Tetsu; Tominaga, Kazuhiro; Morimoto, Yasuhiro

2011-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the 3-dimensional images of thinner main peripheral vessels in oral and maxillofacial regions made without contrast medium by using a new technique, fresh blood imaging (FBI). A second objective was to discern arteries from veins by using the combination of FBI with the subtraction technique. Images from FBI were compared with those from 3-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of blood vessels in 20 healthy subjects. All images were scored for visualization and image quality of the main blood vessels. In addition, appropriate flow-spoiled gradient pulses were applied to differentiate arteries from veins in the peripheral vasculature using a combination of FBI sequences and subtraction between systole- and diastole-triggered images. The scores of MRA using FBI for the visualization of thin blood vessels were significantly better than those using phase contrast, whereas scores for the visualization of main blood vessels were equal. Additionally, we succeeded in our initial attempt to differentiate arteries from veins with a reasonable acquisition time. Our initial experience shows that FBI could be a useful method to identify 3-dimensional vasculature and to differentiate arteries from veins among thinner peripheral vessels in the oral and maxillofacial regions without using contrast medium. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Wide-field phase imaging for the endoscopic detection of dysplasia and early-stage esophageal cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpatrick, C. R. M.; Gordon, G. S. D.; Sawyer, T. W.; Wilkinson, T. D.; Bohndiek, S. E.

2018-02-01

Esophageal cancer has a 5-year survival rate below 20%, but can be curatively resected if it is detected early. At present, poor contrast for early lesions in white light imaging leads to a high miss rate in standard-of- care endoscopic surveillance. Early lesions in the esophagus, referred to as dysplasia, are characterized by an abundance of abnormal cells with enlarged nuclei. This tissue has a different refractive index profile to healthy tissue, which results in different light scattering properties and provides a source of endogenous contrast that can be exploited for advanced endoscopic imaging. For example, point measurements of such contrast can be made with scattering spectroscopy, while optical coherence tomography generates volumetric data. However, both require specialist interpretation for diagnostic decision making. We propose combining wide-field phase imaging with existing white light endoscopy in order to provide enhanced contrast for dysplasia and early-stage cancer in an image format that is familiar to endoscopists. Wide-field phase imaging in endoscopy can be achieved using coherent illumination combined with phase retrieval algorithms. Here, we present the design and simulation of a benchtop phase imaging system that is compatible with capsule endoscopy. We have undertaken preliminary optical modelling of the phase imaging setup, including aberration correction simulations and an investigation into distinguishing between different tissue phantom scattering coefficients. As our approach is based on phase retrieval rather than interferometry, it is feasible to realize a device with low-cost components for future clinical implementation.

Multiphase contrast medium injection for optimization of computed tomographic coronary angiography.

PubMed

Budoff, Matthew Jay; Shinbane, Jerold S; Child, Janis; Carson, Sivi; Chau, Alex; Liu, Stephen H; Mao, SongShou

2006-02-01

Electron beam angiography is a minimally invasive imaging technique. Adequate vascular opacification throughout the study remains a critical issue for image quality. We hypothesized that vascular image opacification and uniformity of vascular enhancement between slices can be improved using multiphase contrast medium injection protocols. We enrolled 244 consecutive patients who were randomized to three different injection protocols: single-phase contrast medium injection (Group 1), dual-phase contrast medium injection with each phase at a different injection rate (Group 2), and a three-phase injection with two phases of contrast medium injection followed by a saline injection phase (Group 3). Parameters measured were aortic opacification based on Hounsfield units and uniformity of aortic enhancement at predetermined slices (locations from top [level 1] to base [level 60]). In Group 1, contrast opacification differed across seven predetermined locations (scan levels: 1st versus 60th, P < .05), demonstrating significant nonuniformity. In Group 2, there was more uniform vascular enhancement, with no significant differences between the first 50 slices (P > .05). In Group 3, there was greater uniformity of vascular enhancement and higher mean Hounsfield units value across all 60 images, from the aortic root to the base of the heart (P < .05). The three-phase injection protocol improved vascular opacification at the base of the heart, as well as uniformity of arterial enhancement throughout the study.

B0 concomitant field compensation for MRI systems employing asymmetric transverse gradient coils.

PubMed

Weavers, Paul T; Tao, Shengzhen; Trzasko, Joshua D; Frigo, Louis M; Shu, Yunhong; Frick, Matthew A; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Foo, Thomas K-F; Bernstein, Matt A

2018-03-01

Imaging gradients result in the generation of concomitant fields, or Maxwell fields, which are of increasing importance at higher gradient amplitudes. These time-varying fields cause additional phase accumulation, which must be compensated for to avoid image artifacts. In the case of gradient systems employing symmetric design, the concomitant fields are well described with second-order spatial variation. Gradient systems employing asymmetric design additionally generate concomitant fields with global (zeroth-order or B 0 ) and linear (first-order) spatial dependence. This work demonstrates a general solution to eliminate the zeroth-order concomitant field by applying the correct B 0 frequency shift in real time to counteract the concomitant fields. Results are demonstrated for phase contrast, spiral, echo-planar imaging (EPI), and fast spin-echo imaging. A global phase offset is reduced in the phase-contrast exam, and blurring is virtually eliminated in spiral images. The bulk image shift in the phase-encode direction is compensated for in EPI, whereas signal loss, ghosting, and blurring are corrected in the fast-spin echo images. A user-transparent method to compensate the zeroth-order concomitant field term by center frequency shifting is proposed and implemented. This solution allows all the existing pulse sequences-both product and research-to be retained without any modifications. Magn Reson Med 79:1538-1544, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Dual function microscope for quantitative DIC and birefringence imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chengshuai; Zhu, Yizheng

2016-03-01

A spectral multiplexing interferometry (SXI) method is presented for integrated birefringence and phase gradient measurement on label-free biological specimens. With SXI, the retardation and orientation of sample birefringence are simultaneously encoded onto two separate spectral carrier waves, generated by a crystal retarder oriented at a specific angle. Thus sufficient information for birefringence determination can be obtained from a single interference spectrum, eliminating the need for multiple acquisitions with mechanical rotation or electrical modulation. In addition, with the insertion of a Nomarski prism, the setup can then acquire quantitative differential interference contrast images. Red blood cells infected by malaria parasites are imaged for birefringence retardation as well as phase gradient. The results demonstrate that the SXI approach can achieve both quantitative phase imaging and birefringence imaging with a single, high-sensitivity system.

High-throughput, high-resolution X-ray phase contrast tomographic microscopy for visualisation of soft tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, S. A.; Marone, F.; Hintermüller, C.; Bensadoun, J.-C.; Aebischer, P.; Stampanoni, M.

2009-09-01

The use of conventional absorption based X-ray microtomography can become limited for samples showing only very weak absorption contrast. However, a wide range of samples studied in biology and materials science can produce significant phase shifts of the X-ray beam, and thus the use of the phase signal can provide substantially increased contrast and therefore new and otherwise inaccessible information. The application of two approaches for high-throughput, high-resolution X-ray phase contrast tomography, both available on the TOMCAT beamline of the SLS, is illustrated. Differential Phase Contrast (DPC) imaging uses a grating interferometer and a phase-stepping technique. It has been integrated into the beamline environment on TOMCAT in terms of the fast acquisition and reconstruction of data and the availability to scan samples within an aqueous environment. The second phase contrast approach is a modified transfer of intensity approach that can yield the 3D distribution of the phase (refractive index) of a weakly absorbing object from a single tomographic dataset. These methods are being used for the evaluation of cell integrity in 3D, with the specific aim of following and analyzing progressive cell degeneration to increase knowledge of the mechanistic events of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

In vivo flow cytometry for blood cell analysis using differential epi-detection of forward scattered light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paudel, Hari P.; Jung, Yookyung; Raphael, Anthony; Alt, Clemens; Wu, Juwell; Runnels, Judith; Lin, Charles P.

2018-02-01

The present standard of blood cell analysis is an invasive procedure requiring the extraction of patient's blood, followed by ex-vivo analysis using a flow cytometer or a hemocytometer. We are developing a noninvasive optical technique that alleviates the need for blood extraction. For in-vivo blood analysis we need a high speed, high resolution and high contrast label-free imaging technique. In this proceeding report, we reported a label-free method based on differential epi-detection of forward scattered light, a method inspired by Jerome Mertz's oblique back-illumination microscopy (OBM) (Ford et al, Nat. Meth. 9(12) 2012). The differential epi-detection of forward light gives phase contrast image at diffraction-limited resolution. Unlike reflection confocal microscopy (RCM), which detects only sharp refractive index variation and suffers from speckle noise, this technique is suitable for detection of subtle variation of refractive index in biological tissue and it provides the shape and the size of cells. A custom built high speed electronic detection circuit board produces a real-time differential signal which yields image contrast based on phase gradient in the sample. We recorded blood flow in-vivo at 17.2k lines per second in line scan mode, or 30 frames per second (full frame), or 120 frame per second (quarter frame) in frame scan mode. The image contrast and speed of line scan data recording show the potential of the system for noninvasive blood cell analysis.

Contrast features of breast cancer in frequency-domain laser scanning mammography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moesta, K. Thomas; Fantini, Sergio; Jess, Helge; Totkas, Susan; Franceschini, Maria-Angela; Kaschke, Michael; Schlag, Peter M.

1998-04-01

Frequency-domain optical mammography has been advocated to improve contrast and thus cancer detectability in breast transillumination. To the best of our knowledge, this report provides the first systematic clinical results of a frequency-domain laser scanning mammograph (FLM). The instrument provides monochromatic light at 690 and 810 nm, whose intensity is modulated at 110.0008 MHz, respectively. The breast is scanned by stepwise positioning of source and detector, and amplitude and phase for both wavelengths are measured by a photomultiplier tube using heterodyne detection. Images are formed representing amplitude or phase data on linear gray scales. Furthermore, various algorithms carrying on more than one signal were essayed. Twenty visible cancers out of 25 cancers in the first 59 investigations were analyzed for their quantitative contrast with respect to the whole breast or to defined reference areas. Contrast definitions refer to the signal itself, to the signal noise, or were based on nonparametric comparison. The amplitude signal provides better contrast than the phase signal. Ratio images between red and IR amplitudes gave variable results; in some cases the tumor contrast was canceled. The algorithms to determine (mu) a and (mu) sPRM from amplitude and phase data did not significantly improve upon objective contrast. The N algorithm, using the phase signal to flatten the amplitude signal did significantly improve upon contrast according to contrast definitions 1 and 2, however, did not improve upon nonparametric contrast. Thus, with the current instrumentation, the phase signal is helpful to correct for the complex and variable geometry of the breast. However, an independent informational content for tumor differentiation could not be determined. The flat field algorithm did greatly enhance optical contrast in comparison with amplitude or amplitude ratio images. Further evaluation of FLM will have to be based on the N-algorithm images.

Validity of computational hemodynamics in human arteries based on 3D time-of-flight MR angiography and 2D electrocardiogram gated phase contrast images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Huidan (Whitney); Chen, Xi; Chen, Rou; Wang, Zhiqiang; Lin, Chen; Kralik, Stephen; Zhao, Ye

2015-11-01

In this work, we demonstrate the validity of 4-D patient-specific computational hemodynamics (PSCH) based on 3-D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) and 2-D electrocardiogram (ECG) gated phase contrast (PC) images. The mesoscale lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed to segment morphological arterial geometry from TOF MRA, to extract velocity profiles from ECG PC images, and to simulate fluid dynamics on a unified GPU accelerated computational platform. Two healthy volunteers are recruited to participate in the study. For each volunteer, a 3-D high resolution TOF MRA image and 10 2-D ECG gated PC images are acquired to provide the morphological geometry and the time-varying flow velocity profiles for necessary inputs of the PSCH. Validation results will be presented through comparisons of LBM vs. 4D Flow Software for flow rates and LBM simulation vs. MRA measurement for blood flow velocity maps. Indiana University Health (IUH) Values Fund.

TU-C-12A-02: Development of a Multiparametric Statistical Response Map for Quantitative Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bosca, R; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Mahajan, A

2014-06-15

Purpose: Quantitative imaging biomarkers (QIB) are becoming increasingly utilized in early phase clinical trials as a means of non-invasively assessing treatment response and associated response heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to develop a flexible multiparametric statistical framework to predict voxel-by-voxel response of several potential MRI QIBs. Methods: Patients with histologically proven glioblastomas (n=11) were treated with chemoradiation (with/without bevacizumab) and underwent one baseline and two mid-treatment (3–4wks) MRIs. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (3D FSPGR, 6.3sec/phase, 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA), dynamic susceptibility contrast (2D GRE-EPI, 1.5sec/phase, 0.2mmol/kg Gd-DTPA), and diffusion tensor (2D DW-EPI, b=0, 1200 s/mm{sup 2}, 27 directions) imaging acquisitions weremore » obtained during each study. Mid-treatment and pre-treatment images were rigidly aligned, and regions of partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD) were contoured in consensus by two experienced radiation oncologists. Voxels in these categories were used to train ordinal (PR« less

Realistic wave-optics simulation of X-ray phase-contrast imaging at a human scale

PubMed Central

Sung, Yongjin; Segars, W. Paul; Pan, Adam; Ando, Masami; Sheppard, Colin J. R.; Gupta, Rajiv

2015-01-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) can dramatically improve soft tissue contrast in X-ray medical imaging. Despite worldwide efforts to develop novel XPCI systems, a numerical framework to rigorously predict the performance of a clinical XPCI system at a human scale is not yet available. We have developed such a tool by combining a numerical anthropomorphic phantom defined with non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) and a wave optics-based simulator that can accurately capture the phase-contrast signal from a human-scaled numerical phantom. Using a synchrotron-based, high-performance XPCI system, we provide qualitative comparison between simulated and experimental images. Our tool can be used to simulate the performance of XPCI on various disease entities and compare proposed XPCI systems in an unbiased manner. PMID:26169570

Realistic wave-optics simulation of X-ray phase-contrast imaging at a human scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Yongjin; Segars, W. Paul; Pan, Adam; Ando, Masami; Sheppard, Colin J. R.; Gupta, Rajiv

2015-07-01

X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) can dramatically improve soft tissue contrast in X-ray medical imaging. Despite worldwide efforts to develop novel XPCI systems, a numerical framework to rigorously predict the performance of a clinical XPCI system at a human scale is not yet available. We have developed such a tool by combining a numerical anthropomorphic phantom defined with non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) and a wave optics-based simulator that can accurately capture the phase-contrast signal from a human-scaled numerical phantom. Using a synchrotron-based, high-performance XPCI system, we provide qualitative comparison between simulated and experimental images. Our tool can be used to simulate the performance of XPCI on various disease entities and compare proposed XPCI systems in an unbiased manner.

A novel anisotropic fast marching method and its application to blood flow computation in phase-contrast MRI.

PubMed

Schwenke, M; Hennemuth, A; Fischer, B; Friman, O

2012-01-01

Phase-contrast MRI (PC MRI) can be used to assess blood flow dynamics noninvasively inside the human body. The acquired images can be reconstructed into flow vector fields. Traditionally, streamlines can be computed based on the vector fields to visualize flow patterns and particle trajectories. The traditional methods may give a false impression of precision, as they do not consider the measurement uncertainty in the PC MRI images. In our prior work, we incorporated the uncertainty of the measurement into the computation of particle trajectories. As a major part of the contribution, a novel numerical scheme for solving the anisotropic Fast Marching problem is presented. A computing time comparison to state-of-the-art methods is conducted on artificial tensor fields. A visual comparison of healthy to pathological blood flow patterns is given. The comparison shows that the novel anisotropic Fast Marching solver outperforms previous schemes in terms of computing time. The visual comparison of flow patterns directly visualizes large deviations of pathological flow from healthy flow. The novel anisotropic Fast Marching solver efficiently resolves even strongly anisotropic path costs. The visualization method enables the user to assess the uncertainty of particle trajectories derived from PC MRI images.

Performance evaluation of spatial compounding in the presence of aberration and adaptive imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahl, Jeremy J.; Guenther, Drake; Trahey, Gregg E.

2003-05-01

Spatial compounding has been used for years to reduce speckle in ultrasonic images and to resolve anatomical features hidden behind the grainy appearance of speckle. Adaptive imaging restores image contrast and resolution by compensating for beamforming errors caused by tissue-induced phase errors. Spatial compounding represents a form of incoherent imaging, whereas adaptive imaging attempts to maintain a coherent, diffraction-limited aperture in the presence of aberration. Using a Siemens Antares scanner, we acquired single channel RF data on a commercially available 1-D probe. Individual channel RF data was acquired on a cyst phantom in the presence of a near field electronic phase screen. Simulated data was also acquired for both a 1-D and a custom built 8x96, 1.75-D probe (Tetrad Corp.). The data was compounded using a receive spatial compounding algorithm; a widely used algorithm because it takes advantage of parallel beamforming to avoid reductions in frame rate. Phase correction was also performed by using a least mean squares algorithm to estimate the arrival time errors. We present simulation and experimental data comparing the performance of spatial compounding to phase correction in contrast and resolution tasks. We evaluate spatial compounding and phase correction, and combinations of the two methods, under varying aperture sizes, aperture overlaps, and aberrator strength to examine the optimum configuration and conditions in which spatial compounding will provide a similar or better result than adaptive imaging. We find that, in general, phase correction is hindered at high aberration strengths and spatial frequencies, whereas spatial compounding is helped by these aberrators.

Geometric correction method for 3d in-line X-ray phase contrast image reconstruction

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Mechanical system with imperfect or misalignment of X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) components causes projection data misplaced, and thus result in the reconstructed slice images of computed tomography (CT) blurred or with edge artifacts. So the features of biological microstructures to be investigated are destroyed unexpectedly, and the spatial resolution of XPCI image is decreased. It makes data correction an essential pre-processing step for CT reconstruction of XPCI. Methods To remove unexpected blurs and edge artifacts, a mathematics model for in-line XPCI is built by considering primary geometric parameters which include a rotation angle and a shift variant in this paper. Optimal geometric parameters are achieved by finding the solution of a maximization problem. And an iterative approach is employed to solve the maximization problem by using a two-step scheme which includes performing a composite geometric transformation and then following a linear regression process. After applying the geometric transformation with optimal parameters to projection data, standard filtered back-projection algorithm is used to reconstruct CT slice images. Results Numerical experiments were carried out on both synthetic and real in-line XPCI datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method improves CT image quality by removing both blurring and edge artifacts at the same time compared to existing correction methods. Conclusions The method proposed in this paper provides an effective projection data correction scheme and significantly improves the image quality by removing both blurring and edge artifacts at the same time for in-line XPCI. It is easy to implement and can also be extended to other XPCI techniques. PMID:25069768

An efficient way of high-contrast, quasi-3D cellular imaging: off-axis illumination.

PubMed

Hostounský, Zdenĕk; Pelc, Radek

2006-07-31

An imaging system enabling a convenient visualisation of cells and other small objects is presented. It represents an adaptation of the optical microscope condenser, accommodating a built-in edge (relief) diaphragm brought close to the condenser iris diaphragm and enabling high-contrast pseudo-relief (quasi-3D) imaging. The device broadens the family of available apparatus based on the off-axis (or anaxial, asymmetric, inclined, oblique, schlieren-type, sideband) illumination. The simplicity of the design makes the condenser a user-friendly, dedicated device delivering high-contrast quasi-3D images of phase objects. Those are nearly invisible under the ordinary (axial) illumination. The phase contrast microscopy commonly used in visualisation of phase objects does not deliver the quasi-3D effect and introduces a disturbing 'halo' effect around the edges. The performance of the device presented here is demonstrated on living cells and tissue replicas. High-contrast quasi-3D images of cell-free preparations of biological origin (paper fibres and microcrystals) are shown as well.

New innovations for contrast enhancement in electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, A.

In this study two techniques for producing and improving contrast in Electron Microscopy are discussed. The first technique deals with the production of secondary contrast in a Variable Pressure SEM under poor vacuum conditions using the specimen current signal. A review of the prior work in this field shows that the presence of the gas ions in the microscope column results in the amplification of the specimen current signal which is enriched in secondary content. The focus of this study is to establish practical conditions for imaging samples in the microscope using specimen current with gas amplification. This is done by understanding the different variables in the microscope which affect the image formation process and then finding out optimum conditions for obtaining the best possible image, i.e., the image most enhanced in secondary contrast. A few 'real life' samples analyzed using this technique show that the gas amplified specimen current images contain secondary information and, in some cases, provide clear advantages to imaging with conventional secondary and backscattered detectors. The second technique dealing with the production of phase contrast in the TEM for extremely thin, electron transparent samples, is analyzed. A review of the literature regarding prior work in the field shows that, while the theoretical aspects of production of phase contrast in the TEM using a phase plate are well understood, there have been problems in practically implementing this in the microscope. One major assumption with most of the studies is that a fiber, partially coated with gold, results in the formation of point charges which is an essential requirement for symmetrically shifting the phase of the electron beam. The focus of this portion of the dissertation is to image the type of fields associated with such a phase plate using the technique of electron holography. It is found that there are two types of fields associated with a phase plate of this sort. One is a cylindrical field which extends along the length of the fiber while the other is a localized spherically symmetric field. A series of simulations show that the spherical field can produce phase contrast in the TEM and also improve the contrast transfer properties of the microscope.

Computer synthesis of high resolution electron micrographs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nathan, R.

1976-01-01

Specimen damage, spherical aberration, low contrast and noisy sensors combine to prevent direct atomic viewing in a conventional electron microscope. The paper describes two methods for obtaining ultra-high resolution in biological specimens under the electron microscope. The first method assumes the physical limits of the electron objective lens and uses a series of dark field images of biological crystals to obtain direct information on the phases of the Fourier diffraction maxima; this information is used in an appropriate computer to synthesize a large aperture lens for a 1-A resolution. The second method assumes there is sufficient amplitude scatter from images recorded in focus which can be utilized with a sensitive densitometer and computer contrast stretching to yield fine structure image details. Cancer virus characterization is discussed as an illustrative example. Numerous photographs supplement the text.

An active coronagraph using a liquid crystal array for exoplanet imaging: principle and testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Ren, De-Qing; Zhu, Yong-Tian; Dou, Jiang-Pei

2012-05-01

High-contrast imaging coronagraphs, used for the detection of exoplanets, have always adopted passive coronagraph optical components. It is therefore impossible to actively optimize the coronagraphs to achieve their best performance. To solve this problem, we propose a novel high-contrast imaging coronagraph which combines a liquid crystal array (LCA) for active pupil apodization and a deformable mirror (DM) for phase correction. The LCA we use is an amplitude-only spatial light modulator. The LCA is well calibrated and compensates for its amplitude non-uniformity and nonlinear intensity responsivity. We measured the imaging contrasts of the coronagraph system with the LCA only and without the DM deployed. Imaging contrasts of 10-4 and 10-5 can be reached at an inner working angular distance of 2.5 and 5λ/D, respectively. A simulation shows that the phase errors on the coronagraph pupil limit the contrast performance. The contrast could be further improved if a DM is deployed to correct the phase errors induced by the LCA and coronagraph optics.

Qualitative and Quantitative Imaging Evaluation of Renal Cell Carcinoma Subtypes with Grating-based X-ray Phase-contrast CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braunagel, Margarita; Birnbacher, Lorenz; Willner, Marian; Marschner, Mathias; De Marco, Fabio; Viermetz, Manuel; Notohamiprodjo, Susan; Hellbach, Katharina; Auweter, Sigrid; Link, Vera; Woischke, Christine; Reiser, Maximilian F.; Pfeiffer, Franz; Notohamiprodjo, Mike; Herzen, Julia

2017-03-01

Current clinical imaging methods face limitations in the detection and correct characterization of different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), while these are important for therapy and prognosis. The present study evaluates the potential of grating-based X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (gbPC-CT) for visualization and characterization of human RCC subtypes. The imaging results for 23 ex vivo formalin-fixed human kidney specimens obtained with phase-contrast CT were compared to the results of the absorption-based CT (gbCT), clinical CT and a 3T MRI and validated using histology. Regions of interest were placed on each specimen for quantitative evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative gbPC-CT imaging could significantly discriminate between normal kidney cortex (54 ± 4 HUp) and clear cell (42 ± 10), papillary (43 ± 6) and chromophobe RCCs (39 ± 7), p < 0.05 respectively. The sensitivity for detection of tumor areas was 100%, 50% and 40% for gbPC-CT, gbCT and clinical CT, respectively. RCC architecture like fibrous strands, pseudocapsules, necrosis or hyalinization was depicted clearly in gbPC-CT and was not equally well visualized in gbCT, clinical CT and MRI. The results show that gbPC-CT enables improved discrimination of normal kidney parenchyma and tumorous tissues as well as different soft-tissue components of RCCs without the use of contrast media.

Three-channel false colour AFM images for improved interpretation of complex surfaces: a study of filamentous cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Kurk, Toby; Adams, David G; Connell, Simon D; Thomson, Neil H

2010-05-01

Imaging signals derived from the atomic force microscope (AFM) are typically presented as separate adjacent images with greyscale or pseudo-colour palettes. We propose that information-rich false-colour composites are a useful means of presenting three-channel AFM image data. This method can aid the interpretation of complex surfaces and facilitate the perception of information that is convoluted across data channels. We illustrate this approach with images of filamentous cyanobacteria imaged in air and under aqueous buffer, using both deflection-modulation (contact) mode and amplitude-modulation (tapping) mode. Topography-dependent contrast in the error and tertiary signals aids the interpretation of the topography signal by contributing additional data, resulting in a more detailed image, and by showing variations in the probe-surface interaction. Moreover, topography-independent contrast and topography-dependent contrast in the tertiary data image (phase or friction) can be distinguished more easily as a consequence of the three dimensional colour-space.

Hot Spots from Generated Defects in HMX Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorensen, Christian; Cummock, Nicholas; O'Grady, Caitlin; Gunduz, I. Emre; Son, Steven

2017-06-01

There are several hot spot initiation mechanisms that have been proposed. However, direct observation of shock or impact compression of these mechanisms at macroscopic scale in explosives is difficult. Phase contrast imaging (PCI) may be applied to these systems. Here, high-speed video was used to record optical spectrum and for x-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) of shockwave interaction with low defect HMX crystals and crystals with engineered defects. Additionally, multiple crystals were arranged and observed under shock loading with PCI and optical high-speed video. Sample preparation techniques for generating voids and other engineered defects will be discussed. These methods include drilled holes and laser machined samples. Insight into hot spot mechanisms was obtained. Funding from ONR's PC@Xtreme MURI.

Hard X-ray Microscopic Images of the Human Hair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goo, Jawoong; Jeon, Soo Young; Oh, Tak Heon; Hong, Seung Phil; Yon, Hwa Shik; Lee, Won-Soo

2007-01-01

The better visualization of the human organs or internal structure is challenging to the physicist and physicians. It can lead to more understanding of the morphology, pathophysiology and the diagnosis. Conventionally used methods to investigate cells or architectures, show limited value due to sample processing procedures and lower resolution. In this respect, Zernike type phase contrast hard x-ray microscopy using 6.95keV photon energy has advantages. We investigated hair fibers of the normal healthy persons. Coherence based phase contrast images revealed three distinct structures of hair, medulla, cortex, and cuticular layer. Some different detailed characters of each sample were noted. And further details would be shown and these results would be utilized as basic data of morphologic study of human hair.

Carbon contamination in scanning transmission electron microscopy and its impact on phase-plate applications.

PubMed

Hettler, Simon; Dries, Manuel; Hermann, Peter; Obermair, Martin; Gerthsen, Dagmar; Malac, Marek

2017-05-01

We analyze electron-beam induced carbon contamination in a transmission electron microscope. The study is performed on thin films potentially suitable as phase plates for phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy and phase-plate imaging is utilized to analyze the contamination. The deposited contamination layer is identified as a graphitic carbon layer which is not prone to electrostatic charging whereas a non-conductive underlying substrate charges. Several methods that inhibit contamination are evaluated and the impact of carbon contamination on phase-plate imaging is discussed. The findings are in general interesting for scanning transmission electron microscopy applications. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry

PubMed Central

Cong, Wenxiang; Xi, Yan; Wang, Ge

2015-01-01

Purpose: Grating interferometry is a state-of-the-art x-ray imaging approach, which can acquire information on x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering simultaneously. Phase-contrast imaging and dark-field imaging are very sensitive to microstructural variation and offers superior contrast resolution for biological soft tissues. However, a common x-ray tube is a point-like source. As a result, the popular planar grating imaging configuration seriously restricts the flux of photons and decreases the visibility of signals, yielding a limited field of view. The purpose of this study is to extend the planar x-ray grating imaging theory and methods to a spherical grating scheme for a wider range of preclinical and clinical applications. Methods: A spherical grating matches the wave front of a point x-ray source very well, allowing the perpendicular incidence of x-rays on the grating to achieve a higher visibility over a larger field of view than the planer grating counterpart. A theoretical analysis of the Talbot effect for spherical grating imaging is proposed to establish a basic foundation for x-ray spherical gratings interferometry. An efficient method of spherical grating imaging is also presented to extract attenuation, differential phase, and dark-field images in the x-ray spherical grating interferometer. Results: Talbot self-imaging with spherical gratings is analyzed based on the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction formula, featuring a periodic angular distribution in a polar coordinate system. The Talbot distance is derived to reveal the Talbot self-imaging pattern. Numerical simulation results show the self-imaging phenomenon of a spherical grating interferometer, which is in agreement with the theoretical prediction. Conclusions: X-ray Talbot interferometry with spherical gratings has a significant practical promise. Relative to planar grating imaging, spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry has a larger field of view and improves both signal visibility and dose utilization for pre-clinical and clinical applications. PMID:26520741

Spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cong, Wenxiang, E-mail: congw@rpi.edu, E-mail: xiy2@rpi.edu, E-mail: wangg6@rpi.edu; Xi, Yan, E-mail: congw@rpi.edu, E-mail: xiy2@rpi.edu, E-mail: wangg6@rpi.edu; Wang, Ge, E-mail: congw@rpi.edu, E-mail: xiy2@rpi.edu, E-mail: wangg6@rpi.edu

2015-11-15

Purpose: Grating interferometry is a state-of-the-art x-ray imaging approach, which can acquire information on x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering simultaneously. Phase-contrast imaging and dark-field imaging are very sensitive to microstructural variation and offers superior contrast resolution for biological soft tissues. However, a common x-ray tube is a point-like source. As a result, the popular planar grating imaging configuration seriously restricts the flux of photons and decreases the visibility of signals, yielding a limited field of view. The purpose of this study is to extend the planar x-ray grating imaging theory and methods to a spherical grating scheme formore » a wider range of preclinical and clinical applications. Methods: A spherical grating matches the wave front of a point x-ray source very well, allowing the perpendicular incidence of x-rays on the grating to achieve a higher visibility over a larger field of view than the planer grating counterpart. A theoretical analysis of the Talbot effect for spherical grating imaging is proposed to establish a basic foundation for x-ray spherical gratings interferometry. An efficient method of spherical grating imaging is also presented to extract attenuation, differential phase, and dark-field images in the x-ray spherical grating interferometer. Results: Talbot self-imaging with spherical gratings is analyzed based on the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction formula, featuring a periodic angular distribution in a polar coordinate system. The Talbot distance is derived to reveal the Talbot self-imaging pattern. Numerical simulation results show the self-imaging phenomenon of a spherical grating interferometer, which is in agreement with the theoretical prediction. Conclusions: X-ray Talbot interferometry with spherical gratings has a significant practical promise. Relative to planar grating imaging, spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry has a larger field of view and improves both signal visibility and dose utilization for pre-clinical and clinical applications.« less

[Non-contrast time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography combining high resolution multiple phase echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency contrast inherent inflow enhanced multi phase angiography combining spatial resolution echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency in intracranial arteries].

PubMed

Nakamura, Masanobu; Yoneyama, Masami; Tabuchi, Takashi; Takemura, Atsushi; Obara, Makoto; Sawano, Seishi

2012-01-01

Detailed information on anatomy and hemodynamics in cerebrovascular disorders such as AVM and Moyamoya disease is mandatory for defined diagnosis and treatment planning. Arterial spin labeling technique has come to be applied to magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and perfusion imaging in recent years. However, those non-contrast techniques are mostly limited to single frame images. Recently we have proposed a non-contrast time-resolved MRA technique termed contrast inherent inflow enhanced multi phase angiography combining spatial resolution echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency (CINEMA-STAR). CINEMA-STAR can extract the blood flow in the major intracranial arteries at an interval of 70 ms and thus permits us to observe vascular construction in full by preparing MIP images of axial acquisitions with high spatial resolution. This preliminary study demonstrates the usefulness of the CINEMA-STAR technique in evaluating the cerebral vasculature.

Phase noise optimization in temporal phase-shifting digital holography with partial coherence light sources and its application in quantitative cell imaging.

PubMed

Remmersmann, Christian; Stürwald, Stephan; Kemper, Björn; Langehanenberg, Patrik; von Bally, Gert

2009-03-10

In temporal phase-shifting-based digital holographic microscopy, high-resolution phase contrast imaging requires optimized conditions for hologram recording and phase retrieval. To optimize the phase resolution, for the example of a variable three-step algorithm, a theoretical analysis on statistical errors, digitalization errors, uncorrelated errors, and errors due to a misaligned temporal phase shift is carried out. In a second step the theoretically predicted results are compared to the measured phase noise obtained from comparative experimental investigations with several coherent and partially coherent light sources. Finally, the applicability for noise reduction is demonstrated by quantitative phase contrast imaging of pancreas tumor cells.

Damage localization in aluminum plate with compact rectangular phased piezoelectric transducer array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zenghua; Sun, Kunming; Song, Guorong; He, Cunfu; Wu, Bin

2016-03-01

In this work, a detection method for the damage in plate-like structure with a compact rectangular phased piezoelectric transducer array of 16 piezoelectric elements was presented. This compact array can not only detect and locate a single defect (through hole) in plate, but also identify multi-defects (through holes and surface defect simulated by an iron pillar glued to the plate). The experiments proved that the compact rectangular phased transducer array could detect the full range of plate structures and implement multiple-defect detection simultaneously. The processing algorithm proposed in this paper contains two parts: signal filtering and damage imaging. The former part was used to remove noise from signals. Continuous wavelet transform was applicable to signal filtering. Continuous wavelet transform can provide a plot of wavelet coefficients and the signal with narrow frequency band can be easily extracted from the plot. The latter part of processing algorithm was to implement damage detection and localization. In order to accurately locate defects and improve the imaging quality, two images were obtained from amplitude and phase information. One image was obtained with the Total Focusing Method (TFM) and another phase image was obtained with the Sign Coherence Factor (SCF). Furthermore, an image compounding technique for compact rectangular phased piezoelectric transducer array was proposed in this paper. With the proposed technique, the compounded image can be obtained by combining TFM image with SCF image, thus greatly improving the resolution and contrast of image.

Energy weighted x-ray dark-field imaging.

PubMed

Pelzer, Georg; Zang, Andrea; Anton, Gisela; Bayer, Florian; Horn, Florian; Kraus, Manuel; Rieger, Jens; Ritter, Andre; Wandner, Johannes; Weber, Thomas; Fauler, Alex; Fiederle, Michael; Wong, Winnie S; Campbell, Michael; Meiser, Jan; Meyer, Pascal; Mohr, Jürgen; Michel, Thilo

2014-10-06

The dark-field image obtained in grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging can provide information about the objects' microstructures on a scale smaller than the pixel size even with low geometric magnification. In this publication we demonstrate that the dark-field image quality can be enhanced with an energy-resolving pixel detector. Energy-resolved x-ray dark-field images were acquired with a 16-energy-channel photon-counting pixel detector with a 1 mm thick CdTe sensor in a Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometer. A method for contrast-noise-ratio (CNR) enhancement is proposed and validated experimentally. In measurements, a CNR improvement by a factor of 1.14 was obtained. This is equivalent to a possible radiation dose reduction of 23%.

NMR hyperpolarization techniques for biomedicine.

PubMed

Nikolaou, Panayiotis; Goodson, Boyd M; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

2015-02-16

Recent developments in NMR hyperpolarization have enabled a wide array of new in vivo molecular imaging modalities, ranging from functional imaging of the lungs to metabolic imaging of cancer. This Concept article explores selected advances in methods for the preparation and use of hyperpolarized contrast agents, many of which are already at or near the phase of their clinical validation in patients. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multishot EPI-SSFP in the Heart

PubMed Central

Herzka, Daniel A.; Kellman, Peter; Aletras, Anthony H.; Guttman, Michael A.; McVeigh, Elliot R.

2007-01-01

Refocused steady-state free precession (SSFP), or fast imaging with steady precession (FISP or TrueFISP), has recently proven valuable for cardiac imaging because of its high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and excellent blood-myocardium contrast. In this study, various implementations of multiecho SSFP or EPI-SSFP for imaging in the heart are presented. EPI-SSFP has higher scan-time efficiency than single-echo SSFP, as two or more phase-encode lines are acquired per repetition time (TR) at the cost of a modest increase in TR. To minimize TR, a noninterleaved phase-encode order in conjunction with a phased-array ghost elimination (PAGE) technique was employed, removing the need for echo time shifting (ETS). The multishot implementation of EPI-SSFP was used to decrease the breath-hold duration for cine acquisitions or to increase the temporal or spatial resolution for a fixed breath-hold duration. The greatest gain in efficiency was obtained with the use of a three-echo acquisition. Image quality for cardiac cine applications using multishot EPI-SSFP was comparable to that of single-echo SSFP in terms of blood-myocardium contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The PAGE method considerably reduced flow artifacts due to both the inherent ghost suppression and the concomitant reduction in phase-encode blip size. The increased TR of multishot EPI-SSFP led to a reduced specific absorption rate (SAR) for a fixed RF flip angle, and allowed the use of a larger flip angle without increasing the SAR above the FDA-approved limits. PMID:11948726

Phase calibration target for quantitative phase imaging with ptychography.

PubMed

Godden, T M; Muñiz-Piniella, A; Claverley, J D; Yacoot, A; Humphry, M J

2016-04-04

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) utilizes refractive index and thickness variations that lead to optical phase shifts. This gives contrast to images of transparent objects. In quantitative biology, phase images are used to accurately segment cells and calculate properties such as dry mass, volume and proliferation rate. The fidelity of the measured phase shifts is of critical importance in this field. However to date, there has been no standardized method for characterizing the performance of phase imaging systems. Consequently, there is an increasing need for protocols to test the performance of phase imaging systems using well-defined phase calibration and resolution targets. In this work, we present a candidate for a standardized phase resolution target, and measurement protocol for the determination of the transfer of spatial frequencies, and sensitivity of a phase imaging system. The target has been carefully designed to contain well-defined depth variations over a broadband range of spatial frequencies. In order to demonstrate the utility of the target, we measure quantitative phase images on a ptychographic microscope, and compare the measured optical phase shifts with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) topography maps and surface profile measurements from coherence scanning interferometry. The results show that ptychography has fully quantitative nanometer sensitivity in optical path differences over a broadband range of spatial frequencies for feature sizes ranging from micrometers to hundreds of micrometers.

Accelerated Slice Encoding for Metal Artifact Correction

PubMed Central

Hargreaves, Brian A.; Chen, Weitian; Lu, Wenmiao; Alley, Marcus T.; Gold, Garry E.; Brau, Anja C. S.; Pauly, John M.; Pauly, Kim Butts

2010-01-01

Purpose To demonstrate accelerated imaging with artifact reduction near metallic implants and different contrast mechanisms. Materials and Methods Slice-encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) is a modified spin echo sequence that uses view-angle tilting and slice-direction phase encoding to correct both in-plane and through-plane artifacts. Standard spin echo trains and short-TI inversion recovery (STIR) allow efficient PD-weighted imaging with optional fat suppression. A completely linear reconstruction allows incorporation of parallel imaging and partial Fourier imaging. The SNR effects of all reconstructions were quantified in one subject. 10 subjects with different metallic implants were scanned using SEMAC protocols, all with scan times below 11 minutes, as well as with standard spin echo methods. Results The SNR using standard acceleration techniques is unaffected by the linear SEMAC reconstruction. In all cases with implants, accelerated SEMAC significantly reduced artifacts compared with standard imaging techniques, with no additional artifacts from acceleration techniques. The use of different contrast mechanisms allowed differentiation of fluid from other structures in several subjects. Conclusion SEMAC imaging can be combined with standard echo-train imaging, parallel imaging, partial-Fourier imaging and inversion recovery techniques to offer flexible image contrast with a dramatic reduction of metal-induced artifacts in scan times under 11 minutes. PMID:20373445

Digital photography for the light microscope: results with a gated, video-rate CCD camera and NIH-image software.

PubMed

Shaw, S L; Salmon, E D; Quatrano, R S

1995-12-01

In this report, we describe a relatively inexpensive method for acquiring, storing and processing light microscope images that combines the advantages of video technology with the powerful medium now termed digital photography. Digital photography refers to the recording of images as digital files that are stored, manipulated and displayed using a computer. This report details the use of a gated video-rate charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a frame grabber board for capturing 256 gray-level digital images from the light microscope. This camera gives high-resolution bright-field, phase contrast and differential interference contrast (DIC) images but, also, with gated on-chip integration, has the capability to record low-light level fluorescent images. The basic components of the digital photography system are described, and examples are presented of fluorescence and bright-field micrographs. Digital processing of images to remove noise, to enhance contrast and to prepare figures for printing is discussed.

Direct visualization of hemolymph flow in the heart of a grasshopper (Schistocerca americana)

PubMed Central

Lee, Wah-Keat; Socha, John J

2009-01-01

Background Hemolymph flow patterns in opaque insects have never been directly visualized due to the lack of an appropriate imaging technique. The required spatial and temporal resolutions, together with the lack of contrast between the hemolymph and the surrounding soft tissue, are major challenges. Previously, indirect techniques have been used to infer insect heart motion and hemolymph flow, but such methods fail to reveal fine-scale kinematics of heartbeat and details of intra-heart flow patterns. Results With the use of microbubbles as high contrast tracer particles, we directly visualized hemolymph flow in a grasshopper (Schistocerca americana) using synchrotron x-ray phase-contrast imaging. In-vivo intra-heart flow patterns and the relationship between respiratory (tracheae and air sacs) and circulatory (heart) systems were directly observed for the first time. Conclusion Synchrotron x-ray phase contrast imaging is the only generally applicable technique that has the necessary spatial, temporal resolutions and sensitivity to directly visualize heart dynamics and flow patterns inside opaque animals. This technique has the potential to illuminate many long-standing questions regarding small animal circulation, encompassing topics such as retrograde heart flow in some insects and the development of flow in embryonic vertebrates. PMID:19272159

Ultrasonic backscatter imaging by shear-wave-induced echo phase encoding of target locations.

PubMed

McAleavey, Stephen

2011-01-01

We present a novel method for ultrasound backscatter image formation wherein lateral resolution of the target is obtained by using traveling shear waves to encode the lateral position of targets in the phase of the received echo. We demonstrate that the phase modulation as a function of shear wavenumber can be expressed in terms of a Fourier transform of the lateral component of the target echogenicity. The inverse transform, obtained by measurements of the phase modulation over a range of shear wave spatial frequencies, yields the lateral scatterer distribution. Range data are recovered from time of flight as in conventional ultrasound, yielding a B-mode-like image. In contrast to conventional ultrasound imaging, where mechanical or electronic focusing is used and lateral resolution is determined by aperture size and wavelength, we demonstrate that lateral resolution using the proposed method is independent of the properties of the aperture. Lateral resolution of the target is achieved using a stationary, unfocused, single-element transducer. We present simulated images of targets of uniform and non-uniform shear modulus. Compounding for speckle reduction is demonstrated. Finally, we demonstrate image formation with an unfocused transducer in gelatin phantoms of uniform shear modulus.

Rapid dark-blood carotid vessel-wall imaging with random bipolar gradients in a radial SSFP acquisition.

PubMed

Lin, Hung-Yu; Flask, Chris A; Dale, Brian M; Duerk, Jeffrey L

2007-06-01

To investigate and evaluate a new rapid dark-blood vessel-wall imaging method using random bipolar gradients with a radial steady-state free precession (SSFP) acquisition in carotid applications. The carotid artery bifurcations of four asymptomatic volunteers (28-37 years old, mean age = 31 years) were included in this study. Dark-blood contrast was achieved through the use of random bipolar gradients applied prior to the signal acquisition of each radial projection in a balanced SSFP acquisition. The resulting phase variation for moving spins established significant destructive interference in the low-frequency region of k-space. This phase variation resulted in a net nulling of the signal from flowing spins, while the bipolar gradients had a minimal effect on the static spins. The net effect was that the regular SSFP signal amplitude (SA) in stationary tissues was preserved while dark-blood contrast was achieved for moving spins. In this implementation, application of the random bipolar gradient pulses along all three spatial directions nulled the signal from both in-plane and through-plane flow in phantom and in vivo studies. In vivo imaging trials confirmed that dark-blood contrast can be achieved with the radial random bipolar SSFP method, thereby substantially reversing the vessel-to-lumen contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of a conventional rectilinear SSFP "bright-blood" acquisition from bright blood to dark blood with only a modest increase in TR (approximately 4 msec) to accommodate the additional bipolar gradients. Overall, this sequence offers a simple and effective dark-blood contrast mechanism for high-SNR SSFP acquisitions in vessel wall imaging within a short acquisition time.

T2 shuffling: Sharp, multicontrast, volumetric fast spin-echo imaging.

PubMed

Tamir, Jonathan I; Uecker, Martin; Chen, Weitian; Lai, Peng; Alley, Marcus T; Vasanawala, Shreyas S; Lustig, Michael

2017-01-01

A new acquisition and reconstruction method called T 2 Shuffling is presented for volumetric fast spin-echo (three-dimensional [3D] FSE) imaging. T 2 Shuffling reduces blurring and recovers many images at multiple T 2 contrasts from a single acquisition at clinically feasible scan times (6-7 min). The parallel imaging forward model is modified to account for temporal signal relaxation during the echo train. Scan efficiency is improved by acquiring data during the transient signal decay and by increasing echo train lengths without loss in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). By (1) randomly shuffling the phase encode view ordering, (2) constraining the temporal signal evolution to a low-dimensional subspace, and (3) promoting spatio-temporal correlations through locally low rank regularization, a time series of virtual echo time images is recovered from a single scan. A convex formulation is presented that is robust to partial voluming and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity. Retrospective undersampling and in vivo scans confirm the increase in sharpness afforded by T 2 Shuffling. Multiple image contrasts are recovered and used to highlight pathology in pediatric patients. A proof-of-principle method is integrated into a clinical musculoskeletal imaging workflow. The proposed T 2 Shuffling method improves the diagnostic utility of 3D FSE by reducing blurring and producing multiple image contrasts from a single scan. Magn Reson Med 77:180-195, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cumulative phase delay imaging - A new contrast enhanced ultrasound modality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demi, Libertario; van Sloun, Ruud J. G.; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2015-10-01

Recently, a new acoustic marker for ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) has been introduced. A cumulative phase delay (CPD) between the second harmonic and fundamental pressure wave field components is in fact observable for ultrasound propagating through UCAs. This phenomenon is absent in the case of tissue nonlinearity and is dependent on insonating pressure and frequency, UCA concentration, and propagation path length through UCAs. In this paper, ultrasound images based on this marker are presented. The ULA-OP research platform, in combination with a LA332 linear array probe (Esaote, Firenze Italy), were used to image a gelatin phantom containing a PVC plate (used as a reflector) and a cylindrical cavity measuring 7 mm in diameter (placed in between the observation point and the PVC plate). The cavity contained a 240 µL/L SonoVueO® UCA concentration. Two insonating frequencies (3 MHz and 2.5 MHz) were used to scan the gelatine phantom. A mechanical index MI = 0.07, measured in water at the cavity location with a HGL-0400 hydrophone (Onda, Sunnyvale, CA), was utilized. Processing the ultrasound signals backscattered from the plate, ultrasound images were generated in a tomographic fashion using the filtered back-projection method. As already observed in previous studies, significantly higher CPD values are measured when imaging at a frequency of 2.5 MHz, as compared to imaging at 3 MHz. In conclusion, these results confirm the applicability of the discussed CPD as a marker for contrast imaging. Comparison with standard contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging modalities will be the focus of future work.

Noise and analyzer-crystal angular position analysis for analyzer-based phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Keivan; Li, Jun; Muehleman, Carol; Brankov, Jovan G.

2014-04-01

The analyzer-based phase-contrast x-ray imaging (ABI) method is emerging as a potential alternative to conventional radiography. Like many of the modern imaging techniques, ABI is a computed imaging method (meaning that images are calculated from raw data). ABI can simultaneously generate a number of planar parametric images containing information about absorption, refraction, and scattering properties of an object. These images are estimated from raw data acquired by measuring (sampling) the angular intensity profile of the x-ray beam passed through the object at different angular positions of the analyzer crystal. The noise in the estimated ABI parametric images depends upon imaging conditions like the source intensity (flux), measurements angular positions, object properties, and the estimation method. In this paper, we use the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) to quantify the noise properties in parametric images and to investigate the effect of source intensity, different analyzer-crystal angular positions and object properties on this bound, assuming a fixed radiation dose delivered to an object. The CRLB is the minimum bound for the variance of an unbiased estimator and defines the best noise performance that one can obtain regardless of which estimation method is used to estimate ABI parametric images. The main result of this paper is that the variance (hence the noise) in parametric images is directly proportional to the source intensity and only a limited number of analyzer-crystal angular measurements (eleven for uniform and three for optimal non-uniform) are required to get the best parametric images. The following angular measurements only spread the total dose to the measurements without improving or worsening CRLB, but the added measurements may improve parametric images by reducing estimation bias. Next, using CRLB we evaluate the multiple-image radiography, diffraction enhanced imaging and scatter diffraction enhanced imaging estimation techniques, though the proposed methodology can be used to evaluate any other ABI parametric image estimation technique.

Noise and Analyzer-Crystal Angular Position Analysis for Analyzer-Based Phase-Contrast Imaging

PubMed Central

Majidi, Keivan; Li, Jun; Muehleman, Carol; Brankov, Jovan G.

2014-01-01

The analyzer-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging (ABI) method is emerging as a potential alternative to conventional radiography. Like many of the modern imaging techniques, ABI is a computed imaging method (meaning that images are calculated from raw data). ABI can simultaneously generate a number of planar parametric images containing information about absorption, refraction, and scattering properties of an object. These images are estimated from raw data acquired by measuring (sampling) the angular intensity profile (AIP) of the X-ray beam passed through the object at different angular positions of the analyzer crystal. The noise in the estimated ABI parametric images depends upon imaging conditions like the source intensity (flux), measurements angular positions, object properties, and the estimation method. In this paper, we use the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) to quantify the noise properties in parametric images and to investigate the effect of source intensity, different analyzer-crystal angular positions and object properties on this bound, assuming a fixed radiation dose delivered to an object. The CRLB is the minimum bound for the variance of an unbiased estimator and defines the best noise performance that one can obtain regardless of which estimation method is used to estimate ABI parametric images. The main result of this manuscript is that the variance (hence the noise) in parametric images is directly proportional to the source intensity and only a limited number of analyzer-crystal angular measurements (eleven for uniform and three for optimal non-uniform) are required to get the best parametric images. The following angular measurements only spread the total dose to the measurements without improving or worsening CRLB, but the added measurements may improve parametric images by reducing estimation bias. Next, using CRLB we evaluate the Multiple-Image Radiography (MIR), Diffraction Enhanced Imaging (DEI) and Scatter Diffraction Enhanced Imaging (S-DEI) estimation techniques, though the proposed methodology can be used to evaluate any other ABI parametric image estimation technique. PMID:24651402

Visualization of small lesions in rat cartilage by means of laboratory-based x-ray phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marenzana, Massimo; Hagen, Charlotte K.; Das Neves Borges, Patricia; Endrizzi, Marco; Szafraniec, Magdalena B.; Ignatyev, Konstantin; Olivo, Alessandro

2012-12-01

Being able to quantitatively assess articular cartilage in three-dimensions (3D) in small rodent animal models, with a simple laboratory set-up, would prove extremely important for the development of pre-clinical research focusing on cartilage pathologies such as osteoarthritis (OA). These models are becoming essential tools for the development of new drugs for OA, a disease affecting up to 1/3 of the population older than 50 years for which there is no cure except prosthetic surgery. However, due to limitations in imaging technology, high-throughput 3D structural imaging has not been achievable in small rodent models, thereby limiting their translational potential and their efficiency as research tools. We show that a simple laboratory system based on coded-aperture x-ray phase contrast imaging (CAXPCi) can correctly visualize the cartilage layer in slices of an excised rat tibia imaged both in air and in saline solution. Moreover, we show that small, surgically induced lesions are also correctly detected by the CAXPCi system, and we support this finding with histopathology examination. Following these successful proof-of-concept results in rat cartilage, we expect that an upgrade of the system to higher resolutions (currently underway) will enable extending the method to the imaging of mouse cartilage as well. From a technological standpoint, by showing the capability of the system to detect cartilage also in water, we demonstrate phase sensitivity comparable to other lab-based phase methods (e.g. grating interferometry). In conclusion, CAXPCi holds a strong potential for being adopted as a routine laboratory tool for non-destructive, high throughput assessment of 3D structural changes in murine articular cartilage, with a possible impact in the field similar to the revolution that conventional microCT brought into bone research.

Explicit Filtering Based Low-Dose Differential Phase Reconstruction Algorithm with the Grating Interferometry.

PubMed

Jiang, Xiaolei; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Ran; Yin, Hongxia; Wang, Zhenchang

2015-01-01

X-ray grating interferometry offers a novel framework for the study of weakly absorbing samples. Three kinds of information, that is, the attenuation, differential phase contrast (DPC), and dark-field images, can be obtained after a single scanning, providing additional and complementary information to the conventional attenuation image. Phase shifts of X-rays are measured by the DPC method; hence, DPC-CT reconstructs refraction indexes rather than attenuation coefficients. In this work, we propose an explicit filtering based low-dose differential phase reconstruction algorithm, which enables reconstruction from reduced scanning without artifacts. The algorithm adopts a differential algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) with the explicit filtering based sparse regularization rather than the commonly used total variation (TV) method. Both the numerical simulation and the biological sample experiment demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm.

Explicit Filtering Based Low-Dose Differential Phase Reconstruction Algorithm with the Grating Interferometry

PubMed Central

Zhang, Li; Zhang, Ran; Yin, Hongxia; Wang, Zhenchang

2015-01-01

X-ray grating interferometry offers a novel framework for the study of weakly absorbing samples. Three kinds of information, that is, the attenuation, differential phase contrast (DPC), and dark-field images, can be obtained after a single scanning, providing additional and complementary information to the conventional attenuation image. Phase shifts of X-rays are measured by the DPC method; hence, DPC-CT reconstructs refraction indexes rather than attenuation coefficients. In this work, we propose an explicit filtering based low-dose differential phase reconstruction algorithm, which enables reconstruction from reduced scanning without artifacts. The algorithm adopts a differential algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) with the explicit filtering based sparse regularization rather than the commonly used total variation (TV) method. Both the numerical simulation and the biological sample experiment demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. PMID:26089971

Harmonic source wavefront aberration correction for ultrasound imaging

PubMed Central

Dianis, Scott W.; von Ramm, Olaf T.

2011-01-01

A method is proposed which uses a lower-frequency transmit to create a known harmonic acoustical source in tissue suitable for wavefront correction without a priori assumptions of the target or requiring a transponder. The measurement and imaging steps of this method were implemented on the Duke phased array system with a two-dimensional (2-D) array. The method was tested with multiple electronic aberrators [0.39π to 1.16π radians root-mean-square (rms) at 4.17 MHz] and with a physical aberrator 0.17π radians rms at 4.17 MHz) in a variety of imaging situations. Corrections were quantified in terms of peak beam amplitude compared to the unaberrated case, with restoration between 0.6 and 36.6 dB of peak amplitude with a single correction. Standard phantom images before and after correction were obtained and showed both visible improvement and 14 dB contrast improvement after correction. This method, when combined with previous phase correction methods, may be an important step that leads to improved clinical images. PMID:21303031

Synchrotron phase-contrast X-ray imaging reveals fluid dosing dynamics for gene transfer into mouse airways.

PubMed

Donnelley, M; Siu, K K W; Jamison, R A; Parsons, D W

2012-01-01

Although airway gene transfer research in mouse models relies on bolus fluid dosing into the nose or trachea, the dynamics and immediate fate of delivered gene transfer agents are poorly understood. In particular, this is because there are no in vivo methods able to accurately visualize the movement of fluid in small airways of intact animals. Using synchrotron phase-contrast X-ray imaging, we show that the fate of surrogate fluid doses delivered into live mouse airways can now be accurately and non-invasively monitored with high spatial and temporal resolution. This new imaging approach can help explain the non-homogenous distributions of gene expression observed in nasal airway gene transfer studies, suggests that substantial dose losses may occur at deliver into mouse trachea via immediate retrograde fluid motion and shows the influence of the speed of bolus delivery on the relative targeting of conducting and deeper lung airways. These findings provide insight into some of the factors that can influence gene expression in vivo, and this method provides a new approach to documenting and analyzing dose delivery in small-animal models.

Diffracting aperture based differential phase contrast for scanning X-ray microscopy.

PubMed

Kaulich, Burkhard; Polack, Francois; Neuhaeusler, Ulrich; Susini, Jean; di Fabrizio, Enzo; Wilhein, Thomas

2002-10-07

It is demonstrated that in a zone plate based scanning X-ray microscope, used to image low absorbing, heterogeneous matter at a mesoscopic scale, differential phase contrast (DPC) can be implemented without adding any additional optical component to the normal scheme of the microscope. The DPC mode is simply generated by an appropriate positioning and alignment of microscope apertures. Diffraction from the apertures produces a wave front with a non-uniform intensity. The signal recorded by a pinhole photo diode located in the intensity gradient is highly sensitive to phase changes introduced by the specimen to be recorded. The feasibility of this novel DPC technique was proven with the scanning X-ray microscope at the ID21 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation facility (ESRF) operated at 6 keV photon energy. We observe a differential phase contrast, similar to Nomarski's differential interference contrast for the light microscope, which results in a tremendous increase in image contrast of up to 20 % when imaging low absorbing specimen.

Cortical Enhanced Tissue Segmentation of Neonatal Brain MR Images Acquired by a Dedicated Phased Array Coil

PubMed Central

Shi, Feng; Yap, Pew-Thian; Fan, Yong; Cheng, Jie-Zhi; Wald, Lawrence L.; Gerig, Guido; Lin, Weili; Shen, Dinggang

2010-01-01

The acquisition of high quality MR images of neonatal brains is largely hampered by their characteristically small head size and low tissue contrast. As a result, subsequent image processing and analysis, especially for brain tissue segmentation, are often hindered. To overcome this problem, a dedicated phased array neonatal head coil is utilized to improve MR image quality by effectively combing images obtained from 8 coil elements without lengthening data acquisition time. In addition, a subject-specific atlas based tissue segmentation algorithm is specifically developed for the delineation of fine structures in the acquired neonatal brain MR images. The proposed tissue segmentation method first enhances the sheet-like cortical gray matter (GM) structures in neonatal images with a Hessian filter for generation of cortical GM prior. Then, the prior is combined with our neonatal population atlas to form a cortical enhanced hybrid atlas, which we refer to as the subject-specific atlas. Various experiments are conducted to compare the proposed method with manual segmentation results, as well as with additional two population atlas based segmentation methods. Results show that the proposed method is capable of segmenting the neonatal brain with the highest accuracy, compared to other two methods. PMID:20862268

Contrast Dose and Radiation Dose Reduction in Abdominal Enhanced Computerized Tomography Scans with Single-phase Dual-energy Spectral Computerized Tomography Mode for Children with Solid Tumors

PubMed Central

Yu, Tong; Gao, Jun; Liu, Zhi-Min; Zhang, Qi-Feng; Liu, Yong; Jiang, Ling; Peng, Yun

2017-01-01

Background: Contrast dose and radiation dose reduction in computerized tomography (CT) scan for adult has been explored successfully, but there have been few studies on the application of low-concentration contrast in pediatric abdominal CT examinations. This was a feasibility study on the use of dual-energy spectral imaging and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) for the reduction of radiation dose and iodine contrast dose in pediatric abdominal CT patients with solid tumors. Methods: Forty-five patients with solid tumors who had initial CT (Group B) and follow-up CT (Group A) after chemotherapy were enrolled. The initial diagnostic CT scan (Group B) was performed using the standard two-phase enhanced CT with 320 mgI/ml concentration contrast, and the follow-up scan (Group A) was performed using a single-phase enhanced CT at 45 s after the beginning of the 270 mgI/ml contrast injection using spectral mode. Forty percent ASiR was used for the images in Group B and monochromatic images with energy levels ≥60 keV in Group A. In addition, filtered back-projection (FBP) reconstruction was used for monochromatic images <60 keV in Group A. The total radiation dose, total iodine load, contrast injection speed, and maximum injection pressure were compared between the two groups. The 40 keV and 60 keV spectral CT images of Group A were compared with the images of Group B to evaluate overall image quality. Results: The total radiation dose, total iodine load, injection speed, and maximum injection pressure for Group A were decreased by 19%, 15%, 34.4%, and 18.3%, respectively. The optimal energy level in spectral CT for displaying the abdominal vessels was 40 keV. At this level, the CT values in the abdominal aorta and its three branches, the portal vein and its two branches, and the inferior vena cava were all greater than 340 hounsfield unit (HU). The abdominal organs of Groups A and B had similar degrees of absolute and relative enhancement (t = 0.36 and −1.716 for liver, −0.153 and −1.546 for pancreas, and 2.427 and 0.866 for renal cortex, all P > 0.05). Signal-to-noise ratio of the abdominal organs was significantly lower in Group A than in Group B (t = −8.11 for liver, −7.83 for pancreas, and −5.38 for renal cortex, all P < 0.05). However, the subjective scores for the 40 keV (FBP) and 60 keV (40% ASiR) spectral CT images determined by two radiologists were all >3, indicating clinically acceptable image quality. Conclusions: Single-phase, dual-energy spectral CT used for children with solid abdominal tumors can reduce contrast dose and radiation dose and can also maintain clinically acceptable image quality. PMID:28345547

Implementations of three OCT angiography (OCTA) methods with 1.7 MHz A-scan rate OCT system on imaging of human retinal and choroidal vasculature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poddar, Raju; Werner, John S.

2018-06-01

We present noninvasive depth-resolved imaging of human retinal and choroidal microcirculation with an ultrahigh-speed (1.7 MHz A-scans/s), Fourier-domain mode locked (FDML) swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system having a central wavelength of 1065 nm. Three OCT angiography (OCTA) motion based contrast methods, namely phase variance (PV), amplitude decorrelation (AD) and Joint Spectral and Time domain OCT (STdOCT) were implemented. The OCTA imaging was performed with a field of view of 16° (5 mm × 5 mm) and 30° (9 mm × 9 mm), on the retina. A qualitative comparison of images obtained with all three OCTA methods is demonstrated using the same eye of a healthy volunteer. Different parameters, namely acquisition time, scanning area, and scanning density, are discussed. The phase-variance OCTA (PV-OCTA) method produced relatively better results than the other two. Different features regarding the retinal and choroidal vessels are described in different subjects.

New approaches for the analysis of confluent cell layers with quantitative phase digital holographic microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohl, L.; Kaiser, M.; Ketelhut, S.; Pereira, S.; Goycoolea, F.; Kemper, Björn

2016-03-01

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) enables high resolution non-destructive inspection of technical surfaces and minimally-invasive label-free live cell imaging. However, the analysis of confluent cell layers represents a challenge as quantitative DHM phase images in this case do not provide sufficient information for image segmentation, determination of the cellular dry mass or calculation of the cell thickness. We present novel strategies for the analysis of confluent cell layers with quantitative DHM phase contrast utilizing a histogram based-evaluation procedure. The applicability of our approach is illustrated by quantification of drug induced cell morphology changes and it is shown that the method is capable to quantify reliable global morphology changes of confluent cell layers.

Comparison of phase-contrast MR and flow simulations for the study of CSF dynamics in the cervical spine.

PubMed

Lindstrøm, Erika Kristina; Schreiner, Jakob; Ringstad, Geir Andre; Haughton, Victor; Eide, Per Kristian; Mardal, Kent-Andre

2018-06-01

Background Investigators use phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PC-MR) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to assess cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. We compared qualitative and quantitative results from the two methods. Methods Four volunteers were imaged with a heavily T2-weighted volume gradient echo scan of the brain and cervical spine at 3T and with PC-MR. Velocities were calculated from PC-MR for each phase in the cardiac cycle. Mean pressure gradients in the PC-MR acquisition through the cardiac cycle were calculated with the Navier-Stokes equations. Volumetric MR images of the brain and upper spine were segmented and converted to meshes. Models of the subarachnoid space were created from volume images with the Vascular Modeling Toolkit. CFD simulations were performed with a previously verified flow solver. The flow patterns, velocities and pressures were compared in PC-MR and CFD flow images. Results PC-MR images consistently revealed more inhomogeneous flow patterns than CFD, especially in the anterolateral subarachnoid space where spinal nerve roots are located. On average, peak systolic and diastolic velocities in PC-MR exceeded those in CFD by 31% and 41%, respectively. On average, systolic and diastolic pressure gradients calculated from PC-MR exceeded those of CFD by 11% and 39%, respectively. Conclusions PC-MR shows local flow disturbances that are not evident in typical CFD. The velocities and pressure gradients calculated from PC-MR are systematically larger than those calculated from CFD.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ierardi, Anna Maria; Duka, Ejona; Radaelli, Alessandro

AimTo evaluate the feasibility of image fusion (IF) of pre-procedural arterial-phase CT angiography or MR angiography with intra-procedural fluoroscopy for road-mapping in endovascular treatment of aorto-iliac steno-occlusive disease.Materials and MethodsBetween September and November, 2014, we prospectively evaluated 5 patients with chronic aorto-iliac steno-occlusive disease, who underwent endovascular treatment in the angiography suite. Fusion image road-mapping was performed using angiographic phase CT images or MR images acquired before and intra-procedural unenhanced cone-beam CT. Radiation dose of the procedure, volume of intra-procedural iodinated contrast medium, fluoroscopy time, and overall procedural time were recorded. Reasons for potential fusion imaging inaccuracies were also evaluated.ResultsImagemore » co-registration and fusion guidance were feasible in all procedures. Mean radiation dose of the procedure was 60.21 Gycm2 (range 55.02–63.75 Gycm2). The mean total procedure time was 32.2 min (range 27–38 min). The mean fluoroscopy time was 12 min and 3 s. The mean procedural iodinated contrast material dose was 24 mL (range 20–40 mL).ConclusionsIF gives Interventional Radiologists the opportunity to use new technologies in order to improve outcomes with a significant reduction of contrast media administration.« less

Differential phase contrast X-ray imaging system and components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stutman, Daniel; Finkenthal, Michael

2017-11-21

A differential phase contrast X-ray imaging system includes an X-ray illumination system, a beam splitter arranged in an optical path of the X-ray illumination system, and a detection system arranged in an optical path to detect X-rays after passing through the beam splitter.

Volumetric velocity measurements in restricted geometries using spiral sampling: a phantom study.

PubMed

Nilsson, Anders; Revstedt, Johan; Heiberg, Einar; Ståhlberg, Freddy; Bloch, Karin Markenroth

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of maximum velocity measurements using volumetric phase-contrast imaging with spiral readouts in a stenotic flow phantom. In a phantom model, maximum velocity, flow, pressure gradient, and streamline visualizations were evaluated using volumetric phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with velocity encoding in one (extending on current clinical practice) and three directions (for characterization of the flow field) using spiral readouts. Results of maximum velocity and pressure drop were compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, as well as corresponding low-echo-time (TE) Cartesian data. Flow was compared to 2D through-plane phase contrast (PC) upstream from the restriction. Results obtained with 3D through-plane PC as well as 4D PC at shortest TE using a spiral readout showed excellent agreements with the maximum velocity values obtained with CFD (<1 % for both methods), while larger deviations were seen using Cartesian readouts (-2.3 and 13 %, respectively). Peak pressure drop calculations from 3D through-plane PC and 4D PC spiral sequences were respectively 14 and 13 % overestimated compared to CFD. Identification of the maximum velocity location, as well as the accurate velocity quantification can be obtained in stenotic regions using short-TE spiral volumetric PC imaging.

Benchmarking the x-ray phase contrast imaging for ICF DT ice characterization using roughened surrogates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dewald, E; Kozioziemski, B; Moody, J

2008-06-26

We use x-ray phase contrast imaging to characterize the inner surface roughness of DT ice layers in capsules planned for future ignition experiments. It is therefore important to quantify how well the x-ray data correlates with the actual ice roughness. We benchmarked the accuracy of our system using surrogates with fabricated roughness characterized with high precision standard techniques. Cylindrical artifacts with azimuthally uniform sinusoidal perturbations with 100 um period and 1 um amplitude demonstrated 0.02 um accuracy limited by the resolution of the imager and the source size of our phase contrast system. Spherical surrogates with random roughness close tomore » that required for the DT ice for a successful ignition experiment were used to correlate the actual surface roughness to that obtained from the x-ray measurements. When comparing average power spectra of individual measurements, the accuracy mode number limits of the x-ray phase contrast system benchmarked against surface characterization performed by Atomic Force Microscopy are 60 and 90 for surrogates smoother and rougher than the required roughness for the ice. These agreement mode number limits are >100 when comparing matching individual measurements. We will discuss the implications for interpreting DT ice roughness data derived from phase-contrast x-ray imaging.« less

Comparison of the Diagnostic Accuracy of DSC- and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI in the Preoperative Grading of Astrocytomas.

PubMed

Nguyen, T B; Cron, G O; Perdrizet, K; Bezzina, K; Torres, C H; Chakraborty, S; Woulfe, J; Jansen, G H; Sinclair, J; Thornhill, R E; Foottit, C; Zanette, B; Cameron, I G

2015-11-01

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters can be biased by poor measurement of the vascular input function. We have compared the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging by using a phase-derived vascular input function and "bookend" T1 measurements with DSC MR imaging for preoperative grading of astrocytomas. This prospective study included 48 patients with a new pathologic diagnosis of an astrocytoma. Preoperative MR imaging was performed at 3T, which included 2 injections of 5-mL gadobutrol for dynamic contrast-enhanced and DSC MR imaging. During dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, both magnitude and phase images were acquired to estimate plasma volume obtained from phase-derived vascular input function (Vp_Φ) and volume transfer constant obtained from phase-derived vascular input function (K(trans)_Φ) as well as plasma volume obtained from magnitude-derived vascular input function (Vp_SI) and volume transfer constant obtained from magnitude-derived vascular input function (K(trans)_SI). From DSC MR imaging, corrected relative CBV was computed. Four ROIs were placed over the solid part of the tumor, and the highest value among the ROIs was recorded. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for difference between grades. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Vp_ Φ and K(trans)_Φ values were lower for grade II compared with grade III astrocytomas (P < .05). Vp_SI and K(trans)_SI were not significantly different between grade II and grade III astrocytomas (P = .08-0.15). Relative CBV and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters except for K(trans)_SI were lower for grade III compared with grade IV (P ≤ .05). In differentiating low- and high-grade astrocytomas, we found no statistically significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between relative CBV and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters. In the preoperative grading of astrocytomas, the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters is similar to that of relative CBV. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Fully automated contour detection of the ascending aorta in cardiac 2D phase-contrast MRI.

PubMed

Codari, Marina; Scarabello, Marco; Secchi, Francesco; Sforza, Chiarella; Baselli, Giuseppe; Sardanelli, Francesco

2018-04-01

In this study we proposed a fully automated method for localizing and segmenting the ascending aortic lumen with phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI). Twenty-five phase-contrast series were randomly selected out of a large population dataset of patients whose cardiac MRI examination, performed from September 2008 to October 2013, was unremarkable. The local Ethical Committee approved this retrospective study. The ascending aorta was automatically identified on each phase of the cardiac cycle using a priori knowledge of aortic geometry. The frame that maximized the area, eccentricity, and solidity parameters was chosen for unsupervised initialization. Aortic segmentation was performed on each frame using active contouring without edges techniques. The entire algorithm was developed using Matlab R2016b. To validate the proposed method, the manual segmentation performed by a highly experienced operator was used. Dice similarity coefficient, Bland-Altman analysis, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used as performance metrics. Comparing automated and manual segmentation of the aortic lumen on 714 images, Bland-Altman analysis showed a bias of -6.68mm 2 , a coefficient of repeatability of 91.22mm 2 , a mean area measurement of 581.40mm 2 , and a reproducibility of 85%. Automated and manual segmentation were highly correlated (R=0.98). The Dice similarity coefficient versus the manual reference standard was 94.6±2.1% (mean±standard deviation). A fully automated and robust method for identification and segmentation of ascending aorta on PC-MRI was developed. Its application on patients with a variety of pathologic conditions is advisable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Segmentation of clustered cells in negative phase contrast images with integrated light intensity and cell shape information.

PubMed

Wang, Y; Wang, C; Zhang, Z

2018-05-01

Automated cell segmentation plays a key role in characterisations of cell behaviours for both biology research and clinical practices. Currently, the segmentation of clustered cells still remains as a challenge and is the main reason for false segmentation. In this study, the emphasis was put on the segmentation of clustered cells in negative phase contrast images. A new method was proposed to combine both light intensity and cell shape information through the construction of grey-weighted distance transform (GWDT) within preliminarily segmented areas. With the constructed GWDT, the clustered cells can be detected and then separated with a modified region skeleton-based method. Moreover, a contour expansion operation was applied to get optimised detection of cell boundaries. In this paper, the working principle and detailed procedure of the proposed method are described, followed by the evaluation of the method on clustered cell segmentation. Results show that the proposed method achieves an improved performance in clustered cell segmentation compared with other methods, with 85.8% and 97.16% accuracy rate for clustered cells and all cells, respectively. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

In-Vivo Imaging of Cell Migration Using Contrast Enhanced MRI and SVM Based Post-Processing.

PubMed

Weis, Christian; Hess, Andreas; Budinsky, Lubos; Fabry, Ben

2015-01-01

The migration of cells within a living organism can be observed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in combination with iron oxide nanoparticles as an intracellular contrast agent. This method, however, suffers from low sensitivity and specificty. Here, we developed a quantitative non-invasive in-vivo cell localization method using contrast enhanced multiparametric MRI and support vector machines (SVM) based post-processing. Imaging phantoms consisting of agarose with compartments containing different concentrations of cancer cells labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles were used to train and evaluate the SVM for cell localization. From the magnitude and phase data acquired with a series of T2*-weighted gradient-echo scans at different echo-times, we extracted features that are characteristic for the presence of superparamagnetic nanoparticles, in particular hyper- and hypointensities, relaxation rates, short-range phase perturbations, and perturbation dynamics. High detection quality was achieved by SVM analysis of the multiparametric feature-space. The in-vivo applicability was validated in animal studies. The SVM detected the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles in the imaging phantoms with high specificity and sensitivity with a detection limit of 30 labeled cells per mm3, corresponding to 19 μM of iron oxide. As proof-of-concept, we applied the method to follow the migration of labeled cancer cells injected in rats. The combination of iron oxide labeled cells, multiparametric MRI and a SVM based post processing provides high spatial resolution, specificity, and sensitivity, and is therefore suitable for non-invasive in-vivo cell detection and cell migration studies over prolonged time periods.

Quantitative phase and amplitude imaging using Differential-Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preza, Chrysanthe; O'Sullivan, Joseph A.

2009-02-01

We present an extension of the development of an alternating minimization (AM) method for the computation of a specimen's complex transmittance function (magnitude and phase) from DIC images. The ability to extract both quantitative phase and amplitude information from two rotationally-diverse DIC images (i.e., acquired by rotating the sample) extends previous efforts in computational DIC microscopy that have focused on quantitative phase imaging only. Simulation results show that the inverse problem at hand is sensitive to noise as well as to the choice of the AM algorithm parameters. The AM framework allows constraints and penalties on the magnitude and phase estimates to be incorporated in a principled manner. Towards this end, Green and De Pierro's "log-cosh" regularization penalty is applied to the magnitude of differences of neighboring values of the complex-valued function of the specimen during the AM iterations. The penalty is shown to be convex in the complex space. A procedure to approximate the penalty within the iterations is presented. In addition, a methodology to pre-compute AM parameters that are optimal with respect to the convergence rate of the AM algorithm is also presented. Both extensions of the AM method are investigated with simulations.

Effects of Optical-density and Phase Dispersion of an Imperfect Band-limited Occulting Mask on the Broadband Performance of a TPF Coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidiek, Erkin; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham

2007-01-01

Practical image-plane occulting masks required by high-contrast imaging systems such as the TPF-Coronagraph introduce phase errors into the transmitting beam., or, equivalently, diffracts the residual starlight into the area of the final image plane used for detecting exo-planets. Our group at JPL has recently proposed spatially Profiled metal masks that can be designed to have zero parasitic phase at the center wavelength of the incoming broadband light with small amounts of' 00 and phase dispersions at other wavelengths. Work is currently underway to design. fabricate and characterize such image-plane masks. In order to gain some understanding on the behaviors of these new imperfect band-limited occulting masks and clarify how such masks utilizing different metals or alloys compare with each other, we carried out some modeling and simulations on the contrast performance of the high-contrast imaging testbed (HCIT) at .JPL. In this paper we describe the details of our simulations and present our results.

Binocular contrast-gain control for natural scenes: Image structure and phase alignment.

PubMed

Huang, Pi-Chun; Dai, Yu-Ming

2018-05-01

In the context of natural scenes, we applied the pattern-masking paradigm to investigate how image structure and phase alignment affect contrast-gain control in binocular vision. We measured the discrimination thresholds of bandpass-filtered natural-scene images (targets) under various types of pedestals. Our first experiment had four pedestal types: bandpass-filtered pedestals, unfiltered pedestals, notch-filtered pedestals (which enabled removal of the spatial frequency), and misaligned pedestals (which involved rotation of unfiltered pedestals). Our second experiment featured six types of pedestals: bandpass-filtered, unfiltered, and notch-filtered pedestals, and the corresponding phase-scrambled pedestals. The thresholds were compared for monocular, binocular, and dichoptic viewing configurations. The bandpass-filtered pedestal and unfiltered pedestals showed classic dipper shapes; the dipper shapes of the notch-filtered, misaligned, and phase-scrambled pedestals were weak. We adopted a two-stage binocular contrast-gain control model to describe our results. We deduced that the phase-alignment information influenced the contrast-gain control mechanism before the binocular summation stage and that the phase-alignment information and structural misalignment information caused relatively strong divisive inhibition in the monocular and interocular suppression stages. When the pedestals were phase-scrambled, the elimination of the interocular suppression processing was the most convincing explanation of the results. Thus, our results indicated that both phase-alignment information and similar image structures cause strong interocular suppression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accurate and quantitative polarization-sensitive OCT by unbiased birefringence estimator with noise-stochastic correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasaragod, Deepa; Sugiyama, Satoshi; Ikuno, Yasushi; Alonso-Caneiro, David; Yamanari, Masahiro; Fukuda, Shinichi; Oshika, Tetsuro; Hong, Young-Joo; Li, En; Makita, Shuichi; Miura, Masahiro; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2016-03-01

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a functional extension of OCT that contrasts the polarization properties of tissues. It has been applied to ophthalmology, cardiology, etc. Proper quantitative imaging is required for a widespread clinical utility. However, the conventional method of averaging to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the contrast of the phase retardation (or birefringence) images introduce a noise bias offset from the true value. This bias reduces the effectiveness of birefringence contrast for a quantitative study. Although coherent averaging of Jones matrix tomography has been widely utilized and has improved the image quality, the fundamental limitation of nonlinear dependency of phase retardation and birefringence to the SNR was not overcome. So the birefringence obtained by PS-OCT was still not accurate for a quantitative imaging. The nonlinear effect of SNR to phase retardation and birefringence measurement was previously formulated in detail for a Jones matrix OCT (JM-OCT) [1]. Based on this, we had developed a maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimator and quantitative birefringence imaging was demonstrated [2]. However, this first version of estimator had a theoretical shortcoming. It did not take into account the stochastic nature of SNR of OCT signal. In this paper, we present an improved version of the MAP estimator which takes into account the stochastic property of SNR. This estimator uses a probability distribution function (PDF) of true local retardation, which is proportional to birefringence, under a specific set of measurements of the birefringence and SNR. The PDF was pre-computed by a Monte-Carlo (MC) simulation based on the mathematical model of JM-OCT before the measurement. A comparison between this new MAP estimator, our previous MAP estimator [2], and the standard mean estimator is presented. The comparisons are performed both by numerical simulation and in vivo measurements of anterior and posterior eye segment as well as in skin imaging. The new estimator shows superior performance and also shows clearer image contrast.

Comparison of amplitude-decorrelation, speckle-variance and phase-variance OCT angiography methods for imaging the human retina and choroid

PubMed Central

Gorczynska, Iwona; Migacz, Justin V.; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Capps, Arlie G.; Werner, John S.

2016-01-01

We compared the performance of three OCT angiography (OCTA) methods: speckle variance, amplitude decorrelation and phase variance for imaging of the human retina and choroid. Two averaging methods, split spectrum and volume averaging, were compared to assess the quality of the OCTA vascular images. All data were acquired using a swept-source OCT system at 1040 nm central wavelength, operating at 100,000 A-scans/s. We performed a quantitative comparison using a contrast-to-noise (CNR) metric to assess the capability of the three methods to visualize the choriocapillaris layer. For evaluation of the static tissue noise suppression in OCTA images we proposed to calculate CNR between the photoreceptor/RPE complex and the choriocapillaris layer. Finally, we demonstrated that implementation of intensity-based OCT imaging and OCT angiography methods allows for visualization of retinal and choroidal vascular layers known from anatomic studies in retinal preparations. OCT projection imaging of data flattened to selected retinal layers was implemented to visualize retinal and choroidal vasculature. User guided vessel tracing was applied to segment the retinal vasculature. The results were visualized in a form of a skeletonized 3D model. PMID:27231598

Computational Methods for Nanoscale X-ray Computed Tomography Image Analysis of Fuel Cell and Battery Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arjun S.

Over the last fifteen years, there has been a rapid growth in the use of high resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) imaging in material science applications. We use it at nanoscale resolutions up to 50 nm (nano-CT) for key research problems in large scale operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in automotive applications. PEMFC are clean energy sources that electrochemically react with hydrogen gas to produce water and electricity. To reduce their costs, capturing their electrode nanostructure has become significant in modeling and optimizing their performance. For Li-ion batteries, a key challenge in increasing their scope for the automotive industry is Li metal dendrite growth. Li dendrites are structures of lithium with 100 nm features of interest that can grow chaotically within a battery and eventually lead to a short-circuit. HRXCT imaging is an effective diagnostics tool for such applications as it is a non-destructive method of capturing the 3D internal X-ray absorption coefficient of materials from a large series of 2D X-ray projections. Despite a recent push to use HRXCT for quantitative information on material samples, there is a relative dearth of computational tools in nano-CT image processing and analysis. Hence, we focus on developing computational methods for nano-CT image analysis of fuel cell and battery materials as required by the limitations in material samples and the imaging environment. The first problem we address is the segmentation of nano-CT Zernike phase contrast images. Nano-CT instruments are equipped with Zernike phase contrast optics to distinguish materials with a low difference in X-ray absorption coefficient by phase shifting the X-ray wave that is not diffracted by the sample. However, it creates image artifacts that hinder the use of traditional image segmentation techniques. To restore such images, we setup an inverse problem by modeling the X-ray phase contrast optics. We solve for the artifact-free images through an optimization function that uses novel edge detection and fast image interpolation methods. We use this optics-based segmentation method in two main research problems - 1) the characterization of a failure mechanism in the internal structure of Li-ion battery electrodes and 2) the measurement of Li metal dendrite morphology for different current and temperature parameters of Li-ion battery cell operation. The second problem we address is the development of a space+time (4D) reconstruction method for in-operando imaging of samples undergoing temporal change, particularly for X-ray sources with low throughput and nanoscale spatial resolutions. The challenge in using such systems is achieving a sufficient temporal resolution despite exposure times of a 2D projection on the order of 1 minute. We develop a 4D dynamic X-ray computed tomography (CT) reconstruction method, capable of reconstructing a temporal 3D image every 2 to 8 projections. Its novel properties are its projection angle sequence and the probabilistic detection of experimental change. We show its accuracy on phantom and experimental datasets to show its promise in temporally resolving Li metal dendrite growth and in elucidating mitigation strategies.

Multishot EPI-SSFP in the heart.

PubMed

Herzka, Daniel A; Kellman, Peter; Aletras, Anthony H; Guttman, Michael A; McVeigh, Elliot R

2002-04-01

Refocused steady-state free precession (SSFP), or fast imaging with steady precession (FISP or TrueFISP), has recently proven valuable for cardiac imaging because of its high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and excellent blood-myocardium contrast. In this study, various implementations of multiecho SSFP or EPI-SSFP for imaging in the heart are presented. EPI-SSFP has higher scan-time efficiency than single-echo SSFP, as two or more phase-encode lines are acquired per repetition time (TR) at the cost of a modest increase in TR. To minimize TR, a noninterleaved phase-encode order in conjunction with a phased-array ghost elimination (PAGE) technique was employed, removing the need for echo time shifting (ETS). The multishot implementation of EPI-SSFP was used to decrease the breath-hold duration for cine acquisitions or to increase the temporal or spatial resolution for a fixed breath-hold duration. The greatest gain in efficiency was obtained with the use of a three-echo acquisition. Image quality for cardiac cine applications using multishot EPI-SSFP was comparable to that of single-echo SSFP in terms of blood-myocardium contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The PAGE method considerably reduced flow artifacts due to both the inherent ghost suppression and the concomitant reduction in phase-encode blip size. The increased TR of multishot EPI-SSFP led to a reduced specific absorption rate (SAR) for a fixed RF flip angle, and allowed the use of a larger flip angle without increasing the SAR above the FDA-approved limits. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A study of quantification of aortic compliance in mice using radial acquisition phase contrast MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xuandong

Spatiotemporal changes in blood flow velocity measured using Phase contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can be used to quantify Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) and Wall Shear Stress (WSS), well known indices of vessel compliance. A study was conducted to measure the PWV in the aortic arch in young healthy children using conventional phase contrast MRI and a post processing algorithm that automatically track the peak velocity in phase contrast images. It is shown that the PWV calculated using peak velocity-time data has less variability compared to that using mean velocity and flow. Conventional MR data acquisition techniques lack both the spatial and temporal resolution needed to accurately calculate PWV and WSS in in vivo studies using transgenic animal models of arterial diseases. Radial k-space acquisition can improve both spatial and temporal resolution. A major part of this thesis was devoted to developing technology for Radial Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance (RPCMR) cine imaging on a 7 Tesla Animal scanner. A pulse sequence with asymmetric radial k-space acquisition was designed and implemented. Software developed to reconstruct the RPCMR images include gridding, density compensation and centering of k-Space that corrects the image ghosting introduced by hardware response time. Image processing software was developed to automatically segment the vessel lumen and correct for phase offset due to eddy currents. Finally, in vivo and ex vivo aortic compliance measurements were conducted in a well-established mouse model for atherosclerosis: Apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoE-KO). Using RPCMR technique, a significantly higher PWV value as well as a higher average WSS was detected among 9 months old ApoE-KO mice compare to in wild type mice. A follow up ex-vivo test of tissue elasticity confirmed the impaired distensibility of aortic arteries among ApoE-KO mice.

Phase-Imaging with a Sharpened Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube AFM Tip: Investigation of Low-k Dielectric Polymer Hybrids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Cattien V.; Stevens, Ramsey M.; Meyyappan, M.; Volksen, Willi; Miller, Robert D.

2005-01-01

Phase shift tapping mode scanning force microscopy (TMSFM) has evolved into a very powerful technique for the nanoscale surface characterization of compositional variations in heterogeneous samples. Phase shift signal measures the difference between the phase angle of the excitation signal and the phase angle of the cantilever response. The signal correlates to the tip-sample inelastic interactions, identifying the different chemical and/or physical property of surfaces. In general, the resolution and quality of scanning probe microscopic images are highly dependent on the size of the scanning probe tip. In improving AFM tip technology, we recently developed a technique for sharpening the tip of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) AFM tip, reducing the radius of curvature of the CNT tip to less than 5 nm while still maintaining the inherent stability of multi-walled CNT tips. Herein we report the use of sharpened (CNT) AFM tips for phase-imaging of polymer hybrids, a precursor for generating nanoporous low-k dielectrics for on-chip interconnect applications. Using sharpened CNT tips, we obtained phase-contrast images having domains less than 10 nm. In contrast, conventional Si tips and unsharpened CNT tips (radius greater than 15 nm) were not able to resolve the nanoscale domains in the polymer hybrid films. C1early, the size of the CNT tip contributes significantly to the resolution of phase-contrast imaging. In addition, a study on the nonlinear tapping dynamics of the multi-walled CNT tip indicates that the multi-walled CNT tip is immune to conventional imaging instabilities related to the coexistence of attractive and repulsive tapping regimes. This factor may also contribute to the phase-contrast image quality of multi-walled CNT AFM tips. This presentation will also offer data in support of the stability of the CNT tip for phase shift TMSFM.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients at multidetector CT: hepatic venous phase versus delayed phase for the detection of tumour washout

PubMed Central

Furlan, A; Marin, D; Vanzulli, A; Patera, G Palermo; Ronzoni, A; Midiri, M; Bazzocchi, M; Lagalla, R; Brancatelli, G

2011-01-01

Objectives Our aim was to compare retrospectively hepatic venous and delayed phase images for the detection of tumour washout during multiphasic multidetector row CT (MDCT) of the liver in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods 30 cirrhotic patients underwent multiphasic MDCT in the 90 days before liver transplantation. MDCT was performed before contrast medium administration and during hepatic arterial hepatic venous and delayed phases, images were obtained at 12, 55 and 120 s after trigger threshold. Two radiologists qualitatively evaluated images for lesion attenuation. Tumour washout was evaluated subjectively and objectively. Tumour-to-liver contrast (TLC) was measured for all pathologically proven HCCs. Results 48 HCCs were detected at MDCT. 46 of the 48 tumours (96%) appeared as either hyper- or isoattenuating during the hepatic arterial phase subjective washout was present in 15 HCCs (33%) during the hepatic venous phase and in 35 (76%) during the delayed phase (p<0.001, McNemar’s test). Objective washout was present in 30 of the 46 HCCs (65%) during the hepatic venous phase and in 42 of the HCCs (91%) during the delayed phase (p=0.001). The delayed phase yielded significantly higher mean TLC absolute values compared with the hepatic venous phase (−16.1±10.8 HU vs −10.5±10.2 HU; p<0.001). Conclusions The delayed phase is superior to the hepatic venous phase for detection of tumour washout of pathologically proven HCC in cirrhotic patients. PMID:21081569

A Bayesian Model for Highly Accelerated Phase-Contrast MRI

PubMed Central

Rich, Adam; Potter, Lee C.; Jin, Ning; Ash, Joshua; Simonetti, Orlando P.; Ahmad, Rizwan

2015-01-01

Purpose Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) is a noninvasive tool to assess cardiovascular disease by quantifying blood flow; however, low data acquisition efficiency limits the spatial and temporal resolutions, real-time application, and extensions to 4D flow imaging in clinical settings. We propose a new data processing approach called Reconstructing Velocity Encoded MRI with Approximate message passing aLgorithms (ReVEAL) that accelerates the acquisition by exploiting data structure unique to PC-MRI. Theory and Methods ReVEAL models physical correlations across space, time, and velocity encodings. The proposed Bayesian approach exploits the relationships in both magnitude and phase among velocity encodings. A fast iterative recovery algorithm is introduced based on message passing. For validation, prospectively undersampled data are processed from a pulsatile flow phantom and five healthy volunteers. Results ReVEAL is in good agreement, quantified by peak velocity and stroke volume (SV), with reference data for acceleration rates R ≤ 10. For SV, Pearson r ≥ 0.996 for phantom imaging (n = 24) and r ≥ 0.956 for prospectively accelerated in vivo imaging (n = 10) for R ≤ 10. Conclusion ReVEAL enables accurate quantification of blood flow from highly undersampled data. The technique is extensible to 4D flow imaging, where higher acceleration may be possible due to additional redundancy. PMID:26444911

Phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of light and heavy atoms at the limit of contrast and resolution.

PubMed

Yücelen, Emrah; Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T

2018-02-08

Using state of the art scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) it is nowadays possible to directly image single atomic columns at sub-Å resolution. In standard (high angle) annular dark field STEM ((HA)ADF-STEM), however, light elements are usually invisible when imaged together with heavier elements in one image. Here we demonstrate the capability of the recently introduced Integrated Differential Phase Contrast STEM (iDPC-STEM) technique to image both light and heavy atoms in a thin sample at sub-Å resolution. We use the technique to resolve both the Gallium and Nitrogen dumbbells in a GaN crystal in [[Formula: see text

Automated segmentation of synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography biomedical images using Graph Cuts and neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarenga de Moura Meneses, Anderson; Giusti, Alessandro; de Almeida, André Pereira; Parreira Nogueira, Liebert; Braz, Delson; Cely Barroso, Regina; deAlmeida, Carlos Eduardo

2011-12-01

Synchrotron Radiation (SR) X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (μCT) enables magnified images to be used as a non-invasive and non-destructive technique with a high space resolution for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of biomedical samples. The research on applications of segmentation algorithms to SR-μCT is an open problem, due to the interesting and well-known characteristics of SR images for visualization, such as the high resolution and the phase contrast effect. In this article, we describe and assess the application of the Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts (EMvGC) algorithm for the segmentation of SR-μCT biomedical images acquired at the Synchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics (SYRMEP) beam line at the Elettra Laboratory (Trieste, Italy). We also propose a method using EMvGC with Artificial Neural Networks (EMANNs) for correcting misclassifications due to intensity variation of phase contrast, which are important effects and sometimes indispensable in certain biomedical applications, although they impair the segmentation provided by conventional techniques. Results demonstrate considerable success in the segmentation of SR-μCT biomedical images, with average Dice Similarity Coefficient 99.88% for bony tissue in Wistar Rats rib samples (EMvGC), as well as 98.95% and 98.02% for scans of Rhodnius prolixus insect samples (Chagas's disease vector) with EMANNs, in relation to manual segmentation. The techniques EMvGC and EMANNs cope with the task of performing segmentation in images with the intensity variation due to phase contrast effects, presenting a superior performance in comparison to conventional segmentation techniques based on thresholding and linear/nonlinear image filtering, which is also discussed in the present article.

Combined magnitude and phase-based segmentation of the cerebral cortex in 7T MR images of the elderly.

PubMed

Doan, Nhat Trung; van Rooden, Sanneke; Versluis, Maarten J; Webb, Andrew G; van der Grond, Jeroen; van Buchem, Mark A; Reiber, Johan H C; Milles, Julien

2012-07-01

To propose a new method that integrates both magnitude and phase information obtained from magnetic resonance (MR) T*(2) -weighted scans for cerebral cortex segmentation of the elderly. This method makes use of K-means clustering on magnitude and phase images to compute an initial segmentation, which is further refined by means of transformation with reconstruction criteria. The method was evaluated against the manual segmentation of 7T in vivo MR data of 20 elderly subjects (age = 67.7 ± 10.9). The added value of combining magnitude and phase was also evaluated by comparing the performance of the proposed method with the results obtained when limiting the available data to either magnitude or phase. The proposed method shows good overlap agreement, as quantified by the Dice Index (0.79 ± 0.04), limited bias (average relative volume difference = 2.94%), and reasonable volumetric correlation (R = 0.555, p = 0.011). Using the combined magnitude and phase information significantly improves the segmentation accuracy compared with using either magnitude or phase. This study suggests that the proposed method is an accurate and robust approach for cerebral cortex segmentation in datasets presenting low gray/white matter contrast. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Respiratory Motion-Resolved Compressed Sensing Reconstruction of Free-Breathing Radial Acquisition for Dynamic Liver MRI

PubMed Central

Chandarana, Hersh; Feng, Li; Ream, Justin; Wang, Annie; Babb, James S; Block, Kai Tobias; Sodickson, Daniel K; Otazo, Ricardo

2015-01-01

Purpose Demonstrate feasibility of free-breathing radial acquisition with respiratory motion-resolved compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction (XD-GRASP) for multiphase dynamic Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced liver imaging, and compare image quality to CS reconstruction with respiratory motion-averaging (GRASP) and prior conventional breath-held Cartesian-sampled datasets (BH-VIBE) in same patients. Subjects and Methods In this HIPAA-compliant prospective study, 16 subjects underwent free-breathing continuous radial acquisition during Gd-EOB-DTPA injection, and had prior BH-VIBE exam available. Acquired data were reconstructed using motion-averaging GRASP approach, in which consecutive 84-spokes were grouped in each contrast-enhanced phase for a temporal resolution of ~14 seconds. Additionally, respiratory motion-resolved reconstruction was performed from the same k-space data, by sorting each contrast-enhanced phase into multiple respiratory motion states using compressed sensing algorithm named XD-GRASP, which exploits sparsity along both the contrast-enhancement and respiratory-state dimensions. Contrast-enhanced dynamic multi-phase XD-GRASP, GRASP, and BH-VIBE images were anonymized, pooled together in a random order and presented to two board-certified radiologists for independent evaluation of image quality, with higher score indicating more optimal exam. Results XD-GRASP reconstructions had significantly (all p<0.05) higher overall image quality scores compared to GRASP for early arterial (Reader 1: 4.3 ± 0.6 vs. 3.31 ± 0.6 ; Reader 2: 3.81 ± 0.8 vs. 3.38 ± 0.9) and late arterial (Reader 1: 4.5 ± 0.6 vs. 3.63 ± 0.6; Reader 2: 3.56 ± 0.5 vs. 2.88 ± 0.7) phases of enhancement for both readers. XD-GRASP also had higher overall image quality score in portal venous phase which was significant for Reader 1 (4.44 ± 0.5 vs. 3.75 ± 0.8; p=0.002). In addition, XD-GRASP had higher overall image quality score compared to BH-VIBE for early (Reader 1: 4.3±0.6 vs. 3.88±0.6; Reader 2: 3.81±0.8 vs. 3.50±1.0) and late (Reader 1: 4.5±0.6 vs. 3.44±0.6; Reader 2: 3.56±0.5 vs. 2.94±0.9) arterial phases. Conclusion Free-breathing motion-resolved XD-GRASP reconstructions provide diagnostic high-quality multiphase images in patients undergoing Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced liver exam. PMID:26146869

Cumulative phase delay imaging - A new contrast enhanced ultrasound modality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Demi, Libertario, E-mail: l.demi@tue.nl; Sloun, Ruud J. G. van; Mischi, Massimo

Recently, a new acoustic marker for ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) has been introduced. A cumulative phase delay (CPD) between the second harmonic and fundamental pressure wave field components is in fact observable for ultrasound propagating through UCAs. This phenomenon is absent in the case of tissue nonlinearity and is dependent on insonating pressure and frequency, UCA concentration, and propagation path length through UCAs. In this paper, ultrasound images based on this marker are presented. The ULA-OP research platform, in combination with a LA332 linear array probe (Esaote, Firenze Italy), were used to image a gelatin phantom containing a PVC platemore » (used as a reflector) and a cylindrical cavity measuring 7 mm in diameter (placed in between the observation point and the PVC plate). The cavity contained a 240 µL/L SonoVueO{sup ®} UCA concentration. Two insonating frequencies (3 MHz and 2.5 MHz) were used to scan the gelatine phantom. A mechanical index MI = 0.07, measured in water at the cavity location with a HGL-0400 hydrophone (Onda, Sunnyvale, CA), was utilized. Processing the ultrasound signals backscattered from the plate, ultrasound images were generated in a tomographic fashion using the filtered back-projection method. As already observed in previous studies, significantly higher CPD values are measured when imaging at a frequency of 2.5 MHz, as compared to imaging at 3 MHz. In conclusion, these results confirm the applicability of the discussed CPD as a marker for contrast imaging. Comparison with standard contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging modalities will be the focus of future work.« less

Development of a Monitoring Method for Nonlabeled Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Growth by Time-Lapse Image Analysis.

PubMed

Suga, Mika; Kii, Hiroaki; Niikura, Keiichi; Kiyota, Yasujiro; Furue, Miho K

2015-07-01

: Cell growth is an important criterion for determining healthy cell conditions. When somatic cells or cancer cells are dissociated into single cells for passaging, the cell numbers can be counted at each passage, providing information on cell growth as an indicator of the health conditions of these cells. In the case of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), because the cells are usually dissociated into cell clumps of ∼50-100 cells for passaging, cell counting is time-consuming. In the present study, using a time-lapse imaging system, we developed a method to determine the growth of hPSCs from nonlabeled live cell phase-contrast images without damaging these cells. Next, the hPSC colony areas and number of nuclei were determined and used to derive equations to calculate the cell number in hPSC colonies, which were assessed on time-lapse images acquired using a culture observation system. The relationships between the colony areas and nuclei numbers were linear, although the equation coefficients were dependent on the cell line used, colony size, colony morphology, and culture conditions. When the culture conditions became improper, the change in cell growth conditions could be detected by analysis of the phase-contrast images. This method provided real-time information on colony growth and cell growth rates without using treatments that can damage cells and could be useful for basic research on hPSCs and cell processing for hPSC-based therapy. This is the first study to use a noninvasive method using images to systemically determine the growth of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) without damaging or wasting cells. This method would be useful for quality control during cell culture of clinical hPSCs. ©AlphaMed Press.

Reactive Burn Model Calibration for PETN Using Ultra-High-Speed Phase Contrast Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Carl; Ramos, Kyle; Bolme, Cindy; Sanchez, Nathaniel; Barber, John; Montgomery, David

2017-06-01

A 1D reactive burn model (RBM) calibration for a plastic bonded high explosive (HE) requires run-to-detonation data. In PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate, 1.65 g/cc) the shock to detonation transition (SDT) is on the order of a few millimeters. This rapid SDT imposes experimental length scales that preclude application of traditional calibration methods such as embedded electromagnetic gauge methods (EEGM) which are very effective when used to study 10 - 20 mm thick HE specimens. In recent work at Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source we have obtained run-to-detonation data in PETN using ultra-high-speed dynamic phase contrast imaging (PCI). A reactive burn model calibration valid for 1D shock waves is obtained using density profiles spanning the transition to detonation as opposed to particle velocity profiles from EEGM. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) methods were used to operate the LANL hydrocode FLAG iteratively to refine SURF RBM parameters until a suitable parameter set attained. These methods will be presented along with model validation simulations. The novel method described is generally applicable to `sensitive' energetic materials particularly those with areal densities amenable to radiography.

Fast X-ray imaging of cavitating flows

DOE PAGES

Khlifa, Ilyass; Vabre, Alexandre; Hočevar, Marko; ...

2017-10-20

A new method based on ultra-fast X-ray imaging was developed in this work for simultaneous investigations of the dynamics and the structures of complex two-phase flows. Here in this paper, cavitation was created inside a millimetric 2D Venturi-type test section, while seeding particles were injected into the flow. Thanks to the phase-contrast enhancement technique provided by the APS (Advanced Photon Source) synchrotron beam, high definition X-ray images of the complex cavitating flows were obtained. These images contain valuable information about both the liquid and the gaseous phases. By means of image processing, the two phases were separated, and velocity fieldsmore » of each phase were therefore calculated using image cross-correlations. The local vapour volume fractions were also obtained thanks to the local intensity levels within the recorded images. These simultaneous measurements, provided by this new technique, afford more insight into the structure and the dynamic of two-phase flows as well as the interactions between then, and hence enable to improve our understanding of their behavior. In the case of cavitating flows inside a Venturi-type test section, the X-ray measurements demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of significant slip velocities between the phases within sheet cavities for both steady and unsteady flow configurations.« less

Fast X-ray imaging of cavitating flows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khlifa, Ilyass; Vabre, Alexandre; Hočevar, Marko

A new method based on ultra-fast X-ray imaging was developed in this work for simultaneous investigations of the dynamics and the structures of complex two-phase flows. Here in this paper, cavitation was created inside a millimetric 2D Venturi-type test section, while seeding particles were injected into the flow. Thanks to the phase-contrast enhancement technique provided by the APS (Advanced Photon Source) synchrotron beam, high definition X-ray images of the complex cavitating flows were obtained. These images contain valuable information about both the liquid and the gaseous phases. By means of image processing, the two phases were separated, and velocity fieldsmore » of each phase were therefore calculated using image cross-correlations. The local vapour volume fractions were also obtained thanks to the local intensity levels within the recorded images. These simultaneous measurements, provided by this new technique, afford more insight into the structure and the dynamic of two-phase flows as well as the interactions between then, and hence enable to improve our understanding of their behavior. In the case of cavitating flows inside a Venturi-type test section, the X-ray measurements demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of significant slip velocities between the phases within sheet cavities for both steady and unsteady flow configurations.« less

First Point-Spread Function and X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging Results with an 88-mm Diameter Single Crystal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumpkin, A. H.; Garson, A. B.; Anastasio, M. A.

In this study, we report initial demonstrations of the use of single crystals in indirect x-ray imaging with a benchtop implementation of propagation-based (PB) x-ray phase contrast imaging. Based on single Gaussian peak fits to the x-ray images, we observed a four times smaller system point-spread function (PSF) with the 50-μm thick single crystal scintillators than with the reference polycrystalline phosphor/scintillator. Fiber-optic plate depth-of-focus and Al reflective-coating aspects are also elucidated. Guided by the results from the 25-mm diameter crystal samples, we report additionally the first results with a unique 88-mm diameter single crystal bonded to a fiber optic platemore » and coupled to the large format CCD. Both PSF and x-ray phase contrast imaging data are quantified and presented.« less

Improved image reconstruction of low-resolution multichannel phase contrast angiography

PubMed Central

P. Krishnan, Akshara; Joy, Ajin; Paul, Joseph Suresh

2016-01-01

Abstract. In low-resolution phase contrast magnetic resonance angiography, the maximum intensity projected channel images will be blurred with consequent loss of vascular details. The channel images are enhanced using a stabilized deblurring filter, applied to each channel prior to combining the individual channel images. The stabilized deblurring is obtained by the addition of a nonlocal regularization term to the reverse heat equation, referred to as nonlocally stabilized reverse diffusion filter. Unlike reverse diffusion filter, which is highly unstable and blows up noise, nonlocal stabilization enhances intensity projected parallel images uniformly. Application to multichannel vessel enhancement is illustrated using both volunteer data and simulated multichannel angiograms. Robustness of the filter applied to volunteer datasets is shown using statistically validated improvement in flow quantification. Improved performance in terms of preserving vascular structures and phased array reconstruction in both simulated and real data is demonstrated using structureness measure and contrast ratio. PMID:26835501

Large field-of-view tiled grating structures for X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröter, Tobias J.; Koch, Frieder J.; Meyer, Pascal; Kunka, Danays; Meiser, Jan; Willer, Konstantin; Gromann, Lukas; Marco, Fabio D.; Herzen, Julia; Noel, Peter; Yaroshenko, Andre; Hofmann, Andreas; Pfeiffer, Franz; Mohr, Jürgen

2017-01-01

X-ray grating-based interferometry promises unique new diagnostic possibilities in medical imaging and materials analysis. To transfer this method from scientific laboratories or small-animal applications to clinical radiography applications, compact setups with a large field of view (FoV) are required. Currently the FoV is limited by the grating area, which is restricted due to the complex manufacturing process. One possibility to increase the FoV is tiling individual grating tiles to create one large area grating mounted on a carrier substrate. We investigate theoretically the accuracy needed for a tiling process in all degrees of freedom by applying a simulation approach. We show how the resulting precision requirements can be met using a custom-built frame for exact positioning. Precise alignment is achieved by comparing the fringe patterns of two neighboring grating tiles in a grating interferometer. With this method, the FoV can be extended to practically any desired length in one dimension. First results of a phase-contrast scanning setup with a full FoV of 384 mm × 24 mm show the suitability of this method.

Spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry.

PubMed

Cong, Wenxiang; Xi, Yan; Wang, Ge

2015-11-01

Grating interferometry is a state-of-the-art x-ray imaging approach, which can acquire information on x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering simultaneously. Phase-contrast imaging and dark-field imaging are very sensitive to microstructural variation and offers superior contrast resolution for biological soft tissues. However, a common x-ray tube is a point-like source. As a result, the popular planar grating imaging configuration seriously restricts the flux of photons and decreases the visibility of signals, yielding a limited field of view. The purpose of this study is to extend the planar x-ray grating imaging theory and methods to a spherical grating scheme for a wider range of preclinical and clinical applications. A spherical grating matches the wave front of a point x-ray source very well, allowing the perpendicular incidence of x-rays on the grating to achieve a higher visibility over a larger field of view than the planer grating counterpart. A theoretical analysis of the Talbot effect for spherical grating imaging is proposed to establish a basic foundation for x-ray spherical gratings interferometry. An efficient method of spherical grating imaging is also presented to extract attenuation, differential phase, and dark-field images in the x-ray spherical grating interferometer. Talbot self-imaging with spherical gratings is analyzed based on the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula, featuring a periodic angular distribution in a polar coordinate system. The Talbot distance is derived to reveal the Talbot self-imaging pattern. Numerical simulation results show the self-imaging phenomenon of a spherical grating interferometer, which is in agreement with the theoretical prediction. X-ray Talbot interferometry with spherical gratings has a significant practical promise. Relative to planar grating imaging, spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry has a larger field of view and improves both signal visibility and dose utilization for pre-clinical and clinical applications.

Contrast computation methods for interferometric measurement of sensor modulation transfer function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battula, Tharun; Georgiev, Todor; Gille, Jennifer; Goma, Sergio

2018-01-01

Accurate measurement of image-sensor frequency response over a wide range of spatial frequencies is very important for analyzing pixel array characteristics, such as modulation transfer function (MTF), crosstalk, and active pixel shape. Such analysis is especially significant in computational photography for the purposes of deconvolution, multi-image superresolution, and improved light-field capture. We use a lensless interferometric setup that produces high-quality fringes for measuring MTF over a wide range of frequencies (here, 37 to 434 line pairs per mm). We discuss the theoretical framework, involving Michelson and Fourier contrast measurement of the MTF, addressing phase alignment problems using a moiré pattern. We solidify the definition of Fourier contrast mathematically and compare it to Michelson contrast. Our interferometric measurement method shows high detail in the MTF, especially at high frequencies (above Nyquist frequency). We are able to estimate active pixel size and pixel pitch from measurements. We compare both simulation and experimental MTF results to a lens-free slanted-edge implementation using commercial software.

Using digital inline holographic microscopy and quantitative phase contrast imaging to assess viability of cultured mammalian cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Missan, Sergey; Hrytsenko, Olga

2015-03-01

Digital inline holographic microscopy was used to record holograms of mammalian cells (HEK293, B16, and E0771) in culture. The holograms have been reconstructed using Octopus software (4Deep inwater imaging) and phase shift maps were unwrapped using the FFT-based phase unwrapping algorithm. The unwrapped phase shifts were used to determine the maximum phase shifts in individual cells. Addition of 0.5 mM H2O2 to cell media produced rapid rounding of cultured cells, followed by cell membrane rupture. The cell morphology changes and cell membrane ruptures were detected in real time and were apparent in the unwrapped phase shift images. The results indicate that quantitative phase contrast imaging produced by the digital inline holographic microscope can be used for the label-free real time automated determination of cell viability and confluence in mammalian cell cultures.

An Anion-Induced Hydrothermal Oriented-Explosive Strategy for the Synthesis of Porous Upconversion Nanocrystals

PubMed Central

Qiu, Peiyu; Sun, Rongjin; Gao, Guo; Zhang, Chunlei; Chen, Bin; Yan, Naishun; Yin, Ting; Liu, Yanlei; Zhang, Jingjing; Yang, Yao; Cui, Daxiang

2015-01-01

Rare-earth (RE)-doped upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) are deemed as the promising candidates of luminescent nanoprobe for biological imaging and labeling. A number of methods have been used for the fabrication of UCNCs, but their assembly into porous architectures with desired size, shape and crystallographic phase remains a long-term challenging task. Here we report a facile, anion-induced hydrothermal oriented-explosive method to simultaneously control size, shape and phase of porous UCNCs. Our results confirmed the anion-induced hydrothermal oriented-explosion porous structure, size and phase transition for the cubic/hexagonal phase of NaLuF4 and NaGdF4 nanocrystals with various sizes and shapes. This general method is very important not only for successfully preparing lanthanide doped porous UCNCs, but also for clarifying the formation process of porous UCNCs in the hydrothermal system. The synthesized UCNCs were used for in vitro and in vivo CT imaging, and could be acted as the potential CT contrast agents. PMID:25767613

A common-path optical coherence tomography based electrode for structural imaging of nerves and recording of action potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, M. Shahidul; Haque, Md. Rezuanul; Oh, Christian M.; Wang, Yan; Park, B. Hyle

2013-03-01

Current technologies for monitoring neural activity either use different variety of electrodes (electrical recording) or require contrast agents introduced exogenously or through genetic modification (optical imaging). Here we demonstrate an optical method for non-contact and contrast agent free detection of nerve activity using phase-resolved optical coherence tomography (pr-OCT). A common-path variation of the pr-OCT is recently implemented and the developed system demonstrated the capability to detect rapid transient structural changes that accompany neural spike propagation. No averaging over multiple trials was required, indicating its capability of single-shot detection of individual impulses from functionally stimulated Limulus optic nerve. The strength of this OCT-based optical electrode is that it is a contactless method and does not require any exogenous contrast agent. With further improvements in accuracy and sensitivity, this optical electrode will play a complementary role to the existing recording technologies in future.

From Relativistic Electrons to X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumpkin, A. H.; Garson, A. B.; Anastasio, M. A.

2017-10-09

We report the initial demonstrations of the use of single crystals in indirect x-ray imaging for x-ray phase contrast imaging at the Washington University in St. Louis Computational Bioimaging Laboratory (CBL). Based on single Gaussian peak fits to the x-ray images, we observed a four times smaller system point spread function (21 μm (FWHM)) with the 25-mm diameter single crystals than the reference polycrystalline phosphor’s 80-μm value. Potential fiber-optic plate depth-of-focus aspects and 33-μm diameter carbon fiber imaging are also addressed.

Photoacoustic phasoscopy super-contrast imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Fei; Feng, Xiaohua; Zheng, Yuanjin, E-mail: yjzheng@ntu.edu.sg

2014-05-26

Phasoscopy is a recently proposed concept correlating electromagnetic (EM) absorption and scattering properties based on energy conservation. Phase information can be extracted from EM absorption induced acoustic wave and scattered EM wave for biological tissue characterization. In this paper, an imaging modality, termed photoacoustic phasoscopy imaging (PAPS), is proposed and verified experimentally based on phasoscopy concept with laser illumination. Both endogenous photoacoustic wave and scattered photons are collected simultaneously to extract the phase information. The PAPS images are then reconstructed on vessel-mimicking phantom and ex vivo porcine tissues to show significantly improved contrast than conventional photoacoustic imaging.

Advanced wave field sensing using computational shear interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falldorf, Claas; Agour, Mostafa; Bergmann, Ralf B.

2014-07-01

In this publication we give a brief introduction into the field of Computational Shear Interferometry (CoSI), which allows for determining arbitrary wave fields from a set of shear interferograms. We discuss limitations of the method with respect to the coherence of the underlying wave field and present various numerical methods to recover it from its sheared representations. Finally, we show experimental results on Digital Holography of objects with rough surface using a fiber coupled light emitting diode and quantitative phase contrast imaging as well as numerical refocusing in Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy.

Various clinical application of phase contrast X-ray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Chilhwan; Park, Sangyong; Ha, Seunghan; Park, Gyuman; Lee, Gunwoo; Lee, Onseok; Je, Jungho

2008-02-01

In biomedical application study using phase contrast X-ray, both sample thickness or density and absorption difference are very important factors in aspects of contrast enhancement. We present experimental evidence that synchrotron hard X-ray are suitable for radiological imaging of biological samples down to the cellular level. We investigated the potential of refractive index radiology using un-monochromatized synchrotron hard X-rays for the imaging of cell and tissue in various diseases. Material had been adopted various medical field, such as apoE knockout mouse in cardiologic field, specimen from renal and prostatic carcinoma patient in urology, basal cell epithelioma in dermatology, brain tissue from autosy sample of pakinson's disease, artificially induced artilrtis tissue from rabbits and extracted tooth from patients of crack tooth syndrome. Formalin and paraffin fixed tissue blocks were cut in 3 mm thickness for the X-ray radiographic imaging. From adjacent areas, 4 μm thickness sections were also prepared for hematoxylin-eosin staining. Radiographic images of dissected tissues were obtained using the hard X-rays from the 7B2 beamline of the Pohang Light Source (PLS). The technique used for the study was the phase contrast images were compared with the optical microscopic images of corresponding histological slides. Radiographic images of various diseased tissues showed clear histological details of organelles in normal tissues. Most of cancerous lesions were well differentiated from adjacent normal tissues and detailed histological features of each tumor were clearly identified. Also normal microstructures were identifiable by the phase contrast imaging. Tissue in cancer or other disease showed clearly different findings from those of surrounding normal tissue. For the first time we successfully demonstrated that synchrotron hard X-rays can be used for radiological imaging of relatively thick tissue samples with great histological details.

Characterization of Mechanical Properties of Tissue Scaffolds by Phase Contrast Imaging and Finite Element Modeling.

PubMed

Bawolin, Nahshon K; Dolovich, Allan T; Chen, Daniel X B; Zhang, Chris W J

2015-08-01

In tissue engineering, the cell and scaffold approach has shown promise as a treatment to regenerate diseased and/or damaged tissue. In this treatment, an artificial construct (scaffold) is seeded with cells, which organize and proliferate into new tissue. The scaffold itself biodegrades with time, leaving behind only newly formed tissue. The degradation qualities of the scaffold are critical during the treatment period, since the change in the mechanical properties of the scaffold with time can influence cell behavior. To observe in time the scaffold's mechanical properties, a straightforward method is to deform the scaffold and then characterize scaffold deflection accordingly. However, experimentally observing the scaffold deflection is challenging. This paper presents a novel study on characterization of mechanical properties of scaffolds by phase contrast imaging and finite element modeling, which specifically includes scaffold fabrication, scaffold imaging, image analysis, and finite elements (FEs) modeling of the scaffold mechanical properties. The innovation of the work rests on the use of in-line phase contrast X-ray imaging at 20 KeV to characterize tissue scaffold deformation caused by ultrasound radiation forces and the use of the Fourier transform to identify movement. Once deformation has been determined experimentally, it is then compared with the predictions given by the forward solution of a finite element model. A consideration of the number of separate loading conditions necessary to uniquely identify the material properties of transversely isotropic and fully orthotropic scaffolds is also presented, along with the use of an FE as a form of regularization.

Quantitative studies on inner interfaces in conical metal joints using hard x-ray inline phase contrast radiography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zabler, S.; Rack, T.; Nelson, K.

2010-10-15

Quantitative investigation of micrometer and submicrometer gaps between joining metal surfaces is applied to conical plug-socket connections in dental titanium implants. Microgaps of widths well beyond the resolving power of industrial x-ray systems are imaged by synchrotron phase contrast radiography. Furthermore, by using an analytical model for the relatively simple sample geometry and applying it to numerical forward simulations of the optical Fresnel propagation, we show that quantitative measurements of the microgap width down to 0.1 {mu}m are possible. Image data recorded at the BAMline (BESSY-II light source, Germany) are presented, with the resolving power of the imaging system beingmore » 4 {mu}m in absorption mode and {approx}14 {mu}m in phase contrast mode (z{sub 2}=0.74 m). Thus, phase contrast radiography, combined with numerical forward simulations, is capable of measuring the widths of gaps that are two orders of magnitude thinner than the conventional detection limit.« less

Strategy for reliable strain measurement in InAs/GaAs materials from high-resolution Z-contrast STEM images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vatanparast, Maryam; Vullum, Per Erik; Nord, Magnus; Zuo, Jian-Min; Reenaas, Turid W.; Holmestad, Randi

2017-09-01

Geometric phase analysis (GPA), a fast and simple Fourier space method for strain analysis, can give useful information on accumulated strain and defect propagation in multiple layers of semiconductors, including quantum dot materials. In this work, GPA has been applied to high resolution Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images. Strain maps determined from different g vectors of these images are compared to each other, in order to analyze and assess the GPA technique in terms of accuracy. The SmartAlign tool has been used to improve the STEM image quality getting more reliable results. Strain maps from template matching as a real space approach are compared with strain maps from GPA, and it is discussed that a real space analysis is a better approach than GPA for aberration corrected STEM images.

Cumulative phase delay imaging for contrast-enhanced ultrasound tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demi, Libertario; van Sloun, Ruud J. G.; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2015-11-01

Standard dynamic-contrast enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) imaging detects and estimates ultrasound-contrast-agent (UCA) concentration based on the amplitude of the nonlinear (harmonic) components generated during ultrasound (US) propagation through UCAs. However, harmonic components generation is not specific to UCAs, as it also occurs for US propagating through tissue. Moreover, nonlinear artifacts affect standard DCE-US imaging, causing contrast to tissue ratio reduction, and resulting in possible misclassification of tissue and misinterpretation of UCA concentration. Furthermore, no contrast-specific modality exists for DCE-US tomography; in particular speed-of-sound changes due to UCAs are well within those caused by different tissue types. Recently, a new marker for UCAs has been introduced. A cumulative phase delay (CPD) between the second harmonic and fundamental component is in fact observable for US propagating through UCAs, and is absent in tissue. In this paper, tomographic US images based on CPD are for the first time presented and compared to speed-of-sound US tomography. Results show the applicability of this marker for contrast specific US imaging, with cumulative phase delay imaging (CPDI) showing superior capabilities in detecting and localizing UCA, as compared to speed-of-sound US tomography. Cavities (filled with UCA) which were down to 1 mm in diameter were clearly detectable. Moreover, CPDI is free of the above mentioned nonlinear artifacts. These results open important possibilities to DCE-US tomography, with potential applications to breast imaging for cancer localization.

Cumulative phase delay imaging for contrast-enhanced ultrasound tomography.

PubMed

Demi, Libertario; van Sloun, Ruud J G; Wijkstra, Hessel; Mischi, Massimo

2015-11-07

Standard dynamic-contrast enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) imaging detects and estimates ultrasound-contrast-agent (UCA) concentration based on the amplitude of the nonlinear (harmonic) components generated during ultrasound (US) propagation through UCAs. However, harmonic components generation is not specific to UCAs, as it also occurs for US propagating through tissue. Moreover, nonlinear artifacts affect standard DCE-US imaging, causing contrast to tissue ratio reduction, and resulting in possible misclassification of tissue and misinterpretation of UCA concentration. Furthermore, no contrast-specific modality exists for DCE-US tomography; in particular speed-of-sound changes due to UCAs are well within those caused by different tissue types. Recently, a new marker for UCAs has been introduced. A cumulative phase delay (CPD) between the second harmonic and fundamental component is in fact observable for US propagating through UCAs, and is absent in tissue. In this paper, tomographic US images based on CPD are for the first time presented and compared to speed-of-sound US tomography. Results show the applicability of this marker for contrast specific US imaging, with cumulative phase delay imaging (CPDI) showing superior capabilities in detecting and localizing UCA, as compared to speed-of-sound US tomography. Cavities (filled with UCA) which were down to 1 mm in diameter were clearly detectable. Moreover, CPDI is free of the above mentioned nonlinear artifacts. These results open important possibilities to DCE-US tomography, with potential applications to breast imaging for cancer localization.

SU-E-J-109: Accurate Contour Transfer Between Different Image Modalities Using a Hybrid Deformable Image Registration and Fuzzy Connected Image Segmentation Method.

PubMed

Yang, C; Paulson, E; Li, X

2012-06-01

To develop and evaluate a tool that can improve the accuracy of contour transfer between different image modalities under challenging conditions of low image contrast and large image deformation, comparing to a few commonly used methods, for radiation treatment planning. The software tool includes the following steps and functionalities: (1) accepting input of images of different modalities, (2) converting existing contours on reference images (e.g., MRI) into delineated volumes and adjusting the intensity within the volumes to match target images (e.g., CT) intensity distribution for enhanced similarity metric, (3) registering reference and target images using appropriate deformable registration algorithms (e.g., B-spline, demons) and generate deformed contours, (4) mapping the deformed volumes on target images, calculating mean, variance, and center of mass as the initialization parameters for consecutive fuzzy connectedness (FC) image segmentation on target images, (5) generate affinity map from FC segmentation, (6) achieving final contours by modifying the deformed contours using the affinity map with a gradient distance weighting algorithm. The tool was tested with the CT and MR images of four pancreatic cancer patients acquired at the same respiration phase to minimize motion distortion. Dice's Coefficient was calculated against direct delineation on target image. Contours generated by various methods, including rigid transfer, auto-segmentation, deformable only transfer and proposed method, were compared. Fuzzy connected image segmentation needs careful parameter initialization and user involvement. Automatic contour transfer by multi-modality deformable registration leads up to 10% of accuracy improvement over the rigid transfer. Two extra proposed steps of adjusting intensity distribution and modifying the deformed contour with affinity map improve the transfer accuracy further to 14% averagely. Deformable image registration aided by contrast adjustment and fuzzy connectedness segmentation improves the contour transfer accuracy between multi-modality images, particularly with large deformation and low image contrast. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Phased Contrast X-Ray Imaging

ScienceCinema

Miller, Erin

2018-02-07

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a range of technologies to broaden the field of explosives detection. Phased contrast X-ray imaging, which uses silicon gratings to detect distortions in the X-ray wave front, may be applicable to mail or luggage scanning for explosives; it can also be used in detecting other contraband, small-parts inspection, or materials characterization.

Wide-area phase-contrast X-ray imaging using large X-ray interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Yoneyama, Akio; Koyama, Ichiro; Itai, Yuji

2001-07-01

Large X-ray interferometers are developed for phase-contrast X-ray imaging aiming at medical applications. A monolithic X-ray interferometer and a separate one are studied, and currently a 25 mm×20 mm view area can be generated. This paper describes the strategy of our research program and some recent developments.

Fabrication of absorption gratings with X-ray lithography for X-ray phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bo; Wang, Yu-Ting; Yi, Fu-Ting; Zhang, Tian-Chong; Liu, Jing; Zhou, Yue

2018-05-01

Grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging is promising especially in the medical area. Two or three gratings are involved in grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging in which the absorption grating of high-aspect-ratio is the most important device and the fabrication process is a great challenge. The material with large atomic number Z is used to fabricate the absorption grating for excellent absorption of X-ray, and Au is usually used. The fabrication process, which involves X-ray lithography, development and gold electroplating, is described in this paper. The absorption gratings with 4 μm period and about 100 μm height are fabricated and the high-aspect-ratio is 50.

Phase contrast MR angiography techniques.

PubMed

Dumoulin, C L

1995-08-01

Phase contrast MR methods encode information from macroscopic motion into the phase of the MR signal. Phase contrast methods can be applied with small and large fields-of-view, can give quantitative measures of velocity, and provide excellent suppression of signals from stationary tissue. Unlike time-of-flight methods, phase contrast methods directly measure flow and thus are not hindered by the artifactual appearance of tissue having short T1. Phase contrast angiograms can be two-dimensional (thin slice or projectile), three-dimensional, and/or time resolved and have applications throughout the body.

Nonlinear ultrasonic imaging method for closed cracks using subtraction of responses at different external loads.

PubMed

Ohara, Yoshikazu; Horinouchi, Satoshi; Hashimoto, Makoto; Shintaku, Yohei; Yamanaka, Kazushi

2011-08-01

To improve the selectivity of closed cracks for objects other than cracks in ultrasonic imaging, we propose an extension of a novel imaging method, namely, subharmonic phased array for crack evaluation (SPACE) as well as another approach using the subtraction of responses at different external loads. By applying external static or dynamic loads to closed cracks, the contact state in the cracks varies, resulting in an intensity change of responses at cracks. In contrast, objects other than cracks are independent of external load. Therefore, only cracks can be extracted by subtracting responses at different loads. In this study, we performed fundamental experiments on a closed fatigue crack formed in an aluminum alloy compact tension (CT) specimen using the proposed method. We examined the static load dependence of SPACE images and the dynamic load dependence of linear phased array (PA) images by simulating the external loads with a servohydraulic fatigue testing machine. By subtracting the images at different external loads, we show that this method is useful in extracting only the intensity change of responses related to closed cracks, while canceling the responses of objects other than cracks. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Possible Contrast Media Reduction with Low keV Monoenergetic Images in the Detection of Focal Liver Lesions: A Dual-Energy CT Animal Study

PubMed Central

Chung, Yong Eun; You, Je Sung; Lee, Hye-Jeong; Lim, Joon Seok; Lee, Hye Sun; Baek, Song-Ee; Kim, Myeong-Jin

2015-01-01

Objective To investigate the feasibility of dual-energy CT for contrast media (CM) reduction in the diagnosis of hypervascular and hypovascular focal liver lesions (FLL). Subjects and Methods The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved this study. VX2 tumors were implanted in two different segments of the liver in 13 rabbits. After 2 weeks, two phase contrast enhanced CT scans including the arterial phase (AP) and portal-venous phase (PVP) were performed three times with 24-hour intervals with three different concentrations of iodine, 300 (I300), 150 (I150) and 75 mg I/mL (I75). The mean HU and standard deviation (SD) were measured in the liver, the hypervascular portion of the VX2 tumor which represented hypervascular tumors, and the central necrotic area of the VX2 tumor which represented hypovascular tumors in 140kVp images with I300 as a reference standard and in monoenergetic images (between 40keV and 140keV) with I150 and I75. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for FLLs and the ratio of the CNRs (CNRratio) between monoenergetic image sets with I150 and I75, and the reference standard were calculated. Results For hypervascular lesions, the CNRratio was not statistically different from 1.0 between 40keV and 70keV images with I150, whereas the CNRratio was significantly lower than 1.0 in all keV images with I75. For hypovascular lesions, the CNRratio was similar to or higher than 1.0 between 40keV and 80keV with I150 and between 40keV and 70keV with I75. Conclusions With dual-energy CT, the total amount of CM might be halved in the diagnosis of hypervascular FLLs and reduced to one-fourth in the diagnosis of hypovascular FLLs, while still preserving CNRs. PMID:26203652

Joint sparse reconstruction of multi-contrast MRI images with graph based redundant wavelet transform.

PubMed

Lai, Zongying; Zhang, Xinlin; Guo, Di; Du, Xiaofeng; Yang, Yonggui; Guo, Gang; Chen, Zhong; Qu, Xiaobo

2018-05-03

Multi-contrast images in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide abundant contrast information reflecting the characteristics of the internal tissues of human bodies, and thus have been widely utilized in clinical diagnosis. However, long acquisition time limits the application of multi-contrast MRI. One efficient way to accelerate data acquisition is to under-sample the k-space data and then reconstruct images with sparsity constraint. However, images are compromised at high acceleration factor if images are reconstructed individually. We aim to improve the images with a jointly sparse reconstruction and Graph-based redundant wavelet transform (GBRWT). First, a sparsifying transform, GBRWT, is trained to reflect the similarity of tissue structures in multi-contrast images. Second, joint multi-contrast image reconstruction is formulated as a ℓ 2, 1 norm optimization problem under GBRWT representations. Third, the optimization problem is numerically solved using a derived alternating direction method. Experimental results in synthetic and in vivo MRI data demonstrate that the proposed joint reconstruction method can achieve lower reconstruction errors and better preserve image structures than the compared joint reconstruction methods. Besides, the proposed method outperforms single image reconstruction with joint sparsity constraint of multi-contrast images. The proposed method explores the joint sparsity of multi-contrast MRI images under graph-based redundant wavelet transform and realizes joint sparse reconstruction of multi-contrast images. Experiment demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the compared joint reconstruction methods as well as individual reconstructions. With this high quality image reconstruction method, it is possible to achieve the high acceleration factors by exploring the complementary information provided by multi-contrast MRI.

Bragg projection ptychography on niobium phase domain

DOE PAGES

Burdet, Nicolas; Shi, Xiaowen; Huang, Xiaojing; ...

2016-08-10

Here, we demonstrate that the highly sensitive phase-contrast properties of Bragg coherent diffraction measurements combined with the translational diversity of ptychography can provide a Bragg “dark field” imaging method capable of revealing the finger print of domain structure in metallic thin films. Experimental diffraction data was taken from a epitaxially grown niobium metallic thin film on sapphire; and analyzed with the help of a careful combination of implemented refinement mechanisms.

Real-time holographic deconvolution techniques for one-way image transmission through an aberrating medium: characterization, modeling, and measurements.

PubMed

Haji-Saeed, B; Sengupta, S K; Testorf, M; Goodhue, W; Khoury, J; Woods, C L; Kierstead, J

2006-05-10

We propose and demonstrate a new photorefractive real-time holographic deconvolution technique for adaptive one-way image transmission through aberrating media by means of four-wave mixing. In contrast with earlier methods, which typically required various codings of the exact phase or two-way image transmission for correcting phase distortion, our technique relies on one-way image transmission through the use of exact phase information. Our technique can simultaneously correct both amplitude and phase distortions. We include several forms of image degradation, various test cases, and experimental results. We characterize the performance as a function of the input beam ratios for four metrics: signal-to-noise ratio, normalized root-mean-square error, edge restoration, and peak-to-total energy ratio. In our characterization we use false-color graphic images to display the best beam-intensity ratio two-dimensional region(s) for each of these metrics. Test cases are simulated at the optimal values of the beam-intensity ratios. We demonstrate our results through both experiment and computer simulation.

Quantification of wall shear stress in large blood vessels using Lagrangian interpolation functions with cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Cheng, Christopher P; Parker, David; Taylor, Charles A

2002-09-01

Arterial wall shear stress is hypothesized to be an important factor in the localization of atherosclerosis. Current methods to compute wall shear stress from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data do not account for flow profiles characteristic of pulsatile flow in noncircular vessel lumens. We describe a method to quantify wall shear stress in large blood vessels by differentiating velocity interpolation functions defined using cine phase-contrast MRI data on a band of elements in the neighborhood of the vessel wall. Validation was performed with software phantoms and an in vitro flow phantom. At an image resolution corresponding to in vivo imaging data of the human abdominal aorta, time-averaged, spatially averaged wall shear stress for steady and pulsatile flow were determined to be within 16% and 23% of the analytic solution, respectively. These errors were reduced to 5% and 8% with doubling in image resolution. For the pulsatile software phantom, the oscillation in shear stress was predicted to within 5%. The mean absolute error of circumferentially resolved shear stress for the nonaxisymmetric phantom decreased from 28% to 15% with a doubling in image resolution. The irregularly shaped phantom and in vitro investigation demonstrated convergence of the calculated values with increased image resolution. We quantified the shear stress at the supraceliac and infrarenal regions of a human abdominal aorta to be 3.4 and 2.3 dyn/cm2, respectively.

Improving image quality in laboratory x-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Marco, F.; Marschner, M.; Birnbacher, L.; Viermetz, M.; Noël, P.; Herzen, J.; Pfeiffer, F.

2017-03-01

Grating-based X-ray phase-contrast (gbPC) is known to provide significant benefits for biomedical imaging. To investigate these benefits, a high-sensitivity gbPC micro-CT setup for small (≍ 5 cm) biological samples has been constructed. Unfortunately, high differential-phase sensitivity leads to an increased magnitude of data processing artifacts, limiting the quality of tomographic reconstructions. Most importantly, processing of phase-stepping data with incorrect stepping positions can introduce artifacts resembling Moiré fringes to the projections. Additionally, the focal spot size of the X-ray source limits resolution of tomograms. Here we present a set of algorithms to minimize artifacts, increase resolution and improve visual impression of projections and tomograms from the examined setup. We assessed two algorithms for artifact reduction: Firstly, a correction algorithm exploiting correlations of the artifacts and differential-phase data was developed and tested. Artifacts were reliably removed without compromising image data. Secondly, we implemented a new algorithm for flatfield selection, which was shown to exclude flat-fields with strong artifacts. Both procedures successfully improved image quality of projections and tomograms. Deconvolution of all projections of a CT scan can minimize blurring introduced by the finite size of the X-ray source focal spot. Application of the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm to gbPC-CT projections resulted in an improved resolution of phase-contrast tomograms. Additionally, we found that nearest-neighbor interpolation of projections can improve the visual impression of very small features in phase-contrast tomograms. In conclusion, we achieved an increase in image resolution and quality for the investigated setup, which may lead to an improved detection of very small sample features, thereby maximizing the setup's utility.

Investigation on microfluidic particles manipulation by holographic 3D tracking strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacace, Teresa; Paturzo, Melania; Memmolo, Pasquale; Vassalli, Massimo; Fraldi, Massimiliano; Mensitieri, Giuseppe; Ferraro, Pietro

2017-06-01

We demonstrate a 3D holographic tracking method to investigate particles motion in a microfluidic channel while unperturbed while inducing their migration through microfluidic manipulation. Digital holography (DH) in microscopy is a full-field, label-free imaging technique able to provide quantitative phase-contrast. The employed 3D tracking method is articulated in steps. First, the displacements along the optical axis are assessed by numerical refocusing criteria. In particular, an automatic refocusing method to recover the particles axial position is implemented employing a contrast-based refocusing criterion. Then, the transverse position of the in-focus object is evaluated through quantitative phase map segmentation methods and centroid-based 2D tracking strategy. The introduction of DH is thus suggested as a powerful approach for control of particles and biological samples manipulation, as well as a possible aid to precise design and implementation of advanced lab-on-chip microfluidic devices.

Accurate modelling of single-particle cryo-EM images quantifies the benefits expected from using Zernike phase contrast

PubMed Central

Hall, R. J.; Nogales, E.; Glaeser, R. M.

2011-01-01

The use of a Zernike-type phase plate in biological cryo-electron microscopy allows the imaging, without using defocus, of what are predominantly phase objects. It is thought that such phase-plate implementations might result in higher quality images, free from the problems of CTF correction that occur when images must be recorded at extremely high values of defocus. In single-particle cryo-electron microscopy it is hoped that these improvements in image quality will facilitate work on structures that have proved difficult to study, either because of their relatively small size or because the structures are not completely homogeneous. There is still a need, however, to quantify how much improvement can be gained by using a phase plate for single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. We present a method for quantitatively modelling the images recorded with 200 keV electrons, for single particles embedded in vitreous ice. We then investigate what difference the use of a phase-plate device could have on the processing of single-particle data. We confirm that using a phase plate results in single-particle datasets in which smaller molecules can be detected, particles can be more accurately aligned and problems of heterogeneity can be more easily addressed. PMID:21463690

Subsurface imaging of carbon nanotube networks in polymers with DC-biased multifrequency dynamic atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Thompson, Hank T; Barroso-Bujans, Fabienne; Herrero, Julio Gomez; Reifenberger, Ron; Raman, Arvind

2013-04-05

The characterization of dispersion and connectivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) networks inside polymers is of great interest in polymer nanocomposites in new material systems, organic photovoltaics, and in electrodes for batteries and supercapacitors. We focus on a technique using amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) in the attractive regime of operation, using both single and dual mode excitation, which upon the application of a DC tip bias voltage allows, via the phase channel, the in situ, nanoscale, subsurface imaging of CNT networks dispersed in a polymer matrix at depths of 10-100 nm. We present an in-depth study of the origins of phase contrast in this technique and demonstrate that an electrical energy dissipation mechanism in the Coulomb attractive regime is key to the formation of the phase contrast which maps the spatial variations in the local capacitance and resistance due to the CNT network. We also note that dual frequency excitation can, under some conditions, improve the contrast for such samples. These methods open up the possibility for DC-biased amplitude modulation AFM to be used for mapping the variations in local capacitance and resistance in nanocomposites with conducting networks.

Evaluation of optimized magnetic resonance perfusion imaging scanning time window after contrast agent injection for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions

PubMed Central

Dong, Jie; Wang, Dawei; Ma, Zhenshen; Deng, Guodong; Wang, Lanhua; Zhang, Jiandong

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was evaluate the 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion imaging scanning time window following contrast injection for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions and to determine the optimum scanning time window for increased scanner usage efficiency and reduced diagnostic adverse risk factors. A total of 52 women with breast abnormalities were selected for conventional MR imaging and T1 dynamic-enhanced imaging. Quantitative parameters [volume transfer constant (Ktrans), rate constant (Kep) and extravascular extracellular volume fraction (Ve)] were calculated at phases 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50, which represented time windows at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min, respectively, following injection of contrast agent. The association of the parameters at different phases with benign and malignant tumor diagnosis was analyzed. MR perfusion imaging was verified as an effective modality in the diagnosis of breast malignancies and the best scanning time window was identified: i) Values of Ktrans and Kep at all phases were statistically significant in differentiating benign and malignant tumors (P<0.05), while the value of Ve had statistical significance only at stage 10, but not at any other stages (P>0.05); ii) values of Ve in benign tumors increased with phase number, but achieved no obvious changes at different phases in malignant tumors; iii) the optimum scanning time window of breast perfusion imaging with 3.0 T MR was between phases 10 and 30 (i.e., between 5 and 15 min after contrast agent injection). The variation trend of Ve values at different phases may serve as a diagnostic reference for differentiating benign and malignant breast abnormalities. The most efficient scanning time window was indicated to be 5 min after contrast injection, based on the observation that the Ve value only had statistical significance in diagnosis at stage 10. However, the optimal scanning time window is from 5 to 15 min following the injection of contrast agent, since that the variation trend of Ve is able to serve as a diagnostic reference. PMID:28450944

Evaluation of optimized magnetic resonance perfusion imaging scanning time window after contrast agent injection for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.

PubMed

Dong, Jie; Wang, Dawei; Ma, Zhenshen; Deng, Guodong; Wang, Lanhua; Zhang, Jiandong

2017-03-01

The aim of the study was evaluate the 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion imaging scanning time window following contrast injection for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions and to determine the optimum scanning time window for increased scanner usage efficiency and reduced diagnostic adverse risk factors. A total of 52 women with breast abnormalities were selected for conventional MR imaging and T1 dynamic-enhanced imaging. Quantitative parameters [volume transfer constant (K trans ), rate constant (K ep ) and extravascular extracellular volume fraction (V e )] were calculated at phases 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50, which represented time windows at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min, respectively, following injection of contrast agent. The association of the parameters at different phases with benign and malignant tumor diagnosis was analyzed. MR perfusion imaging was verified as an effective modality in the diagnosis of breast malignancies and the best scanning time window was identified: i) Values of K trans and K ep at all phases were statistically significant in differentiating benign and malignant tumors (P<0.05), while the value of V e had statistical significance only at stage 10, but not at any other stages (P>0.05); ii) values of V e in benign tumors increased with phase number, but achieved no obvious changes at different phases in malignant tumors; iii) the optimum scanning time window of breast perfusion imaging with 3.0 T MR was between phases 10 and 30 (i.e., between 5 and 15 min after contrast agent injection). The variation trend of V e values at different phases may serve as a diagnostic reference for differentiating benign and malignant breast abnormalities. The most efficient scanning time window was indicated to be 5 min after contrast injection, based on the observation that the V e value only had statistical significance in diagnosis at stage 10. However, the optimal scanning time window is from 5 to 15 min following the injection of contrast agent, since that the variation trend of V e is able to serve as a diagnostic reference.

Robust Nucleus/Cell Detection and Segmentation in Digital Pathology and Microscopy Images: A Comprehensive Review.

PubMed

Xing, Fuyong; Yang, Lin

2016-01-01

Digital pathology and microscopy image analysis is widely used for comprehensive studies of cell morphology or tissue structure. Manual assessment is labor intensive and prone to interobserver variations. Computer-aided methods, which can significantly improve the objectivity and reproducibility, have attracted a great deal of interest in recent literature. Among the pipeline of building a computer-aided diagnosis system, nucleus or cell detection and segmentation play a very important role to describe the molecular morphological information. In the past few decades, many efforts have been devoted to automated nucleus/cell detection and segmentation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the recent state-of-the-art nucleus/cell segmentation approaches on different types of microscopy images including bright-field, phase-contrast, differential interference contrast, fluorescence, and electron microscopies. In addition, we discuss the challenges for the current methods and the potential future work of nucleus/cell detection and segmentation.

Chemical imaging analysis of the brain with X-ray methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collingwood, Joanna F.; Adams, Freddy

2017-04-01

Cells employ various metal and metalloid ions to augment the structure and the function of proteins and to assist with vital biological processes. In the brain they mediate biochemical processes, and disrupted metabolism of metals may be a contributing factor in neurodegenerative disorders. In this tutorial review we will discuss the particular role of X-ray methods for elemental imaging analysis of accumulated metal species and metal-containing compounds in biological materials, in the context of post-mortem brain tissue. X-rays have the advantage that they have a short wavelength and can penetrate through a thick biological sample. Many of the X-ray microscopy techniques that provide the greatest sensitivity and specificity for trace metal concentrations in biological materials are emerging at synchrotron X-ray facilities. Here, the extremely high flux available across a wide range of soft and hard X-rays, combined with state-of-the-art focusing techniques and ultra-sensitive detectors, makes it viable to undertake direct imaging of a number of elements in brain tissue. The different methods for synchrotron imaging of metals in brain tissues at regional, cellular, and sub-cellular spatial resolution are discussed. Methods covered include X-ray fluorescence for elemental imaging, X-ray absorption spectrometry for speciation imaging, X-ray diffraction for structural imaging, phase contrast for enhanced contrast imaging and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy for spectromicroscopy. Two- and three-dimensional (confocal and tomographic) imaging methods are considered as well as the correlation of X-ray microscopy with other imaging tools.

Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast.

PubMed

Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T; Lazar, Sorin

2016-01-01

It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study on mastectomy samples to evaluate breast imaging quality and potential clinical relevance of differential phase contrast mammography.

PubMed

Hauser, Nik; Wang, Zhentian; Kubik-Huch, Rahel A; Trippel, Mafalda; Singer, Gad; Hohl, Michael K; Roessl, Ewald; Köhler, Thomas; van Stevendaal, Udo; Wieberneit, Nataly; Stampanoni, Marco

2014-03-01

Differential phase contrast and scattering-based x-ray mammography has the potential to provide additional and complementary clinically relevant information compared with absorption-based mammography. The purpose of our study was to provide a first statistical evaluation of the imaging capabilities of the new technique compared with digital absorption mammography. We investigated non-fixed mastectomy samples of 33 patients with invasive breast cancer, using grating-based differential phase contrast mammography (mammoDPC) with a conventional, low-brilliance x-ray tube. We simultaneously recorded absorption, differential phase contrast, and small-angle scattering signals that were combined into novel high-frequency-enhanced images with a dedicated image fusion algorithm. Six international, expert breast radiologists evaluated clinical digital and experimental mammograms in a 2-part blinded, prospective independent reader study. The results were statistically analyzed in terms of image quality and clinical relevance. The results of the comparison of mammoDPC with clinical digital mammography revealed the general quality of the images to be significantly superior (P < 0.001); sharpness, lesion delineation, as well as the general visibility of calcifications to be significantly more assessable (P < 0.001); and delineation of anatomic components of the specimens (surface structures) to be significantly sharper (P < 0.001). Spiculations were significantly better identified, and the overall clinically relevant information provided by mammoDPC was judged to be superior (P < 0.001). Our results demonstrate that complementary information provided by phase and scattering enhanced mammograms obtained with the mammoDPC approach deliver images of generally superior quality. This technique has the potential to improve radiological breast diagnostics.

Measuring glomerular number from kidney MRI images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiagarajan, Jayaraman J.; Natesan Ramamurthy, Karthikeyan; Kanberoglu, Berkay; Frakes, David; Bennett, Kevin; Spanias, Andreas

2016-03-01

Measuring the glomerular number in the entire, intact kidney using non-destructive techniques is of immense importance in studying several renal and systemic diseases. Commonly used approaches either require destruction of the entire kidney or perform extrapolation from measurements obtained from a few isolated sections. A recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method, based on the injection of a contrast agent (cationic ferritin), has been used to effectively identify glomerular regions in the kidney. In this work, we propose a robust, accurate, and low-complexity method for estimating the number of glomeruli from such kidney MRI images. The proposed technique has a training phase and a low-complexity testing phase. In the training phase, organ segmentation is performed on a few expert-marked training images, and glomerular and non-glomerular image patches are extracted. Using non-local sparse coding to compute similarity and dissimilarity graphs between the patches, the subspace in which the glomerular regions can be discriminated from the rest are estimated. For novel test images, the image patches extracted after pre-processing are embedded using the discriminative subspace projections. The testing phase is of low computational complexity since it involves only matrix multiplications, clustering, and simple morphological operations. Preliminary results with MRI data obtained from five kidneys of rats show that the proposed non-invasive, low-complexity approach performs comparably to conventional approaches such as acid maceration and stereology.

Quantitative evaluation of phase processing approaches in susceptibility weighted imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ningzhi; Wang, Wen-Tung; Sati, Pascal; Pham, Dzung L.; Butman, John A.

2012-03-01

Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) takes advantage of the local variation in susceptibility between different tissues to enable highly detailed visualization of the cerebral venous system and sensitive detection of intracranial hemorrhages. Thus, it has been increasingly used in magnetic resonance imaging studies of traumatic brain injury as well as other intracranial pathologies. In SWI, magnitude information is combined with phase information to enhance the susceptibility induced image contrast. Because of global susceptibility variations across the image, the rate of phase accumulation varies widely across the image resulting in phase wrapping artifacts that interfere with the local assessment of phase variation. Homodyne filtering is a common approach to eliminate this global phase variation. However, filter size requires careful selection in order to preserve image contrast and avoid errors resulting from residual phase wraps. An alternative approach is to apply phase unwrapping prior to high pass filtering. A suitable phase unwrapping algorithm guarantees no residual phase wraps but additional computational steps are required. In this work, we quantitatively evaluate these two phase processing approaches on both simulated and real data using different filters and cutoff frequencies. Our analysis leads to an improved understanding of the relationship between phase wraps, susceptibility effects, and acquisition parameters. Although homodyne filtering approaches are faster and more straightforward, phase unwrapping approaches perform more accurately in a wider variety of acquisition scenarios.

Movies of cellular and sub-cellular motion by digital holographic microscopy.

PubMed

Mann, Christopher J; Yu, Lingfeng; Kim, Myung K

2006-03-23

Many biological specimens, such as living cells and their intracellular components, often exhibit very little amplitude contrast, making it difficult for conventional bright field microscopes to distinguish them from their surroundings. To overcome this problem phase contrast techniques such as Zernike, Normarsky and dark-field microscopies have been developed to improve specimen visibility without chemically or physically altering them by the process of staining. These techniques have proven to be invaluable tools for studying living cells and furthering scientific understanding of fundamental cellular processes such as mitosis. However a drawback of these techniques is that direct quantitative phase imaging is not possible. Quantitative phase imaging is important because it enables determination of either the refractive index or optical thickness variations from the measured optical path length with sub-wavelength accuracy. Digital holography is an emergent phase contrast technique that offers an excellent approach in obtaining both qualitative and quantitative phase information from the hologram. A CCD camera is used to record a hologram onto a computer and numerical methods are subsequently applied to reconstruct the hologram to enable direct access to both phase and amplitude information. Another attractive feature of digital holography is the ability to focus on multiple focal planes from a single hologram, emulating the focusing control of a conventional microscope. A modified Mach-Zender off-axis setup in transmission is used to record and reconstruct a number of holographic amplitude and phase images of cellular and sub-cellular features. Both cellular and sub-cellular features are imaged with sub-micron, diffraction-limited resolution. Movies of holographic amplitude and phase images of living microbes and cells are created from a series of holograms and reconstructed with numerically adjustable focus, so that the moving object can be accurately tracked with a reconstruction rate of 300ms for each hologram. The holographic movies show paramecium swimming among other microbes as well as displaying some of their intracellular processes. A time lapse movie is also shown for fibroblast cells in the process of migration. Digital holography and movies of digital holography are seen to be useful new tools for visualization of dynamic processes in biological microscopy. Phase imaging digital holography is a promising technique in terms of the lack of coherent noise and the precision with which the optical thickness of a sample can be profiled, which can lead to images with an axial resolution of a few nanometres.

High-resolution 3D imaging of polymerized photonic crystals by lab-based x-ray nanotomography with 50-nm resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Leilei; Chen, Ying-Chieh; Gelb, Jeff; Stevenson, Darren M.; Braun, Paul A.

2010-09-01

High resolution x-ray computed tomography is a powerful non-destructive 3-D imaging method. It can offer superior resolution on objects that are opaque or low contrast for optical microscopy. Synchrotron based x-ray computed tomography systems have been available for scientific research, but remain difficult to access for broader users. This work introduces a lab-based high-resolution x-ray nanotomography system with 50nm resolution in absorption and Zernike phase contrast modes. Using this system, we have demonstrated high quality 3-D images of polymerized photonic crystals which have been analyzed for band gap structures. The isotropic volumetric data shows excellent consistency with other characterization results.

Influence of sample preparation and reliability of automated numerical refocusing in stain-free analysis of dissected tissues with quantitative phase digital holographic microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemper, Björn; Lenz, Philipp; Bettenworth, Dominik; Krausewitz, Philipp; Domagk, Dirk; Ketelhut, Steffi

2015-05-01

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) has been demonstrated to be a versatile tool for high resolution non-destructive quantitative phase imaging of surfaces and multi-modal minimally-invasive monitoring of living cell cultures in-vitro. DHM provides quantitative monitoring of physiological processes through functional imaging and structural analysis which, for example, gives new insight into signalling of cellular water permeability and cell morphology changes due to toxins and infections. Also the analysis of dissected tissues quantitative DHM phase contrast prospects application fields by stain-free imaging and the quantification of tissue density changes. We show that DHM allows imaging of different tissue layers with high contrast in unstained tissue sections. As the investigation of fixed samples represents a very important application field in pathology, we also analyzed the influence of the sample preparation. The retrieved data demonstrate that the quality of quantitative DHM phase images of dissected tissues depends strongly on the fixing method and common staining agents. As in DHM the reconstruction is performed numerically, multi-focus imaging is achieved from a single digital hologram. Thus, we evaluated the automated refocussing feature of DHM for application on different types of dissected tissues and revealed that on moderately stained samples highly reproducible holographic autofocussing can be achieved. Finally, it is demonstrated that alterations of the spatial refractive index distribution in murine and human tissue samples represent a reliable absolute parameter that is related of different degrees of inflammation in experimental colitis and Crohn's disease. This paves the way towards the usage of DHM in digital pathology for automated histological examinations and further studies to elucidate the translational potential of quantitative phase microscopy for the clinical management of patients, e.g., with inflammatory bowel disease.

High spatiotemporal resolution measurement of regional lung air volumes from 2D phase contrast x-ray images.

PubMed

Leong, Andrew F T; Fouras, Andreas; Islam, M Sirajul; Wallace, Megan J; Hooper, Stuart B; Kitchen, Marcus J

2013-04-01

Described herein is a new technique for measuring regional lung air volumes from two-dimensional propagation-based phase contrast x-ray (PBI) images at very high spatial and temporal resolution. Phase contrast dramatically increases lung visibility and the outlined volumetric reconstruction technique quantifies dynamic changes in respiratory function. These methods can be used for assessing pulmonary disease and injury and for optimizing mechanical ventilation techniques for preterm infants using animal models. The volumetric reconstruction combines the algorithms of temporal subtraction and single image phase retrieval (SIPR) to isolate the image of the lungs from the thoracic cage in order to measure regional lung air volumes. The SIPR algorithm was used to recover the change in projected thickness of the lungs on a pixel-by-pixel basis (pixel dimensions ≈ 16.2 μm). The technique has been validated using numerical simulation and compared results of measuring regional lung air volumes with and without the use of temporal subtraction for removing the thoracic cage. To test this approach, a series of PBI images of newborn rabbit pups mechanically ventilated at different frequencies was employed. Regional lung air volumes measured from PBI images of newborn rabbit pups showed on average an improvement of at least 20% in 16% of pixels within the lungs in comparison to that measured without the use of temporal subtraction. The majority of pixels that showed an improvement was found to be in regions occupied by bone. Applying the volumetric technique to sequences of PBI images of newborn rabbit pups, it is shown that lung aeration at birth can be highly heterogeneous. This paper presents an image segmentation technique based on temporal subtraction that has successfully been used to isolate the lungs from PBI chest images, allowing the change in lung air volume to be measured over regions as small as the pixel size. Using this technique, it is possible to measure changes in regional lung volume at high spatial and temporal resolution during breathing at much lower x-ray dose than would be required using computed tomography.

Automated vessel segmentation using cross-correlation and pooled covariance matrix analysis.

PubMed

Du, Jiang; Karimi, Afshin; Wu, Yijing; Korosec, Frank R; Grist, Thomas M; Mistretta, Charles A

2011-04-01

Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) provides contrast dynamics in the vasculature and allows vessel segmentation based on temporal correlation analysis. Here we present an automated vessel segmentation algorithm including automated generation of regions of interest (ROIs), cross-correlation and pooled sample covariance matrix analysis. The dynamic images are divided into multiple equal-sized regions. In each region, ROIs for artery, vein and background are generated using an iterative thresholding algorithm based on the contrast arrival time map and contrast enhancement map. Region-specific multi-feature cross-correlation analysis and pooled covariance matrix analysis are performed to calculate the Mahalanobis distances (MDs), which are used to automatically separate arteries from veins. This segmentation algorithm is applied to a dual-phase dynamic imaging acquisition scheme where low-resolution time-resolved images are acquired during the dynamic phase followed by high-frequency data acquisition at the steady-state phase. The segmented low-resolution arterial and venous images are then combined with the high-frequency data in k-space and inverse Fourier transformed to form the final segmented arterial and venous images. Results from volunteer and patient studies demonstrate the advantages of this automated vessel segmentation and dual phase data acquisition technique. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography visualizes the microstructure and degradation profile of implanted biodegradable scaffolds after spinal cord injury

PubMed Central

Takashima, Kenta; Hoshino, Masato; Uesugi, Kentaro; Yagi, Naoto; Matsuda, Shojiro; Nakahira, Atsushi; Osumi, Noriko; Kohzuki, Masahiro; Onodera, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

Tissue engineering strategies for spinal cord repair are a primary focus of translational medicine after spinal cord injury (SCI). Many tissue engineering strategies employ three-dimensional scaffolds, which are made of biodegradable materials and have microstructure incorporated with viable cells and bioactive molecules to promote new tissue generation and functional recovery after SCI. It is therefore important to develop an imaging system that visualizes both the microstructure of three-dimensional scaffolds and their degradation process after SCI. Here, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is described and it is shown how it can visualize the polyglycolic acid scaffold, including its microfibres, after implantation into the injured spinal cord. Furthermore, X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography images revealed that degradation occurred from the end to the centre of the braided scaffold in the 28 days after implantation into the injured spinal cord. The present report provides the first demonstration of an imaging technique that visualizes both the microstructure and degradation of biodegradable scaffolds in SCI research. X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on the Talbot grating interferometer is a versatile technique that can be used for a broad range of preclinical applications in tissue engineering strategies. PMID:25537600

Splanchnic, Thoracoabdominal, and Cerebral Blood Flow Volumes in Healthy Children and Young Adults in Fasting and Postprandial States: Determining Reference Ranges by Using Phase-Contrast MR Imaging.

PubMed

Muthusami, Prakash; Yoo, Shi-Joon; Chaturvedi, Rajiv; Gill, Navjot; Windram, Jonathan; Schantz, Daryl; Prsa, Milan; Caro-Dominguez, Pablo; Seed, Mike; Grosse-Wortmann, Lars; Ling, Simon C; Chavhan, Govind B

2017-10-01

Purpose To estimate reference ranges for blood flow volume (BFV) in major splanchnic, thoracoabdominal, and neck vessels by using phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in children and young adults in fasting and postprandial states. Materials and Methods In this institutional research ethics board-approved prospective study, healthy volunteers underwent phase-contrast MR imaging in a fasting state and again after a standardized meal. BFV values were reported as medians and ranges, and postmeal to premeal BFV ratios were calculated. BFVs in volunteers divided into two groups according to age (≤18 years old and >18 years old) were compared by using the Mann-Whitney test adjusted for multiple comparisons. Linear regression for internal validation of BFV and Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analysis for interobserver agreement were used. Results Reference ranges for BFVs were estimated in 39 volunteers (23 male and 16 female; mean age, 21.2 years ± 8.5; range, 9-40 years) and were indexed according to body surface area, with internal validation (R 2 = 0.84-0.92) and excellent interobserver agreement (R 2 = 0.9928). There was an almost 30% increase in total abdominal BFV (P < .0001) in response to a meal, which was the result of a threefold increase in superior mesenteric artery BFV (P < .0001). BFV after the meal remained unaffected in the celiac artery and cerebral circulation. Significantly higher normalized BFVs in the cerebral circulation were measured in children with both preprandial (P = .039) and postprandial (P = .008) status than those in adults. Conclusion Reference ranges for BFVs and changes in BFVs in response to a meal in major splanchnic, thoracoabdominal, and neck vessels were estimated by using phase-contrast MR imaging in healthy volunteers to allow hemodynamic assessment of children and young adults with various diseases. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

An image-domain, contrast material extraction method for Dual-Energy CT

PubMed Central

Lambert, Jack W.; Sun, Yuxin; Gould, Robert G.; Ohliger, Michael A.; Li, Zhixi; Yeh, Benjamin M.

2016-01-01

Objectives Conventional material decomposition techniques for dual-energy CT (DECT) assume mass or volume conservation, where the CT number of each voxel is fully assigned to predefined materials. We present an image-domain contrast material extraction process (CMEP) method that preferentially extracts contrast-producing materials while leaving the remaining image intact. Materials and Methods Image processing freeware (Fiji) is used to perform consecutive arithmetic operations on a dual-energy ratio map to generate masks, which are then applied to the original images to generate material-specific images. First, a low-energy image is divided by a high-energy image to generate a ratio map. The ratio map is then split into material-specific masks. Ratio intervals known to correspond to particular materials (e.g. iodine, calcium) are assigned a multiplier of 1, while ratio values in between these intervals are assigned linear gradients from 0 to 1. The masks are then multiplied by an original CT image to produce material-specific images. The method was tested quantitatively at Dual-Source (DSCT) and Rapid kVp-Switching CT (RSCT) with phantoms using pure and mixed formulations of tungsten, calcium and iodine. Errors were evaluated by comparing the known material concentrations with those derived from the CMEP material-specific images. Further qualitative evaluation was performed in vivo at RSCT with a rabbit model using identical CMEP parameters to the phantom. Orally administered tungsten, vascularly administered iodine, and skeletal calcium were used as the three contrast materials. Results All five material combinations; tungsten, iodine and calcium, and mixtures of tungsten-calcium and iodine-calcium, showed distinct dual-energy ratios, largely independent of material concentration at both DSCT and RSCT. The CMEP was successful in both phantoms and in vivo. For pure contrast materials in the phantom, the maximum error between the known and CMEP-derived material concentrations was 0.9 mg/mL, 24.9 mg/mL and 0.4 mg/mL for iodine, calcium and tungsten respectively. Mixtures of iodine and calcium showed the highest discrepancies, which reflected the sensitivity of iodine to the image-type chosen for the extraction of the final material-specific image. The rabbit model was able to clearly show the three extracted material phases, vascular iodine, oral tungsten and skeletal calcium. Some skeletal calcium was misassigned to the extracted iodine image, however this did not impede the depiction of the vasculature. Conclusions The CMEP is a straightforward, image domain approach to extract material signal at dual-energy CT. It has particular value for separation of experimental high-Z contrast elements from conventional iodine contrast or calcium, even when the exact attenuation coefficient profiles of desired contrast materials may be unknown. The CMEP is readily implemented in the image-domain within freeware, and can be adapted for use with images from multiple vendors. PMID:27875338

New method for estimating digestion of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by phagocytic cells in vitro.

PubMed Central

Goihman-Yahr, M; Essenfeld-Yahr, E; Albornoz, M C; Yarzábal, L; de Gómez, M H; San Martín, B; Ocanto, A; Convit, J

1979-01-01

We describe a method by which phagocytosis and digestion of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells by polymorphonuclear leukocytes or other phagocytic cells may be estimated. Suspensions of P. brasiliensis in its yeastlike phase were sonicated, counted, and incubated with known numbers of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes. At given intervals, cytocentrifuge droplets were stained by a variation of Papanicolaou's method. Stained preparations were examined with phase-contrast optics. Digested organisms showed total or partial disappearance of protoplasm. Green-stained cell walls resisted digestion. The proportion of digested cells as a function of time was estimated. Images PMID:90683

Development of image analysis software for quantification of viable cells in microchips.

PubMed

Georg, Maximilian; Fernández-Cabada, Tamara; Bourguignon, Natalia; Karp, Paola; Peñaherrera, Ana B; Helguera, Gustavo; Lerner, Betiana; Pérez, Maximiliano S; Mertelsmann, Roland

2018-01-01

Over the past few years, image analysis has emerged as a powerful tool for analyzing various cell biology parameters in an unprecedented and highly specific manner. The amount of data that is generated requires automated methods for the processing and analysis of all the resulting information. The software available so far are suitable for the processing of fluorescence and phase contrast images, but often do not provide good results from transmission light microscopy images, due to the intrinsic variation of the acquisition of images technique itself (adjustment of brightness / contrast, for instance) and the variability between image acquisition introduced by operators / equipment. In this contribution, it has been presented an image processing software, Python based image analysis for cell growth (PIACG), that is able to calculate the total area of the well occupied by cells with fusiform and rounded morphology in response to different concentrations of fetal bovine serum in microfluidic chips, from microscopy images in transmission light, in a highly efficient way.

Applications of compressed sensing image reconstruction to sparse view phase tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueda, Ryosuke; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Dong, Jian

2017-10-01

X-ray phase CT has a potential to give the higher contrast in soft tissue observations. To shorten the measure- ment time, sparse-view CT data acquisition has been attracting the attention. This paper applies two major compressed sensing (CS) approaches to image reconstruction in the x-ray sparse-view phase tomography. The first CS approach is the standard Total Variation (TV) regularization. The major drawbacks of TV regularization are a patchy artifact and loss in smooth intensity changes due to the piecewise constant nature of image model. The second CS method is a relatively new approach of CS which uses a nonlinear smoothing filter to design the regularization term. The nonlinear filter based CS is expected to reduce the major artifact in the TV regular- ization. The both cost functions can be minimized by the very fast iterative reconstruction method. However, in the past research activities, it is not clearly demonstrated how much image quality difference occurs between the TV regularization and the nonlinear filter based CS in x-ray phase CT applications. We clarify the issue by applying the two CS applications to the case of x-ray phase tomography. We provide results with numerically simulated data, which demonstrates that the nonlinear filter based CS outperforms the TV regularization in terms of textures and smooth intensity changes.

Design of a phase contrast imaging diagnostic for the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edlund, E. M.; Porkolab, M.; Grulke, O.; Böttger, L.-G.; Sehren, C.

2016-10-01

The Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at IPP Greifswald commenced operation in 2015, and while its design has been aimed at minimizing neoclassical transport, turbulent transport is expected to be strongly affected by the magnetic geometry. With this in mind, MIT and IPP-Greifswald scientists have undertaken a project to design and implement a phase contrast imaging (PCI) diagnostic to measure turbulence in W7-X in the OP1.2 operating phase starting in 2017. The principle and design aspects of the PCI method have been described in numerous past publications. In W7-X the PCI system will have two imaging systems differing only in the angle of the spatial mask that selects for magnetic pitch angle, and will produce measurements of poloidal and radial correlations. A series of remotely controllable optics will allow the beam size and image magnification to be adjustable. We expect sensitivity to fluctuations in the range of 2 kHz to approximately 2 MHz and wavenumbers in the range of 1 cm-1 to 30 cm-1 which should allow us to detect ITG, TEM and possibly ETG turbulence. The MIT portion of this project is supported by the US DOE under Grant DE-SC0014229, and the IPP part is funded under Euratom Grant agreement No 633053.

The behavior of single-crystal silicon to dynamic loading using in-situ X-ray diffraction and phase contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae Ja; Xing, Zhou; Galtier, Eric; Arnold, Brice; Granados, Eduardo; Brown, Shaughnessy B.; Tavella, Franz; McBride, Emma; Fry, Alan; Nagler, Bob; Schropp, Andreas; Seiboth, Frank; Samberg, Dirk; Schroer, Christian; Gleason, Arianna E.; Higginbotham, Andrew

Hydrostatic and uniaxial compression studies have revealed that crystalline silicon undergoes phase transitions from a cubic diamond structure to a variety of phases including orthorhombic Imma phase, body-centered tetragonal phase, and a hexagonal primitive phase. The dynamic response of silicon at high pressure, however, is not well understood. Phase contrast imaging has proven to be a powerful tool for probing density changes caused by the shock propagation into a material. In order to characterize the elastic and phase transitions, we image shock waves in Si with high spatial resolution using the LCLS X-ray free electron laser and Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument. In this study, the long pulse optical laser with pseudo-flat top shape creates high pressures up to 60 GPa. We measure the crystal structure by observing X-ray diffraction orthogonal to the shock propagation direction over a range of pressures. We describe the capability of simultaneously performing phase contrast imaging and in situ X-ray diffraction during shock loading and discuss the dynamic response of Si in high-pressure phases Use of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515. The MEC instrument is supported by.

[Future perspectives for diagnostic imaging in urology: from anatomic and functional to molecular imaging].

PubMed

Macis, Giuseppe; Di Giovanni, Silvia; Di Franco, Davide; Bonomo, Lorenzo

2013-01-01

The future approach of diagnostic imaging in urology follows the technological progress, which made the visualization of in vivo molecular processes possible. From anatomo-morphological diagnostic imaging and through functional imaging molecular radiology is reached. Based on molecular probes, imaging is aimed at assessing the in vivo molecular processes, their physiology and function at cellular level. The future imaging will investigate the complex tumor functioning as metabolism, aerobic glycolysis in particular, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, metastatic potential, hypoxia, apoptosis and receptors expressed by neoplastic cells. Methods for performing molecular radiology are CT, MRI, PET-CT, PET-MRI, SPECT and optical imaging. Molecular ultrasound combines technological advancement with targeted contrast media based on microbubbles, this allowing the selective registration of microbubble signal while that of stationary tissues is suppressed. An experimental study was carried out where the ultrasound molecular probe BR55 strictly bound to prostate tumor results in strong enhancement in the early phase after contrast, this contrast being maintained in the late phase. This late enhancement is markedly significant for the detection of prostatic cancer foci and to guide the biopsy sampling. The 124I-cG250 molecular antibody which is strictly linked to cellular carbonic anhydrase IX of clear cell renal carcinoma, allows the acquisition of diagnostic PET images of clear cell renal carcinoma without biopsy. This WG-250 (RENCAREX) antibody was used as a therapy in metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma. Future advancements and applications will result in early cancer diagnosis, personalized therapy that will be specific according to the molecular features of cancer and leading to the development of catheter-based multichannel molecular imaging devices for cystoscopy-based molecular imaging diagnosis and intervention.

The Accuracy and Precision of Flow Measurements Using Phase Contrast Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chao

Quantitative volume flow rate measurements using the magnetic resonance imaging technique are studied in this dissertation because the volume flow rates have a special interest in the blood supply of the human body. The method of quantitative volume flow rate measurements is based on the phase contrast technique, which assumes a linear relationship between the phase and flow velocity of spins. By measuring the phase shift of nuclear spins and integrating velocity across the lumen of the vessel, we can determine the volume flow rate. The accuracy and precision of volume flow rate measurements obtained using the phase contrast technique are studied by computer simulations and experiments. The various factors studied include (1) the partial volume effect due to voxel dimensions and slice thickness relative to the vessel dimensions; (2) vessel angulation relative to the imaging plane; (3) intravoxel phase dispersion; (4) flow velocity relative to the magnitude of the flow encoding gradient. The partial volume effect is demonstrated to be the major obstacle to obtaining accurate flow measurements for both laminar and plug flow. Laminar flow can be measured more accurately than plug flow in the same condition. Both the experiment and simulation results for laminar flow show that, to obtain the accuracy of volume flow rate measurements to within 10%, at least 16 voxels are needed to cover the vessel lumen. The accuracy of flow measurements depends strongly on the relative intensity of signal from stationary tissues. A correction method is proposed to compensate for the partial volume effect. The correction method is based on a small phase shift approximation. After the correction, the errors due to the partial volume effect are compensated, allowing more accurate results to be obtained. An automatic program based on the correction method is developed and implemented on a Sun workstation. The correction method is applied to the simulation and experiment results. The results show that the correction significantly reduces the errors due to the partial volume effect. We apply the correction method to the data of in vivo studies. Because the blood flow is not known, the results of correction are tested according to the common knowledge (such as cardiac output) and conservation of flow. For example, the volume of blood flowing to the brain should be equal to the volume of blood flowing from the brain. Our measurement results are very convincing.

Binocular combination in abnormal binocular vision

PubMed Central

Ding, Jian; Klein, Stanley A.; Levi, Dennis M.

2013-01-01

We investigated suprathreshold binocular combination in humans with abnormal binocular visual experience early in life. In the first experiment we presented the two eyes with equal but opposite phase shifted sine waves and measured the perceived phase of the cyclopean sine wave. Normal observers have balanced vision between the two eyes when the two eyes' images have equal contrast (i.e., both eyes contribute equally to the perceived image and perceived phase = 0°). However, in observers with strabismus and/or amblyopia, balanced vision requires a higher contrast image in the nondominant eye (NDE) than the dominant eye (DE). This asymmetry between the two eyes is larger than predicted from the contrast sensitivities or monocular perceived contrast of the two eyes and is dependent on contrast and spatial frequency: more asymmetric with higher contrast and/or spatial frequency. Our results also revealed a surprising NDE-to-DE enhancement in some of our abnormal observers. This enhancement is not evident in normal vision because it is normally masked by interocular suppression. However, in these abnormal observers the NDE-to-DE suppression was weak or absent. In the second experiment, we used the identical stimuli to measure the perceived contrast of a cyclopean grating by matching the binocular combined contrast to a standard contrast presented to the DE. These measures provide strong constraints for model fitting. We found asymmetric interocular interactions in binocular contrast perception, which was dependent on both contrast and spatial frequency in the same way as in phase perception. By introducing asymmetric parameters to the modified Ding-Sperling model including interocular contrast gain enhancement, we succeeded in accounting for both binocular combined phase and contrast simultaneously. Adding binocular contrast gain control to the modified Ding-Sperling model enabled us to predict the results of dichoptic and binocular contrast discrimination experiments and provides new insights into the mechanisms of abnormal binocular vision. PMID:23397039

Binocular combination in abnormal binocular vision.

PubMed

Ding, Jian; Klein, Stanley A; Levi, Dennis M

2013-02-08

We investigated suprathreshold binocular combination in humans with abnormal binocular visual experience early in life. In the first experiment we presented the two eyes with equal but opposite phase shifted sine waves and measured the perceived phase of the cyclopean sine wave. Normal observers have balanced vision between the two eyes when the two eyes' images have equal contrast (i.e., both eyes contribute equally to the perceived image and perceived phase = 0°). However, in observers with strabismus and/or amblyopia, balanced vision requires a higher contrast image in the nondominant eye (NDE) than the dominant eye (DE). This asymmetry between the two eyes is larger than predicted from the contrast sensitivities or monocular perceived contrast of the two eyes and is dependent on contrast and spatial frequency: more asymmetric with higher contrast and/or spatial frequency. Our results also revealed a surprising NDE-to-DE enhancement in some of our abnormal observers. This enhancement is not evident in normal vision because it is normally masked by interocular suppression. However, in these abnormal observers the NDE-to-DE suppression was weak or absent. In the second experiment, we used the identical stimuli to measure the perceived contrast of a cyclopean grating by matching the binocular combined contrast to a standard contrast presented to the DE. These measures provide strong constraints for model fitting. We found asymmetric interocular interactions in binocular contrast perception, which was dependent on both contrast and spatial frequency in the same way as in phase perception. By introducing asymmetric parameters to the modified Ding-Sperling model including interocular contrast gain enhancement, we succeeded in accounting for both binocular combined phase and contrast simultaneously. Adding binocular contrast gain control to the modified Ding-Sperling model enabled us to predict the results of dichoptic and binocular contrast discrimination experiments and provides new insights into the mechanisms of abnormal binocular vision.

Abdominal MRI at 3.0 T: LAVA-Flex compared with conventional fat suppression T1-weighted images.

PubMed

Li, Xing Hui; Zhu, Jiang; Zhang, Xiao Ming; Ji, Yi Fan; Chen, Tian Wu; Huang, Xiao Hua; Yang, Lin; Zeng, Nan Lin

2014-07-01

To study liver imaging with volume acceleration-flexible (LAVA-Flex) for abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3.0 T and compare the image quality of abdominal organs between LAVA-Flex and fast spoiled gradient-recalled (FSPGR) T1-weighted imaging. Our Institutional Review Board approval was obtained in this retrospective study. Sixty-nine subjects had both FSPGR and LAVA-Flex sequences. Two radiologists independently scored the acquisitions for image quality, fat suppression quality, and artifacts and the values obtained were compared with the Wilcoxon signed rank test. According to the signal intensity (SI) measurements, the uniformity of fat suppression, the contrast between muscle and fat and normal liver and liver lesions were compared by the paired t-test. The liver and spleen SI on the fat-only phase were analyzed in the fatty liver patients. Compared with FSPGR imaging, LAVA-Flex images had better and more homogenous fat suppression and lower susceptibility artifact (qualitative scores: 4.70 vs. 4.00, 4.86% vs. 7.14%, 4.60 and 4.10, respectively). The contrast between muscle and fat and between the liver and pathologic lesions was significantly improved on the LAVA-Flex sequence. The contrast value of the fatty liver and spleen was higher than that of the liver and spleen. The LAVA-Flex sequence offers superior and more homogenous fat suppression of the abdomen than does the FSPGR sequence. The fat-only phase can be a simple and effective method of assessing fatty liver. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphological and Electrochemical Characterization of Nanostructured Li 4Ti 5O 12 Electrodes Using Multiple Imaging Mode Synchrotron X-ray Computed Tomography

DOE PAGES

Kashkooli, Ali Ghorbani; Foreman, Evan; Farhad, Siamak; ...

2017-09-21

In this study, synchrotron X-ray computed tomography has been utilized using two different imaging modes, absorption and Zernike phase contrast, to reconstruct the real three-dimensional (3D) morphology of nanostructured Li 4Ti 5O 12 (LTO) electrodes. The morphology of the high atomic number active material has been obtained using the absorption contrast mode, whereas the percolated solid network composed of active material and carbon-doped polymer binder domain (CBD) has been obtained using the Zernike phase contrast mode. The 3D absorption contrast image revealed that some LTO nano-particles tend to agglomerate and form secondary micro-sized particles with varying degrees of sphericity. Themore » tortuosity of electrode’s pore and solid phases were found to have directional dependence, different from Bruggeman’s tortuosity commonly used in macro-homogeneous models. The electrode’s heterogeneous structure was investigated by developing a numerical model to simulate galvanostatic discharge process using the Zernike phase contrast mode. The inclusion of CBD in the Zernike phase contrast results in an integrated percolated network of active material and CBD that is highly suited for continuum modeling. As a result, the simulation results highlight the importance of using the real 3D geometry since the spatial distribution of physical and electrochemical properties have a strong non-uniformity due to microstructural heterogeneities.« less

Phase object imaging inside the airy disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tychinsky, Vladimir P.

1991-03-01

The possibility of phase objects superresoluton imaging is theoretically justifieth The measurements with CPM " AIRYSCAN" showed the reality of O structures observations when the Airy disc di ameter i s 0 86 j. . m SUMMARY It has been known that the amount of information contained in the image of any object is mostly determined by the number of points measured i ndependentl y or by spati al resol uti on of the system. From the classic theory of the optical systems it follows that for noncoherent sources the -spatial resolution is limited by the aperture dd 6LX/N. A. ( Rayleigh criterion where X is wave length NA numerical aperture. ) The use of this criterion is equivalent tO the statement that any object inside the Airy disc of radius d that is the difraction image of a point is practical ly unresolved. However at the coherent illumination the intensity distribution in the image plane depends also upon the phase iq (r) of the wave scattered by the object and this is the basis of the Zernike method of phasecontrast microscopy differential interference contrast (DIC) and computer phase microscopy ( CPM ). In theoretical foundation of these methods there was no doubt in the correctness of Rayleigh criterion since the phase information is derived out of intensity distribution and as we know there were no experiments that disproved this

Hepatocellular Adenoma: Evaluation with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and MRI and Correlation with Pathologic and Phenotypic Classification in 26 Lesions

PubMed Central

Manichon, Anne-Frédérique; Bancel, Brigitte; Durieux-Millon, Marion; Ducerf, Christian; Mabrut, Jean-Yves; Lepogam, Marie-Annick; Rode, Agnès

2012-01-01

Purpose. To review the contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic (CEUS) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in 25 patients with 26 hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) and to compare imaging features with histopathologic results from resected specimen considering the new immunophenotypical classification. Material and Methods. Two abdominal radiologists reviewed retrospectively CEUS cineloops and MR images in 26 HCA. All pathological specimens were reviewed and classified into four subgroups (steatotic or HNF 1α mutated, inflammatory, atypical or β-catenin mutated, and unspecified). Inflammatory infiltrates were scored, steatosis, and telangiectasia semiquantitatively evaluated. Results. CEUS and MRI features are well correlated: among the 16 inflammatory HCA, 7/16 presented typical imaging features: hypersignal T2, strong arterial enhancement with a centripetal filling, persistent on delayed phase. 6 HCA were classified as steatotic with typical imaging features: a drop out signal, slight arterial enhancement, vanishing on late phase. Four HCA were classified as atypical with an HCC developed in one. Five lesions displayed important steatosis (>50%) without belonging to the HNF1α group. Conclusion. In half cases, inflammatory HCA have specific imaging features well correlated with the amount of telangiectasia and inflammatory infiltrates. An HCA with important amount of steatosis noticed on chemical shift images does not always belong to the HNF1α group. PMID:22811588

A Selective-Echo Method for Chemical-Shift Imaging of Two-Component Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerald, Rex E., II; Krasavin, Anatoly O.; Botto, Robert E.

A simple and effective method for selectively imaging either one of two chemical species in a two-component system is presented and demonstrated experimentally. The pulse sequence employed, selective- echo chemical- shift imaging (SECSI), is a hybrid (frequency-selective/ T1-contrast) technique that is executed in a short period of time, utilizes the full Boltzmann magnetization of each chemical species to form the corresponding image, and requires only hard pulses of quadrature phase. This approach provides a direct and unambiguous representation of the spatial distribution of the two chemical species. In addition, the performance characteristics and the advantages of the SECSI sequence are compared on a common basis to those of other pulse sequences.

All-Systolic Non-ECG-gated Myocardial Perfusion MRI: Feasibility of Multi-Slice Continuous First-Pass Imaging

PubMed Central

Sharif, Behzad; Arsanjani, Reza; Dharmakumar, Rohan; Bairey Merz, C. Noel; Berman, Daniel S.; Li, Debiao

2015-01-01

Purpose To develop and test the feasibility of a new method for non-ECG-gated first-pass perfusion (FPP) cardiac MR capable of imaging multiple short-axis slices at the same systolic cardiac phase. Methods A magnetization-driven pulse sequence was developed for non-ECG-gated FPP imaging without saturation-recovery preparation using continuous slice-interleaved radial sampling. The image reconstruction method, dubbed TRACE, employed self-gating based on reconstruction of a real-time image-based navigator combined with reference-constrained compressed sensing. Data from ischemic animal studies (n=5) was used in a simulation framework to evaluate temporal fidelity. Healthy subjects (n=5) were studied using both the proposed and conventional method to compare the myocardial contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Patients (n=2) underwent adenosine stress studies using the proposed method. Results Temporal fidelity of the developed method was shown to be sufficient at high heart-rates. The healthy volunteers studies demonstrated normal perfusion and no artifacts. Compared to the conventional scheme, myocardial CNR for the proposed method was slightly higher (8.6±0.6 vs. 8.0±0.7). Patient studies showed stress-induced perfusion defects consistent with invasive angiography. Conclusions The presented methods and results demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach for high-resolution non-ECG-gated FPP imaging and indicate its potential for achieving desirable image quality (high CNR, no dark-rim artifacts) with a 3-slice spatial coverage, all imaged at the same systolic phase. PMID:26052843

Phase Error Correction in Time-Averaged 3D Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Cerebral Vasculature

PubMed Central

MacDonald, M. Ethan; Forkert, Nils D.; Pike, G. Bruce; Frayne, Richard

2016-01-01

Purpose Volume flow rate (VFR) measurements based on phase contrast (PC)-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging datasets have spatially varying bias due to eddy current induced phase errors. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of phase errors in time averaged PC-MR imaging of the cerebral vasculature and explore the effects of three common correction schemes (local bias correction (LBC), local polynomial correction (LPC), and whole brain polynomial correction (WBPC)). Methods Measurements of the eddy current induced phase error from a static phantom were first obtained. In thirty healthy human subjects, the methods were then assessed in background tissue to determine if local phase offsets could be removed. Finally, the techniques were used to correct VFR measurements in cerebral vessels and compared statistically. Results In the phantom, phase error was measured to be <2.1 ml/s per pixel and the bias was reduced with the correction schemes. In background tissue, the bias was significantly reduced, by 65.6% (LBC), 58.4% (LPC) and 47.7% (WBPC) (p < 0.001 across all schemes). Correction did not lead to significantly different VFR measurements in the vessels (p = 0.997). In the vessel measurements, the three correction schemes led to flow measurement differences of -0.04 ± 0.05 ml/s, 0.09 ± 0.16 ml/s, and -0.02 ± 0.06 ml/s. Although there was an improvement in background measurements with correction, there was no statistical difference between the three correction schemes (p = 0.242 in background and p = 0.738 in vessels). Conclusions While eddy current induced phase errors can vary between hardware and sequence configurations, our results showed that the impact is small in a typical brain PC-MR protocol and does not have a significant effect on VFR measurements in cerebral vessels. PMID:26910600

Computer-assisted analysis of the vascular endothelial cell motile response to injury.

PubMed

Askey, D B; Herman, I M

1988-12-01

We have developed an automated, user-friendly method to track vascular endothelial cell migration in vitro using an IBM PC/XT with MS DOS. Analog phase-contrast images of the bovine aortic endothelial cells are converted into digital images (8 bit, 250 x 240 pixel resolution) using a Tecmar Video VanGogh A/D board. Digitized images are stored at selected time points following mechanical injury in vitro. FORTRAN and assembly language subroutines have been implemented to automatically detect the wound edge and the edge of each cell nucleus in the phase-contrast, light-microscope field. Detection of the wound edge is accomplished by intensity thresholding following noise reduction in the image and subsequent sampling of the wound. After the range of wound intensities is determined, the entire image is sampled and a histogram of intensities is formed. The histogram peak corresponding to the wound intensities is subtracted, leaving a histogram peak that gives the range of intensities corresponding to the cell nuclei. Rates of cell migration, as well as cellular trajectories and cell surface areas, can be automatically quantitated and analyzed. This inexpensive, automated cell-tracking system should be widely applicable in a variety of cell biologic applications.

Ghost imaging of phase objects with classical incoherent light

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shirai, Tomohiro; Setaelae, Tero; Friberg, Ari T.

2011-10-15

We describe an optical setup for performing spatial Fourier filtering in ghost imaging with classical incoherent light. This is achieved by a modification of the conventional geometry for lensless ghost imaging. It is shown on the basis of classical coherence theory that with this technique one can realize what we call phase-contrast ghost imaging to visualize pure phase objects.

Virtual dissection of Thoropa miliaris tadpole using phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidalgo, G.; Colaço, M. V.; Nogueira, L. P.; Braz, D.; Silva, H. R.; Colaço, G.; Barroso, R. C.

2018-05-01

In this work, in-line phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography was used in order to study the external and internal morphology of Thoropa miliaris tadpoles. Whole-specimens of T. miliaris in larval stages of development 28, 37 and 42, collected in the municipality of Mangaratiba (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) were used for the study. The samples were scanned in microtomography beamline (IMX) at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). The phase-contrast technique allowed us to obtain high quality images which made possible the structures segmentation on the rendered volume by the Avizo graphic image editing software. The combination of high quality images and segmentation process provides adequate visualization of different organs and soft (liver, notochord, brain, crystalline, cartilages) and hard (elements of the bone skeleton) tissues.

Use of three-dimensional time-resolved phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging with vastly undersampled isotropic projection reconstruction to assess renal blood flow in a renal cell carcinoma patient treated with sunitinib: a case report.

PubMed

Takayama, Tatsuya; Takehara, Yasuo; Sugiyama, Masataka; Sugiyama, Takayuki; Ishii, Yasuo; Johnson, Kevin E; Wieben, Oliver; Wakayama, Tetsuya; Sakahara, Harumi; Ozono, Seiichiro

2014-08-14

New imaging modalities to assess the efficacy of drugs that have molecular targets remain under development. Here, we describe for the first time the use of time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging to monitor changes in blood supply to a tumor during sunitinib treatment in a patient with localized renal cell carcinoma. A 43-year-old Japanese woman with a tumor-bearing but functional single kidney presented at our hospital in July 2012. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cT1aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma embedded in the upper central region of the left kidney. She was prescribed sunitinib as neoadjuvant therapy for 8 months, and then underwent partial nephrectomy. Tumor monitoring during this time was done using time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging, a recent technique which specifically measures blood flow in the various vessels of the kidney. This imaging allowed visualization of the redistribution of renal blood flow during treatment, and showed that flow to the tumor was decreased and flows to other areas increased. Of note, this change occurred in the absence of any change in tumor size. The ability of time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging to provide quantitative information on blood supply to tumors may be useful in monitoring the efficacy of sunitinib treatment.

Multimodal computational microscopy based on transport of intensity equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiaji; Chen, Qian; Sun, Jiasong; Zhang, Jialin; Zuo, Chao

2016-12-01

Transport of intensity equation (TIE) is a powerful tool for phase retrieval and quantitative phase imaging, which requires intensity measurements only at axially closely spaced planes without a separate reference beam. It does not require coherent illumination and works well on conventional bright-field microscopes. The quantitative phase reconstructed by TIE gives valuable information that has been encoded in the complex wave field by passage through a sample of interest. Such information may provide tremendous flexibility to emulate various microscopy modalities computationally without requiring specialized hardware components. We develop a requisite theory to describe such a hybrid computational multimodal imaging system, which yields quantitative phase, Zernike phase contrast, differential interference contrast, and light field moment imaging, simultaneously. It makes the various observations for biomedical samples easy. Then we give the experimental demonstration of these ideas by time-lapse imaging of live HeLa cell mitosis. Experimental results verify that a tunable lens-based TIE system, combined with the appropriate postprocessing algorithm, can achieve a variety of promising imaging modalities in parallel with the quantitative phase images for the dynamic study of cellular processes.

Hollow Cone Electron Imaging for Single Particle 3D Reconstruction of Proteins

PubMed Central

Tsai, Chun-Ying; Chang, Yuan-Chih; Lobato, Ivan; Van Dyck, Dirk; Chen, Fu-Rong

2016-01-01

The main bottlenecks for high-resolution biological imaging in electron microscopy are radiation sensitivity and low contrast. The phase contrast at low spatial frequencies can be enhanced by using a large defocus but this strongly reduces the resolution. Recently, phase plates have been developed to enhance the contrast at small defocus but electrical charging remains a problem. Single particle cryo-electron microscopy is mostly used to minimize the radiation damage and to enhance the resolution of the 3D reconstructions but it requires averaging images of a massive number of individual particles. Here we present a new route to achieve the same goals by hollow cone dark field imaging using thermal diffuse scattered electrons giving about a 4 times contrast increase as compared to bright field imaging. We demonstrate the 3D reconstruction of a stained GroEL particle can yield about 13.5 Å resolution but using a strongly reduced number of images. PMID:27292544

The relationship between wave and geometrical optics models of coded aperture type x-ray phase contrast imaging systems

PubMed Central

Munro, Peter R.T.; Ignatyev, Konstantin; Speller, Robert D.; Olivo, Alessandro

2013-01-01

X-ray phase contrast imaging is a very promising technique which may lead to significant advancements in medical imaging. One of the impediments to the clinical implementation of the technique is the general requirement to have an x-ray source of high coherence. The radiation physics group at UCL is currently developing an x-ray phase contrast imaging technique which works with laboratory x-ray sources. Validation of the system requires extensive modelling of relatively large samples of tissue. To aid this, we have undertaken a study of when geometrical optics may be employed to model the system in order to avoid the need to perform a computationally expensive wave optics calculation. In this paper, we derive the relationship between the geometrical and wave optics model for our system imaging an infinite cylinder. From this model we are able to draw conclusions regarding the general applicability of the geometrical optics approximation. PMID:20389424

The relationship between wave and geometrical optics models of coded aperture type x-ray phase contrast imaging systems.

PubMed

Munro, Peter R T; Ignatyev, Konstantin; Speller, Robert D; Olivo, Alessandro

2010-03-01

X-ray phase contrast imaging is a very promising technique which may lead to significant advancements in medical imaging. One of the impediments to the clinical implementation of the technique is the general requirement to have an x-ray source of high coherence. The radiation physics group at UCL is currently developing an x-ray phase contrast imaging technique which works with laboratory x-ray sources. Validation of the system requires extensive modelling of relatively large samples of tissue. To aid this, we have undertaken a study of when geometrical optics may be employed to model the system in order to avoid the need to perform a computationally expensive wave optics calculation. In this paper, we derive the relationship between the geometrical and wave optics model for our system imaging an infinite cylinder. From this model we are able to draw conclusions regarding the general applicability of the geometrical optics approximation.

Interferometric phase-contrast X-ray CT imaging of VX2 rabbit cancer at 35keV X-ray energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Tohoru; Wu, Jin; Tsuchiya, Yoshinori; Yoneyama, Akio; Lwin, Thet-Thet; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Itai, Yuji

2004-05-01

Imaging of large objects at 17.7-keV low x-ray energy causes huge x-ray exposure to the objects even using interferometric phase-contrast x-ray CT (PCCT). Thus, we tried to obtain PCCT images at high x-ray energy of 35keV and examined the image quality using a formalin-fixed VX2 rabbit cancer specimen with 15-mm in diameter. The PCCT system consisted of an asymmetrically cut silicon (220) crystal, a monolithic x-ray interferometer, a phase-shifter, an object cell and an x-ray CCD camera. The PCCT at 35 keV clearly visualized various inner structures of VX2 rabbit cancer such as necrosis, cancer, the surrounding tumor vessels, and normal liver tissue. Besides, image-contrast was not degraded significantly. These results suggest that the PCCT at 35 KeV is sufficient to clearly depict the histopathological morphology of VX2 rabbit cancer specimen.

Deciphering the internal complexity of living cells with quantitative phase microscopy: a multiscale approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Torres, Cristina; Laperrousaz, Bastien; Berguiga, Lotfi; Boyer-Provera, Elise; Elezgaray, Juan; Nicolini, Franck E.; Maguer-Satta, Veronique; Arneodo, Alain; Argoul, Françoise

2015-09-01

The distribution of refractive indices (RIs) of a living cell contributes in a nonintuitive manner to its optical phase image and quite rarely can be inverted to recover its internal structure. The interpretation of the quantitative phase images of living cells remains a difficult task because (1) we still have very little knowledge on the impact of its internal macromolecular complexes on the local RI and (2) phase changes produced by light propagation through the sample are mixed with diffraction effects by the internal cell bodies. We propose to implement a two-dimensional wavelet-based contour chain detection method to distinguish internal boundaries based on their greatest optical path difference gradients. These contour chains correspond to the highest image phase contrast and follow the local RI inhomogeneities linked to the intracellular structural intricacy. Their statistics and spatial distribution are the morphological indicators suited for comparing cells of different origins and/or to follow their transformation in pathologic situations. We use this method to compare nonadherent blood cells from primary and laboratory culture origins and to assess the internal transformation of hematopoietic stem cells by the transduction of the BCR-ABL oncogene responsible for the chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Three-Dimensional Imaging and Quantification of Biomass and Biofilms in Porous Media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorthe Wildenschild

2012-10-10

A new method to resolve biofilms in three dimensions in porous media using high-resolution synchrotron-based x-ray computed microtomography (CMT) has been developed. Imaging biofilms in porous media without disturbing the natural spatial arrangement of the porous media and associated biofilm has been a challenging task, primarily because porous media generally precludes conventional imaging via optical microscopy; x-ray tomography offers a potential alternative. One challenge for using this method is that most conventional x-ray contrast agents are water-soluble and easily diffuse into biofilms. To overcome this problem, silver-coated microspheres were added to the fluid phase to create an x-ray contrast thatmore » does not diffuse into the biofilm mass. Using this approach, biofilm imaging in porous media was accomplished with sufficient contrast to differentiate between the biomass- and fluid-filled pore spaces. The method was validated by using a two-dimensional micro-model flow cell where both light microscopy and CMT imaging were used to im age the biofilm. The results of this work has been published in Water Resources Research (Iltis et al., 2010). Additional work needs to be done to optimize this imaging approach, specifically, we find that the quality of the images are highly dependent on the coverage of the biofilm with Ag particles, - which means that we may have issues in dead-end pore space and for very low density (fluffy) biofilms. What we can image for certain with this technique is the biofilm surface that is well-connected to flow paths and thus well-supplied with nutrients etc.« less

System for phase-contrast x-ray radiography using X pinch radiation and a method thereof

DOEpatents

Chandler, Katherine; Chelkovenko, Tatiana; Hammer, David; Pikuz, Sergei; Sinars, Daniel; Song, Byungmoo

2007-11-06

A radiograph system with an anode plate, a cathode plate, and a power source coupled to said anode plate and the cathode plate. At least two wires coupled between the anode plate and the cathode plate provide a configuration to form an X-pinch having a photon source size of less than five microns at energies above 2.5 keV. Material at the configuration forming the X-pinch vaporizes upon application of a suitable current to the wires forming a dense hot plasma and emitting a single x-ray pulse with sufficient photons having energies in the range of from about 2.5 keV to about 20 keV to provide a phase contrast image of an object in the path of the photons. Multiple simultaneous images may be formed of a plurality of objects. Suitable filters and x-ray detectors are provided.

[Myocardial perfusion imaging by digital subtraction angiography].

PubMed

Kadowaki, H; Ishikawa, K; Ogai, T; Katori, R

1986-03-01

Several methods of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were compared to determine which could better visualize regional myocardial perfusion using coronary angiography in seven patients with myocardial infarction, two with angina pectoris and five with normal coronary arteries. Satisfactory DSA was judged to be achieved if the shape of the heart on the mask film was identical to that on the live film and if both films were exactly superimposed. To obtain an identical mask film in the shape of each live film, both films were selected from the following three phases of the cardiac cycle; at the R wave of the electrocardiogram, 100 msec before the R wave, and 200 msec before the R wave. The last two were superior for obtaining mask and live films which were similar in shape, because the cardiac motion in these phases was relatively small. Using these mask and live films, DSA was performed either with the continuous image mode (CI mode) or the time interval difference mode (TID mode). The overall perfusion of contrast medium through the artery to the vein was adequately visualized using the CI mode. Passage of contrast medium through the artery, capillary and vein was visualized at each phase using TID mode. Subtracted images were displayed and photographed, and the density of the contrast medium was adequate to display contour lines as in a relief map. Using this DSA, it was found that regional perfusion of the contrast medium was not always uniform in normal subjects, depending on the typography of the coronary artery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

High temporal and spatial resolution studies of bone cells using real-time confocal reflection microscopy.

PubMed

Boyde, A; Vesely, P; Gray, C; Jones, S J

1994-01-01

Chick and rat bone-derived cells were mounted in sealed coverslip-covered chambers; individual osteoclasts (but also osteoblasts) were selected and studied at 37 degrees C using three different types of high-speed scanning confocal microscopes: (1) A Noran Tandem Scanning Microscope (TSM) was used with a low light level, cooled CCD camera for image transfer to a Noran TN8502 frame store-based image analysing computer to make time lapse movie sequences using 0.1 s exposure periods, thus losing some of the advantage of the high frame rate of the TSM. Rapid focus adjustment using computer controlled piezo drivers permitted two or more focus planes to be imaged sequentially: thus (with additional light-source shuttering) the reflection confocal image could be alternated with the phase contrast image at a different focus. Individual cells were followed for up to 5 days, suggesting no significant irradiation problem. (2) Exceptional temporal and spatial resolution is available in video rate laser confocal scanning microscopes (VRCSLMs). We used the Noran Odyssey unitary beam VRCSLM with an argon ion laser at 488 nm and acousto-optic deflection (AOD) on the line axis: this instrument is truly and adjustably confocal in the reflection mode. (3) We also used the Lasertec 1LM11 line scan instrument, with an He-Ne laser at 633 nm, and AOD for the frame scan. We discuss the technical problems and merits of the different approaches. The VRCSLMs documented rapid, real-time oscillatory motion: all the methods used show rapid net movement of organelles within bone cells. The interference reflection mode gives particularly strong contrasts in confocal instruments. Phase contrast and other interference methods used in the microscopy of living cells can be used simultaneously in the TSM.

Phased array ghost elimination (PAGE) for segmented SSFP imaging with interrupted steady-state.

PubMed

Kellman, Peter; Guttman, Michael A; Herzka, Daniel A; McVeigh, Elliot R

2002-12-01

Steady-state free precession (SSFP) has recently proven to be valuable for cardiac imaging due to its high signal-to-noise ratio and blood-myocardium contrast. Data acquired using ECG-triggered, segmented sequences during the approach to steady-state, or return to steady-state after interruption, may have ghost artifacts due to periodic k-space distortion. Schemes involving several preparatory RF pulses have been proposed to restore steady-state, but these consume imaging time during early systole. Alternatively, the phased-array ghost elimination (PAGE) method may be used to remove ghost artifacts from the first several frames. PAGE was demonstrated for cardiac cine SSFP imaging with interrupted steady-state using a simple alpha/2 magnetization preparation and storage scheme and a spatial tagging preparation.

Talbot phase-contrast X-ray imaging for the small joints of the hand

PubMed Central

Stutman, Dan; Beck, Thomas J; Carrino, John A; Bingham, Clifton O

2011-01-01

A high resolution radiographic method for soft tissues in the small joints of the hand would aid in the study and treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Osteoarthritis (OA), which often attacks these joints. Of particular interest would be imaging with <100 μm resolution the joint cartilage, whose integrity is a main indicator of disease. Differential phase-contrast or refraction based X-ray imaging (DPC) with Talbot grating interferometers could provide such a method, since it enhances soft tissue contrast and it can be implemented with conventional X-ray tubes. A numerical joint phantom was first developed to assess the angular sensitivity and spectrum needed for a hand DPC system. The model predicts that due to quite similar refraction indexes for joint soft tissues, the refraction effects are very small, requiring high angular resolution. To compare our model to experiment we built a high resolution bench-top interferometer using 10 μm period gratings, a W anode tube and a CCD based detector. Imaging experiments on animal cartilage and on a human finger support the model predictions. For instance, the estimated difference between the index of refraction of cartilage and water is of only several percent at ~25 keV mean energy, comparable to that between the linear attenuation coefficients. The potential advantage of DPC imaging comes thus mainly from the edge enhancement at the soft tissue interfaces. Experiments using a cadaveric human finger are also qualitatively consistent with the joint model, showing that refraction contrast is dominated by tendon embedded in muscle, with the cartilage layer difficult to observe in our conditions. Nevertheless, the model predicts that a DPC radiographic system for the small hand joints of the hand could be feasible using a low energy quasi-monochromatic source, such as a K-edge filtered Rh or Mo tube, in conjunction with a ~2 m long ‘symmetric’ interferometer operated in a high Talbot order. PMID:21841214

Talbot phase-contrast x-ray imaging for the small joints of the hand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutman, Dan; Beck, Thomas J.; Carrino, John A.; Bingham, Clifton O.

2011-09-01

A high-resolution radiographic method for soft tissues in the small joints of the hand would aid in the study and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), which often attacks these joints. Of particular interest would be imaging with <100 µm resolution the joint cartilage, whose integrity is a main indicator of disease. Differential phase-contrast (DPC) or refraction-based x-ray imaging with Talbot grating interferometers could provide such a method, since it enhances soft tissue contrast and can be implemented with conventional x-ray tubes. A numerical joint phantom was first developed to assess the angular sensitivity and spectrum needed for a hand DPC system. The model predicts that, due to quite similar refraction indexes for joint soft tissues, the refraction effects are very small, requiring high angular resolution. To compare our model to experiment we built a high-resolution bench-top interferometer using 10 µm period gratings, a W anode tube and a CCD-based detector. Imaging experiments on animal cartilage and on a human finger support the model predictions. For instance, the estimated difference between the index of refraction of cartilage and water is of only several percent at ~25 keV mean energy, comparable to that between the linear attenuation coefficients. The potential advantage of DPC imaging thus comes mainly from the edge enhancement at the soft tissue interfaces. Experiments using a cadaveric human finger are also qualitatively consistent with the joint model, showing that refraction contrast is dominated by tendon embedded in muscle, with the cartilage layer difficult to observe in our conditions. Nevertheless, the model predicts that a DPC radiographic system for the small hand joints of the hand could be feasible using a low energy quasi-monochromatic source, such as a K-edge filtered Rh or Mo tube, in conjunction with a ~2 m long 'symmetric' interferometer operated in a high Talbot order.

One-pot synthesis of magnetic nanoclusters enabling atherosclerosis-targeted magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Kukreja, Aastha; Lim, Eun-Kyung; Kang, Byunghoon; Choi, Yuna; Lee, Taeksu; Suh, Jin-Suck; Huh, Yong-Min; Haam, Seungjoo

2014-01-01

In this study, dextran-encrusted magnetic nanoclusters (DMNCs) were synthesized using a one-pot solution phase method for detection of atherosclerosis by magnetic resonance imaging. Pyrenyl dextran was used as a surfactant because of its electron-stabilizing effect and its amphiphilic nature, rendering the DMNCs stable and water-dispersible. The DMNCs were 65.6±4.3 nm, had a narrow size distribution, and were superparamagnetic with a high magnetization value of 60.1 emu/g. Further, they showed biocompatibility and high cellular uptake efficiency, as indicated by a strong interaction between dextran and macrophages. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the ability of DMNCs to act as an efficient magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent capable of targeted detection of atherosclerosis. In view of these findings, it is concluded that DMNCs can be used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents to detect inflammatory disease.

Spot auto-focusing and spot auto-stigmation methods with high-definition auto-correlation function in high-resolution TEM.

PubMed

Isakozawa, Shigeto; Fuse, Taishi; Amano, Junpei; Baba, Norio

2018-04-01

As alternatives to the diffractogram-based method in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, a spot auto-focusing (AF) method and a spot auto-stigmation (AS) method are presented with a unique high-definition auto-correlation function (HD-ACF). The HD-ACF clearly resolves the ACF central peak region in small amorphous-thin-film images, reflecting the phase contrast transfer function. At a 300-k magnification for a 120-kV transmission electron microscope, the smallest areas used are 64 × 64 pixels (~3 nm2) for the AF and 256 × 256 pixels for the AS. A useful advantage of these methods is that the AF function has an allowable accuracy even for a low s/n (~1.0) image. A reference database on the defocus dependency of the HD-ACF by the pre-acquisition of through-focus amorphous-thin-film images must be prepared to use these methods. This can be very beneficial because the specimens are not limited to approximations of weak phase objects but can be extended to objects outside such approximations.

SU-E-I-91: Quantitative Assessment of Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cavernous Hemangioma of Live Using In-Line Phase-Contrast X-Ray Imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duan, J

Purpose: To investigate the potential utility of in-line phase-contrast imaging (ILPCI) technique with synchrotron radiation in detecting early hepatocellular carcinoma and cavernous hemangioma of live using in vitro model system. Methods: Without contrast agents, three typical early hepatocellular carcinoma specimens and three typical cavernous hemangioma of live specimens were imaged using ILPCI. To quantitatively discriminate early hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cavernous hemangioma tissues, the projection images texture feature based on gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) were extracted. The texture parameters of energy, inertia, entropy, correlation, sum average, sum entropy, difference average, difference entropy and inverse difference moment, were obtained respectively.more » Results: In the ILPCI planar images of early hepatocellular carcinoma specimens, vessel trees were clearly visualized on the micrometer scale. Obvious distortion deformation was presented, and the vessel mostly appeared as a ‘dry stick’. Liver textures appeared not regularly. In the ILPCI planar images of cavernous hemangioma of live specimens, typical vessels had not been found compared with the early hepatocellular carcinoma planar images. The planar images of cavernous hemangioma of live specimens clearly displayed the dilated hepatic sinusoids with the diameter of less than 100 microns, but all of them were overlapped with each other. The texture parameters of energy, inertia, entropy, correlation, sum average, sum entropy, and difference average, showed a statistically significant between the two types specimens image (P<0.01), except the texture parameters of difference entropy and inverse difference moment(P>0.01). Conclusion: The results indicate that there are obvious changes in morphological levels including vessel structures and liver textures. The study proves that this imaging technique has a potential value in evaluating early hepatocellular carcinoma and cavernous hemangioma of live.« less

Advantages of intermediate X-ray energies in Zernike phase contrast X-ray microscopy.

PubMed

Wang, Zhili; Gao, Kun; Chen, Jian; Hong, Youli; Ge, Xin; Wang, Dajiang; Pan, Zhiyun; Zhu, Peiping; Yun, Wenbing; Jacobsen, Chris; Wu, Ziyu

2013-01-01

Understanding the hierarchical organizations of molecules and organelles within the interior of large eukaryotic cells is a challenge of fundamental interest in cell biology. Light microscopy is a powerful tool for observations of the dynamics of live cells, its resolution attainable is limited and insufficient. While electron microscopy can produce images with astonishing resolution and clarity of ultra-thin (<1 μm thick) sections of biological specimens, many questions involve the three-dimensional organization of a cell or the interconnectivity of cells. X-ray microscopy offers superior imaging resolution compared to light microscopy, and unique capability of nondestructive three-dimensional imaging of hydrated unstained biological cells, complementary to existing light and electron microscopy. Until now, X-ray microscopes operating in the "water window" energy range between carbon and oxygen k-shell absorption edges have produced outstanding 3D images of cryo-preserved cells. The relatively low X-ray energy (<540 eV) of the water window imposes two important limitations: limited penetration (<10 μm) not suitable for imaging larger cells or tissues, and small depth of focus (DoF) for high resolution 3D imaging (e.g., ~1 μm DoF for 20 nm resolution). An X-ray microscope operating at intermediate energy around 2.5 keV using Zernike phase contrast can overcome the above limitations and reduces radiation dose to the specimen. Using a hydrated model cell with an average chemical composition reported in literature, we calculated the image contrast and the radiation dose for absorption and Zernike phase contrast, respectively. The results show that an X-ray microscope operating at ~2.5 keV using Zernike phase contrast offers substantial advantages in terms of specimen size, radiation dose and depth-of-focus. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fully Phase-Encoded MRI Near Metallic Implants Using Ultrashort Echo Times and Broadband Excitation

PubMed Central

Wiens, Curtis N.; Artz, Nathan S.; Jang, Hyungseok; McMillan, Alan B.; Koch, Kevin M.; Reeder, Scott B.

2017-01-01

Purpose To develop a fully phase-encoded MRI method for distortion-free imaging near metallic implants, in clinically feasible acquisition times. Theory and Methods An accelerated 3D fully phase-encoded acquisition with broadband excitation and ultrashort echo times is presented, which uses a broadband radiofrequency pulse to excite the entire off-resonance induced by the metallic implant. Furthermore, fully phase-encoded imaging is used to prevent distortions caused by frequency encoding, and to obtain ultrashort echo times for rapidly decaying signal. Results Phantom and in vivo acquisitions were used to describe the relationship among excitation bandwidth, signal loss near metallic implants, and T1 weighting. Shorter radiofrequency pulses captured signal closer to the implant by improving spectral coverage and allowing shorter echo times, whereas longer pulses improved T1 weighting through larger maximum attainable flip angles. Comparisons of fully phase-encoded acquisition with broadband excitation and ultrashort echo times to T1-weighted multi-acquisition with variable resonance image combination selective were performed in phantoms and subjects with metallic knee and hip prostheses. These acquisitions had similar contrast and acquisition efficiency. Conclusions Accelerated fully phase-encoded acquisitions with ultrashort echo times and broadband excitation can generate distortion free images near metallic implants in clinically feasible acquisition times. Magn Reson Med 000:000–000, 2017. PMID:28833407

Comparative study of conventional US, contrast enhanced US and enhanced MR for the follow-up of prostatic radiofrequency ablation.

PubMed

Feng, Chao; Hu, Bin; Hu, Bing; Chen, Lei; Li, Jia; Huang, Jin

2017-06-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different imaging methods during follow-up of prostatic radiofrequency ablation. Prostatic radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed in 20 healthy beagle dogs. Various imaging examinations were used to monitor the results of RFA, including conventional ultrasound (US), contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and enhanced magnetic resonance (MR). Imaging exams were performed at five phases: Immediately following RFA, one week later, one month later, three months later and six months later. The morphology for each imaging test and histological results were recorded and compared in each phase. Based on the actual results from autopsy, the accuracy of those imaging exams was evaluated. The canine prostate gland demonstrated typical coagulative necrosis immediately following RFA. The lesion would develop into stable cyst if no other complications occurred within the six-month follow-up. Regarding the RFA lesion volume measurement and the reflection of pathological changes, conventional US was not able to accurately measure the volume of RFA lesion and missed many more details concerning the RFA-treated area than CEUS and MR during the three months. The results from CEUS exhibited comparable accuracy to those from enhanced MR at each phase. However, there were no significant differences in the results from US, CEUS and MR at six months, which may contribute to the complete formation of lesion cyst. In the early phase, conventional US was not sufficient for evaluating the efficacy of RFA. Enhanced US and MR provided clear images and accurate information. However, CEUS has the advantage of being more economical, using more convenient equipment and faster scanning, thus identifying it as the more feasible choice. Furthermore, no notable advantages were observed among any image examinations in the long-term follow-up.

Retrofit implementation of Zernike phase plate imaging for cryo-TEM

PubMed Central

Marko, Michael; Leith, ArDean; Hsieh, Chyongere; Danev, Radostin

2011-01-01

In-focus phase-plate imaging is particularly beneficial for cryo-TEM because it offers a substantial overall increase in image contrast, without an electron dose penalty, and it simplifies image interpretation. We show how phase-plate cryo-TEM can be implemented with an appropriate existing TEM, and provide a basic practical introduction to use of thin-film (carbon) phase plates. We point out potential pitfalls of phase-plate operation, and discuss solutions. We provide information on evaluating a particular TEM for its suitability. PMID:21272647

Description and comparison of excretory urography performed during radiography and computed tomography for evaluation of the urinary system in healthy New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

PubMed

Vilalta, Laura; Altuzarra, Raul; Espada, Yvonne; Dominguez, Elisabet; Novellas, Rosa; Martorell, Jaime

2017-04-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of excretory urography performed during radiography (REU) and CT (CTEU) in healthy rabbits, determine timings of urogram phases, and compare sensitivities of REU and CTEU for detection of these phases. ANIMALS 13 New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). PROCEDURES Rabbits were screened for signs of systemic and urinary tract disease. An REU examination of each was performed, followed ≥ 5 days later by a CTEU examination. Contrast images from each modality were evaluated for quality of opacification and intervals between initiation of contrast medium administration and detection of various urogram phases. RESULTS Excretory urograms of excellent diagnostic quality were achieved with both imaging modalities. For all rabbits, the nephrographic phase of the urogram appeared in the first postcontrast REU image (obtained between 34 and 40 seconds after initiation of contrast medium administration) and at a median interval of 20 seconds in CTEU images. The pyelographic phase began at a median interval of 1.63 minutes with both imaging modalities. Contrast medium was visible within the urinary bladder at a median interval of 2.20 minutes. Median interval to the point at which the nephrogram and pyelogram were no longer visible in REU images was 8 hours and 2.67 hours, respectively. The CTEU technique was better than the REU technique for evaluating renal parenchyma. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings suggested that REU and, particularly, CTEU may be valuable tools for the diagnosis of renal and urinary tract disease in rabbits; however, additional evaluation in diseased rabbits is required.

Performance Evaluation of Adaptive Imaging Based on Multiphase Apodization with Cross-correlation: A Pilot Study in Abdominal Ultrasound.

PubMed

Shin, Junseob; Chen, Yu; Malhi, Harshawn; Chen, Frank; Yen, Jesse

2018-05-01

Degradation of image contrast caused by phase aberration, off-axis clutter, and reverberation clutter remains one of the most important problems in abdominal ultrasound imaging. Multiphase apodization with cross-correlation (MPAX) is a novel beamforming technique that enhances ultrasound image contrast by adaptively suppressing unwanted acoustic clutter. MPAX employs multiple pairs of complementary sinusoidal phase apodizations to intentionally introduce grating lobes that can be used to derive a weighting matrix, which mostly preserves the on-axis signals from tissue but reduces acoustic clutter contributions when multiplied with the beamformed radio-frequency (RF) signals. In this paper, in vivo performance of the MPAX technique was evaluated in abdominal ultrasound using data sets obtained from 10 human subjects referred for abdominal ultrasound at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Improvement in image contrast was quantified, first, by the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and, second, by the rating of two experienced radiologists. The MPAX technique was evaluated for longitudinal and transverse views of the abdominal aorta, the inferior vena cava, the gallbladder, and the portal vein. Our in vivo results and analyses demonstrate the feasibility of the MPAX technique in enhancing image contrast in abdominal ultrasound and show potential for creating high contrast ultrasound images with improved target detectability and diagnostic confidence.

Structured-illumination reflectance imaging coupled with spiral phase transform for bruise detection and three-dimensional geometry reconstruction of apples

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Structured-illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) is a new, promising imaging technique with enhanced, versatile capabilities for quality evaluation of food products. SIRI enables simultaneous acquisition of higher-contrast/resolution and better depth-controlled intensity and phase images for detec...

Slit-scanning differential phase-contrast mammography: first experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roessl, Ewald; Daerr, Heiner; Koehler, Thomas; Martens, Gerhard; van Stevendaal, Udo

2014-03-01

The demands for a large field-of-view (FOV) and the stringent requirements for a stable acquisition geometry rank among the major obstacles for the translation of grating-based, differential phase-contrast techniques from the laboratory to clinical applications. While for state-of-the-art Full-Field-Digital Mammography (FFDM) FOVs of 24 cm x 30 cm are common practice, the specifications for mechanical stability are naturally derived from the detector pixel size which ranges between 50 and 100 μm. However, in grating-based, phasecontrast imaging, the relative placement of the gratings in the interferometer must be guaranteed to within micro-meter precision. In this work we report on first experimental results on a phase-contrast x-ray imaging system based on the Philips MicroDose L30 mammography unit. With the proposed approach we achieve a FOV of about 65 mm x 175 mm by the use of the slit-scanning technique. The demand for mechanical stability on a micrometer scale was relaxed by the specific interferometer design, i.e., a rigid, actuator-free mount of the phase-grating G1 with respect to the analyzer-grating G2 onto a common steel frame. The image acquisition and formation processes are described and first phase-contrast images of a test object are presented. A brief discussion of the shortcomings of the current approach is given, including the level of remaining image artifacts and the relatively inefficient usage of the total available x-ray source output.

New methods for image collection and analysis in scanning Auger microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Browning, R.

1985-01-01

While scanning Auger micrographs are used extensively for illustrating the stoichiometry of complex surfaces and for indicating areas of interest for fine point Auger spectroscopy, there are many problems in the quantification and analysis of Auger images. These problems include multiple contrast mechanisms and the lack of meaningful relationships with other Auger data. Collection of multielemental Auger images allows some new approaches to image analysis and presentation. Information about the distribution and quantity of elemental combinations at a surface are retrievable, and particular combinations of elements can be imaged, such as alloy phases. Results from the precipitate hardened alloy Al-2124 illustrate multispectral Auger imaging.

SU-E-J-226: Propagation of Pancreas Target Contours On Respiratory Correlated CT Images Using Deformable Image Registration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, F; Yorke, E; Mageras, G

2014-06-01

Purpose: Respiratory Correlated CT (RCCT) scans to assess intra-fraction motion among pancreatic cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy allow for dose sparing of normal tissues, in particular for the duodenum. Contour propagation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) from one reference respiratory phase to 9 other phases is time consuming. Deformable image registration (DIR) has been successfully used for high contrast disease sites but lower contrast for pancreatic tumors may compromise accuracy. This study evaluates the accuracy of Fast Free Form (FFF) registration-based contour propagation of the GTV on RCCT scans of pancreas cancer patients. Methods: Twenty-four pancreatic cancer patients were retrospectivelymore » studied; 20 had tumors in the pancreatic head/neck, 4 in the body/tail. Patients were simulated with RCCT and images were sorted into 10 respiratory phases. A radiation oncologist manually delineated the GTV for 5 phases (0%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90%). The FFF algorithm was used to map deformations between the EE (50%) phase and each of the other 4 phases. The resultant deformation fields served to propagate GTV contours from EE to the other phases. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), which measures agreement between the DIR-propagated and manually-delineated GTVs, was used to quantitatively examine DIR accuracy. Results: Average DSC over all scans and patients is 0.82 and standard deviation is 0.09 (DSC range 0.97–0.57). For GTV volumes above and below the median volume of 20.2 cc, a Wilcoxon rank-sum test shows significantly different DSC (p=0.0000002). For the GTVs above the median volume, average +/− SD is 0.85 +/− 0.07; and for the GTVs below, the average +/− SD is 0.75 +/−0.08. Conclusion: For pancreatic tumors, the FFF DIR algorithm accurately propagated the GTV between the images in different phases of RCCT, with improved performance for larger tumors.« less

X-ray grating interferometer for materials-science imaging at a low-coherent wiggler source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herzen, Julia; Physics Department and Institute for Medical Engineering, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, 85748 Garching; Donath, Tilman

2011-11-15

X-ray phase-contrast radiography and tomography enable to increase contrast for weakly absorbing materials. Recently, x-ray grating interferometers were developed that extend the possibility of phase-contrast imaging from highly brilliant radiation sources like third-generation synchrotron sources to non-coherent conventional x-ray tube sources. Here, we present the first installation of a three grating x-ray interferometer at a low-coherence wiggler source at the beamline W2 (HARWI II) operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht at the second-generation synchrotron storage ring DORIS (DESY, Hamburg, Germany). Using this type of the wiggler insertion device with a millimeter-sized source allows monochromatic phase-contrast imaging of centimeter sized objects withmore » high photon flux. Thus, biological and materials-science imaging applications can highly profit from this imaging modality. The specially designed grating interferometer currently works in the photon energy range from 22 to 30 keV, and the range will be increased by using adapted x-ray optical gratings. Our results of an energy-dependent visibility measurement in comparison to corresponding simulations demonstrate the performance of the new setup.« less

SU-E-I-76: Optimizing Imaging Parameters for a Novel Radiographic Imaging System for the Detection of Corrosion in Aluminum Aircraft Structures.

PubMed

Hammonds, J; Price, R; Donnelly, E; Pickens, D

2012-06-01

A laboratory-based phase-contrast radiography/tomosynthesis imaging system previously (Med. Phys. Vol. 38, 2353 May 2011) for improved detection of low-contrast soft-tissue masses was used to evaluate the sensitivity for detecting the presence of thin layers of corrosion on aluminum aircraft structures. The evaluation utilized a test object of aluminum (2.5 inch × 2.5 inch × 1/8 inch) on which different geometric patterns of 0.0038 inch thick anodized aluminum oxide was deposited. A circular area of radius 1 inch centered on the phantom's midpoint was milled to an approximate thickness of 0.022 inches. The x-ray source used for this investigation was a dual focal spot, tungsten anode x-ray tube. The focal used during the investigation has a nominal size of 0.010 mm. The active area of the imager is 17.1 cm × 23.9 cm (2016 × 2816 pixels) with a pixel pitch of 0.085 mm. X-ray tube voltages ranged from 20-40 kVp and source- to-object and object-to-image distances were varied from 20-100 cm. Performance of the phase-contrast mode was compared to conventional absorption-based radiography using contrast ratio and contrast-to-noise ratios (C/N). Phase-contrast performance was based on edge-enhancement index (EEI) and the edge-enhancement-to-noise (EE/N) ratio. for absorption-based radiography, the best C/N ratio was observed at the lowest kVp value (20 kVp). The optimum sampling angle for tomosynthesis was +/- 8 degrees. Comparing C/N to EE/N demonstrated the phase-contrast techniques improve the conspicuity of the oxide layer edges. This work provides the optimal parameters that a radiographic imaging system would need to differentiate the two different compounds of aluminum. Subcontractee from Positron Systems Inc. (Boise, Idaho) through United States Air Force grant (AF083-225). © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Variance based joint sparsity reconstruction of synthetic aperture radar data for speckle reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarnati, Theresa; Gelb, Anne

2018-04-01

In observing multiple synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the same scene, it is apparent that the brightness distributions of the images are not smooth, but rather composed of complicated granular patterns of bright and dark spots. Further, these brightness distributions vary from image to image. This salt and pepper like feature of SAR images, called speckle, reduces the contrast in the images and negatively affects texture based image analysis. This investigation uses the variance based joint sparsity reconstruction method for forming SAR images from the multiple SAR images. In addition to reducing speckle, the method has the advantage of being non-parametric, and can therefore be used in a variety of autonomous applications. Numerical examples include reconstructions of both simulated phase history data that result in speckled images as well as the images from the MSTAR T-72 database.

Label-free imaging of developing vasculature in zebrafish with phase variance optical coherence microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yu; Fingler, Jeff; Trinh, Le A.; Fraser, Scott E.

2016-03-01

A phase variance optical coherence microscope (pvOCM) has been created to visualize blood flow in the vasculature of zebrafish embryos, without using exogenous labels. The pvOCM imaging system has axial and lateral resolutions of 2 μm in tissue, and imaging depth of more than 100 μm. Imaging of 2-5 days post-fertilization zebrafish embryos identified the detailed structures of somites, spinal cord, gut and notochord based on intensity contrast. Visualization of the blood flow in the aorta, veins and intersegmental vessels was achieved with phase variance contrast. The pvOCM vasculature images were confirmed with corresponding fluorescence microscopy of a zebrafish transgene that labels the vasculature with green fluorescent protein. The pvOCM images also revealed functional information of the blood flow activities that is crucial for the study of vascular development.

Phase-space evolution of x-ray coherence in phase-sensitive imaging.

PubMed

Wu, Xizeng; Liu, Hong

2008-08-01

X-ray coherence evolution in the imaging process plays a key role for x-ray phase-sensitive imaging. In this work we present a phase-space formulation for the phase-sensitive imaging. The theory is reformulated in terms of the cross-spectral density and associated Wigner distribution. The phase-space formulation enables an explicit and quantitative account of partial coherence effects on phase-sensitive imaging. The presented formulas for x-ray spectral density at the detector can be used for performing accurate phase retrieval and optimizing the phase-contrast visibility. The concept of phase-space shearing length derived from this phase-space formulation clarifies the spatial coherence requirement for phase-sensitive imaging with incoherent sources. The theory has been applied to x-ray Talbot interferometric imaging as well. The peak coherence condition derived reveals new insights into three-grating-based Talbot-interferometric imaging and gratings-based x-ray dark-field imaging.

TH-EF-BRA-05: A Method of Near Real-Time 4D MRI Using Volumetric Dynamic Keyhole (VDK) in the Presence of Respiratory Motion for MR-Guided Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, B; Kim, S; Kim, T

Purpose: To develop a novel method that enables 4D MR imaging in near real-time for continuous monitoring of tumor motion in MR-guided radiotherapy. Methods: This method is mainly based on an idea of expanding dynamic keyhole to full volumetric imaging acquisition. In the VDK approach introduced in this study, a library of peripheral volumetric k-space data is generated in given number of phases (5 and 10 in this study) in advance. For 4D MRI at any given time, only volumetric central k-space data are acquired in real-time and combined with pre-acquired peripheral volumetric k-space data in the library corresponding tomore » the respiratory phase (or amplitude). The combined k-space data are Fourier-transformed to MR images. For simulation study, an MRXCAT program was used to generate synthetic MR images of the thorax with desired respiratory motion, contrast levels, and spatial and temporal resolution. 20 phases of volumetric MR images, with 200 ms temporal resolution in 4 s respiratory period, were generated using balanced steady-state free precession MR pulse sequence. The total acquisition time was 21.5s/phase with a voxel size of 3×3×5 mm{sup 3} and an image matrix of 128×128×56. Image similarity was evaluated with difference maps between the reference and reconstructed images. The VDK, conventional keyhole, and zero filling methods were compared for this simulation study. Results: Using 80% of the ky data and 70% of the kz data from the library resulted in 12.20% average intensity difference from the reference, and 21.60% and 28.45% difference in threshold pixel difference for conventional keyhole and zero filling, respectively. The imaging time will be reduced from 21.5s to 1.3s per volume using the VDK method. Conclusion: Near real-time 4D MR imaging can be achieved using the volumetric dynamic keyhole method. That makes the possibility of utilizing 4D MRI during MR-guided radiotherapy.« less

The phase-contrast imaging instrument at the matter in extreme conditions endstation at LCLS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagler, Bob; Schropp, Andreas; Galtier, Eric C.

2016-10-07

Here, we describe the phase-contrast imaging instrument at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) endstation of the Linac Coherent Light Source. The instrument can image phenomena with a spatial resolution of a few hundreds of nanometers and at the same time reveal the atomic structure through X-ray diffraction, with a temporal resolution better than 100 fs. It was specifically designed for studies relevant to high-energy-density science and can monitor, e.g., shock fronts, phase transitions, or void collapses. This versatile instrument was commissioned last year and is now available to the MEC user community.

Imaging of Hydrogel Microsphere Structure and Foreign Body Response Based on Endogenous X-Ray Phase Contrast

DOE PAGES

Appel, Alyssa A.; Ibarra, Veronica; Somo, Sami I.; ...

2016-10-31

Transplantation of functional islets encapsulated in stable biomaterials has the potential to cure Type I diabetes. However, the success of these materials requires the ability to understand their stability in vivo. Imaging techniques that enable monitoring of biomaterial performance are critical to further development in the field. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that X-ray phase contrast (XPC) imaging techniques enable 3D imaging and evaluation of islet volume, alginate hydrogel structure and local soft tissue response. Islets were encapsulated in alginate systems prepared in methods used in clinical trials and implanted in a rodent omentum pouch modelmore » as a treatment for type I diabetes. Microbeads were imaged with XPC prior to implantation and following implantation into an omentum pouch. Islets could be identified within alginate beads and the islet volume quantified. Omental adipose tissue could be distinguished from inflammatory regions resulting from implanted beads. Individual beads and the local encapsulation response were visualized and quantifiable. Measurements were in agreement with histology. The 3D structure of the microbeads could be characterized with XPC and failed beads could also be identified. These results point to the substantial potential of XPC as a tool for imaging biomaterials in small animal models.« less

Imaging of Hydrogel Microsphere Structure and Foreign Body Response Based on Endogenous X-Ray Phase Contrast

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Appel, Alyssa A.; Ibarra, Veronica; Somo, Sami I.

Transplantation of functional islets encapsulated in stable biomaterials has the potential to cure Type I diabetes. However, the success of these materials requires the ability to understand their stability in vivo. Imaging techniques that enable monitoring of biomaterial performance are critical to further development in the field. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that X-ray phase contrast (XPC) imaging techniques enable 3D imaging and evaluation of islet volume, alginate hydrogel structure and local soft tissue response. Islets were encapsulated in alginate systems prepared in methods used in clinical trials and implanted in a rodent omentum pouch modelmore » as a treatment for type I diabetes. Microbeads were imaged with XPC prior to implantation and following implantation into an omentum pouch. Islets could be identified within alginate beads and the islet volume quantified. Omental adipose tissue could be distinguished from inflammatory regions resulting from implanted beads. Individual beads and the local encapsulation response were visualized and quantifiable. Measurements were in agreement with histology. The 3D structure of the microbeads could be characterized with XPC and failed beads could also be identified. These results point to the substantial potential of XPC as a tool for imaging biomaterials in small animal models.« less