Real-time, high speed, high resolution, 4D CT at laboratory setups

Performing CT experiments on samples that are morphologically changing shape as a function of time is not straightforward, especially if the modifications happen in a short period of time and the altering structures are relatively small. These kind of experiments are challenging as large amounts of data are generated in a short amount of time and it is difficult to target the right time period where the change of interest can be observed. Additionally, hardware limitations in terms of acquisition speed and sufficient X-ray flux are problematic, especially at laboratory setups. Here we present some CT-results where a time resolution of 1sec is achieved over a period of 2 min using a combination of hard- and software that is specifically designed for high speed, high resolution, 4D CT

A LabVIEW® based generic CT scanner control software platform

UGCT, the Centre for X-ray tomography at Ghent University (Belgium) does research on X-ray tomography and its applications. This includes the development and construction of state-of-the-art CT scanners for scientific research. Because these scanners are built for very different purposes they differ considerably in their physical implementations. However, they all share common principle functionality. In this context a generic software platform was developed using LabVIEW (R) in order to provide the same interface and functionality on all scanners. This article describes the concept and features of this software, and its potential for tomography in a research setting. The core concept is to rigorously separate the abstract operation of a CT scanner from its actual physical configuration. This separation is achieved by implementing a sender-listener architecture. The advantages are that the resulting software platform is generic, scalable, highly efficient, easy to develop and to extend, and that it can be deployed on future scanners with minimal effort

Interactive effect of soil pore network structure and substrate quality on soil CO2 production: a combined X-ray CT incubation experiment

The role of soil structure in organic matter (OM) stabilization has been primarily investigated through physical fractionation studies operative at the scale of aggregates and smaller organo-mineral particles. By narrowing down soil structure to an arrangement of mineral and organic particles, the majority of studies did not explore the spatial organization of the soil pore network, the actual habitat of microorganisms. In a lab experiment we incubated a sandy loam soil (with application of ground grass or sawdust) in 18 small aluminum rings (Ø 1 cm, h 1 cm). Bulk density was adjusted to 1.1 or 1.3 Mg m-3 (compaction) and 6 rings were filled at a coarser Coarse Sand:Fine Sand:Silt+Clay ratio

High-resolution imaging of kidney vascular corrosion casts with nano-CT

A vascular corrosion cast of an entire mouse kidney was scanned with a modular multiresolution X-ray nanotomography system. Using an isotropic voxel pitch of 0.5 mu m, capillary systems such as the vasa recta, peritubular capillaries and glomeruli were clearly resolved. This represents a considerable improvement over corrosion casts scanned with microcomputed tomography systems. The resolving power of this system was clearly demonstrated by the unique observation of a dense, subcapsular mat of capillaries enveloping the entire outer surface of the cortical region. Resolution of glomerular capillaries was comparable to similar models derived from laser scanning confocal microscopy. The high-resolution, large field of view and the three-dimensional nature of the resulting data opens new possibilities for the use of corrosion casting in research

Non-destructive research on wooden musical instruments: from macroscale to submicron imaging with lab-based XCT systems

X-ray CT scanning is growing of age as a research tool and of essential importance in many disciplines, which is certainly true for the study of wood, given its inherent hierarchical structure. The study of wooden musical instruments is even more challenging since these objects need to be handled with care such that non-destructive imaging is vital. Moreover, the different dimensions of the musical instruments as well as the interest in assessment of the instruments at different scales necessitates flexible scanning modes and equipment. In the framework of COST Action FP1302 WoodMusick, a set of wooden musical instruments has been scanned at UGCT and part of them have been analysed to illustrate the potential of X-ray CT scanning in this field of research. By combining different lab-based systems, a wide range of instruments can be scanned, of which examples are given in this paper for violin and standard recorder. Examples of analysis of board and wall thickness for these instruments are given as well