Medipix-based Spectral Micro-CT?

Since Hounsfield’s Nobel Prize winning breakthrough decades ago, x-ray CT has been widely applied in the clinical and preclinical applications - producing a huge number of tomographic gray-scale images. However, these images are often insufficient to distinguish crucial differences needed for diagnosis. They have poor soft tissue contrast due to inherent photon-count issues, involving high radiation dose. By physics, the x-ray spectrum is polychromatic, and it is now feasible to obtain multi-energy, spectral, or true-color, CT images. Such spectral images promise powerful new diagnostic information. The emerging Medipix technology promises energy-sensitive, high-resolution, accurate and rapid x-ray detection. In this paper, we will review the recent progress of Medipix-based spectral micro-CT with the emphasis on the results obtained by our team. It includes the state-of-the-art Medipix detector, the system and method of a commercial MARS (Medipix All Resolution System) spectral micro-CT, and the design and color diffusion of a hybrid spectral micro-CT

A comprehensive study on the relationship between image quality and imaging dose in low-dose cone beam CT

While compressed sensing (CS) based reconstructions have been developed for low-dose CBCT, a clear understanding on the relationship between the image quality and imaging dose at low dose levels is needed. In this paper, we qualitatively investigate this subject in a comprehensive manner with extensive experimental and simulation studies. The basic idea is to plot image quality and imaging dose together as functions of number of projections and mAs per projection over the whole clinically relevant range. A clear understanding on the tradeoff between image quality and dose can be achieved and optimal low-dose CBCT scan protocols can be developed for various imaging tasks in IGRT. Main findings of this work include: 1) Under the CS framework, image quality has little degradation over a large dose range, and the degradation becomes evident when the dose < 100 total mAs. A dose < 40 total mAs leads to a dramatic image degradation. Optimal low-dose CBCT scan protocols likely fall in the dose range of 40-100 total mAs, depending on the specific IGRT applications. 2) Among different scan protocols at a constant low-dose level, the super sparse-view reconstruction with projection number less than 50 is the most challenging case, even with strong regularization. Better image quality can be acquired with other low mAs protocols. 3) The optimal scan protocol is the combination of a medium number of projections and a medium level of mAs/view. This is more evident when the dose is around 72.8 total mAs or below and when the ROI is a low-contrast or high-resolution object. Based on our results, the optimal number of projections is around 90 to 120. 4) The clinically acceptable lowest dose level is task dependent. In our study, 72.8mAs is a safe dose level for visualizing low-contrast objects, while 12.2 total mAs is sufficient for detecting high-contrast objects of diameter greater than 3 mm.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Physics in Medicine and Biolog

Structural, Magnetic and Electronic Properties of the Iron-Chalcogenide Ax_xFe2−y_{2-y}Se2_2 (A=K, Cs, Rb, Tl and etc.) Superconductors

The latest discovery of a new iron-chalcogenide superconductor A$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$(A=K, Cs, Rb, Tl and etc.) has attracted much attention due to a number of its unique characteristics, such as the possible insulating state of the parent compound, the existence of Fe-vacancy and its ordering, a new form of magnetic structure and its interplay with superconductivity, and the peculiar electronic structures that are distinct from other Fe-based superconductors. In this paper, we present a brief review on the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of this new superconductor, with an emphasis on the electronic structure and superconducting gap. Issues and future perspectives are discussed at the end of the paper.Comment: 45 pages, 19 figure

Notes for genera: basal clades of Fungi (including Aphelidiomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota)

Compared to the higher fungi (Dikarya), taxonomic and evolutionary studies on the basal clades of fungi are fewer in number. Thus, the generic boundaries and higher ranks in the basal clades of fungi are poorly known. Recent DNA based taxonomic studies have provided reliable and accurate information. It is therefore necessary to compile all available information since basal clades genera lack updated checklists or outlines. Recently, Tedersoo et al. (MycoKeys 13:1--20, 2016) accepted Aphelidiomycota and Rozellomycota in Fungal clade. Thus, we regard both these phyla as members in Kingdom Fungi. We accept 16 phyla in basal clades viz. Aphelidiomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. Thus, 611 genera in 153 families, 43 orders and 18 classes are provided with details of classification, synonyms, life modes, distribution, recent literature and genomic data. Moreover, Catenariaceae Couch is proposed to be conserved, Cladochytriales Mozl.-Standr. is emended and the family Nephridiophagaceae is introduced