Improvement of the digital radiographic images of old paintings on wooden support through the anisotropic diffusion method

[EN] The main defect types of historic-artistic paintings on wood are ruptures, scratches, twisting and suchwhich may be inflicted by environment conditions, insects, dust, and dirt as well as by physical damage.The exact localization of the defects and determination of their extent may be achieved using industrialradiography as a non-destructive testing method. The radiographs thus produced may suffer from blurri-ness mainly due to the inherent scattering of X-rays especially in the case of paintings on a wooden baseand hindering therefore accurate detection of the size and shape of such defects. Image processing meth-ods have been employed to reduce the blurriness of images leading to improved analysis of the images. Inthis study, an image processing method based on anisotropic diffusion with an automatic threshold levelwas applied to achieve improved outcomes. The reconstructed images of the implemented algorithmyielded sharper edges. Defects such as those due to xylophagous attack, the effect of the brushstrokes,superficial fissures, oxidation of the nails, and the different types of construction woods were bettervisualized than from the original image. The algorithm was shown to be useful by operators includingpainting conservators for their procedures.Madrid García, JA.; Yahaghi, E.; Movafeghi, A. (2021). Improvement of the digital radiographic images of old paintings on wooden support through the anisotropic diffusion method. Journal of Cultural Heritage. (49):115-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2021.02.008S1151224

Improved revealing of hidden structures and defects for historic art sculptures using poisson image editing

[EN] Radiography is a non-destructive tool and offers the acquisition of detailed information on the internal features of sculptures as a cultural heritage. However, radiographs contain different levels of blurriness mainly caused by the detection of scattered X-rays. Reduction of image blurriness provides improved contrast in targeted areas which enhances the extraction of information from the selected regions and features of the radiographs. In this study, we applied a set of convolution methods to a group of radiographic images of historic sculptures. Radiographs of the objects were provided with the associated documentation from the collection of the Radiographic Inspection Laboratory of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. The selection of the particular objects was based on the difference in the materials used in their construction i.e. the objects were made of wood, paper, or wax. The Poisson Image Editing (PIE) based on L-2-norm was applied for image enhancement of digital radiography images. The results showed that the PIE method was effective in selective region enhancement of the radiographic image contrast enabling better visualization of the objects' internal structures. The application of the implemented algorithm enabled the conservators and radiographers involved in the study to improve the visualization of the sculptures' internal features and defects enhance the defects' evaluation.Madrid García, JA.; Yahaghi, E.; Mirzapour, M.; Movafeghi, A. (2022). Improved revealing of hidden structures and defects for historic art sculptures using poisson image editing. Journal of Cultural Heritage. 55:381-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2022.04.0023813905

Proton Therapy in Neurosurgery: A Historical Review and Future Perspective Based on Currently Available New Generation Systems

Purpose: To evaluate of Proton therapy (PT) for neurosurgery patients and is also to explain the need for this system in Iran.Methods: A literature review was conducted (1984–2016). The strategy included a combination of keywords including proton therapy, neck, neurosurgery, brain, head, tumor, spine, arteriovenous malformation (AVMs), cervical and spine in database of PubMed. New generation PT systems were assessed. Findings are summarized, with a focus on the application of PT in neurosurgery. Finally, the future of PT is discussed.Results: A total of 1329 citations were screened. In all, 60 articles were included. The synthesis of the data showed two applications of PT in neurosurgery, including: (a) the use in head disease such as AVMs, acromegaly, medulloblastoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors, papillary tumors of the pineal region, low-grade astrocytoma, head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma, meningioma, mesenchymal tumors, pediatric cranial tumors, squamous cell carcinoma of the head, craniospinal, and skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas; (b) the apply in the spinal disease as chordoma or chondrosarcoma of the cervical, sacrum, thoracic and lumbar spine, ependymomas, tumor locations included cervical, thoracic, lumbar, S1-S2, and S3 or below. In addition, the combination of a gantry and cyclotron with new proton therapy systems, results in a lower cost.Conclusion: PT may be associated with better outcomes for selected patients with malignant diseases of the head and spine. The findings suggest that there exists a need for at least one center to treat the patient demand in Iran

Identify Hidden Designs in Antique Paintings Using Industrial Radiography

[EN] Journal of Research on Archaeometry, 2020; 6 (2):127¿140 URL: http://jra-tabriziau.ir/DOI: 10.52547/jra.6.2.127 Accepted: 12/15/2020Received: 09/24/2020 Abstract In past centuries, to prevent exquisite paintings, new works of art were painted on them. To identify the hidden paintings on the board, using digital radiography as a non-destructive testing method is recommended. Some phenomenon such as photon scattering, different types of noises, etc. causes on the quality of output radiographs. In this paper, we use two pyramid-based techniques, i.e., the Gaussian pyramid method and the Laplacian pyramid method, to improve the quality of radiographs. The experimental results show the effectiveness of applied techniques for identifying the hidden paintingsMirzapour, M.; Yahaghi, E.; Ghiyasi Limanjubi, SM.; Madrid García, JA.; Movafeghi, A. (2020). Identify Hidden Designs in Antique Paintings Using Industrial Radiography. Journal of Research on Archaeometry. 6(2):127-140. https://doi.org/10.52547/jra.6.2.1271271406

Improved Utilization of Radiographs of Ancient Metal Objects under Heterogeneous Image Blurring

Availability of pertinent and detailed information for damaged ancient objects is vital for successful restorative, damage limitation intervention processes in archeology. Visual inspection and radiography testing (RT) constitute widely used non-destructive methods for conservators of such objects. Unfortunately, the quality of RT images is susceptible to blurring caused by the superimposed scattered X-rays. In this study, the no-black-pixel constraint (NBPC) algorithm on its own as well as in the form of an algorithm with the planar-scene assumption (NBPC + PA) was applied to RT images with a view to suppressing image blurring and enhancement of imaging contrast. The results of this study have shown, both qualitatively and quantitatively that the NBPC + PA and NBPC algorithms provide higher imaging contrast for identification and evaluation of damage in corroded ancient metallic relics than using unprocessed RT images alone. Contrast enhancement of up to about 120% and 78% was achieved in comparison with the original image by applying the NBPC+PA and NBPC algorithms, respectively. Practical application and effectiveness of using the processed images were evaluated by expert operators in the area and it was found that using the reconstructed images scored higher (on average by 88%) than the original RT images (on average by 73%) with the NBPC+PA scoring higher (on average by 91%) than the NBPC algorithm (on average by 85%). The operators have found utilizing the processed images leads to better inspection and evaluation of the object enabling better targeted informed for restorative intervention, damage limitation, and maintenance of such objects.</p