Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology - Volume 32, issue 2

Authors: Kang, Yang | Wu, Rui | Li, Peizheng | Li, Qingpei | Wu, Sen | Tan, Tingting | Li, Yingrui | Zha, Gangqiang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The gangue content in coal seriously affects the calorific value produced by its combustion. In practical applications, gangue in coal needs to be completely separated. The pseudo-dual-energy X-ray method does not have high sorting accuracy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to propose a novel multi-dimensional coal and gangue X-ray sorting algorithm based on CdZnTe photon counting detectors to solve the problem of coal and gangue sorting by X-ray. METHODS: This complete algorithm includes five steps: (1) Preferred energy bins, (2) transmittance sorting, (3) one-dimensional R-value sorting, (4) two-dimensional R-value sorting, and (5) three-dimensional …R-value sorting. The output range of each step is determined by prior information from 65 groups of coal and gangue. An additional 110 groups of coal and gangue are employed experimentally to validate the algorithm’s accuracy. RESULTS: Compared with the 60% sorting accuracy of the Pseudo-dual-energy method, the new algorithm reached a sorting accuracy of 99%. CONCLUSIONS: Study results demonstrate the superiority of this novel algorithm and its feasibility in practical applications. This novel algorithm can guide other two-substance X-ray sorting applications based on photon counting detectors. Show more

Keywords: X-ray, sorting algorithm, photon counting, CdZnTe detector

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230250

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 369-378, 2024

Authors: Duan, Yanhua | Feng, Aihui | Wang, Hao | Chen, Hua | Gu, Hengle | Shao, Yan | Huang, Ying | Shen, Zhenjiong | Kong, Qing | Xu, Zhiyong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Purpose: This study aims to assess the dosimetry and treatment efficiency of TaiChiB-based Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) plans applying to treat two-lung lesions with one overlapping organs at risk. Methods: For four retrospective patients diagnosed with two-lung lesions each patient, four treatment plans were designed including Plan Edge , TaiChiB linac-based, RGS-based, and a linac-RGS hybrid (Plan TCLinac , Plan TCRGS , and Plan TCHybrid ). Dosimetric metrics and beam-on time were employed to evaluate and compare the TaiChiB-based plans against Plan Edge . Results: For Conformity Index (CI), Plan TCRGS outperformed all other …plans with an average CI of 1.06, as opposed to Plan Edge′ s 1.33. Similarly, for R50 % , Plan TCRGS was superior with an average R50 % of 3.79, better than Plan Edge′ s 4.28. In terms of D2  cm , Plan TCRGS also led with an average of 48.48%, compared to Plan Edge′ s 56.25%. For organ at risk (OAR) sparing, Plan TCRGS often displayed the lowest dosimetric values, notably for the spinal cord (Dmax 5.92 Gy) and lungs (D1500cc 1.00 Gy, D1000cc 2.61 Gy, V10  Gy 15.14%). However, its high Dmax values for the heart and great vessels sometimes exceeded safety thresholds. Plan TCHybrid presented a balanced approach, showing doses comparable to or better than Plan Edge without crossing safety limits. In terms of beam-on time, Plan TCLinac emerged as the most efficient treatment option in three out of four cases, followed closely by Plan Edge in one case. Plan TCRGS , despite its dosimetric advantages, was the least efficient, recording notably longer beam-on times, with a peak at 33.28 minutes in Case 2. Conclusion: For patients with two-lung lesions treated by SBRT whose one lesion overlaps with OARs, the Plan TCHybrid delivered by TaiChiB digital radiotherapy system can be recommended as a clinical option. Show more

Keywords: SBRT, TaiChiB, two-target lung lesions, rotating gamma system, Edge linac, hybrid plan

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230176

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 379-394, 2024

Authors: Li, Wenxiu | Gou, Fangfang | Wu, Jia

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In many developing countries, a significant number of breast cancer patients are unable to receive timely treatment due to a large population base, high patient numbers, and limited medical resources. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a breast cancer assisted diagnosis system based on electronic medical records. The goal of this system is to address the limitations of existing systems, which primarily rely on structured electronic records and may miss crucial information stored in unstructured records. METHODS: The proposed approach is a breast cancer assisted diagnosis system based on electronic medical records. The system utilizes breast cancer …enhanced convolutional neural networks with semantic initialization filters (BC-INIT-CNN). It extracts highly relevant tumor markers from unstructured medical records to aid in breast cancer staging diagnosis and effectively utilizes the important information present in unstructured records. RESULTS: The model’s performance is assessed using various evaluation metrics. Such as accuracy, ROC curves, and Precision-Recall curves. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the BC-INIT-CNN model outperforms several existing methods in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed breast cancer assisted diagnosis system based on BC-INIT-CNN showcases the potential to address the challenges faced by developing countries in providing timely treatment to breast cancer patients. By leveraging unstructured medical records and extracting relevant tumor markers, the system enables accurate staging diagnosis and enhances the utilization of valuable information. Show more

Keywords: Breast cancer, cancer staging, auxiliary diagnosis, attention mechanism, convolutional neural network

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230194

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 395-413, 2024

Authors: Bai, Han | Song, Hui | Li, Qianyan | Bai, Jie | Wang, Ru | Liu, Xuhong | Chen, Feihu | Pan, Xiang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Try to create a dose gradient function (DGF) and test its effectiveness in reducing radiation induced lung injury in breast cancer radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiotherapy plans of 30 patients after breast-conserving surgery were included in the study. The dose gradient function was defined as D G H = V D V p 3 , then the area under the DGF curve of each plan was calculated in rectangular coordinate system, and the minimum area was used as the trigger factor, and other plans were triggered …to optimize for area reduction. The dosimetric parameters of target area and organs at risk in 30 cases before and after re-optimization were compared. RESULTS: On the premise of ensuring that the target dose met the clinical requirements, the trigger factor obtained based on DGF could further reduce the V5 , V10 , V20 , V30 and mean lung dose (MLD) of the ipsilateral lung in breast cancer radiotherapy, P  < 0.01. And the D2cc and mean heart dose (MHD) of the heart were also reduced, P  < 0.01. Besides, the NTCPs of the ipsilateral lung and the heart were also reduced, P  < 0.01. CONCLUSION: The trigger factor obtained based on DGF is efficient in reducing radiation induced lung injury in breast cancer radiotherapy. Show more

Keywords: Radiation induced lung injury, dose gradient function, trigger factor, re-optimization, breast-conserving surgery

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230198

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 415-426, 2024

Authors: Fu, Baoyue | Wei, Longyu | Wang, Chuanbin | Xiong, Baizhu | Bo, Juan | Jiang, Xueyan | Zhang, Yu | Jia, Haodong | Dong, Jiangning

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of body composition changes (BCC) measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) for evaluating the survival of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), nomograms combined BCC with clinical prognostic factors (CPF) were constructed to predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with LACC were retrospectively selected. All patients underwent QCT scans before and after CCRT, bone mineral density (BMD), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), visceral fat area (VFA), total fat area (TFA), paravertebral muscle area (PMA) were measured from two sets of computed tomography (CT) images, …and change rates of these were calculated. RESULTS: Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed Δ BMD, Δ SFA, SCC-Ag, LNM were independent factors for OS (HR = 3.560, 5.870, 2.702, 2.499, respectively, all P  < 0.05); Δ PMA, SCC-Ag, LNM were independent factors for PFS (HR = 2.915, 4.291, 2.902, respectively, all P  < 0.05). Prognostic models of BCC combined with CPF had the highest predictive performance, and the area under the curve (AUC) for OS and PFS were 0.837, 0.846, respectively. The concordance index (C-index) of nomograms for OS and PFS were 0.834, 0.799, respectively. Calibration curves showed good agreement between the nomograms’ predictive and actual OS and PFS, decision curve analysis (DCA) showed good clinical benefit of nomograms. CONCLUSION: CT-based body composition changes and CPF (SCC-Ag, LNM) were associated with survival in patients with LACC. The prognostic nomograms combined BCC with CPF were able to predict the OS and PFS in patients with LACC reliably. Show more

Keywords: Locally advanced cervical cancer, quantitative computer tomography-based body composition, survival

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230212

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 427-441, 2024

Authors: Moock, Verena M. | Arce Chávez, Darien E. | García-Segundo, Crescencio | Ruiz-Huerta, Leopoldo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The environmental impact on industrial X-ray tomography systems has gained its attention in terms of image precision and metrology over recent years, yet is still complex due to the variety of applications. OBJECTIVE: The current study explores the photothermal repercussions of the overall radiation exposure time. It shows the emerging dimensional uncertainty when measuring a stainless steel sphere by means of circular tomography scans. METHODS: The authors develop a novel frame difference method for X-ray radiographies to evaluate the spatial changes induced in the projected absorption maps on the X-ray panel. The …object of interest has a simple geometry for the purpose of proof of concept. The dominant source of the observed radial uncertainty is the photothermal effect due to high-energy X-ray scattering at the metal workpiece. Thermal variations are monitored by an infrared camera within the industrial tomography system, which confines that heat in the industrial grade X-ray system. RESULTS: The authors demonstrate that dense industrial computed tomography programs with major X-ray power notably affect the uncertainty of digital dimensional measurements. The registered temperature variations are consistent with dimensional changes in radiographies and hence form a source of error that might result in visible artifacts within the 3D image reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: This contribution is of fundamental value to reach the balance between the number of projections and radial uncertainty tolerance when performing analysis with X-ray dimensional exploration in precision measurements with industrial tomography. Show more

Keywords: computed tomography, digital manufacturing, digital metrology, infrared imaging, thermal expansion, photothermal effect

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230260

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 443-458, 2024

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 459-459, 2024

Authors: Zong, Fangke | Yang, Jun | Jiang, Jun | Guo, JinChuan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In the X-ray single-grating imaging system, the acquisition of frequency information is the key step of phase-contrast and scattering information recovery. In the process of information extraction, it is easy to lead to the degradation of imaging quality due to the Moire Artifact, thus limiting the development and application of X-ray single-grating imaging system. In order to address the above problems, in this article, based on the theoretical analysis of the generation principle of Moire Artifact in imaging system, the advantages and disadvantages of grating rotation method are analyzed, and a method of suppressing Moire artifacts by adjusting grating projection …frequency is proposed. The experimental results show that the method proposed here can suppress the Moire noise in the background noise, resulting in a reduction of more than 50% in the standard deviation of the background noise. High quality phase-contrast and scattering images are obtained experimentally, which is of great value to the development of X-ray single-grating imaging technology. Show more

Keywords: X-ray optics, phase-contrast, X-ray imaging, moire artifacts, grating

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230202

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 461-473, 2024

Authors: Alshamrani, Khalaf | Alshamrani, Hassan A.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Digital X-ray imaging is essential for diagnosing osteoporosis, but distinguishing affected patients from healthy individuals using these images remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: This study introduces a novel method using deep learning to improve osteoporosis diagnosis from bone X-ray images. METHODS: A dataset of bone X-ray images was analyzed using a newly proposed procedure. This procedure involves segregating the images into regions of interest (ROI) and non-ROI, thereby reducing data redundancy. The images were then processed to enhance both spatial and statistical features. For classification, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier was employed to …distinguish between osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic cases. RESULTS: The proposed method demonstrated a promising Area under the Curve (AUC) of 90.8% in diagnosing osteoporosis, benchmarking favorably against existing techniques. This signifies a high level of accuracy in distinguishing osteoporosis patients from healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method effectively distinguishes between osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic cases using bone X-ray images. By enhancing image features and employing SVM classification, the technique offers a promising tool for efficient and accurate osteoporosis diagnosis. Show more

Keywords: Lossless compression, classification, Bone Xray, ROI, patch size, osteoporosis

DOI: 10.3233/XST-230238

Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 475-491, 2024