X-ray Imaging Applications Research Articles

Azadirachta indica influenced biosynthesis of super-paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles and their applications in tannery water treatment and X-ray imaging

Super-paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been exploited from a very long time and are researched profoundly due to their unique properties. In this study, SPIONs were synthesized using environmentally accepted green synthesis process where Azadirachta indica leaf extract was used as one of the reducing agents along with basic metal precursors used in chemical processes. The synthesized SPIONs were characterised using microscopic analysis (SEM, TEM, and AFM), spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR, UV–Vis, XRD, Raman, and zeta potential), and magnetometry (SQUID). The SPIONs were then tested for its application in the removal of heavy metals from tannery waste water and also X-ray imaging.

Ptychographical intensity interferometry imaging with incoherent light.

Intensity interferometry (II), the landmark of the second-order correlation, enables very long baseline observations at optical wavelengths, providing imaging with microarcsecond resolution. However, the unreliability of traditional phase retrieval algorithms required to reconstruct images in II has hindered its development. We here develop a method that circumvents this challenge, which enables II to reliably image complex shaped objects. Instead of measuring the whole object, we measure it part by part with a probe moving in a ptychographic way: adjacent parts overlap with each other. A relevant algorithm is developed to reliably and rapidly recover the object in a few iterations. Moreover, we propose an approach to remove the requirement for a precise knowledge of the probe, providing an error-tolerance of more than 50% for the location of the probe in our experiments. Furthermore, we extend II to short distance scenarios, providing a lensless imaging method with incoherent light and paving a way towards applications in X-ray imaging.

Improved total-variation noise-reduction technique with gradient method using iteration counter and its application in medical diagnostic chest and abdominal X-ray imaging

The development of novel noise-reduction algorithms is one of the main research areas in the field of medical diagnostic X-ray imaging. The purpose of this study is to develop an improved total-variation (TV) noise-reduction technique using a gradient method that employs an iteration counter, and confirm its feasibility for applications in chest and abdominal X-ray imaging systems. We evaluated image qualities using contrast–to–noise ratio (CNR) and relative standard deviation (RSD) calculations with the proposed and conventional noise-reduction algorithms for both chest and abdominal X-ray images. The results of the quantitative CNR and RSD evaluations demonstrated the superiority of the proposed TV noise-reduction technique over other algorithms; in particular, the comparison between the conventional and proposed TV techniques revealed that the proposed method has improved noise-reduction characteristics in all cases. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the improved TV noise-reduction technique with the gradient method using the iteration counter can be used to acquire images with a better quality than those of conventional algorithms. This can lead to lowering of the radiation dose in chest and abdominal X-ray imaging systems.

The dynamic micro computed tomography at SSRF

Synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SR-μCT) is a critical technique for quantitative characterizing the 3D internal structure of samples, recently the dynamic SR-μCT has been attracting vast attention since it can evaluate the three-dimensional structure evolution of a sample. A dynamic μCT method, which is based on monochromatic beam, was developed at the X-ray Imaging and Biomedical Application Beamline at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, by combining the compressed sensing based CT reconstruction algorithm and hardware upgrade. The monochromatic beam based method can achieve quantitative information, and lower dose than the white beam base method in which the lower energy beam is absorbed by the sample rather than contribute to the final imaging signal. The developed method is successfully used to investigate the compression of the air sac during respiration in a bell cricket, providing new knowledge for further research on the insect respiratory system.

A new measurement method of actual focal spot position of an x-ray tube using a high-precision carbon-interspaced grid

This study investigated the effectiveness of a new method for measuring the actual focal spot position of a diagnostic x-ray tube using a high-precision antiscatter grid and a digital x-ray detector in which grid magnification, which is directly related to the focal spot position, was determined from the Fourier spectrum of the acquired x-ray grid’s image. A systematic experiment was performed to demonstrate the viability of the proposed measurement method. The hardware system used in the experiment consisted of an x-ray tube run at 50 kVp and 1 mA, a flat-panel detector with a pixel size of 49.5 µm, and a high-precision carbon-interspaced grid with a strip density of 200 lines/inch. The results indicated that the focal spot of the x-ray tube (Jupiter 5000, Oxford Instruments) used in the experiment was located approximately 31.10 mm inside from the exit flange, well agreed with the nominal value of 31.05 mm, which demonstrates the viability of the proposed measurement method. Thus, the proposed method can be utilized for system’s performance optimization in many x-ray imaging applications.

Automating High-Precision X-Ray and Neutron Imaging Applications With Robotics

Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Texas at Austin recently implemented a robotically controlled nondestructive testing (NDT) system for X-ray and neutron imaging. This system is intended to address the need for accurate measurements for a variety of parts and, be able to track measurement geometry at every imaging location, and is designed for high-throughput applications. This system was deployed in a beam port at a nuclear research reactor and in an operational inspection X-ray bay. The nuclear research reactor system consisted of a precision industrial seven-axis robot, 1.1-MW TRIGA research reactor, and a scintillator-mirror-camera-based imaging system. The X-ray bay system incorporated the same robot, a 225-keV microfocus X-ray source, and a custom flat panel digital detector. The robotic positioning arm is programmable and allows imaging in multiple configurations, including planar, cylindrical, as well as other user defined geometries that provide enhanced engineering evaluation capability. The imaging acquisition device is coupled with the robot for automated image acquisition. The robot can achieve target positional repeatability within 17 $\mu \text{m}$ in the 3-D space. Flexible automation with nondestructive imaging saves costs, reduces dosage, adds imaging techniques, and achieves better quality results in less time. Specifics regarding the robotic system and imaging acquisition and evaluation processes are presented. This paper reviews the comprehensive testing and system evaluation to affirm the feasibility of robotic NDT, presents the system configuration, and reviews results for both X-ray and neutron radiography imaging applications. Note to Practitioners —While looking for ways to improve throughput and increase efficiency in nondestructive imaging applications, the NonDestructive Testing and Evaluation Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory decided to take a look at automation opportunities. Digital radiography and computed tomography are time-consuming processes, making them ideal candidates for robotic solutions. Radiography applications often require several images to be acquired from different angles and a lot of time they have to be very precise so that the feature of interest is identifiable and the resulting image meets the client’s requirements. With the robot acting as the motion control system, the imaged part can be placed directly in the beam path and oriented in six degrees of freedom. The robot can achieve significantly higher levels of precision than a human and has the ability to adjust the part while the source is active. The system also reduces levels of radiation our staff is exposed to, as the robot is setup to handle radioactive and hazardous parts. Not only does the robot move parts more precisely and with higher resolution than humans, but it also adds additional flexibility in the type and nature of images that the lab can produce. Future work will involve using this system for advanced automated scans such as achieving evenly spaced views around a sphere autonomously, since this system has not yet been used for more advanced scans beyond helical scanning. A tightly linked feedback loop between the robot and imaging code in which the imaging code would autonomously communicate to the robot what additional views are needed to reduce imaging error can also be explored.

The application of x-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging on 22 pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis patients with long bone involvement: A retrospective analysis.

The studies focusing on x-ray, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) patients were still rare. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the application of x-ray, CT, and MRI in pediatric LCH patients with long bone involvement.Total 22 pediatric LCH patients were included in this study. The diagnosis of LCH was confirmed by pathological examination. All patients were followed up for 3 years. X-ray, CT, or MRI was performed and the results were recorded for further analyses.Among 22 pediatric patients, x-ray (n = 20), CT (n = 18), or MRI (n = 12) were used to scan the lesion on long bones affected by LCH. Femurs (n = 13, 38.24%), tibia (n = 11, 32.35%), humerus (n = 5, 14.71%), and radius (n = 4, 11.76%) were the most frequently affected anatomic sites. Ovoid or round radiolucent lesions, aggressive periosteal reaction, and swelling of surrounding soft tissues were characteristic image of long bones on x-ray, CT, and MRI in pediatric LCH.Femurs, tibia, humerus, and radius were the most commonly affected long bones of pediatric LCH. The application of x-ray, CT, and MRI on long bones could help with the diagnosis of pediatric LCH.

Simulation of Single Grid-based Phase-contrast Digital Tomosynthesis (PC-DTS)

Digital tomosynthesis (DTS) is a geometric tomography technique by a limited-angle scan which has been popularly used in both medical and industrial X-ray imaging applications. However, conventional DTS remains limited by low contrast especially in imaging samples of low atomic number Z such as breast and cartilage tissues. In this work, we applied the recently proposed phase-contrast imaging (PCI) technique, the so-called single grid-based PCI, to DTS in attempt to overcome this limitation. PCI has superior soft-tissue imaging capability while DTS has improved image contrast. Combining the two techniques can therefore considerably improve the X-ray imaging performance. We developed a useful simulation platform for single grid-based phase-contrast DTS reconstruction and performed a systematic simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) numerical breast phantom. In the simulation, an X-ray grid having a lead strip density of 200 lines/inch was used and the DTS scan comprised 41 projections within an angle range of θ = ±40° at an X-ray energy of 25 keV. We successfully reconstructed DTS images of much improved contrast, compared to conventional DTS images, which demonstrates the viability of the proposed approach.

Characteristics of the CsI:Tl Scintillator Crystal for X-Ray Imaging Applications

Scintillators are high-density luminescent materials that convert X-rays to visible light. Thallium doped cesium iodide (CsI:Tl) scintillation materials are widely used as converters for X-rays into visible light, with very high conversion efficiency of 64.000 optical photons/MeV. CsI:Tl crystals are commercially available, but, the possibility of developing these crystals into different geometric shapes, meeting the need for coupling the photosensor and reducing cost, makes this material very attractive for scientific research. The objective of this work was to study the feasibility of using radiation sensors, scintillators type, developed for use in imaging systems for X-rays. In this paper, the CsI:Tl scintillator crystal with nominal concentration of the 10-3 M was grown by the vertical Bridgman technique. The imaging performance of CsI:Tl scintillator was studied as a function of the design type and thickness, since it interferes with the light scattering and, hence, the detection efficiency plus final image resolution. The result of the diffraction X-ray analysis in the grown crystals was consistent with the pattern of a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure. Slices 25 × 2 × 3 mm3 (length, thickness, height) of the crystal and mini crystals of 1 × 2 × 3 mm3 (length, thickness, height) were used for comparison in the imaging systems for X-rays. With these crystals scintillators, images of undesirable elements, such as metals in food packaging, were obtained. One-dimensional array of photodiodes and the photosensor CCD (Coupled Charge Device) component were used. In order to determine the ideal thickness of the slices of the scintillator crystal CsI:Tl, Monte Carlo method was used.

3D fibre architecture of fibre-reinforced sand

The mechanical behaviour of fibre-reinforced sands is primarily governed by the three-dimensional fibre architecture within the sand matrix. In laboratory, the normal procedures for sample preparation of fibre-sand mixtures generally produce a distribution of fibre orientations with a preferential bedding orientation, generating strength anisotropy of the composite’s response under loading. While demonstrating the potential application of X-ray tomography to the analysis of fibre-reinforced soils, this paper provides for the first time a direct experimental description of the three-dimensional architecture of the fibres induced by the laboratory sample fabrication method. Miniature fibre reinforced sand samples were produced using two widely used laboratory sample fabrication techniques: the moist tamping and the moist vibration. It is shown that both laboratory fabrication methods create anisotropic fibre orientation with preferential sub-horizontal directions. The fibre orientation distribution does not seem to be affected by the concentration of fibres, at least for the fibre concentrations considered in this study and, for both fabrication methods, the fibre orientation distribution appears to be axisymmetric with respect to the vertical axis of the sample. The X-ray analysis also demonstrates the presence of an increased porosity in the fibre vicinity, which confirms the assumption of the “stolen void ratio” effect adopted in previous constitutive modelling. A fibre orientation distribution function is tested and a combined experimental and analytical method for fibre orientation determination is further validated.

Homologous Fruit Characters in Geographically Separated Genera of Extant and Fossil Torricelliaceae (Apiales)

Recognition of Torricellia DC, Melanophylla Baker, and Aralidium Miq. as members of the same angiosperm family, Torricelliaceae, has come relatively recently, bolstered by analyses of molecular sequence data. Fruits of all three genera, endemic to eastern Asia, Madagascar, and Malesia, respectively, were compared morphologically and anatomically as a basis for evaluating systematic relationships among extant and fossil representatives. Application of X-ray tomography to fossil and extant fruits has augmented traditional approaches of physical sectioning and LM to facilitate more thorough systematic comparisons. The fruits vary from subglobose (Torricellia) to boat shaped (Melanophylla) to elongate-ellipsoidal (Aralidium) but are consistent in being tricarpellate and trilocular but with only one fertile locule. In Torricellia and Melanophylla the sterile lateral locules become larger than the central seed-bearing locule, but in Aralidium the pair of sterile locules becomes enveloped within the greatly enla...

Development of highly radiopaque flexible polymer composites for X-ray imaging applications and copolymer architecture-morphology-property correlations

X-ray opacity of polymer based medical implants is a desirable attribute for implant placement and function monitoring. This study presents the development of flexible thermoplastic composites with high radiopacity, low mechanical hysteresis, and excellent mechanical integrity via modulating vinyl acetate (VA) content in the melt compounded ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and barium sulfate (BS) composites. Extensive rheological, mechanical hysteresis, morphological, X-ray diffraction, mass attenuation and thermo-mechanical analysis were carried out to understand the interplay between the morphological distribution BS particles in the composites and the VA content. The results showed that 0.7mm thick sheet of EVA/BS composites had markedly higher gray value (radiopacity) than 1mm sheet of aluminum while retaining more than 1200% elongation at break and complete flexibility. Time-temperature (t-T) superimposition studies, fractional free volume, radiopacity, crystallinity, mechanical hysteresis, phase imaging, structural breakdown, storage modulus, loss factor and the complex viscosity of the melt showed high dependence on the vinyl acetate content of EVA and on the BS loading. These results will enable designing of flexible and thin radiopaque polymer composites for X-ray imaging applications, with predetermined physicomechanical and radiopacity behavior.

Luminescence and energy transfer of Tb3 +–doped BaO–Gd2O3–Al2O3–B2O3–SiO2 glasses

Transparent Tb3+–doped BaO–Gd2O3–Al2O3–B2O3–SiO2 glasses with the greater than 4g/cm3 were prepared by high temperature melting method and its luminescent properties have been investigated by measured UV–vis transmission, excitation, emission and luminescence decay spectra. The transmission spectrum shows there are three weak absorption bands locate at about 312, 378 and 484nm in the glasses and it has good transmittance in the visible spectrum region. Intense green emission can be observed under UV excitation. The effective energy transfer from Gd3+ ion to Tb3+ ion could occur and sensitize the luminescence of Tb3+ ion. The green emission intensity of Tb3+ ion could change with the increasing SiO2/B2O3 ratio in the borosilicate glass matrix. With the increasing concentration of Tb3+ ion, 5D4→7FJ transitions could be enhanced through the cross relaxation between the two nearby Tb3+ ions. Luminescence decay time of 2.12ms from 546nm emission is obtained. The results indicate that Tb3+–doped BaO–Gd2O3–Al2O3–B2O3–SiO2 glasses would be potential scintillating material for applications in X-ray imaging.

THCOBRA X-ray imaging detector operating in pure Kr

MicroPattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) have been explored for X-ray imaging, namely for photon counting imaging which allows the improvement of image quality and the collection of more information than the conventional commercial systems. A 2D-THCOBRA based detector was developed, studied and used to acquire X-ray transmission images. The 2D-THCOBRA structure used has an active area of 2.8 × 2.8 cm2 and allows obtaining the position and energy information of each single photon that interacts with the detector. It is filled with pure Kr at 1 bar operating in a sealed mode. Within this work the performance of the detector is evaluated in terms of charge gain, count rate, time stability, energy and spatial resolutions. The detector presents a charge gain of 2 × 104 and an energy resolution of 23% for 5.9 keV, showing gain stability along time for a count rate of about 1 × 105 Hz/mm2. It presents a spatial resolution of 600 μm (σ = 255 μm) and 500 μm (σ = 213 μm) for x and y directions, respectively, and, considering energy bins about 650 μm (σ = 277 μm) for approximately 16.5 keV. X-ray transmission images of some samples presented here show good prospects for X-ray imaging applications.

Design and First Characterization of Active and Slim-Edge Planar Detectors for FEL Applications

This paper reports on the development of a dedicated technology for the fabrication of pixelated edgeless sensors to be used in X-ray imaging applications at free electron laser (FEL) facilities. The process was developed with the goal of producing planar sensors suitable for the tight FEL application requirements in terms of collection speed, spatial resolution, and radiation tolerance. At the same time, care has been taken to reduce the dead area at the borders of the sensors, thus minimizing the loss of information and distortion introduced when tiling several dies in a large area imager. Different active-edge and slim-edge terminations, designed with the aid of TCAD simulations, are discussed. Based on numerical simulations, a wafer layout was designed and devices with different configurations were fabricated. The experimental results from the electrical characterization of the produced p-on-n sensors and test structures are presented and discussed.

Dual-energy micro-CT with a dual-layer, dual-color, single-crystal scintillator.

A wide range of X-ray imaging applications demand micrometer spatial resolution. In material science and biology especially, there is a great interest in material determination and material separation methods. Here we present a new detector design that allows the recording of a low- and a high-energy radiography image simultaneously with micrometer spatial resolution. The detector system is composed of a layered scintillator stack, two CCDs and an optical system to image the scintillator responses onto the CCDs. We used the detector system with a standard laboratory microfocus X-ray tube to prove the working principle of the system and derive important design characteristics. With the recorded and registered dual-energy data set, the material separation and determination could be shown at an X-ray tube peak energy of up to 160 keV with a spatial resolution of 12 μm. The detector design shows a great potential for further development and a wide range of possible applications.

Deriving depth-dependent light escape efficiency and optical Swank factor from measured pulse height spectra of scintillators.

Pulse height spectroscopy has been used by investigators to deduce the imaging properties of scintillators. Pulse height spectra (PHS) are used to compute the Swank factor, which describes the variation in scintillator light output per x-ray interaction. The spread in PHS measured below the K-edge is related to the optical component of the Swank factor, i.e., variations in light escape efficiency from different depths of x-ray interaction in the scintillator, denoted ε¯(z). Optimizing scintillators for medical imaging applications requires understanding of these optical properties, as they determine tradeoffs between parameters such as x-ray absorption, light yield, and spatial resolution. This work develops a model for PHS acquisition such that the effect of measurement uncertainty can be removed. This method allows ε¯(z) to be quantified on an absolute scale and permits more accurate estimation of the optical Swank factor of scintillators. The pulse height spectroscopy acquisition chain was modeled as a linear system of stochastic gain stages. Analytical expressions were derived for signal and noise propagation through the PHS chain, accounting for deterministic and stochastic aspects of x-ray absorption, scintillation, and light detection with a photomultiplier tube. The derived expressions were used to calculate PHS of thallium-doped cesium iodide (CsI) scintillators using parameters that were measured, calculated, or known from literature. PHS were measured at 25 and 32 keV of CsI samples designed with an optically reflective or absorptive backing, with or without a fiber-optic faceplate (FOP), and with thicknesses ranging from 150-1000 μm. Measured PHS were compared with calculated PHS, then light escape model parameters were varied until measured and modeled results reached agreement. Resulting estimates of ε¯(z) were used to calculate each scintillator's optical Swank factor. For scintillators of the same optical design, only minor differences in light escape efficiency were observed between samples with different thickness. As thickness increased, escape efficiency decreased by up to 20% for interactions furthest away from light collection. Optical design (i.e., backing and FOP) predominantly affected the magnitude and relative variation in ε¯(z). Depending on interaction depth and scintillator thickness, samples with an absorptive backing and FOP were estimated to yield 4.1-13.4 photons/keV. Samples with a reflective backing and FOP yielded 10.4-18.4 keV-1 , while those with a reflective backing and no FOP yielded 29.5-52.0 keV-1 . Optical Swank factors were approximately 0.9 and near-unity in samples featuring an absorptive or reflective backing, respectively. This work uses a modeling approach to remove the noise introduced by the measurement apparatus from measured PHS. This method allows absolute quantification of ε¯(z) and more accurate estimation of the optical Swank factor of scintillators. The method was applied to CsI scintillators with different thickness and optical design, and determined that optical design more strongly affects ε¯(z) and Swank factor than differences in CsI thickness. Despite large variations in ε¯(z) between optical designs, the Swank factor of all evaluated samples is above 0.9. Information provided by this methodology can help validate Monte Carlo simulations of structured CsI and optimize scintillator design for x-ray imaging applications.

Experimental Verification of Utilization of Fly Ash from the Flue Gas Denitrification Process as a Filler to Epoxy Patching Mortar

The paper deals with the possibility of using of the fly ashes, which is formed by the high-temperature combustion and contaminated by a denitrification process. The main aim of this work is to verify the application of these fly ashes as a filler for polymer patching mortar to achieve as the ecological and the economical requirements, as it is the most considered theme of a present. The maximum possible proportion of the fly ash is determined by experimental testing of the physical and mechanical properties of the epoxy patching mortar. Bulk density and strength properties are determined and on the basis of the test results of the flexural and compressive strength the possibility of replacing the commonly used filler, quartz sand Dorsilit, by the contaminated fly ash is assessed. Furthermore, application of X-ray tomography (CT scanner) for distribution of the fly ash particles and for pore-related characterization in the epoxy matrix was explored in this paper.

Grating based X-ray phase contrast CT imaging with iterative reconstruction algorithm

Grating based X-ray imaging technology is a coherent imaging technique that bears tremendous potential in three-dimensional tomographic imaging of weak absorption contrast specimens. Three kinds of contrast information including absorption, phase and scattering can be retrieved separately based on a single set of raw projections. However, the grating based X-ray imaging with the conventional phase-retrieval method using the conventional phase-stepping approach and filtered back projection (FBP) reconstruction algorithm require large amounts of raw data, so that long exposure time and large amounts of radiation dose is accepted by the sample. According to the traditional grating based X-ray imaging system, we propose a low dose, fast, multi-contrast CT reconstruction approach based on the iterative reconstruction algorithm that optimizes dose efficiency but does not share the main limitations of other reported methods. Prior to reconstruction, firstly, the projections are acquired with the phase stepping approach and multi-contrast projections are retrieved from the raw data by conventional retrieval algorithm. Then the rotational variable differential phase projections are converted to rotational invariable projections by means of decomposing the differential phase projections into the rotational invariable projections in two mutually perpendicular derivative directions via the transformation of coordinates. Finally, the absorption, phase and scattering information are reconstructed with the iterative reconstruction algorithm and the phase is retrieved based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT). We validated and assessed the phase reconstruction approach with a numerical simulation on a phase Shepp-Logan phantom. The experiment was performed at the X-ray imaging and biomedical application beam line (BL-13W) in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) where 20 keV X-ray from a Si(111) monochromator is emitted. The X-ray interferometer was positioned at 34 m from the Wiggler source. The images were recorded with a scintillator/lens-coupled CCD camera with 2048 pixel2048 pixel resolution and an effective pixel size of 9 m. The numerical tests and the experimental results demonstrate that, for the small radiation dose deposited in the sample, the iterative reconstruction algorithm provides phase reconstructions of better quality and higher signal to noise ratio than the conventional FBP reconstruction algorithm, and also provides the multi-contrast 3D images, including absorption image, phase image and scattering image. This development is of particular interest for applications where the samples need inspecting under low dose and high speed conditions, and will play an important role in the nondestructive and quantitative imaging in the industry, biomedical and medical diagnosis fields.

First experimental results on active and slim-edge silicon sensors for XFEL

This work presents the first characterization results obtained on a pilot fabrication run of planar sensors, tailored for X-ray imaging applications at FELs, developed in the framework of INFN project PixFEL. Active and slim-edge p-on-n sensors are fabricated on n-type high-resistivity silicon with 450 μm thickness, bonded to a support wafer. Both diodes and pixelated sensors with a pitch of 110 μm are included in the design. Edge structures with different number of guard rings are designed to comply with the large bias voltage required by the application after accumulating an ionizing radiation dose as large as 1GGy. Preliminary results from the electrical characterization of the produced sensors, providing a first assessment of the proposed approach, are discussed. A functional characterization of the sensors with a pulsed infrared laser is also presented, demonstrating the validity of slim-edge configurations.