Effective Attenuation Coefficient Research Articles

Average grain size evaluation using scattering-induced attenuation of coda waves

Grain size is one of the key microstructural factors affecting the mechanical properties of polycrystalline metal materials. In this study, a novel method for grain size evaluation using ultrasonic coda waves is proposed. Different from conventional bulk wave methods that require a point-by-point scanning of the structure, the proposed method allows for a rapid evaluation of the average grain size of the whole part from a single inspection location using one-pass testing data. A piecewise energy attenuation function dealing with different attenuation mechanisms is proposed to obtain the effective attenuation coefficient of coda waves. A power-law model is constructed to correlate the effective attenuation coefficient with the average grain size. Ultrasonic testing on nickel-based superalloy plate specimens with different average grain sizes is performed for model calibration and method verification. The applicability and robustness of the proposed method are further validated using a realistic turbine disk specimen with an irregular shape and non-uniform grain sizes. Results show that the proposed method yields a reliable and accurate estimation of the average grain size with a maximum relative error less than 20 %.

Optical penetration models for practical prediction of femtosecond laser ablation of dental hard tissue.

To develop and practically test high-precision femtosecond laser ablation models for dental hard tissue that are useful for detailed planning of automated laser dental restorative treatment. Analytical models are proposed, derived, and demonstrated for practical calculation of ablation rates, ablation efficiency and ablated morphology of human dental enamel and dentin using femtosecond lasers. The models assume an effective optical attenuation coefficient for the irradiated material. To achieve ablation, it is necessary for the local energy density of the attenuated pulse in the hard tissue to surpass a predefined threshold that signifies the minimum energy density required for material ionization. A 1029 nm, 40 W carbide 275 fs laser was used to ablate sliced adult human teeth and generate the data necessary for testing the models. The volume of material removed, and the shape of the ablated channel were measured using optical profilometry. The models fit with the measured ablation efficiency curve against laser fluence for both enamel and dentin, correctly capturing the fluence for optimum ablation and the volume of ablated material per pulse. The detailed shapes of a 400-micrometer wide channel and a single-pulse width channel are accurately predicted using the superposition of the analytical result for a single pulse. The findings have value for planning automated dental restorative treatment using femtosecond lasers. The measurements and analysis give estimates of the optical properties of enamel and dentin irradiated with an infrared femtosecond laser at above-threshold fluence and the proposed models give insight into the physics of femtosecond laser processing of dental hard tissue.

Physical, Mechanical, and ionizing radiation shielding properties of 10PbO–10Na2O-(80-x)B2O3-xBaO glasses

This research explored the mechanical, physical, and ionizing radiation shielding properties of 10PbO–10Na2O-(80-x)B2O3-xBaO glass samples, where x = 10, 15, 20, and 25. The conventional melt-quench technique was employed to prepare the samples. The elastic moduli were investigated using the Makishima–Mackenzie model. At the same time, the radiation shielding properties involved a comprehensive analysis of the effective atomic number, linear attenuation and mass attenuation coefficients, half-value and tenth-value layers, radiation protection efficiency, and transmission factors, as well as the buildup factors for different mean-free paths (mfp). The impact of BaO (mol%) on the parameters mentioned above was investigated across a range of photon energies (0.015–15 MeV). In addition, the effect of BaO on the physical and mechanical properties of current glasses was studied. The addition of BaO showed an inverse impact on mechanical and physical properties, gradually reducing the glass's stability. In contrast, adding BaO to the compound enhanced photon attenuation ability, which means the sample with 25% BaO had the optimum capacity for radiation shielding amongst all the prepared samples. Moreover, the results demonstrated the complex interplay of Compton scattering, pair production, and the photoelectric effect, influencing the attention of photons. This work provides beneficial intuition into designing and optimizing glass-based radiation shielding materials.

On the gamma radiation response of commercially available 3D printing materials for medical dosimetry

3D printing technology has rapidly spread for decades, allowing the fabrication of medical implants and human phantoms and revolutionizing healthcare. The objective of this study is to evaluate some radiological properties of commercially available 3D printing materials as potential tissue mimicking materials. Among fifteen materials, we compared their properties with nine human tissues. In all materials and tissues, exposure and energy absorption buildup factors were calculated for photon energies between 0.015 and 15 MeV and penetration depths up to 40 mean free path. Furthermore, the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit (version 10.5) was used to simulate their percentage depth dose distributions. In addition, equivalent atomic numbers, effective atomic numbers, attenuation coefficients, and CT numbers have been examined. All parameters were considered in calculating the average relative error (σ), which was used as a statistical comparison tool. With σ between 6 and 7, we found that Polylactic Acid (PLA) was capable of simulating eye lenses, blood, soft tissue, lung, muscle, and brain tissues. Moreover, Polymethacrylic Acid (PMAA) material has a σ value of 4 when modeling adipose and breast tissues, respectively. Aside from that, variations in 3D printing materials’ infilling percentage can affect their CT numbers. We therefore suggest the PLA for mimicking soft tissue, muscle, brain, eye lens, lung and blood tissues, with an infill of between 92.7 and 94.3 percent. We also suggest an 89 percent infill when simulating breast tissue. Furthermore, with a 96.7 percent infill, the PMAA faithfully replicates adipose tissue. Additionally, we found that a 59 percent infill of Fe-PLA material is comparable to cortical bone. Due to the benefits of creating individualized medical phantoms and equipment, the results might be seen as an added value for both patients and clinicians.

A refined analytical model for reconstruction problems in diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

A refined analytical model of spatially resolved diffuse reflectance with small source-detector separations (SDSs) for the in vivo skin studies is proposed. Compared to the conventional model developed by Farrell et al., it accounts for the limited acceptance angle of the detector fiber. The refined model is validated in the wide range of optical parameters by Monte Carlo simulations of skin diffuse reflectance at SDSs of units of mm. Cases of uniform dermis and two-layered epidermis-dermis structures are studied. Higher accuracy of the refined model compared to the conventional one is demonstrated in the separate, constraint-free reconstruction of absorption and reduced scattering spectra of uniform dermis from the Monte Carlo simulated data. In the case of epidermis-dermis geometry, the recovered values of reduced scattering in dermis are overestimated and the recovered values of absorption are underestimated for both analytical models. Presumably, in the presence of a thin mismatched topical layer, only the effective attenuation coefficient of the bottom layer can be accurately recovered using a diffusion theory-based analytical model while separate reconstruction of absorption and reduced scattering fails due to the inapplicability of the method of images. These findings require implementation of more sophisticated models of light transfer in inhomogeneous media in the recovery algorithms.

Quantitative prediction of AFB1 in various types of edible oil based on absorption, scattering and fluorescence signals at dual wavelengths

This study aims to address the challenge of matrix interference of various types of edible oils on intrinsic fluorescence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by developing a novel solution. Considering the fluorescence internal filtering effect, the absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μ’s) coefficients at dual wavelengths (excitation: 375 nm, emission: 450 nm) were obtained by using integrating sphere technique, and were used to improve the quantitative prediction results for AFB1 contents in six different kinds of edible oils. A research process of “Monte Carlo (MC) simulation - phantom verification - actual sample validation” was conducted. The MC simulation was used to determine interference rule and correction parameters for fluorescence, the results indicated that the escaped fluorescence flux nonlinearly decreased with the μa, μ’s at emission wavelength (μa,em, μ’s,em) and μa at excitation wavelength (μa,ex), however increased with the μ’s at excitation wavelength (μ’s,ex). And the required optical parameters to eliminate the interference of matrix on fluorescence intensity are: effective attenuation coefficients at excitation and emission wavelengths (μeff,ex, μeff,em) and μ’s,ex. Phantom verification was conducted to explore the feasibility of fluorescence correction based on the identified parameters by MC simulation, and determine the optimal machine learning method. The modelling results showed that least squares support vector regression (LSSVR) model could reach the best performance. Three kinds of edible oil (peanut, rapeseed, corn), each with two brands were used to prepare oil samples with different AFB1 contamination. The LSSVR model for AFB1 based on μeff,ex, μeff,em, μ’s,ex and fluorescence intensity at 450 nm was calibrated, both correlation coefficients for calibration (Rc) and the validation (Rv) sets could reach 1.000, root mean square errors for calibration (RMSEC) and the validation (RMSEV) sets were as low as 0.038 and 0.099 respectively. This study proposed a novel method which is based solely on the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence characteristics at excitation and emission wavelengths to achieve accurate prediction of AFB1 content in different types of vegetable oils.

Optical parameters estimation in inhomogeneous turbid media using backscattered light: for transcutaneous scattering measurement of intravascular blood.

In our earlier research, a technique was developed to estimate the effective attenuation coefficient of subcutaneous blood vessels from the skin surface using the spatial distribution of backscattered near-infrared (NIR) light. The scattering effect in surrounding tissues was suppressed through the application of a differential principle, provided that the in vivo structure is known. In this study, a new method is proposed enabling the separate estimation of both scattering and absorption coefficients using NIR light of different wavelengths. The differential technique is newly innovated to make it applicable to the subcutaneous structure without requiring explicit geometrical information. Suppression of the scattering effect from surrounding tissue can be incorporated into the process of estimating the scattering and absorption coefficients. The validity of the proposed technique can be demonstrated through Monte Carlo simulations using both homogeneous and inhomogeneous tissue-simulating models. The estimated results exhibit good coherence with theoretical values (r2 = 0.988-0.999). Moreover, the vulnerability and robustness of the proposed technique against different measurement errors are verified. Optimal conditions for practical measurement are specified under various light-detection conditions. Separate estimation of scattering and absorption coefficients improves the accuracy of turbidity measurements and spectroscopy in biomedical applications considerably, particularly for noninvasive measurements and analysis of blood, lipids, and other components in subcutaneous blood vessels.

Improved Performance of Optical Fiber Core: Role of Plasmonic Metals Activation

Optical fiber core with customized characteristics became demanding for diverse high performance applications. Based on this idea, the optical fiber core was activated using various plasmonic metals (beryllium, chromium, and nickel) to improve its refractive index, sensitivity and bandwidth. The influence of various wavelengths and core radii on three modes (LP01, LP11 and LP21) propagation was determined using finite element analysis (FEM). The COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS software was used for the computation. The fiber core radii of the plasmonic metal activated and wavelengths were varied to control the forward and backward energy propagation as well as the modal dispersion relation. Quantities like effective refractive index, attenuation, propagation constant and diffusion coefficient for the three modes as a function of wavelengths and fiber core radii were calculated, which showed maximum values at shorter wavelengths. Irrespective of the type of metal activation in the fiber core, the refractive index of LP01 mode for the core of radius 200 nm was more significantly affected compared to others. Regardless of different metals inclusion, the dispersion relation (refractive index versus frequency) for all modes was strongly positive, showing increasing values for radius in the order of 200, 400, 600 nm. Plasmonic metals Cr and Ni displayed best effect, while Be required high values of V to get LP01 in a narrow range and other modes appeared in a larger range than V. Present results may be useful for the development of high performance optical fiber core.

Development of a semi empirical calculation approach for the determination of percentage depth dose in water for higher energy photon beams using a medical linear accelerator

The development of a calculation approach to determine the Percentage Depth Dose (PDD) by manual calculation for medical linear accelerator of 6 MV and 15 MV photon beam energy. The equation to determine PDD can be divided into two components i.e., the primary component and the scatter component. To calculate the primary component, the linear attenuation coefficient needs to be calculated. The measurement of charge was taken at various depths and for different field sizes using 6 MV and 15 MV photon beams. To determine the linear attenuation coefficient, a graph of ln (MR) where, MR represents corrected meter reading was plotted against depth in cm. By plotting another graph of linear attenuation coefficient against field size, to determine the effective linear attenuation coefficient. The scattered component KS was graphically plotted against depth in cm and derived an equation for scatter component. The calculated PDD for 6 MV was found to be within 1 % difference and for 15 MV percentage difference within 3 %. It was found that numerically developed PDD values table for higher energy photon beam becomes valid and it can be utilized for the manual dose calculation.

Using reflectometry to minimize the dependence of fluorescence intensity on optical absorption and scattering.

The total diffuse reflectance RT and the effective attenuation coefficient µeff of an optically diffuse medium map uniquely onto its absorption and reduced scattering coefficients. Using this premise, we developed a methodology where RT and the slope of the logarithmic spatially resolved reflectance, a quantity related to µeff, are the inputs of a look-up table to correct the dependence of fluorescent signals on the media's optical properties. This methodology does not require an estimation of the medium's optical property, avoiding elaborate simulations and their errors to offer accurate and fast corrections. The experimental demonstration of our method yielded a mean relative error in fluorophore concentrations of less than 4% over a wide range of optical property variations. We discuss how the method developed can be employed to improve image fidelity and fluorochrome quantification in fluorescence molecular imaging clinical applications.

Determination of Effective Atomic Number and Radiation Mass Attenuation Coefficient of the Bolus from Alginate Impression Material

Alginate impression material is a material that is commonly used to print dentures. This material is made from alginate. The properties of this material are rubbery, elastic, and not easily deformed so it can be applied as a bolus. This study aims to determine the tissue equivalence of this material by looking at aspects of the effective atomic number and radiation mass attenuation coefficient. To determine the effective atomic number, we used the EDX results from the SEM machine and input the concentration data of each element from alginate gel with 20% water content into the Autozeff software. The radiation mass attenuation coefficient is simulated by calculations involving each element’s concentration, then confirmed by CT-Number obtained from CT-Scan images. We obtained an effective atomic number and mass attenuation coefficient from the calculation results, which are described as a function of photon energy. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the bolus made from alginate impression material is equivalent to soft tissue and breast tissue.

Optimal slice thickness for improved accuracy of quantitative analysis of fluorescent cell and microsphere distribution in cryo-images

Cryo-imaging has been effectively used to study the biodistribution of fluorescent cells or microspheres in animal models. Sequential slice-by-slice fluorescent imaging enables detection of fluorescent cells or microspheres for corresponding quantification of their distribution in tissue. However, if slices are too thin, there will be data overload and excessive scan times. If slices are too thick, then cells can be missed. In this study, we developed a model for detection of fluorescent cells or microspheres to aid optimal slice thickness determination. Key factors include: section thickness (X), fluorescent cell intensity (Ifluo), effective tissue attenuation coefficient (μT), and a detection threshold (T). The model suggests an optimal slice thickness value that provides near-ideal sensitivity while minimizing scan time. The model also suggests a correction method to compensate for missed cells in the case that image data were acquired with overly large slice thickness. This approach allows cryo-imaging operators to use larger slice thickness to expedite the scan time without significant loss of cell count. We validated the model using real data from two independent studies: fluorescent microspheres in a pig heart and fluorescently labeled stem cells in a mouse model. Results show that slice thickness and detection sensitivity relationships from simulations and real data were well-matched with 99% correlation and 2% root-mean-square (RMS) error. We also discussed the detection characteristics in situations where key assumptions of the model were not met such as fluorescence intensity variation and spatial distribution. Finally, we show that with proper settings, cryo-imaging can provide accurate quantification of the fluorescent cell biodistribution with remarkably high recovery ratios (number of detections/delivery). As cryo-imaging technology has been used in many biological applications, our optimal slice thickness determination and data correction methods can play a crucial role in further advancing its usability and reliability.

Spectral analysis of multiple scattering factors of turbid media for glucose measurement using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy has been widely used for non-invasive glucose measurement in humans, as glucose can induce a significant and detectable optical signal change in tissue. However, the scattering-dominated glucose spectrum in the range of 1000 to 1700nm is easily confused with many other scattering factors, such as particle density, particle size, and tissue refractive index. Our aim is to identify the subtle distinctions between glucose and these factors through theoretical analysis and experimental verification, in order to employ suitable methods for eliminating these interferences, thus increasing the accuracy of non-invasive glucose measurement. We present a theoretical analysis of the spectra of 1000 to 1700nm for glucose and some scattering factors, which is then verified by an experiment on a 3% Intralipid solution. We found that both the theoretical and experimental results show that the effective attenuation coefficient of glucose has distinct spectral characteristics, which are distinct from the spectra caused by particle density and refractive index, particularly in the range of 1400 to 1700nm. Our findings can offer a theoretical foundation for eliminating these interferences in non-invasive glucose measurement, aiding mathematical methods to model appropriately and enhance the accuracy of glucose prediction.

Realistic deformable phantoms with optical properties of biological tissues for biomedical research applications

A matrix of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) slime phantoms was investigated to replicate the published optical properties of the lung carcinoma and tumorous brain tissues at 630 nm wavelength. The effective attenuation coefficients (µeff) and penetration depths of light in the tissue phantoms were deduced from measurements of its optical properties and the anisotropy factor (g), obtained using the Henyey-Greenstein (H-G) phase function and Wolfram Mathematica. The mechanical response of the fabricated phantom materials was characterized and found to be flexible and mouldable into shapes and sizes comparable to desired tissue types.In the context of accuracy and stability, the phantoms were monitored for over two months and managed to preserve their optical properties with inconsiderable changes, possibly due to dehydration. Further data analysis is required to clarify if the optical properties would significantly change for long periods. We conclude that the fabrication of deformable tissue phantoms capable of uniformly incorporating any inserted lesion-like objects with relatively available materials and clear procedure is realizable. These phantoms are promising for testing and calibrating new optical imaging systems and developing disease diagnosis and treatment techniques.

Optical Properties of Human Skin Phototypes and Their Correlation with Individual Angle Typology

Objective: This study aims to correlate human skin phototypes with complete optical characterization (absorption, scattering, effective attenuation, optical penetration, and albedo coefficients) based on individual typology angle (ITA) values and colorimetric parameters. Methods: A colorimeter was used to group 12, fresh, ex vivo human skin samples according to their phototype; the CIELAB color scale and ITA values were employed. An integrating sphere system and the inverse adding-doubling algorithm were applied during optical characterization, conducted from 500 to 1300 nm. Results: On the basis of ITA values and their classification, the skin samples were separated into six groups: two intermediates, two tan, and two brown. In the visible range, for lower ITA values (darker skins), the absorption and effective attenuation coefficient parameters increased, whereas the albedo and depth penetration parameters decreased. In the infrared region, all the phototypes had similar parameters. The scattering coefficient was similar for all the samples and did not change with ITA values. Conclusions: ITA analysis, a quantitative method, showed that the human skin tissue's optical properties and pigmentation colors were highly correlated.

Does Electron Spectrum Affect TLD-100 Dose Response in 6 MV Photon Beam Irradiation?

In this study, the electron spectrum effect on the TLD-100 dosimeter response to a 6 MV photon beam in different media like water, aluminum, polystyrene, iron, copper, and lead using Monte Carlo and Burlin cavity theory was evaluated. To calculate and compare the dose to medium to dose to cavity correction factors (f), the electronic equilibrium spectrum produced by the 6 MV photon beam and its maximum electron energy in different media were used. The electronic equilibrium spectra were obtained using Beamdp Monte Carlo Simulation. Using two different methods, the cavity theory was applied to obtain the response of the TLD-100 to 6 MV photon beam in the media considered. In the first method, the average mass collision stopping power ratios and the average mass effective attenuation coefficients were calculated using the electron spectrum of 6 MV. In the second method, these parameters were calculated based on the maximum energy value of 6 MV. The maximum difference between the f values obtained using the two methods was about 10 % for lead, while it was less than 2.5 % for other media. Consequently, the differences between f factors calculated using these two methods were insignificant except for lead.

Multiple scattering effect of water clouds on spaceborne oceanic lidar signals

Multiple scattering effect in water clouds influences the shape and intensity of the return signals of spaceborne oceanic lidar. The contaminated signals will introduce errors into the retrieval of effective attenuation coefficient klidar of seawater and eventually affect the detection accuracy of seawater's inherent optical properties (IOPs). The multiple scattering effect of water clouds on spaceborne oceanic lidar signals is quantified in this paper. Two main parameters of the lidar signals from the seawater are analyzed, including the effective attenuation coefficient klidar and signal intensity ratio R with or without water clouds using a spaceborne oceanic lidar emulator. The results show that the lidar signals from the seawater below water clouds are both related to the cloud base height (CBH) and the cloud optical depth (COD). When the COD is less than 5, and CBH is relatively low (<2 km on average), the relative difference of the effective attenuation coefficient δ is within 30%. The δ is within 20% under the condition that the COD is less than 3 and the CBH is higher than 1.8 km. Moreover, this paper gives the relationship among R, COD and CBH. This work provides significant information for the development of a spaceborne oceanic profiling lidar.

Comparative X-ray Shielding Properties of Single-Layered and Multi-Layered Bi2O3/NR Composites: Simulation and Numerical Studies.

This work theoretically compared the X-ray attenuation capabilities in natural rubber (NR) composites containing bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) by determining the effects of multi-layered structures on the shielding properties of the composites using two different software packages (XCOM and PHITS). The shielding properties of the single-layered and multi-layered Bi2O3/NR composites investigated consisted of the transmission factor (I/I0), effective linear attenuation coefficient (µeff), effective mass attenuation coefficient (µm,eff), and effective half-value layer (HVLeff). The results, with good agreement between those obtained from XCOM and PHITS (with less than 5% differences), indicated that the three-layered NR composites (sample#4), with the layer arrangement of pristine NR (layer#1)-Bi2O3/NR (layer#2)-pristine NR (layer#3), had relatively higher X-ray shielding properties than either a single-layer or the other multi-layered structures for all X-ray energies investigated (50, 100, 150, and 200 keV) due to its relatively larger effective percentage by weight of Bi2O3 in the composites. Furthermore, by varying the Bi2O3 contents in the middle layer (layer#2) of sample#4 from 10 to 90 wt.%, the results revealed that the overall X-ray shielding properties of the NR composites were further enhanced with additional filler, as evidenced by the highest values of µeff and µm,eff and the lowest values of I/I0 and HVLeff observed in the 90 wt.% Bi2O3/NR composites. In addition, the recommended Bi2O3 contents for the actual production of three-layered Bi2O3/NR composites (the same layer structure as sample#4) were determined by finding the least Bi2O3 content that enabled the sample to attenuate incident X-rays with equal efficiency to that of a 0.5-mm lead sheet (with an effective lead equivalence of 0.5 mmPb). The results suggested that the recommended Bi2O3 contents in layer#2 were 82, 72, and 64 wt.% for the combined 6 mm, 9 mm, and 12 mm samples, respectively.

First-in-clinical application of a time-gated diffuse correlation spectroscopy system at 1064 nm using superconducting nanowire single photon detectors in a neuro intensive care unit.

Recently proposed time-gated diffuse correlation spectroscopy (TG-DCS) has significant advantages compared to conventional continuous wave (CW)-DCS, but it is still in an early stage and clinical capability has yet to be established. The main challenge for TG-DCS is the lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when gating for the deeper traveling late photons. Longer wavelengths, such as 1064 nm have a smaller effective attenuation coefficient and a higher power threshold in humans, which significantly increases the SNR. Here, we demonstrate the clinical utility of TG-DCS at 1064 nm in a case study on a patient with severe traumatic brain injury admitted to the neuro-intensive care unit (neuroICU). We showed a significant correlation between TG-DCS early (ρ = 0.67) and late (ρ = 0.76) gated against invasive thermal diffusion flowmetry. We also analyzed TG-DCS at high temporal resolution (50 Hz) to elucidate pulsatile flow data. Overall, this study demonstrates the first clinical translation capability of the TG-DCS system at 1064 nm using a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector.

Dependence of the effective mass attenuation coefficient of gold nanoparticles on its radius

Purpose: Several investigations are being carried since the past decade to use gold nanoparticles’ (AuNP) suspensions as contrast agents (CA) for imaging in Computed Tomography. For this, the optimal size of AuNP has received considerable attention, which is addressed here. Material and methods: In this theoretical study, effective attenuation coefficient for a single spherical shaped AuNP is first calculated from the first principles, as a function of the nanoparticle radius 'r', with μ(E) being the attenuation coefficient of the material for a given energy E. This result is extended to derive a formula for the attenuation coefficient and mass attenuation coefficient of a suspension of AuNP. Results: It is seen that the effective mass attenuation coefficient of the nanoparticles is a decreasing function of α(E) = 2μ(E)r and falls inversely with α(E), for large values of α(E) ≫ 1, there being very little change for α ≤ 1. Conclusion: The paper shows that for nanoparticles, less than 100 nm in diameter the linear attenuation coefficient of the colloidal suspension has no dependence on the nanoparticles' size and depends only on the concentration of nanoparticle material present in the suspension.