Biomedical subjects

J Baruchel

Publications and source records attributed to J Baruchel.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

In situ and real-time probing of quasicrystal solidification dynamics by synchrotron imaging.

Quasicrystal growth remains an unsolved problem in condensed matter. The dynamics of the process is studied by means of synchrotron live imaging all along the solidification of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystals. The lateral motion of ledges driving faceted growth at the solid-melt interface is conclusively shown. When the solidification rate is increased, nucleation and free growth of new faceted grains occur in the melt due to the significant interface recoil induced by slow attachment kinetics. The detailed analysis of the evolution of these grains reveals the crucial role of aluminum rejection, both in the poisoning of their growth and driving fluid flow.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Present state and perspectives of synchrotron radiation diffraction imaging.

The modern third-generation synchrotron radiation sources offer enhanced possibilities for all variants of imaging techniques. The quantitative and qualitative improvements with respect to previous synchrotron diffraction imaging work, which include the investigation in transmission of bulky samples, the use, as an additional parameter, of the sample-to-detector distance, and the use of the coherence of the beam, are illustrated by several examples. Emphasis is given to the possibilities associated with modern electronic detectors for this type of imaging. The new techniques implemented at the ESRF that take full advantage of new capabilities, and more particularly that of 'topo-tomography', are presented.

Humans↗

PubMed2001

Phase-contrast imaging of thin biomaterials.

The necessity of information about the inner microscopical features of low absorbing materials is one of the most important goals in the structural research field. So far, non destructive analysis have been performed using contact radiography giving the scope for great advances in the production and application of new materials. However, the nature of interaction, namely X-ray absorption, limited the observations only to materials having sufficient heavy elements content. The adoption of a different X-ray interaction with matter which involves refractive properties of materials is at the basis of phase-contrast imaging. The novel method allows the use of high X-ray energies, for a deeper penetration and a lower released dose, without losing any information on the nature of the sample. A demonstration study, performed at the third generation European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)-Grenoble, to show the potential of the new technique applied to biomaterials characterization is presented here. The test samples are a commercial matrix barrier (GUIDOR) intended to aid the healing process after periodontal surgery and a hydroxyapatite thin slab originally deposited by plasma spray technique on a TA6V alloy substrate. Phase-contrast images showed significant advantages revealing features that have negligible absorption contrast. The technique can be successfully used for the characterization of biomaterials.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2000

Phase imaging using highly coherent X-rays: radiography, tomography, diffraction topography.

Several hard X-rays imaging techniques greatly benefit from the coherence of the beams delivered by the modern synchrotron radiation sources. This is illustrated with examples recorded on the 'long' (145 m) ID19 'imaging' beamline of the ESRF. Phase imaging is directly related to the small angular size of the source as seen from one point of the sample ('effective divergence' approximately microradians). When using the ;propagation' technique, phase radiography and tomography are instrumentally very simple. They are often used in the 'edge detection' regime, where the jumps of density are clearly observed. The in situ damage assessment of micro-heterogeneous materials is one example of the many applications. Recently a more quantitative approach has been developed, which provides a three-dimensional density mapping of the sample ('holotomography'). The combination of diffraction topography and phase-contrast imaging constitutes a powerful tool. The observation of holes of discrete sizes in quasicrystals, and the investigation of poled ferroelectric materials, result from this combination.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Perspectives in three-dimensional analysis of bone samples using synchrotron radiation microtomography.

In this paper we present a methodology based on 3D synchrotron radiation microtomography to analyze non-destructively 3D bone samples. After a technical presentation of the imaging system and the image analysis techniques, we report results on three-dimensional analysis of vertebral samples from women of different ages. The new capabilities of this technique for the investigation of bone are discussed. They include a high spatial resolution down to the micron level, a high density resolution allowing a local quantification of bone mineralization, phase contrast imaging and advances in 3D image analysis.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

A synchrotron radiation microtomography system for the analysis of trabecular bone samples.

X-ray computed microtomography is particularly well suited for studying trabecular bone architecture, which requires three-dimensional (3-D) images with high spatial resolution. For this purpose, we describe a three-dimensional computed microtomography (microCT) system using synchrotron radiation, developed at ESRF. Since synchrotron radiation provides a monochromatic and high photon flux x-ray beam, it allows high resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio imaging. The principle of the system is based on truly three-dimensional parallel tomographic acquisition. It uses a two-dimensional (2-D) CCD-based detector to record 2-D radiographs of the transmitted beam through the sample under different angles of view. The 3-D tomographic reconstruction, performed by an exact 3-D filtered backprojection algorithm, yields 3-D images with cubic voxels. The spatial resolution of the detector was experimentally measured. For the application to bone investigation, the voxel size was set to 6.65 microm, and the experimental spatial resolution was found to be 11 microm. The reconstructed linear attenuation coefficient was calibrated from hydroxyapatite phantoms. Image processing tools are being developed to extract structural parameters quantifying trabecular bone architecture from the 3-D microCT images. First results on human trabecular bone samples are presented.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Conserving the coherence and uniformity of third-generation synchrotron radiation beams: the case of ID19, a 'long' beamline at the ESRF.

The lateral coherence length is of the order of 100 micron at the 'long' (145 m) ID19 beamline of the ESRF, which is mainly devoted to imaging. Most of the optical elements located along the X-ray path can thus act as ;phase objects', and lead to spurious contrast and/or to coherence degradation, which shows up as an enhanced effective angular size of the source. Both the spurious contrast and the coherence degradation are detrimental for the images (diffraction topographs, tomographs, phase-contrast images) produced at this beamline. The problems identified and the way they were solved during the commissioning of ID19 are reported. More particularly, the role of the protection foils located in the front end, the beryllium windows, the filters and the monochromator defects (scratches, dust, small vibrations) is discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

New features of dislocation images in third-generation synchrotron radiation topographs.

Some aspects of the dislocation contrast observed at third-generation synchrotron radiation set-ups are presented. They can be explained by taking into account angular deviation effects on the beam propagation, which are visible because of the ;almost plane-wave' character of these sources. In particular, we show how the evolution of the direct image width of a dislocation as a function of the sample-to-film distance can allow a complete determination of the Burgers vector, i.e. in sign and modulus. In addition, experimental results obtained in monochromatic beam topography are compared with simulated images calculated assuming plane-wave illumination and are demonstrated to show a satisfactory agreement. The utility of the weak-beam technique in enhancing the spatial resolution is demonstrated and a criterion for the selection of experimental conditions depending upon the required spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio and exposure time is presented.

Journal Article↗