Kuniharu Imai

Electrical tree at high temperature in XLPE and effect of oxygen

Effect of degassing treatment on tree initiation voltage was investigated in XLPE specimen with semiconducting electrode at 50/spl deg/C and room temperature. 1. Degassing treatment drastically increases tree initiation voltage of XLPE at room temperature. The same result is obtained in LDPE. 2. However, degassing treatment does not so much increase tree initiation voltage of XLPE at 50/spl deg/C, regardless of degassing temperature. This result is different from the result in LDPE, where tree initiation voltage at elevated temperature is increased by degassing treatment at elevated temperature. 3. It is considered that oxygen deeply trapped in or chemically bonded to XLPE polymer structure is released by combination of electric field and thermal stimulation, and participates in tree initiation process.

A detection method for streak artifacts and radiological noise in a non-uniform region in a CT image.

By using the CT images obtained by subtracting two CT images acquired under the same conditions and slice locations, we have devised a method for detecting streak artifacts in non-uniform regions and only radiological noise components in CT images. A chest phantom was scanned using 16- and 64-multidetector row helical CT scanners with various mAs values at 120kVp. The upper lung slice image was employed as a target image for evaluating the streak artifacts and radiological noise. One hundred parallel line segments with a length of 80 pixels were placed on the subtracted CT image, and the largest CT value in each CT value profile was employed as a feature variable of the streak artifacts; these feature variables were analyzed with the extreme value theory (Gumbel distribution). To detect only the radiological noise, all CT values contained in the 100 line profile were plotted on normal probability paper and the standard deviation was estimated from the inclination of its fitted line for the CT value plots. The two detection methods devised in this study were able to evaluate the streak artifacts and radiological noise in the CT images with high accuracy.

Dose reduction and image quality in CT angiography for cerebral aneurysm with various tube potentials and current settings

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to investigate the image quality on both axial and three-dimensional CT angiograms of the brain at various tube potentials and currents, and to propose the use of descriptors for evaluating the image quality of three-dimensional CT angiograms using entropy analysis. METHODS A head phantom was used as a target object. Axial CT and three-dimensional CT angiograms were obtained at various effective milliampere-second values (49-350 mAs) and tube potentials (80-140 kVp) with a 64-row detector CT scanner. Lens doses were measured using a planar silicon pin-photodiode system. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and streak artefacts on the axial CT angiograms were evaluated and the image quality of the three-dimensional CT angiograms was assessed using entropy analysis. RESULTS Lens doses increased with tube potential and effective milliampere-seconds. From the evaluation of SNR and streak artefacts on axial CT angiograms, we found that the image quality was improved by setting the tube potential at 100 kVp. However, there was little visual difference in the image quality for 100 kVp between 252 (effective value recommended by the manufacturer) and 350 mAs (maximum effective value). In the entropy analysis of the image quality of three-dimensional CT angiograms, the mutual information (information gain) per lens dose was largest at 80 kVp and 252 mAs. CONCLUSION Our results suggested that the suitable tube potentials for axial CT and three-dimensional CT angiograms were 100 and 80 kVp, respectively, and the effective milliampere-second value recommended by the manufacturer was appropriate.

Quantitative assessment of image noise and streak artifact on CT image: Comparison of z-axis automatic tube current modulation technique with fixed tube current technique

The purpose of our study is to quantitatively assess the effects of z-axis automatic tube current modulation technique on image noise and streak artifact, by comparing with fixed tube current technique. Standard deviation of CT-values was employed as a physical index for evaluating image noise, and streak artifact was quantitatively evaluated using our devised Gumbel evaluation method. z-Axis automatic tube current modulation technique will improve image noise and streak artifact, compared with fixed tube current technique, and will make it possible to significantly reduce radiation doses at lung levels while maintaining the same image quality as fixed tube current technique.

A method for estimating noise variance of CT image

Rank et al. have proposed an algorithm for estimating image noise variance composed of the following three steps: the noisy image is first filtered by a difference operator; a histogram of local signal variances is then computed; and, finally the noise variance is estimated from a statistical evaluation of the histogram. We have verified the accuracy of this algorithm on a CT image by indirect methods, and have shown that this method is able to estimate CT image noise variance with reasonable accuracy, regardless of whether or not the noiseless image is uniform. Further, we have proposed a simple alternative method for the last two steps of the Rank et al. method. However, one must pay attention to the fact that the estimated noise variance will be biased when the nearest two pixels are correlated and that this algorithm does not work well if the assumption of stationarity of noise components is violated.

Image quality and age-specific dose estimation in head and chest CT examinations with organ-based tube-current modulation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an organ-based tube-current modulation (OBTCM) system on image quality and age-specific dose in head and chest CT examinations. Image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image entropy were assessed using statistical and entropy analyses. Radiation doses for newborn, 6-y-old child and adult phantoms were measured with in-phantom dosimetry systems. The quality of CT images obtained with OBTCM was not different from that obtained without OBTCM. In head CT scans, the eye lens dose decreased by 20-33 % using OBTCM. In chest CT scans, breast dose decreased by 5-32 % using OBTCM. Posterior skin dose, however, increased by 11-20 % using OBTCM in head and chest CT scans. The reduction of effective dose using OBTCM was negligibly small. Detailed image quality and dose information provided in this study can be effectively used for OBTCM application.

Mechanism of tree propagation from a simulated tree channel

In this paper, we investigate partial discharge (PD) in a simulated tree channel and tree growth from its tip. Influences of the channel diameter, voltage amplitude and temperature are examined. Voltage dependences of total number of PD pulses required for initiation of tree growth and the shape-parameters deduced from Weibull distributions were obtained. The shape-parameter m changes from m/spl les/1 (early/random failure) to m>1 (fatigue failure) with increasing applied voltage. The mechanism of tree growth was discussed based on the shape-parameter. The cause of early/random failure is considered to be statistical-randomness of PD generation for smaller diameter channel but structural weak point for larger diameter channel. Voltage region where m>1 tends to shift to lower voltage side with temperature and that where m/spl les/1 disappears above 40/spl deg/C. The relationship between the total number of PD pulses and the reciprocal temperature (Arrhenius plot) allows to estimate activation energy of tree growth to be about 20 kJ/mol.

Kerr constant frequency dependence in liquid nitrogen

Kerr electro-optic field mapping measurements using the sensitive AC modulation method were made in liquid nitrogen. The steady-state electric fields between parallel stainless steel electrodes that had a gap of 7 mm are shown to be essentially uniform for voltages up to 70 kV with no significant space charge distortion. The Kerr constant B of liquid nitrogen is constant over the AC modulation frequency range of 1-20 kHz, while increasing above 20 kHz. This change of B with the modulation frequency coincides with the frequency-amplitude gain characteristic of the lock-in amplifier used, so that B is independent of the AC modulation frequency within the range of this study. B monotonically decreases with increasing temperature, T, thus decreasing liquid nitrogen density, rho , so that B is related linearly to rho /T. The polarizability anisotropy of liquid nitrogen is evaluated to be 8.3*10/sup -41/ F-m/sup 2/ from the slope of the B-( rho /T) characteristic, obtained from a simple physical model.<<ETX>>

Contrast enhancement efficacy of iodinated contrast media: Effect of molecular structure on contrast enhancement

Highlights • We derived a new formula for comparing the contrast enhancement efficacy.• Theoretical value agrees with actual value for each combination of contrast media.• The contrast enhancement is affected by molecular structure of contrast medium.

Quantitative Evaluation of Metal Artifacts on CT Images on the Basis of Statistics of Extremes

It is well-known that metal artifacts have a harmful effect on the image quality of computed tomography (CT) images. However, the physical property remains still unknown. In this study, we investigated the relationship between metal artifacts and tube currents using statistics of extremes. A commercially available phantom for measuring CT dose index 160 mm in diameter was prepared and a brass rod 13 mm in diameter was placed at the centerline of the phantom. This phantom was used as a target object to evaluate metal artifacts and was scanned using an area detector CT scanner with various tube currents under a constant tube voltage of 120 kV. Sixty parallel line segments with a length of 100 pixels were placed to cross metal artifacts on CT images and the largest difference between two adjacent CT values in each of 60 CT value profiles of these line segments was employed as a feature variable for measuring metal artifacts; these feature variables were analyzed on the basis of extreme value theory. The CT value variation induced by metal artifacts was statistically characterized by Gumbel distribution, which was one of the extreme value distributions; namely, metal artifacts have the same statistical characteristic as streak artifacts. Therefore, Gumbel evaluation method makes it possible to analyze not only streak artifacts but also metal artifacts. Furthermore, the location parameter in Gumbel distribution was shown to be in inverse proportion to the square root of a tube current. This result suggested that metal artifacts have the same dose dependence as image noises.