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The internal structures and the hygroscopicity of bio-based boards consisting of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and hazelnut shells as bio-aggregates, and a sodium silicate solution as the adhesive, were investigated. The aim was to evaluate the influence of each material (the bio-aggregates and adhesive) and their distributions in the boards on the final performance. By carrying out X-ray computed tomography, the internal structures and the porosities of the boards were determined, allowing important considerations of their hygroscopicity. The voids' percentages were between 26% and 36% of the total volume of the composites. Both the materials and the composites demonstrated high hygroscopicity. In particular, the mixtures of the bio-aggregates and the sodium silicate allowed reaching a moisture buffering value of 7.44 g/(m2%RH) for the A. donax-based composite, 3.86 g/(m2%RH) for the hazelnut-shell-based composite, and 4.65 g/(m2%RH) for the mixture-based composite. Besides the identification of the contributions of the materials, a detailed discussion of the assessed properties was carried out to use these bio-based boards in vernacular historic construction. The results show how the aggregate type and the adhesive content affected the final behavior, demonstrating the importance of a conscious material choice. Furthermore, helpful information for the future development of these types of bio-based boards and their possible optimization was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), a commonly used technique in a wide variety of research fields, nowadays represents a unique and powerful procedure to discover, reveal and preserve a fundamental part of our patrimony: ancient handwritten documents. For modern and well-preserved ones, traditional document scanning systems are suitable for their correct digitization, and, consequently, for their preservation; however, the digitization of ancient, fragile and damaged manuscripts is still a formidable challenge for conservators. The X-ray tomographic approach has already proven its effectiveness in data acquisition, but the algorithmic steps from tomographic images to real page-by-page extraction and reading are still a difficult undertaking. In this work, we propose a new procedure for the segmentation of single pages from the 3D tomographic data of closed historical manuscripts, based on geometric features and flood fill methods. The achieved results prove the capability of the methodology in segmenting the different pages recorded starting from the whole CT acquired volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The technique of High Dose Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (HDR-IORT) consists in the delivery of irradiation immediately following the removal of a cancerous mass, where the same incision is used to direct the radiation to the tumour bed. Given its particular characteristics, IORT requires dose measurements that are different from those requested in external radiotherapy treatments. The main reason lies in the fact that in this case a single high dose must be delivered to a target volume whose extension and depths will be determined directly during the operation. Since the possibility of devising a treatment plan using a TPS (Treatment Planning System) is not available, it is necessary to know the physical and geometric characteristics of the beam. Defining the physical characteristics of the beam entails both measuring the delivered dose and defining (monitoring) procedures. In any case a much higher dose will be released than occurs with conventional external accelerators. The ionization chamber recommended by the standard protocols for radiotherapy cannot be used because of the ion recombination inside the gas. In this work we propose the use of a calorimetric phantom, the Dosiort, to measure the beam properties. We describe the main characteristics and some preliminary results of the Dosiort System, which is proposed within the framework of a research project of the INFN (Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics). The set-up is a solid phantom of density approaching 1 g/[cm.sup.3] with sensitive layers of scintillating fibres at fixed a position in a calorimetric configuration for the containment of electrons of energy 4-12 MeV. The prototype will be able to define the physical and geometrical characteristics of the electron beam (energy, isotropy, homogeneity, etc) and to measure the parameters needed to select the energy, the intensity and the Monitor Units (MU) for the exposition: Percentage Depth Dose; Beam profiles; Isodose curves; Values of dose for MU. Index Terms--3D, depth-dose measurement, dosimetry, IORT, scintillating fibres.

ABSTRACT The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in osteoarcheological series relies on the identification of osseous lesions caused by the disease. The study of identified skeletal collections provides the opportunity to investigate the distribution of skeletal lesions in relation to this disease. The aim of this study was to examine the skeletal evidence for TB in late adolescent and adult individuals from the identified human collection of the Certosa cemetery of Bologna (Italy, 19th-20th c.). The sample group consists of 244 individuals (138 males, 106 females) ranging from 17 to 88 years of age. The sample was divided into three groups on the basis of the recorded cause of death: TB ( N = 64), pulmonary non-TB ( N = 29), and other diseases ( N = 151). Skeletal lesions reported to be related to TB were analyzed. The vertebral lesions were classified into three types: enlarged foramina (EnF, vascular foramina with diameter of 3-5 mm), erosions (ER), and other foramina (OtF, cavities of various shapes > 3 mm). A CT scan analysis was also performed on vertebral bodies. Some lesions were seldom present in our sample (e.g., tuberculous arthritis). OtF (23.7%) and subperiosteal new bone formation on ribs (54.2%) are significantly more frequent in the TB group with respect to the other groups. The CT scan analysis showed that the vertebrae of individuals who have died of TB may have internal cavities in the absence of external lesions. These traits represent useful elements in the paleopathological diagnosis of TB. Am J Phys Anthropol 157:389-401, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, radiotherapy with electrons and photons beams is the most common approach in health care facilities; it allows widespread use of technology. Only a fast and accurate verification of the dose characteristics of the beams provides a safe and effective use of the methodology. We have designed, built and tested a new instrument based on a layer of square scintillating fibers of 0.5 mm thickness that can run a scan of the beam. The system provides the dosage profiles, related to a plane orthogonal to the beam axis at a fixed depth. The device was tested with a photon beam of 6 MV delivered by a linear accelerator Varian Clinac DHX 2100. The data collected were processed for the tomographic reconstruction of the dose by means of the FBP (filtered back projection) algorithm with different filters. An iterative reconstruction algorithm was also tested. In this paper, the results are presented and suggestions for future developments are made. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Bologna Archaeological Museum, in cooperation with prestigious Italian universities, institutions, and independent scholars, recently began a vast investigation programme on a group of Egyptian coffins of Theban provenance dating to the first millennium BC, primarily the 25th–26th Dynasty (c. 746–525 BC). Herein, we present the results of the multidisciplinary investigation carried out on one of these coffins before its restoration intervention: the anthropoid wooden coffin of Un-Montu (Inv. MCABo EG1960). The integration of radiocarbon dating, wood species identification, and CT imaging enabled a deep understanding of the coffin's wooden structure. In particular, we discuss the results of the tomographic investigation performed in situ. The use of a transportable X-ray facility largely reduced the risks associated with the transfer of the large object (1.80 cm tall) out of the museum without compromising image quality. Thanks to the 3D tomographic imaging, the coffin revealed the secrets of its construction technique, from the rational use of wood to the employment of canvas (incamottatura), from the use of dowels to the assembly procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D X-ray volumetric tomography can be a bridge between scientific research, industrial research, medicine and diagnostics. Some innovative diagnostic techniques, developed by the researchers of the DIFA, the SMA and the Dibinem of the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi of Roma and are illustrated in the images. To increase the effect of integrating the acquired scientific information, the 3D tomographic data, transformed and processed from raw images, are shown in 4D visualizations through innovative devices that generate virtual holograms. These devices are able to display, rotate, disintegrate and reassemble the 3D images produced by reproducing them in holographic-virtual films. The feasibility study (extensible to medical tomography images) was made on fine anatomical waxes made from Bolognese ceroplasts from the 18th and 19th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]