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X-ray imaging is a nondestructive and preferred method in paleopathology to reconstruct the history of ancient diseases. Sophisticated imaging technologies such as computed tomography (CT) have become common for the investigation of skeletal disorders in human remains. Researchers have investigated the impact of ionizing radiation on living cells, but never on ancient cells in dry tissue. The effects of CT exposure on ancient cells have not been examined in the past and may be important for subsequent genetic analysis. To remedy this shortcoming, we developed different Monte Carlo models to simulate X-ray irradiation on ancient cells. Effects of mummification were considered by using two sizes of cells and three different phantom tissues, which enclosed the investigated cell cluster. This cluster was positioned at the isocenter of a CT scanner model, where the cell hit probabilities P(0,1, , n) were calculated according to the Poisson distribution. To study the impact of the dominant physics process, CT scans for X-ray spectra of 80 and 120 kVp were simulated. Comparison between normal and dry tissue phantoms revealed that the probability of unaffected cells increased by 21% following cell shrinkage for 80 kVp, while for 120 kVp, a further increase of unaffected cells of 23% was observed. Consequently, cell shrinkage caused by dehydration decreased the impact of X-ray radiation on mummified cells significantly. Moreover, backscattered electrons in cortical bone protected deeper-lying ancient cells from radiation damage at 80 kVp X-rays

Sensors Technology Series Editor-in-Chief's Preface vii Preface ix 1 Biomedical Sensors: Temperature Sensor ... G. Kim Prisk 4 Biomedical Sensors of Ionizing Radiation 129 Robert Speller, Alessandro Olivo, Silvia Pani, and Gary Royle 5 ...

Re-invented in the early 1990s, on both sides of the Atlantic, Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) in a CMOS technology are today the most sold solid-state imaging devices, overtaking the traditional technology of Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD). The slow uptake of CMOS MAPS started with low-end applications, for example web-cams, and is slowly pervading the high-end applications, for example in prosumer digital cameras. Higher specifications are required for scientific applications: very low noise, high speed, high dynamic range, large format and radiation hardness are some of these requirements. This paper will present a brief overview of the CMOS Image Sensor technology and of the requirements for scientific applications. As an example, a sensor for X-ray imaging will be presented. This sensor was developed within a European FP6 Consortium, intelligent imaging sensors (I-ImaS). © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

I-ImaS (Intelligent Imaging Sensors) is a European project aiming to produce adaptive x-ray imaging systems using Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) to create optimal diagnostic images. Initial systems concentrate on mammography and cephalography. The on-chip intelligence available to MAPS technology will allow real-time analysis of data during image acquisition, giving the capability to build a truly adaptive imaging system with the potential to create images with maximum diagnostic information within given dose constraints. In our system, the exposure in each image region is optimized and the beam intensity is a function not only of tissue thickness and attenuation, but also of local physical and statistical parameters found in the image itself. Using a linear array of detectors with on-chip intelligence, the system will perform an on-line analysis of the image during the scan and then will optimize the X-ray intensity in order to obtain the maximum diagnostic information from the region of interest while minimizing exposure of less important, or simply less dense, regions. This paper summarizes the testing of the sensors and their electronics carried out using synchrotron radiation, x-ray sources and optical measurements. The sensors are tiled to form a 1.5D linear array. These have been characterised and appropriate correction techniques formulated to take into account misalignments between individual sensors. Full testing of the mammography and cephalography I-ImaS prototype is now underway and the system intelligence is constantly being upgraded through iterative testing in order to obtain the optimal algorithms and settings. In preliminary simulations the dose savings between the regulated images and the reference images were estimated to between 30 to 70%.

Objective: To survey end-user opinions on dental digital sensor characteristics for the design of a new X-ray imaging sensor. Material and methods: 100 questionnaires were sent out to dentists and dental radiologists. The questionnaire consisted of six parts related to dental sensors. A: Details about the respondent; B: Prioritization of most important aspects of digital sensors; C: Rating advantages and D: disadvantages of digital sensors; F: Dental features that need to be enhanced by digital sensors; G: End-user comments. Results: Fifty-six questionnaires were returned. Contrast resolution and imaging time were assessed as the most and the least important aspects, respectively. Aspects considered as advantages by approximately 80% of respondents were: optimal contrast resolution, increased specificity, increased discrimination between diseased and healthy tissue, increased sensitivity, lower dose to the patient by more than 20%; as a disadvantage, increased patient dose was given. Dental features considered important by over 80% of the respondents were for intraoral radiographs: the visibility of caries, periapical, periodontal, and bone lesions; for panoramic radiographs: reduction of ghost images, image sharpness and bone. Bone and soft tissues on cephalograms and bone on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tomograms were mentioned by over 70%. Conclusion: The most desired characteristic for a new sensor is contrast resolution. Dose saving is not considered as important unless it is more than 20%. Examination time is not a major issue. Caries, periapical and periodontal, and bone lesions for intraoral radiographs, reduction of ghost images, image sharpness and bone for panoramic radiographs were the most frequently mentioned dental features that should be enhanced by digital sensors. © 2006 The British Institute of Radiology.