Agfa-Gevaert (Germany)

Multi-frequency processing (MFP) leads to enhanced image quality (IQ) of radiographs. This study is to determine the effect of third generation MFP (M3) on IQ in comparison to standard second-generation MFP (M2). 20 cadavers were examined and post-processing of radiographs was performed with both M2 and M3. Three readers blinded to the MFP used for each image independently compared corresponding image pairs according to overall IQ and depiction of bony structures and soft tissue (+ 2: notably better > 0: equal > − 2: notably worse). A significant deviation of the median grade from grade 0 (equal) (p < 0.01) for each evaluator A, B and C speaks against an equal image quality of M2- and M3-images. M3-images were categorized with better grades (+ 1, + 2) in 87.7% for overall image quality, in 90.4% for soft tissue and 81.8% for bony structures. M3 images showed significant higher averaged SNR and CNR for all investigated lower extremities than that of M2 images (0.031 < p < 0.049). The newest generation of MFP leads to significantly better depiction of anatomical structures and overall image quality than in images processed with the preceding generation of MFP. This provides increased diagnostic accuracy and further decreased radiation exposure.

In automation, the suited scheduled maintenance is one of the keys for plants' operation in order to minimize plants' shutdown. Usually, maintenance is time-interval based or operation-time based to prevent plant shutdowns by means of displacing aged automation devices early. This causes an increasing expenditure due to the fact that the replaced automation devices could be in operation longer and the plant has to be stopped for replacing the device. In this paper we present an approach focusing on combining engineering data and historical process data to extract additional information and applying analysis methods for diagnosis. We introduce how to find cause-effect dependencies of failures during abnormal plant situations to forecast abnormal and critical plant situations.

Working interoperability not only requires harmonized system's architectures, but also the same interpretation of technical specifications in order to guide the development process. This paper analyses the commonly used structures of communication standards elaborated with HL7 Version 3 and proposes an ontological structure resulting in the so-called Communication Standards Ontology (CSO). As such a solution has to be developed within an architectural framework, the approach is aligned with the Generic Component Model (GCM).

Abstract The diversity of functions of organic sulfur compounds in the most important fields of silver halide photography is reviewed. While organic sulfur compounds of the lower oxidation states (−2 to 0) are discussed mainly as important ligands for silver ions in all stages of the photographic process, those of the higher oxidation states (+2 to +4) are shown to be useful for modifying the reactivity and physical properties of auxiliary and supplementary components.

ABSTRACTThe possibility of further improving the sensitivity of the widely used BaFBr:Eu X-ray storage phosphor is investigated. The influence of CsF- and EuF3-doping on the stimulation spectrum is identical to the one of other ways to vary F/Br-ratio of this mixed crystal. The effect of CsF-doping turns out to be not primarily due to a replacement of Ba2+ by Cs1+ and subsequent charge comensation, but rather to the change in the F/Br ratio. Sr doping not only gives rise to FA(Br; Sr2+)-center formation but, at the same time increases the PSL-response in the bands ascribed to F(Br -)-centers.

2-Methyl-thiophenoles 1 react after bis-lithiation with dialkyl chlorophosphates 2 under formation of dialkyl (2-mercaptophenyl)methanephosphonates 3. The migration of the phosphoryl group from the sulfur of the S-aryl-O-dialkyl phosphate intermediates to the ortho methyl group is preferred to the nucleous position.

The information obtainable from a radiograph depends on the viewing conditions under which the radiograph is viewed. All the viewing conditions can be defined in terms of scattered light. The amount of information taken from a radiograph with S = 1000 (S = speed class) and perfect conditions is the same as that from a radiography with S = 100 viewed under poor conditions. The optimum illuminance for the radiograph viewing room is 50 lx diffuse. The influence of scattered light is small enough to cause only a small loss of information. With the illuminance of 50 lx diffuse in the viewing room and Lo = 2000 cd/m2, the density range should be delta D = 2.85. The scattered light reduces it to delta D = 2.60 when the radiograph is viewed under the above-mentioned circumstances.