The influence of focal spot blooming on high-contrast spatial resolution in CT imaging.

PURPOSE: The objective of this work was to investigate focal spot blooming effects on the spatial resolution of CT images and to evaluate an x-ray tube that uses dynamic focal spot control for minimizing focal spot blooming. METHODS: The influence of increasing tube current at a fixed tube potential of 80 kV on high-contrast spatial resolution of seven different CT scanner models (scanners A-G), including one scanner that uses dynamic focal spot control to reduce focal spot blooming (scanner A), was evaluated. Spatial resolution was assessed using a wire phantom for the modulation transfer function (MTF) calculation and a copper disc phantom for measuring the slice sensitivity profile (SSP). The impact of varying the tube potential was investigated on two scanner models (scanners A and B) by measuring the MTF and SSP and also by using the resolution bar pattern module of the ACR CT phantom. The phantoms were scanned at 70-150 kV on scanner A and 80-140 kV on scanner B, with tube currents from 100 mA up to the maximum tube current available on each scanner. The images were reconstructed using a slice thickness of 0.6 mm with both smooth and sharp kernels. Additionally, focal spot size at varying tube potentials and currents was directly measured using pinhole and slit camera techniques. RESULTS: Evaluation of the MTF and SSP data from the 7 CT scanner models evaluated demonstrated decreased focal spot blooming for newer scanners, as evidenced by decreasing deviations in MTF and SSP as tube current varied. For scanners A and B, where focal spot blooming effects as a function of tube potential were assessed, the spatial resolution variation in the axial plane was much smaller on scanner A compared to scanner B as tube potential and current changed. On scanner A, the 50% MTF never decreased by more than 2% from the 50% MTF measured at 100 mA. On scanner B, the 50% MTF decreased by as much as 19% from the 50% MTF measured at 100 mA. Assessments of the SSP, the bar patterns in the ACR phantom and the pinhole and slit camera measurements were consistent with the MTF calculations. CONCLUSIONS: Focal spot blooming has a noticeable effect on spatial resolution in CT imaging. The focal spot shaping technology of scanner A greatly reduced blooming effects.

On the hydrogen loss from protonated nucleobases after electronic excitation or collisional electron capture.

In this work, we have subjected protonated nucleobases MH(+) (M = guanine, adenine, thymine, uracil and cytosine) to a range of experiments that involve high-energy (50 keV) collision induced dissociation and electron capture induced dissociation. In the latter case, both neutralisation reionisation and charge reversal were done. For the collision induced dissociation experiments, the ions interacted with O(2). In neutral reionisation, caesium atoms were used as the target gas and the protonated nucleobases captured electrons to give neutrals. These were reionised to cations a microsecond later in collisions with O(2). In choosing Cs as the target gas, we have assured that the first electron transfer process is favourable (by about 0.1-0.8 eV depending on the base). In the case of protonated adenine, charge reversal experiments (two Cs collisions) were also carried out, with the results corroborating those from the neutralisation reionisation experiments. We find that while collisional excitation of protonated nucleobases in O(2) may lead to hydrogen loss with limited probabilities, this channel becomes dominant for electron capture events. Indeed, when sampling reionised neutrals on a microsecond timescale, we see that the ratio between MH(+) and M(+) is 0.2-0.4 when one electron is captured from Cs. There are differences in these ratios between the bases but no obvious correlation with recombination energies was found.

Electron-capture-induced dissociation of microsolvated di- and tripeptide monocations: elucidation of fragmentation channels from measurements of negative ions.

The results from an experimental study of bare and microsolvated peptide monocations in high-energy collisions with cesium vapor are reported. Neutral radicals form after electron capture from cesium, which decay by H loss, NH(3) loss, or N-C(alpha) bond cleavage into characteristic z(*) and c fragments. The neutral fragments are converted into negatively charged species in a second collision with cesium and are identified by means of mass spectrometry. For protonated GA (G = glycine, A = alanine), the branching ratio between NH(3) loss and N-C(alpha) bond cleavage is found to strongly depend on the molecule attached (H(2)O, CH(3)CN, CH(3)OH, and 18-crown-6 ether (CE)). Addition of H(2)O and CH(3)OH increases this ratio whereas CH(3)CN and CE decrease it. For protonated AAA ([AAA+H](+)), a similar effect is observed with methanol, while the ratio between the z(1) and z(2) fragment peaks remains unchanged for the bare and microsolvated species. Density functional theory calculations reveal that in the case of [GA+H](+)(CE), the singly occupied molecular orbital is located mainly on the amide group in accordance with the experimental results.