Does the slanted-edge method provide the true value of spatial frequency response?

The slanted-edge method is commonly used for measuring the spatial frequency response (SFR) of digital imaging systems. To investigate the intrinsic capability of the slanted-edge method, this study formulated a procedure for calculating the SFR and proposed a numerical method for evaluating the accuracy of the estimated SFR relative to the theoretical value. It is shown that the slanted-edge method yields an accurate value of the SFR under ideal conditions and is a rational and consistent tool for determining the true resolution characteristics. However, under practical conditions, this includes some estimation errors. Based on this analysis, it is possible to identify the parameter that influences the estimation accuracy in the SFR computation.

Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of educational material for radiological protection that uses augmented reality and virtual reality to visualise the behaviour of scattered radiation.

Understanding the behaviour of scattered radiation is important for learning appropriate radiation protection methods, but many existing visualisation systems for radiation require special devices, making it difficult to use them in education. The purpose of this study was to develop teaching material for radiation protection that can help visualise the scattered radiation with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) on a web browser, develop a method for using it in education and examine its effectiveness. The distribution of radiation during radiography was calculated using Monte Carlo simulation, and teaching material was created. The material was used in a class for department of radiological technology students and its influence on motivation was evaluated using a questionnaire based on the evaluation model for teaching materials. In addition, text mining was used to evaluate impressions objectively. Educational material was developed that can be used in AR and VR for studying the behaviour of scattered radiation. The results of the questionnaire showed that the average value of each item was more than four on a five-point scale, indicating that the teaching material attracted the interest of users. Through text mining, it could be concluded that there was improved understanding of, and confidence in, radiation protection.

Development of an application to visualise the spread of scattered radiation in radiography using augmented reality.

As radiation is widely used in medical institutions, the lack of radiation protection education for health workers increases the risk of radiation exposure. The purpose of this study is to develop an application for radiation medical personnel that visualises the distribution of scattered radiation by using augmented reality (AR). The irradiation conditions for mobile chest and pelvic radiography were simulated using Monte Carlo simulations (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System). Monte Carlo results were verified using physical measurements. The behaviour of scattered radiation was displayed three-dimensionally in virtual reality using ParaView. Subsequently, an application to visualise scattered rays was developed in Unity for tablet devices. An application with a sense of reality was developed by visualising the scattered radiation distribution of a mobile imaging in a real space in AR in a three-dimensional size, which is close to the actual size. The radiation dose could be estimated at any position and the behaviour of scattered radiation became easier to understand.

Camera vibration measurement using blinking light-emitting diode array.

We present a new method for measuring camera vibrations such as camera shake and shutter shock. This method successfully detects the vibration trajectory and transient waveforms from the camera image itself. We employ a time-varying pattern as the camera test chart over the conventional static pattern. This pattern is implemented using a specially developed blinking light-emitting-diode array. We describe the theoretical framework and pattern analysis of the camera image for measuring camera vibrations. Our verification experiments show that our method has a detection accuracy and sensitivity of 0.1 pixels, and is robust against image distortion. Measurement results of camera vibrations in commercial cameras are also demonstrated.