Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

be familiar with the term radiation. Simply put, radiation may be defined as energy traveling through space as waves or high speed particles. There are two types of radiation, ionizing and non-ionizing (e.g. Heat, visible light), they are differentiated by how they interact with matter. Non- ionizing radiation is essential to life, but excessive exposures can cause tissue damage. Ionizing radiation has sufficient energy to ionize atoms and potentially cause DNA damage. The most common type of…

Cranioplasty is the method of treatment of skull defects; it is required to protect the underlying brain, correct major aesthetic deformities or both (Pompili et al., 1998). Today, three-dimensional (3D) models of anatomical structures can be constructed based on anatomical information from scanning data coming from computerized tomography (CT). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is used to 3D modelling of soft tissues and computerized tomography (CT) for Hard tissues (i.e. bone) of the human…

quantum configuration is to align in the opposite direction (against the field). The energy needed to jump up to that state is proportional to…

Magnetic resonance imaging uses non-aggressive magnetic imaging technology to produce a three dimensional image of a bodily part. This is similar yet different to the use of x-ray imaging for similar purposes, however, MRI has no trace of the damaging ionizing radiation given off during the use of x-rays and CT scans. MRI is generally used for inspection and detection in the muscles, ligaments and soft tissue through the human body and can be used to monitor treatments, diagnosis of a patient…

desk doing the clerical work I was oh so familiar with yet now I am doing it for a radiology office. Since being at Bay Radiology I have had the opportunity to talk to the technologists about their different fields of work. I have seen and used an x-ray machine before and observed a few ultrasounds but what fascinated me was seeing the MRI machine and how it functioned. I’ve been a test patient a few times and was a bit wary about laying on a table and being slid into the center of this…

There seem to be numerous things that are specifically for women, whether pleasant or not. It appears as though women require a little extra work in a few regions. One example of this very thing, is a minor surgical procedure known as a Colposcopy. A colposcopy is a procedure done on women to better examine the cervix, vagina, and vulva. This is generally done if a pap test or pelvic exam came back with any abnormalities. It can be used to diagnose and analyze numerous conditions such as:…

of radiation that they must shield. These include scattered radiation from the patient, primary radiation for the x ray beam and leakage radiation from the x ray tube. All x ray tubes have some radiation leakage. On average, it is about 2-3mm of lead in the housing of the x ray tube. Traditionally lead has been used as the element of choice when shielding against x-rays and gamma rays. This is because “lead is a soft, malleable, and corrosion-resistant material” (Jaquith,…

Most individuals with even the most rudimentary knowledge of science have probably heard of x-rays and gamma radiation. Very few however, will be able to tell you where these forms of radiation come from. The answer: Pulsars. Pulsars, or neutron stars, are physics sandboxes that provide extreme conditions for humans to experiment with which are not readily available on Earth. Due to this usefulness, the discovery and research of these phenomena should be of the utmost importance. These neutron…

As the beam propagates, there is a loss of energy through absorption, reflection, and scattering. This loss is displayed in the image as shadowing. To start, shadowing may result due to the absorption or reflection of most of the energy. The degree of shadowing is dependent on the structure and size of the object that’s blocking the ultrasonic beam and its relativity to it. Shadowing is seen when objects smaller than the beam allows sufficient energy to bypass the reflector to permit good…

Radiologic Technology is an interactive career in which X-ray machines utilize ionizing radiation to take images of patients’ bones throughout their bodies that may or may not be broken. The image is then sent to a Radiologist who analyzes and diagnoses the image and sends the results to the doctor. As a technologist you must be able to effectively operate the X-ray machines, correctly position patients, interact with them to make them feel comfortable while always staying as protected as…