Object reconstruction from a series of projection images, such as in computed tomography (CT), is a popular tool in many different application fields. Existing commercial software typically provides sufficiently accurate and convenient-to-use reconstruction tools to the end-user. However, in applications where a non-standard acquisition protocol is used, or where advanced reconstruction methods are required, the standard software tools often are incapable of computing accurate reconstruction images. This article introduces the ASTRA Toolbox. Aimed at researchers across multiple tomographic application fields, the ASTRA Toolbox provides a highly efficient and highly flexible open source set of tools for tomographic projection and reconstruction. The main features of the ASTRA Toolbox are discussed and several use cases are presented.

Due to the globalization and the fragmentation of industrial production processes, the logistics sector, which organizes the linkages between different production plants and the market, is growing fast. This results in an increasing demand for suitable new business locations. Previous research has indicated that accessibility is a key factor in the location decision making process. Though the literature on this subject is extensive, little research has been done to quantify the impact of the different dimensions of accessibility on the location decision process of logistics companies. This paper aims to fill this void in the literature by means of a revealed preference study (using a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis) and a stated preference study (using a designed discrete choice experiment) in Flanders (Belgium). The results of the revealed preference study served as input to the design of the choice situations in the stated preference study. In this study, the respondents were confronted with a series of choice situations described by means of accessibility variables as well as land rent information. An analysis of the resulting data revealed that land rent is the most important factor in the location choice of logistics companies in Flanders. Access to a port is the one but most important factor, followed by access to a motorway and an inland navigation terminal, and the location in a business park. Finally access to a rail terminal plays no significant role in the location choice of logistics companies in Flanders.

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Purpose: Projections acquired with continuous gantry rotation may suffer from blurring effects, depending on the rotation speed and the exposure time of each projection. This leads to blurred reconstructions if conventional reconstruction algorithms are applied. In this paper, the authors propose a reconstruction method for fast acquisitions based on a continuously moving and continuously emitting x-ray source. They study the trade-off between total acquisition time and reconstruction quality and compare with conventional reconstructions using projections acquired with a stepwise moving x-ray source. Methods: The authors introduce the algebraic reconstruction technique with angular integration concept, which models the angular integration due to the relative motion of the x-ray source during the projection. Results: Compared to conventional reconstruction from projections acquired with pulsed x-ray emission, the proposed method results in substantially improved reconstruction quality around the center of rotation. Outside this region, the proposed method results in improved radial resolution and a decreased tangential resolution. For a fixed reconstruction quality of this region of interest, the proposed method enables a lower number of projections and thus a faster acquisition. Conclusions: The modeling of the continuous gantry rotation in the proposed method substantially improves the reconstruction quality in a region of interest around the rotation center. The proposed method shows potential for fast region of interest tomography. C 2015 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [http://dx

Food deserts and swamps have previously been mostly studied in Anglo-Saxon countries such as the USA and Great Britain. This research is one of the first studies to map food deserts and swamps in a mainland European, densely populated but heavily fragmented region such as Flanders. The evolution of food deserts and swamps between 2008 and 2020 was assessed. Special focus was given to areas where high numbers of elderly, young people and/or families with low income live. Food deserts were calculated based on supermarket access within 1000 m and bus stop availability, while food swamps were calculated using the Modified Food Environment Retail Index. The main cause behind the formation of food deserts in Flanders is its rapidly aging population. Food deserts with a higher number of older people increased from 2.5% to 3.1% of the residential area between 2008 and 2020, housing 2.2% and 2.8% of the population, respectively. Although the area that could become a food desert in the future due to these sociospatial and demographic evolutions is large, food deserts are currently a relatively small problem in Flanders in comparison to the widespread existence of food swamps. Unhealthy retailers outnumbered healthy retailers in 74% of residential areas in 2020, housing 88.2% of the population. These food swamps create an environment where unhealthy food choices predominate. Residential areas with a higher number of elderly people, young people and families with low incomes had healthier food environments than Flanders as a whole, because these areas are mostly found in dense urban centers where the ratio of healthy food retailers to all retailers is higher. This research showed that food deserts and swamps could be a growing problem in European regions with a high population density that experience the high pressures of competing land uses.

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Background: I-O Optimise is a new pan-European data platform developed to enable real-world insights into the management of thoracic malignancies. As part of this initiative, the current analysis reports the characteristics and treatment patterns for adult patients diagnosed with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT), hosting one of the largest integrated cancer centres in the UK. Method: Retrospective cohort study using longitudinal data already collected from electronic medical records at LTHT, including all adult patients diagnosed with stage IIIB-IV NSCLC between January 2007 and August 2017. Minimum follow-up was 6 months. Distinct lines of therapy (LoT) were identified using a clinically-verified algorithm based on the name and date of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) administered and the gap between two treatments. Result: Overall, 2119 patients were included. Mean age at diagnosis was 71.4 ± 11.2 years. Nearly one-third (32.7%) were clinically diagnosed without pathological confirmation (TABLE) and very few of these patients have SACT administration recorded. Following diagnosis, 648 patients (30.6%) received 1 LoT, 223 (10.5%) 2 LoT and 60 (2.8%) 3 LoT. Proportions of patients treated decreased with age (73.5% [25/34] aged 18-44 years; 52.7% [267/507] aged 45-64 years; 29.8% [310/1040] aged 65-79 years; 8.6% [46/538] aged 80+ years) and performance score (58.5% [387/ 662] PS0-1; 38.2% [158/414] PS2; 6.1% [52/848] PS3-4). Between the periods 2007-2011 and 2012-2017, increased proportions were treated (28.2% [263/933] and 32.5% [385/1186] respectively). Patient characteristics of the treated cohort and regimens administered for 1 st and 2 nd LoT are shown (TABLE). Conclusion: Around 70% of this real-world cohort did not receive any SACT, and the administration of treatment was strongly associated with age and performance status. The changing availability of treatment options over time (including the emergence of immunotherapy) and survival outcomes by LoT will be presented in more detail for the cohort described.Background: Historically, CT studies are always viewed in several window settings, optimized to evaluate specific anatomic structures and regions (mediastinal, lung, bone and vascular window). A newly developed image processing technique fuses these conventional windows into a single "all-in-one" window. This new window is specifically designed for comparison and follow-up of CT studies in oncology. The purpose of this study is to compare lesion detection on this "all-in-one" window versus conventional window settings. Method: In this retrospective study, 50 consecutive thoracic oncology chest CT examinations, containing 417 documented lesions and features, were reviewed by 6 radiologists, subdivided into 2 groups of 3 radiologists each, with similar levels of expertise in each group (experienced, junior and radiology resident). All scans were reviewed in conventional window settings (as in routine daily practice), by one group and in the "all-inone" window by the other...

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