Applications of computed tomography (CT) scanning technology in forest research: a timely update and review

Abstract

Organic materials of woody plants are complex and show internal, structural, and morphological variations due to genetic and environmental influences. Variability can be observed in stems, branches, leaves, and roots. Nondestructive and noninvasive technologies have been proposed to assess this variability. Computed tomography (CT) scanning, originally designed for medical diagnostics, permits the measurement of wood properties in situ (e.g., wood density, moisture content, internal defects, annual growth) and crown traits that characterize branching pattern geometry and canopy space occupancy for small-sized trees. Since Wei et al.’s (2011, Can. J. For. Res. 41(11): 2120–2140, doi: 10.1139/x11-111 ) review on the assessment of wood quality for optimized manufacturing processes using a CT scanner, several important developments have occurred, motivating the preparation of an update. We provide technical clarifications about the scales of observation and resolution; report on recent studies in which CT scanning was applied with research objectives beyond wood quality assessment for an optimized manufacturing of forest products; and stress the importance of analytical procedures for the graphical and quantitative analyses of CT scanning data (images and numbers) and the need for specialized algorithms and software. With this review, readers are expected to be well informed of the avenues offered by CT scanning technology in forest research in general.

Ancient Basketry on the Inside: X-ray Computed Tomography for the Non-destructive Assessment of Small Archaeological Monocotyledonous Fragments. Examples from South-east Europe

“…There are numerous factors that make charred monocotyledonous stems and leaves much more unstable than wood charcoal, including their different mechanical properties, the chemical composition of tissues etc. (Beailieu & Dutilleul, 2019). However, conducting a noninvasive observation, such as CT scanning, could obtain the maximum information if we are about to lose the fragment under-examination when breaking it for obtaining planes of observation.…”

“…Initially designed for medical diagnostics, X-ray computed tomography scanning has been also applied for research purposes of different materials (Tuniz & Zanini, 2018). Since the current study focusses on basketry, and baskets are traditionally made with woody material and "grasses" (monocotyledonous), here a brief overview of the existing applications of CT to archaeological woody and non-woody material will be summarised (Beailieu & Dutilleul, 2019). It should be mentioned that very few previous applications of CT technology to non-carpological archaeological monocotyledonous remains were encountered in the existing scholarship.…”

Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease through Weak Supervision Deep Learning Framework with Attention Mechanism

“…Different forms of neuroimaging techniques have been used in clinical practice to diagnose AD, including computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [ 9 ]. CT is a structural imaging technique that integrates X-ray projections from multiple angles and generates cross-sectional or three-dimensional (3D) images [ 10 ]. It has the advantages of low cost and fast examination speed.…”

Towards Robust and Accurate Detection of Abnormalities in Musculoskeletal Radiographs with a Multi-Network Model

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of tomographic investigation, which uses magnetic resonance to obtain electro-magnetic signals from the human body and could be used to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) structural information of the body in specific clinical situations [7]. Among the three medical imaging methods, CT offers unique advantages: a large display field, high density resolution, and fast imaging velocity; however, it also has deficiencies such as the large amount of radiation and its high cost [8]. MRI can be used to perform 3D reconstruction of body tissues without exposure to radiation; however, it suffers from low sensitivity to fractures and it is the most expensive among the available methods [9].…”