Mica/Epoxy machine insulation is a composite material of the mineral mica, fibre-glass mesh and epoxy resin. The material is used in motors and generators rated for high voltage, where the material must withstand multiple stresses such as elevated temperatures, mechanical and electrical stresses. This is a novel investigation that focuses on the breakdown mechanisms related to electrical stress of the insulation. These include partial discharges and electrical treeing. The micro Computed Tomography (μCT) uses a series of X-ray images to visualise the interior. This provides a method for non-invasively examination of the insulation for any signs of material degradation caused by high electrical fields. The following thesis presents an initial study on how this material system interacts with the μCT, the production of 16 samples capable of being electrically aged and scanned in the μCT, with minimal interference, sample preparation and an analysis of the images produced from the μCT. The samples produced are electrically aged at different voltages after which they are scanned with the μCT. The images produced are then analysed for signs of material degradation using different software. Some of the samples did have a complete electrical breakdown and an attempt of correlating these breakdowns to the amount of folds in the insulation is done. It is found that samples with an aluminium core are suitable for μCT imaging. The visualisation of defects such as voids, resin rich parts or folds in insulation is also possible. The detection of material degradation due to electrical aging is not clear enough to draw any conclusions although some possible signs are found. For samples that had an electrical breakdown the result is much clearer. It shows the breakdown channels path inside the insulation, moving in between the mica tape layers. The samples with a complete breakdown also had tendencies that the breakdown channels followed the resin rich part in the sample. Even if no signs of electrical treeing can be seen in the samples during aging, the breakdown channels visualised still show what path the final treeing did take and how it did so by moving around the mica tape.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is one of the rare odontogenic tumours that affect the maxilo-facial regions. Skeletal myxomas are more common than soft tissue types in the facial regions. Odontogenic myxomas (OM) are non metastasizing tumours and therefore are considered benign. These lesions are known for their distinctive infiltrative nature which makes complete surgical removal a challenging task.Since the tumour occurs inside the bone and can reach a considerable size with little or no clinical manifestation, the radiologic examination remains the main method to determine the size and the extension of the tumour preoperatively.Aim of the study To assess the different imaging techniques which are currently in use for the diagnosis of the odontogenic myxomas.Materials and methods The images were retrieved from the library of the Department of Diagnostics and Radiology at the Tygerberg Oral Health Centre.Initially each of the imaging modalities was assessed independently to describe the imaging features of odontogenic myxoma on conventional radiograph,Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI). Secondly the imaging features of the three techniques were correlated and contrasted to determine the most valuable imaging modality in the diagnosis of the tumour.Results In this study we found that MRI was superior to other modalities in the ability to show and determine the true extension of the tumours. Therefore, MRI distinguished the tumour tissue from the surrounding structures and soft tissues.Myxomas were found to display characteristic patterns of growth on MRI. These patterns include lobulations and/or budding, nodulation and crevices formation.Moreover T2 weighted images deduced the contents of the tumour by emitting different signal intensities from the various components of the tumours.Additionally, characteristic pattern of contrast uptake differentiated the myxomatous, collagenous parts and presumed the nature of the trabeculae whether it is bony or fibrous.CT also showed the tumour and determined the subtle extension of the tumour into the adjacent structures and bone. Expansion and status of the cortical margin were reliably detected on CT. It also determined the pattern of growth in all tumours whether it is lobulation and/or budding, crevices formation or combination of them. In the present study this feature seemed to be a characteristic finding for all the tumours on CT. Moreover CT was able to compare densities of the tumours to surrounding muscles.Conventional radiography (CR) showed great limitations with regard to diagnostic abilities. Although it displayed the existence of the abnormality in all cases,conventional radiograph failed to detect margins and extension in most of the lesions. Therefore conventional radiograph is not reliable for presurgical assessment of the tumour or in differentiation the tumour from other benign and some malignant tumour. Conclusion In spite of the many limitations and shortcomings, conventional radiography remains the preliminary step in the diagnosis process. However digital imaging techniques provide images of great diagnostic value which is especially helpful in the diagnosis of odontogenic myxoma.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Nowadays, the availability of radiographic modalities from conventional radiography to more advanced approaches such as medical computed tomography as well as cone beam computed tomography have been useful in providing insights of relevant anatomy prior to surgical procedures. The increased popularity of cone beam computed tomography has prompted interest in the utility of this approach for diagnostic application in dentistry, including the assessment of the proximity of impacted mandibular third molars to the inferior alveolar canal. It is important to understand the reliability of conventional panoramic radiograph in the assessment of this criterion since it is more commonly used as first line radiographic approach due to its availability and lower radiation dose. This study is aimed to investigate the reliability of conventional panoramic radiograph in the evaluation of the proximity of impacted mandibular third molar root tip to the inferior alveolar canal by correlating the results with cone beam computed tomography. A retrospective study of forty nine patients who underwent panoramic radiography as well as cone beam computed tomography for examination of impacted mandibular third molars was conducted. Two observers were participated in all image evaluation. In this study, both observers recorded statistically significant differences in the measurement of the apices of vertically impacted third molars and the inferior alveolar canal from panoramic radiographs and cone beam computed tomography images. The low reliability of panoramic radiograph to assess the vertical proximity between these two anatomical structures suggests the importance of additional assessment with cone beam computed tomography in cases where panoramic radiograph shows superimposition of the third molar root on the roof of the canal, presence of root below the roof of the canal and presence of bone height of less than one millimetre separating the third molar from the inferior alveolar canal.

Dans le cadre du contrôle non destructif de matériaux, les scanners à rayons X sont devenus un moyen d’assurer la validité et la qualité de pièces de productions industrielles. TomoAdour, un prestataire de services privé en digitalisation 3D et tomographie industrielle à rayons X, utilise des technologies d’acquisition basées sur ce rayonnement telles qu’un scanner médical ou tomographe industriel, de manière à observer et à analyser des produits de ses clients. La nature des objets acquis (principalement de forte densité et de grandes dimensions) fait apparaître des défauts sur les images issues de ces scanners X. Il devient dès lors difficile, voire impossible, d’analyser les images produites. On notera en particulier la présence d’artefact métallique. Ce dernier est dû à la présence de matériaux très denses dans l’objet acquis et est la conséquence de la forte atténuation des rayons dans le métal et/ou de leur distorsion dans toutes les directions. Les données reconstruites sont donc souvent difficiles à interpréter directement, car ces artefacts peuvent masquer des informations importantes. De nombreuses méthodes ont été développées durant ces dernières années et la problématique de la réduction de l’artefact métallique a largement pu être étudiée, apportant bon nombre de solutions. Pourtant, les algorithmes proposés ne s’intéressent qu’aux applications médicales et ne tiennent donc pas compte des limitations physiques propres aux échantillons industriels. De plus, les méthodes proposées basent, toutes, leur traitement sur des données brutes, c’est-à-dire des données issues du scanner avant la phase de reconstruction (ensemble de radiographies ou de projections). Dans notre cas, seules les données reconstruites (tomogrammes, i.e. volume représentant l’objet) sont disponibles et il n’existe, à l’heure actuelle, aucune approche de réduction de l’artefact métallique basée sur ces reconstructions. Le but de ces travaux de recherche est donc de proposer, dans un premier temps, un outil permettant d’identifier et de quantifier l’artefact métallique dans les données reconstruites pour la correction de ces dernières. Dans un second temps, notre travail propose un ensemble d’approches adaptées à l’analyse de matériaux dans un contexte industriel [1; 2]. / In the field of non-destructive testing of materials, computed tomography became a good way to check defects in industrial piece production. TomoAdour is a private compagny specialized in 3D digitization and x-ray computed tomography, it uses medical and industrial imaging techniques to analyze materials provided by his customers. However, tomographic analysis is difficult to achieve due to the presence of high density objects (such that metal) in most produced pieces, leading to the well-known metal artifacts in reconstructed data. In X-Ray tomography, metal artifact is characterized by a local and straight hyper-signal. This observed phenomenon is due to high attenuations of the rays in the high density materials. Many different approaches have been proposed for metal artifact reduction during the last decade. However, these methods have been developed for medical application and does not take into account physical limitations specific to industrial materials. Moreover, state-of-the-art approaches start their process from the original projection data, that is to say directly from the acquired data. In our context, only reconstructed image is available due to clinical scanner usage, and there is currently no metal artifact reduction method only based on these data. The goal of this work is first to propose a tool which permit identifying and measuring metal artifact in the reconstructed data in order to correct them. Then, our work take in interest in presenting methods developed for an industrial context[1; 2].

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has become increasingly popular in dentistry. It is usually associated with radiation doses that are lower than those seen with conventional computed tomography (CT) but greater than those seen with dental radiography. Because exposure to ionising radiation is associated with risks, the radiation protection principles of justification and optimisation should be applied. These are especially important in children and young people due to their greater risk of developing stochastic effects. Justification requires a balancing of the radiation risk with the potential benefits and the latter is dependent on diagnostic efficacy. There has been a proliferation of articles published on dental CBCT and there is a need to review this systematically so that diagnostic efficacy can be judged. In terms of optimisation, radiation dose reduction can be achieved in various ways, but the use of barrier materials to protect younger patients in CBCT has not been adequately tested. Reduction in exposure parameters in CBCT will lower doses but at the expense of a loss of image quality. While some efforts have been made to relate radiation exposure and image quality in CBCT, there is a need to develop low-dose CBCT protocols specifically for children and young people. The first aim of this thesis was to survey current uses of CBCT in children and young people in three United Kingdom dental hospitals. The second aim was to determine the efficacy of thyroid shielding in a child phantom testing several different designs, materials and thickness of thyroid shields. The third aim was to evaluate the evidence on diagnostic efficacy of dental CBCT for root fractures in permanent, non-endodontically treated, anterior teeth by conducting a systematic review. The fourth aim was to evaluate objective and subjective image quality in a laboratory study to determine a low-dose CBCT protocol which maintains adequate diagnostic image quality for a clinical indication in children. Finally, the aim was to evaluate this low-dose protocol in terms of image quality in real clinical situations. A high adherence to the European guidelines No 172 on radiation protection in dental CBCT was found amongst the surveyed hospitals. Thyroid shielding was found to be effective in dose reduction when performing a large field of view CBCT scan in a child phantom, but design influenced efficacy. The systematic review showed that research articles investigating CBCT diagnostic accuracy for vertical and horizontal root fractures had deficiencies in methodology, while only one study was identified addressing higher levels of diagnostic efficacy. A low-dose imaging protocol was identified in a laboratory study, which has been shown to be an effective tool in dose reduction providing an adequate diagnostic image quality and reducing radiation doses considerably for clinical indications in the anterior maxilla in children and young people.

Research on sex and gender in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has primarily focused on differences in pulmonary function. Detailed gender- and sex-based analyses of other aspects of COPD, including epidemiology, risk factors other than cigarette smoke, pathophysiology, and measurement tools are warranted. In Chapter Two we analyzed administrative health services data to compare the prevalence, mortality and use of drugs and spirometry in men and women with COPD. Contrary to recent predictions, we did not detect a dramatic increase in the prevalence or mortality of COPD over time in women compared to men. We discuss how different coding practices in medical billing can impact the results. In Chapter Three we examined sex differences in COPD phenotypes. We hypothesized that male smokers would have more emphysema whereas female smokers would have more airway wall remodeling using data from high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans. We did detect more emphysema in male smokers but there was no evidence of increased airway remodeling in women. We discuss the limits of HRCT to detect airway differences in women and men. In Chapter Four we examined the use of HRCT in assessing emphysema. We hypothesized that the computer-derived estimates of emphysema (the fractal value and the % low attenuation area (%LAA)) would differentiate COPD from non-COPD as accurately as the radiologist’s emphysema scores, and would provide similar predictions in both men and women. Instead, we found that the subjective rating of emphysema best differentiated COPD, and the fractal value (a measure of emphysematous lesion size) better differentiated COPD compared with an established objective measurement, the %LAA. These results were generally the same in men and women. In Chapter Five we examined characteristics of COPD in women exposed to biomass smoke. We hypothesized that biomass smoke would induce an airway disease-predominant phenotype. We found that women with biomass smoke-exposed COPD had greater airway remodeling and less emphysema than women with tobacco smoke-exposed COPD. In summary, these findings suggest that sex and gender differences are present in COPD epidemiology and pathophysiology. However, current research measurement tools may limit the ability to accurately measure these differences. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

Stroke is now a well-recognised risk factor for hip fracture. The aim of this study was to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms by which hip bone loss occurs in hemiplegia and to test the efficacy of a novel pharmaceutical strategy for preserving bone in stroke patients. Patients who were admitted acutely with a first-ever stroke and who remained unable to walk one week later were studied prospectively for 12 months, with a series of bone mineral density measurements of the hips (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) in the context of a randomised controlled trial. Untreated patients (n=13) experienced a decline in bone mineral density at the hemiplegic hip that was rapid, with the greatest losses in the trochanteric region of the affected side. This bone loss was prevented by the administration of a single 4 mg dose of the intravenous bisphosphonate, zoledronate (n=14) within 35 days of stroke onset. Computed tomography of the hips in 8 untreated patients more than a year after stroke confirmed that the greatest difference between sides was in the trochanteric region. Serum vitamin D measurements in 44 patients with acute stroke were substantially lower than healthy elderly controls, with 77% of patients in the insufficient range, suggesting that vitamin D insufficiency preceded stroke. Histomorphometric analysis of iliac bone biopsies from hemiplegic patients 10 weeks following stroke showed normal erosion parameters, but a striking decrease in the surface extent of osteoid when compared with healthy reference values. Unexpectedly, treatment with zoledronate was associated with a significantly higher osteoid surface compared with placebo treated subjects in cancellous, endocortical and cortical bone. Sclerostin, a newly discovered osteocyte-derived protein was studied using immunohistochemical staining of the bone biopsies. Sclerostin is known to be an inhibitor of active osteoblasts, which led to the hypothesis that in stroke, the proportion of osteocytes expressing sclerostin would be inversely associated with the surface extent of bone formation. Histological analysis revealed widespread expression of sclerostin in osteocytes and their canaliculi in all subjects. However, examining individual osteocytes in relation to bone forming surfaces revealed that newly embedded osteocytes did not express sclerostin until after primary mineralisation. It is proposed that this precise pattern and timing of sclerostin expression by osteocytes allows bone formation to continue locally (during remodelling), but prevents excessive new bone formation elsewhere, as seen in the single gene disorder sclerosteosis.

The Ottawa Embayment is a intracratonic rift basin that preserves a unique and eventful history through deep time. Its evolution records opening of the Iapetus Ocean with the break-up of Rodinia, followed by the formation of a continental passive margin, trapping siliciclastic sediments eroded from the adjacent Grenville Province. Samples were collected from a transect across the crystalline rift flank and through the embayment. We investigate the influence of crystallinitiy and non-ideal crystal chapes on He diffusion and resulting zircon (U-Th)/He age with the use of zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry, raman spectroscopy and x-ray micro-computed tomography. We then integrate our thermochronology data with regional geology to utilize multi-sample numerical modelling to improve our understanding of the thermal history of the Ottawa Embayment and the evolution of intracratonic rift basins. The works collected within define a comprehensive temperature-time history for the basin and rift flank from the Late-Mesoproterozoic to present day.

L’inflammation et le remodelage des voies aériennes sont des processus pathologiques de signification pronostique différente qui caractérisent la plupart des maladies obstructives bronchiques, asthme et bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) notamment. L’examen histologique de l’inflammation et du remodelage requiert un geste biopsique invasif qui est rarement réalisé en routine. Le développement de méthodes d’évaluation non invasives autoriserait un phénotypage plus précis des patients et le développement de thérapeutiques ciblées. Les progrès de la tomodensitométrie (TDM) ont favorisé l’essor d’une imagerie quantitative permettant des mesures morphométriques des lumières et parois bronchiques. Ces paramètres morphométriques sont corrélés aux indices fonctionnels d’obstruction mais leur manque de standardisation limite leur utilisation en routine. Nous avons étudié chez l’homme et le petit animal des paramètres TDM basés non pas sur la morphométrie mais sur la densitométrie de la paroi bronchique. Nos résultats dans l’asthme et la BPCO indiquent que l’atténuation pariétale bronchique possède une valeur diagnostique au moins équivalente à celle des paramètres morphométriques, est mieux corrélée aux indices d’obstruction fonctionnelle, et pourrait être un marqueur du remodelage dans l’asthme. Chez la souris asthmatique, les paramètres d’atténuation péribronchique extraits d’image de micro-TDM sont aussi corrélés au remodelage histologique. Le concept d’atténuation pariétale bronchique est donc prometteur pour l’étude non invasive du remodelage même si des étapes supplémentaires de validation sont nécessaires pour s’assurer de la reproductibilité des méthodes. / Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are frequent conditions characterized by two main pathological changes: bronchial inflammation and remodelling. Pathological examination requires invasive biopsy, which is rarely performed in routine. Therefore there is a great interest in developing non-invasive methods that would lead to more precise phenotyping of patients and the development of new targeted treatments. Computed tomography (CT) can provide a quantitative morphometry-based analysis of the airways. These morphometric parameters have been shown to correlate with functional obstruction but are poorly used in routine practice due to their lack of standardisation. The aim of our studies was to investigate the value of CT attenuation-based parameters in humans and animals. In asthma and COPD, we have shown that the wall attenuation value had diagnostic performances comparable to those of morphometric parameters, correlated better with functional obstructive indexes, and could be a marker of remodelling in asthma. In asthmatic mice, peribronchial attenuation values extracted from respiratory-gated micro-CT images correlate with remodeling. Therefore, the concept of bronchial wall attenuation seems to be promising for assessing non-invasively airways remodeling. Further studies are required to ensure the full reproducibility of these methods.

Following chemo-mechanical cleaning of the root canal system, the provision of a fluid-tight seal is one of the main requirements for successful endodontic treatment. Gutta percha with a sealer has been considered as the gold standard root canal filling for many years. However, it does not have all the properties of an ideal root canal filling. A resin-based root filling, Resilon, has been introduced which has the advantage of bonding to the root canal dentine forming a “monoblock”. Different properties of Resilon have been investigated, but some properties using different obturation techniques and in retreatment need further investigation. The aim of this project was to investigate selected properties of Resilon in primary endodontic treatment (quality of obturation using either cold lateral condensation or thermal compaction, and push-out bond strength following the use of different intracanal medicaments) and secondary endodontic treatment (removability using a combination of hand and rotary instrumentation, fracture resistance and leakage resistance following different removal techniques).Using micro-CT, the volume of voids in root canals obturated with Resilon in comparison with gutta percha using either cold lateral condensation or thermal compaction was investigated. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two materials regardless of the obturation technique. The use of Vitapex and iodoform was found to significantly reduce the bond strength of Resilon to dentine in comparison with calcium hydroxide and its aqueous combination with iodoform (Calcipast1). The effectiveness of the combined use of hand K-files and ProTaper retreatment files in removal of Resilon using either cold lateral condensation or thermal compaction was compared to that of gutta percha. Micro-CT assessment showed that Resilon resulted in significantly more remaining material than gutta percha when thermal compaction was used. Fracture resistance of retreated roots filled with Resilon was found to be not significantly different from those filled with gutta percha irrespective to the removal technique (either hand K-files or ProTaper retreatment files). Using the same retreatment techniques, dye leakage resistance of root canals re-filled with Resilon was compared with that of primarily treated root canals. The results showed that there was no significant difference in leakage resistance between re-treated and primarily treated root canals. Obturation with Resilon was shown to have no significant advantage over gutta percha in terms of quality of obturation and fracture resistance in retreated roots. More investigation of the clinical performance of Resilon is required before it can be considered as a replacement for gutta percha.