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Alrecon: computed tomography reconstruction web application based on Solara

List of Authors

  1. Gianluca Iori ,  
  2. Ibrahim Foudeh
    ,  
  3. Mustafa Alzu’bi
    ,  
  4. Malik Al Mohammad ,  
  5. Salman Matalgah
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Abstract

Synchrotron X-ray computed tomography is a non-destructive 3D imaging technique that offers the possibility to study the internal microstructure of samples with high spatial and temporal resolution. Given its unmatched image quality and acquisition speed, and the possibility to preserve the specimens, there is an increasing demand for this technique, from scientific users from innumerable disciplines. Computed tomography reconstruction is the computational process by which experimental radiographs are converted to a meaningful 3-dimensional image after the scan. The procedure involves pre-processing steps for image background and artifact correction on raw data, a reconstruction step approximating the inverse Radon-transform, and writing of the reconstructed volume image to disk. Several open-source Python packages exist to help scientists in the process of tomography reconstruction, by offering efficient implementations of reconstruction algorithms exploiting central or graphics processing unit (CPU and GPU, respectively), and by automating significant portions of the data processing pipeline. A further increase in productivity is attained by scheduling and parallelizing demanding reconstructions on high performance computing (HPC) clusters.

Nevertheless, visual inspection and interactive selection of optimal reconstruction parameters remain crucial steps that are often performed in close interaction with the end-user of the data. As a result, the reconstruction task involves more than one software. Graphical user interfaces are provided to the user for fast inspection and optimization of reconstructions, while HPC resources are often accessed through scripts and command line interface. We propose Alrecon, a pure Python web application for tomographic reconstruction built using Solara. Alrecon offers users an intuitive and reactive environment for exploring data and customizing reconstruction pipelines. By leveraging upon popular 3D image visualization tools, and by providing a user-friendly interface for reconstruction scheduling on HPC resources, Alrecon guarantees productivity and efficient use of resources for any type of beamline user.

Plain Language Summary

Micro Computed Tomography (CT) is a widely known technology that employs X-rays to visualize the interior of a specimen with high resolution. 3D images are generated from CT scans via a computational process called CT reconstruction. Alrecon is a modern, open-source web application for CT reconstruction, designed keeping non-expert and new users of the CT technology in mind.

Corresponding author
Gianluca Iori
0000-0001-8611-3281
Grant information

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [822535] (Beamline for Tomography at SESAME [BEATS]).

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Copyright
© 2024 Gianluca Iori (Corresponding Author, Co-Author); Ibrahim Foudeh (Co-Author); Mustafa Alzu’bi (Co-Author); Malik Al Mohammad (Co-Author); Salman Matalgah (Co-Author) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors & roles

Gianluca Iori

SESAME - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, Allan, 19252, Jordan

Roles
Corresponding Author, Co-Author, Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing
0000-0001-8611-3281

Ibrahim Foudeh

SESAME - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, Allan, 19252, Jordan

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing

Mustafa Alzu’bi

SESAME - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, Allan, 19252, Jordan

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Funding Acquisition, Resources, Supervision, Writing – Review & Editing

Malik Al Mohammad

SESAME - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, Allan, 19252, Jordan

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Writing – Review & Editing
0009-0007-4720-3162

Salman Matalgah

SESAME - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, Allan, 19252, Jordan

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Funding Acquisition, Project Administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – Review & Editing
0009-0002-3241-7655

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