A method for evaluating a piezoelectric film containing a perovskite oxide containing a lead atom, a zirconium atom, and a titanium atom, and the method includes a process of irradiating the piezoelectric film with X-rays to acquire an extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectrum at the L3 absorption edge of the lead atom, a process of Fourier-transforming the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectrum to acquire a radial distribution function, and a process of acquiring the intensity of a first peak having a distance from the lead atom of 1.40.2 , the intensity of a second peak having a distance from the lead atom of 2.00.2 , and the intensity of a third peak having a distance from the lead atom of 2.60.2 from the radial distribution function, and then evaluating the film quality of the piezoelectric film from a value obtained by dividing the intensity of the first peak by the intensity of the second peak and a value obtained by dividing the intensity of the first peak by the intensity of the third peak.

The present invention provides deterioration analysis method which allows a detailed analysis of deterioration, especially deterioration of surface conditions, of a polymer material. The present invention relates to a deterioration analysis method, including irradiating a polymer material with high intensity X-rays, and measuring X-ray absorption while varying the energy of the X-rays, to analyze deterioration of the polymer.

The present invention provides deterioration analysis method which allows a detailed analysis of deterioration, especially deterioration of surface conditions, of a polymer material. The present invention relates to a deterioration analysis method, including irradiating a polymer material with high intensity X-rays, and measuring X-ray absorption while varying the energy of the X-rays, to analyze deterioration of the polymer.

A method for evaluating a piezoelectric film containing a perovskite oxide containing a lead atom, a zirconium atom, and a titanium atom, and the method includes a process of irradiating the piezoelectric film with X-rays to acquire an extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectrum at the L3 absorption edge of the lead atom, a process of Fourier-transforming the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectrum to acquire a radial distribution function, and a process of acquiring the intensity of a first peak having a distance from the lead atom of 1.40.2 , the intensity of a second peak having a distance from the lead atom of 2.00.2 , and the intensity of a third peak having a distance from the lead atom of 2.60.2 from the radial distribution function, and then evaluating the film quality of the piezoelectric film from a value obtained by dividing the intensity of the first peak by the intensity of the second peak and a value obtained by dividing the intensity of the first peak by the intensity of the third peak.

In an X-ray photoelectron spectrum under conditions of incident X-ray energy of 250 eV and a photoelectron take-off angle of 45 degree, when a sum of an area of Si 2p.sub.1/2 spectrum and an area of Si 2p.sub.3/2 spectrum is 1, a sum of an area of a Si.sup.2+ spectrum, an area of a Si.sup.3+ spectrum, and an area of a Si.sup.4+ spectrum is smaller than 1.8.

In an X-ray photoelectron spectrum under conditions of incident X-ray energy of 250 eV and a photoelectron take-off angle of 45 degree, when a sum of an area of Si 2p.sub.1/2 spectrum and an area of Si 2p.sub.3/2 spectrum is 1, a sum of an area of a Si.sup.2+ spectrum, an area of a Si.sup.3+ spectrum, and an area of a Si.sup.4+ spectrum is smaller than 1.8.

The present invention provides deterioration analysis method which allows a detailed analysis of deterioration, especially deterioration of surface conditions, of a polymer material. The present invention relates to a deterioration analysis method, including irradiating a polymer material with high intensity X-rays, and measuring X-ray absorption while varying the energy of the X-rays, to analyze deterioration of the polymer.

The present invention relates to the generation of an Atomic Therapeutic Indicator (ATI) for a test sample by the quantification of manganese; in voxels of a 3D region of the sample, wherein the 3D region is topographically defined by co-ordinates XxYxZ. The ATI is used to assess the radio-responsiveness i.e. sensitivity or resistance to radiation treatment, of a cancer i.e. a tumour/neoplasm. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of generating the ATI, assessing the radio-responsiveness of a tumour/neoplasm based on the ATI and, based on the assessment, either treating or not treating the tumour with radiation.

The present invention also relates to a method of determining if a cancer is likely to reoccur post radiation treatment comprising quantifying the level of manganese in voxels of a 3D region of a test sample from the cancer and determining the frequency of high metallomic regions (HMRs) in the cancer, wherein a high frequency of HMRs is indicative that the cancer is likely to reoccur and a low frequency of HMRs is indicative that the cancer is unlikely to reoccur; and associated methods of treatment.

The invention further relates to a method of determining the radio-responsiveness of a melanoma, the method comprising determining the level of melanin in a test sample from the melanoma, wherein the lower the level of melanin the more sensitive the melanoma is to radiation and the higher the level of melanin the more resistant the melanoma is to radiation; and associated methods of treatment.

An X-ray imaging apparatus may include an image acquirer configured to acquire a plurality of X-ray images of an object in different energy bands; and an image processor configured to perform scattering correction on the plurality of X-ray images to remove X-ray scattering from the plurality of X-ray images, perform material separation on the plurality of X-ray images on which the scattering correction has been performed to acquire material information of at least one material included in the object, and repeatedly perform the scattering correction and the material separation depending on whether a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Provided is an evaluation method that provides detailed information on the crosslink densities in sulfur-containing polymer composite materials. The present invention relates to a method of measuring crosslink densities in a sulfur-containing polymer composite material, the method including: a measurement step of irradiating the sulfur-containing polymer composite material with high intensity X-rays and measuring an X-ray absorption spectrum of the composite material while varying the energy of the X-rays; a visualization step of determining the three-dimensional structure of sulfur atoms in the sulfur-containing polymer composite material by the reverse Monte Carlo method from the X-ray absorption spectrum; and a calculation step of calculating, from the three-dimensional structure of sulfur atoms, a crosslink density for each number of sulfur atoms bonded.