Abstract: The invention relates to small molecule inhibitors of GPR68, useful as therapeutic agents in conditions benefitted from inhibition of GPR68, such as cancers and acute lung injuries. Selective inhibition of GPR68 caused robust cell death in glioblastoma cell lines, without toxicity, as well as death of other cancer cells, such as lung and pancreatic cancers. Synergistic benefits are achieved using combination treatment of GPR68 inhibitor compounds with radiation therapy or traditional chemotherapies for cancers. Thus, GPR68 inhibition enhances the therapeutic efficacy of ionizing radiation and chemotherapies. GPR68 inhibition is a therapeutic approach to induce ferroptosis in glioblastoma multiforme and other cancers, in a synergistic manner with ionizing radiation. Since ferroptosis is a form of immunogenic cell death, GPR68 inhibition represents an attractive approach to enhance cancer immunotherapies, including check-point inhibitors and cancer vaccines.

Abstract: A flat panel x-ray imager exhibiting reduced ghosting effects and overvoltage protection by appropriate leakage current characteristics of the thin-film transistor array. A top electrode of a suitable material is directly on an amorphous selenium-based charge generator layer allowing charge transport across the layer, thereby reducing ghosting. Alternatively, a non-insulating organic layer may be between the top electrode and the charge generating layer. The thin-film transistors have leakage current that rises relatively slowly with voltage across the transistor within a range that matches exposure through an object being imaged but rises at a sufficiently higher rate within a higher range to provide protection even when a corresponding region of the charge generator layer receives greater amounts of x-rays. A voltage is applied to the top electrode. This voltage may be within the range of 500 V to 2,000 V.

Abstract: A method for developing a set of gain correction coefficients corrected for structural noise to be used in correcting the digital values representing an image captured by a pixelated detector having a plurality of individual sensors. The gain correction coefficients are developed by first obtaining a first set gain correction coefficients using a flat exposure and adjusting the individual sensor gain output so that all sensors produce the same output value, and then applying a smoothing filter to the first set of gain correction coefficients to obtain a new set of corrected gain correction coefficients.