A new registration method with voxel-matching technique for temporal subtraction images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itai, Yoshinori; Kim, Hyoungseop; Ishikawa, Seiji; Katsuragawa, Shigehiko; Doi, Kunio

2008-03-01

A temporal subtraction image, which is obtained by subtraction of a previous image from a current one, can be used for enhancing interval changes on medical images by removing most of normal structures. One of the important problems in temporal subtraction is that subtraction images commonly include artifacts created by slight differences in the size, shape, and/or location of anatomical structures. In this paper, we developed a new registration method with voxel-matching technique for substantially removing the subtraction artifacts on the temporal subtraction image obtained from multiple-detector computed tomography (MDCT). With this technique, the voxel value in a warped (or non-warped) previous image is replaced by a voxel value within a kernel, such as a small cube centered at a given location, which would be closest (identical or nearly equal) to the voxel value in the corresponding location in the current image. Our new method was examined on 16 clinical cases with MDCT images. Preliminary results indicated that interval changes on the subtraction images were enhanced considerably, with a substantial reduction of misregistration artifacts. The temporal subtraction images obtained by use of the voxel-matching technique would be very useful for radiologists in the detection of interval changes on MDCT images.

Identification of hand motion using background subtraction method and extraction of image binary with backpropagation neural network on skeleton model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauziah; Wibowo, E. P.; Madenda, S.; Hustinawati

2018-03-01

Capturing and recording motion in human is mostly done with the aim for sports, health, animation films, criminality, and robotic applications. In this study combined background subtraction and back propagation neural network. This purpose to produce, find similarity movement. The acquisition process using 8 MP resolution camera MP4 format, duration 48 seconds, 30frame/rate. video extracted produced 1444 pieces and results hand motion identification process. Phase of image processing performed is segmentation process, feature extraction, identification. Segmentation using bakground subtraction, extracted feature basically used to distinguish between one object to another object. Feature extraction performed by using motion based morfology analysis based on 7 invariant moment producing four different classes motion: no object, hand down, hand-to-side and hands-up. Identification process used to recognize of hand movement using seven inputs. Testing and training with a variety of parameters tested, it appears that architecture provides the highest accuracy in one hundred hidden neural network. The architecture is used propagate the input value of the system implementation process into the user interface. The result of the identification of the type of the human movement has been clone to produce the highest acuracy of 98.5447%. The training process is done to get the best results.

getimages: Background derivation and image flattening method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Men'shchikov, Alexander

2017-05-01

getimages performs background derivation and image flattening for high-resolution images obtained with space observatories. It is based on median filtering with sliding windows corresponding to a range of spatial scales from the observational beam size up to a maximum structure width X. The latter is a single free parameter of getimages that can be evaluated manually from the observed image. The median filtering algorithm provides a background image for structures of all widths below X. The same median filtering procedure applied to an image of standard deviations derived from a background-subtracted image results in a flattening image. Finally, a flattened image is computed by dividing the background-subtracted by the flattening image. Standard deviations in the flattened image are now uniform outside sources and filaments. Detecting structures in such radically simplified images results in much cleaner extractions that are more complete and reliable. getimages also reduces various observational and map-making artifacts and equalizes noise levels between independent tiles of mosaicked images. The code (a Bash script) uses FORTRAN utilities from getsources (ascl:1507.014), which must be installed.

FPGA implementation for real-time background subtraction based on Horprasert model.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Gomez, Rafael; Fernandez-Sanchez, Enrique J; Diaz, Javier; Ros, Eduardo

2012-01-01

Background subtraction is considered the first processing stage in video surveillance systems, and consists of determining objects in movement in a scene captured by a static camera. It is an intensive task with a high computational cost. This work proposes an embedded novel architecture on FPGA which is able to extract the background on resource-limited environments and offers low degradation (produced because of the hardware-friendly model modification). In addition, the original model is extended in order to detect shadows and improve the quality of the segmentation of the moving objects. We have analyzed the resource consumption and performance in Spartan3 Xilinx FPGAs and compared to others works available on the literature, showing that the current architecture is a good trade-off in terms of accuracy, performance and resources utilization. With less than a 65% of the resources utilization of a XC3SD3400 Spartan-3A low-cost family FPGA, the system achieves a frequency of 66.5 MHz reaching 32.8 fps with resolution 1,024 × 1,024 pixels, and an estimated power consumption of 5.76 W.

FPGA Implementation for Real-Time Background Subtraction Based on Horprasert Model

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Gomez, Rafael; Fernandez-Sanchez, Enrique J.; Diaz, Javier; Ros, Eduardo

2012-01-01

Background subtraction is considered the first processing stage in video surveillance systems, and consists of determining objects in movement in a scene captured by a static camera. It is an intensive task with a high computational cost. This work proposes an embedded novel architecture on FPGA which is able to extract the background on resource-limited environments and offers low degradation (produced because of the hardware-friendly model modification). In addition, the original model is extended in order to detect shadows and improve the quality of the segmentation of the moving objects. We have analyzed the resource consumption and performance in Spartan3 Xilinx FPGAs and compared to others works available on the literature, showing that the current architecture is a good trade-off in terms of accuracy, performance and resources utilization. With less than a 65% of the resources utilization of a XC3SD3400 Spartan-3A low-cost family FPGA, the system achieves a frequency of 66.5 MHz reaching 32.8 fps with resolution 1,024 × 1,024 pixels, and an estimated power consumption of 5.76 W. PMID:22368487

The spectrum of static subtracted geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrade, Tomás; Castro, Alejandra; Cohen-Maldonado, Diego

2017-05-01

Subtracted geometries are black hole solutions of the four dimensional STU model with rather interesting ties to asymptotically flat black holes. A peculiar feature is that the solutions to the Klein-Gordon equation on this subtracted background can be organized according to representations of the conformal group SO(2, 2). We test if this behavior persists for the linearized fluctuations of gravitational and matter fields on static, electrically charged backgrounds of this kind. We find that there is a subsector of the modes that do display conformal symmetry, while some modes do not. We also discuss two different effective actions that describe these subtracted geometries and how the spectrum of quasinormal modes is dramatically different depending upon the action used.

Tomographic image via background subtraction using an x-ray projection image and a priori computed tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Jin; Yi Byongyong; Lasio, Giovanni

Kilovoltage x-ray projection images (kV images for brevity) are increasingly available in image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for patient positioning. These images are two-dimensional (2D) projections of a three-dimensional (3D) object along the x-ray beam direction. Projecting a 3D object onto a plane may lead to ambiguities in the identification of anatomical structures and to poor contrast in kV images. Therefore, the use of kV images in IGRT is mainly limited to bony landmark alignments. This work proposes a novel subtraction technique that isolates a slice of interest (SOI) from a kV image with the assistance of a priori information frommore » a previous CT scan. The method separates structural information within a preselected SOI by suppressing contributions to the unprocessed projection from out-of-SOI-plane structures. Up to a five-fold increase in the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) was observed in selected regions of the isolated SOI, when compared to the original unprocessed kV image. The tomographic image via background subtraction (TIBS) technique aims to provide a quick snapshot of the slice of interest with greatly enhanced image contrast over conventional kV x-ray projections for fast and accurate image guidance of radiation therapy. With further refinements, TIBS could, in principle, provide real-time tumor localization using gantry-mounted x-ray imaging systems without the need for implanted markers.« less

Subtraction method of computing QCD jet cross sections at NNLO accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trócsányi, Zoltán; Somogyi, Gábor

2008-10-01

We present a general subtraction method for computing radiative corrections to QCD jet cross sections at next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy. The steps needed to set up this subtraction scheme are the same as those used in next-to-leading order computations. However, all steps need non-trivial modifications, which we implement such that that those can be defined at any order in perturbation theory. We give a status report of the implementation of the method to computing jet cross sections in electron-positron annihilation at the next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy.

Improved Savitzky-Golay-method-based fluorescence subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra.

PubMed

Chen, Kun; Zhang, Hongyuan; Wei, Haoyun; Li, Yan

2014-08-20

In this paper, we propose an improved subtraction algorithm for rapid recovery of Raman spectra that can substantially reduce the computation time. This algorithm is based on an improved Savitzky-Golay (SG) iterative smoothing method, which involves two key novel approaches: (a) the use of the Gauss-Seidel method and (b) the introduction of a relaxation factor into the iterative procedure. By applying a novel successive relaxation (SG-SR) iterative method to the relaxation factor, additional improvement in the convergence speed over the standard Savitzky-Golay procedure is realized. The proposed improved algorithm (the RIA-SG-SR algorithm), which uses SG-SR-based iteration instead of Savitzky-Golay iteration, has been optimized and validated with a mathematically simulated Raman spectrum, as well as experimentally measured Raman spectra from non-biological and biological samples. The method results in a significant reduction in computing cost while yielding consistent rejection of fluorescence and noise for spectra with low signal-to-fluorescence ratios and varied baselines. In the simulation, RIA-SG-SR achieved 1 order of magnitude improvement in iteration number and 2 orders of magnitude improvement in computation time compared with the range-independent background-subtraction algorithm (RIA). Furthermore the computation time of the experimentally measured raw Raman spectrum processing from skin tissue decreased from 6.72 to 0.094 s. In general, the processing of the SG-SR method can be conducted within dozens of milliseconds, which can provide a real-time procedure in practical situations.

A retention-time-shift-tolerant background subtraction and noise reduction algorithm (BgS-NoRA) for extraction of drug metabolites in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data from biological matrices.

PubMed

Zhu, Peijuan; Ding, Wei; Tong, Wei; Ghosal, Anima; Alton, Kevin; Chowdhury, Swapan

2009-06-01

A retention-time-shift-tolerant background subtraction and noise reduction algorithm (BgS-NoRA) is implemented using the statistical programming language R to remove non-drug-related ion signals from accurate mass liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data. The background-subtraction part of the algorithm is similar to a previously published procedure (Zhang H and Yang Y. J. Mass Spectrom. 2008, 43: 1181-1190). The noise reduction algorithm (NoRA) is an add-on feature to help further clean up the residual matrix ion noises after background subtraction. It functions by removing ion signals that are not consistent across many adjacent scans. The effectiveness of BgS-NoRA was examined in biological matrices by spiking blank plasma extract, bile and urine with diclofenac and ibuprofen that have been pre-metabolized by microsomal incubation. Efficient removal of background ions permitted the detection of drug-related ions in in vivo samples (plasma, bile, urine and feces) obtained from rats orally dosed with (14)C-loratadine with minimal interference. Results from these experiments demonstrate that BgS-NoRA is more effective in removing analyte-unrelated ions than background subtraction alone. NoRA is shown to be particularly effective in the early retention region for urine samples and middle retention region for bile samples, where the matrix ion signals still dominate the total ion chromatograms (TICs) after background subtraction. In most cases, the TICs after BgS-NoRA are in excellent qualitative correlation to the radiochromatograms. BgS-NoRA will be a very useful tool in metabolite detection and identification work, especially in first-in-human (FIH) studies and multiple dose toxicology studies where non-radio-labeled drugs are administered. Data from these types of studies are critical to meet the latest FDA guidance on Metabolite in Safety Testing (MIST). Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A method to characterise site, urban and regional ambient background radiation.

PubMed

Passmore, C; Kirr, M

2011-03-01

Control dosemeters are routinely provided to customers to monitor the background radiation so that it can be subtracted from the gross response of the dosemeter to arrive at the occupational dose. Landauer, the largest dosimetry processor in the world with subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Mexico and the UK, has clients in approximately 130 countries. The Glenwood facility processes over 1.1 million controls per year. This network of clients around the world provides a unique ability to monitor the world's ambient background radiation. Control data can be mined to provide useful historical information regarding ambient background rates and provide a historical baseline for geographical areas. Historical baseline can be used to provide site or region-specific background subtraction values, document the variation in ambient background radiation around a client's site or provide a baseline for measuring the efficiency of clean-up efforts in urban areas after a dirty bomb detonation.

Automatic background updating for video-based vehicle detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chunhai; Li, Dongmei; Liu, Jichuan

2008-03-01

Video-based vehicle detection is one of the most valuable techniques for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The widely used video-based vehicle detection technique is the background subtraction method. The key problem of this method is how to subtract and update the background effectively. In this paper an efficient background updating scheme based on Zone-Distribution for vehicle detection is proposed to resolve the problems caused by sudden camera perturbation, sudden or gradual illumination change and the sleeping person problem. The proposed scheme is robust and fast enough to satisfy the real-time constraints of vehicle detection.

Object tracking via background subtraction for monitoring illegal activity in crossroad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghimire, Deepak; Jeong, Sunghwan; Park, Sang Hyun; Lee, Joonwhoan

2016-07-01

In the field of intelligent transportation system a great number of vision-based techniques have been proposed to prevent pedestrians from being hit by vehicles. This paper presents a system that can perform pedestrian and vehicle detection and monitoring of illegal activity in zebra crossings. In zebra crossing, according to the traffic light status, to fully avoid a collision, a driver or pedestrian should be warned earlier if they possess any illegal moves. In this research, at first, we detect the traffic light status of pedestrian and monitor the crossroad for vehicle pedestrian moves. The background subtraction based object detection and tracking is performed to detect pedestrian and vehicles in crossroads. Shadow removal, blob segmentation, trajectory analysis etc. are used to improve the object detection and classification performance. We demonstrate the experiment in several video sequences which are recorded in different time and environment such as day time and night time, sunny and raining environment. Our experimental results show that such simple and efficient technique can be used successfully as a traffic surveillance system to prevent accidents in zebra crossings.

M-band imaging of the HR 8799 planetary system using an innovative LOCI-based background subtraction technique

DOE PAGES

Galicher, Raphael; Marois, Christian; Macintosh, Bruce; ...

2011-09-02

Multi-wavelength observations/spectroscopy of exoplanetary atmospheres are the basis of the emerging exciting field of comparative exoplanetology. The HR 8799 planetary system is an ideal laboratory to study our current knowledge gap between massive field brown dwarfs and the cold 5 Gyr old solar system planets. The HR 8799 planets have so far been imaged at J- to L-band, with only upper limits available at M-band. We present here deep high-contrast Keck II adaptive optics M-band observations that show the imaging detection of three of the four currently known HR 8799 planets. Such detections were made possible due to the developmentmore » of an innovative LOCI-based background subtraction scheme that is three times more efficient than a classical median background subtraction for Keck II AO data, representing a gain in telescope time of up to a factor of nine. These M-band detections extend the broadband photometric coverage out to ~5 μm and provide access to the strong CO fundamental absorption band at 4.5 μm. The new M-band photometry shows that the HR 8799 planets are located near the L/T-type dwarf transition, similar to what was found by other studies. Finally, we also confirm that the best atmospheric fits are consistent with low surface gravity, dusty, and non-equilibrium CO/CH 4 chemistry models.« less

A Novel Sky-Subtraction Method Based on Non-negative Matrix Factorisation with Sparsity for Multi-object Fibre Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Long; Ye, Zhongfu

2016-12-01

A novel sky-subtraction method based on non-negative matrix factorisation with sparsity is proposed in this paper. The proposed non-negative matrix factorisation with sparsity method is redesigned for sky-subtraction considering the characteristics of the skylights. It has two constraint terms, one for sparsity and the other for homogeneity. Different from the standard sky-subtraction techniques, such as the B-spline curve fitting methods and the Principal Components Analysis approaches, sky-subtraction based on non-negative matrix factorisation with sparsity method has higher accuracy and flexibility. The non-negative matrix factorisation with sparsity method has research value for the sky-subtraction on multi-object fibre spectroscopic telescope surveys. To demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm, experiments are performed on Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope data, as the mechanisms of the multi-object fibre spectroscopic telescopes are similar.

An investigation of self-subtraction holography in LiNbO3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vahey, D. W.; Kenan, R. P.; Hartman, N. F.; Sherman, R. C.

1981-01-01

A sample having self subtraction characteristics that were very promising was tested in depth: hologram formation times were on the order of 150 sec, the null signal was less than 2.5% of the peak signal, and no fatigue nor instability was detected over the span of the experiments. Another sample, fabricated with, at most, slight modifications did not perform nearly as well. In all samples, attempts to improve self subtraction characteristics by various thermal treatments had no effects or adverse effects, with one exception in which improvement was noted after a time delay of several days. A theory developed to describe self subtraction showed the observed decrease in beam intensity with time, but the shape of the predicted decay curve was oscillatory in contrast to the exponential like decay observed. The theory was also inadequate to account for the experimental sensitivity of self subtraction to the Bragg angle of the hologram. It is concluded that self subtraction is a viable method for optical processing systems requiring background discrimination.

3D temporal subtraction on multislice CT images using nonlinear warping technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishida, Takayuki; Katsuragawa, Shigehiko; Kawashita, Ikuo; Kim, Hyounseop; Itai, Yoshinori; Awai, Kazuo; Li, Qiang; Doi, Kunio

2007-03-01

The detection of very subtle lesions and/or lesions overlapped with vessels on CT images is a time consuming and difficult task for radiologists. In this study, we have developed a 3D temporal subtraction method to enhance interval changes between previous and current multislice CT images based on a nonlinear image warping technique. Our method provides a subtraction CT image which is obtained by subtraction of a previous CT image from a current CT image. Reduction of misregistration artifacts is important in the temporal subtraction method. Therefore, our computerized method includes global and local image matching techniques for accurate registration of current and previous CT images. For global image matching, we selected the corresponding previous section image for each current section image by using 2D cross-correlation between a blurred low-resolution current CT image and a blurred previous CT image. For local image matching, we applied the 3D template matching technique with translation and rotation of volumes of interests (VOIs) which were selected in the current and the previous CT images. The local shift vector for each VOI pair was determined when the cross-correlation value became the maximum in the 3D template matching. The local shift vectors at all voxels were determined by interpolation of shift vectors of VOIs, and then the previous CT image was nonlinearly warped according to the shift vector for each voxel. Finally, the warped previous CT image was subtracted from the current CT image. The 3D temporal subtraction method was applied to 19 clinical cases. The normal background structures such as vessels, ribs, and heart were removed without large misregistration artifacts. Thus, interval changes due to lung diseases were clearly enhanced as white shadows on subtraction CT images.

Effects of global signal regression and subtraction methods on resting-state functional connectivity using arterial spin labeling data.

PubMed

Silva, João Paulo Santos; Mônaco, Luciana da Mata; Paschoal, André Monteiro; Oliveira, Ícaro Agenor Ferreira de; Leoni, Renata Ferranti

2018-05-16

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an established magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that is finding broader applications in functional studies of the healthy and diseased brain. To promote improvement in cerebral blood flow (CBF) signal specificity, many algorithms and imaging procedures, such as subtraction methods, were proposed to eliminate or, at least, minimize noise sources. Therefore, this study addressed the main considerations of how CBF functional connectivity (FC) is changed, regarding resting brain network (RBN) identification and correlations between regions of interest (ROI), by different subtraction methods and removal of residual motion artifacts and global signal fluctuations (RMAGSF). Twenty young healthy participants (13 M/7F, mean age = 25 ± 3 years) underwent an MRI protocol with a pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) sequence. Perfusion-based images were obtained using simple, sinc and running subtraction. RMAGSF removal was applied to all CBF time series. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) was used for RBN identification, while Pearson' correlation was performed for ROI-based FC analysis. Temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) was higher in CBF maps obtained by sinc subtraction, although RMAGSF removal had a significant effect on maps obtained with simple and running subtractions. Neither the subtraction method nor the RMAGSF removal directly affected the identification of RBNs. However, the number of correlated and anti-correlated voxels varied for different subtraction and filtering methods. In an ROI-to-ROI level, changes were prominent in FC values and their statistical significance. Our study showed that both RMAGSF filtering and subtraction method might influence resting-state FC results, especially in an ROI level, consequently affecting FC analysis and its interpretation. Taking our results and the whole discussion together, we understand that for an exploratory assessment of the brain, one could avoid removing RMAGSF to

Temporal subtraction contrast-enhanced dedicated breast CT

PubMed Central

Gazi, Peymon M.; Aminololama-Shakeri, Shadi; Yang, Kai; Boone, John M.

2016-01-01

Purpose To develop a framework of deformable image registration and segmentation for the purpose of temporal subtraction contrast-enhanced breast CT is described. Methods An iterative histogram-based two-means clustering method was used for the segmentation. Dedicated breast CT images were segmented into background (air), adipose, fibroglandular and skin components. Fibroglandular tissue was classified as either normal or contrast-enhanced then divided into tiers for the purpose of categorizing degrees of contrast enhancement. A variant of the Demons deformable registration algorithm, Intensity Difference Adaptive Demons (IDAD), was developed to correct for the large deformation forces that stemmed from contrast enhancement. In this application, the accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated in both mathematically-simulated and physically-acquired phantom images. Clinical usage and accuracy of the temporal subtraction framework was demonstrated using contrast-enhanced breast CT datasets from five patients. Registration performance was quantified using Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC), Symmetric Uncertainty Coefficient (SUC), Normalized Mutual Information (NMI), Mean Square Error (MSE) and Target Registration Error (TRE). Results The proposed method outperformed conventional affine and other Demons variations in contrast enhanced breast CT image registration. In simulation studies, IDAD exhibited improvement in MSE(0–16%), NCC (0–6%), NMI (0–13%) and TRE (0–34%) compared to the conventional Demons approaches, depending on the size and intensity of the enhancing lesion. As lesion size and contrast enhancement levels increased, so did the improvement. The drop in the correlation between the pre- and post-contrast images for the largest enhancement levels in phantom studies is less than 1.2% (150 Hounsfield units). Registration error, measured by TRE, shows only submillimeter mismatches between the concordant anatomical target points in all patient studies

Removal of two large-scale cosmic microwave background anomalies after subtraction of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rassat, A.; Starck, J.-L.; Dupé, F.-X.

2013-09-01

Context. Although there is currently a debate over the significance of the claimed large-scale anomalies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), their existence is not totally dismissed. In parallel to the debate over their statistical significance, recent work has also focussed on masks and secondary anisotropies as potential sources of these anomalies. Aims: In this work we investigate simultaneously the impact of the method used to account for masked regions as well as the impact of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, which is the large-scale secondary anisotropy most likely to affect the CMB anomalies. In this sense, our work is an update of previous works. Our aim is to identify trends in CMB data from different years and with different mask treatments. Methods: We reconstruct the ISW signal due to 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) galaxies, effectively reconstructing the low-redshift ISW signal out to z ~ 1. We account for regions of missing data using the sparse inpainting technique. We test sparse inpainting of the CMB, large scale structure and ISW and find that it constitutes a bias-free reconstruction method suitable to study large-scale statistical isotropy and the ISW effect. Results: We focus on three large-scale CMB anomalies: the low quadrupole, the quadrupole/octopole alignment, and the octopole planarity. After sparse inpainting, the low quadrupole becomes more anomalous, whilst the quadrupole/octopole alignment becomes less anomalous. The significance of the low quadrupole is unchanged after subtraction of the ISW effect, while the trend amongst the CMB maps is that both the low quadrupole and the quadrupole/octopole alignment have reduced significance, yet other hypotheses remain possible as well (e.g. exotic physics). Our results also suggest that both of these anomalies may be due to the quadrupole alone. While the octopole planarity significance is reduced after inpainting and after ISW subtraction, however

Temporal subtraction contrast-enhanced dedicated breast CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gazi, Peymon M.; Aminololama-Shakeri, Shadi; Yang, Kai; Boone, John M.

2016-09-01

The development of a framework of deformable image registration and segmentation for the purpose of temporal subtraction contrast-enhanced breast CT is described. An iterative histogram-based two-means clustering method was used for the segmentation. Dedicated breast CT images were segmented into background (air), adipose, fibroglandular and skin components. Fibroglandular tissue was classified as either normal or contrast-enhanced then divided into tiers for the purpose of categorizing degrees of contrast enhancement. A variant of the Demons deformable registration algorithm, intensity difference adaptive Demons (IDAD), was developed to correct for the large deformation forces that stemmed from contrast enhancement. In this application, the accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated in both mathematically-simulated and physically-acquired phantom images. Clinical usage and accuracy of the temporal subtraction framework was demonstrated using contrast-enhanced breast CT datasets from five patients. Registration performance was quantified using normalized cross correlation (NCC), symmetric uncertainty coefficient, normalized mutual information (NMI), mean square error (MSE) and target registration error (TRE). The proposed method outperformed conventional affine and other Demons variations in contrast enhanced breast CT image registration. In simulation studies, IDAD exhibited improvement in MSE (0-16%), NCC (0-6%), NMI (0-13%) and TRE (0-34%) compared to the conventional Demons approaches, depending on the size and intensity of the enhancing lesion. As lesion size and contrast enhancement levels increased, so did the improvement. The drop in the correlation between the pre- and post-contrast images for the largest enhancement levels in phantom studies is less than 1.2% (150 Hounsfield units). Registration error, measured by TRE, shows only submillimeter mismatches between the concordant anatomical target points in all patient studies. The algorithm was

Ambient-Light-Canceling Camera Using Subtraction of Frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morookian, John Michael

2004-01-01

The ambient-light-canceling camera (ALCC) is a proposed near-infrared electronic camera that would utilize a combination of (1) synchronized illumination during alternate frame periods and (2) subtraction of readouts from consecutive frames to obtain images without a background component of ambient light. The ALCC is intended especially for use in tracking the motion of an eye by the pupil center corneal reflection (PCCR) method. Eye tracking by the PCCR method has shown potential for application in human-computer interaction for people with and without disabilities, and for noninvasive monitoring, detection, and even diagnosis of physiological and neurological deficiencies. In the PCCR method, an eye is illuminated by near-infrared light from a lightemitting diode (LED). Some of the infrared light is reflected from the surface of the cornea. Some of the infrared light enters the eye through the pupil and is reflected from back of the eye out through the pupil a phenomenon commonly observed as the red-eye effect in flash photography. An electronic camera is oriented to image the user's eye. The output of the camera is digitized and processed by algorithms that locate the two reflections. Then from the locations of the centers of the two reflections, the direction of gaze is computed. As described thus far, the PCCR method is susceptible to errors caused by reflections of ambient light. Although a near-infrared band-pass optical filter can be used to discriminate against ambient light, some sources of ambient light have enough in-band power to compete with the LED signal. The mode of operation of the ALCC would complement or supplant spectral filtering by providing more nearly complete cancellation of the effect of ambient light. In the operation of the ALCC, a near-infrared LED would be pulsed on during one camera frame period and off during the next frame period. Thus, the scene would be illuminated by both the LED (signal) light and the ambient (background) light

Brain Activation during Addition and Subtraction Tasks In-Noise and In-Quiet

PubMed Central

Abd Hamid, Aini Ismafairus; Yusoff, Ahmad Nazlim; Mukari, Siti Zamratol-Mai Sarah; Mohamad, Mazlyfarina

2011-01-01

Background: In spite of extensive research conducted to study how human brain works, little is known about a special function of the brain that stores and manipulates information—the working memory—and how noise influences this special ability. In this study, Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate brain responses to arithmetic problems solved in noisy and quiet backgrounds. Methods: Eighteen healthy young males performed simple arithmetic operations of addition and subtraction with in-quiet and in-noise backgrounds. The MATLAB-based Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM8) was implemented on the fMRI datasets to generate and analyse the activated brain regions. Results: Group results showed that addition and subtraction operations evoked extended activation in the left inferior parietal lobe, left precentral gyrus, left superior parietal lobe, left supramarginal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus. This supported the hypothesis that the human brain relatively activates its left hemisphere more compared with the right hemisphere when solving arithmetic problems. The insula, middle cingulate cortex, and middle frontal gyrus, however, showed more extended right hemispheric activation, potentially due to the involvement of attention, executive processes, and working memory. For addition operations, there was extensive left hemispheric activation in the superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and thalamus. In contrast, subtraction tasks evoked a greater activation of similar brain structures in the right hemisphere. For both addition and subtraction operations, the total number of activated voxels was higher for in-noise than in-quiet conditions. Conclusion: These findings suggest that when arithmetic operations were delivered auditorily, the auditory, attention, and working memory functions were required to accomplish the executive processing of the mathematical calculation. The respective brain activation patterns appear to be

Comparative efficiency of a scheme of cyclic alternating-period subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golikov, V. S.; Artemenko, I. G.; Malinin, A. P.

1986-06-01

The estimation of the detection quality of a signal on a background of correlated noise according to the Neumann-Pearson criterion is examined. It is shown that, in a number of cases, the cyclic alternating-period subtraction scheme has a higher noise immunity than the conventional alternating-period subtraction scheme.

The Application of Continuous Wavelet Transform Based Foreground Subtraction Method in 21 cm Sky Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Junhua; Xu, Haiguang; Wang, Jingying; An, Tao; Chen, Wen

2013-08-01

We propose a continuous wavelet transform based non-parametric foreground subtraction method for the detection of redshifted 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization. This method works based on the assumption that the foreground spectra are smooth in frequency domain, while the 21 cm signal spectrum is full of saw-tooth-like structures, thus their characteristic scales are significantly different. We can distinguish them in the wavelet coefficient space easily and perform the foreground subtraction. Compared with the traditional spectral fitting based method, our method is more tolerant to complex foregrounds. Furthermore, we also find that when the instrument has uncorrected response error, our method can also work significantly better than the spectral fitting based method. Our method can obtain similar results with the Wp smoothing method, which is also a non-parametric method, but our method consumes much less computing time.

Subtractive Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larwin, K. H.; Thomas, Eugene M.; Larwin, David A.

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a new term and concept to the leadership discourse: Subtractive Leadership. As an extension of the distributive leadership model, the notion of subtractive leadership refers to a leadership style that detracts from organizational culture and productivity. Subtractive leadership fails to embrace and balance the characteristics…

Probing Large-scale Coherence between Spitzer IR and Chandra X-Ray Source-subtracted Cosmic Backgrounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cappelluti, N.; Urry, M.; Arendt, R.

2017-09-20

We present new measurements of the large-scale clustering component of the cross-power spectra of the source-subtracted Spitzer -IRAC cosmic infrared background and Chandra -ACIS cosmic X-ray background surface brightness fluctuations Our investigation uses data from the Chandra Deep Field South, Hubble Deep Field North, Extended Groth Strip/AEGIS field, and UDS/SXDF surveys, comprising 1160 Spitzer hours and ∼12 Ms of Chandra data collected over a total area of 0.3 deg{sup 2}. We report the first (>5 σ ) detection of a cross-power signal on large angular scales >20″ between [0.5–2] keV and the 3.6 and 4.5 μ m bands, at ∼5more » σ and 6.3 σ significance, respectively. The correlation with harder X-ray bands is marginally significant. Comparing the new observations with existing models for the contribution of the known unmasked source population at z < 7, we find an excess of about an order of magnitude at 5 σ confidence. We discuss possible interpretations for the origin of this excess in terms of the contribution from accreting early black holes (BHs), including both direct collapse BHs and primordial BHs, as well as from scattering in the interstellar medium and intra-halo light.« less

Nonlinear ultrasonic imaging method for closed cracks using subtraction of responses at different external loads.

PubMed

Ohara, Yoshikazu; Horinouchi, Satoshi; Hashimoto, Makoto; Shintaku, Yohei; Yamanaka, Kazushi

2011-08-01

To improve the selectivity of closed cracks for objects other than cracks in ultrasonic imaging, we propose an extension of a novel imaging method, namely, subharmonic phased array for crack evaluation (SPACE) as well as another approach using the subtraction of responses at different external loads. By applying external static or dynamic loads to closed cracks, the contact state in the cracks varies, resulting in an intensity change of responses at cracks. In contrast, objects other than cracks are independent of external load. Therefore, only cracks can be extracted by subtracting responses at different loads. In this study, we performed fundamental experiments on a closed fatigue crack formed in an aluminum alloy compact tension (CT) specimen using the proposed method. We examined the static load dependence of SPACE images and the dynamic load dependence of linear phased array (PA) images by simulating the external loads with a servohydraulic fatigue testing machine. By subtracting the images at different external loads, we show that this method is useful in extracting only the intensity change of responses related to closed cracks, while canceling the responses of objects other than cracks. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Data Series Subtraction with Unknown and Unmodeled Background Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vitale, Stefano; Congedo, Giuseppe; Dolesi, Rita; Ferroni, Valerio; Hueller, Mauro; Vetrugno, Daniele; Weber, William Joseph; Audley, Heather; Danzmann, Karsten; Diepholz, Ingo;

Techniques to improve the accuracy of noise power spectrum measurements in digital x-ray imaging based on background trends removal.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhongxing; Gao, Feng; Zhao, Huijuan; Zhang, Lixin

2011-03-01

Noise characterization through estimation of the noise power spectrum (NPS) is a central component of the evaluation of digital x-ray systems. Extensive works have been conducted to achieve accurate and precise measurement of NPS. One approach to improve the accuracy of the NPS measurement is to reduce the statistical variance of the NPS results by involving more data samples. However, this method is based on the assumption that the noise in a radiographic image is arising from stochastic processes. In the practical data, the artifactuals always superimpose on the stochastic noise as low-frequency background trends and prevent us from achieving accurate NPS. The purpose of this study was to investigate an appropriate background detrending technique to improve the accuracy of NPS estimation for digital x-ray systems. In order to achieve the optimal background detrending technique for NPS estimate, four methods for artifactuals removal were quantitatively studied and compared: (1) Subtraction of a low-pass-filtered version of the image, (2) subtraction of a 2-D first-order fit to the image, (3) subtraction of a 2-D second-order polynomial fit to the image, and (4) subtracting two uniform exposure images. In addition, background trend removal was separately applied within original region of interest or its partitioned sub-blocks for all four methods. The performance of background detrending techniques was compared according to the statistical variance of the NPS results and low-frequency systematic rise suppression. Among four methods, subtraction of a 2-D second-order polynomial fit to the image was most effective in low-frequency systematic rise suppression and variances reduction for NPS estimate according to the authors' digital x-ray system. Subtraction of a low-pass-filtered version of the image led to NPS variance increment above low-frequency components because of the side lobe effects of frequency response of the boxcar filtering function. Subtracting two

SWCD: a sliding window and self-regulated learning-based background updating method for change detection in videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Işık, Şahin; Özkan, Kemal; Günal, Serkan; Gerek, Ömer Nezih

2018-03-01

Change detection with background subtraction process remains to be an unresolved issue and attracts research interest due to challenges encountered on static and dynamic scenes. The key challenge is about how to update dynamically changing backgrounds from frames with an adaptive and self-regulated feedback mechanism. In order to achieve this, we present an effective change detection algorithm for pixelwise changes. A sliding window approach combined with dynamic control of update parameters is introduced for updating background frames, which we called sliding window-based change detection. Comprehensive experiments on related test videos show that the integrated algorithm yields good objective and subjective performance by overcoming illumination variations, camera jitters, and intermittent object motions. It is argued that the obtained method makes a fair alternative in most types of foreground extraction scenarios; unlike case-specific methods, which normally fail for their nonconsidered scenarios.

Tuckshop Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Roger; Graham, Alan; Johnston-Wilder, Sue

2007-01-01

This article describes a recent and successful initiative on teaching place value and the decomposition method of subtraction to pupils having difficulty with this technique in the 9-12-year age range. The aim of the research was to explore whether using the metaphor of selling chews (i.e., sweets) in a tuck shop and developing this into an iconic…

Manual for the Jet Event and Background Simulation Library

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinz, M.; Soltz, R.; Angerami, A.

Jets are the collimated streams of particles resulting from hard scattering in the initial state of high-energy collisions. In heavy-ion collisions, jets interact with the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) before freezeout, providing a probe into the internal structure and properties of the QGP. In order to study jets, background must be subtracted from the measured event, potentially introducing a bias. We aim to understand and quantify this subtraction bias. PYTHIA, a library to simulate pure jet events, is used to simulate a model for a signature with one pure jet (a photon) and one quenched jet, where all quenched particle momentamore » are reduced by a user-de ned constant fraction. Background for the event is simulated using multiplicity values generated by the TRENTO initial state model of heavy-ion collisions fed into a thermal model consisting of a 3-dimensional Boltzmann distribution for particle types and momenta. Data from the simulated events is used to train a statistical model, which computes a posterior distribution of the quench factor for a data set. The model was tested rst on pure jet events and then on full events including the background. This model will allow for a quantitative determination of biases induced by various methods of background subtraction.« less

Infrared Thermography Approach for Effective Shielding Area of Field Smoke Based on Background Subtraction and Transmittance Interpolation.

PubMed

Tang, Runze; Zhang, Tonglai; Chen, Yongpeng; Liang, Hao; Li, Bingyang; Zhou, Zunning

2018-05-06

Effective shielding area is a crucial indicator for the evaluation of the infrared smoke-obscuring effectiveness on the battlefield. The conventional methods for assessing the shielding area of the smoke screen are time-consuming and labor intensive, in addition to lacking precision. Therefore, an efficient and convincing technique for testing the effective shielding area of the smoke screen has great potential benefits in the smoke screen applications in the field trial. In this study, a thermal infrared sensor with a mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) range of 3 to 5 μm was first used to capture the target scene images through clear as well as obscuring smoke, at regular intervals. The background subtraction in motion detection was then applied to obtain the contour of the smoke cloud at each frame. The smoke transmittance at each pixel within the smoke contour was interpolated based on the data that was collected from the image. Finally, the smoke effective shielding area was calculated, based on the accumulation of the effective shielding pixel points. One advantage of this approach is that it utilizes only one thermal infrared sensor without any other additional equipment in the field trial, which significantly contributes to the efficiency and its convenience. Experiments have been carried out to demonstrate that this approach can determine the effective shielding area of the field infrared smoke both practically and efficiently.

Background suppression of infrared small target image based on inter-frame registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Xiubo; Xue, Bindang

2018-04-01

We propose a multi-frame background suppression method for remote infrared small target detection. Inter-frame information is necessary when the heavy background clutters make it difficult to distinguish real targets and false alarms. A registration procedure based on points matching in image patches is used to compensate the local deformation of background. Then the target can be separated by background subtraction. Experiments show our method serves as an effective preliminary of target detection.

Purification of photon subtraction from continuous squeezed light by filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, Jun-ichi; Asavanant, Warit; Furusawa, Akira

2017-11-01

Photon subtraction from squeezed states is a powerful scheme to create good approximation of so-called Schrödinger cat states. However, conventional continuous-wave-based methods actually involve some impurity in squeezing of localized wave packets, even in the ideal case of no optical losses. Here, we theoretically discuss this impurity by introducing mode match of squeezing. Furthermore, here we propose a method to remove this impurity by filtering the photon-subtraction field. Our method in principle enables creation of pure photon-subtracted squeezed states, which was not possible with conventional methods.

A Wireless FSCV Monitoring IC With Analog Background Subtraction and UWB Telemetry.

PubMed

Dorta-Quiñones, Carlos I; Wang, Xiao Y; Dokania, Rajeev K; Gailey, Alycia; Lindau, Manfred; Apsel, Alyssa B

2016-04-01

A 30-μW wireless fast-scan cyclic voltammetry monitoring integrated circuit for ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission of dopamine release events in freely-behaving small animals is presented. On-chip integration of analog background subtraction and UWB telemetry yields a 32-fold increase in resolution versus standard Nyquist-rate conversion alone, near a four-fold decrease in the volume of uplink data versus single-bit, third-order, delta-sigma modulation, and more than a 20-fold reduction in transmit power versus narrowband transmission for low data rates. The 1.5- mm(2) chip, which was fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology, consists of a low-noise potentiostat frontend, a two-step analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and an impulse-radio UWB transmitter (TX). The duty-cycled frontend and ADC/UWB-TX blocks draw 4 μA and 15 μA from 3-V and 1.2-V supplies, respectively. The chip achieves an input-referred current noise of 92 pA(rms) and an input current range of ±430 nA at a conversion rate of 10 kHz. The packaged device operates from a 3-V coin-cell battery, measures 4.7 × 1.9 cm(2), weighs 4.3 g (including the battery and antenna), and can be carried by small animals. The system was validated by wirelessly recording flow-injection of dopamine with concentrations in the range of 250 nM to 1 μM with a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFM) using 300-V/s FSCV.

A Wireless FSCV Monitoring IC with Analog Background Subtraction and UWB Telemetry

PubMed Central

Dorta-Quiñones, Carlos I.; Wang, Xiao Y.; Dokania, Rajeev K.; Gailey, Alycia; Lindau, Manfred; Apsel, Alyssa B.

2015-01-01

A 30-μW wireless fast-scan cyclic voltammetry monitoring integrated circuit for ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission of dopamine release events in freely-behaving small animals is presented. On-chip integration of analog background subtraction and UWB telemetry yields a 32-fold increase in resolution versus standard Nyquist-rate conversion alone, near a four-fold decrease in the volume of uplink data versus single-bit, third-order, delta-sigma modulation, and more than a 20-fold reduction in transmit power versus narrowband transmission for low data rates. The 1.5-mm2 chip, which was fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology, consists of a low-noise potentiostat frontend, a two-step analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and an impulse-radio UWB transmitter (TX). The duty-cycled frontend and ADC/UWB-TX blocks draw 4 μA and 15 μA from 3-V and 1.2-V supplies, respectively. The chip achieves an input-referred current noise of 92 pArms and an input current range of ±430 nA at a conversion rate of 10 kHz. The packaged device operates from a 3-V coin-cell battery, measures 4.7 × 1.9 cm2, weighs 4.3 g (including the battery and antenna), and can be carried by small animals. The system was validated by wirelessly recording flow-injection of dopamine with concentrations in the range of 250 nM to 1 μM with a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFM) using 300-V/s FSCV. PMID:26057983

Dual-wavelength digital holographic imaging with phase background subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khmaladze, Alexander; Matz, Rebecca L.; Jasensky, Joshua; Seeley, Emily; Holl, Mark M. Banaszak; Chen, Zhan

2012-05-01

Three-dimensional digital holographic microscopic phase imaging of objects that are thicker than the wavelength of the imaging light is ambiguous and results in phase wrapping. In recent years, several unwrapping methods that employed two or more wavelengths were introduced. These methods compare the phase information obtained from each of the wavelengths and extend the range of unambiguous height measurements. A straightforward dual-wavelength phase imaging method is presented which allows for a flexible tradeoff between the maximum height of the sample and the amount of noise the method can tolerate. For highly accurate phase measurements, phase unwrapping of objects with heights higher than the beat (synthetic) wavelength (i.e. the product of the original two wavelengths divided by their difference), can be achieved. Consequently, three-dimensional measurements of a wide variety of biological systems and microstructures become technically feasible. Additionally, an effective method of removing phase background curvature based on slowly varying polynomial fitting is proposed. This method allows accurate volume measurements of several small objects with the same image frame.

Background derivation and image flattening: getimages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Men'shchikov, A.

2017-11-01

Modern high-resolution images obtained with space observatories display extremely strong intensity variations across images on all spatial scales. Source extraction in such images with methods based on global thresholding may bring unacceptably large numbers of spurious sources in bright areas while failing to detect sources in low-background or low-noise areas. It would be highly beneficial to subtract background and equalize the levels of small-scale fluctuations in the images before extracting sources or filaments. This paper describes getimages, a new method of background derivation and image flattening. It is based on median filtering with sliding windows that correspond to a range of spatial scales from the observational beam size up to a maximum structure width Xλ. The latter is a single free parameter of getimages that can be evaluated manually from the observed image ℐλ. The median filtering algorithm provides a background image \\tilde{Bλ} for structures of all widths below Xλ. The same median filtering procedure applied to an image of standard deviations 𝓓λ derived from a background-subtracted image \\tilde{Sλ} results in a flattening image \\tilde{Fλ}. Finally, a flattened detection image I{λD} = \\tilde{Sλ}/\\tilde{Fλ} is computed, whose standard deviations are uniform outside sources and filaments. Detecting sources in such greatly simplified images results in much cleaner extractions that are more complete and reliable. As a bonus, getimages reduces various observational and map-making artifacts and equalizes noise levels between independent tiles of mosaicked images.

Dynamic Segmentation Of Behavior Patterns Based On Quantity Value Movement Using Fuzzy Subtractive Clustering Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sangadji, Iriansyah; Arvio, Yozika; Indrianto

2018-03-01

to understand by analyzing the pattern of changes in value movements that can dynamically vary over a given period with relative accuracy, an equipment is required based on the utilization of technical working principles or specific analytical method. This will affect the level of validity of the output that will occur from this system. Subtractive clustering is based on the density (potential) size of data points in a space (variable). The basic concept of subtractive clustering is to determine the regions in a variable that has high potential for the surrounding points. In this paper result is segmentation of behavior pattern based on quantity value movement. It shows the number of clusters is formed and that has many members.

Effect of color coding and subtraction on the accuracy of contrast echocardiography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasquet, A.; Greenberg, N.; Brunken, R.; Thomas, J. D.; Marwick, T. H.

1999-01-01

BACKGROUND: Contrast echocardiography may be used to assess myocardial perfusion. However, gray scale assessment of myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is difficult because of variations in regional backscatter intensity, difficulties in distinguishing varying shades of gray, and artifacts or attenuation. We sought to determine whether the assessment of rest myocardial perfusion by MCE could be improved with subtraction and color coding. METHODS AND RESULTS: MCE was performed in 31 patients with previous myocardial infarction with a 2nd generation agent (NC100100, Nycomed AS), using harmonic triggered or continuous imaging and gain settings were kept constant throughout the study. Digitized images were post processed by subtraction of baseline from contrast data and colorized to reflect the intensity of myocardial contrast. Gray scale MCE alone, MCE images combined with baseline and subtracted colorized images were scored independently using a 16 segment model. The presence and severity of myocardial contrast abnormalities were compared with perfusion defined by rest MIBI-SPECT. Segments that were not visualized by continuous (17%) or triggered imaging (14%) after color processing were excluded from further analysis. The specificity of gray scale MCE alone (56%) or MCE combined with baseline 2D (47%) was significantly enhanced by subtraction and color coding (76%, p<0.001) of triggered images. The accuracy of the gray scale approaches (respectively 52% and 47%) was increased to 70% (p<0.001). Similarly, for continuous images, the specificity of gray scale MCE with and without baseline comparison was 23% and 42% respectively, compared with 60% after post processing (p<0.001). The accuracy of colorized images (59%) was also significantly greater than gray scale MCE (43% and 29%, p<0.001). The sensitivity of MCE for both acquisitions was not altered by subtraction. CONCLUSION: Post-processing with subtraction and color coding significantly improves the accuracy

Differential cDNA cloning by enzymatic degrading subtraction (EDS).

PubMed Central

Zeng, J; Gorski, R A; Hamer, D

1994-01-01

We describe a new method, called enzymatic degrading subtraction (EDS), for the construction of subtractive libraries from PCR amplified cDNA. The novel features of this method are that i) the tester DNA is blocked by thionucleotide incorporation; ii) the rate of hybridization is accelerated by phenol-emulsion reassociation; and iii) the driver cDNA and hybrid molecules are enzymatically removed by digestion with exonucleases III and VII rather than by physical partitioning. We demonstrate the utility of EDS by constructing a subtractive library enriched for cDNAs expressed in adult but not in embryonic rat brains. Images PMID:7971268

An automated subtraction of NLO EW infrared divergences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schönherr, Marek

2018-02-01

In this paper a generalisation of the Catani-Seymour dipole subtraction method to next-to-leading order electroweak calculations is presented. All singularities due to photon and gluon radiation off both massless and massive partons in the presence of both massless and massive spectators are accounted for. Particular attention is paid to the simultaneous subtraction of singularities of both QCD and electroweak origin which are present in the next-to-leading order corrections to processes with more than one perturbative order contributing at Born level. Similarly, embedding non-dipole-like photon splittings in the dipole subtraction scheme discussed. The implementation of the formulated subtraction scheme in the framework of the Sherpa Monte-Carlo event generator, including the restriction of the dipole phase space through the α -parameters and expanding its existing subtraction for NLO QCD calculations, is detailed and numerous internal consistency checks validating the obtained results are presented.

Manual for the Jet Event and Background Simulation Library(JEBSimLib)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinz, Matthias; Soltz, Ron; Angerami, Aaron

Jets are the collimated streams of particles resulting from hard scattering in the initial state of high-energy collisions. In heavy-ion collisions, jets interact with the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) before freezeout, providing a probe into the internal structure and properties of the QGP. In order to study jets, background must be subtracted from the measured event, potentially introducing a bias. We aim to understand and quantify this subtraction bias. PYTHIA, a library to simulate pure jet events, is used to simulate a model for a signature with one pure jet (a photon) and one quenched jet, where all quenched particle momentamore » are reduced by a user-de ned constant fraction. Background for the event is simulated using multiplicity values generated by the TRENTO initial state model of heavy-ion collisions fed into a thermal model consisting of a 3-dimensional Boltzmann distribution for particle types and momenta. Data from the simulated events is used to train a statistical model, which computes a posterior distribution of the quench factor for a data set. The model was tested rst on pure jet events and then on full events including the background. This model will allow for a quantitative determination of biases induced by various methods of background subtraction.« less

Characterization of unknown genetic modifications using high throughput sequencing and computational subtraction

PubMed Central

Tengs, Torstein; Zhang, Haibo; Holst-Jensen, Arne; Bohlin, Jon; Butenko, Melinka A; Kristoffersen, Anja Bråthen; Sorteberg, Hilde-Gunn Opsahl; Berdal, Knut G

2009-01-01

Background When generating a genetically modified organism (GMO), the primary goal is to give a target organism one or several novel traits by using biotechnology techniques. A GMO will differ from its parental strain in that its pool of transcripts will be altered. Currently, there are no methods that are reliably able to determine if an organism has been genetically altered if the nature of the modification is unknown. Results We show that the concept of computational subtraction can be used to identify transgenic cDNA sequences from genetically modified plants. Our datasets include 454-type sequences from a transgenic line of Arabidopsis thaliana and published EST datasets from commercially relevant species (rice and papaya). Conclusion We believe that computational subtraction represents a powerful new strategy for determining if an organism has been genetically modified as well as to define the nature of the modification. Fewer assumptions have to be made compared to methods currently in use and this is an advantage particularly when working with unknown GMOs. PMID:19814792

Children's Understanding of the Addition/Subtraction Complement Principle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torbeyns, Joke; Peters, Greet; De Smedt, Bert; Ghesquière, Pol; Verschaffel, Lieven

2016-01-01

Background: In the last decades, children's understanding of mathematical principles has become an important research topic. Different from the commutativity and inversion principles, only few studies have focused on children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle (if a - b = c, then c + b = a), mainly relying on verbal…

Accuracy and precision of polyurethane dental arch models fabricated using a three-dimensional subtractive rapid prototyping method with an intraoral scanning technique

PubMed Central

Kim, Jae-Hong; Kim, Ki-Baek; Kim, Woong-Chul; Kim, Ji-Hwan

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and precision of polyurethane (PUT) dental arch models fabricated using a three-dimensional (3D) subtractive rapid prototyping (RP) method with an intraoral scanning technique by comparing linear measurements obtained from PUT models and conventional plaster models. Methods Ten plaster models were duplicated using a selected standard master model and conventional impression, and 10 PUT models were duplicated using the 3D subtractive RP technique with an oral scanner. Six linear measurements were evaluated in terms of x, y, and z-axes using a non-contact white light scanner. Accuracy was assessed using mean differences between two measurements, and precision was examined using four quantitative methods and the Bland-Altman graphical method. Repeatability was evaluated in terms of intra-examiner variability, and reproducibility was assessed in terms of inter-examiner and inter-method variability. Results The mean difference between plaster models and PUT models ranged from 0.07 mm to 0.33 mm. Relative measurement errors ranged from 2.2% to 7.6% and intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.93 to 0.96, when comparing plaster models and PUT models. The Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement. Conclusions The accuracy and precision of PUT dental models for evaluating the performance of oral scanner and subtractive RP technology was acceptable. Because of the recent improvements in block material and computerized numeric control milling machines, the subtractive RP method may be a good choice for dental arch models. PMID:24696823

Power Spectral Density Error Analysis of Spectral Subtraction Type of Speech Enhancement Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Händel, Peter

2006-12-01

A theoretical framework for analysis of speech enhancement algorithms is introduced for performance assessment of spectral subtraction type of methods. The quality of the enhanced speech is related to physical quantities of the speech and noise (such as stationarity time and spectral flatness), as well as to design variables of the noise suppressor. The derived theoretical results are compared with the outcome of subjective listening tests as well as successful design strategies, performed by independent research groups.

Precision of dehydroascorbic acid quantitation with the use of the subtraction method--validation of HPLC-DAD method for determination of total vitamin C in food.

PubMed

Mazurek, Artur; Jamroz, Jerzy

2015-04-15

In food analysis, a method for determination of vitamin C should enable measuring of total content of ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) because both chemical forms exhibit biological activity. The aim of the work was to confirm applicability of HPLC-DAD method for analysis of total content of vitamin C (TC) and ascorbic acid in various types of food by determination of validation parameters such as: selectivity, precision, accuracy, linearity and limits of detection and quantitation. The results showed that the method applied for determination of TC and AA was selective, linear and precise. Precision of DHAA determination by the subtraction method was also evaluated. It was revealed that the results of DHAA determination obtained by the subtraction method were not precise which resulted directly from the assumption of this method and the principles of uncertainty propagation. The proposed chromatographic method should be recommended for routine determinations of total vitamin C in various food. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accuracy and precision of polyurethane dental arch models fabricated using a three-dimensional subtractive rapid prototyping method with an intraoral scanning technique.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Hong; Kim, Ki-Baek; Kim, Woong-Chul; Kim, Ji-Hwan; Kim, Hae-Young

2014-03-01

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and precision of polyurethane (PUT) dental arch models fabricated using a three-dimensional (3D) subtractive rapid prototyping (RP) method with an intraoral scanning technique by comparing linear measurements obtained from PUT models and conventional plaster models. Ten plaster models were duplicated using a selected standard master model and conventional impression, and 10 PUT models were duplicated using the 3D subtractive RP technique with an oral scanner. Six linear measurements were evaluated in terms of x, y, and z-axes using a non-contact white light scanner. Accuracy was assessed using mean differences between two measurements, and precision was examined using four quantitative methods and the Bland-Altman graphical method. Repeatability was evaluated in terms of intra-examiner variability, and reproducibility was assessed in terms of inter-examiner and inter-method variability. The mean difference between plaster models and PUT models ranged from 0.07 mm to 0.33 mm. Relative measurement errors ranged from 2.2% to 7.6% and intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.93 to 0.96, when comparing plaster models and PUT models. The Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement. The accuracy and precision of PUT dental models for evaluating the performance of oral scanner and subtractive RP technology was acceptable. Because of the recent improvements in block material and computerized numeric control milling machines, the subtractive RP method may be a good choice for dental arch models.

An Experimental Implementation of Chemical Subtraction

PubMed Central

Chen, Shao-Nong; Turner, Allison; Jaki, Birgit U.; Nikolic, Dejan; van Breemen, Richard B.; Friesen, J. Brent; Pauli, Guido F.

2008-01-01

A preparative analytical method was developed to selectively remove (“chemically subtract”) a single compound from a complex mixture, such as a natural extract or fraction, in a single step. The proof of concept is demonstrated by the removal of pure benzoic acid (BA) from cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) juice fractions that exhibit anti-adhesive effects vs. uropathogenic E. coli. Chemical subtraction of BA, representing a major constituent of the fractions, eliminates the potential in vitro interference of the bacteriostatic effect of BA on the E. coli anti-adherence action measured in bioassays. Upon BA removal, the anti-adherent activity of the fraction was fully retained, 36% inhibition of adherence in the parent fraction at 100 ug/mL increased to 58% in the BA-free active fraction. The method employs countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and operates loss-free for both the subtracted and the retained portions as only liquid-liquid partitioning is involved. While the high purity (97.47% by quantitative 1H NMR) of the subtracted BA confirms the selectivity of the method, one minor impurity was determined to be scopoletin by HR-ESI-MS and (q)HNMR and represents the first coumarin reported from cranberries. A general concept for the selective removal of phytoconstituents by CCC is presented, which has potential broad applicability in the biological evaluation of medicinal plant extracts and complex pharmaceutical preparations. PMID:18234463

A Novel mRNA Level Subtraction Method for Quick Identification of Target-Orientated Uniquely Expressed Genes Between Peanut Immature Pod and Leaf

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Subtraction technique has been broadly applied for target gene discovery. However, most current protocols apply relative differential subtraction and result in great amount clone mixtures of unique and differentially expressed genes. This makes it more difficult to identify unique or target-orientated expressed genes. In this study, we developed a novel method for subtraction at mRNA level by integrating magnetic particle technology into driver preparation and tester–driver hybridization to facilitate uniquely expressed gene discovery between peanut immature pod and leaf through a single round subtraction. The resulting target clones were further validated through polymerase chain reaction screening using peanut immature pod and leaf cDNA libraries as templates. This study has resulted in identifying several genes expressed uniquely in immature peanut pod. These target genes can be used for future peanut functional genome and genetic engineering research. PMID:21406066

Temporal subtraction of chest radiographs compensating pose differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Berg, Jens; Dworzak, Jalda; Klinder, Tobias; Manke, Dirk; Kreth, Adrian; Lamecker, Hans; Zachow, Stefan; Lorenz, Cristian

2011-03-01

Temporal subtraction techniques using 2D image registration improve the detectability of interval changes from chest radiographs. Although such methods are well known for some time they are not widely used in radiologic practice. The reason is the occurrence of strong pose differences between two acquisitions with a time interval of months to years in between. Such strong perspective differences occur in a reasonable number of cases. They cannot be compensated by available image registration methods and thus mask interval changes to be undetectable. In this paper a method is proposed to estimate a 3D pose difference by the adaptation of a 3D rib cage model to both projections. The difference between both is then compensated for, thus producing a subtraction image with virtually no change in pose. The method generally assumes that no 3D image data is available from the patient. The accuracy of pose estimation is validated with chest phantom images acquired under controlled geometric conditions. A subtle interval change simulated by a piece of plastic foam attached to the phantom becomes visible in subtraction images generated with this technique even at strong angular pose differences like an anterior-posterior inclination of 13 degrees.

An EPIC Tale of the Quiescent Particle Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snowden, S.L.; Kuntz, K.D.

2017-01-01

Extended Source Analysis Software Use Based Empirical Investigation: (1) Builds quiescent particle background (QPB) spectra and images for observations of extended sources that fill (or mostly fill) the FOV i.e., annular background subtraction won't work. (2) Uses a combination of Filter Wheel Closed (FWC) and corner data to capture the spectral, spatial, and temporal variation of the quiescent particle background. New Work: (1) Improved understanding of the QPB (aided by adding a whole lot of data since 2008). (2) Significantly improved statistics (did I mention a LOT more data?). (3) Better characterization and identification of anomalous states. (4) Builds backgrounds for some anomalous state. (5) New efficient method for non-anomalous states.

[The backgroud sky subtraction around [OIII] line in LAMOST QSO spectra].

PubMed

Shi, Zhi-Xin; Comte, Georges; Luo, A-Li; Tu, Liang-Ping; Zhao, Yong-Heng; Wu, Fu-Chao

2014-11-01

At present, most sky-subtraction methods focus on the full spectrum, not the particular location, especially for the backgroud sky around [OIII] line which is very important to low redshift quasars. A new method to precisely subtract sky lines in local region is proposed in the present paper, which sloves the problem that the width of Hβ-[OIII] line is effected by the backgroud sky subtraction. The exprimental results show that, for different redshift quasars, the spectral quality has been significantly improved using our method relative to the original batch program by LAMOST. It provides a complementary solution for the small part of LAMOST spectra which are not well handled by LAMOST 2D pipeline. Meanwhile, This method has been used in searching for candidates of double-peaked Active Galactic Nuclei.

Contrast-enhanced dual-energy subtraction imaging using electronic spectrum-splitting and multi-prism x-ray lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fredenberg, Erik; Cederström, Björn; Lundqvist, Mats; Ribbing, Carolina; Åslund, Magnus; Diekmann, Felix; Nishikawa, Robert; Danielsson, Mats

2008-03-01

Dual-energy subtraction imaging (DES) is a method to improve the detectability of contrast agents over a lumpy background. Two images, acquired at x-ray energies above and below an absorption edge of the agent material, are logarithmically subtracted, resulting in suppression of the signal from the tissue background and a relative enhancement of the signal from the agent. Although promising, DES is still not widely used in clinical practice. One reason may be the need for two distinctly separated x-ray spectra that are still close to the absorption edge, realized through dual exposures which may introduce motion unsharpness. In this study, electronic spectrum-splitting with a silicon-strip detector is theoretically and experimentally investigated for a mammography model with iodinated contrast agent. Comparisons are made to absorption imaging and a near-ideal detector using a signal-to-noise ratio that includes both statistical and structural noise. Similar to previous studies, heavy absorption filtration was needed to narrow the spectra at the expense of a large reduction in x-ray flux. Therefore, potential improvements using a chromatic multi-prism x-ray lens (MPL) for filtering were evaluated theoretically. The MPL offers a narrow tunable spectrum, and we show that the image quality can be improved compared to conventional filtering methods.

Three-photon N00N states generated by photon subtraction from double photon pairs.

PubMed

Kim, Heonoh; Park, Hee Su; Choi, Sang-Kyung

2009-10-26

We describe an experimental demonstration of a novel three-photon N00N state generation scheme using a single source of photons based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). The three-photon entangled state is generated when a photon is subtracted from a double pair of photons and detected by a heralding counter. Interference fringes measured with an emulated three-photon detector reveal the three-photon de Broglie wavelength and exhibit visibility > 70% without background subtraction.

Focal plane infrared readout circuit with automatic background suppression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor); Yang, Guang (Inventor); Sun, Chao (Inventor); Shaw, Timothy J. (Inventor); Wrigley, Chris J. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A circuit for reading out a signal from an infrared detector includes a current-mode background-signal subtracting circuit having a current memory which can be enabled to sample and store a dark level signal from the infrared detector during a calibration phase. The signal stored by the current memory is subtracted from a signal received from the infrared detector during an imaging phase. The circuit also includes a buffered direct injection input circuit and a differential voltage readout section. By performing most of the background signal estimation and subtraction in a current mode, a low gain can be provided by the buffered direct injection input circuit to keep the gain of the background signal relatively small, while a higher gain is provided by the differential voltage readout circuit. An array of such readout circuits can be used in an imager having an array of infrared detectors. The readout circuits can provide a high effective handling capacity.

The Automatic Recognition of the Abnormal Sky-subtraction Spectra Based on Hadoop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, An; Pan, Jingchang

2017-10-01

The skylines, superimposing on the target spectrum as a main noise, If the spectrum still contains a large number of high strength skylight residuals after sky-subtraction processing, it will not be conducive to the follow-up analysis of the target spectrum. At the same time, the LAMOST can observe a quantity of spectroscopic data in every night. We need an efficient platform to proceed the recognition of the larger numbers of abnormal sky-subtraction spectra quickly. Hadoop, as a distributed parallel data computing platform, can deal with large amounts of data effectively. In this paper, we conduct the continuum normalization firstly and then a simple and effective method will be presented to automatic recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra based on Hadoop platform. Obtain through the experiment, the Hadoop platform can implement the recognition with more speed and efficiency, and the simple method can recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra and find the abnormal skyline positions of different residual strength effectively, can be applied to the automatic detection of abnormal sky-subtraction of large number of spectra.

A comparative study of additive and subtractive manufacturing for dental restorations.

PubMed

Bae, Eun-Jeong; Jeong, Il-Do; Kim, Woong-Chul; Kim, Ji-Hwan

2017-08-01

Digital systems have recently found widespread application in the fabrication of dental restorations. For the clinical assessment of dental restorations fabricated digitally, it is necessary to evaluate their accuracy. However, studies of the accuracy of inlay restorations fabricated with additive manufacturing are lacking. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of inlay restorations fabricated by using recently introduced additive manufacturing with the accuracy of subtractive methods. The inlay (distal occlusal cavity) shape was fabricated using 3-dimensional image (reference data) software. Specimens were fabricated using 4 different methods (each n=10, total N=40), including 2 additive manufacturing methods, stereolithography apparatus and selective laser sintering; and 2 subtractive methods, wax and zirconia milling. Fabricated specimens were scanned using a dental scanner and then compared by overlapping reference data. The results were statistically analyzed using a 1-way analysis of variance (α=.05). Additionally, the surface morphology of 1 randomly (the first of each specimen) selected specimen from each group was evaluated using a digital microscope. The results of the overlap analysis of the dental restorations indicated that the root mean square (RMS) deviation observed in the restorations fabricated using the additive manufacturing methods were significantly different from those fabricated using the subtractive methods (P<.05). However, no significant differences were found between restorations fabricated using stereolithography apparatus and selective laser sintering, the additive manufacturing methods (P=.466). Similarly, no significant differences were found between wax and zirconia, the subtractive methods (P=.986). The observed RMS values were 106 μm for stereolithography apparatus, 113 μm for selective laser sintering, 116 μm for wax, and 119 μm for zirconia. Microscopic evaluation of the surface

Preschoolers' Understanding of Subtraction-Related Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baroody, Arthur J.; Lai, Meng-lung; Li, Xia; Baroody, Alison E.

2009-01-01

Little research has focused on an informal understanding of subtractive negation (e.g., 3 - 3 = 0) and subtractive identity (e.g., 3 - 0 = 3). Previous research indicates that preschoolers may have a fragile (i.e., unreliable or localized) understanding of the addition-subtraction inverse principle (e.g., 2 + 1 - 1 = 2). Recognition of a small…

Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Hong-Xin; Huang, Peng; Bai, Dong-Yun; Wang, Shi-Yu; Bao, Wan-Su; Zeng, Gui-Hua

2018-04-01

It has been found that non-Gaussian operations can be applied to increase and distill entanglement between Gaussian entangled states. We show the successful use of the non-Gaussian operation, in particular, photon subtraction operation, on the continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI-QKD) protocol. The proposed method can be implemented based on existing technologies. Security analysis shows that the photon subtraction operation can remarkably increase the maximal transmission distance of the CV-MDI-QKD protocol, which precisely make up for the shortcoming of the original CV-MDI-QKD protocol, and one-photon subtraction operation has the best performance. Moreover, the proposed protocol provides a feasible method for the experimental implementation of the CV-MDI-QKD protocol.

Coherent bremsstrahlung used for digital subtraction angiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Überall, Herbert

2007-05-01

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA), also known as Dichromography, using synchrotron radiation beams has been developed at Stanford University (R. Hofstadter) and was subsequently taken over at the Brookhaven Synchrotron and later at Hamburg (HASYLAB) [see, e.g., W.R. Dix, Physik in unserer Zeit. 30 (1999) 160]. The imaging of coronary arteries is carried out with an iodine-based contrast agent which need not be injected into the heart. The radiation must be monochromatized and is applied above and below the K-edge of iodine (33.16 keV), with a subsequent digital subtraction of the two images. Monochromatization of the synchrotron radiation causes a loss of intensity of 10 -3. We propose instead the use of coherent bremsstrahlung [see, e.g., A.W. Saenz and H. Uberall, Phys. Rev. B25 (1982) 448] which is inherently monochromatic, furnishing a flux of 10 12 photon/sec. This requires a 10-20 MeV electron linac which can be obtained by many larger hospitals, eliminating the scheduling problems present at synchrotrons. The large, broad incoherent bremsstrahlung background underlying the monochromatic spike would lead to inadmissible overexposure of the patient. This problem can be solved with the use of Kumakhov's capillary optics [see e.g., S.B.Dabagov, Physics-Uspekhi 46 (2003) 1053]: the low-energy spiked radiation can be deflected towards the patient, while the higher energy incoherent background continues forward, avoiding the patient who is placed several meters from the source.

A subtraction scheme for computing QCD jet cross sections at NNLO: integrating the subtraction terms I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somogyi, Gábor; Trócsányi, Zoltán

2008-08-01

In previous articles we outlined a subtraction scheme for regularizing doubly-real emission and real-virtual emission in next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) calculations of jet cross sections in electron-positron annihilation. In order to find the NNLO correction these subtraction terms have to be integrated over the factorized unresolved phase space and combined with the two-loop corrections. In this paper we perform the integration of all one-parton unresolved subtraction terms.

40 CFR 1065.667 - Dilution air background emission correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Calculations and Data Requirements § 1065.667 Dilution air background emission correction. (a) To determine the mass of background emissions to subtract... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Dilution air background emission...

40 CFR 1065.667 - Dilution air background emission correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Calculations and Data Requirements § 1065.667 Dilution air background emission correction. (a) To determine the mass of background emissions to subtract... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Dilution air background emission...

40 CFR 1065.667 - Dilution air background emission correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Calculations and Data Requirements § 1065.667 Dilution air background emission correction. (a) To determine the mass of background emissions to subtract... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Dilution air background emission...

40 CFR 1065.667 - Dilution air background emission correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Calculations and Data Requirements § 1065.667 Dilution air background emission correction. (a) To determine the mass of background emissions to subtract... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Dilution air background emission...

40 CFR 1065.667 - Dilution air background emission correction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Calculations and Data Requirements § 1065.667 Dilution air background emission correction. (a) To determine the mass of background emissions to subtract... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Dilution air background emission...

Detection of admittivity anomaly on high-contrast heterogeneous backgrounds using frequency difference EIT.

PubMed

Jang, J; Seo, J K

2015-06-01

This paper describes a multiple background subtraction method in frequency difference electrical impedance tomography (fdEIT) to detect an admittivity anomaly from a high-contrast background conductivity distribution. The proposed method expands the use of the conventional weighted frequency difference EIT method, which has been used limitedly to detect admittivity anomalies in a roughly homogeneous background. The proposed method can be viewed as multiple weighted difference imaging in fdEIT. Although the spatial resolutions of the output images by fdEIT are very low due to the inherent ill-posedness, numerical simulations and phantom experiments of the proposed method demonstrate its feasibility to detect anomalies. It has potential application in stroke detection in a head model, which is highly heterogeneous due to the skull.

New subtraction algorithms for evaluation of lesions on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR mammography.

PubMed

Choi, Byung Gil; Kim, Hak Hee; Kim, Euy Neyng; Kim, Bum-soo; Han, Ji-Youn; Yoo, Seung-Schik; Park, Seog Hee

2002-12-01

We report new subtraction algorithms for the detection of lesions in dynamic contrast-enhanced MR mammography(CE MRM). Twenty-five patients with suspicious breast lesions underwent dynamic CE MRM using 3D fast low-angle shot. After the acquisition of the T1-weighted scout images, dynamic images were acquired six times after the bolus injection of contrast media. Serial subtractions, step-by-step subtractions, and reverse subtractions, were performed. Two radiologists attempted to differentiate benign from malignant lesion in consensus. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the method leading to the differentiation of malignant tumor from benign lesions were 85.7, 100, and 96%, respectively. Subtraction images allowed for better visualization of the enhancement as well as its temporal pattern than visual inspection of dynamic images alone. Our findings suggest that the new subtraction algorithm is adequate for screening malignant breast lesions and can potentially replace the time-intensity profile analysis on user-selected regions of interest.

The potential for neurovascular intravenous angiography using K-edge digital subtraction angiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schültke, E.; Fiedler, S.; Kelly, M.; Griebel, R.; Juurlink, B.; LeDuc, G.; Estève, F.; Le Bas, J.-F.; Renier, M.; Nemoz, C.; Meguro, K.

2005-08-01

Background: Catheterization of small-caliber blood vessels in the central nervous system can be extremely challenging. Alternatively, intravenous (i.v.) administration of contrast agent is minimally invasive and therefore carries a much lower risk for the patient. With conventional X-ray equipment, volumes of contrast agent that could be safely administered to the patient do not allow acquisition of high-quality images after i.v. injection, because the contrast bolus is extremely diluted by passage through the heart. However, synchrotron-based digital K-edge subtraction angiography does allow acquisition of high-quality images after i.v. administration of relatively small doses of contrast agent. Materials and methods: Eight adult male New Zealand rabbits were used for our experiments. Animals were submitted to both angiography with conventional X-ray equipment and synchrotron-based digital subtraction angiography. Results: With conventional X-ray equipment, no contrast was seen in either cerebral or spinal blood vessels after i.v. injection of iodinated contrast agent. However, using K-edge digital subtraction angiography, as little as 1 ml iodinated contrast agent, when administered as i.v. bolus, yielded images of small-caliber blood vessels in the central nervous system (both brain and spinal cord). Conclusions: If it would be possible to image blood vessels of the same diameter in the central nervous system of human patients, the synchrotron-based technique could yield high-quality images at a significantly lower risk for the patient than conventional X-ray imaging. Images could be acquired where catheterization of feeding blood vessels has proven impossible.

Cloning the Gravity and Shear Stress Related Genes from MG-63 Cells by Subtracting Hybridization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shu; Dai, Zhong-quan; Wang, Bing; Cao, Xin-sheng; Li, Ying-hui; Sun, Xi-qing

2008-06-01

Background The purpose of the present study was to clone the gravity and shear stress related genes from osteoblast-like human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells by subtractive hybridization. Method MG-63 cells were divided into two groups (1G group and simulated microgravity group). After cultured for 60 h in two different gravitational environments, two groups of MG-63 cells were treated with 1.5Pa fluid shear stress (FSS) for 60 min, respectively. The total RNA in cells was isolated. The gravity and shear stress related genes were cloned by subtractive hybridization. Result 200 clones were gained. 30 positive clones were selected using PCR method based on the primers of vector and sequenced. The obtained sequences were analyzed by blast. changes of 17 sequences were confirmed by RT-PCR and these genes are related to cell proliferation, cell differentiation, protein synthesis, signal transduction and apoptosis. 5 unknown genes related to gravity and shear stress were found. Conclusion In this part of our study, our result indicates that simulated microgravity may change the activities of MG-63 cells by inducing the functional alterations of specific genes.

Characterizing the Background Corona with SDO/AIA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Napier, Kate; Alexander, Caroline; Winebarger, Amy

2014-01-01

Characterizing the nature of the solar coronal background would enable scientists to more accurately determine plasma parameters, and may lead to a better understanding of the coronal heating problem. Because scientists study the 3D structure of the Sun in 2D, any line-of-sight includes both foreground and background material, and thus, the issue of background subtraction arises. By investigating the intensity values in and around an active region, using multiple wavelengths collected from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) over an eight-hour period, this project aims to characterize the background as smooth or structured. Different methods were employed to measure the true coronal background and create minimum intensity images. These were then investigated for the presence of structure. The background images created were found to contain long-lived structures, including coronal loops, that were still present in all of the wavelengths, 131, 171, 193, 211, and 335 A. The intensity profiles across the active region indicate that the background is much more structured than previously thought.

Improvement of two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution with virtual photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yijia; Zhang, Yichen; Li, Zhengyu; Yu, Song; Guo, Hong

2017-08-01

We propose a method to improve the performance of two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol by virtual photon subtraction. The virtual photon subtraction implemented via non-Gaussian post-selection not only enhances the entanglement of two-mode squeezed vacuum state but also has advantages in simplifying physical operation and promoting efficiency. In two-way protocol, virtual photon subtraction could be applied on two sources independently. Numerical simulations show that the optimal performance of renovated two-way protocol is obtained with photon subtraction only used by Alice. The transmission distance and tolerable excess noise are improved by using the virtual photon subtraction with appropriate parameters. Moreover, the tolerable excess noise maintains a high value with the increase in distance so that the robustness of two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution system is significantly improved, especially at long transmission distance.

Deblurring in digital tomosynthesis by iterative self-layer subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youn, Hanbean; Kim, Jee Young; Jang, SunYoung; Cho, Min Kook; Cho, Seungryong; Kim, Ho Kyung

2010-04-01

Recent developments in large-area flat-panel detectors have made tomosynthesis technology revisited in multiplanar xray imaging. However, the typical shift-and-add (SAA) or backprojection reconstruction method is notably claimed by a lack of sharpness in the reconstructed images because of blur artifact which is the superposition of objects which are out of planes. In this study, we have devised an intuitive simple method to reduce the blur artifact based on an iterative approach. This method repeats a forward and backward projection procedure to determine the blur artifact affecting on the plane-of-interest (POI), and then subtracts it from the POI. The proposed method does not include any Fourierdomain operations hence excluding the Fourier-domain-originated artifacts. We describe the concept of the self-layer subtractive tomosynthesis and demonstrate its performance with numerical simulation and experiments. Comparative analysis with the conventional methods, such as the SAA and filtered backprojection methods, is addressed.

Subtraction of cap-trapped full-length cDNA libraries to select rare transcripts.

PubMed

Hirozane-Kishikawa, Tomoko; Shiraki, Toshiyuki; Waki, Kazunori; Nakamura, Mari; Arakawa, Takahiro; Kawai, Jun; Fagiolini, Michela; Hensch, Takao K; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide; Carninci, Piero

2003-09-01

The normalization and subtraction of highly expressed cDNAs from relatively large tissues before cloning dramatically enhanced the gene discovery by sequencing for the mouse full-length cDNA encyclopedia, but these methods have not been suitable for limited RNA materials. To normalize and subtract full-length cDNA libraries derived from limited quantities of total RNA, here we report a method to subtract plasmid libraries excised from size-unbiased amplified lambda phage cDNA libraries that avoids heavily biasing steps such as PCR and plasmid library amplification. The proportion of full-length cDNAs and the gene discovery rate are high, and library diversity can be validated by in silico randomization.

Digital image comparison by subtracting contextual transformations—percentile rank order differentiation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wehde, M. E.

1995-01-01

The common method of digital image comparison by subtraction imposes various constraints on the image contents. Precise registration of images is required to assure proper evaluation of surface locations. The attribute being measured and the calibration and scaling of the sensor are also important to the validity and interpretability of the subtraction result. Influences of sensor gains and offsets complicate the subtraction process. The presence of any uniform systematic transformation component in one of two images to be compared distorts the subtraction results and requires analyst intervention to interpret or remove it. A new technique has been developed to overcome these constraints. Images to be compared are first transformed using the cumulative relative frequency as a transfer function. The transformed images represent the contextual relationship of each surface location with respect to all others within the image. The process of differentiating between the transformed images results in a percentile rank ordered difference. This process produces consistent terrain-change information even when the above requirements necessary for subtraction are relaxed. This technique may be valuable to an appropriately designed hierarchical terrain-monitoring methodology because it does not require human participation in the process.

The EPIC-MOS Particle-Induced Background Spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuntz, K. D.; Snowden, S. L.

2006-01-01

We have developed a method for constructing a spectrum of the particle-induced instrumental background of the XMM-Newton EPIC MOS detectors that can be used for observations of the diffuse background and extended sources that fill a significant fraction of the instrument field of view. The strength and spectrum of the particle-induced background, that is, the background due to the interaction of particles with the detector and the detector surroundings, is temporally variable as well as spatially variable over individual chips. Our method uses a combination of the filter-wheel-closed data and a database of unexposed-region data to construct a spectrum of the "quiescent" background. We show that, using this method of background subtraction, the differences between independent observations of the same region of "blank sky" are consistent with the statistical uncertainties except when there is clear evidence of solar wind charge exchange emission. We use the blank sky observations to show that contamination by SWCX emission is a strong function of the solar wind proton flux, and that observations through the flanks of the magnetosheath appear to be contaminated only at much higher solar wind fluxes. We have also developed a spectral model of the residual soft proton flares, which allows their effects to be removed to a substantial degree during spectral fitting.

Image quality improvement in three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography using the subtraction method for brain and temporal bone diseases.

PubMed

Peng, Shu-Hui; Shen, Chao-Yu; Wu, Ming-Chi; Lin, Yue-Der; Huang, Chun-Huang; Kang, Ruei-Jin; Tyan, Yeu-Sheng; Tsao, Teng-Fu

2013-08-01

Time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance (MR) angiography is based on flow-related enhancement using the T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo, or the fast low-angle shot gradient echo sequence. However, materials with short T1 relaxation times may show hyperintensity signals and contaminate the TOF images. The objective of our study was to determine whether subtraction three-dimensional (3D) TOF MR angiography improves image quality in brain and temporal bone diseases with unwanted contaminations with short T1 relaxation times. During the 12-month study period, patients who had masses with short T1 relaxation times noted on precontrast T1-weighted brain MR images and 24 healthy volunteers were scanned using conventional and subtraction 3D TOF MR angiography. The qualitative evaluation of each MR angiogram was based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and scores in three categories, namely, (1) presence of misregistration artifacts, (2) ability to display arterial anatomy selectively (without contamination by materials with short T1 relaxation times), and (3) arterial flow-related enhancement. We included 12 patients with intracranial hematomas, brain tumors, or middle-ear cholesterol granulomas. Subtraction 3D TOF MR angiography yielded higher CNRs between the area of the basilar artery (BA) and normal-appearing parenchyma of the brain and lower SNRs in the area of the BA compared with the conventional technique (147.7 ± 77.6 vs. 130.6 ± 54.2, p < 0.003 and 162.5 ± 79.9 vs. 194.3 ± 62.3, p < 0.001, respectively) in all 36 cases. The 3D subtraction angiography did not deteriorate image quality with misregistration artifacts and showed a better selective display of arteries (p < 0.0001) and arterial flow-related enhancement (p < 0.044) than the conventional method. Subtraction 3D TOF MR angiography is more appropriate than the conventional method in improving the image quality in brain and temporal bone diseases with unwanted contaminations

Unconventional minimal subtraction and Bogoliubov-Parasyuk-Hepp-Zimmermann method: Massive scalar theory and critical exponents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carvalho, Paulo R. S.; Leite, Marcelo M.

2013-09-15

We introduce a simpler although unconventional minimal subtraction renormalization procedure in the case of a massive scalar λφ{sup 4} theory in Euclidean space using dimensional regularization. We show that this method is very similar to its counterpart in massless field theory. In particular, the choice of using the bare mass at higher perturbative order instead of employing its tree-level counterpart eliminates all tadpole insertions at that order. As an application, we compute diagrammatically the critical exponents η and ν at least up to two loops. We perform an explicit comparison with the Bogoliubov-Parasyuk-Hepp-Zimmermann (BPHZ) method at the same loop order,more » show that the proposed method requires fewer diagrams and establish a connection between the two approaches.« less

A generalized time-frequency subtraction method for robust speech enhancement based on wavelet filter banks modeling of human auditory system.

PubMed

Shao, Yu; Chang, Chip-Hong

2007-08-01

We present a new speech enhancement scheme for a single-microphone system to meet the demand for quality noise reduction algorithms capable of operating at a very low signal-to-noise ratio. A psychoacoustic model is incorporated into the generalized perceptual wavelet denoising method to reduce the residual noise and improve the intelligibility of speech. The proposed method is a generalized time-frequency subtraction algorithm, which advantageously exploits the wavelet multirate signal representation to preserve the critical transient information. Simultaneous masking and temporal masking of the human auditory system are modeled by the perceptual wavelet packet transform via the frequency and temporal localization of speech components. The wavelet coefficients are used to calculate the Bark spreading energy and temporal spreading energy, from which a time-frequency masking threshold is deduced to adaptively adjust the subtraction parameters of the proposed method. An unvoiced speech enhancement algorithm is also integrated into the system to improve the intelligibility of speech. Through rigorous objective and subjective evaluations, it is shown that the proposed speech enhancement system is capable of reducing noise with little speech degradation in adverse noise environments and the overall performance is superior to several competitive methods.

Correction of Atmospheric Haze in RESOURCESAT-1 LISS-4 MX Data for Urban Analysis: AN Improved Dark Object Subtraction Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustak, S.

2013-09-01

The correction of atmospheric effects is very essential because visible bands of shorter wavelength are highly affected by atmospheric scattering especially of Rayleigh scattering. The objectives of the paper is to find out the haze values present in the all spectral bands and to correct the haze values for urban analysis. In this paper, Improved Dark Object Subtraction method of P. Chavez (1988) is applied for the correction of atmospheric haze in the Resoucesat-1 LISS-4 multispectral satellite image. Dark object Subtraction is a very simple image-based method of atmospheric haze which assumes that there are at least a few pixels within an image which should be black (% reflectance) and such black reflectance termed as dark object which are clear water body and shadows whose DN values zero (0) or Close to zero in the image. Simple Dark Object Subtraction method is a first order atmospheric correction but Improved Dark Object Subtraction method which tends to correct the Haze in terms of atmospheric scattering and path radiance based on the power law of relative scattering effect of atmosphere. The haze values extracted using Simple Dark Object Subtraction method for Green band (Band2), Red band (Band3) and NIR band (band4) are 40, 34 and 18 but the haze values extracted using Improved Dark Object Subtraction method are 40, 18.02 and 11.80 for aforesaid bands. Here it is concluded that the haze values extracted by Improved Dark Object Subtraction method provides more realistic results than Simple Dark Object Subtraction method.

[Construction of fetal mesenchymal stem cell cDNA subtractive library].

PubMed

Yang, Li; Wang, Dong-Mei; Li, Liang; Bai, Ci-Xian; Cao, Hua; Li, Ting-Yu; Pei, Xue-Tao

2002-04-01

To identify differentially expressed genes between fetal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and adult MSC, especially specified genes expressed in fetal MSC, a cDNA subtractive library of fetal MSC was constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. At first, total RNA was isolated from fetal and adult MSC. Using SMART PCR synthesis method, single-strand and double-strand cDNAs were synthesized. After Rsa I digestion, fetal MSC cDNAs were divided into two groups and ligated to adaptor 1 and adaptor 2 respectively. Results showed that the amplified library contains 890 clones. Analysis of 890 clones with PCR demonstrated that 768 clones were positive. The positive rate is 86.3%. The size of inserted fragments in these positive clones was between 0.2 - 1 kb, with an average of 400 - 600 bp. SSH is a convenient and effective method for screening differentially expressed genes. The constructed cDNA subtractive library of fetal MSC cDNA lays solid foundation for screening and cloning new and specific function related genes of fetal MSC.

Digital subtraction dark-lumen MR colonography: initial experience.

PubMed

Ajaj, Waleed; Veit, Patrick; Kuehle, Christiane; Joekel, Michaela; Lauenstein, Thomas C; Herborn, Christoph U

2005-06-01

To evaluate image subtraction for the detection of colonic pathologies in a dark-lumen MR colonography exam. A total of 20 patients (12 males; 8 females; mean 51.4 years of age) underwent MR colonography after standard cleansing and a rectal water enema on a 1.5-T whole-body MR system. After suppression of peristaltic motion, native and Gd-contrast-enhanced three-dimensional T1-w gradient echo images were acquired in the coronal plane. Two radiologists analyzed the MR data sets in consensus on two separate occasions, with and without the subtracted images for lesion detection, and assessed the value of the subtracted data set on a five-point Likert scale (1=very helpful to 5=very unhelpful). All imaging results were compared with endoscopy. Without subtracted images, MR-colonography detected a total of five polyps, two inflammatory lesions, and one carcinoma in eight patients, which were all verified by endoscopy. Using subtraction, an additional polyp was found, and readout time was significantly shorter (6:41 vs. 7:39 minutes; P<0.05). In two patients, endoscopy detected a flat adenoma and a polyp (0.4 cm) that were missed in the MR exam. Sensitivity and specificity without subtraction were 0.67/1.0, and 0.76/1.0 with the subtracted images, respectively. Subtraction was assessed as helpful in all exams (mean value 1.8+/-0.5; Likert scale). We consider subtraction of native from contrast-enhanced dark-lumen MR colonography data sets as a beneficial supplement to the exam. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Characterizing the True Background Corona with SDO/AIA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Napier, Kate; Winebarger, Amy; Alexander, Caroline

2014-01-01

Characterizing the nature of the solar coronal background would enable scientists to more accurately determine plasma parameters, and may lead to a better understanding of the coronal heating problem. Because scientists study the 3D structure of the Sun in 2D, any line of sight includes both foreground and background material, and thus, the issue of background subtraction arises. By investigating the intensity values in and around an active region, using multiple wavelengths collected from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) over an eight-hour period, this project aims to characterize the background as smooth or structured. Different methods were employed to measure the true coronal background and create minimum intensity images. These were then investigated for the presence of structure. The background images created were found to contain long-lived structures, including coronal loops, that were still present in all of the wavelengths, 193 Angstroms,171 Angstroms,131 Angstroms, and 211 Angstroms. The intensity profiles across the active region indicate that the background is much more structured than previously thought.

Efficiency and Flexibility of Indirect Addition in the Domain of Multi-Digit Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torbeyns, Joke; Ghesquiere, Pol; Verschaffel, Lieven

2009-01-01

This article discusses the characteristics of the indirect addition strategy (IA) in the domain of multi-digit subtraction. In two studies, adults' use of IA on three-digit subtractions with a small, medium, or large difference between the integers was analysed using the choice/no-choice method. Results from both studies indicate that adults…

Combined slope ratio analysis and linear-subtraction: An extension of the Pearce ratio method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Waal, Sybrand A.

1996-07-01

A new technique, called combined slope ratio analysis, has been developed by extending the Pearce element ratio or conserved-denominator method (Pearce, 1968) to its logical conclusions. If two stoichiometric substances are mixed and certain chemical components are uniquely contained in either one of the two mixing substances, then by treating these unique components as conserved, the composition of the substance not containing the relevant component can be accurately calculated within the limits allowed by analytical and geological error. The calculated composition can then be subjected to rigorous statistical testing using the linear-subtraction method recently advanced by Woronow (1994). Application of combined slope ratio analysis to the rocks of the Uwekahuna Laccolith, Hawaii, USA, and the lavas of the 1959-summit eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA, yields results that are consistent with field observations.

[Development of a digital chest phantom for studies on energy subtraction techniques].

PubMed

Hayashi, Norio; Taniguchi, Anna; Noto, Kimiya; Shimosegawa, Masayuki; Ogura, Toshihiro; Doi, Kunio

2014-03-01

Digital chest phantoms continue to play a significant role in optimizing imaging parameters for chest X-ray examinations. The purpose of this study was to develop a digital chest phantom for studies on energy subtraction techniques under ideal conditions without image noise. Computed tomography (CT) images from the LIDC (Lung Image Database Consortium) were employed to develop a digital chest phantom. The method consisted of the following four steps: 1) segmentation of the lung and bone regions on CT images; 2) creation of simulated nodules; 3) transformation to attenuation coefficient maps from the segmented images; and 4) projection from attenuation coefficient maps. To evaluate the usefulness of digital chest phantoms, we determined the contrast of the simulated nodules in projection images of the digital chest phantom using high and low X-ray energies, soft tissue images obtained by energy subtraction, and "gold standard" images of the soft tissues. Using our method, the lung and bone regions were segmented on the original CT images. The contrast of simulated nodules in soft tissue images obtained by energy subtraction closely matched that obtained using the gold standard images. We thus conclude that it is possible to carry out simulation studies based on energy subtraction techniques using the created digital chest phantoms. Our method is potentially useful for performing simulation studies for optimizing the imaging parameters in chest X-ray examinations.

I.v. and intraarterial hybrid digital subtraction angiography: clinical evaluation.

PubMed

Foley, W D; Beres, J; Smith, D F; Bell, R M; Milde, M W; Lipchik, E O

1986-09-01

Temporal/energy (hybrid) subtraction is a technique for removing soft-tissue motion artifact from digital subtraction angiograms. The diagnostic utility of hybrid subtraction for i.v. and intraarterial angiography was assessed in the first 9 months of operation of a dedicated production system. In i.v. carotid arteriography (N = 127), hybrid subtraction (H) provided a double-profile projection of the carotid bifurcation in an additional 14% of studies, compared with temporal subtraction (T) alone (H79:T48, p less than 0.001). However, a change in estimated percent stenosis or additional diagnostic information occurred in only 2% of studies. In i.v. abdominal arteriography (N = 23), hybrid subtraction, compared with temporal subtraction, provided a diagnostic examination in an additional 14% of studies (H20:T17); however, this difference is not statistically significant. An additional three i.v. abdominal angiograms were nondiagnostic. In intraarterial abdominal (N = 98) and pelvic (N = 60) angiography, hybrid subtraction provided a diagnostic examination in an additional 5% of studies (abdomen H94:T90, pelvis H58:T56); this difference was not statistically significant. An additional 5% of all intraarterial abdominal and pelvic digital subtraction angiographic studies were considered nondiagnostic. Hybrid subtraction provides a double-profile view of the carotid bifurcation in a significant number of patients. However, apart from some potential for improved i.v. abdominal arteriography, hybrid subtraction does not result in significant improvement in comparison to conventional temporal-subtraction techniques.

Contexts for Column Addition and Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez Fernandez, Jorge M.; Velazquez Estrella, Aileen

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors discuss their approach to column addition and subtraction algorithms. Adapting an original idea of Paul Cobb and Erna Yackel's from "A Contextual Investigation of Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction" related to packing and unpacking candy in a candy factory, the authors provided an analogous context by…

Enhanced identification and biological validation of differential gene expression via Illumina whole-genome expression arrays through the use of the model-based background correction methodology

PubMed Central

Ding, Liang-Hao; Xie, Yang; Park, Seongmi; Xiao, Guanghua; Story, Michael D.

2008-01-01

Despite the tremendous growth of microarray usage in scientific studies, there is a lack of standards for background correction methodologies, especially in single-color microarray platforms. Traditional background subtraction methods often generate negative signals and thus cause large amounts of data loss. Hence, some researchers prefer to avoid background corrections, which typically result in the underestimation of differential expression. Here, by utilizing nonspecific negative control features integrated into Illumina whole genome expression arrays, we have developed a method of model-based background correction for BeadArrays (MBCB). We compared the MBCB with a method adapted from the Affymetrix robust multi-array analysis algorithm and with no background subtraction, using a mouse acute myeloid leukemia (AML) dataset. We demonstrated that differential expression ratios obtained by using the MBCB had the best correlation with quantitative RT–PCR. MBCB also achieved better sensitivity in detecting differentially expressed genes with biological significance. For example, we demonstrated that the differential regulation of Tnfr2, Ikk and NF-kappaB, the death receptor pathway, in the AML samples, could only be detected by using data after MBCB implementation. We conclude that MBCB is a robust background correction method that will lead to more precise determination of gene expression and better biological interpretation of Illumina BeadArray data. PMID:18450815

Reduction of background clutter in structured lighting systems

DOEpatents

Carlson, Jeffrey J.; Giles, Michael K.; Padilla, Denise D.; Davidson, Jr., Patrick A.; Novick, David K.; Wilson, Christopher W.

2010-06-22

Methods for segmenting the reflected light of an illumination source having a characteristic wavelength from background illumination (i.e. clutter) in structured lighting systems can comprise pulsing the light source used to illuminate a scene, pulsing the light source synchronously with the opening of a shutter in an imaging device, estimating the contribution of background clutter by interpolation of images of the scene collected at multiple spectral bands not including the characteristic wavelength and subtracting the estimated background contribution from an image of the scene comprising the wavelength of the light source and, placing a polarizing filter between the imaging device and the scene, where the illumination source can be polarized in the same orientation as the polarizing filter. Apparatus for segmenting the light of an illumination source from background illumination can comprise an illuminator, an image receiver for receiving images of multiple spectral bands, a processor for calculations and interpolations, and a polarizing filter.

Observation of the Effectiveness of Drama Method in Helping to Acquire the Addition-Subtraction Skills by Children at Preschool Phase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soydan, Sema; Quadir, Seher Ersoy

2013-01-01

Principal aim of this study is to show the effectiveness of the program prepared by researchers in order to enable 6 year-old children attending pre-school educational institutions to effectively gain addition subtraction skills through a drama-related method. The work group in the research comprised of 80 kids who continued their education in…

Image Processing Of Images From Peripheral-Artery Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, David L.; Tarbox, Lawrence R.; Cist, David B.; Faul, David D.

1988-06-01

A system is being developed to test the possibility of doing peripheral, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with a single contrast injection using a moving gantry system. Given repositioning errors that occur between the mask and contrast-containing images, factors affecting the success of subtractions following image registration have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. For a 1 mm gantry displacement, parallax and geometric image distortion (pin-cushion) both give subtraction errors following registration that are approximately 25% of the error resulting from no registration. Image processing techniques improve the subtractions. The geometric distortion effect is reduced using a piece-wise, 8 parameter unwarping method. Plots of image similarity measures versus pixel shift are well behaved and well fit by a parabola, leading to the development of an iterative, automatic registration algorithm that uses parabolic prediction of the new minimum. The registration algorithm converges quickly (less than 1 second on a MicroVAX) and is relatively immune to the region of interest (ROI) selected.

Longitudinal development of subtraction performance in elementary school.

PubMed

Artemenko, Christina; Pixner, Silvia; Moeller, Korbinian; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2017-10-05

A major goal of education in elementary mathematics is the mastery of arithmetic operations. However, research on subtraction is rather scarce, probably because subtraction is often implicitly assumed to be cognitively similar to addition, its mathematical inverse. To evaluate this assumption, we examined the relation between the borrow effect in subtraction and the carry effect in addition, and the developmental trajectory of the borrow effect in children using a choice reaction paradigm in a longitudinal study. In contrast to the carry effect in adults, carry and borrow effects in children were found to be categorical rather than continuous. From grades 3 to 4, children became more proficient in two-digit subtraction in general, but not in performing the borrow operation in particular. Thus, we observed no specific developmental progress in place-value computation, but a general improvement in subtraction procedures. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The borrow operation increases difficulty in two-digit subtraction in adults. The carry effect in addition, as the inverse operation of borrowing, comprises categorical and continuous processing characteristics. What does this study add? In contrast to the carry effect in adults, the borrow and carry effects are categorical in elementary school children. Children generally improve in subtraction performance from grades 3 to 4 but do not progress in place-value computation in particular. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with virtual photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yijia; Zhang, Yichen; Xu, Bingjie; Yu, Song; Guo, Hong

2018-04-01

The method of improving the performance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols by postselection has been recently proposed and verified. In continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI QKD) protocols, the measurement results are obtained from untrusted third party Charlie. There is still not an effective method of improving CV-MDI QKD by the postselection with untrusted measurement. We propose a method to improve the performance of coherent-state CV-MDI QKD protocol by virtual photon subtraction via non-Gaussian postselection. The non-Gaussian postselection of transmitted data is equivalent to an ideal photon subtraction on the two-mode squeezed vacuum state, which is favorable to enhance the performance of CV-MDI QKD. In CV-MDI QKD protocol with non-Gaussian postselection, two users select their own data independently. We demonstrate that the optimal performance of the renovated CV-MDI QKD protocol is obtained with the transmitted data only selected by Alice. By setting appropriate parameters of the virtual photon subtraction, the secret key rate and tolerable excess noise are both improved at long transmission distance. The method provides an effective optimization scheme for the application of CV-MDI QKD protocols.

Differential Gene Expression at Coral Settlement and Metamorphosis - A Subtractive Hybridization Study

PubMed Central

Hayward, David C.; Hetherington, Suzannah; Behm, Carolyn A.; Grasso, Lauretta C.; Forêt, Sylvain; Miller, David J.; Ball, Eldon E.

2011-01-01

Background A successful metamorphosis from a planktonic larva to a settled polyp, which under favorable conditions will establish a future colony, is critical for the survival of corals. However, in contrast to the situation in other animals, e.g., frogs and insects, little is known about the molecular basis of coral metamorphosis. We have begun to redress this situation with previous microarray studies, but there is still a great deal to learn. In the present paper we have utilized a different technology, subtractive hybridization, to characterize genes differentially expressed across this developmental transition and to compare the success of this method to microarray. Methodology/Principal Findings Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify two pools of transcripts from the coral, Acropora millepora. One is enriched for transcripts expressed at higher levels at the pre-settlement stage, and the other for transcripts expressed at higher levels at the post-settlement stage. Virtual northern blots were used to demonstrate the efficacy of the subtractive hybridization technique. Both pools contain transcripts coding for proteins in various functional classes but transcriptional regulatory proteins were represented more frequently in the post-settlement pool. Approximately 18% of the transcripts showed no significant similarity to any other sequence on the public databases. Transcripts of particular interest were further characterized by in situ hybridization, which showed that many are regulated spatially as well as temporally. Notably, many transcripts exhibit axially restricted expression patterns that correlate with the pool from which they were isolated. Several transcripts are expressed in patterns consistent with a role in calcification. Conclusions We have characterized over 200 transcripts that are differentially expressed between the planula larva and post-settlement polyp of the coral, Acropora millepora. Sequence, putative function

Comparing transformation methods for DNA microarray data

PubMed Central

Thygesen, Helene H; Zwinderman, Aeilko H

2004-01-01

Background When DNA microarray data are used for gene clustering, genotype/phenotype correlation studies, or tissue classification the signal intensities are usually transformed and normalized in several steps in order to improve comparability and signal/noise ratio. These steps may include subtraction of an estimated background signal, subtracting the reference signal, smoothing (to account for nonlinear measurement effects), and more. Different authors use different approaches, and it is generally not clear to users which method they should prefer. Results We used the ratio between biological variance and measurement variance (which is an F-like statistic) as a quality measure for transformation methods, and we demonstrate a method for maximizing that variance ratio on real data. We explore a number of transformations issues, including Box-Cox transformation, baseline shift, partial subtraction of the log-reference signal and smoothing. It appears that the optimal choice of parameters for the transformation methods depends on the data. Further, the behavior of the variance ratio, under the null hypothesis of zero biological variance, appears to depend on the choice of parameters. Conclusions The use of replicates in microarray experiments is important. Adjustment for the null-hypothesis behavior of the variance ratio is critical to the selection of transformation method. PMID:15202953

A subtraction scheme for computing QCD jet cross sections at NNLO: integrating the doubly unresolved subtraction terms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somogyi, Gábor

2013-04-01

We finish the definition of a subtraction scheme for computing NNLO corrections to QCD jet cross sections. In particular, we perform the integration of the soft-type contributions to the doubly unresolved counterterms via the method of Mellin-Barnes representations. With these final ingredients in place, the definition of the scheme is complete and the computation of fully differential rates for electron-positron annihilation into two and three jets at NNLO accuracy becomes feasible.

Background-Modeling-Based Adaptive Prediction for Surveillance Video Coding.

PubMed

Zhang, Xianguo; Huang, Tiejun; Tian, Yonghong; Gao, Wen

2014-02-01

The exponential growth of surveillance videos presents an unprecedented challenge for high-efficiency surveillance video coding technology. Compared with the existing coding standards that were basically developed for generic videos, surveillance video coding should be designed to make the best use of the special characteristics of surveillance videos (e.g., relative static background). To do so, this paper first conducts two analyses on how to improve the background and foreground prediction efficiencies in surveillance video coding. Following the analysis results, we propose a background-modeling-based adaptive prediction (BMAP) method. In this method, all blocks to be encoded are firstly classified into three categories. Then, according to the category of each block, two novel inter predictions are selectively utilized, namely, the background reference prediction (BRP) that uses the background modeled from the original input frames as the long-term reference and the background difference prediction (BDP) that predicts the current data in the background difference domain. For background blocks, the BRP can effectively improve the prediction efficiency using the higher quality background as the reference; whereas for foreground-background-hybrid blocks, the BDP can provide a better reference after subtracting its background pixels. Experimental results show that the BMAP can achieve at least twice the compression ratio on surveillance videos as AVC (MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding) high profile, yet with a slightly additional encoding complexity. Moreover, for the foreground coding performance, which is crucial to the subjective quality of moving objects in surveillance videos, BMAP also obtains remarkable gains over several state-of-the-art methods.

Color Addition and Subtraction Apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, Frances; Ruiz, Michael J.

2015-10-01

Color addition and subtraction apps in HTML5 have been developed for students as an online hands-on experience so that they can more easily master principles introduced through traditional classroom demonstrations. The evolution of the additive RGB color model is traced through the early IBM color adapters so that students can proceed step by step in understanding mathematical representations of RGB color. Finally, color addition and subtraction are presented for the X11 colors from web design to illustrate yet another real-life application of color mixing.

P300: Waves Identification with and without Subtraction of Traces

PubMed Central

Romero, Ana Carla Leite; Reis, Ana Cláudia Mirândola Barbosa; Oliveira, Anna Caroline Silva de; Oliveira Simões, Humberto de; Oliveira Junqueira, Cinthia Amorim de; Frizzo, Ana Cláudia Figueiredo

2017-01-01

Introduction  The P300 test requires well-defined and unique criteria, in addition to training for the examiners, for a uniform analysis of studies and to avoid variations and errors in the interpretation of measurement results. Objectives  The objective of this study is to verify whether there are differences in P300 with and without subtraction of traces of standard and nonstandard stimuli. Method  We conducted this study in collaboration with two research electrophysiology laboratories. From Laboratory 1, we selected 40 tests of subjects between 7–44 years, from Laboratory 2, we selected 83 tests of subjects between 18–44 years. We first performed the identification with the nonstandard stimuli; then, we subtracted the nonstandard stimuli from the standard stimuli. The examiners identified the waves, performing a descriptive and comparative analysis of traces with and without subtraction. Results  After a comparative analysis of the traces with and without subtraction, there was no significant difference when compared with analysis of traces in both laboratories, within the conditions, of right ears ( p  = 0.13 and 0.28 for differences between latency and amplitude measurements) and left ears ( p  = 0.15 and 0.09 for differences between latency and amplitude measurements) from Laboratory 1. As for Laboratory 2, when investigating both ears, results did not identify significant differences ( p  = 0.098 and 0.28 for differences between latency and amplitude measurements). Conclusion  There was no difference verified in traces with and without subtraction. We suggest the identification of this potential performed through nonstandard stimuli. PMID:29018497

Motion compensation in digital subtraction angiography using graphics hardware.

PubMed

Deuerling-Zheng, Yu; Lell, Michael; Galant, Adam; Hornegger, Joachim

2006-07-01

An inherent disadvantage of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is its sensitivity to patient motion which causes artifacts in the subtraction images. These artifacts could often reduce the diagnostic value of this technique. Automated, fast and accurate motion compensation is therefore required. To cope with this requirement, we first examine a method explicitly designed to detect local motions in DSA. Then, we implement a motion compensation algorithm by means of block matching on modern graphics hardware. Both methods search for maximal local similarity by evaluating a histogram-based measure. In this context, we are the first who have mapped an optimizing search strategy on graphics hardware while paralleling block matching. Moreover, we provide an innovative method for creating histograms on graphics hardware with vertex texturing and frame buffer blending. It turns out that both methods can effectively correct the artifacts in most case, as the hardware implementation of block matching performs much faster: the displacements of two 1024 x 1024 images can be calculated at 3 frames/s with integer precision or 2 frames/s with sub-pixel precision. Preliminary clinical evaluation indicates that the computation with integer precision could already be sufficient.

Unsupervised background-constrained tank segmentation of infrared images in complex background based on the Otsu method.

PubMed

Zhou, Yulong; Gao, Min; Fang, Dan; Zhang, Baoquan

2016-01-01

In an effort to implement fast and effective tank segmentation from infrared images in complex background, the threshold of the maximum between-class variance method (i.e., the Otsu method) is analyzed and the working mechanism of the Otsu method is discussed. Subsequently, a fast and effective method for tank segmentation from infrared images in complex background is proposed based on the Otsu method via constraining the complex background of the image. Considering the complexity of background, the original image is firstly divided into three classes of target region, middle background and lower background via maximizing the sum of their between-class variances. Then, the unsupervised background constraint is implemented based on the within-class variance of target region and hence the original image can be simplified. Finally, the Otsu method is applied to simplified image for threshold selection. Experimental results on a variety of tank infrared images (880 × 480 pixels) in complex background demonstrate that the proposed method enjoys better segmentation performance and even could be comparative with the manual segmentation in segmented results. In addition, its average running time is only 9.22 ms, implying the new method with good performance in real time processing.

Informed baseline subtraction of proteomic mass spectrometry data aided by a novel sliding window algorithm.

PubMed

Stanford, Tyman E; Bagley, Christopher J; Solomon, Patty J

2016-01-01

Proteomic matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) linear time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) may be used to produce protein profiles from biological samples with the aim of discovering biomarkers for disease. However, the raw protein profiles suffer from several sources of bias or systematic variation which need to be removed via pre-processing before meaningful downstream analysis of the data can be undertaken. Baseline subtraction, an early pre-processing step that removes the non-peptide signal from the spectra, is complicated by the following: (i) each spectrum has, on average, wider peaks for peptides with higher mass-to-charge ratios ( m / z ), and (ii) the time-consuming and error-prone trial-and-error process for optimising the baseline subtraction input arguments. With reference to the aforementioned complications, we present an automated pipeline that includes (i) a novel 'continuous' line segment algorithm that efficiently operates over data with a transformed m / z -axis to remove the relationship between peptide mass and peak width, and (ii) an input-free algorithm to estimate peak widths on the transformed m / z scale. The automated baseline subtraction method was deployed on six publicly available proteomic MS datasets using six different m/z-axis transformations. Optimality of the automated baseline subtraction pipeline was assessed quantitatively using the mean absolute scaled error (MASE) when compared to a gold-standard baseline subtracted signal. Several of the transformations investigated were able to reduce, if not entirely remove, the peak width and peak location relationship resulting in near-optimal baseline subtraction using the automated pipeline. The proposed novel 'continuous' line segment algorithm is shown to far outperform naive sliding window algorithms with regard to the computational time required. The improvement in computational time was at least four-fold on real MALDI TOF-MS data and at least an order of

Combined subtraction hybridization and polymerase chain reaction amplification procedure for isolation of strain-specific Rhizobium DNA sequences.

PubMed Central

Bjourson, A J; Stone, C E; Cooper, J E

1992-01-01

A novel subtraction hybridization procedure, incorporating a combination of four separation strategies, was developed to isolate unique DNA sequences from a strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. Sau3A-digested DNA from this strain, i.e., the probe strain, was ligated to a linker and hybridized in solution with an excess of pooled subtracter DNA from seven other strains of the same biovar which had been restricted, ligated to a different, biotinylated, subtracter-specific linker, and amplified by polymerase chain reaction to incorporate dUTP. Subtracter DNA and subtracter-probe hybrids were removed by phenol-chloroform extraction of a streptavidin-biotin-DNA complex. NENSORB chromatography of the sequences remaining in the aqueous layer captured biotinylated subtracter DNA which may have escaped removal by phenol-chloroform treatment. Any traces of contaminating subtracter DNA were removed by digestion with uracil DNA glycosylase. Finally, remaining sequences were amplified by polymerase chain reaction with a probe strain-specific primer, labelled with 32P, and tested for specificity in dot blot hybridizations against total genomic target DNA from each strain in the subtracter pool. Two rounds of subtraction-amplification were sufficient to remove cross-hybridizing sequences and to give a probe which hybridized only with homologous target DNA. The method is applicable to the isolation of DNA and RNA sequences from both procaryotic and eucaryotic cells. Images PMID:1637166

Renormalization of quark bilinear operators in a momentum-subtraction scheme with a nonexceptional subtraction point

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sturm, C.; Soni, A.; Aoki, Y.

2009-07-01

We extend the Rome-Southampton regularization independent momentum-subtraction renormalization scheme (RI/MOM) for bilinear operators to one with a nonexceptional, symmetric subtraction point. Two-point Green's functions with the insertion of quark bilinear operators are computed with scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, axial-vector and tensor operators at one-loop order in perturbative QCD. We call this new scheme RI/SMOM, where the S stands for 'symmetric'. Conversion factors are derived, which connect the RI/SMOM scheme and the MS scheme and can be used to convert results obtained in lattice calculations into the MS scheme. Such a symmetric subtraction point involves nonexceptional momenta implying a lattice calculation withmore » substantially suppressed contamination from infrared effects. Further, we find that the size of the one-loop corrections for these infrared improved kinematics is substantially decreased in the case of the pseudoscalar and scalar operator, suggesting a much better behaved perturbative series. Therefore it should allow us to reduce the error in the determination of the quark mass appreciably.« less

[X-ray semiotics of sialolithiasis in functional digital subtraction sialography].

PubMed

Iudin, L A; Kondrashin, S A; Afanas'ev, V V; Shchipskiĭ, A V

1995-01-01

Twenty-seven patients with sialolithiasis were examined using functional subtraction sialography developed by the authors. Differential diagnostic signs characterizing the degree of involvement of the salivary gland were defined. High efficacy of the method helps correctly plan the treatment strategy.

A Method of Time-Intensity Curve Calculation for Vascular Perfusion of Uterine Fibroids Based on Subtraction Imaging with Motion Correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xinjian; Wu, Ruoyu; Li, Tao; Zhao, Dawei; Shan, Xin; Wang, Puling; Peng, Song; Li, Faqi; Wu, Baoming

2016-12-01

The time-intensity curve (TIC) from contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) image sequence of uterine fibroids provides important parameter information for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of efficacy of treatment such as high-intensity focused ultrasound surgery. However, respiration and other physiological movements inevitably affect the process of CEUS imaging, and this reduces the accuracy of TIC calculation. In this study, a method of TIC calculation for vascular perfusion of uterine fibroids based on subtraction imaging with motion correction is proposed. First, the fibroid CEUS recording video was decoded into frame images based on the record frame rate. Next, the Brox optical flow algorithm was used to estimate the displacement field and correct the motion between two frames based on warp technique. Then, subtraction imaging was performed to extract the positional distribution of vascular perfusion (PDOVP). Finally, the average gray of all pixels in the PDOVP from each image was determined, and this was considered the TIC of CEUS image sequence. Both the correlation coefficient and mutual information of the results with proposed method were larger than those determined using the original method. PDOVP extraction results have been improved significantly after motion correction. The variance reduction rates were all positive, indicating that the fluctuations of TIC had become less pronounced, and the calculation accuracy has been improved after motion correction. This proposed method can effectively overcome the influence of motion mainly caused by respiration and allows precise calculation of TIC.

Adult Learners' Knowledge of Fraction Addition and Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muckridge, Nicole A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine adult developmental mathematics (ADM) students' knowledge of fraction addition and subtraction as it relates to their demonstrated fraction schemes and ability to disembed in multiplicative contexts with whole numbers. The study was conducted using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design. In the first…

Misconception on Addition and Subtraction of Fraction at Primary School Students in Fifth-Grade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trivena, V.; Ningsih, A. R.; Jupri, A.

2017-09-01

This study aims to investigate the mastery concept of the student in mathematics learning especially in addition and subtraction of fraction at primary school level. By using qualitative research method, the data were collected from 23 grade five students (10-11-year-old). Instruments included a test, that is accompanied by Certainty Response Index (CRI) and interview with students and teacher. The result of the test has been obtained, then processed by analyzing the student’s answers for each item and then grouped by the CRI categories that combined with the results of the interview with students and teacher. The results showed that student’s mastery-concept on additional and subtraction dominated by category ‘misconception’. So, we can say that mastery-concept on addition and subtraction of fraction at fifth-grade students is still low. Finally, the impact can make most of primary student think that learning addition and subtraction of fraction in mathematics is difficult.

Sky Subtraction with Fiber-Fed Spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Myriam

2017-09-01

"Historically, fiber-fed spectrographs had been deemed inadequate for the observation of faint targets, mainly because of the difficulty to achieve high accuracy on the sky subtraction. The impossibility to sample the sky in the immediate vicinity of the target in fiber instruments has led to a commonly held view that a multi-object fibre spectrograph cannot achieve an accurate sky subtraction under 1% contrary to their slit counterpart. The next generation of multi-objects spectrograph at the VLT (MOONS) and the planed MOS for the E-ELT (MOSAIC) are fiber-fed instruments, and are aimed to observed targets fainter than the sky continuum level. In this talk, I will present the state-of-art on sky subtraction strategies and data reduction algorithm specifically developed for fiber-fed spectrographs. I will also present the main results of an observational campaign to better characterise the sky spatial and temporal variations ( in particular the continuum and faint sky lines)."

Four-State Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution with Photon Subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fei; Wang, Yijun; Liao, Qin; Guo, Ying

2018-06-01

Four-state continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) is one of the discretely modulated CVQKD which generates four nonorthogonal coherent states and exploits the sign of the measured quadrature of each state to encode information rather than uses the quadrature \\hat {x} or \\hat {p} itself. It has been proven that four-state CVQKD is more suitable than Gaussian modulated CVQKD in terms of transmission distance. In this paper, we propose an improved four-state CVQKD using an non-Gaussian operation, photon subtraction. A suitable photon-subtraction operation can be exploited to improve the maximal transmission of CVQKD in point-to-point quantum communication since it provides a method to enhance the performance of entanglement-based (EB) CVQKD. Photon subtraction not only can lengthen the maximal transmission distance by increasing the signal-to-noise rate but also can be easily implemented with existing technologies. Security analysis shows that the proposed scheme can lengthen the maximum transmission distance. Furthermore, by taking finite-size effect into account we obtain a tighter bound of the secure distance, which is more practical than that obtained in the asymptotic limit.

Embossed radiography utilizing energy subtraction.

PubMed

Osawa, Akihiro; Watanabe, Manabu; Sato, Eiichi; Matsukiyo, Hiroshi; Enomoto, Toshiyuki; Nagao, Jiro; Abderyim, Purkhet; Aizawa, Katsuo; Tanaka, Etsuro; Mori, Hidezo; Kawai, Toshiaki; Ehara, Shigeru; Sato, Shigehiro; Ogawa, Akira; Onagawa, Jun

2009-01-01

Currently, it is difficult to carry out refraction-contrast radiography by using a conventional X-ray generator. Thus, we developed an embossed radiography system utilizing dual-energy subtraction for decreasing the absorption contrast in unnecessary regions, and the contrast resolution of a target region was increased by use of image-shifting subtraction and a linear-contrast system in a flat panel detector (FPD). The X-ray generator had a 100-microm-focus tube. Energy subtraction was performed at tube voltages of 45 and 65 kV, a tube current of 0.50 mA, and an X-ray exposure time of 5.0 s. A 1.0-mm-thick aluminum filter was used for absorbing low-photon-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays. Embossed radiography was achieved with cohesion imaging by use of the FPD with pixel sizes of 48 x 48 microm, and the shifting dimension of an object in the horizontal direction ranged from 100 to 200 microm. At a shifting distance of 100 mum, the spatial resolutions in the horizontal and vertical directions measured with a lead test chart were both 83 microm. In embossed radiography of non-living animals, we obtained high-contrast embossed images of fine bones, gadolinium oxide particles in the kidney, and coronary arteries approximately 100 microm in diameter.

Observation of yttrium oxide nanoparticles in cabbage (Brassica oleracea) through dual energy K-edge subtraction imaging

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yunyun; Sanchez, Carlos; Yue, Yuan; ...

2016-03-25

Background: The potential transfer of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) from plants into the food chain has raised widespread concerns. In order to investigate the effects of ENPs on plants, young cabbage plants (Brassica oleracea) were exposed to a hydroponic system containing yttrium oxide (yttria) ENPs. The objective of this study was to reveal the impacts of NPs on plants by using K-edge subtraction imaging technique. Results: Using synchrotron dual-e nergy X-ray micro-tomography with K-edge subtraction technique, we studied the uptake, accumulation, distribution and concentration mapping of yttria ENPs in cabbage plants. It was found that yttria ENPs were uptaken by themore » cabbage roots but did not effectively transferred and mobilized through the cabbage stem and leaves. This could be due to the accumulation of yttria ENPs blocked at primary-lateral-root junction. Instead, non-yttria minerals were found in the xylem vessels of roots and stem. Conclusions: Synchrotron dual-energy X-ray micro-tomography is an effective method to observe yttria NPs inside the cabbage plants in both whole body and microscale level. Furthermore, the blockage of a plant's roots by nanoparticles is likely the first and potentially fatal environmental effect of such type of nanoparticles.« less

Finding False Positives Planet Candidates Due To Background Eclipsing Binaries in K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullally, Fergal; Thompson, Susan E.; Coughlin, Jeffrey; DAVE Team

2016-06-01

We adapt the difference image centroid approach, used for finding background eclipsing binaries, to vet K2 planet candidates. Difference image centroids were used with great success to vet planet candidates in the original Kepler mission, where the source of a transit could be identified by subtracting images of out-of-transit cadences from in-transit cadences. To account for K2's roll pattern, we reconstruct out-of-transit images from cadences that are nearby in both time and spacecraft roll angle. We describe the method and discuss some K2 planet candidates which this method suggests are false positives.

Instrumental and atmospheric background lines observed by the SMM gamma-ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Share, G. H.; Kinzer, R. L.; Strickman, M. S.; Letaw, J. R.; Chupp, E. L.

1989-01-01

Preliminary identifications of instrumental and atmospheric background lines detected by the gamma-ray spectrometer on NASA's Solar Maximum Mission satellite (SMM) are presented. The long-term and stable operation of this experiment has provided data of high quality for use in this analysis. Methods are described for identifying radioactive isotopes which use their different decay times. Temporal evolution of the features are revealed by spectral comparisons, subtractions, and fits. An understanding of these temporal variations has enabled the data to be used for detecting celestial gamma-ray sources.

Chemicalome and metabolome profiling of polymethoxylated flavonoids in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium based on an integrated strategy combining background subtraction and modified mass defect filter in a Microsoft Excel Platform.

PubMed

Zeng, Su-Ling; Duan, Li; Chen, Bai-Zhong; Li, Ping; Liu, E-Hu

2017-07-28

Detection of metabolites in complex biological matrixes is a great challenge because of the background noise and endogenous components. Herein, we proposed an integrated strategy that combined background subtraction program and modified mass defect filter (MMDF) data mining in a Microsoft Excel platform for chemicalome and metabolome profiling of the polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP). The exogenously-sourced ions were firstly filtered out by the developed Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) program incorporated in the Microsoft Office. The novel MMDF strategy was proposed for detecting both target and untarget constituents and metabolites based on narrow, well-defined mass defect ranges. The approach was validated to be powerful, and potentially useful for the metabolite identification of both single compound and homologous compound mixture. We successfully identified 30 and 31 metabolites from rat biosamples after oral administration of nobiletin and tangeretin, respectively. A total of 56 PMFs compounds were chemically characterized and 125 metabolites were captured. This work demonstrated the feasibility of the integrated approach for reliable characterization of the constituents and metabolites in herbal medicines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling Self-subtraction in Angular Differential Imaging: Application to the HD 32297 Debris Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Thomas M.; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Graham, James R.; Kalas, Paul

2014-01-01

We present a new technique for forward-modeling self-subtraction of spatially extended emission in observations processed with angular differential imaging (ADI) algorithms. High-contrast direct imaging of circumstellar disks is limited by quasi-static speckle noise, and ADI is commonly used to suppress those speckles. However, the application of ADI can result in self-subtraction of the disk signal due to the disk's finite spatial extent. This signal attenuation varies with radial separation and biases measurements of the disk's surface brightness, thereby compromising inferences regarding the physical processes responsible for the dust distribution. To compensate for this attenuation, we forward model the disk structure and compute the form of the self-subtraction function at each separation. As a proof of concept, we apply our method to 1.6 and 2.2 μm Keck adaptive optics NIRC2 scattered-light observations of the HD 32297 debris disk reduced using a variant of the "locally optimized combination of images" algorithm. We are able to recover disk surface brightness that was otherwise lost to self-subtraction and produce simplified models of the brightness distribution as it appears with and without self-subtraction. From the latter models, we extract radial profiles for the disk's brightness, width, midplane position, and color that are unbiased by self-subtraction. Our analysis of these measurements indicates a break in the brightness profile power law at r ≈ 110 AU and a disk width that increases with separation from the star. We also verify disk curvature that displaces the midplane by up to 30 AU toward the northwest relative to a straight fiducial midplane.

Measurement and subtraction of Schumann resonances at gravitational-wave interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlin, Michael W.; Cirone, Alessio; Meyers, Patrick; Atsuta, Sho; Boschi, Valerio; Chincarini, Andrea; Christensen, Nelson L.; De Rosa, Rosario; Effler, Anamaria; Fiori, Irene; Gołkowski, Mark; Guidry, Melissa; Harms, Jan; Hayama, Kazuhiro; Kataoka, Yuu; Kubisz, Jerzy; Kulak, Andrzej; Laxen, Michael; Matas, Andrew; Mlynarczyk, Janusz; Ogawa, Tsutomu; Paoletti, Federico; Salvador, Jacobo; Schofield, Robert; Somiya, Kentaro; Thrane, Eric

2018-05-01

Correlated magnetic noise from Schumann resonances threatens to contaminate the observation of a stochastic gravitational-wave background in interferometric detectors. In previous work, we reported on the first effort to eliminate global correlated noise from the Schumann resonances using Wiener filtering, demonstrating as much as a factor of two reduction in the coherence between magnetometers on different continents. In this work, we present results from dedicated magnetometer measurements at the Virgo and KAGRA sites, which are the first results for subtraction using data from gravitational-wave detector sites. We compare these measurements to a growing network of permanent magnetometer stations, including at the LIGO sites. We show the effect of mutual magnetometer attraction, arguing that magnetometers should be placed at least one meter from one another. In addition, for the first time, we show how dedicated measurements by magnetometers near to the interferometers can reduce coherence to a level consistent with uncorrelated noise, making a potential detection of a stochastic gravitational-wave background possible.

Developing a Model to Support Students in Solving Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdiyani, Nila Mareta; Zulkardi; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra; van Eerde, Dolly; van Galen, Frans

2013-01-01

Subtraction has two meanings and each meaning leads to the different strategies. The meaning of "taking away something" suggests a direct subtraction, while the meaning of "determining the difference between two numbers" is more likely to be modeled as indirect addition. Many prior researches found that the second meaning and…

Bone images from dual-energy subtraction chest radiography in the detection of rib fractures.

PubMed

Szucs-Farkas, Zsolt; Lautenschlager, Katrin; Flach, Patricia M; Ott, Daniel; Strautz, Tamara; Vock, Peter; Ruder, Thomas D

2011-08-01

To assess the sensitivity and image quality of chest radiography (CXR) with or without dual-energy subtracted (ES) bone images in the detection of rib fractures. In this retrospective study, 39 patients with 204 rib fractures and 24 subjects with no fractures were examined with a single exposure dual-energy subtraction digital radiography system. Three blinded readers first evaluated the non-subtracted posteroanterior and lateral chest radiographs alone, and 3 months later they evaluated the non-subtracted images together with the subtracted posteroanterior bone images. The locations of rib fractures were registered with confidence levels on a 3-grade scale. Image quality was rated on a 5-point scale. Marks by readers were compared with fracture localizations in CT as a standard of reference. The sensivity for fracture detection using both methods was very similar (34.3% with standard CXR and 33.5% with ES-CXR, p=0.92). At the patient level, both sensitivity (71.8%) and specificity (92.9%) with or without ES were identical. Diagnostic confidence was not significantly different (2.61 with CXR and 2.75 with ES-CXR, p=0.063). Image quality with ES was rated higher than that on standard CXR (4.08 vs. 3.74, p<0.001). Despite a better image quality, adding ES bone images to standard radiographs of the chest does not provide better sensitivity or improved diagnostic confidence in the detection of rib fractures. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

GafChromic EBT film dosimetry with flatbed CCD scanner: a novel background correction method and full dose uncertainty analysis.

PubMed

Saur, Sigrun; Frengen, Jomar

2008-07-01

Film dosimetry using radiochromic EBT film in combination with a flatbed charge coupled device scanner is a useful method both for two-dimensional verification of intensity-modulated radiation treatment plans and for general quality assurance of treatment planning systems and linear accelerators. Unfortunately, the response over the scanner area is nonuniform, and when not corrected for, this results in a systematic error in the measured dose which is both dose and position dependent. In this study a novel method for background correction is presented. The method is based on the subtraction of a correction matrix, a matrix that is based on scans of films that are irradiated to nine dose levels in the range 0.08-2.93 Gy. Because the response of the film is dependent on the film's orientation with respect to the scanner, correction matrices for both landscape oriented and portrait oriented scans were made. In addition to the background correction method, a full dose uncertainty analysis of the film dosimetry procedure was performed. This analysis takes into account the fit uncertainty of the calibration curve, the variation in response for different film sheets, the nonuniformity after background correction, and the noise in the scanned films. The film analysis was performed for film pieces of size 16 x 16 cm, all with the same lot number, and all irradiations were done perpendicular onto the films. The results show that the 2-sigma dose uncertainty at 2 Gy is about 5% and 3.5% for landscape and portrait scans, respectively. The uncertainty gradually increases as the dose decreases, but at 1 Gy the 2-sigma dose uncertainty is still as good as 6% and 4% for landscape and portrait scans, respectively. The study shows that film dosimetry using GafChromic EBT film, an Epson Expression 1680 Professional scanner and a dedicated background correction technique gives precise and accurate results. For the purpose of dosimetric verification, the calculated dose distribution

Hybrid active contour model for inhomogeneous image segmentation with background estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Kaiqiong; Li, Yaqin; Zeng, Shan; Wang, Jun

2018-03-01

This paper proposes a hybrid active contour model for inhomogeneous image segmentation. The data term of the energy function in the active contour consists of a global region fitting term in a difference image and a local region fitting term in the original image. The difference image is obtained by subtracting the background from the original image. The background image is dynamically estimated from a linear filtered result of the original image on the basis of the varying curve locations during the active contour evolution process. As in existing local models, fitting the image to local region information makes the proposed model robust against an inhomogeneous background and maintains the accuracy of the segmentation result. Furthermore, fitting the difference image to the global region information makes the proposed model robust against the initial contour location, unlike existing local models. Experimental results show that the proposed model can obtain improved segmentation results compared with related methods in terms of both segmentation accuracy and initial contour sensitivity.

Hardware Implementation of a Bilateral Subtraction Filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huertas, Andres; Watson, Robert; Villalpando, Carlos; Goldberg, Steven

2009-01-01

A bilateral subtraction filter has been implemented as a hardware module in the form of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In general, a bilateral subtraction filter is a key subsystem of a high-quality stereoscopic machine vision system that utilizes images that are large and/or dense. Bilateral subtraction filters have been implemented in software on general-purpose computers, but the processing speeds attainable in this way even on computers containing the fastest processors are insufficient for real-time applications. The present FPGA bilateral subtraction filter is intended to accelerate processing to real-time speed and to be a prototype of a link in a stereoscopic-machine- vision processing chain, now under development, that would process large and/or dense images in real time and would be implemented in an FPGA. In terms that are necessarily oversimplified for the sake of brevity, a bilateral subtraction filter is a smoothing, edge-preserving filter for suppressing low-frequency noise. The filter operation amounts to replacing the value for each pixel with a weighted average of the values of that pixel and the neighboring pixels in a predefined neighborhood or window (e.g., a 9 9 window). The filter weights depend partly on pixel values and partly on the window size. The present FPGA implementation of a bilateral subtraction filter utilizes a 9 9 window. This implementation was designed to take advantage of the ability to do many of the component computations in parallel pipelines to enable processing of image data at the rate at which they are generated. The filter can be considered to be divided into the following parts (see figure): a) An image pixel pipeline with a 9 9- pixel window generator, b) An array of processing elements; c) An adder tree; d) A smoothing-and-delaying unit; and e) A subtraction unit. After each 9 9 window is created, the affected pixel data are fed to the processing elements. Each processing element is fed the pixel value for

Self-Adaptive Prediction of Cloud Resource Demands Using Ensemble Model and Subtractive-Fuzzy Clustering Based Fuzzy Neural Network

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhijia; Zhu, Yuanchang; Di, Yanqiang; Feng, Shaochong

2015-01-01

In IaaS (infrastructure as a service) cloud environment, users are provisioned with virtual machines (VMs). To allocate resources for users dynamically and effectively, accurate resource demands predicting is essential. For this purpose, this paper proposes a self-adaptive prediction method using ensemble model and subtractive-fuzzy clustering based fuzzy neural network (ESFCFNN). We analyze the characters of user preferences and demands. Then the architecture of the prediction model is constructed. We adopt some base predictors to compose the ensemble model. Then the structure and learning algorithm of fuzzy neural network is researched. To obtain the number of fuzzy rules and the initial value of the premise and consequent parameters, this paper proposes the fuzzy c-means combined with subtractive clustering algorithm, that is, the subtractive-fuzzy clustering. Finally, we adopt different criteria to evaluate the proposed method. The experiment results show that the method is accurate and effective in predicting the resource demands. PMID:25691896

An Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Subtraction Method Used for Determining Platelet Counts in Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Concentrated Growth Factor Preparations

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Taisuke; Isobe, Kazushige; Suzuki, Taiji; Kawabata, Hideo; Nakamura, Masayuki; Tsukioka, Tsuneyuki; Okudera, Toshimitsu; Okudera, Hajime; Uematsu, Kohya; Okuda, Kazuhiro; Nakata, Koh; Kawase, Tomoyuki

2017-01-01

Platelet concentrates should be quality-assured of purity and identity prior to clinical use. Unlike for the liquid form of platelet-rich plasma, platelet counts cannot be directly determined in solid fibrin clots and are instead calculated by subtracting the counts in other liquid or semi-clotted fractions from those in whole blood samples. Having long suspected the validity of this method, we herein examined the possible loss of platelets in the preparation process. Blood samples collected from healthy male donors were immediately centrifuged for advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) and concentrated growth factors (CGF) according to recommended centrifugal protocols. Blood cells in liquid and semi-clotted fractions were directly counted. Platelets aggregated on clot surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. A higher centrifugal force increased the numbers of platelets and platelet aggregates in the liquid red blood cell fraction and the semi-clotted red thrombus in the presence and absence of the anticoagulant, respectively. Nevertheless, the calculated platelet counts in A-PRF/CGF preparations were much higher than expected, rendering the currently accepted subtraction method inaccurate for determining platelet counts in fibrin clots. To ensure the quality of solid types of platelet concentrates chairside in a timely manner, a simple and accurate platelet-counting method should be developed immediately. PMID:29563413

Fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy for precise concentration detection in vivo by background subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gärtner, Maria; Mütze, Jörg; Ohrt, Thomas; Schwille, Petra

2009-07-01

In vivo studies of single molecule dynamics by means of Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy can suffer from high background. Fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy provides a tool to distinguish between signal and unwanted contributions via lifetime separation. By studying the motion of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) within two compartments of a human cell, the nucleus and the cytoplasm, we observed clear differences in concentration as well as mobility of the protein complex between those two locations. Especially in the nucleus, where the fluorescence signal is very weak, a correction for background is crucial to provide reliable results of the particle number. Utilizing the fluorescent lifetime of the different contributions, we show that it is possible to distinguish between the fluorescent signal and the autofluorescent background in vivo in a single measurement.

Motion induced second order temperature and y-type anisotropies after the subtraction of linear dipole in the CMB maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunyaev, Rashid A.; Khatri, Rishi

2013-03-01

y-type spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background allow us to detect clusters and groups of galaxies, filaments of hot gas and the non-uniformities in the warm hot intergalactic medium. Several CMB experiments (on small areas of sky) and theoretical groups (for full sky) have recently published y-type distortion maps. We propose to search for two artificial hot spots in such y-type maps resulting from the incomplete subtraction of the effect of the motion induced dipole on the cosmic microwave background sky. This dipole introduces, at second order, additional temperature and y-distortion anisotropy on the sky of amplitude few μK which could potentially be measured by Planck HFI and Pixie experiments and can be used as a source of cross channel calibration by CMB experiments. This y-type distortion is present in every pixel and is not the result of averaging the whole sky. This distortion, calculated exactly from the known linear dipole, can be subtracted from the final y-type maps, if desired.

Motion induced second order temperature and y-type anisotropies after the subtraction of linear dipole in the CMB maps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sunyaev, Rashid A.; Khatri, Rishi, E-mail: sunyaev@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: khatri@mpa-garching.mpg.de

2013-03-01

y-type spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background allow us to detect clusters and groups of galaxies, filaments of hot gas and the non-uniformities in the warm hot intergalactic medium. Several CMB experiments (on small areas of sky) and theoretical groups (for full sky) have recently published y-type distortion maps. We propose to search for two artificial hot spots in such y-type maps resulting from the incomplete subtraction of the effect of the motion induced dipole on the cosmic microwave background sky. This dipole introduces, at second order, additional temperature and y-distortion anisotropy on the sky of amplitude few μKmore » which could potentially be measured by Planck HFI and Pixie experiments and can be used as a source of cross channel calibration by CMB experiments. This y-type distortion is present in every pixel and is not the result of averaging the whole sky. This distortion, calculated exactly from the known linear dipole, can be subtracted from the final y-type maps, if desired.« less

Comparing transformation methods for DNA microarray data.

PubMed

Thygesen, Helene H; Zwinderman, Aeilko H

2004-06-17

When DNA microarray data are used for gene clustering, genotype/phenotype correlation studies, or tissue classification the signal intensities are usually transformed and normalized in several steps in order to improve comparability and signal/noise ratio. These steps may include subtraction of an estimated background signal, subtracting the reference signal, smoothing (to account for nonlinear measurement effects), and more. Different authors use different approaches, and it is generally not clear to users which method they should prefer. We used the ratio between biological variance and measurement variance (which is an F-like statistic) as a quality measure for transformation methods, and we demonstrate a method for maximizing that variance ratio on real data. We explore a number of transformations issues, including Box-Cox transformation, baseline shift, partial subtraction of the log-reference signal and smoothing. It appears that the optimal choice of parameters for the transformation methods depends on the data. Further, the behavior of the variance ratio, under the null hypothesis of zero biological variance, appears to depend on the choice of parameters. The use of replicates in microarray experiments is important. Adjustment for the null-hypothesis behavior of the variance ratio is critical to the selection of transformation method.

Relation between thallium-201/iodine 123-BMIPP subtraction and fluorine 18 deoxyglucose polar maps in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Ito, Y; Hasegawa, S; Yamaguchi, H; Yoshioka, J; Uehara, T; Nishimura, T

2000-01-01

Clinical studies have shown discrepancies in the distribution of thallium-201 and iodine 123-beta-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Myocardial uptake of fluorine 18 deoxyglucose (FDG) is increased in the hypertrophic area in HCM. We examined whether the distribution of a Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map correlates with that of an FDG polar map. We normalized to maximum count each Tl-201 and BMIPP bull's-eye polar map of 6 volunteers and obtained a standard Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map by subtracting a normalized BMIPP bull's-eye polar map from a normalized Tl-201 bull's-eye polar map. The Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map was then applied to 8 patients with HCM (mean age 65+/-12 years) to evaluate the discrepancy between Tl-201 and BMIPP distribution. We compared the Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map with an FDG polar map. In patients with HCM, the Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map showed a focal uptake pattern in the hypertrophic area similar to that of the FDG polar map. By quantitative analysis, the severity score of the Tl-201/BMIPP subtraction polar map was significantly correlated with the percent dose uptake of the FDG polar map. These results suggest that this new quantitative method may be an alternative to FDG positron emission tomography for the routine evaluation of HCM.

Characterization of unknown genetic modifications using high throughput sequencing and computational subtraction.

PubMed

Tengs, Torstein; Zhang, Haibo; Holst-Jensen, Arne; Bohlin, Jon; Butenko, Melinka A; Kristoffersen, Anja Bråthen; Sorteberg, Hilde-Gunn Opsahl; Berdal, Knut G

2009-10-08

When generating a genetically modified organism (GMO), the primary goal is to give a target organism one or several novel traits by using biotechnology techniques. A GMO will differ from its parental strain in that its pool of transcripts will be altered. Currently, there are no methods that are reliably able to determine if an organism has been genetically altered if the nature of the modification is unknown. We show that the concept of computational subtraction can be used to identify transgenic cDNA sequences from genetically modified plants. Our datasets include 454-type sequences from a transgenic line of Arabidopsis thaliana and published EST datasets from commercially relevant species (rice and papaya). We believe that computational subtraction represents a powerful new strategy for determining if an organism has been genetically modified as well as to define the nature of the modification. Fewer assumptions have to be made compared to methods currently in use and this is an advantage particularly when working with unknown GMOs.

Analysis of luminosity distributions of strong lensing galaxies: subtraction of diffuse lensed signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biernaux, J.; Magain, P.; Hauret, C.

2017-08-01

Context. Strong gravitational lensing gives access to the total mass distribution of galaxies. It can unveil a great deal of information about the lenses' dark matter content when combined with the study of the lenses' light profile. However, gravitational lensing galaxies, by definition, appear surrounded by lensed signal, both point-like and diffuse, that is irrelevant to the lens flux. Therefore, the observer is most often restricted to studying the innermost portions of the galaxy, where classical fitting methods show some instabilities. Aims: We aim at subtracting that lensed signal and at characterising some lenses' light profile by computing their shape parameters (half-light radius, ellipticity, and position angle). Our objective is to evaluate the total integrated flux in an aperture the size of the Einstein ring in order to obtain a robust estimate of the quantity of ordinary (luminous) matter in each system. Methods: We are expanding the work we started in a previous paper that consisted in subtracting point-like lensed images and in independently measuring each shape parameter. We improve it by designing a subtraction of the diffuse lensed signal, based only on one simple hypothesis of symmetry. We apply it to the cases where it proves to be necessary. This extra step improves our study of the shape parameters and we refine it even more by upgrading our half-light radius measurement method. We also calculate the impact of our specific image processing on the error bars. Results: The diffuse lensed signal subtraction makes it possible to study a larger portion of relevant galactic flux, as the radius of the fitting region increases by on average 17%. We retrieve new half-light radii values that are on average 11% smaller than in our previous work, although the uncertainties overlap in most cases. This shows that not taking the diffuse lensed signal into account may lead to a significant overestimate of the half-light radius. We are also able to measure

A robust generalized fuzzy operator approach to film contrast correction in digital subtraction radiography.

PubMed

Leung, Chung-Chu

2006-03-01

Digital subtraction radiography requires close matching of the contrast in each pair of X-ray images to be subtracted. Previous studies have shown that nonparametric contrast/brightness correction methods using the cumulative density function (CDF) and its improvements, which are based on gray-level transformation associated with the pixel histogram, perform well in uniform contrast/brightness difference conditions. However, for radiographs with nonuniform contrast/ brightness, the CDF produces unsatisfactory results. In this paper, we propose a new approach in contrast correction based on the generalized fuzzy operator with least square method. The result shows that 50% of the contrast/brightness errors can be corrected using this approach when the contrast/brightness difference between a radiographic pair is 10 U. A comparison of our approach with that of CDF is presented, and this modified GFO method produces better contrast normalization results than the CDF approach.

Subtraction coronary CT angiography using second-generation 320-detector row CT.

PubMed

Yoshioka, Kunihiro; Tanaka, Ryoichi; Muranaka, Kenta; Sasaki, Tadashi; Ueda, Takanori; Chiba, Takuya; Takeda, Kouta; Sugawara, Tsuyoshi

2015-06-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of subtraction coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) by second-generation 320-detector row CT in patients with severe coronary artery calcification using invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the gold standard. This study was approved by the institutional board, and all subjects provided written consent. Twenty patients with calcium scores of >400 underwent conventional CCTA and subtraction CCTA followed by ICA. A total of 82 segments were evaluated for image quality using a 4-point scale and the presence of significant (>50 %) luminal stenosis by two independent readers. The average image quality was 2.3 ± 0.8 with conventional CCTA and 3.2 ± 0.6 with subtraction CCTA (P < 0.001). The percentage of segments with non-diagnostic image quality was 43.9 % on conventional CCTA versus 8.5 % on subtraction CCTA (P = 0.004). The segment-based diagnostic accuracy for detecting significant stenosis according to ICA revealed an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.824 (95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.750-0.899) for conventional CCTA and 0.936 (95 % CI 0.889-0.936) for subtraction CCTA (P = 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for conventional CCTA were 88.2, 62.5, 62.5, and 88.2 %, respectively, and for subtraction CCTA they were 94.1, 85.4, 82.1, and 95.3 %, respectively. As compared to conventional, subtraction CCTA using a second-generation 320-detector row CT showed improvement in diagnostic accuracy at segment base analysis in patients with severe calcifications.

Reference layer artefact subtraction (RLAS): a novel method of minimizing EEG artefacts during simultaneous fMRI.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Muhammad E H; Mullinger, Karen J; Glover, Paul; Bowtell, Richard

2014-01-01

Large artefacts compromise EEG data quality during simultaneous fMRI. These artefact voltages pose heavy demands on the bandwidth and dynamic range of EEG amplifiers and mean that even small fractional variations in the artefact voltages give rise to significant residual artefacts after average artefact subtraction. Any intrinsic reduction in the magnitude of the artefacts would be highly advantageous, allowing data with a higher bandwidth to be acquired without amplifier saturation, as well as reducing the residual artefacts that can easily swamp signals from brain activity measured using current methods. Since these problems currently limit the utility of simultaneous EEG-fMRI, new approaches for reducing the magnitude and variability of the artefacts are required. One such approach is the use of an EEG cap that incorporates electrodes embedded in a reference layer that has similar conductivity to tissue and is electrically isolated from the scalp. With this arrangement, the artefact voltages produced on the reference layer leads by time-varying field gradients, cardiac pulsation and subject movement are similar to those induced in the scalp leads, but neuronal signals are not detected in the reference layer. Taking the difference of the voltages in the reference and scalp channels will therefore reduce the artefacts, without affecting sensitivity to neuronal signals. Here, we test this approach by using a simple experimental realisation of the reference layer to investigate the artefacts induced on the leads attached to the reference layer and scalp and to evaluate the degree of artefact attenuation that can be achieved via reference layer artefact subtraction (RLAS). Through a series of experiments on phantoms and human subjects, we show that RLAS significantly reduces the gradient (GA), pulse (PA) and motion (MA) artefacts, while allowing accurate recording of neuronal signals. The results indicate that RLAS generally outperforms AAS when motion is present in

Subtraction of Positive and Negative Numbers: The Difference and Completion Approaches with Chips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Alfinio

2008-01-01

Diverse contexts such as "take away," comparison," and "completion" give rise to subtraction problems. The take-away interpretation of subtraction has been explored using two-colored chips to help students understand addition and subtraction of integers. This article illustrates how the difference and completion (or missing addend) interpretations…

[Correction of posttraumatic thoracolumbar kyphosis with modified pedicle subtraction osteotomy].

PubMed

Chen, Fei; Kang, Yijun; Zhou, Bin; Dai, Zhehao

2016-11-28

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified pedicle subtraction osteotomy for treatment of thoracolumbar old fracture with kyphosis.
 Methods: From January 2003 to January 2013, 58 patients of thoracolumbar kyphosis, who underwent modified pedicle subtraction osteotomy, were reviewed. Among them, 45 cases underwent initial operation and 13 cases underwent revision surgery. Preoperative and postoperative kyphotic Cobb's angle, score of back pain, as well as the incidence of complication were accessed by using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI).
 Results: Mean follow-up duration was 42 months (range, 24-60 months). Average operative time was 258 min (range, 190-430 min), while average bleeding was 950 mL (range, 600-1 600 mL). All the patients were significantly improved in function and self-image, and achieved kyphosis correction with 17.9°± 4.3°. VAS of low back pain was decreased by 3.1±0.6; ODI was dropped by 25.3%±5.5%. 3 patients (5.2%) suffered anterior thigh numbness and got recovery after 3 months of follow-up. Complications happened in 19 patients, including 12 with cerebrospinal fluid leak, 4 with superficial wound infection, and 3 with urinary tract infection. All these complications were managed properly and none of them underwent reoperation.
 Conclusion: Modified pedicle subtraction osteotomy is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of old fracture with kyphosis.

Design Study: Integer Subtraction Operation Teaching Learning Using Multimedia in Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aris, Rendi Muhammad; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra

2017-01-01

This study aims to develop a learning trajectory to help students understand concept of subtraction of integers using multimedia in the fourth grade. This study is thematic integrative learning in Curriculum 2013 PMRI based. The method used is design research consists of three stages; preparing for the experiment, design experiment, retrospective…

Young children's use of derived fact strategies for addition and subtraction

PubMed Central

Dowker, Ann

2014-01-01

Forty-four children between 6;0 and 7;11 took part in a study of derived fact strategy use. They were assigned to addition and subtraction levels on the basis of calculation pretests. They were then given Dowker's (1998) test of derived fact strategies in addition, involving strategies based on the Identity, Commutativity, Addend +1, Addend −1, and addition/subtraction Inverse principles; and test of derived fact strategies in subtraction, involving strategies based on the Identity, Minuend +1, Minuend −1, Subtrahend +1, Subtrahend −1, Complement and addition/subtraction Inverse principles. The exact arithmetic problems given varied according to the child's previously assessed calculation level and were selected to be just a little too difficult for the child to solve unaided. Children were given the answer to a problem and then asked to solve another problem that could be solved quickly by using this answer, together with the principle being assessed. The children also took the WISC Arithmetic subtest. Strategies differed greatly in difficulty, with Identity being the easiest, and the Inverse and Complement principles being most difficult. The Subtrahend +1 and Subtrahend −1 problems often elicited incorrect strategies based on an overextension of the principles of addition to subtraction. It was concluded that children may have difficulty with understanding and applying the relationships between addition and subtraction. Derived fact strategy use was significantly related to both calculation level and to WISC Arithmetic scaled score. PMID:24431996

VNIR hyperspectral background characterization methods in adverse weather conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, João M.; Rosario, Dalton; Roth, Luz

2009-05-01

Hyperspectral technology is currently being used by the military to detect regions of interest where potential targets may be located. Weather variability, however, may affect the ability for an algorithm to discriminate possible targets from background clutter. Nonetheless, different background characterization approaches may facilitate the ability for an algorithm to discriminate potential targets over a variety of weather conditions. In a previous paper, we introduced a new autonomous target size invariant background characterization process, the Autonomous Background Characterization (ABC) or also known as the Parallel Random Sampling (PRS) method, features a random sampling stage, a parallel process to mitigate the inclusion by chance of target samples into clutter background classes during random sampling; and a fusion of results at the end. In this paper, we will demonstrate how different background characterization approaches are able to improve performance of algorithms over a variety of challenging weather conditions. By using the Mahalanobis distance as the standard algorithm for this study, we compare the performance of different characterization methods such as: the global information, 2 stage global information, and our proposed method, ABC, using data that was collected under a variety of adverse weather conditions. For this study, we used ARDEC's Hyperspectral VNIR Adverse Weather data collection comprised of heavy, light, and transitional fog, light and heavy rain, and low light conditions.

THE IMPACT OF POINT-SOURCE SUBTRACTION RESIDUALS ON 21 cm EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ESTIMATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trott, Cathryn M.; Wayth, Randall B.; Tingay, Steven J., E-mail: cathryn.trott@curtin.edu.au

Precise subtraction of foreground sources is crucial for detecting and estimating 21 cm H I signals from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). We quantify how imperfect point-source subtraction due to limitations of the measurement data set yields structured residual signal in the data set. We use the Cramer-Rao lower bound, as a metric for quantifying the precision with which a parameter may be measured, to estimate the residual signal in a visibility data set due to imperfect point-source subtraction. We then propagate these residuals into two metrics of interest for 21 cm EoR experiments-the angular power spectrum and two-dimensional powermore » spectrum-using a combination of full analytic covariant derivation, analytic variant derivation, and covariant Monte Carlo simulations. This methodology differs from previous work in two ways: (1) it uses information theory to set the point-source position error, rather than assuming a global rms error, and (2) it describes a method for propagating the errors analytically, thereby obtaining the full correlation structure of the power spectra. The methods are applied to two upcoming low-frequency instruments that are proposing to perform statistical EoR experiments: the Murchison Widefield Array and the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization. In addition to the actual antenna configurations, we apply the methods to minimally redundant and maximally redundant configurations. We find that for peeling sources above 1 Jy, the amplitude of the residual signal, and its variance, will be smaller than the contribution from thermal noise for the observing parameters proposed for upcoming EoR experiments, and that optimal subtraction of bright point sources will not be a limiting factor for EoR parameter estimation. We then use the formalism to provide an ab initio analytic derivation motivating the 'wedge' feature in the two-dimensional power spectrum, complementing previous discussion in the literature.« less

A subtraction scheme for computing QCD jet cross sections at NNLO: integrating the iterated singly-unresolved subtraction terms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolzoni, Paolo; Somogyi, Gábor; Trócsányi, Zoltán

2011-01-01

We perform the integration of all iterated singly-unresolved subtraction terms, as defined in ref. [1], over the two-particle factorized phase space. We also sum over the unresolved parton flavours. The final result can be written as a convolution (in colour space) of the Born cross section and an insertion operator. We spell out the insertion operator in terms of 24 basic integrals that are defined explicitly. We compute the coefficients of the Laurent expansion of these integrals in two different ways, with the method of Mellin-Barnes representations and sector decomposition. Finally, we present the Laurent-expansion of the full insertion operator for the specific examples of electron-positron annihilation into two and three jets.

High fidelity nanopatterning of proteins onto well-defined surfaces through subtractive contact printing

PubMed Central

García, José R.; Singh, Ankur; García, Andrés J.

2016-01-01

In the pursuit to develop enhanced technologies for cellular bioassays as well as understand single cell interactions with its underlying substrate, the field of biotechnology has extensively utilized lithographic techniques to spatially pattern proteins onto surfaces in user-defined geometries. Microcontact printing (μCP) remains an incredibly useful patterning method due to its inexpensive nature, scalability, and the lack of considerable use of specialized clean room equipment. However, as new technologies emerge that necessitate various nano-sized areas of deposited proteins, traditional microcontact printing methods may not be able to supply users with the needed resolution size. Recently, our group developed a modified “subtractive microcontact printing” method which still retains many of the benefits offered by conventional μCP. Using this technique, we have been able to reach resolution sizes of fibronectin as small as 250 nm in largely spaced arrays for cell culture. In this communication, we present a detailed description of our subtractive μCP procedure that expands on many of the little tips and tricks that together make this procedure an easy and effective method for controlling protein patterning. PMID:24439290

High fidelity nanopatterning of proteins onto well-defined surfaces through subtractive contact printing.

PubMed

García, José R; Singh, Ankur; García, Andrés J

2014-01-01

In the pursuit to develop enhanced technologies for cellular bioassays as well as understand single cell interactions with its underlying substrate, the field of biotechnology has extensively utilized lithographic techniques to spatially pattern proteins onto surfaces in user-defined geometries. Microcontact printing (μCP) remains an incredibly useful patterning method due to its inexpensive nature, scalability, and the lack of considerable use of specialized clean room equipment. However, as new technologies emerge that necessitate various nano-sized areas of deposited proteins, traditional μCP methods may not be able to supply users with the needed resolution size. Recently, our group developed a modified "subtractive μCP" method which still retains many of the benefits offered by conventional μCP. Using this technique, we have been able to reach resolution sizes of fibronectin as small as 250 nm in largely spaced arrays for cell culture. In this communication, we present a detailed description of our subtractive μCP procedure that expands on many of the little tips and tricks that together make this procedure an easy and effective method for controlling protein patterning. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Subtractive Structural Modification of Morpho Butterfly Wings.

PubMed

Shen, Qingchen; He, Jiaqing; Ni, Mengtian; Song, Chengyi; Zhou, Lingye; Hu, Hang; Zhang, Ruoxi; Luo, Zhen; Wang, Ge; Tao, Peng; Deng, Tao; Shang, Wen

2015-11-11

Different from studies of butterfly wings through additive modification, this work for the first time studies the property change of butterfly wings through subtractive modification using oxygen plasma etching. The controlled modification of butterfly wings through such subtractive process results in gradual change of the optical properties, and helps the further understanding of structural optimization through natural evolution. The brilliant color of Morpho butterfly wings is originated from the hierarchical nanostructure on the wing scales. Such nanoarchitecture has attracted a lot of research effort, including the study of its optical properties, its potential use in sensing and infrared imaging, and also the use of such structure as template for the fabrication of high-performance photocatalytic materials. The controlled subtractive processes provide a new path to modify such nanoarchitecture and its optical property. Distinct from previous studies on the optical property of the Morpho wing structure, this study provides additional experimental evidence for the origination of the optical property of the natural butterfly wing scales. The study also offers a facile approach to generate new 3D nanostructures using butterfly wings as the templates and may lead to simpler structure models for large-scale man-made structures than those offered by original butterfly wings. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Performance improvement of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with an entangled source in the middle via photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Ying; Liao, Qin; Wang, Yijun; Huang, Duan; Huang, Peng; Zeng, Guihua

2017-03-01

A suitable photon-subtraction operation can be exploited to improve the maximal transmission of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) in point-to-point quantum communication. Unfortunately, the photon-subtraction operation faces solving the improvement transmission problem of practical quantum networks, where the entangled source is located in the third part, which may be controlled by a malicious eavesdropper, instead of in one of the trusted parts, controlled by Alice or Bob. In this paper, we show that a solution can come from using a non-Gaussian operation, in particular, the photon-subtraction operation, which provides a method to enhance the performance of entanglement-based (EB) CVQKD. Photon subtraction not only can lengthen the maximal transmission distance by increasing the signal-to-noise rate but also can be easily implemented with existing technologies. Security analysis shows that CVQKD with an entangled source in the middle (ESIM) from applying photon subtraction can well increase the secure transmission distance in both direct and reverse reconciliations of the EB-CVQKD scheme, even if the entangled source originates from an untrusted part. Moreover, it can defend against the inner-source attack, which is a specific attack by an untrusted entangled source in the framework of ESIM.

Color Addition and Subtraction Apps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruiz, Frances; Ruiz, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Color addition and subtraction apps in HTML5 have been developed for students as an online hands-on experience so that they can more easily master principles introduced through traditional classroom demonstrations. The evolution of the additive RGB color model is traced through the early IBM color adapters so that students can proceed step by step…

VAKT for Basic Subtraction Facts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Carol A.; Toohey, Margaret A.

Guidelines are presented for modifying basic instruction of subtraction facts for elementary level learning disabled students. A detailed case study is used to illustrate a five-step structured program: (1) find a way to work it out; (2) add to check; (3) learn the partner facts; (4) study families of facts; (5) review and practice. The selection…

K-edge subtraction synchrotron X-ray imaging in bio-medical research.

PubMed

Thomlinson, W; Elleaume, H; Porra, L; Suortti, P

2018-05-01

High contrast in X-ray medical imaging, while maintaining acceptable radiation dose levels to the patient, has long been a goal. One of the most promising methods is that of K-edge subtraction imaging. This technique, first advanced as long ago as 1953 by B. Jacobson, uses the large difference in the absorption coefficient of elements at energies above and below the K-edge. Two images, one taken above the edge and one below the edge, are subtracted leaving, ideally, only the image of the distribution of the target element. This paper reviews the development of the KES techniques and technology as applied to bio-medical imaging from the early low-power tube sources of X-rays to the latest high-power synchrotron sources. Applications to coronary angiography, functional lung imaging and bone growth are highlighted. A vision of possible imaging with new compact sources is presented. Copyright © 2018 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative method for determining the constant offset in lidar signal

Treesearch

Vladimir A. Kovalev; Cyle Wold; Alexander Petkov; Wei Min Hao

2009-01-01

We present an alternative method for determining the total offset in lidar signal created by a daytime background-illumination component and electrical or digital offset. Unlike existing techniques, here the signal square-range-correction procedure is initially performed using the total signal recorded by lidar, without subtraction of the offset component. While...

Summation and subtraction using a modified autoshaping procedure in pigeons.

PubMed

Ploog, Bertram O

2008-06-01

A modified autoshaping paradigm (significantly different from those previously reported in the summation literature) was employed to allow for the simultaneous assessment of stimulus summation and subtraction in pigeons. The response requirements and the probability of food delivery were adjusted such that towards the end of training 12 of 48 trials ended in food delivery, the same proportion as under testing. Stimuli (outlines of squares of three sizes and colors: A, B, and C) were used that could be presented separately or in any combination of two or three stimuli. Twelve of the pigeons (summation groups) were trained with either A, B, and C or with AB, BC, and CA, and tested with ABC. The remaining 12 pigeons (subtraction groups) received training with ABC but were tested with A, B, and C or with AB, BC, and CA. These groups were further subdivided according to whether stimulus elements were presented either in a concentric or dispersed manner. Summation did not occur; subtraction occurred in the two concentric groups. For interpretation of the results, configural theory, the Rescorla-Wagner model, and the composite-stimulus control model were considered. The results suggest different mechanisms responsible for summation and subtraction.

Nonenhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the calf arteries at 3 Tesla: intraindividual comparison of 3D flow-dependent subtractive MRA and 2D flow-independent non-subtractive MRA.

PubMed

Knobloch, Gesine; Lauff, Marie-Teres; Hirsch, Sebastian; Schwenke, Carsten; Hamm, Bernd; Wagner, Moritz

2016-12-01

To prospectively compare 3D flow-dependent subtractive MRA vs. 2D flow-independent non-subtractive MRA for assessment of the calf arteries at 3 Tesla. Forty-two patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease underwent nonenhanced MRA of calf arteries at 3 Tesla with 3D flow-dependent subtractive MRA (fast spin echo sequence; 3D-FSE-MRA) and 2D flow-independent non-subtractive MRA (balanced steady-state-free-precession sequence; 2D-bSSFP-MRA). Moreover, all patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRA (CE-MRA) as standard-of-reference. Two readers performed a per-segment evaluation for image quality (4 = excellent to 0 = non-diagnostic) and severity of stenosis. Image quality scores of 2D-bSSFP-MRA were significantly higher compared to 3D-FSE-MRA (medians across readers: 4 vs. 3; p < 0.0001) with lower rates of non-diagnostic vessel segments on 2D-bSSFP-MRA (reader 1: <1 % vs. 15 %; reader 2: 1 % vs. 29 %; p < 0.05). Diagnostic performance of 2D-bSSFP-MRA and 3D-FSE-MRA across readers showed sensitivities of 89 % (214/240) vs. 70 % (168/240), p = 0.0153; specificities: 91 % (840/926) vs. 63 % (585/926), p < 0.0001; and diagnostic accuracies of 90 % (1054/1166) vs. 65 % (753/1166), p < 0.0001. 2D flow-independent non-subtractive MRA (2D-bSSFP-MRA) is a robust nonenhanced MRA technique for assessment of the calf arteries at 3 Tesla with significantly higher image quality and diagnostic accuracy compared to 3D flow-dependent subtractive MRA (3D-FSE-MRA). • 2D flow-independent non-subtractive MRA (2D-bSSFP-MRA) is a robust NE-MRA technique at 3T • 2D-bSSFP-MRA outperforms 3D flow-dependent subtractive MRA (3D-FSE-MRA) as NE-MRA of calf arteries • 2D-bSSFP-MRA is a promising alternative to CE-MRA for calf PAOD evaluation.

Appearance of the canine meninges in subtraction magnetic resonance images.

PubMed

Lamb, Christopher R; Lam, Richard; Keenihan, Erin K; Frean, Stephen

2014-01-01

The canine meninges are not visible as discrete structures in noncontrast magnetic resonance (MR) images, and are incompletely visualized in T1-weighted, postgadolinium images, reportedly appearing as short, thin curvilinear segments with minimal enhancement. Subtraction imaging facilitates detection of enhancement of tissues, hence may increase the conspicuity of meninges. The aim of the present study was to describe qualitatively the appearance of canine meninges in subtraction MR images obtained using a dynamic technique. Images were reviewed of 10 consecutive dogs that had dynamic pre- and postgadolinium T1W imaging of the brain that was interpreted as normal, and had normal cerebrospinal fluid. Image-anatomic correlation was facilitated by dissection and histologic examination of two canine cadavers. Meningeal enhancement was relatively inconspicuous in postgadolinium T1-weighted images, but was clearly visible in subtraction images of all dogs. Enhancement was visible as faint, small-rounded foci compatible with vessels seen end on within the sulci, a series of larger rounded foci compatible with vessels of variable caliber on the dorsal aspect of the cerebral cortex, and a continuous thin zone of moderate enhancement around the brain. Superimposition of color-encoded subtraction images on pregadolinium T1- and T2-weighted images facilitated localization of the origin of enhancement, which appeared to be predominantly dural, with relatively few leptomeningeal structures visible. Dynamic subtraction MR imaging should be considered for inclusion in clinical brain MR protocols because of the possibility that its use may increase sensitivity for lesions affecting the meninges. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Number Words in Young Children's Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge of Addition, Subtraction and Inversion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canobi, Katherine H.; Bethune, Narelle E.

2008-01-01

Three studies addressed children's arithmetic. First, 50 3- to 5-year-olds judged physical demonstrations of addition, subtraction and inversion, with and without number words. Second, 20 3- to 4-year-olds made equivalence judgments of additions and subtractions. Third, 60 4- to 6-year-olds solved addition, subtraction and inversion problems that…

Removing Background Noise with Phased Array Signal Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podboy, Gary; Stephens, David

2015-01-01

Preliminary results are presented from a test conducted to determine how well microphone phased array processing software could pull an acoustic signal out of background noise. The array consisted of 24 microphones in an aerodynamic fairing designed to be mounted in-flow. The processing was conducted using Functional Beam forming software developed by Optinav combined with cross spectral matrix subtraction. The test was conducted in the free-jet of the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig at NASA GRC. The background noise was produced by the interaction of the free-jet flow with the solid surfaces in the flow. The acoustic signals were produced by acoustic drivers. The results show that the phased array processing was able to pull the acoustic signal out of the background noise provided the signal was no more than 20 dB below the background noise level measured using a conventional single microphone equipped with an aerodynamic forebody.

Successive ratio subtraction as a novel manipulation of ratio spectra for quantitative determination of a mixture of furosemide, spironolactone and canrenone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emam, Aml A.; Abdelaleem, Eglal A.; Naguib, Ibrahim A.; Abdallah, Fatma F.; Ali, Nouruddin W.

2018-03-01

Furosemide and spironolactone are commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs. Canrenone is the main degradation product and main metabolite of spironolactone. Ratio subtraction and extended ratio subtraction spectrophotometric methods were previously applied for quantitation of only binary mixtures. An extension of the above mentioned methods; successive ratio subtraction, is introduced in the presented work for quantitative determination of ternary mixtures exemplified by furosemide, spironolactone and canrenone. Manipulating the ratio spectra of the ternary mixture allowed their determination at 273.6 nm, 285 nm and 240 nm and in the concentration ranges of (2-16 μg mL- 1), (4-32 μg mL- 1) and (1-18 μg mL- 1) for furosemide, spironolactone and canrenone, respectively. Method specificity was ensured by the application to laboratory prepared mixtures. The introduced method was ensured to be accurate and precise. Validation of the developed method was done with respect to ICH guidelines and its validity was further ensured by the application to the pharmaceutical formulation. Statistical comparison between the obtained results and those obtained from the reported HPLC method was achieved concerning student's t-test and F ratio test where no significant difference was observed.

A Background Noise Reduction Technique Using Adaptive Noise Cancellation for Microphone Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalt, Taylor B.; Fuller, Christopher R.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Humphreys, William M., Jr.; Brooks, Thomas F.

2011-01-01

Background noise in wind tunnel environments poses a challenge to acoustic measurements due to possible low or negative Signal to Noise Ratios (SNRs) present in the testing environment. This paper overviews the application of time domain Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC) to microphone array signals with an intended application of background noise reduction in wind tunnels. An experiment was conducted to simulate background noise from a wind tunnel circuit measured by an out-of-flow microphone array in the tunnel test section. A reference microphone was used to acquire a background noise signal which interfered with the desired primary noise source signal at the array. The technique s efficacy was investigated using frequency spectra from the array microphones, array beamforming of the point source region, and subsequent deconvolution using the Deconvolution Approach for the Mapping of Acoustic Sources (DAMAS) algorithm. Comparisons were made with the conventional techniques for improving SNR of spectral and Cross-Spectral Matrix subtraction. The method was seen to recover the primary signal level in SNRs as low as -29 dB and outperform the conventional methods. A second processing approach using the center array microphone as the noise reference was investigated for more general applicability of the ANC technique. It outperformed the conventional methods at the -29 dB SNR but yielded less accurate results when coherence over the array dropped. This approach could possibly improve conventional testing methodology but must be investigated further under more realistic testing conditions.

Relearning To Teach Arithmetic Addition and Subtraction: A Teacher's Study Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Susan Jo

This package features videotapes and a study guide that are designed to help teachers revisit the operations of addition and subtraction and consider how students can develop meaningful approaches to these operations. The study guides' sessions are on addition, subtraction, the teacher's role, and goals for students and teachers. The readings in…

The Use of Procedural Knowledge in Simple Addition and Subtraction Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fayol, Michel; Thevenot, Catherine

2012-01-01

In a first experiment, adults were asked to solve one-digit additions, subtractions and multiplications. When the sign appeared 150 ms before the operands, addition and subtraction were solved faster than when the sign and the operands appeared simultaneously on screen. This priming effect was not observed for multiplication problems. A second…

Power corrections in the N -jettiness subtraction scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boughezal, Radja; Liu, Xiaohui; Petriello, Frank

We discuss the leading-logarithmic power corrections in the N-jettiness subtraction scheme for higher-order perturbative QCD calculations. We compute the next-to-leading order power corrections for an arbitrary N-jet process, and we explicitly calculate the power correction through next-to-next-to-leading order for color-singlet production for bothmore » $$q\\bar{q}$$ and gg initiated processes. Our results are compact and simple to implement numerically. Including the leading power correction in the N-jettiness subtraction scheme substantially improves its numerical efficiency. Finally, we discuss what features of our techniques extend to processes containing final-state jets.« less

Power corrections in the N -jettiness subtraction scheme

DOE PAGES

Boughezal, Radja; Liu, Xiaohui; Petriello, Frank

2017-03-30

We discuss the leading-logarithmic power corrections in the N-jettiness subtraction scheme for higher-order perturbative QCD calculations. We compute the next-to-leading order power corrections for an arbitrary N-jet process, and we explicitly calculate the power correction through next-to-next-to-leading order for color-singlet production for bothmore » $$q\\bar{q}$$ and gg initiated processes. Our results are compact and simple to implement numerically. Including the leading power correction in the N-jettiness subtraction scheme substantially improves its numerical efficiency. Finally, we discuss what features of our techniques extend to processes containing final-state jets.« less

Fast Image Subtraction Using Multi-cores and GPUs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartung, Steven; Shukla, H.

2013-01-01

Many important image processing techniques in astronomy require a massive number of computations per pixel. Among them is an image differencing technique known as Optimal Image Subtraction (OIS), which is very useful for detecting and characterizing transient phenomena. Like many image processing routines, OIS computations increase proportionally with the number of pixels being processed, and the number of pixels in need of processing is increasing rapidly. Utilizing many-core graphical processing unit (GPU) technology in a hybrid conjunction with multi-core CPU and computer clustering technologies, this work presents a new astronomy image processing pipeline architecture. The chosen OIS implementation focuses on the 2nd order spatially-varying kernel with the Dirac delta function basis, a powerful image differencing method that has seen limited deployment in part because of the heavy computational burden. This tool can process standard image calibration and OIS differencing in a fashion that is scalable with the increasing data volume. It employs several parallel processing technologies in a hierarchical fashion in order to best utilize each of their strengths. The Linux/Unix based application can operate on a single computer, or on an MPI configured cluster, with or without GPU hardware. With GPU hardware available, even low-cost commercial video cards, the OIS convolution and subtraction times for large images can be accelerated by up to three orders of magnitude.

The functional architectures of addition and subtraction: Network discovery using fMRI and DCM.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Zhong, Ning; Friston, Karl; Imamura, Kazuyuki; Lu, Shengfu; Li, Mi; Zhou, Haiyan; Wang, Haiyuan; Li, Kuncheng; Hu, Bin

2017-06-01

The neuronal mechanisms underlying arithmetic calculations are not well understood but the differences between mental addition and subtraction could be particularly revealing. Using fMRI and dynamic causal modeling (DCM), this study aimed to identify the distinct neuronal architectures engaged by the cognitive processes of simple addition and subtraction. Our results revealed significantly greater activation during subtraction in regions along the dorsal pathway, including the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), middle portion of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (mDLPFC), and supplementary motor area (SMA), compared with addition. Subsequent analysis of the underlying changes in connectivity - with DCM - revealed a common circuit processing basic (numeric) attributes and the retrieval of arithmetic facts. However, DCM showed that addition was more likely to engage (numeric) retrieval-based circuits in the left hemisphere, while subtraction tended to draw on (magnitude) processing in bilateral parietal cortex, especially the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Our findings endorse previous hypotheses about the differences in strategic implementation, dominant hemisphere, and the neuronal circuits underlying addition and subtraction. Moreover, for simple arithmetic, our connectivity results suggest that subtraction calls on more complex processing than addition: auxiliary phonological, visual, and motor processes, for representing numbers, were engaged by subtraction, relative to addition. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3210-3225, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background subtraction for fluorescence EXAFS data of a very dilute dopant Z in Z + 1 host.

PubMed

Medling, Scott; Bridges, Frank

2011-07-01

When conducting EXAFS at the Cu K-edge for ZnS:Cu with very low Cu concentration (<0.04% Cu), a large background was present that increased with energy. This background arises from a Zn X-ray Raman peak, which moves through the Cu fluorescence window, plus the tail of the Zn fluorescence peak. This large background distorts the EXAFS and must be removed separately before reducing the data. A simple means to remove this background is described.

Improvements in floating point addition/subtraction operations

DOEpatents

Farmwald, P.M.

1984-02-24

Apparatus is described for decreasing the latency time associated with floating point addition and subtraction in a computer, using a novel bifurcated, pre-normalization/post-normalization approach that distinguishes between differences of floating point exponents.

Improved Visualization of Intracranial Vessels with Intraoperative Coregistration of Rotational Digital Subtraction Angiography and Intraoperative 3D Ultrasound

PubMed Central

Podlesek, Dino; Meyer, Tobias; Morgenstern, Ute; Schackert, Gabriele; Kirsch, Matthias

2015-01-01

Introduction Ultrasound can visualize and update the vessel status in real time during cerebral vascular surgery. We studied the depiction of parent vessels and aneurysms with a high-resolution 3D intraoperative ultrasound imaging system during aneurysm clipping using rotational digital subtraction angiography as a reference. Methods We analyzed 3D intraoperative ultrasound in 39 patients with cerebral aneurysms to visualize the aneurysm intraoperatively and the nearby vascular tree before and after clipping. Simultaneous coregistration of preoperative subtraction angiography data with 3D intraoperative ultrasound was performed to verify the anatomical assignment. Results Intraoperative ultrasound detected 35 of 43 aneurysms (81%) in 39 patients. Thirty-nine intraoperative ultrasound measurements were matched with rotational digital subtraction angiography and were successfully reconstructed during the procedure. In 7 patients, the aneurysm was partially visualized by 3D-ioUS or was not in field of view. Post-clipping intraoperative ultrasound was obtained in 26 and successfully reconstructed in 18 patients (69%) despite clip related artefacts. The overlap between 3D-ioUS aneurysm volume and preoperative rDSA aneurysm volume resulted in a mean accuracy of 0.71 (Dice coefficient). Conclusions Intraoperative coregistration of 3D intraoperative ultrasound data with preoperative rotational digital subtraction angiography is possible with high accuracy. It allows the immediate visualization of vessels beyond the microscopic field, as well as parallel assessment of blood velocity, aneurysm and vascular tree configuration. Although spatial resolution is lower than for standard angiography, the method provides an excellent vascular overview, advantageous interpretation of 3D-ioUS and immediate intraoperative feedback of the vascular status. A prerequisite for understanding vascular intraoperative ultrasound is image quality and a successful match with preoperative

The identification of genes specific to Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens using genomic subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Masakiyo, Yoshiaki; Yoshida, Akihiro; Shintani, Yasuyuki; Takahashi, Yusuke; Ansai, Toshihiro; Takehara, Tadamichi

2010-06-01

Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens, which are often isolated from periodontal sites, were once considered two different genotypes of P. intermedia. Although the genomic sequence of P. intermedia was determined recently, little is known about the genetic differences between P. intermedia and P. nigrescens. The subtractive hybridization technique is a powerful method for generating a set of DNA fragments differing between two closely related bacterial strains or species. We used subtractive hybridization to identify the DNA regions specific to P. intermedia ATCC 25611 and P. nigrescens ATCC 25261. Using this method, four P. intermedia ATCC 25611-specific and three P. nigrescens ATCC 25261-specific regions were determined. From the species-specific regions, insertion sequence (IS) elements were isolated for P. intermedia. IS elements play an important role in the pathogenicity of bacteria. For the P. intermedia-specific regions, the genes adenine-specific DNA-methyltransferase and 8-amino-7-oxononanoate synthase were isolated. The P. nigrescens-specific region contained a Flavobacterium psychrophilum SprA homologue, a cell-surface protein involved in gliding motility, Prevotella melaninogenica ATCC 25845 glutathione peroxide, and Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 leucyl-tRNA synthetase. The results demonstrate that the subtractive hybridization technique was useful for distinguishing between the two closely related species. Furthermore, this technique will contribute to our understanding of the virulence of these species. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of Accuracy for Background Noise Estimation Method Based on TPE-AE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itai, Akitoshi; Yasukawa, Hiroshi

This paper proposes a method of a background noise estimation based on the tensor product expansion with a median and a Monte carlo simulation. We have shown that a tensor product expansion with absolute error method is effective to estimate a background noise, however, a background noise might not be estimated by using conventional method properly. In this paper, it is shown that the estimate accuracy can be improved by using proposed methods.

Digging Deeper: Observing Primordial Gravitational Waves below the Binary-Black-Hole-Produced Stochastic Background.

PubMed

Regimbau, T; Evans, M; Christensen, N; Katsavounidis, E; Sathyaprakash, B; Vitale, S

2017-04-14

The merger rate of black hole binaries inferred from the detections in the first Advanced LIGO science run implies that a stochastic background produced by a cosmological population of mergers will likely mask the primordial gravitational wave background. Here we demonstrate that the next generation of ground-based detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, will be able to observe binary black hole mergers throughout the Universe with sufficient efficiency that the confusion background can potentially be subtracted to observe the primordial background at the level of Ω_{GW}≃10^{-13} after 5 years of observation.

[Myocardial perfusion imaging by digital subtraction angiography].

PubMed

Kadowaki, H; Ishikawa, K; Ogai, T; Katori, R

1986-03-01

Several methods of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were compared to determine which could better visualize regional myocardial perfusion using coronary angiography in seven patients with myocardial infarction, two with angina pectoris and five with normal coronary arteries. Satisfactory DSA was judged to be achieved if the shape of the heart on the mask film was identical to that on the live film and if both films were exactly superimposed. To obtain an identical mask film in the shape of each live film, both films were selected from the following three phases of the cardiac cycle; at the R wave of the electrocardiogram, 100 msec before the R wave, and 200 msec before the R wave. The last two were superior for obtaining mask and live films which were similar in shape, because the cardiac motion in these phases was relatively small. Using these mask and live films, DSA was performed either with the continuous image mode (CI mode) or the time interval difference mode (TID mode). The overall perfusion of contrast medium through the artery to the vein was adequately visualized using the CI mode. Passage of contrast medium through the artery, capillary and vein was visualized at each phase using TID mode. Subtracted images were displayed and photographed, and the density of the contrast medium was adequate to display contour lines as in a relief map. Using this DSA, it was found that regional perfusion of the contrast medium was not always uniform in normal subjects, depending on the typography of the coronary artery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Spectral K-edge subtraction imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Y.; Samadi, N.; Martinson, M.; Bassey, B.; Wei, Z.; Belev, G.; Chapman, D.

2014-05-01

We describe a spectral x-ray transmission method to provide images of independent material components of an object using a synchrotron x-ray source. The imaging system and process is similar to K-edge subtraction (KES) imaging where two imaging energies are prepared above and below the K-absorption edge of a contrast element and a quantifiable image of the contrast element and a water equivalent image are obtained. The spectral method, termed ‘spectral-KES’ employs a continuous spectrum encompassing an absorption edge of an element within the object. The spectrum is prepared by a bent Laue monochromator with good focal and energy dispersive properties. The monochromator focuses the spectral beam at the object location, which then diverges onto an area detector such that one dimension in the detector is an energy axis. A least-squares method is used to interpret the transmitted spectral data with fits to either measured and/or calculated absorption of the contrast and matrix material-water. The spectral-KES system is very simple to implement and is comprised of a bent Laue monochromator, a stage for sample manipulation for projection and computed tomography imaging, and a pixelated area detector. The imaging system and examples of its applications to biological imaging are presented. The system is particularly well suited for a synchrotron bend magnet beamline with white beam access.

Subtraction with hadronic initial states at NLO: an NNLO-compatible scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somogyi, Gábor

2009-05-01

We present an NNLO-compatible subtraction scheme for computing QCD jet cross sections of hadron-initiated processes at NLO accuracy. The scheme is constructed specifically with those complications in mind, that emerge when extending the subtraction algorithm to next-to-next-to-leading order. It is therefore possible to embed the present scheme in a full NNLO computation without any modifications.

Computerized mass detection in whole breast ultrasound images: reduction of false positives using bilateral subtraction technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikedo, Yuji; Fukuoka, Daisuke; Hara, Takeshi; Fujita, Hiroshi; Takada, Etsuo; Endo, Tokiko; Morita, Takako

2007-03-01

The comparison of left and right mammograms is a common technique used by radiologists for the detection and diagnosis of masses. In mammography, computer-aided detection (CAD) schemes using bilateral subtraction technique have been reported. However, in breast ultrasonography, there are no reports on CAD schemes using comparison of left and right breasts. In this study, we propose a scheme of false positive reduction based on bilateral subtraction technique in whole breast ultrasound images. Mass candidate regions are detected by using the information of edge directions. Bilateral breast images are registered with reference to the nipple positions and skin lines. A false positive region is detected based on a comparison of the average gray values of a mass candidate region and a region with the same position and same size as the candidate region in the contralateral breast. In evaluating the effectiveness of the false positive reduction method, three normal and three abnormal bilateral pairs of whole breast images were employed. These abnormal breasts included six masses larger than 5 mm in diameter. The sensitivity was 83% (5/6) with 13.8 (165/12) false positives per breast before applying the proposed reduction method. By applying the method, false positives were reduced to 4.5 (54/12) per breast without removing a true positive region. This preliminary study indicates that the bilateral subtraction technique is effective for improving the performance of a CAD scheme in whole breast ultrasound images.

High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography (CE-MRA) using Compressed Sensing with Magnitude Image Subtraction

PubMed Central

Rapacchi, Stanislas; Han, Fei; Natsuaki, Yutaka; Kroeker, Randall; Plotnik, Adam; Lehman, Evan; Sayre, James; Laub, Gerhard; Finn, J Paul; Hu, Peng

2014-01-01

Purpose We propose a compressed-sensing (CS) technique based on magnitude image subtraction for high spatial and temporal resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA). Methods Our technique integrates the magnitude difference image into the CS reconstruction to promote subtraction sparsity. Fully sampled Cartesian 3D CE-MRA datasets from 6 volunteers were retrospectively under-sampled and three reconstruction strategies were evaluated: k-space subtraction CS, independent CS, and magnitude subtraction CS. The techniques were compared in image quality (vessel delineation, image artifacts, and noise) and image reconstruction error. Our CS technique was further tested on 7 volunteers using a prospectively under-sampled CE-MRA sequence. Results Compared with k-space subtraction and independent CS, our magnitude subtraction CS provides significantly better vessel delineation and less noise at 4X acceleration, and significantly less reconstruction error at 4X and 8X (p<0.05 for all). On a 1–4 point image quality scale in vessel delineation, our technique scored 3.8±0.4 at 4X, 2.8±0.4 at 8X and 2.3±0.6 at 12X acceleration. Using our CS sequence at 12X acceleration, we were able to acquire dynamic CE-MRA with higher spatial and temporal resolution than current clinical TWIST protocol while maintaining comparable image quality (2.8±0.5 vs. 3.0±0.4, p=NS). Conclusion Our technique is promising for dynamic CE-MRA. PMID:23801456

Latent variable method for automatic adaptation to background states in motor imagery BCI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dagaev, Nikolay; Volkova, Ksenia; Ossadtchi, Alexei

2018-02-01

Objective. Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are known to be vulnerable to variabilities in background states of a user. Usually, no detailed information on these states is available even during the training stage. Thus there is a need in a method which is capable of taking background states into account in an unsupervised way. Approach. We propose a latent variable method that is based on a probabilistic model with a discrete latent variable. In order to estimate the model’s parameters, we suggest to use the expectation maximization algorithm. The proposed method is aimed at assessing characteristics of background states without any corresponding data labeling. In the context of asynchronous motor imagery paradigm, we applied this method to the real data from twelve able-bodied subjects with open/closed eyes serving as background states. Main results. We found that the latent variable method improved classification of target states compared to the baseline method (in seven of twelve subjects). In addition, we found that our method was also capable of background states recognition (in six of twelve subjects). Significance. Without any supervised information on background states, the latent variable method provides a way to improve classification in BCI by taking background states into account at the training stage and then by making decisions on target states weighted by posterior probabilities of background states at the prediction stage.

Mental Computation or Standard Algorithm? Children's Strategy Choices on Multi-Digit Subtractions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torbeyns, Joke; Verschaffel, Lieven

2016-01-01

This study analyzed children's use of mental computation strategies and the standard algorithm on multi-digit subtractions. Fifty-eight Flemish 4th graders of varying mathematical achievement level were individually offered subtractions that either stimulated the use of mental computation strategies or the standard algorithm in one choice and two…

Nagy-Soper subtraction scheme for multiparton final states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Cheng-Han; Robens, Tania

2013-04-01

In this work, we present the extension of an alternative subtraction scheme for next-to-leading order QCD calculations to the case of an arbitrary number of massless final state partons. The scheme is based on the splitting kernels of an improved parton shower and comes with a reduced number of final state momentum mappings. While a previous publication including the setup of the scheme has been restricted to cases with maximally two massless partons in the final state, we here provide the final state real emission and integrated subtraction terms for processes with any number of massless partons. We apply our scheme to three jet production at lepton colliders at next-to-leading order and present results for the differential C parameter distribution.

Microarray image analysis: background estimation using quantile and morphological filters.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Anders; Bengtsson, Henrik

2006-02-28

In a microarray experiment the difference in expression between genes on the same slide is up to 103 fold or more. At low expression, even a small error in the estimate will have great influence on the final test and reference ratios. In addition to the true spot intensity the scanned signal consists of different kinds of noise referred to as background. In order to assess the true spot intensity background must be subtracted. The standard approach to estimate background intensities is to assume they are equal to the intensity levels between spots. In the literature, morphological opening is suggested to be one of the best methods for estimating background this way. This paper examines fundamental properties of rank and quantile filters, which include morphological filters at the extremes, with focus on their ability to estimate between-spot intensity levels. The bias and variance of these filter estimates are driven by the number of background pixels used and their distributions. A new rank-filter algorithm is implemented and compared to methods available in Spot by CSIRO and GenePix Pro by Axon Instruments. Spot's morphological opening has a mean bias between -47 and -248 compared to a bias between 2 and -2 for the rank filter and the variability of the morphological opening estimate is 3 times higher than for the rank filter. The mean bias of Spot's second method, morph.close.open, is between -5 and -16 and the variability is approximately the same as for morphological opening. The variability of GenePix Pro's region-based estimate is more than ten times higher than the variability of the rank-filter estimate and with slightly more bias. The large variability is because the size of the background window changes with spot size. To overcome this, a non-adaptive region-based method is implemented. Its bias and variability are comparable to that of the rank filter. The performance of more advanced rank filters is equal to the best region-based methods. However, in

Complete Nagy-Soper subtraction for next-to-leading order calculations in QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevilacqua, G.; Czakon, M.; Kubocz, M.; Worek, M.

2013-10-01

We extend the Helac-Dipoles package with the implementation of a new subtraction formalism, first introduced by Nagy and Soper in the formulation of an improved parton shower. We discuss a systematic, semi-numerical approach for the evaluation of the integrated subtraction terms for both massless and massive partons, which provides the missing ingredient for a complete implementation. In consequence, the new scheme can now be used as part of a complete NLO QCD calculation for processes with arbitrary parton masses and multiplicities. We assess its overall performance through a detailed comparison with results based on Catani-Seymour subtraction. The importance of random polarization and color sampling of the external partons is also examined.

Analysis of differentially expressed genes in two immunologically distinct strains of Eimeria maxima using suppression subtractive hybridization and dot-blot hybridization

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background It is well known that different Eimeria maxima strains exhibit significant antigenic variation. However, the genetic basis of these phenotypes remains unclear. Methods Total RNA and mRNA were isolated from unsporulated oocysts of E. maxima strains SH and NT, which were found to have significant differences in immunogenicity in our previous research. Two subtractive cDNA libraries were constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and specific genes were further analyzed by dot-blot hybridization and qRT-PCR analysis. Results A total of 561 clones were selected from both cDNA libraries and the length of the inserted fragments was 0.25–1.0 kb. Dot-blot hybridization revealed a total of 86 differentially expressed clones (63 from strain SH and 23 from strain NT). Nucleotide sequencing analysis of these clones revealed ten specific contigs (six from strain SH and four from strain NT). Further analysis found that six contigs from strain SH and three from strain NT shared significant identities with previously reported proteins, and one contig was presumed to be novel. The specific differentially expressed genes were finally verified by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR analyses. Conclusions The data presented here suggest that specific genes identified between the two strains may be important molecules in the immunogenicity of E. maxima that may present potential new drug targets or vaccine candidates for coccidiosis. PMID:24894832

Redefining the Whole: Common Errors in Elementary Preservice Teachers' Self-Authored Word Problems for Fraction Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Juli K.; Andreasen, Janet B.; Avila, Cheryl L.; Bawatneh, Zyad; Deichert, Deana L.; Howse, Tashana D.; Turner, Mercedes Sotillo

2014-01-01

A goal of this study was to examine elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs) ability to contextualize and decontextualize fraction subtraction by asking them to write word problems to represent fraction subtraction expressions and to choose prewritten word problems to support given fraction subtraction expressions. Three themes emerged from the…

Computer-Aided Diagnostic (CAD) Scheme by Use of Contralateral Subtraction Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagashima, Hiroyuki; Harakawa, Tetsumi

We developed a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) scheme for detection of subtle image findings of acute cerebral infarction in brain computed tomography (CT) by using a contralateral subtraction technique. In our computerized scheme, the lateral inclination of image was first corrected automatically by rotating and shifting. The contralateral subtraction image was then derived by subtraction of reversed image from original image. Initial candidates for acute cerebral infarctions were identified using the multiple-thresholding and image filtering techniques. As the 1st step for removing false positive candidates, fourteen image features were extracted in each of the initial candidates. Halfway candidates were detected by applying the rule-based test with these image features. At the 2nd step, five image features were extracted using the overlapping scale with halfway candidates in interest slice and upper/lower slice image. Finally, acute cerebral infarction candidates were detected by applying the rule-based test with five image features. The sensitivity in the detection for 74 training cases was 97.4% with 3.7 false positives per image. The performance of CAD scheme for 44 testing cases had an approximate result to training cases. Our CAD scheme using the contralateral subtraction technique can reveal suspected image findings of acute cerebral infarctions in CT images.

Segmentation methods for breast vasculature in dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital breast tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Kristen C.; Lee, Hyo Min; Singh, Tanushriya; Maidment, Andrew D. A.

2015-03-01

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital breast tomosynthesis (DE CE-DBT) uses an iodinated contrast agent to image the three-dimensional breast vasculature. The University of Pennsylvania has an ongoing DE CE-DBT clinical study in patients with known breast cancers. The breast is compressed continuously and imaged at four time points (1 pre-contrast; 3 post-contrast). DE images are obtained by a weighted logarithmic subtraction of the high-energy (HE) and low-energy (LE) image pairs. Temporal subtraction of the post-contrast DE images from the pre-contrast DE image is performed to analyze iodine uptake. Our previous work investigated image registration methods to correct for patient motion, enhancing the evaluation of vascular kinetics. In this project we investigate a segmentation algorithm which identifies blood vessels in the breast from our temporal DE subtraction images. Anisotropic diffusion filtering, Gabor filtering, and morphological filtering are used for the enhancement of vessel features. Vessel labeling methods are then used to distinguish vessel and background features successfully. Statistical and clinical evaluations of segmentation accuracy in DE-CBT images are ongoing.

Detection and correction of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy spectral background based on spline interpolation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Bing; Huang, Min; Zhu, Qibing; Guo, Ya; Qin, Jianwei

2017-12-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique that has gained increasing attention because of many applications. The production of continuous background in LIBS is inevitable because of factors associated with laser energy, gate width, time delay, and experimental environment. The continuous background significantly influences the analysis of the spectrum. Researchers have proposed several background correction methods, such as polynomial fitting, Lorenz fitting and model-free methods. However, less of them apply these methods in the field of LIBS Technology, particularly in qualitative and quantitative analyses. This study proposes a method based on spline interpolation for detecting and estimating the continuous background spectrum according to its smooth property characteristic. Experiment on the background correction simulation indicated that, the spline interpolation method acquired the largest signal-to-background ratio (SBR) over polynomial fitting, Lorenz fitting and model-free method after background correction. These background correction methods all acquire larger SBR values than that acquired before background correction (The SBR value before background correction is 10.0992, whereas the SBR values after background correction by spline interpolation, polynomial fitting, Lorentz fitting, and model-free methods are 26.9576, 24.6828, 18.9770, and 25.6273 respectively). After adding random noise with different kinds of signal-to-noise ratio to the spectrum, spline interpolation method acquires large SBR value, whereas polynomial fitting and model-free method obtain low SBR values. All of the background correction methods exhibit improved quantitative results of Cu than those acquired before background correction (The linear correlation coefficient value before background correction is 0.9776. Moreover, the linear correlation coefficient values after background correction using spline interpolation, polynomial fitting, Lorentz

[Construction of forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries between muscle tissue of Meishan and Landrace pigs].

PubMed

Xu, De-Quan; Zhang, Yi-Bing; Xiong, Yuan-Zhu; Gui, Jian-Fang; Jiang, Si-Wen; Su, Yu-Hong

2003-07-01

Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique, forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries were constructed between Longissimus muscles from Meishan and Landrace pigs. A housekeeping gene, G3PDH, was used to estimate the efficiency of subtractive cDNA. In two cDNA libraries, G3PDH was subtracted very efficiently at appropriate 2(10) and 2(5) folds, respectively, indicating that some differentially expressed genes were also enriched at the same folds and the two subtractive cDNA libraries were very successful. A total of 709 and 673 positive clones were isolated from forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries, respectively. Analysis of PCR showed that most of all plasmids in the clones contained 150-750 bp inserts. The construction of subtractive cDNA libraries between muscle tissue from different pig breeds laid solid foundations for isolating and identifying the genes determining muscle growth and meat quality, which will be important to understand the mechanism of muscle growth, determination of meat quality and practice of molecular breeding.

Accessing the diffracted wavefield by coherent subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Benjamin; Gajewski, Dirk

2017-10-01

Diffractions have unique properties which are still rarely exploited in common practice. Aside from containing subwavelength information on the scattering geometry or indicating small-scale structural complexity, they provide superior illumination compared to reflections. While diffraction occurs arguably on all scales and in most realistic media, the respective signatures typically have low amplitudes and are likely to be masked by more prominent wavefield components. It has been widely observed that automated stacking acts as a directional filter favouring the most coherent arrivals. In contrast to other works, which commonly aim at steering the summation operator towards fainter contributions, we utilize this directional selection to coherently approximate the most dominant arrivals and subtract them from the data. Supported by additional filter functions which can be derived from wave front attributes gained during the stacking procedure, this strategy allows for a fully data-driven recovery of faint diffractions and makes them accessible for further processing. A complex single-channel field data example recorded in the Aegean sea near Santorini illustrates that the diffracted background wavefield is surprisingly rich and despite the absence of a high channel count can still be detected and characterized, suggesting a variety of applications in industry and academia.

Subtraction CT angiography in head and neck with low radiation and contrast dose dual-energy spectral CT using rapid kV-switching technique.

PubMed

Ma, Guangming; Yu, Yong; Duan, Haifeng; Dou, Yuequn; Jia, Yongjun; Zhang, Xirong; Yang, Chuangbo; Chen, Xiaoxia; Han, Dong; Guo, Changyi; He, Taiping

2018-06-01

To investigate the application of low radiation and contrast dose spectral CT angiology using rapid kV-switching technique in the head and neck with subtraction method for bone removal. This prospective study was approved by the local ethics committee. 64 cases for head and neck CT angiology were randomly divided into Groups A (n = 32) and B (n = 32). Group A underwent unenhanced CT with 100 kVp, 200 mA and contrast-enhanced CT with spectral CT mode with body mass index-dependent low dose protocols. Group B used conventional helical scanning with 120 kVp, auto mA for noise index of 12 HU (Hounsfield unit) for both the unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT. Subtraction images were formed by subtracting the unenhanced images from enhanced images (with the 65 keV-enhanced spectral CT image in Group A). CT numbers and their standard deviations in aortic arch, carotid arteries, middle cerebral artery and air were measured in the subtraction images. The signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio for the common and internal carotid arteries and middle cerebral artery were calculated. Image quality in terms of bone removal effect was evaluated by two experienced radiologists independently and blindly using a 4-point system. Radiation dose and total iodine load were recorded. Measurements were statistically compared between the two groups. The two groups had same demographic results. There was no difference in the CT number, signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratio values for carotid arteries and middle cerebral artery in the subtraction images between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, the bone removal effect score [median (min-max)] in Group A [4 (3-4)] was rated better than in Group B [3 (2-4)] (p < 0.001), with excellent agreement between the two observers (κ > 0.80). The radiation dose in Group A (average of 2.64 mSv) was 57% lower than the 6.18 mSv in Group B (p < 0.001). The total iodine intake in Group A was 13.5g, 36% lower than the 21g in

Computed tomography lung iodine contrast mapping by image registration and subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goatman, Keith; Plakas, Costas; Schuijf, Joanne; Beveridge, Erin; Prokop, Mathias

2014-03-01

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a relatively common and potentially life threatening disease, affecting around 600,000 people annually in the United States alone. Prompt treatment using anticoagulants is effective and saves lives, but unnecessary treatment risks life threatening haemorrhage. The specificity of any diagnostic test for PE is therefore as important as its sensitivity. Computed tomography (CT) angiography is routinely used to diagnose PE. However, there are concerns it may over-report the condition. Additional information about the severity of an occlusion can be obtained from an iodine contrast map that represents tissue perfusion. Such maps tend to be derived from dual-energy CT acquisitions. However, they may also be calculated by subtracting pre- and post-contrast CT scans. Indeed, there are technical advantages to such a subtraction approach, including better contrast-to-noise ratio for the same radiation dose, and bone suppression. However, subtraction relies on accurate image registration. This paper presents a framework for the automatic alignment of pre- and post-contrast lung volumes prior to subtraction. The registration accuracy is evaluated for seven subjects for whom pre- and post-contrast helical CT scans were acquired using a Toshiba Aquilion ONE scanner. One hundred corresponding points were annotated on the pre- and post-contrast scans, distributed throughout the lung volume. Surface-to-surface error distances were also calculated from lung segmentations. Prior to registration the mean Euclidean landmark alignment error was 2.57mm (range 1.43-4.34 mm), and following registration the mean error was 0.54mm (range 0.44-0.64 mm). The mean surface error distance was 1.89mm before registration and 0.47mm after registration. There was a commensurate reduction in visual artefacts following registration. In conclusion, a framework for pre- and post-contrast lung registration has been developed that is sufficiently accurate for lung subtraction

New Spectral Evidence of an Unaccounted Component of the Near-infrared Extragalactic Background Light from the CIBER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuura, Shuji; Arai, Toshiaki; Bock, James J.; Cooray, Asantha; Korngut, Phillip M.; Kim, Min Gyu; Lee, Hyung Mok; Lee, Dae Hee; Levenson, Louis R.; Matsumoto, Toshio; Onishi, Yosuke; Shirahata, Mai; Tsumura, Kohji; Wada, Takehiko; Zemcov, Michael

2017-04-01

The extragalactic background light (EBL) captures the total integrated emission from stars and galaxies throughout the cosmic history. The amplitude of the near-infrared EBL from space absolute photometry observations has been controversial and depends strongly on the modeling and subtraction of the zodiacal light (ZL) foreground. We report the first measurement of the diffuse background spectrum at 0.8-1.7 μm from the CIBER experiment. The observations were obtained with an absolute spectrometer over two flights in multiple sky fields to enable the subtraction of ZL, stars, terrestrial emission, and diffuse Galactic light. After subtracting foregrounds and accounting for systematic errors, we find the nominal EBL brightness, assuming the Kelsall ZL model, is {42.7}-10.6+11.9 nW m-2 sr-1 at 1.4 μm. We also analyzed the data using the Wright ZL model, which results in a worse statistical fit to the data and an unphysical EBL, falling below the known background light from galaxies at λ < 1.3 μm. Using a model-independent analysis based on the minimum EBL brightness, we find an EBL brightness of {28.7}-3.3+5.1 nWm-2 sr-1 at 1.4 μm. While the derived EBL amplitude strongly depends on the ZL model, we find that we cannot fit the spectral data to ZL, Galactic emission, and EBL from solely integrated galactic light from galaxy counts. The results require a new diffuse component, such as an additional foreground or an excess EBL with a redder spectrum than that of ZL.

The value of subtraction MRI in detection of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with oedema or effusion in Alzheimer's patients: An interobserver study.

PubMed

Martens, Roland M; Bechten, Arianne; Ingala, Silvia; van Schijndel, Ronald A; Machado, Vania B; de Jong, Marcus C; Sanchez, Esther; Purcell, Derk; Arrighi, Michael H; Brashear, Robert H; Wattjes, Mike P; Barkhof, Frederik

2018-03-01

Immunotherapeutic treatments targeting amyloid-β plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with the presence of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with oedema or effusion (ARIA-E), whose detection and classification is crucial to evaluate subjects enrolled in clinical trials. To investigate the applicability of subtraction MRI in the ARIA-E detection using an established ARIA-E-rating scale. We included 75 AD patients receiving bapineuzumab treatment, including 29 ARIA-E cases. Five neuroradiologists rated their brain MRI-scans with and without subtraction images. The accuracy of evaluating the presence of ARIA-E, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and specific agreement was calculated. Subtraction resulted in higher sensitivity (0.966) and lower specificity (0.970) than native images (0.959, 0.991, respectively). Individual rater detection was excellent. ICC scores ranged from excellent to good, except for gyral swelling (moderate). Excellent negative and good positive specific agreement among all ARIA-E imaging features was reported in both groups. Combining sulcal hyperintensity and gyral swelling significantly increased positive agreement for subtraction images. Subtraction MRI has potential as a visual aid increasing the sensitivity of ARIA-E assessment. However, in order to improve its usefulness isotropic acquisition and enhanced training are required. The ARIA-E rating scale may benefit from combining sulcal hyperintensity and swelling. • Subtraction technique can improve detection amyloid-related imaging-abnormalities with edema/effusion in Alzheimer's patients. • The value of ARIA-E detection, classification and monitoring using subtraction was assessed. • Validation of an established ARIA-E rating scale, recommendations for improvement are reported. • Complementary statistical methods were employed to measure accuracy, inter-rater-reliability and specific agreement.

A method of reducing background fluctuation in tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Rendi; Dong, Xiaozhou; Bi, Yunfeng; Lv, Tieliang

2018-03-01

Optical interference fringe is the main factor that leads to background fluctuation in gas concentration detection based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The interference fringes are generated by multiple reflections or scatterings upon optical surfaces in optical path and make the background signal present an approximated sinusoidal oscillation. To reduce the fluctuation of the background, a method that combines dual tone modulation (DTM) with vibration reflector (VR) is proposed in this paper. The combination of DTM and VR can make the unwanted periodic interference fringes to be averaged out and the effectiveness of the method in reducing background fluctuation has been verified by simulation and real experiments in this paper. In the detection system based on the proposed method, the standard deviation (STD) value of the background signal is decreased to 0.0924 parts per million (ppm), which is reduced by a factor of 16 compared with that of wavelength modulation spectroscopy. The STD value of 0.0924 ppm corresponds to the absorption of 4 . 328 × 10-6Hz - 1 / 2 (with effective optical path length of 4 m and integral time of 0.1 s). Moreover, the proposed method presents a better stable performance in reducing background fluctuation in long time experiments.

Animal experiments by K-edge subtraction angiography by using SR (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anno, I.; Akisada, M.; Takeda, T.; Sugishita, Y.; Kakihana, M.; Ohtsuka, S.; Nishimura, K.; Hasegawa, S.; Takenaka, E.; Hyodo, K.; Ando, M.

1989-07-01

Ischemic heart disease is one of the most popular and lethal diseases for aged peoples in the world, and is usually diagnosed by transarterial selective coronary arteriography. However, it is rather invasive and somewhat dangerous, so that the selective coronary arteriography is not feasible for prospective screening of coronary occlusive heart disease. Conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is widely known as a relatively noninvasive and useful technique is making a diagnosis of arterial occlusive disease, especially in making the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. Conventional intravenous subtraction angiography by temporal subtraction, however, has several problems when applying to the moving objects. Digital subtraction method using high-speed switching above and below the K edge could be the ideal approach to this solution. We intend to make a synchrotron radiation digital K-edge subtraction angiography in the above policy, and to apply it to the human coronary ischemic disease on an outpatient basis. The principles and experimental systems have already been described in detail by our coworkers. Our prototype experimental system is situated at the AR (accumulation ring) for TRISTAN project of high energy physics. The available beam size is 70 mm by 120 mm. The electron energy of AR is 6.5 GeV and average beam current is approximately 10 mA. This paper will show the animal experiments of our K-edge subtraction system, and discuss some problems and technical difficulties. Three dogs, weighing approximately 15 kg, were examined to evaluate the ability of our prototype synchrotron radiation DSA unit, that we are now constructing. The dogs were anaesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, intravenously (30 mg/kg). Six french-sized (1.52 mm i.d.) pigtail catheter with multiple side holes were introduced via the right femoral vein into the right atrium by the cutdown technique under conventional x-ray fluoroscopic control. Respiration of the dogs was

Verification of IEEE Compliant Subtractive Division Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miner, Paul S.; Leathrum, James F., Jr.

1996-01-01

A parameterized definition of subtractive floating point division algorithms is presented and verified using PVS. The general algorithm is proven to satisfy a formal definition of an IEEE standard for floating point arithmetic. The utility of the general specification is illustrated using a number of different instances of the general algorithm.

Transactional Algorithm for Subtracting Fractions: Go Shopping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinckard, James Seishin

2009-01-01

The purpose of this quasi-experimental research study was to examine the effects of an alternative or transactional algorithm for subtracting mixed numbers within the middle school setting. Initial data were gathered from the student achievement of four mathematics teachers at three different school sites. The results indicated students who…

Limitations of the background field method applied to Rayleigh-Bénard convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobili, Camilla; Otto, Felix

2017-09-01

We consider Rayleigh-Bénard convection as modeled by the Boussinesq equations, in the case of infinite Prandtl numbers and with no-slip boundary condition. There is a broad interest in bounds of the upwards heat flux, as given by the Nusselt number Nu, in terms of the forcing via the imposed temperature difference, as given by the Rayleigh number in the turbulent regime Ra ≫ 1 . In several studies, the background field method applied to the temperature field has been used to provide upper bounds on Nu in terms of Ra. In these applications, the background field method comes in the form of a variational problem where one optimizes a stratified temperature profile subject to a certain stability condition; the method is believed to capture the marginal stability of the boundary layer. The best available upper bound via this method is Nu ≲Ra/1 3 ( ln R a )/1 15 ; it proceeds via the construction of a stable temperature background profile that increases logarithmically in the bulk. In this paper, we show that the background temperature field method cannot provide a tighter upper bound in terms of the power of the logarithm. However, by another method, one does obtain the tighter upper bound Nu ≲ Ra /1 3 ( ln ln Ra ) /1 3 so that the result of this paper implies that the background temperature field method is unphysical in the sense that it cannot provide the optimal bound.

Improved visualization of intracranial vessels with intraoperative coregistration of rotational digital subtraction angiography and intraoperative 3D ultrasound.

PubMed

Podlesek, Dino; Meyer, Tobias; Morgenstern, Ute; Schackert, Gabriele; Kirsch, Matthias

2015-01-01

Ultrasound can visualize and update the vessel status in real time during cerebral vascular surgery. We studied the depiction of parent vessels and aneurysms with a high-resolution 3D intraoperative ultrasound imaging system during aneurysm clipping using rotational digital subtraction angiography as a reference. We analyzed 3D intraoperative ultrasound in 39 patients with cerebral aneurysms to visualize the aneurysm intraoperatively and the nearby vascular tree before and after clipping. Simultaneous coregistration of preoperative subtraction angiography data with 3D intraoperative ultrasound was performed to verify the anatomical assignment. Intraoperative ultrasound detected 35 of 43 aneurysms (81%) in 39 patients. Thirty-nine intraoperative ultrasound measurements were matched with rotational digital subtraction angiography and were successfully reconstructed during the procedure. In 7 patients, the aneurysm was partially visualized by 3D-ioUS or was not in field of view. Post-clipping intraoperative ultrasound was obtained in 26 and successfully reconstructed in 18 patients (69%) despite clip related artefacts. The overlap between 3D-ioUS aneurysm volume and preoperative rDSA aneurysm volume resulted in a mean accuracy of 0.71 (Dice coefficient). Intraoperative coregistration of 3D intraoperative ultrasound data with preoperative rotational digital subtraction angiography is possible with high accuracy. It allows the immediate visualization of vessels beyond the microscopic field, as well as parallel assessment of blood velocity, aneurysm and vascular tree configuration. Although spatial resolution is lower than for standard angiography, the method provides an excellent vascular overview, advantageous interpretation of 3D-ioUS and immediate intraoperative feedback of the vascular status. A prerequisite for understanding vascular intraoperative ultrasound is image quality and a successful match with preoperative rotational digital subtraction angiography.

A simultaneous all-optical half/full-subtraction strategy using cascaded highly nonlinear fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Karamdeep; Kaur, Gurmeet; Singh, Maninder Lal

2018-02-01

Using non-linear effects such as cross-gain modulation (XGM) and cross-phase modulation (XPM) inside two highly non-linear fibres (HNLF) arranged in cascaded configuration, a simultaneous half/full-subtracter is proposed. The proposed simultaneous half/full-subtracter design is attractive due to several features such as input data pattern independence and usage of minimal number of non-linear elements i.e. HNLFs. Proof of concept simulations have been conducted at 100 Gbps rate, indicating fine performance, as extinction ratio (dB) > 6.28 dB and eye opening factors (EO) > 77.1072% are recorded for each implemented output. The proposed simultaneous half/full-subtracter can be used as a key component in all-optical information processing circuits.

On-demand generation of background-free single photons from a solid-state source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweickert, Lucas; Jöns, Klaus D.; Zeuner, Katharina D.; Covre da Silva, Saimon Filipe; Huang, Huiying; Lettner, Thomas; Reindl, Marcus; Zichi, Julien; Trotta, Rinaldo; Rastelli, Armando; Zwiller, Val

2018-02-01

True on-demand high-repetition-rate single-photon sources are highly sought after for quantum information processing applications. However, any coherently driven two-level quantum system suffers from a finite re-excitation probability under pulsed excitation, causing undesirable multi-photon emission. Here, we present a solid-state source of on-demand single photons yielding a raw second-order coherence of g(2 )(0 )=(7.5 ±1.6 )×10-5 without any background subtraction or data processing. To this date, this is the lowest value of g(2 )(0 ) reported for any single-photon source even compared to the previously reported best background subtracted values. We achieve this result on GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots embedded in a low-Q planar cavity by employing (i) a two-photon excitation process and (ii) a filtering and detection setup featuring two superconducting single-photon detectors with ultralow dark-count rates of (0.0056 ±0.0007 ) s-1 and (0.017 ±0.001 ) s-1, respectively. Re-excitation processes are dramatically suppressed by (i), while (ii) removes false coincidences resulting in a negligibly low noise floor.

Factors affecting volume calculation with single photon emission tomography (SPECT) method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, T.H.; Lee, K.H.; Chen, D.C.P.

1985-05-01

Several factors may influence the calculation of absolute volumes (VL) from SPECT images. The effect of these factors must be established to optimize the technique. The authors investigated the following on the VL calculations: % of background (BG) subtraction, reconstruction filters, sample activity, angular sampling and edge detection methods. Transaxial images of a liver-trunk phantom filled with Tc-99m from 1 to 3 ..mu..Ci/cc were obtained in 64x64 matrix with a Siemens Rota Camera and MDS computer. Different reconstruction filters including Hanning 20,32, 64 and Butterworth 20, 32 were used. Angular samplings were performed in 3 and 6 degree increments. ROI'smore » were drawn manually and with an automatic edge detection program around the image after BG subtraction. VL's were calculated by multiplying the number of pixels within the ROI by the slice thickness and the x- and y- calibrations of each pixel. One or 2 pixel per slice thickness was applied in the calculation. An inverse correlation was found between the calculated VL and the % of BG subtraction (r=0.99 for 1,2,3 ..mu..Ci/cc activity). Based on the authors' linear regression analysis, the correct liver VL was measured with about 53% BG subtraction. The reconstruction filters, slice thickness and angular sampling had only minor effects on the calculated phantom volumes. Detection of the ROI automatically by the computer was not as accurate as the manual method. The authors conclude that the % of BG subtraction appears to be the most important factor affecting the VL calculation. With good quality control and appropriate reconstruction factors, correct VL calculations can be achieved with SPECT.« less

First results of the COBE satellite measurement of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smoot, G. F.; Aymon, J.; De Amici, G.; Bennett, C. L.; Kogut, A.; Gulkis, S.; Backus, C.; Galuk, K.; Jackson, P. D.; Keegstra, P.

1991-01-01

The concept and operation of the Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) instrument aboard NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer satellite are reviewed, with emphasis on the software identification and subtraction of potential systematic effects. Preliminary results obtained from the first six months of DMR data are presented, and implications for cosmology are discussed.

Distinct representations of subtraction and multiplication in the neural systems for numerosity and language

PubMed Central

Prado, Jérôme; Mutreja, Rachna; Zhang, Hongchuan; Mehta, Rucha; Desroches, Amy S.; Minas, Jennifer E.; Booth, James R.

2010-01-01

It has been proposed that recent cultural inventions such as symbolic arithmetic recycle evolutionary older neural mechanisms. A central assumption of this hypothesis is that the degree to which a pre-existing mechanism is recycled depends upon the degree of similarity between its initial function and the novel task. To test this assumption, we investigated whether the brain region involved in magnitude comparison in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), localized by a numerosity comparison task, is recruited to a greater degree by arithmetic problems that involve number comparison (single-digit subtractions) than by problems that involve retrieving facts from memory (single-digit multiplications). Our results confirmed that subtractions are associated with greater activity in the IPS than multiplications, whereas multiplications elicit greater activity than subtractions in regions involved in verbal processing including the middle temporal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus that were localized by a phonological processing task. Pattern analyses further indicated that the neural mechanisms more active for subtraction than multiplication in the IPS overlap with those involved in numerosity comparison, and that the strength of this overlap predicts inter-individual performance in the subtraction task. These findings provide novel evidence that elementary arithmetic relies on the co-option of evolutionary older neural circuits. PMID:21246667

Spinal pedicle subtraction osteotomy for fixed sagittal imbalance patients

PubMed Central

Hyun, Seung-Jae; Kim, Yongjung J; Rhim, Seung-Chul

2013-01-01

In addressing spinal sagittal imbalance through a posterior approach, the surgeon now may choose from among a variety of osteotomy techniques. Posterior column osteotomies such as the facetectomy or Ponte or Smith-Petersen osteotomy provide the least correction, but can be used at multiple levels with minimal blood loss and a lower operative risk. Pedicle subtraction osteotomies provide nearly 3 times the per-level correction of Ponte/Smith-Petersen osteotomies; however, they carry increased technical demands, longer operative time, and greater blood loss and associated significant morbidity, including neurological injury. The literature focusing on pedicle subtraction osteotomy for fixed sagittal imbalance patients is reviewed. The long-term overall outcomes, surgical tips to reduce the complications and suggestions for their proper application are also provided. PMID:24340276

SR high-speed K-edge subtraction angiography in the small animal (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, T.; Akisada, M.; Nakajima, T.; Anno, I.; Ueda, K.; Umetani, K.; Yamaguchi, C.

1989-07-01

To assess the ability of the high-speed K-edge energy subtraction system which was made at beamline 8C of Photon Factory, Tsukuba, we performed an animal experiment. Rabbits were used for the intravenous K-edge subtraction angiography. In this paper, the actual images of the artery obtained by this system, are demonstrated. The high-speed K-edge subtraction system consisted of movable silicon (111) monocrystals, II-ITV, and digital memory system. Image processing was performed by 68000-IP computer. The monochromatic x-ray beam size was 50×60 mm. Photon energy above and below iodine K edge was changed within 16 ms and 32 frames of images were obtained sequentially. The rabbits were anaesthetized by phenobarbital and a 5F catheter was inserted into inferior vena cava via the femoral vein. 1.5 ml/kg of contrast material (Conlaxin H) was injected at the rate of 0.5 ml/kg/s. TV images were obtained 3 s after the starting point of injection. By using this system, the clear K-edge subtracted images were obtained sequentially as a conventional DSA system. The quality of the images were better than that obtained by DSA. The dynamical blood flow was analyzed, and the best arterial image could be selected from the sequential images. The structures of aortic arch, common carotid arteries, right subclavian artery, and internal thoracic artery were obtained at the chest. Both common carotid arteries and vertebral arteries were recorded at the neck. The diameter of about 0.3-0.4 mm artery could be clearly revealed. The high-speed K-edge subtraction system demonstrates the very sharp arterial images clearly and dynamically.

Developmental dissociation in the neural responses to simple multiplication and subtraction problems

PubMed Central

Prado, Jérôme; Mutreja, Rachna; Booth, James R.

2014-01-01

Mastering single-digit arithmetic during school years is commonly thought to depend upon an increasing reliance on verbally memorized facts. An alternative model, however, posits that fluency in single-digit arithmetic might also be achieved via the increasing use of efficient calculation procedures. To test between these hypotheses, we used a cross-sectional design to measure the neural activity associated with single-digit subtraction and multiplication in 34 children from 2nd to 7th grade. The neural correlates of language and numerical processing were also identified in each child via localizer scans. Although multiplication and subtraction were undistinguishable in terms of behavior, we found a striking developmental dissociation in their neural correlates. First, we observed grade-related increases of activity for multiplication, but not for subtraction, in a language-related region of the left temporal cortex. Second, we found grade-related increases of activity for subtraction, but not for multiplication, in a region of the right parietal cortex involved in the procedural manipulation of numerical quantities. The present results suggest that fluency in simple arithmetic in children may be achieved by both increasing reliance on verbal retrieval and by greater use of efficient quantity-based procedures, depending on the operation. PMID:25089323

"Abuelita" Epistemologies: Counteracting Subtractive Schools in American Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzales, Sandra M.

2015-01-01

This autoethnographic inquiry examines the intersection of elder epistemology and subtractive education, exploring how one "abuelita" countered her granddaughter's divestment of Mexican-ness. I demonstrate how the grandmother used "abuelita" epistemologies to navigate this tension and resist the assimilative pressures felt…

A symmetrical subtraction combined with interpolated values for eliminating scattering from fluorescence EEM data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jing; Liu, Xiaofei; Wang, Yutian

2016-08-01

Parallel factor analysis is a widely used method to extract qualitative and quantitative information of the analyte of interest from fluorescence emission-excitation matrix containing unknown components. Big amplitude of scattering will influence the results of parallel factor analysis. Many methods of eliminating scattering have been proposed. Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. The combination of symmetrical subtraction and interpolated values has been discussed. The combination refers to both the combination of results and the combination of methods. Nine methods were used for comparison. The results show the combination of results can make a better concentration prediction for all the components.

Error Patterns in Portuguese Students' Addition and Subtraction Calculation Tasks: Implications for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Silvana Maria R.; Lopes, João; Oliveira, Célia; Judge, Sharon

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study is to investigate why some elementary children have difficulties mastering addition and subtraction calculation tasks. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers have examined error types in addition and subtraction calculation made by 697 Portuguese students in elementary grades. Each student…

Children's Understanding of Addition and Subtraction Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Katherine M.; Dube, Adam K.

2009-01-01

After the onset of formal schooling, little is known about the development of children's understanding of the arithmetic concepts of inversion and associativity. On problems of the form a+b-b (e.g., 3+26-26), if children understand the inversion concept (i.e., that addition and subtraction are inverse operations), then no calculations are needed…

Use of Caval Subtraction 2D Phase-Contrast MR Imaging to Measure Total Liver and Hepatic Arterial Blood Flow: Preclinical Validation and Initial Clinical Translation.

PubMed

Chouhan, Manil D; Mookerjee, Rajeshwar P; Bainbridge, Alan; Walker-Samuel, Simon; Davies, Nathan; Halligan, Steve; Lythgoe, Mark F; Taylor, Stuart A

2016-09-01

Purpose To validate caval subtraction two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging measurements of total liver blood flow (TLBF) and hepatic arterial fraction in an animal model and evaluate consistency and reproducibility in humans. Materials and Methods Approval from the institutional ethical committee for animal care and research ethics was obtained. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2D phase-contrast MR imaging of the portal vein (PV) and infrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). TLBF and hepatic arterial flow were estimated by subtracting infrahepatic from suprahepatic IVC flow and PV flow from estimated TLBF, respectively. Direct PV transit-time ultrasonography (US) and fluorescent microsphere measurements of hepatic arterial fraction were the standards of reference. Thereafter, consistency of caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging-derived TLBF and hepatic arterial flow was assessed in 13 volunteers (mean age, 28.3 years ± 1.4) against directly measured phase-contrast MR imaging PV and proper hepatic arterial inflow; reproducibility was measured after 7 days. Bland-Altman analysis of agreement and coefficient of variation comparisons were undertaken. Results There was good agreement between PV flow measured with phase-contrast MR imaging and that measured with transit-time US (mean difference, -3.5 mL/min/100 g; 95% limits of agreement [LOA], ±61.3 mL/min/100 g). Hepatic arterial fraction obtained with caval subtraction agreed well with those with fluorescent microspheres (mean difference, 4.2%; 95% LOA, ±20.5%). Good consistency was demonstrated between TLBF in humans measured with caval subtraction and direct inflow phase-contrast MR imaging (mean difference, -1.3 mL/min/100 g; 95% LOA, ±23.1 mL/min/100 g). TLBF reproducibility at 7 days was similar between the two methods (95% LOA, ±31.6 mL/min/100 g vs ±29.6 mL/min/100 g). Conclusion Caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging is a simple and clinically

A multi-band spectral subtraction-based algorithm for real-time noise cancellation applied to gunshot acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, António L. L.; Holm, Sverre; Gudvangen, Sigmund; Otterlei, Ragnvald

2013-06-01

Acoustical sniper positioning is based on the detection and direction-of-arrival estimation of the shockwave and the muzzle blast acoustical signals. In real-life situations, the detection and direction-of-arrival estimation processes is usually performed under the influence of background noise sources, e.g., vehicles noise, and might result in non-negligible inaccuracies than can affect the system performance and reliability negatively, specially when detecting the muzzle sound under long range distance and absorbing terrains. This paper introduces a multi-band spectral subtraction based algorithm for real-time noise reduction, applied to gunshot acoustical signals. The ballistic shockwave and the muzzle blast signals exhibit distinct frequency contents that are affected differently by additive noise. In most real situations, the noise component is colored and a multi-band spectral subtraction approach for noise reduction contributes to reducing the presence of artifacts in denoised signals. The proposed algorithm is tested using a dataset generated by combining signals from real gunshots and real vehicle noise. The noise component was generated using a steel tracked military tank running on asphalt and includes, therefore, the sound from the vehicle engine, which varies slightly in frequency over time according to the engine's rpm, and the sound from the steel tracks as the vehicle moves.

A Novel Approach to model EPIC variable background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marelli, M.; De Luca, A.; Salvetti, D.; Belfiore, A.

2017-10-01

One of the main aim of the EXTraS (Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky) project is to characterise the variability of serendipitous XMM-Newton sources within each single observation. Unfortunately, 164 Ms out of the 774 Ms of cumulative exposure considered (21%) are badly affected by soft proton flares, hampering any classical analysis of field sources. De facto, the latest releases of the 3XMM catalog, as well as most of the analysis in literature, simply exclude these 'high background' periods from analysis. We implemented a novel SAS-indipendent approach to produce background-subtracted light curves, which allows to treat the case of very faint sources and very bright proton flares. EXTraS light curves of 3XMM-DR5 sources will be soon released to the community, together with new tools we are developing.

The performance of projective standardization for digital subtraction radiography.

PubMed

Mol, André; Dunn, Stanley M

2003-09-01

We sought to test the performance and robustness of projective standardization in preserving invariant properties of subtraction images in the presence of irreversible projection errors. Study design Twenty bone chips (1-10 mg each) were placed on dentate dry mandibles. Follow-up images were obtained without the bone chips, and irreversible projection errors of up to 6 degrees were introduced. Digitized image intensities were normalized, and follow-up images were geometrically reconstructed by 2 operators using anatomical and fiduciary landmarks. Subtraction images were analyzed by 3 observers. Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between radiographic estimates of mineral loss and actual mineral loss (R(2) = 0.99; P <.05). The effect of projection error was not significant (general linear model [GLM]: P >.05). There was no difference between the radiographic estimates from images standardized with anatomical landmarks and those standardized with fiduciary landmarks (Wilcoxon signed rank test: P >.05). Operator variability was low for image analysis alone (R(2) = 0.99; P <.05), as well as for the entire procedure (R(2) = 0.98; P <.05). The predicted detection limit was smaller than 1 mg. Subtraction images registered by projective standardization yield estimates of osseous change that are invariant to irreversible projection errors of up to 6 degrees. Within these limits, operator precision is high and anatomical landmarks can be used to establish correspondence.

Two-dimensional real-time imaging system for subtraction angiography using an iodine filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umetani, Keiji; Ueda, Ken; Takeda, Tohoru; Anno, Izumi; Itai, Yuji; Akisada, Masayoshi; Nakajima, Teiichi

1992-01-01

A new type of subtraction imaging system was developed using an iodine filter and a single-energy broad bandwidth monochromatized x ray. The x-ray images of coronary arteries made after intravenous injection of a contrast agent are enhanced by an energy-subtraction technique. Filter chopping of the x-ray beam switches energies rapidly, so that a nearly simultaneous pair of filtered and nonfiltered images can be made. By using a high-speed video camera, a pair of two 512 × 512 pixel images can be obtained within 9 ms. Three hundred eighty-four images (raw data) are stored in a 144-Mbyte frame memory. After phantom studies, in vivo subtracted images of coronary arteries in dogs were obtained at a rate of 15 images/s.

Comparison of Three Instructional Sequences for the Addition and Subtraction Algorithms. Technical Report 273.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiles, Clyde A.

The study's purpose was to investigate the differential effects on the achievement of second-grade students that could be attributed to three instructional sequences for the learning of the addition and subtraction algorithms. One sequence presented the addition algorithm first (AS), the second presented the subtraction algorithm first (SA), and…

Quantitative Analysis of Drugs with Highly Different Concentrations of Pharmaceutical Components Using Spectral Subtraction Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayoub, B. M.

2017-11-01

Two simple spectrophotometric methods were developed for determination of empagliflozin and metformin by manipulating their ratio spectra with application on a recently approved pharmaceutical combination, Synjardy® tablets. A spiking technique was used to increase the concentration of empagliflozin after extraction from the tablets to allow its simultaneous determination with metformin. Validation parameters according to ICH guidelines were acceptable over the concentration range of 2-12 μg/mL for both drugs using constant multiplication and spectrum subtraction methods. The optimized methods are suitable for QC labs.

SU-D-17A-02: Four-Dimensional CBCT Using Conventional CBCT Dataset and Iterative Subtraction Algorithm of a Lung Patient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, E; Lasio, G; Yi, B

2014-06-01

Purpose: The Iterative Subtraction Algorithm (ISA) method generates retrospectively a pre-selected motion phase cone-beam CT image from the full motion cone-beam CT acquired at standard rotation speed. This work evaluates ISA method with real lung patient data. Methods: The goal of the ISA algorithm is to extract motion and no- motion components form the full reconstruction CBCT. The workflow consists of subtracting from the full CBCT all of the undesired motion phases and obtain a motion de-blurred single-phase CBCT image, followed by iteration of this subtraction process. ISA is realized as follows: 1) The projections are sorted to various phases,more » and from all phases, a full reconstruction is performed to generate an image CTM. 2) Generate forward projections of CTM at the desired phase projection angles, the subtraction of projection and the forward projection will reconstruct a CTSub1, which diminishes the desired phase component. 3) By adding back the CTSub1 to CTm, no motion CBCT, CTS1, can be computed. 4) CTS1 still contains residual motion component. 5) This residual motion component can be further reduced by iteration.The ISA 4DCBCT technique was implemented using Varian Trilogy accelerator OBI system. To evaluate the method, a lung patient CBCT dataset was used. The reconstruction algorithm is FDK. Results: The single phase CBCT reconstruction generated via ISA successfully isolates the desired motion phase from the full motion CBCT, effectively reducing motion blur. It also shows improved image quality, with reduced streak artifacts with respect to the reconstructions from unprocessed phase-sorted projections only. Conclusion: A CBCT motion de-blurring algorithm, ISA, has been developed and evaluated with lung patient data. The algorithm allows improved visualization of a single phase motion extracted from a standard CBCT dataset. This study has been supported by National Institute of Health through R01CA133539.« less

Enriching Addition and Subtraction Fact Mastery through Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bay-Williams, Jennifer M.; Kling, Gina

2014-01-01

The learning of "basic facts"--single-digit combinations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division--has long been a focus of elementary school mathematics. Many people remember completing endless worksheets, timed tests, and flash card drills as they attempted to "master" their basic facts as children. However,…

Pediatric head and neck lesions: assessment of vascularity by MR digital subtraction angiography.

PubMed

Chooi, Weng Kong; Woodhouse, Neil; Coley, Stuart C; Griffiths, Paul D

2004-08-01

Pediatric head and neck lesions can be difficult to characterize on clinical grounds alone. We investigated the use of dynamic MR digital subtraction angiography as a noninvasive adjunct for the assessment of the vascularity of these abnormalities. Twelve patients (age range, 2 days to 16 years) with known or suspected vascular abnormalities were studied. Routine MR imaging, time-of-flight MR angiography, and MR digital subtraction angiography were performed in all patients. The dynamic sequence was acquired in two planes at one frame per second by using a thick section (6-10 cm) selective radio-frequency spoiled fast gradient-echo sequence and an IV administered bolus of contrast material. The images were subtracted from a preliminary mask sequence and viewed as a video-inverted cine loop. In all cases, MR digital subtraction angiography was successfully performed. The technique showed the following: 1) slow flow lesions (two choroidal angiomas, eyelid hemangioma, and scalp venous malformation); 2) high flow lesions that were not always suspected by clinical examination alone (parotid hemangioma, scalp, occipital, and eyelid arteriovenous malformations plus a palatal teratoma); 3) a hypovascular tumor for which a biopsy could be safely performed (Burkitt lymphoma); and 4) a hypervascular tumor of the palate (cystic teratoma). Our early experience suggests that MR digital subtraction angiography can be reliably performed in children of all ages without complication. The technique provided a noninvasive assessment of the vascularity of each lesion that could not always have been predicted on the basis of clinical examination or routine MR imaging alone.

Structured background grids for generation of unstructured grids by advancing front method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar

1991-01-01

A new method of background grid construction is introduced for generation of unstructured tetrahedral grids using the advancing-front technique. Unlike the conventional triangular/tetrahedral background grids which are difficult to construct and usually inadequate in performance, the new method exploits the simplicity of uniform Cartesian meshes and provides grids of better quality. The approach is analogous to solving a steady-state heat conduction problem with discrete heat sources. The spacing parameters of grid points are distributed over the nodes of a Cartesian background grid by interpolating from a few prescribed sources and solving a Poisson equation. To increase the control over the grid point distribution, a directional clustering approach is used. The new method is convenient to use and provides better grid quality and flexibility. Sample results are presented to demonstrate the power of the method.

A compact radiation source for digital subtractive angiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiedemann, H.; Baltay, M.; Carr, R.; Hernandez, M.; Lavender, W.

1994-08-01

Beam requirements for 33 keV radiation used in digital subtraction angiography have been established through extended experimentation first at Stanford and later at the National Synchrotron Light Source in Brookhaven. So far research and development of this medical procedure to image coronary blood vessels have been undertaken on large high energy electron storage rings. With progress in this diagnostic procedure, it is interesting to look for an optimum concept for providing a 33 keV radiation source which would fit into the environment of a hospital. A variety of competing effects and technologies to produce 33 keV radiation are available, but none of these processes provides the combination of sufficient photon flux and monochromaticity except for synchrotron radiation from an electron storage ring. The conceptual design of a compact storage ring optimized to fit into a hospital environment and producing sufficient 33 keV radiation for digital subtraction radiography will be discussed.

Quantifying the Relative Contributions of Divisive and Subtractive Feedback to Rhythm Generation

PubMed Central

Tabak, Joël; Rinzel, John; Bertram, Richard

2011-01-01

Biological systems are characterized by a high number of interacting components. Determining the role of each component is difficult, addressed here in the context of biological oscillations. Rhythmic behavior can result from the interplay of positive feedback that promotes bistability between high and low activity, and slow negative feedback that switches the system between the high and low activity states. Many biological oscillators include two types of negative feedback processes: divisive (decreases the gain of the positive feedback loop) and subtractive (increases the input threshold) that both contribute to slowly move the system between the high- and low-activity states. Can we determine the relative contribution of each type of negative feedback process to the rhythmic activity? Does one dominate? Do they control the active and silent phase equally? To answer these questions we use a neural network model with excitatory coupling, regulated by synaptic depression (divisive) and cellular adaptation (subtractive feedback). We first attempt to apply standard experimental methodologies: either passive observation to correlate the variations of a variable of interest to system behavior, or deletion of a component to establish whether a component is critical for the system. We find that these two strategies can lead to contradictory conclusions, and at best their interpretive power is limited. We instead develop a computational measure of the contribution of a process, by evaluating the sensitivity of the active (high activity) and silent (low activity) phase durations to the time constant of the process. The measure shows that both processes control the active phase, in proportion to their speed and relative weight. However, only the subtractive process plays a major role in setting the duration of the silent phase. This computational method can be used to analyze the role of negative feedback processes in a wide range of biological rhythms. PMID:21533065

A symmetrical subtraction combined with interpolated values for eliminating scattering from fluorescence EEM data.

PubMed

Xu, Jing; Liu, Xiaofei; Wang, Yutian

2016-08-05

Parallel factor analysis is a widely used method to extract qualitative and quantitative information of the analyte of interest from fluorescence emission-excitation matrix containing unknown components. Big amplitude of scattering will influence the results of parallel factor analysis. Many methods of eliminating scattering have been proposed. Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. The combination of symmetrical subtraction and interpolated values has been discussed. The combination refers to both the combination of results and the combination of methods. Nine methods were used for comparison. The results show the combination of results can make a better concentration prediction for all the components. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An improved dark-object subtraction technique for atmospheric scattering correction of multispectral data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chavez, P.S.

1988-01-01

Digital analysis of remotely sensed data has become an important component of many earth-science studies. These data are often processed through a set of preprocessing or "clean-up" routines that includes a correction for atmospheric scattering, often called haze. Various methods to correct or remove the additive haze component have been developed, including the widely used dark-object subtraction technique. A problem with most of these methods is that the haze values for each spectral band are selected independently. This can create problems because atmospheric scattering is highly wavelength-dependent in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum and the scattering values are correlated with each other. Therefore, multispectral data such as from the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Multispectral Scanner must be corrected with haze values that are spectral band dependent. An improved dark-object subtraction technique is demonstrated that allows the user to select a relative atmospheric scattering model to predict the haze values for all the spectral bands from a selected starting band haze value. The improved method normalizes the predicted haze values for the different gain and offset parameters used by the imaging system. Examples of haze value differences between the old and improved methods for Thematic Mapper Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 are 40.0, 13.0, 12.0, 8.0, 5.0, and 2.0 vs. 40.0, 13.2, 8.9, 4.9, 16.7, and 3.3, respectively, using a relative scattering model of a clear atmosphere. In one Landsat multispectral scanner image the haze value differences for Bands 4, 5, 6, and 7 were 30.0, 50.0, 50.0, and 40.0 for the old method vs. 30.0, 34.4, 43.6, and 6.4 for the new method using a relative scattering model of a hazy atmosphere. ?? 1988.

Suppression subtractive hybridization identified differentially expressed genes in lung adenocarcinoma: ERGIC3 as a novel lung cancer-related gene

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To understand the carcinogenesis caused by accumulated genetic and epigenetic alterations and seek novel biomarkers for various cancers, studying differentially expressed genes between cancerous and normal tissues is crucial. In the study, two cDNA libraries of lung cancer were constructed and screened for identification of differentially expressed genes. Methods Two cDNA libraries of differentially expressed genes were constructed using lung adenocarcinoma tissue and adjacent nonmalignant lung tissue by suppression subtractive hybridization. The data of the cDNA libraries were then analyzed and compared using bioinformatics analysis. Levels of mRNA and protein were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR) and western blot respectively, as well as expression and localization of proteins were determined by immunostaining. Gene functions were investigated using proliferation and migration assays after gene silencing and gene over-expression. Results Two libraries of differentially expressed genes were obtained. The forward-subtracted library (FSL) and the reverse-subtracted library (RSL) contained 177 and 59 genes, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that these genes were involved in a wide range of cellular functions. The vast majority of these genes were newly identified to be abnormally expressed in lung cancer. In the first stage of the screening for 16 genes, we compared lung cancer tissues with their adjacent non-malignant tissues at the mRNA level, and found six genes (ERGIC3, DDR1, HSP90B1, SDC1, RPSA, and LPCAT1) from the FSL were significantly up-regulated while two genes (GPX3 and TIMP3) from the RSL were significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05). The ERGIC3 protein was also over-expressed in lung cancer tissues and cultured cells, and expression of ERGIC3 was correlated with the differentiated degree and histological type of lung cancer. The up-regulation of ERGIC3 could promote cellular migration

Simple and complex mental subtraction: strategy choice and speed-of-processing differences in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Geary, D C; Frensch, P A; Wiley, J G

1993-06-01

Thirty-six younger adults (10 male, 26 female; ages 18 to 38 years) and 36 older adults (14 male, 22 female; ages 61 to 80 years) completed simple and complex paper-and-pencil subtraction tests and solved a series of simple and complex computer-presented subtraction problems. For the computer task, strategies and solution times were recorded on a trial-by-trial basis. Older Ss used a developmentally more mature mix of problem-solving strategies to solve both simple and complex subtraction problems. Analyses of component scores derived from the solution times suggest that the older Ss are slower at number encoding and number production but faster at executing the borrow procedure. In contrast, groups did not appear to differ in the speed of subtraction fact retrieval. Results from a computational simulation are consistent with the interpretation that older adults' advantage for strategy choices and for the speed of executing the borrow procedure might result from more practice solving subtraction problems.

Following subtraction of the dipole anisotropy and components of the detected emission arising from

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Following subtraction of the dipole anisotropy and components of the detected emission arising from dust (thermal emission), hot gas (free-free emission), and charged particles interacting with magnetic fields (synchrotron emission) in the Milky Way Galaxy, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy can be seen. CMB anisotropy - tiny fluctuations in the sky brightness at a level of a part in one hundred thousand - was first detected by the COBE DMR instrument. The CMB radiation is a remnant of the Big Bang, and the fluctuations are the imprint of density contrast in the early Universe (see slide 24 caption). This image represents the anisotropy detected in data collected during the first two years of DMR operation. Ultimately the DMR was operated for four years. See slide 19 caption for information about map smoothing and projection.

On the Difference Between Additive and Subtractive QM/MM Calculations

PubMed Central

Cao, Lili; Ryde, Ulf

2018-01-01

The combined quantum mechanical (QM) and molecular mechanical (MM) approach (QM/MM) is a popular method to study reactions in biochemical macromolecules. Even if the general procedure of using QM for a small, but interesting part of the system and MM for the rest is common to all approaches, the details of the implementations vary extensively, especially the treatment of the interface between the two systems. For example, QM/MM can use either additive or subtractive schemes, of which the former is often said to be preferable, although the two schemes are often mixed up with mechanical and electrostatic embedding. In this article, we clarify the similarities and differences of the two approaches. We show that inherently, the two approaches should be identical and in practice require the same sets of parameters. However, the subtractive scheme provides an opportunity to correct errors introduced by the truncation of the QM system, i.e., the link atoms, but such corrections require additional MM parameters for the QM system. We describe and test three types of link-atom correction, viz. for van der Waals, electrostatic, and bonded interactions. The calculations show that electrostatic and bonded link-atom corrections often give rise to problems in the geometries and energies. The van der Waals link-atom corrections are quite small and give results similar to a pure additive QM/MM scheme. Therefore, both approaches can be recommended. PMID:29666794

On the difference between additive and subtractive QM/MM calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Lili; Ryde, Ulf

2018-04-01

The combined quantum mechanical (QM) and molecular mechanical (MM) approach (QM/MM) is a popular method to study reactions in biochemical macromolecules. Even if the general procedure of using QM for a small, but interesting part of the system and MM for the rest is common to all approaches, the details of the implementations vary extensively, especially the treatment of the interface between the two systems. For example, QM/MM can use either additive or subtractive schemes, of which the former is often said to be preferable, although the two schemes are often mixed up with mechanical and electrostatic embedding. In this article, we clarify the similarities and differences of the two approaches. We show that inherently, the two approaches should be identical and in practice require the same sets of parameters. However, the subtractive scheme provides an opportunity to correct errors introduced by the truncation of the QM system, i.e. the link atoms, but such corrections require additional MM parameters for the QM system. We describe and test three types of link-atom correction, viz. for van der Waals, electrostatic and bonded interactions. The calculations show that electrostatic and bonded link-atom corrections often give rise to problems in the geometries and energies. The van der Waals link-atom corrections are quite small and give results similar to a pure additive QM/MM scheme. Therefore, both approaches can be recommended.

Automated detection of abnormalities in paranasal sinus on dental panoramic radiographs by using contralateral subtraction technique based on mandible contour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Shintaro; Hara, Takeshi; Tagami, Motoki; Muramatsu, Chicako; Kaneda, Takashi; Katsumata, Akitoshi; Fujita, Hiroshi

2013-02-01

Inflammation in paranasal sinus sometimes becomes chronic to take long terms for the treatment. The finding is important for the early treatment, but general dentists may not recognize the findings because they focus on teeth treatments. The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the inflammation in paranasal sinus on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) by using the mandible contour and to demonstrate the potential usefulness of the CAD system by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis. The detection scheme consists of 3 steps: 1) Contour extraction of mandible, 2) Contralateral subtraction, and 3) Automated detection. The Canny operator and active contour model were applied to extract the edge at the first step. At the subtraction step, the right region of the extracted contour image was flipped to compare with the left region. Mutual information between two selected regions was obtained to estimate the shift parameters of image registration. The subtraction images were generated based on the shift parameter. Rectangle regions of left and right paranasal sinus on the subtraction image were determined based on the size of mandible. The abnormal side of the regions was determined by taking the difference between the averages of each region. Thirteen readers were responded to all cases without and with the automated results. The averaged AUC of all readers was increased from 0.69 to 0.73 with statistical significance (p=0.032) when the automated detection results were provided. In conclusion, the automated detection method based on contralateral subtraction technique improves readers' interpretation performance of inflammation in paranasal sinus on DPRs.

WAXS fat subtraction model to estimate differential linear scattering coefficients of fatless breast tissue: Phantom materials evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tang, Robert Y., E-mail: rx-tang@laurentian.ca; Laamanen, Curtis, E-mail: cx-laamanen@laurentian.ca; McDonald, Nancy, E-mail: mcdnancye@gmail.com

Purpose: Develop a method to subtract fat tissue contributions to wide-angle x-ray scatter (WAXS) signals of breast biopsies in order to estimate the differential linear scattering coefficients μ{sub s} of fatless tissue. Cancerous and fibroglandular tissue can then be compared independent of fat content. In this work phantom materials with known compositions were used to test the efficacy of the WAXS subtraction model. Methods: Each sample 5 mm in diameter and 5 mm thick was interrogated by a 50 kV 2.7 mm diameter beam for 3 min. A 25 mm{sup 2} by 1 mm thick CdTe detector allowed measurements ofmore » a portion of the θ = 6° scattered field. A scatter technique provided means to estimate the incident spectrum N{sub 0}(E) needed in the calculations of μ{sub s}[x(E, θ)] where x is the momentum transfer argument. Values of μ{sup ¯}{sub s} for composite phantoms consisting of three plastic layers were estimated and compared to the values obtained via the sum μ{sup ¯}{sub s}{sup ∑}(x)=ν{sub 1}μ{sub s1}(x)+ν{sub 2}μ{sub s2}(x)+ν{sub 3}μ{sub s3}(x), where ν{sub i} is the fractional volume of the ith plastic component. Water, polystyrene, and a volume mixture of 0.6 water + 0.4 polystyrene labelled as fibphan were chosen to mimic cancer, fat, and fibroglandular tissue, respectively. A WAXS subtraction model was used to remove the polystyrene signal from tissue composite phantoms so that the μ{sub s} of water and fibphan could be estimated. Although the composite samples were layered, simulations were performed to test the models under nonlayered conditions. Results: The well known μ{sub s} signal of water was reproduced effectively between 0.5 < x < 1.6 nm{sup −1}. The μ{sup ¯}{sub s} obtained for the heterogeneous samples agreed with μ{sup ¯}{sub s}{sup ∑}. Polystyrene signals were subtracted successfully from composite phantoms. The simulations validated the usefulness of the WAXS models for nonlayered biopsies. Conclusions: The methodology

Use of Caval Subtraction 2D Phase-Contrast MR Imaging to Measure Total Liver and Hepatic Arterial Blood Flow: Preclinical Validation and Initial Clinical Translation

PubMed Central

Walker-Samuel, Simon; Davies, Nathan; Halligan, Steve; Lythgoe, Mark F.

2016-01-01

Purpose To validate caval subtraction two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging measurements of total liver blood flow (TLBF) and hepatic arterial fraction in an animal model and evaluate consistency and reproducibility in humans. Materials and Methods Approval from the institutional ethical committee for animal care and research ethics was obtained. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2D phase-contrast MR imaging of the portal vein (PV) and infrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). TLBF and hepatic arterial flow were estimated by subtracting infrahepatic from suprahepatic IVC flow and PV flow from estimated TLBF, respectively. Direct PV transit-time ultrasonography (US) and fluorescent microsphere measurements of hepatic arterial fraction were the standards of reference. Thereafter, consistency of caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging–derived TLBF and hepatic arterial flow was assessed in 13 volunteers (mean age, 28.3 years ± 1.4) against directly measured phase-contrast MR imaging PV and proper hepatic arterial inflow; reproducibility was measured after 7 days. Bland-Altman analysis of agreement and coefficient of variation comparisons were undertaken. Results There was good agreement between PV flow measured with phase-contrast MR imaging and that measured with transit-time US (mean difference, −3.5 mL/min/100 g; 95% limits of agreement [LOA], ±61.3 mL/min/100 g). Hepatic arterial fraction obtained with caval subtraction agreed well with those with fluorescent microspheres (mean difference, 4.2%; 95% LOA, ±20.5%). Good consistency was demonstrated between TLBF in humans measured with caval subtraction and direct inflow phase-contrast MR imaging (mean difference, −1.3 mL/min/100 g; 95% LOA, ±23.1 mL/min/100 g). TLBF reproducibility at 7 days was similar between the two methods (95% LOA, ±31.6 mL/min/100 g vs ±29.6 mL/min/100 g). Conclusion Caval subtraction phase-contrast MR imaging is a simple and

Optical image encryption based on real-valued coding and subtracting with the help of QR code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xiaopeng

2015-08-01

A novel optical image encryption based on real-valued coding and subtracting is proposed with the help of quick response (QR) code. In the encryption process, the original image to be encoded is firstly transformed into the corresponding QR code, and then the corresponding QR code is encoded into two phase-only masks (POMs) by using basic vector operations. Finally, the absolute values of the real or imaginary parts of the two POMs are chosen as the ciphertexts. In decryption process, the QR code can be approximately restored by recording the intensity of the subtraction between the ciphertexts, and hence the original image can be retrieved without any quality loss by scanning the restored QR code with a smartphone. Simulation results and actual smartphone collected results show that the method is feasible and has strong tolerance to noise, phase difference and ratio between intensities of the two decryption light beams.

N -jettiness subtractions for g g →H at subleading power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moult, Ian; Rothen, Lorena; Stewart, Iain W.; Tackmann, Frank J.; Zhu, Hua Xing

2018-01-01

N -jettiness subtractions provide a general approach for performing fully-differential next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) calculations. Since they are based on the physical resolution variable N -jettiness, TN , subleading power corrections in τ =TN/Q , with Q a hard interaction scale, can also be systematically computed. We study the structure of power corrections for 0-jettiness, T0, for the g g →H process. Using the soft-collinear effective theory we analytically compute the leading power corrections αsτ ln τ and αs2τ ln3τ (finding partial agreement with a previous result in the literature), and perform a detailed numerical study of the power corrections in the g g , g q , and q q ¯ channels. This includes a numerical extraction of the αsτ and αs2τ ln2τ corrections, and a study of the dependence on the T0 definition. Including such power suppressed logarithms significantly reduces the size of missing power corrections, and hence improves the numerical efficiency of the subtraction method. Having a more detailed understanding of the power corrections for both q q ¯ and g g initiated processes also provides insight into their universality, and hence their behavior in more complicated processes where they have not yet been analytically calculated.

Ending up with Less: The Role of Working Memory in Solving Simple Subtraction Problems with Positive and Negative Answers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robert, Nicole D.; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

2013-01-01

Does solving subtraction problems with negative answers (e.g., 5-14) require different cognitive processes than solving problems with positive answers (e.g., 14-5)? In a dual-task experiment, young adults (N=39) combined subtraction with two working memory tasks, verbal memory and visual-spatial memory. All of the subtraction problems required…

Multivariate Spatial Condition Mapping Using Subtractive Fuzzy Cluster Means

PubMed Central

Sabit, Hakilo; Al-Anbuky, Adnan

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor networks are usually deployed for monitoring given physical phenomena taking place in a specific space and over a specific duration of time. The spatio-temporal distribution of these phenomena often correlates to certain physical events. To appropriately characterise these events-phenomena relationships over a given space for a given time frame, we require continuous monitoring of the conditions. WSNs are perfectly suited for these tasks, due to their inherent robustness. This paper presents a subtractive fuzzy cluster means algorithm and its application in data stream mining for wireless sensor systems over a cloud-computing-like architecture, which we call sensor cloud data stream mining. Benchmarking on standard mining algorithms, the k-means and the FCM algorithms, we have demonstrated that the subtractive fuzzy cluster means model can perform high quality distributed data stream mining tasks comparable to centralised data stream mining. PMID:25313495

Operational momentum in large-number addition and subtraction by 9-month-olds.

PubMed

McCrink, Koleen; Wynn, Karen

2009-08-01

Recent studies on nonsymbolic arithmetic have illustrated that under conditions that prevent exact calculation, adults display a systematic tendency to overestimate the answers to addition problems and underestimate the answers to subtraction problems. It has been suggested that this operational momentum results from exposure to a culture-specific practice of representing numbers spatially; alternatively, the mind may represent numbers in spatial terms from early in development. In the current study, we asked whether operational momentum is present during infancy, prior to exposure to culture-specific representations of numbers. Infants (9-month-olds) were shown videos of events involving the addition or subtraction of objects with three different types of outcomes: numerically correct, too large, and too small. Infants looked significantly longer only at those incorrect outcomes that violated the momentum of the arithmetic operation (i.e., at too-large outcomes in subtraction events and too-small outcomes in addition events). The presence of operational momentum during infancy indicates developmental continuity in the underlying mechanisms used when operating over numerical representations.

Evaluation of methods to reduce background using the Python-based ELISA_QC program.

PubMed

Webster, Rose P; Cohen, Cinder F; Saeed, Fatima O; Wetzel, Hanna N; Ball, William J; Kirley, Terence L; Norman, Andrew B

2018-05-01

Almost all immunological approaches [immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot], that are used to quantitate specific proteins have had to address high backgrounds due to non-specific reactivity. We report here for the first time a quantitative comparison of methods for reduction of the background of commercial biotinylated antibodies using the Python-based ELISA_QC program. This is demonstrated using a recombinant humanized anti-cocaine monoclonal antibody. Several approaches, such as adjustment of the incubation time and the concentration of blocking agent, as well as the dilution of secondary antibodies, have been explored to address this issue. In this report, systematic comparisons of two different methods, contrasted with other more traditional methods to address this problem are provided. Addition of heparin (HP) at 1 μg/ml to the wash buffer prior to addition of the secondary biotinylated antibody reduced the elevated background absorbance values (from a mean of 0.313 ± 0.015 to 0.137 ± 0.002). A novel immunodepletion (ID) method also reduced the background (from a mean of 0.331 ± 0.010 to 0.146 ± 0.013). Overall, the ID method generated more similar results at each concentration of the ELISA standard curve to that using the standard lot 1 than the HP method, as analyzed by the Python-based ELISA_QC program. We conclude that the ID method, while more laborious, provides the best solution to resolve the high background seen with specific lots of biotinylated secondary antibody. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparative Genomics of Oral Isolates of Streptococcus mutans by in silico Genome Subtraction Does Not Reveal Accessory DNA Associated with Severe Early Childhood Caries

PubMed Central

Argimón, Silvia; Konganti, Kranti; Chen, Hao; Alekseyenko, Alexander V.; Brown, Stuart; Caufield, Page W.

2014-01-01

Comparative genomics is a popular method for the identification of microbial virulence determinants, especially since the sequencing of a large number of whole bacterial genomes from pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains has become relatively inexpensive. The bioinformatics pipelines for comparative genomics usually include gene prediction and annotation and can require significant computer power. To circumvent this, we developed a rapid method for genome-scale in silico subtractive hybridization, based on blastn and independent of feature identification and annotation. Whole genome comparisons by in silico genome subtraction were performed to identify genetic loci specific to Streptococcus mutans strains associated with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC), compared to strains isolated from caries-free (CF) children. The genome similarity of the 20 S. mutans strains included in this study, calculated by Simrank k-mer sharing, ranged from 79.5 to 90.9%, confirming this is a genetically heterogeneous group of strains. We identified strain-specific genetic elements in 19 strains, with sizes ranging from 200 bp to 39 kb. These elements contained protein-coding regions with functions mostly associated with mobile DNA. We did not, however, identify any genetic loci consistently associated with dental caries, i.e., shared by all the S-ECC strains and absent in the CF strains. Conversely, we did not identify any genetic loci specific with the healthy group. Comparison of previously published genomes from pathogenic and carriage strains of Neisseria meningitidis with our in silico genome subtraction yielded the same set of genes specific to the pathogenic strains, thus validating our method. Our results suggest that S. mutans strains derived from caries active or caries free dentitions cannot be differentiated based on the presence or absence of specific genetic elements. Our in silico genome subtraction method is available as the Microbial Genome Comparison (MGC) tool

Extended morphological processing: a practical method for automatic spot detection of biological markers from microscopic images.

PubMed

Kimori, Yoshitaka; Baba, Norio; Morone, Nobuhiro

2010-07-08

A reliable extraction technique for resolving multiple spots in light or electron microscopic images is essential in investigations of the spatial distribution and dynamics of specific proteins inside cells and tissues. Currently, automatic spot extraction and characterization in complex microscopic images poses many challenges to conventional image processing methods. A new method to extract closely located, small target spots from biological images is proposed. This method starts with a simple but practical operation based on the extended morphological top-hat transformation to subtract an uneven background. The core of our novel approach is the following: first, the original image is rotated in an arbitrary direction and each rotated image is opened with a single straight line-segment structuring element. Second, the opened images are unified and then subtracted from the original image. To evaluate these procedures, model images of simulated spots with closely located targets were created and the efficacy of our method was compared to that of conventional morphological filtering methods. The results showed the better performance of our method. The spots of real microscope images can be quantified to confirm that the method is applicable in a given practice. Our method achieved effective spot extraction under various image conditions, including aggregated target spots, poor signal-to-noise ratio, and large variations in the background intensity. Furthermore, it has no restrictions with respect to the shape of the extracted spots. The features of our method allow its broad application in biological and biomedical image information analysis.

LWIR pupil imaging and prospects for background compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeVan, Paul; Sakoglu, Ünal; Stegall, Mark; Pierce, Greg

2015-08-01

A previous paper described LWIR Pupil Imaging with a sensitive, low-flux focal plane array, and behavior of this type of system for higher flux operations as understood at the time. We continue this investigation, and report on a more detailed characterization of the system over a broad range of pixel fluxes. This characterization is then shown to enable non-uniformity correction over the flux range, using a standard approach. Since many commercial tracking platforms include a "guider port" that accepts pulse width modulation (PWM) error signals, we have also investigated a variation on the use of this port to "dither" the tracking platform in synchronization with the continuous collection of infrared images. The resulting capability has a broad range of applications that extend from generating scene motion in the laboratory for quantifying performance of "realtime, scene-based non-uniformity correction" approaches, to effectuating subtraction of bright backgrounds by alternating viewing aspect between a point source and adjacent, source-free backgrounds.

An Effective Method for Modeling Two-dimensional Sky Background of LAMOST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haerken, Hasitieer; Duan, Fuqing; Zhang, Jiannan; Guo, Ping

2017-06-01

Each CCD of LAMOST accommodates 250 spectra, while about 40 are used to observe sky background during real observations. How to estimate the unknown sky background information hidden in the observed 210 celestial spectra by using the known 40 sky spectra is the problem we solve. In order to model the sky background, usually a pre-observation is performed with all fibers observing sky background. We use the observed 250 skylight spectra as training data, where those observed by the 40 fibers are considered as a base vector set. The Locality-constrained Linear Coding (LLC) technique is utilized to represent the skylight spectra observed by the 210 fibers with the base vector set. We also segment each spectrum into small parts, and establish the local sky background model for each part. Experimental results validate the proposed method, and show the local model is better than the global model.

Addition and subtraction operation of optical orbital angular momentum with dielectric metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Xunong; Li, Ying; Ling, Xiaohui; Liu, Yachao; Ke, Yougang; Fan, Dianyuan

2015-12-01

In this work, we propose a simple approach to realize addition and subtraction operation of optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) based on dielectric metasurfaces. The spin-orbit interaction of light in spatially inhomogeneous and anisotropic metasurfaces results in the spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion. The subtraction system of OAM consists of two cascaded metasurfaces, while the addition system of OAM is constituted by inserting a half waveplate (HWP) between the two metasurfaces. Our experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculation. These results could be useful for OAM-carrying beams applied in optical communication, information processing, etc.

Successive ratio subtraction coupled with constant multiplication spectrophotometric method for determination of hydroquinone in complex mixture with its degradation products, tretinoin and methyl paraben

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elghobashy, Mohamed R.; Bebawy, Lories I.; Shokry, Rafeek F.; Abbas, Samah S.

2016-03-01

A sensitive and selective stability-indicating successive ratio subtraction coupled with constant multiplication (SRS-CM) spectrophotometric method was studied and developed for the spectrum resolution of five component mixture without prior separation. The components were hydroquinone in combination with tretinoin, the polymer formed from hydroquinone alkali degradation, 1,4 benzoquinone and the preservative methyl paraben. The proposed method was used for their determination in their pure form and in pharmaceutical formulation. The zero order absorption spectra of hydroquinone, tretinoin, 1,4 benzoquinone and methyl paraben were determined at 293, 357.5, 245 and 255.2 nm, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration ranges of 4.00-46.00, 1.00-7.00, 0.60-5.20, and 1.00-7.00 μg mL- 1 for hydroquinone, tretinoin, 1,4 benzoquinone and methyl paraben, respectively. The pharmaceutical formulation was subjected to mild alkali condition and measured by this method resulting in the polymerization of hydroquinone and the formation of toxic 1,4 benzoquinone. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The results obtained were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by applying the reported method.

Comparison of Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Angiography and Digital Subtraction Angiography for Clipping of Intracranial Aneurysms

PubMed Central

Doss, Vinodh T.; Goyal, Nitin; Humphries, William; Hoit, Dan; Arthur, Adam; Elijovich, Lucas

2015-01-01

Background Residual aneurysm after microsurgical clipping carries a risk of aneurysm growth and rupture. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) remains the standard to determine the adequacy of clipping. Intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) angiography is increasingly utilized to confirm optimal clip positioning across the neck and to evaluate the adjacent vasculature. Objective We evaluated the correlation between ICG and DSA in clipped intracranial aneurysms. Methods A retrospective study of patients who underwent craniotomy and microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms with ICG for 2 years. Patient characteristics, presentation details, operative reports, and pre- and postclipping angiographic images were reviewed to determine the adequacy of the clipping. Results Forty-seven patients underwent clipping with ICG and postoperative DSA: 57 aneurysms were clipped; 23 patients (48.9%) presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Nine aneurysms demonstrated a residual on DSA not identified on ICG (residual sizes ranged from 0.5 to 4.3 mm; average size: 1.8 mm). Postoperative DSA demonstrated no branch occlusions. Conclusion Intraoperative ICG is useful in the clipping of intracranial aneurysms to ensure a gross patency of branch vessels; however, the presence of residual aneurysms and subtle changes in flow in branch vessels is best seen by DSA. This has important clinical implications with regard to follow-up imaging and surgical/endovascular management. PMID:26279659

Nagy-Soper Subtraction: a Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robens, Tania

2013-07-01

In this review, we present a review on an alternative NLO subtraction scheme, based on the splitting kernels of an improved parton shower that promises to facilitate the inclusion of higher-order corrections into Monte Carlo event generators. We give expressions for the scheme for massless emitters, and point to work on the extension for massive cases. As an example, we show results for the C parameter of the process e+e-→3 jets at NLO which have recently been published as a verification of this scheme. We equally provide analytic expressions for integrated counterterms that have not been presented in previous work, and comment on the possibility of analytic approximations for the remaining numerical integrals.

Developing Essential Understanding of Addition and Subtraction for Teaching Mathematics in Pre-K-Grade 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karp, Karen; Caldwell, Janet; Zbiek, Rose Mary; Bay-Williams, Jennifer

2011-01-01

What is the relationship between addition and subtraction? How do individuals know whether an algorithm will always work? Can they explain why order matters in subtraction but not in addition, or why it is false to assert that the sum of any two whole numbers is greater than either number? It is organized around two big ideas and supported by…

Methods in Astronomical Image Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jörsäter, S.

A Brief Introductory Note History of Astronomical Imaging Astronomical Image Data Images in Various Formats Digitized Image Data Digital Image Data Philosophy of Astronomical Image Processing Properties of Digital Astronomical Images Human Image Processing Astronomical vs. Computer Science Image Processing Basic Tools of Astronomical Image Processing Display Applications Calibration of Intensity Scales Calibration of Length Scales Image Re-shaping Feature Enhancement Noise Suppression Noise and Error Analysis Image Processing Packages: Design of AIPS and MIDAS AIPS MIDAS Reduction of CCD Data Bias Subtraction Clipping Preflash Subtraction Dark Subtraction Flat Fielding Sky Subtraction Extinction Correction Deconvolution Methods Rebinning/Combining Summary and Prospects for the Future

Electrode configuration and signal subtraction technique for single polarity charge carrier sensing in ionization detectors

DOEpatents

Luke, Paul

1996-01-01

An ionization detector electrode and signal subtraction apparatus and method provides at least one first conductive trace formed onto the first surface of an ionization detector. The first surface opposes a second surface of the ionization detector. At least one second conductive trace is also formed on the first surface of the ionization detector in a substantially interlaced and symmetrical pattern with the at least one first conductive trace. Both of the traces are held at a voltage potential of a first polarity type. By forming the traces in a substantially interlaced and symmetric pattern, signals generated by a charge carrier are substantially of equal strength with respect to both of the traces. The only significant difference in measured signal strength occurs when the charge carrier moves to within close proximity of the traces and is received at the collecting trace. The measured signals are then subtracted and compared to quantitatively measure the magnitude of the charge and to determine the position at which the charge carrier originated within the ionization detector.

Electrode configuration and signal subtraction technique for single polarity charge carrier sensing in ionization detectors

DOEpatents

Luke, P.

1996-06-25

An ionization detector electrode and signal subtraction apparatus and method provide at least one first conductive trace formed onto the first surface of an ionization detector. The first surface opposes a second surface of the ionization detector. At least one second conductive trace is also formed on the first surface of the ionization detector in a substantially interlaced and symmetrical pattern with the at least one first conductive trace. Both of the traces are held at a voltage potential of a first polarity type. By forming the traces in a substantially interlaced and symmetric pattern, signals generated by a charge carrier are substantially of equal strength with respect to both of the traces. The only significant difference in measured signal strength occurs when the charge carrier moves to within close proximity of the traces and is received at the collecting trace. The measured signals are then subtracted and compared to quantitatively measure the magnitude of the charge and to determine the position at which the charge carrier originated within the ionization detector. 9 figs.

Arterial Blood Flow Measurement Using Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, David K.; Myerowitz, P. David; Van Lysel, Michael S.; Peppler, Walter W.; Fields, Barry L.; Watson, Kim M.; O'Connor, Julia

1984-08-01

Standard angiography demonstrates the anatomy of arterial occlusive disease but not its physiological signficance. Using intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA), we investigated transit-time videodensitometric techniques in measuring femoral arterial flows in dogs. These methods have been successfully applied to intraarterial DSA but not to intravenous DSA. Eight 20 kg dogs were instrumented with an electromagnetic flow probe and a balloon occluder above an imaged segment of femoral artery. 20 cc of Renografin 76 was power injected at 15 cc/sec into the right atrium. Flow in the femoral artery was varied by partial balloon occlusion or peripheral dilatation following induced ischemia resulting in 51 flow measurements varying from 15 to 270 cc/min. Three different transit-time techniques were studied: crosscorrelation, mean square error, and two leading edge methods. Correlation between videodensitometry and flowmeter measurements using these different techniques ranged from 0.78 to 0.88 with a mean square error of 29 to 37 cc/min. Blood flow information using several different transit-time techniques can be obtained with intravenous DSA.

Spectral feature characterization methods for blood stain detection in crime scene backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jie; Mathew, Jobin J.; Dube, Roger R.; Messinger, David W.

2016-05-01

Blood stains are one of the most important types of evidence for forensic investigation. They contain valuable DNA information, and the pattern of the stains can suggest specifics about the nature of the violence that transpired at the scene. Blood spectral signatures containing unique reflectance or absorption features are important both for forensic on-site investigation and laboratory testing. They can be used for target detection and identification applied to crime scene hyperspectral imagery, and also be utilized to analyze the spectral variation of blood on various backgrounds. Non-blood stains often mislead the detection and can generate false alarms at a real crime scene, especially for dark and red backgrounds. This paper measured the reflectance of liquid blood and 9 kinds of non-blood samples in the range of 350 nm - 2500 nm in various crime scene backgrounds, such as pure samples contained in petri dish with various thicknesses, mixed samples with different colors and materials of fabrics, and mixed samples with wood, all of which are examined to provide sub-visual evidence for detecting and recognizing blood from non-blood samples in a realistic crime scene. The spectral difference between blood and non-blood samples are examined and spectral features such as "peaks" and "depths" of reflectance are selected. Two blood stain detection methods are proposed in this paper. The first method uses index to denote the ratio of "depth" minus "peak" over"depth" add"peak" within a wavelength range of the reflectance spectrum. The second method uses relative band depth of the selected wavelength ranges of the reflectance spectrum. Results show that the index method is able to discriminate blood from non-blood samples in most tested crime scene backgrounds, but is not able to detect it from black felt. Whereas the relative band depth method is able to discriminate blood from non-blood samples on all of the tested background material types and colors.

Curricular Approaches to Connecting Subtraction to Addition and Fostering Fluency with Basic Differences in Grade 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baroody, Arthur J.

2016-01-01

Six widely used US Grade 1 curricula do not adequately address the following three developmental prerequisites identified by a proposed learning trajectory for the meaningful learning of the subtraction-as-addition strategy (e.g., for 13-8 think "what + 8 = 13?"): (a) reverse operations (adding 8 is undone by subtracting 8); (b) common…

Parametric Imaging Of Digital Subtraction Angiography Studies For Renal Transplant Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, Joe H.; Meaney, Thomas F.; Flechner, Stuart M.; Novick, Andrew C.; Buonocore, Edward

1981-11-01

A noninvasive method for diagnosing acute tubular necrosis and rejection would be an important tool for the management of renal transplant patients. From a sequence of digital subtraction angiographic images acquired after an intravenous injection of radiographic contrast material, the parametric images of the maximum contrast, the time when the maximum contrast is reached, and two times the time at which one half of the maximum contrast is reached are computed. The parametric images of the time when the maximum is reached clearly distinguish normal from abnormal renal function. However, it is the parametric image of two times the time when one half of the maximum is reached which provides some assistance in differentiating acute tubular necrosis from rejection.

Analytical optimization of digital subtraction mammography with contrast medium using a commercial unit.

PubMed

Rosado-Méndez, I; Palma, B A; Brandan, M E

2008-12-01

Contrast-medium-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) is an image subtraction technique which might help unmasking lesions embedded in very dense breasts. Previous works have stated the feasibility of CEDM and the imperative need of radiological optimization. This work presents an extension of a former analytical formalism to predict contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in subtracted mammograms. The goal is to optimize radiological parameters available in a clinical mammographic unit (x-ray tube anode/filter combination, voltage, and loading) by maximizing CNR and minimizing total mean glandular dose (D(gT)), simulating the experimental application of an iodine-based contrast medium and the image subtraction under dual-energy nontemporal, and single- or dual-energy temporal modalities. Total breast-entrance air kerma is limited to a fixed 8.76 mGy (1 R, similar to screening studies). Mathematical expressions obtained from the formalism are evaluated using computed mammographic x-ray spectra attenuated by an adipose/glandular breast containing an elongated structure filled with an iodinated solution in various concentrations. A systematic study of contrast, its associated variance, and CNR for different spectral combinations is performed, concluding in the proposal of optimum x-ray spectra. The linearity between contrast in subtracted images and iodine mass thickness is proven, including the determination of iodine visualization limits based on Rose's detection criterion. Finally, total breast-entrance air kerma is distributed between both images in various proportions in order to maximize the figure of merit CNR2/D(gT). Predicted results indicate the advantage of temporal subtraction (either single- or dual-energy modalities) with optimum parameters corresponding to high-voltage, strongly hardened Rh/Rh spectra. For temporal techniques, CNR was found to depend mostly on the energy of the iodinated image, and thus reduction in D(gT) could be achieved if the spectral energy

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in renal artery stenosis: comparison with digital subtraction angiography.

PubMed

Law, Y M; Tay, K H; Gan, Y U; Cheah, F K; Tan, B S

2008-04-01

To evaluate the accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in assessing renal artery stenosis compared to catheter digital subtraction angiography. Retrospective study. Singapore General Hospital. Records of patients who underwent magnetic resonance angiography as well as digital subtraction angiography for assessment of renal artery stenosis from January 2003 to December 2005 were reviewed. There were 27 patients (14 male, 13 female) with a mean age of 62 (range, 44-77) years. There were 10 patients with renal transplants; their native renal arteries were not evaluated. Each of the two experienced interventional and body magnetic resonance radiologists, who were blinded to the results, reviewed the digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance angiography images respectively. Digital subtraction angiography was used as the standard of reference. A total of 39 renal arteries from these 27 patients were evaluated. One of the arteries was previously stented and could not be assessed with magnetic resonance angiography due to severe artefacts. Of the remaining 38 renal arteries, two were graded as normal, seven as having mild stenosis (<50%), eight as having moderate stenosis (> or =50% but <75%), and 21 as having severe stenosis (> or =75%). Magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography were concordant in 89% of the arteries; magnetic resonance angiography overestimated the degree of stenosis in 8% and underestimated it in 3% of them. In the evaluation of clinically significant renal artery stenosis (> or =50%) with magnetic resonance angiography, the overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 97%, 67%, 90%, and 86% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance angiography in transplant renal artery stenosis was 100%. CONCLUSION. Our experience suggested that gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography is a sensitive non

Suppression Subtractive Hybridization Reveals Transcript Profiling of Chlorella under Heterotrophy to Photoautotrophy Transition

PubMed Central

Huang, Jianke; Wang, Weiliang; Yin, Weibo; Hu, Zanmin; Li, Yuanguang

2012-01-01

Background Microalgae have been extensively investigated and exploited because of their competitive nutritive bioproducts and biofuel production ability. Chlorella are green algae that can grow well heterotrophically and photoautotrophically. Previous studies proved that shifting from heterotrophy to photoautotrophy in light-induced environments causes photooxidative damage as well as distinct physiologic features that lead to dynamic changes in Chlorella intracellular components, which have great potential in algal health food and biofuel production. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the trophic transition remain unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, suppression subtractive hybridization strategy was employed to screen and characterize genes that are differentially expressed in response to the light-induced shift from heterotrophy to photoautotrophy. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained from 770 and 803 randomly selected clones among the forward and reverse libraries, respectively. Sequence analysis identified 544 unique genes in the two libraries. The functional annotation of the assembled unigenes demonstrated that 164 (63.1%) from the forward library and 62 (21.8%) from the reverse showed significant similarities with the sequences in the NCBI non-redundant database. The time-course expression patterns of 38 selected differentially expressed genes further confirmed their responsiveness to a diverse trophic status. The majority of the genes enriched in the subtracted libraries were associated with energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, protein synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and stress defense. Conclusions/Significance The data presented here offer the first insights into the molecular foundation underlying the diverse microalgal trophic niche. In addition, the results can be used as a reference for unraveling candidate genes associated with the transition of Chlorella from heterotrophy to photoautotrophy, which holds

B-spline based image tracking by detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji, Bhashyam; Sithiravel, Rajiv; Damini, Anthony; Kirubarajan, Thiagalingam; Rajan, Sreeraman

2016-05-01

Visual image tracking involves the estimation of the motion of any desired targets in a surveillance region using a sequence of images. A standard method of isolating moving targets in image tracking uses background subtraction. The standard background subtraction method is often impacted by irrelevant information in the images, which can lead to poor performance in image-based target tracking. In this paper, a B-Spline based image tracking is implemented. The novel method models the background and foreground using the B-Spline method followed by a tracking-by-detection algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated.

Successive ratio subtraction coupled with constant multiplication spectrophotometric method for determination of hydroquinone in complex mixture with its degradation products, tretinoin and methyl paraben.

PubMed

Elghobashy, Mohamed R; Bebawy, Lories I; Shokry, Rafeek F; Abbas, Samah S

2016-03-15

A sensitive and selective stability-indicating successive ratio subtraction coupled with constant multiplication (SRS-CM) spectrophotometric method was studied and developed for the spectrum resolution of five component mixture without prior separation. The components were hydroquinone in combination with tretinoin, the polymer formed from hydroquinone alkali degradation, 1,4 benzoquinone and the preservative methyl paraben. The proposed method was used for their determination in their pure form and in pharmaceutical formulation. The zero order absorption spectra of hydroquinone, tretinoin, 1,4 benzoquinone and methyl paraben were determined at 293, 357.5, 245 and 255.2 nm, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration ranges of 4.00-46.00, 1.00-7.00, 0.60-5.20, and 1.00-7.00 μg mL(-1) for hydroquinone, tretinoin, 1,4 benzoquinone and methyl paraben, respectively. The pharmaceutical formulation was subjected to mild alkali condition and measured by this method resulting in the polymerization of hydroquinone and the formation of toxic 1,4 benzoquinone. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The results obtained were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by applying the reported method. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Studying extragalactic background fluctuations with the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment 2 (CIBER-2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanz, Alicia; Arai, Toshiaki; Battle, John; Bock, James; Cooray, Asantha; Hristov, Viktor; Korngut, Phillip; Lee, Dae Hee; Mason, Peter; Matsumoto, Toshio; Matsuura, Shuji; Morford, Tracy; Onishi, Yosuke; Shirahata, Mai; Tsumura, Kohji; Wada, Takehiko; Zemcov, Michael

2014-08-01

Fluctuations in the extragalactic background light trace emission from the history of galaxy formation, including the emission from the earliest sources from the epoch of reionization. A number of recent near-infrared measure- ments show excess spatial power at large angular scales inconsistent with models of z < 5 emission from galaxies. These measurements have been interpreted as arising from either redshifted stellar and quasar emission from the epoch of reionization, or the combined intra-halo light from stars thrown out of galaxies during merging activity at lower redshifts. Though astrophysically distinct, both interpretations arise from faint, low surface brightness source populations that are difficult to detect except by statistical approaches using careful observations with suitable instruments. The key to determining the source of these background anisotropies will be wide-field imaging measurements spanning multiple bands from the optical to the near-infrared. The Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment 2 (CIBER-2) will measure spatial anisotropies in the extra- galactic infrared background caused by cosmological structure using six broad spectral bands. The experiment uses three 2048 x 2048 Hawaii-2RG near-infrared arrays in three cameras coupled to a single 28.5 cm telescope housed in a reusable sounding rocket-borne payload. A small portion of each array will also be combined with a linear-variable filter to make absolute measurements of the spectrum of the extragalactic background with high spatial resolution for deep subtraction of Galactic starlight. The large field of view and multiple spectral bands make CIBER-2 unique in its sensitivity to fluctuations predicted by models of lower limits on the luminosity of the first stars and galaxies and in its ability to distinguish between primordial and foreground anisotropies. In this paper the scientific motivation for CIBER-2 and details of its first flight instrumentation will be discussed, including

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Gaussian filtering in distinguishing punctate synaptic signals from background noise during image analysis.

PubMed

Iwabuchi, Sadahiro; Kakazu, Yasuhiro; Koh, Jin-Young; Harata, N Charles

2014-02-15

Images in biomedical imaging research are often affected by non-specific background noise. This poses a serious problem when the noise overlaps with specific signals to be quantified, e.g. for their number and intensity. A simple and effective means of removing background noise is to prepare a filtered image that closely reflects background noise and to subtract it from the original unfiltered image. This approach is in common use, but its effectiveness in identifying and quantifying synaptic puncta has not been characterized in detail. We report on our assessment of the effectiveness of isolating punctate signals from diffusely distributed background noise using one variant of this approach, "Difference of Gaussian(s) (DoG)" which is based on a Gaussian filter. We evaluated immunocytochemically stained, cultured mouse hippocampal neurons as an example, and provided the rationale for choosing specific parameter values for individual steps in detecting glutamatergic nerve terminals. The intensity and width of the detected puncta were proportional to those obtained by manual fitting of two-dimensional Gaussian functions to the local information in the original image. DoG was compared with the rolling-ball method, using biological data and numerical simulations. Both methods removed background noise, but differed slightly with respect to their efficiency in discriminating neighboring peaks, as well as their susceptibility to high-frequency noise and variability in object size. DoG will be useful in detecting punctate signals, once its characteristics are examined quantitatively by experimenters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Realization of arithmetic addition and subtraction in a quantum system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Um, Mark; Zhang, Junhua; Lv, Dingshun; Lu, Yao; An, Shuoming; Zhang, Jing-Ning; Kim, Kihwan; Kim, M. S.; Nha, Hyunchul

2015-05-01

We report an experimental realization of the conventional arithmetic on a bosonic system, in particular, phonons of a 171Yb+ ion trapped in a harmonic potential. The conventional addition and subtraction are totally different from the quantum operations of creation ↠and annihilation â that have the modification of √{ n } factor due to the symmetric nature of bosons. In our realization, the addition and subtraction do not depend on the number of particles originally in the system and nearly deterministically bring a classical state into a non-classical state. We implement such operations by applying the scheme of transitionless shortcuts to adiabaticity on anti-Jaynes-Cummings transition. This technology enables quantum state engineering and can be applied to many other experimental platforms. This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China under Grants No. 2011CBA00300 (No. 2011CBA00301), the National Natural Science Foundation of China 11374178.

Iodine filter imaging system for subtraction angiography using synchrotron radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umetani, K.; Ueda, K.; Takeda, T.; Itai, Y.; Akisada, M.; Nakajima, T.

1993-11-01

A new type of real-time imaging system was developed for transvenous coronary angiography. A combination of an iodine filter and a single energy broad-bandwidth X-ray produces two-energy images for the iodine K-edge subtraction technique. X-ray images are sequentially converted to visible images by an X-ray image intensifier. By synchronizing the timing of the movement of the iodine filter into and out of the X-ray beam, two output images of the image intensifier are focused side by side on the photoconductive layer of a camera tube by an oscillating mirror. Both images are read out by electron beam scanning of a 1050-scanning-line video camera within a camera frame time of 66.7 ms. One hundred ninety two pairs of iodine-filtered and non-iodine-filtered images are stored in the frame memory at a rate of 15 pairs/s. In vivo subtracted images of coronary arteries in dogs were obtained in the form of motion pictures.

Comparison of presbyopic additions determined by the fused cross-cylinder method using alternative target background colours.

PubMed

Wee, Sung-Hyun; Yu, Dong-Sik; Moon, Byeong-Yeon; Cho, Hyun Gug

2010-11-01

To compare and contrast standard and alternative versions of refractor head (phoropter)-based charts used to determine reading addition. Forty one presbyopic subjects aged between 42 and 60 years were tested. Tentative additions were determined using a red-green background letter chart, and 4 cross-grid charts (with white, red, green, or red-green backgrounds) which were used with the fused cross cylinder (FCC) method. The final addition for a 40 cm working distance was determined for each subject by subjectively adjusting the tentative additions. There were significant differences in the tentative additions obtained using the 5 methods (repeated measures ANOVA, p < 0.001). The mean differences between the tentative and final additions were <0.10 D and were not clinically meaningful, with the exception of the red-green letter test, and the red background in the FCC method. There were no significant differences between the tentative and final additions for the green background in the FCC method (p > 0.05). The intervals of the 95% limits of agreement were under ±0.50 D, and the narrowest interval (±0.26 D) was for the red-green background. The 3 FCC methods with a white, green, or red-green background provided a tentative addition close to the final addition. Compared with the other methods, the FCC method with the red-green background had a narrow range of error. Further, since this method combines the functions of both the fused cross-cylinder test and the duochrome test, it can be a useful technique for determining presbyopic additions. © 2010 The Authors. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics © 2010 The College of Optometrists.

Subspace-based optimization method for inverse scattering problems with an inhomogeneous background medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xudong

2010-07-01

This paper proposes a version of the subspace-based optimization method to solve the inverse scattering problem with an inhomogeneous background medium where the known inhomogeneities are bounded in a finite domain. Although the background Green's function at each discrete point in the computational domain is not directly available in an inhomogeneous background scenario, the paper uses the finite element method to simultaneously obtain the Green's function at all discrete points. The essence of the subspace-based optimization method is that part of the contrast source is determined from the spectrum analysis without using any optimization, whereas the orthogonally complementary part is determined by solving a lower dimension optimization problem. This feature significantly speeds up the convergence of the algorithm and at the same time makes it robust against noise. Numerical simulations illustrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. The algorithm presented in this paper finds wide applications in nondestructive evaluation, such as through-wall imaging.

Gadolinium-enhanced digital subtraction angiography of hemodialysis fistulas: a diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

PubMed

Le Blanche, Alain-Ferdinand; Tassart, Marc; Deux, Jean-François; Rossert, Jérôme; Bigot, Jean-Michel; Boudghene, Frank

2002-10-01

The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and potential role of the contrast agent gadoterate meglumine for digital subtraction angiography as a single diagnostic procedure or before percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of malfunctioning native dialysis fistulas. Over a 20-month period, 23 patients (15 women, eight men) with an age range of 42-87 years (mean, 63 years) having end-stage renal insufficiency and with recent hemodialysis fistula surgical placement underwent gadoterate-enhanced digital subtraction angiography with a digital 1024 x 1024 matrix. Opacification was performed on the forearm, arm, and chest with the patient in the supine position using an injection (retrograde, n = 14; anterograde, n = 8; arterial, n = 1) of gadoterate meglumine into the perianastomotic fistula segment at a rate of 3 mL/sec for a total volume ranging from 24 to 32 mL. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was performed in three patients and required an additional 8 mL per procedure. Examinations were compared using a 3-step confidence scale and a two-radiologist agreement (Cohen's kappa statistic) for diagnostic and opacification quality. Tolerability was evaluated on the basis of serum creatinine levels and the development of complications. No impairment of renal function was found in the 15 patients who were not treated with hemodialysis. Serum creatinine level change varied from -11.9% to 11.6%. All studies were of diagnostic quality. The presence of stenosis (n = 14) or thrombosis (n = 3) in arteriovenous fistulas was shown with good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.71-0.80) in relation to opacification quality (kappa = 0.59-0.84). No pain, neurologic complications, or allergiclike reactions occurred. Three percutaneous transluminal angioplasty procedures (brachiocephalic, n = 2; radiocephalic, n = 1) were successfully performed. Gadoterate-enhanced digital subtraction angiography is an effective and safe method to assess causes of malfunction of

Subtraction Radiography for the Diagnosis of Bone Lesions in Dogs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-31

Avail ander Journal of Periodontology Dist Special Ř 211 East Chicago Avenue Room 924 Chicago, IL 60611 Dear Sirs: I m submitting an original...research article titled "Subtraction Radiography for the Diagnosis of Bone Lesions in Dogs" solely to the Journal of Periodontology for review and

A general method for baseline-removal in ultrafast electron powder diffraction data using the dual-tree complex wavelet transform.

PubMed

René de Cotret, Laurent P; Siwick, Bradley J

2017-07-01

The general problem of background subtraction in ultrafast electron powder diffraction (UEPD) is presented with a focus on the diffraction patterns obtained from materials of moderately complex structure which contain many overlapping peaks and effectively no scattering vector regions that can be considered exclusively background. We compare the performance of background subtraction algorithms based on discrete and dual-tree complex (DTCWT) wavelet transforms when applied to simulated UEPD data on the M1-R phase transition in VO 2 with a time-varying background. We find that the DTCWT approach is capable of extracting intensities that are accurate to better than 2% across the whole range of scattering vector simulated, effectively independent of delay time. A Python package is available.

Evaluation of chronic periapical lesions by digital subtraction radiography by using Adobe Photoshop CS: a technical report.

PubMed

Carvalho, Fabiola B; Gonçalves, Marcelo; Tanomaru-Filho, Mário

2007-04-01

The purpose of this study was to describe a new technique by using Adobe Photoshop CS (San Jose, CA) image-analysis software to evaluate the radiographic changes of chronic periapical lesions after root canal treatment by digital subtraction radiography. Thirteen upper anterior human teeth with pulp necrosis and radiographic image of chronic periapical lesion were endodontically treated and radiographed 0, 2, 4, and 6 months after root canal treatment by using a film holder. The radiographic films were automatically developed and digitized. The radiographic images taken 0, 2, 4, and 6 months after root canal therapy were submitted to digital subtraction in pairs (0 and 2 months, 2 and 4 months, and 4 and 6 months) choosing "image," "calculation," "subtract," and "new document" tools from Adobe Photoshop CS image-analysis software toolbar. The resulting images showed areas of periapical healing in all cases. According to this methodology, the healing or expansion of periapical lesions can be evaluated by means of digital subtraction radiography by using Adobe Photoshop CS software.

Laboratory test of a polarimetry imaging subtraction system for the high-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Jiangpei; Ren, Deqing; Zhu, Yongtian; Zhang, Xi; Li, Rong

2012-09-01

We propose a polarimetry imaging subtraction test system that can be used for the direct imaging of the reflected light from exoplanets. Such a system will be able to remove the speckle noise scattered by the wave-front error and thus can enhance the high-contrast imaging. In this system, we use a Wollaston Prism (WP) to divide the incoming light into two simultaneous images with perpendicular linear polarizations. One of the images is used as the reference image. Then both the phase and geometric distortion corrections have been performed on the other image. The corrected image is subtracted with the reference image to remove the speckles. The whole procedure is based on an optimization algorithm and the target function is to minimize the residual speckles after subtraction. For demonstration purpose, here we only use a circular pupil in the test without integrating of our apodized-pupil coronagraph. It is shown that best result can be gained by inducing both phase and distortion corrections. Finally, it has reached an extra contrast gain of 50-times improvement in average, which is promising to be used for the direct imaging of exoplanets.

How to build institutionalization on students: a pilot experiment on a didactical design of addition and subtraction involving negative integers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuadiah, N. F.; Suryadi, D.; Turmudi

2018-05-01

This study focuses on the design of a didactical situation in addition and subtraction involving negative integers at the pilot experiment phase. As we know, negative numbers become an obstacle for students in solving problems related to them. This study aims to create a didactical design that can assist students in understanding the addition and subtraction. Another expected result in this way is that students are introduced to the characteristics of addition and subtraction of integers. The design was implemented on 32 seventh grade students in one of the classes in a junior secondary school as the pilot experiment. Learning activities were observed thoroughly including the students’ responses that emerged during the learning activities. The written documentation of the students was also used to support the analysis in the learning activities. The results of the analysis showed that this method could help the students perform a large number of integer operations that could not be done with a number line. The teacher’s support as a didactical potential contract was still needed to encourage institutionalization processes. The results of the design analysis used as the basis of the revision are expected to be implemented by the teacher in the teaching experiment.

An adaptive demodulation approach for bearing fault detection based on adaptive wavelet filtering and spectral subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yan; Tang, Baoping; Liu, Ziran; Chen, Rengxiang

2016-02-01

Fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings is important for improving mechanical system reliability and performance. Vibration signals contain a wealth of complex information useful for state monitoring and fault diagnosis. However, any fault-related impulses in the original signal are often severely tainted by various noises and the interfering vibrations caused by other machine elements. Narrow-band amplitude demodulation has been an effective technique to detect bearing faults by identifying bearing fault characteristic frequencies. To achieve this, the key step is to remove the corrupting noise and interference, and to enhance the weak signatures of the bearing fault. In this paper, a new method based on adaptive wavelet filtering and spectral subtraction is proposed for fault diagnosis in bearings. First, to eliminate the frequency associated with interfering vibrations, the vibration signal is bandpass filtered with a Morlet wavelet filter whose parameters (i.e. center frequency and bandwidth) are selected in separate steps. An alternative and efficient method of determining the center frequency is proposed that utilizes the statistical information contained in the production functions (PFs). The bandwidth parameter is optimized using a local ‘greedy’ scheme along with Shannon wavelet entropy criterion. Then, to further reduce the residual in-band noise in the filtered signal, a spectral subtraction procedure is elaborated after wavelet filtering. Instead of resorting to a reference signal as in the majority of papers in the literature, the new method estimates the power spectral density of the in-band noise from the associated PF. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using simulated data, test rig data, and vibration data recorded from the transmission system of a helicopter. The experimental results and comparisons with other methods indicate that the proposed method is an effective approach to detecting the fault-related impulses

Fostering Taiwanese Preschoolers' Understanding of the Addition-Subtraction Inverse Principle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Meng-Lung; Baroody, Arthur J.; Johnson, Amanda R.

2008-01-01

The present research involved gauging preschoolers' learning potential for a key arithmetic concept, the addition-subtraction inverse principle (e.g., 2+1-1=2). Sixty 4- and 5-year-old Taiwanese children from two public preschools serving low- and middle-income families participated in the training experiment. Half were randomly assigned to an…

Detection methods for non-Gaussian gravitational wave stochastic backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drasco, Steve; Flanagan, Éanna É.

2003-04-01

A gravitational wave stochastic background can be produced by a collection of independent gravitational wave events. There are two classes of such backgrounds, one for which the ratio of the average time between events to the average duration of an event is small (i.e., many events are on at once), and one for which the ratio is large. In the first case the signal is continuous, sounds something like a constant hiss, and has a Gaussian probability distribution. In the second case, the discontinuous or intermittent signal sounds something like popcorn popping, and is described by a non-Gaussian probability distribution. In this paper we address the issue of finding an optimal detection method for such a non-Gaussian background. As a first step, we examine the idealized situation in which the event durations are short compared to the detector sampling time, so that the time structure of the events cannot be resolved, and we assume white, Gaussian noise in two collocated, aligned detectors. For this situation we derive an appropriate version of the maximum likelihood detection statistic. We compare the performance of this statistic to that of the standard cross-correlation statistic both analytically and with Monte Carlo simulations. In general the maximum likelihood statistic performs better than the cross-correlation statistic when the stochastic background is sufficiently non-Gaussian, resulting in a gain factor in the minimum gravitational-wave energy density necessary for detection. This gain factor ranges roughly between 1 and 3, depending on the duty cycle of the background, for realistic observing times and signal strengths for both ground and space based detectors. The computational cost of the statistic, although significantly greater than that of the cross-correlation statistic, is not unreasonable. Before the statistic can be used in practice with real detector data, further work is required to generalize our analysis to accommodate separated, misaligned

Improvement of Dimensional Accuracy of 3-D Printed Parts using an Additive/Subtractive Based Hybrid Prototyping Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amanullah Tomal, A. N. M.; Saleh, Tanveer; Raisuddin Khan, Md.

2017-11-01

At present, two important processes, namely CNC machining and rapid prototyping (RP) are being used to create prototypes and functional products. Combining both additive and subtractive processes into a single platform would be advantageous. However, there are two important aspects need to be taken into consideration for this process hybridization. First is the integration of two different control systems for two processes and secondly maximizing workpiece alignment accuracy during the changeover step. Recently we have developed a new hybrid system which incorporates Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) as RP Process and CNC grinding operation as subtractive manufacturing process into a single setup. Several objects were produced with different layer thickness for example 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm and 0.2 mm. It was observed that pure FDM method is unable to attain desired dimensional accuracy and can be improved by a considerable margin about 66% to 80%, if finishing operation by grinding is carried out. It was also observed layer thickness plays a role on the dimensional accuracy and best accuracy is achieved with the minimum layer thickness (0.1 mm).

Objective criteria for acceptability and constancy tests of digital subtraction angiography.

PubMed

de las Heras, Hugo; Torres, Ricardo; Fernández-Soto, José Miguel; Vañó, Eliseo

2016-01-01

Demonstrate an objective procedure to quantify image quality in digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and suggest thresholds for acceptability and constancy tests. Series of images were obtained in a DSA system simulating a small (paediatric) and a large patient using the dynamic phantom described in the IEC and DIN standards for acceptance tests of DSA equipment. Image quality was quantified using measurements of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Overall scores combining the CNR of 10-100 mg/ml Iodine at a vascular diameter of 1-4 mm in a homogeneous background were defined. Phantom entrance surface air kerma (Ka,e) was measured with an ionisation chamber. The visibility of a low-contrast vessel in DSA images has been identified with a CNR value of 0.50 ± 0.03. Despite using 14 times more Ka,e (8.85 vs 0.63 mGy/image), the protocol for large patients showed a decrease in the overall score CNRsum of 67% (4.21 ± 0.06 vs 2.10 ± 0.05). The uncertainty in the results of the objective method was below 5%. Objective evaluation of DSA images using CNR is feasible with dedicated phantom measurements. An objective methodology has been suggested for acceptance tests compliant with the IEC/DIN standards. The defined overall scores can serve to fix a reproducible baseline for constancy tests, as well as to study the device stability within one acquisition series and compare different imaging protocols. This work provides aspects that have not been included in the recent European guidelines on Criteria for Acceptability of Medical Radiological Equipment. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decision making regarding Smith-Petersen vs. pedicle subtraction osteotomy vs. vertebral column resection for spinal deformity.

PubMed

Bridwell, Keith H

2006-09-01

Author experience and literature review. To investigate and discuss decision-making on when to perform a Smith-Petersen osteotomy as opposed to a pedicle subtraction procedure and/or a vertebral column resection. Articles have been published regarding Smith-Petersen osteotomies, pedicle subtraction procedures, and vertebral column resections. Expectations and complications have been reviewed. However, decision-making regarding which of the 3 procedures is most useful for a particular spinal deformity case is not clearly investigated. Discussed in this manuscript is the author's experience and the literature regarding the operative options for a fixed coronal or sagittal deformity. There are roles for Smith-Petersen osteotomy, pedicle subtraction, and vertebral column resection. Each has specific applications and potential complications. As the magnitude of resection increases, the ability to correct deformity improves, but also the risk of complication increases. Therein, an understanding of potential applications and complications is helpful.

Black hole thermodynamics from a variational principle: asymptotically conical backgrounds

DOE PAGES

An, Ok Song; Cvetič, Mirjam; Papadimitriou, Ioannis

2016-03-14

The variational problem of gravity theories is directly related to black hole thermodynamics. For asymptotically locally AdS backgrounds it is known that holographic renormalization results in a variational principle in terms of equivalence classes of boundary data under the local asymptotic symmetries of the theory, which automatically leads to finite conserved charges satisfying the first law of thermodynamics. We show that this connection holds well beyond asymptotically AdS black holes. In particular, we formulate the variational problem for N = 2 STU supergravity in four dimensions with boundary conditions corresponding to those obeyed by the so called ‘subtracted geometries’. Wemore » show that such boundary conditions can be imposed covariantly in terms of a set of asymptotic second class constraints, and we derive the appropriate boundary terms that render the variational problem well posed in two different duality frames of the STU model. This allows us to define finite conserved charges associated with any asymptotic Killing vector and to demonstrate that these charges satisfy the Smarr formula and the first law of thermodynamics. Moreover, by uplifting the theory to five dimensions and then reducing on a 2-sphere, we provide a precise map between the thermodynamic observables of the subtracted geometries and those of the BTZ black hole. Finally, surface terms play a crucial role in this identification.« less

Black hole thermodynamics from a variational principle: asymptotically conical backgrounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

An, Ok Song; Cvetič, Mirjam; Papadimitriou, Ioannis

The variational problem of gravity theories is directly related to black hole thermodynamics. For asymptotically locally AdS backgrounds it is known that holographic renormalization results in a variational principle in terms of equivalence classes of boundary data under the local asymptotic symmetries of the theory, which automatically leads to finite conserved charges satisfying the first law of thermodynamics. We show that this connection holds well beyond asymptotically AdS black holes. In particular, we formulate the variational problem for N = 2 STU supergravity in four dimensions with boundary conditions corresponding to those obeyed by the so called ‘subtracted geometries’. Wemore » show that such boundary conditions can be imposed covariantly in terms of a set of asymptotic second class constraints, and we derive the appropriate boundary terms that render the variational problem well posed in two different duality frames of the STU model. This allows us to define finite conserved charges associated with any asymptotic Killing vector and to demonstrate that these charges satisfy the Smarr formula and the first law of thermodynamics. Moreover, by uplifting the theory to five dimensions and then reducing on a 2-sphere, we provide a precise map between the thermodynamic observables of the subtracted geometries and those of the BTZ black hole. Finally, surface terms play a crucial role in this identification.« less

In vivo optical imaging of amblyopia: Digital subtraction autofluorescence and split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography.

PubMed

Guo, Lei; Tao, Jun; Xia, Fan; Yang, Zhi; Ma, Xiaoli; Hua, Rui

2016-09-01

Amblyopia is a visual impairment that is attributed to either abnormal binocular interactions or visual deprivation. The retina and choroids have been shown to be involved in the development of amblyopia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the retinal and choroidal microstructural abnormalities of amblyopia using digital subtraction autofluorescence and split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography (SSADA) approaches. This prospective study included 44 eyes of 22 patients with unilateral amblyopia. All patients who received indirect ophthalmoscopy, combined depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), SSADA-OCT, and macular blue light (BL-) and near-infrared (NIR-) autofluorescences underwent pupil dilation. The subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was measured. BL- and NIR-autofluorescences were determined for all patients and used to generate subtraction images with ImageJ software. The superficial, deep layers of the retina, and inner choroid layer were required for SSADA-OCT. For the normal eyes, a regularly increasing signal was observed in the central macula based on the subtraction images. In contrast, a decreased signal for the central patch or a reduced peak was detected in 16 of 22 amblyopic eyes (72.7%). The mean SFCT of the amblyopic eyes was greater than that of the fellow normal eyes (399.25 ± 4.944 µm vs. 280.58 ± 6.491 µm, respectively, P < 0.05). SSADA-OCT revealed a normal choroidal capillary network in all fellow normal eyes. However, 18 of 22 amblyopic eyes (86.4%) exhibited a blurry choroidal capillary network, and 15 of 22 amblyopic eyes (68.2%) displayed a dark atrophic patch. This is the first report of amblyopia using SSADA-OCT and digital subtraction images of autofluorescence. The mechanistic relationship of a thicker choroid and choroidal capillary atrophy with amblyopia remains to be described. The digital subtraction image confirmed the changes in the microstructure of the

Image-Subtraction Photometry of Variable Stars in the Globular Clusters NGC 6388 and NGC 6441

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corwin, Michael T.; Sumerel, Andrew N.; Pritzl, Barton J.; Smith, Horace A.; Catelan, M.; Sweigart, Allen V.; Stetson, Peter B.

2006-01-01

We have applied Alard's image subtraction method (ISIS v2.1) to the observations of the globular clusters NGC 6388 and NGC 6441 previously analyzed using standard photometric techniques (DAOPHOT, ALLFRAME). In this reanalysis of observations obtained at CTIO, besides recovering the variables previously detected on the basis of our ground-based images, we have also been able to recover most of the RR Lyrae variables previously detected only in the analysis of Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 observations of the inner region of NGC 6441. In addition, we report five possible new variables not found in the analysis of the EST observations of NGC 6441. This dramatically illustrates the capabilities of image subtraction techniques applied to ground-based data to recover variables in extremely crowded fields. We have also detected twelve new variables and six possible variables in NGC 6388 not found in our previous groundbased studies. Revised mean periods for RRab stars in NGC 6388 and NGC 6441 are 0.676 day and 0.756 day, respectively. These values are among the largest known for any galactic globular cluster. Additional probable type II Cepheids were identified in NGC 6388, confirming its status as a metal-rich globular cluster rich in Cepheids.

New method for quantification of vuggy porosity from digital optical borehole images as applied to the karstic Pleistocene limestone of the Biscayne aquifer, southeastern Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, K.J.; Carlson, J.I.; Hurley, N.F.

2004-01-01

Vuggy porosity is gas- or fluid-filled openings in rock matrix that are large enough to be seen with the unaided eye. Well-connected vugs can form major conduits for flow of ground water, especially in carbonate rocks. This paper presents a new method for quantification of vuggy porosity calculated from digital borehole images collected from 47 test coreholes that penetrate the karstic Pleistocene limestone of the Biscayne aquifer, southeastern Florida. Basically, the method interprets vugs and background based on the grayscale color of each in digital borehole images and calculates a percentage of vuggy porosity. Development of the method was complicated because environmental conditions created an uneven grayscale contrast in the borehole images that makes it difficult to distinguish vugs from background. The irregular contrast was produced by unbalanced illumination of the borehole wall, which was a result of eccentering of the borehole-image logging tool. Experimentation showed that a simple, single grayscale threshold would not realistically differentiate between the grayscale contrast of vugs and background. Therefore, an equation was developed for an effective subtraction of the changing grayscale contrast, due to uneven illumination, to produce a grayscale threshold that successfully identifies vugs. In the equation, a moving average calculated around the circumference of the borehole and expressed as the background grayscale intensity is defined as a baseline from which to identify a grayscale threshold for vugs. A constant was derived empirically by calibration with vuggy porosity values derived from digital images of slabbed-core samples and used to make the subtraction from the background baseline to derive the vug grayscale threshold as a function of azimuth. The method should be effective in estimating vuggy porosity in any carbonate aquifer. ?? 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Water dynamics in small reverse micelles in two solvents: two-dimensional infrared vibrational echoes with two-dimensional background subtraction.

PubMed

Fenn, Emily E; Wong, Daryl B; Fayer, M D

2011-02-07

Water dynamics as reflected by the spectral diffusion of the water hydroxyl stretch were measured in w(0) = 2 (1.7 nm diameter) Aerosol-OT (AOT)/water reverse micelles in carbon tetrachloride and in isooctane solvents using ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy. Orientational relaxation and population relaxation are observed for w(0) = 2, 4, and 7.5 in both solvents using IR pump-probe measurements. It is found that the pump-probe observables are sensitive to w(0), but not to the solvent. However, initial analysis of the vibrational echo data from the water nanopool in the reverse micelles in the isooctane solvent seems to yield different dynamics than the CCl(4) system in spite of the fact that the spectra, vibrational lifetimes, and orientational relaxation are the same in the two systems. It is found that there are beat patterns in the interferograms with isooctane as the solvent. The beats are observed from a signal generated by the AOT/isooctane system even when there is no water in the system. A beat subtraction data processing procedure does a reasonable job of removing the distortions in the isooctane data, showing that the reverse micelle dynamics are the same within experimental error regardless of whether isooctane or carbon tetrachloride is used as the organic phase. Two time scales are observed in the vibrational echo data, ~1 and ~10 ps. The slower component contains a significant amount of the total inhomogeneous broadening. Physical arguments indicate that there is a much slower component of spectral diffusion that is too slow to observe within the experimental window, which is limited by the OD stretch vibrational lifetime.

Water dynamics in small reverse micelles in two solvents: Two-dimensional infrared vibrational echoes with two-dimensional background subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fenn, Emily E.; Wong, Daryl B.; Fayer, M. D.

2011-02-01

Water dynamics as reflected by the spectral diffusion of the water hydroxyl stretch were measured in w0 = 2 (1.7 nm diameter) Aerosol-OT (AOT)/water reverse micelles in carbon tetrachloride and in isooctane solvents using ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo spectroscopy. Orientational relaxation and population relaxation are observed for w0 = 2, 4, and 7.5 in both solvents using IR pump-probe measurements. It is found that the pump-probe observables are sensitive to w0, but not to the solvent. However, initial analysis of the vibrational echo data from the water nanopool in the reverse micelles in the isooctane solvent seems to yield different dynamics than the CCl4 system in spite of the fact that the spectra, vibrational lifetimes, and orientational relaxation are the same in the two systems. It is found that there are beat patterns in the interferograms with isooctane as the solvent. The beats are observed from a signal generated by the AOT/isooctane system even when there is no water in the system. A beat subtraction data processing procedure does a reasonable job of removing the distortions in the isooctane data, showing that the reverse micelle dynamics are the same within experimental error regardless of whether isooctane or carbon tetrachloride is used as the organic phase. Two time scales are observed in the vibrational echo data, ~1 and ~10 ps. The slower component contains a significant amount of the total inhomogeneous broadening. Physical arguments indicate that there is a much slower component of spectral diffusion that is too slow to observe within the experimental window, which is limited by the OD stretch vibrational lifetime.

A novel method to remove GPR background noise based on the similarity of non-neighboring regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montiel-Zafra, V.; Canadas-Quesada, F. J.; Vera-Candeas, P.; Ruiz-Reyes, N.; Rey, J.; Martinez, J.

2017-09-01

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive technique that has been widely used in many areas of research, such as landmine detection or subsurface anomalies, where it is required to locate targets embedded within a background medium. One of the major challenges in the research of GPR data remains the improvement of the image quality of stone materials by means of detection of true anisotropies since most of the errors are caused by an incorrect interpretation by the users. However, it is complicated due to the interference of the horizontal background noise, e.g., the air-ground interface, that reduces the high-resolution quality of radargrams. Thus, weak or deep anisotropies are often masked by this type of noise. In order to remove the background noise obtained by GPR, this work proposes a novel background removal method assuming that the horizontal noise shows repetitive two-dimensional regions along the movement of the GPR antenna. Specifically, the proposed method, based on the non-local similarity of regions over the distance, computes similarities between different regions of the same depth in order to identify most repetitive regions using a criterion to avoid closer regions. Evaluations are performed using a set of synthetic and real GPR data. Experimental results show that the proposed method obtains promising results compared to the classic background removal techniques and the most recently published background removal methods.

Background correction in forensic photography. II. Photography of blood under conditions of non-uniform illumination or variable substrate color--practical aspects and limitations.

PubMed

Wagner, John H; Miskelly, Gordon M

2003-05-01

The combination of photographs taken at wavelengths at and bracketing the peak of a narrow absorbance band can lead to enhanced visualization of the substance causing the narrow absorbance band. This concept can be used to detect putative bloodstains by division of a linear photographic image taken at or near 415 nm with an image obtained by averaging linear photographs taken at or near 395 and 435 nm. Nonlinear images can also be background corrected by substituting subtraction for the division. This paper details experimental applications and limitations of this technique, including wavelength selection of the illuminant and at the camera. Characterization of a digital camera to be used in such a study is also detailed. Detection limits for blood using the three wavelength correction method under optimum conditions have been determined to be as low as 1 in 900 dilution, although on strongly patterned substrates blood diluted more than twenty-fold is difficult to detect. Use of only the 435 nm photograph to estimate the background in the 415 nm image lead to a twofold improvement in detection limit on unpatterned substrates compared with the three wavelength method with the particular camera and lighting system used, but it gave poorer background correction on patterned substrates.

Developing Prospective Teachers' Understanding of Addition and Subtraction with Whole Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, George J.

2014-01-01

This study was situated in a semester-long classroom teaching experiment examining prospective teachers' understanding of number concepts and operations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the learning goals, tasks, and tools used to cultivate prospective teachers' understanding of addition and subtraction with whole numbers. Research…

Simultaneous K-edge subtraction tomography for tracing strontium using parametric X-ray radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Y.; Hayakawa, K.; Kaneda, T.; Nogami, K.; Sakae, T.; Sakai, T.; Sato, I.; Takahashi, Y.; Tanaka, T.

2017-07-01

The X-ray source based on parametric X-ray radiation (PXR) has been regularly providing a coherent X-ray beam for application studies at Nihon University. Recently, three dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) has become one of the most important applications of the PXR source. The methodology referred to as K-edge subtraction (KES) imaging is a particularly successful application utilizing the energy selectivity of PXR. In order to demonstrate the applicability of PXR-KES, a simultaneous KES experiment for a specimen containing strontium was performed using a PXR beam having an energy near the Sr K-edge of 16.1 keV. As a result, the 3D distribution of Sr was obtained by subtraction between the two simultaneously acquired tomographic images.

Separation of gravitational-wave and cosmic-shear contributions to cosmic microwave background polarization.

PubMed

Kesden, Michael; Cooray, Asantha; Kamionkowski, Marc

2002-07-01

Inflationary gravitational waves (GW) contribute to the curl component in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Cosmic shear--gravitational lensing of the CMB--converts a fraction of the dominant gradient polarization to the curl component. Higher-order correlations can be used to map the cosmic shear and subtract this contribution to the curl. Arcminute resolution will be required to pursue GW amplitudes smaller than those accessible by the Planck surveyor mission. The blurring by lensing of small-scale CMB power leads with this reconstruction technique to a minimum detectable GW amplitude corresponding to an inflation energy near 10(15) GeV.

Digital subtraction angiography of the pulmonary arteries for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ludwig, J.W.; Verhoeven, L.A.J.; Kersbergen, J.J.

1983-06-01

A comparative study of radionuclide scanning (perfusion studies in all 18 patients and ventilation studies in 9) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed in 18 patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism. In 17 patients good visualization of the arteries was obtained with DSA; 10 of these patients had no pre-existing lung disease, and 7 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The information provided by DSA in this small group was equal to or better than that of scintigraphy, especially in patients with COPD, and the reliability of DSA was superior to that of the radionuclide scintigraphy. Methods for preventing motionmore » artifacts with DSA are also described.« less

Cloud Optical Depth Retrievals from Solar Background "signal" of Micropulse Lidars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiu, J. Christine; Marshak, A.; Wiscombe, W.; Valencia, S.; Welton, E. J.

2007-01-01

Pulsed lidars are commonly used to retrieve vertical distributions of cloud and aerosol layers. It is widely believed that lidar cloud retrievals (other than cloud base altitude) are limited to optically thin clouds. Here we demonstrate that lidars can retrieve optical depths of thick clouds using solar background light as a signal, rather than (as now) merely a noise to be subtracted. Validations against other instruments show that retrieved cloud optical depths agree within 10-15% for overcast stratus and broken clouds. In fact, for broken cloud situations one can retrieve not only the aerosol properties in clear-sky periods using lidar signals, but also the optical depth of thick clouds in cloudy periods using solar background signals. This indicates that, in general, it may be possible to retrieve both aerosol and cloud properties using a single lidar. Thus, lidar observations have great untapped potential to study interactions between clouds and aerosols.

Dereverberation and denoising based on generalized spectral subtraction by multi-channel LMS algorithm using a small-scale microphone array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Longbiao; Odani, Kyohei; Kai, Atsuhiko

2012-12-01

A blind dereverberation method based on power spectral subtraction (SS) using a multi-channel least mean squares algorithm was previously proposed to suppress the reverberant speech without additive noise. The results of isolated word speech recognition experiments showed that this method achieved significant improvements over conventional cepstral mean normalization (CMN) in a reverberant environment. In this paper, we propose a blind dereverberation method based on generalized spectral subtraction (GSS), which has been shown to be effective for noise reduction, instead of power SS. Furthermore, we extend the missing feature theory (MFT), which was initially proposed to enhance the robustness of additive noise, to dereverberation. A one-stage dereverberation and denoising method based on GSS is presented to simultaneously suppress both the additive noise and nonstationary multiplicative noise (reverberation). The proposed dereverberation method based on GSS with MFT is evaluated on a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition task. When the additive noise was absent, the dereverberation method based on GSS with MFT using only 2 microphones achieves a relative word error reduction rate of 11.4 and 32.6% compared to the dereverberation method based on power SS and the conventional CMN, respectively. For the reverberant and noisy speech, the dereverberation and denoising method based on GSS achieves a relative word error reduction rate of 12.8% compared to the conventional CMN with GSS-based additive noise reduction method. We also analyze the effective factors of the compensation parameter estimation for the dereverberation method based on SS, such as the number of channels (the number of microphones), the length of reverberation to be suppressed, and the length of the utterance used for parameter estimation. The experimental results showed that the SS-based method is robust in a variety of reverberant environments for both isolated and continuous speech

Fluorescence background removal method for biological Raman spectroscopy based on empirical mode decomposition.

PubMed

Leon-Bejarano, Maritza; Dorantes-Mendez, Guadalupe; Ramirez-Elias, Miguel; Mendez, Martin O; Alba, Alfonso; Rodriguez-Leyva, Ildefonso; Jimenez, M

2016-08-01

Raman spectroscopy of biological tissue presents fluorescence background, an undesirable effect that generates false Raman intensities. This paper proposes the application of the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method to baseline correction. EMD is a suitable approach since it is an adaptive signal processing method for nonlinear and non-stationary signal analysis that does not require parameters selection such as polynomial methods. EMD performance was assessed through synthetic Raman spectra with different signal to noise ratio (SNR). The correlation coefficient between synthetic Raman spectra and the recovered one after EMD denoising was higher than 0.92. Additionally, twenty Raman spectra from skin were used to evaluate EMD performance and the results were compared with Vancouver Raman algorithm (VRA). The comparison resulted in a mean square error (MSE) of 0.001554. High correlation coefficient using synthetic spectra and low MSE in the comparison between EMD and VRA suggest that EMD could be an effective method to remove fluorescence background in biological Raman spectra.

Imaging of a parapharyngeal hemangiopericytoma. Radioimmunoscintigraphy (SPECT) with indium-111-labeled anti-CEA antibody, and comparison to digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography, and immunohistochemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kairemo, K.J.; Hopsu, E.V.; Melartin, E.J.

1991-01-01

A 27-year-old male patient with a parapharyngeal hemangiopericytoma was investigated radiologically with orthopantomography, computed tomography, and digital subtraction angiography before the operation. Because a malignancy was suspected, the patient was imaged with gamma camera using radiolabeled monoclonal anticarcinoembryonal antigen antibody including single photon emission computed tomography. The radioantibody accumulated strongly into the neoplasm. Tumor to background ratio was 2.2. Samples of the excised tumor were stained immunohistochemically for desmin, vimentin, muscle actin, cytokeratin, CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen), and factor VIII. They showed that the antibody uptake was of unspecific nature and not due to CEA expression in the tumor.

The IPAC Image Subtraction and Discovery Pipeline for the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masci, Frank J.; Laher, Russ R.; Rebbapragada, Umaa D.; Doran, Gary B.; Miller, Adam A.; Bellm, Eric; Kasliwal, Mansi; Ofek, Eran O.; Surace, Jason; Shupe, David L.; Grillmair, Carl J.; Jackson, Ed; Barlow, Tom; Yan, Lin; Cao, Yi; Cenko, S. Bradley; Storrie-Lombardi, Lisa J.; Helou, George; Prince, Thomas A.; Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.

2017-01-01

We describe the near real-time transient-source discovery engine for the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), currently in operations at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), Caltech. We coin this system the IPAC/iPTF Discovery Engine (or IDE). We review the algorithms used for PSF-matching, image subtraction, detection, photometry, and machine-learned (ML) vetting of extracted transient candidates. We also review the performance of our ML classifier. For a limiting signal-to-noise ratio of 4 in relatively unconfused regions, bogus candidates from processing artifacts and imperfect image subtractions outnumber real transients by ≃10:1. This can be considerably higher for image data with inaccurate astrometric and/or PSF-matching solutions. Despite this occasionally high contamination rate, the ML classifier is able to identify real transients with an efficiency (or completeness) of ≃97% for a maximum tolerable false-positive rate of 1% when classifying raw candidates. All subtraction-image metrics, source features, ML probability-based real-bogus scores, contextual metadata from other surveys, and possible associations with known Solar System objects are stored in a relational database for retrieval by the various science working groups. We review our efforts in mitigating false-positives and our experience in optimizing the overall system in response to the multitude of science projects underway with iPTF.

The IPAC Image Subtraction and Discovery Pipeline for the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masci, Frank J.; Laher, Russ R.; Rebbapragada, Umaa D.; Doran, Gary B.; Miller, Adam A.; Bellm, Eric; Kasliwal, Mansi; Ofek, Eran O.; Surace, Jason; Shupe, David L.;

Parallel optical image addition and subtraction in a dynamic photorefractive memory by phase-code multiplexing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denz, Cornelia; Dellwig, Thilo; Lembcke, Jan; Tschudi, Theo

1996-02-01

We propose and demonstrate experimentally a method for utilizing a dynamic phase-encoded photorefractive memory to realize parallel optical addition, subtraction, and inversion operations of stored images. The phase-encoded holographic memory is realized in photorefractive BaTiO3, storing eight images using WalshHadamard binary phase codes and an incremental recording procedure. By subsampling the set of reference beams during the recall operation, the selectivity of the phase address is decreased, allowing one to combine images in such a way that different linear combination of the images can be realized at the output of the memory.

Use of an OSSE to Evaluate Background Error Covariances Estimated by the 'NMC Method'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Errico, Ronald M.; Prive, Nikki C.; Gu, Wei

2014-01-01

The NMC method has proven utility for prescribing approximate background-error covariances required by variational data assimilation systems. Here, untunedNMCmethod estimates are compared with explicitly determined error covariances produced within an OSSE context by exploiting availability of the true simulated states. Such a comparison provides insights into what kind of rescaling is required to render the NMC method estimates usable. It is shown that rescaling of variances and directional correlation lengths depends greatly on both pressure and latitude. In particular, some scaling coefficients appropriate in the Tropics are the reciprocal of those in the Extratropics. Also, the degree of dynamic balance is grossly overestimated by the NMC method. These results agree with previous examinations of the NMC method which used ensembles as an alternative for estimating background-error statistics.

Subtractive transcriptome analysis of leaf and rhizome reveals differentially expressed transcripts in Panax sokpayensis.

PubMed

Gurung, Bhusan; Bhardwaj, Pardeep K; Talukdar, Narayan C

2016-11-01

In the present study, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) strategy was used to identify rare and differentially expressed transcripts in leaf and rhizome tissues of Panax sokpayensis. Out of 1102 randomly picked clones, 513 and 374 high quality expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) were generated from leaf and rhizome subtractive libraries, respectively. Out of them, 64.92 % ESTs from leaf and 69.26 % ESTs from rhizome SSH libraries were assembled into different functional categories, while others were of unknown function. In particular, ESTs encoding galactinol synthase 2, ribosomal RNA processing Brix domain protein, and cell division cycle protein 20.1, which are involved in plant growth and development, were most abundant in the leaf SSH library. Other ESTs encoding protein KIAA0664 homologue, ubiquitin-activating enzyme e11, and major latex protein, which are involved in plant immunity and defense response, were most abundant in the rhizome SSH library. Subtractive ESTs also showed similarity with genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthetic pathway, namely farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, squalene synthase, and dammarenediol synthase. Expression profiles of selected ESTs validated the quality of libraries and confirmed their differential expression in the leaf, stem, and rhizome tissues. In silico comparative analyses revealed that around 13.75 % of unigenes from the leaf SSH library were not represented in the available leaf transcriptome of Panax ginseng. Similarly, around 18.12, 23.75, 25, and 6.25 % of unigenes from the rhizome SSH library were not represented in available root/rhizome transcriptomes of P. ginseng, Panax notoginseng, Panax quinquefolius, and Panax vietnamensis, respectively, indicating a major fraction of novel ESTs. Therefore, these subtractive transcriptomes provide valuable resources for gene discovery in P. sokpayensis and would complement the available transcriptomes from other Panax species.

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ievlev, Anton V.; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; Agar, Joshua C.; Velarde, Gabriel A.; Martin, Lane W.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S.

2018-04-01

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ievlev, Anton; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy tomore » a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Lastly, our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.« less

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

DOE PAGES

Ievlev, Anton; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; ...

2018-02-22

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy tomore » a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Lastly, our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.« less

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness.

PubMed

Ievlev, Anton V; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N; Agar, Joshua C; Velarde, Gabriel A; Martin, Lane W; Kalinin, Sergei V; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S

2018-04-02

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

Characterizing the spatial variability of local and background concentration signals for air pollution at the neighbourhood scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shairsingh, Kerolyn K.; Jeong, Cheol-Heon; Wang, Jonathan M.; Evans, Greg J.

2018-06-01

Vehicle emissions represent a major source of air pollution in urban districts, producing highly variable concentrations of some pollutants within cities. The main goal of this study was to identify a deconvolving method so as to characterize variability in local, neighbourhood and regional background concentration signals. This method was validated by examining how traffic-related and non-traffic-related sources influenced the different signals. Sampling with a mobile monitoring platform was conducted across the Greater Toronto Area over a seven-day period during summer 2015. This mobile monitoring platform was equipped with instruments for measuring a wide range of pollutants at time resolutions of 1 s (ultrafine particles, black carbon) to 20 s (nitric oxide, nitrogen oxides). The monitored neighbourhoods were selected based on their land use categories (e.g. industrial, commercial, parks and residential areas). The high time-resolution data allowed pollutant concentrations to be separated into signals representing background and local concentrations. The background signals were determined using a spline of minimums; local signals were derived by subtracting the background concentration from the total concentration. Our study showed that temporal scales of 500 s and 2400 s were associated with the neighbourhood and regional background signals respectively. The percent contribution of the pollutant concentration that was attributed to local signals was highest for nitric oxide (NO) (37-95%) and lowest for ultrafine particles (9-58%); the ultrafine particles were predominantly regional (32-87%) in origin on these days. Local concentrations showed stronger associations than total concentrations with traffic intensity in a 100 m buffer (ρ:0.21-0.44). The neighbourhood scale signal also showed stronger associations with industrial facilities than the total concentrations. Given that the signals show stronger associations with different land use suggests that

Sensory subtraction in robot-assisted surgery: fingertip skin deformation feedback to ensure safety and improve transparency in bimanual haptic interaction.

PubMed

Meli, Leonardo; Pacchierotti, Claudio; Prattichizzo, Domenico

2014-04-01

This study presents a novel approach to force feedback in robot-assisted surgery. It consists of substituting haptic stimuli, composed of a kinesthetic component and a skin deformation, with cutaneous stimuli only. The force generated can then be thought as a subtraction between the complete haptic interaction, cutaneous, and kinesthetic, and the kinesthetic part of it. For this reason, we refer to this approach as sensory subtraction. Sensory subtraction aims at outperforming other nonkinesthetic feedback techniques in teleoperation (e.g., sensory substitution) while guaranteeing the stability and safety of the system. We tested the proposed approach in a challenging 7-DoF bimanual teleoperation task, similar to the Pegboard experiment of the da Vinci Skills Simulator. Sensory subtraction showed improved performance in terms of completion time, force exerted, and total displacement of the rings with respect to two popular sensory substitution techniques. Moreover, it guaranteed a stable interaction in the presence of a communication delay in the haptic loop.

Universal field matching in craniospinal irradiation by a background-dose gradient-optimized method.

PubMed

Traneus, Erik; Bizzocchi, Nicola; Fellin, Francesco; Rombi, Barbara; Farace, Paolo

2018-01-01

The gradient-optimized methods are overcoming the traditional feathering methods to plan field junctions in craniospinal irradiation. In this note, a new gradient-optimized technique, based on the use of a background dose, is described. Treatment planning was performed by RayStation (RaySearch Laboratories, Stockholm, Sweden) on the CT scans of a pediatric patient. Both proton (by pencil beam scanning) and photon (by volumetric modulated arc therapy) treatments were planned with three isocenters. An 'in silico' ideal background dose was created first to cover the upper-spinal target and to produce a perfect dose gradient along the upper and lower junction regions. Using it as background, the cranial and the lower-spinal beams were planned by inverse optimization to obtain dose coverage of their relevant targets and of the junction volumes. Finally, the upper-spinal beam was inversely planned after removal of the background dose and with the previously optimized beams switched on. In both proton and photon plans, the optimized cranial and the lower-spinal beams produced a perfect linear gradient in the junction regions, complementary to that produced by the optimized upper-spinal beam. The final dose distributions showed a homogeneous coverage of the targets. Our simple technique allowed to obtain high-quality gradients in the junction region. Such technique universally works for photons as well as protons and could be applicable to the TPSs that allow to manage a background dose. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

[The improved design of table operating box of digital subtraction angiography device].

PubMed

Qi, Xianying; Zhang, Minghai; Han, Fengtan; Tang, Feng; He, Lemin

2009-12-01

In this paper are analyzed the disadvantages of CGO-3000 digital subtraction angiography table Operating Box. The authors put forward a communication control scheme between single-chip microcomputer(SCM) and programmable logic controller(PLC). The details of hardware and software of communication are given.

An automatic fuzzy-based multi-temporal brain digital subtraction angiography image fusion algorithm using curvelet transform and content selection strategy.

PubMed

Momeni, Saba; Pourghassem, Hossein

2014-08-01

Recently image fusion has prominent role in medical image processing and is useful to diagnose and treat many diseases. Digital subtraction angiography is one of the most applicable imaging to diagnose brain vascular diseases and radiosurgery of brain. This paper proposes an automatic fuzzy-based multi-temporal fusion algorithm for 2-D digital subtraction angiography images. In this algorithm, for blood vessel map extraction, the valuable frames of brain angiography video are automatically determined to form the digital subtraction angiography images based on a novel definition of vessel dispersion generated by injected contrast material. Our proposed fusion scheme contains different fusion methods for high and low frequency contents based on the coefficient characteristic of wrapping second generation of curvelet transform and a novel content selection strategy. Our proposed content selection strategy is defined based on sample correlation of the curvelet transform coefficients. In our proposed fuzzy-based fusion scheme, the selection of curvelet coefficients are optimized by applying weighted averaging and maximum selection rules for the high frequency coefficients. For low frequency coefficients, the maximum selection rule based on local energy criterion is applied to better visual perception. Our proposed fusion algorithm is evaluated on a perfect brain angiography image dataset consisting of one hundred 2-D internal carotid rotational angiography videos. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed fusion algorithm in comparison with common and basic fusion algorithms.

Detection methods for stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds: a unified treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, Joseph D.; Cornish, Neil. J.

2017-04-01

We review detection methods that are currently in use or have been proposed to search for a stochastic background of gravitational radiation. We consider both Bayesian and frequentist searches using ground-based and space-based laser interferometers, spacecraft Doppler tracking, and pulsar timing arrays; and we allow for anisotropy, non-Gaussianity, and non-standard polarization states. Our focus is on relevant data analysis issues, and not on the particular astrophysical or early Universe sources that might give rise to such backgrounds. We provide a unified treatment of these searches at the level of detector response functions, detection sensitivity curves, and, more generally, at the level of the likelihood function, since the choice of signal and noise models and prior probability distributions are actually what define the search. Pedagogical examples are given whenever possible to compare and contrast different approaches. We have tried to make the article as self-contained and comprehensive as possible, targeting graduate students and new researchers looking to enter this field.

Combined adaptive multiple subtraction based on optimized event tracing and extended wiener filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jun; Song, Peng; Li, Jinshan; Wang, Lei; Zhong, Mengxuan; Zhang, Xiaobo

2017-06-01

The surface-related multiple elimination (SRME) method is based on feedback formulation and has become one of the most preferred multiple suppression methods used. However, some differences are apparent between the predicted multiples and those in the source seismic records, which may result in conventional adaptive multiple subtraction methods being barely able to effectively suppress multiples in actual production. This paper introduces a combined adaptive multiple attenuation method based on the optimized event tracing technique and extended Wiener filtering. The method firstly uses multiple records predicted by SRME to generate a multiple velocity spectrum, then separates the original record to an approximate primary record and an approximate multiple record by applying the optimized event tracing method and short-time window FK filtering method. After applying the extended Wiener filtering method, residual multiples in the approximate primary record can then be eliminated and the damaged primary can be restored from the approximate multiple record. This method combines the advantages of multiple elimination based on the optimized event tracing method and the extended Wiener filtering technique. It is an ideal method for suppressing typical hyperbolic and other types of multiples, with the advantage of minimizing damage of the primary. Synthetic and field data tests show that this method produces better multiple elimination results than the traditional multi-channel Wiener filter method and is more suitable for multiple elimination in complicated geological areas.

[Design and development of the DSA digital subtraction workstation].

PubMed

Peng, Wen-Xian; Peng, Tian-Zhou; Xia, Shun-Ren; Jin, Guang-Bo

2008-05-01

According to the patient examination criterion and the demands of all related departments, the DSA digital subtraction workstation has been successfully designed and is introduced in this paper by analyzing the characteristic of video source of DSA which was manufactured by GE Company and has no DICOM standard interface. The workstation includes images-capturing gateway and post-processing software. With the developed workstation, all images from this early DSA equipment are transformed into DICOM format and then are shared in different machines.

Demonstration of an optical directed half-subtracter using integrated silicon photonic circuits.

PubMed

Liu, Zilong; Zhao, Yongpeng; Xiao, Huifu; Deng, Lin; Meng, Yinghao; Guo, Xiaonan; Liu, Guipeng; Tian, Yonghui; Yang, Jianhong

2018-04-01

An integrated silicon photonic circuit consisting of two silicon microring resonators (MRRs) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the purpose of half-subtraction operation. The thermo-optic modulation scheme is employed to modulate the MRRs due to its relatively simple fabrication process. The high and low levels of the electrical pulse signal are utilized to define logic 1 and 0 in the electrical domain, respectively, and the high and low levels of the optical power represent logic 1 and 0 in the optical domain, respectively. Two electrical pulse sequences regarded as the operands are applied to the corresponding micro-heaters fabricated on the top of the MRRs to achieve their dynamic modulations. The final operation results of bit-wise borrow and difference are obtained at their corresponding output ports in the form of light. At last, the subtraction operation of two bits with the operation speed of 10 kbps is demonstrated successfully.

Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory: Realtime Image Subtraction Pipeline

DOE PAGES

Cao, Yi; Nugent, Peter E.; Kasliwal, Mansi M.

2016-09-28

A fast-turnaround pipeline for realtime data reduction plays an essential role in discovering and permitting followup observations to young supernovae and fast-evolving transients in modern time-domain surveys. In this paper, we present the realtime image subtraction pipeline in the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory. By using highperformance computing, efficient databases, and machine-learning algorithms, this pipeline manages to reliably deliver transient candidates within 10 minutes of images being taken. Our experience in using high-performance computing resources to process big data in astronomy serves as a trailblazer to dealing with data from large-scale time-domain facilities in the near future.

Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory: Realtime Image Subtraction Pipeline

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, Yi; Nugent, Peter E.; Kasliwal, Mansi M.

A fast-turnaround pipeline for realtime data reduction plays an essential role in discovering and permitting followup observations to young supernovae and fast-evolving transients in modern time-domain surveys. In this paper, we present the realtime image subtraction pipeline in the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory. By using highperformance computing, efficient databases, and machine-learning algorithms, this pipeline manages to reliably deliver transient candidates within 10 minutes of images being taken. Our experience in using high-performance computing resources to process big data in astronomy serves as a trailblazer to dealing with data from large-scale time-domain facilities in the near future.

Modification of the background flow by roll vortices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirer, Hampton N.; Haack, Tracy

1990-01-01

Use of observed wind profiles, such as those obtained from ascent or descent aircraft soundings, for the identification of the expected roll modes is hindered by the fact that these modes are able to modify the wind profiles. When such modified wind profiles are utilized to estimate the critical values of the dynamic and thermodynamic forcing rates, large errors in the preferred orientation angles and aspect ratios of the rolls may result. Nonlinear analysis of a 14 coefficient spectral model of roll circulations shows that the primary modification of the background wind is the addition of a linear component. When the linear profile having the correct amount of shear is subtracted from the observed cross-roll winds, then the pre-roll wind profile can be estimated. A preliminary test of this hypothesis is given for a case in which cloud streets were observed during FIRE.

Entanglement evaluation of non-Gaussian states generated by photon subtraction from squeezed states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kitagawa, Akira; Takeoka, Masahiro; Sasaki, Masahide

2006-04-15

We consider the problem of evaluating the entanglement of non-Gaussian mixed states generated by photon subtraction from entangled squeezed states. The entanglement measures we use are the negativity and the logarithmic negativity. These measures possess the unusual property of being computable with linear algebra packages even for high-dimensional quantum systems. We numerically evaluate these measures for the non-Gaussian mixed states which are generated by photon subtraction with on/off photon detectors. The results are compared with the behavior of certain operational measures, namely the teleportation fidelity and the mutual information in the dense coding scheme. It is found that all ofmore » these results are mutually consistent, in the sense that whenever the enhancement is seen in terms of the operational measures, the negativity and the logarithmic negativity are also enhanced.« less

Inhibition of recombinase polymerase amplification by background DNA: a lateral flow-based method for enriching target DNA.

PubMed

Rohrman, Brittany; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca

2015-02-03

Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) may be used to detect a variety of pathogens, often after minimal sample preparation. However, previous work has shown that whole blood inhibits RPA. In this paper, we show that the concentrations of background DNA found in whole blood prevent the amplification of target DNA by RPA. First, using an HIV-1 RPA assay with known concentrations of nonspecific background DNA, we show that RPA tolerates more background DNA when higher HIV-1 target concentrations are present. Then, using three additional assays, we demonstrate that the maximum amount of background DNA that may be tolerated in RPA reactions depends on the DNA sequences used in the assay. We also show that changing the RPA reaction conditions, such as incubation time and primer concentration, has little effect on the ability of RPA to function when high concentrations of background DNA are present. Finally, we develop and characterize a lateral flow-based method for enriching the target DNA concentration relative to the background DNA concentration. This sample processing method enables RPA of 10(4) copies of HIV-1 DNA in a background of 0-14 μg of background DNA. Without lateral flow sample enrichment, the maximum amount of background DNA tolerated is 2 μg when 10(6) copies of HIV-1 DNA are present. This method requires no heating or other external equipment, may be integrated with upstream DNA extraction and purification processes, is compatible with the components of lysed blood, and has the potential to detect HIV-1 DNA in infant whole blood with high proviral loads.

Novel spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous determination of timolol and dorzolamide in their binary mixture.

PubMed

Lotfy, Hayam Mahmoud; Hegazy, Maha A; Rezk, Mamdouh R; Omran, Yasmin Rostom

2014-05-21

Two smart and novel spectrophotometric methods namely; absorbance subtraction (AS) and amplitude modulation (AM) were developed and validated for the determination of a binary mixture of timolol maleate (TIM) and dorzolamide hydrochloride (DOR) in presence of benzalkonium chloride without prior separation, using unified regression equation. Additionally, simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra were developed and validated for simultaneous determination of the binary mixture namely; simultaneous ratio subtraction (SRS), ratio difference (RD), ratio subtraction (RS) coupled with extended ratio subtraction (EXRS), constant multiplication method (CM) and mean centering of ratio spectra (MCR). The proposed spectrophotometric procedures do not require any separation steps. Accuracy, precision and linearity ranges of the proposed methods were determined and the specificity was assessed by analyzing synthetic mixtures of both drugs. They were applied to their pharmaceutical formulation and the results obtained were statistically compared to that of a reported spectrophotometric method. The statistical comparison showed that there is no significant difference between the proposed methods and the reported one regarding both accuracy and precision. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle.

PubMed

Torbeyns, Joke; Peters, Greet; De Smedt, Bert; Ghesquière, Pol; Verschaffel, Lieven

2016-09-01

In the last decades, children's understanding of mathematical principles has become an important research topic. Different from the commutativity and inversion principles, only few studies have focused on children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle (if a - b = c, then c + b = a), mainly relying on verbal techniques. This contribution aimed at deepening our understanding of children's knowledge of the addition/subtraction complement principle, combining verbal and non-verbal techniques. Participants were 67 third and fourth graders (9- to 10-year-olds). Children solved two tasks in which verbal reports as well as accuracy and speed data were collected. These two tasks differed only in the order of the problems and the instructions. In the looking-back task, children were told that sometimes the preceding problem might help to answer the next problem. In the baseline task, no helpful preceding items were offered. The looking-back task included 10 trigger-target problem pairs on the complement relation. Children verbally reported looking back on about 40% of all target problems in the looking-back task; the target problems were also solved faster and more accurately than in the baseline task. These results suggest that children used their understanding of the complement principle. The verbal and non-verbal data were highly correlated. This study complements previous work on children's understanding of mathematical principles by highlighting interindividual differences in 9- to 10-year-olds' understanding of the complement principle and indicating the potential of combining verbal and non-verbal techniques to investigate (the acquisition of) this understanding. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

[Affine transformation-based automatic registration for peripheral digital subtraction angiography (DSA)].

PubMed

Kong, Gang; Dai, Dao-Qing; Zou, Lu-Min

2008-07-01

In order to remove the artifacts of peripheral digital subtraction angiography (DSA), an affine transformation-based automatic image registration algorithm is introduced here. The whole process is described as follows: First, rectangle feature templates are constructed with their centers of the extracted Harris corners in the mask, and motion vectors of the central feature points are estimated using template matching technology with the similarity measure of maximum histogram energy. And then the optimal parameters of the affine transformation are calculated with the matrix singular value decomposition (SVD) method. Finally, bilinear intensity interpolation is taken to the mask according to the specific affine transformation. More than 30 peripheral DSA registrations are performed with the presented algorithm, and as the result, moving artifacts of the images are removed with sub-pixel precision, and the time consumption is less enough to satisfy the clinical requirements. Experimental results show the efficiency and robustness of the algorithm.

Clinical use of the ABO-Scoring Index: reliability and subtraction frequency.

PubMed

Lieber, William S; Carlson, Sean K; Baumrind, Sheldon; Poulton, Donald R

2003-10-01

This study tested the reliability and subtraction frequency of the study model-scoring system of the American Board of Orthodontists (ABO). We used a sample of 36 posttreatment study models that were selected randomly from six different orthodontic offices. Intrajudge and interjudge reliability was calculated using nonparametric statistics (Spearman rank coefficient, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney tests). We found differences ranging from 3 to 6 subtraction points (total score) for intrajudge scoring between two sessions. For overall total ABO score, the average correlation was .77. Intrajudge correlation was greatest for occlusal relationships and least for interproximal contacts. Interjudge correlation for ABO score averaged r = .85. Correlation was greatest for buccolingual inclination and least for overjet. The data show that some judges, on average, were much more lenient than others and that this resulted in a range of total scores between 19.7 and 27.5. Most of the deductions were found in the buccal segments and most were related to the second molars. We present these findings in the context of clinicians preparing for the ABO phase III examination and for orthodontists in their ongoing evaluation of clinical results.

Work and information from thermal states after subtraction of energy quanta.

PubMed

Hloušek, J; Ježek, M; Filip, R

2017-10-12

Quantum oscillators prepared out of thermal equilibrium can be used to produce work and transmit information. By intensive cooling of a single oscillator, its thermal energy deterministically dissipates to a colder environment, and the oscillator substantially reduces its entropy. This out-of-equilibrium state allows us to obtain work and to carry information. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an advanced approach, conditionally preparing more efficient out-of-equilibrium states only by a weak dissipation, an inefficient quantum measurement of the dissipated thermal energy, and subsequent triggering of that states. Although it conditionally subtracts the energy quanta from the oscillator, average energy grows, and second-order correlation function approaches unity as by coherent external driving. On the other hand, the Fano factor remains constant and the entropy of the subtracted state increases, which raise doubts about a possible application of this approach. To resolve it, we predict and experimentally verify that both available work and transmitted information can be conditionally higher in this case than by arbitrary cooling or adequate thermal heating up to the same average energy. It qualifies the conditional procedure as a useful source for experiments in quantum information and thermodynamics.

Image Subtraction Reduction of Open Clusters M35 & NGC 2158 in the K2 Campaign 0 Super Stamps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soares-Furtado, M.; Hartman, J. D.; Bakos, G. Á.; Huang, C. X.; Penev, K.; Bhatti, W.

2017-04-01

We observed the open clusters M35 and NGC 2158 during the initial K2 campaign (C0). Reducing these data to high-precision photometric timeseries is challenging due to the wide point-spread function (PSF) and the blending of stellar light in such dense regions. We developed an image-subtraction-based K2 reduction pipeline that is applicable to both crowded and sparse stellar fields. We applied our pipeline to the data-rich C0 K2 super stamp, containing the two open clusters, as well as to the neighboring postage stamps. In this paper, we present our image subtraction reduction pipeline and demonstrate that this technique achieves ultra-high photometric precision for sources in the C0 super stamp. We extract the raw light curves of 3960 stars taken from the UCAC4 and EPIC catalogs and de-trend them for systematic effects. We compare our photometric results with the prior reductions published in the literature. For de-trended TFA-corrected sources in the 12-12.25 {{{K}}}{{p}} magnitude range, we achieve a best 6.5-hour window running rms of 35 ppm, falling to 100 ppm for fainter stars in the 14-14.25 {{{K}}}{{p}} magnitude range. For stars with {K}p> 14, our de-trended and 6.5-hour binned light curves achieve the highest photometric precision. Moreover, all our TFA-corrected sources have higher precision on all timescales investigated. This work represents the first published image subtraction analysis of a K2 super stamp. This method will be particularly useful for analyzing the Galactic bulge observations carried out during K2 campaign 9. The raw light curves and the final results of our de-trending processes are publicly available at http://k2.hatsurveys.org/archive/.

Identification of floral genes for sex determination in Calamus palustris Griff. by using suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Ng, C Y; Wickneswari, R; Choong, C Y

2014-08-07

Calamus palustris Griff. is an economically important dioecious rattan species in Southeast Asia. However, dioecy and onset of flowering at 3-4 years old render uncertainties in desired female:male seedling ratios to establish a productive seed orchard for this rattan species. We constructed a subtractive library for male floral tissue to understand the genetic mechanism for gender determination in C. palustris. The subtractive library produced 1536 clones with 1419 clones of high quality. Reverse Northern screening showed 313 clones with differential expression, and sequence analyses clustered them into 205 unigenes, including 32 contigs and 173 singletons. The subtractive library was further validated with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Homology identification classified the unigenes into 12 putative functional proteins with 83% unigenes showing significant match to proteins in databases. Functional annotations of these unigenes revealed genes involved in male flower development, including MADS-box genes, pollen-related genes, phytohormones for flower development, and male flower organ development. Our results showed that the male floral genes may play a vital role in sex determination in C. palustris. The identified genes can be exploited to understand the molecular basis of sex determination in C. palustris.

Evaluation of the morphology structure of meibomian glands based on mask dodging method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Huangping; Zuo, Yingbo; Chen, Yisha; Chen, Yanping

2016-10-01

Low contrast and non-uniform illumination of infrared (IR) meibography images make the detection of meibomian glands challengeable. An improved Mask dodging algorithm is proposed. To overcome the shortage of low contrast using traditional Mask dodging method, a scale factor is used to enhance the image after subtracting background image from an original one. Meibomian glands are detected and the ratio of the meibomian gland area to the measurement area is calculated. The results show that the improved Mask algorithm has ideal dodging effect, which can eliminate non-uniform illumination and improve contrast of meibography images effectively.

A novel background field removal method for MRI using projection onto dipole fields (PDF).

PubMed

Liu, Tian; Khalidov, Ildar; de Rochefort, Ludovic; Spincemaille, Pascal; Liu, Jing; Tsiouris, A John; Wang, Yi

2011-11-01

For optimal image quality in susceptibility-weighted imaging and accurate quantification of susceptibility, it is necessary to isolate the local field generated by local magnetic sources (such as iron) from the background field that arises from imperfect shimming and variations in magnetic susceptibility of surrounding tissues (including air). Previous background removal techniques have limited effectiveness depending on the accuracy of model assumptions or information input. In this article, we report an observation that the magnetic field for a dipole outside a given region of interest (ROI) is approximately orthogonal to the magnetic field of a dipole inside the ROI. Accordingly, we propose a nonparametric background field removal technique based on projection onto dipole fields (PDF). In this PDF technique, the background field inside an ROI is decomposed into a field originating from dipoles outside the ROI using the projection theorem in Hilbert space. This novel PDF background removal technique was validated on a numerical simulation and a phantom experiment and was applied in human brain imaging, demonstrating substantial improvement in background field removal compared with the commonly used high-pass filtering method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Monte Carlo simulation study of an improved K-edge log-subtraction X-ray imaging using a photon counting CdTe detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Youngjin; Lee, Amy Candy; Kim, Hee-Joung

2016-09-01

Recently, significant effort has been spent on the development of photons counting detector (PCD) based on a CdTe for applications in X-ray imaging system. The motivation of developing PCDs is higher image quality. Especially, the K-edge subtraction (KES) imaging technique using a PCD is able to improve image quality and useful for increasing the contrast resolution of a target material by utilizing contrast agent. Based on above-mentioned technique, we presented an idea for an improved K-edge log-subtraction (KELS) imaging technique. The KELS imaging technique based on the PCDs can be realized by using different subtraction energy width of the energy window. In this study, the effects of the KELS imaging technique and subtraction energy width of the energy window was investigated with respect to the contrast, standard deviation, and CNR with a Monte Carlo simulation. We simulated the PCD X-ray imaging system based on a CdTe and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) phantom which consists of the various iodine contrast agents. To acquired KELS images, images of the phantom using above and below the iodine contrast agent K-edge absorption energy (33.2 keV) have been acquired at different energy range. According to the results, the contrast and standard deviation were decreased, when subtraction energy width of the energy window is increased. Also, the CNR using a KELS imaging technique is higher than that of the images acquired by using whole energy range. Especially, the maximum differences of CNR between whole energy range and KELS images using a 1, 2, and 3 mm diameter iodine contrast agent were acquired 11.33, 8.73, and 8.29 times, respectively. Additionally, the optimum subtraction energy width of the energy window can be acquired at 5, 4, and 3 keV for the 1, 2, and 3 mm diameter iodine contrast agent, respectively. In conclusion, we successfully established an improved KELS imaging technique and optimized subtraction energy width of the energy window, and based on

The Anisotropy of the Microwave Background to l=3500: Mosaic Observations with the Cosmic Background Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearson, T. J.; Mason, B. S.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Shepherd, M. C.; Sievers, J. L.; Udomprasert, P. S.; Cartwright, J. K.; Farmer, A. J.; Padin, S.; Myers, S. T.;

Tomographic digital subtraction angiography for lung perfusion estimation in rodents.

PubMed

Badea, Cristian T; Hedlund, Laurence W; De Lin, Ming; Mackel, Julie S Boslego; Samei, Ehsan; Johnson, G Allan

2007-05-01

In vivo measurements of perfusion present a challenge to existing small animal imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance microscopy, micro computed tomography, micro positron emission tomography, and microSPECT, due to combined requirements for high spatial and temporal resolution. We demonstrate the use of tomographic digital subtraction angiography (TDSA) for estimation of perfusion in small animals. TDSA augments conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) by providing three-dimensional spatial information using tomosynthesis algorithms. TDSA is based on the novel paradigm that the same time density curves can be reproduced in a number of consecutive injections of microL volumes of contrast at a series of different angles of rotation. The capabilities of TDSA are established in studies on lung perfusion in rats. Using an imaging system developed in-house, we acquired data for four-dimensional (4D) imaging with temporal resolution of 140 ms, in-plane spatial resolution of 100 microm, and slice thickness on the order of millimeters. Based on a structured experimental approach, we optimized TDSA imaging providing a good trade-off between slice thickness, the number of injections, contrast to noise, and immunity to artifacts. Both DSA and TDSA images were used to create parametric maps of perfusion. TDSA imaging has potential application in a number of areas where functional perfusion measurements in 4D can provide valuable insight into animal models of disease and response to therapeutics.

The Australia Telescope search for cosmic microwave background anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Kesteven, Michael J.; Ekers, Ronald D.; Sinclair, Malcolm; Silk, Joseph

1998-08-01

In an attempt to detect cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy on arcmin scales, we have made an 8.7-GHz image of a sky region with a resolution of 2 arcmin and high surface brightness sensitivity using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in an ultracompact configuration. The foreground discrete-source confusion was estimated from observations with higher resolution at the same frequency and in a scaled array at a lower frequency. Following the subtraction of the foreground confusion, the field shows no features in excess of the instrument noise. This limits the CMB anisotropy flat-band power to Q_flat<23.6muK with 95 per cent confidence; the ATCA filter function (which is available at the website www.atnf.csiro.au/Research/cmbr/cmbr_atca.html) F_l in multipole l-space peaks at l_eff=4700 and has half-maximum values at l=3350 and 6050.

Polarization independent subtractive color printing based on ultrathin hexagonal nanodisk-nanohole hybrid structure arrays.

PubMed

Zhao, Jiancun; Yu, Xiaochang; Yang, Xiaoming; Xiang, Quan; Duan, Huigao; Yu, Yiting

2017-09-18

Structural color printing based on plasmonic metasurfaces has been recognized as a promising alternative to the conventional dye colorants, though the color brightness and polarization tolerance are still a great challenge for practical applications. In this work, we report a novel plasmonic metasurface for subtractive color printing employing the ultrathin hexagonal nanodisk-nanohole hybrid structure arrays. Through both the experimental and numerical investigations, the subtractive color thus generated taking advantages of extraordinary low transmission (ELT) exhibits high brightness, polarization independence and wide color tunability by varying key geometrical parameters. In addition, other regular patterns including square, pentagonal and circular shapes are also surveyed, and reveal a high color brightness, wide gamut and polarization independence as well. These results indicate that the demonstrated plasmonic metasurface has various potential applications in high-definition displays, high-density optical data storage, imaging and filtering technologies.

Background contamination by coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in trace level high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) analytical procedures.

PubMed

Ferrario, J; Byrne, C; Dupuy, A E

1997-06-01

The addition of the "dioxin-like" polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to the assessment of risk associated with the 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted dioxins and furans has dramatically increased the number of laboratories worldwide that are developing analytical procedures for their detection and quantitation. Most of these procedures are based on established sample preparation and analytical techniques employing high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS), which are used for the analyses of dioxin/furans at low parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels. A significant and widespread problem that arises when using these sample preparation procedures for the analysis of coplanar PCBs is the presence of background levels of these congeners. Industrial processes, urban incineration, leaking electrical transformers, hazardous waste accidents, and improper waste disposal practices have released appreciable quantities of PCBs into the environment. This contamination has resulted in the global distribution of these compounds via the atmosphere and their ubiquitous presence in ambient air. The background presence of these compounds in method blanks must be addressed when determining the exact concentrations of these and other congeners in environmental samples. In this study reliable procedures were developed to accurately define these background levels and assess their variability over the course of the study. The background subtraction procedures developed and employed increase the probability that the values reported accurately represent the concentrations found in the samples and were not biased due to this background contamination.

Background contamination by coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in trace level high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) analytical procedures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrario, J.; Byrne, C.; Dupuy, A. E. Jr

1997-01-01

The addition of the "dioxin-like" polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to the assessment of risk associated with the 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted dioxins and furans has dramatically increased the number of laboratories worldwide that are developing analytical procedures for their detection and quantitation. Most of these procedures are based on established sample preparation and analytical techniques employing high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS), which are used for the analyses of dioxin/furans at low parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels. A significant and widespread problem that arises when using these sample preparation procedures for the analysis of coplanar PCBs is the presence of background levels of these congeners. Industrial processes, urban incineration, leaking electrical transformers, hazardous waste accidents, and improper waste disposal practices have released appreciable quantities of PCBs into the environment. This contamination has resulted in the global distribution of these compounds via the atmosphere and their ubiquitous presence in ambient air. The background presence of these compounds in method blanks must be addressed when determining the exact concentrations of these and other congeners in environmental samples. In this study reliable procedures were developed to accurately define these background levels and assess their variability over the course of the study. The background subtraction procedures developed and employed increase the probability that the values reported accurately represent the concentrations found in the samples and were not biased due to this background contamination.

NNLO jet cross sections by subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somogyi, G.; Bolzoni, P.; Trócsányi, Z.

2010-08-01

We report on the computation of a class of integrals that appear when integrating the so-called iterated singly-unresolved approximate cross section of the NNLO subtraction scheme of Refs. [G. Somogyi, Z. Trócsányi, and V. Del Duca, JHEP 06, 024 (2005), arXiv:hep-ph/0502226; G. Somogyi and Z. Trócsányi, (2006), arXiv:hep-ph/0609041; G. Somogyi, Z. Trócsányi, and V. Del Duca, JHEP 01, 070 (2007), arXiv:hep-ph/0609042; G. Somogyi and Z. Trócsányi, JHEP 01, 052 (2007), arXiv:hep-ph/0609043] over the factorised phase space of unresolved partons. The integrated approximate cross section itself can be written as the product of an insertion operator (in colour space) times the Born cross section. We give selected results for the insertion operator for processes with two and three hard partons in the final state.

Multi person detection and tracking based on hierarchical level-set method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khraief, Chadia; Benzarti, Faouzi; Amiri, Hamid

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose an efficient unsupervised method for mutli-person tracking based on hierarchical level-set approach. The proposed method uses both edge and region information in order to effectively detect objects. The persons are tracked on each frame of the sequence by minimizing an energy functional that combines color, texture and shape information. These features are enrolled in covariance matrix as region descriptor. The present method is fully automated without the need to manually specify the initial contour of Level-set. It is based on combined person detection and background subtraction methods. The edge-based is employed to maintain a stable evolution, guide the segmentation towards apparent boundaries and inhibit regions fusion. The computational cost of level-set is reduced by using narrow band technique. Many experimental results are performed on challenging video sequences and show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Improvement of the diagnostic accuracy of MRA with subtraction technique in cerebral vasospasm.

PubMed

Hamaguchi, Akiyoshi; Fujima, Noriyuki; Yoshida, Daisuke; Hamaguchi, Naoko; Kodera, Shuichi

2014-01-01

Vasospasm has been considered the most severe acute complication after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). MRA is not considered ideal for detecting cerebral vasospasm because of background including the hemorrhage. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Subtraction MRA (SMRA) by comparing it to that of conventional MRA (CMRA) for diagnosis of cerebral vasospasm. Arteries were assigned to one of three categories based on the degree of MRA diagnostic quality of vasospasm (quality score): 0, bad … 2, good. Furthermore each artery was assigned to one of four categories based on the degree of vasospasm severity (SV score): 0, no vasospasm … 3, severe. The value of the difference between DSA-SV score and MRA-SV score was defined as the DIF score. CMRA and SMRA were compared for each arterial region with regard to quality score and DIF score. The average CMRA and SMRA quality score were 1.46 and 1.79; the difference was statistically significant. The average CMRA and SMRA DIF score were 1.08 and .60; the difference was statistically significant. Diagnosis of cerebral vasospasm is more accurate by SMRA than by CMRA. The advantages are its noninvasive nature and its ability to detect cerebral vasospasm. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

Geometrical accuracy of metallic objects produced with additive or subtractive manufacturing: A comparative in vitro study.

PubMed

Braian, Michael; Jönsson, David; Kevci, Mir; Wennerberg, Ann

2018-07-01

To evaluate the accuracy and precision of objects produced by additive manufacturing systems (AM) for use in dentistry and to compare with subtractive manufacturing systems (SM). Ten specimens of two geometrical objects were produced by five different AM machines and one SM machine. Object A mimics an inlay-shaped object, while object B imitates a four-unit bridge model. All the objects were sorted into different measurement dimensions (x, y, z), linear distances, angles and corner radius. None of the additive manufacturing or subtractive manufacturing groups presented a perfect match to the CAD file with regard to all parameters included in the present study. Considering linear measurements, the precision for subtractive manufacturing group was consistent in all axes for object A, presenting results of <0.050mm. The additive manufacturing groups had consistent precision in the x-axis and y-axis but not in the z-axis. With regard to corner radius measurements, the SM group had the best overall accuracy and precision for both objects A and B when compared to the AM groups. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the conclusion can be made that subtractive manufacturing presented overall precision on all measurements below 0.050mm. The AM machines also presented fairly good precision, <0.150mm, on all axes except for the z-axis. Knowledge regarding accuracy and precision for different production techniques utilized in dentistry is of great clinical importance. The dental community has moved from casting to milling and additive techniques are now being implemented. Thus all these production techniques need to be tested, compared and validated. Copyright © 2018 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Raman background photobleaching as a possible method of cancer diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Nikolai N.; Brandt, Nikolai B.; Chikishev, Andrey Y.; Gangardt, Mihail G.; Karyakina, Nina F.

2001-06-01

Kinetics of photobleaching of background in Raman spectra of aqueous solutions of plant toxins ricin and ricin agglutinin, ricin binding subunit, and normal and malignant human blood serum were measured. For the excitation of the spectra cw and pulsed laser radiation were used. The spectra of Raman background change upon laser irradiation. Background intensity is lower for the samples with small molecular weight. The cyclization of amino acid residues in the toxin molecules as well as in human blood serum can be a reason of the Raman background. The model of the background photobleaching is proposed. The differences in photobleaching kinetics in the cases of cw and pulsed laser radiation are discussed. It is shown that Raman background photobleaching can be very informative for cancer diagnostics.

Addition and subtraction by students with Down syndrome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda Herrera, Aurelia; Bruno, Alicia; González, Carina; Moreno, Lorenzo; Sanabria, Hilda

2011-01-01

We present a research report on addition and subtraction conducted with Down syndrome students between the ages of 12 and 31. We interviewed a group of students with Down syndrome who executed algorithms and solved problems using specific materials and paper and pencil. The results show that students with Down syndrome progress through the same procedural levels as those without disabilities though they have difficulties in reaching the most abstract level (numerical facts). The use of fingers or concrete representations (balls) appears as a fundamental process among these students. As for errors, these vary widely depending on the students, and can be attributed mostly to an incomplete knowledge of the decimal number system.

Reconstructing Emission from Pre-Reionization Sources with Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuation Measurements by the JWST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashlinsky, A.; Mather, J. C.; Helgason, K.; Arendt, R. G.; Bromm, V.; Moseley, S. H.

2015-01-01

We present new methodology to use cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations to probe sources at 10 less than or approx. equal to z less than or approx. equal to 30 from a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRCam configuration that will isolate known galaxies to 28 AB mag at 0.55 m. At present significant mutually consistent source-subtracted CIB fluctuations have been identified in the Spitzer and AKARI data at 25 m, but we demonstrate internal inconsistencies at shorter wavelengths in the recent CIBER data. We evaluate CIB contributions from remaining galaxies and show that the bulk of the high-z sources will be in the confusion noise of the NIRCam beam, requiring CIB studies. The accurate measurement of the angular spectrum of the fluctuations and probing the dependence of its clustering component on the remaining shot noise power would discriminate between the various currently proposed models for their origin and probe the flux distribution of its sources. We show that the contribution to CIB fluctuations from remaining galaxies is large at visible wavelengths for the current instruments precluding probing the putative Lyman-break of the CIB fluctuations. We demonstrate that with the proposed JWST configuration such measurements will enable probing the Lyman-break. We develop a Lyman-break tomography method to use the NIRCam wavelength coverage to identify or constrain, via the adjacent two-band subtraction, the history of emissions over 10 less than or approx. equal to z less than or approx. equal to 30 as the universe comes out of the Dark Ages. We apply the proposed tomography to the current SpitzerIRAC measurements at 3.6 and 4.5 m, to find that it already leads to interestingly low upper limit on emissions at z greater than or approx. equal to 30.

Pedicle subtraction osteotomy and disc resection with cage placement in post-traumatic thoracolumbar kyphosis, a retrospective study.

PubMed

Hu, Wenhao; Wang, Bin; Run, Hongyu; Zhang, Xuesong; Wang, Yan

2016-10-12

It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 individuals suffer traumatic fracture of the spine each year, and the instability of the fractured vertebra and/or the local deformity results in pain and, if kyphosis increases, neurological impairment can occur. There is a significant controversy over the ideal management. The purpose of the study is to present clinical and radiographic results of pedicle subtraction osteotomy and disc resection with cage placement in correcting post-traumatic thoracolumbar kyphosis. From May 2010 to May 2013, 46 consecutive patients experiencing post-traumatic thoracolumbar kyphosis underwent the technique of one-stage pedicle subtraction osteotomy and disc resection with cage placement and long-segment fixation. Pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and sagittal Cobb angle were measured to evaluate the sagittal balance. Oswestry disability index (ODI), visual analog scale (VAS), and general complications were recorded. The average surgical time was 260 min (240-320 min). The mean intraoperative blood loss was 643 ml (400-1200 ml). The maximum correction angle was 58° with an average of 47°, and the SVA improved from +10.7 ± 3.5 cm (+7.2 to + 17.1 cm) to +4.1 ± 2.7 cm (+3.2 to + 7.6 cm) at final follow-up (p < 0.01). PT reduced from preoperative 27.2 ± 5.3° to postoperative 15.2 ± 4.7° (p < 0.01). The VAS changed from preoperative 7.8 ± 1.6 (5.0-9.0) to 3.2 ± 1.8 (2.0-5.0) (p < 0.01). Clinical symptoms and neurological function were significantly improved at the final follow-up. All patients completed follow-up of 41 months on average. Pedicle subtraction osteotomy and disc resection with cage placement and long-segment fixation are effective and safe methods to treat thoracolumbar post-traumatic kyphosis.

Retrievals of Thick Cloud Optical Depth from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) by Calibration of Solar Background Signal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, Yuekui; Marshak, Alexander; Chiu, J. Christine; Wiscombe, Warren J.; Palm, Stephen P.; Davis, Anthony B.; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Nguyen, Louis; Spinhirne, James D.; Minnis, Patrick

2008-01-01

Laser beams emitted from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), as well as other space-borne laser instruments, can only penetrate clouds to a limit of a few optical depths. As a result, only optical depths of thinner clouds (< about 3 for GLAS) are retrieved from the reflected lidar signal. This paper presents a comprehensive study of possible retrievals of optical depth of thick clouds using solar background light and treating GLAS as a solar radiometer. To do so we first calibrate the reflected solar radiation received by the photon-counting detectors of GLAS' 532 nm channel, which is the primary channel for atmospheric products. The solar background radiation is regarded as a noise to be subtracted in the retrieval process of the lidar products. However, once calibrated, it becomes a signal that can be used in studying the properties of optically thick clouds. In this paper, three calibration methods are presented: (I) calibration with coincident airborne and GLAS observations; (2) calibration with coincident Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and GLAS observations of deep convective clouds; (3) calibration from the first principles using optical depth of thin water clouds over ocean retrieved by GLAS active remote sensing. Results from the three methods agree well with each other. Cloud optical depth (COD) is retrieved from the calibrated solar background signal using a one-channel retrieval. Comparison with COD retrieved from GOES during GLAS overpasses shows that the average difference between the two retrievals is 24%. As an example, the COD values retrieved from GLAS solar background are illustrated for a marine stratocumulus cloud field that is too thick to be penetrated by the GLAS laser. Based on this study, optical depths for thick clouds will be provided as a supplementary product to the existing operational GLAS cloud products in future GLAS data releases.

Adults' understanding of inversion concepts: how does performance on addition and subtraction inversion problems compare to performance on multiplication and division inversion problems?

PubMed

Robinson, Katherine M; Ninowski, Jerilyn E

2003-12-01

Problems of the form a + b - b have been used to assess conceptual understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction. No study has investigated the same relationship between multiplication and division on problems of the form d x e / e. In both types of inversion problems, no calculation is required if the inverse relationship between the operations is understood. Adult participants solved addition/subtraction and multiplication/division inversion (e.g., 9 x 22 / 22) and standard (e.g., 2 + 27 - 28) problems. Participants started to use the inversion strategy earlier and more frequently on addition/subtraction problems. Participants took longer to solve both types of multiplication/division problems. Overall, conceptual understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division was not as strong as that between addition and subtraction. One explanation for this difference in performance is that the operation of division is more weakly represented and understood than the other operations and that this weakness affects performance on problems of the form d x e / e.

Identification of cadmium-induced Agaricus blazei genes through suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Wang, Liling; Li, Haibo; Wei, Hailong; Wu, Xueqian; Ke, Leqin

2014-01-01

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most serious environmental pollutants. Filamentous fungi are very promising organisms for controlling and reducing the amount of heavy metals released by human and industrial activities. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in Cd accumulation and tolerance of filamentous fungi are not fully understood. Agaricus blazei Murrill, an edible mushroom with medicinal properties, demonstrates high tolerance for heavy metals, especially Cd. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of A. blazei after Cd exposure, we constructed a forward subtractive library that represents cadmium-induced genes in A. blazei under 4 ppm Cd stress for 14 days using suppression subtractive hybridization combined with mirror orientation selection. Differential screening allowed us to identify 39 upregulated genes, 26 of which are involved in metabolism, protein fate, cellular transport, transport facilitation and transport routes, cell rescue, defense and virulence, transcription, and the action of proteins with a binding function, and 13 are encoding hypothetical proteins with unknown functions. Induction of six A. blazei genes after Cd exposure was further confirmed by RT-qPCR. The cDNAs isolated in this study contribute to our understanding of genes involved in the biochemical pathways that participate in the response of filamentous fungi to Cd exposure. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching Students with Cognitive Impairment Chained Mathematical Task of Decimal Subtraction Using Simultaneous Prompting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Shaila; Kane, Martha T.

2009-01-01

This study assessed effectiveness of simultaneous prompting procedure in teaching two middle school students with cognitive impairment decimal subtraction using regrouping. A multiple baseline, multiple probe design replicated across subjects successfully taught two students with cognitive impairment at middle school level decimal subtraction…

A posteriori registration and subtraction of periapical radiographs for the evaluation of external apical root resorption after orthodontic treatment

PubMed Central

Chibinski, Ana Cláudia; Coelho, Ulisses; Wambier, Letícia Stadler; Zedebski, Rosário de Arruda Moura; de Moraes, Mari Eli Leonelli; de Moraes, Luiz Cesar

2016-01-01

Purpose This study employed a posteriori registration and subtraction of radiographic images to quantify the apical root resorption in maxillary permanent central incisors after orthodontic treatment, and assessed whether the external apical root resorption (EARR) was related to a range of parameters involved in the treatment. Materials and Methods A sample of 79 patients (mean age, 13.5±2.2 years) with no history of trauma or endodontic treatment of the maxillary permanent central incisors was selected. Periapical radiographs taken before and after orthodontic treatment were digitized and imported to the Regeemy software. Based on an analysis of the posttreatment radiographs, the length of the incisors was measured using Image J software. The mean EARR was described in pixels and relative root resorption (%). The patient's age and gender, tooth extraction, use of elastics, and treatment duration were evaluated to identify possible correlations with EARR. Results The mean EARR observed was 15.44±12.1 pixels (5.1% resorption). No differences in the mean EARR were observed according to patient characteristics (gender, age) or treatment parameters (use of elastics, treatment duration). The only parameter that influenced the mean EARR of a patient was the need for tooth extraction. Conclusion A posteriori registration and subtraction of periapical radiographs was a suitable method to quantify EARR after orthodontic treatment, and the need for tooth extraction increased the extent of root resorption after orthodontic treatment. PMID:27051635

In Vivo Small Animal Imaging using Micro-CT and Digital Subtraction Angiography

PubMed Central

Badea, C.T.; Drangova, M.; Holdsworth, D.W.; Johnson, G.A.

2009-01-01

Small animal imaging has a critical role in phenotyping, drug discovery, and in providing a basic understanding of mechanisms of disease. Translating imaging methods from humans to small animals is not an easy task. The purpose of this work is to review in vivo X-ray based small animal imaging, with a focus on in vivo micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). We present the principles, technologies, image quality parameters and types of applications. We show that both methods can be used not only to provide morphological, but also functional information, such as cardiac function estimation or perfusion. Compared to other modalities, x-ray based imaging is usually regarded as being able to provide higher throughput at lower cost and adequate resolution. The limitations are usually associated with the relatively poor contrast mechanisms and potential radiation damage due to ionizing radiation, although the use of contrast agents and careful design of studies can address these limitations. We hope that the information will effectively address how x-ray based imaging can be exploited for successful in vivo preclinical imaging. PMID:18758005

A method for semi-automatic segmentation and evaluation of intracranial aneurysms in bone-subtraction computed tomography angiography (BSCTA) images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krämer, Susanne; Ditt, Hendrik; Biermann, Christina; Lell, Michael; Keller, Jörg

2009-02-01

The rupture of an intracranial aneurysm has dramatic consequences for the patient. Hence early detection of unruptured aneurysms is of paramount importance. Bone-subtraction computed tomography angiography (BSCTA) has proven to be a powerful tool for detection of aneurysms in particular those located close to the skull base. Most aneurysms though are chance findings in BSCTA scans performed for other reasons. Therefore it is highly desirable to have techniques operating on standard BSCTA scans available which assist radiologists and surgeons in evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. In this paper we present a semi-automatic method for segmentation and assessment of intracranial aneurysms. The only user-interaction required is placement of a marker into the vascular malformation. Termination ensues automatically as soon as the segmentation reaches the vessels which feed the aneurysm. The algorithm is derived from an adaptive region-growing which employs a growth gradient as criterion for termination. Based on this segmentation values of high clinical and prognostic significance, such as volume, minimum and maximum diameter as well as surface of the aneurysm, are calculated automatically. the segmentation itself as well as the calculated diameters are visualised. Further segmentation of the adjoining vessels provides the means for visualisation of the topographical situation of vascular structures associated to the aneurysm. A stereolithographic mesh (STL) can be derived from the surface of the segmented volume. STL together with parameters like the resiliency of vascular wall tissue provide for an accurate wall model of the aneurysm and its associated vascular structures. Consequently the haemodynamic situation in the aneurysm itself and close to it can be assessed by flow modelling. Significant values of haemodynamics such as pressure onto the vascular wall, wall shear stress or pathlines of the blood flow can be computed. Additionally a dynamic flow model can be

How number line estimation skills relate to neural activations in single digit subtraction problems

PubMed Central

Berteletti, I.; Man, G.; Booth, J.R.

2014-01-01

The Number Line (NL) task requires judging the relative numerical magnitude of a number and estimating its value spatially on a continuous line. Children's skill on this task has been shown to correlate with and predict future mathematical competence. Neurofunctionally, this task has been shown to rely on brain regions involved in numerical processing. However, there is no direct evidence that performance on the NL task is related to brain areas recruited during arithmetical processing and that these areas are domain-specific to numerical processing. In this study, we test whether 8- to 14-year-old's behavioral performance on the NL task is related to fMRI activation during small and large single-digit subtraction problems. Domain-specific areas for numerical processing were independently localized through a numerosity judgment task. Results show a direct relation between NL estimation performance and the amount of the activation in key areas for arithmetical processing. Better NL estimators showed a larger problem size effect than poorer NL estimators in numerical magnitude (i.e., intraparietal sulcus) and visuospatial areas (i.e., posterior superior parietal lobules), marked by less activation for small problems. In addition, the direction of the activation with problem size within the IPS was associated to differences in accuracies for small subtraction problems. This study is the first to show that performance in the NL task, i.e. estimating the spatial position of a number on an interval, correlates with brain activity observed during single-digit subtraction problem in regions thought to be involved numerical magnitude and spatial processes. PMID:25497398

Research on infrared ship detection method in sea-sky background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Da; Sun, Gang; Wang, Ding-he; Niu, Zhao-dong; Chen, Zeng-ping

2013-09-01

An approach to infrared ship detection based on sea-sky-line(SSL) detection, ROI extraction and feature recognition is proposed in this paper. Firstly, considering that far ships are expected to be adjacent to the SSL, SSL is detected to find potential target areas. Radon transform is performed on gradient image to choose candidate SSLs, and detection result is given by fuzzy synthetic evaluation values. Secondly, in view of recognizable condition that there should be enough differences between target and background in infrared image, two gradient masks have been created and improved as practical guidelines in eliminating false alarm. Thirdly, extract ROI near the SSL by using multi-grade segmentation and fusion method after image sharpening, and unsuitable candidates are screened out according to the gradient masks and ROI shape. Finally, we segment the rest of ROIs by two-stage modified OTSU, and calculate target confidence as a standard measuring the facticity of target. Compared with other ship detection methods, proposed method is suitable for bipolar targets, which offers a good practicability and accuracy, and achieves a satisfying detection speed. Detection experiments with 200 thousand frames show that the proposed method is widely applicable, powerful in resistance to interferences and noises with a detection rate of above 95%, which satisfies the engineering needs commendably.

Accurate phase extraction algorithm based on Gram–Schmidt orthonormalization and least square ellipse fitting method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Hebing; Yao, Yong; Liu, Haopeng; Tian, Yiting; Yang, Yanfu; Gu, Yinglong

2018-06-01

An accurate algorithm by combing Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization and least square ellipse fitting technology is proposed, which could be used for phase extraction from two or three interferograms. The DC term of background intensity is suppressed by subtraction operation on three interferograms or by high-pass filter on two interferograms. Performing Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization on pre-processing interferograms, the phase shift error is corrected and a general ellipse form is derived. Then the background intensity error and the corrected error could be compensated by least square ellipse fitting method. Finally, the phase could be extracted rapidly. The algorithm could cope with the two or three interferograms with environmental disturbance, low fringe number or small phase shifts. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are verified by both of the numerical simulations and experiments.

Suspended liquid subtractive lithography: printing three dimensional channels directly into uncured PDMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helmer, D.; Voigt, A.; Wagner, S.; Keller, N.; Sachsenheimer, K.; Kotz, F.; Nargang, T. M.; Rapp, B. E.

2018-02-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the most widely used polymers for the generation of microfluidic chips. The standard procedures of soft lithography require the formation of a new master structure for every design which is timeconsuming and expensive. All channel generated by soft lithography need to be consecutively sealed by bonding which is a process that can proof to be hard to control. Channel cross-sections are largely restricted to squares or flat-topped designs and the generation of truly three-dimensional designs is not straightforward. Here we present Suspended Liquid Subtractive Lithography (SLSL) a method for generating microfluidic channels of nearly arbitrary three-dimensional structures in PDMS that do not require master formation or bonding and give circular channel cross sections which are especially interesting for mimicking in vivo environments. In SLSL, an immiscible liquid is introduced into the uncured PDMS by a capillary mounted on a 3D printer head. The liquid forms continuous "threads" inside the matrix thus creating void suspended channel structures.

Nonrigid Image Registration in Digital Subtraction Angiography Using Multilevel B-Spline

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We address the problem of motion artifact reduction in digital subtraction angiography (DSA) using image registration techniques. Most of registration algorithms proposed for application in DSA, have been designed for peripheral and cerebral angiography images in which we mainly deal with global rigid motions. These algorithms did not yield good results when applied to coronary angiography images because of complex nonrigid motions that exist in this type of angiography images. Multiresolution and iterative algorithms are proposed to cope with this problem, but these algorithms are associated with high computational cost which makes them not acceptable for real-time clinical applications. In this paper we propose a nonrigid image registration algorithm for coronary angiography images that is significantly faster than multiresolution and iterative blocking methods and outperforms competing algorithms evaluated on the same data sets. This algorithm is based on a sparse set of matched feature point pairs and the elastic registration is performed by means of multilevel B-spline image warping. Experimental results with several clinical data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. PMID:23971026

Children's Understanding of the Relation between Addition and Subtraction: Inversion, Identity, and Decomposition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Peter; Rendu, Alison; Christie, Clare

1999-01-01

Examined whether 5- and 6-year-olds understand that addition and subtraction cancel each other and whether this understanding is based on identity or quantity of addend and subtrahend. Found that children used inversion principle. Six- to eight-year-olds also used inversion and decomposition to solve a + b - (B+1) problems. Concluded that…

Evaluation of marginal and internal gap of three-unit metal framework according to subtractive manufacturing and additive manufacturing of CAD/CAM systems

PubMed Central

Kim, Dong-Yeon; Kim, Eo-Bin; Kim, Hae-Young; Kim, Ji-Hwan

2017-01-01

PURPOSE To evaluate the fit of a three-unit metal framework of fixed dental prostheses made by subtractive and additive manufacturing. MATERIALS AND METHODS One master model of metal was fabricated. Twenty silicone impressions were made on the master die, working die of 10 poured with Type 4 stone, and working die of 10 made of scannable stone. Ten three-unit wax frameworks were fabricated by wax-up from Type IV working die. Stereolithography files of 10 three-unit frameworks were obtained using a model scanner and three-dimensional design software on a scannable working die. The three-unit wax framework was fabricated using subtractive manufacturing (SM) by applying the prepared stereolithography file, and the resin framework was fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM); both used metal alloy castings for metal frameworks. Marginal and internal gap were measured using silicone replica technique and digital microscope. Measurement data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U-test (α=.05). RESULTS The lowest and highest gaps between premolar and molar margins were in the SM group and the AM group, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the marginal gap among the 3 groups (P<.001). In the marginal area where pontic was present, the largest gap was 149.39 ± 42.30 µm in the AM group, and the lowest gap was 24.40 ± 11.92 µm in the SM group. CONCLUSION Three-unit metal frameworks made by subtractive manufacturing are clinically applicable. However, additive manufacturing requires more research to be applied clinically. PMID:29279766

Novel Hyperspectral Anomaly Detection Methods Based on Unsupervised Nearest Regularized Subspace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Z.; Chen, Y.; Tan, K.; Du, P.

2018-04-01

Anomaly detection has been of great interest in hyperspectral imagery analysis. Most conventional anomaly detectors merely take advantage of spectral and spatial information within neighboring pixels. In this paper, two methods of Unsupervised Nearest Regularized Subspace-based with Outlier Removal Anomaly Detector (UNRSORAD) and Local Summation UNRSORAD (LSUNRSORAD) are proposed, which are based on the concept that each pixel in background can be approximately represented by its spatial neighborhoods, while anomalies cannot. Using a dual window, an approximation of each testing pixel is a representation of surrounding data via a linear combination. The existence of outliers in the dual window will affect detection accuracy. Proposed detectors remove outlier pixels that are significantly different from majority of pixels. In order to make full use of various local spatial distributions information with the neighboring pixels of the pixels under test, we take the local summation dual-window sliding strategy. The residual image is constituted by subtracting the predicted background from the original hyperspectral imagery, and anomalies can be detected in the residual image. Experimental results show that the proposed methods have greatly improved the detection accuracy compared with other traditional detection method.

A novel infrared small moving target detection method based on tracking interest points under complicated background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xiabin; Huang, Xinsheng; Zheng, Yongbin; Bai, Shengjian; Xu, Wanying

2014-07-01

Infrared moving target detection is an important part of infrared technology. We introduce a novel infrared small moving target detection method based on tracking interest points under complicated background. Firstly, Difference of Gaussians (DOG) filters are used to detect a group of interest points (including the moving targets). Secondly, a sort of small targets tracking method inspired by Human Visual System (HVS) is used to track these interest points for several frames, and then the correlations between interest points in the first frame and the last frame are obtained. Last, a new clustering method named as R-means is proposed to divide these interest points into two groups according to the correlations, one is target points and another is background points. In experimental results, the target-to-clutter ratio (TCR) and the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves are computed experimentally to compare the performances of the proposed method and other five sophisticated methods. From the results, the proposed method shows a better discrimination of targets and clutters and has a lower false alarm rate than the existing moving target detection methods.

Genetic differences between two strains of Xylella fastidiosa revealed by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Harakava, Ricardo; Gabriel, Dean W

2003-02-01

Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to rapidly identify 18 gene differences between a citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) strain and a Pierce's disease of grape (PD) strain of Xylella fastidiosa. The results were validated as being highly representative of actual differences by comparison of the completely sequenced genome of a CVC strain with that of a PD strain.

The parallel-sequential field subtraction technique for coherent nonlinear ultrasonic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Jingwei; Potter, Jack N.; Drinkwater, Bruce W.

2018-06-01

Nonlinear imaging techniques have recently emerged which have the potential to detect cracks at a much earlier stage than was previously possible and have sensitivity to partially closed defects. This study explores a coherent imaging technique based on the subtraction of two modes of focusing: parallel, in which the elements are fired together with a delay law and sequential, in which elements are fired independently. In the parallel focusing a high intensity ultrasonic beam is formed in the specimen at the focal point. However, in sequential focusing only low intensity signals from individual elements enter the sample and the full matrix of transmit-receive signals is recorded and post-processed to form an image. Under linear elastic assumptions, both parallel and sequential images are expected to be identical. Here we measure the difference between these images and use this to characterise the nonlinearity of small closed fatigue cracks. In particular we monitor the change in relative phase and amplitude at the fundamental frequencies for each focal point and use this nonlinear coherent imaging metric to form images of the spatial distribution of nonlinearity. The results suggest the subtracted image can suppress linear features (e.g. back wall or large scatters) effectively when instrumentation noise compensation in applied, thereby allowing damage to be detected at an early stage (c. 15% of fatigue life) and reliably quantified in later fatigue life.

Background Signal as an in Situ Predictor of Dopamine Oxidation Potential: Improving Interpretation of Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry Data.

PubMed

Meunier, Carl J; Roberts, James G; McCarty, Gregory S; Sombers, Leslie A

2017-02-15

Background-subtracted fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) has emerged as a powerful analytical technique for monitoring subsecond molecular fluctuations in live brain tissue. Despite increasing utilization of FSCV, efforts to improve the accuracy of quantification have been limited due to the complexity of the technique and the dynamic recording environment. It is clear that variable electrode performance renders calibration necessary for accurate quantification; however, the nature of in vivo measurements can make conventional postcalibration difficult, or even impossible. Analyte-specific voltammograms and scaling factors that are critical for quantification can shift or fluctuate in vivo. This is largely due to impedance changes, and the effects of impedance on these measurements have not been characterized. We have previously reported that the background current can be used to predict electrode-specific scaling factors in situ. In this work, we employ model circuits to investigate the impact of impedance on FSCV measurements. Additionally, we take another step toward in situ electrode calibration by using the oxidation potential of quinones on the electrode surface to accurately predict the oxidation potential for dopamine at any point in an electrochemical experiment, as both are dependent on impedance. The model, validated both in adrenal slice and live brain tissue, enables information encoded in the shape of the background voltammogram to determine electrochemical parameters that are critical for accurate quantification. This improves data interpretation and provides a significant next step toward more automated methods for in vivo data analysis.

Characterizing the Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanxia

2015-08-01

A salient feature of the Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) fluctuations is that their spatial power spectrum rises a factor of ~10 above the expected contribution from all known sources at angular scales >20‧‧. A tantalizing large-scale correlation signal between the residual Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB) and CIB found in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS) further suggests that at least 20% of the CIB fluctuations are associated with accreting X-ray sources, with efficient energy production similar to black holes. However, there is still a controversy about the sources that produce the excess flux. They could be faint, local populations with different spatial distribution from other known galaxies, e.g., intra-halo light (emitted from stars in the outskirts of local galaxies), or really high-z populations at the epoch of reionization that we know little of. Constraining the origin of the CIB fluctuations will help to establish our understanding of the overall cosmic energy budget.In this talk, we will present our plan to break down this controversy, current state of data collection and analysis.(1) We will combine the archival Spitzer/IRAC and Herschel/PACS data, with the Chandra data of the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS), to accurately measure the source-subtracted CIB and CXB fluctuations to the largest angular scale (~1-2 deg) to date. The newly discovered link between CIB and CXB fluctuations found in the EGS will be revisited in the COSMOS, which provides better photon statistics. (2) We have been working on cross-correlating the unresolved background with the discrete sources detected at shorter wavelengths (1- 2μm), using ground-based multi-wavelength observations. In addition to exploring the Pan-STARRS 3PI and Medium Deep Survey database, we have also been awarded the telescope time of CFHT/WIRCam and Subaru/Hyper-Suprime-Cam for this purpose. The preliminary data analysis will be presented.

Contrast administration and techniques of digital subtraction angiography performance.

PubMed

Saddekni, S; Sos, T A; Srur, M; Cohn, D J

1985-06-01

Optimal IV-DSA performance depends equally on the digital system, the patient, and the radiologist. Through enhancement and subtraction, the digital system increases contrast sensitivity, thus compensating for the relatively low spatial resolution and for the loss in contrast (density) that results from dilution of the contrast medium by injecting it on the venous side. The degree of this dilution is governed by the patient's cardiac output and the size of the central blood volume. The lower the cardiac output and the larger the central blood volume, the less opacification (more dilution) and longer transit time (more likelihood for artifacts) will result. The role of the radiologist is to optimize the available conditions. He can prevent measures that decrease cardiac output (Valsalva maneuver) or he can take measures to decrease the degree of dilution by choosing optimal contrast administration methods, such as injecting in the right atrium at a high rate and thus allowing more latitude to decrease the total volume per injection and to increase the number of injections per examination. The radiologist also attempts to combat all the sources of noninformation or misinformation resulting from voluntary or involuntary patient motion, which degrades subtraction. By observing studies in real time, the radiologist may recognize motion during the injection, and by increasing the number of exposures, he may have a late mask to save the study. On immediate review of an injection, he may recognize the need to increase the volume per injection to obtain better opacification or, conversely, to reduce the volume if it is apparent that it could be done without compromise to the study and yet allow more injections to be performed, or he may recognize a finding that requires more than the usual routine views and may obtain a better one. IV-DSA can be performed with peripheral injections of contrast medium if the area of interest is limited and superior opacification is not

Effect of background correction on peak detection and quantification in online comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography using diode array detection.

PubMed

Allen, Robert C; John, Mallory G; Rutan, Sarah C; Filgueira, Marcelo R; Carr, Peter W

2012-09-07

A singular value decomposition-based background correction (SVD-BC) technique is proposed for the reduction of background contributions in online comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) data. The SVD-BC technique was compared to simply subtracting a blank chromatogram from a sample chromatogram and to a previously reported background correction technique for one dimensional chromatography, which uses an asymmetric weighted least squares (AWLS) approach. AWLS was the only background correction technique to completely remove the background artifacts from the samples as evaluated by visual inspection. However, the SVD-BC technique greatly reduced or eliminated the background artifacts as well and preserved the peak intensity better than AWLS. The loss in peak intensity by AWLS resulted in lower peak counts at the detection thresholds established using standards samples. However, the SVD-BC technique was found to introduce noise which led to detection of false peaks at the lower detection thresholds. As a result, the AWLS technique gave more precise peak counts than the SVD-BC technique, particularly at the lower detection thresholds. While the AWLS technique resulted in more consistent percent residual standard deviation values, a statistical improvement in peak quantification after background correction was not found regardless of the background correction technique used. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resolving the structure of the Galactic foreground using Herschel measurements and the Kriging technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinter, S.; Bagoly, Z.; Balázs, L. G.; Horvath, I.; Racz, I. I.; Zahorecz, S.; Tóth, L. V.

2018-05-01

Investigating the distant extragalactic Universe requires a subtraction of the Galactic foreground. One of the major difficulties deriving the fine structure of the galactic foreground is the embedded foreground and background point sources appearing in the given fields. It is especially so in the infrared. We report our study subtracting point sources from Herschel images with Kriging, an interpolation method where the interpolated values are modelled by a Gaussian process governed by prior covariances. Using the Kriging method on Herschel multi-wavelength observations the structure of the Galactic foreground can be studied with much higher resolution than previously, leading to a better foreground subtraction at the end.

Addition Table of Colours: Additive and Subtractive Mixtures Described Using a Single Reasoning Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mota, A. R.; Lopes dos Santos, J. M. B.

2014-01-01

Students' misconceptions concerning colour phenomena and the apparent complexity of the underlying concepts--due to the different domains of knowledge involved--make its teaching very difficult. We have developed and tested a teaching device, the addition table of colours (ATC), that encompasses additive and subtractive mixtures in a single…

Simultaneous determination of mebeverine hydrochloride and chlordiazepoxide in their binary mixture using novel univariate spectrophotometric methods via different manipulation pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotfy, Hayam M.; Fayez, Yasmin M.; Michael, Adel M.; Nessim, Christine K.

2016-02-01

Smart, sensitive, simple and accurate spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of a binary mixture of mebeverine hydrochloride (MVH) and chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) without prior separation steps via different manipulating pathways. These pathways were applied either on zero order absorption spectra namely, absorbance subtraction (AS) or based on the recovered zero order absorption spectra via a decoding technique namely, derivative transformation (DT) or via ratio spectra namely, ratio subtraction (RS) coupled with extended ratio subtraction (EXRS), spectrum subtraction (SS), constant multiplication (CM) and constant value (CV) methods. The manipulation steps applied on the ratio spectra are namely, ratio difference (RD) and amplitude modulation (AM) methods or applying a derivative to these ratio spectra namely, derivative ratio (DD1) or second derivative (D2). Finally, the pathway based on the ratio spectra of derivative spectra is namely, derivative subtraction (DS). The specificity of the developed methods was investigated by analyzing the laboratory mixtures and was successfully applied for their combined dosage form. The proposed methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. These methods exhibited linearity in the range of 2-28 μg/mL for mebeverine hydrochloride and 1-12 μg/mL for chlordiazepoxide. The obtained results were statistically compared with those of the official methods using Student t-test, F-test, and one way ANOVA, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision.

MAXIMA-1: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy on Angular Scales of 10' to 5 degrees

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Ade, P.; Balbi, A.; Bock, J.; Borrill, J.; Boscaleri, A.; de Bernardis, P.; Ferreira, P. G.; Hanany, S.; Hristov, V. V.; Jaffe, A. H.; Lange, A. E.; Lee, A. T.; Mauskopf, P. D.; Netterfield, C. B.; Oh, S.; Pascale, E.; Rabii, B.; Richards, P. L.; Smoot, G. F.; Stompor, R.; Winant,C. D.; Wu, J. H. P.

2005-06-04

We present a map and an angular power spectrum of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from the first flight of MAXIMA. MAXIMA is a balloon-borne experiment with an array of 16 bolometric photometers operated at 100 mK. MAXIMA observed a 124 deg{sup 2} region of the sky with 10' resolution at frequencies of 150, 240 and 410 GHz. The data were calibrated using in-flight measurements of the CMB dipole anisotropy. A map of the CMB anisotropy was produced from three 150 and one 240 GHz photometer without need for foreground subtractions.

An Evaluation of Pixel-Based Methods for the Detection of Floating Objects on the Sea Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borghgraef, Alexander; Barnich, Olivier; Lapierre, Fabian; Van Droogenbroeck, Marc; Philips, Wilfried; Acheroy, Marc

2010-12-01

Ship-based automatic detection of small floating objects on an agitated sea surface remains a hard problem. Our main concern is the detection of floating mines, which proved a real threat to shipping in confined waterways during the first Gulf War, but applications include salvaging, search-and-rescue operation, perimeter, or harbour defense. Detection in infrared (IR) is challenging because a rough sea is seen as a dynamic background of moving objects with size order, shape, and temperature similar to those of the floating mine. In this paper we have applied a selection of background subtraction algorithms to the problem, and we show that the recent algorithms such as ViBe and behaviour subtraction, which take into account spatial and temporal correlations within the dynamic scene, significantly outperform the more conventional parametric techniques, with only little prior assumptions about the physical properties of the scene.

PSF subtraction to search for distant Jupiters with SPITZER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rameau, Julien; Artigau, Etienne; Baron, Frédérique; Lafrenière, David; Doyon, Rene; Malo, Lison; Naud, Marie-Eve; Delorme, Philippe; Janson, Markus; Albert, Loic; Gagné, Jonathan; Beichman, Charles

2015-12-01

In the course of the search for extrasolar planets, a focus has been made towards rocky planets very close (within few AUs) to their parent stars. However, planetary systems might host gas giants as well, possibly at larger separation from the central star. Direct imaging is the only technique able to probe the outer part of planetary systems. With the advent of the new generation of planet finders like GPI and SPHERE, extrasolar systems are now studied at the solar system scale. Nevertheless, very extended planetary systems do exist and have been found (Gu Ps, AB Pic b, etc.). They are easier to detect and characterize. They are also excellent proxy for close-in gas giants that are detected from the ground. These planets have no equivalent in our solar system and their origin remain a matter of speculation. In this sense, studying planetary systems from its innermost to its outermost part is therefore mandatory to have a clear understanding of its architecture, hence hints of its formation and evolution. We are carrying out a space-based survey using SPITZER to search for distant companions around a well-characterized sample of 120 young and nearby stars. We designed an observing strategy that allows building a very homogeneous PSF library. With this library, we perform a PSF subtraction to search for planets from 10’’ down to 1’’. In this poster, I will present the library, the different algorithms used to subtract the PSF, and the promising detection sensitivity that we are able to reach with this survey. This project to search for the most extreme planetary systems is unique in the exoplanet community. It is also the only realistic mean of directly imaging and subsequently obtaining spectroscopy of young Saturn or Jupiter mass planets in the JWST-era.

A method of measuring gold nanoparticle concentrations by x-ray fluorescence for biomedical applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu Di; Li Yuhua; Wong, Molly D.

Purpose: This paper reports a technique that enables the quantitative determination of the concentration of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) through the accurate detection of their fluorescence radiation in the diagnostic x-ray spectrum. Methods: Experimentally, x-ray fluorescence spectra of 1.9 and 15 nm GNP solutions are measured using an x-ray spectrometer, individually and within chicken breast tissue samples. An optimal combination of excitation and emission filters is determined to segregate the fluorescence spectra at 66.99 and 68.80 keV from the background scattering. A roadmap method is developed that subtracts the scattered radiation (acquired before the insertion of GNP solutions) from the signalmore » radiation acquired after the GNP solutions are inserted. Results: The methods effectively minimize the background scattering in the spectrum measurements, showing linear relationships between GNP solutions from 0.1% to 10% weight concentration and from 0.1% to 1.0% weight concentration inside a chicken breast tissue sample. Conclusions: The investigation demonstrated the potential of imaging gold nanoparticles quantitatively in vivo for in-tissue studies, but future studies will be needed to investigate the ability to apply this method to clinical applications.« less

Averaged subtracted polarization imaging for endoscopic diagnostics of surface microstructures on translucent mucosae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanamori, Katsuhiro

2016-07-01

An endoscopic image processing technique for enhancing the appearance of microstructures on translucent mucosae is described. This technique employs two pairs of co- and cross-polarization images under two different linearly polarized lights, from which the averaged subtracted polarization image (AVSPI) is calculated. Experiments were then conducted using an acrylic phantom and excised porcine stomach tissue using a manual experimental setup with ring-type lighting, two rotating polarizers, and a color camera; better results were achieved with the proposed method than with conventional color intensity image processing. An objective evaluation method that uses texture analysis was developed and used to evaluate the enhanced microstructure images. This paper introduces two types of online, rigid-type, polarimetric endoscopic implementations using a polarized ring-shaped LED and a polarimetric camera. The first type uses a beam-splitter-type color polarimetric camera, and the second uses a single-chip monochrome polarimetric camera. Microstructures on the mucosa surface were enhanced robustly with these online endoscopes regardless of the difference in the extinction ratio of each device. These results show that polarimetric endoscopy using AVSPI is both effective and practical for hardware implementation.

Optimization of dual-energy subtraction chest radiography by use of a direct-conversion flat-panel detector system.

PubMed

Fukao, Mari; Kawamoto, Kiyosumi; Matsuzawa, Hiroaki; Honda, Osamu; Iwaki, Takeshi; Doi, Tsukasa

2015-01-01

We aimed to optimize the exposure conditions in the acquisition of soft-tissue images using dual-energy subtraction chest radiography with a direct-conversion flat-panel detector system. Two separate chest images were acquired at high- and low-energy exposures with standard or thick chest phantoms. The high-energy exposure was fixed at 120 kVp with the use of an auto-exposure control technique. For the low-energy exposure, the tube voltages and entrance surface doses ranged 40-80 kVp and 20-100 % of the dose required for high-energy exposure, respectively. Further, a repetitive processing algorithm was used for reduction of the image noise generated by the subtraction process. Seven radiology technicians ranked soft-tissue images, and these results were analyzed using the normalized-rank method. Images acquired at 60 kVp were of acceptable quality regardless of the entrance surface dose and phantom size. Using a repetitive processing algorithm, the minimum acceptable doses were reduced from 75 to 40 % for the standard phantom and to 50 % for the thick phantom. We determined that the optimum low-energy exposure was 60 kVp at 50 % of the dose required for the high-energy exposure. This allowed the simultaneous acquisition of standard radiographs and soft-tissue images at 1.5 times the dose required for a standard radiograph, which is significantly lower than the values reported previously.

Investigation of contrast-enhanced subtracted breast CT images with MAP-EM based on projection-based weighting imaging.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhengdong; Guan, Shaolin; Xin, Runchao; Li, Jianbo

2018-06-01

Contrast-enhanced subtracted breast computer tomography (CESBCT) images acquired using energy-resolved photon counting detector can be helpful to enhance the visibility of breast tumors. In such technology, one challenge is the limited number of photons in each energy bin, thereby possibly leading to high noise in separate images from each energy bin, the projection-based weighted image, and the subtracted image. In conventional low-dose CT imaging, iterative image reconstruction provides a superior signal-to-noise compared with the filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm. In this paper, maximum a posteriori expectation maximization (MAP-EM) based on projection-based weighting imaging for reconstruction of CESBCT images acquired using an energy-resolving photon counting detector is proposed, and its performance was investigated in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The simulation study shows that MAP-EM based on projection-based weighting imaging can improve the CNR in CESBCT images by 117.7%-121.2% compared with FBP based on projection-based weighting imaging method. When compared with the energy-integrating imaging that uses the MAP-EM algorithm, projection-based weighting imaging that uses the MAP-EM algorithm can improve the CNR of CESBCT images by 10.5%-13.3%. In conclusion, MAP-EM based on projection-based weighting imaging shows significant improvement the CNR of the CESBCT image compared with FBP based on projection-based weighting imaging, and MAP-EM based on projection-based weighting imaging outperforms MAP-EM based on energy-integrating imaging for CESBCT imaging.

Lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) intrinsic activity correction and minimal detectable target activity study for SPECT imaging with a LSO-based animal PET scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Rutao; Ma, Tianyu; Shao, Yiping

2008-08-01

This work is part of a feasibility study to develop SPECT imaging capability on a lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) based animal PET system. The SPECT acquisition was enabled by inserting a collimator assembly inside the detector ring and acquiring data in singles mode. The same LSO detectors were used for both PET and SPECT imaging. The intrinsic radioactivity of 176Lu in the LSO crystals, however, contaminates the SPECT data, and can generate image artifacts and introduce quantification error. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a LSO background subtraction method, and to estimate the minimal detectable target activity (MDTA) of image object for SPECT imaging. For LSO background correction, the LSO contribution in an image study was estimated based on a pre-measured long LSO background scan and subtracted prior to the image reconstruction. The MDTA was estimated in two ways. The empirical MDTA (eMDTA) was estimated from screening the tomographic images at different activity levels. The calculated MDTA (cMDTA) was estimated from using a formula based on applying a modified Currie equation on an average projection dataset. Two simulated and two experimental phantoms with different object activity distributions and levels were used in this study. The results showed that LSO background adds concentric ring artifacts to the reconstructed image, and the simple subtraction method can effectively remove these artifacts—the effect of the correction was more visible when the object activity level was near or above the eMDTA. For the four phantoms studied, the cMDTA was consistently about five times of the corresponding eMDTA. In summary, we implemented a simple LSO background subtraction method and demonstrated its effectiveness. The projection-based calculation formula yielded MDTA results that closely correlate with that obtained empirically and may have predicative value for imaging applications.

The influence of immigrant background on the choice of sedation method in paediatric dentistry.

PubMed

Dahlander, Andreas; Jansson, Leif; Carlstedt, Kerstin; Grindefjord, Margaret

2015-01-01

The effects of immigration on the demographics of the Swedish population have changed the situation for many dental care providers, placing increased demand on cultural competence. The aim of this investigation was to study the choice of sedation method among children with immigrant background, referred to paediatric dentistry specialists, because of behaviour management problems or dental fear in combination with treatment needs. The material consisted of dental records from children referred to two clinics for paediatric dentistry: 117 records from children with an immigrant background and 106 from children with a non-immigrant background. Information about choice of sedation method (conventional treatment, conscious sedation with midazolam, nitrous oxide, or general anaesthesia) and dental status was collected from the records. The number of missed appointments (defaults) was also registered. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the influence of potential predictors on choice of sedation method. The mean age of the patients in the immigrant group was 4.9 yrs, making them significantly younger than the patients in the non-immigrant group (mean 5.7 yrs). In the immigrant group, 26% of the patients defaulted from treatments, while the corresponding frequency was significantly lower for the reference group (7%). The numbers of primary teeth with caries and permanent teeth with caries were positively and significantly correlated with the choice of treatment under general anaesthesia. Conscious sedation was used significantly more often in younger children and in the non-immigrant group, while nitrous oxide was preferred in the older children. In conclusion, conscious sedation was more frequently used in the non-immigrant group. The choice of sedation was influenced by caries frequency and the age of the child.

Real-time out-of-plane artifact subtraction tomosynthesis imaging using prior CT for scanning beam digital x-ray system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Meng, E-mail: mengwu@stanford.edu; Fahrig, Rebecca

2014-11-01

Purpose: The scanning beam digital x-ray system (SBDX) is an inverse geometry fluoroscopic system with high dose efficiency and the ability to perform continuous real-time tomosynthesis in multiple planes. This system could be used for image guidance during lung nodule biopsy. However, the reconstructed images suffer from strong out-of-plane artifact due to the small tomographic angle of the system. Methods: The authors propose an out-of-plane artifact subtraction tomosynthesis (OPAST) algorithm that utilizes a prior CT volume to augment the run-time image processing. A blur-and-add (BAA) analytical model, derived from the project-to-backproject physical model, permits the generation of tomosynthesis images thatmore » are a good approximation to the shift-and-add (SAA) reconstructed image. A computationally practical algorithm is proposed to simulate images and out-of-plane artifacts from patient-specific prior CT volumes using the BAA model. A 3D image registration algorithm to align the simulated and reconstructed images is described. The accuracy of the BAA analytical model and the OPAST algorithm was evaluated using three lung cancer patients’ CT data. The OPAST and image registration algorithms were also tested with added nonrigid respiratory motions. Results: Image similarity measurements, including the correlation coefficient, mean squared error, and structural similarity index, indicated that the BAA model is very accurate in simulating the SAA images from the prior CT for the SBDX system. The shift-variant effect of the BAA model can be ignored when the shifts between SBDX images and CT volumes are within ±10 mm in the x and y directions. The nodule visibility and depth resolution are improved by subtracting simulated artifacts from the reconstructions. The image registration and OPAST are robust in the presence of added respiratory motions. The dominant artifacts in the subtraction images are caused by the mismatches between the real object and the

Digital subtraction radiographic analysis of the combination of bioabsorbable membrane and bovine morphogenetic protein pool in human periodontal infrabony defects

PubMed Central

GUIMARÃES, Maria do Carmo Machado; PASSANEZI, Euloir; SANT’ANA, Adriana Campos Passanezi; GREGHI, Sebastião Luiz Aguiar; TABA JUNIOR, Mario

2010-01-01

Objectives This study assessed the bone density gain and its relationship with the periodontal clinical parameters in a case series of a regenerative therapy procedure. Material and Methods Using a split-mouth study design, 10 pairs of infrabony defects from 15 patients were treated with a pool of bovine bone morphogenetic proteins associated with collagen membrane (test sites) or collagen membrane only (control sites). The periodontal healing was clinically and radiographically monitored for six months. Standardized presurgical and 6-month postoperative radiographs were digitized for digital subtraction analysis, which showed relative bone density gain in both groups of 0.034 ± 0.423 and 0.105 ± 0.423 in the test and control group, respectively (p>0.05). Results As regards the area size of bone density change, the influence of the therapy was detected in 2.5 mm2 in the test group and 2 mm2 in the control group (p>0.05). Additionally, no correlation was observed between the favorable clinical results and the bone density gain measured by digital subtraction radiography (p>0.05). Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the clinical benefit of the regenerative therapy observed did not come with significant bone density gains. Long-term evaluation may lead to a different conclusions. PMID:20835573

Suppression subtractive hybridization as a tool to identify anthocyanin metabolism-related genes in apple skin.

PubMed

Ban, Yusuke; Moriguchi, Takaya

2010-01-01

The pigmentation of anthocyanins is one of the important determinants for consumer preference and marketability in horticultural crops such as fruits and flowers. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the physiological process leading to the pigmentation of anthocyanins, identification of the genes differentially expressed in response to anthocyanin accumulation is a useful strategy. Currently, microarrays have been widely used to isolate differentially expressed genes. However, the use of microarrays is limited by its high cost of special apparatus and materials. Therefore, availability of microarrays is limited and does not come into common use at present. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) is an alternative tool that has been widely used to identify differentially expressed genes due to its easy handling and relatively low cost. This chapter describes the procedures for SSH, including RNA extraction from polysaccharides and polyphenol-rich samples, poly(A)+ RNA purification, evaluation of subtraction efficiency, and differential screening using reverse northern in apple skin.

Two-step digit-set-restricted modified signed-digit addition-subtraction algorithm and its optoelectronic implementation.

PubMed

Qian, F; Li, G; Ruan, H; Jing, H; Liu, L

1999-09-10

A novel, to our knowledge, two-step digit-set-restricted modified signed-digit (MSD) addition-subtraction algorithm is proposed. With the introduction of the reference digits, the operand words are mapped into an intermediate carry word with all digits restricted to the set {1, 0} and an intermediate sum word with all digits restricted to the set {0, 1}, which can be summed to form the final result without carry generation. The operation can be performed in parallel by use of binary logic. An optical system that utilizes an electron-trapping device is suggested for accomplishing the required binary logic operations. By programming of the illumination of data arrays, any complex logic operations of multiple variables can be realized without additional temporal latency of the intermediate results. This technique has a high space-bandwidth product and signal-to-noise ratio. The main structure can be stacked to construct a compact optoelectronic MSD adder-subtracter.

Optimizing Energy Consumption in Vehicular Sensor Networks by Clustering Using Fuzzy C-Means and Fuzzy Subtractive Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebrahimi, A.; Pahlavani, P.; Masoumi, Z.

2017-09-01

Traffic monitoring and managing in urban intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can be carried out based on vehicular sensor networks. In a vehicular sensor network, vehicles equipped with sensors such as GPS, can act as mobile sensors for sensing the urban traffic and sending the reports to a traffic monitoring center (TMC) for traffic estimation. The energy consumption by the sensor nodes is a main problem in the wireless sensor networks (WSNs); moreover, it is the most important feature in designing these networks. Clustering the sensor nodes is considered as an effective solution to reduce the energy consumption of WSNs. Each cluster should have a Cluster Head (CH), and a number of nodes located within its supervision area. The cluster heads are responsible for gathering and aggregating the information of clusters. Then, it transmits the information to the data collection center. Hence, the use of clustering decreases the volume of transmitting information, and, consequently, reduces the energy consumption of network. In this paper, Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) and Fuzzy Subtractive algorithms are employed to cluster sensors and investigate their performance on the energy consumption of sensors. It can be seen that the FCM algorithm and Fuzzy Subtractive have been reduced energy consumption of vehicle sensors up to 90.68% and 92.18%, respectively. Comparing the performance of the algorithms implies the 1.5 percent improvement in Fuzzy Subtractive algorithm in comparison.

Interobserver Agreement on Arteriovenous Malformation Diffuseness Using Digital Subtraction Angiography.

PubMed

Braileanu, Maria; Yang, Wuyang; Caplan, Justin M; Lin, Li-Mei; Radvany, Martin G; Tamargo, Rafael J; Huang, Judy

2016-11-01

Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) diffuseness has been shown to be prognostic of treatment outcomes. We assessed interobserver agreement of AVM diffuseness among physicians of different specialty and training backgrounds using digital subtraction angiography (DSA). All research protocols were approved by the institutional review board for this retrospective chart review. In a single-blinded setting, 2 attending neurosurgeons, 1 attending interventional neuroradiologist, and 1 senior neurosurgical resident rated 80 DSA views of 36 AVMs as either compact or diffuse. Individual interobserver agreement and subgroup agreement were analyzed using κ agreement and intraclass correlation coefficient. Disagreement regarding AVM diffuseness occurred in 43.8% of all DSA views (n = 80). Interobserver κ agreement on AVM diffuseness using DSA views among 4 physicians ranged from fair (κ = 0.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.22-0.58]) to substantial (κ = 0.65 [95% CI = 0.48-0.81]), whereas total intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.81 (95% CI = 0.73-0.87). For the 36 AVMs, κ agreement ranged from fair (κ = 0.36 [95% CI = 0.13-0.60]) to moderate (κ = 0.57 [95% CI = 0.35-0.79]), whereas intraclass correlation coefficient among all 4 physicians was 0.68 (95% CI = 0.47-0.82). Moderate agreement on AVM diffuseness (n = 80) was found between attending and resident assessments (κ = 0.57 [95% CI = 0.39-0.75]) and between neurosurgeon and interventional neuroradiologist assessments (κ = 0.55 [95% CI = 0.37-0.73]). Agreement of individual physicians on AVM diffuseness varies from fair to substantial. Objective and three-dimensional measures of AVM diffuseness should be developed for consistent clinical application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mini-Mental State Exam performance of older African Americans: effect of age, gender, education, hypertension, diabetes, and the inclusion of serial 7s subtraction versus "world" backward on score.

PubMed

Hawkins, Keith A; Cromer, Jennifer R; Piotrowski, Andrea S; Pearlson, Godfrey D

2011-11-01

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) is a clinically ubiquitous yet incompletely standardized instrument. Though the test offers considerable examiner leeway, little data exist on the normative consequences of common administration variations. We sought to: (a) determine the effects of education, age, gender, health status, and a common administration variation (serial 7s subtraction vs. "world" spelled backward) on MMSE score within a minority sample, (b) provide normative data stratified on the most empirically relevant bases, and (c) briefly address item failure rates. African American citizens (N = 298) aged 55-87 living independently in the community were recruited by advertisement, community recruitment, and word of mouth. Total score with "world" spelled backward exceeded total score with serial 7s subtraction across all levels of education, replicating findings in Caucasian samples. Education is the primary source of variance on MMSE score, followed by age. In this cohort, women out-performed men when "world" spelled backward was included, but there was no gender effect when serial 7s subtraction was included in MMSE total score. To ensure an appropriate interpretation of MMSE scores, reports, whether clinical or in publications of research findings, should be explicit regarding the administration method. Stratified normative data are provided.

On Semiotics and Jumping Frogs: The Role of Gesture in the Teaching of Subtraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrugia, Marie Therese

2017-01-01

In this article, I describe a research/teaching experience I undertook with a class of 5-year-old children in Malta. The topic was subtraction on the number line. I interpret the teaching/learning process through a semiotic perspective. In particular, I highlight the role played by the gesture of forming "frog jumps" on the number line.…

Simultaneous determination of mebeverine hydrochloride and chlordiazepoxide in their binary mixture using novel univariate spectrophotometric methods via different manipulation pathways.

PubMed

Lotfy, Hayam M; Fayez, Yasmin M; Michael, Adel M; Nessim, Christine K

2016-02-15

Smart, sensitive, simple and accurate spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of a binary mixture of mebeverine hydrochloride (MVH) and chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) without prior separation steps via different manipulating pathways. These pathways were applied either on zero order absorption spectra namely, absorbance subtraction (AS) or based on the recovered zero order absorption spectra via a decoding technique namely, derivative transformation (DT) or via ratio spectra namely, ratio subtraction (RS) coupled with extended ratio subtraction (EXRS), spectrum subtraction (SS), constant multiplication (CM) and constant value (CV) methods. The manipulation steps applied on the ratio spectra are namely, ratio difference (RD) and amplitude modulation (AM) methods or applying a derivative to these ratio spectra namely, derivative ratio (DD(1)) or second derivative (D(2)). Finally, the pathway based on the ratio spectra of derivative spectra is namely, derivative subtraction (DS). The specificity of the developed methods was investigated by analyzing the laboratory mixtures and was successfully applied for their combined dosage form. The proposed methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. These methods exhibited linearity in the range of 2-28μg/mL for mebeverine hydrochloride and 1-12μg/mL for chlordiazepoxide. The obtained results were statistically compared with those of the official methods using Student t-test, F-test, and one way ANOVA, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissociation of Subtraction and Multiplication in the Right Parietal Cortex: Evidence from Intraoperative Cortical Electrostimulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Xiaodan; Chen, Chuansheng; Pu, Song; Wu, Chenxing; Li, Yongnian; Jiang, Tao; Zhou, Xinlin

2011-01-01

Previous research has consistently shown that the left parietal cortex is critical for numerical processing, but the role of the right parietal lobe has been much less clear. This study used the intraoperative cortical electrical stimulation approach to investigate neural dissociation in the right parietal cortex for subtraction and…

[The validation of the effect of correcting spectral background changes based on floating reference method by simulation].

PubMed

Wang, Zhu-lou; Zhang, Wan-jie; Li, Chen-xi; Chen, Wen-liang; Xu, Ke-xin

2015-02-01

There are some challenges in near-infrared non-invasive blood glucose measurement, such as the low signal to noise ratio of instrument, the unstable measurement conditions, the unpredictable and irregular changes of the measured object, and etc. Therefore, it is difficult to extract the information of blood glucose concentrations from the complicated signals accurately. Reference measurement method is usually considered to be used to eliminate the effect of background changes. But there is no reference substance which changes synchronously with the anylate. After many years of research, our research group has proposed the floating reference method, which is succeeded in eliminating the spectral effects induced by the instrument drifts and the measured object's background variations. But our studies indicate that the reference-point will changes following the changing of measurement location and wavelength. Therefore, the effects of floating reference method should be verified comprehensively. In this paper, keeping things simple, the Monte Carlo simulation employing Intralipid solution with the concentrations of 5% and 10% is performed to verify the effect of floating reference method used into eliminating the consequences of the light source drift. And the light source drift is introduced through varying the incident photon number. The effectiveness of the floating reference method with corresponding reference-points at different wavelengths in eliminating the variations of the light source drift is estimated. The comparison of the prediction abilities of the calibration models with and without using this method shows that the RMSEPs of the method are decreased by about 98.57% (5%Intralipid)and 99.36% (10% Intralipid)for different Intralipid. The results indicate that the floating reference method has obvious effect in eliminating the background changes.

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital mammography (DE-CEDM): optimization on digital subtraction with practical x-ray low/high-energy spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Biao; Jing, Zhenxue; Smith, Andrew P.; Parikh, Samir; Parisky, Yuri

2006-03-01

Dual-energy contrast enhanced digital mammography (DE-CEDM), which is based upon the digital subtraction of low/high-energy image pairs acquired before/after the administration of contrast agents, may provide physicians physiologic and morphologic information of breast lesions and help characterize their probability of malignancy. This paper proposes to use only one pair of post-contrast low / high-energy images to obtain digitally subtracted dual-energy contrast-enhanced images with an optimal weighting factor deduced from simulated characteristics of the imaging chain. Based upon our previous CEDM framework, quantitative characteristics of the materials and imaging components in the x-ray imaging chain, including x-ray tube (tungsten) spectrum, filters, breast tissues / lesions, contrast agents (non-ionized iodine solution), and selenium detector, were systemically modeled. Using the base-material (polyethylene-PMMA) decomposition method based on entrance low / high-energy x-ray spectra and breast thickness, the optimal weighting factor was calculated to cancel the contrast between fatty and glandular tissues while enhancing the contrast of iodized lesions. By contrast, previous work determined the optimal weighting factor through either a calibration step or through acquisition of a pre-contrast low/high-energy image pair. Computer simulations were conducted to determine weighting factors, lesions' contrast signal values, and dose levels as functions of x-ray techniques and breast thicknesses. Phantom and clinical feasibility studies were performed on a modified Selenia full field digital mammography system to verify the proposed method and computer-simulated results. The resultant conclusions from the computer simulations and phantom/clinical feasibility studies will be used in the upcoming clinical study.

Use of the Genomic Subtractive Hybridization Technique To Develop a Real-Time PCR Assay for Quantitative Detection of Prevotella spp. in Oral Biofilm Samples

PubMed Central

Nagashima, Shiori; Yoshida, Akihiro; Suzuki, Nao; Ansai, Toshihiro; Takehara, Tadamichi

2005-01-01

Genomic subtractive hybridization was used to design Prevotella nigrescens-specific primers and TaqMan probes. Based on this technique, a TaqMan real-time PCR assay was developed for quantifying four oral black-pigmented Prevotella species. The combination of real-time PCR and genomic subtractive hybridization is useful for preparing species-specific primer-probe sets for closely related species. PMID:15956428

Laser line illumination scheme allowing the reduction of background signal and the correction of absorption heterogeneities effects for fluorescence reflectance imaging.

PubMed

Fantoni, Frédéric; Hervé, Lionel; Poher, Vincent; Gioux, Sylvain; Mars, Jérôme I; Dinten, Jean-Marc

2015-10-01

Intraoperative fluorescence imaging in reflectance geometry is an attractive imaging modality as it allows to noninvasively monitor the fluorescence targeted tumors located below the tissue surface. Some drawbacks of this technique are the background fluorescence decreasing the contrast and absorption heterogeneities leading to misinterpretations concerning fluorescence concentrations. We propose a correction technique based on a laser line scanning illumination scheme. We scan the medium with the laser line and acquire, at each position of the line, both fluorescence and excitation images. We then use the finding that there is a relationship between the excitation intensity profile and the background fluorescence one to predict the amount of signal to subtract from the fluorescence images to get a better contrast. As the light absorption information is contained both in fluorescence and excitation images, this method also permits us to correct the effects of absorption heterogeneities. This technique has been validated on simulations and experimentally. Fluorescent inclusions are observed in several configurations at depths ranging from 1 mm to 1 cm. Results obtained with this technique are compared with those obtained with a classical wide-field detection scheme for contrast enhancement and with the fluorescence by an excitation ratio approach for absorption correction.

Lattice specific heat for the RMIn5 (R=Gd, La, Y; M=Co, Rh) compounds: Non-magnetic contribution subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Facio, Jorge I.; Betancourth, D.; Cejas Bolecek, N. R.; Jorge, G. A.; Pedrazzini, Pablo; Correa, V. F.; Cornaglia, Pablo S.; Vildosola, V.; García, D. J.

2016-06-01

We analyze theoretically a common experimental process used to obtain the magnetic contribution to the specific heat of a given magnetic material. In the procedure, the specific heat of a non-magnetic analog is measured and used to subtract the non-magnetic contributions, which are generally dominated by the lattice degrees of freedom in a wide range of temperatures. We calculate the lattice contribution to the specific heat for the magnetic compounds GdMIn5 (M=Co, Rh) and for the non-magnetic YMIn5 and LaMIn5 (M=Co, Rh), using density functional theory based methods. We find that the best non-magnetic analog for the subtraction depends on the magnetic material and on the range of temperatures. While the phonon specific heat contribution of YRhIn5 is an excellent approximation to the one of GdCoIn5 in the full temperature range, for GdRhIn5 we find a better agreement with LaCoIn5, in both cases, as a result of an optimum compensation effect between masses and volumes. We present measurements of the specific heat of the compounds GdMIn5 (M=Co, Rh) up to room temperature where it surpasses the value expected from the Dulong-Petit law. We obtain a good agreement between theory and experiment when we include anharmonic effects in the calculations.

A posteriori registration and subtraction of periapical radiographs for the evaluation of external apical root resorption after orthodontic treatment.

PubMed

Kreich, Eliane Maria; Chibinski, Ana Cláudia; Coelho, Ulisses; Wambier, Letícia Stadler; Zedebski, Rosário de Arruda Moura; de Moraes, Mari Eli Leonelli; de Moraes, Luiz Cesar

2016-03-01

This study employed a posteriori registration and subtraction of radiographic images to quantify the apical root resorption in maxillary permanent central incisors after orthodontic treatment, and assessed whether the external apical root resorption (EARR) was related to a range of parameters involved in the treatment. A sample of 79 patients (mean age, 13.5±2.2 years) with no history of trauma or endodontic treatment of the maxillary permanent central incisors was selected. Periapical radiographs taken before and after orthodontic treatment were digitized and imported to the Regeemy software. Based on an analysis of the posttreatment radiographs, the length of the incisors was measured using Image J software. The mean EARR was described in pixels and relative root resorption (%). The patient's age and gender, tooth extraction, use of elastics, and treatment duration were evaluated to identify possible correlations with EARR. The mean EARR observed was 15.44±12.1 pixels (5.1% resorption). No differences in the mean EARR were observed according to patient characteristics (gender, age) or treatment parameters (use of elastics, treatment duration). The only parameter that influenced the mean EARR of a patient was the need for tooth extraction. A posteriori registration and subtraction of periapical radiographs was a suitable method to quantify EARR after orthodontic treatment, and the need for tooth extraction increased the extent of root resorption after orthodontic treatment.

Attentional bias induced by solving simple and complex addition and subtraction problems.

PubMed

Masson, Nicolas; Pesenti, Mauro

2014-01-01

The processing of numbers has been shown to induce shifts of spatial attention in simple probe detection tasks, with small numbers orienting attention to the left and large numbers to the right side of space. Recently, the investigation of this spatial-numerical association has been extended to mental arithmetic with the hypothesis that solving addition or subtraction problems may induce attentional displacements (to the right and to the left, respectively) along a mental number line onto which the magnitude of the numbers would range from left to right, from small to large numbers. Here we investigated such attentional shifts using a target detection task primed by arithmetic problems in healthy participants. The constituents of the addition and subtraction problems (first operand; operator; second operand) were flashed sequentially in the centre of a screen, then followed by a target on the left or the right side of the screen, which the participants had to detect. This paradigm was employed with arithmetic facts (Experiment 1) and with more complex arithmetic problems (Experiment 2) in order to assess the effects of the operation, the magnitude of the operands, the magnitude of the results, and the presence or absence of a requirement for the participants to carry or borrow numbers. The results showed that arithmetic operations induce some spatial shifts of attention, possibly through a semantic link between the operation and space.

Brief Report: Additive and Subtractive Counterfactual Reasoning of Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Begeer, Sander; Terwogt, Mark Meerum; Lunenburg, Patty; Stegge, Hedy

2009-01-01

The development of additive ("If only I had done...") and subtractive ("If only I had not done....") counterfactual reasoning was examined in children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HFASD) (n = 72) and typically developing controls (n = 71), aged 6-12 years. Children were presented four stories where they could generate…

Subtractive phage display selection for screening and identification of peptide sequences with potential use in serodiagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

PubMed

Portes, L da Silva; Kioshima, E S; de Camargo, Z P; Batista, W L; Xander, P

2017-11-01

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic granulomatous disease endemic in Latin America whose aetiologic agents are the thermodimorphic fungi Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Paracoccidioides lutzii. Despite technological advances, some problems have been reported for the fungal antigens used for serological diagnosis, and inconsistencies among laboratories have been reported. The use of synthetic peptides in the serological diagnosis of infectious diseases has proved to be a valuable strategy because in some cases, the reactions are more specific and sensitive. In this study, we used a subtractive selection with a phage display library against purified polyclonal antibodies for negative and positive PCM sera caused by P. brasiliensis. The binding phages were sequenced and tested in a binding assay to evaluate its interaction with sera from normal individuals and PCM patients. Synthetic peptides derived from these phage clones were tested in a serological assay, and we observed a significant recognition of LP15 by sera from PCM patients infected with P. brasiliensis. Our results demonstrated that subtractive phage display selection may be useful for identifying new epitopes that can be applied to the serodiagnosis of PCM caused by P. brasiliensis. Currently, there is no standardized method for the preparation of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) antigens, which has resulted in differences in the antigens used for serological diagnosis. Here, we report a procedure that uses subtractive phage display selection to select and identify new epitopes for the serodiagnosis of PCM caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. A synthetic peptide obtained using this methodology was successfully recognized by sera from PCM patients, thus demonstrating its potential use for improving the serodiagnosis of this mycosis. The development of synthetic peptides for the serodiagnosis of PCM could be a promising alternative for the better standardization of diagnoses among laboratories. �

New Measurements of the Cosmic Infrared Background Fluctuations in Deep SpitzerllRAC Survey Data and their Cosmological Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashlinsky, A.; Arendt, R. G.; Ashby, M. L. N.; Fazio, G. G.; Mather, J.; Moseley, S. H.

2012-01-01

We extend the previous measurements of CIB fluctuations to angular scales of less than or equal to 1 degree new data obtained in the course of the 2,000+ hour Spitzer Extended Deep Survey. Two fields with completed observations of approximately equal to 12 hr/pixel are analyzed for source-subtracted CIB fluctuations at 3.6 and 4.5 micrometers. The fields, EGS and UDS, cover a total area of approximately 0.25 deg and lie at high Galactic and Ecliptic latitudes, thus minimizing cirrus and zodiacal light contributions to the fluctuations. The observations have been conducted at 3 distinct epochs separated by about 6 months. As in our previous studies, the fields were assembled using the self-calibration method which is uniquely suitable for probing faint diffuse backgrounds. The assembled fields were cleaned off the bright sources down to the low shot noise levels corresponding to AB mag approximately equal to 25, Fourier-transformed and their power spectra evaluated. The noise was estimated from the time-differenced data and subtracted from the signal isolating the fluctuations remaining above the noise levels. The power spectra of the source-subtracted fields remain identical (within the observational uncertainties) for the three epochs of observations indicating that zodiacal light contributes negligibly to the fluctuations. By comparing to the measurements for the same regions at 8 micrometers we demonstrate that Galactic cirrus cannot account for the levels of the fluctuations either. The signal appears isotropically distributed on the sky as required by its origin in the CIB fluctuations. This measurement thus extends our earlier results to the important range of sub-degree scales. We find that the CIB fluctuations continue to diverge to more than 10 times those of known galaxy populations on angular scales out to less than or equal to 1 degree. The low shot noise levels remaining in the diffuse maps indicate that the large scale fluctuations arise from spatial

Minimally Invasive Monitoring of Chronic Central Venous Catheter Patency in Mice Using Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

PubMed Central

Figueiredo, Giovanna; Fiebig, Teresa; Kirschner, Stefanie; Nikoubashman, Omid; Kabelitz, Lisa; Othman, Ahmed; Nonn, Andrea; Kramer, Martin; Brockmann, Marc A.

2015-01-01

Background Repetitive administration of medication or contrast agents is frequently performed in mice. The introduction of vascular access mini-ports (VAMP) for mice allows long-term vascular catheterization, hereby eliminating the need for repeated vessel puncture. With catheter occlusion being the most commonly reported complication of chronic jugular vein catheterization, we tested whether digital subtraction angiography (DSA) can be utilized to evaluate VAMP patency in mice. Methods Twenty-three mice underwent catheterization of the jugular vein and subcutaneous implantation of a VAMP. The VAMP was flushed every second day with 50 μL of heparinized saline solution (25 IU/ml). DSA was performed during injection of 100 μL of an iodine based contrast agent using an industrial X-ray inspection system intraoperatively, as well as 7±2 and 14±2 days post implantation. Results DSA allowed localization of catheter tip position, to rule out dislocation, kinking or occlusion of a microcatheter, and to evaluate parent vessel patency. In addition, we observed different ante- and retrograde collateral flow patterns in case of jugular vein occlusion. More exactly, 30% of animals showed parent vessel occlusion after 7±2 days in our setting. At this time point, nevertheless, all VAMPs verified intravascular contrast administration. After 14±2 days, intravascular contrast injection was verified in 70% of the implanted VAMPs, whereas at this point of time 5 animals had died or were sacrificed and in 2 mice parent vessel occlusion hampered intravascular contrast injection. Notably, no occlusion of the catheter itself was observed. Conclusion From our observations we conclude DSA to be a fast and valuable minimally invasive tool for investigation of catheter and parent vessel patency and for anatomical studies of collateral blood flow in animals as small as mice. PMID:26098622

Fostering First Graders' Fluency with Basic Subtraction and Larger Addition Combinations via Computer-Assisted Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baroody, Arthur J.; Purpura, David J.; Eiland, Michael D.; Reid, Erin E.

2014-01-01

Achieving fluency with basic subtraction and add-with-8 or -9 combinations is difficult for primary grade children. A 9-month training experiment entailed evaluating the efficacy of software designed to promote such fluency via guided learning of reasoning strategies. Seventy-five eligible first graders were randomly assigned to one of three…

Influence of the large-small split effect on strategy choice in complex subtraction.

PubMed

Xiang, Yan Hui; Wu, Hao; Shang, Rui Hong; Chao, Xiaomei; Ren, Ting Ting; Zheng, Li Ling; Mo, Lei

2018-04-01

Two main theories have been used to explain the arithmetic split effect: decision-making process theory and strategy choice theory. Using the inequality paradigm, previous studies have confirmed that individuals tend to adopt a plausibility-checking strategy and a whole-calculation strategy to solve large and small split problems in complex addition arithmetic, respectively. This supports strategy choice theory, but it is unknown whether this theory also explains performance in solving different split problems in complex subtraction arithmetic. This study used small, intermediate and large split sizes, with each split condition being further divided into problems requiring and not requiring borrowing. The reaction times (RTs) for large and intermediate splits were significantly shorter than those for small splits, while accuracy was significantly higher for large and middle splits than for small splits, reflecting no speed-accuracy trade-off. Further, RTs and accuracy differed significantly between the borrow and no-borrow conditions only for small splits. This study indicates that strategy choice theory is suitable to explain the split effect in complex subtraction arithmetic. That is, individuals tend to choose the plausibility-checking strategy or the whole-calculation strategy according to the split size. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

Rapid generation of three-dimensional microchannels for vascularization using a subtractive printing technique.

PubMed

Burtch, Stephanie R; Sameti, Mahyar; Olmstead, Richard T; Bashur, Chris A

2018-05-01

The development of tissue-engineered products has been limited by lack of a perfused microvasculature that delivers nutrients and maintains cell viability. Current strategies to promote vascularization such as additive three-dimensional printing techniques have limitations. This study validates the use of an ultra-fast laser subtractive printing technique to generate capillary-sized channels in hydrogels prepopulated with cells by demonstrating cell viability relative to the photodisrupted channels in the gel. The system can move the focal spot laterally in the gel at a rate of 2500 mm/s by using a galvanometric scanner to raster the in plane focal spot. A Galilean telescope allows z-axis movement. Blended hydrogels of polyethylene glycol and collagen with a range of optical clarities, mechanical properties and swelling behavior were tested to demonstrate that the subtractive printing process for writing vascular channels is compatible with all of the blended hydrogels tested. Channel width and patterns were controlled by adjusting the laser energy and focal spot positioning, respectively. After treatment, high cell viability was observed at distances greater than or equal to 18 μm from the fabricated channels. Overall, this study demonstrates a flexible technique that has the potential to rapidly generate channels in tissue-engineered constructs. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Next-to-leading-logarithmic power corrections for N -jettiness subtraction in color-singlet production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boughezal, Radja; Isgrò, Andrea; Petriello, Frank

2018-04-01

We present a detailed derivation of the power corrections to the factorization theorem for the 0-jettiness event shape variable T . Our calculation is performed directly in QCD without using the formalism of effective field theory. We analytically calculate the next-to-leading logarithmic power corrections for small T at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant, extending previous computations which obtained only the leading-logarithmic power corrections. We address a discrepancy in the literature between results for the leading-logarithmic power corrections to a particular definition of 0-jettiness. We present a numerical study of the power corrections in the context of their application to the N -jettiness subtraction method for higher-order calculations, using gluon-fusion Higgs production as an example. The inclusion of the next-to-leading-logarithmic power corrections further improves the numerical efficiency of the approach beyond the improvement obtained from the leading-logarithmic power corrections.

Subtractive procedure for calculating the anomalous electron magnetic moment in QED and its application for numerical calculation at the three-loop level

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkov, S. A., E-mail: volkoff-sergey@mail.ru

2016-06-15

A new subtractive procedure for canceling ultraviolet and infrared divergences in the Feynman integrals described here is developed for calculating QED corrections to the electron anomalous magnetic moment. The procedure formulated in the form of a forest expression with linear operators applied to Feynman amplitudes of UV-diverging subgraphs makes it possible to represent the contribution of each Feynman graph containing only electron and photon propagators in the form of a converging integral with respect to Feynman parameters. The application of the developed method for numerical calculation of two- and threeloop contributions is described.

Spectral characterization of natural backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkelmann, Max

2017-10-01

As the distribution and use of hyperspectral sensors is constantly increasing, the exploitation of spectral features is a threat for camouflaged objects. To improve camouflage materials at first the spectral behavior of backgrounds has to be known to adjust and optimize the spectral reflectance of camouflage materials. In an international effort, the NATO CSO working group SCI-295 "Development of Methods for Measurements and Evaluation of Natural Background EO Signatures" is developing a method how this characterization of backgrounds has to be done. It is obvious that the spectral characterization of a background will be quite an effort. To compare and exchange data internationally the measurements will have to be done in a similar way. To test and further improve this method an international field trial has been performed in Storkow, Germany. In the following we present first impressions and lessons learned from this field campaign and describe the data that has been measured.

A new method for detecting small and dim targets in starry background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Rui; Zhang, Yanning; Jiang, Lei

2011-08-01

Small visible optical space targets detection is one of the key issues in the research of long-range early warning and space debris surveillance. The SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) of the target is very low because of the self influence of image device. Random noise and background movement also increase the difficulty of target detection. In order to detect small visible optical space targets effectively and rapidly, we bring up a novel detecting method based on statistic theory. Firstly, we get a reasonable statistical model of visible optical space image. Secondly, we extract SIFT(Scale-Invariant Feature Transform) feature of the image frames, and calculate the transform relationship, then use the transform relationship to compensate whole visual field's movement. Thirdly, the influence of star was wiped off by using interframe difference method. We find segmentation threshold to differentiate candidate targets and noise by using OTSU method. Finally, we calculate statistical quantity to judge whether there is the target for every pixel position in the image. Theory analysis shows the relationship of false alarm probability and detection probability at different SNR. The experiment result shows that this method could detect target efficiently, even the target passing through stars.

Application of nonparametric regression methods to study the relationship between NO2 concentrations and local wind direction and speed at background sites.

PubMed

Donnelly, Aoife; Misstear, Bruce; Broderick, Brian

2011-02-15

Background concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) are not constant but vary temporally and spatially. The current paper presents a powerful tool for the quantification of the effects of wind direction and wind speed on background NO(2) concentrations, particularly in cases where monitoring data are limited. In contrast to previous studies which applied similar methods to sites directly affected by local pollution sources, the current study focuses on background sites with the aim of improving methods for predicting background concentrations adopted in air quality modelling studies. The relationship between measured NO(2) concentration in air at three such sites in Ireland and locally measured wind direction has been quantified using nonparametric regression methods. The major aim was to analyse a method for quantifying the effects of local wind direction on background levels of NO(2) in Ireland. The method was expanded to include wind speed as an added predictor variable. A Gaussian kernel function is used in the analysis and circular statistics employed for the wind direction variable. Wind direction and wind speed were both found to have a statistically significant effect on background levels of NO(2) at all three sites. Frequently environmental impact assessments are based on short term baseline monitoring producing a limited dataset. The presented non-parametric regression methods, in contrast to the frequently used methods such as binning of the data, allow concentrations for missing data pairs to be estimated and distinction between spurious and true peaks in concentrations to be made. The methods were found to provide a realistic estimation of long term concentration variation with wind direction and speed, even for cases where the data set is limited. Accurate identification of the actual variation at each location and causative factors could be made, thus supporting the improved definition of background concentrations for use in air quality modelling

Effect of scaling and root planing on alveolar bone as measured by subtraction radiography.

PubMed

Hwang, You-Jeong; Fien, Matthew Jonas; Lee, Sam-Sun; Kim, Tae-Il; Seol, Yang-Jo; Lee, Yong-Moo; Ku, Young; Rhyu, In-Chul; Chung, Chong-Pyoung; Han, Soo-Boo

2008-09-01

Scaling and root planing of diseased periodontal pockets is fundamental to the treatment of periodontal disease. Although various clinical parameters have been used to assess the efficacy of this therapy, radiographic analysis of changes in bone density following scaling and root planing has not been extensively researched. In this study, digital subtraction radiography was used to analyze changes that occurred in the periodontal hard tissues following scaling and root planing. Thirteen subjects with a total of 39 sites that presented with >3 mm of vertical bone loss were included in this study. Clinical examinations were performed and radiographs were taken prior to treatment and were repeated 6 months following scaling and root planing. Radiographic analysis was performed with computer-assisted radiographic evaluation software. Three regions of interest (ROI) were defined as the most coronal, middle, and apical portions of each defect. A fourth ROI was used for each site as a control region and was placed at a distant, untreated area. Statistical analysis was carried out to evaluate changes in the mean gray level at the coronal, middle, and apical region of each treated defect. Digital subtraction radiography revealed an increase in radiographic density in 101 of the 117 test regions (83.3%). A 256 gray level was used, and a value >128 was assumed to represent a density gain in the ROI. The average gray level increase was 18.65. Although the coronal, middle, and apical regions displayed increases in bone density throughout this study, the bone density of the apical ROI (gray level = 151.27 +/- 20.62) increased significantly more than the bone density of the coronal ROI (gray level = 139.19 +/- 21.78). A significant increase in bone density was seen in probing depths >5 mm compared to those <5 mm in depth. No significant difference was found with regard to bone-density changes surrounding single- versus multiple-rooted teeth. Scaling and root planing of diseased

Smart stability-indicating spectrophotometric methods for determination of binary mixtures without prior separation.

PubMed

El-Bardicy, Mohammad G; Lotfy, Hayam M; El-Sayed, Mohammad A; El-Tarras, Mohammad F

2008-01-01

Ratio subtraction and isosbestic point methods are 2 innovating spectrophotometric methods used to determine vincamine in the presence of its acid degradation product and a mixture of cinnarizine (CN) and nicergoline (NIC). Linear correlations were obtained in the concentration range from 8-40 microg/mL for vincamine (I), 6-22 microg/mL for CN (II), and 6-36 microg/mL for NIC (III), with mean accuracies 99.72 +/- 0.917% for I, 99.91 +/- 0.703% for II, and 99.58 +/- 0.847 and 99.83 +/- 1.039% for III. The ratio subtraction method was utilized for the analysis of laboratory-prepared mixtures containing different ratios of vincamine and its degradation product, and it was valid in the presence of up to 80% degradation product. CN and NIC in synthetic mixtures were analyzed by the 2 proposed methods with the total content of the mixture determined at their respective isosbestic points of 270.2 and 235.8 nm, and the content of CN was determined by the ratio subtraction method. The proposed method was validated and found to be suitable as a stability-indicating assay method for vincamine in pharmaceutical formulations. The standard addition technique was applied to validate the results and to ensure the specificity of the proposed methods.

Influence of background size, luminance and eccentricity on different adaptation mechanisms

PubMed Central

Gloriani, Alejandro H.; Matesanz, Beatriz M.; Barrionuevo, Pablo A.; Arranz, Isabel; Issolio, Luis; Mar, Santiago; Aparicio, Juan A.

2016-01-01

Mechanisms of light adaptation have been traditionally explained with reference to psychophysical experimentation. However, the neural substrata involved in those mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Our study analyzed links between psychophysical measurements and retinal physiological evidence with consideration for the phenomena of rod-cone interactions, photon noise, and spatial summation. Threshold test luminances were obtained with steady background fields at mesopic and photopic light levels (i.e., 0.06–110 cd/m2) for retinal eccentricities from 0° to 15° using three combinations of background/test field sizes (i.e., 10°/2°, 10°/0.45°, and 1°/0.45°). A two-channel Maxwellian view optical system was employed to eliminate pupil effects on the measured thresholds. A model based on visual mechanisms that were described in the literature was optimized to fit the measured luminance thresholds in all experimental conditions. Our results can be described by a combination of visual mechanisms. We determined how spatial summation changed with eccentricity and how subtractive adaptation changed with eccentricity and background field size. According to our model, photon noise plays a significant role to explain contrast detection thresholds measured with the 1/0.45° background/test size combination at mesopic luminances and at off-axis eccentricities. In these conditions, our data reflect the presence of rod-cone interaction for eccentricities between 6° and 9° and luminances between 0.6 and 5 cd/m2. In spite of the increasing noise effects with eccentricity, results also show that the visual system tends to maintain a constant signal-to-noise ratio in the off-axis detection task over the whole mesopic range. PMID:27210038

Influence of background size, luminance and eccentricity on different adaptation mechanisms.

PubMed

Gloriani, Alejandro H; Matesanz, Beatriz M; Barrionuevo, Pablo A; Arranz, Isabel; Issolio, Luis; Mar, Santiago; Aparicio, Juan A

2016-08-01

Mechanisms of light adaptation have been traditionally explained with reference to psychophysical experimentation. However, the neural substrata involved in those mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Our study analyzed links between psychophysical measurements and retinal physiological evidence with consideration for the phenomena of rod-cone interactions, photon noise, and spatial summation. Threshold test luminances were obtained with steady background fields at mesopic and photopic light levels (i.e., 0.06-110cd/m(2)) for retinal eccentricities from 0° to 15° using three combinations of background/test field sizes (i.e., 10°/2°, 10°/0.45°, and 1°/0.45°). A two-channel Maxwellian view optical system was employed to eliminate pupil effects on the measured thresholds. A model based on visual mechanisms that were described in the literature was optimized to fit the measured luminance thresholds in all experimental conditions. Our results can be described by a combination of visual mechanisms. We determined how spatial summation changed with eccentricity and how subtractive adaptation changed with eccentricity and background field size. According to our model, photon noise plays a significant role to explain contrast detection thresholds measured with the 1/0.45° background/test size combination at mesopic luminances and at off-axis eccentricities. In these conditions, our data reflect the presence of rod-cone interaction for eccentricities between 6° and 9° and luminances between 0.6 and 5cd/m(2). In spite of the increasing noise effects with eccentricity, results also show that the visual system tends to maintain a constant signal-to-noise ratio in the off-axis detection task over the whole mesopic range. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative coronary angiography using image recovery techniques for background estimation in unsubtracted images

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, Jerry T.; Kamyar, Farzad; Molloi, Sabee

2007-10-15

Densitometry measurements have been performed previously using subtracted images. However, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in coronary angiography is highly susceptible to misregistration artifacts due to the temporal separation of background and target images. Misregistration artifacts due to respiration and patient motion occur frequently, and organ motion is unavoidable. Quantitative densitometric techniques would be more clinically feasible if they could be implemented using unsubtracted images. The goal of this study is to evaluate image recovery techniques for densitometry measurements using unsubtracted images. A humanoid phantom and eight swine (25-35 kg) were used to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the followingmore » image recovery techniques: Local averaging (LA), morphological filtering (MF), linear interpolation (LI), and curvature-driven diffusion image inpainting (CDD). Images of iodinated vessel phantoms placed over the heart of the humanoid phantom or swine were acquired. In addition, coronary angiograms were obtained after power injections of a nonionic iodinated contrast solution in an in vivo swine study. Background signals were estimated and removed with LA, MF, LI, and CDD. Iodine masses in the vessel phantoms were quantified and compared to known amounts. Moreover, the total iodine in left anterior descending arteries was measured and compared with DSA measurements. In the humanoid phantom study, the average root mean square errors associated with quantifying iodine mass using LA and MF were approximately 6% and 9%, respectively. The corresponding average root mean square errors associated with quantifying iodine mass using LI and CDD were both approximately 3%. In the in vivo swine study, the root mean square errors associated with quantifying iodine in the vessel phantoms with LA and MF were approximately 5% and 12%, respectively. The corresponding average root mean square errors using LI and CDD were both 3%. The standard

Non-perturbative background field calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, C. R.

1988-01-01

New methods are developed for calculating one loop functional determinants in quantum field theory. Instead of relying on a calculation of all the eigenvalues of the small fluctuation equation, these techniques exploit the ability of the proper time formalism to reformulate an infinite dimensional field theoretic problem into a finite dimensional covariant quantum mechanical analog, thereby allowing powerful tools such as the method of Jacobi fields to be used advantageously in a field theory setting. More generally the methods developed herein should be extremely valuable when calculating quantum processes in non-constant background fields, offering a utilitarian alternative to the two standard methods of calculation—perturbation theory in the background field or taking the background field into account exactly. The formalism developed also allows for the approximate calculation of covariances of partial differential equations from a knowledge of the solutions of a homogeneous ordinary differential equation.

Space moving target detection and tracking method in complex background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Ping-Yue; Sun, Sheng-Li; Lin, Chang-Qing; Liu, Gao-Rui

2018-06-01

The background of the space-borne detectors in real space-based environment is extremely complex and the signal-to-clutter ratio is very low (SCR ≈ 1), which increases the difficulty for detecting space moving targets. In order to solve this problem, an algorithm combining background suppression processing based on two-dimensional least mean square filter (TDLMS) and target enhancement based on neighborhood gray-scale difference (GSD) is proposed in this paper. The latter can filter out most of the residual background clutter processed by the former such as cloud edge. Through this procedure, both global and local SCR have obtained substantial improvement, indicating that the target has been greatly enhanced. After removing the detector's inherent clutter region through connected domain processing, the image only contains the target point and the isolated noise, in which the isolated noise could be filtered out effectively through multi-frame association. The proposed algorithm in this paper has been compared with some state-of-the-art algorithms for moving target detection and tracking tasks. The experimental results show that the performance of this algorithm is the best in terms of SCR gain, background suppression factor (BSF) and detection results.

Blood flow measurement using digital subtraction angiography for assessing hemodialysis access function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koirala, Nischal; Setser, Randolph M.; Bullen, Jennifer; McLennan, Gordon

2017-03-01

Blood flow rate is a critical parameter for diagnosing dialysis access function during fistulography where a flow rate of 600 ml/min in arteriovenous graft or 400-500 ml/min in arteriovenous fistula is considered the clinical threshold for fully functioning access. In this study, a flow rate computational model for calculating intra-access flow to evaluate dialysis access patency was developed and validated in an in vitro set up using digital subtraction angiography. Flow rates were computed by tracking the bolus through two regions of interest using cross correlation (XCOR) and mean arrival time (MAT) algorithms, and correlated versus an in-line transonic flow meter measurement. The mean difference (mean +/- standard deviation) between XCOR and in-line flow measurements for in vitro setup at 3, 6, 7.5 and 10 frames/s was 118+/-63 37+/-59 31+/-31 and 46+/-57 ml/min respectively while for MAT method it was 86+/-56 57+/-72 35+/-85 and 19+/-129 ml/min respectively. The result of this investigation will be helpful for selecting candidate algorithms while blood flow computational tool is developed for clinical application.

An Analysis of Kindergarten and First Grade Children's Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving Modeling and Accuracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shores, Jay H.; Underhill, Robert G.

A study was undertaken of the effects of formal education and conservation of numerousness on addition and subtraction problem types. Thirty-six kindergarten and 36 first-grade subjects randomly selected from one area of a school district were administered measures of conservation, problem-solving success, and modeling ability. Following factor…

Heritage Language Learners in Mixed Spanish Classes: Subtractive Practices and Perceptions of High School Spanish Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randolph, Linwood J., Jr.

2017-01-01

This qualitative study investigated the language ideologies and instructional practices of an entire Spanish language faculty at a high school in a new gateway state for immigration. The study examined additive and subtractive practices of teachers as they strived to teach Spanish to heritage language learners (HLLs) enrolled in mixed…

A comparison of change detection methods using multispectral scanner data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seevers, Paul M.; Jones, Brenda K.; Qiu, Zhicheng; Liu, Yutong

1994-01-01

Change detection methods were investigated as a cooperative activity between the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, People's Republic of China. Subtraction of band 2, band 3, normalized difference vegetation index, and tasseled cap bands 1 and 2 data from two multispectral scanner images were tested using two sites in the United States and one in the People's Republic of China. A new statistical method also was tested. Band 2 subtraction gives the best results for detecting change from vegetative cover to urban development. The statistical method identifies areas that have changed and uses a fast classification algorithm to classify the original data of the changed areas by land cover type present for each image date.

Toward particle-level filtering of individual collision events at the Large Hadron Collider and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colecchia, Federico

2014-03-01

Low-energy strong interactions are a major source of background at hadron colliders, and methods of subtracting the associated energy flow are well established in the field. Traditional approaches treat the contamination as diffuse, and estimate background energy levels either by averaging over large data sets or by restricting to given kinematic regions inside individual collision events. On the other hand, more recent techniques take into account the discrete nature of background, most notably by exploiting the presence of substructure inside hard jets, i.e. inside collections of particles originating from scattered hard quarks and gluons. However, none of the existing methods subtract background at the level of individual particles inside events. We illustrate the use of an algorithm that will allow particle-by-particle background discrimination at the Large Hadron Collider, and we envisage this as the basis for a novel event filtering procedure upstream of the official reconstruction chains. Our hope is that this new technique will improve physics analysis when used in combination with state-of-the-art algorithms in high-luminosity hadron collider environments.

Estimating Prion Adsorption Capacity of Soil by BioAssay of Subtracted Infectivity from Complex Solutions (BASICS)

PubMed Central

Wyckoff, A. Christy; Lockwood, Krista L.; Meyerett-Reid, Crystal; Michel, Brady A.; Bender, Heather; VerCauteren, Kurt C.; Zabel, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Prions, the infectious agent of scrapie, chronic wasting disease and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are misfolded proteins that are highly stable and resistant to degradation. Prions are known to associate with clay and other soil components, enhancing their persistence and surprisingly, transmissibility. Currently, few detection and quantification methods exist for prions in soil, hindering an understanding of prion persistence and infectivity in the environment. Variability in apparent infectious titers of prions when bound to soil has complicated attempts to quantify the binding capacity of soil for prion infectivity. Here, we quantify the prion adsorption capacity of whole, sandy loam soil (SLS) typically found in CWD endemic areas in Colorado; and purified montmorillonite clay (Mte), previously shown to bind prions, by BioAssay of Subtracted Infectivity in Complex Solutions (BASICS). We incubated prion positive 10% brain homogenate from terminally sick mice infected with the Rocky Mountain Lab strain of mouse-adapted prions (RML) with 10% SLS or Mte. After 24 hours samples were centrifuged five minutes at 200×g and soil-free supernatant was intracerebrally inoculated into prion susceptible indicator mice. We used the number of days post inoculation to clinical disease to calculate the infectious titer remaining in the supernatant, which we subtracted from the starting titer to determine the infectious prion binding capacity of SLS and Mte. BASICS indicated SLS bound and removed ≥ 95% of infectivity. Mte bound and removed lethal doses (99.98%) of prions from inocula, effectively preventing disease in the mice. Our data reveal significant prion-binding capacity of soil and the utility of BASICS to estimate prion loads and investigate persistence and decomposition in the environment. Additionally, since Mte successfully rescued the mice from prion disease, Mte might be used for remediation and decontamination protocols. PMID:23484043

Estimating prion adsorption capacity of soil by BioAssay of Subtracted Infectivity from Complex Solutions (BASICS).

PubMed

Wyckoff, A Christy; Lockwood, Krista L; Meyerett-Reid, Crystal; Michel, Brady A; Bender, Heather; VerCauteren, Kurt C; Zabel, Mark D

2013-01-01

Prions, the infectious agent of scrapie, chronic wasting disease and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are misfolded proteins that are highly stable and resistant to degradation. Prions are known to associate with clay and other soil components, enhancing their persistence and surprisingly, transmissibility. Currently, few detection and quantification methods exist for prions in soil, hindering an understanding of prion persistence and infectivity in the environment. Variability in apparent infectious titers of prions when bound to soil has complicated attempts to quantify the binding capacity of soil for prion infectivity. Here, we quantify the prion adsorption capacity of whole, sandy loam soil (SLS) typically found in CWD endemic areas in Colorado; and purified montmorillonite clay (Mte), previously shown to bind prions, by BioAssay of Subtracted Infectivity in Complex Solutions (BASICS). We incubated prion positive 10% brain homogenate from terminally sick mice infected with the Rocky Mountain Lab strain of mouse-adapted prions (RML) with 10% SLS or Mte. After 24 hours samples were centrifuged five minutes at 200 × g and soil-free supernatant was intracerebrally inoculated into prion susceptible indicator mice. We used the number of days post inoculation to clinical disease to calculate the infectious titer remaining in the supernatant, which we subtracted from the starting titer to determine the infectious prion binding capacity of SLS and Mte. BASICS indicated SLS bound and removed ≥ 95% of infectivity. Mte bound and removed lethal doses (99.98%) of prions from inocula, effectively preventing disease in the mice. Our data reveal significant prion-binding capacity of soil and the utility of BASICS to estimate prion loads and investigate persistence and decomposition in the environment. Additionally, since Mte successfully rescued the mice from prion disease, Mte might be used for remediation and decontamination protocols.

COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND POLARIZATION AND TEMPERATURE POWER SPECTRA ESTIMATION USING LINEAR COMBINATION OF WMAP 5 YEAR MAPS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samal, Pramoda Kumar; Jain, Pankaj; Saha, Rajib

We estimate cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization and temperature power spectra using Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 5 year foreground contaminated maps. The power spectrum is estimated by using a model-independent method, which does not utilize directly the diffuse foreground templates nor the detector noise model. The method essentially consists of two steps: (1) removal of diffuse foregrounds contamination by making linear combination of individual maps in harmonic space and (2) cross-correlation of foreground cleaned maps to minimize detector noise bias. For the temperature power spectrum we also estimate and subtract residual unresolved point source contamination in the cross-power spectrummore » using the point source model provided by the WMAP science team. Our TT, TE, and EE power spectra are in good agreement with the published results of the WMAP science team. We perform detailed numerical simulations to test for bias in our procedure. We find that the bias is small in almost all cases. A negative bias at low l in TT power spectrum has been pointed out in an earlier publication. We find that the bias-corrected quadrupole power (l(l + 1)C{sub l} /2{pi}) is 532 {mu}K{sup 2}, approximately 2.5 times the estimate (213.4 {mu}K{sup 2}) made by the WMAP team.« less

Rotational digital subtraction angiography of the renal arteries: technique and evaluation in the study of native and transplant renal arteries.

PubMed

Seymour, H R; Matson, M B; Belli, A M; Morgan, R; Kyriou, J; Patel, U

2001-02-01

Rotational digital subtraction angiography (RDSA) allows multidirectional angiographic acquisitions with a single injection of contrast medium. The role of RDSA was evaluated in 60 patients referred over a 7-month period for diagnostic renal angiography and 12 patients referred for renal transplant studies. All angiograms were assessed for their diagnostic value, the presence of anomalies and the quantity of contrast medium used. The effective dose for native renal RDSA was determined. 41 (68.3%) native renal RDSA images and 8 (66.7%) transplant renal RDSA images were of diagnostic quality. Multiple renal arteries were identified in 9/41 (22%) native renal RDSA diagnostic images. The mean volume of contrast medium in the RDSA runs was 51.2 ml and 50 ml for native and transplant renal studies, respectively. The mean effective dose for 120 degrees native renal RDSA was 2.36 mSv, equivalent to 1 year's mean background radiation. Those RDSA images that were non-diagnostic allowed accurate prediction of the optimal angle for further static angiographic series, which is of great value in transplant renal vessels.

Subtractive Plasma-Assisted-Etch Process for Developing High Performance Nanocrystalline Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film-Transistors

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

THIN - FILM - TRANSISTORS THESIS Thomas M. Donigan, First Lieutenant, USAF AFIT-ENG-MS-15-M-027 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR...DEVELOPING HIGH PERFORMANCE NANOCRYSTALLINE ZINC-OXIDE THIN - FILM - TRANSISTORS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Electrical and...15-M-027 SUBTRACTIVE PLASMA-ASSISTED-ETCH PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING HIGH PERFORMANCE NANOCRYSTALLINE ZINC-OXIDE THIN - FILM - TRANSISTORS

Background radiation in inelastic X-ray scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy. A study for Johann-type spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paredes Mellone, O. A.; Bianco, L. M.; Ceppi, S. A.; Goncalves Honnicke, M.; Stutz, G. E.

2018-06-01

A study of the background radiation in inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) based on an analytical model is presented. The calculation model considers spurious radiation originated from elastic and inelastic scattering processes along the beam paths of a Johann-type spectrometer. The dependence of the background radiation intensity on the medium of the beam paths (air and helium), analysed energy and radius of the Rowland circle was studied. The present study shows that both for IXS and XES experiments the background radiation is dominated by spurious radiation owing to scattering processes along the sample-analyser beam path. For IXS experiments the spectral distribution of the main component of the background radiation shows a weak linear dependence on the energy for the most cases. In the case of XES, a strong non-linear behaviour of the background radiation intensity was predicted for energy analysis very close to the backdiffraction condition, with a rapid increase in intensity as the analyser Bragg angle approaches π / 2. The contribution of the analyser-detector beam path is significantly weaker and resembles the spectral distribution of the measured spectra. Present results show that for usual experimental conditions no appreciable structures are introduced by the background radiation into the measured spectra, both in IXS and XES experiments. The usefulness of properly calculating the background profile is demonstrated in a background subtraction procedure for a real experimental situation. The calculation model was able to simulate with high accuracy the energy dependence of the background radiation intensity measured in a particular XES experiment with air beam paths.

Method of and apparatus for measuring vapor density

DOEpatents

Nelson, L.D.; Cerni, T.A.

1989-10-17

Apparatus and method are disclosed which determine the concentration of an individual component, such as water vapor, of a multi-component mixture, such as a gaseous mixture for cooling a nuclear reactor. A hygrometer apparatus includes an infrared source for producing a broadband infrared energy beam that includes a strong water vapor absorption band and a weak water vapor absorption region. The beam is chopped to select infrared pulses. A temporally first pulse has a wavelength in the weakly absorbing region, a temporally second pulse has a wavelength in the strong band and a temporally third pulse has a wavelength in the weakly absorbing region. A fourth reference pulse representing background radiation is interposed in such chopped pulses. An indium arsenide infrared sensor is responsive to the pulses for generating an output signal in proportion to an equation given in the patent where N1 is proportional to the transmission through the sample of the first signal, N4 is related to the background radiation, and [K2 (N2-N4) + K3 (N3-N4)] is the time-weighted average of the transmission through the sample of the second and third pulses applicable at the time of the second pulse, with the reference pulse N4 being subtracted in each case to render the ratio independent of variations in the background radiation. 11 figs.

Method of and apparatus for measuring vapor density

DOEpatents

Nelson, Loren D.; Cerni, Todd A.

1989-01-01

Apparatus and method determine the concentration of an individual component, such as water vapor, of a multi-component mixture, such as a gaseous mixture for cooling a nuclear reactor. A hygrometer apparatus includes an infrared source for producing a broadband infrared energy beam that includes a strong water vapor absorption band and a weak water vapor absorption region. The beam is chopped to select infrared pulses. A temporally first pulse has a wavelength in the weakly absorbing region, a temporally second pulse has a wavelength in the strong band and a temporally third pulse has a wavlength in the weakly absorbing region. A fourth reference pulse representing background radiation is interposed in such chopped pulses. An indium arsenide infrared sensor is responsive to the pulses for generating an output signal in proportion to: ##EQU1## where N1 is proportional to the transmission through the sample of the first signal, N4 is related to the background radiation, and [K2 (N2-N4)+K3 (N3-N4)] is the time-weighted average of the transmission through the sample of the second and third pulses applicable at the time of the second pulse, with the reference pulse N4 being subtracted in each case to render the ratio independent of variations in the background radiation.

Assessment of blood supply to intracranial pathologies in children using MR digital subtraction angiography.

PubMed

Chooi, Weng Kong; Connolly, Dan J A; Coley, Stuart C; Griffiths, Paul D

2006-10-01

MR digital subtraction angiography (MR-DSA) is a contrast-enhanced MR angiographic sequence that enables time-resolved evaluation of the cerebral circulation. We describe the feasibility and technical success of our attempts at MR-DSA for the assessment of intracranial pathology in children. We performed MR-DSA in 15 children (age range 5 days to 16 years) referred for MR imaging because of known or suspected intracranial pathology that required a dynamic assessment of the cerebral vasculature. MR-DSA consisted of a thick (6-10 mm) slice-selective RF-spoiled fast gradient-echo sequence (RF-FAST) acquired before and during passage of an intravenously administered bolus of Gd-DTPA. The images were subtracted and viewed as a cine loop. MR-DSA was performed successfully in all patients. High-flow lesions were shown in four patients; these included vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation, dural fistula, and two partially treated arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Low-flow lesions were seen in three patients, all of which were tumours. Normal flow was confirmed in eight patients including two with successfully treated AVMs, and in three patients with cavernomas. Our early experience suggests that MR-DSA is a realistic, non-invasive alternative to catheter angiography in certain clinical settings.

A new method to reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainty of chance coincidence backgrounds measured with waveform digitizers

DOE PAGES

O'Donnell, John M.

2015-06-30

We present a new method for measuring chance-coincidence backgrounds during the collection of coincidence data. The method relies on acquiring data with near-zero dead time, which is now realistic due to the increasing deployment of flash electronic-digitizer (waveform digitizer) techniques. An experiment designed to use this new method is capable of acquiring more coincidence data, and a much reduced statistical fluctuation of the measured background. A statistical analysis is presented, and us ed to derive a figure of merit for the new method. Factors of four improvement over other analyses are realistic. The technique is illustrated with preliminary data takenmore » as part of a program to make new measurements of the prompt fission neutron spectra at Los Alamo s Neutron Science Center. In conclusion, it is expected that the these measurements will occur in a regime where the maximum figure of merit will be exploited« less

Crystal identification for a dual-layer-offset LYSO based PET system via Lu-176 background radiation and mean shift algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qingyang; Ma, Tianyu; Xu, Tianpeng; Zeng, Ming; Gu, Yu; Dai, Tiantian; Liu, Yaqiang

2018-01-01

Modern positron emission tomography (PET) detectors are made from pixelated scintillation crystal arrays and readout by Anger logic. The interaction position of the gamma-ray should be assigned to a crystal using a crystal position map or look-up table. Crystal identification is a critical procedure for pixelated PET systems. In this paper, we propose a novel crystal identification method for a dual-layer-offset LYSO based animal PET system via Lu-176 background radiation and mean shift algorithm. Single photon event data of the Lu-176 background radiation are acquired in list-mode for 3 h to generate a single photon flood map (SPFM). Coincidence events are obtained from the same data using time information to generate a coincidence flood map (CFM). The CFM is used to identify the peaks of the inner layer using the mean shift algorithm. The response of the inner layer is deducted from the SPFM by subtracting CFM. Then, the peaks of the outer layer are also identified using the mean shift algorithm. The automatically identified peaks are manually inspected by a graphical user interface program. Finally, a crystal position map is generated using a distance criterion based on these peaks. The proposed method is verified on the animal PET system with 48 detector blocks on a laptop with an Intel i7-5500U processor. The total runtime for whole system peak identification is 67.9 s. Results show that the automatic crystal identification has 99.98% and 99.09% accuracy for the peaks of the inner and outer layers of the whole system respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method is suitable for the dual-layer-offset lutetium based PET system to perform crystal identification instead of external radiation sources.

Noise covariance incorporated MEG-MUSIC algorithm: a method for multiple-dipole estimation tolerant of the influence of background brain activity.

PubMed

Sekihara, K; Poeppel, D; Marantz, A; Koizumi, H; Miyashita, Y

1997-09-01

This paper proposes a method of localizing multiple current dipoles from spatio-temporal biomagnetic data. The method is based on the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm and is tolerant of the influence of background brain activity. In this method, the noise covariance matrix is estimated using a portion of the data that contains noise, but does not contain any signal information. Then, a modified noise subspace projector is formed using the generalized eigenvectors of the noise and measured-data covariance matrices. The MUSIC localizer is calculated using this noise subspace projector and the noise covariance matrix. The results from a computer simulation have verified the effectiveness of the method. The method was then applied to source estimation for auditory-evoked fields elicited by syllable speech sounds. The results strongly suggest the method's effectiveness in removing the influence of background activity.

Optimization of advanced Wiener estimation methods for Raman reconstruction from narrow-band measurements in the presence of fluorescence background

PubMed Central

Chen, Shuo; Ong, Yi Hong; Lin, Xiaoqian; Liu, Quan

2015-01-01

Raman spectroscopy has shown great potential in biomedical applications. However, intrinsically weak Raman signals cause slow data acquisition especially in Raman imaging. This problem can be overcome by narrow-band Raman imaging followed by spectral reconstruction. Our previous study has shown that Raman spectra free of fluorescence background can be reconstructed from narrow-band Raman measurements using traditional Wiener estimation. However, fluorescence-free Raman spectra are only available from those sophisticated Raman setups capable of fluorescence suppression. The reconstruction of Raman spectra with fluorescence background from narrow-band measurements is much more challenging due to the significant variation in fluorescence background. In this study, two advanced Wiener estimation methods, i.e. modified Wiener estimation and sequential weighted Wiener estimation, were optimized to achieve this goal. Both spontaneous Raman spectra and surface enhanced Raman spectra were evaluated. Compared with traditional Wiener estimation, two advanced methods showed significant improvement in the reconstruction of spontaneous Raman spectra. However, traditional Wiener estimation can work as effectively as the advanced methods for SERS spectra but much faster. The wise selection of these methods would enable accurate Raman reconstruction in a simple Raman setup without the function of fluorescence suppression for fast Raman imaging. PMID:26203387

Method to acquire regions of fruit, branch and leaf from image of red apple in orchard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Jidong; Xu, Liming

2017-07-01

This work proposed a method to acquire regions of fruit, branch and leaf from red apple image in orchard. To acquire fruit image, R-G image was extracted from the RGB image for corrosive working, hole filling, subregion removal, expansive working and opening operation in order. Finally, fruit image was acquired by threshold segmentation. To acquire leaf image, fruit image was subtracted from RGB image before extracting 2G-R-B image. Then, leaf image was acquired by subregion removal and threshold segmentation. To acquire branch image, dynamic threshold segmentation was conducted in the R-G image. Then, the segmented image was added to fruit image to acquire adding fruit image which was subtracted from RGB image with leaf image. Finally, branch image was acquired by opening operation, subregion removal and threshold segmentation after extracting the R-G image from the subtracting image. Compared with previous methods, more complete image of fruit, leaf and branch can be acquired from red apple image with this method.

A statistical, task-based evaluation method for three-dimensional x-ray breast imaging systems using variable-background phantoms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Subok; Jennings, Robert; Liu Haimo

Purpose: For the last few years, development and optimization of three-dimensional (3D) x-ray breast imaging systems, such as digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and computed tomography, have drawn much attention from the medical imaging community, either academia or industry. However, there is still much room for understanding how to best optimize and evaluate the devices over a large space of many different system parameters and geometries. Current evaluation methods, which work well for 2D systems, do not incorporate the depth information from the 3D imaging systems. Therefore, it is critical to develop a statistically sound evaluation method to investigate the usefulnessmore » of inclusion of depth and background-variability information into the assessment and optimization of the 3D systems. Methods: In this paper, we present a mathematical framework for a statistical assessment of planar and 3D x-ray breast imaging systems. Our method is based on statistical decision theory, in particular, making use of the ideal linear observer called the Hotelling observer. We also present a physical phantom that consists of spheres of different sizes and materials for producing an ensemble of randomly varying backgrounds to be imaged for a given patient class. Lastly, we demonstrate our evaluation method in comparing laboratory mammography and three-angle DBT systems for signal detection tasks using the phantom's projection data. We compare the variable phantom case to that of a phantom of the same dimensions filled with water, which we call the uniform phantom, based on the performance of the Hotelling observer as a function of signal size and intensity. Results: Detectability trends calculated using the variable and uniform phantom methods are different from each other for both mammography and DBT systems. Conclusions: Our results indicate that measuring the system's detection performance with consideration of background variability may lead to differences in system

Global Energetics of Thirty-Eight Large Solar Eruptive Events

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-17

is the energy radiated in the narrow GOES band from 1 to 8 Å, obtained directly from background -subtracted data (Section 2.1). The second is the energy... background -subtracted fluxes over the duration of the flare, from the GOES start time (given by NOAA and listed in Table 1) to the time when the flux...had decreased to 10% of the peak value. The background that was subtracted was taken as the lowest flux in the hour or so before and/or after the flare

CO{sub 2} Digital Subtraction Splenoportography with the 'Skinny' Needle: Experimental Study in a Swine Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cho, Kyung J.; Cho, David R.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and the effectiveness of CO{sub 2} splenoportography with the 'skinny' needle. Methods: A flexible, 22 gauge needle ('skinny' needle) was introduced into the exteriorized spleens of five pigs. After checking the intrasplenic positioning withCO{sub 2} injection, increasing doses of CO{sub 2} (10-60cm{sup 3}) were injected using a dedicated CO{sub 2}injector with digital imaging. The puncture sites were observed during and after CO{sub 2} injections, and after removal of the needle.The spleens were then removed for gross and microscopic examination. Results: In all animals digital subtractionCO{sub 2} splenoportograms showed the splenic, extra- and intrahepatic portal veins,more » and the most distal portion of the superiormesenteric vein. No CO{sub 2} extravasation occurred in the spleen. There was no significant bleeding from the puncture site after removal of the needle. Gross and microscopic examination revealed no evidence of splenic rupture or intrasplenic hematoma. Conclusion: CO{sub 2} splenoportography with the 'skinny' needle is a safe and simple method of visualizing the portal vein and its branches. Careful appraisals of the clinical usefulness of the method will be needed in various clinical settings.« less

Lung nodule detection by microdose CT versus chest radiography (standard and dual-energy subtracted).

PubMed

Ebner, Lukas; Bütikofer, Yanik; Ott, Daniel; Huber, Adrian; Landau, Julia; Roos, Justus E; Heverhagen, Johannes T; Christe, Andreas

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of microdose CT using a comparable dose as for conventional chest radiographs in two planes including dual-energy subtraction for lung nodule assessment. We investigated 65 chest phantoms with 141 lung nodules, using an anthropomorphic chest phantom with artificial lung nodules. Microdose CT parameters were 80 kV and 6 mAs, with pitch of 2.2. Iterative reconstruction algorithms and an integrated circuit detector system (Stellar, Siemens Healthcare) were applied for maximum dose reduction. Maximum intensity projections (MIPs) were reconstructed. Chest radiographs were acquired in two projections with bone suppression. Four blinded radiologists interpreted the images in random order. A soft-tissue CT kernel (I30f) delivered better sensitivities in a pilot study than a hard kernel (I70f), with respective mean (SD) sensitivities of 91.1%±2.2% versus 85.6%±5.6% (p=0.041). Nodule size was measured accurately for all kernels. Mean clustered nodule sensitivity with chest radiography was 45.7%±8.1% (with bone suppression, 46.1%±8%; p=0.94); for microdose CT, nodule sensitivity was 83.6%±9% without MIP (with additional MIP, 92.5%±6%; p<10(-3)). Individual sensitivities of microdose CT for readers 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 84.3%, 90.7%, 68.6%, and 45.0%, respectively. Sensitivities with chest radiography for readers 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 42.9%, 58.6%, 36.4%, and 90.7%, respectively. In the per-phantom analysis, respective sensitivities of microdose CT versus chest radiography were 96.2% and 75% (p<10(-6)). The effective dose for chest radiography including dual-energy subtraction was 0.242 mSv; for microdose CT, the applied dose was 0.1323 mSv. Microdose CT is better than the combination of chest radiography and dual-energy subtraction for the detection of solid nodules between 5 and 12 mm at a lower dose level of 0.13 mSv. Soft-tissue kernels allow better sensitivities. These preliminary results indicate that

A revision of the subtract-with-borrow random number generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibidanov, Alexei

2017-12-01

The most popular and widely used subtract-with-borrow generator, also known as RANLUX, is reimplemented as a linear congruential generator using large integer arithmetic with the modulus size of 576 bits. Modern computers, as well as the specific structure of the modulus inferred from RANLUX, allow for the development of a fast modular multiplication - the core of the procedure. This was previously believed to be slow and have too high cost in terms of computing resources. Our tests show a significant gain in generation speed which is comparable with other fast, high quality random number generators. An additional feature is the fast skipping of generator states leading to a seeding scheme which guarantees the uniqueness of random number sequences. Licensing provisions: GPLv3 Programming language: C++, C, Assembler

Towards standardization of 18F-FET PET imaging: do we need a consistent method of background activity assessment?

PubMed

Unterrainer, Marcus; Vettermann, Franziska; Brendel, Matthias; Holzgreve, Adrien; Lifschitz, Michael; Zähringer, Matthias; Suchorska, Bogdana; Wenter, Vera; Illigens, Ben M; Bartenstein, Peter; Albert, Nathalie L

2017-12-01

PET with O-(2- 18 F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ( 18 F-FET) has reached increasing clinical significance for patients with brain neoplasms. For quantification of standard PET-derived parameters such as the tumor-to-background ratio, the background activity is assessed using a region of interest (ROI) or volume of interest (VOI) in unaffected brain tissue. However, there is no standardized approach regarding the assessment of the background reference. Therefore, we evaluated the intra- and inter-reader variability of commonly applied approaches for clinical 18 F-FET PET reading. The background activity of 20 18 F-FET PET scans was independently evaluated by 6 readers using a (i) simple 2D-ROI, (ii) spherical VOI with 3.0 cm diameter, and (iii) VOI consisting of crescent-shaped ROIs; each in the contralateral, non-affected hemisphere including white and gray matter in line with the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and German guidelines. To assess intra-reader variability, each scan was evaluated 10 times by each reader. The coefficient of variation (CoV) was assessed for determination of intra- and inter-reader variability. In a second step, the best method was refined by instructions for a guided background activity assessment and validated by 10 further scans. Compared to the other approaches, the crescent-shaped VOIs revealed most stable results with the lowest intra-reader variabilities (median CoV 1.52%, spherical VOI 4.20%, 2D-ROI 3.69%; p < 0.001) and inter-reader variabilities (median CoV 2.14%, spherical VOI 4.02%, 2D-ROI 3.83%; p = 0.001). Using the guided background assessment, both intra-reader variabilities (median CoV 1.10%) and inter-reader variabilities (median CoV 1.19%) could be reduced even more. The commonly applied methods for background activity assessment show different variability which might hamper 18 F-FET PET quantification and comparability in multicenter settings. The proposed background activity assessment using a

The Effects of Mind Subtraction Meditation on Depression, Social Anxiety, Aggression, and Salivary Cortisol Levels of Elementary School Children in South Korea.

PubMed

Yoo, Yang-Gyeong; Lee, Duck-Joo; Lee, In-Soo; Shin, Namin; Park, Ju-Yeon; Yoon, Mi-Ra; Yu, Boas

2016-01-01

This study analyzed the effects of a school-based mind subtraction meditation program on depression, social anxiety, aggression, and salivary cortisol levels of 42 elementary school children in South Korea. The research design was a nonequivalent group comparison with pretest and post-test. The experimental group was given 8weeks of the meditation program. The results showed social anxiety, aggression, and salivary cortisol levels were significantly lowered in the experimental group. This demonstrated that the school-based mind subtraction meditation program could be effective in improving psychosocial and behavioral aspects of mental health in elementary school children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Student Achievement in Addition and Subtraction at First Grade Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center