Fringing in MonoCam Y4 filter images

DOE PAGES

Brooks, J.; Fisher-Levine, M.; Nomerotski, A.

2017-05-05

Here, we study the fringing patterns observed in MonoCam, a camera with a single Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) CCD sensor. Images were taken at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona (NOFS) employing its 1.3 m telescope and an LSST y4 filter. Fringing occurs due to the reflection of infrared light (700 nm or larger) from the bottom surface of the CCD which constructively or destructively interferes with the incident light to produce a net "fringe" pattern which is superimposed on all images taken. Emission lines from the atmosphere, dominated by hydroxyl (OH) spectra, can change in their relativemore » intensities as the night goes on, producing different fringe patterns in the images taken. We found through several methods that the general shape of the fringe patterns remained constant, though with slight changes in the amplitude and phase of the fringes. Lastly, we also found that a superposition of fringes from two monochromatic lines taken in the lab offered a reasonable description of the sky data.« less

Gravity Wave Detection through All-sky Imaging of Airglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, T. V.; Martinez, A.; Porat, I.; Hampton, D. L.; Bering, E., III; Wood, L.

2017-12-01

Airglow, the faint glow of the atmosphere, is caused by the interaction of air molecules with radiation from the sun. Similarly, the aurora is created by interactions of air molecules with the solar wind. It has been shown that airglow emissions are altered by gravity waves passing through airglow source region (100-110km), making it possible to study gravity waves and their sources through airglow imaging. University of Houston's USIP - Airglow team designed a compact, inexpensive all-sky imager capable of detecting airglow and auroral emissions using a fisheye lens, a simple optical train, a filter wheel with 4 specific filters, and a CMOS camera. This instrument has been used in USIP's scientific campaign in Alaska throughout March 2017. During this period, the imager captured auroral activity in the Fairbanks region. Due to lunar conditions and auroral activity images from the campaign did not yield visible signs of airglow. Currently, the team is trying to detect gravity wave patterns present in the images through numerical analysis. Detected gravity wave patterns will be compared to local weather data, and may be used to make correlations between gravity waves and weather events. Such correlations could provide more data on the relationship between the mesosphere and lower layers of the atmosphere. Practical applications of this research include weather prediction and detection of air turbulence.

Weak light emission of soft tissues induced by heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spinelli, Antonello E.; Durando, Giovanni; Boschi, Federico

2018-04-01

The main goal of this work is to show that soft tissue interaction with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) or direct heating leads to a weak light emission detectable using a small animal optical imaging system. Our results show that the luminescence signal is detectable after 30 min of heating, resembling the time scale of delayed luminescence. The imaging of a soft tissue after heating it using an HIFU field shows that the luminescence pattern closely matches the shape of the cone typical of the HIFU beam. We conclude that heating a soft tissue using two different sources leads to the emission of a weak luminescence signal from the heated region with a decay half-life of a few minutes (4 to 6 min). The origin of such light emission needs to be further investigated.

Modeling of X-ray Images and Energy Spectra Produced by Stepping Lightning Leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei; Marshall, Robert A.; Celestin, Sebastien; Pasko, Victor P.

2017-11-01

Recent ground-based measurements at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) have greatly improved our knowledge of the energetics, fluence, and evolution of X-ray emissions during natural cloud-to-ground (CG) and rocket-triggered lightning flashes. In this paper, using Monte Carlo simulations and the response matrix of unshielded detectors in the Thunderstorm Energetic Radiation Array (TERA), we calculate the energy spectra of X-rays as would be detected by TERA and directly compare with the observational data during event MSE 10-01. The good agreement obtained between TERA measurements and theoretical calculations supports the mechanism of X-ray production by thermal runaway electrons during the negative corona flash stage of stepping lightning leaders. Modeling results also suggest that measurements of X-ray bursts can be used to estimate the approximate range of potential drop of lightning leaders. Moreover, the X-ray images produced during the leader stepping process in natural negative CG discharges, including both the evolution and morphological features, are theoretically quantified. We show that the compact emission pattern as recently observed in X-ray images is likely produced by X-rays originating from the source region, and the diffuse emission pattern can be explained by the Compton scattering effects.

Ab initio Simulation of Helium-Ion Microscopy Images: The Case of Suspended Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hong; Miyamoto, Yoshiyuki; Rubio, Angel

2012-12-01

Helium ion microscopy (HIM), which was released in 2006 by Ward et al., provides nondestructive imaging of nanoscale objects with higher contrast than scanning electron microscopy. HIM measurement of suspended graphene under typical conditions is simulated by first-principles time-dependent density functional theory and the 30 keV He+ collision is found to induce the emission of electrons dependent on the impact point. This finding suggests the possibility of obtaining a highly accurate image of the honeycomb pattern of suspended graphene by HIM. Comparison with a simulation of He0 under the same kinetic energy shows that electron emission is governed by the impact ionization instead of Auger process initiated by neutralization of He+.

Infrared observations of Jovian aurora from Juno's first orbits: Main oval and satellite footprints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mura, A.; Adriani, A.; Altieri, F.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Bolton, S. J.; Moriconi, M. L.; Gérard, J.-C.; Kurth, W. S.; Dinelli, B. M.; Fabiano, F.; Tosi, F.; Atreya, S. K.; Bagenal, F.; Gladstone, G. R.; Hansen, C.; Levin, S. M.; Mauk, B. H.; McComas, D. J.; Sindoni, G.; Filacchione, G.; Migliorini, A.; Grassi, D.; Piccioni, G.; Noschese, R.; Cicchetti, A.; Turrini, D.; Stefani, S.; Amoroso, M.; Olivieri, A.

2017-06-01

The Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) is an imager/spectrometer on board NASA/Juno mission for the study of the Jovian aurorae. The first results of JIRAM's imager channel observations of the H3+ infrared emission, collected around the first Juno perijove, provide excellent spatial and temporal distribution of the Jovian aurorae, and show the morphology of the main ovals, the polar regions, and the footprints of Io, Europa and Ganymede. The extended Io "tail" persists for 3 h after the passage of the satellite flux tube. Multi-arc structures of varied spatial extent appear in both main auroral ovals. Inside the main ovals, intense, localized emissions are observed. In the southern aurora, an evident circular region of strong depletion of H3+ emissions is partially surrounded by an intense emission arc. The southern aurora is brighter than the north one in these observations. Similar, probably conjugate emission patterns are distinguishable in both polar regions.

Segmenting Images for a Better Diagnosis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

NASA's Hierarchical Segmentation (HSEG) software has been adapted by Bartron Medical Imaging, LLC, for use in segmentation feature extraction, pattern recognition, and classification of medical images. Bartron acquired licenses from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for application of the HSEG concept to medical imaging, from the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory to incorporate pattern-matching software, and from Kennedy Space Center for data-mining and edge-detection programs. The Med-Seg[TM] united developed by Bartron provides improved diagnoses for a wide range of medical images, including computed tomography scans, positron emission tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, digitized Z-ray, digitized mammography, dental X-ray, soft tissue analysis, and moving object analysis. It also can be used in analysis of soft-tissue slides. Bartron's future plans include the application of HSEG technology to drug development. NASA is advancing it's HSEG software to learn more about the Earth's magnetosphere.

Experimental investigation on the fracture behaviour of black shale by acoustic emission monitoring and CT image analysis during uniaxial compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Li, C. H.; Hu, Y. Z.

2018-04-01

Plenty of mechanical experiments have been done to investigate the deformation and failure characteristics of shale; however, the anisotropic failure mechanism has not been well studied. Here, laboratory Uniaxial Compressive Strength tests on cylindrical shale samples obtained by drilling at different inclinations to bedding plane were performed. The failure behaviours of the shale samples were studied by real-time acoustic emission (AE) monitoring and post-test X-ray computer tomography (CT) analysis. The experimental results suggest that the pronounced bedding planes of shale have a great influence on the mechanical properties and AE patterns. The AE counts and AE cumulative energy release curves clearly demonstrate different morphology, and the `U'-shaped curve relationship between the AE counts, AE cumulative energy release and bedding inclination was first documented. The post-test CT image analysis shows the crack patterns via 2-D image reconstructions, an index of stimulated fracture density is defined to represent the anisotropic failure mode of shale. What is more, the most striking finding is that the AE monitoring results are in good agreement with the CT analysis. The structural difference in the shale sample is the controlling factor resulting in the anisotropy of AE patterns. The pronounced bedding structure in the shale formation results in an anisotropy of elasticity, strength and AE information from which the changes in strength dominate the entire failure pattern of the shale samples.

WINDII, the wind imaging interferometer on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, G. G.; Thuillier, G.; Gault, W. A.; Solheim, B. H.; Hersom, C.; Alunni, J. M.; Brun, J.-F.; Brune, S.; Charlot, P.; Cogger, L. L.

1993-01-01

The WIND imaging interferometer (WINDII) was launched on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) on September 12, 1991. This joint project, sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, in collaboration with NASA, has the responsibility of measuring the global wind pattern at the top of the altitude range covered by UARS. WINDII measures wind, temperature, and emission rate over the altitude range 80 to 300 km by using the visible region airglow emission from these altitudes as a target and employing optical Doppler interferometry to measure the small wavelength shifts of the narrow atomic and molecular airglow emission lines induced by the bulk velocity of the atmosphere carrying the emitting species. The instrument used is an all-glass field-widened achromatically and thermally compensated phase-stepping Michelson interferometer, along with a bare CCD detector that images the airglow limb through the interferometer. A sequence of phase-stepped images is processed to derive the wind velocity for two orthogonal view directions, yielding the vector horizontal wind. The process of data analysis, including the inversion of apparent quantities to vertical profiles, is described.

Nonlinear Focal Modulation Microscopy.

PubMed

Zhao, Guangyuan; Zheng, Cheng; Kuang, Cuifang; Zhou, Renjie; Kabir, Mohammad M; Toussaint, Kimani C; Wang, Wensheng; Xu, Liang; Li, Haifeng; Xiu, Peng; Liu, Xu

2018-05-11

We demonstrate nonlinear focal modulation microscopy (NFOMM) to achieve superresolution imaging. Traditional approaches to superresolution that utilize point scanning often rely on spatially reducing the size of the emission pattern by directly narrowing (e.g., through minimizing the detection pinhole in Airyscan, Zeiss) or indirectly peeling its outer profiles [e.g., through depleting the outer emission region in stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy]. We show that an alternative conceptualization that focuses on maximizing the optical system's frequency shifting ability offers advantages in further improving resolution while reducing system complexity. In NFOMM, a spatial light modulator and a suitably intense laser illumination are used to implement nonlinear focal-field modulation to achieve a transverse spatial resolution of ∼60  nm (∼λ/10). We show that NFOMM is comparable with STED microscopy and suitable for fundamental biology studies, as evidenced in imaging nuclear pore complexes, tubulin and vimentin in Vero cells. Since NFOMM is readily implemented as an add-on module to a laser-scanning microscope, we anticipate wide utility of this new imaging technique.

Nonlinear Focal Modulation Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Guangyuan; Zheng, Cheng; Kuang, Cuifang; Zhou, Renjie; Kabir, Mohammad M.; Toussaint, Kimani C.; Wang, Wensheng; Xu, Liang; Li, Haifeng; Xiu, Peng; Liu, Xu

2018-05-01

We demonstrate nonlinear focal modulation microscopy (NFOMM) to achieve superresolution imaging. Traditional approaches to superresolution that utilize point scanning often rely on spatially reducing the size of the emission pattern by directly narrowing (e.g., through minimizing the detection pinhole in Airyscan, Zeiss) or indirectly peeling its outer profiles [e.g., through depleting the outer emission region in stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy]. We show that an alternative conceptualization that focuses on maximizing the optical system's frequency shifting ability offers advantages in further improving resolution while reducing system complexity. In NFOMM, a spatial light modulator and a suitably intense laser illumination are used to implement nonlinear focal-field modulation to achieve a transverse spatial resolution of ˜60 nm (˜λ /10 ). We show that NFOMM is comparable with STED microscopy and suitable for fundamental biology studies, as evidenced in imaging nuclear pore complexes, tubulin and vimentin in Vero cells. Since NFOMM is readily implemented as an add-on module to a laser-scanning microscope, we anticipate wide utility of this new imaging technique.

Utilization of optical emission endpoint in photomask dry etch processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faure, Thomas B.; Huynh, Cuc; Lercel, Michael J.; Smith, Adam; Wagner, Thomas

2002-03-01

Use of accurate and repeatable endpoint detection during dry etch processing of photomask is very important for obtaining good mask mean-to-target and CD uniformity performance. It was found that the typical laser reflectivity endpoint detecting system used on photomask dry etch systems had several key limitations that caused unnecessary scrap and non-optimum image size performance. Consequently, work to develop and implement use of a more robust optical emission endpoint detection system for chrome dry etch processing of photomask was performed. Initial feasibility studies showed that the emission technique was sensitive enough to monitor pattern loadings on contact and via level masks down to 3 percent pattern coverage. Additional work was performed to further improve this to 1 percent pattern coverage by optimizing the endpoint detection parameters. Comparison studies of mask mean-to-target performance and CD uniformity were performed with the use of optical emission endpoint versus laser endpoint for masks built using TOK IP3600 and ZEP 7000 resist systems. It was found that an improvement in mean-to-target performance and CD uniformity was realized on several types of production masks. In addition, part-to-part endpoint time repeatability was found to be significantly improved with the use of optical emission endpoint.

Mercury sodium exospheric emission as a proxy for solar perturbations transit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orsini, S.; Mangano, V.; Milillo, A.; Plainaki, C.; Mura, A.; Raines, J. M.; Laurenza, M.; De Angelis, E.; Rispoli, R.; Lazzarotto, F.; Aronica, A.

2017-12-01

The first evidence at Mercury of direct relation between ICME transit and Na exosphere dynamics is presented, suggesting that Na emission, observed from ground, could be a proxy of planetary space weather at Mercury. The link existing between the dayside exosphere Na patterns and the solar wind-magnetosphere-surface interactions is investigated. This goal is pursued by analyzing the Na intensity hourly images, as observed by the ground-based THEMIS solar telescope (Mangano et al., 2015*) during 10 selected periods between 2012 and 2013 (with seeing, σ <2"), when also MESSENGER data were available. Frequently, two-peak patterns of variable intensity are observed, located at high latitudes in both hemispheres. Occasionally, Na signal is instead diffused above the sub-solar region. We compare these different patterns with the in-situ time profiles of proton fluxes and magnetic field data from MESSENGER. Among these 10 cases, only in one occasion the Na signal is diffused above the subsolar region, when the MESSENGER data detect the transit of two ICMEs. The selected cases suggest that the Na emission patterns are well related to the solar wind conditions at Mercury. For corroborating such a result, the ICME propagation from the Sun has been modeled at Mercury location, and space plasma parameters profiles are compared to the observed Na emission. Finally, we conclude that the exospheric Na emission patterns, observed from ground, can be considered as a `natural monitor' of solar disturbances when transiting near Mercury. (*) Mangano, et al., PSS, 115, 102-109, doy: 10.1016/j.pss.2015.04.001, 2015.

Positron emission tomography (PET) advances in neurological applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sossi, V.

2003-09-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality used in brain research to map in vivo neurotransmitter and receptor activity and to investigate glucose utilization or blood flow patterns both in healthy and disease states. Such research is made possible by the wealth of radiotracers available for PET, by the fact that metabolic and kinetic parameters of particular processes can be extracted from PET data and by the continuous development of imaging techniques. In recent years great advancements have been made in the areas of PET instrumentation, data quantification and image reconstruction that allow for more detailed and accurate biological information to be extracted from PET data. It is now possible to quantitatively compare data obtained either with different tracers or with the same tracer under different scanning conditions. These sophisticated imaging approaches enable detailed investigation of disease mechanisms and system response to disease and/or therapy.

Dynamics Explorer measurements of particles, fields, and plasma drifts over a horse-collar auroral pattern

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharber, J. R.; Hones, E. W., Jr.; Heelis, R. A.; Craven, J. D.; Frank, L. A.; Maynard, N. C.; Slavin, J. A.; Birn, J.

1992-01-01

As shown from ground-based measurements and satellite-borne imagers, one type of global auroral pattern characteristic of quiet (usually northward IMF) intervals is that of a contracted but thickened emission region in which the dawn and dusk portions can spread poleward to very high latitudes, (the type of a pattern referred to as a 'horse-collar' aurora by Hones et al., 1989). In this report we use a DE data set to examine a case in which this horse-collar pattern was observed by the DE-1 auroral imager while at the same time the DE-2, at lower altitude, measured precipitating particles, electric and magnetic fields, and plasma drifts. There is close agreement between the optical signatures and the particle precipitation patterns. The particle, plasma, and field measurements made along the satellite track and the 2-D perspective of the imager provide a means of determining the configuration of convective flows in the high-latitude ionosphere during this interval of northward IMF. Recent mapping studies are used to relate the low-altitude observations to possible magnetospheric source regions.

Second Harmonic Generation Imaging Analysis of Collagen Arrangement in Human Cornea.

PubMed

Park, Choul Yong; Lee, Jimmy K; Chuck, Roy S

2015-08-01

To describe the horizontal arrangement of human corneal collagen bundles by using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging. Human corneas were imaged with an inverted two photon excitation fluorescence microscope. The excitation laser (Ti:Sapphire) was tuned to 850 nm. Backscatter signals of SHG were collected through a 425/30-nm bandpass emission filter. Multiple, consecutive, and overlapping image stacks (z-stacks) were acquired to generate three dimensional data sets. ImageJ software was used to analyze the arrangement pattern (irregularity) of collagen bundles at each image plane. Collagen bundles in the corneal lamellae demonstrated a complex layout merging and splitting within a single lamellar plane. The patterns were significantly different in the superficial and limbal cornea when compared with deep and central regions. Collagen bundles were smaller in the superficial layer and larger in deep lamellae. By using SHG imaging, the horizontal arrangement of corneal collagen bundles was elucidated at different depths and focal regions of the human cornea.

Flung Far from Home

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1Figure 2 [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 3

The rock dubbed 'Bounce' at Meridiani Planum, Mars, may have been thrown onto the plains during an impact that formed a 25-kilometer-diameter (15.5-mile) crater (arrow) located 50 kilometers (31 miles) southeast of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site (to the right of ellipse center). This infrared Mars Odyssey image taken by the thermal emission imaging system shows the pattern of ejecta, or material, thrown from the large crater. Rays of this rocky material can be seen radiating outward from the crater. The Opportunity landing site is close to one of these rays, as well as other rays of small impact craters seen in high-resolution Mars Odyssey camera images within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the landing site. Bounce rock may be a smaller piece of material ejected onto the plains by this impact event.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 above, infrared images increasing in zoom, taken by the thermal emission imaging system on the Mars Odyssey orbiter at night, show the pattern of ejecta, or material, thrown from the large crater. Large rocks on the surface stay warm at night and produce a bright signature. Rays of this rocky material can be seen radiating outward from the crater.

Bilateral symmetry aspects in computer-aided Alzheimer's disease diagnosis by single-photon emission-computed tomography imaging.

PubMed

Illán, Ignacio Alvarez; Górriz, Juan Manuel; Ramírez, Javier; Lang, Elmar W; Salas-Gonzalez, Diego; Puntonet, Carlos G

2012-11-01

This paper explores the importance of the latent symmetry of the brain in computer-aided systems for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Symmetry and asymmetry are studied from two points of view: (i) the development of an effective classifier within the scope of machine learning techniques, and (ii) the assessment of its relevance to the AD diagnosis in the early stages of the disease. The proposed methodology is based on eigenimage decomposition of single-photon emission-computed tomography images, using an eigenspace extension to accommodate odd and even eigenvectors separately. This feature extraction technique allows for support-vector-machine classification and image analysis. Identification of AD patterns is improved when the latent symmetry of the brain is considered, with an estimated 92.78% accuracy (92.86% sensitivity, 92.68% specificity) using a linear kernel and a leave-one-out cross validation strategy. Also, asymmetries may be used to define a test for AD that is very specific (90.24% specificity) but not especially sensitive. Two main conclusions are derived from the analysis of the eigenimage spectrum. Firstly, the recognition of AD patterns is improved when considering only the symmetric part of the spectrum. Secondly, asymmetries in the hypo-metabolic patterns, when present, are more pronounced in subjects with AD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time imaging of methane gas leaks using a single-pixel camera.

PubMed

Gibson, Graham M; Sun, Baoqing; Edgar, Matthew P; Phillips, David B; Hempler, Nils; Maker, Gareth T; Malcolm, Graeme P A; Padgett, Miles J

2017-02-20

We demonstrate a camera which can image methane gas at video rates, using only a single-pixel detector and structured illumination. The light source is an infrared laser diode operating at 1.651μm tuned to an absorption line of methane gas. The light is structured using an addressable micromirror array to pattern the laser output with a sequence of Hadamard masks. The resulting backscattered light is recorded using a single-pixel InGaAs detector which provides a measure of the correlation between the projected patterns and the gas distribution in the scene. Knowledge of this correlation and the patterns allows an image to be reconstructed of the gas in the scene. For the application of locating gas leaks the frame rate of the camera is of primary importance, which in this case is inversely proportional to the square of the linear resolution. Here we demonstrate gas imaging at ~25 fps while using 256 mask patterns (corresponding to an image resolution of 16×16). To aid the task of locating the source of the gas emission, we overlay an upsampled and smoothed image of the low-resolution gas image onto a high-resolution color image of the scene, recorded using a standard CMOS camera. We demonstrate for an illumination of only 5mW across the field-of-view imaging of a methane gas leak of ~0.2 litres/minute from a distance of ~1 metre.

Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager.

PubMed

Redman, Brian J; Shaw, Joseph A; Nugent, Paul W; Clark, R Trevor; Piazzolla, Sabino

2018-04-30

A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference that is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. Once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.

Carbon-11-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography imaging of amyloid deposition in presenilin 1 mutation carriers.

PubMed

Knight, William D; Okello, Aren A; Ryan, Natalie S; Turkheimer, Federico E; Rodríguez Martinez de Llano, Sofia; Edison, Paul; Douglas, Jane; Fox, Nick C; Brooks, David J; Rossor, Martin N

2011-01-01

(11)Carbon-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography studies have suggested early and prominent amyloid deposition in the striatum in presenilin 1 mutation carriers. This cross-sectional study examines the (11)Carbon-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography imaging profiles of presymptomatic and mildly affected (mini-mental state examination ≥ 20) carriers of seven presenilin 1 mutations, comparing them with groups of controls and symptomatic sporadic Alzheimer's disease cases. Parametric ratio images representing (11)Carbon-Pittsburgh compound B retention from 60 to 90 min were created using the pons as a reference region and nine regions of interest were studied. We confirmed that increased amyloid load may be detected in presymptomatic presenilin 1 mutation carriers with (11)Carbon-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography and that the pattern of retention is heterogeneous. Comparison of presenilin 1 and sporadic Alzheimer's disease groups revealed significantly greater thalamic retention in the presenilin 1 group and significantly greater frontotemporal retention in the sporadic Alzheimer's disease group. A few individuals with presenilin 1 mutations showed increased cerebellar (11)Carbon-Pittsburgh compound B retention suggesting that this region may not be as suitable a reference region in familial Alzheimer's disease.

Seasonal Transport in Mars' Mesosphere revealed by Nitric Oxide Nightglow vertical profiles and global images from IUVS/MAVEN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiepen, Arnaud; Stewart, Ian; Jain, Sonal; Schneider, Nicholas; Deighan, Justin; Gonzàlez-Galindo, Francisco; Gérard, Jean-Claude; Stevens, Michael; Bougher, Stephen; Milby, Zachariah; Evans, Scott; Chaffin, Michael; McClintock, William; Clarke, John; Holsclaw, Greg; Montmessin, Franck; Lefèvre, Franck; Lo, Daniel; Jakosky, Bruce

2017-04-01

We analyze the ultraviolet nightglow in the atmosphere of Mars through Nitric Oxide (NO) δ and γ bands emissions. On the dayside thermosphere of Mars, solar extreme ultraviolet radiation partly dissociates CO2 and N2 molecules. O(3P) and N(4S) atoms are carried by the day-to-night hemispheric transport. They preferentially descend in the nightside mesosphere in the winter hemisphere, where they can radiatively recombine to form NO(C2Π). The excited molecules promptly relax by emitting photons in the UV δ bands and in the γ bands through cascades via the A2Σ, v' = 0 state. These emissions are thus indicators of the N and O atom fluxes transported from the dayside to Mars' nightside and the winter descending circulation pattern from the nightside thermosphere to the mesosphere (e.g. Bertaux et al., 2005 ; Bougher et al., 1990 ; Cox et al., 2008 ; Gagné et al., 2013 ; Gérard et al., 2008 ; Stiepen et al., 2015). Observations of these emissions have been accumulated on a large dataset of nightside disk images and vertical profiles obtained at the limb by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS, McClintock et al., 2015) instrument when the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is at its apoapsis and its periapsis phases along its orbit, respectively. We present discussion on the variability in the brightness, altitude and topside scale height of the emission with season, geographical position and local time and possible interpretation for local and global changes in the mesosphere dynamics. IUVS images and limb scans reveal unexpected complex structure of the emission. The brightest emission is observed close to the winter pole. The emission is also surprisingly more intense in some sectors located close to the equator : at 120˚ and 150˚ longitude. Observations also reveal spots and streaks, indicating irregularities in the wind circulation pattern and possible impact of waves and tides. The disk images and limb profiles are compared to the LMD-MGCM model (Gonzàlez-Galindo et al., 2009 ; Lopez-Valverde et al., 2011) to focus on the seasonal, local time and geographical influences on the NO Nightglow emission. We will also provide a statistical study of the regions of enhanced brightness (i.e. splotches and streaks) and discuss possible interpretation from the comparison to the GCM. Acknowledgements A. Stiepen is supported the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS). The MAVEN mission is supported by NASA through the Mars Exploration Program in association with the University of Colorado and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. M. Stevens is supported by the NASA MAVEN Participating Scientist program.

Analysis of the hand vein pattern for people recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro-Ortega, R.; Toxqui-Quitl, C.; Cristóbal, G.; Marcos, J. Victor; Padilla-Vivanco, A.; Hurtado Pérez, R.

2015-09-01

The shape of the hand vascular pattern contains useful and unique features that can be used for identifying and authenticating people, with applications in access control, medicine and financial services. In this work, an optical system for the image acquisition of the hand vascular pattern is implemented. It consists of a CCD camera with sensitivity in the IR and a light source with emission in the 880 nm. The IR radiation interacts with the desoxyhemoglobin, hemoglobin and water present in the blood of the veins, making possible to see the vein pattern underneath skin. The segmentation of the Region Of Interest (ROI) is achieved using geometrical moments locating the centroid of an image. For enhancement of the vein pattern we use the technique of Histogram Equalization and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE). In order to remove unnecessary information such as body hair and skinfolds, a low pass filter is implemented. A method based on geometric moments is used to obtain the invariant descriptors of the input images. The classification task is achieved using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and K-Nearest Neighbors (K-nn) algorithms. Experimental results using our database show a percentage of correct classification, higher of 86.36% with ANN for 912 images of 38 people with 12 versions each one.

Recent advances in the imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma. From ultrasound to positron emission tomography scan.

PubMed

Camaggi, Valeria; Piscaglia, Fabio; Bolondi, Luigi

2007-07-01

Recent advances in imaging techniques for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) offer the possibility of investigating contrast perfusion of liver nodules in cirrhosis. It is now accepted that a non-invasive diagnosis of HCC can be established based on the vascular pattern obtained with pure blood pool contrast agents. The diagnostic pattern consists of contrast enhancement in the arterial phase, indicative of arterial hypervascularization, followed by contrast wash out in the portal and late phases, which leads the nodule to show the same, or, more specifically, a lower contrast signal than the surrounding parenchyma. Such patterns can be obtained by CT, MRI and, more recently, by real time Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography with second-generation ultrasound contrast agents. A typical vascular pattern in a nodule perceptible also without contrast is highly specific for HCC, so that non-invasive diagnostic algorithms have been developed and recently updated.

Spatiotemporal analysis of tumor uptake patterns in dynamic (18)FDG-PET and dynamic contrast enhanced CT.

PubMed

Malinen, Eirik; Rødal, Jan; Knudtsen, Ingerid Skjei; Søvik, Åste; Skogmo, Hege Kippenes

2011-08-01

Molecular and functional imaging techniques such as dynamic positron emission tomography (DPET) and dynamic contrast enhanced computed tomography (DCECT) may provide improved characterization of tumors compared to conventional anatomic imaging. The purpose of the current work was to compare spatiotemporal uptake patterns in DPET and DCECT images. A PET/CT protocol comprising DCECT with an iodine based contrast agent and DPET with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose was set up. The imaging protocol was used for examination of three dogs with spontaneous tumors of the head and neck at sessions prior to and after fractionated radiotherapy. Software tools were developed for downsampling the DCECT image series to the PET image dimensions, for segmentation of tracer uptake pattern in the tumors and for spatiotemporal correlation analysis of DCECT and DPET images. DCECT images evaluated one minute post injection qualitatively resembled the DPET images at most imaging sessions. Segmentation by region growing gave similar tumor extensions in DCECT and DPET images, with a median Dice similarity coefficient of 0.81. A relatively high correlation (median 0.85) was found between temporal tumor uptake patterns from DPET and DCECT. The heterogeneity in tumor uptake was not significantly different in the DPET and DCECT images. The median of the spatial correlation was 0.72. DCECT and DPET gave similar temporal wash-in characteristics, and the images also showed a relatively high spatial correlation. Hence, if the limited spatial resolution of DPET is considered adequate, a single DPET scan only for assessing both tumor perfusion and metabolic activity may be considered. However, further work on a larger number of cases is needed to verify the correlations observed in the present study.

Radio and near-infrared images of IRAS 21282+5050: A transitional planetary nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Likkel, L.; Morris, M.; Kastner, J. H.; Forveille, T.

1994-02-01

We present 2 and 6 cm Very Large Array (VLA) images of the young planetary nebula IRAS 21282+5050. The nebular dimensions at 2 and 6 cm are about 4 sec x 3 sec, and the total flux density is almost 7 mJy at each wavelength, suggesting a spectral index of approximately 0. The emission is not centrally peaked and appears to arise in a shell or torus. The relatively low flux for the angular size and assumed distance implies an average electron density of 2000-10000/cu cm, low for compact planetary nebulae. An image and a polarization map of IRAS 21282+5050 at 2.2 microns are also presented. At 2.2 microns (K-band), the nebula has a diameter of approximately 6 sec. The image is centrally peaked, in large part because the central star contributes significantly to the K magnitude of 9.46 (104 mJy). The 2.2 micron polarization map does not display a centrosymmetric pattern characteristic of scattering; within a 7 sec aperture, we find an upper limit of 1.1% for the polarization. These results indicate that there is not a large component of scattered light in the near-infrared. IRAS 21282+5050 has significantly more emission at 2 microns than is expected for free-free and free-bound emission, however. We suggest that this emission may arise from transiently heated dust.

High-Latitude Ionospheric Dynamics During Conditions of Northward IMF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharber, J. R.

1996-01-01

In order to better understand the physical processes operating during conditions of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), in situ measurements from the Dynamics Explorer-2 (low altitude) polar satellite and simultaneous observations from the auroral imager on the Dynamics Explorer-1 (high altitude) satellite were used to investigate the relationships between optical emissions, particle precipitation, and convective flows in the high-latitude ionosphere. Field aligned current and convective flow patterns during IMF north include polar cap arcs, the theta aurora or transpolar arc, and the 'horse-collar' aurora. The initial part of the study concentrated on the electrodynamics of auroral features in the horse-collar aurora, a contracted but thickened emission region in which the dawn and dusk portions can spread to very high latitudes, while the latter part focused on the evolution of one type of IMF north auroral pattern to another, specifically the quiet-time horse-collar pattern to a theta aurora.

FIB-SEM cathodoluminescence tomography: practical and theoretical considerations.

PubMed

De Winter, D A M; Lebbink, M N; Wiggers De Vries, D F; Post, J A; Drury, M R

2011-09-01

Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) tomography is a powerful application in obtaining three-dimensional (3D) information. The FIB creates a cross section and subsequently removes thin slices. The SEM takes images using secondary or backscattered electrons, or maps every slice using X-rays and/or electron backscatter diffraction patterns. The objective of this study is to assess the possibilities of combining FIB-SEM tomography with cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging. The intensity of CL emission is related to variations in defect or impurity concentrations. A potential problem with FIB-SEM CL tomography is that ion milling may change the defect state of the material and the CL emission. In addition the conventional tilted sample geometry used in FIB-SEM tomography is not compatible with conventional CL detectors. Here we examine the influence of the FIB on CL emission in natural diamond and the feasibility of FIB-SEM CL tomography. A systematic investigation establishes that the ion beam influences CL emission of diamond, with a dependency on both the ion beam and electron beam acceleration voltage. CL emission in natural diamond is enhanced particularly at low ion beam and electron beam voltages. This enhancement of the CL emission can be partly explained by an increase in surface defects induced by ion milling. CL emission enhancement could be used to improve the CL image quality. To conduct FIB-SEM CL tomography, a recently developed novel specimen geometry is adopted to enable sequential ion milling and CL imaging on an untilted sample. We show that CL imaging can be manually combined with FIB-SEM tomography with a modified protocol for 3D microstructure reconstruction. In principle, automated FIB-SEM CL tomography should be feasible, provided that dedicated CL detectors are developed that allow subsequent milling and CL imaging without manual intervention, as the current CL detector needs to be manually retracted before a slice can be milled. Due to the required high electron beam acceleration voltage for CL emission, the resolution for FIB-SEM CL tomography is currently limited to several hundreds of nm in XY and up to 650 nm in Z for diamonds. Opaque materials are likely to have an improved Z resolution, as CL emission generated deeper in the material is not able to escape from it. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Concept of an upright wearable positron emission tomography imager in humans.

PubMed

Bauer, Christopher E; Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie; Marano, Gary; Mandich, Mary-Beth; Stolin, Alexander; Martone, Peter; Lewis, James W; Jaliparthi, Gangadhar; Raylman, Raymond R; Majewski, Stan

2016-09-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is traditionally used to image patients in restrictive positions, with few devices allowing for upright, brain-dedicated imaging. Our team has explored the concept of wearable PET imagers which could provide functional brain imaging of freely moving subjects. To test feasibility and determine future considerations for development, we built a rudimentary proof-of-concept prototype (Helmet_PET) and conducted tests in phantoms and four human volunteers. Twelve Silicon Photomultiplier-based detectors were assembled in a ring with exterior weight support and an interior mechanism that could be adjustably fitted to the head. We conducted brain phantom tests as well as scanned four patients scheduled for diagnostic F(18-) FDG PET/CT imaging. For human subjects the imager was angled such that field of view included basal ganglia and visual cortex to test for typical resting-state pattern. Imaging in two subjects was performed ~4 hr after PET/CT imaging to simulate lower injected F(18-) FDG dose by taking advantage of the natural radioactive decay of the tracer (F(18) half-life of 110 min), with an estimated imaging dosage of 25% of the standard. We found that imaging with a simple lightweight ring of detectors was feasible using a fraction of the standard radioligand dose. Activity levels in the human participants were quantitatively similar to standard PET in a set of anatomical ROIs. Typical resting-state brain pattern activation was demonstrated even in a 1 min scan of active head rotation. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of imaging a human subject with a novel wearable PET imager that moves with robust head movements. We discuss potential research and clinical applications that will drive the design of a fully functional device. Designs will need to consider trade-offs between a low weight device with high mobility and a heavier device with greater sensitivity and larger field of view.

Confocal imaging of transmembrane voltage by SEER of di-8-ANEPPS

PubMed Central

Manno, Carlo; Figueroa, Lourdes; Fitts, Robert

2013-01-01

Imaging, optical mapping, and optical multisite recording of transmembrane potential (Vm) are essential for studying excitable cells and systems. The naphthylstyryl voltage-sensitive dyes, including di-8-ANEPPS, shift both their fluorescence excitation and emission spectra upon changes in Vm. Accordingly, they have been used for monitoring Vm in nonratioing and both emission and excitation ratioing modes. Their changes in fluorescence are usually much less than 10% per 100 mV. Conventional ratioing increases sensitivity to between 3 and 15% per 100 mV. Low sensitivity limits the value of these dyes, especially when imaged with low light systems like confocal scanners. Here we demonstrate the improvement afforded by shifted excitation and emission ratioing (SEER) as applied to imaging membrane potential in flexor digitorum brevis muscle fibers of adult mice. SEER—the ratioing of two images of fluorescence, obtained with different excitation wavelengths in different emission bands—was implemented in two commercial confocal systems. A conventional pinhole scanner, affording optimal setting of emission bands but less than ideal excitation wavelengths, achieved a sensitivity of up to 27% per 100 mV, nearly doubling the value found by conventional ratioing of the same data. A better pair of excitation lights should increase the sensitivity further, to 35% per 100 mV. The maximum acquisition rate with this system was 1 kHz. A fast “slit scanner” increased the effective rate to 8 kHz, but sensitivity was lower. In its high-sensitivity implementation, the technique demonstrated progressive deterioration of action potentials upon fatiguing tetani induced by stimulation patterns at >40 Hz, thereby identifying action potential decay as a contributor to fatigue onset. Using the fast implementation, we could image for the first time an action potential simultaneously at multiple locations along the t-tubule system. These images resolved the radially varying lag associated with propagation at a finite velocity. PMID:23440278

Confocal imaging of transmembrane voltage by SEER of di-8-ANEPPS.

PubMed

Manno, Carlo; Figueroa, Lourdes; Fitts, Robert; Ríos, Eduardo

2013-03-01

Imaging, optical mapping, and optical multisite recording of transmembrane potential (V(m)) are essential for studying excitable cells and systems. The naphthylstyryl voltage-sensitive dyes, including di-8-ANEPPS, shift both their fluorescence excitation and emission spectra upon changes in V(m). Accordingly, they have been used for monitoring V(m) in nonratioing and both emission and excitation ratioing modes. Their changes in fluorescence are usually much less than 10% per 100 mV. Conventional ratioing increases sensitivity to between 3 and 15% per 100 mV. Low sensitivity limits the value of these dyes, especially when imaged with low light systems like confocal scanners. Here we demonstrate the improvement afforded by shifted excitation and emission ratioing (SEER) as applied to imaging membrane potential in flexor digitorum brevis muscle fibers of adult mice. SEER--the ratioing of two images of fluorescence, obtained with different excitation wavelengths in different emission bands-was implemented in two commercial confocal systems. A conventional pinhole scanner, affording optimal setting of emission bands but less than ideal excitation wavelengths, achieved a sensitivity of up to 27% per 100 mV, nearly doubling the value found by conventional ratioing of the same data. A better pair of excitation lights should increase the sensitivity further, to 35% per 100 mV. The maximum acquisition rate with this system was 1 kHz. A fast "slit scanner" increased the effective rate to 8 kHz, but sensitivity was lower. In its high-sensitivity implementation, the technique demonstrated progressive deterioration of action potentials upon fatiguing tetani induced by stimulation patterns at >40 Hz, thereby identifying action potential decay as a contributor to fatigue onset. Using the fast implementation, we could image for the first time an action potential simultaneously at multiple locations along the t-tubule system. These images resolved the radially varying lag associated with propagation at a finite velocity.

Detection of quantum well induced single degenerate-transition-dipoles in ZnO nanorods.

PubMed

Ghosh, Siddharth; Ghosh, Moumita; Seibt, Michael; Rao, G Mohan

2016-02-07

Quantifying and characterising atomic defects in nanocrystals is difficult and low-throughput using the existing methods such as high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). In this article, using a defocused wide-field optical imaging technique, we demonstrate that a single ultrahigh-piezoelectric ZnO nanorod contains a single defect site. We model the observed dipole-emission patterns from optical imaging with a multi-dimensional dipole and find that the experimentally observed dipole pattern and model-calculated patterns are in excellent agreement. This agreement suggests the presence of vertically oriented degenerate-transition-dipoles in vertically aligned ZnO nanorods. The HRTEM of the ZnO nanorod shows the presence of a stacking fault, which generates a localised quantum well induced degenerate-transition-dipole. Finally, we elucidate that defocused wide-field imaging can be widely used to characterise defects in nanomaterials to answer many difficult questions concerning the performance of low-dimensional devices, such as in energy harvesting, advanced metal-oxide-semiconductor storage, and nanoelectromechanical and nanophotonic devices.

Thermal luminescence spectroscopy chemical imaging sensor.

PubMed

Carrieri, Arthur H; Buican, Tudor N; Roese, Erik S; Sutter, James; Samuels, Alan C

2012-10-01

The authors present a pseudo-active chemical imaging sensor model embodying irradiative transient heating, temperature nonequilibrium thermal luminescence spectroscopy, differential hyperspectral imaging, and artificial neural network technologies integrated together. We elaborate on various optimizations, simulations, and animations of the integrated sensor design and apply it to the terrestrial chemical contamination problem, where the interstitial contaminant compounds of detection interest (analytes) comprise liquid chemical warfare agents, their various derivative condensed phase compounds, and other material of a life-threatening nature. The sensor must measure and process a dynamic pattern of absorptive-emissive middle infrared molecular signature spectra of subject analytes to perform its chemical imaging and standoff detection functions successfully.

Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager

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

Redman, Brian J.; Shaw, Joseph A.; Nugent, Paul W.

A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference thatmore » is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. In conclusion, once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.« less

Reflective all-sky thermal infrared cloud imager

DOE PAGES

Redman, Brian J.; Shaw, Joseph A.; Nugent, Paul W.; ...

2018-04-17

A reflective all-sky imaging system has been built using a long-wave infrared microbolometer camera and a reflective metal sphere. This compact system was developed for measuring spatial and temporal patterns of clouds and their optical depth in support of applications including Earth-space optical communications. The camera is mounted to the side of the reflective sphere to leave the zenith sky unobstructed. The resulting geometric distortion is removed through an angular map derived from a combination of checkerboard-target imaging, geometric ray tracing, and sun-location-based alignment. A tape of high-emissivity material on the side of the reflector acts as a reference thatmore » is used to estimate and remove thermal emission from the metal sphere. In conclusion, once a bias that is under continuing study was removed, sky radiance measurements from the all-sky imager in the 8-14 μm wavelength range agreed to within 0.91 W/(m 2 sr) of measurements from a previously calibrated, lens-based infrared cloud imager over its 110° field of view.« less

Monitoring of Freezing Dynamics in Trees: A Simple Phase Shift Causes Complexity1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Charra-Vaskou, Katline

2017-01-01

During winter, trees have to cope with harsh conditions, including extreme freeze-thaw stress. This study focused on ice nucleation and propagation, related water shifts and xylem cavitation, as well as cell damage and was based on in situ monitoring of xylem (thermocouples) and surface temperatures (infrared imaging), ultrasonic emissions, and dendrometer analysis. Field experiments during late winter on Picea abies growing at the alpine timberline revealed three distinct freezing patterns: (1) from the top of the tree toward the base, (2) from thin branches toward the main stem’s top and base, and (3) from the base toward the top. Infrared imaging showed freezing within branches from their base toward distal parts. Such complex freezing causes dynamic and heterogenous patterns in water potential and probably in cavitation. This study highlights the interaction between environmental conditions upon freezing and thawing and demonstrates the enormous complexity of freezing processes in trees. Diameter shrinkage, which indicated water fluxes within the stem, and acoustic emission analysis, which indicated cavitation events near the ice front upon freezing, were both related to minimum temperature and, upon thawing, related to vapor pressure deficit and soil temperature. These complex patterns, emphasizing the common mechanisms between frost and drought stress, shed new light on winter tree physiology. PMID:28242655

Infrared Surveys of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Aerial surveys with infrared imaging radiometer depict volcanic thermal patterns and structural features.

PubMed

Fisher, W A; Moxham, R M; Polcyn, F; Landis, G H

1964-11-06

Aerial infrared-sensor surveys of Kilauea volcano have depicted the areal extent and the relative intensity of abnormal thermal features in the caldera area of the volcano and along its associated rift zones. Many of these anomalies show correlation with visible steaming and reflect convective transfer of heat to the surface from subterranean sources. Structural details of the volcano, some not evident from surface observation, are also delineated by their thermal abnormalities. Several changes were observed in the patterns of infrared emission during the period of study; two such changes show correlation in location with subsequent eruptions, but the cause-and-effect relationship is uncertain. Thermal anomalies were also observed on the southwest flank of Mauna Loa; images of other volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, and of Haleakala on the island of Maui, revealed no thermal abnormalities. Approximately 25 large springs issuing into the ocean around the periphery of Hawaii have been detected. Infrared emission varies widely with surface texture and composition, suggesting that similar observations may have value for estimating surface conditions on the moon or planets.

Chemical-state-selective mapping at nanometer scale using synchrotron radiation and photoelectron emission microscopy.

PubMed

Hirao, Norie; Baba, Yuji; Sekiguchi, Tetsuhiro; Shimoyama, Iwao; Honda, Mitsunori

2010-01-01

For surface analyses of semiconductor devices and various functional materials, it has become indispensable to analyze valence states at nanometer scale due to the rapid developments of nanotechnology. Since a method for microscopic mapping dependent on the chemical bond states has not been established so far, we have developed a photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) system combined with synchrotron soft X-ray excitation. The samples investigated were Si/SiO(x) micro-patterns prepared by O(2)(+) ion implantation in Si(001) wafer using a mask. PEEM images excited by various photon energies around the Si K-edge were observed. The lateral spatial resolution of the system was about 41 nm. The brightness of each spot in PEEM images changed depending on the photon energy, due to the X-ray absorption intensity of the respective chemical state. Since the surface of this sample was topographically flat, it has been demonstrated that the present method can be applied to observations of the microscopic pattern, depending not on the morphology, but only on the valence states of silicon. We have also in-situ measured the changes of the PEEM images upon annealing, and elucidated the mechanism of the lateral diffusion of oxygen and valence states of silicon at the nanometer scale.

The different origins of high- and low-ionization broad emission lines revealed by gravitational microlensing in the Einstein cross

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braibant, L.; Hutsemékers, D.; Sluse, D.; Anguita, T.

2016-07-01

We investigate the kinematics and ionization structure of the broad emission line region of the gravitationally lensed quasar QSO2237+0305 (the Einstein cross) using differential microlensing in the high- and low-ionization broad emission lines. We combine visible and near-infrared spectra of the four images of the lensed quasar and detect a large-amplitude microlensing effect distorting the high-ionization CIV and low-ionization Hα line profiles in image A. While microlensing only magnifies the red wing of the Balmer line, it symmetrically magnifies the wings of the CIV emission line. Given that the same microlensing pattern magnifies both the high- and low-ionization broad emission line regions, these dissimilar distortions of the line profiles suggest that the high- and low-ionization regions are governed by different kinematics. Since this quasar is likely viewed at intermediate inclination, we argue that the differential magnification of the blue and red wings of Hα favors a flattened, virialized, low-ionization region whereas the symmetric microlensing effect measured in CIV can be reproduced by an emission line formed in a polar wind, without the need of fine-tuned caustic configurations. Based on observations made with the ESO-VLT, Paranal, Chile; Proposals 076.B-0197 and 076.B-0607 (PI: Courbin).

Skin histology and its role in heat dissipation in three pinniped species

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Pinnipeds have a thick blubber layer and may have difficulty maintaining their body temperature during hot weather when on land. The skin is the main thermoregulatory conduit which emits excessive body heat. Methods Thorough evaluation of the skin histology in three pinniped species; the California sea lion-Zalophus californianus, the Pacific harbor seal-Phoca vitulina richardsi, and the Northern elephant seal-Mirounga angustirostris, was conducted to identify the presence, location and distribution of skin structures which contribute to thermoregulation. These structures included hair, adipose tissue, sweat glands, vasculature, and arteriovenous anastomoses (AVA). Thermal imaging was performed on live animals of the same species to correlate histological findings with thermal emission of the skin. Results The presence and distribution of skin structures directly relates to emissivity of the skin in all three species. Emissivity of skin in phocids (Pacific harbor and Northern elephant seals) follows a different pattern than skin in otariids (California sea lions). The flipper skin in phocids tends to be the most emissive region during hot weather and least emissive during cold weather. On the contrary in otariids, skin of the entire body has a tendency to be emissive during both hot and cold weather. Conclusion Heat dissipation of the skin directly relates to the presence and distribution of skin structures in all three species. Different skin thermal dissipation patterns were observed in phocid versus otariid seals. Observed thermal patterns can be used for proper understanding of optimum thermal needs of seals housed in research facilities, rescue centers and zoo exhibits. PMID:22889205

Analysis of PETT images in psychiatric disorders

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

Brodie, J.D.; Gomez-Mont, F.; Volkow, N.D.

1983-01-01

A quantitative method is presented for studying the pattern of metabolic activity in a set of Positron Emission Transaxial Tomography (PETT) images. Using complex Fourier coefficients as a feature vector for each image, cluster, principal components, and discriminant function analyses are used to empirically describe metabolic differences between control subjects and patients with DSM III diagnosis for schizophrenia or endogenous depression. We also present data on the effects of neuroleptic treatment on the local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose utilization (LCMRGI) in a group of chronic schizophrenics using the region of interest approach. 15 references, 4 figures, 3 tables.

Evolution of the Global Aurora During Positive IMP Bz and Varying IMP By Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cumnock, J. A.; Sharber, J. R.; Heelis. R. A.; Hairston, M. R.; Carven, J. D.

1997-01-01

The DE 1 imaging instrumentation provides a full view of the entire auroral oval every 12 min for several hours during each orbit. We examined five examples of global evolution of the aurora that occurred during the northern hemisphere winter of 1981-1982 when the z component of the interplanetary magnetic field was positive and the y component was changing sign. Evolution of an expanded auroral emission region into a theta aurora appears to require a change in the sign of By during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Theta aurora are formed both from expanded duskside emission regions (By changes from positive to negative) and dawnside emission regions (By changes from negative to positive), however the dawnside-originating and duskside-originating evolutions are not mirror images. The persistence of a theta aurora after its formation suggests that there may be no clear relationship between the theta aurora pattern and the instantaneous configuration of the IMF.

Fluorescence excitation and imaging of single molecules near dielectric-coated and bare surfaces: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Axelrod, Daniel

2012-08-01

Microscopic fluorescent samples of interest to cell and molecular biology are commonly embedded in an aqueous medium near a solid surface that is coated with a thin film such as a lipid multilayer, collagen, acrylamide, or a cell wall. Both excitation and emission of fluorescent single molecules near film-coated surfaces are strongly affected by the proximity of the coated surface, the film thickness, its refractive index and the fluorophore's orientation. For total internal reflection excitation, multiple reflections in the film can lead to resonance peaks in the evanescent intensity versus incidence angle curve. For emission, multiple reflections arising from the fluorophore's near field emission can create a distinct intensity pattern in both the back focal plane and the image plane of a high aperture objective. This theoretical analysis discusses how these features can be used to report film thickness and refractive index, and fluorophore axial position and orientation. © 2012 The Author Journal of Microscopy © 2012 Royal Microscopical Society.

Dynamics Explorer measurements of particles, fields, and plasma drifts over a horse-collar auroral pattern

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharber, J. R.; Hones, E. W., Jr.; Heelis, R. A.; Craven, J. D.; Frank, L. A.; Maynard, N. C.; Slavin, J. A.; Birn, J.

1992-01-01

As shown from ground-based measurements and satellite-borne imagers, one type of global auroral pattern characteristic of quiet (usually northward IMF) intervals is that of a contracted but thickened emission region of a pattern referred to as 'horse-collar' aurora (Hones et al., 1989). In this report we use the Dynamics Explorer data set to examine a case in which this horse-collar pattern was observed by the DE-1 auroral imager, while at the same time DE-2, at lower altitude, measured precipitating particles, electric and magnetic fields, and plasma drifts. Our analysis shows that, in general, there is close agreement between the optical signatures and the particle precipitation patterns. In many instances, over scales ranging from tens to a few hundred kilometers, electron precipitation features and upward field-aligned currents are observed at locations where the plasma flow gradients indicate negative V-average x E. The particle, plasma, and field measurements made along the satellite track and the 2D perspective of the imager provide a means of determining the configuration of convective flows in the high-latitude ionosphere during this interval of northward IMF. Recent mapping studies are used to relate the low-altitude observations to possible magnetospheric source regions.

Dissociation of Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease effects with imaging.

PubMed

Matthews, Dawn C; Lukic, Ana S; Andrews, Randolph D; Marendic, Boris; Brewer, James; Rissman, Robert A; Mosconi, Lisa; Strother, Stephen C; Wernick, Miles N; Mobley, William C; Ness, Seth; Schmidt, Mark E; Rafii, Michael S

2016-06-01

Down Syndrome (DS) adults experience accumulation of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like amyloid plaques and tangles and a high incidence of dementia and could provide an enriched population to study AD-targeted treatments. However, to evaluate effects of therapeutic intervention, it is necessary to dissociate the contributions of DS and AD from overall phenotype. Imaging biomarkers offer the potential to characterize and stratify patients who will worsen clinically but have yielded mixed findings in DS subjects. We evaluated 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), florbetapir PET, and structural magnetic resonance (sMR) image data from 12 nondemented DS adults using advanced multivariate machine learning methods. Our results showed distinctive patterns of glucose metabolism and brain volume enabling dissociation of DS and AD effects. AD-like pattern expression corresponded to amyloid burden and clinical measures. These findings lay groundwork to enable AD clinical trials with characterization and disease-specific tracking of DS adults.

Is the Linear Mode Conversion Theory Viable for Generating Kilometric Continuum?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boardsen, Scott A.; Green, James L.; Hashimoto, K.; Gallagher, Dennis L.; Webb, P. A.

2006-01-01

Kilometric Continuum (KC) usually exhibits a complicated banded radiation pattern observed in frequency time spectrograms. Can the number of bands, the frequency range over which the bands are observed, and their time variation be explained with Linear Mode Conversion Theory (LMCT) using realistic plasmapause models and Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) plasmaspheric observations? In this paper we compare KC observations with simulated frequency emission bands based on LMCT for a number of cases. In LMCT the allowed frequency range across the equatorial plasmapause is restricted to frequencies much greater than the electron cyclotron frequency (fce) and less than the maximum plasma frequency in this region. Fce also determines the number of allowed bands in this range. Is the observed frequency range and number of bands consistent with the predications of LMCT? Can irregularities in the shape of plasmaspheric structures like notches be observed in the time variations of KC emissions? We will investigate these and other questions. Simulated radiation patterns will be generated by ray tracing calculations in the L-O mode from the radio window at the near equatorial plasmapause. The KC observations used in this study are from the Plasma Wave Instrument on the Geotail spacecraft and from the Radio Plasma Imager on the IMAGE spacecraft. The plasmasphere and plasmapause will be derived either from plasmasphere simulations, from images by the EUV imager on the IMAGE spacecraft, and by using empirical models. In situ plasma density measurements from a number of spacecraft will also be used in order to reconstruct the plasmasphere for these case studies.

SPECT-imaging of activity-dependent changes in regional cerebral blood flow induced by electrical and optogenetic self-stimulation in mice.

PubMed

Kolodziej, Angela; Lippert, Michael; Angenstein, Frank; Neubert, Jenni; Pethe, Annette; Grosser, Oliver S; Amthauer, Holger; Schroeder, Ulrich H; Reymann, Klaus G; Scheich, Henning; Ohl, Frank W; Goldschmidt, Jürgen

2014-12-01

Electrical and optogenetic methods for brain stimulation are widely used in rodents for manipulating behavior and analyzing functional connectivities in neuronal circuits. High-resolution in vivo imaging of the global, brain-wide, activation patterns induced by these stimulations has remained challenging, in particular in awake behaving mice. We here mapped brain activation patterns in awake, intracranially self-stimulating mice using a novel protocol for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Mice were implanted with either electrodes for electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (mfb-microstim) or with optical fibers for blue-light stimulation of channelrhodopsin-2 expressing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (vta-optostim). After training for self-stimulation by current or light application, respectively, mice were implanted with jugular vein catheters and intravenously injected with the flow tracer 99m-technetium hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) during seven to ten minutes of intracranial self-stimulation or ongoing behavior without stimulation. The 99mTc-brain distributions were mapped in anesthetized animals after stimulation using multipinhole SPECT. Upon self-stimulation rCBF strongly increased at the electrode tip in mfb-microstim mice. In vta-optostim mice peak activations were found outside the stimulation site. Partly overlapping brain-wide networks of activations and deactivations were found in both groups. When testing all self-stimulating mice against all controls highly significant activations were found in the rostromedial nucleus accumbens shell. SPECT-imaging of rCBF using intravenous tracer-injection during ongoing behavior is a new tool for imaging regional brain activation patterns in awake behaving rodents providing higher spatial and temporal resolutions than 18F-2-fluoro-2-dexoyglucose positron emission tomography. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of a landfill methane emission screening method using an unmanned aerial vehicle mounted thermal infrared camera - A field study.

PubMed

Fjelsted, L; Christensen, A G; Larsen, J E; Kjeldsen, P; Scheutz, C

2018-05-28

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-mounted thermal infrared (TIR) camera's ability to delineate landfill gas (LFG) emission hotspots was evaluated in a field test at two Danish landfills (Hedeland landfill and Audebo landfill). At both sites, a test area of 100 m 2 was established and divided into about 100 measuring points. The relationship between LFG emissions and soil surface temperatures were investigated through four to five measuring campaigns, in order to cover different atmospheric conditions along with increasing, decreasing and stable barometric pressure. For each measuring campaign, a TIR image of the test area was obtained followed by the measurement of methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions at each measuring point, using a static flux chamber. At the same time, soil temperatures measured on the surface, at 5 cm and 10 cm depths, were registered. At the Hedeland landfill, no relationship was found between LFG emissions and surface temperatures. In addition, CH 4 emissions were very limited, on average 0.92-4.52 g CH 4  m -2  d -1 , and only measureable on the two days with decreasing barometric pressure. TIR images from Hedeland did not show any significant temperature differences in the test area. At the Audebo landfill, an area with slightly higher surface temperatures was found in the TIR images, and the same pattern with slightly higher temperatures was found at a depth of 10 cm. The main LFG emissions were found in the area with the higher surface temperatures. LFG emissions at Audebo were influenced significantly by changes in barometric pressure, and the average CH 4 emissions varied between 111 g m -2  d -1 and 314 g m -2  d -1 , depending on whether the barometric pressure gradient had increased or decreased, respectively. The temperature differences observed in the TIR images from both landfills were limited to between 0.7 °C and 1.2 °C. The minimum observable CH 4 emission for the TIR camera to identify an emission hotspot was 150 g CH 4  m -2  d -1 from an area of more than 1 m 2 . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular Imaging of Pancreatic Cancer with Antibodies

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Development of novel imaging probes for cancer diagnostics remains critical for early detection of disease, yet most imaging agents are hindered by suboptimal tumor accumulation. To overcome these limitations, researchers have adapted antibodies for imaging purposes. As cancerous malignancies express atypical patterns of cell surface proteins in comparison to noncancerous tissues, novel antibody-based imaging agents can be constructed to target individual cancer cells or surrounding vasculature. Using molecular imaging techniques, these agents may be utilized for detection of malignancies and monitoring of therapeutic response. Currently, there are several imaging modalities commonly employed for molecular imaging. These imaging modalities include positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, optical imaging (fluorescence and bioluminescence), and photoacoustic (PA) imaging. While antibody-based imaging agents may be employed for a broad range of diseases, this review focuses on the molecular imaging of pancreatic cancer, as there are limited resources for imaging and treatment of pancreatic malignancies. Additionally, pancreatic cancer remains the most lethal cancer with an overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 7%, despite significant advances in the imaging and treatment of many other cancers. In this review, we discuss recent advances in molecular imaging of pancreatic cancer using antibody-based imaging agents. This task is accomplished by summarizing the current progress in each type of molecular imaging modality described above. Also, several considerations for designing and synthesizing novel antibody-based imaging agents are discussed. Lastly, the future directions of antibody-based imaging agents are discussed, emphasizing the potential applications for personalized medicine. PMID:26620581

Imaging and modeling of flow in porous media using clinical nuclear emission tomography systems and computational fluid dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutchko, Rostyslav; Rayz, Vitaliy L.; Vandehey, Nicholas T.; O'Neil, James P.; Budinger, Thomas F.; Nico, Peter S.; Druhan, Jennifer L.; Saloner, David A.; Gullberg, Grant T.; Moses, William W.

2012-01-01

This paper presents experimental and modeling aspects of applying nuclear emission tomography to study fluid flow in laboratory packed porous media columns of the type frequently used in geophysics, geochemistry and hydrology research. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are used as non-invasive tools to obtain dynamic 3D images of radioactive tracer concentrations. Dynamic sequences obtained using 18F-FDG PET are used to trace flow through a 5 cm diameter × 20 cm tall sand packed column with and without an impermeable obstacle. In addition, a custom-made rotating column setup placed in a clinical two-headed SPECT camera is used to image 99mTc-DTPA tracer propagation in a through-flowing column (10 cm diameter × 30 cm tall) packed with recovered aquifer sediments. A computational fluid dynamics software package FLUENT is used to model the observed flow dynamics. Tracer distributions obtained in the simulations in the smaller column uniformly packed with sand and in the column with an obstacle are remarkably similar to the reconstructed images in the PET experiments. SPECT results demonstrate strongly non-uniform flow patterns for the larger column slurry-packed with sub-surface sediment and slow upward flow. In the numerical simulation of the SPECT study, two symmetric channels with increased permeability are prescribed along the column walls, which result in the emergence of two well-defined preferential flow paths. Methods and results of this work provide new opportunities in hydrologic and biogeochemical research. The primary target application for developed technologies is non-destructive, non-perturbing, quantitative imaging of flow dynamics within laboratory scale porous media systems.

Imaging and modeling of flow in porous media using clinical nuclear emission tomography systems and computational fluid dynamics.

PubMed

Boutchko, Rostyslav; Rayz, Vitaliy L; Vandehey, Nicholas T; O'Neil, James P; Budinger, Thomas F; Nico, Peter S; Druhan, Jennifer L; Saloner, David A; Gullberg, Grant T; Moses, William W

2012-01-01

This paper presents experimental and modeling aspects of applying nuclear emission tomography to study fluid flow in laboratory packed porous media columns of the type frequently used in geophysics, geochemistry and hydrology research. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are used as non-invasive tools to obtain dynamic 3D images of radioactive tracer concentrations. Dynamic sequences obtained using 18 F-FDG PET are used to trace flow through a 5 cm diameter × 20 cm tall sand packed column with and without an impermeable obstacle. In addition, a custom-made rotating column setup placed in a clinical two-headed SPECT camera is used to image 99m Tc-DTPA tracer propagation in a through-flowing column (10 cm diameter × 30 cm tall) packed with recovered aquifer sediments. A computational fluid dynamics software package FLUENT is used to model the observed flow dynamics. Tracer distributions obtained in the simulations in the smaller column uniformly packed with sand and in the column with an obstacle are remarkably similar to the reconstructed images in the PET experiments. SPECT results demonstrate strongly non-uniform flow patterns for the larger column slurry-packed with sub-surface sediment and slow upward flow. In the numerical simulation of the SPECT study, two symmetric channels with increased permeability are prescribed along the column walls, which result in the emergence of two well-defined preferential flow paths. Methods and results of this work provide new opportunities in hydrologic and biogeochemical research. The primary target application for developed technologies is non-destructive, non-perturbing, quantitative imaging of flow dynamics within laboratory scale porous media systems.

MicroFilament Analyzer, an image analysis tool for quantifying fibrillar orientation, reveals changes in microtubule organization during gravitropism.

PubMed

Jacques, Eveline; Buytaert, Jan; Wells, Darren M; Lewandowski, Michal; Bennett, Malcolm J; Dirckx, Joris; Verbelen, Jean-Pierre; Vissenberg, Kris

2013-06-01

Image acquisition is an important step in the study of cytoskeleton organization. As visual interpretations and manual measurements of digital images are prone to errors and require a great amount of time, a freely available software package named MicroFilament Analyzer (MFA) was developed. The goal was to provide a tool that facilitates high-throughput analysis to determine the orientation of filamentous structures on digital images in a more standardized, objective and repeatable way. Here, the rationale and applicability of the program is demonstrated by analyzing the microtubule patterns in epidermal cells of control and gravi-stimulated Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Differential expansion of cells on either side of the root results in downward bending of the root tip. As cell expansion depends on the properties of the cell wall, this may imply a differential orientation of cellulose microfibrils. As cellulose deposition is orchestrated by cortical microtubules, the microtubule patterns were analyzed. The MFA program detects the filamentous structures on the image and identifies the main orientation(s) within individual cells. This revealed four distinguishable microtubule patterns in root epidermal cells. The analysis indicated that gravitropic stimulation and developmental age are both significant factors that determine microtubule orientation. Moreover, the data show that an altered microtubule pattern does not precede differential expansion. Other possible applications are also illustrated, including field emission scanning electron micrographs of cellulose microfibrils in plant cell walls and images of fluorescent actin. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of Michelangelo's David.

PubMed

Comelli, Daniela; Valentini, Gianluca; Cubeddu, Rinaldo; Toniolo, Lucia

2005-09-01

We developed a combined procedure for the analysis of works of art based on a portable system for fluorescence imaging integrated with analytical measurements on microsamples. The method allows us to localize and identify organic and inorganic compounds present on the surface of artworks. The fluorescence apparatus measures the temporal and spectral features of the fluorescence emission, excited by ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses. The kinetic of the emission is studied through a fluorescence lifetime imaging system, while an optical multichannel analyzer measures the fluorescence spectra of selected points. The chemical characterization of the compounds present on the artistic surfaces is then performed by means of analytical measurements on microsamples collected with the assistance of the fluorescence maps. The previous concepts have been successfully applied to study the contaminants on the surface of Michelangelo's David. The fluorescence analysis combined with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) measurements revealed the presence of beeswax, which permeates most of the statue surface, and calcium oxalate deposits mainly arranged in vertical patterns and related to rain washing.

A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Shreya K.; Cao, Jian; Lippert, Alexander R.

2017-07-01

Volumetric three-dimensional displays offer spatially accurate representations of images with a 360° view, but have been difficult to implement due to complex fabrication requirements. Herein, a chemically enabled volumetric 3D digital light photoactivatable dye display (3D Light PAD) is reported. The operating principle relies on photoactivatable dyes that become reversibly fluorescent upon illumination with ultraviolet light. Proper tuning of kinetics and emission wavelengths enables the generation of a spatial pattern of fluorescent emission at the intersection of two structured light beams. A first-generation 3D Light PAD was fabricated using the photoactivatable dye N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamine B, a commercial picoprojector, an ultraviolet projector and a custom quartz imaging chamber. The system displays a minimum voxel size of 0.68 mm3, 200 μm resolution and good stability over repeated `on-off' cycles. A range of high-resolution 3D images and animations can be projected, setting the foundation for widely accessible volumetric 3D displays.

A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display

PubMed Central

Patel, Shreya K.; Cao, Jian; Lippert, Alexander R.

2017-01-01

Volumetric three-dimensional displays offer spatially accurate representations of images with a 360° view, but have been difficult to implement due to complex fabrication requirements. Herein, a chemically enabled volumetric 3D digital light photoactivatable dye display (3D Light PAD) is reported. The operating principle relies on photoactivatable dyes that become reversibly fluorescent upon illumination with ultraviolet light. Proper tuning of kinetics and emission wavelengths enables the generation of a spatial pattern of fluorescent emission at the intersection of two structured light beams. A first-generation 3D Light PAD was fabricated using the photoactivatable dye N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamine B, a commercial picoprojector, an ultraviolet projector and a custom quartz imaging chamber. The system displays a minimum voxel size of 0.68 mm3, 200 μm resolution and good stability over repeated ‘on-off’ cycles. A range of high-resolution 3D images and animations can be projected, setting the foundation for widely accessible volumetric 3D displays. PMID:28695887

Sedna Planitia (Right Member of a Synthetic Stereo Pair)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This perspective view of Venus, generated by computer from Magellan data and color-coded with emissivity, shows part of the lowland plains in Sedna Planitia. Circular depressions with associated fracture patterns, called 'coronae', are apparently unique to the lowlands of Venus, and tend to occur in linear clusters along the planet's major tectonic belts, as seen in this image. Coronae differ greatly in size and detailed morphology: the central depression may or may not lie below the surrounding plains, and may or may not be surrounded by a raised rim or a moat outside the rim. Coronae are thought to be caused by localized 'hot spot' magmatic activity in Venus' subsurface. Intrusion of magma into the crust first pushes up the surface, after which cooling and contraction create the central depression and generate a pattern of concentric fractures. In some cases, lava may be extruded onto the surface, as seen here as bright flows in the foreground. This image is the right member of a synthetic stereo pair; the other image is PIA00313. To view the region in stereo, download the two images, arrange them side by side on the screen or in hardcopy, and view this image with the right eye and the other with the left. For best viewing, use a stereoscope or size the images so that their width is close to the interpupillary distance, about 6.6 cm (2.6 inches). Magellan MIDR quadrangle* containing this image: C1- 45N011. Image resolution (m): 225. Size of region shown (E-W x N-S, in km): 1900 x 120 at front edge. Range of emissivities from violet to red: 0.82 -- 0.88. Vertical exaggeration: 20. Azimuth of viewpoint (deg clockwise from East): 13. Elevation of viewpoint (km): 300. *Quadrangle name indicates approximate center latitude (N=north, S=south) and center longitude (East).

Sedna Planitia (Left Member of a Synthetic Stereo Pair)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This perspective view of Venus, generated by computer from Magellan data and color-coded with emissivity, shows part of the lowland plains in Sedna Planitia. Circular depressions with associated fracture patterns, called 'coronae', are apparently unique to the lowlands of Venus, and tend to occur in linear clusters along the planet's major tectonic belts, as seen in this image. Coronae differ greatly in size and detailed morphology: the central depression may or may not lie below the surrounding plains, and may or may not be surrounded by a raised rim or a moat outside the rim. Coronae are thought to be caused by localized 'hot spot' magmatic activity in Venus' subsurface. Intrusion of magma into the crust first pushes up the surface, after which cooling and contraction create the central depression and generate a pattern of concentric fractures. In some cases, lava may be extruded onto the surface, as seen here as bright flows in the foreground. This image is the left member of a synthetic stereo pair; the other image is PIA00314. To view the region in stereo, download the two images, arrange them side by side on the screen or in hardcopy, and view this image with the left eye and the other with the right. For best viewing, use a stereoscope or size the images so that their width is close to the interpupillary distance, about 6.6 cm (2.6 inches). Magellan MIDR quadrangle* containing this image: C1-45N011. Image resolution (m): 225. Size of region shown (E-W x N-S, in km): 1900 x 120 at front edge. Range of emissivities from violet to red: 0.82 -- 0.88. Vertical exaggeration: 20. Azimuth of viewpoint (deg clockwise from East): 13. Elevation of viewpoint (km): 300. *Quadrangle name indicates approximate center latitude (N=north, S=south) and center longitude (East).

Laser-Based Diagnostic Measurements of Low Emissions Combustor Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hicks, Yolanda R.

2011-01-01

This presentation provides a summary of primarily laser-based measurement techniques we use at NASA Glenn Research Center to characterize fuel injection, fuel/air mixing, and combustion. The report highlights using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Particle Image Velocimetry, and Phase Doppler Interferometry to obtain fuel injector patternation, fuel and air velocities, and fuel drop sizes and turbulence intensities during combustion. We also present a brief comparison between combustors burning standard JP-8 Jet fuel and an alternative fuels. For this comparison, we used flame chemiluminescence and high speed imaging.

Lymphatic Drainage from Renal Tumors In Vivo: A Prospective Sentinel Node Study Using SPECT/CT Imaging.

PubMed

Kuusk, Teele; De Bruijn, Roderick; Brouwer, Oscar R; De Jong, Jeroen; Donswijk, Maarten; Grivas, Nikolaos; Hendricksen, Kees; Horenblas, Simon; Prevoo, Warner; Valdés Olmos, Renato A; Van Der Poel, Henk G; Van Rhijn, Bas W G; Wit, Esther M; Bex, Axel

2018-06-01

Lymphatic drainage from renal tumors is unpredictable. In vivo drainage studies of primary lymphatic landing sites may reveal the variability and dynamics of lymphatic connections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the lymphatic drainage pattern of renal tumors in vivo with single photon emission/computerized tomography after intratumor radiotracer injection. We performed a phase II, prospective, single arm study to investigate the distribution of sentinel nodes from renal tumors on single photon emission/computerized tomography. Patients with cT1-3 (less than 10 cm) cN0M0 renal tumors of any subtype were enrolled in analysis. After intratumor ultrasound guided injection of 0.4 ml 99m Tc-nanocolloid we performed preoperative imaging of sentinel nodes with lymphoscintigraphy and single photon emission/computerized tomography. Sentinel and locoregional nonsentinel nodes were resected with a γ probe combined with a mobile γ camera. The primary study end point was the location of sentinel nodes outside the locoregional retroperitoneal templates on single photon emission/computerized tomography. Using a Simon minimax 2-stage design to detect a 25% extralocoregional retroperitoneal template location of sentinel nodes on imaging at α = 0.05 and 80% power at least 40 patients with sentinel node imaging on single photon emission/computerized tomography were needed. Of the 68 patients 40 underwent preoperative single photon emission/computerized tomography of sentinel nodes and were included in primary end point analysis. Lymphatic drainage outside the locoregional retroperitoneal templates was observed in 14 patients (35%). Eight patients (20%) had supradiaphragmatic sentinel nodes. Sentinel nodes from renal tumors were mainly located in the respective locoregional retroperitoneal templates. Simultaneous sentinel nodes were located outside the suggested lymph node dissection templates, including supradiaphragmatic sentinel nodes in more than a third of the patients. Copyright © 2018 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photoluminescence study of Mn doped ZnS nanoparticles prepared by co-precipitation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, M. P.; Patel, Kamakshi; Gujarati, Vivek P.; Chaki, S. H.

2016-05-01

ZnS nanoparticles co-doped with different concentration (5,10,15%) of Mn were synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent under microwave irradiation. We confirmed doping of Mn in the host ZnS by EDAX whereas powder X-ray diffractogram showed the cubic zinc blende structure of all these samples. TEM images did showed agglomeration of particles and SAED pattern obtained indicated polycrystalline nature. From SAED pattern we calculated lattice parameter of the samples which have close resemblance from that obtained from XRD pattern. The band gap values of pure and doped ZnS nanoparticles were calculated from UV-Visible absorption spectra. ZnS itself is a luminescence material but when we dope it with transition metal ion such as Mn, Co, and Cu they exhibits strong and intense luminescence in the particular region. The photoluminescence spectra of pure ZnS nanoparticles showed an emission at 421 and 485nm which is blue emission which was originated from the defect sites of ZnS itself and also sulfur deficiency and when doped with Mn2+ an extra peak with high intensity was observed at 530nm which is nearly yellow-orange emission which isrelated to the presence of Mn in the host lattice.

Fatigue damage monitoring for basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites using acoustic emission technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wentao; Li, Hui; Qu, Zhi

2012-04-01

Basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) is a structural material with superior mechanical properties. In this study, unidirectional BFRP laminates with 14 layers are made with the hand lay-up method. Then, the acoustic emission technique (AE) combined with the scanning electronic microscope (SEM) technique is employed to monitor the fatigue damage evolution of the BFRP plates in the fatigue loading tests. Time-frequency analysis using the wavelet transform technique is proposed to analyze the received AE signal instead of the peak frequency method. A comparison between AE signals and SEM images indicates that the multi-frequency peaks picked from the time-frequency curves of AE signals reflect the accumulated fatigue damage evolution and fatigue damage patterns. Furthermore, seven damage patterns, that is, matrix cracking, delamination, fiber fracture and their combinations, are identified from the time-frequency curves of the AE signals.

Ring Current Dynamics in Moderate and Strong Storms: Comparative Analysis of TWINS and IMAGE/HENA Data with the Comprehensive Ring Current Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buzulukova, N.; Fok, M.-C.; Goldstein, J.; Valek, P.; McComas, D. J.; Brandt, P. C.

2010-01-01

We present a comparative study of ring current dynamics during strong and moderate storms. The ring current during the strong storm is studied with IMAGE/HENA data near the solar cycle maximum in 2000. The ring current during the moderate storm is studied using energetic neutral atom (ENA) data from the Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral- Atom Spectrometers (TWINS) mission during the solar minimum in 2008. For both storms, the local time distributions of ENA emissions show signatures of postmidnight enhancement (PME) during the main phases. To model the ring current and ENA emissions, we use the Comprehensive Ring Current Model (CRCM). CRCM results show that the main-phase ring current pressure peaks in the premidnight-dusk sector, while the most intense CRCM-simulated ENA emissions show PME signatures. We analyze two factors to explain this difference: the dependence of charge-exchange cross section on energy and pitch angle distributions of ring current. We find that the IMF By effect (twisting of the convection pattern due to By) is not needed to form the PME. Additionally, the PME is more pronounced for the strong storm, although relative shielding and hence electric field skewing is well developed for both events.

Extreme Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling at the Plasmapause: a - In-A Bright SAR Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgardner, J.; Wroten, J.; Semeter, J.; Mendillo, M.; Kozyra, J.

2007-05-01

Heat conduction from the ring current - plasmapause interaction region generates high electron temperature within the ionosphere that drive stable auroral red (SAR) arc emission at 6300 A. On the night of 29 October 1991, a SAR arc was observed using an all-sky imager and meridional imaging spectrograph at Millstone Hill. At xxxx UT, the SAR arc was south of Millstone at approximate L = 2 and reached emission levels of 13,000 rayleighs (R). Over two solar cycle of imaging observations have been made at Millstone Hill, and SAR arc brightness levels (excluding this event) averaged ~ 500 R. Simultaneous observations using the incoherent scatter radar (ISR), a DMSP satellite pass, the MSIS neutral atmosphere and SAR arc modeling using the Rees and Roble formalism succeeded in simulations of the observed emission. The reason for the unusual brightness was not the extreme temperatures achieved (and therefore heat conduction input), but the fact that the end of the plasmapause field line where the elevated Te values were measured did not occur in the ionospheric trough, but equatorward of it, thereby having far more ambient electrons to heat and subsequently collide with atomic oxygen. This unusual spatial geometry probably resulted from unusual convection patterns early in a superstorm scenario.

Groundbased near-IR observations of the surface of Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meadows, V. S.; Crisp, D.; Allen, D. A.

1992-01-01

We present images of the nightside of Venus taken in the near-infrared windows at 1.0, 1.1, 1.18, 1.28, 1.31, and 2.3 microns with the new infrared camera/spectrometer IRIS on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. These data were taken in spectral-mapping mode. This technique involves scanning the telescope perpendicular to the slit, while collecting spectra at successive slit positions across the planet. We produce data cubes with one spectral and two spatial dimensions. Images can be extracted over any wavelength regions. Each image has square pixels of 0.8 inch resolution. We reduced the scattered light from the sunlit crescent in images extracted from each window by subtracting images taken on either side of the window, where the Venus atmosphere is opaque. Unlike the short wavelength windows, which reveal thermal contrasts that originate primarily from the surface and deep atmosphere, the emission in the 2.3 microns window is produced at much higher altitudes (30-40 km). Emission contrasts seen near 2.3 microns are associated with horizontal variations in the cloud optical depths, and have rotation periods of about six days. We detect large contrasts in infrared emission (20-40 percent) across the disc of Venus in the 1.0-, 1.1-, 1.18-, 1.28-, and 1.31-micron images. Contrasts at these wavelengths may be due to a combination of variations in the optical depths of the overlying sulfuric acid clouds and differences in surface emission. Comparison with the 2.3-micron images show that the patterns seen in the 1.28- and 1.31-micron windows are consistent with cloud optical depth variations alone and require no contribution from the surface. However, images at 1.0, 1.1, and 1.8 microns from July 1991 show a dark feature having a contrast that increases with decreasing wavelength. This behavior is contrary to that expected of cloud absorption. Images taken on three successive days in October show another dark feature that is stationary with respect to the surface. These regions of lower emission correspond closely to the high-altitude surface regions of Beta Regio and Aphrodite Terra. The images can potentially reveal the near-infrared emissiveity of the surface of Venus, thereby complementing Magellan radar reflectivity and ground based radio emissivity measurements. The contrast ratio between highlands and plains is much smaller than would be expected for blackbody radiation from the surface along. Unlike at radio wavelengths, where the atmosphere is essentially transparent, at near-infrared wavelengths the atmosphere emits, absorbs, and scatters radiation, and can modify the observed topographically induced contrasts. The additional radiation from the atmosphere reduces the contrast, and further modification would be expected if terrain at different altitudes has different emissivities. A fit to our data therefore requires, and may constrain, a model of the lowest scale height of the atmosphere.

Comparison of Weekly Cycle of NO2 Satellite Retrievals and NO(x) Emission Inventories for the Continental United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaynak, B.; Hu, Y.; Martin, R. V.; Sioris, C. E.; Russell, A. G.

2009-01-01

Spatially resolved weekly NO2 variations are obtained from 2003 to 2005 Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) tropospheric NO2 columns for three different types of regions: urban, rural, and rural-point (rural with significant electricity generation unit (EGU) emissions). Regions are compared for magnitudes and weekly profiles. Rural regions do not show any weekly pattern, whereas urban areas show a distinct decrease on the weekends. Rural regions with EGUs show a slight decrease on Sundays. When compared with estimated mobile and stationary nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) emissions from the year 2004 for seven cities, the satellite data have greater variation during weekdays (Monday-Friday). Overall comparisons show that SCIAMACHY derived NO2 correlate well with estimated NO(x) emissions for urban and rural but less for rural-point regions.

A solar tornado observed by EIS. Plasma diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levens, P. J.; Labrosse, N.; Fletcher, L.; Schmieder, B.

2015-10-01

Context. The term "solar tornadoes" has been used to describe apparently rotating magnetic structures above the solar limb, as seen in high resolution images and movies from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). These often form part of the larger magnetic structure of a prominence, however the links between them remain unclear. Here we present plasma diagnostics on a tornado-like structure and its surroundings, seen above the limb by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) aboard the Hinode satellite. Aims: We aim to extend our view of the velocity patterns seen in tornado-like structures with EIS to a wider range of temperatures and to use density diagnostics, non-thermal line widths, and differential emission measures to provide insight into the physical characteristics of the plasma. Methods: Using Gaussian fitting to fit and de-blend the spectral lines seen by EIS, we calculated line-of-sight velocities and non-thermal line widths. Along with information from the CHIANTI database, we used line intensity ratios to calculate electron densities at each pixel. Using a regularised inversion code we also calculated the differential emission measure (DEM) at different locations in the prominence. Results: The split Doppler-shift pattern is found to be visible down to a temperature of around log T = 6.0. At temperatures lower than this, the pattern is unclear in this data set. We obtain an electron density of log ne = 8.5 when looking towards the centre of the tornado structure at a plasma temperature of log T = 6.2, as compared to the surroundings of the tornado structure where we find log ne to be nearer 9. Non-thermal line widths show broader profiles at the tornado location when compared to the surrounding corona. We discuss the differential emission measure in both the tornado and the prominence body, which suggests that there is more contribution in the tornado at temperatures below log T = 6.0 than in the prominence. A movie is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Mapping Phyllic and Argillic-Altered Rocks in Southeastern Afghanistan using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mars, John L.; Rowan, Lawrence C.

2007-01-01

Introduction: ASTER data and logical operators were successfully used to map phyllic and argillic-altered rocks in the southeastern part of Afghanistan. Hyperion data were used to correct ASTER band 5 and ASTER data were georegistered to orthorectified Landsat TM data. Logical operator algorithms produced argillic and phyllic byte ASTER images that were converted to vector data and overlain on ASTER and Landsat TM images. Alteration and fault patterns indicated that two areas, the Argandab igneous complex, and the Katawaz basin may contain potential polymetallic vein and porphyry copper deposits. ASTER alteration mapping in the Chagai Hills indicates less extensive phyllic and argillic-altered rocks than mapped in the Argandab igneous complex and the Katawaz basin and patterns of alteration are inconclusive to predict potential deposit types.

Application of Geostatistical Simulation to Enhance Satellite Image Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hlavka, Christine A.; Dungan, Jennifer L.; Thirulanambi, Rajkumar; Roy, David

2004-01-01

With the deployment of Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites that provide daily, global imagery, there is increasing interest in defining the limitations of the data and derived products due to its coarse spatial resolution. Much of the detail, i.e. small fragments and notches in boundaries, is lost with coarse resolution imagery such as the EOS MODerate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Higher spatial resolution data such as the EOS Advanced Spaceborn Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Landsat and airborne sensor imagery provide more detailed information but are less frequently available. There are, however, both theoretical and analytical evidence that burn scars and other fragmented types of land covers form self-similar or self-affine patterns, that is, patterns that look similar when viewed at widely differing spatial scales. Therefore small features of the patterns should be predictable, at least in a statistical sense, with knowledge about the large features. Recent developments in fractal modeling for characterizing the spatial distribution of undiscovered petroleum deposits are thus applicable to generating simulations of finer resolution satellite image products. We will present example EOS products, analysis to investigate self-similarity, and simulation results.

Photo electron emission microscopy of polarity-patterned materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W.-C.; Rodriguez, B. J.; Gruverman, A.; Nemanich, R. J.

2005-04-01

This study presents variable photon energy photo electron emission microscopy (PEEM) of polarity-patterned epitaxial GaN films, and ferroelectric LiNbO3 (LNO) single crystals and PbZrTiO3 (PZT) thin films. The photo electrons were excited with spontaneous emission from the tunable UV free electron laser (FEL) at Duke University. We report PEEM observation of polarity contrast and measurement of the photothreshold of each polar region of the materials. For a cleaned GaN film with laterally patterned Ga- and N-face polarities, we found a higher photoelectric yield from the N-face regions compared with the Ga-face regions. Through the photon energy dependent contrast in the PEEM images of the surfaces, we can deduce that the threshold of the N-face region is less than ~4.9 eV while that of the Ga-face regions is greater than 6.3 eV. In both LNO and PZT, bright emission was detected from the negatively poled domains, indicating that the emission threshold of the negative domain is lower than that of the positive domain. For LNO, the measured photothreshold was ~4.6 eV at the negative domain and ~6.2 eV at the positive domain, while for PZT, the threshold of the negative domain was less than 4.3 eV. Moreover, PEEM observation of the PZT surface at elevated temperatures displayed that the domain contrast disappeared near the Curie temperature of ~300 °C. The PEEM polarity contrast of the polar materials is discussed in terms of internal screening from free carriers and defects and the external screening due to adsorbed ions.

An assessment of SEVIRI imagery at different temporal resolutions and the effect on accurate dust emission mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hennen, Mark; White, Kevin; Shahgedanova, Maria

2017-04-01

This paper compares Dust RGB products derived from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) data at 15 minute, 30 minute and hourly temporal resolutions. From January 2006 to December 2006, observations of dust emission point sources were observed at each temporal resolution across the entire Middle East region (38.50N; 30.00E - 10.00N; 65.50E). Previous work has demonstrated that 15-minute resolution SEVIRI data can be used to map dust sources across the Sahara by observing dust storms back through sequential images to the point of first emission (Schepanski et al., 2007; 2009; 2012). These observations have improved upon lower resolution maps, based on daily retrievals of aerosol optical depth (AOD), whose maxima can be biased by prevalent transport routes, not necessarily coinciding with sources of emissions. Based on the thermal contrast of atmospheric dust to the surface, brightness temperature differences (BTD's) in the thermal infrared (TIR) wavelengths (8.7, 10.8 and 12.0 µm) highlight dust in the scene irrespective of solar illumination, giving both increased accuracy of dust source areas and a greater understanding of diurnal emission behaviour. However, the highest temporal resolution available (15-minute repeat capture) produces 96 images per day, resulting in significantly higher data storage demands than 30 minute or hourly data. To aid future research planning, this paper investigates what effect lowering the temporal resolution has on the number and spatial distribution of the observed dust sources. The results show a reduction in number of dust emission events observed with each step decrease in temporal resolution, reducing by 17% for 30-minute resolution and 50% for hourly. These differences change seasonally, with the highest reduction observed in summer (34% and 64% reduction respectively). Each resolution shows a similar spatial distribution, with the biggest difference seen near the coastlines, where near-shore convective cloud patterns obscure atmospheric dust soon after emission, restricting the opportunity to be observed at hourly resolution.

Synthesis, structural and optical properties of silver nanoparticles uniformly decorated ZnO nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ke-Xin; Wen, Xing; Yao, Cheng-Bao; Li, Jin; Zhang, Meng; Li, Qiang-Hua; Sun, Wen-Jun; Wu, Jia-Da

2018-04-01

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles decorated Zinc oxide (A-ZnO) nanowires have been successfully synthesized by two-step chemical vapour deposition and magnetron sputtering method. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed their hexagonal wurtzite structure. SEM images indicated the Ag nanoparticles are distributed uniformly on the surface of A-ZnO nanowires. By extending the sputtering time, the atomic percent of Ag increased gradually. Moreover, the photoluminescence results demonstrated two major emission peaks for the A-ZnO nanowires. Where, the visible emission peaks were stronger than those of unmodified ZnO nanowires. These studies promise their potential applications in multifunctional optical devices.

Striatal dopamine in Parkinson disease: A meta-analysis of imaging studies.

PubMed

Kaasinen, Valtteri; Vahlberg, Tero

2017-12-01

A meta-analysis of 142 positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography studies that have investigated striatal presynaptic dopamine function in Parkinson disease (PD) was performed. Subregional estimates of striatal dopamine metabolism are presented. The aromatic L-amino-acid decarboxylase (AADC) defect appears to be consistently smaller than the dopamine transporter and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 defects, suggesting upregulation of AADC function in PD. The correlation between disease severity and dopamine loss appears linear, but the majority of longitudinal studies point to a negative exponential progression pattern of dopamine loss in PD. Ann Neurol 2017;82:873-882. © 2017 American Neurological Association.

Multimodality Review of Amyloid-related Diseases of the Central Nervous System

PubMed Central

Sipe, Adam L.; Benzinger, Tammie L. S.; McConathy, Jonathan; Connolly, Sarah; Schwetye, Katherine E.

2016-01-01

Amyloid-β (Aβ) is ubiquitous in the central nervous system (CNS), but pathologic accumulation of Aβ results in four distinct neurologic disorders that affect middle-aged and elderly adults, with diverse clinical presentations ranging from chronic debilitating dementia to acute life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage. The characteristic imaging patterns of Aβ-related CNS diseases reflect the pathophysiology of Aβ deposition in the CNS. Aβ is recognized as a key component in the neuronal damage that characterizes the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease, the most common form of dementia. Targeted molecular imaging shows pathologic accumulation of Aβ and tau protein, and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and anatomic imaging allow differentiation of typical patterns of neuronal dysfunction and loss in patients with Alzheimer disease from those seen in patients with other types of dementia. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is an important cause of cognitive impairment and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in the elderly. Hemorrhage and white matter injury seen at imaging reflect vascular damage caused by the accumulation of Aβ in vessel walls. The rare forms of inflammatory angiopathy attributed to Aβ, Aβ-related angiitis and CAA-related inflammation, cause debilitating neurologic symptoms that improve with corticosteroid therapy. Imaging shows marked subcortical and cortical inflammation due to perivascular inflammation, which is incited by vascular Aβ accumulation. In the rarest of the four disorders, cerebral amyloidoma, the macroscopic accumulation of Aβ mimics the imaging appearance of tumors. Knowledge of the imaging patterns and pathophysiology is essential for accurate diagnosis of Aβ-related diseases of the CNS. ©RSNA, 2016 PMID:27399239

Pen-chant: Acoustic emissions of handwriting and drawing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seniuk, Andrew G.

The sounds generated by a writing instrument ('pen-chant') provide a rich and underutilized source of information for pattern recognition. We examine the feasibility of recognition of handwritten cursive text, exclusively through an analysis of acoustic emissions. We design and implement a family of recognizers using a template matching approach, with templates and similarity measures derived variously from: smoothed amplitude signal with fixed resolution, discrete sequence of magnitudes obtained from peaks in the smoothed amplitude signal, and ordered tree obtained from a scale space signal representation. Test results are presented for recognition of isolated lowercase cursive characters and for whole words. We also present qualitative results for recognizing gestures such as circling, scratch-out, check-marks, and hatching. Our first set of results, using samples provided by the author, yield recognition rates of over 70% (alphabet) and 90% (26 words), with a confidence of +/-8%, based solely on acoustic emissions. Our second set of results uses data gathered from nine writers. These results demonstrate that acoustic emissions are a rich source of information, usable---on their own or in conjunction with image-based features---to solve pattern recognition problems. In future work, this approach can be applied to writer identification, handwriting and gesture-based computer input technology, emotion recognition, and temporal analysis of sketches.

Comparing brain activity patterns during spontaneous exploratory and cue-instructed learning using single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of regional cerebral blood flow in freely behaving rats.

PubMed

Mannewitz, A; Bock, J; Kreitz, S; Hess, A; Goldschmidt, J; Scheich, H; Braun, Katharina

2018-05-01

Learning can be categorized into cue-instructed and spontaneous learning types; however, so far, there is no detailed comparative analysis of specific brain pathways involved in these learning types. The aim of this study was to compare brain activity patterns during these learning tasks using the in vivo imaging technique of single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). During spontaneous exploratory learning, higher levels of rCBF compared to cue-instructed learning were observed in motor control regions, including specific subregions of the motor cortex and the striatum, as well as in regions of sensory pathways including olfactory, somatosensory, and visual modalities. In addition, elevated activity was found in limbic areas, including specific subregions of the hippocampal formation, the amygdala, and the insula. The main difference between the two learning paradigms analyzed in this study was the higher rCBF observed in prefrontal cortical regions during cue-instructed learning when compared to spontaneous learning. Higher rCBF during cue-instructed learning was also observed in the anterior insular cortex and in limbic areas, including the ectorhinal and entorhinal cortexes, subregions of the hippocampus, subnuclei of the amygdala, and the septum. Many of the rCBF changes showed hemispheric lateralization. Taken together, our study is the first to compare partly lateralized brain activity patterns during two different types of learning.

Positron emission imaging device and method of using the same

DOEpatents

Bingham, Philip R.; Mullens, James Allen

2013-01-15

An imaging system and method of imaging are disclosed. The imaging system can include an external radiation source producing pairs of substantially simultaneous radiation emissions of a picturization emission and a verification emissions at an emission angle. The imaging system can also include a plurality of picturization sensors and at least one verification sensor for detecting the picturization and verification emissions, respectively. The imaging system also includes an object stage is arranged such that a picturization emission can pass through an object supported on said object stage before being detected by one of said plurality of picturization sensors. A coincidence system and a reconstruction system can also be included. The coincidence can receive information from the picturization and verification sensors and determine whether a detected picturization emission is direct radiation or scattered radiation. The reconstruction system can produce a multi-dimensional representation of an object imaged with the imaging system.

Inkjet printed fluorescent nanorod layers exhibit superior optical performance over quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halivni, Shira; Shemesh, Shay; Waiskopf, Nir; Vinetsky, Yelena; Magdassi, Shlomo; Banin, Uri

2015-11-01

Semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit unique fluorescence properties which are tunable in size, shape and composition. The high quantum yield and enhanced stability have led to their use in biomedical imaging and flat panel displays. Here, semiconductor nanorod based inkjet inks are presented, overcoming limitations of the commonly reported quantum dots in printing applications. Fluorescent seeded nanorods were found to be outstanding candidates for fluorescent inks, due to their low particle-particle interactions and negligible self-absorption. This is manifested by insignificant emission shifts upon printing, even in highly concentrated printed layers and by maintenance of a high fluorescence quantum yield, unlike quantum dots which exhibit fluorescence wavelength shifts and quenching effects. This behavior results from the reduced absorption/emission overlap, accompanied by low energy transfer efficiencies between the nanorods as supported by steady state and time resolved fluorescence measurements. The new seeded nanorod inks enable patterning of thin fluorescent layers, for demanding light emission applications such as signage and displays.Semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit unique fluorescence properties which are tunable in size, shape and composition. The high quantum yield and enhanced stability have led to their use in biomedical imaging and flat panel displays. Here, semiconductor nanorod based inkjet inks are presented, overcoming limitations of the commonly reported quantum dots in printing applications. Fluorescent seeded nanorods were found to be outstanding candidates for fluorescent inks, due to their low particle-particle interactions and negligible self-absorption. This is manifested by insignificant emission shifts upon printing, even in highly concentrated printed layers and by maintenance of a high fluorescence quantum yield, unlike quantum dots which exhibit fluorescence wavelength shifts and quenching effects. This behavior results from the reduced absorption/emission overlap, accompanied by low energy transfer efficiencies between the nanorods as supported by steady state and time resolved fluorescence measurements. The new seeded nanorod inks enable patterning of thin fluorescent layers, for demanding light emission applications such as signage and displays. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06248a

Application of analyzer based X-ray imaging technique for detection of ultrasound induced cavitation bubbles from a physical therapy unit.

PubMed

Izadifar, Zahra; Belev, George; Babyn, Paul; Chapman, Dean

2015-10-19

The observation of ultrasound generated cavitation bubbles deep in tissue is very difficult. The development of an imaging method capable of investigating cavitation bubbles in tissue would improve the efficiency and application of ultrasound in the clinic. Among the previous imaging modalities capable of detecting cavitation bubbles in vivo, the acoustic detection technique has the positive aspect of in vivo application. However the size of the initial cavitation bubble and the amplitude of the ultrasound that produced the cavitation bubbles, affect the timing and amplitude of the cavitation bubbles' emissions. The spatial distribution of cavitation bubbles, driven by 0.8835 MHz therapeutic ultrasound system at output power of 14 Watt, was studied in water using a synchrotron X-ray imaging technique, Analyzer Based Imaging (ABI). The cavitation bubble distribution was investigated by repeated application of the ultrasound and imaging the water tank. The spatial frequency of the cavitation bubble pattern was evaluated by Fourier analysis. Acoustic cavitation was imaged at four different locations through the acoustic beam in water at a fixed power level. The pattern of cavitation bubbles in water was detected by synchrotron X-ray ABI. The spatial distribution of cavitation bubbles driven by the therapeutic ultrasound system was observed using ABI X-ray imaging technique. It was observed that the cavitation bubbles appeared in a periodic pattern. The calculated distance between intervals revealed that the distance of frequent cavitation lines (intervals) is one-half of the acoustic wave length consistent with standing waves. This set of experiments demonstrates the utility of synchrotron ABI for visualizing cavitation bubbles formed in water by clinical ultrasound systems working at high frequency and output powers as low as a therapeutic system.

Untangling the Space-Time Ambiguity of Auroral Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gjerloev, J. W.; Humberset, B.; Michell, R. G.; Samara, M.; Mann, I. R.

2012-12-01

In this paper we address the spatiotemporal characteristics of the magnetosphere-ionosphere (M-I) system as observed by an all-sky imager (ASI). We utilize 557.7 nm images obtained by a ground based ASI located under the dark ionosphere (~22 MLT) at Poker Flat, Alaska. The 19 min movie was recorded at 3.31 Hz during continuous moderately intense auroral activity driven by a southward IMF Bz of about -5 nT. We analyze this movie using a simple, yet robust, 2D FFT technique that allows us to determine the scale size dependent variability. When plotting the correlation pattern as a function of scale size and time separation we find a pattern with distinct regions of high and low correlation. Larger scale sizes are found to have longer duration. We interpret this remarkable result as indicative of a M-I system that uses repeatable solutions to transfer energy and momentum from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere. Our findings support the characteristics of the field-aligned currents as determined from multi-point satellite observations (ST-5, Gjerloev et al., Annales Geophysicae, 2011). Two different electromagnetic parameters, auroral emissions and field-aligned currents, display similar characteristics supporting our conclusion that this is indicative of a fundamental behavior of the M-I system.

"Magnetic resonance imaging negative positron emission tomography positive" temporal lobe epilepsy: FDG-PET pattern differs from mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Carne, R P; Cook, M J; MacGregor, L R; Kilpatrick, C J; Hicks, R J; O'Brien, T J

2007-01-01

Some patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) lack evidence of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) on MRI (HS-ve). We hypothesized that this group would have a different pattern of 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) hypometabolism than typical mesial TLE/HS patients with evidence of hippocampal atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (HS+ve), with a lateral temporal neocortical rather than mesial focus. Thirty consecutive HS-ve patients and 30 age- and sex-matched HS+ve patients with well-lateralized EEG were identified. FDG-PET was performed on 28 HS-ve patients and 24 HS+ve patients. Both groups were compared using statistical parametric mapping (SPM), directly and with FDG-PET from 20 healthy controls. Both groups showed lateralized temporal hypometabolism compared to controls. In HS+ve, this was antero-infero-mesial (T = 17.13); in HS-ve the main clustering was inferolateral (T = 17.63). When directly compared, HS+ve had greater hypometabolism inmesial temporal/hippocampal regions (T = 4.86); HS-ve had greater inferolateral temporal hypometabolism (T = 4.18). These data support the hypothesis that focal hypometabolism involves primarily lateal neocortical rather than mesial temporal structures in 'MRI-negative PET-positive TLE.'

Radio Observations of the Ionosphere From an Imaging Array and a CubeSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isham, B.; Gustavsson, B.; Bullett, T. W.; Bergman, J. E. S.; Rincón-Charris, A.; Bruhn, F.; Funk, P.

2017-12-01

The ionosphere is a source of many radio emissions in the various low-frequency, medium-frequency, and high-frequency bands (0 to 30 MHz). In addition to natural radio emissions, artificial emissions can be stimulated using high-power radiowave ionospheric modification facilities. Two complementary projects are underway for the purpose of improving our knowledge of the processes of radio emissions from the ionosphere. One project is the Aguadilla radio array, located in northwestern Puerto Rico. The Aguadilla array is intended to produce 2 to 25 MHz radio images of the ionosphere, as well as to perform bistatic radar imaging of the ionosphere over Puerto Rico. The array will consist of multiple antenna elements, each of which is a single active (electromagnetically short) crossed electric dipole. The elements are arranged within a roughly 200 by 300-meter core array, in a semi-random pattern providing an optimal distribution of baseline vectors, with 6-meter minimum spacing to eliminate spacial aliasing. In addition, several elements are arranged in a partial ring around the central core, providing a roughly four times expanded region in u-v space for improved image resolution and quality. Phase is maintained via cabled connections to a central location. A remote array is also being developed, in which phase is maintained between elements by through the use of GPS-disciplined rubidium clocks. The other project involves the GimmeRF radio instrument, designed for 0.3 to 30 MHz vector observation of the radio electric field, and planned for launch in 2020 on a CubeSat. The data rate that can be sustained by GimmeRF far exceeds any available communication strategy. By exploiting fast on-board computing and efficient artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for analysis and data selection, the usage of the telemetry link can be optimized and value added to the mission. Radio images recorded by the radio array from below the ionosphere can be directly compared with the radio data received by GimmeRF in the topside ionosphere, with the goal of better understanding the geometry and therefore the mechanisms of the radio emission processes.

Biometric analysis of the palm vein distribution by means two different techniques of feature extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro-Ortega, R.; Toxqui-Quitl, C.; Solís-Villarreal, J.; Padilla-Vivanco, A.; Castro-Ramos, J.

2014-09-01

Vein patterns can be used for accessing, identifying, and authenticating purposes; which are more reliable than classical identification way. Furthermore, these patterns can be used for venipuncture in health fields to get on to veins of patients when they cannot be seen with the naked eye. In this paper, an image acquisition system is implemented in order to acquire digital images of people hands in the near infrared. The image acquisition system consists of a CCD camera and a light source with peak emission in the 880 nm. This radiation can penetrate and can be strongly absorbed by the desoxyhemoglobin that is presented in the blood of the veins. Our method of analysis is composed by several steps and the first one of all is the enhancement of acquired images which is implemented by spatial filters. After that, adaptive thresholding and mathematical morphology operations are used in order to obtain the distribution of vein patterns. The above process is focused on the people recognition through of images of their palm-dorsal distributions obtained from the near infrared light. This work has been directed for doing a comparison of two different techniques of feature extraction as moments and veincode. The classification task is achieved using Artificial Neural Networks. Two databases are used for the analysis of the performance of the algorithms. The first database used here is owned of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the second one is our own database.

Noise correlation in PET, CT, SPECT and PET/CT data evaluated using autocorrelation function: a phantom study on data, reconstructed using FBP and OSEM.

PubMed

Razifar, Pasha; Sandström, Mattias; Schnieder, Harald; Långström, Bengt; Maripuu, Enn; Bengtsson, Ewert; Bergström, Mats

2005-08-25

Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Computed Tomography (CT), PET/CT and Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) are non-invasive imaging tools used for creating two dimensional (2D) cross section images of three dimensional (3D) objects. PET and SPECT have the potential of providing functional or biochemical information by measuring distribution and kinetics of radiolabelled molecules, whereas CT visualizes X-ray density in tissues in the body. PET/CT provides fused images representing both functional and anatomical information with better precision in localization than PET alone. Images generated by these types of techniques are generally noisy, thereby impairing the imaging potential and affecting the precision in quantitative values derived from the images. It is crucial to explore and understand the properties of noise in these imaging techniques. Here we used autocorrelation function (ACF) specifically to describe noise correlation and its non-isotropic behaviour in experimentally generated images of PET, CT, PET/CT and SPECT. Experiments were performed using phantoms with different shapes. In PET and PET/CT studies, data were acquired in 2D acquisition mode and reconstructed by both analytical filter back projection (FBP) and iterative, ordered subsets expectation maximisation (OSEM) methods. In the PET/CT studies, different magnitudes of X-ray dose in the transmission were employed by using different mA settings for the X-ray tube. In the CT studies, data were acquired using different slice thickness with and without applied dose reduction function and the images were reconstructed by FBP. SPECT studies were performed in 2D, reconstructed using FBP and OSEM, using post 3D filtering. ACF images were generated from the primary images, and profiles across the ACF images were used to describe the noise correlation in different directions. The variance of noise across the images was visualised as images and with profiles across these images. The most important finding was that the pattern of noise correlation is rotation symmetric or isotropic, independent of object shape in PET and PET/CT images reconstructed using the iterative method. This is, however, not the case in FBP images when the shape of phantom is not circular. Also CT images reconstructed using FBP show the same non-isotropic pattern independent of slice thickness and utilization of care dose function. SPECT images show an isotropic correlation of the noise independent of object shape or applied reconstruction algorithm. Noise in PET/CT images was identical independent of the applied X-ray dose in the transmission part (CT), indicating that the noise from transmission with the applied doses does not propagate into the PET images showing that the noise from the emission part is dominant. The results indicate that in human studies it is possible to utilize a low dose in transmission part while maintaining the noise behaviour and the quality of the images. The combined effect of noise correlation for asymmetric objects and a varying noise variance across the image field significantly complicates the interpretation of the images when statistical methods are used, such as with statistical estimates of precision in average values, use of statistical parametric mapping methods and principal component analysis. Hence it is recommended that iterative reconstruction methods are used for such applications. However, it is possible to calculate the noise analytically in images reconstructed by FBP, while it is not possible to do the same calculation in images reconstructed by iterative methods. Therefore for performing statistical methods of analysis which depend on knowing the noise, FBP would be preferred.

Scanning electron microscopy imaging of dislocations in bulk materials, using electron channeling contrast.

PubMed

Crimp, Martin A

2006-05-01

The imaging and characterization of dislocations is commonly carried out by thin foil transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using diffraction contrast imaging. However, the thin foil approach is limited by difficult sample preparation, thin foil artifacts, relatively small viewable areas, and constraints on carrying out in situ studies. Electron channeling imaging of electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) offers an alternative approach for imaging crystalline defects, including dislocations. Because ECCI is carried out with field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM) using bulk specimens, many of the limitations of TEM thin foil analysis are overcome. This paper outlines the development of electron channeling patterns and channeling imaging to the current state of the art. The experimental parameters and set up necessary to carry out routine channeling imaging are reviewed. A number of examples that illustrate some of the advantages of ECCI over thin foil TEM are presented along with a discussion of some of the limitations on carrying out channeling contrast analysis of defect structures. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

[Possibilities of modern imaging technologies in early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease].

PubMed

Unschuld, Paul G

2015-04-01

Recent advances in neuroimaging technology and image analysis algorithms have significantly contributed to a better understanding of spatial and temporal aspects of brain change associated with Alzheimer Disease. The current review will demonstrate how functional (fMRI) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques may be used to identify distinct patterns of brain change associated with disease progression and also increased risk for Alzheimer Disease. Moreover, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) based measures of glucosemetabolism (Fluorodeoxyglucose, FDG) and Amyloid-beta plaque density (11-C-Pittsburgh Compound B, PiB and 18-F) will be reviewed regarding their diagnostic value for assessing the individual degree of Alzheimer -pathology and thus complement the information provided by MRI and other clinical measures.

Combustion synthesis of MgO nanoparticles using plant extract: Structural characterization and photoluminescence studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Danith; Yadav, L. S. Reddy; Lingaraju, K.; Manjunath, K.; Suresh, D.; Prasad, Daruka; Nagabhushana, H.; Sharma, S. C.; Naika, H. Raja; Chikkahanumantharayappa, Nagaraju, G.

2015-06-01

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO Nps) have been successfully synthesized via solution combustion method using Parthenium plant extract as fuel for the first time. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) pattern reveal that product belongs to the cubic phase (Periclase). FTIR spectrum shows the band at 822 cm-1 indicates the formation of cubic periclase MgO. The optical band gap of MgO Nps estimated from UV -Vis spectrum was found to be in the range 5.40-5.45 eV. SEM images showed that, the product is agglomerated and particle in nature. Photoluminescence (PL) studies shows violet emission at 390 nm, blue emission at 470 nm and green emission at 550 nm. MgO Nps shows good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV/Sun light irradiation.

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnS/Porous Silicon Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cai-Feng; Li, Qing-Shan; Lv, Lei; Zhang, Li-Chun; Qi, Hong-Xia; Chen, Hou

2007-03-01

ZnS films are deposited by pulsed laser deposition on porous silicon (PS) substrates formed by electrochemical anodization of p-type (100) silicon wafer. Scanning electron microscope images reveal that the surface of ZnS films is unsmoothed, and there are some cracks in the ZnS films due to the roughness of the PS surface. The x-ray diffraction patterns show that the ZnS films on PS surface are grown in preferring orientation along cubic phase β-ZnS (111) direction. White light emission is obtained by combining the blue-green emission from ZnS films with the orange-red emission from PS layers. Based on the I-V characteristic, the ZnS/PS heterojunction exhibits the rectifying junction behaviour, and an ideality factor n is calculated to be 77 from the I-V plot.

Wide Field-of-View Soft X-Ray Imaging for Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, B. M.; Collier, M. R.; Kuntz, K. D.; Porter, F. S.; Sibeck, D. G.; Snowden, S. L.; Carter, J. A.; Collado-Vega, Y.; Connor, H. K.; Cravens, T. E.;

Magnetoencephalography with temporal spread imaging to visualize propagation of epileptic activity.

PubMed

Shibata, Sumiya; Matsuhashi, Masao; Kunieda, Takeharu; Yamao, Yukihiro; Inano, Rika; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Imamura, Hisaji; Takaya, Shigetoshi; Matsumoto, Riki; Ikeda, Akio; Takahashi, Ryosuke; Mima, Tatsuya; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Mikuni, Nobuhiro; Miyamoto, Susumu

2017-05-01

We describe temporal spread imaging (TSI) that can identify the spatiotemporal pattern of epileptic activity using Magnetoencephalography (MEG). A three-dimensional grid of voxels covering the brain is created. The array-gain minimum-variance spatial filter is applied to an interictal spike to estimate the magnitude of the source and the time (Ta) when the magnitude exceeds a predefined threshold at each voxel. This calculation is performed through all spikes. Each voxel has the mean Ta () and spike number (N sp ), which is the number of spikes whose source exceeds the threshold. Then, a random resampling method is used to determine the cutoff value of N sp for the statistically reproducible pattern of the activity. Finally, all the voxels where the source exceeds the threshold reproducibly shown on the MRI with a color scale representing . Four patients with intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) were analyzed. In three patients, the common pattern of the overlap between the propagation and the hypometabolism shown by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was identified. TSI can visualize statistically reproducible patterns of the temporal and spatial spread of epileptic activity. TSI can assess the statistical significance of the spatiotemporal pattern based on its reproducibility. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical utility of FDG PET/CT in acute complicated pyelonephritis-results from an observational study.

PubMed

Wan, Chih-Hsing; Tseng, Jing-Ren; Lee, Ming-Hsun; Yang, Lan-Yan; Yen, Tzu-Chen

2018-03-01

Acute complicated pyelonephritis (ACP) is an upper urinary tract infection associated with coexisting urinary tract abnormalities or medical conditions that could predispose to serious outcomes or treatment failures. Although CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are frequently used in patients with ACP, the clinical value of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has not been systematically investigated. This single-center retrospective study was designed to evaluate the potential usefulness of FDG PET/CT in patients with ACP. Thirty-one adult patients with ACP who underwent FDG PET/CT were examined. FDG PET/CT imaging characteristics, including tracer uptake patterns, kidney volumes, and extrarenal imaging findings, were reviewed in combination with clinical data and conventional imaging results. Of the 31 patients, 19 (61%) showed focal FDG uptake. The remaining 12 study participants showed a diffuse FDG uptake pattern. After volumetric approximation, the affected kidneys were found to be significantly enlarged. Patients who showed a focal uptake pattern had a higher frequency of abscess formation requiring drainage. ACP patients showing diffuse tracer uptake patterns had a more benign clinical course. Seven patients had suspected extrarenal coinfections, and FDG PET/CT successfully confirmed the clinical suspicion in five cases. FDG PET/CT was as sensitive as CT in identifying the six patients (19%) who developed abscesses. Notably, FDG PET/CT findings caused a modification to the initial antibiotic regimen in nine patients (29%). FDG PET/CT may be clinically useful in the assessment of patients with ACP who have a progressive disease course.

NGC 7538 IRS. 1. Interaction of a Polarized Dust Spiral and a Molecular Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, M. C. H.; Hull, Charles L. H.; Pillai, Thushara; Zhao, Jun-Hui; Sandell, Göran

2014-12-01

We present dust polarization and CO molecular line images of NGC 7538 IRS 1. We combined data from the Submillimeter Array, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy, and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope to make images with ~2.''5 resolution at 230 and 345 GHz. The images show a remarkable spiral pattern in both the dust polarization and molecular outflow. These data dramatically illustrate the interplay between a high infall rate onto IRS 1 and a powerful outflow disrupting the dense, clumpy medium surrounding the star. The images of the dust polarization and the CO outflow presented here provide observational evidence for the exchange of energy and angular momentum between the infall and the outflow. The spiral dust pattern, which rotates through over 180° from IRS 1, may be a clumpy filament wound up by conservation of angular momentum in the infalling material. The redshifted CO emission ridge traces the dust spiral closely through the MM dust cores, several of which may contain protostars. We propose that the CO maps the boundary layer where the outflow is ablating gas from the dense gas in the spiral.

Infrared Imaging Of Flows Seeded With SF6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manuel, Gregory S.; Daryabeigi, Kamran; Alderfer, David W.; Obara, Clifford J.

1993-01-01

Novel technique enables repeated measurements of flow patterns during flight. Wing-tip vorticity studied in flight by observing infrared emissions from SF6 gas entrained in wing-tip flow. System makes vortical flows visible throughout all altitude and speed ranges of all subsonic aircraft. Also useful for transonic and supersonic speeds. Primary application is testing of aircraft in flight, also proves useful in testing fast land vehicles and structures or devices subject to strong winds.

Single-exposure quantitative phase imaging in color-coded LED microscopy.

PubMed

Lee, Wonchan; Jung, Daeseong; Ryu, Suho; Joo, Chulmin

2017-04-03

We demonstrate single-shot quantitative phase imaging (QPI) in a platform of color-coded LED microscopy (cLEDscope). The light source in a conventional microscope is replaced by a circular LED pattern that is trisected into subregions with equal area, assigned to red, green, and blue colors. Image acquisition with a color image sensor and subsequent computation based on weak object transfer functions allow for the QPI of a transparent specimen. We also provide a correction method for color-leakage, which may be encountered in implementing our method with consumer-grade LEDs and image sensors. Most commercially available LEDs and image sensors do not provide spectrally isolated emissions and pixel responses, generating significant error in phase estimation in our method. We describe the correction scheme for this color-leakage issue, and demonstrate improved phase measurement accuracy. The computational model and single-exposure QPI capability of our method are presented by showing images of calibrated phase samples and cellular specimens.

[Principles of PET].

PubMed

Beuthien-Baumann, B

2018-05-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a procedure in nuclear medicine, which is applied predominantly in oncological diagnostics. In the form of modern hybrid machines, such as PET computed tomography (PET/CT) and PET magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) it has found wide acceptance and availability. The PET procedure is more than just another imaging technique, but a functional method with the capability for quantification in addition to the distribution pattern of the radiopharmaceutical, the results of which are used for therapeutic decisions. A profound knowledge of the principles of PET including the correct indications, patient preparation, and possible artifacts is mandatory for the correct interpretation of PET results.

Survey of the Pompeii (IT) archaeological Regions with the multispectral thermal airborne TASI data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pignatti, Stefano; Palombo, Angelo; Pascucci, Simone; Santini, Federico; Laneve, Giovanni

2017-04-01

Thermal remote sensing, as a tool for analyzing environmental variables with regards to archaeological prospecting, has been growing ever mainly because airborne surveys allow to provide to archaeologists images at meter scale. The importance of this study lies in the evaluation of TIR imagery in view of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) imagery, for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, that should provide at low cost very high spatial resolution thermal imaging. The research aims at analyzing the potential of the thermal imaging [1] on some selected areas of the Pompeii archaeological park. To this purpose, on December the 7th, 2015, a TASI-600, an [2] airborne multispectral thermal imagery (32 channels from 8 to 11.5 nm with a spectral resolution of 100nm and a spatial resolution of 1m/pixel) has surveyed the archaeological Pompeii Regions. Thermal images have been corrected, calibrated in order to obtain land surface temperatures (LST) and emissivity data set to be applied for the further analysis. The thermal data pre-processing has included: ii) radiometric calibration of the raw data and the correction of the blinking pixel; ii) atmospheric correction performed by using MODTRAN; iii) Temperature Emissivity Separation (TES) to obtain emissivity and LST maps [3]. Our objective is to shows the major results of the IR survey, the pre-processing of the multispectral thermal imagery. LST and emissivity maps have been analysed to describe the thermal/emissivity pattern of the different Regions as function of the presence, in first subsurface, of archaeological features. The obtained preliminary results are encouraging, even though, the vegetation cover, covering the different Pompeii Regions, is one of the major issues affecting the usefulness of the TIR sensing. Of course, LST anomalies and emissivity maps need to be further integrated with the classical geophysical investigation techniques to have a complete validation and to better evaluate the usefulness of the IR sensing References 1. Pascucci S., Cavalli R M., Palombo A. & Pignatti S. (2010), Suitability of CASI and ATM airborne remote sensing data for archaeological subsurface structure detection under different land cover: the Arpi case study (Italy). In Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Vol. 7 (2), pp. 183-189. 2. Pignatti, S.; Lapenna, V.; Palombo, A.; Pascucci, S.; Pergola, N.; Cuomo, V. 2011. An advanced tool of the CNR IMAA EO facilities: Overview of the TASI-600 hyperspectral thermal spectrometer. 3rd Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing Conference (WHISPERS), 2011; DOI 10.1109/WHISPERS.2011.6080890. 3. Z.L. Li, F. Becker, M.P Stoll and Z. Wan. 1999. Evaluation of six methods for extracting relative emissivity spectra from thermal infrared images. Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 69, 197-214.

Directional Emission from Dielectric Leaky-Wave Nanoantennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Manuel; Hildebrandt, Andre; Schlickriede, Christian; Gharib, Kimia; Zentgraf, Thomas; Förstner, Jens; Linden, Stefan

2017-07-01

An important source of innovation in nanophotonics is the idea to scale down known radio wave technologies to the optical regime. One thoroughly investigated example of this approach are metallic nanoantennas which employ plasmonic resonances to couple localized emitters to selected far-field modes. While metals can be treated as perfect conductors in the microwave regime, their response becomes Drude-like at optical frequencies. Thus, plasmonic nanoantennas are inherently lossy. Moreover, their resonant nature requires precise control of the antenna geometry. A promising way to circumvent these problems is the use of broadband nanoantennas made from low-loss dielectric materials. Here, we report on highly directional emission from active dielectric leaky-wave nanoantennas made of Hafnium dioxide. Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots deposited in the nanoantenna feed gap serve as a local light source. The emission patterns of active nanoantennas with different sizes are measured by Fourier imaging. We find for all antenna sizes a highly directional emission, underlining the broadband operation of our design.

Investigation of the Fractal Geometry of Tundra Lake Patterns using Historical Topographic Maps and Satellite Imagery.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kariyawasam, T.; Essa, A.; Gong, M.; Sudakov, I.

2017-12-01

Greenhouse gas emissions from tundra lakes are a significant positive feedback to the atmosphere in a changing climate as a pronounced growth of the numbers of tundra lake patterns has been observed in the Arctic region. Detailed knowledge of spatial dynamics of lake patterns in a changing arctic tundra landscape and their geometrical properties is therefore potentially valuable, in order to understand and accurately model the sources of greenhouse gas emissions from boreal permafrost. Our goal is to use a collection of historical topographic maps and satellite imagery of tundra lakes to conduct computational image analyses for examining spatial dynamics of Tundra lake patterns. Our approach is based upon analyzing area-perimeter data of thousands of tundra lakes to compute the fractal dimension to study the tundra lake pattern geometry, which have been used to classify pollen grains by textual patterning (Mander, 2016), vegetation in dryland ecosystems (Mander, 2017) and melt pond patterns (Hohenegger, 2012). By analyzing area - perimeter data for over 900 lakes we find that for both historical topographic maps and current satellite imagery, the fractal dimension D is stable at 1.6 for Tundra lakes with area less than about 100km2. For Tundra lake sizes bigger than 100 km2 fractal dimension takes values close to 2 and less than one indicative of structural changes in Tundra lake pattern geometry. Furthermore the current study did not reveal any percolation transition above some critical threshold in Tundra lake evolution. The results of the study will provide scientists with new data on these aspects of tundra lakes to help characterize the geomorphology of spatial patterns in arctic tundra lakes.

Autumn at Titan's South Pole: The 220 cm-1 Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennings, D. E.; Cottini, V.; Achterberg, R. K.; Anderson, C. M.; Flasar, F. M.; de Kok, R. J.; Teanby, N. A.; Coustenis, A.; Vinatier, S.

2015-10-01

Beginning in 2012 an atmospheric cloud known by its far-infrared emission has formed rapidly at Tit an's South Pole [1, 2]. The build-up of this condensate is a result of deepening temperatures and a gathering of gases as Winter approaches. Emission from the cloud in the south has been doubling each year since 2012, in contrast to the north where it has halved every 3.8 years since 2004. The morphology of the cloud in the south is quite different from that in the north. In the north, the cloud has extended over the whole polar region beyond 55 N, whereas in the south the cloud has been confined to within about 10 degrees of the pole. The cloud in the north has had the form of a uniform hood, whereas the southern cloud has been much more complex. A map from December 2014,recorded by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini, showed the 220 cm-1 emission coming from a distinct ring with a maximum at about 80 S. In contrast, emissions from the gases HC3N, C4H2 and C6H6 peaked near the pole and had a ring at 70 S. The 220 cm-1 ring at 80 S coincided with the minimum in the gas emission pattern. The80 S condensate ring encompassed the vortex cloud seen by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS)[3, 4]. Both the 220 cm-1 ring and the gas "bull's-eye" pattern were centered on a point that was shifted from the geographic South Pole by 4 degrees in the direction of the Sun. This corresponds to the overall tilt of Titan's atmosphere discovered from temperature maps early in the Cassini mission by Achterberg et al. [5]. The tilt may be reinforced by the presumably twice-yearly (north and south) spin-up of the atmosphere at the autumnal pole. The bull's-eye pattern of the gas emissions can be explained by the retrieved abundance distributions, which are maximum near the pole and decrease sharply toward lower latitudes, together with temperatures that are minimum at the pole and increase toward lower latitudes. The increasing temperatures overcome the decreasing gas abundances to produce emission in the narrow range around 70 S. This cannot, however, explain the maximum of emission at 80 S from the condensate ring. The coincidence at 80 S of the 220 cm-1 peak with the gas emission minimum may indicate where the condensation is taking place. The central, polar minimum in the cloud emission may be due to faster rain-out and smaller extinction cross-sections. Spectral maps from 2013-15 [6] show that the gas emission pattern has been evolving quickly, with noticeable changes from one flyby to the next (about one month). The bull's-eye structure appears to have been most prominent in early 2014 and by late 2014 the pattern was becoming more uniform. As Titan progresses through late southern Autumn we expect the morphology of the condensate cloud to take on a hood-like distribution similar to that in the north.

A portable neutron spectroscope (NSPECT) for detection, imaging and identification of nuclear material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, James M.; Bancroft, Christopher; Bloser, Peter; Bravar, Ulisse; Fourguette, Dominique; Frost, Colin; Larocque, Liane; McConnell, Mark L.; Legere, Jason; Pavlich, Jane; Ritter, Greg; Wassick, Greg; Wood, Joshua; Woolf, Richard

2010-08-01

We have developed, fabricated and tested a prototype imaging neutron spectrometer designed for real-time neutron source location and identification. Real-time detection and identification is important for locating materials. These materials, specifically uranium and transuranics, emit neutrons via spontaneous or induced fission. Unlike other forms of radiation (e.g. gamma rays), penetrating neutron emission is very uncommon. The instrument detects these neutrons, constructs images of the emission pattern, and reports the neutron spectrum. The device will be useful for security and proliferation deterrence, as well as for nuclear waste characterization and monitoring. The instrument is optimized for imaging and spectroscopy in the 1-20 MeV range. The detection principle is based upon multiple elastic neutron-proton scatters in organic scintillator. Two detector panel layers are utilized. By measuring the recoil proton and scattered neutron locations and energies, the direction and energy spectrum of the incident neutrons can be determined and discrete and extended sources identified. Event reconstruction yields an image of the source and its location. The hardware is low power, low mass, and rugged. Its modular design allows the user to combine multiple units for increased sensitivity. We will report the results of laboratory testing of the instrument, including exposure to a calibrated Cf-252 source. Instrument parameters include energy and angular resolution, gamma rejection, minimum source identification distances and times, and projected effective area for a fully populated instrument.

Study of the Emission Characteristics of Single-Walled CNT and Carbon Nano-Fiber Pyrograf III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mousa, Marwan S.; Al-Akhras, M.-Ali H.; Daradkeh, Samer

2018-02-01

Field emission microscopy measurements from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) and Carbon Nano-Fibers Pyrograf III PR-1 (CNF) were performed. Details of the materials employed in the experiments are as follows: (a) Carbon Nano-Fibers Pyrograf III PR-1 (CNF), having an average fiber diameter that is ranging between (100-200) nm with a length of (30-100) μm. (b) Single walled Carbon Nanotubes were produced by high-pressure CO over Fe particle (HiPCO: High-Pressure Carbon Monoxide process), having an average diameter ranging between (1-4) nm with a length of (1-3) μm. The experiments were performed under vacuum pressure value of (10-7 mbar). The research work reported here includes the field electron emission current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and presented as Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plots and the spatial emission current distributions (electron emission images) obtained and analyzed in terms of electron source features. For both the SWCNT and the CNF a single spot pattern for the electron spatial; distributions were observed.

Hypercat - Hypercube of AGN tori

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikutta, Robert; Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique; Ichikawa, Kohei; Levenson, Nancy A.; Packham, Christopher C.

2018-06-01

AGN unification and observations hold that a dusty torus obscures the central accretion engine along some lines of sight. SEDs of dust tori have been modeled for a long time, but resolved emission morphologies have not been studied in much detail, because resolved observations are only possible recently (VLTI,ALMA) and in the near future (TMT,ELT,GMT). Some observations challenge a simple torus model, because in several objects most of MIR emission appears to emanate from polar regions high above the equatorial plane, i.e. not where the dust supposedly resides.We introduce our software framework and hypercube of AGN tori (Hypercat) made with CLUMPY (www.clumpy.org), a large set of images (6 model parameters + wavelength) to facilitate studies of emission and dust morphologies. We make use of Hypercat to study the morphological properties of the emission and dust distributions as function of model parameters. We find that a simple clumpy torus can indeed produce 10-micron emission patterns extended in polar directions, with extension ratios compatible with those found in observations. We are able to constrain the range of parameters that produce such morphologies.

Comparison between Single-Walled CNT, Multi-Walled CNT, and Carbon Nanotube-Fiber Pyrograf III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mousa, Marwan S.

2018-02-01

Single-Walled CNT (SWCNTs), Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), and Carbon Nanotube-Fibers Pyrograf III PR-1 (CNTFs) were deposited by chemical vapor deposition under vacuum pressure value of (10-7mbar). Their structures were investigated by field emission microscopy. Carbon Nano-Fibers Pyrograf III PR-1 showed an average fiber diameter within the range of 100-200 nm and a length of (30-100) μm. Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes were produced by high-pressure Carbon Monoxide process with an average diameter ranging between (1-4) nm and a length of (1-3) μm. Thin Multiwall Carbon Nanotube of carbon purity (90%) showed an average diameter tube (9.5 nm) with a high-aspect-ratio (>150). The research work reported here includes the field electron emission current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and presented as Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plots and the spatial emission current distributions (electron emission images) obtained and analyzed in terms of electron source features. For the three types of emitters, a single spot pattern for the electron spatial; distributions were observed, with emission current fluctuations in some voltage region.

Concentric superlattice pattern in dielectric barrier discharge

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

Feng, Jianyu; Dong, Lifang, E-mail: donglfhbu@163.com; Wei, Lingyan

2016-09-15

The concentric superlattice pattern with three sub-lattices is observed in the dielectric barrier discharge in air/argon for the first time. Its spatiotemporal structure investigated by an intensified charge-coupled device shows that it is an interleaving of three different sub-lattices, which are concentric-ring, concentric-framework, and concentric-dot, respectively. The images of single-frame indicate that the concentric-ring and concentric-framework are composed of individual filaments. By using the optical emission spectrum method, it is found that plasma parameters of the concentric-dot are different from those of the concentric-ring and concentric-framework. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the concentric superlattice pattern is dependent upon the effective fieldmore » of the distribution of the wall charges field and the applied field.« less

Investigating line- versus point-laser excitation for three-dimensional fluorescence imaging and tomography employing a trimodal imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Liji; Peter, Jörg

2013-06-01

The adoption of axially oriented line illumination patterns for fluorescence excitation in small animals for fluorescence surface imaging (FSI) and fluorescence optical tomography (FOT) is being investigated. A trimodal single-photon-emission-computed-tomography/computed-tomography/optical-tomography (SPECT-CT-OT) small animal imaging system is being modified for employment of point- and line-laser excitation sources. These sources can be arbitrarily positioned around the imaged object. The line source is set to illuminate the object along its entire axial direction. Comparative evaluation of point and line illumination patterns for FSI and FOT is provided involving phantom as well as mouse data. Given the trimodal setup, CT data are used to guide the optical approaches by providing boundary information. Furthermore, FOT results are also being compared to SPECT. Results show that line-laser illumination yields a larger axial field of view (FOV) in FSI mode, hence faster data acquisition, and practically acceptable FOT reconstruction throughout the whole animal. Also, superimposed SPECT and FOT data provide additional information on similarities as well as differences in the distribution and uptake of both probe types. Fused CT data enhance further the anatomical localization of the tracer distribution in vivo. The feasibility of line-laser excitation for three-dimensional fluorescence imaging and tomography is demonstrated for initiating further research, however, not with the intention to replace one by the other.

Three-dimensional dynamic thermal imaging of structural flaws by dual-band infrared computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DelGrande, Nancy; Dolan, Kenneth W.; Durbin, Philip F.; Gorvad, Michael R.; Kornblum, B. T.; Perkins, Dwight E.; Schneberk, Daniel J.; Shapiro, Arthur B.

1993-11-01

We discuss three-dimensional dynamic thermal imaging of structural flaws using dual-band infrared (DBIR) computed tomography. Conventional (single-band) thermal imaging is difficult to interpret. It yields imprecise or qualitative information (e.g., when subsurface flaws produce weak heat flow anomalies masked by surface clutter). We use the DBIR imaging technique to clarify interpretation. We capture the time history of surface temperature difference patterns at the epoxy-glue disbond site of a flash-heated lap joint. This type of flawed structure played a significant role in causing damage to the Aloha Aircraft fuselage on the aged Boeing 737 jetliner. The magnitude of surface-temperature differences versus time for 0.1 mm air layer compared to 0.1 mm glue layer, varies from 0.2 to 1.6 degree(s)C, for simultaneously scanned front and back surfaces. The scans are taken every 42 ms from 0 to 8 s after the heat flash. By ratioing 3 - 5 micrometers and 8 - 12 micrometers DBIR images, we located surface temperature patterns from weak heat flow anomalies at the disbond site and remove the emissivity mask from surface paint of roughness variations. Measurements compare well with calculations based on TOPAX3D, a three-dimensional, finite element computer model. We combine infrared, ultrasound and x-ray imaging methods to study heat transfer, bond quality and material differences associated with the lap joint disbond site.

Stellar Snowflake Cluster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1 Stellar Snowflake Cluster Combined Image [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 2 Infrared Array CameraFigure 3 Multiband Imaging Photometer

Newborn stars, hidden behind thick dust, are revealed in this image of a section of the Christmas Tree cluster from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, created in joint effort between Spitzer's infrared array camera and multiband imaging photometer instruments.

The newly revealed infant stars appear as pink and red specks toward the center of the combined image (fig. 1). The stars appear to have formed in regularly spaced intervals along linear structures in a configuration that resembles the spokes of a wheel or the pattern of a snowflake. Hence, astronomers have nicknamed this the 'Snowflake' cluster.

Star-forming clouds like this one are dynamic and evolving structures. Since the stars trace the straight line pattern of spokes of a wheel, scientists believe that these are newborn stars, or 'protostars.' At a mere 100,000 years old, these infant structures have yet to 'crawl' away from their location of birth. Over time, the natural drifting motions of each star will break this order, and the snowflake design will be no more.

While most of the visible-light stars that give the Christmas Tree cluster its name and triangular shape do not shine brightly in Spitzer's infrared eyes, all of the stars forming from this dusty cloud are considered part of the cluster.

Like a dusty cosmic finger pointing up to the newborn clusters, Spitzer also illuminates the optically dark and dense Cone nebula, the tip of which can be seen towards the bottom left corner of each image.

This combined image shows the presence of organic molecules mixed with dust as wisps of green, which have been illuminated by nearby star formation. The larger yellowish dots neighboring the baby red stars in the Snowflake Cluster are massive stellar infants forming from the same cloud. The blue dots sprinkled across the image represent older Milky Way stars at various distances along this line of sight. This image is a five-channel, false-color composite, showing emission from wavelengths of 3.6 and 4.5 microns (blue), 5.8 microns (cyan), 8 microns (green), and 24 microns (red).

The top right (fig. 2) image from the infrared array camera show that the nebula is still actively forming stars. The wisps of red (represented as green in the combined image) are organic molecules mixed with dust, which has been illuminated by nearby star formation. The infrared array camera picture is a four-channel, false-color composite, showing emission from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8.0 microns (red).

The bottom right image (fig. 3) from the multiband imaging photometer shows the colder dust of the nebula and unwraps the youngest stellar babies from their dusty covering. This is a false-color image showing emission at 24 microns (red).

Optical and tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at the ultimate spatial limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chi

2009-12-01

The combination of optical detection system with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) leads to the possibility of resolving radiative transition probability with the ultrahigh spatial resolution of STM in real space. This opens an innovative approach toward revealing the correlation between molecular structure, electronic characteristics, and optical properties. This thesis describes a series of experiments that manifests this correlation, including atomic silver chains and single porphine molecules. In atomic silver chains, the number and positions of the emission maxima in the photon images match the nodes in the dI/d V images of "particle-in-a-box" states. This surprising correlation between the emission maxima and nodes in the density of states is a manifestation of Fermi's golden rule in real space for radiative transitions, which provides an understanding of the mechanism of STM induced light emission. From single porphine molecules, orthogonal spatial contrast of two types of vibronic coupling is resolved by both photon spectroscopy and vibronic-mode-selected photon images. Intramolecular transitions from the two orthogonal LUMOs individually couple to different molecular normal modes. This is the first demonstration of the photon emission probability of a single molecule and its direct correlations with the molecular orbitals. This also provides the first real space experimental evidence to separate the tangled effects of molecular conformations and nano-environments on the inhomogeneity of molecular emission. DSB molecules are found to have two conformational isomers and one of them shows surface chirality. All these conformers and enantiomers can be switched to each other by electron injection. Different DSB conformers present distinct manipulation dynamics, which demonstrate how different conformations and their preferred adsorption geometries can have pronounced influence on the molecular mechanics on the surface. Overall, this thesis studies the very fundamental nature of single molecules and artificial nanostructures by integrating all kinds of important functions of STM: topography, spectroscopy, manipulation, and photon emission. Detailed correlations between the emission patterns and orbital structures are revealed by the ultimate spatial resolution of our "STM photon microscopy".

Continuing Studies in Support of Ultraviolet Observations of Planetary Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, John

1997-01-01

This program was a one-year extension of an earlier Planetary Atmospheres program grant, covering the period 1 August 1996 through 30 September 1997. The grant was for supporting work to complement an active program observing planetary atmospheres with Earth-orbital telescopes, principally the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The recent concentration of this work has been on HST observations of Jupiter's upper atmosphere and aurora, but it has also included observations of Io, serendipitous observations of asteroids, and observations of the velocity structure in the interplanetary medium. The observations of Jupiter have been at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths, including imaging and spectroscopy of the auroral and airglow emissions. The most recent HST observations have been at the same time as in situ measurements made by the Galileo orbiter instruments, as reflected in the meeting presentations listed below. Concentrated efforts have been applied in this year to the following projects: The analysis of HST WFPC 2 images of Jupiter's aurora, including the Io footprint emissions. We have performed a comparative analysis of the lo footprint locations with two magnetic field models, studied the statistical properties of the apparent dawn auroral storms on Jupiter, and found various other repeated patterns in Jupiter's aurora. Analysis and modeling of airglow and auroral Ly alpha emission line profiles from Jupiter. This has included modeling the aurora] line profiles, including the energy degradation of precipitating charged particles and radiative transfer of the emerging emissions. Jupiter's auroral emission line profile is self-absorbed, since it is produced by an internal source, and the resulting emission with a deep central absorption from the overlying atmosphere permits modeling of the depth of the emissions, plus the motion of the emitting layer with respect to the overlying atmospheric column from the observed Doppler shift of the central absorption. By contrast the airglow emission line, which is dominated by resonant scattering of solar emission, has no central absorption, but displays rapid time variations and broad wings, indicative of a superthermal component (or corona) in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Modeling of the observed motions of the plumes produced after the impacts of the fragments of Comet S/L-9 with Jupiter in July 1994, from the HST WFPC 2 imaging series.

Saturated virtual fluorescence emission difference microscopy based on detector array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shaocong; Sun, Shiyi; Kuang, Cuifang; Ge, Baoliang; Wang, Wensheng; Liu, Xu

2017-07-01

Virtual fluorescence emission difference microscopy (vFED) has been proposed recently to enhance the lateral resolution of confocal microscopy with a detector array, implemented by scanning a doughnut-shaped pattern. Theoretically, the resolution can be enhanced by around 1.3-fold compared with that in confocal microscopy. For further improvement of the resolving ability of vFED, a novel method is presented utilizing fluorescence saturation for super-resolution imaging, which we called saturated virtual fluorescence emission difference microscopy (svFED). With a point detector array, matched solid and hollow point spread functions (PSF) can be obtained by photon reassignment, and the difference results between them can be used to boost the transverse resolution. Results show that the diffraction barrier can be surpassed by at least 34% compared with that in vFED and the resolution is around 2-fold higher than that in confocal microscopy.

Influence of defect luminescence and structural modification on the electrical properties of Magnesium Doped Zinc Oxide Nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoshkumar, B.; Biswas, Amrita; Kalyanaraman, S.; Thangavel, R.; Udayabhanu, G.; Annadurai, G.; Velumani, S.

2017-06-01

Magnesium doped zinc oxide nanorod arrays on zinc oxide seed layers were grown by hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the growth orientation along the preferential (002) direction. The hexagonal morphology was revealed from the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images. The elemental composition of the samples was confirmed by energy dispersive x-ray analysis spectra (EDS) and mapping dots. Carrier concentration, resistivity and mobility of the samples were obtained by Hall measurements. I-V characteristic curve confirmed the increase in resistivity upon doping. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exposed the characteristic of UV emission along with defect mediated visible emission in the samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were undertaken to study the charge transport property. Owing to the change in the structural parameters and defect concentration the electrical properties of the doped samples were altered.

New possibility on InZnO nano thin film for green emissive optoelectronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugumaran, Sathish; Noor Bin Ahmad, Mohd; Faizal Jamlos, Mohd; Bellan, Chandar Shekar; Chandran, Sharmila; Sivaraj, Manoj

2016-04-01

Indium zinc oxide (InZnO) nano thin film was prepared from InZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by thermal evaporation technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of metal-oxide bond. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the mixed phase structure. The presence of elements In, Zn and O were identified from energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Size of the NPs was found to be 171 and 263 nm by transmission electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy image showed the spherical shape uniform morphology with uniform distribution grains. Photoluminescence spectrum exhibited a broad green emission for InZnO nano thin film. The acquired results of structure, smooth morphology and photoluminescence property suggested that the InZnO nano thin film to be a promising material for room temperature green emissive optoelectronic, laser diodes, solar cells and other optical devices.

Investigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Surface, Airborne, and Satellite on Local to Continental-Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leifer, I.; Tratt, D. M.; Egland, E. T.; Gerilowski, K.; Vigil, S. A.; Buchwitz, M.; Krings, T.; Bovensmann, H.; Krautwurst, S.; Burrows, J. P.

2013-12-01

In situ meteorological observations, including 10-m winds (U), in conjunction with greenhouse gas (GHG - methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor) measurements by continuous wave Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy (CEAS) were conducted onboard two specialized platforms: MACLab (Mobile Atmospheric Composition Laboratory in a RV) and AMOG Surveyor (AutoMObile Greenhouse gas) - a converted commuter automobile. AMOG Surveyor data were collected for numerous southern California sources including megacity, geology, fossil fuel industrial, animal husbandry, and landfill operations. MACLab investigated similar sources along with wetlands on a transcontinental scale from California to Florida to Nebraska covering more than 15,000 km. Custom software allowing real-time, multi-parameter data visualization (GHGs, water vapor, temperature, U, etc.) improved plume characterization and was applied to large urban area and regional-scale sources. The capabilities demonstrated permit calculation of source emission strength, as well as enable documenting microclimate variability. GHG transect data were compared with airborne HyperSpectral Imaging data to understand temporal and spatial variability and to ground-truth emission strength derived from airborne imagery. These data also were used to validate satellite GHG products from SCIAMACHY (2003-2005) and GOSAT (2009-2013) that are currently being analyzed to identify significant decadal-scale changes in North American GHG emission patterns resulting from changes in anthropogenic and natural sources. These studies lay the foundation for the joint ESA/NASA COMEX campaign that will map GHG plumes by remote sensing and in situ measurements for a range of strong sources to derive emission strength through inverse plume modeling. COMEX is in support of the future GHG monitoring satellites, such as CarbonSat and HyspIRI. GHG transect data were compared with airborne HyperSpectral Imaging data to understand temporal and spatial variability and to ground-truth emission strength derived from airborne imagery. These data also were used to validate satellite GHG products from SCIAMACHY (2003-2005) and GOSAT (2009-2013) that are currently being analyzed to identify significant decadal-scale changes in North American GHG emission patterns resulting from changes in anthropogenic and natural sources. These studies lay the foundation for the joint ESA/NASA COMEX campaign that will map GHG plumes by remote sensing and in situ measurements for a range of strong sources to derive emission strength through inverse plume modeling. COMEX is in support of the future GHG monitoring satellites, such as CarbonSat and HyspIRI.

Simulation of Forward and Inverse X-ray Scattering From Shocked Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, John; Marksteiner, Quinn; Barnes, Cris

2012-02-01

The next generation of high-intensity, coherent light sources should generate sufficient brilliance to perform in-situ coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) of shocked materials. In this work, we present beginning-to-end simulations of this process. This includes the calculation of the partially-coherent intensity profiles of self-amplified stimulated emission (SASE) x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), as well as the use of simulated, shocked molecular-dynamics-based samples to predict the evolution of the resulting diffraction patterns. In addition, we will explore the corresponding inverse problem by performing iterative phase retrieval to generate reconstructed images of the simulated sample. The development of these methods in the context of materials under extreme conditions should provide crucial insights into the design and capabilities of shocked in-situ imaging experiments.

Ultrafast fluorescence imaging in vivo with conjugated polymer fluorophores in the second near-infrared window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Guosong; Zou, Yingping; Antaris, Alexander L.; Diao, Shuo; Wu, Di; Cheng, Kai; Zhang, Xiaodong; Chen, Changxin; Liu, Bo; He, Yuehui; Wu, Justin Z.; Yuan, Jun; Zhang, Bo; Tao, Zhimin; Fukunaga, Chihiro; Dai, Hongjie

2014-06-01

In vivo fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (1.0-1.7 μm) can afford deep tissue penetration and high spatial resolution, owing to the reduced scattering of long-wavelength photons. Here we synthesize a series of low-bandgap donor/acceptor copolymers with tunable emission wavelengths of 1,050-1,350 nm in this window. Non-covalent functionalization with phospholipid-polyethylene glycol results in water-soluble and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles, allowing for live cell molecular imaging at >1,000 nm with polymer fluorophores for the first time. Importantly, the high quantum yield of the polymer allows for in vivo, deep-tissue and ultrafast imaging of mouse arterial blood flow with an unprecedented frame rate of >25 frames per second. The high time-resolution results in spatially and time resolved imaging of the blood flow pattern in cardiogram waveform over a single cardiac cycle (~200 ms) of a mouse, which has not been observed with fluorescence imaging in this window before.

Spleen in haematological malignancies: spectrum of imaging findings

PubMed Central

Saboo, S S; Krajewski, K M; O'Regan, K N; Giardino, A; Brown, J R; Ramaiya, N; Jagannathan, J P

2012-01-01

Imaging morphology and metabolic activity of splenic lesions is of paramount importance in patients with haematological malignancies; it can alter tumour staging, treatment protocols and overall prognosis. CT, MRI and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT have been shown to be powerful tools for the non-invasive assessment of splenic involvement in various haematological malignancies. Since many haematological malignancies and non-neoplastic conditions can involve the spleen and imaging manifestations can overlap, imaging and clinical findings outside of the spleen should be looked for to narrow the differential diagnosis; confirmation can be obtained by pathological findings. Radiologists should be familiar with the cross-sectional imaging patterns of haematological malignancies involving the spleen as well as non-neoplastic splenic findings common in these patients to facilitate their care and follow-up. This pictorial review provides the common and uncommon imaging appearances and complications of various haematological malignancies involving the spleen on CT, MRI and PET/CT, and common pitfalls in diagnosis. PMID:22096219

In vivo white light and contrast-enhanced vital-dye fluorescence imaging of Barrett's-related neoplasia in a single-endoscopic insertion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yubo; Carns, Jennifer; Polydorides, Alexandros D.; Anandasabapathy, Sharmila; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.

2016-08-01

A modular video endoscope is developed to enable both white light imaging (WLI) and vital-dye fluorescence imaging (VFI) in a single-endoscopic insertion for the early detection of cancer in Barrett's esophagus (BE). We demonstrate that VFI can be achieved in conjunction with white light endoscopy, where appropriate white balance is used to correct for the presence of the emission filter. In VFI mode, a contrast enhancement feature is implemented in real time to further highlight glandular patterns in BE and related malignancies without introducing artifacts. In a pilot study, we demonstrate accurate correlation of images in two widefield modalities, with representative images showing the disruption and effacement of glandular architecture associated with cancer development in BE. VFI images of these alterations exhibit enhanced contrast when compared to WLI. Results suggest that the usefulness of VFI in the detection of BE-related neoplasia should be further evaluated in future in vivo studies.

Quantitative assessment of dynamic PET imaging data in cancer imaging.

PubMed

Muzi, Mark; O'Sullivan, Finbarr; Mankoff, David A; Doot, Robert K; Pierce, Larry A; Kurland, Brenda F; Linden, Hannah M; Kinahan, Paul E

2012-11-01

Clinical imaging in positron emission tomography (PET) is often performed using single-time-point estimates of tracer uptake or static imaging that provides a spatial map of regional tracer concentration. However, dynamic tracer imaging can provide considerably more information about in vivo biology by delineating both the temporal and spatial pattern of tracer uptake. In addition, several potential sources of error that occur in static imaging can be mitigated. This review focuses on the application of dynamic PET imaging to measuring regional cancer biologic features and especially in using dynamic PET imaging for quantitative therapeutic response monitoring for cancer clinical trials. Dynamic PET imaging output parameters, particularly transport (flow) and overall metabolic rate, have provided imaging end points for clinical trials at single-center institutions for years. However, dynamic imaging poses many challenges for multicenter clinical trial implementations from cross-center calibration to the inadequacy of a common informatics infrastructure. Underlying principles and methodology of PET dynamic imaging are first reviewed, followed by an examination of current approaches to dynamic PET image analysis with a specific case example of dynamic fluorothymidine imaging to illustrate the approach. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The growth of ultralong and highly blue luminescent gallium oxide nanowires and nanobelts, and direct horizontal nanowire growth on substrates.

PubMed

Kuo, Chi-Liang; Huang, Michael H

2008-04-16

We report the growth of ultralong β-Ga(2)O(3) nanowires and nanobelts on silicon substrates using a vapor phase transport method. The growth was carried out in a tube furnace, with gallium metal serving as the gallium source. The nanowires and nanobelts can grow to lengths of hundreds of nanometers and even millimeters. Their full lengths have been captured by both scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical images. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images have been used to study the crystal structures of these nanowires and nanobelts. Strong blue emission from these ultralong nanostructures can be readily observed by irradiation with an ultraviolet (UV) lamp. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements gave a band gap of 4.56 eV for these nanostructures. The blue emission shows a band maximum at 470 nm. Interestingly, by annealing the silicon substrates in an oxygen atmosphere to form a thick SiO(2) film, and growing Ga(2)O(3) nanowires over the sputtered gold patterned regions, horizontal Ga(2)O(3) nanowire growth in the non-gold-coated regions can be observed. These horizontal nanowires can grow to as long as over 10 µm in length. Their composition has been confirmed by TEM characterization. This represents one of the first examples of direct horizontal growth of oxide nanowires on substrates.

Laboratory and field measurements of enantiomeric monoterpene emissions as a function of chemotype, light and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W.; Staudt, M.; Bourgeois, I.; Williams, J.

2013-10-01

Plants emit significant amounts of monoterpenes into the Earth's atmosphere where they react rapidly to form a multitude of gas phase species and particles. Many monoterpenes exist in mirror images forms or enantiomers. In this study the enantiomeric monoterpene profile for several representative plants (Quercus ilex L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Pinus halepensis Mill.) was investigated as a function of chemotype, light and temperature both in the laboratory and in the field. Analysis of enantiomeric monoterpenes from 19 Quercus ilex individuals from Southern France and Spain revealed four regiospecific chemotypes (genetically fixed emission patterns). In agreement with previous work, only Quercus ilex emissions increased strongly with light. However, for all three plant species no consistent enantiomeric variation was observed as a function of light, and the enantiomeric ratio of α-pinene was found vary by less than 20% from 100 and 1000 μmol m-2 s-1 PAR. The rate of monoterpene emission increased with temperature from all three plant species, but little variation in the enantiomeric distribution of α-pinene was observed with temperature. There was more enantiomeric variability between individuals of the same species than could be induced by either light or temperature. Field measurements of α-pinene enantiomer mixing ratios in the air taken at a Quercus ilex forest in Southern France, and several other previously reported field enantiomeric ratio diel cycle profiles are compared. All show smoothly varying diel cycles (some positive and some negative) even over changing wind directions. This is surprising in comparison with variations of enantiomeric emission patterns shown by individuals of the same species.

Structural, functional and spectroscopic MRI studies of methamphetamine addiction.

PubMed

Salo, Ruth; Fassbender, Catherine

2012-01-01

This chapter reviews selected neuroimaging findings related to long-term amphetamine and methamphetamine (MA) use. An overview of structural and functional (fMRI) MR studies, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies conducted in long-term MA abusers is presented. The focus of this chapter is to present the relevant studies as tools to understand brain changes following drug abstinence and recovery from addiction. The behavioral relevance of these neuroimaging studies is discussed as they relate to clinical symptoms and treatment. Within each imaging section this chapter includes a discussion of the relevant imaging studies as they relate to patterns of drug use (i.e., duration of MA use, cumulative lifetime dose and time MA abstinent) as well as an overview of studies that link the imaging findings to cognitive measures. In our conclusion we discuss some of the future directions of neuroimaging as it relates to the pathophysiology of addiction.

Scanning ultrafast electron microscopy.

PubMed

Yang, Ding-Shyue; Mohammed, Omar F; Zewail, Ahmed H

2010-08-24

Progress has been made in the development of four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy, which enables space-time imaging of structural dynamics in the condensed phase. In ultrafast electron microscopy, the electrons are accelerated, typically to 200 keV, and the microscope operates in the transmission mode. Here, we report the development of scanning ultrafast electron microscopy using a field-emission-source configuration. Scanning of pulses is made in the single-electron mode, for which the pulse contains at most one or a few electrons, thus achieving imaging without the space-charge effect between electrons, and still in ten(s) of seconds. For imaging, the secondary electrons from surface structures are detected, as demonstrated here for material surfaces and biological specimens. By recording backscattered electrons, diffraction patterns from single crystals were also obtained. Scanning pulsed-electron microscopy with the acquired spatiotemporal resolutions, and its efficient heat-dissipation feature, is now poised to provide in situ 4D imaging and with environmental capability.

Carbon emissions from agricultural expansion and intensification in the Chaco.

PubMed

Baumann, Matthias; Gasparri, Ignacio; Piquer-Rodríguez, María; Gavier Pizarro, Gregorio; Griffiths, Patrick; Hostert, Patrick; Kuemmerle, Tobias

2017-05-01

Carbon emissions from land-use changes in tropical dry forest systems are poorly understood, although they are likely globally significant. The South American Chaco has recently emerged as a hot spot of agricultural expansion and intensification, as cattle ranching and soybean cultivation expand into forests, and as soybean cultivation replaces grazing lands. Still, our knowledge of the rates and spatial patterns of these land-use changes and how they affected carbon emissions remains partial. We used the Landsat satellite image archive to reconstruct land-use change over the past 30 years and applied a carbon bookkeeping model to quantify how these changes affected carbon budgets. Between 1985 and 2013, more than 142 000 km 2 of the Chaco's forests, equaling 20% of all forest, was replaced by croplands (38.9%) or grazing lands (61.1%). Of those grazing lands that existed in 1985, about 40% were subsequently converted to cropland. These land-use changes resulted in substantial carbon emissions, totaling 824 Tg C between 1985 and 2013, and 46.2 Tg C for 2013 alone. The majority of these emissions came from forest-to-grazing-land conversions (68%), but post-deforestation land-use change triggered an additional 52.6 Tg C. Although tropical dry forests are less carbon-dense than moist tropical forests, carbon emissions from land-use change in the Chaco were similar in magnitude to those from other major tropical deforestation frontiers. Our study thus highlights the urgent need for an improved monitoring of the often overlooked tropical dry forests and savannas, and more broadly speaking the value of the Landsat image archive for quantifying carbon fluxes from land change. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dual-emissive quantum dots for multispectral intraoperative fluorescence imaging.

PubMed

Chin, Patrick T K; Buckle, Tessa; Aguirre de Miguel, Arantxa; Meskers, Stefan C J; Janssen, René A J; van Leeuwen, Fijs W B

2010-09-01

Fluorescence molecular imaging is rapidly increasing its popularity in image guided surgery applications. To help develop its full surgical potential it remains a challenge to generate dual-emissive imaging agents that allow for combined visible assessment and sensitive camera based imaging. To this end, we now describe multispectral InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) that exhibit a bright visible green/yellow exciton emission combined with a long-lived far red defect emission. The intensity of the latter emission was enhanced by X-ray irradiation and allows for: 1) inverted QD density dependent defect emission intensity, showing improved efficacies at lower QD densities, and 2) detection without direct illumination and interference from autofluorescence. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flame Interactions and Thermoacoustics in Multiple-Nozzle Combustors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolan, Brian

The first major chapter of original research (Chapter 3) examines thermoacoustic oscillations in a low-emission staged multiple-nozzle lean direct injection (MLDI) combustor. This experimental program investigated a relatively practical combustor sector that was designed and built as part of a commercial development program. The research questions are both practical, such as under what conditions the combustor can be safely operated, and fundamental, including what is most significant to driving the combustion oscillations in this system. A comprehensive survey of operating conditions finds that the low-emission (and low-stability) intermediate and outer stages are necessary to drive significant thermoacoustics. Phase-averaged and time-resolved OH* imaging show that dramatic periodic strengthening and weakening of the reaction zone downstream of the low-emission combustion stages. An acoustic modal analysis shows the pressure wave shapes and identifies the dominant thermoacoustic behavior as the first longitudinal mode for this combustor geometry. Finally, a discussion of the likely significant coupling mechanisms is given. Periodic reaction zone behavior in the low-emission fuel stages is the primary contributor to unsteady heat release. Differences between the fuel stages in the air swirler design, the fuel number of the injectors, the lean blowout point, and the nominal operating conditions all likely contribute to the limit cycle behavior of the low-emission stages. Chapter 4 investigates the effects of interaction between two adjacent swirl-stabilized nozzles using experimental and numerical tools. These studies are more fundamental; while the nozzle hardware is the same as the lean direct injection nozzles used in the MLDI combustion concept, the findings are generally applicable to other swirl-stabilized combustion systems as well. Much of the work utilizes a new experiment where the distance between nozzles was varied to change the level of interaction between the two nozzles. A decrease in inter-nozzle spacing resulted in a penalty to the lean blowout point and NO X emissions. Particle image velocimetry shows that the nozzle spacing also has an important effect on the flowfield of the nozzles including the shape of the recirculation region and the quantitative flow velocities. In particular, interaction in the tangential velocity between the two nozzles has large effects on the swirl number and the recirculation zone. Numerical simulations of the isothermal airflows of two pilot nozzles are validated using experimental measurements and used to provide flowfield information outside of the measurement domain. At wider inter-nozzle spacings under certain reacting conditions, an alternating flow pattern develops in the combustion chamber. The shear layers of one nozzle extent into the combustion chamber whereas the inlet reactants from the other nozzle attach near the dome wall to create a very wide recirculation region. Combustion properties, including the fuel type, are shown experimentally to affect whether or not a system will develop an alternating pattern. Simplified computational models of two interacting swirling flows are used to parametrically study the effects of nozzle exit geometry and swirl number on an alternating pattern. Both parameters are shown to be potential drivers of an alternating pattern under some conditions. A hypothesis that proposes a physical mechanism explaining the alternating flow pattern, consistent with the work in this proposal and the research of other groups, is presented. When the nozzle design, flow, or combustion characteristics cause the shear layers of the adjacent nozzles to become sufficiently opposite in direction, the two flows can no longer mix. Instead, one shear layer goes underneath the other which results in the differing flow features of the adjacent nozzles.

Imaging scatterer planes by photoelectron diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seelmann-Eggebert, M.

1997-04-01

A novel direct crystallographic method CHRISDA (combined holographic real-space imaging by superimposed dimer function algorithm) is proposed which permits an assessment of the near-surface structure of a solid sample by analysis of a single core-level photoemission or Auger emission diffraction pattern (XPD or AED) recorded over the hemisphere of electron escape angles. Combining the elements of holography and real-space triangulation, the approach achieves a high spatial resolution (≈0.1 Å) and requires a knowledge of only a few non-structural parameters. To demonstrate the experimental efficacy of CHRISDA, a Sn film deposited on a CdTe(111) substrate is analyzed and yields the diamond structure characteristic of α-Sn.

Nanofabrication with a helium ion microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maas, Diederik; van Veldhoven, Emile; Chen, Ping; Sidorkin, Vadim; Salemink, Huub; van der Drift, Emile..; Alkemade, Paul

2010-03-01

The recently introduced helium ion microscope (HIM) is capable of imaging and fabrication of nanostructures thanks to its sub-nanometer sized ion probe. The unique interaction of the helium ions with the sample material provides very localized secondary electron emission, thus providing a valuable signal for high-resolution imaging as well as a mechanism for very precise nanofabrication. The low proximity effects, due to the low yield of backscattered ions and the confinement of the forward scattered ions into a narrow cone, enable patterning of ultra-dense sub-10 nm structures. This paper presents various nanofabrication results obtained with direct-write, with scanning helium ion beam lithography, and with helium ion beam induced deposition.

Harmonic vibro-acoustography.

PubMed

Chen, Shigao; Kinnick, Randall R; Greenleaf, James F; Fatemi, Mostafa

2007-07-01

Vibro-acoustography is an imaging method that uses the radiation force of two interfering ultrasound beams of slightly different frequency to probe an object. An image is made using the acoustic emission resulted from the object vibration at the difference frequency. In this paper, the feasibility of imaging objects at twice the difference frequency (harmonic acoustic emission) is studied. Several possible origins of harmonic acoustic emission are explored. As an example, it is shown that microbubbles close to resonance can produce significant harmonic acoustic emission due to its high nonlinearity. Experiments demonstrate that, compared to the fundamental acoustic emission, harmonic acoustic emission greatly improves the contrast between microbubbles and other objects in vibro-acoustography (an improvement of 17-23 dB in these experiments). Applications of this technique include imaging the nonlinearity of the object and selective detection of microbubbles for perfusion imaging. The impact of microbubble destruction during the imaging process also is discussed.

Optical Measurement of Cell Colonization Patterns on Individual Suspended Sediment Aggregates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thu Ha; Tang, Fiona H. M.; Maggi, Federico

2017-10-01

Microbial processes can make substantial differences to the way in which particles settle in aquatic environments. A novel method (OMCEC, optical measurement of cell colonization) is introduced to systematically map the biological spatial distribution over individual suspended sediment aggregates settling through a water column. OMCEC was used to investigate (1) whether a carbon source concentration has an impact on cell colonization, (2) how cells colonize minerals, and (3) if a correlation between colonization patterns and aggregate geometry exists. Incubations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and stained montmorillonite at four sucrose concentrations were tested in a settling column equipped with a full-color microparticle image velocimetry system. The acquired high-resolution images were processed to map the cell distribution on aggregates based on emission spectra separation. The likelihood of cells colonizing minerals increased with increasing sucrose concentration. Colonization patterns were classified into (i) scattered, (ii) well touched, and (iii) poorly touched, with the second being predominant. Cell clusters in well-touched patterns were found to have lower capacity dimension than those in other patterns, while the capacity dimension of the corresponding aggregates was relatively high. A strong correlation of colonization patterns with aggregate biomass fraction and properties suggests dynamic colonization mechanisms from cell attachment to minerals, to joining of isolated cell clusters, and finally cell growth over the entire aggregate. This paper introduces a widely applicable method for analyses of microbial-affected sediment dynamics and highlights the microbial control on aggregate geometry, which can improve the prediction of large-scale morphodynamics processes.

ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF TWO FLARE LOOPS OBSERVED BY AIA AND EIS

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

Li, Y.; Ding, M. D.; Qiu, J.

2012-10-10

We analyze and model an M1.0 flare observed by SDO/AIA and Hinode/EIS to investigate how flare loops are heated and evolve subsequently. The flare is composed of two distinctive loop systems observed in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images. The UV 1600 A emission at the feet of these loops exhibits a rapid rise, followed by enhanced emission in different EUV channels observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS). Such behavior is indicative of impulsive energy deposit and the subsequent response in overlying coronal loops that evolve through different temperatures. Using the method we recently developed,more » we infer empirical heating functions from the rapid rise of the UV light curves for the two loop systems, respectively, treating them as two big loops with cross-sectional area of 5'' by 5'', and compute the plasma evolution in the loops using the EBTEL model. We compute the synthetic EUV light curves, which, with the limitation of the model, reasonably agree with observed light curves obtained in multiple AIA channels and EIS lines: they show the same evolution trend and their magnitudes are comparable by within a factor of two. Furthermore, we also compare the computed mean enthalpy flow velocity with the Doppler shift measurements by EIS during the decay phase of the two loops. Our results suggest that the two different loops with different heating functions as inferred from their footpoint UV emission, combined with their different lengths as measured from imaging observations, give rise to different coronal plasma evolution patterns captured both in the model and in observations.« less

The accumulation mechanism of the hypoxia imaging probe "FMISO" by imaging mass spectrometry: possible involvement of low-molecular metabolites.

PubMed

Masaki, Yukiko; Shimizu, Yoichi; Yoshioka, Takeshi; Tanaka, Yukari; Nishijima, Ken-Ichi; Zhao, Songji; Higashino, Kenichi; Sakamoto, Shingo; Numata, Yoshito; Yamaguchi, Yoshitaka; Tamaki, Nagara; Kuge, Yuji

2015-11-19

(18)F-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) has been widely used as a hypoxia imaging probe for diagnostic positron emission tomography (PET). FMISO is believed to accumulate in hypoxic cells via covalent binding with macromolecules after reduction of its nitro group. However, its detailed accumulation mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the chemical forms of FMISO and their distributions in tumours using imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), which visualises spatial distribution of chemical compositions based on molecular masses in tissue sections. Our radiochemical analysis revealed that most of the radioactivity in tumours existed as low-molecular-weight compounds with unknown chemical formulas, unlike observations made with conventional views, suggesting that the radioactivity distribution primarily reflected that of these unknown substances. The IMS analysis indicated that FMISO and its reductive metabolites were nonspecifically distributed in the tumour in patterns not corresponding to the radioactivity distribution. Our IMS search found an unknown low-molecular-weight metabolite whose distribution pattern corresponded to that of both the radioactivity and the hypoxia marker pimonidazole. This metabolite was identified as the glutathione conjugate of amino-FMISO. We showed that the glutathione conjugate of amino-FMISO is involved in FMISO accumulation in hypoxic tumour tissues, in addition to the conventional mechanism of FMISO covalent binding to macromolecules.

Perspective View of Venus (Center Latitude 45 Degrees N., Center Longitude 11 Degrees E.)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This perspective view of Venus, generated by computer from Magellan data and color-coded with emissivity, shows part of the lowland plains in Sedna Planitia. Circular depressions with associated fracture patterns called 'coronae' are apparently unique to the lowlands of Venus, and tend to occur in linear clusters along the planet's major tectonic belts. Coronae differ greatly in size and detailed morphology: the central depression may or may not lie below the surrounding plains, and may or may not be surrounded by a raised rim or a moat outside the rim. The corona shown here is relatively small (100 km in diameter and 1 km deep) and is of the subtype known as an 'arachnoid' because of the spider-like configuration of concentric (body) and radial (legs) fractures. Coronae are thought to be caused by localized 'hot spot' magmatic activity in Venus' subsurface. Intrusion of magma into the crust first pushes up the surface, after which cooling and contraction create the central depression and generate a pattern of concentric fractures. In some cases, lava may be extruded onto the surface. The fractured ridge at the left is classified as a 'nova' or 'stellate fracture center' and is believed to represent an early phase of corona formation, in which subsidence due to cooling has not yet created the central depression, and the fracture pattern is still entirely radial. Magellan MIDR quadrangle* containing this image: C1-45N011. Image resolution (m): 225. Size of region shown (E-W x N-S, in km): 439 x 474. Range of emissivities from violet to red: 0.82 -- 0.88. Vertical exaggeration: 100. Azimuth of viewpoint (deg clockwise from East): 150. Elevation of viewpoint (km): 600. *Quadrangle name indicates approximate center latitude (N=north, S=south) and center longitude (East).

Planet Formation in AB Aurigae: Imaging of the Inner Gaseous Spirals Observed inside the Dust Cavity

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

Tang, Ya-Wen; Gu, Pin-Gao; Ho, Paul T. P.

2017-05-01

We report the results of ALMA observations of a protoplanetary disk surrounding the Herbig Ae star AB Aurigae. We obtained high-resolution (0.″1; 14 au) images in {sup 12}CO J = 2 − 1 emission and in the dust continuum at the wavelength of 1.3 mm. The continuum emission is detected at the center and at the ring with a radius ( r ) of ∼120 au. The CO emission is dominated by two prominent spirals within the dust ring. These spirals are trailing and appear to be about 4 times brighter than their surrounding medium. Their kinematics is consistent withmore » Keplerian rotation at an inclination of 23°. The apparent two-arm-spiral pattern is best explained by tidal disturbances created by an unseen companion located at r of 60–80 au, with dust confined in the pressure bumps created outside this companion orbit. An additional companion at r of 30 au, coinciding with the peak CO brightness and a large pitch angle of the spiral, would help to explain the overall emptiness of the cavity. Alternative mechanisms to excite the spirals are discussed. The origin of the large pitch angle detected here remains puzzling.« less

Simultaneous determination of the second-harmonic generation emission directionality and reduced scattering coefficient from three-dimensional imaging of thick tissues

PubMed Central

Hall, Gunnsteinn; Eliceiri, Kevin W.

2013-01-01

Abstract. Second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has intrinsic contrast for imaging fibrillar collagen and has shown great promise for disease characterization and diagnostics. In addition to morphology, additional information is achievable as the initially emitted SHG radiation directionality is related to subresolution fibril size and distribution. We show that by two parameter fittings, both the emission pattern (FSHG/BSHG)creation and the reduced scattering coefficient μs′, can be obtained from the best fits between three-dimensional experimental data and Monte Carlo simulations. The improved simulation framework accounts for collection apertures for the detected forward and backward components. We apply the new simulation framework to mouse tail tendon for validation and show that the spectral slope of μs′ obtained is similar to that from bulk optical measurements and that the (FSHG/BSHG)creation values are also similar to previous results. Additionally, we find that the SHG emission becomes increasingly forward directed at longer wavelengths, which is consistent with decreased dispersion in refractive index between the laser and SHG wavelengths. As both the spectral slope of μs′ and (FSHG/BSHG)creation have been linked to the underlying tissue structure, simultaneously obtaining these parameters on a microscope platform from the same tissue provides a powerful method for tissue characterization. PMID:24220726

Hue-shifted monomeric variants of Clavularia cyan fluorescent protein: identification of the molecular determinants of color and applications in fluorescence imaging

PubMed Central

Ai, Hui-wang; Olenych, Scott G; Wong, Peter; Davidson, Michael W; Campbell, Robert E

2008-01-01

Background In the 15 years that have passed since the cloning of Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (avGFP), the expanding set of fluorescent protein (FP) variants has become entrenched as an indispensable toolkit for cell biology research. One of the latest additions to the toolkit is monomeric teal FP (mTFP1), a bright and photostable FP derived from Clavularia cyan FP. To gain insight into the molecular basis for the blue-shifted fluorescence emission we undertook a mutagenesis-based study of residues in the immediate environment of the chromophore. We also employed site-directed and random mutagenesis in combination with library screening to create new hues of mTFP1-derived variants with wavelength-shifted excitation and emission spectra. Results Our results demonstrate that the protein-chromophore interactions responsible for blue-shifting the absorbance and emission maxima of mTFP1 operate independently of the chromophore structure. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the Tyr67Trp and Tyr67His mutants of mTFP1 retain a blue-shifted fluorescence emission relative to their avGFP counterparts (that is, Tyr66Trp and Tyr66His). Based on previous work with close homologs, His197 and His163 are likely to be the residues with the greatest contribution towards blue-shifting the fluorescence emission. Indeed we have identified the substitutions His163Met and Thr73Ala that abolish or disrupt the interactions of these residues with the chromophore. The mTFP1-Thr73Ala/His163Met double mutant has an emission peak that is 23 nm red-shifted from that of mTFP1 itself. Directed evolution of this double mutant resulted in the development of mWasabi, a new green fluorescing protein that offers certain advantages over enhanced avGFP (EGFP). To assess the usefulness of mTFP1 and mWasabi in live cell imaging applications, we constructed and imaged more than 20 different fusion proteins. Conclusion Based on the results of our mutagenesis study, we conclude that the two histidine residues in close proximity to the chromophore are approximately equal determinants of the blue-shifted fluorescence emission of mTFP1. With respect to live cell imaging applications, the mTFP1-derived mWasabi should be particularly useful in two-color imaging in conjunction with a Sapphire-type variant or as a fluorescence resonance energy transfer acceptor with a blue FP donor. In all fusions attempted, both mTFP1 and mWasabi give patterns of fluorescent localization indistinguishable from that of well-established avGFP variants. PMID:18325109

18F-FDG PET brain images as features for Alzheimer classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, M. H.; Saripan, M. I.; Nordin, A. J.; Ahmad Saad, F. F.; Abdul Aziz, S. A.; Wan Adnan, W. A.

2017-08-01

2-Deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging offers meaningful information for various types of diseases diagnosis. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the hypometabolism of glucose which observed on the low intensity voxel in PET image may relate to the onset of the disease. The importance of early detection of AD is inevitable because the resultant brain damage is irreversible. Several statistical analysis and machine learning algorithm have been proposed to investigate the rate and the pattern of the hypometabolism. This study focus on the same aim with further investigation was performed on several hypometabolism pattern. Some pre-processing steps were implemented to standardize the data in order to minimize the effect of resolution and anatomical differences. The features used are the mean voxel intensity within the AD pattern mask, which derived from several z-score and FDR threshold values. The global mean voxel (GMV) and slice-based mean voxel (SbMV) intensity were observed and used as input to the neural network. Several neural network architectures were tested and compared to the nearest neighbour method. The highest accuracy equals to 0.9 and recorded at z-score ≤-1.3 with 1 node neural network architecture (sensitivity=0.81 and specificity=0.95) and at z-score ≤-0.7 with 10 nodes neural network (sensitivity=0.83 and specificity=0.94).

AUTOMOTIVE HYDROCARBON EMISSION PATTERNS AND THE MEASUREMENT OF NONMETHANE HYDROCARBON EMISSION RATES

EPA Science Inventory

The advent of emission control technology has resulted in significant changes in both the total mass and detailed patterns of hydrocarbons emitted from automobiles. Emission rates of 56 hydrocarbons from 22 motor vehicles, including catalyst and noncatalyst configurations, were d...

Experimental geometry for simultaneous beam characterization and sample imaging allowing for pink beam Fourier transform holography or coherent diffractive imaging

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

Flewett, Samuel; Eisebitt, Stefan

2011-02-20

One consequence of the self-amplified stimulated emission process used to generate x rays in free electron lasers (FELs) is the intrinsic shot-to-shot variance in the wavelength and temporal coherence. In order to optimize the results from diffractive imaging experiments at FEL sources, it will be advantageous to acquire a means of collecting coherence and spectral information simultaneously with the diffraction pattern from the sample we wish to study. We present a holographic mask geometry, including a grating structure, which can be used to extract both temporal and spatial coherence information alongside the sample scatter from each individual FEL shot andmore » also allows for the real space reconstruction of the sample using either Fourier transform holography or iterative phase retrieval.« less

Arterial spin labelling reveals an abnormal cerebral perfusion pattern in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Melzer, Tracy R; Watts, Richard; MacAskill, Michael R; Pearson, John F; Rüeger, Sina; Pitcher, Toni L; Livingston, Leslie; Graham, Charlotte; Keenan, Ross; Shankaranarayanan, Ajit; Alsop, David C; Dalrymple-Alford, John C; Anderson, Tim J

2011-03-01

There is a need for objective imaging markers of Parkinson's disease status and progression. Positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography studies have suggested patterns of abnormal cerebral perfusion in Parkinson's disease as potential functional biomarkers. This study aimed to identify an arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance-derived perfusion network as an accessible, non-invasive alternative. We used pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling to measure cerebral grey matter perfusion in 61 subjects with Parkinson's disease with a range of motor and cognitive impairment, including patients with dementia and 29 age- and sex-matched controls. Principal component analysis was used to derive a Parkinson's disease-related perfusion network via logistic regression. Region of interest analysis of absolute perfusion values revealed that the Parkinson's disease pattern was characterized by decreased perfusion in posterior parieto-occipital cortex, precuneus and cuneus, and middle frontal gyri compared with healthy controls. Perfusion was preserved in globus pallidus, putamen, anterior cingulate and post- and pre-central gyri. Both motor and cognitive statuses were significant factors related to network score. A network approach, supported by arterial spin labelling-derived absolute perfusion values may provide a readily accessible neuroimaging method to characterize and track progression of both motor and cognitive status in Parkinson's disease.

Thickness and annealing effects on thermally evaporated InZnO thin films for gas sensors and blue, green and yellow emissive optical devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugumaran, Sathish; Jamlos, Mohd Faizal; Ahmad, Mohd Noor; Bellan, Chandar Shekar; Sivaraj, Manoj

2016-08-01

Indium zinc oxide (InZnO) thin films with thicknesses of 100 nm and 200 nm were deposited on glass plate by thermal evaporation technique. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed a strong metal-oxide bond. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed amorphous nature for as-deposited film whereas polycrystalline structure for annealed films. Scanning electron microscope images showed a uniform distribution of spherical shape grains. Grain size was found to be higher for 200 nm film than 100 nm film. The presence of elements (In, Zn and O) was confirmed from energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Photoluminescence study of 200 nm film showed a blue, blue-green and blue-yellow emission whereas 100 nm film showed a broad green and green-yellow emissions. Both 100 nm and 200 nm films showed good oxygen sensitivity from room temperature to 400 °C. The observed optical and sensor results indicated that the prepared InZnO films are highly potential for room temperature gas sensor and blue, green and yellow emissive opto-electronic devices.

Transmission type flat-panel X-ray source using ZnO nanowire field emitters

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

Chen, Daokun; Song, Xiaomeng; Zhang, Zhipeng

2015-12-14

A transmission type flat-panel X-ray source in diode structure was fabricated. Large-scale patterned ZnO nanowires grown on a glass substrate by thermal oxidation were utilized as field emitters, and tungsten thin film coated on silica glass was used as the transmission anode. Uniform distribution of X-ray generation was achieved, which benefited from the uniform electron emission from ZnO nanowires. Self-ballasting effect induced by the intrinsic resistance of ZnO nanowire and decreasing of screening effect caused by patterned emitters account for the uniform emission. Characteristic X-ray peaks of W-L lines and bremsstrahlung X-rays have been observed under anode voltages at amore » range of 18–20 kV, the latter of which were the dominant X-ray signals. High-resolution X-ray images with spatial resolution less than 25 μm were obtained by the flat-panel X-ray source. The high resolution was attributed to the small divergence angle of the emitted X-rays from the transmission X-ray source.« less

Speckle imaging of active galactic nuclei: NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebstein, Steven Michael

High resolution images of NGC 1068 and NGC 4151 in the 5007 A line and the nearby continuum produced from data taken with the PAPA photon counting imaging detector using the technique of speckle imaging are presented. The images show an unresolved core of 5007 A emission in the middle of an extended emission region. The extended emission tends to lie alongside the subarcsecond radio structure. In NGC 4151, the extended emission comes from a nearly linear structure extending on both sides of the unresolved core. In NGC 1068, the extended emission is concentrated in lobes lying to the unresolved core but the emission is concentrated in lobes lying to either side of the major axis. The continuum of NGC 4151 is spatially unresolved. The continuum of NGC 1068 is extended approx. 1 in to the SW of the center of the 5007 A emission. Certain aspects of the PAPA detector are discussed, including the variable threshold discriminators that track the image intensifier pulse height and the camera artifacts. The data processing is described in detail.

Thermal surveillance of volcanoes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, J. D. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A systematic aircraft program to monitor changes in the thermal emission from volcanoes of the Cascade Range has been initiated and is being carried out in conjunction with ERTS-1 thermal surveillance experiments. Night overflights by aircraft equipped with thermal infrared scanners sensitive to terrestrial emission in the 4-5.5 and 8-14 micron bands are currently being carried out at intervals of a few months. Preliminary results confirm that Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Shasta, and the Lassen area continue to be thermally active, although with the exception of Lassen which erupted between 1914 and 1917, and Mount Saint Helens which had a series of eruptions between 1831 and 1834, there has been no recent eruptive activity. Excellent quality infrared images recorded over Mount Rainier, as recently as April, 1972, show similar thermal patterns to those reported in 1964-1966. Infrared images of Mount Baker recorded in November 1970 and again in April 1972 revealed a distinct array of anomalies 1000 feet below the crater rim and associated with fumaroles or structures permitting convective heat transfer to the surface.

Noninvasive studies of human visual cortex using neuromagnetic techniques

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

Aine, C.J.; George, J.S.; Supek, S.

1990-01-01

The major goals of noninvasive studies of the human visual cortex are: to increase knowledge of the functional organization of cortical visual pathways; and to develop noninvasive clinical tests for the assessment of cortical function. Noninvasive techniques suitable for studies of the structure and function of human visual cortex include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission tomography (SPECT), scalp recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), and event-related magnetic fields (ERFs). The primary challenge faced by noninvasive functional measures is to optimize the spatial and temporal resolution of the measurement and analytic techniques in order to effectively characterizemore » the spatial and temporal variations in patterns of neuronal activity. In this paper we review the use of neuromagnetic techniques for this purpose. 8 refs., 3 figs.« less

Hydaspis Chaos in Nighttime Infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This nighttime infrared image, taken by the thermal emission imaging system, captures a massively disrupted region on Mars called Hydaspis Chaos, which is located near the equator at two degrees north, 29 degrees west. The total vertical difference from the lowest to highest points in this region is about five kilometers (three miles.)

The steep slopes leading down into the canyon of Hydaspsis Chaos are strewn with rocks, while the plateaus and mesas above are covered in dust. This pattern indicates that processes are at work to prevent the dust from completely covering the surface of these slopes, even over the very long period since these canyons were formed.

The slopes and floor of these canyons show remarkable variability in the distribution of rocks and fine-grained material. Chaotic terrain may have been formed when subsurface ground water or ice was removed, and the overlying ground collapsed. The release of this water or ice (or both)formed the outflow channel Tiu Valles, which flowed across the Mars Pathfinder landing site.

This image captures a region of chaotic terrain about 106 kilometers (65 miles) long and 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide. The channel that feeds into the chaos at the bottom of the image is about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles)wide and 280 meters (930 feet) deep. The image was acquired on February 19, 2002. North is to the right of the image.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The thermal emission imaging system was provided by Arizona State University, Tempe. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Laboratory and field measurements of enantiomeric monoterpene emissions as a function of chemotype, light and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W.; Staudt, M.; Bourgeois, I.; Williams, J.

2014-03-01

Plants emit significant amounts of monoterpenes into the earth's atmosphere, where they react rapidly to form a multitude of gas phase species and particles. Many monoterpenes exist in mirror-image forms or enantiomers. In this study the enantiomeric monoterpene profile for several representative plants (Quercus ilex L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Pinus halepensis Mill.) was investigated as a function of chemotype, light and temperature both in the laboratory and in the field. Analysis of enantiomeric monoterpenes from 19 Quercus ilex individuals from Southern France and Spain revealed four regiospecific chemotypes (genetically fixed emission patterns). In agreement with previous work, only Quercus ilex emissions increased strongly with light. However, for all three plant species no consistent enantiomeric variation was observed as a function of light, and the enantiomeric ratio of α-pinene was found to vary by less than 20% from 100 and 1000 μmol m-2 s-1 PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). The rate of monoterpene emission increased with temperature from all three plant species, but little variation in the enantiomeric distribution of α-pinene was observed with temperature. There was more enantiomeric variability between individuals of the same species than could be induced by either light or temperature. Field measurements of α-pinene enantiomer mixing ratios in the air, taken at a Quercus ilex forest in Southern France, and several other previously reported field enantiomeric ratio diel cycle profiles are compared. All show smoothly varying diel cycles (some positive and some negative) even over changing wind directions. This is surprising in comparison with variations of enantiomeric emission patterns shown by individuals of the same species.

Near-field analysis of metallic DFB lasers at telecom wavelengths.

PubMed

Greusard, L; Costantini, D; Bousseksou, A; Decobert, J; Lelarge, F; Duan, G-H; De Wilde, Y; Colombelli, R

2013-05-06

We image in near-field the transverse modes of semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) lasers operating at λ ≈ 1.3 μm and employing metallic gratings. The active region is based on tensile-strained InGaAlAs quantum wells emitting transverse magnetic polarized light and is coupled via an extremely thin cladding to a nano-patterned gold grating integrated on the device surface. Single mode emission is achieved, which tunes with the grating periodicity. The near-field measurements confirm laser operation on the fundamental transverse mode. Furthermore--together with a laser threshold reduction observed in the DFB lasers--it suggests that the patterning of the top metal contact can be a strategy to reduce the high plasmonic losses in this kind of systems.

Masked-backlighter technique used to simultaneously image x-ray absorption and x-ray emission from an inertial confinement fusion plasma.

PubMed

Marshall, F J; Radha, P B

2014-11-01

A method to simultaneously image both the absorption and the self-emission of an imploding inertial confinement fusion plasma has been demonstrated on the OMEGA Laser System. The technique involves the use of a high-Z backlighter, half of which is covered with a low-Z material, and a high-speed x-ray framing camera aligned to capture images backlit by this masked backlighter. Two strips of the four-strip framing camera record images backlit by the high-Z portion of the backlighter, while the other two strips record images aligned with the low-Z portion of the backlighter. The emission from the low-Z material is effectively eliminated by a high-Z filter positioned in front of the framing camera, limiting the detected backlighter emission to that of the principal emission line of the high-Z material. As a result, half of the images are of self-emission from the plasma and the other half are of self-emission plus the backlighter. The advantage of this technique is that the self-emission simultaneous with backlighter absorption is independently measured from a nearby direction. The absorption occurs only in the high-Z backlit frames and is either spatially separated from the emission or the self-emission is suppressed by filtering, or by using a backlighter much brighter than the self-emission, or by subtraction. The masked-backlighter technique has been used on the OMEGA Laser System to simultaneously measure the emission profiles and the absorption profiles of polar-driven implosions.

Compensation of optical heterogeneity-induced artifacts in fluorescence molecular tomography: theory and in vivo validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohajerani, Pouyan; Adibi, Ali; Kempner, Joshua; Yared, Wael

2009-05-01

We present a method for reduction of image artifacts induced by the optical heterogeneities of tissue in fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) through identification and compensation of image regions that evidence propagation of emission light through thin or low-absorption tunnels in tissue. The light tunneled as such contributes to the emission image as spurious components that might substantially overwhelm the desirable fluorescence emanating from the targeted lesions. The proposed method makes use of the strong spatial correlation between the emission and excitation images to estimate the tunneled components and yield a residual image that mainly consists of the signal due to the desirable fluorescence. This residual image is further refined using a coincidence mask constructed for each excitation-emission image pair. The coincidence mask is essentially a map of the ``hot spots'' that occur in both excitation and emission images, as such areas are often associated with tunneled emission. In vivo studies are performed on a human colon adenocarcinoma xenograft tumor model with subcutaneous tumors and a murine breast adenocarcinoma model with aggressive tumor cell metastasis and growth in the lungs. Results demonstrate significant improvements in the reconstructions achieved by the proposed method.

Minimal entropy reconstructions of thermal images for emissivity correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allred, Lloyd G.

1999-03-01

Low emissivity with corresponding low thermal emission is a problem which has long afflicted infrared thermography. The problem is aggravated by reflected thermal energy which increases as the emissivity decreases, thus reducing the net signal-to-noise ratio, which degrades the resulting temperature reconstructions. Additional errors are introduced from the traditional emissivity-correction approaches, wherein one attempts to correct for emissivity either using thermocouples or using one or more baseline images, collected at known temperatures. These corrections are numerically equivalent to image differencing. Errors in the baseline images are therefore additive, causing the resulting measurement error to either double or triple. The practical application of thermal imagery usually entails coating the objective surface to increase the emissivity to a uniform and repeatable value. While the author recommends that the thermographer still adhere to this practice, he has devised a minimal entropy reconstructions which not only correct for emissivity variations, but also corrects for variations in sensor response, using the baseline images at known temperatures to correct for these values. The minimal energy reconstruction is actually based on a modified Hopfield neural network which finds the resulting image which best explains the observed data and baseline data, having minimal entropy change between adjacent pixels. The autocorrelation of temperatures between adjacent pixels is a feature of most close-up thermal images. A surprising result from transient heating data indicates that the resulting corrected thermal images have less measurement error and are closer to the situational truth than the original data.

Seven Possible Cave Skylights on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1

Seven very dark holes on the north slope of a Martian volcano have been proposed as possible cave skylights, based on day-night temperature patterns suggesting they are openings to subsurface spaces. These six excerpts of images taken in visible-wavelength light by the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter show the seven openings. Solar illumination comes from the left in each frame. The volcano is Arsia Mons, at 9 degrees south latitude, 239 degrees east longitude.

The features have been given informal names to aid comparative discussion (see figure 1). They range in diameter from about 100 meters (328 feet) to about 225 meters (738 feet). The candidate cave skylights are (A) 'Dena,' (B) 'Chloe,' (C) 'Wendy,' (D) 'Annie,' (E) 'Abby' (left) and 'Nikki,' and (F) 'Jeanne.' Arrows signify north and the direction of illumination.

Mars Odyssey is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif., and is operated by Arizona State University.

Technological aspects of GEM detector design and assembling for soft x-ray application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalska-Strzeciwilk, E.; Chernyshova, M.

2016-09-01

Various types of Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) found applications as tracking detectors in high energy particle physics experiments and as well as imaging detectors, especially for soft X-rays. These detectors offer several advantages like high count rate capability, good spatial and energy resolution, low cost and possibility of constructing large area detectors with very small dead area. Construction, like the triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector has become a standard detector, which is widely used for different imaging applications. Some examples of such applications are: monitoring the impurity in plasma, imaging system for mapping of some parameters like pigment distributions using X-ray fluorescence technique[1], proton range radiography system for quality assurance in hadron therapy. Measuring of the Soft X-Ray (SXR) radiation of magnetic fusion plasma is a standard way of accessing valuable information, for example, about particle transport and MHD. The paper is focused on the design of GEM based soft Xray radiation detecting system which is under development. It is dedicated to study soft X-ray emission of plasma radiation with focus on tungsten emission lines energy region. The paper presents the designing, construction and assembling of a prototype of two triple-GEM detectors for soft-X ray application on the WEST device.

Non-Intrusive Laser-Induced Imaging for Speciation and Patternation in High Pressure Gas Turbine Combustors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Locke, Randy J.; Zaller, Michelle M.; Hicks, Yolanda R.; Anderson, Robert C.

1999-01-01

The next generation of was turbine combustors for aerospace applications will be required to meet increasingly stringent constraints on fuel efficiency, noise abatement, and emissions. The power plants being designed to meet these constraints will operate at extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, thereby generating unique challenges to the previously employed diagnostic methodologies. Current efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) utilize optically accessible, high pressure flametubes and sector combustor rigs to probe, via advanced nonintrusive laser techniques, the complex flowfields encountered in advanced combustor designs. The fuel-air mixing process is of particular concern for lowering NO(x) emissions generated in lean, premixed engine concepts. Using planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) we have obtained real-time, detailed imaging of the fuel spray distribution for a number of fuel injector over a wide range of operational conditions that closely match those expected in the proposed propulsion systems. Using a novel combination of planar imaging, of fuel fluorescence and computational analysis that allows an examination of the flowfield from any perspective, we have produced spatially and temporally resolved fuel-air distribution maps. These maps provide detailed insight into the fuel injection at actual conditions never before possible, thereby greatly enhancing the evaluation of fuel injector performance and combustion phenomena.

Nonintrusive laser-induced imaging for speciation and patternation in high-pressure gas turbine combustors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Locke, Randy J.; Zaller, Michelle M.; Hicks, Yolanda R.; Anderson, Robert C.

1999-10-01

The next generation of ga turbine combustors for aerospace applications will be required to meet increasingly stringent constraints on fuel efficiency, noise abatement, and emissions. The power plants being designed to meet these constraints will operate at extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, thereby generating unique challenges to the previously employed diagnostic methodologies. Current efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center GRC utilize optically accessible, high-pressure flametubes and sector combustor rigs to probe, via advanced nonintrusive laser techniques, the complex flowfields encountered in advanced combustor designs. The fuel-air mixing process is of particular concern for lowering NOx emissions generated in lean, premixed engine concepts. Using planar laser-induced fluorescence we have obtained real- time, detailed imaging of the fuel spray distribution for a number of fuel injectors over a wide range of operational conditions that closely match those expected in the proposed propulsion systems. Using a novel combination of planar imaging of fuel fluorescence and computational analysis that allows an examination of the flowfield from any perspective, we have produced spatially and temporally resolved fuel-air distribution maps. These maps provide detailed insight into the fuel injection process at actual conditions never before possible, thereby greatly enhancing the evaluation of fuel injector performance and combustion phenomena.

Minor Distortions with Major Consequences: Correcting Distortions in Imaging Spectrographs

PubMed Central

Esmonde-White, Francis W. L.; Esmonde-White, Karen A.; Morris, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Projective transformation is a mathematical correction (implemented in software) used in the remote imaging field to produce distortion-free images. We present the application of projective transformation to correct minor alignment and astigmatism distortions that are inherent in dispersive spectrographs. Patterned white-light images and neon emission spectra were used to produce registration points for the transformation. Raman transects collected on microscopy and fiber-optic systems were corrected using established methods and compared with the same transects corrected using the projective transformation. Even minor distortions have a significant effect on reproducibility and apparent fluorescence background complexity. Simulated Raman spectra were used to optimize the projective transformation algorithm. We demonstrate that the projective transformation reduced the apparent fluorescent background complexity and improved reproducibility of measured parameters of Raman spectra. Distortion correction using a projective transformation provides a major advantage in reducing the background fluorescence complexity even in instrumentation where slit-image distortions and camera rotation were minimized using manual or mechanical means. We expect these advantages should be readily applicable to other spectroscopic modalities using dispersive imaging spectrographs. PMID:21211158

OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE OF ELECTRON-DRIVEN EVAPORATION IN TWO SOLAR FLARES

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

Li, D.; Ning, Z. J.; Zhang, Q. M., E-mail: lidong@pmo.ac.cn

2015-11-01

We have explored the relationship between hard X-ray (HXR) emissions and Doppler velocities caused by the chromospheric evaporation in two X1.6 class solar flares on 2014 September 10 and October 22, respectively. Both events display double ribbons and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph slit is fixed on one of their ribbons from the flare onset. The explosive evaporations are detected in these two flares. The coronal line of Fe xxi 1354.09 Å shows blueshifts, but the chromospheric line of C i 1354.29 Å shows redshifts during the impulsive phase. The chromospheric evaporation tends to appear at the front of themore » flare ribbon. Both Fe xxi and C i display their Doppler velocities with an “increase-peak-decrease” pattern that is well related to the “rising-maximum-decay” phase of HXR emissions. Such anti-correlation between HXR emissions and Fe xxi Doppler shifts and correlation with C i Doppler shifts indicate the electron-driven evaporation in these two flares.« less

Polarization Multiplexing of Fluorescent Emission Using Multiresonant Plasmonic Antennas.

PubMed

De Leo, Eva; Cocina, Ario; Tiwari, Preksha; Poulikakos, Lisa V; Marqués-Gallego, Patricia; le Feber, Boris; Norris, David J; Prins, Ferry

2017-12-26

Combining the ability to localize electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale with a directional response, plasmonic antennas offer an effective strategy to shape the far-field pattern of coupled emitters. Here, we introduce a family of directional multiresonant antennas that allows for polarization-resolved spectral identification of fluorescent emission. The geometry consists of a central aperture surrounded by concentric polygonal corrugations. By varying the periodicity of each axis of the polygon individually, this structure can support multiple resonances that provide independent control over emission directionality for multiple wavelengths. Moreover, since each resonant wavelength is directly mapped to a specific polarization orientation, spectral information can be encoded in the polarization state of the out-scattered beam. To demonstrate the potential of such structures in enabling simplified detection schemes and additional functionalities in sensing and imaging applications, we use the central subwavelength aperture as a built-in nanocuvette and manipulate the fluorescent response of colloidal-quantum-dot emitters coupled to the multiresonant antenna.

Polarization Multiplexing of Fluorescent Emission Using Multiresonant Plasmonic Antennas

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Combining the ability to localize electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale with a directional response, plasmonic antennas offer an effective strategy to shape the far-field pattern of coupled emitters. Here, we introduce a family of directional multiresonant antennas that allows for polarization-resolved spectral identification of fluorescent emission. The geometry consists of a central aperture surrounded by concentric polygonal corrugations. By varying the periodicity of each axis of the polygon individually, this structure can support multiple resonances that provide independent control over emission directionality for multiple wavelengths. Moreover, since each resonant wavelength is directly mapped to a specific polarization orientation, spectral information can be encoded in the polarization state of the out-scattered beam. To demonstrate the potential of such structures in enabling simplified detection schemes and additional functionalities in sensing and imaging applications, we use the central subwavelength aperture as a built-in nanocuvette and manipulate the fluorescent response of colloidal-quantum-dot emitters coupled to the multiresonant antenna. PMID:29161502

The IR properties of ringed galaxies and the IRAS database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buta, Ronald J.; Crocker, Deborah A.

1993-01-01

Our study of the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) properties of ringed galaxies has been largely successful. We have identified what we think is the probable cause of the differences in the IRAS properties among non-interacting barred galaxies as the pattern speed of the bar. The key to identifying this parameter has been our focusing the study on outer-ringed galaxies where we know precisely what is present in the central regions (from available BVI CCD images in our library of images). The theory is that outer rings, through their morphology and other characteristics, can be identified with the outer Lindblad resonance, one of the major resonances in galaxy structure. Using a library of n-body simulations for comparison, we can reliably infer both low and high pattern speed galaxies from the appearance of outer rings and the existence of other ring features. It is clear that in some barred galaxies, the bar pattern speed is high enough to avoid an inner Lindblad resonance, hence such objects do not contain nuclear or circumnuclear star formation. The IRAS observations are most sensitive to nuclear star formation in early-type barred galaxies, and will thus select those barred galaxies where the pattern speed is low enough to allow an inner Lindblad resonance to exist. High pattern speed barred galaxies therefore weaken the correlation between bars and infrared excess. This finding helps to reconcile the inconsistent results found between different studies on the correlation between bars and far-IR emission.

Hubble Images Reveal Jupiter's Auroras

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

These images, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal changes in Jupiter's auroral emissions and how small auroral spots just outside the emission rings are linked to the planet's volcanic moon, Io. The images represent the most sensitive and sharply-detailed views ever taken of Jovian auroras.

The top panel pinpoints the effects of emissions from Io, which is about the size of Earth's moon. The black-and-white image on the left, taken in visible light, shows how Io and Jupiter are linked by an invisible electrical current of charged particles called a 'flux tube.' The particles - ejected from Io (the bright spot on Jupiter's right) by volcanic eruptions - flow along Jupiter's magnetic field lines, which thread through Io, to the planet's north and south magnetic poles. This image also shows the belts of clouds surrounding Jupiter as well as the Great Red Spot.

The black-and-white image on the right, taken in ultraviolet light about 15 minutes later, shows Jupiter's auroral emissions at the north and south poles. Just outside these emissions are the auroral spots. Called 'footprints,' the spots are created when the particles in Io's 'flux tube' reach Jupiter's upper atmosphere and interact with hydrogen gas, making it fluoresce. In this image, Io is not observable because it is faint in the ultraviolet.

The two ultraviolet images at the bottom of the picture show how the auroral emissions change in brightness and structure as Jupiter rotates. These false-color images also reveal how the magnetic field is offset from Jupiter's spin axis by 10 to 15 degrees. In the right image, the north auroral emission is rising over the left limb; the south auroral oval is beginning to set. The image on the left, obtained on a different date, shows a full view of the north aurora, with a strong emission inside the main auroral oval.

The images were taken by the telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 between May 1994 and September 1995.

This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/

Making methane visible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gålfalk, Magnus; Olofsson, Göran; Crill, Patrick; Bastviken, David

2016-04-01

Methane (CH4) is one of the most important greenhouse gases, and an important energy carrier in biogas and natural gas. Its large-scale emission patterns have been unpredictable and the source and sink distributions are poorly constrained. Remote assessment of CH4 with high sensitivity at a m2 spatial resolution would allow detailed mapping of the near-ground distribution and anthropogenic sources in landscapes but has hitherto not been possible. Here we show that CH4 gradients can be imaged on the

MR-DTI and PET multimodal imaging of dopamine release within subdivisions of basal ganglia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tziortzi, A.; Searle, G.; Tsoumpas, C.; Long, C.; Shotbolt, P.; Rabiner, E.; Jenkinson, M.; Gunn, R. N.

2011-09-01

The basal ganglia is a group of anatomical nuclei, functionally organised into limbic, associative and sensorimotor regions, which plays a central role in dopamine related neurological and psychiatric disorders. In this study, we combine two imaging modalities to enable the measurement of dopamine release in functionally related subdivisions of the basal ganglia. [11C]-(+)-PHNO Positron Emission Tomography (PET) measurements in the living human brain pre- and post-administration of amphetamine allow for the estimation of regional dopamine release. Combined Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Tensor Imaging (MR-DTI) data allows for the definition of functional territories of the basal ganglia from connectivity information. The results suggest that there is a difference in dopamine release among the connectivity derived functional subdivisions. Dopamine release is highest in the limbic area followed by the sensorimotor and then the associative area with this pattern reflected in both striatum and pallidum.

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

Parvaz M. A.; Parvaz, M.A.; Alia-Klein, N.

In this review, we highlight the role of neuroimaging techniques in studying the emotional and cognitive-behavioral components of the addiction syndrome by focusing on the neural substrates subserving them. The phenomenology of drug addiction can be characterized by a recurrent pattern of subjective experiences that includes drug intoxication, craving, bingeing, and withdrawal with the cycle culminating in a persistent preoccupation with obtaining, consuming, and recovering from the drug. In the past two decades, imaging studies of drug addiction have demonstrated deficits in brain circuits related to reward and impulsivity. The current review focuses on studies employing positron emission tomography (PET),more » functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate these behaviors in drug-addicted human populations. We begin with a brief account of drug addiction followed by a technical account of each of these imaging modalities. We then discuss how these techniques have uniquely contributed to a deeper understanding of addictive behaviors.« less

Spatial patterns of brain amyloid-beta burden and atrophy rate associations in mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Tosun, Duygu; Schuff, Norbert; Mathis, Chester A; Jagust, William; Weiner, Michael W

2011-04-01

Amyloid-β accumulation in the brain is thought to be one of the earliest events in Alzheimer's disease, possibly leading to synaptic dysfunction, neurodegeneration and cognitive/functional decline. The earliest detectable changes seen with neuroimaging appear to be amyloid-β accumulation detected by (11)C-labelled Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography imaging. However, some individuals tolerate high brain amyloid-β loads without developing symptoms, while others progressively decline, suggesting that events in the brain downstream from amyloid-β deposition, such as regional brain atrophy rates, play an important role. The main purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between the regional distributions of increased amyloid-β and the regional distribution of increased brain atrophy rates in patients with mild cognitive impairment. To simultaneously capture the spatial distributions of amyloid-β and brain atrophy rates, we employed the statistical concept of parallel independent component analysis, an effective method for joint analysis of multimodal imaging data. Parallel independent component analysis identified significant relationships between two patterns of amyloid-β deposition and atrophy rates: (i) increased amyloid-β burden in the left precuneus/cuneus and medial-temporal regions was associated with increased brain atrophy rates in the left medial-temporal and parietal regions; and (ii) in contrast, increased amyloid-β burden in bilateral precuneus/cuneus and parietal regions was associated with increased brain atrophy rates in the right medial temporal regions. The spatial distribution of increased amyloid-β and the associated spatial distribution of increased brain atrophy rates embrace a characteristic pattern of brain structures known for a high vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease pathology, encouraging for the use of (11)C-labelled Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography measures as early indicators of Alzheimer's disease. These results may begin to shed light on the mechanisms by which amyloid-β deposition leads to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline and the development of a more specific Alzheimer's disease-specific imaging signature for diagnosis and use of this knowledge in the development of new anti-therapies for Alzheimer's disease.

Richardson-Lucy deconvolution as a general tool for combining images with complementary strengths.

PubMed

Ingaramo, Maria; York, Andrew G; Hoogendoorn, Eelco; Postma, Marten; Shroff, Hari; Patterson, George H

2014-03-17

We use Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution to combine multiple images of a simulated object into a single image in the context of modern fluorescence microscopy techniques. RL deconvolution can merge images with very different point-spread functions, such as in multiview light-sheet microscopes,1, 2 while preserving the best resolution information present in each image. We show that RL deconvolution is also easily applied to merge high-resolution, high-noise images with low-resolution, low-noise images, relevant when complementing conventional microscopy with localization microscopy. We also use RL deconvolution to merge images produced by different simulated illumination patterns, relevant to structured illumination microscopy (SIM)3, 4 and image scanning microscopy (ISM). The quality of our ISM reconstructions is at least as good as reconstructions using standard inversion algorithms for ISM data, but our method follows a simpler recipe that requires no mathematical insight. Finally, we apply RL deconvolution to merge a series of ten images with varying signal and resolution levels. This combination is relevant to gated stimulated-emission depletion (STED) microscopy, and shows that merges of high-quality images are possible even in cases for which a non-iterative inversion algorithm is unknown. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Scanning ultrafast electron microscopy

PubMed Central

Yang, Ding-Shyue; Mohammed, Omar F.; Zewail, Ahmed H.

2010-01-01

Progress has been made in the development of four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy, which enables space-time imaging of structural dynamics in the condensed phase. In ultrafast electron microscopy, the electrons are accelerated, typically to 200 keV, and the microscope operates in the transmission mode. Here, we report the development of scanning ultrafast electron microscopy using a field-emission-source configuration. Scanning of pulses is made in the single-electron mode, for which the pulse contains at most one or a few electrons, thus achieving imaging without the space-charge effect between electrons, and still in ten(s) of seconds. For imaging, the secondary electrons from surface structures are detected, as demonstrated here for material surfaces and biological specimens. By recording backscattered electrons, diffraction patterns from single crystals were also obtained. Scanning pulsed-electron microscopy with the acquired spatiotemporal resolutions, and its efficient heat-dissipation feature, is now poised to provide in situ 4D imaging and with environmental capability. PMID:20696933

OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE AGAINST LONG-LIVED SPIRAL ARMS IN GALAXIES

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

Foyle, K.; Rix, H.-W.; Walter, F.

2011-07-10

We test whether the spiral patterns apparent in many large disk galaxies should be thought of as dynamical features that are stationary in a corotating frame for {approx}> t{sub dyn}, as implied by the density wave approach for explaining spiral arms. If such spiral arms have enhanced star formation (SF), observational tracers for different stages of the SF sequence should show a spatial ordering, from upstream to downstream in the corotating frame: dense H I, CO, tracing molecular hydrogen gas, 24 {mu}m emission tracing enshrouded SF, and UV emission tracing unobscured young stars. We argue that such a spatial orderingmore » should be reflected in the angular cross-correlation (CC, in polar coordinates) using all azimuthal positions among pairs of these tracers; the peak of the CC should be offset from zero, in different directions inside and outside the corotation radius. Recent spiral SF simulations by Dobbs and Pringle show explicitly that for the case of a stationary spiral arm potential such angular offsets between gas and young stars of differing ages should be observable as cross-correlation offsets. We calculate the angular cross-correlations for different observational SF sequence tracers in 12 nearby spiral galaxies, drawing on a data set with high-quality maps of the neutral gas (H I, THINGS) and molecular gas (CO, HERACLES), along with 24 {mu}m emission (Spitzer, SINGS); we include FUV images (GALEX) and 3.6 {mu}m emission (Spitzer, IRAC) for some galaxies, tracing aging stars and longer timescales. In none of the resulting tracer cross-correlations for this sample do we find systematic angular offsets, which would be expected for a stationary dynamical spiral pattern of well-defined pattern speed. This result indicates that spiral density waves in their simplest form are not an important aspect of explaining spirals in large disk galaxies.« less

Automation and Preclinical Evaluation of a Dedicated Emission Mammotomography System for Fully 3-D Molecular Breast Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

molecular breast imaging, with the ability to dynamically contour any sized breast, will improve detection and potentially in vivo characterization of...Having flexible 3D positioning about the breast yielded minimal RMSD differences, which is important for high resolution molecular emission imaging. This...TITLE: Automation and Preclinical Evaluation of a Dedicated Emission Mammotomography System for Fully 3-D Molecular Breast Imaging PRINCIPAL

Remotely-sensed canopy nitrogen correlates with nitrous oxide emissions in a lowland tropical rainforest.

PubMed

Soper, Fiona M; Sullivan, Benjamin W; Nasto, Megan K; Osborne, Brooke B; Bru, David; Balzotti, Christopher S; Taylor, Phillip G; Asner, Gregory P; Townsend, Alan R; Philippot, Laurent; Porder, Stephen; Cleveland, Cory C

2018-06-21

Tropical forests exhibit significant heterogeneity in plant functional and chemical traits that may contribute to spatial patterns of key soil biogeochemical processes, such as carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions. Although tropical forests are the largest ecosystem source of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), drivers of spatial patterns within forests are poorly resolved. Here, we show that local variation in canopy foliar N, mapped by remote-sensing image spectroscopy, correlates with patterns of soil N 2 O emission from a lowland tropical rainforest. We identified ten 0.25 ha plots (assemblages of 40-70 individual trees) in which average remotely-sensed canopy N fell above or below the regional mean. The plots were located on a single minimally-dissected terrace (<1 km 2 ) where soil type, vegetation structure and climatic conditions were relatively constant. We measured N 2 O fluxes monthly for one year and found that high canopy N species assemblages had on average three-fold higher total mean N 2 O fluxes than nearby lower canopy N areas. These differences are consistent with strong differences in litter stoichiometry, nitrification rates and soil nitrate concentrations. Canopy N status was also associated with microbial community characteristics: lower canopy N plots had two-fold greater soil fungal to bacterial ratios and a significantly lower abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, although genes associated with denitrification (nirS, nirK, nosZ) showed no relationship with N 2 O flux. Overall, landscape emissions from this ecosystem are at the lowest end of the spectrum reported for tropical forests, consist with multiple metrics indicating that these highly productive forests retain N tightly and have low plant-available losses. These data point to connections between canopy and soil processes that have largely been overlooked as a driver of denitrification. Defining relationships between remotely-sensed plant traits and soil processes offers the chance to map these processes at large scales, potentially increasing our ability to predict N 2 O emissions in heterogeneous landscapes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Ratiometric Fluorescence Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition for Live Mammalian Cell Imaging.

PubMed

Fu, Hongxia; Li, Yanru; Sun, Lingbo; He, Pan; Duan, Xinrui

2015-11-17

Click chemistry with metabolic labeling has been widely used for selectively imaging biomacromolecules in cells. The first example of azide-alkyne cycloaddition for ratiometric fluorescent imaging of live cells is reported. The precursor of the azido fluorophore (cresyl violet) has a fluorescence emission peak at 620 nm. The electron-rich nitrogen of the azido group blue-shifts the emission peak to 566 nm. When the click reaction occurs, an emission peak appears at 620 nm due to the lower electronic density of the newly formed triazole ring, which allows us to ratiometrically record fluorescence signals. This emission shift was applied to ratiometric imaging of propargylcholine- and dibenzocyclooctyne-labeled human breast cancer cells MCF-7 under laser confocal microscopy. Two typical triazole compounds were isolated for photophysical parameter measurements. The emission spectra presented a fluorescence emission peak around 620 nm for both click products. The results further confirmed the emission wavelength change was the result of azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. Since nearly all biomolecules can be metabolically labeled by reported alkyne-functionalized derivatives of native metabolites, our method can be readily applied to image these biomacromolecules.

Assessing global radiative forcing due to regional emissions of tropospheric ozone precursors: a step towards climate credit for ozone reductions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauzerall, D. L.; Naik, V.; Horowitz, L. W.; Schwarzkopf, D.; Ramaswamy, V.; Oppenheimer, M.

2005-05-01

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel consumption are presented for the five Asian countries that are among the global leaders in anthropogenic carbon emissions: China (13% of global total), Japan (5% of global total), India (5% of global total), South Korea (2% of global total), and Indonesia (1% of global total). Together, these five countries represent over a quarter of the world's fossil-fuel based carbon emissions. Moreover, these countries are rapidly developing and energy demand has grown dramatically in the last two decades. A method is developed to estimate the spatial and seasonal flux of fossil-fuel consumption, thereby greatly improving the temporal and spatial resolution of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, only national annual data for anthropogenic carbon emissions are available, and as such, no understanding of seasonal or sub-national patterns of emissions are possible. This methodology employs fuel distribution data from representative sectors of the fossil-fuel market to determine the temporal and spatial patterns of fuel consumption. These patterns of fuel consumption are then converted to patterns of carbon emissions. The annual total emissions estimates produced by this method are consistent to those maintained by the United Nations. Improved estimates of temporal and spatial resolution of the human based carbon emissions allows for better projections about future energy demands, carbon emissions, and ultimately the global carbon cycle.

OLED emission zone measurement with high accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danz, N.; MacCiarnain, R.; Michaelis, D.; Wehlus, T.; Rausch, A. F.; Wächter, C. A.; Reusch, T. C. G.

2013-09-01

Highly efficient state of the art organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) comprise thin emitting layers with thicknesses in the order of 10 nm. The spatial distribution of the photon generation rate, i.e. the profile of the emission zone, inside these layers is of interest for both device efficiency analysis and characterization of charge recombination processes. It can be accessed experimentally by reverse simulation of far-field emission pattern measurements. Such a far-field pattern is the sum of individual emission patterns associated with the corresponding positions inside the active layer. Based on rigorous electromagnetic theory the relation between far-field pattern and emission zone is modeled as a linear problem. This enables a mathematical analysis to be applied to the cases of single and double emitting layers in the OLED stack as well as to pattern measurements in air or inside the substrate. From the results, guidelines for optimum emitter - cathode separation and for selecting the best experimental approach are obtained. Limits for the maximum spatial resolution can be derived.

Passive cavitation imaging with ultrasound arrays

PubMed Central

Salgaonkar, Vasant A.; Datta, Saurabh; Holland, Christy K.; Mast, T. Douglas

2009-01-01

A method is presented for passive imaging of cavitational acoustic emissions using an ultrasound array, with potential application in real-time monitoring of ultrasound ablation. To create such images, microbubble emissions were passively sensed by an imaging array and dynamically focused at multiple depths. In this paper, an analytic expression for a passive image is obtained by solving the Rayleigh–Sommerfield integral, under the Fresnel approximation, and passive images were simulated. A 192-element array was used to create passive images, in real time, from 520-kHz ultrasound scattered by a 1-mm steel wire. Azimuthal positions of this target were accurately estimated from the passive images. Next, stable and inertial cavitation was passively imaged in saline solution sonicated at 520 kHz. Bubble clusters formed in the saline samples were consistently located on both passive images and B-scans. Passive images were also created using broadband emissions from bovine liver sonicated at 2.2 MHz. Agreement was found between the images and source beam shape, indicating an ability to map therapeutic ultrasound beams in situ. The relation between these broadband emissions, sonication amplitude, and exposure conditions are discussed. PMID:20000921

Passive cavitation imaging with ultrasound arrays.

PubMed

Salgaonkar, Vasant A; Datta, Saurabh; Holland, Christy K; Mast, T Douglas

2009-12-01

A method is presented for passive imaging of cavitational acoustic emissions using an ultrasound array, with potential application in real-time monitoring of ultrasound ablation. To create such images, microbubble emissions were passively sensed by an imaging array and dynamically focused at multiple depths. In this paper, an analytic expression for a passive image is obtained by solving the Rayleigh-Sommerfield integral, under the Fresnel approximation, and passive images were simulated. A 192-element array was used to create passive images, in real time, from 520-kHz ultrasound scattered by a 1-mm steel wire. Azimuthal positions of this target were accurately estimated from the passive images. Next, stable and inertial cavitation was passively imaged in saline solution sonicated at 520 kHz. Bubble clusters formed in the saline samples were consistently located on both passive images and B-scans. Passive images were also created using broadband emissions from bovine liver sonicated at 2.2 MHz. Agreement was found between the images and source beam shape, indicating an ability to map therapeutic ultrasound beams in situ. The relation between these broadband emissions, sonication amplitude, and exposure conditions are discussed.

Quantitative dynamic ¹⁸FDG-PET and tracer kinetic analysis of soft tissue sarcomas.

PubMed

Rusten, Espen; Rødal, Jan; Revheim, Mona E; Skretting, Arne; Bruland, Oyvind S; Malinen, Eirik

2013-08-01

To study soft tissue sarcomas using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) with the glucose analog tracer [(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)FDG), to investigate correlations between derived PET image parameters and clinical characteristics, and to discuss implications of dynamic PET acquisition (D-PET). D-PET images of 11 patients with soft tissue sarcomas were analyzed voxel-by-voxel using a compartment tracer kinetic model providing estimates of transfer rates between the vascular, non-metabolized, and metabolized compartments. Furthermore, standard uptake values (SUVs) in the early (2 min p.i.; SUVE) and late (45 min p.i.; SUVL) phases of the PET acquisition were obtained. The derived transfer rates K1, k2 and k3, along with the metabolic rate of (18)FDG (MRFDG) and the vascular fraction νp, was fused with the computed tomography (CT) images for visual interpretation. Correlations between D-PET imaging parameters and clinical parameters, i.e. tumor size, grade and clinical status, were calculated with a significance level of 0.05. The temporal uptake pattern of (18)FDG in the tumor varied considerably from patient to patient. SUVE peak was higher than SUVL peak for four patients. The images of the rate constants showed a systematic pattern, often with elevated intensity in the tumors compared to surrounding tissue. Significant correlations were found between SUVE/L and some of the rate parameters. Dynamic (18)FDG-PET may provide additional valuable information on soft tissue sarcomas not obtainable from conventional (18)FDG-PET. The prognostic role of dynamic imaging should be investigated.

Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography May Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Localized Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Rhee, H; Thomas, P; Shepherd, B; Gustafson, S; Vela, I; Russell, P J; Nelson, C; Chung, E; Wood, G; Malone, G; Wood, S; Heathcote, P

2016-10-01

Positron emission tomography using ligands targeting prostate specific membrane antigen has recently been introduced. Positron emission tomography imaging with (68)Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC has been shown to detect metastatic prostate cancer lesions at a high rate. In this study we compare multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography of the prostate with whole mount ex vivo prostate histopathology to determine the true sensitivity and specificity of these imaging modalities for detecting and locating tumor foci within the prostate. In a prospective clinical trial setting 20 patients with localized prostate cancer and a planned radical prostatectomy were recruited. All patients underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography before surgery, and whole mount histopathology slides were directly compared to the images. European Society of Urogenital Radiology guidelines for reporting magnetic resonance imaging were used as a template for regional units of analysis. The uropathologist and radiologists were blinded to individual components of the study, and the final correlation was performed by visual and deformable registration analysis. A total of 50 clinically significant lesions were identified from the whole mount histopathological analysis. Based on regional analysis the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging were 44%, 94%, 81% and 76%, respectively. With prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 49%, 95%, 85% and 88%, respectively. Prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography yielded a higher specificity and positive predictive value. A significant proportion of cancers are potentially missed and underestimated by both imaging modalities. Prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography may be used in addition to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging to help improve local staging in those patients undergoing retropubic radical prostatectomy. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detecting fossil fuel emissions patterns from subcontinental regions using North American in situ CO2 measurements.

PubMed

Shiga, Yoichi P; Michalak, Anna M; Gourdji, Sharon M; Mueller, Kim L; Yadav, Vineet

2014-06-28

The ability to monitor fossil fuel carbon dioxide (FFCO 2 ) emissions from subcontinental regions using atmospheric CO 2 observations remains an important but unrealized goal. Here we explore a necessary but not sufficient component of this goal, namely, the basic question of the detectability of FFCO 2 emissions from subcontinental regions. Detectability is evaluated by examining the degree to which FFCO 2 emissions patterns from specific regions are needed to explain the variability observed in high-frequency atmospheric CO 2 observations. Analyses using a CO 2 monitoring network of 35 continuous measurement towers over North America show that FFCO 2 emissions are difficult to detect during nonwinter months. We find that the compounding effects of the seasonality of atmospheric transport patterns and the biospheric CO 2 flux signal dramatically hamper the detectability of FFCO 2 emissions. Results from several synthetic data case studies highlight the need for advancements in data coverage and transport model accuracy if the goal of atmospheric measurement-based FFCO 2 emissions detection and estimation is to be achieved beyond urban scales. Poor detectability of fossil fuel CO 2 emissions from subcontinental regionsDetectability assessed via attribution of emissions patterns in atmospheric dataLoss in detectability due to transport modeling errors and biospheric signal.

Making methane visible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gålfalk, Magnus; Olofsson, Göran; Crill, Patrick; Bastviken, David

2016-04-01

Methane (CH4) is one of the most important greenhouse gases, and an important energy carrier in biogas and natural gas. Its large scale emission patterns have been unpredictable and the source and sink distributions are poorly constrained. Remote assessment of CH4 with high sensitivity at m2 spatial resolution would allow detailed mapping of near ground distribution and anthropogenic sources and sinks in landscapes but has hitherto not been possible. Here we show that CH4 gradients can be imaged on

Effects of anode geometry on forward wide-angle neon ion emissions in 3.5 kJ plasma focus device by novel mega-size panorama polycarbonate image detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohrabi, M.; Soltani, Z.; Sarlak, Z.

2018-03-01

Forward wide-angle neon ion emissions in a 3.5 kJ plasma focus device (PFD) were studied using 5 different anode top geometries; hollow-end cylinder, solid triangle, solid hemisphere, hollow-end cone and flat-end cone. Position-sensitive mega-size panorama polycarbonate ion image detectors (MS-PCID) developed by dual-cell circular mega-size electrochemical etching (MS-ECE) systems were applied for processesing wide-angle neon ion images on MS-PCIDs exposed on the PFD cylinder top base under a single pinch shot. The images can be simply observed, analyzed and relatively quantified in terms of ion emission angular distributions even by the unaided eyes. By analysis of the forward neon ion emission images, the ion emission yields, ion emission angular distributions, iso-fluence ion contours and solid angles of ion emissions in 4π PFD space were determined. The neon ion emission yields on the PFD cylinder top base are in an increasing order ~2.1×109, ~2.2 ×109, ~2.8×109, ~2.9×109, and ~3.5×109 neon ions/shot for the 5 stated anode top geometries respectively. The panorama neon ion images as diagnosed even by the unaided eyes demonstrate the lowest and highest ion yields from the hollow-end cylinder and flat-end cone anode tops respectively. Relative dynamic qualitative neon ion spectrometry was made by the unaided eyes demonstrating relative neon ion energy as they appear. The study also demonstrates the unique power of the MS-PCID/MS-ECE imaging system as an advanced state-of-the-art ion imaging method for wide-angle dynamic parametric studies in PFD space and other ion study applications.

Scaling isotopic emissions and microbes across a permafrost thaw landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varner, R. K.; Palace, M. W.; Saleska, S. R.; Bolduc, B.; Braswell, B. H., Jr.; Crill, P. M.; Chanton, J.; DelGreco, J.; Deng, J.; Frolking, S. E.; Herrick, C.; Hines, M. E.; Li, C.; McArthur, K. J.; McCalley, C. K.; Persson, A.; Roulet, N. T.; Torbick, N.; Tyson, G. W.; Rich, V. I.

2017-12-01

High latitude peatlands are a significant source of atmospheric methane. This source is spatially and temporally heterogeneous, resulting in a wide range of emission estimates for the atmospheric budget. Increasing atmospheric temperatures are causing degradation of underlying permafrost, creating changes in surface soil moisture, the surface and sub-surface hydrological patterns, vegetation and microbial communities, but the consequences to rates and magnitudes of methane production and emissions are poorly accounted for in global budgets. We combined field observations, multi-source remote sensing data and biogeochemical modeling to predict methane dynamics, including the fraction derived from hydrogenotrophic versus acetoclastic microbial methanogenesis across Stordalen mire, a heterogeneous discontinuous permafrost wetland located in northernmost Sweden. Using the field measurement validated Wetland-DNDC biogeochemical model, we estimated mire-wide CH4 and del13CH4 production and emissions for 2014 with input from field and unmanned aerial system (UAS) image derived vegetation maps, local climatology and water table from insitu and remotely sensed data. Model simulated methanogenic pathways correlate with sequence-based observations of methanogen community composition in samples collected from across the permafrost thaw landscape. This approach enables us to link below ground microbial community composition with emissions and indicates a potential for scaling across broad areas of the Arctic region.

Multi-band Emission Light Curves of Jupiter: Insights on Brown Dwarfs and Directly Imaged Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xi; Ge, Huazhi; Orton, Glenn S.; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Sinclair, James; Fernandes, Joshua; Momary, Thomas W.; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Sato, Takao M.; Fujiyoshi, Takuya

2016-10-01

Many brown dwarfs exhibit significant infrared flux variability (e.g., Artigau et al. 2009, ApJ, 701, 1534; Radigan et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 105), ranging from several to twenty percent of the brightness. Current hypotheses include temperature variations, cloud holes and patchiness, and cloud height and thickness variations (e.g., Apai et al. 2013, ApJ, 768, 121; Robinson and Marley 2014, ApJ, 785, 158; Zhang and Showman 2014, ApJ, 788, L6). Some brown dwarfs show phase shifts in the light curves among different wavelengths (e.g., Buenzli et al. 2012, ApJ, 760, L31; Yang et al. 2016, arXiv:1605.02708), indicating vertical variations of the cloud distribution. The current observational technique can barely detect the brightness changes on the surfaces of nearby brown dwarfs (Crossfield et al. 2014, Nature, 505, 654) let alone resolve detailed weather patterns that cause the flux variability. The infrared emission maps of Jupiter might shed light on this problem. Using COMICS at Subaru Telescope, VISIR at Very Large Telescope (VLT) and NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), we obtained infrared images of Jupiter over several nights at multiple wavelengths that are sensitive to several pressure levels from the stratosphere to the deep troposphere below the ammonia clouds. The rotational maps and emission light curves are constructed. The individual pixel brightness varies up to a hundred percent level and the variation of the full-disk brightness is around several percent. Both the shape and amplitude of the light curves are significantly distinct at different wavelengths. Variation of light curves at different epochs and phase shift among different wavelengths are observed. We will present principle component analysis to identify dominant emission features such as stable vortices, cloud holes and eddies in the belts and zones and strong emissions in the aurora region. A radiative transfer model is used to simulate those features to get a more quantitative understanding. This work provides rich insights on the relationship between observed light curves and weather on brown dwarfs and perhaps on directly imaged exoplanets in the future.

Positron Emission Tomography: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Technological Advances in Clinical and Preclinical Imaging Systems.

PubMed

Vaquero, Juan José; Kinahan, Paul

2015-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is based on detecting two time-coincident high-energy photons from the emission of a positron-emitting radioisotope. The physics of the emission, and the detection of the coincident photons, give PET imaging unique capabilities for both very high sensitivity and accurate estimation of the in vivo concentration of the radiotracer. PET imaging has been widely adopted as an important clinical modality for oncological, cardiovascular, and neurological applications. PET imaging has also become an important tool in preclinical studies, particularly for investigating murine models of disease and other small-animal models. However, there are several challenges to using PET imaging systems. These include the fundamental trade-offs between resolution and noise, the quantitative accuracy of the measurements, and integration with X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this article, we review how researchers and industry are addressing these challenges.

Mitigating fluorescence spectral overlap in wide-field endoscopic imaging

PubMed Central

Hou, Vivian; Nelson, Leonard Y.; Seibel, Eric J.

2013-01-01

Abstract. The number of molecular species suitable for multispectral fluorescence imaging is limited due to the overlap of the emission spectra of indicator fluorophores, e.g., dyes and nanoparticles. To remove fluorophore emission cross-talk in wide-field multispectral fluorescence molecular imaging, we evaluate three different solutions: (1) image stitching, (2) concurrent imaging with cross-talk ratio subtraction algorithm, and (3) frame-sequential imaging. A phantom with fluorophore emission cross-talk is fabricated, and a 1.2-mm ultrathin scanning fiber endoscope (SFE) is used to test and compare these approaches. Results show that fluorophore emission cross-talk could be successfully avoided or significantly reduced. Near term, the concurrent imaging method of wide-field multispectral fluorescence SFE is viable for early stage cancer detection and localization in vivo. Furthermore, a means to enhance exogenous fluorescence target-to-background ratio by the reduction of tissue autofluorescence background is demonstrated. PMID:23966226

Positron Emission Tomography: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Technological Advances in Clinical and Preclinical Imaging Systems

PubMed Central

Vaquero, Juan José; Kinahan, Paul

2017-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is based on detecting two time-coincident high-energy photons from the emission of a positron-emitting radioisotope. The physics of the emission, and the detection of the coincident photons, give PET imaging unique capabilities for both very high sensitivity and accurate estimation of the in vivo concentration of the radiotracer. PET imaging has been widely adopted as an important clinical modality for oncological, cardiovascular, and neurological applications. PET imaging has also become an important tool in preclinical studies, particularly for investigating murine models of disease and other small-animal models. However, there are several challenges to using PET imaging systems. These include the fundamental trade-offs between resolution and noise, the quantitative accuracy of the measurements, and integration with X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this article, we review how researchers and industry are addressing these challenges. PMID:26643024

Surveillance Practice Patterns after Curative Intent Therapy for Stage I Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Medicare Population.

PubMed

Erb, Christopher T; Su, Kevin W; Soulos, Pamela R; Tanoue, Lynn T; Gross, Cary P

2016-09-01

Recurrence after treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is common, and routine imaging surveillance is recommended by evidence-based guidelines. Little is known about surveillance patterns after curative intent therapy for early stage NSCLC. We sought to understand recent practice patterns for surveillance of stage I NSCLC in the first two years after curative intent therapy in the Medicare population. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database we selected patients diagnosed with stage I NSCLC between 1998 and 2008. We studied adherence to surveillance guidelines based on specialty society recommendations for chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) scanning. We also tracked the use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, which are not recommended for surveillance. We calculated the percent of patients who received guideline-adherent surveillance imaging and used logistic regression to determine associations between patient and provider factors and guideline adherence. Overall, 61.4% of patients received guideline-adherent surveillance during the initial 2 years after treatment. Use of CT scans in the first year after treatment increased from 47.4% in 1998-78.5% in 2008, and PET use increased from 5.8% to 28.9%. Adherence with surveillance imaging was associated with younger age, higher income, more comorbidities, access to primary care, and receipt of SBRT as the primary treatment. Adherence to specialty society guidelines for surveillance after treatment for stage I NSCLC was poor in this population of Medicare beneficiaries, with less than two-thirds of patients receiving recommended imaging, and almost 30% receiving non-recommended PET scans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging-based biomarkers of cognitive performance in older adults constructed via high-dimensional pattern regression applied to MRI and PET.

PubMed

Wang, Ying; Goh, Joshua O; Resnick, Susan M; Davatzikos, Christos

2013-01-01

In this study, we used high-dimensional pattern regression methods based on structural (gray and white matter; GM and WM) and functional (positron emission tomography of regional cerebral blood flow; PET) brain data to identify cross-sectional imaging biomarkers of cognitive performance in cognitively normal older adults from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). We focused on specific components of executive and memory domains known to decline with aging, including manipulation, semantic retrieval, long-term memory (LTM), and short-term memory (STM). For each imaging modality, brain regions associated with each cognitive domain were generated by adaptive regional clustering. A relevance vector machine was adopted to model the nonlinear continuous relationship between brain regions and cognitive performance, with cross-validation to select the most informative brain regions (using recursive feature elimination) as imaging biomarkers and optimize model parameters. Predicted cognitive scores using our regression algorithm based on the resulting brain regions correlated well with actual performance. Also, regression models obtained using combined GM, WM, and PET imaging modalities outperformed models based on single modalities. Imaging biomarkers related to memory performance included the orbito-frontal and medial temporal cortical regions with LTM showing stronger correlation with the temporal lobe than STM. Brain regions predicting executive performance included orbito-frontal, and occipito-temporal areas. The PET modality had higher contribution to most cognitive domains except manipulation, which had higher WM contribution from the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the genu of the corpus callosum. These findings based on machine-learning methods demonstrate the importance of combining structural and functional imaging data in understanding complex cognitive mechanisms and also their potential usage as biomarkers that predict cognitive status.

Jupiter's Equatorial Region in a Methane band (Time set 3)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Mosaic of an equatorial 'hotspot' on Jupiter at 889 nanometers (nm). The mosaic covers an area of 34,000 kilometers by 11,000 kilometers. Light at 889 nm is strongly absorbed by atmospheric methane. This image shows the features of a hazy cloud layer tens of kilometers above Jupiter's main visible cloud deck. This haze varies in height but appears to be present over the entire region. Small patches of very bright clouds may be similar to terrestrial thunderstorms. The dark region near the center of the mosaic is an equatorial 'hotspot' similar to the Galileo Probe entry site. These features are holes in the bright, reflective, equatorial cloud layer where warmer thermal emission from Jupiter's deep atmosphere can pass through. The circulation patterns observed here along with the composition measurements from the Galileo Probe suggest that dry air may be converging and sinking over these regions, maintaining their cloud-free appearance.

North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 10 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees West. The planetary limb runs along the right edge of the image. Cloud patterns appear foreshortened as they approach the limb. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers by the Solid State Imaging system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo

Galaxy Centaurus A

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-07-25

This image of the active galaxy Centaurus A was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7, 2003. The galaxy is located 30 million light-years from Earth and is seen edge on, with a prominent dust lane across the major axis. In this image the near ultraviolet emission is represented as green, and the far ultraviolet emission as blue. The galaxy exhibits jets of high energy particles, which were traced by the X-ray emission and measured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. These X-ray emissions are seen as red in the image. Several regions of ultraviolet emission can be seen where the jets of high energy particles intersect with hydrogen clouds in the upper left corner of the image. The emission shown may be the result of recent star formation triggered by the compression of gas by the jet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04624

Growth, Fabrication and Characterization of Patterned Semiconductor Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, Archana

In this work we developed a new technique for the growth of GaAs nanostrcutures and tungsten disulphide (WS2) nanodots, a two dimensional dichalcogenide (2D-TMD). We patterned a thin SiO2 film for the first time by reactive ion etching through the alumina templates and GaAs nanopillars and nanodots were grown through the holes in SiO2 film by MBE. The WS2 nanodots were synthesized by the atomic layer deposition of WS 2 via alumina template. First, WO3 nanodots were deposited through the porous template using e-beam evaporation and then WO3 vapor reacts with sulfur to obtain WS2 nanodots by chemical vapor deposition technique. We studied morphological and optical properties of patterned nanostructures using SEM, TEM photoluminescence(PL) technique, AFM and Raman microscopy. We used different As2/Ga ratio to obtain patterned nanostructures through the holes of the SiO2 film. These nanopillars were epitaxially aligned to the GaAs(111)B substrates. We achieved (111)B oriented nanopillars with typical diameters between 72 nm to 76 nm and lengths between 200 nm- 600 nm. These nanopillars have six {110} side facets. Though there were few defects, but mostly they were following the pattern in SiO 2. We obtained nanopillars with predominantly two types of tops, triangular pyramidal tops and hexagonal flat tops. We find that these nanopillars have a mixed crystal structure of zinc-blende and wurtzite structures. There is a high density of twins and stacking faults. Alternating wurtzite and zinc-blende layers within the nanopillars, however, lead to quantum confinement effect and thus a blue-shift of PL emission. WS2 nanodots precisely controlled in size have potential applications in nanoelectronics due to their unique optical and electrical properties. Most of the nanodots synthesized so far are produced using liquid exfoliation method from the bulk. Here we report the size controlled growth of uniform WS2 nanodots using self -organized alumina templates as a growth mask on sapphire (1000) substrates by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the size of the nanodots predominantly varies from 46 nm to 76 nm. In one region which extends to few micrometers, the nanodots are approximately of same size and thickness. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images confirm that the thickness of these nanodots varies from monolayer to few layers. In the measured PL spectra at room temperature, the emission peak of the nanodots on sapphire substrates was shown at 2.01eV. It was redshifted as compare to the emission from WS2 monolayers. The analysis of Raman spectra shows no effect related to the size.

Micro-PIXE and micro-RBS characterization of micropores in porous silicon prepared using microwave-assisted hydrofluoric acid etching.

PubMed

Ahmad, Muthanna; Grime, Geoffrey W

2013-04-01

Porous silicon (PS) has been prepared using a microwave-assisted hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching method from a silicon wafer pre-implanted with 5 MeV Cu ions. The use of microbeam proton-induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE) and microbeam Rutherford backscattering techniques reveals for the first time the capability of these techniques for studying the formation of micropores. The porous structures observed from micro-PIXE imaging results are compared to scanning electron microscope images. It was observed that the implanted copper accumulates in the same location as the pores and that at high implanted dose the pores form large-scale patterns of lines and concentric circles. This is the first work demonstrating the use of microwave-assisted HF etching in the formation of PS.

Performance of 3DOSEM and MAP algorithms for reconstructing low count SPECT acquisitions.

PubMed

Grootjans, Willem; Meeuwis, Antoi P W; Slump, Cornelis H; de Geus-Oei, Lioe-Fee; Gotthardt, Martin; Visser, Eric P

2016-12-01

Low count single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is becoming more important in view of whole body SPECT and reduction of radiation dose. In this study, we investigated the performance of several 3D ordered subset expectation maximization (3DOSEM) and maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithms for reconstructing low count SPECT images. Phantom experiments were conducted using the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU2 image quality (IQ) phantom. The background compartment of the phantom was filled with varying concentrations of pertechnetate and indiumchloride, simulating various clinical imaging conditions. Images were acquired using a hybrid SPECT/CT scanner and reconstructed with 3DOSEM and MAP reconstruction algorithms implemented in Siemens Syngo MI.SPECT (Flash3D) and Hermes Hybrid Recon Oncology (Hyrid Recon 3DOSEM and MAP). Image analysis was performed by calculating the contrast recovery coefficient (CRC),percentage background variability (N%), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), defined as the ratio between CRC and N%. Furthermore, image distortion is characterized by calculating the aspect ratio (AR) of ellipses fitted to the hot spheres. Additionally, the performance of these algorithms to reconstruct clinical images was investigated. Images reconstructed with 3DOSEM algorithms demonstrated superior image quality in terms of contrast and resolution recovery when compared to images reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP), OSEM and 2DOSEM. However, occurrence of correlated noise patterns and image distortions significantly deteriorated the quality of 3DOSEM reconstructed images. The mean AR for the 37, 28, 22, and 17mm spheres was 1.3, 1.3, 1.6, and 1.7 respectively. The mean N% increase in high and low count Flash3D and Hybrid Recon 3DOSEM from 5.9% and 4.0% to 11.1% and 9.0%, respectively. Similarly, the mean CNR decreased in high and low count Flash3D and Hybrid Recon 3DOSEM from 8.7 and 8.8 to 3.6 and 4.2, respectively. Regularization with smoothing priors could suppress these noise patterns at the cost of reduced image contrast. The mean N% was 6.4% and 6.8% for low count QSP and MRP MAP reconstructed images. Alternatively, regularization with an anatomical Bowhser prior resulted in sharp images with high contrast, limited image distortion, and low N% of 8.3% in low count images, although some image artifacts did occur. Analysis of clinical images suggested that the same effects occur in clinical imaging. Image quality of low count SPECT acquisitions reconstructed with modern 3DOSEM algorithms is deteriorated by the occurrence of correlated noise patterns and image distortions. The artifacts observed in the phantom experiments can also occur in clinical imaging. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

A very small and super strong zebra pattern burst at the beginning of a solar flare

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

Tan, Baolin; Tan, Chengming; Zhang, Yin

2014-08-01

Microwave emission with spectral zebra pattern structures (ZPs) is frequently observed in solar flares and the Crab pulsar. The previous observations show that ZP is a structure only overlapped on the underlying broadband continuum with slight increments and decrements. This work reports an unusually strong ZP burst occurring at the beginning of a solar flare observed simultaneously by two radio telescopes located in China and the Czech Republic and by the EUV telescope on board NASA's satellite Solar Dynamics Observatory on 2013 April 11. It is a very short and super strong explosion whose intensity exceeds several times that ofmore » the underlying flaring broadband continuum emission, lasting for just 18 s. EUV images show that the flare starts from several small flare bursting points (FBPs). There is a sudden EUV flash with extra enhancement in one of these FBPs during the ZP burst. Analysis indicates that the ZP burst accompanying an EUV flash is an unusual explosion revealing a strong coherent process with rapid particle acceleration, violent energy release, and fast plasma heating simultaneously in a small region with a short duration just at the beginning of the flare.« less

Seasonal Transport in Mars' Mesosphere-Thermosphere revealed by Nitric Oxide nightglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royer, E. M.; Stiepen, A.; Schneider, N. M.; Jain, S.; Milby, Z.; Deighan, J.; Gonzalez-Galindo, F.; Bougher, S. W.; Gerard, J. C. M. C.; Stevens, M. H.; Evans, J. S.; Stewart, I. F.; Chaffin, M.; McClintock, B.; Clarke, J. T.; Montmessin, F.; Holsclaw, G.; Lefèvre, F.; Forget, F.; Lo, D.; Hubert, B. A.; Jakosky, B. M.

2017-12-01

We analyze the ultraviolet nightglow in the atmosphere of Mars through the Nitric Oxide (NO) δ and γ band emissions observed by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS, McClintock et al., 2015) when the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is at apoapsis and periapsis. On the dayside thermosphere of Mars, solar extreme ultraviolet radiation dissociates CO2 and N2 molecules. O(3P) and N(4S) atoms are carried by the day-to-night hemispheric transport. They descend in the nightside mesosphere, where they can radiatively recombine to form NO(C2Π). The excited molecules rapidly relax by emitting UV photons in the δ and γ bands. These emissions are thus indicators of the N and O atom fluxes transported from the dayside to Mars' nightside and the descending circulation pattern from the nightside thermosphere to the mesosphere (e.g. Bertaux et al., 2005 ; Bougher et al., 1990 ; Cox et al., 2008 ; Gagné et al., 2013 ; Gérard et al., 2008 ; Stiepen et al., 2015, 2017). A large dataset of nightside disk images and vertical limb scans during southern winter, fall equinox and southern summer conditions have been accumulated since the beginning of the mission. We will present a discussion regarding the variability of the brightness and altitude of the emission with season, geographical position (longitude) and local time and possible interpretation for local and global changes in the mesosphere dynamics. We show the possible impact of atmospheric waves structuring the emission longitudinally and indicating a wave-3 structure in Mars' nightside mesosphere. Quantitative comparison with calculations from the LMD-MGCM (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique-Mars Global Climate Model) show that the model globally reproduces the trends of the NO nightglow emission and its seasonal variation but also indicates large discrepancies (up to a factor 50 fainter in the model) suggesting that the predicted transport is too efficient toward the night winter pole in the thermosphere by ˜20° latitude north. These questions are now addressed with an extensive dataset of disk images, complemented with improved simulations from the LMD-MGCM and new M-GITM (Mars Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model) simulations of emissions for selected sampling periods.

Increasing lanthanide luminescence by use of the RETEL effect.

PubMed

Leif, Robert C; Vallarino, Lidia M; Becker, Margie C; Yang, Sean

2006-08-01

Luminescent lanthanide complexes produce emissions with the narrowest-known width at half maximum; however, their significant use in cytometry required an increase in luminescence intensity. The companion review, Leif et al., Cytometry 2006;69A:767-778, described a new technique for the enhancement of lanthanide luminescence, the Resonance Energy Transfer Enhanced Luminescence (RETEL) effect, which increases luminescence and is compatible with standard slide microscopy. The luminescence of the europium ion macrocyclic complex, EuMac, was increased by employing the RETEL effect. After adding the nonluminescent gadolinium ion complex of the thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (TTFA) ligand or the sodium salt of TTFA in ethanol solution, the EuMac-labeled sample was allowed to dry. Both a conventional arc lamp and a time-gated UV LED served as light sources for microscopic imaging. The emission intensity was measured with a CCD camera. Multiple time-gated images were summed with special software to permit analysis and effective presentation of the final image. With the RETEL effect, the luminescence of the EuMac-streptavidin conjugate increased at least six-fold upon drying. Nuclei of apoptotic cells were stained with DAPI and tailed with 5BrdUrd to which a EuMac-anti-5BrdU conjugate was subsequently attached. Time-gated images showed the long-lived EuMac luminescence but did not show the short-lived DAPI fluorescence. Imaging of DNA-synthesizing cells with an arc lamp showed that both S phase and apoptotic cells were labeled, and that their labeling patterns were different. The images of the luminescent EuMac and fluorescent DAPI were combined to produce a color image on a white background. This combination of simple chemistry, instrumentation, and presentation should make possible the inexpensive use of the lanthanide macrocycles, Quantum Dyes, as molecular diagnostics for cytological and histopathological microscopic imaging. (c) 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology.

Evidence for Widespread Cooling in an Active Region Observed with the SDO Atmospheric Imaging Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viall, Nicholeen M.; Klimchuk, James A.

2012-01-01

A well known behavior of EUV light curves of discrete coronal loops is that the peak intensities of cooler channels or spectral lines are reached at progressively later times. This time lag is understood to be the result of hot coronal loop plasma cooling through these lower respective temperatures. However, loops typically comprise only a minority of the total emission in active regions. Is this cooling pattern a common property of active region coronal plasma, or does it only occur in unique circumstances, locations, and times? The new SDO/AIA data provide a wonderful opportunity to answer this question systematically for an entire active region. We measure the time lag between pairs of SDO/AIA EUV channels using 24 hours of images of AR 11082 observed on 19 June 2010. We find that there is a time-lag signal consistent with cooling plasma, just as is usually found for loops, throughout the active region including the diffuse emission between loops for the entire 24 hour duration. The pattern persists consistently for all channel pairs and choice of window length within the 24 hour time period, giving us confidence that the plasma is cooling from temperatures of greater than 3 MK, and sometimes exceeding 7 MK, down to temperatures lower than approx. 0.8 MK. This suggests that the bulk of the emitting coronal plasma in this active region is not steady; rather, it is dynamic and constantly evolving. These measurements provide crucial constraints on any model which seeks to describe coronal heating.

2D and 3D surface photopatterning via laser-promoted homopolymerization of a perfluorophenyl azide-substituted BODIPY.

PubMed

Raffy, Guillaume; Bofinger, Robin; Tron, Arnaud; Guerzo, André Del; McClenaghan, Nathan D; Vincent, Jean-Marc

2017-11-09

An innovative photopatterning process is described that allows, in a single laser-promoted operation, the covalent attachment of a molecule on a surface (2D patterning - xy dimensions) and its photopolymerization to grow micro-/nanostructures with spatial control in a third z-dimension. The surface patterning process, based on nitrene reactivity, was harnessed using the highly fluorescent azide-substituted boron difluoride dipyrromethene (BODIPY) 1 that was prepared in a single synthetic step from the parent pentafluorophenyl BODIPY on reacting with NaN 3 . Using the laser of a fluorescence microscope (375 nm or 532 nm) 1 could be grafted on adapted surfaces and then homopolymerised. In this study we show that using glass coverslips coated with PEG/high density alkyne groups (density of ∼1 × 10 14 per cm 2 ), the patterning process was much more spatially confined than when using PEG only coating. Varying the irradiation time (1 to 15 s) or laser power (0.14-3.53 μW) allowed variation of the amount of deposited BODIPY to afford, in the extreme case, pillars of a height up to 800 nm. AFM and MS studies revealed that the nano/microstructures were formed of particles of photopolymerized 1 having a mean diameter of ca. 30 nm. The emission spectra and fluorescence lifetimes for the patterned structures were measured, revealing a red-shift (from ∼560 nm up to 620 nm) of the maximum emission and a shortening (from ∼6 ns to 0.8 ns) of the fluorescence lifetimes in areas where the density of BODIPY is high. As an application of the patterning process, a figure formed of 136 dots/pillars was prepared. The confocal hyperspectral fluorescence image revealed that the figure is clearly resolved and constituted by highly photoluminescent red dots whose fluorescence intensities and emission color proved to be highly reproducible. SEM and AFM studies showed that the luminescent dots were pillars with a conical shape, an average height of 710 ± 28 nm and a FWHM of 400 ± 20 nm.

Meta-Analysis of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging

ClinicalTrials.gov

2017-06-06

Coronary Disease; Echocardiography; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial; Hemodynamics; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; Perfusion; Predictive Value of Tests; Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography; Positron Emission Tomography; Multidetector Computed Tomography; Echocardiography, Stress; Coronary Angiography

Brain PET scan

MedlinePlus

... tissues are working. Other imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) and computed tomography ( CT ) scans only reveal ... M, Hellwig S, Kloppel S, Weiller C. Functional neuroimaging: functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and single-photon emission computed ...

Hubble and a Stellar Fingerprint

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-04

Showcased at the center of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is an emission-line star known as IRAS 12196-6300. Located just under 2,300 light-years from Earth, this star displays prominent emission lines, meaning that the star’s light, dispersed into a spectrum, shows up as a rainbow of colors marked with a characteristic pattern of dark and bright lines. The characteristics of these lines, when compared to the “fingerprints” left by particular atoms and molecules, can be used to reveal IRAS 12196-6300’s chemical composition. Under 10 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen at its core, unlike the sun, this star is still in its infancy. Further evidence of IRAS 12196-6300’s youth is provided by the presence of reflection nebulae. These hazy clouds, pictured floating above and below IRAS 12196-6300, are created when light from a star reflects off a high concentration of nearby dust, such as the dusty material still remaining from IRAS 12196-6300’s formation. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

WHOLE BODY NONRIGID CT-PET REGISTRATION USING WEIGHTED DEMONS.

PubMed

Suh, J W; Kwon, Oh-K; Scheinost, D; Sinusas, A J; Cline, Gary W; Papademetris, X

2011-03-30

We present a new registration method for whole-body rat computed tomography (CT) image and positron emission tomography (PET) images using a weighted demons algorithm. The CT and PET images are acquired in separate scanners at different times and the inherent differences in the imaging protocols produced significant nonrigid changes between the two acquisitions in addition to heterogeneous image characteristics. In this situation, we utilized both the transmission-PET and the emission-PET images in the deformable registration process emphasizing particular regions of the moving transmission-PET image using the emission-PET image. We validated our results with nine rat image sets using M-Hausdorff distance similarity measure. We demonstrate improved performance compared to standard methods such as Demons and normalized mutual information-based non-rigid FFD registration.

Using DMSP/OLS nighttime imagery to estimate carbon dioxide emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desheng, B.; Letu, H.; Bao, Y.; Naizhuo, Z.; Hara, M.; Nishio, F.

2012-12-01

This study highlighted a method for estimating CO2 emission from electric power plants using the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) stable light image product for 1999. CO2 emissions from power plants account for a high percentage of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel consumptions. Thermal power plants generate the electricity by burning fossil fuels, so they emit CO2 directly. In many Asian countries such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea, the amounts of electric power generated by thermal power accounts over 58% in the total amount of electric power in 1999. So far, figures of the CO2 emission were obtained mainly by traditional statistical methods. Moreover, the statistical data were summarized as administrative regions, so it is difficult to examine the spatial distribution of non-administrative division. In some countries the reliability of such CO2 emission data is relatively low. However, satellite remote sensing can observe the earth surface without limitation of administrative regions. Thus, it is important to estimate CO2 using satellite remote sensing. In this study, we estimated the CO2 emission by fossil fuel consumption from electric power plant using stable light image of the DMSP/OLS satellite data for 1999 after correction for saturation effect in Japan. Digital number (DN) values of the stable light images in center areas of cities are saturated due to the large nighttime light intensities and characteristics of the OLS satellite sensors. To more accurately estimate the CO2 emission using the stable light images, a saturation correction method was developed by using the DMSP radiance calibration image, which does not include any saturation pixels. A regression equation was developed by the relationship between DN values of non-saturated pixels in the stable light image and those in the radiance calibration image. And, regression equation was used to adjust the DNs of the radiance calibration image. Then, saturated DNs of the stable light image was corrected using adjusted radiance calibration image. After that, regression analysis was performed with cumulative DNs of the corrected stable light image, electric power consumption, electric power generation and CO2 emission by fossil fuel consumption from electric power plant each other. Results indicated that there are good relationships (R2>90%) between DNs of the corrected stable light image and other parameters. Based on the above results, we estimated the CO2 emission from electric power plant using corrected stable light image. Keywords: DMSP/OLS, stable light, saturation light correction method, regression analysis Acknowledgment: The research was financially supported by the Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from the Japan Science Society.

Structure, photoluminescence and thermoluminescence study of a composite ZnTa2O6/ZnGa2O4 compound doped with Pr3+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noto, L. L.; Shaat, S. K. K.; Poelman, D.; Dhlamini, M. S.; Mothudi, B. M.; Swart, H. C.

2016-05-01

The study of persistent luminescence is interesting for applications related to biological imaging, self-lit roads and security signs. Composite Pr-doped samples were prepared in one pot by solid chemical reaction at 1200 °C for 4 h. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the samples showed mixed phases which correspond to ZnGa2O4 and ZnTa2O6 phases. Interestingly, the secondary electron microscopy images showed that the surface morphology is composed of particles with different shapes: irregular, rhombus and rod shapes. The X-ray maps obtained using field emission scanning electron microscopy, confirmed that the irregular particles correspond to ZnTa2O6, and the rods correspond to ZnGa2O4. Red emission was observed from 1D2 → 3H4, 3P0 → 3H6, 3P0 → 3F2 and 1D2 → 3H5 transitions of Pr3+. The lifetime of the persistent luminescence was measured, and the corresponding trapping centres were investigated using thermoluminescence spectroscopy.

Land Use and Land Cover Change, Urban Heat Island Phenomenon, and Health Implications: A Remote Sensing Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lo, C. P.; Quattrochi, Dale A.

2003-01-01

Land use and land cover maps of Atlanta Metropolitan Area in Georgia were produced from Landsat MSS and TM images for 1973,1979,1983,1987,1992, and 1997, spanning a period of 25 years. Dramatic changes in land use and land cover have occurred with loss of forest and cropland to urban use. In particular, low-density urban use, which includes largely residential use, has increased by over 119% between 1973 and 1997. These land use and land cover changes have drastically altered the land surface characteristics. An analysis of Landsat images revealed an increase in surface temperature and a decline in NDVI from 1973 to 1997. These changes have forced the development of a significant urban heat island effect and an increase in ground level ozone production to such an extent, that Atlanta has violated EPA's ozone level standard in recent years. The urban heat island initiated precipitation events that were identified between 1996 and 2000 tended to occur near high-density urban areas but outside the I-285 loop that traverses around the Central Business District, i.e. not in the inner city area, but some in close proximity to the highways. The health implications were investigated by comparing the spatial patterns of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, the two ingredients that form ozone by reacting with sunlight, with those of rates of cardiovascular and chronic lower respiratory diseases. A clear core-periphery pattern was revealed for both VOC and NOx emissions, but the spatial pattern was more random in the cases of rates of cardiovascular and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Clearly, factors other than ozone pollution were involved in explaining the rates of these diseases. Further research is therefore needed to understand the health geography and its relationship to land use and land cover change as well as urban heat island effect. This paper illustrates the usefulness of a remote sensing approach for this purpose.

Photoacoustic emission from fluorescent nanodiamonds enhanced with gold nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Zhang, Bailin; Fang, Chia-Yi; Chang, Cheng-Chun; Peterson, Ralph; Maswadi, Saher; Glickman, Randolph D.; Chang, Huan-Cheng; Ye, Jing Yong

2012-01-01

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) have drawn much attention in recent years for biomedical imaging applications due to their desired physical properties including excellent photostability, high biocompatibility, extended far-red fluorescence emission, and ease of surface functionalization. Here we explore a new feature of FNDs, i.e. their photoacoustic emission capability, which may lead to potential applications of using FNDs as a dual imaging contrast agent for combined fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging modalities. We observed significant enhancement of photoacoustic emission from FNDs when they were conjugated with gold nanoparticles (GNPs). PMID:22808436

Photoacoustic emission from fluorescent nanodiamonds enhanced with gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Zhang, Bailin; Fang, Chia-Yi; Chang, Cheng-Chun; Peterson, Ralph; Maswadi, Saher; Glickman, Randolph D; Chang, Huan-Cheng; Ye, Jing Yong

2012-07-01

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) have drawn much attention in recent years for biomedical imaging applications due to their desired physical properties including excellent photostability, high biocompatibility, extended far-red fluorescence emission, and ease of surface functionalization. Here we explore a new feature of FNDs, i.e. their photoacoustic emission capability, which may lead to potential applications of using FNDs as a dual imaging contrast agent for combined fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging modalities. We observed significant enhancement of photoacoustic emission from FNDs when they were conjugated with gold nanoparticles (GNPs).

Guide to Magellan image interpretation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ford, John P.; Plaut, Jeffrey J.; Weitz, Catherine M.; Farr, Tom G.; Senske, David A.; Stofan, Ellen R.; Michaels, Gregory; Parker, Timothy J.; Fulton, D. (Editor)

1993-01-01

An overview of Magellan Mission requirements, radar system characteristics, and methods of data collection is followed by a description of the image data, mosaic formats, areal coverage, resolution, and pixel DN-to-dB conversion. The availability and sources of image data are outlined. Applications of the altimeter data to estimate relief, Fresnel reflectivity, and surface slope, and the radiometer data to derive microwave emissivity are summarized and illustrated in conjunction with corresponding SAR image data. Same-side and opposite-side stereo images provide examples of parallax differences from which to measure relief with a lateral resolution many times greater than that of the altimeter. Basic radar interactions with geologic surfaces are discussed with respect to radar-imaging geometry, surface roughness, backscatter modeling, and dielectric constant. Techniques are described for interpreting the geomorphology and surface properties of surficial features, impact craters, tectonically deformed terrain, and volcanic landforms. The morphologic characteristics that distinguish impact craters from volcanic craters are defined. Criteria for discriminating extensional and compressional origins of tectonic features are discussed. Volcanic edifices, constructs, and lava channels are readily identified from their radar outlines in images. Geologic map units are identified on the basis of surface texture, image brightness, pattern, and morphology. Superposition, cross-cutting relations, and areal distribution of the units serve to elucidate the geologic history.

Evaluation of True Power Luminous Efficiency from Experimental Luminance Values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsutsui, Tetsuo; Yamamato, Kounosuke

1999-05-01

A method for obtaining true external power luminous efficiencyfrom experimentally obtained luminance in organic light-emittingdiodes (LEDs) wasdemonstrated. Conventional two-layer organic LEDs with different electron-transport layer thicknesses wereprepared. Spatial distributions of emission intensities wereobserved. The large deviation in both emission spectra and spatialemission patterns were observed when the electron-transport layerthickness was varied. The deviation of emission patterns from thestandard Lambertian pattern was found to cause overestimations ofpower luminous efficiencies as large as 30%. A method for evaluatingcorrection factors was proposed.

[Study on Hexagonal Super-Lattice Pattern with Light Spot and Dim Spot in Dielectric Barrier Discharge by Optical Emission Spectra].

PubMed

Liu, Ying; Dong, Li-fang; Niu, Xue-jiao; Zhang, Chao

2016-02-01

The hexagonal super-lattice pattern composed of the light spot and the dim spot is firstly observed and investigated in the discharge of gas mixture of air and argon by using the dielectric barrier discharge device with double water electrodes. It is found that the dim spot is located at the center of its surrounding three light spots by observing the discharge image. Obviously, the brightness of the light spot and the dim spot are different, which indicates that the plasma states of the light spot and the dim spot may be different. The optical emission spectrum method is used to further study the several plasma parameters of the light spot and the dim spot in different argon content. The emission spectra of the N₂ second positive band (C³IIu --> B³IIg) are measured, from which the molecule vibration temperatures of the light spot and the dim spot are calculated. Based on the relative intensity ratio of the line at 391.4 nm and the N₂ line at 394.1 nm, the average electron energies of the light spot and the dim spot are investigated. The broadening of spectral line 696.57 nm (2P₂-1S₅) is used to study the electron densities of the light spot and the dim spot. The experiment shows that the molecule vibration temperature, average electron energy and the electron density of the dim spot are higher than those of the light spot in the same argon content. The molecule vibration temperature and electron density of the light spot and dim spot increase with the argon content increasing from 70% to 95%, while average electron energies of the light spot and dim spot decrease gradually. The short-exposure image recorded by a high speed video camera shows that the dim spot results from the surface discharges (SDs). The surface discharge induced by the volume discharge (VD) has the decisive effect on the formation of the dim spot. The experiment above plays an important role in studying the formation mechanism of the hexagonal super-lattice pattern with light spot and dim spot. In addition, the studies exert influences on the application of surface discharge and volume discharge in different fields.

Nonlinear spectral imaging of biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palero, J. A.

2007-07-01

The work presented in this thesis demonstrates live high resolution 3D imaging of tissue in its native state and environment. The nonlinear interaction between focussed femtosecond light pulses and the biological tissue results in the emission of natural autofluorescence and second-harmonic signal. Because biological intrinsic emission is generally very weak and extends from the ultraviolet to the visible spectral range, a broad-spectral range and high sensitivity 3D spectral imaging system is developed. Imaging the spectral characteristics of the biological intrinsic emission reveals the structure and biochemistry of the cells and extra-cellular components. By using different methods in visualizing the spectral images, discrimination between different tissue structures is achieved without the use of any stain or fluorescent label. For instance, RGB real color spectral images of the intrinsic emission of mouse skin tissues show blue cells, green hair follicles, and purple collagen fibers. The color signature of each tissue component is directly related to its characteristic emission spectrum. The results of this study show that skin tissue nonlinear intrinsic emission is mainly due to the autofluorescence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate), flavins, keratin, melanin, phospholipids, elastin and collagen and nonlinear Raman scattering and second-harmonic generation in Type I collagen. In vivo time-lapse spectral imaging is implemented to study metabolic changes in epidermal cells in tissues. Optical scattering in tissues, a key factor in determining the maximum achievable imaging depth, is also investigated in this work.

Nanostructured biosensor for detecting glucose in tear by applying fluorescence resonance energy transfer quenching mechanism.

PubMed

Chen, Longyi; Tse, Wai Hei; Chen, Yi; McDonald, Matthew W; Melling, James; Zhang, Jin

2017-05-15

In this paper, a nanostructured biosensor is developed to detect glucose in tear by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) quenching mechanism. The designed FRET pair, including the donor, CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs), and the acceptor, dextran-binding malachite green (MG-dextran), was conjugated to concanavalin A (Con A), an enzyme with specific affinity to glucose. In the presence of glucose, the quenched emission of QDs through the FRET mechanism is restored by displacing the dextran from Con A. To have a dual-modulation sensor for convenient and accurate detection, the nanostructured FRET sensors were assembled onto a patterned ZnO nanorod array deposited on the synthetic silicone hydrogel. Consequently, the concentration of glucose detected by the patterned sensor can be converted to fluorescence spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio and calibrated image pixel value. The photoluminescence intensity of the patterned FRET sensor increases linearly with increasing concentration of glucose from 0.03mmol/L to 3mmol/L, which covers the range of tear glucose levels for both diabetics and healthy subjects. Meanwhile, the calibrated values of pixel intensities of the fluorescence images captured by a handhold fluorescence microscope increases with increasing glucose. Four male Sprague-Dawley rats with different blood glucose concentrations were utilized to demonstrate the quick response of the patterned FRET sensor to 2µL of tear samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A survey of cellulose microfibril patterns in dividing, expanding, and differentiating cells of Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Fujita, Miki; Wasteneys, Geoffrey O

2014-05-01

Cellulose microfibrils are critical for plant cell specialization and function. Recent advances in live cell imaging of fluorescently tagged cellulose synthases to track cellulose synthesis have greatly advanced our understanding of cellulose biosynthesis. Nevertheless, cellulose deposition patterns remain poorly described in many cell types, including those in the process of division or differentiation. In this study, we used field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis of cryo-planed tissues to determine the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils in various faces of cells undergoing cytokinesis or specialized development, including cell types in which cellulose cannot be imaged by conventional approaches. In dividing cells, we detected microfibrillar meshworks in the cell plates, consistent with the concentration at the cell plate of cellulose synthase complexes, as detected by fluorescently tagged CesA6. We also observed a loss of parallel cellulose microfibril orientation in walls of the mother cell during cytokinesis, which corresponded with the loss of fluorescently tagged cellulose synthase complexes from these surfaces. In recently formed guard cells, microfibrils were randomly organized and only formed a highly ordered circumferential pattern after pore formation. In pit fields, cellulose microfibrils were arranged in circular patterns around plasmodesmata. Microfibrils were random in most cotyledon cells except the epidermis and were parallel to the growth axis in trichomes. Deposition of cellulose microfibrils was spatially delineated in metaxylem and protoxylem cells of the inflorescence stem, supporting recent studies on microtubule exclusion mechanisms.

Feasibility of Sensing Tropospheric Ozone with MODIS 9.6 Micron Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prabhakara, C.; Iacovazzi, R., Jr.; Moon-Yoo, Jung

2004-01-01

With the infrared observations made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on board the EOS-Aqua satellite, which include the 9.73 micron channel, a method is developed to deduce horizontal patterns of tropospheric ozone in cloud free conditions on a scale of about 100 km. It is assumed that on such small scale, at a given instant, horizontal changes in stratospheric ozone are small compared to that in the troposphere. From theoretical simulations it is found that uncertainties in the land surface emissivity and the vertical thermal stratification in the troposphere can lead to significant errors in the inferred tropospheric ozone. Because of this reason in order to derive horizontal patterns of tropospheric ozone in a given geographic area a tuning of this method is necessary with the help of a few dependent cases. After tuning, this method is applied to independent cases of MODIS data taken over Los Angeles basin in cloud free conditions to derive horizontal distribution of ozone in the troposphere. Preliminary results indicate that the derived patterns of ozone resemble crudely the patterns of surface ozone reported by EPA.

Study on hexagonal super-lattice pattern with surface discharges in dielectric barrier discharge

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

Liu, Ying; Dong, Lifang, E-mail: donglfhbu@163.com; Niu, Xuejiao

2015-10-15

The hexagonal super-lattice pattern with surface discharges (SDs) in dielectric barrier discharge is investigated by intensified charge-coupled device. The pattern is composed of the bright spot and the dim spot which is located at the centroid of surrounding other three bright spots. The phase diagram of the pattern as a function of the gas pressure and the argon concentration is given. The instantaneous images indicate that the bright spot emerging at the front of the current pulse is formed by the volume discharge (VD), and dim spot occurring at the tail of the current pulse is formed by the SD.more » The above result shows that the SD is induced by the VD. The simulation of the electric fields of wall charges accumulated by VDs confirms that the dim spot is formed by the confluences of the SDs of surrounding other three bright spots. By using optical emission spectrum method, both the molecule vibration temperature and electron density of the SD are larger than that of the VD.« less

Frequency compounding in multifrequency vibroacoustography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Matthew W.; Alizad, Azra; Fatemi, Mostafa

2009-02-01

Vibro-acoustography is a speckle-free ultrasound based imaging modality that can visualize normal and abnormal soft tissue through mapping stimulated acoustic emission. The acoustic emission is generated by focusing two ultrasound beams of slightly different frequencies (Δf = f1-f2) to the same spatial location and vibrating the tissue as a result of ultrasound radiation force. Reverberation of the acoustic emission can create dark and bright areas in the image that affect overall image contrast and detectability of abnormal tissue. Using finite length tonebursts yields acoustic emission at Δf and at sidebands centered about Δf that originate from the temporal toneburst gating. Separate images are formed by bandpass filtering the acoustic emission at Δf and the associated sidebands. The data at these multiple frequencies are compounded through coherent or incoherent processes to reduce the artifacts associated with reverberation of the acoustic emission. Experimental results from a urethane breast phantom and in vivo human breast scans are shown. The reduction in reverberation artifacts are analyzed using a smoothness metric which uses the variances of the gray levels of the original images and those formed through coherent and incoherent compounding of image data. This smoothness metric is minimized when the overall image background is smooth while image features are still preserved. The smoothness metric indicates that the images improved by factors from 1.23-4.33 and 1.09-2.68 in phantom and in vivo studies, respectively. The coherent and incoherent compounding of multifrequency data demonstrate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the efficacy of this method for reduction of reverberation artifacts.

Comparison of [{sup 11}C]choline Positron Emission Tomography With T2- and Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Delineating Malignant Intraprostatic Lesions

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

Chang, Joe H.; University of Melbourne, Victoria; Lim Joon, Daryl

2015-06-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of [{sup 11}C]choline positron emission tomography (CHOL-PET) with that of the combination of T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted (T2W/DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for delineating malignant intraprostatic lesions (IPLs) for guiding focal therapies and to investigate factors predicting the accuracy of CHOL-PET. Methods and Materials: This study included 21 patients who underwent CHOL-PET and T2W/DW MRI prior to radical prostatectomy. Two observers manually delineated IPL contours for each scan, and automatic IPL contours were generated on CHOL-PET based on varying proportions of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV). IPLs identified onmore » prostatectomy specimens defined reference standard contours. The imaging-based contours were compared with the reference standard contours using Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and sensitivity and specificity values. Factors that could potentially predict the DSC of the best contouring method were analyzed using linear models. Results: The best automatic contouring method, 60% of the maximum SUV (SUV{sub 60}) , had similar correlations (DSC: 0.59) with the manual PET contours (DSC: 0.52, P=.127) and significantly better correlations than the manual MRI contours (DSC: 0.37, P<.001). The sensitivity and specificity values were 72% and 71% for SUV{sub 60}; 53% and 86% for PET manual contouring; and 28% and 92% for MRI manual contouring. The tumor volume and transition zone pattern could independently predict the accuracy of CHOL-PET. Conclusions: CHOL-PET is superior to the combination of T2W/DW MRI for delineating IPLs. The accuracy of CHOL-PET is insufficient for gland-sparing focal therapies but may be accurate enough for focal boost therapies. The transition zone pattern is a new classification that may predict how well CHOL-PET delineates IPLs.« less

Time-resolved delayed luminescence image microscopy using an europium ion chelate complex.

PubMed Central

Marriott, G.; Heidecker, M.; Diamandis, E. P.; Yan-Marriott, Y.

1994-01-01

Improvements and extended applications of time-resolved delayed luminescence imaging microscopy (TR-DLIM) in cell biology are described. The emission properties of europium ion complexed to a fluorescent chelating group capable of labeling proteins are exploited to provide high contrast images of biotin labeled ligands through detection of the delayed emission. The streptavidin-based macromolecular complex (SBMC) employs streptavidin cross-linked to thyroglobulin multiply labeled with the europium-fluorescent chelate. The fluorescent chelate is efficiently excited with 340-nm light, after which it sensitizes europium ion emission at 612 nm hundreds of microseconds later. The SBMC complex has a high quantum yield orders of magnitude higher than that of eosin, a commonly used delayed luminescent probe, and can be readily seen by the naked eye, even in specimens double-labeled with prompt fluorescent probes. Unlike triplet-state phosphorescent probes, sensitized europium ion emission is insensitive to photobleaching and quenching by molecular oxygen; these properties have been exploited to obtain delayed luminescence images of living cells in aerated medium thus complementing imaging studies using prompt fluorescent probes. Since TR-DLIM has the unique property of rejecting enormous signals that originate from scattered light, autofluorescence, and prompt fluorescence it has been possible to resolve double emission images of living amoeba cells containing an intensely stained lucifer yellow in pinocytosed vesicles and membrane surface-bound SBMC-labeled biotinylated concanavalin A. Images of fixed cells represented in terms of the time decay of the sensitized emission show the lifetime of the europium ion emission is sensitive to the environment in which it is found. Through the coupling of SBMC to streptavidin,a plethora of biotin-based tracer molecules are available for immunocytochemical studies. Images FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7 PMID:7811952

Probing Twisted Magnetic Field Using Microwave Observations in an M Class Solar Flare on 11 February, 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharykin, I. N.; Kuznetsov, A. A.; Myshyakov, I. I.

2018-02-01

This work demonstrates the possibility of magnetic-field topology investigations using microwave polarimetric observations. We study a solar flare of GOES M1.7 class that occurred on 11 February, 2014. This flare revealed a clear signature of spatial inversion of the radio-emission polarization sign. We show that the observed polarization pattern can be explained by nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission from the twisted magnetic structure. Using observations of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Radio Solar Telescope Network, and Solar Dynamics Observatory, we have determined the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma and identified the magnetic structure where the flare energy release occurred. To reconstruct the coronal magnetic field, we use nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) and potential magnetic-field approaches. Radio emission of nonthermal electrons is simulated by the GX Simulator code using the extrapolated magnetic field and the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma inferred from the observations; the model radio maps and spectra are compared with observations. We have found that the potential-magnetic-field approach fails to explain the observed circular polarization pattern; on the other hand, the Stokes-V map is successfully explained by assuming nonthermal electrons to be distributed along the twisted magnetic structure determined by the NLFFF extrapolation approach. Thus, we show that the radio-polarization maps can be used for diagnosing the topology of the flare magnetic structures where nonthermal electrons are injected.

Probing the Innermost Regions of AGN Jets and Their Magnetic Fields with RadioAstron. I. Imaging BL Lacertae at 21 Microarcsecond Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, José L.; Lobanov, Andrei P.; Bruni, Gabriele; Kovalev, Yuri Y.; Marscher, Alan P.; Jorstad, Svetlana G.; Mizuno, Yosuke; Bach, Uwe; Sokolovsky, Kirill V.; Anderson, James M.; Galindo, Pablo; Kardashev, Nikolay S.; Lisakov, Mikhail M.

2016-02-01

We present the first polarimetric space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging observations at 22 GHz. BL Lacertae was observed in 2013 November 10 with the RadioAstron space VLBI mission, including a ground array of 15 radio telescopes. The instrumental polarization of the space radio telescope is found to be less than 9%, demonstrating the polarimetric imaging capabilities of RadioAstron at 22 GHz. Ground-space fringes were obtained up to a projected baseline distance of 7.9 Earth diameters in length, allowing us to image the jet in BL Lacertae with a maximum angular resolution of 21 μas, the highest achieved to date. We find evidence for emission upstream of the radio core, which may correspond to a recollimation shock at about 40 μas from the jet apex, in a pattern that includes other recollimation shocks at approximately 100 and 250 μas from the jet apex. Polarized emission is detected in two components within the innermost 0.5 mas from the core, as well as in some knots 3 mas downstream. Faraday rotation analysis, obtained from combining RadioAstron 22 GHz and ground-based 15 and 43 GHz images, shows a gradient in rotation measure and Faraday-corrected polarization vector as a function of position angle with respect to the core, suggesting that the jet in BL Lacertae is threaded by a helical magnetic field. The intrinsic de-boosted brightness temperature in the unresolved core exceeds 3× {10}12 K, suggesting, at the very least, departure from equipartition of energy between the magnetic field and radiating particles.

Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for bile duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms

PubMed Central

Ying, Shi-Hong; Teng, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Zhao-Ming; Wang, Qi-Dong; Zhao, Yi-Lei; Chen, Feng; Xiao, Wen-Bo

2015-01-01

AIM: To investigate gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the bile duct (IPMN-B). METHODS: The imaging findings of five cases of IPMN-B which were pathologically confirmed at our hospital between March 2012 and May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Three of these cases were diagnosed by duodenal endoscopy and biopsy pathology, and two cases were diagnosed by surgical pathology. All five patients underwent enhanced and non-enhanced computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI; one case underwent both Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and positron emission tomography-CT. The clinical data and imaging results for these cases were compared and are presented. RESULTS: Conventional imaging showed diffuse dilatation of bile ducts and multiple intraductal polypoid and papillary neoplasms or serrated changes along the bile ducts. In two cases, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI revealed dilated biliary ducts and intraductal tumors, as well as filling defects caused by mucin in the dilated bile ducts in the hepatobiliary phase. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in one case clearly showed a low-signal tumor in the hepatobiliary phase, similar to what was seen by positron emission tomography-CT. In two patients, routine inspection was unable to discern whether the lesions were inflammation or tumors. However, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI revealed a pattern of gradual enhancement during the hepatobiliary phase, and the signal intensity of the lesions was lower than the surrounding liver parenchyma, suggesting tissue inflammation in both cases, which were confirmed by surgical pathology. CONCLUSION: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI reveals the intraductal mucin component of IPMN-B in some cases and the extent of tumor infiltration beyond the bile ducts in invasive cases. PMID:26167082

Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for bile duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.

PubMed

Ying, Shi-Hong; Teng, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Zhao-Ming; Wang, Qi-Dong; Zhao, Yi-Lei; Chen, Feng; Xiao, Wen-Bo

2015-07-07

To investigate gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the bile duct (IPMN-B). The imaging findings of five cases of IPMN-B which were pathologically confirmed at our hospital between March 2012 and May 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Three of these cases were diagnosed by duodenal endoscopy and biopsy pathology, and two cases were diagnosed by surgical pathology. All five patients underwent enhanced and non-enhanced computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI; one case underwent both Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and positron emission tomography-CT. The clinical data and imaging results for these cases were compared and are presented. Conventional imaging showed diffuse dilatation of bile ducts and multiple intraductal polypoid and papillary neoplasms or serrated changes along the bile ducts. In two cases, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI revealed dilated biliary ducts and intraductal tumors, as well as filling defects caused by mucin in the dilated bile ducts in the hepatobiliary phase. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in one case clearly showed a low-signal tumor in the hepatobiliary phase, similar to what was seen by positron emission tomography-CT. In two patients, routine inspection was unable to discern whether the lesions were inflammation or tumors. However, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI revealed a pattern of gradual enhancement during the hepatobiliary phase, and the signal intensity of the lesions was lower than the surrounding liver parenchyma, suggesting tissue inflammation in both cases, which were confirmed by surgical pathology. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI reveals the intraductal mucin component of IPMN-B in some cases and the extent of tumor infiltration beyond the bile ducts in invasive cases.

Simultaneous reconstruction of emission activity and attenuation coefficient distribution from TOF data, acquired with external transmission source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panin, V. Y.; Aykac, M.; Casey, M. E.

2013-06-01

The simultaneous PET data reconstruction of emission activity and attenuation coefficient distribution is presented, where the attenuation image is constrained by exploiting an external transmission source. Data are acquired in time-of-flight (TOF) mode, allowing in principle for separation of emission and transmission data. Nevertheless, here all data are reconstructed at once, eliminating the need to trace the position of the transmission source in sinogram space. Contamination of emission data by the transmission source and vice versa is naturally modeled. Attenuated emission activity data also provide additional information about object attenuation coefficient values. The algorithm alternates between attenuation and emission activity image updates. We also proposed a method of estimation of spatial scatter distribution from the transmission source by incorporating knowledge about the expected range of attenuation map values. The reconstruction of experimental data from the Siemens mCT scanner suggests that simultaneous reconstruction improves attenuation map image quality, as compared to when data are separated. In the presented example, the attenuation map image noise was reduced and non-uniformity artifacts that occurred due to scatter estimation were suppressed. On the other hand, the use of transmission data stabilizes attenuation coefficient distribution reconstruction from TOF emission data alone. The example of improving emission images by refining a CT-based patient attenuation map is presented, revealing potential benefits of simultaneous CT and PET data reconstruction.

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET–MRI

PubMed Central

Gebhardt, P; Wehner, J; Weissler, B; Botnar, R; Marsden, P K; Schulz, V

2016-01-01

Abstract The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET–MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling–decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion IID PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector. PMID:27049898

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET-MRI.

PubMed

Gebhardt, P; Wehner, J; Weissler, B; Botnar, R; Marsden, P K; Schulz, V

2016-05-07

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET-MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling-decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion II (D) PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector.

FPGA-based RF interference reduction techniques for simultaneous PET-MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhardt, P.; Wehner, J.; Weissler, B.; Botnar, R.; Marsden, P. K.; Schulz, V.

2016-05-01

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a multi-modal imaging technique is considered very promising and powerful with regard to in vivo disease progression examination, therapy response monitoring and drug development. However, PET-MRI system design enabling simultaneous operation with unaffected intrinsic performance of both modalities is challenging. As one of the major issues, both the PET detectors and the MRI radio-frequency (RF) subsystem are exposed to electromagnetic (EM) interference, which may lead to PET and MRI signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) deteriorations. Early digitization of electronic PET signals within the MRI bore helps to preserve PET SNR, but occurs at the expense of increased amount of PET electronics inside the MRI and associated RF field emissions. This raises the likelihood of PET-related MRI interference by coupling into the MRI RF coil unwanted spurious signals considered as RF noise, as it degrades MRI SNR and results in MR image artefacts. RF shielding of PET detectors is a commonly used technique to reduce PET-related RF interferences, but can introduce eddy-current-related MRI disturbances and hinder the highest system integration. In this paper, we present RF interference reduction methods which rely on EM field coupling-decoupling principles of RF receive coils rather than suppressing emitted fields. By modifying clock frequencies and changing clock phase relations of digital circuits, the resulting RF field emission is optimised with regard to a lower field coupling into the MRI RF coil, thereby increasing the RF silence of PET detectors. Our methods are demonstrated by performing FPGA-based clock frequency and phase shifting of digital silicon photo-multipliers (dSiPMs) used in the PET modules of our MR-compatible Hyperion II D PET insert. We present simulations and magnetic-field map scans visualising the impact of altered clock phase pattern on the spatial RF field distribution, followed by MRI noise and SNR scans performed with an operating PET module using different clock frequencies and phase patterns. The methods were implemented via firmware design changes without any hardware modifications. This introduces new means of flexibility by enabling adaptive RF interference reduction optimisations in the field, e.g. when using a PET insert with different MRI systems or when different MRI RF coil types are to be operated with the same PET detector.

A method to quickly test the emissivity with an infrared thermal imaging system within a small distance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuan-yu; Hu, Rui; Wang, Rui-xin

2015-10-01

A simple method has been set up to quickly test the emissivity with an infrared thermal imaging system within a small distance according to the theory of measuring temperature by infrared system, which is based on the Planck radiation law and Lambert-beer law. The object's temperature is promoted and held on by a heater while a temperature difference has been formed between the target and environment. The emissivity of human skin, galvanized iron plate, black rubber and liquid water has been tested under the condition that the emissivity is set in 1.0 and the testing distance is 1m. According to the invariance of human's body temperature, a testing curve is established to describe that the thermal imaging temperatures various with the emissivity which is set in from 0.9 to 1.0. As a result, the method has been verified. The testing results show that the emissivity of human skin is 0.95. The emissivity of galvanized iron plate, black rubber and liquid water decreases with the increase of object's temperature. The emissivity of galvanized iron plate is far smaller than the one of human skin, black rubber or water. The emissivity of water slowly linearly decreases with the increase of its temperature. By the study, within a small distance and clean atmosphere, the infrared emissivity of objects may be expediently tested with an infrared thermal imaging system according to the method, which is promoting the object's temperature to make it different from the environment temperature, then simultaneously measures the environmental temperature, the real temperature and thermal imaging temperature of the object when the emissivity is set in 1.0 and the testing distance is 1.0m.

Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen PET: Clinical Utility in Prostate Cancer, Normal Patterns, Pearls, and Pitfalls.

PubMed

Hofman, Michael S; Hicks, Rodney J; Maurer, Tobias; Eiber, Matthias

2018-01-01

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is overexpressed in prostate cancer. Radiolabeled small molecules that bind with high affinity to its active extracellular center have emerged as a potential new diagnostic standard of reference for prostate cancer, resulting in images with extraordinary tumor-to-background contrast. Currently, gallium 68 ( 68 Ga)-PSMA-11 (or HBED-PSMA) is the most widely used radiotracer for PSMA positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) or PSMA PET/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Evolving evidence demonstrates superior sensitivity and specificity of PSMA PET compared to conventional imaging, with frequent identification of subcentimeter prostate cancer lesions. PSMA PET is effective for imaging disease in the prostate, lymph nodes, soft tissue, and bone in a "one-stop-shop" examination. There is emerging evidence for its clinical value in staging of high-risk primary prostate cancer and localization of disease in biochemical recurrence. The high sensitivity provided by PSMA PET, with frequent identification of small-volume disease, is redefining patterns of disease spread compared with those seen at conventional imaging. In metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, PSMA PET is frequently used for theranostic selection (eg, lutetium 177-PSMA radionuclide therapy), but its potential use for therapy monitoring is still under debate. However, evidence on its proper use to improve patient-related outcomes, particularly in the setting of early biochemical recurrence and targeted treatment of oligometastatic disease, is still missing. Despite the term prostate specific, PSMA functions as a folate hydrolase and is expressed in a range of normal tissues and in other benign and malignant processes. Knowledge of its physiologic distribution and other causes of uptake is essential to minimize false-positive imaging findings. © RSNA, 2018.

Processes of Geology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

Released 16 July 2003

This THEMIS visible image captures a complex process of deposition, burial and exhumation. The crater ejecta in the top of the image is in the form of flow lobes, indicating that the crater was formed in volatile-rich terrain. While a radial pattern can be seen in the ejecta, the pattern is sharper in the lower half of the ejecta. This is because the top half of the ejecta is still buried by a thin layer of sediment. It is most likely that at one time the entire area was covered. Wind, and perhaps water erosion have started to remove this layer, once again exposing the what was present underneath.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -34.3, Longitude 181.2 East (178.8 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Multi-field electron emission pattern of 2D emitter: Illustrated with graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Ma; Li, Zhibing

2016-11-01

The mechanism of laser-assisted multi-field electron emission of two-dimensional emitters is investigated theoretically. The process is basically a cold field electron emission but having more controllable components: a uniform electric field controls the emission potential barrier, a magnetic field controls the quantum states of the emitter, while an optical field controls electron populations of specified quantum states. It provides a highly orientational vacuum electron line source whose divergence angle over the beam plane is inversely proportional to square root of the emitter height. Calculations are carried out for graphene with the armchair emission edge, as a concrete example. The rate equation incorporating the optical excitation, phonon scattering, and thermal relaxation is solved in the quasi-equilibrium approximation for electron population in the bands. The far-field emission patterns, that inherit the features of the Landau bands, are obtained. It is found that the optical field generates a characteristic structure at one wing of the emission pattern.

Visualization of stress wave propagation via air-coupled acoustic emission sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivey, Joshua C.; Lee, Gil-Yong; Yang, Jinkyu; Kim, Youngkey; Kim, Sungchan

2017-02-01

We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of visualizing stress waves propagating in plates using air-coupled acoustic emission sensors. Specifically, we employ a device that embeds arrays of microphones around an optical lens in a helical pattern. By implementing a beamforming technique, this remote sensing system allows us to record wave propagation events in situ via a single-shot and full-field measurement. This is a significant improvement over the conventional wave propagation tracking approaches based on laser doppler vibrometry or digital image correlation techniques. In this paper, we focus on demonstrating the feasibility and efficacy of this air-coupled acoustic emission technique by using large metallic plates exposed to external impacts. The visualization results of stress wave propagation will be shown under various impact scenarios. The proposed technique can be used to characterize and localize damage by detecting the attenuation, reflection, and scattering of stress waves that occurs at damage locations. This can ultimately lead to the development of new structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation methods for identifying hidden cracks or delaminations in metallic or composite plate structures, simultaneously negating the need for mounted contact sensors.

68Ga/177Lu-labeled DOTA-TATE shows similar imaging and biodistribution in neuroendocrine tumor model.

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Zhu, Hua; Yu, Jiangyuan; Han, Xuedi; Xie, Qinghua; Liu, Teli; Xia, Chuanqin; Li, Nan; Yang, Zhi

2017-06-01

Somatostatin receptors are overexpressed in neuroendocrine tumors, whose endogenous ligands are somatostatin. DOTA-TATE is an analogue of somatostatin, which shows high binding affinity to somatostatin receptors. We aim to evaluate the 68 Ga/ 177 Lu-labeling DOTA-TATE kit in neuroendocrine tumor model for molecular imaging and to try human-positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging of 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE in neuroendocrine tumor patients. DOTA-TATE kits were formulated and radiolabeled with 68 Ga/ 177 Lu for 68 Ga/ 177 Lu-DOTA-TATE (M-DOTA-TATE). In vitro and in vivo stability of 177 Lu-DOTA-TATE were performed. Nude mice bearing human tumors were injected with 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE or 177 Lu-DOTA-TATE for micro-positron emission tomography and micro-single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging separately, and clinical positron emission tomography/computed tomography images of 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE were obtained at 1 h post-intravenous injection from patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Micro-positron emission tomography and micro-single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging of 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE and 177 Lu-DOTA-TATE both showed clear tumor uptake which could be blocked by excess DOTA-TATE. In addition, 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE-positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging in neuroendocrine tumor patients could show primary and metastatic lesions. 68 Ga-DOTA-TATE and 177 Lu-DOTA-TATE could accumulate in tumors in animal models, paving the way for better clinical peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for neuroendocrine tumor patients in Asian population.

PET/CT in paediatric malignancies - An update

PubMed Central

Padma, Subramanyam; Sundaram, Palaniswamy Shanmuga; Tewari, Anshu

2016-01-01

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a well-established imaging modality in adult oncological practice. Its role in childhood malignancies needs to be discussed as paediatric malignancies differ from adults in tumor subtypes and they have different tumor biology and FDG uptake patterns. This is also compounded by smaller body mass, dosimetric restrictions, and physiological factors that can affect the FDG uptake. It calls for careful planning of the PET study, preparing the child, the parents, and expertise of nuclear physicians in reporting pediatric positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) studies. In a broad perspective, FDG-PET/CT has been used in staging, assessment of therapy response, identifying metastases and as a follow-up tool in a wide variety of pediatric malignancies. This review outlines the role of PET/CT in childhood malignancies other than hematological malignancies such as lymphoma and leukemia. PMID:27688605

Change in the diagnosis from classical Hodgkin's lymphoma to anaplastic large cell lymphoma by (18)F flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography: Importance of recognising disease pattern on imaging and immunohistochemistry.

PubMed

Senthil, Raja; Mohapatra, Ranjan Kumar; Sampath, Mouleeswaran Koramadai; Sundaraiya, Sumati

2016-01-01

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare type of nonHodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but one of the most common subtypes of T-cell lymphoma. It is an aggressive T-cell lymphoma, and some ALCL may mimic less aggressive classical HL histopathlogically. It may be misdiagnosed unless careful immunohistochemical examination is performed. As the prognosis and management of these two lymphomas vary significantly, it is important to make a correct diagnosis. We describe a case who was diagnosed as classical HL by histopathological examination of cervical lymph node, in whom (18)F-flouro deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography appearances were unusual for HL and warranted review of histopathology that revealed anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1 negative anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma, Hodgkin-like variant, thereby changing the management.

Combustion synthesis of MgO nanoparticles using plant extract: Structural characterization and photoluminescence studies

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

Kumar, Danith; Chikkahanumantharayappa; Yadav, L. S. Reddy

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO Nps) have been successfully synthesized via solution combustion method using Parthenium plant extract as fuel for the first time. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) pattern reveal that product belongs to the cubic phase (Periclase). FTIR spectrum shows the band at 822 cm{sup −1} indicates the formation of cubic periclase MgO. The optical band gap of MgO Nps estimated from UV –Vis spectrum was found to be in the range 5.40–5.45 eV. SEM images showed that, the product is agglomerated and particle in nature. Photoluminescence (PL) studies shows violet emission at 390 nm, blue emission at 470 nm and green emissionmore » at 550 nm. MgO Nps shows good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV/Sun light irradiation.« less

Mars Thermal Inertia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This image shows the global thermal inertia of the Martian surface as measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor. The data were acquired during the first 5000 orbits of the MGS mapping mission. The pattern of inertia variations observed by TES agrees well with the thermal inertia maps made by the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper experiment, but the TES data shown here are at significantly higher spatial resolution (15 km versus 60 km).

The TES instrument was built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing and is operated by Philip R. Christensen, of Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Daily and 3-hourly Variability in Global Fire Emissions and Consequences for Atmospheric Model Predictions of Carbon Monoxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mu, M.; Randerson, J. T.; vanderWerf, G. R.; Giglio, L.; Kasibhatla, P.; Morton, D.; Collatz, G. J.; DeFries, R. S.; Hyer, E. J.; Prins, E. M.;

Daily and Hourly Variability in Global Fire Emissions and Consequences for Atmospheric Model Predictions of Carbon Monoxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mu, M.; Randerson, J. T.; van der Werf, G. R.; Giglio, L.; Kasibhatla, P.; Morton, D.; Collatz, G. J.; DeFries, R. S.; Hyer, E. J.; Prins, E. M.;

Advanced synchronous luminescence imaging for chemical and medical diagnostics

DOEpatents

Vo-Dinh, Tuan

2006-09-05

A diagnostic method and associated system includes the steps of exposing at least one sample location with excitation radiation through a single optical waveguide or a single optical waveguide bundle, wherein the sample emits emission radiation in response to the excitation radiation. The same single optical waveguide or the single optical waveguide bundle receives at least a portion of the emission radiation from the sample, thus providing co-registration of the excitation radiation and the emission radiation. The wavelength of the excitation radiation and emission radiation is synchronously scanned to produce a spectrum upon which an image can be formed. An increased emission signal is generated by the enhanced overlap of the excitation and emission focal volumes provided by co-registration of the excitation and emission signals thus increasing the sensitivity as well as decreasing the exposure time necessary to obtain an image.

The potential of satellite spectro-imagery for monitoring CO2 emissions from large cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broquet, Grégoire; Bréon, François-Marie; Renault, Emmanuel; Buchwitz, Michael; Reuter, Maximilian; Bovensmann, Heinrich; Chevallier, Frédéric; Wu, Lin; Ciais, Philippe

2018-02-01

This study assesses the potential of 2 to 10 km resolution imagery of CO2 concentrations retrieved from the shortwave infrared measurements of a space-borne passive spectrometer for monitoring the spatially integrated emissions from the Paris area. Such imagery could be provided by missions similar to CarbonSat, which was studied as a candidate Earth Explorer 8 mission by the European Space Agency (ESA). This assessment is based on observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) with an atmospheric inversion approach at city scale. The inversion system solves for hourly city CO2 emissions and natural fluxes, or for these fluxes per main anthropogenic sector or ecosystem, during the 6 h before a given satellite overpass. These 6 h correspond to the period during which emissions produce CO2 plumes that can be identified on the image from this overpass. The statistical framework of the inversion accounts for the existence of some prior knowledge with 50 % uncertainty on the hourly or sectorial emissions, and with ˜ 25 % uncertainty on the 6 h mean emissions, from an inventory based on energy use and carbon fuel consumption statistics. The link between the hourly or sectorial emissions and the vertically integrated column of CO2 observed by the satellite is simulated using a coupled flux and atmospheric transport model. This coupled model is built with the information on the spatial and temporal distribution of emissions from the emission inventory produced by the local air-quality agency (Airparif) and a 2 km horizontal resolution atmospheric transport model. Tests are conducted for different realistic simulations of the spatial coverage, resolution, precision and accuracy of the imagery from sun-synchronous polar-orbiting missions, corresponding to the specifications of CarbonSat and Sentinel-5 or extrapolated from these specifications. First, OSSEs are conducted with a rather optimistic configuration in which the inversion system is perfectly informed about the statistics of the limited number of error sources. These OSSEs indicate that the image resolution has to be finer than 4 km to decrease the uncertainty in the 6 h mean emissions by more than 50 %. More complex experiments assess the impact of more realistic error estimates that current inversion methods do not properly account for, in particular, the systematic measurement errors with spatially correlated patterns. These experiments highlight the difficulty to improve current knowledge on CO2 emissions for urban areas like Paris with CO2 observations from satellites, and call for more technological innovations in the remote sensing of vertically integrated columns of CO2 and in the inversion systems that exploit it.

Syllable acoustics, temporal patterns, and call composition vary with behavioral context in Mexican free-tailed bats

PubMed Central

Bohn, Kirsten M.; Schmidt-French, Barbara; Ma, Sean T.; Pollak, George D.

2008-01-01

Recent research has shown that some bat species have rich vocal repertoires with diverse syllable acoustics. Few studies, however, have compared vocalizations across different behavioral contexts or examined the temporal emission patterns of vocalizations. In this paper, a comprehensive examination of the vocal repertoire of Mexican free-tailed bats, T. brasiliensis, is presented. Syllable acoustics and temporal emission patterns for 16 types of vocalizations including courtship song revealed three main findings. First, although in some cases syllables are unique to specific calls, other syllables are shared among different calls. Second, entire calls associated with one behavior can be embedded into more complex vocalizations used in entirely different behavioral contexts. Third, when different calls are composed of similar syllables, distinctive temporal emission patterns may facilitate call recognition. These results indicate that syllable acoustics alone do not likely provide enough information for call recognition; rather, the acoustic context and temporal emission patterns of vocalizations may affect meaning. PMID:19045674

Diurnal Variability and Emission Pattern of Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) from the Application of Personal Care Products in Two North American Cities.

PubMed

Coggon, Matthew M; McDonald, Brian C; Vlasenko, Alexander; Veres, Patrick R; Bernard, François; Koss, Abigail R; Yuan, Bin; Gilman, Jessica B; Peischl, Jeff; Aikin, Kenneth C; DuRant, Justin; Warneke, Carsten; Li, Shao-Meng; de Gouw, Joost A

2018-05-15

Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D 5 ) is a cyclic volatile methyl siloxane (cVMS) that is widely used in consumer products and commonly observed in urban air. This study quantifies the ambient mixing ratios of D 5 from ground sites in two North American cities (Boulder, CO, USA, and Toronto, ON, CA). From these data, we estimate the diurnal emission profile of D 5 in Boulder, CO. Ambient mixing ratios were consistent with those measured at other urban locations; however, the diurnal pattern exhibited similarities with those of traffic-related compounds such as benzene. Mobile measurements and vehicle experiments demonstrate that emissions of D 5 from personal care products are coincident in time and place with emissions of benzene from motor vehicles. During peak commuter times, the D 5 /benzene ratio (w/w) is in excess of 0.3, suggesting that the mass emission rate of D 5 from personal care product usage is comparable to that of benzene due to traffic. The diurnal emission pattern of D 5 is estimated using the measured D 5 /benzene ratio and inventory estimates of benzene emission rates in Boulder. The hourly D 5 emission rate is observed to peak between 6:00 and 7:00 AM and subsequently follow an exponential decay with a time constant of 9.2 h. This profile could be used by models to constrain temporal emission patterns of personal care products.

Imaging of ultraweak spontaneous photon emission from human body displaying diurnal rhythm.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Masaki; Kikuchi, Daisuke; Okamura, Hitoshi

2009-07-16

The human body literally glimmers. The intensity of the light emitted by the body is 1000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eyes. Ultraweak photon emission is known as the energy released as light through the changes in energy metabolism. We successfully imaged the diurnal change of this ultraweak photon emission with an improved highly sensitive imaging system using cryogenic charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. We found that the human body directly and rhythmically emits light. The diurnal changes in photon emission might be linked to changes in energy metabolism.

Super-Resolution Imaging of Molecular Emission Spectra and Single Molecule Spectral Fluctuations

PubMed Central

Mlodzianoski, Michael J.; Curthoys, Nikki M.; Gunewardene, Mudalige S.; Carter, Sean; Hess, Samuel T.

2016-01-01

Localization microscopy can image nanoscale cellular details. To address biological questions, the ability to distinguish multiple molecular species simultaneously is invaluable. Here, we present a new version of fluorescence photoactivation localization microscopy (FPALM) which detects the emission spectrum of each localized molecule, and can quantify changes in emission spectrum of individual molecules over time. This information can allow for a dramatic increase in the number of different species simultaneously imaged in a sample, and can create super-resolution maps showing how single molecule emission spectra vary with position and time in a sample. PMID:27002724

Size-resolved particle number emission patterns under real-world driving conditions using positive matrix factorization.

PubMed

Domínguez-Sáez, Aida; Viana, Mar; Barrios, Carmen C; Rubio, Jose R; Amato, Fulvio; Pujadas, Manuel; Querol, Xavier

2012-10-16

A novel on-board system was tested to characterize size-resolved particle number emission patterns under real-world driving conditions, running in a EURO4 diesel vehicle and in a typical urban circuit in Madrid (Spain). Emission profiles were determined as a function of driving conditions. Source apportionment by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was carried out to interpret the real-world driving conditions. Three emission patterns were identified: (F1) cruise conditions, with medium-high speeds, contributing in this circuit with 60% of total particle number and a particle size distribution dominated by particles >52 nm and around 60 nm; (F2) transient conditions, stop-and-go conditions at medium-high speed, contributing with 25% of the particle number and mainly emitting particles in the nucleation mode; and (F3) creep-idle conditions, representing traffic congestion and frequent idling periods, contributing with 14% to the total particle number and with particles in the nucleation mode (<29.4 nm) and around 98 nm. We suggest potential approaches to reduce particle number emissions depending on particle size and driving conditions. Differences between real-world emission patterns and regulatory cycles (NEDC) are also presented, which evidence that detecting particle number emissions <40 nm is only possible under real-world driving conditions.

Transfer Printing Method to Obtain Polarized Light Emission in Organic Light-Emitting Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, Hee Yeon; Park, Chang-sub; Park, Ji-Sub; Kang, Shin-Won; Kim, Hak-Rin

2012-06-01

We demonstrate a transfer printing method to obtain polarized light emission in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). On a rubbed self-assembled monolayer (SAM), a spin-coated liquid crystalline light-emissive polymer is aligned along the rubbing direction because of the anisotropic interfacial intermolecular interaction. Owing to the low surface energy of the SAM surface, the light-emissive layer was easily transferred to a patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp surface without degrading the ordering. Finally, a polarized light-emissive OLED device was prepared by transferring the patterned light-emissive layer to the charge transport layer of the OLED structure.

A novel method for fast imaging of brain function, non-invasively, with light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chance, Britton; Anday, Endla; Nioka, Shoko; Zhou, Shuoming; Hong, Long; Worden, Katherine; Li, C.; Murray, T.; Ovetsky, Y.; Pidikiti, D.; Thomas, R.

1998-05-01

Imaging of the human body by any non-invasive technique has been an appropriate goal of physics and medicine, and great success has been obtained with both Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in brain imaging. Non-imaging responses to functional activation using near infrared spectroscopy of brain (fNIR) obtained in 1993 (Chance, et al. [1]) and in 1994 (Tamura, et al. [2]) are now complemented with images of pre-frontal and parietal stimulation in adults and pre-term neonates in this communication (see also [3]). Prior studies used continuous [4], pulsed [3] or modulated [5] light. The amplitude and phase cancellation of optical patterns as demonstrated for single source detector pairs affords remarkable sensitivity of small object detection in model systems [6]. The methods have now been elaborated with multiple source detector combinations (nine sources, four detectors). Using simple back projection algorithms it is now possible to image sensorimotor and cognitive activation of adult and pre- and full-term neonate human brain function in times < 30 sec and with two dimensional resolutions of < 1 cm in two dimensional displays. The method can be used in evaluation of adult and neonatal cerebral dysfunction in a simple, portable and affordable method that does not require immobilization, as contrasted to MRI and PET.

Electron coherent diffraction tomography of a nanocrystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dronyak, Roman; Liang, Keng S.; Tsai, Jin-Sheng; Stetsko, Yuri P.; Lee, Ting-Kuo; Chen, Fu-Rong

2010-05-01

Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) with electron or x-ray sources is a promising technique for investigating the structure of nanoparticles down to the atomic scale. In electron CDI, a two-dimensional reconstruction is demonstrated using highly coherent illumination from a field-emission gun as a source of electrons. In a three-dimensional (3D) electron CDI, we experimentally determine the morphology of a single MgO nanocrystal using the Bragg diffraction geometry. An iterative algorithm is applied to invert the 3D diffraction pattern about a (200) reflection of the nanoparticle measured at an angular range of 1.8°. The results reveal a 3D image of the sample at ˜8 nm resolution, and agree with a simulation. Our work demonstrates an alternative approach to obtain the 3D structure of nanocrystals with an electron microscope.

Electroencephalographic imaging of higher brain function

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gevins, A.; Smith, M. E.; McEvoy, L. K.; Leong, H.; Le, J.

1999-01-01

High temporal resolution is necessary to resolve the rapidly changing patterns of brain activity that underlie mental function. Electroencephalography (EEG) provides temporal resolution in the millisecond range. However, traditional EEG technology and practice provide insufficient spatial detail to identify relationships between brain electrical events and structures and functions visualized by magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography. Recent advances help to overcome this problem by recording EEGs from more electrodes, by registering EEG data with anatomical images, and by correcting the distortion caused by volume conduction of EEG signals through the skull and scalp. In addition, statistical measurements of sub-second interdependences between EEG time-series recorded from different locations can help to generate hypotheses about the instantaneous functional networks that form between different cortical regions during perception, thought and action. Example applications are presented from studies of language, attention and working memory. Along with its unique ability to monitor brain function as people perform everyday activities in the real world, these advances make modern EEG an invaluable complement to other functional neuroimaging modalities.

Dissecting the active galactic nucleus in Circinus - I. Peculiar mid-IR morphology explained by a dusty hollow cone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stalevski, Marko; Asmus, Daniel; Tristram, Konrad R. W.

2017-12-01

Recent high angular resolution observations resolved for the first time the mid-infrared (MIR) structure of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Surprisingly, they revealed that a major fraction of their MIR emission comes from the polar regions. This is at odds with the expectation based on AGN unification, which postulates a dusty torus in the equatorial region. The nearby, archetypical AGN in the Circinus galaxy offers one of the best opportunities to study the MIR emission in greater detail. New, high-quality MIR images obtained with the upgraded VISIR instrument at the Very Large Telescope show that the previously detected bar-like structure extends up to at least 40 pc on both sides of the nucleus along the edges of the ionization cone. Motivated by observations across a wide wavelength range and on different spatial scales, we propose a phenomenological dust emission model for the AGN in the Circinus galaxy consisting of a compact dusty disc and a large-scale dusty cone shell, illuminated by a tilted accretion disc with an anisotropic emission pattern. Undertaking detailed radiative transfer simulations, we demonstrate that such a model is able to explain the peculiar MIR morphology and account for the entire IR spectral energy distribution. Our results call for caution when attributing dust emission of unresolved sources entirely to the torus and warrant further investigation of the MIR emission in the polar regions of the AGN.

Theory and Application of Auger and Photoelectron Diffraction and Holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiang

This dissertation addresses the theories and applications of three important surface analysis techniques: Auger electron diffraction (AED), x-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD), and Auger and photoelectron holography. A full multiple-scattering scheme for the calculations of XPD, AED, and Kikuchi electron diffraction pattern from a surface cluster is described. It is used to simulate 64 eV M_{2,3}VV and 913 eV L_3VV AED patterns from Cu(001) surfaces, in order to test assertions in the literature that they are explicable by a classical "blocking" and channeling model. We find that this contention is not valid, and that only a quantum mechanical multiple-scattering calculation is able to simulate these patterns well. The same multiple scattering simulation scheme is also used to investigate the anomalous phenomena of peak shifts off the forward-scattering directions in photo -electron diffraction patterns of Mg KLL (1180 eV) and O 1s (955 eV) from MgO(001) surfaces. These shifts are explained by calculations assuming a short electron mean free path. Similar simulations of XPD from a CoSi_2(111) surface for Co-3p and Si-2p normal emission agree well with experimental diffraction patterns. A filtering process aimed at eliminating the self -interference effect in photoelectron holography is developed. A better reconstructed image from Si-2p XPD from a Si(001) (2 times 1) surface is seen at atomic resolution. A reconstruction algorithm which corrects for the anisotropic emitter waves as well as the anisotropic atomic scattering factors is used for holographic reconstruction from a Co-3p XPD pattern from a CoSi_2 surface. This new algorithm considerably improves the reconstructed image. Finally, a new reconstruction algorithm called "atomic position recovery by iterative optimization of reconstructed intensities" (APRIORI), which takes account of the self-interference terms omitted by the other holographic algorithms, is developed. Tests on a Ni-C-O chain and Si(111)(sqrt{3} times sqrt{3})B surface suggest that this new method may overcome the twin image problem in the traditional holographic methods, reduce the artifacts in real space, and even separately identify the chemical species of the scatterers.

Optimizing congestion and emissions via tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wenlong; Ma, Shoufeng; Tian, Junfang

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations that can reassign network traffic flow patterns to optimize congestion and emissions. First, we prove the existence of the proposed schemes and further decentralize the minimum emission flow pattern to user equilibrium. Moreover, we design the solving method of the proposed credit scheme for minimum emission problem. Second, we investigate the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations for bi-objectives to obtain the Pareto system optimum flow patterns of congestion and emissions; and present the corresponding solutions are located in the polyhedron constituted by some inequalities and equalities system. Last, numerical example based on a simple traffic network is adopted to obtain the proposed credit schemes and verify they are revenue-neutral.

Near-infrared fluorescence amplified organic nanoparticles with aggregation-induced emission characteristics for in vivo imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Junlong; Zhu, Zhenshu; Qin, Wei; Ma, Lin; Hu, Yong; Gurzadyan, Gagik G.; Tang, Ben Zhong; Liu, Bin

2013-12-01

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence signals are highly desirable to achieve high resolution in biological imaging. To obtain NIR emission with high brightness, fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized by co-encapsulation of 2,3-bis(4-(phenyl(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenylamino)phenyl)fumaronitrile (TPETPAFN), a luminogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics, and a NIR fluorogen of silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine bis(trihexylsilyloxide) (NIR775) using 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] as the encapsulation matrix. The good spectral overlap between the emission of TPETPAFN and the absorption of NIR775 leads to efficient energy transfer, resulting in a 47-fold enhancement of the NIR775 emission intensity upon excitation of TPETPAFN at 510 nm as compared to that upon direct excitation of NIR775 at 760 nm. The obtained fluorescent NPs show sharp NIR emission with a band width of 20 nm, a large Stokes shift of 275 nm, good photostability and low cytotoxicity. In vivo imaging study reveals that the synthesized NPs are able to provide high fluorescence contrast in live animals. The Förster resonance energy transfer strategy overcomes the intrinsic limitation of broad emission spectra for AIE NPs, which opens new opportunities to synthesize organic NPs with high brightness and narrow emission for potential applications in multiplex sensing and imaging.Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence signals are highly desirable to achieve high resolution in biological imaging. To obtain NIR emission with high brightness, fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized by co-encapsulation of 2,3-bis(4-(phenyl(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenylamino)phenyl)fumaronitrile (TPETPAFN), a luminogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics, and a NIR fluorogen of silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine bis(trihexylsilyloxide) (NIR775) using 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] as the encapsulation matrix. The good spectral overlap between the emission of TPETPAFN and the absorption of NIR775 leads to efficient energy transfer, resulting in a 47-fold enhancement of the NIR775 emission intensity upon excitation of TPETPAFN at 510 nm as compared to that upon direct excitation of NIR775 at 760 nm. The obtained fluorescent NPs show sharp NIR emission with a band width of 20 nm, a large Stokes shift of 275 nm, good photostability and low cytotoxicity. In vivo imaging study reveals that the synthesized NPs are able to provide high fluorescence contrast in live animals. The Förster resonance energy transfer strategy overcomes the intrinsic limitation of broad emission spectra for AIE NPs, which opens new opportunities to synthesize organic NPs with high brightness and narrow emission for potential applications in multiplex sensing and imaging. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Characterization of AIE properties of TPETPAFN, UV-vis spectra of NPs, PL spectra comparison upon excitation at the donor and receptor absorbance maxima, ex vivo fluorescence imaging of mice organs. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr04243j

Source location of the smooth high-frequency radio emissions from Uranus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, W. M.; Calvert, W.

1989-01-01

The source location of the smooth high-frequency radio emissions from Uranus has been determined. Specifically, by fitting the signal dropouts which occurred as Voyager traversed the hollow center of the emission pattern to a symmetrical cone centered on the source magnetic field direction at the cyclotron frequency, a southern-hemisphere (nightside) source was found at approximately 56 deg S, 219 deg W. The half-angle for the hollow portion of the emission pattern was found to be 13 deg.

Acoustic emission linear pulse holography

DOEpatents

Collins, H.D.; Busse, L.J.; Lemon, D.K.

1983-10-25

This device relates to the concept of and means for performing Acoustic Emission Linear Pulse Holography, which combines the advantages of linear holographic imaging and Acoustic Emission into a single non-destructive inspection system. This unique system produces a chronological, linear holographic image of a flaw by utilizing the acoustic energy emitted during crack growth. The innovation is the concept of utilizing the crack-generated acoustic emission energy to generate a chronological series of images of a growing crack by applying linear, pulse holographic processing to the acoustic emission data. The process is implemented by placing on a structure an array of piezoelectric sensors (typically 16 or 32 of them) near the defect location. A reference sensor is placed between the defect and the array.

Fundamental and future prospects of printed ambipolar fluorene-type polymer light-emitting transistors for improved external quantum efficiency, mobility, and emission pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajii, Hirotake

2018-05-01

In this review, we focus on the improved external quantum efficiency, field-effect mobility, and emission pattern of top-gate-type polymer light-emitting transistors (PLETs) based on ambipolar fluorene-type polymers. A low-temperature, high-efficiency, printable red phosphorescent PLET based on poly(alkylfluorene) with modified alkyl side chains fabricated by a film transfer process is demonstrated. Device fabrication based on oriented films leads to an improved EL intensity owing to the increase in field-effect mobility. There are three factors that affect the transport of carriers, i.e., the energy level, threshold voltage, and mobility of each layer for heterostructure PLETs, which result in various emission patterns such as the line-shaped, multicolor and in-plane emission pattern in the full-channel area between source and drain electrodes. Fundamentals and future prospects in heterostructure devices are discussed and reviewed.

Wide-field spectrally resolved quantitative fluorescence imaging system: toward neurosurgical guidance in glioma resection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yijing; Thom, Maria; Ebner, Michael; Wykes, Victoria; Desjardins, Adrien; Miserocchi, Anna; Ourselin, Sebastien; McEvoy, Andrew W.; Vercauteren, Tom

2017-11-01

In high-grade glioma surgery, tumor resection is often guided by intraoperative fluorescence imaging. 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) provides fluorescent contrast between normal brain tissue and glioma tissue, thus achieving improved tumor delineation and prolonged patient survival compared with conventional white-light-guided resection. However, commercially available fluorescence imaging systems rely solely on visual assessment of fluorescence patterns by the surgeon, which makes the resection more subjective than necessary. We developed a wide-field spectrally resolved fluorescence imaging system utilizing a Generation II scientific CMOS camera and an improved computational model for the precise reconstruction of the PpIX concentration map. In our model, the tissue's optical properties and illumination geometry, which distort the fluorescent emission spectra, are considered. We demonstrate that the CMOS-based system can detect low PpIX concentration at short camera exposure times, while providing high-pixel resolution wide-field images. We show that total variation regularization improves the contrast-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed quantitative concentration map by approximately twofold. Quantitative comparison between the estimated PpIX concentration and tumor histopathology was also investigated to further evaluate the system.

Seasonal climate change patterns due to cumulative CO2 emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partanen, Antti-Ilari; Leduc, Martin; Damon Matthews, H.

2017-07-01

Cumulative CO2 emissions are near linearly related to both global and regional changes in annual-mean surface temperature. These relationships are known as the transient climate response to cumulative CO2 emissions (TCRE) and the regional TCRE (RTCRE), and have been shown to remain approximately constant over a wide range of cumulative emissions. Here, we assessed how well this relationship holds for seasonal patterns of temperature change, as well as for annual-mean and seasonal precipitation patterns. We analyzed an idealized scenario with CO2 concentration growing at an annual rate of 1% using data from 12 Earth system models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Seasonal RTCRE values for temperature varied considerably, with the highest seasonal variation evident in the Arctic, where RTCRE was about 5.5 °C per Tt C for boreal winter and about 2.0 °C per Tt C for boreal summer. Also the precipitation response in the Arctic during boreal winter was stronger than during other seasons. We found that emission-normalized seasonal patterns of temperature change were relatively robust with respect to time, though they were sub-linear with respect to emissions particularly near the Arctic. Moreover, RTCRE patterns for precipitation could not be quantified robustly due to the large internal variability of precipitation. Our results suggest that cumulative CO2 emissions are a useful metric to predict regional and seasonal changes in precipitation and temperature. This extension of the TCRE framework to seasonal and regional climate change is helpful for communicating the link between emissions and climate change to policy-makers and the general public, and is well-suited for impact studies that could make use of estimated regional-scale climate changes that are consistent with the carbon budgets associated with global temperature targets.

Effects of soil dry-wet cycles and nitrogen fertilization on soil nitrous oxide emission: Simulation using the DNDC model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, D.; Chen, H.; Deng, Q.; Wang, G.; Schadt, C. W.

2017-12-01

The major source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) is from croplands. A rapid pulse response of soil N2O emission to precipitation (PPT) is often reported, especially after a drought period. However, how precipitation pattern (i.e. frequency) and intensity, and nitrogen (N) fertilization would interactively influence soil N2O emission has not been well investigated. In this modeling study, we took advantage of a validated biogeochemical model (DNDC) in a cornfield and simulated soil N2O emission under manipulated precipitation treatments and three levels (Low, medium and high) of N application rate. The PPT treatments included precipitation pattern (from very frequent, to medium, and rare dry-wet cycles without changes in total annual precipitation) and intensity (from ambient, to -50%, +50%, and +100% ambient precipitation without changes in precipitation pattern). Results showed that both precipitation pattern and intensity, as well as nitrogen application rate had significant influences on the pulse responses and annual soil N2O emission. Very frequent dry-wet cycles tended to increase soil N2O emission while long drought-wet cycles had lower soil N2O emission, but the timing of N fertilization and precipitation also played an important role in the magnitude of pulse response and annual budget of N2O emission. As expected, soil N2O emission was higher under the high N application and lower under the low N application rate. Double precipitation (+100%) had the highest soil N2O emission, but showed no significant differences with +50% and ambient precipitation. The drought (-50%) treatment significantly reduced soil N2O emission. Annual soil N2O emission could be described as N2O=-6.7436+0.1098N+0.0049PPT, R2=0.86. Our results demonstrate that not only the intensity and pattern of precipitation greatly influence soil N2O emission, but also the timing of rainfall and N fertilization may play an important role in soil N2O pulse responses and annual N2O emission in cornfields. These modeling approaches inform our future work to deploy automated gas flux systems to validate and monitor these rapid N2O responses in the field.

PET imaging for receptor occupancy: meditations on calculation and simplification.

PubMed

Zhang, Yumin; Fox, Gerard B

2012-03-01

This invited mini-review briefly summarizes procedures and challenges of measuring receptor occupancy with positron emission tomography. Instead of describing the detailed analytic procedures of in vivo ligand-receptor imaging, the authors provide a pragmatic approach, along with personal perspectives, for conducting positron emission tomography imaging for receptor occupancy, and systematically elucidate the mathematics of receptor occupancy calculations in practical ways that can be understood with elementary algebra. The authors also share insights regarding positron emission tomography imaging for receptor occupancy to facilitate applications for the development of drugs targeting receptors in the central nervous system.

PET imaging for receptor occupancy: meditations on calculation and simplification

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yumin; Fox, Gerard B.

2012-01-01

This invited mini-review briefly summarizes procedures and challenges of measuring receptor occupancy with positron emission tomography. Instead of describing the detailed analytic procedures of in vivo ligand-receptor imaging, the authors provide a pragmatic approach, along with personal perspectives, for conducting positron emission tomography imaging for receptor occupancy, and systematically elucidate the mathematics of receptor occupancy calculations in practical ways that can be understood with elementary algebra. The authors also share insights regarding positron emission tomography imaging for receptor occupancy to facilitate applications for the development of drugs targeting receptors in the central nervous system. PMID:23554733

Io Eclipse Montage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

New Horizons took this montage of images of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, glowing in the dark of Jupiter's shadow, as the Pluto-bound spacecraft sped through the Jupiter system on Feb. 27, 2007.

(A): In this picture from the Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), dark blotches and straight lines are artifacts. The brightest spots (including the volcanoes Pele [P] and East Girru [EG]) are incandescent lava from active volcanoes. The more diffuse glows, and the many faint spots, are from gas in the plumes and atmosphere, glowing due to bombardment by plasma in Jupiter's magnetosphere, in a display similar to the Earth's aurorae. (B): The same image with a latitude/longitude grid, showing that the cluster of faint spots is centered near longitude 0 degrees, the point on Io that faces Jupiter. The image also shows the locations of the plumes seen in sunlit images (indicated by red diamonds), which glow with auroral emission in eclipse. (C): Simulated sunlit view of Io with the same geometry, based on sunlit LORRI images. (D): A combination of the sunlit image (in cyan) and the eclipse image (in red), showing that all point-like glows in the eclipse image arise from dark volcanoes in the eclipse image. (E): This infrared image, at a wavelength of 2.3 microns, obtained by New Horizons Linear Etalon Spectral Imaging Array (LEISA) an hour after the LORRI image, showing thermal emission from active volcanoes. Elongation of the hot spots is an artifact. (F): Combined visible albedo (cyan) and LEISA thermal emission (red) image, showing the sources of the volcanic emission. That most of the faint point-like glows near longitude zero, seen in visible light in images A, B, and D, do not appear in the infrared view of volcanic heat radiation, is one reason scientists believe that these glows are due to auroral emission, not heat radiation.

This image appears in the Oct. 12, 2007, issue of Science magazine, in a paper by John Spencer, et al.

Pinhole Micro-SPECT/CT for Noninvasive Monitoring and Quantitation of Oncolytic Virus Dispersion and Percent Infection in Solid Tumors

PubMed Central

Penheiter, Alan R.; Griesmann, Guy E.; Federspiel, Mark J.; Dingli, David; Russell, Stephen J.; Carlson, Stephanie K.

2011-01-01

The purpose of our study was to validate the ability of pinhole micro-single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) to 1) accurately resolve the intratumoral dispersion pattern and 2) quantify the infection percentage in solid tumors of an oncolytic measles virus encoding the human sodium iodide symporter (MV-NIS). NIS RNA level and dispersion pattern were determined in control and MV-NIS infected BxPC-3 pancreatic tumor cells and mouse xenografts using quantitative, real-time, reverse transcriptase, polymerase chain reaction, autoradiography, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mice with BxPC-3 xenografts were imaged with 123I or 99TcO4 micro-SPECT/CT. Tumor dimensions and radionuclide localization were determined with imaging software. Linear regression and correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationship between tumor infection percentage and radionuclide uptake (% injected dose per gram) above background and a highly significant correlation was observed (r2 = 0.947). A detection threshold of 1.5-fold above the control tumor uptake (background) yielded a sensitivity of 2.7% MV-NIS infected tumor cells. We reliably resolved multiple distinct intratumoral zones of infection from noninfected regions. Pinhole micro-SPECT/CT imaging using the NIS reporter demonstrated precise localization and quantitation of oncolytic MV-NIS infection and can replace more time-consuming and expensive analyses (eg, autoradiography and IHC) that require animal sacrifice. PMID:21753796

Simultaneous, accurate measurement of the 3D position and orientation of single molecules

PubMed Central

Backlund, Mikael P.; Lew, Matthew D.; Backer, Adam S.; Sahl, Steffen J.; Grover, Ginni; Agrawal, Anurag; Piestun, Rafael; Moerner, W. E.

2012-01-01

Recently, single molecule-based superresolution fluorescence microscopy has surpassed the diffraction limit to improve resolution to the order of 20 nm or better. These methods typically use image fitting that assumes an isotropic emission pattern from the single emitters as well as control of the emitter concentration. However, anisotropic single-molecule emission patterns arise from the transition dipole when it is rotationally immobile, depending highly on the molecule’s 3D orientation and z position. Failure to account for this fact can lead to significant lateral (x, y) mislocalizations (up to ∼50–200 nm). This systematic error can cause distortions in the reconstructed images, which can translate into degraded resolution. Using parameters uniquely inherent in the double-lobed nature of the Double-Helix Point Spread Function, we account for such mislocalizations and simultaneously measure 3D molecular orientation and 3D position. Mislocalizations during an axial scan of a single molecule manifest themselves as an apparent lateral shift in its position, which causes the standard deviation (SD) of its lateral position to appear larger than the SD expected from photon shot noise. By correcting each localization based on an estimated orientation, we are able to improve SDs in lateral localization from ∼2× worse than photon-limited precision (48 vs. 25 nm) to within 5 nm of photon-limited precision. Furthermore, by averaging many estimations of orientation over different depths, we are able to improve from a lateral SD of 116 (∼4× worse than the photon-limited precision; 28 nm) to 34 nm (within 6 nm of the photon limit). PMID:23129640

Modeling clustered activity increase in amyloid-beta positron emission tomographic images with statistical descriptors.

PubMed

Shokouhi, Sepideh; Rogers, Baxter P; Kang, Hakmook; Ding, Zhaohua; Claassen, Daniel O; Mckay, John W; Riddle, William R

2015-01-01

Amyloid-beta (Aβ) imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) holds promise for detecting the presence of Aβ plaques in the cortical gray matter. Many image analyses focus on regional average measurements of tracer activity distribution; however, considerable additional information is available in the images. Metrics that describe the statistical properties of images, such as the two-point correlation function (S2), have found wide applications in astronomy and materials science. S2 provides a detailed characterization of spatial patterns in images typically referred to as clustering or flocculence. The objective of this study was to translate the two-point correlation method into Aβ-PET of the human brain using 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (11C-PiB) to characterize longitudinal changes in the tracer distribution that may reflect changes in Aβ plaque accumulation. We modified the conventional S2 metric, which is primarily used for binary images and formulated a weighted two-point correlation function (wS2) to describe nonbinary, real-valued PET images with a single statistical function. Using serial 11C-PiB scans, we calculated wS2 functions from two-dimensional PET images of different cortical regions as well as three-dimensional data from the whole brain. The area under the wS2 functions was calculated and compared with the mean/median of the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). For three-dimensional data, we compared the area under the wS2 curves with the subjects' cerebrospinal fluid measures. Overall, the longitudinal changes in wS2 correlated with the increase in mean SUVR but showed lower variance. The whole brain results showed a higher inverse correlation between the cerebrospinal Aβ and wS2 than between the cerebrospinal Aβ and SUVR mean/median. We did not observe any confounding of wS2 by region size or injected dose. The wS2 detects subtle changes and provides additional information about the binding characteristics of radiotracers and Aβ accumulation that are difficult to verify with mean SUVR alone.

Collimator-free photon tomography

DOEpatents

Dilmanian, F. Avraham; Barbour, Randall L.

1998-10-06

A method of uncollimated single photon emission computed tomography includes administering a radioisotope to a patient for producing gamma ray photons from a source inside the patient. Emissivity of the photons is measured externally of the patient with an uncollimated gamma camera at a plurality of measurement positions surrounding the patient for obtaining corresponding energy spectrums thereat. Photon emissivity at the plurality of measurement positions is predicted using an initial prediction of an image of the source. The predicted and measured photon emissivities are compared to obtain differences therebetween. Prediction and comparison is iterated by updating the image prediction until the differences are below a threshold for obtaining a final prediction of the source image.

Does the diurnal pattern of enteric methane emissions from dairy cows change over time?

PubMed

Bell, M J; Craigon, J; Saunders, N; Goodman, J R; Garnsworthy, P C

2018-02-22

Diet manipulation and genetic selection are two important mitigation strategies for reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions from ruminant livestock. The aim of this study was to assess whether the diurnal pattern of CH4 emissions from individual dairy cows changes over time when cows are fed on diets varying in forage composition. Emissions of CH4 from 36 cows were measured during milking in an automatic (robotic) milking station in three consecutive feeding periods, for a total of 84 days. In Periods 1 and 2, the 36 cows were fed a high-forage partial mixed ration (PMR) containing 75% forage, with either a high grass silage or high maize silage content. In Period 3, cows were fed a commercial PMR containing 69% forage. Cows were offered PMR ad libitum plus concentrates during milking and CH4 emitted by individual cows was sampled during 8662 milkings. A linear mixed model was used to assess differences among cows, feeding periods and time of day. Considerable variation was observed among cows in daily mean and diurnal patterns of CH4 emissions. On average, cows produced less CH4 when fed on the commercial PMR in feeding Period 3 than when the same cows were fed on high-forage diets in feeding Periods 1 and 2. The average diurnal pattern for CH4 emissions did not significantly change between feeding periods and as lactation progressed. Emissions of CH4 were positively associated with dry matter (DM) intake and forage DM intake. It is concluded that if the management of feed allocation remains constant then the diurnal pattern of CH4 emissions from dairy cows will not necessarily alter over time. A change in diet composition may bring about an increase or decrease in absolute emissions over a 24-h period without significantly changing the diurnal pattern unless management of feed allocation changes. These findings are important for CH4 monitoring techniques that involve taking measurements over short periods within a day rather than complete 24-h observations.

Projected effects of climate and development on California wildfire emissions through 2100.

PubMed

Hurteau, Matthew D; Westerling, Anthony L; Wiedinmyer, Christine; Bryant, Benjamin P

2014-02-18

Changing climatic conditions are influencing large wildfire frequency, a globally widespread disturbance that affects both human and natural systems. Understanding how climate change, population growth, and development patterns will affect the area burned by and emissions from wildfires and how populations will in turn be exposed to emissions is critical for climate change adaptation and mitigation planning. We quantified the effects of a range of population growth and development patterns in California on emission projections from large wildfires under six future climate scenarios. Here we show that end-of-century wildfire emissions are projected to increase by 19-101% (median increase 56%) above the baseline period (1961-1990) in California for a medium-high temperature scenario, with the largest emissions increases concentrated in northern California. In contrast to other measures of wildfire impacts previously studied (e.g., structural loss), projected population growth and development patterns are unlikely to substantially influence the amount of projected statewide wildfire emissions. However, increases in wildfire emissions due to climate change may have detrimental impacts on air quality and, combined with a growing population, may result in increased population exposure to unhealthy air pollutants.

Study of thermal-field emission properties and investigation of temperature dependent noise in the field emission current from vertical carbon nanotube emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolekar, Sadhu; Patole, S. P.; Patil, Sumati; Yoo, J. B.; Dharmadhikari, C. V.

2017-10-01

We have investigated temperature dependent field electron emission characteristics of vertical carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The generalized expression for electron emission from well-defined cathode surface is given by Millikan and Lauritsen [1] for the combination of temperature and electric field effect. The same expression has been used to explain the electron emission characteristics from vertical CNT emitters. Furthermore, this has been applied to explain the electron emission for different temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1500 K. The real-time field electron emission images at room temperature and 1500 K are recorded by using Charge Coupled Device (CCD) in order to understand the effect of temperature on distribution of electron emission spots and ring like structures in Field Emission Microscope (FEM) image. The FEM images could be used to calculate the total number of emitters per cm2 for electron emission. The calculated number of emitters per cm2 from FEM image is typically, 4.5 × 107 and the actual number emitters per cm2 present as per Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) data is 1.2 × 1012. The measured Current-Voltage (I-V) characteristics exhibit non linear Folwer-Nordheim (F-N) type behavior. The fluctuations in the emission current were recorded at different temperatures and Fast Fourier transformed into temperature dependent power spectral density. The latter was found to obey power law relation S(f) = A(Iδ/fξ), where δ and ξ are temperature dependent current and frequency exponents respectively.

Buried object remote detection technology for law enforcement

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

Del Grande, N.K.; Clark, G.A.; Durbin, P.F.

1991-03-01

We have developed a precise airborne temperature-sensing technology to detect buried objects for use by law enforcement. Demonstrations have imaged the sites of buried foundations, walls and trenches; mapped underground waterways and aquifers; and been used to locate underground military objects. Our patented methodology is incorporated in a commercially available, high signal-to-noise, dual-band infrared scanner with real-time, 12-bit digital image processing software and display. Our method creates color-coded images based on surface temperature variations of 0.2 {degrees}C. Unlike other less-sensitive methods, it maps true (corrected) temperatures by removing the (decoupled) surface emissivity mask equivalent to 1{degrees}C or 2{degrees}C; this maskmore » hinders interpretation of apparent (blackbody) temperatures. Once removed, were are able to identify surface temperature patterns from small diffusivity changes at buried object sites which heat and cool differently from their surroundings. Objects made of different materials and buried at different depths are identified by their unique spectra, spatial, thermal, temporal, emissivity and diffusivity signatures. We have successfully located the sites of buried (inert) simulated land mines 0.1 to 0.2 m deep; sod-covered rock pathways alongside dry ditches, deeper than 0.2 m; pavement covered burial trenches and cemetery structures as deep as 0.8 m; and aquifers more than 6 m and less 60 m deep. Our technology could be adapted for drug interdiction and pollution control. 16 refs., 14 figs.« less

Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Reveals Auditory and Frontal Cortical Regions Involved with Speech Perception and Loudness Adaptation.

PubMed

Berding, Georg; Wilke, Florian; Rode, Thilo; Haense, Cathleen; Joseph, Gert; Meyer, Geerd J; Mamach, Martin; Lenarz, Minoo; Geworski, Lilli; Bengel, Frank M; Lenarz, Thomas; Lim, Hubert H

2015-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in the treatment of hearing loss with auditory implants. However, there are still many implanted patients that experience hearing deficiencies, such as limited speech understanding or vanishing perception with continuous stimulation (i.e., abnormal loudness adaptation). The present study aims to identify specific patterns of cerebral cortex activity involved with such deficiencies. We performed O-15-water positron emission tomography (PET) in patients implanted with electrodes within the cochlea, brainstem, or midbrain to investigate the pattern of cortical activation in response to speech or continuous multi-tone stimuli directly inputted into the implant processor that then delivered electrical patterns through those electrodes. Statistical parametric mapping was performed on a single subject basis. Better speech understanding was correlated with a larger extent of bilateral auditory cortex activation. In contrast to speech, the continuous multi-tone stimulus elicited mainly unilateral auditory cortical activity in which greater loudness adaptation corresponded to weaker activation and even deactivation. Interestingly, greater loudness adaptation was correlated with stronger activity within the ventral prefrontal cortex, which could be up-regulated to suppress the irrelevant or aberrant signals into the auditory cortex. The ability to detect these specific cortical patterns and differences across patients and stimuli demonstrates the potential for using PET to diagnose auditory function or dysfunction in implant patients, which in turn could guide the development of appropriate stimulation strategies for improving hearing rehabilitation. Beyond hearing restoration, our study also reveals a potential role of the frontal cortex in suppressing irrelevant or aberrant activity within the auditory cortex, and thus may be relevant for understanding and treating tinnitus.

Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Reveals Auditory and Frontal Cortical Regions Involved with Speech Perception and Loudness Adaptation

PubMed Central

Berding, Georg; Wilke, Florian; Rode, Thilo; Haense, Cathleen; Joseph, Gert; Meyer, Geerd J.; Mamach, Martin; Lenarz, Minoo; Geworski, Lilli; Bengel, Frank M.; Lenarz, Thomas; Lim, Hubert H.

2015-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in the treatment of hearing loss with auditory implants. However, there are still many implanted patients that experience hearing deficiencies, such as limited speech understanding or vanishing perception with continuous stimulation (i.e., abnormal loudness adaptation). The present study aims to identify specific patterns of cerebral cortex activity involved with such deficiencies. We performed O-15-water positron emission tomography (PET) in patients implanted with electrodes within the cochlea, brainstem, or midbrain to investigate the pattern of cortical activation in response to speech or continuous multi-tone stimuli directly inputted into the implant processor that then delivered electrical patterns through those electrodes. Statistical parametric mapping was performed on a single subject basis. Better speech understanding was correlated with a larger extent of bilateral auditory cortex activation. In contrast to speech, the continuous multi-tone stimulus elicited mainly unilateral auditory cortical activity in which greater loudness adaptation corresponded to weaker activation and even deactivation. Interestingly, greater loudness adaptation was correlated with stronger activity within the ventral prefrontal cortex, which could be up-regulated to suppress the irrelevant or aberrant signals into the auditory cortex. The ability to detect these specific cortical patterns and differences across patients and stimuli demonstrates the potential for using PET to diagnose auditory function or dysfunction in implant patients, which in turn could guide the development of appropriate stimulation strategies for improving hearing rehabilitation. Beyond hearing restoration, our study also reveals a potential role of the frontal cortex in suppressing irrelevant or aberrant activity within the auditory cortex, and thus may be relevant for understanding and treating tinnitus. PMID:26046763

Effect of the Temperature-Emissivity Contrast on the Chemical Signal for Gas Plume Detection Using Thermal Image Data

PubMed Central

Walsh, Stephen; Chilton, Larry; Tardiff, Mark; Metoyer, Candace

2008-01-01

Detecting and identifying weak gaseous plumes using thermal imaging data is complicated by many factors. These include variability due to atmosphere, ground and plume temperature, and background clutter. This paper presents an analysis of one formulation of the physics-based radiance model, which describes at-sensor observed radiance. The background emissivity and plume/ground temperatures are isolated, and their effects on chemical signal are described. This analysis shows that the plume's physical state, emission or absorption, is directly dependent on the background emissivity and plume/ground temperatures. It then describes what conditions on the background emissivity and plume/ground temperatures have inhibiting or amplifying effects on the chemical signal. These claims are illustrated by analyzing synthetic hyperspectral imaging data with the adaptive matched filter using two chemicals and three distinct background emissivities. PMID:27873881

Experience with single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in follow-up of sternotomy healing.

PubMed

Harjula, A; Järvinen, A; Mattila, S; Porkka, L

1985-01-01

Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) was performed thrice in ten patients undergoing open-heart surgery--preoperatively and 2 and 12 weeks postoperatively. The operations were done for ischemic heart disease (5), aortic valvular stenosis (2), aortic valvular insufficiency (1), leaking mitral prosthetic valve (1) and combined aortic and mitral valvular stenosis and insufficiency (1). The healing process in the longitudinally divided sternum was evaluated from the SPECT study. Four conventional static images in two dimensions were registered in anteroposterior, posteroanterior and left and right lateral projections. A tomographic study was done. Quantitative analyses were performed. The ratio of the sternal counts to the counts from a thoracic vertebra was calculated for use as a reference. The activity ratios showed a similar pattern in six cases, with initial increases and at 12 weeks slight decrease compared with the preoperative values. In two cases the activity was still increasing after 12 postoperative weeks. One patient, with sternotomy also one year previously, showed only slightly increased activity. The activity at the areas of the sternal wires was increased in six cases. The study thus revealed differing patterns of isotope uptake, although recovery was uneventful in all patients. The differences may reflect the possibility that the operative course and the preoperative clinical status can influence the healing mechanisms.

Mars’ seasonal mesospheric transport seen through nitric oxide nightglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milby, Zachariah; Stiepen, Arnaud; Jain, Sonal; Schneider, Nicholas M.; Deighan, Justin; Gonzalez-Galindo, Francisco; Gerard, Jean-Claude; Stevens, Michael H.; Bougher, Stephen W.; Evans, J. Scott; Stewart, A. Ian; Chaffin, Michael; Crismani, Matteo; McClintock, William E.; Clarke, John T.; Holsclaw, Greg; Montmessin, Franck; Lefevre, Franck; Forget, Francois; Lo, Daniel Y.; Hubert, Benoît; Jakosky, Bruce

2017-10-01

We analyze the ultraviolet nightglow in the atmosphere of Mars through nitric oxide (NO) δ and γ band emissions as observed by the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft when it is at apoapse and periapse.In the dayside thermosphere of Mars, solar extreme-ultraviolet radiation dissociates CO2 and N2 molecules. O(3P) and N(4S) atoms are carried from the dayside to the nightside by the day-night hemispheric transport process, where they descend through the nightside mesosphere and can radiatively recombine to form NO(C2Π). The excited molecules rapidly relax by emitting photons in the UV δ and γ bands. These emissions are indicators of the N and O atom fluxes from the dayside to Mars’ nightside and the descending circulation pattern from the nightside thermosphere to the mesosphere (e.g. Bertaux et al., 2005 ; Bougher et al., 1990 ; Cox et al., 2008 ; Gagné et al., 2013 ; Gérard et al., 2008 ; Stiepen et al., 2015, 2017).Observations of these emissions are gathered from a large dataset spanning different seasonal conditions.We present discussion on the variability in the brightness and altitude of the emission with season, geographical position (longitude), and local time, along with possible interpretation by local and global changes in the mesosphere dynamics. We show the possible impact of atmospheric waves forcing longitudinal variability and data-to-model comparisons indicating a wave-3 structure in Mars’ nightside mesosphere. Quantitative comparison with calculations of the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique-Mars Global Climate Model (LMD-MGCM) suggests the model reproduces both the global trend of NO nightglow emission and its seasonal variation. However, it also indicates large discrepancies, with the emission up to a factor 50 times fainter in the model, suggesting that the predicted transport is too efficient toward the night winter pole in the thermosphere by ˜20° latitude to the north.These questions are now addressed through an extensive dataset of disk images, in complement to improved simulations of the LMD-MGCM and the Mars Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (MGITM) models.

Longitudinal Maps of Mars’ O2 (singlet Delta) Emission for Ls=72.5° and Ls=88.0°

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Robert E.; Mumma, Michael J.; Villanueva, Geronimo L.

2015-11-01

We report longitudinal maps of the O2 (singlet Delta) emission rate (a tracer for high-altitude ozone) taken at two seasonal points, Ls=72.5° (03 April 2010) and Ls=88.0° (10 February 2014) using CSHELL at NASA’s IRTF. On these dates, the entrance slit of the spectrometer was positioned E-W on Mars centered at the sub-Earth point, but, on 10 Feb 2014 additional spectra were taken with the slit positioned 3 arc seconds North of the sub-Earth point. On both dates, spectral/spatial images (near 1.27 microns) were repeatedly taken over a four-hour period. Spectral extracts from these images were taken at 0.6 arcsec intervals along the slit. A model consisting of solar continuum with Fraunhofer lines, two-way transmission through Mars’ atmosphere, and a one-way transmission through the Earth’s atmosphere was used to isolate and analyze individual spectral lines. Boltzmann analysis of these lines yielded the rotational temperature (~175 K) that was used to determine the total emission rate from the measured lines.The slit on 03 Apr 2010 crossed the morning terminator, yielding measurements between 06:00-14:00 Local Time; on 10 Feb 2014, the slit went through the evening terminator (10:00-18:00 LT). For both dates, data were taken over a four-hour interval in UT. When displayed versus local time, the extracted emission rates reveal similar patterns of growth before mid-day and of decline before sunset, regardless of surface topography. The measured emission rates, that peak after noon local time, depend on the angles to both Sun and Earth. The post-noon emission rates (10 Feb 2014), vary with latitude, because they depend on the location of the hygropause.This work was partially funded by grants from NASA's Planetary Astronomy Program (344-32-51-96), NASA’s Astrobiology Program (344-53-51), and the NSF-RUI Program (AST-805540). We thank the administration and staff of the NASA-IRTF for awarding observing times and coordinating our observations.

Image pattern recognition supporting interactive analysis and graphical visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coggins, James M.

1992-01-01

Image Pattern Recognition attempts to infer properties of the world from image data. Such capabilities are crucial for making measurements from satellite or telescope images related to Earth and space science problems. Such measurements can be the required product itself, or the measurements can be used as input to a computer graphics system for visualization purposes. At present, the field of image pattern recognition lacks a unified scientific structure for developing and evaluating image pattern recognition applications. The overall goal of this project is to begin developing such a structure. This report summarizes results of a 3-year research effort in image pattern recognition addressing the following three principal aims: (1) to create a software foundation for the research and identify image pattern recognition problems in Earth and space science; (2) to develop image measurement operations based on Artificial Visual Systems; and (3) to develop multiscale image descriptions for use in interactive image analysis.

Roughness effects on thermal-infrared emissivities estimated from remotely sensed images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushkin, Amit; Danilina, Iryna; Gillespie, Alan R.; Balick, Lee K.; McCabe, Matthew F.

2007-10-01

Multispectral thermal-infrared images from the Mauna Loa caldera in Hawaii, USA are examined to study the effects of surface roughness on remotely retrieved emissivities. We find up to a 3% decrease in spectral contrast in ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) 90-m/pixel emissivities due to sub-pixel surface roughness variations on the caldera floor. A similar decrease in spectral contrast of emissivities extracted from MASTER (MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator) ~12.5-m/pixel data can be described as a function of increasing surface roughness, which was measured remotely from ASTER 15-m/pixel stereo images. The ratio between ASTER stereo images provides a measure of sub-pixel surface-roughness variations across the scene. These independent roughness estimates complement a radiosity model designed to quantify the unresolved effects of multiple scattering and differential solar heating due to sub-pixel roughness elements and to compensate for both sub-pixel temperature dispersion and cavity radiation on TIR measurements.

Strong signal increase in STED fluorescence microscopy by imaging regions of subdiffraction extent

PubMed Central

Göttfert, Fabian; Pleiner, Tino; Heine, Jörn; Westphal, Volker; Görlich, Dirk; Sahl, Steffen J.; Hell, Stefan W.

2017-01-01

Photobleaching remains a limiting factor in superresolution fluorescence microscopy. This is particularly true for stimulated emission depletion (STED) and reversible saturable/switchable optical fluorescence transitions (RESOLFT) microscopy, where adjacent fluorescent molecules are distinguished by sequentially turning them off (or on) using a pattern of light formed as a doughnut or a standing wave. In sample regions where the pattern intensity reaches or exceeds a certain threshold, the molecules are essentially off (or on), whereas in areas where the intensity is lower, that is, around the intensity minima, the molecules remain in the initial state. Unfortunately, the creation of on/off state differences on subdiffraction scales requires the maxima of the intensity pattern to exceed the threshold intensity by a large factor that scales with the resolution. Hence, when recording an image by scanning the pattern across the sample, each molecule in the sample is repeatedly exposed to the maxima, which exacerbates bleaching. Here, we introduce MINFIELD, a strategy for fundamentally reducing bleaching in STED/RESOLFT nanoscopy through restricting the scanning to subdiffraction-sized regions. By safeguarding the molecules from the intensity of the maxima and exposing them only to the lower intensities (around the minima) needed for the off-switching (on-switching), MINFIELD largely avoids detrimental transitions to higher molecular states. A bleaching reduction by up to 100-fold is demonstrated. Recording nanobody-labeled nuclear pore complexes in Xenopus laevis cells showed that MINFIELD-STED microscopy resolved details separated by <25 nm where conventional scanning failed to acquire sufficient signal. PMID:28193881

ROSAT observations of NGC 2146: Evidence for a starburst-driven superwind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armus, L.; Heckman, T. M.; Weaver, K. A.; Lehnert, M. D.

1995-01-01

We have imaged the edge-on starburst galaxy NGC 2146 with the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) and the High Resolution Imager (HRI) on board ROSAT and have compared these data to optical images and long-slit spectra. NGC 2146 possesses a very large X-ray nebula with a half-light radius of 1 min (4 kpc) and a maximum diameter of approximately 4 min, or 17 kpc. The X-ray emission is resolved by the PSPC and preferentially oriented along the minor axis, with a total flux of 1.1 x 10(exp -12) ergs/sq cm/s over 0.2 - 2.4 keV and a luminosity of approximately 3 x 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The inner X-ray nebula is resolved by the HRI into at least four bright knots together with strong diffuse emission responsible for at least 50% of the flux within a radius of 0.5 min (approximately 2 kpc). The brightest knot has a luminosity of (2 - 3) x 10(exp 39) ergs/s. The X-ray nebula has a spatial extent much larger than the starburst ridge seen at centimeter wavelengths by Kronberg & Biermann (1981) and is oriented in a `X-like' pattern along the galaxy minor axis at a position angle of approximately 30 degrees. This minor-axis X-ray emission is associated with a region of H alpha and dust filaments seen in optical images. Optical spectra show that the emission-line gas along the minor axis is characterized by relatively broad lines (approximately 250 km/s full width half-maximum (FWHM)) and by `shocklike' emission-line flux ratios. Together with the blue-asymmetric nuclear emission-line and NaD interstellar absorption-line profiles, these optical data strongly suggest the presence of a starburst-driven superwind. The X-ray spectrum extracted from the central 5 min contains a strong Fe L emission-line complex at 0.6 - 1.0 keV and a hard excess above 1.0 keV. The spectrum is best described with a two-component model, containing a soft (kT approximately 400 - 500 eV) Raymond-Smith thermal plasma together with either a Gamma = 1.7 power-law or a kT greater than 2.2 keV bremsstrahlung component. The soft thermal component provides approximately 30% of the total luminosity over 0.2 - 2.4 keV, or approximately 10(exp 40) ergs/s. The pressure derived from the soft component of the X-ray spectrum is consistent with that predicted from a starburst-driven superwind if the filling factor of the warm gas is approximately 1% - 10 %. If the hard X-ray component is thermal gas associated with the galactic outflow, the filling factor must be close to unity. Predictions of the luminosity, temperature, and size of an adiabatic starburst-generated windblown bubble are consistent with those measured for the soft thermal X-ray emission in NGC 2146. The hard X-ray component, however, has a luminosity much larger than predicted by the superwind model if this component is thermal emission from gas heated by an internal shock in the expanding bubble. We briefly review various possibilities as to the nature of the hard X-ray component in NGC 2146.

A simple one-step method to prepare fluorescent carbon dots and their potential application in non-invasive glioma imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Shaobo; Qian, Jun; Shen, Shun; Zhu, Jianhua; Jiang, Xinguo; He, Qin; Gao, Huile

2014-08-01

Fluorescent carbon dots (CD) possess impressive potential in bioimaging because of their low photobleaching, absence of optical blinking and good biocompatibility. However, their relatively short excitation/emission wavelengths restrict their application in in vivo imaging. In the present study, a kind of CD was prepared by a simple heat treatment method using glycine as the only precursor. The diameter of CD was lower than 5 nm, and the highest emission wavelength was 500 nm. However, at 600 nm, there was still a relatively strong fluorescent emission, suggesting CD could be used for in vivo imaging. Additionally, several experiments demonstrated that CD possessed good serum stability and low cytotoxicity. In vitro, CD could be taken up into C6 glioma cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with both endosomes and mitochondria involved. In vivo, CD could be used for non-invasive glioma imaging because of its high accumulation in the glioma site of the brain, which was demonstrated by both in vivo imaging and ex vivo tissue imaging. Furthermore, the fluorescent distribution in tissue slices also showed CD distributed in glioma with high intensity, while with a low intensity in normal brain tissue. In conclusion, CD were prepared using a simple method with relatively long excitation and emission wavelengths and could be used for non-invasive glioma imaging.Fluorescent carbon dots (CD) possess impressive potential in bioimaging because of their low photobleaching, absence of optical blinking and good biocompatibility. However, their relatively short excitation/emission wavelengths restrict their application in in vivo imaging. In the present study, a kind of CD was prepared by a simple heat treatment method using glycine as the only precursor. The diameter of CD was lower than 5 nm, and the highest emission wavelength was 500 nm. However, at 600 nm, there was still a relatively strong fluorescent emission, suggesting CD could be used for in vivo imaging. Additionally, several experiments demonstrated that CD possessed good serum stability and low cytotoxicity. In vitro, CD could be taken up into C6 glioma cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with both endosomes and mitochondria involved. In vivo, CD could be used for non-invasive glioma imaging because of its high accumulation in the glioma site of the brain, which was demonstrated by both in vivo imaging and ex vivo tissue imaging. Furthermore, the fluorescent distribution in tissue slices also showed CD distributed in glioma with high intensity, while with a low intensity in normal brain tissue. In conclusion, CD were prepared using a simple method with relatively long excitation and emission wavelengths and could be used for non-invasive glioma imaging. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02657h

Multispectral Emissions of Lanthanide-Doped Gadolinium Oxide Nanophosphors for Cathodoluminescence and Near-Infrared Upconversion/Downconversion Imaging

PubMed Central

Thi Kim Dung, Doan; Fukushima, Shoichiro; Furukawa, Taichi; Niioka, Hirohiko; Sannomiya, Takumi; Kobayashi, Kaori; Yukawa, Hiroshi; Baba, Yoshinobu; Hashimoto, Mamoru; Miyake, Jun

2016-01-01

Comprehensive imaging of a biological individual can be achieved by utilizing the variation in spatial resolution, the scale of cathodoluminescence (CL), and near-infrared (NIR), as favored by imaging probe Gd2O3 co-doped lanthanide nanophosphors (NPPs). A series of Gd2O3:Ln3+/Yb3+ (Ln3+: Tm3+, Ho3+, Er3+) NPPs with multispectral emission are prepared by the sol-gel method. The NPPs show a wide range of emissions spanning from the visible to the NIR region under 980 nm excitation. The dependence of the upconverting (UC)/downconverting (DC) emission intensity on the dopant ratio is investigated. The optimum ratios of dopants obtained for emissions in the NIR regions at 810 nm, 1200 nm, and 1530 nm are applied to produce nanoparticles by the homogeneous precipitation (HP) method. The nanoparticles produced from the HP method are used to investigate the dual NIR and CL imaging modalities. The results indicate the possibility of using Gd2O3 co-doped Ln3+/Yb3+ (Ln3+: Tm3+, Ho3+, Er3+) in correlation with NIR and CL imaging. The use of Gd2O3 promises an extension of the object dimension to the whole-body level by employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PMID:28335291

3.3 and 11.3 micron images of HD 44179 - Evidence for an optically thick polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bregman, Jesse D.; Rank, David; Temi, Pasquale; Hudgins, Doug; Kay, Laura

1993-01-01

Images of HD 44179 (the Red Rectangle) obtained in the 3.3 and 11.3 micron emission bands show two different spatial distributions. The 3.3 micron band image is centrally peaked and slightly extended N-S while the 11.3 micron image shows a N-S bipolar shape with no central peak. If the 3.3 micron band image shows the intrinsic emission of the 11.3 micron band, then the data suggest absorption of the 11.3 micron emission near the center of HD 44179 by a disk with an optical depth of about one, making HD 44179 the first object in which the IR emission bands have been observed to be optically thick. Since there is no evidence of absorption of the 3.3 micron emission band by the disk, the absorption cross section of the 3.3 micron band must be substantially less than for the 11.3 micron band. Since the 3.3 and 11.3 micron bands are thought to arise from different size PAHs, the similar N-S extents of the two images implies that the ratio of small to large PAHs does not change substantially with distance from the center.

Non-descanned multifocal multiphoton microscopy with a multianode photomultiplier tube

PubMed Central

Cha, Jae Won; Yew, Elijah Y. S.; Kim, Daekeun; Subramanian, Jaichandar; Nedivi, Elly; So, Peter T. C.

2015-01-01

Multifocal multiphoton microscopy (MMM) improves imaging speed over a point scanning approach by parallelizing the excitation process. Early versions of MMM relied on imaging detectors to record emission signals from multiple foci simultaneously. For many turbid biological specimens, the scattering of emission photons results in blurred images and degrades the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We have recently demonstrated that a multianode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) placed in a descanned configuration can effectively collect scattered emission photons from each focus into their corresponding anodes significantly improving image SNR for highly scattering specimens. Unfortunately, a descanned MMM has a longer detection path resulting in substantial emission photon loss. Optical design constraints in a descanned geometry further results in significant optical aberrations especially for large field-of-view (FOV), high NA objectives. Here, we introduce a non-descanned MMM based on MAPMT that substantially overcomes most of these drawbacks. We show that we improve signal efficiency up to fourfold with limited image SNR degradation due to scattered emission photons. The excitation foci can also be spaced wider to cover the full FOV of the objective with minimal aberrations. The performance of this system is demonstrated by imaging interneuron morphological structures deep in the brains of living mice. PMID:25874160

Multispectral Emissions of Lanthanide-Doped Gadolinium Oxide Nanophosphors for Cathodoluminescence and Near-Infrared Upconversion/Downconversion Imaging.

PubMed

Thi Kim Dung, Doan; Fukushima, Shoichiro; Furukawa, Taichi; Niioka, Hirohiko; Sannomiya, Takumi; Kobayashi, Kaori; Yukawa, Hiroshi; Baba, Yoshinobu; Hashimoto, Mamoru; Miyake, Jun

2016-09-06

Comprehensive imaging of a biological individual can be achieved by utilizing the variation in spatial resolution, the scale of cathodoluminescence (CL), and near-infrared (NIR), as favored by imaging probe Gd₂O₃ co-doped lanthanide nanophosphors (NPPs). A series of Gd₂O₃:Ln 3+ /Yb 3+ (Ln 3+ : Tm 3+ , Ho 3+ , Er 3+ ) NPPs with multispectral emission are prepared by the sol-gel method. The NPPs show a wide range of emissions spanning from the visible to the NIR region under 980 nm excitation. The dependence of the upconverting (UC)/downconverting (DC) emission intensity on the dopant ratio is investigated. The optimum ratios of dopants obtained for emissions in the NIR regions at 810 nm, 1200 nm, and 1530 nm are applied to produce nanoparticles by the homogeneous precipitation (HP) method. The nanoparticles produced from the HP method are used to investigate the dual NIR and CL imaging modalities. The results indicate the possibility of using Gd₂O₃ co-doped Ln 3+ /Yb 3+ (Ln 3+ : Tm 3+ , Ho 3+ , Er 3+ ) in correlation with NIR and CL imaging. The use of Gd₂O₃ promises an extension of the object dimension to the whole-body level by employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Assessing local stromal alterations in human ovarian cancer subtypes via second harmonic generation microscopy and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Kirby R.; Campagnola, Paul J.

2017-11-01

The collagen architecture in all human ovarian cancers is substantially remodeled, where these alterations are manifested in different fiber widths, fiber patterns, and fibril size and packing. Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has differentiated normal tissues from high-grade serous (HGS) tumors with high accuracy; however, the classification between low-grade serous, endometrioid, and benign tumors was less successful. We postulate this is due to known higher genetic variation in these tissues relative to HGS tumors, which are genetically similar, and this results in more heterogeneous collagen remodeling in the respective matrix. Here, we examine fiber widths and SHG emission intensity and directionality locally within images (e.g., 10×10 microns) and show that normal tissues and HGS tumors are more uniform in fiber properties as well as in fibril size and packing than the other tissues. Moreover, these distributions are in good agreement with phase matching considerations relating SHG emission directionality and intensity. The findings show that in addition to average collagen assembly properties the intrinsic heterogeneity must also be considered as another aspect of characterization. These local analyses showed differences not shown in pure intensity-based image analyses and may provide further insight into disease etiology of the different tumor subtypes.

Synthesis, structural and optical properties of BaMoO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} shuttle like phosphors

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

Krishna Bharat, L.; Lee, Soo Hyun; Yu, Jae Su, E-mail: jsyu@khu.ac.kr

2014-05-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • BaMoO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} phosphors were synthesized by a facile synthesis route. • PL and CL spectra showed dominant emissions due to ({sup 5}D{sub 0} → {sup 7}F{sub 2}) hypersensitive transitions. • The excitation wavelengths in the UV-B region make BaMoO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} phosphors as a good candidate in the red region for the development of UV-based white LEDs. • PL and CL spectra showed similar CIE values close to the commercially available Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu{sup 3+} phosphors. - Abstract: Eu{sup 3+} ions doped BaMoO{sub 4} phosphor samples were synthesized by a facile synthesis process. Themore » tetragonal phase of the host lattice was substantiated by the X-ray diffraction patterns. The morphological studies were carried out by taking the scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images and confirmed the formation of shuttle like particles with perpendicular protrusions in the middle of the particle. The single crystalline nature of the phosphors was confirmed by the selected area electron diffraction pattern. The photoluminescence (PL) properties of the Eu{sup 3+} ions doped samples revealed good emission with a high asymmetry ratio when excited with ultraviolet B wavelengths (between 280 and 315 nm). The cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra showed similar results to the PL spectra. The calculated CIE values based on the PL and CL spectra were almost similar and confirmed the rich red emission.« less

Radiation-Induced Liver Injury Mimicking Metastatic Disease in a Patient With Esophageal Cancer: Correlation of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography With Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Literature Review.

PubMed

Rabe, Tiffany M; Yokoo, Takeshi; Meyer, Jeffrey; Kernstine, Kemp H; Wang, David; Khatri, Gaurav

2016-01-01

Post-radiation therapy evaluation of distal esophageal cancers with positron emission tomography/computed tomography can be problematic. Differentiation of recurrent neoplasm from postradiation changes is difficult in areas of fluorodeoxyglucose avidity in adjacent, incidentally irradiated organs. Few studies have described the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of radiation-induced hepatic injury. We report a case of focal radiation-induced liver injury with a new focus of fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on posttreatment positron emission tomography as well as masslike enhancement and signal abnormality on magnetic resonance imaging, thus mimicking new liver metastasis. Correlation with radiation planning images suggested the correct diagnosis, which was confirmed on follow-up imaging.

Quantitative Frequency-Domain Passive Cavitation Imaging

PubMed Central

Haworth, Kevin J.; Bader, Kenneth B.; Rich, Kyle T.; Holland, Christy K.; Mast, T. Douglas

2017-01-01

Passive cavitation detection has been an instrumental technique for measuring cavitation dynamics, elucidating concomitant bioeffects, and guiding ultrasound therapies. Recently, techniques have been developed to create images of cavitation activity to provide investigators with a more complete set of information. These techniques use arrays to record and subsequently beamform received cavitation emissions, rather than processing emissions received on a single-element transducer. In this paper, the methods for performing frequency-domain delay, sum, and integrate passive imaging are outlined. The method can be applied to any passively acquired acoustic scattering or emissions, including cavitation emissions. In order to compare data across different systems, techniques for normalizing Fourier transformed data and converting the data to the acoustic energy received by the array are described. A discussion of hardware requirements and alternative imaging approaches are additionally outlined. Examples are provided in MATLAB. PMID:27992331

Near-real-time global biomass burning emissions product from geostationary satellite constellation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoyang; Kondragunta, Shobha; Ram, Jessica; Schmidt, Christopher; Huang, Ho-Chun

2012-07-01

Near-real-time estimates of biomass burning emissions are crucial for air quality monitoring and forecasting. We present here the first near-real-time global biomass burning emission product from geostationary satellites (GBBEP-Geo) produced from satellite-derived fire radiative power (FRP) for individual fire pixels. Specifically, the FRP is retrieved using WF_ABBA V65 (wildfire automated biomass burning algorithm) from a network of multiple geostationary satellites. The network consists of two Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) which are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Meteosat second-generation satellites (Meteosat-09) operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, and the Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. These satellites observe wildfires at an interval of 15-30 min. Because of the impacts from sensor saturation, cloud cover, and background surface, the FRP values are generally not continuously observed. The missing observations are simulated by combining the available instantaneous FRP observations within a day and a set of representative climatological diurnal patterns of FRP for various ecosystems. Finally, the simulated diurnal variation in FRP is applied to quantify biomass combustion and emissions in individual fire pixels with a latency of 1 day. By analyzing global patterns in hourly biomass burning emissions in 2010, we find that peak fire season varied greatly and that annual wildfires burned 1.33 × 1012 kg dry mass, released 1.27 × 1010 kg of PM2.5 (particulate mass for particles with diameter <2.5 μm) and 1.18 × 1011kg of CO globally (excluding most parts of boreal Asia, the Middle East, and India because of no coverage from geostationary satellites). The biomass burning emissions were mostly released from forest and savanna fires in Africa, South America, and North America. Evaluation of emission result reveals that the GBBEP-Geo estimates are comparable with other FRP-derived estimates in Africa, while the results are generally smaller than most of the other global products that were derived from burned area and fuel loading. However, the daily emissions estimated from GOES FRP over the United States are generally consistent with those modeled from GOES burned area and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) fuel loading, which produces an overall bias of 5.7% and a correlation slope of 0.97 ± 0.2. It is expected that near-real-time hourly emissions from GBBEP-Geo could provide a crucial component for atmospheric and chemical transport modelers to forecast air quality and weather conditions.

Differential FDG-PET Uptake Patterns in Uninfected and Infected Central Prosthetic Vascular Grafts.

PubMed

Berger, P; Vaartjes, I; Scholtens, A; Moll, F L; De Borst, G J; De Keizer, B; Bots, M L; Blankensteijn, J D

2015-09-01

(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning has been suggested as a means to detect vascular graft infections. However, little is known about the typical FDG uptake patterns associated with synthetic vascular graft implantation. The aim of the present study was to compare uninfected and infected central vascular grafts in terms of various parameters used to interpret PET images. From 2007 through 2013, patients in whom a FDG-PET scan was performed for any indication after open or endovascular central arterial prosthetic reconstruction were identified. Graft infection was defined as the presence of clinical or biochemical signs of graft infection with positive cultures or based on a combination of clinical, biochemical, and imaging parameters (other than PET scan data). All other grafts were deemed uninfected. PET images were analyzed using maximum systemic uptake value (SUVmax), tissue to background ratio (TBR), visual grading scale (VGS), and focality of FDG uptake (focal or homogenous). Twenty-seven uninfected and 32 infected grafts were identified. Median SUVmax was 3.3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0-4.2) for the uninfected grafts and 5.7 for the infected grafts (IQR 2.2-7.8). Mean TBR was 2.0 (IQR 1.4-2.5) and 3.2 (IQR 1.5-3.5), respectively. On VGS, 44% of the uninfected and 72% of the infected grafts were judged as a high probability for infection. Homogenous FDG uptake was noted in 74% of the uninfected and 31% of the infected grafts. Uptake patterns of uninfected and infected grafts showed a large overlap for all parameters. The patterns of FDG uptake for uninfected vascular grafts largely overlap with those of infected vascular grafts. This questions the value of these individual FDG-PET-CT parameters in identifying infected grafts. Copyright © 2015 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Jupiter's Equatorial Region in a Methane band (Time set 3)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Mosaic of Jupiter's equatorial region at 727 nanometers (nm). The mosaic covers an area of 34,000 kilometers by 22,000 kilometers. Light at 727 nm is moderately absorbed by atmospheric methane. This image shows the features of Jupiter's main visible cloud deck and upper-tropospheric haze, with higher features enhanced in brightness over lower features. The dark region near the center of the mosaic is an equatorial 'hotspot' similar to the Galileo Probe entry site. These features are holes in the bright, reflective, equatorial cloud layer where warmer thermal emission from Jupiter's deep atmosphere can pass through. The circulation patterns observed here along with the composition measurements from the Galileo Probe suggest that dry air may be converging and sinking over these regions, maintaining their cloud-free appearance. The bright oval in the upper right of the mosaic as well as the other smaller bright features are examples of upwelling of moist air and condensation.

North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 19 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees West. The planetary limb runs along the right edge of the image. Cloud patterns appear foreshortened as they approach the limb. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers by the Solid State Imaging system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo

Field theory of pattern identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agu, Masahiro

1988-06-01

Based on the psychological experimental fact that images in mental space are transformed into other images for pattern identification, a field theory of pattern identification of geometrical patterns is developed with the use of gauge field theory in Euclidean space. Here, the ``image'' or state function ψ[χ] of the brain reacting to a geometrical pattern χ is made to correspond to the electron's wave function in Minkowski space. The pattern identification of the pattern χ with the modified pattern χ+Δχ is assumed to be such that their images ψ[χ] and ψ[χ+Δχ] in the brain are transformable with each other through suitable transformation groups such as parallel transformation, dilatation, or rotation. The transformation group is called the ``image potential'' which corresponds to the vector potential of the gauge field. An ``image field'' derived from the image potential is found to be induced in the brain when the two images ψ[χ] and ψ[χ+Δχ] are not transformable through suitable transformation groups or gauge transformations. It is also shown that, when the image field exists, the final state of the image ψ[χ] is expected to be different, depending on the paths of modifications of the pattern χ leading to a final pattern. The above fact is interpreted as a version of the Aharonov and Bohm effect of the electron's wave function [A. Aharonov and D. Bohm, Phys. Rev. 115, 485 (1959)]. An excitation equation of the image field is also derived by postulating that patterns are identified maximally for the purpose of minimizing the number of memorized standard patterns.

Low-noise heterodyne receiver for electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobias, B.; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, N. C.; Luo, C.; Mamidanna, M.; Phan, T.; Pham, A.-V.; Wang, Y.

2016-11-01

The critical component enabling electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) to resolve 2D and 3D electron temperature and density perturbations is the heterodyne imaging array that collects and downconverts radiated emission and/or reflected signals (50-150 GHz) to an intermediate frequency (IF) band (e.g. 0.1-18 GHz) that can be transmitted by a shielded coaxial cable for further filtering and detection. New circuitry has been developed for this task, integrating gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) mounted on a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. The improved topology significantly increases electromagnetic shielding from out-of-band interference, leads to 10× improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic cost savings through integration. The current design, optimized for reflectometry and edge radiometry on mid-sized tokamaks, has demonstrated >20 dB conversion gain in upper V-band (60-75 GHz). Implementation of the circuit in a multi-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) array will improve the diagnosis of edge-localized modes and fluctuations of the high-confinement, or H-mode, pedestal.

Low-noise heterodyne receiver for electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry.

PubMed

Tobias, B; Domier, C W; Luhmann, N C; Luo, C; Mamidanna, M; Phan, T; Pham, A-V; Wang, Y

2016-11-01

The critical component enabling electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) to resolve 2D and 3D electron temperature and density perturbations is the heterodyne imaging array that collects and downconverts radiated emission and/or reflected signals (50-150 GHz) to an intermediate frequency (IF) band (e.g. 0.1-18 GHz) that can be transmitted by a shielded coaxial cable for further filtering and detection. New circuitry has been developed for this task, integrating gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) mounted on a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. The improved topology significantly increases electromagnetic shielding from out-of-band interference, leads to 10× improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic cost savings through integration. The current design, optimized for reflectometry and edge radiometry on mid-sized tokamaks, has demonstrated >20 dB conversion gain in upper V-band (60-75 GHz). Implementation of the circuit in a multi-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) array will improve the diagnosis of edge-localized modes and fluctuations of the high-confinement, or H-mode, pedestal.

The subresolution DaTSCAN phantom: a cost-effective, flexible alternative to traditional phantom technology.

PubMed

Taylor, Jonathan C; Vennart, Nicholas; Negus, Ian; Holmes, Robin; Bandmann, Oliver; Lo, Christine; Fenner, John

2018-03-01

The Alderson striatal phantom is frequently used to assess I-FP-CIT (Ioflupane) image quality and to test semi-quantification software. However, its design is associated with a number of limitations, in particular: unrealistic image appearances and inflexibility. A new physical phantom approach is proposed on the basis of subresolution phantom technology. The design incorporates thin slabs of attenuating material generated through additive manufacturing, and paper sheets with radioactive ink patterns printed on their surface, created with a conventional inkjet printer. The paper sheets and attenuating slabs are interleaved before scanning. Use of thin layers ensures that they cannot be individually resolved on reconstructed images. An investigation was carried out to demonstrate the performance of such a phantom in producing simplified I-FP-CIT uptake patterns. Single photon emission computed tomography imaging was carried out on an assembled phantom designed to mimic a healthy patient. Striatal binding ratio results and linear striatal dimensions were calculated from the reconstructed data and compared with that of 22 clinical patients without evidence of Parkinsonian syndrome, determined from clinical follow-up. Striatal binding ratio results for the fully assembled phantom were: 3.1, 3.3, 2.9 and 2.6 for the right caudate, left caudate, right putamen and right caudate, respectively. All were within two SDs of results derived from a cohort of clinical patients. Medial-lateral and anterior-posterior dimensions of the simulated striata were also within the range of values seen in clinical data. This work provides the foundation for the generation of a range of more clinically realistic, physical phantoms.

First Retrieval of Thermospheric Carbon Monoxide From Mars Dayglow Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, J. Scott; Stevens, Michael H.; Jain, Sonal; Deighan, Justin; Lumpe, Jerry; Schneider, Nicholas M.; Stewart, A. Ian; Crismani, Matteo; Stiepen, Arnaud; Chaffin, Michael S.; Mayyasi-Matta, Majd A.; McClintock, William E.; Holsclaw, Greg; Lefevre, Franck; Lo, Daniel; Clarke, John T.; Montmessin, Franck; Bougher, Stephen W.; Bell, Jared M.; Eparvier, Frank; Thiemann, Ed; Mahaffy, Paul R.; Benna, Mehdi; Elrod, Meredith K.; Jakosky, Bruce

2017-10-01

As a minor species in the Martian thermosphere, Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a tracer that can be used to constrain changing circulation patterns between the lower thermosphere and upper mesosphere of Mars. By linking CO density distributions to dynamical wind patterns, the structure and variability of the atmosphere will be better understood. Direct measurements of CO can therefore provide insight into the magnitude and pattern of winds and provide a metric for studying the response of the atmosphere to solar forcing. In addition, CO measurements can help solve outstanding photochemical modeling problems in explaining the abundance of CO at Mars. CO is directly observable by electron impact excitation and solar resonance fluorescence emissions in the far-ultraviolet (FUV). The retrieval of CO from solar fluorescence was first proposed over 40 years ago, but has been elusive at Mars due to significant spectral blending. However, by simulating the spectral shape of each contributing emission feature, electron impact excitation and solar fluorescence brightnesses can be extracted from the composite spectrum using a multiple linear regression approach. We use CO Fourth Positive Group (4PG) molecular band emission observed on the limb (130 - 200 km) by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft over both northern and southern hemispheres from October 2014 to December 2016. We present the first direct retrieval of CO densities by FUV remote sensing in the upper atmosphere of Mars. Atmospheric composition is inferred using the terrestrial Atmospheric Ultraviolet Radiance Integrated Code adapted to the Martian atmosphere. We investigate the sensitivity of CO density retrievals to variability in solar irradiance, solar longitude, and local time. We compare our results to predictions from the Mars Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model as well as in situ measurements by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on MAVEN and quantify any differences.

Collimator-free photon tomography

DOEpatents

Dilmanian, F.A.; Barbour, R.L.

1998-10-06

A method of uncollimated single photon emission computed tomography includes administering a radioisotope to a patient for producing gamma ray photons from a source inside the patient. Emissivity of the photons is measured externally of the patient with an uncollimated gamma camera at a plurality of measurement positions surrounding the patient for obtaining corresponding energy spectrums thereat. Photon emissivity at the plurality of measurement positions is predicted using an initial prediction of an image of the source. The predicted and measured photon emissivities are compared to obtain differences therebetween. Prediction and comparison is iterated by updating the image prediction until the differences are below a threshold for obtaining a final prediction of the source image. 6 figs.

‘Double cortex’ sign on FDG-PET/CT in diffuse band heterotopia

PubMed Central

Tripathi, Madhavi; Tripathi, Manjari; Kumar, Ganesh; Malhotra, Arun; Bal, Chandra Sekhar

2013-01-01

F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron emission tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) has come to play an increasingly important role for the pre-surgical evaluation of drug resistant epilepsy and complements Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of grey matter heterotopias. This case illustrates the characteristic pattern of metabolic abnormality in diffuse band heterotopia (DBH) which is otherwise called double cortex syndrome. The presence of metabolic activity in the heterotopic inner cortical band and in the overlying true cortex gives rise to the ‘double cortex’ sign on FDG-PET, concurrent CT provides a good anato-metabolic coregistration. PMID:24379541

Potential advantage of studying the lymphatic drainage by sentinel node technique and SPECT-CT image fusion for pelvic irradiation of prostate cancer

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

Krengli, Marco; Ballare, Andrea; Cannillo, Barbara

2006-11-15

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the in vivo drainage of lymphatic spread by using the sentinel node (SN) technique and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-computed tomography (CT) image fusion, and to analyze the impact of such information on conformal pelvic irradiation. Methods and Materials: Twenty-three prostate cancer patients, candidates for radical prostatectomy already included in a trial studying the SN technique, were enrolled. CT and SPECT images were obtained after intraprostate injection of 115 MBq of {sup 99m}Tc-nanocolloid, allowing identification of SN and other pelvic lymph nodes. Target and nontarget structures, including lymph nodes identified by SPECT, were drawnmore » on SPECT-CT fusion images. A three-dimensional conformal treatment plan was performed for each patient. Results: Single-photon emission computed tomography lymph nodal uptake was detected in 20 of 23 cases (87%). The SN was inside the pelvic clinical target volume (CTV{sub 2}) in 16 of 20 cases (80%) and received no less than the prescribed dose in 17 of 20 cases (85%). The most frequent locations of SN outside the CTV{sub 2} were the common iliac and presacral lymph nodes. Sixteen of the 32 other lymph nodes (50%) identified by SPECT were found outside the CTV{sub 2}. Overall, the SN and other intrapelvic lymph nodes identified by SPECT were not included in the CTV{sub 2} in 5 of 20 (25%) patients. Conclusions: The study of lymphatic drainage can contribute to a better knowledge of the in vivo potential pattern of lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer and can lead to a modification of treatment volume with consequent optimization of pelvic irradiation.« less

VLA neutral hydrogen imaging of compact groups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, B. A.; Mcmahon, P. M.; Vangorkom, J. H.

1990-01-01

Images of the neutral hydrogen (H I) in the direction of the compact groups of galaxies, HCG 31, HCG 44, and HCG 79 are presented. The authors find in HCG 31 and HCG 79, emission contained within a cloud much larger than the galaxies as well as the entire group. The H I emission associated with HCG 44 is located within the individual galaxies but shows definite signs of tidal interactions. The authors imaged the distribution and kinematics of neutral hydrogen at the two extremes of group sizes represented in Hickson's sample. HCG 44 is at the upper limit while HCG 18, HCG 31, and HCG 79 are at the lower end. Although the number of groups that have been imaged is still very small, there may be a pattern emerging which describes the H I morphology of compact groups. The true nature of compact groups has been the subject of considerable debate and controversy. The most recent observational and theoretical evidence strongly suggests that compact groups are physically dense, dynamical systems that are in the process of merging into a single object (Williams and Rood 1987, Hickson and Rood 1988, Barnes 1989). The neutral hydrogen deficiency observed by Williams and Rood (1987) is consistent with a model in which frequent galactic collisions and interactions have heated some of the gas during the short lifetime of the group. The H I disks which are normally more extended than the luminous ones are expected to be more sensitive to collisions and to trace the galaxy's response to recent interactions. Very Large Array observations can provide in most cases the spatial resolution needed to confirm the dynamical interactions in these systems.

Positron emission tomography: a novel technique for investigating the biodistribution and transport of nanoparticles.

PubMed

Palko, Heather A; Fung, Jennifer Y; Louie, Angelique Y

2010-07-01

Particulate matter (PM) has been associated with serious health effects within but also outside of the pulmonary system. Therefore, there is great interest in studying the biodistribution of PM after delivery to the lung to correlate sites of extrapulmonary particle accumulation and abnormal conditions known to be associated with PM exposure. Traditional PM tracking studies have introduced nanoparticles to animal models or humans and have determined the biodistribution with gamma counting, gamma camera, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The authors here demonstrate that positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful tool that can be employed to visualize the deposition and track the fate of nanoparticles in the mouse model. In these studies, approximately 100-nm polystyrene nanoparticles were labeled with the positron emitter 64Cu bound by the chelator (S)-2-(4-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-tetraacetic acid (p-SCN-Bn-DOTA). The labeled nanoparticles were instilled intratracheally into C57BL/6 mice; the initial deposition and biodistribution through 48 h was determined by PET imaging. In addition to static imaging, dynamic imaging was performed in the Sprague-Dawley rat model to demonstrate that PET can capture particle movement in pseudo-time-lapse videos. Particle deposition and clearance was clearly identified by PET, and the same animals could be imaged repeatedly without any adverse effects from anesthesia. PET has the potential to require many fewer animals than traditional methods while still providing quantitative results. In addition, the initial deposition pattern in each animal can be accurately determined and the same animal monitored over time so that data interpretation is not clouded by variations in initial deposition profiles.

Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT)

MedlinePlus

... A-Z Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of ... What is Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Scanning? Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging ...

Recent advances in parametric neuroreceptor mapping with dynamic PET: basic concepts and graphical analyses.

PubMed

Seo, Seongho; Kim, Su Jin; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung

2014-10-01

Tracer kinetic modeling in dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) has been widely used to investigate the characteristic distribution patterns or dysfunctions of neuroreceptors in brain diseases. Its practical goal has progressed from regional data quantification to parametric mapping that produces images of kinetic-model parameters by fully exploiting the spatiotemporal information in dynamic PET data. Graphical analysis (GA) is a major parametric mapping technique that is independent on any compartmental model configuration, robust to noise, and computationally efficient. In this paper, we provide an overview of recent advances in the parametric mapping of neuroreceptor binding based on GA methods. The associated basic concepts in tracer kinetic modeling are presented, including commonly-used compartment models and major parameters of interest. Technical details of GA approaches for reversible and irreversible radioligands are described, considering both plasma input and reference tissue input models. Their statistical properties are discussed in view of parametric imaging.

Determination of the Goos-Hanchen shift in dielectric waveguides via photo emission electron microscopy in the visible spectrum

DOE PAGES

Stenmark, Theodore; Word, R. C.; Konenkamp, R.

2016-02-16

Photoemission Electron Microscopy (PEEM) is a versatile tool that relies on the photoelectric effect to produce high-resolution images. Pulse lasers allow for multi-photon PEEM where multiple photons are required excite a single electron. This non-linear process can directly image the near field region of electromagnetic fields in materials. We use this ability here to analyze wave propagation in a linear dielectric waveguide with wavelengths of 410nm and 780nm. The propagation constant of the waveguide can be extracted from the interference pattern created by the coupled and incident light and shows distinct polarization dependence. Furthermore, the electromagnetic field interaction at themore » boundaries can then be deduced which is essential to understand power flow in wave guiding structures. These results match well with simulations using finite element techniques.« less

Synthesis of a Far-Red Photoactivatable Silicon-Containing Rhodamine for Super-Resolution Microscopy.

PubMed

Grimm, Jonathan B; Klein, Teresa; Kopek, Benjamin G; Shtengel, Gleb; Hess, Harald F; Sauer, Markus; Lavis, Luke D

2016-01-26

The rhodamine system is a flexible framework for building small-molecule fluorescent probes. Changing N-substitution patterns and replacing the xanthene oxygen with a dimethylsilicon moiety can shift the absorption and fluorescence emission maxima of rhodamine dyes to longer wavelengths. Acylation of the rhodamine nitrogen atoms forces the molecule to adopt a nonfluorescent lactone form, providing a convenient method to make fluorogenic compounds. Herein, we take advantage of all of these structural manipulations and describe a novel photoactivatable fluorophore based on a Si-containing analogue of Q-rhodamine. This probe is the first example of a "caged" Si-rhodamine, exhibits higher photon counts compared to established localization microscopy dyes, and is sufficiently red-shifted to allow multicolor imaging. The dye is a useful label for super-resolution imaging and constitutes a new scaffold for far-red fluorogenic molecules. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Synthesis of a Far‐Red Photoactivatable Silicon‐Containing Rhodamine for Super‐Resolution Microscopy

PubMed Central

Grimm, Jonathan B.; Klein, Teresa; Kopek, Benjamin G.; Shtengel, Gleb; Hess, Harald F.; Sauer, Markus

2015-01-01

Abstract The rhodamine system is a flexible framework for building small‐molecule fluorescent probes. Changing N‐substitution patterns and replacing the xanthene oxygen with a dimethylsilicon moiety can shift the absorption and fluorescence emission maxima of rhodamine dyes to longer wavelengths. Acylation of the rhodamine nitrogen atoms forces the molecule to adopt a nonfluorescent lactone form, providing a convenient method to make fluorogenic compounds. Herein, we take advantage of all of these structural manipulations and describe a novel photoactivatable fluorophore based on a Si‐containing analogue of Q‐rhodamine. This probe is the first example of a “caged” Si‐rhodamine, exhibits higher photon counts compared to established localization microscopy dyes, and is sufficiently red‐shifted to allow multicolor imaging. The dye is a useful label for super‐resolution imaging and constitutes a new scaffold for far‐red fluorogenic molecules. PMID:26661345

Imaging the Sources and Full Extent of the Sodium Tail of the Planet Mercury

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumgardner, Jeffrey; Wilson, Jody; Mendillo, Michael

2008-01-01

Observations of sodium emission from Mercury can be used to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of sources and sinks in the planet s surface-boundary-exosphere. We report on new data sets that provide the highest spatial resolution of source regions at polar latitudes, as well as the extraordinary length of a tail of escaping Na atoms. The tail s extent of approx.1.5 degrees (nearly 1400 Mercury radii) is driven by radiation pressure effects upon Na atoms sputtered from the surface in the previous approx.5 hours. Wide-angle filtered-imaging instruments are thus capable of studying the time history of sputtering processes of sodium and other species at Mercury from ground-based observatories in concert with upcoming satellite missions to the planet. Plasma tails produced by photo-ionization of Na and other gases in Mercury s neutral tails may be observable by in-situ instruments.

Functional Imaging in Radiotherapy in the Netherlands: Availability and Impact on Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Vogel, W V; Lam, M G E H; Pameijer, F A; van der Heide, U A; van de Kamer, J B; Philippens, M E; van Vulpen, M; Verheij, M

2016-12-01

Functional imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and multiparametric magnetic resonance (mpMR) is increasingly applied for radiotherapy purposes. However, evidence and experience are still limited, and this may lead to clinically relevant differences in accessibility, interpretation and decision making. We investigated the current patterns of care in functional imaging for radiotherapy in the Netherlands in a care evaluation study. The availability of functional imaging in radiotherapy centres in the Netherlands was evaluated; features available in >80% of academic and >80% of non-academic centres were considered standard of care. The impact of functional imaging on clinical decision making was evaluated using case questionnaires on lung, head/neck, breast and prostate cancer, with multiple-choice questions on primary tumour delineation, nodal involvement, distant metastasis and incidental findings. Radiation oncologists were allowed to discuss cases in a multidisciplinary approach. Ordinal answers were evaluated by median and interquartile range (IQR) to identify the extent and variability of clinical impact; additional patterns were evaluated descriptively. Information was collected from 18 radiotherapy centres in the Netherlands (all except two). PET/CT was available for radiotherapy purposes to 94% of centres; 67% in the treatment position and 61% with integrated planning CT. mpMR was available to all centres; 61% in the treatment position. Technologists collaborated between departments to acquire PET/CT or mpMR for radiotherapy in 89%. All sites could carry out image registration for target definition. Functional imaging generally showed a high clinical impact (average median 4.3, scale 1-6) and good observer agreement (average IQR 1.1, scale 0-6). However, several issues resulted in ignoring functional imaging (e.g. positional discrepancies, central necrosis) or poor observer agreement (atelectasis, diagnostic discrepancies, conformation strategies). Access to functional imaging with PET/CT and mpMR for radiotherapy purposes, with collaborating technologists and multimodal delineation, can be considered standard of care in the Netherlands. For several specific clinical situations, the interpretation of images may benefit from further standardisation. Copyright © 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecosystem Impacts of Woody Encroachment In Texas: A Spatial Analysis Using AVIRIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Roberta E.; Asner, Gregory P.

2004-01-01

Woody encroachment, the increase of woody plant density relative to herbaceous vegetation, has been documented in drylands of Texas as well as worldwide (Archer 1994, Harrington and Harman 1995, Moleele et al. 2002). Over-grazing, fire suppression and climate change are implicated in the shift from open grasslands to ecosystems now populated by trees and shrubs (Scholes and Archer 1997, Archer et al. 2001), such as Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa (honey mesquite) in north Texas (Teague et al. 1997, Ansley et al. 2001, Asner et al. 2003a). Several studies have examined changes in ecosystem properties accompanying woody vegetation encroachment in the Southwest U.S., with research focused on increases in plant and soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stores (Hoffman and Jackson 2000, Asner et al. 2003a), isotopic shifts in these pools (Boutton 1999, Archer et al. 2001), and increases in N cycling rates (Rundel et al. 1982, Hibbard et al. 2001). However, little is known regarding the impact of woody encroachment on N trace gas emissions from dryland regions such as Texas. NOx is produced in the soil during the processes of nitrification and denitrification (Firestone and Davidson 1989). The total N efflux from soils is most directly influenced by the internal cycling of N, which at a regionalscale, is controlled by the inputs and availability of N from vegetation via litterfall and subsequent decomposition (Robertson et al. 1989). Although plot-scale studies are critical to understanding controls over N oxide emissions, regionalization of the measurements is impeded by spatial variation in the factors contributing most to N cycling processes: soil properties (affecting soil moisture regimes and N stocks) and vegetation cover (affecting litter inputs and N uptake). While broad patterns in ecosystem structure and vegetation composition co-vary with general patterns of trace gas emissions (Matson 1997), there is no easily measured index of N availability that can be applied for regional-scale studies of N oxide fluxes. Remote sensing is arguably the only approach available to develop a spatially-explicit understanding of ecosystem processes. More specifically, remotely detectable spatial patterns in the distal controls over soil N properties, such as vegetation cover, land use and soil type (Robertson et al. 1989), should be exploited for regional studies of N oxide emissions. The woody encroachment phenomenon provides an opportunity to test the strength of the relationship between N oxide emissions and those factors controlling the fluxes that can be remotely measured. If such linkages can be firmly established, and if the spatial pattern of distal controls is relevant, then the combination of field measurements and remote sensing offers to improve regional-scale N oxide estimates. The paper presents the utility of linking field based sampling of soil NOx emissions with very high resolution remote sensing estimates of woody vegetation cover from the NASA AVIRIS, Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (Green et al. 1998, Asner and Green 2001) and automated spectral mixture analysis (Asner and Lobell 2000, Asner and Heidebrecht 2002) that provide a means to spatially extrapolate soil NOx emissions to the regional scale.

ISUAL-Observed Blue Luminous Events: The Associated Sferics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, Jung-Kuang; Hsu, Rue-Ron; Su, Han-Tzong; Chen, Alfred Bing-Chih; Kuo, Cheng-Ling; Huang, Sung-Ming; Chang, Shu-Chun; Peng, Kang-Ming; Wu, Yen-Jung

2018-04-01

The blue luminous events (BLEs) recorded by ISUAL (Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning) radiate unambiguous middle ultraviolet to blue emissions (230-450 nm) but contain dim red emissions (623-754 nm). The BLE appears to be dot-like on one ISUAL image with an integration time of 29 ms. A few BLEs develop upward into blue jets/starters or type II gigantic jets (GJs). The associated sferics of the BLEs in the extremely low frequency to very low frequency band and in the low-frequency band exhibit similar patterns to the narrow bipolar events (NBEs) identified in the very low frequency and low-frequency band. The ISUAL BLEs are conjectured to be the accompanied light emissions of the NBEs. Both upward and downward propagating current obtained from the associated sferics of the BLEs have been found. The source heights of the six BLEs related to negative NBEs are estimated in the range of 16.2-17.8 km. These six events are suggested to occur between the upper positive charge layer and the negative screen charge layer on the top of the normally electrified thunderstorm. The six blue starters, one blue jet, and one type II GJ are inferred to be positive upward discharges from their associated sferics in the extremely low frequency to very low frequency band. Based on the simultaneous radio and optical observations, a NBE is conjectured to be the initiation discharge with rapidly flowing current within the thunderstorm, while a blue jet/starter or a type II GJ is suggested to be the ensuing discharge with slowly varying current propagating upward from the thunderstorm.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Carbon Emissions to the Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broniak, C. T.; Blasing, T. J.; Marland, G.

2003-12-01

Data on global fossil-fuel emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere for year 2000 show that the range of national average per capita emissions, in metric tons of carbon per person, includes values of 5.40 for the United States, 2.61 for Germany, 0.29 for India and 0.04 for Liberia. This range is more than two orders of magnitude. Similar data on national fossil-fuel emissions for the United States vary by more than an order of magnitude, from 34.18 metric tons of carbon per person for Wyoming to 2.70 for California. The state data also show differing patterns of change over time. The Kyoto Protocol would require ratifying developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to quantified negotiated targets. The concept of contraction and convergence (C&C) has been widely touted as a possible basis for ultimate, more strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The idea of C&C is that per-capita emissions of CO2 for all countries would converge toward some common value that is consistent with stabilization of global climate. The U.S., on the other hand, has proposed intensity-based emissions targets whereby goals would be defined in terms of emissions per unit of gross domestic product, or perhaps emissions per unit of output for specific activities. This paper describes the data set on U.S. CO2 emissions by state, and begins to explore the patterns between states and over time.

Improved optical flow velocity analysis in SO2 camera images of volcanic plumes - implications for emission-rate retrievals investigated at Mt Etna, Italy and Guallatiri, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gliß, Jonas; Stebel, Kerstin; Kylling, Arve; Sudbø, Aasmund

2018-02-01

Accurate gas velocity measurements in emission plumes are highly desirable for various atmospheric remote sensing applications. The imaging technique of UV SO2 cameras is commonly used to monitor SO2 emissions from volcanoes and anthropogenic sources (e.g. power plants, ships). The camera systems capture the emission plumes at high spatial and temporal resolution. This allows the gas velocities in the plume to be retrieved directly from the images. The latter can be measured at a pixel level using optical flow (OF) algorithms. This is particularly advantageous under turbulent plume conditions. However, OF algorithms intrinsically rely on contrast in the images and often fail to detect motion in low-contrast image areas. We present a new method to identify ill-constrained OF motion vectors and replace them using the local average velocity vector. The latter is derived based on histograms of the retrieved OF motion fields. The new method is applied to two example data sets recorded at Mt Etna (Italy) and Guallatiri (Chile). We show that in many cases, the uncorrected OF yields significantly underestimated SO2 emission rates. We further show that our proposed correction can account for this and that it significantly improves the reliability of optical-flow-based gas velocity retrievals. In the case of Mt Etna, the SO2 emissions of the north-eastern crater are investigated. The corrected SO2 emission rates range between 4.8 and 10.7 kg s-1 (average of 7.1 ± 1.3 kg s-1) and are in good agreement with previously reported values. For the Guallatiri data, the emissions of the central crater and a fumarolic field are investigated. The retrieved SO2 emission rates are between 0.5 and 2.9 kg s-1 (average of 1.3 ± 0.5 kg s-1) and provide the first report of SO2 emissions from this remotely located and inaccessible volcano.

Variation of the H-Beta Emission Lines of Yy-Geminorum - Part Two - Change of Sectorial Structures of Active Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodaira, K.; Ichimura, K.

Sixty-three image-tube spectrograms of YY Gem (4 Å mm-1, λλ4820-4900 Å) are analyzed to yield the radial-velocity curves and the variations in the intensities and the widths of Hβ emission lines during the quiescent phase at epochs 1980 February 11-16, 1981 January 14-15, and 1981 March 11. The emission-line intensity of component A varied in a single-wave mode over an orbital period, with an apparent phase drift, -0.006019 fraction of the period per day from one epoch to another. The pattern of the intensity variation of component B changed within a few years. The ratio of the amplitudes of radial-velocity curves (KA/KB) of Hβ emission was found to be 0.91 in February 1980 but 1.01 in January 1981. This modulation in the ratio is interpreted as the results of the varying inhomogeneous distributions of emission intensities over the stellar surfaces which are inferred from the observed intensity variations under the assumption of synchronous rotation. A ratio KA/KB = 1.00±001 is proposed as the actual value which would be observed if the effects of inhomogeneities were negligible. The double-wave mode of the line-width variation over a period, which was found by Kodaira and Ichimura (1980), persisted for component A but changed into a single-wave mode for component B. No appreciable changes were detected in the average levels of both the intensity and width of Hβ emission lines within the last few years.

Imaging Stem Cells Implanted in Infarcted Myocardium

PubMed Central

Zhou, Rong; Acton, Paul D.; Ferrari, Victor A.

2008-01-01

Stem cell–based cellular cardiomyoplasty represents a promising therapy for myocardial infarction. Noninvasive imaging techniques would allow the evaluation of survival, migration, and differentiation status of implanted stem cells in the same subject over time. This review describes methods for cell visualization using several corresponding noninvasive imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, and bioluminescent imaging. Reporter-based cell visualization is compared with direct cell labeling for short- and long-term cell tracking. PMID:17112999

Investigation of Electron Transport Across Vertically Grown CNTs Using Combination of Proximity Field Emission Microscopy and Scanning Probe Image Processing Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolekar, Sadhu; Patole, Shashikant P.; Yoo, Ji-Beom; Dharmadhikari, Chandrakant V.

2018-03-01

Field emission from nanostructured films is known to be dominated by only small number of localized spots which varies with the voltage, electric field and heat treatment. It is important to develop processing methods which will produce stable and uniform emitting sites. In this paper we report a novel approach which involves analysis of Proximity Field Emission Microscopic (PFEM) images using Scanning Probe Image Processing technique. Vertically aligned carbon nanotube emitters have been deposited on tungsten foil by water assisted chemical vapor deposition. Prior to the field electron emission studies, these films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM images of the samples show bristle like structure, the size of bristle varying from 80 to 300 nm. The topography images were found to exhibit strong correlation with current images. Current-Voltage (I-V) measurements both from Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Conducting-AFM mode suggest that electron transport mechanism in imaging vertically grown CNTs is ballistic rather than usual tunneling or field emission with a junction resistance of 10 kΩ. It was found that I-V curves for field emission mode in PFEM geometry vary initially with number of I-V cycles until reproducible I-V curves are obtained. Even for reasonably stable I-V behavior the number of spots was found to increase with the voltage leading to a modified Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) behavior. A plot of ln(I/V3) versus 1/V was found to be linear. Current versus time data exhibit large fluctuation with the power spectral density obeying 1/f2 law. It is suggested that an analogue of F-N equation of the form ln(I/Vα) versus 1/V may be used for the analysis of field emission data, where α may depend on nanostructure configuration and can be determined from the dependence of emitting spots on the voltage.

Modelling of the Saturnian Kilometric Radiation (SKR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cecconi, B.; Lamy, L.; Prangé, R.; Zarka, P.; Hess, S.; Clarke, J. T.; Nichols, J.

2008-12-01

The Saturnian Kilometric Radiation (SKR), discovered by the Voyager spacecraft in the 1980's, is observed quasi-continuously by Cassini since 2003. Study of 3 years of SKR observations by RPWS (Radio and Plasma Wave Science) revealed three recurrent features of SKR dynamic spectra : (i) discrete arcs, presumably caused by the anisotropy of the radio emission pattern combined to the observer's motion, (ii) an equatorial shadow zone around the planet (observed near perikrones) and (iii) signal extinctions at high northern latitudes. We model these features using the code PRES (Planetary Radio Emission Simulator) that assumes radio emissions to be generated via the Cyclotron Maser Instability for simulating observed dynamic spectra. We show that observed arc-like structures imply radio sources in partial (~90%) corotation, located on magnetic field lines of invariant latitude 70° to 75°, and emitting at oblique angle from the local magnetic field with a cone angle that varies with frequency. Then, based on the previously demonstrated conjugacy between UV and SKR sources, we successfully model the equatorial shadow zone as well as northern latitude SKR extinctions assuming time variable radio sources distributed along field lines with footprints along the daily UV oval measured from HST images.

In Situ Acoustic Monitoring of Thermal Spray Process Using High-Frequency Impulse Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tillmann, Wolfgang; Walther, Frank; Luo, Weifeng; Haack, Matthias; Nellesen, Jens; Knyazeva, Marina

2018-01-01

In order to guarantee their protective function, thermal spray coatings must be free from cracks, which expose the substrate surface to, e.g., corrosive media. Cracks in thermal spray coatings are usually formed because of tensile residual stresses. Most commonly, the crack occurrence is determined after the thermal spraying process by examination of metallographic cross sections of the coating. Recent efforts focus on in situ monitoring of crack formation by means of acoustic emission analysis. However, the acoustic signals related to crack propagation can be absorbed by the noise of the thermal spraying process. In this work, a high-frequency impulse measurement technique was applied to separate different acoustic sources by visualizing the characteristic signal of crack formation via quasi-real-time Fourier analysis. The investigations were carried out on a twin wire arc spraying process, utilizing FeCrBSi as a coating material. The impact of the process parameters on the acoustic emission spectrum was studied. Acoustic emission analysis enables to obtain global and integral information on the formed cracks. The coating morphology and coating defects were inspected using light microscopy on metallographic cross sections. Additionally, the resulting crack patterns were imaged in 3D by means of x-ray microtomography.

A novel emissive projection display (EPD) on transparent phosphor screen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Botao; Sun, Leonard; Yu, Ge; Sun, Ted X.

2017-03-01

A new paradigm of digital projection is on the horizon, based on innovative emissive screen that are made fully transparent. It can be readily applied and convert any surface to a high image quality emissive digital display, without affecting the surface appearance. For example, it can convert any glass window or windshield to completely see-through display, with unlimited field of view and viewing angles. It also enables a scalable and economic projection display on a pitch-black emissive screen with black level and image contrast that rivals other emissive displays such as plasma display or OLED.

Anthropogenic emissions and space-borne observations of carbon monoxide over South Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ul-Haq, Zia; Tariq, Salman; Ali, Muhammad

2016-11-01

The focus of this study is to understand anthropogenic emissions, spatiotemporal variability and trends of carbon monoxide (CO) over South Asia by using datasets from MACCity (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate, MACC and megaCITY - Zoom for the Environment, CityZEN), REAS (Regional Emission inventory in Asia), AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) and SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY). MACCity anthropogenic emissions show an overall increase of 16.5% during 2000-2010. Elevated levels of MACCity CO are found in Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB), eastern mining region of India, Bangladesh and large urban areas. Some of the major contributors of these emissions have been identified as agricultural waste burning, land transport, industrial production, and energy generation and distribution. An area averaged mean value of AIRS CO at 600 hPa is found to be 114 ± 2 ppbv (slope -0.48 ± 0.2 ppbv yr-1, y-intercept 117 ± 1 ppbv and r = 0.68) with a minor declining trend at -0.41 ± 0.18% yr-1 over the region during 2003-2015. A strong seasonality in AIRS CO concentration is observed with spring season peak in March 129 ± 1.9 ppbv, whereas low values have been observed in summer monsoon with sturdy dip in July 99.6 ± 1.94 ppbv. AIRS CO and SCIAMACHY CO Total Column (CO TC) over the study region show spatial patterns similar to MACCity and REAS emissions. An analysis of SCIAMACHY CO TC tendencies has been performed which indicates minor rising trends over some parts of the region. Background CO, Recent Emissions (RE), and spatial anomalies in RE over high anthropogenic activity zones of Indus Basin, Ganges Basin and Eastern Region were analyzed using AIRS and SCIAMACHY CO data.

Electron beam imaging and spectroscopy of plasmonic nanoantenna resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vesseur, E. J. R.

2011-07-01

Nanoantennas are metal structures that provide strong optical coupling between a nanoscale volume and the far field. This coupling is mediated by surface plasmons, oscillations of the free electrons in the metal. Increasing the control over the resonant plasmonic field distribution opens up a wide range of applications of nanoantennas operating both in receiving and transmitting mode. This thesis presents how the dispersion and confinement of surface plasmons in nanoantennas are resolved and further engineered. Fabrication of nanostructures is done using focused ion beam milling (FIB) in metallic surfaces. We demonstrate that patterning in single-crystal substrates allows us to precisely control the geometry in which plasmons are confined. The nanoscale properties of the resonant plasmonic fields are resolved using a new technique developed in this thesis: angle- and polarization controlled cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging spectroscopy. The use of a tightly focused electron beam allows us to probe the optical antenna properties with deep subwavelength resolution. We show using this technique that nanoantennas consisting of 500-1200 nm long polycrystalline Au nanowires support standing plasmon waves. We directly observe the plasmon wavelengths which we use to derive the dispersion relation of guided nanowire plasmons. A 590-nm-long ridge-shaped nanoantenna was fabricated using FIB milling on a single-crystal Au substrate, demonstrating a level of control over the fabrication impossible with polycrystalline metals. CL experiments show that the ridge supports multiple-order resonances. The confinement of surface plasmons to the ridge is confirmed by boundary-element-method (BEM) calculations. The resonant modes in plasmonic whispering gallery cavities consisting of a FIB-fabricated circular groove are resolved. We find an excellent agreement between boundary element method calculations and the measured CL emission from the ring-shaped cavities. The calculations show that the ring supports resonances with increasing azimuthal or radial order. The smallest cavity fits only one wavelength in its circumference. We theoretically show that in these cavities, spontaneous emission can be enhanced over a broad spectral band due to the small modal volume of the plasmon resonances. A Purcell factor >2000 was found. We further study the mode symmetries and coupling of the ring resonances using far-field excitation, fluorescence, angle-resolved cathodoluminescence and photoelectron emission microscopy. We demonstrate spectral reshaping of emitters, mode-specific angular emission patterns, and a mode-selective excitation by incoming light, and we directly resolve the modal fields at high resolution. In the next chapter, we present metal-insulator-metal plasmon waveguides in which we engineer the dispersion to reach a refractive index of zero. Using spatially- and angle-resolved CL we directly observe the spatial mode profiles and determine the dispersion relation of plasmon modes. At the cutoff frequency, the emission pattern corresponds to that of a line dipole antenna demonstrating the entire waveguide is in phase (n=0). A strongly enhanced density of optical states is directly observed at cutoff from the enhanced CL intensity. Finally, we present 5 possible applications: a localized surface plasmon sensor, a plasmon ring laser, template stripping technique, an in-situ monitor of ionoluminescence and cathodoluminescence in a FIB system and a single-photon source.

Discriminative Power of Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging and 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Changes for Amyloid-β-Positive Subjects in the Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

PubMed

Tosun, Duygu; Schuff, Norbert; Jagust, William; Weiner, Michael W

2016-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) identify similar regional abnormalities and have comparable diagnostic accuracy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The agreement between these modalities in the AD continuum, which is an important concept for early detection and disease monitoring, is yet unclear. We aimed to assess the ability of the cerebral blood flow (CBF) measures from ASL-MRI and cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRgl) measures from FDG-PET to distinguish amyloid-β-positive (Aβ+) subjects in the AD continuum from healthy controls. The study included asymptomatic, cognitively normal (CN) controls and patients with early mild cognitive impairment (MCI), late MCI, and AD, all with significant levels of cortical Aβ based on their florbetapir PET scans to restrict the study to patients truly in the AD continuum. The discrimination power of each modality was based on the whole-brain patterns of CBF and CMRgl changes identified by partial least squares logistic regression, a multivariate analysis technique. While CBF changes in the posterior inferior aspects of the brain and a pattern of CMRgl changes in the superior aspects of the brain including frontal and parietal regions best discriminated the Aβ+ subjects in the early disease stages from the Aβ- CN subjects, there was a greater agreement in the whole-brain patterns of CBF and CMRgl changes that best discriminated the Aβ+ subjects from the Aβ- CN subjects in the later disease stages. Despite the differences in the whole-brain patterns of CBF and CMRgl changes, the discriminative powers of both modalities were similar with statistically nonsignificant performance differences in sensitivity and specificity. The results comparing measurements of CBF to CMRgl add to previous reports that MRI-measured CBF has a similar diagnostic ability to detect AD as has FDG-PET. Our findings that CBF and CMRgl changes occur in different brain regions in Aβ+ subjects across the AD continuum compared with Aβ- CN subjects may be the result of methodological differences. Alternatively, these findings may signal alterations in neurovascular coupling which alter relationships between brain perfusion and glucose metabolism in the AD continuum. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Implications of driving patterns on well-to-wheel performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

PubMed

Raykin, Leon; MacLean, Heather L; Roorda, Matthew J

2012-06-05

This study examines how driving patterns (distance and conditions) and the electricity generation supply interact to impact well-to-wheel (WTW) energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The WTW performance of a PHEV is compared with that of a similar (nonplug-in) gasoline hybrid electric vehicle and internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV). Driving PHEVs for short distances between recharging generally results in lower WTW total and fossil energy use and GHG emissions per kilometer compared to driving long distances, but the extent of the reductions depends on the electricity supply. For example, the shortest driving pattern in this study with hydroelectricity uses 81% less fossil energy than the longest driving pattern. However, the shortest driving pattern with coal-based electricity uses only 28% less fossil energy. Similar trends are observed in reductions relative to the nonplug-in vehicles. Irrespective of the electricity supply, PHEVs result in greater reductions in WTW energy use and GHG emissions relative to ICEVs for city than highway driving conditions. PHEVs charging from coal facilities only reduce WTW energy use and GHG emissions relative to ICEVs for certain favorable driving conditions. The study results have implications for environmentally beneficial PHEV adoption and usage patterns.

Achieving high-efficiency emission depletion nanoscopy by employing cross relaxation in upconversion nanoparticles.

PubMed

Zhan, Qiuqiang; Liu, Haichun; Wang, Baoju; Wu, Qiusheng; Pu, Rui; Zhou, Chao; Huang, Bingru; Peng, Xingyun; Ågren, Hans; He, Sailing

2017-10-20

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy provides a powerful sub-diffraction imaging modality for life science studies. Conventionally, stimulated emission depletion requires a relatively high light intensity to obtain an adequate depletion efficiency through only light-matter interaction. Here we show efficient emission depletion for a class of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles with the assistance of interionic cross relaxation, which significantly lowers the laser intensity requirements of optical depletion. We demonstrate two-color super-resolution imaging using upconversion nanoparticles (resolution ~ 66 nm) with a single pair of excitation/depletion beams. In addition, we show super-resolution imaging of immunostained cytoskeleton structures of fixed cells (resolution ~ 82 nm) using upconversion nanoparticles. These achievements provide a new perspective for the development of photoswitchable luminescent probes and will broaden the applications of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for sub-diffraction microscopic imaging.

Neurokinin-3 Receptor Binding in Guinea Pig, Monkey, and Human Brain: In Vitro and in Vivo Imaging Using the Novel Radioligand, [18F]Lu AF10628.

PubMed

Varnäs, Katarina; Finnema, Sjoerd J; Stepanov, Vladimir; Takano, Akihiro; Tóth, Miklós; Svedberg, Marie; Møller Nielsen, Søren; Khanzhin, Nikolay A; Juhl, Karsten; Bang-Andersen, Benny; Halldin, Christer; Farde, Lars

2016-08-01

Previous autoradiography studies have suggested a marked interspecies variation in the neuroanatomical localization and expression levels of the neurokinin 3 receptor, with high density in the brain of rat, gerbil, and guinea pig, but at the time offered no conclusive evidence for its presence in the human brain. Hitherto available radioligands have displayed low affinity for the human neurokinin 3 receptor relative to the rodent homologue and may thus not be optimal for cross-species analyses of the expression of this protein. A novel neurokinin 3 receptor radioligand, [(18)F]Lu AF10628 ((S)-N-(cyclobutyl(3-fluorophenyl)methyl)-8-fluoro-2-((3-[(18)F]-fluoropropyl)amino)-3-methyl-1-oxo-1,2-dihydroisoquinoline-4-carboxamide), was synthesized and used for autoradiography studies in cryosections from guinea pig, monkey, and human brain as well as for positron emission tomography studies in guinea pig and monkey. The results confirmed previous observations of interspecies variation in the neurokinin 3 receptor brain localization with more extensive distribution in guinea pig than in primate brain. In the human brain, specific binding to the neurokinin 3 receptor was highest in the amygdala and in the hypothalamus and very low in other regions examined. Positron emission tomography imaging showed a pattern consistent with that observed using autoradiography. The radioactivity was, however, found to accumulate in skull bone, which limits the use of this radioligand for in vivo quantification of neurokinin 3 receptor binding. Species differences in the brain distribution of neurokinin 3 receptors should be considered when using animal models for predicting human neurokinin 3 receptor pharmacology. For positron emission tomography imaging of brain neurokinin 3 receptors, additional work is required to develop a radioligand with more favorable in vivo properties. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Vibro-acoustography and multifrequency image compounding.

PubMed

Urban, Matthew W; Alizad, Azra; Fatemi, Mostafa

2011-08-01

Vibro-acoustography is an ultrasound based imaging modality that can visualize normal and abnormal soft tissue through mapping the acoustic response of the object to a harmonic radiation force at frequency Δf induced by focused ultrasound. In this method, the ultrasound energy is converted from high ultrasound frequencies to a low acoustic frequency (acoustic emission) that is often two orders of magnitude smaller than the ultrasound frequency. The acoustic emission is normally detected by a hydrophone. Depending on the setup, this low frequency sound may reverberate by object boundaries or other structures present in the acoustic paths before it reaches the hydrophone. This effect produces an artifact in the image in the form of gradual variations in image intensity that may compromise image quality. The use of tonebursts with finite length yields acoustic emission at Δf and at sidebands centered about Δf. Multiple images are formed by selectively applying bandpass filters on the acoustic emission at Δf and the associated sidebands. The data at these multiple frequencies are compounded through both coherent and incoherent processes to reduce the acoustic emission reverberation artifacts. Experimental results from a urethane breast phantom are described. The coherent and incoherent compounding of multifrequency data show, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the efficacy of this reverberation reduction method. This paper presents theory describing the physical origin of this artifact and use of image data created using multifrequency vibro-acoustography for reducing reverberation artifacts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vibro-acoustography and Multifrequency Image Compounding

PubMed Central

Urban, Matthew W.; Alizad, Azra; Fatemi, Mostafa

2011-01-01

Vibro-acoustography is an ultrasound based imaging modality that can visualize normal and abnormal soft tissue through mapping the acoustic response of the object to a harmonic radiation force at frequency Δf induced by focused ultrasound. In this method, the ultrasound energy is converted from high ultrasound frequencies to a low acoustic frequency (acoustic emission) that is often two orders of magnitude smaller than the ultrasound frequency. The acoustic emission is normally detected by a hydrophone. Depending on the setup, this low frequency sound may reverberate by object boundaries or other structures present in the acoustic paths before it reaches the hydrophone. This effect produces an artifact in the image in the form of gradual variations in image intensity that may compromise image quality. The use of tonebursts with finite length yields acoustic emission at Δf and at sidebands centered about Δf. Multiple images are formed by selectively applying bandpass filters on the acoustic emission at Δf and the associated sidebands. The data at these multiple frequencies are compounded through both coherent and incoherent processes to reduce the acoustic emission reverberation artifacts. Experimental results from a urethane breast phantom are described. The coherent and incoherent compounding of multifrequency data show, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the efficacy of this reverberation reduction method. This paper presents theory describing the physical origin of this artifact and use of image data created using multifrequency vibro-acoustography for reducing reverberation artifacts. PMID:21377181

Imaging and dosimetric errors in 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy from patient-specific respiratory patterns: a dynamic motion phantom end-to-end study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, S. R.; Nyflot, M. J.; Herrmann, C.; Groh, C. M.; Meyer, J.; Wollenweber, S. D.; Stearns, C. W.; Kinahan, P. E.; Sandison, G. A.

2015-05-01

Effective positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) guidance in radiotherapy of lung cancer requires estimation and mitigation of errors due to respiratory motion. An end-to-end workflow was developed to measure patient-specific motion-induced uncertainties in imaging, treatment planning, and radiation delivery with respiratory motion phantoms and dosimeters. A custom torso phantom with inserts mimicking normal lung tissue and lung lesion was filled with [18F]FDG. The lung lesion insert was driven by six different patient-specific respiratory patterns or kept stationary. PET/CT images were acquired under motionless ground truth, tidal breathing motion-averaged (3D), and respiratory phase-correlated (4D) conditions. Target volumes were estimated by standardized uptake value (SUV) thresholds that accurately defined the ground-truth lesion volume. Non-uniform dose-painting plans using volumetrically modulated arc therapy were optimized for fixed normal lung and spinal cord objectives and variable PET-based target objectives. Resulting plans were delivered to a cylindrical diode array at rest, in motion on a platform driven by the same respiratory patterns (3D), or motion-compensated by a robotic couch with an infrared camera tracking system (4D). Errors were estimated relative to the static ground truth condition for mean target-to-background (T/Bmean) ratios, target volumes, planned equivalent uniform target doses, and 2%-2 mm gamma delivery passing rates. Relative to motionless ground truth conditions, PET/CT imaging errors were on the order of 10-20%, treatment planning errors were 5-10%, and treatment delivery errors were 5-30% without motion compensation. Errors from residual motion following compensation methods were reduced to 5-10% in PET/CT imaging, <5% in treatment planning, and <2% in treatment delivery. We have demonstrated that estimation of respiratory motion uncertainty and its propagation from PET/CT imaging to RT planning, and RT delivery under a dose painting paradigm is feasible within an integrated respiratory motion phantom workflow. For a limited set of cases, the magnitude of errors was comparable during PET/CT imaging and treatment delivery without motion compensation. Errors were moderately mitigated during PET/CT imaging and significantly mitigated during RT delivery with motion compensation. This dynamic motion phantom end-to-end workflow provides a method for quality assurance of 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy, including evaluation of respiratory motion compensation methods during imaging and treatment delivery.

Imaging and dosimetric errors in 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy from patient-specific respiratory patterns: a dynamic motion phantom end-to-end study.

PubMed

Bowen, S R; Nyflot, M J; Herrmann, C; Groh, C M; Meyer, J; Wollenweber, S D; Stearns, C W; Kinahan, P E; Sandison, G A

2015-05-07

Effective positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) guidance in radiotherapy of lung cancer requires estimation and mitigation of errors due to respiratory motion. An end-to-end workflow was developed to measure patient-specific motion-induced uncertainties in imaging, treatment planning, and radiation delivery with respiratory motion phantoms and dosimeters. A custom torso phantom with inserts mimicking normal lung tissue and lung lesion was filled with [(18)F]FDG. The lung lesion insert was driven by six different patient-specific respiratory patterns or kept stationary. PET/CT images were acquired under motionless ground truth, tidal breathing motion-averaged (3D), and respiratory phase-correlated (4D) conditions. Target volumes were estimated by standardized uptake value (SUV) thresholds that accurately defined the ground-truth lesion volume. Non-uniform dose-painting plans using volumetrically modulated arc therapy were optimized for fixed normal lung and spinal cord objectives and variable PET-based target objectives. Resulting plans were delivered to a cylindrical diode array at rest, in motion on a platform driven by the same respiratory patterns (3D), or motion-compensated by a robotic couch with an infrared camera tracking system (4D). Errors were estimated relative to the static ground truth condition for mean target-to-background (T/Bmean) ratios, target volumes, planned equivalent uniform target doses, and 2%-2 mm gamma delivery passing rates. Relative to motionless ground truth conditions, PET/CT imaging errors were on the order of 10-20%, treatment planning errors were 5-10%, and treatment delivery errors were 5-30% without motion compensation. Errors from residual motion following compensation methods were reduced to 5-10% in PET/CT imaging, <5% in treatment planning, and <2% in treatment delivery. We have demonstrated that estimation of respiratory motion uncertainty and its propagation from PET/CT imaging to RT planning, and RT delivery under a dose painting paradigm is feasible within an integrated respiratory motion phantom workflow. For a limited set of cases, the magnitude of errors was comparable during PET/CT imaging and treatment delivery without motion compensation. Errors were moderately mitigated during PET/CT imaging and significantly mitigated during RT delivery with motion compensation. This dynamic motion phantom end-to-end workflow provides a method for quality assurance of 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy, including evaluation of respiratory motion compensation methods during imaging and treatment delivery.

Imaging and dosimetric errors in 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy from patient-specific respiratory patterns: a dynamic motion phantom end-to-end study

PubMed Central

Bowen, S R; Nyflot, M J; Hermann, C; Groh, C; Meyer, J; Wollenweber, S D; Stearns, C W; Kinahan, P E; Sandison, G A

2015-01-01

Effective positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) guidance in radiotherapy of lung cancer requires estimation and mitigation of errors due to respiratory motion. An end-to-end workflow was developed to measure patient-specific motion-induced uncertainties in imaging, treatment planning, and radiation delivery with respiratory motion phantoms and dosimeters. A custom torso phantom with inserts mimicking normal lung tissue and lung lesion was filled with [18F]FDG. The lung lesion insert was driven by 6 different patient-specific respiratory patterns or kept stationary. PET/CT images were acquired under motionless ground truth, tidal breathing motion-averaged (3D), and respiratory phase-correlated (4D) conditions. Target volumes were estimated by standardized uptake value (SUV) thresholds that accurately defined the ground-truth lesion volume. Non-uniform dose-painting plans using volumetrically modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were optimized for fixed normal lung and spinal cord objectives and variable PET-based target objectives. Resulting plans were delivered to a cylindrical diode array at rest, in motion on a platform driven by the same respiratory patterns (3D), or motion-compensated by a robotic couch with an infrared camera tracking system (4D). Errors were estimated relative to the static ground truth condition for mean target-to-background (T/Bmean) ratios, target volumes, planned equivalent uniform target doses (EUD), and 2%-2mm gamma delivery passing rates. Relative to motionless ground truth conditions, PET/CT imaging errors were on the order of 10–20%, treatment planning errors were 5–10%, and treatment delivery errors were 5–30% without motion compensation. Errors from residual motion following compensation methods were reduced to 5–10% in PET/CT imaging, < 5% in treatment planning, and < 2% in treatment delivery. We have demonstrated that estimation of respiratory motion uncertainty and its propagation from PET/CT imaging to RT planning, and RT delivery under a dose painting paradigm is feasible within an integrated respiratory motion phantom workflow. For a limited set of cases, the magnitude of errors was comparable during PET/CT imaging and treatment delivery without motion compensation. Errors were moderately mitigated during PET/CT imaging and significantly mitigated during RT delivery with motion compensation. This dynamic motion phantom end-to-end workflow provides a method for quality assurance of 4D PET/CT-guided radiotherapy, including evaluation of respiratory motion compensation methods during imaging and treatment delivery. PMID:25884892

Seasonal climate change patterns due to cumulative CO 2 emissions

DOE PAGES

Partanen, Antti-Ilari; Leduc, Martin; Matthews, H. Damon

2017-06-28

Cumulative CO 2 emissions are near linearly related to both global and regional changes in annual-mean surface temperature. These relationships are known as the transient climate response to cumulative CO 2 emissions (TCRE) and the regional TCRE (RTCRE), and have been shown to remain approximately constant over a wide range of cumulative emissions. Here, we assessed how well this relationship holds for seasonal patterns of temperature change, as well as for annual-mean and seasonal precipitation patterns. We analyzed an idealized scenario with CO 2 concentration growing at an annual rate of 1% using data from 12 Earth system models frommore » the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Seasonal RTCRE values for temperature varied considerably, with the highest seasonal variation evident in the Arctic, where RTCRE was about 5.5 °C per Tt C for boreal winter and about 2.0 °C per Tt C for boreal summer. Also the precipitation response in the Arctic during boreal winter was stronger than during other seasons. We found that emission-normalized seasonal patterns of temperature change were relatively robust with respect to time, though they were sub-linear with respect to emissions particularly near the Arctic. Moreover, RTCRE patterns for precipitation could not be quantified robustly due to the large internal variability of precipitation. Here, our results suggest that cumulative CO 2 emissions are a useful metric to predict regional and seasonal changes in precipitation and temperature. This extension of the TCRE framework to seasonal and regional climate change is helpful for communicating the link between emissions and climate change to policy-makers and the general public, and is well-suited for impact studies that could make use of estimated regional-scale climate changes that are consistent with the carbon budgets associated with global temperature targets.« less

Patterns of odour emission, thermogenesis and pollinator activity in cones of an African cycad: what mechanisms apply?

PubMed

Suinyuy, Terence N; Donaldson, John S; Johnson, Steven D

2013-09-01

Ontogenetic patterns of odour emissions and heating associated with plant reproductive structures may have profound effects on insect behaviour, and consequently on pollination. In some cycads, notably Macrozamia, temporal changes in emission of specific odour compounds and temperature have been interpreted as a 'push-pull' interaction in which pollinators are either attracted or repelled according to the concentration of the emitted volatiles. To establish which mechanisms occur in the large Encephalartos cycad clade, the temporal patterns of volatile emissions, heating and pollinator activity of cones of Encephalartos villosus in the Eastern Cape (EC) and KwaZulu Natal (KZN) of South Africa were investigated. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of Encephalartos villosus cone volatiles showed that emissions, dominated by eucalyptol and 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine in EC populations and (3E)-1,3-octadiene and (3E,5Z)-1,3,5-octatriene in the KZN populations, varied across developmental stages but did not vary significantly on a daily cycle. Heating in male cones was higher at dehiscence than during pre- and post-dehiscence, and reached a maximum at about 1830 h when temperatures were between 7·0 and 12·0 °C above ambient. Daily heating of female cones was less pronounced and reached a maximum at about 1345 h when it was on average between 0·9 and 3·0 °C above ambient. Insect abundance on male cones was higher at dehiscence than at the other stages and significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning and evening. There are pronounced developmental changes in volatile emissions and heating in E. villosus cones, as well as strong daily changes in thermogenesis. Daily patterns of volatile emissions and pollinator abundance in E. villosus are different from those observed in some Macrozamia cycads and not consistent with the push-pull pattern as periods of peak odour emission do not coincide with mass exodus of insects from male cones.

Seasonal climate change patterns due to cumulative CO 2 emissions

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

Partanen, Antti-Ilari; Leduc, Martin; Matthews, H. Damon

Cumulative CO 2 emissions are near linearly related to both global and regional changes in annual-mean surface temperature. These relationships are known as the transient climate response to cumulative CO 2 emissions (TCRE) and the regional TCRE (RTCRE), and have been shown to remain approximately constant over a wide range of cumulative emissions. Here, we assessed how well this relationship holds for seasonal patterns of temperature change, as well as for annual-mean and seasonal precipitation patterns. We analyzed an idealized scenario with CO 2 concentration growing at an annual rate of 1% using data from 12 Earth system models frommore » the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Seasonal RTCRE values for temperature varied considerably, with the highest seasonal variation evident in the Arctic, where RTCRE was about 5.5 °C per Tt C for boreal winter and about 2.0 °C per Tt C for boreal summer. Also the precipitation response in the Arctic during boreal winter was stronger than during other seasons. We found that emission-normalized seasonal patterns of temperature change were relatively robust with respect to time, though they were sub-linear with respect to emissions particularly near the Arctic. Moreover, RTCRE patterns for precipitation could not be quantified robustly due to the large internal variability of precipitation. Here, our results suggest that cumulative CO 2 emissions are a useful metric to predict regional and seasonal changes in precipitation and temperature. This extension of the TCRE framework to seasonal and regional climate change is helpful for communicating the link between emissions and climate change to policy-makers and the general public, and is well-suited for impact studies that could make use of estimated regional-scale climate changes that are consistent with the carbon budgets associated with global temperature targets.« less

Nonlinear regression method for estimating neutral wind and temperature from Fabry-Perot interferometer data.

PubMed

Harding, Brian J; Gehrels, Thomas W; Makela, Jonathan J

2014-02-01

The Earth's thermosphere plays a critical role in driving electrodynamic processes in the ionosphere and in transferring solar energy to the atmosphere, yet measurements of thermospheric state parameters, such as wind and temperature, are sparse. One of the most popular techniques for measuring these parameters is to use a Fabry-Perot interferometer to monitor the Doppler width and breadth of naturally occurring airglow emissions in the thermosphere. In this work, we present a technique for estimating upper-atmospheric winds and temperatures from images of Fabry-Perot fringes captured by a CCD detector. We estimate instrument parameters from fringe patterns of a frequency-stabilized laser, and we use these parameters to estimate winds and temperatures from airglow fringe patterns. A unique feature of this technique is the model used for the laser and airglow fringe patterns, which fits all fringes simultaneously and attempts to model the effects of optical defects. This technique yields accurate estimates for winds, temperatures, and the associated uncertainties in these parameters, as we show with a Monte Carlo simulation.

An X-ray image of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, A. S.; Elvis, M.; Lawrence, A.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.

1992-01-01

An image of NGC 1068 with 4-5 arcsec obtained with the High Resolution Imager on the Rosat X-ray Observatory in the energy band 0.1-2.4 keV is presented and discussed. The map reveals an unresolved nuclear source, extended (about 1.5 kpc) emission around the nucleus, and extended (about 13 kpc) emission from the starburst disk. The extended circumnuclear emission aligns toward the NE, the same direction as found for the resolved emission of the active nucleus in several other wavebands. Thermal emission from a hot wind is argued to be the source of the steep-spectrum, nuclear, and circumnuclear emission. The disk of NGC 1068 has ratios of soft X-ray to B band and soft X-ray to 60-micron luminosities which are similar to those found for other starburst systems. The X-ray spectrum of the starburst disk is harder than that of the nuclear emission. By adopting a plausible spectrum and extrapolating the present measured flux, it is concluded that the starburst disk contributes most of the hard component seen in the 2-10 keV band.

Performance limitations of temperature-emissivity separation techniques in long-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieper, Michael; Manolakis, Dimitris; Truslow, Eric; Cooley, Thomas; Brueggeman, Michael; Jacobson, John; Weisner, Andrew

2017-08-01

Accurate estimation or retrieval of surface emissivity from long-wave infrared or thermal infrared (TIR) hyperspectral imaging data acquired by airborne or spaceborne sensors is necessary for many scientific and defense applications. This process consists of two interwoven steps: atmospheric compensation and temperature-emissivity separation (TES). The most widely used TES algorithms for hyperspectral imaging data assume that the emissivity spectra for solids are smooth compared to the atmospheric transmission function. We develop a model to explain and evaluate the performance of TES algorithms using a smoothing approach. Based on this model, we identify three sources of error: the smoothing error of the emissivity spectrum, the emissivity error from using the incorrect temperature, and the errors caused by sensor noise. For each TES smoothing technique, we analyze the bias and variability of the temperature errors, which translate to emissivity errors. The performance model explains how the errors interact to generate temperature errors. Since we assume exact knowledge of the atmosphere, the presented results provide an upper bound on the performance of TES algorithms based on the smoothness assumption.

Archival Study of Energetic Processes in the Upper Atmosphere of the Outer Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballester, Gilda E.; Harris, Walter M.

1998-01-01

We compare International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectral observations of Jupiter's UltraViolet (UV) aurora in H-Lyman alpha (H-Lya) and H2 emissions with images of the UV aurora with HST to make more realistic interpretations of the IUE dataset. Use the limited spatial information in the IUE line-by-line spectra of the bright H-Lya line emission in the form of pseudo-monochromatic images at the IUE 3.5 arcsec resolution (Lya pseudo-images), to derive information on the emissions. Analysing of H2 spectra of Saturn's UV aurora to infer atmospheric level of auroral excitation from the methane absorption (color ratios). Analysing of a Uranus IUE dataset to determine periodicity in the emissions attributable to auroral emission fixed in magnetic longitude. Reviewing of the results from IUE observations of the major planets, upper atmospheres and interactions with the planets magnetospheres. Analysing of IUE spectra of the UV emissions from Io to identify excitation processes and infer properties of the Io-torus-Jupiter system.

Comparing 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose and [68Ga]gallium-citrate translocation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Fatangare, Amol; Gebhardt, Peter; Saluz, Hanspeter; Svatoš, Aleš

2014-10-01

2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)FDG) is a glucose surrogate commonly used in clinical or animal imaging but rarely in plant imaging to trace glucose metabolism. Recently, (18)FDG has been employed in plant imaging for studying photoassimilate translocation and glycoside biosynthesis. There is growing evidence that (18)FDG could be used as a tracer in plant imaging studies to trace sugar dynamics. However, to confirm this hypothesis, it was necessary to show that the observed (18)FDG distribution in an intact plant is an outcome of the chemical nature of the introduced radiotracer and not of the plant vascular architecture or radiotracer introduction method. In the present work, we fed (18)FDG and [(68)Ga]gallium-citrate ((68)Ga-citrate) solution through mature Arabidopsis thaliana leaf and monitored subsequent radioactivity distribution using positron autoradiography. The possible route of radioactivity translocation was elucidated through stem-girdling experiments. We also employed a bi-functional positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) modality to capture (18)FDG radiotracer dynamics in one of the plants in order to assess applicability of PET/CT for 4-D imaging in an intact plant. Autoradiography results showed that [(18)F] radioactivity accumulated mostly in roots and young growing parts such as the shoot apex, which are known to act as sinks for photoassimilate. [(18)F] radioactivity translocation, in this case, occurred mainly via phloem. PET/CT results corroborated with autoradiography. [(68)Ga] radioactivity, on the other hand, was mainly translocated to neighboring leaves and its translocation occurred via both xylem and phloem. The radioactivity distribution pattern and translocation route observed after (18)FDG feeding is markedly different from that of (68)Ga-citrate. [(18)F] radioactivity distribution pattern in an intact plant is found similar to the typical distribution pattern of photoassimilates. Despite its limitations in quantification and resolution, PET/CT could be a useful tool to elucidate in vivo dynamics of [(18)F] radioactivity in intact plants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TU-H-206-02: Novel Linearly-Filled Derenzo PET Phantom Design

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

Graves, S; Cox, B; Valdovinos, H

Purpose: To design a linearly-filled Derenzo positron emission tomography (PET) phantom, eliminating the extraneous radioisotope volumes in a conventional reservoir-type design. This activity reduction combined with the elimination of bubbles in smaller phantom channels would significantly reduce personnel dose, radioisotope cost, and would improve image quality by reducing out-of-slice activity scatter. Methods: A computer-aided design (CAD) was created of a modular Derenzo phantom consisting of three phantom layers with gaskets between the layers. The central piece contains the active pattern volume and channels connecting adjacent rods in a serpentine pattern. The two end-pieces contained an inlet and an outlet formore » filling purposes. Phantom prototypes were 3D printed on a Viper Si2 stereolithography machine. The two gaskets were fabricated from silicon sheets using a PLS 6.75 laser cutter. Phantoms were held together by pass-through glass-filled nylon bolts and nuts. Phantoms were filled with {sup 52}Mn, {sup 64}Cu, {sup 74}Br, and {sup 124}I for testing, and were imaged on a Siemens Inveon MicroPET scanner. Results: Four phantom prototypes were constructed using male Leur Lock fittings for inlet/outlet ports. 3D printed layers were sanded to ensure proper coupling to the silicon gaskets. The filling volume for each prototype was approximately 2.4 mL. The filling process was found to be rapid, leak-tight, and with minimal back-pressure. PET images were reconstructed by OSEM3D, and axial slices along the phantom pattern length were averaged to provide final images. Image distortion was isotope dependent with {sup 52}Mn and {sup 64}Cu having the least distortion and {sup 124}I having the most distortion. Conclusion: These results indicate that the linearlyfilled Derenzo design improves on conventional reservoir-type designs by eliminating potential bubbles in small channels and by reducing activity level, radioisotope volume, radioisotope cost, personnel dose, filling time, and out-of-slice activity scatter The method described in this abstract has been filed as a patent application to the US Patent and Trade Office by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).« less

Application of fluorescent Eu:Gd2O3 nanoparticles to the visualization of protein micropatterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dosev, Dosi; Nichkova, Mikaela; Liu, Maozi; Guo, Bing; Liu, Gang-yu; Xia, Younan; Hammock, Bruce D.; Kennedy, Ian M.

2005-03-01

Nanoparticles made of lanthanide oxides are promising fluorophores as a new class of tags in biochemistry because of their large Stokes shift, sharp emission spectra, long lifetime and lack of photobleaching. We demonstrate for first time the application of these nanoparticles to the visualization of protein micropatterns. Europium-doped gadolinium oxide (Eu:Gd2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by spray pyrolysis and were characterized by means of laser-induced fluorescent spectroscopy and TEM. Their main emission peak is at 612 nm. And their size distribution is from 5 nm to 500 nm. The nanoparticles were coated with avidin through physical adsorption. Biotinylated Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA-b) was patterned on a silicon wafer using a micro-contact printing technique. The BSA-b - patterned wafer was incubated in a solution containing the avidin-coated nanoparticles. The specific interaction between biotin and avidin was studied by means of fluorescent microscopy and atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The fluorescent microscopic images revealed that the nanoparticles were organized into designated structures as defined by the microcontact printing process - non-specific binding of the avidin-coated nanoparticles to bare substrate was negligible. The fluorescent pattern did not suffer any photobleaching during the observation process which demonstrates the suitability of Eu:Gd2O3 nanoparticles as fluorescent labels with extended excitation periods - organic dyes, including chelates, suffer bleaching over the same period. More detailed studies were preformed using AFM at a single nanoparticle level. The specific and the non-specific binding densities of the particles were qualitatively evaluated.

Multivariate data analysis and machine learning in Alzheimer's disease with a focus on structural magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Falahati, Farshad; Westman, Eric; Simmons, Andrew

2014-01-01

Machine learning algorithms and multivariate data analysis methods have been widely utilized in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research in recent years. Advances in medical imaging and medical image analysis have provided a means to generate and extract valuable neuroimaging information. Automatic classification techniques provide tools to analyze this information and observe inherent disease-related patterns in the data. In particular, these classifiers have been used to discriminate AD patients from healthy control subjects and to predict conversion from mild cognitive impairment to AD. In this paper, recent studies are reviewed that have used machine learning and multivariate analysis in the field of AD research. The main focus is on studies that used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but studies that included positron emission tomography and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in addition to MRI are also considered. A wide variety of materials and methods has been employed in different studies, resulting in a range of different outcomes. Influential factors such as classifiers, feature extraction algorithms, feature selection methods, validation approaches, and cohort properties are reviewed, as well as key MRI-based and multi-modal based studies. Current and future trends are discussed.

Normal values and standardization of parameters in nuclear cardiology: Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine working group database.

PubMed

Nakajima, Kenichi; Matsumoto, Naoya; Kasai, Tokuo; Matsuo, Shinro; Kiso, Keisuke; Okuda, Koichi

2016-04-01

As a 2-year project of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine working group activity, normal myocardial imaging databases were accumulated and summarized. Stress-rest with gated and non-gated image sets were accumulated for myocardial perfusion imaging and could be used for perfusion defect scoring and normal left ventricular (LV) function analysis. For single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with multi-focal collimator design, databases of supine and prone positions and computed tomography (CT)-based attenuation correction were created. The CT-based correction provided similar perfusion patterns between genders. In phase analysis of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT, a new approach for analyzing dyssynchrony, normal ranges of parameters for phase bandwidth, standard deviation and entropy were determined in four software programs. Although the results were not interchangeable, dependency on gender, ejection fraction and volumes were common characteristics of these parameters. Standardization of (123)I-MIBG sympathetic imaging was performed regarding heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) using a calibration phantom method. The HMRs from any collimator types could be converted to the value with medium-energy comparable collimators. Appropriate quantification based on common normal databases and standard technology could play a pivotal role for clinical practice and researches.

Nanoscale cellular imaging with scanning angle interference microscopy.

PubMed

DuFort, Christopher; Paszek, Matthew

2014-01-01

Fluorescence microscopy is among the most widely utilized tools in cell and molecular biology due to its ability to noninvasively obtain time-resolved images of live cells with molecule-specific contrast. In this chapter, we describe a simple high-resolution technique, scanning angle interference microscopy (SAIM), for the imaging and localization of fluorescent molecules with nanometer precision along the optical axis. In SAIM, samples above a reflective surface are sequentially scanned with an excitation laser at varying angles of incidence. Interference patterns generated between the incident and reflected lights result in an emission intensity that depends on the height of a fluorophore above the silicon surface and the angle of the incident radiation. The measured fluorescence intensities are then fit to an optical model to localize the labeled molecules along the z-axis with 5-10 nm precision and diffraction-limited lateral resolution. SAIM is easily implemented on widely available commercial total internal reflection fluorescence microscopes, offering potential for widespread use in cell biology. Here, we describe the setup of SAIM and its application for imaging cellular structures near (<1 μm) the sample substrate. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Visual and Semantic Properties in the Emergence of Category-Specific Patterns of Neural Response in the Human Brain.

PubMed

Coggan, David D; Baker, Daniel H; Andrews, Timothy J

2016-01-01

Brain-imaging studies have found distinct spatial and temporal patterns of response to different object categories across the brain. However, the extent to which these categorical patterns of response reflect higher-level semantic or lower-level visual properties of the stimulus remains unclear. To address this question, we measured patterns of EEG response to intact and scrambled images in the human brain. Our rationale for using scrambled images is that they have many of the visual properties found in intact images, but do not convey any semantic information. Images from different object categories (bottle, face, house) were briefly presented (400 ms) in an event-related design. A multivariate pattern analysis revealed categorical patterns of response to intact images emerged ∼80-100 ms after stimulus onset and were still evident when the stimulus was no longer present (∼800 ms). Next, we measured the patterns of response to scrambled images. Categorical patterns of response to scrambled images also emerged ∼80-100 ms after stimulus onset. However, in contrast to the intact images, distinct patterns of response to scrambled images were mostly evident while the stimulus was present (∼400 ms). Moreover, scrambled images were able to account only for all the variance in the intact images at early stages of processing. This direct manipulation of visual and semantic content provides new insights into the temporal dynamics of object perception and the extent to which different stages of processing are dependent on lower-level or higher-level properties of the image.

Two views of the Andromeda Galaxy H-alpha and far infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Devereux, Nicholas A.; Price, Rob; Wells, Lisa A.; Duric, Neb

1994-01-01

A complete H-alpha image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is presented allowing the first direct measurement of the total H-alpha luminosity which is (7.3 +/- 2.4) x 10(exp 6) solar luminosity. The H-alpha emission is associated with three morphologically distinct components; a large scale star-forming ring, approximately 1.65 deg in diameter, contributing 66% of the total H-alpha emission, a bright nucleus contributing 6% of the total H-alpha emission with the remaining 28% contributed by a previously unidentified component of extended and filamentary H-alpha emission interior to the star forming ring. The correspondence between the H-alpha image and the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) far-infrared high resolution image is striking when both are convolved to a common resolution of 105 arcsec. The close correspondence between the far-infrared and H-alpha images suggests a common origin for the two emissions. The star-forming ring contributes 70% of the far-infrared luminosity of M31. Evidence that the ring emission is energized by high mass stars includes the fact that peaks in the far-infrared emission coincide identically with H II regions in the H-alpha image. In addition, the far-infrared to H-alpha luminosity ratio within the star-forming ring is similar to what one would expect for H II regions powered by stars of spectral types ranging between O9 and B0. The origin of the filamentary H-alpha and far-infrared luminosity interior to the star-forming ring is less clear, but it is almost certainly not produced by high mass stars.

The Impacts of Dietary Change on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use, Water Use, and Health: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Green, Rosemary; Joy, Edward J. M.; Smith, Pete; Haines, Andy

2016-01-01

Food production is a major driver of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water and land use, and dietary risk factors are contributors to non-communicable diseases. Shifts in dietary patterns can therefore potentially provide benefits for both the environment and health. However, there is uncertainty about the magnitude of these impacts, and the dietary changes necessary to achieve them. We systematically review the evidence on changes in GHG emissions, land use, and water use, from shifting current dietary intakes to environmentally sustainable dietary patterns. We find 14 common sustainable dietary patterns across reviewed studies, with reductions as high as 70–80% of GHG emissions and land use, and 50% of water use (with medians of about 20–30% for these indicators across all studies) possible by adopting sustainable dietary patterns. Reductions in environmental footprints were generally proportional to the magnitude of animal-based food restriction. Dietary shifts also yielded modest benefits in all-cause mortality risk. Our review reveals that environmental and health benefits are possible by shifting current Western diets to a variety of more sustainable dietary patterns. PMID:27812156

The Highest Resolution X-ray View of the Nuclear Region of NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junfeng; Fabbiano, G.; Karovska, M.; Elvis, M.; Risaliti, G.; Zezas, A.; Mundell, C. G.

2009-09-01

We report high resolution imaging of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 obtained with a 50 ks Chandra HRC observation. The HRC image resolves the emission on spatial scales of 0.5 arcsec (30 pc), showing an extended X-ray morphology overall consistent with the narrow line region seen in optical line emission. Removal of the bright point-like nuclear source and image deconvolution technique both reveal X-ray enhancements that closely match the substructures seen in the HST [OIII] image and prominent knots in the radio jet. We find that most of the NLR clouds in NGC 4151 have [OIII] to soft X-ray ratio consistent with the values observed in NLRs of some Seyfert 2 galaxies, which indicates a uniform ionization parameter even at large radii and a density dependence ∝ r^{-2} as expected in the disk wind scenario. We examine various X-ray emission mechanisms of the radio jet and consider thermal emission from interaction between radio outflow and the NLR clouds the most probable origin for the X-ray emission associated with the jet.

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL PATTERNS OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM A RESERVOIR DRAINING AN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED

EPA Science Inventory

We used multiple approaches to characterize temporal and spatial patterns in methane (CH4) emissions from a mid-latitude reservoir (William H. Harsha Lake, Ohio, USA) draining an agricultural watershed. Weekly to monthly monitoring at six sites in the reservoir during a 13 month...

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL PATTERNS OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM A RESERVOIR DRAINING AN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED (abstract)

EPA Science Inventory

We used multiple approaches to characterize temporal and spatial patterns in methane (CH4) emissions from a mid-latitude reservoir (William H. Harsha Lake, Ohio, USA) draining an agricultural watershed. Weekly to monthly monitoring at six sites in the reservoir during a 13 month...

A stellar fingerprint

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-02-29

Showcased at the centre of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is an emission-line star known as IRAS 12196-6300. Located just under 2300 light-years from Earth, this star displays prominent emission lines, meaning that the star’s light, dispersed into a spectrum, shows up as a rainbow of colours marked with a characteristic pattern of dark and bright lines. The characteristics of these lines, when compared to the “fingerprints” left by particular atoms and molecules, can be used to reveal IRAS 12196-6300’s chemical composition. Under 10 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen at its core, unlike the Sun, this star is still in its infancy. Further evidence of IRAS 12196-6300’s youth is provided by the presence of reflection nebulae. These hazy clouds, pictured floating above and below IRAS 12196-6300, are created when light from a star reflects off a high concentration of nearby dust, such as the dusty material still remaining from IRAS 12196-6300’s formation.

Influences of Co doping on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructured

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeed Khan, M. A.; Wasi Khan, M.; Alhoshan, Mansour; Alsalhi, M. S.; Aldwayyan, A. S.

2010-07-01

Pure and Co-doped ZnO nanostructured samples have been synthesized by a chemical route. We have studied the structural and optical properties of the samples by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), field-emission transmission electron microscope (FETEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The XRD patterns show that all the samples are hexagonal wurtzite structures. Changes in crystallite size due to mechanical activation were also determined from X-ray measurements. These results were correlated with changes in particle size followed by SEM and TEM. The average crystallite sizes obtained from XRD were between 20 to 25 nm. The TEM images showed the average particle size of undoped ZnO nanostructure was about 20 nm whereas the smallest average grain size at 3% Co was about 15 nm. Optical parameters such as absorption coefficient ( α), energy band gap ( E g ), the refractive index ( n), and dielectric constants ( σ) have been determined using different methods.

Emissive and reflective properties of curved displays in relation to image quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boher, Pierre; Leroux, Thierry; Bignon, Thibault; Collomb-Patton, Véronique; Blanc, Pierre; Sandré-Chardonnal, Etienne

2016-03-01

Different aspects of the characterization of curved displays are presented. The limit of validity of viewing angle measurements without angular distortion on such displays using goniometer or Fourier optics viewing angle instrument is given. If the condition cannot be fulfilled the measurement can be corrected using a general angular distortion formula as demonstrated experimentally using a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge phone display. The reflective properties of the display are characterized by measuring the spectral BRDF using a multispectral Fourier optics viewing angle system. The surface of a curved OLED TV has been measured. The BDRF patterns show a mirror like behavior with and additional strong diffraction along the pixels lines and columns that affect the quality of the display when observed with parasitic lighting. These diffraction effects are very common on OLED surfaces. We finally introduce a commercial ray tracing software that can use directly the measured emissive and reflective properties of the display to make realistic simulation under any lighting environment.

Suomi satellite brings to light a unique frontier of nighttime environmental sensing capabilities

PubMed Central

Miller, Steven D.; Mills, Stephen P.; Elvidge, Christopher D.; Lindsey, Daniel T.; Lee, Thomas F.; Hawkins, Jeffrey D.

2012-01-01

Most environmental satellite radiometers use solar reflectance information when it is available during the day but must resort at night to emission signals from infrared bands, which offer poor sensitivity to low-level clouds and surface features. A few sensors can take advantage of moonlight, but the inconsistent availability of the lunar source limits measurement utility. Here we show that the Day/Night Band (DNB) low-light visible sensor on the recently launched Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite has the unique ability to image cloud and surface features by way of reflected airglow, starlight, and zodiacal light illumination. Examples collected during new moon reveal not only meteorological and surface features, but also the direct emission of airglow structures in the mesosphere, including expansive regions of diffuse glow and wave patterns forced by tropospheric convection. The ability to leverage diffuse illumination sources for nocturnal environmental sensing applications extends the advantages of visible-light information to moonless nights. PMID:22984179

Age and disease related changes in the translocator protein (TSPO) system in the human brain: positron emission tomography measurements with [11C]vinpocetine.

PubMed

Gulyás, Balázs; Vas, Adám; Tóth, Miklós; Takano, Akihiro; Varrone, Andrea; Cselényi, Zsolt; Schain, Martin; Mattsson, Patrik; Halldin, Christer

2011-06-01

The main objectives of the present study were (i) to measure density changes of activated microglia and the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor/translocator protein (TSPO) system during normal ageing in the human brain with positron emission tomography (PET) using the TSPO molecular imaging biomarker [(11)C]vinpocetine and (ii) to compare the level and pattern of TSPO in Alzheimer (AD) patients with age matched healthy subjects, in order to assess the biomarker's usefulness as a diagnostic imaging marker in normal (ageing) and pathological (AD) up-regulation of microglia. PET measurements were made in healthy volunteers, aged between 25 and 78 years, and AD patients, aged between 67 and 82 years, using [(11)C]vinpocetine as the tracer. Global and regional quantitative parameters of tracer uptake and binding, including time activity curves (TAC) of standard uptake values (%SUV), binding affinity parameters, intensity spectrum and homogeneity of the uptake distribution were measured and analysed. Both %SUV and binding values increased with age linearly in the whole brain and in all brain regions. There were no significant differences between the %SUV values of the AD patients and age matched control subjects. There were, however, significant differences in %SUV values in a large number of brain regions between young subjects and old subjects, as well as young subjects and AD patients. The intensity spectrum analysis and homogeneity analysis of the voxel data show that the homogeneity of the %SUV values decreases with ageing and during the disease, whereas the centre of the intensity spectrum is shifted to higher %SUV values. These data indicate an inhomogeneous up-regulation of the TSPO system during ageing and AD. These changes were significant between the group of young subjects and old subjects, as well as young subjects and AD patients, but not between old subjects and AD patients. The present data indicate that [(11)C]vinpocetine may serve as a molecular imaging biomarker of the activity of the TSPO system and, consequently, of the up-regulation of microglia during ageing and in neuroinflammatory diseases. However, the global and regional brain %SUV values between AD patients and age matched controls are not different from each other. The disease specific changes, measured with [(11)C]vinpocetine in AD, are significantly different from those measured in age matched controls only if the inhomogeneities in the uptake pattern are explored with advanced mathematical techniques. For this reason, PET studies using [(11)C]vinpocetine, as molecular imaging biomarker, can efficiently visualise the activation of microglia and the up-regulation of TSPO during ageing and in diseased brains with the help of an appropriate inhomogeneity analysis of the radioligand's brain uptake pattern. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optical Potential Field Mapping System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reid, Max B. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

The present invention relates to an optical system for creating a potential field map of a bounded two dimensional region containing a goal location and an arbitrary number of obstacles. The potential field mapping system has an imaging device and a processor. Two image writing modes are used by the imaging device, electron deposition and electron depletion. Patterns written in electron deposition mode appear black and expand. Patterns written in electron depletion mode are sharp and appear white. The generated image represents a robot's workspace. The imaging device under processor control then writes a goal location in the work-space using the electron deposition mode. The black image of the goal expands in the workspace. The processor stores the generated images, and uses them to generate a feedback pattern. The feedback pattern is written in the workspace by the imaging device in the electron deposition mode to enhance the expansion of the original goal pattern. After the feedback pattern is written, an obstacle pattern is written by the imaging device in the electron depletion mode to represent the obstacles in the robot's workspace. The processor compares a stored image to a previously stored image to determine a change therebetween. When no change occurs, the processor averages the stored images to produce the potential field map.

Using Passive Cavitation Images to Classify High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Lesions

PubMed Central

Haworth, Kevin J.; Salgaonkar, Vasant A.; Corregan, Nicholas M.; Holland, Christy K.; Mast, T. Douglas

2015-01-01

Passive cavitation imaging provides spatially resolved monitoring of cavitation emissions. However the diffraction limit of a linear imaging array results in relatively poor range resolution. Poor range resolution has limited prior analyses of the spatial specificity and sensitivity of passive cavitation imaging for predicting thermal lesion formation. In this study, this limitation is overcome by orienting a linear array orthogonal to the HIFU propagation direction and performing passive imaging. Fourteen lesions were formed in ex vivo bovine liver samples as a result of 1.1 MHz continuous-wave ultrasound exposure. The lesions were classified as focal, “tadpole”, or pre-focal based on their shape and location. Passive cavitation images were beam-formed from emissions at the fundamental, harmonic, ultraharmonic, and inharmonic frequencies with an established algorithm. Using the area under a receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC), fundamental, harmonic, and ultraharmonic emissions were shown to be significant predictors of lesion formation for all lesion types. For both harmonic and ultraharmonic emissions, pre-focal lesions were classified most successfully (AUROC values of 0.87 and 0.88, respectively), followed by tadpole lesions (AUROC values of 0.77 and 0.64, respectively), and focal lesions (AUROC values of 0.65 and 0.60, respectively). PMID:26051309

Low-noise heterodyne receiver for electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry

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

Tobias, B., E-mail: bjtobias@pppl.gov; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, N. C.

2016-11-15

The critical component enabling electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) to resolve 2D and 3D electron temperature and density perturbations is the heterodyne imaging array that collects and downconverts radiated emission and/or reflected signals (50–150 GHz) to an intermediate frequency (IF) band (e.g. 0.1–18 GHz) that can be transmitted by a shielded coaxial cable for further filtering and detection. New circuitry has been developed for this task, integrating gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) mounted on a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. The improved topology significantly increases electromagnetic shielding from out-of-band interference, leads tomore » 10× improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic cost savings through integration. The current design, optimized for reflectometry and edge radiometry on mid-sized tokamaks, has demonstrated >20 dB conversion gain in upper V-band (60-75 GHz). Implementation of the circuit in a multi-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) array will improve the diagnosis of edge-localized modes and fluctuations of the high-confinement, or H-mode, pedestal.« less

Low-noise heterodyne receiver for electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry

DOE PAGES

Tobias, B.; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, Jr., N. C.; ...

2016-07-25

The critical component enabling electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) to resolve 2D and 3D electron temperature and density perturbations is the heterodyne imaging array that collects and downconverts radiated emission and/or reflected signals (50-150 GHz) to an intermediate frequency (IF) band (e.g. 0.1-18 GHz) that can be transmitted by a shielded coaxial cable for further filtering and detection. New circuitry has been developed for this task, integrating gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) mounted on a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. The improved topology significantly increases electromagnetic shielding from out-of-band interference, leads tomore » 10x improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic cost savings through integration. The current design, optimized for reflectometry and edge radiometry on mid-sized tokamaks, has demonstrated >20 dB conversion gain in upper V-band (60-75 GHz). As a result, implementation of the circuit in a multi-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) array will improve the diagnosis of edge-localized modes and fluctuations of the high-confinement, or H-mode, pedestal.« less

Accuracy and Precision of Radioactivity Quantification in Nuclear Medicine Images

PubMed Central

Frey, Eric C.; Humm, John L.; Ljungberg, Michael

2012-01-01

The ability to reliably quantify activity in nuclear medicine has a number of increasingly important applications. Dosimetry for targeted therapy treatment planning or for approval of new imaging agents requires accurate estimation of the activity in organs, tumors, or voxels at several imaging time points. Another important application is the use of quantitative metrics derived from images, such as the standard uptake value commonly used in positron emission tomography (PET), to diagnose and follow treatment of tumors. These measures require quantification of organ or tumor activities in nuclear medicine images. However, there are a number of physical, patient, and technical factors that limit the quantitative reliability of nuclear medicine images. There have been a large number of improvements in instrumentation, including the development of hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography and PET/computed tomography systems, and reconstruction methods, including the use of statistical iterative reconstruction methods, which have substantially improved the ability to obtain reliable quantitative information from planar, single-photon emission computed tomography, and PET images. PMID:22475429

A disease-specific metabolic brain network associated with corticobasal degeneration

PubMed Central

Niethammer, Martin; Tang, Chris C.; Feigin, Andrew; Allen, Patricia J.; Heinen, Lisette; Hellwig, Sabine; Amtage, Florian; Hanspal, Era; Vonsattel, Jean Paul; Poston, Kathleen L.; Meyer, Philipp T.; Leenders, Klaus L.

2014-01-01

Corticobasal degeneration is an uncommon parkinsonian variant condition that is diagnosed mainly on clinical examination. To facilitate the differential diagnosis of this disorder, we used metabolic brain imaging to characterize a specific network that can be used to discriminate corticobasal degeneration from other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Ten non-demented patients (eight females/two males; age 73.9 ± 5.7 years) underwent metabolic brain imaging with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for atypical parkinsonism. These individuals were diagnosed clinically with probable corticobasal degeneration. This diagnosis was confirmed in the three subjects who additionally underwent post-mortem examination. Ten age-matched healthy subjects (five females/five males; age 71.7 ± 6.7 years) served as controls for the imaging studies. Spatial covariance analysis was applied to scan data from the combined group to identify a significant corticobasal degeneration-related metabolic pattern that discriminated (P < 0.001) the patients from the healthy control group. This pattern was characterized by bilateral, asymmetric metabolic reductions involving frontal and parietal cortex, thalamus, and caudate nucleus. These pattern-related changes were greater in magnitude in the cerebral hemisphere opposite the more clinically affected body side. The presence of this corticobasal degeneration-related metabolic topography was confirmed in two independent testing sets of patient and control scans, with elevated pattern expression (P < 0.001) in both disease groups relative to corresponding normal values. We next determined whether prospectively computed expression values for this pattern accurately discriminated corticobasal degeneration from multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy (the two most common atypical parkinsonian syndromes) on a single case basis. Based upon this measure, corticobasal degeneration was successfully distinguished from multiple system atrophy (P < 0.001) but not progressive supranuclear palsy, presumably because of the overlap (∼24%) that existed between the corticobasal degeneration- and the progressive supranuclear palsy-related metabolic topographies. Nonetheless, excellent discrimination between these disease entities was achieved by computing hemispheric asymmetry scores for the corticobasal degeneration-related pattern on a prospective single scan basis. Indeed, a logistic algorithm based on the asymmetry scores combined with separately computed expression values for a previously validated progressive supranuclear palsy-related pattern provided excellent specificity (corticobasal degeneration: 92.7%; progressive supranuclear palsy: 94.1%) in classifying 58 testing subjects. In conclusion, corticobasal degeneration is associated with a reproducible disease-related metabolic covariance pattern that may help to distinguish this disorder from other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. PMID:25208922

A disease-specific metabolic brain network associated with corticobasal degeneration.

PubMed

Niethammer, Martin; Tang, Chris C; Feigin, Andrew; Allen, Patricia J; Heinen, Lisette; Hellwig, Sabine; Amtage, Florian; Hanspal, Era; Vonsattel, Jean Paul; Poston, Kathleen L; Meyer, Philipp T; Leenders, Klaus L; Eidelberg, David

2014-11-01

Corticobasal degeneration is an uncommon parkinsonian variant condition that is diagnosed mainly on clinical examination. To facilitate the differential diagnosis of this disorder, we used metabolic brain imaging to characterize a specific network that can be used to discriminate corticobasal degeneration from other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Ten non-demented patients (eight females/two males; age 73.9 ± 5.7 years) underwent metabolic brain imaging with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for atypical parkinsonism. These individuals were diagnosed clinically with probable corticobasal degeneration. This diagnosis was confirmed in the three subjects who additionally underwent post-mortem examination. Ten age-matched healthy subjects (five females/five males; age 71.7 ± 6.7 years) served as controls for the imaging studies. Spatial covariance analysis was applied to scan data from the combined group to identify a significant corticobasal degeneration-related metabolic pattern that discriminated (P < 0.001) the patients from the healthy control group. This pattern was characterized by bilateral, asymmetric metabolic reductions involving frontal and parietal cortex, thalamus, and caudate nucleus. These pattern-related changes were greater in magnitude in the cerebral hemisphere opposite the more clinically affected body side. The presence of this corticobasal degeneration-related metabolic topography was confirmed in two independent testing sets of patient and control scans, with elevated pattern expression (P < 0.001) in both disease groups relative to corresponding normal values. We next determined whether prospectively computed expression values for this pattern accurately discriminated corticobasal degeneration from multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy (the two most common atypical parkinsonian syndromes) on a single case basis. Based upon this measure, corticobasal degeneration was successfully distinguished from multiple system atrophy (P < 0.001) but not progressive supranuclear palsy, presumably because of the overlap (∼ 24%) that existed between the corticobasal degeneration- and the progressive supranuclear palsy-related metabolic topographies. Nonetheless, excellent discrimination between these disease entities was achieved by computing hemispheric asymmetry scores for the corticobasal degeneration-related pattern on a prospective single scan basis. Indeed, a logistic algorithm based on the asymmetry scores combined with separately computed expression values for a previously validated progressive supranuclear palsy-related pattern provided excellent specificity (corticobasal degeneration: 92.7%; progressive supranuclear palsy: 94.1%) in classifying 58 testing subjects. In conclusion, corticobasal degeneration is associated with a reproducible disease-related metabolic covariance pattern that may help to distinguish this disorder from other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Thermographer-friendly equipment design for predictive maintenance: baseline thermograms, thermal modeling, and emissivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madding, Robert P.

1999-03-01

For years predictive maintenance thermographers have been challenged by industrial targets to determine whether they had a problem, and if they did how big was it. We have struggled with low emissivity and unknown emissivity targets. We have observed thermal patterns and temperatures and asked whether the target was operating normally or if the heat patterns indicated a problem condition. Through years of experience, we have built a body of knowledge. Conferences such as Thermosense are where we share that knowledge with others. From this, we realize that much more could be done if our targets were thermographer-friendly. Now it is time to ask the equipment manufacturers to step up to the plate and acknowledge the viability of thermography as a predictive maintenance and non-destructive test tool. They build the targets we look at. They can help us in a least three areas: (1) We need to work with them to specify a baseline thermal signature for their equipment operating under normal conditions. Thermograms would be included with the operating manual or equipment test results. Thermography would be part of acceptance and installation testing. (2) We need to ask them to include high emissivity coatings in their designs for certain targets. (3) We need to work with them to develop thermal models that will indicate thermal signatures under all types of environmental conditions for both normal and abnormal operation. Thermal modeling programs developed by the defense community that will display a surface thermal image are available for PCs. With the help of target equipment manufacturers, we can significantly advance the state-of-the- art of thermography applications. We can be even more confident of our recommendations. We can evaluate targets that couldn't be evaluated before, expanding our applications. We can have backup on criticality calls with manufacturers' data. In short, we can do our job better.

Chinese CO2 emission flows have reversed since the global financial crisis.

PubMed

Mi, Zhifu; Meng, Jing; Guan, Dabo; Shan, Yuli; Song, Malin; Wei, Yi-Ming; Liu, Zhu; Hubacek, Klaus

2017-11-23

This study seeks to estimate the carbon implications of recent changes in China's economic development patterns and role in global trade in the post-financial-crisis era. We utilised the latest socioeconomic datasets to compile China's 2012 multiregional input-output (MRIO) table. Environmentally extended input-output analysis and structural decomposition analysis (SDA) were applied to investigate the driving forces behind changes in CO 2 emissions embodied in China's domestic and foreign trade from 2007 to 2012. Here we show that emission flow patterns have changed greatly in both domestic and foreign trade since the financial crisis. Some economically less developed regions, such as Southwest China, have shifted from being a net emission exporter to being a net emission importer. In terms of foreign trade, emissions embodied in China's exports declined from 2007 to 2012 mainly due to changes in production structure and efficiency gains, while developing countries became the major destination of China's export emissions.

Role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in breast cancer.

PubMed

Bourgeois, Austin C; Warren, Lance A; Chang, Ted T; Embry, Scott; Hudson, Kathleen; Bradley, Yong C

2013-09-01

Although positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may not be used in the diagnosis of breast cancer, the use of PET/computed tomography is imperative in all aspects of breast cancer staging, treatment, and follow-up. PET will continue to be relevant in personalized medicine because accurate tumor status will be even more critical during and after the transition from a generic metabolic agent to receptor imaging. Positron emission mammography is an imaging proposition that may have benefits in lower doses, but its use is limited without new radiopharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Condenser for illuminating a ringfield camera with synchrotron emission light

DOEpatents

Sweatt, W.C.

1996-04-30

The present invention relates generally to the field of condensers for collecting light from a synchrotron radiation source and directing the light into a ringfield of a lithography camera. The present invention discloses a condenser comprising collecting, processing, and imaging optics. The collecting optics are comprised of concave and convex spherical mirrors that collect the light beams. The processing optics, which receive the light beams, are comprised of flat mirrors that converge and direct the light beams into a real entrance pupil of the camera in a symmetrical pattern. In the real entrance pupil are located flat mirrors, common to the beams emitted from the preceding mirrors, for generating substantially parallel light beams and for directing the beams toward the ringfield of a camera. Finally, the imaging optics are comprised of a spherical mirror, also common to the beams emitted from the preceding mirrors, images the real entrance pupil through the resistive mask and into the virtual entrance pupil of the camera. Thus, the condenser is comprised of a plurality of beams with four mirrors corresponding to a single beam plus two common mirrors. 9 figs.

Condenser for illuminating a ringfield camera with synchrotron emission light

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C.

1996-01-01

The present invention relates generally to the field of condensers for collecting light from a synchrotron radiation source and directing the light into a ringfield of a lithography camera. The present invention discloses a condenser comprising collecting, processing, and imaging optics. The collecting optics are comprised of concave and convex spherical mirrors that collect the light beams. The processing optics, which receive the light beams, are comprised of flat mirrors that converge and direct the light beams into a real entrance pupil of the camera in a symmetrical pattern. In the real entrance pupil are located flat mirrors, common to the beams emitted from the preceding mirrors, for generating substantially parallel light beams and for directing the beams toward the ringfield of a camera. Finally, the imaging optics are comprised of a spherical mirror, also common to the beams emitted from the preceding mirrors, images the real entrance pupil through the resistive mask and into the virtual entrance pupil of the camera. Thus, the condenser is comprised of a plurality of beams with four mirrors corresponding to a single beam plus two common mirrors.

Visual Pattern Analysis in Histopathology Images Using Bag of Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Roa, Angel; Caicedo, Juan C.; González, Fabio A.

This paper presents a framework to analyse visual patterns in a collection of medical images in a two stage procedure. First, a set of representative visual patterns from the image collection is obtained by constructing a visual-word dictionary under a bag-of-features approach. Second, an analysis of the relationships between visual patterns and semantic concepts in the image collection is performed. The most important visual patterns for each semantic concept are identified using correlation analysis. A matrix visualization of the structure and organization of the image collection is generated using a cluster analysis. The experimental evaluation was conducted on a histopathology image collection and results showed clear relationships between visual patterns and semantic concepts, that in addition, are of easy interpretation and understanding.

Modeling spatial patterns of link-based PM2.5 emissions and subsequent human exposure in a large canadian metropolitan area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Requia, Weeberb J.; Dalumpines, Ron; Adams, Matthew D.; Arain, Altaf; Ferguson, Mark; Koutrakis, Petros

2017-06-01

Understanding the relationship between mobile source emissions and subsequent human exposure is crucial for emissions control. Determining this relationship over space is fundamental to improve the accuracy and precision of public policies. In this study, we evaluated the spatial patterns of link-based PM2.5 emissions and subsequent human exposure in a large Canadian metropolitan area - the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). This study was performed in three stages. First, we estimated vehicle emissions using transportation models and emission simulators. Then we evaluated human exposure to PM2.5 emissions using the Intake fraction (iF) approach. Finally, we applied geostatistical methods to assess spatial patterns of vehicle emissions and subsequent human exposure based on three prospective goals: i) classification of emissions (Global Moran's I test), ii) level of emission exposure (Getis-Ord General G test), and; iii) location of emissions (Anselin Local Moran's I). Our results showed that passenger vehicles accounted for the highest total amount of PM2.5 emissions, representing 57% emissions from all vehicles. Examining only the emissions from passenger vehicles, on average, each person in the GTHA inhales 2.58 × 10-3 ppm per day. Accounting the emissions from buses and trucks, on average each person inhales 0.12 × 10-3 and 1.91 × 10-3 ppm per day, respectively. For both PM2.5 emissions and human exposure using iF approach, our analysis showed Moran's Index greater than 0 for all vehicle categories, suggesting the presence of significant clusters (p-value <0.01) in the region. Our study indicates that air pollution control policy must be developed for the whole region, because of the spatial distribution of housing and businesses centers and inter-connectivity of transportation networks across the region, where a policy cannot simply be based on a municipal or other boundaries.

Automated CO2, CH4 and N2O Fluxes from Tree Stems and Soils: Magnitudes, Temporal Patterns and Drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barba, J.; Poyatos, R.; Vargas, R.

2017-12-01

The emissions of the main greenhouse gases (GHG; CO2, CH4 and N2O) through tree stems are still an uncertain component of the total GHG balance of forests. Despite that stem CO2 emissions have been studied for several decades, it is still unclear the drivers and spatiotemporal patterns of CH4 and N2O stem emissions. Additionally, it is unknown how stem emissions could be related to soil physiological processes or environmental conditions. We measured CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions hourly from April to July 2017 at two different heights (75 [LStem] and 150cm [HStem]) of bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) trees and adjacent soil locations in a forested area in the Mid Atlantic of the USA. We designed an automated system to continuously measure the three greenhouse gases (GHG) in stems and soils. Stem and soil CO2 emissions showed similar seasonal patterns with an average of 6.56±0.09 (soil), 3.72±0.05 (LStem) and 2.47±0.04 µmols m-2 s-1 (HStem) (mean±95% CI). Soil temperature controlled CO2 fluxes at both daily and seasonal scales (R2>0.5 for all cases), but there was no clear effect of soil moisture. The stems were a clear CH4 source with emissions decreasing with height (0.35±0.02 and 0.25±0.01 nmols m-2 s-1 for LStem and HStem, respectively) with no apparent seasonal pattern, and no clear relationship with environmental drivers (e.g., temperature, moisture). In contrast, soil was a CH4 sink throughout the experiment (-0.55±0.02 nmols m-2 s-1) and its seasonal pattern responded to moisture changes. Despite soil and stem N2O emissions did not show a seasonal pattern or apparent dependency on temperature or moisture, they showed net N2O emissions with a decrease in emissions with stem height (0.29±0.05 for soil, 0.38±0.06 for LStem and 0.28±0.05 nmols m-2 s-1 for HStem). The three GHG emissions decreased with stem height at similar rates (33%, 28% and 27% for CO2, CH4 and N2O, respectively). These results suggest that the gases were not produced in the stem but originated in the soil and transported within the stem. At the forest stand level, the CH4 sink capacity of soils could be partially counteracted by the stem emissions. These results indicate the need to measure CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions not only in soil but also in stems to account for the total GHG balance in ecosystems.

Temperature dependence of feedyard ammonia emissions: The Arrhenius equation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ammonia emissions from beef cattle feedyards exhibit an annual pattern-like temperature. This suggests that ammonia emissions may obey the Arrhenius temperature relationship. Our objective was to determine the Arrhenius relationship between mean monthly ammonia emissions from cattle feedyards and me...

Twisted bilayer graphene photoluminescence emission peaks at van Hove singularities.

PubMed

Alencar, Thonimar V; von Dreifus, Driele; Gabriela Cota Moreira, Maria; Eliel, Gomes S N; Yeh, Chao-Hui; Chiu, Po-Wen; Pimenta, Marcos A; Malard, Leandro M; Maria de Paula, Ana

2018-05-02

We report on photoluminescence emission imaging by femtosecond laser excitation on twisted bilayer graphene samples. The emission images are obtained by tuning the excitation laser energies in the near infrared region. We demonstrate an increase of the photoluminescence emission at excitation energies that depends on the bilayer twist angle. The results show a peak for the light emission when the excitation is in resonance with transitions at the van Hove singularities in the electronic density of states. We measured the photoluminescence excitation peak position and width for samples with various twist angles showing resonances in the energy range of 1.2 to 1.7 eV.

Twisted bilayer graphene photoluminescence emission peaks at van Hove singularities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alencar, Thonimar V.; von Dreifus, Driele; Cota Moreira, Maria Gabriela; Eliel, Gomes S. N.; Yeh, Chao-Hui; Chiu, Po-Wen; Pimenta, Marcos A.; Malard, Leandro M.; de Paula, Ana Maria

2018-05-01

We report on photoluminescence emission imaging by femtosecond laser excitation on twisted bilayer graphene samples. The emission images are obtained by tuning the excitation laser energies in the near infrared region. We demonstrate an increase of the photoluminescence emission at excitation energies that depends on the bilayer twist angle. The results show a peak for the light emission when the excitation is in resonance with transitions at the van Hove singularities in the electronic density of states. We measured the photoluminescence excitation peak position and width for samples with various twist angles showing resonances in the energy range of 1.2 to 1.7 eV.

Dual-radiotracer translational SPECT neuroimaging. Comparison of three methods for the simultaneous brain imaging of D2/3 and 5-HT2A receptors.

PubMed

Tsartsalis, Stergios; Tournier, Benjamin B; Habiby, Selim; Ben Hamadi, Meriem; Barca, Cristina; Ginovart, Nathalie; Millet, Philippe

2018-04-30

SPECT imaging with two radiotracers at the same time is feasible if two different radioisotopes are employed, given their distinct energy emission spectra. In the case of 123 I and 125 I, dual SPECT imaging is not straightforward: 123 I emits photons at a principal energy emission spectrum of 143.1-179.9 keV. However, it also emits at a secondary energy spectrum (15-45 keV) that overlaps with the one of 125 I and the resulting cross-talk of emissions impedes the accurate quantification of 125 I. In this paper, we describe three different methods for the correction of this cross-talk and the simultaneous in vivo [ 123 I]IBZM and [ 125 I]R91150 imaging of D 2/3 and 5-HT 2A receptors in the rat brain. Three methods were evaluated for the correction of the effect of cross-talk in a series of simultaneous, [ 123 I]IBZM and [ 125 I]R91150 in vivo and phantom SPECT scans. Method 1 employs a dual-energy window (DEW) approach, in which the cross-talk on 125 I is considered a stable fraction of the energy emitted from 123 I at the principal emission spectrum. The coefficient describing the relationship between the emission of 123 I at the principal and the secondary spectrum was estimated from a series of single-radiotracer [ 123 I]IBZM SPECT studies. In Method 2, spectral factor analysis (FA) is applied to separate the radioactivity from 123 I and 125 I on the basis of their distinct emission patterns across the energy spectrum. Method 3 uses a modified simplified reference tissue model (SRTM C ) to describe the kinetics of [ 125 I]R91150. It includes the coefficient describing the cross-talk on 125 I from 123 I in the model parameters. The results of the correction of cross-talk on [ 125 I]R91150 binding potential (BP ND ) with each of the three methods, using cerebellum as the reference region, were validated against the results of a series of single-radiotracer [ 123 I]R91150 SPECT studies. In addition, the DEW approach (Method 1), considered to be the most straightforward to apply of the three, was further applied in a dual-radiotracer SPECT study of the relationship between D 2/3 and 5-HT 2A receptor binding in the striatum, both at the voxel and at the regional level. Average regional BP ND values of [ 125 I]R91150, estimated on the cross-talk corrected dual-radiotracer SPECT studies provided satisfactory correlations with the BP ND values for [ 123 I]R91150 from single-radiotracer studies: r = 0.92, p < 0.001 for Method 1, r = 0.92, p < 0.001 for Method 2, r = 0.92, p < 0.001, for Method 3. The coefficient describing the ratio of the 123 I-emitted radioactivity at the 125 I-emission spectrum to the radioactivity that it emits at its principal emission spectrum was 0.34 in vivo. Dual-radiotracer in vivo SPECT studies corrected with Method 1 demonstrated a positive correlation between D 2/3 and 5-HT 2A receptor binding in the rat nucleus accumbens at the voxel level. At the VOI-level, a positive correlation was confirmed in the same region (r = 0.78, p < 0.01). Dual-radiotracer SPECT imaging using 123 I and 125 I-labeled radiotracers is feasible if the cross-talk of 123 I on the 125 I emission spectrum is properly corrected. The most straightforward approach is Method 1, in which a fraction (34%) of the radioactivity emitted from 123 I at its principal energy spectrum is subtracted from the measured radioactivity at the spectrum of 125 I. With this method, a positive correlation between the binding of [ 123 I]IBZM and [ 125 I]R91150 was demonstrated in the rat nucleus accumbens. This result highlights the interest of dual-radiotracer SPECT imaging to study multiple neurotransmitter systems at the same time and under the same biological conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Artificial auroras in the upper atmosphere. I - Electron beam injections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burch, J. L.; Mende, S. B.; Kawashima, N.; Roberts, W. T.; Taylor, W. W. L.; Neubert, T.; Gibson, W. C.; Marshall, J. A.; Swenson, G. R.

1993-01-01

The Atlas-1 Spacelab payload's Space Experiments with Particle Accelerators generated artificial electron beams for the stimulation of auroral emissions at southern auroral latitudes. Optical measurements were made by the Shuttle Orbiter's onboard TV cameras, as well as by the Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imager (in both white light and the 427.8 nm N2(+) emission line). Shuttle-based auroral imaging furnished a novel perspective on the artificial auroras; the emissions were traced from 295 km to the 110 km level along the curved magnetic-field lines.

Unveiling Mars nightside mesosphere dynamics by IUVS/MAVEN global images of NO nightglow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiepen, A.; Jain, S. K.; Schneider, N. M.; Milby, Z.; Deighan, J. I.; Gonzàlez-Galindo, F.; Gérard, J.-C.; Forget, F.; Bougher, S.; Stewart, A. I. F.; Royer, E.; Stevens, M. H.; Evans, J. S.; Chaffin, M. S.; Crismani, M.; McClintock, W. E.; Clarke, J. T.; Holsclaw, G. W.; Montmessin, F.; Lo, D. Y.

2017-09-01

We analyze the morphology of the ultraviolet nightglow in the Martian upper atmosphere through Nitric Oxide (NO) δ and γ bands emissions observed by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft. The seasonal dynamics of the Martian thermosphere-mesosphere can be constrained based on the distribution of these emissions. We show evidence for local (emission streaks and splotches) and global (longitudinal and seasonal) variability in brightness of the emission and provide quantitative comparisons to GCM simulations.

Review of cardiovascular imaging in The Journal of Nuclear Cardiology in 2014: Part 1 of 2: Positron emission tomography, computed tomography, and neuronal imaging.

PubMed

AlJaroudi, Wael A; Hage, Fadi G

2015-06-01

The year 2014 has been an exciting year for the cardiovascular imaging community with significant advances in the realm of nuclear and multimodality cardiac imaging. In this new feature of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, we will summarize some of the breakthroughs that were published in the Journal in 2014 in 2 sister articles. This first article will concentrate on publications dealing with cardiac positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and neuronal imaging.

Real-time x-ray diffraction measurements of shocked polycrystalline tin and aluminum.

PubMed

Morgan, Dane V; Macy, Don; Stevens, Gerald

2008-11-01

A new, fast, single-pulse x-ray diffraction (XRD) diagnostic for determining phase transitions in shocked polycrystalline materials has been developed. The diagnostic consists of a 37-stage Marx bank high-voltage pulse generator coupled to a needle-and-washer electron beam diode via coaxial cable, producing line and bremsstrahlung x-ray emission in a 35 ns pulse. The characteristic K(alpha) lines from the selected anodes of silver and molybdenum are used to produce the diffraction patterns, with thin foil filters employed to remove the characteristic K(beta) line emission. The x-ray beam passes through a pinhole collimator and is incident on the sample with an approximately 3 x 6 mm(2) spot and 1 degrees full width half maximum angular divergence in a Bragg-reflecting geometry. For the experiments described in this report, the angle between the incident beam and the sample surface was 8.5 degrees . A Debye-Scherrer diffraction image was produced on a phosphor located 76 mm from the polycrystalline sample surface. The phosphor image was coupled to a charge-coupled device camera through a coherent fiber-optic bundle. Dynamic single-pulse XRD experiments were conducted with thin foil samples of tin, shock loaded with a 1 mm vitreous carbon back window. Detasheet high explosive with a 2-mm-thick aluminum buffer was used to shock the sample. Analysis of the dynamic shock-loaded tin XRD images revealed a phase transformation of the tin beta phase into an amorphous or liquid state. Identical experiments with shock-loaded aluminum indicated compression of the face-centered-cubic aluminum lattice with no phase transformation.

Exploratory graphical models of functional and structural connectivity patterns for Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis.

PubMed

Ortiz, Andrés; Munilla, Jorge; Álvarez-Illán, Ignacio; Górriz, Juan M; Ramírez, Javier

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in elderly people. Its development has been shown to be closely related to changes in the brain connectivity network and in the brain activation patterns along with structural changes caused by the neurodegenerative process. Methods to infer dependence between brain regions are usually derived from the analysis of covariance between activation levels in the different areas. However, these covariance-based methods are not able to estimate conditional independence between variables to factor out the influence of other regions. Conversely, models based on the inverse covariance, or precision matrix, such as Sparse Gaussian Graphical Models allow revealing conditional independence between regions by estimating the covariance between two variables given the rest as constant. This paper uses Sparse Inverse Covariance Estimation (SICE) methods to learn undirected graphs in order to derive functional and structural connectivity patterns from Fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) Position Emission Tomography (PET) data and segmented Magnetic Resonance images (MRI), drawn from the ADNI database, for Control, MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment Subjects), and AD subjects. Sparse computation fits perfectly here as brain regions usually only interact with a few other areas. The models clearly show different metabolic covariation patters between subject groups, revealing the loss of strong connections in AD and MCI subjects when compared to Controls. Similarly, the variance between GM (Gray Matter) densities of different regions reveals different structural covariation patterns between the different groups. Thus, the different connectivity patterns for controls and AD are used in this paper to select regions of interest in PET and GM images with discriminative power for early AD diagnosis. Finally, functional an structural models are combined to leverage the classification accuracy. The results obtained in this work show the usefulness of the Sparse Gaussian Graphical models to reveal functional and structural connectivity patterns. This information provided by the sparse inverse covariance matrices is not only used in an exploratory way but we also propose a method to use it in a discriminative way. Regression coefficients are used to compute reconstruction errors for the different classes that are then introduced in a SVM for classification. Classification experiments performed using 68 Controls, 70 AD, and 111 MCI images and assessed by cross-validation show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Galaxy Centaurus A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

This image of the active galaxy Centaurus A was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7, 2003. The galaxy is located 30 million light-years from Earth and is seen edge on, with a prominent dust lane across the major axis. In this image the near ultraviolet emission is represented as green, and the far ultraviolet emission as blue. The galaxy exhibits jets of high energy particles, which were traced by the X-ray emission and measured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. These X-ray emissions are seen as red in the image. Several regions of ultraviolet emission can be seen where the jets of high energy particles intersect with hydrogen clouds in the upper left corner of the image. The emission shown may be the result of recent star formation triggered by the compression of gas by the jet.

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.

Excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscope

PubMed Central

Favreau, Peter F.; Hernandez, Clarissa; Heaster, Tiffany; Alvarez, Diego F.; Rich, Thomas C.; Prabhat, Prashant; Leavesley, Silas J.

2014-01-01

Abstract. Hyperspectral imaging is a versatile tool that has recently been applied to a variety of biomedical applications, notably live-cell and whole-tissue signaling. Traditional hyperspectral imaging approaches filter the fluorescence emission over a broad wavelength range while exciting at a single band. However, these emission-scanning approaches have shown reduced sensitivity due to light attenuation from spectral filtering. Consequently, emission scanning has limited applicability for time-sensitive studies and photosensitive applications. In this work, we have developed an excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscope that overcomes these limitations by providing high transmission with short acquisition times. This is achieved by filtering the fluorescence excitation rather than the emission. We tested the efficacy of the excitation-scanning microscope in a side-by-side comparison with emission scanning for detection of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing endothelial cells in highly autofluorescent lung tissue. Excitation scanning provided higher signal-to-noise characteristics, as well as shorter acquisition times (300  ms/wavelength band with excitation scanning versus 3  s/wavelength band with emission scanning). Excitation scanning also provided higher delineation of nuclear and cell borders, and increased identification of GFP regions in highly autofluorescent tissue. These results demonstrate excitation scanning has utility in a wide range of time-dependent and photosensitive applications. PMID:24727909

Excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscope.

PubMed

Favreau, Peter F; Hernandez, Clarissa; Heaster, Tiffany; Alvarez, Diego F; Rich, Thomas C; Prabhat, Prashant; Leavesley, Silas J

2014-04-01

Hyperspectral imaging is a versatile tool that has recently been applied to a variety of biomedical applications, notably live-cell and whole-tissue signaling. Traditional hyperspectral imaging approaches filter the fluorescence emission over a broad wavelength range while exciting at a single band. However, these emission-scanning approaches have shown reduced sensitivity due to light attenuation from spectral filtering. Consequently, emission scanning has limited applicability for time-sensitive studies and photosensitive applications. In this work, we have developed an excitation-scanning hyperspectral imaging microscope that overcomes these limitations by providing high transmission with short acquisition times. This is achieved by filtering the fluorescence excitation rather than the emission. We tested the efficacy of the excitation-scanning microscope in a side-by-side comparison with emission scanning for detection of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing endothelial cells in highly autofluorescent lung tissue. Excitation scanning provided higher signal-to-noise characteristics, as well as shorter acquisition times (300  ms/wavelength band with excitation scanning versus 3  s/wavelength band with emission scanning). Excitation scanning also provided higher delineation of nuclear and cell borders, and increased identification of GFP regions in highly autofluorescent tissue. These results demonstrate excitation scanning has utility in a wide range of time-dependent and photosensitive applications.

Compact Kirkpatrick–Baez microscope mirrors for imaging laser-plasma x-ray emission

DOE PAGES

Marshall, F. J.

2012-07-18

Compact Kirkpatrick–Baez microscope mirror components for use in imaging laser-plasma x-ray emission have been manufactured, coated, and tested. A single mirror pair has dimensions of 14 × 7 × 9 mm and a best resolution of ~5 μm. The mirrors are coated with Ir providing a useful energy range of 2-8 keV when operated at a grazing angle of 0.7°. The mirrors can be circularly arranged to provide 16 images of the target emission a configuration best suited for use in combination with a custom framing camera. As a result, an alternative arrangement of the mirrors would allow alignment ofmore » the images with a fourstrip framing camera.« less

Thermal imaging of plasma with a phased array antenna in QUEST

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

Mishra, Kishore, E-mail: mishra@triam.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Nagata, K.; Akimoto, R.

2014-11-15

A thermal imaging system to measure plasma Electron Bernstein Emission (EBE) emanating from the mode conversion region in overdense plasma is discussed. Unlike conventional ECE/EBE imaging, this diagnostics does not employ any active mechanical scanning mirrors or focusing optics to scan for the emission cones in plasma. Instead, a standard 3 × 3 waveguide array antenna is used as a passive receiver to collect emission from plasma and imaging reconstruction is done by accurate measurements of phase and intensity of these signals by heterodyne detection technique. A broadband noise source simulating the EBE, is installed near the expected mode conversionmore » region and its position is successfully reconstructed using phase array technique which is done in post processing.« less

Apparatus and method for a light direction sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leviton, Douglas B. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

The present invention provides a light direction sensor for determining the direction of a light source. The system includes an image sensor; a spacer attached to the image sensor, and a pattern mask attached to said spacer. The pattern mask has a slit pattern that as light passes through the slit pattern it casts a diffraction pattern onto the image sensor. The method operates by receiving a beam of light onto a patterned mask, wherein the patterned mask as a plurality of a slit segments. Then, diffusing the beam of light onto an image sensor and determining the direction of the light source.

Superficial Dosimetry Imaging of Čerenkov Emission in Electron Beam Radiotherapy of Phantoms

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rongxiao; Fox, Colleen J.; Glaser, Adam K.; Gladstone, David J.; Pogue, Brian W.

2014-01-01

Čerenkov emission is generated from ionizing radiation in tissue above 264keV energy. This study presents the first examination of this optical emission as a surrogate for the absorbed superficial dose. Čerenkov emission was imaged from the surface of flat tissue phantoms irradiated with electrons, using a range of field sizes from 6cm×6cm to 20cm×20cm, incident angles from 0 to 50 degrees, and energies from 6 to 18 MeV. The Čerenkov images were compared with estimated superficial dose in phantoms from direct diode measurements, as well as calculations by Monte Carlo and the treatment planning system. Intensity images showed outstanding linear agreement (R2=0.97) with reference data of the known dose for energies from 6MeV to 18MeV. When orthogonal delivery was done, the in-plane and cross-plane dose distribution comparisons indicated very little difference (±2~4% differences) between the different methods of estimation as compared to Čerenkov light imaging. For an incident angle 50 degrees, the Čerenkov images and Monte Carlo simulation show excellent agreement with the diode data, but the treatment planning system (TPS) had at a larger error (OPT=±1~2%, Diode=±2~3%, TPS=±6~8% differences) as would be expected. The sampling depth of superficial dosimetry based on Čerenkov radiation has been simulated in layered skin model, showing the potential of sampling depth tuning by spectral filtering. Taken together, these measurements and simulations indicate that Čerenkov emission imaging might provide a valuable way to superficial dosimetry imaging from incident radiotherapy beams of electrons. PMID:23880473

Traumatic brain injury causes long-term behavioral changes related to region-specific increases of cerebral blood flow.

PubMed

Pöttker, Bruno; Stöber, Franziska; Hummel, Regina; Angenstein, Frank; Radyushkin, Konstantin; Goldschmidt, Jürgen; Schäfer, Michael K E

2017-12-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and death and survivors often suffer from long-lasting motor impairment, cognitive deficits, anxiety disorders and epilepsy. Few experimental studies have investigated long-term sequelae after TBI and relations between behavioral changes and neural activity patterns remain elusive. We examined these issues in a murine model of TBI combining histology, behavioral analyses and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) as a proxy for neural activity. Adult C57Bl/6N mice were subjected to unilateral cortical impact injury and investigated at early (15-57 days after lesion, dal) and late (184-225 dal) post-traumatic time points. TBI caused pronounced tissue loss of the parietal cortex and subcortical structures and enduring neurological deficits. Marked perilesional astro- and microgliosis was found at 57 dal and declined at 225 dal. Motor and gait pattern deficits occurred at early time points after TBI and improved over the time. In contrast, impaired performance in the Morris water maze test and decreased anxiety-like behavior persisted together with an increased susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures suggesting alterations in neural activity patterns. Accordingly, SPECT imaging of CBF indicated asymmetric hemispheric baseline neural activity patterns. In the ipsilateral hemisphere, increased baseline neural activity was found in the amygdala. In the contralateral hemisphere, homotopic to the structural brain damage, the hippocampus and distinct cortex regions displayed increased baseline neural activity. Thus, regionally elevated CBF along with behavioral alterations indicate that increased neural activity is critically involved in the long-lasting consequences of TBI.

Analysis for Distinctive Activation Patterns of Pain and Itchy in the Human Brain Cortex Measured Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)

PubMed Central

Kataoka, Aiko; Kudo, Ayako; Fujino, Fukue; Chen, Yu-Wen; Mitsuyama, Yuki; Nomura, Shinobu; Yoshioka, Tohru

2013-01-01

Pain and itch are closely related sensations, yet qualitatively quite distinct. Despite recent advances in brain imaging techniques, identifying the differences between pain and itch signals in the brain cortex is difficult due to continuous temporal and spatial changes in the signals. The high spatial resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has substantially advanced research of pain and itch, but these are uncomfortable because of expensiveness, importability and the limited operation in the shielded room. Here, we used near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which has more conventional usability. NIRS can be used to visualize dynamic changes in oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations in the capillary networks near activated neural circuits in real-time as well as fMRI. We observed distinct activation patterns in the frontal cortex for acute pain and histamine-induced itch. The prefrontal cortex exhibited a pain-related and itch-related activation pattern of blood flow in each subject. Although it looked as though that activation pattern for pain and itching was different in each subject, further cross correlation analysis of NIRS signals between each channels showed an overall agreement with regard to prefrontal area involvement. As a result, pain-related and itch-related blood flow responses (delayed responses in prefrontal area) were found to be clearly different between pain (τ = +18.7 sec) and itch (τ = +0.63 sec) stimulation. This is the first pilot study to demonstrate the temporal and spatial separation of a pain-induced blood flow and an itch-induced blood flow in human cortex during information processing. PMID:24098378

Relationship of Topside Ionospheric Ion Outflows to Auroral Forms and Precipitations, Plasma Waves, and Convection Observed by POLAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirahara, M.; Horwitz, J. L.; Moore, T. E.; Germany, G. A.; Spann, J. F.; Peterson, W. K.; Shelley, E. G.; Chandler, M. O.; Giles, B. L.; Craven, P. D.;

Relationship of Topside Ionospheric Ion Outflows to Auroral Forms and Precipitation, Plasma Waves, and Convection Observed by Polar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirahara, M.; Horwitz, J. L.; Moore, T. E.; Germany, G. A.; Spann, J. F.; Peterson, W. K.; Shelley, E. G.; Chandler, M. O.; Giles, B. L.; Craven, P. D.;

Positron Emission Tomography: Human Brain Function and Biochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Michael E.; Mazziotta, John C.

1985-01-01

Describes the method, present status, and application of positron emission tomography (PET), an analytical imaging technique for "in vivo" measurements of the anatomical distribution and rates of specific biochemical reactions. Measurements and image dynamic biochemistry link basic and clinical neurosciences with clinical findings…

ANTS — a simulation package for secondary scintillation Anger-camera type detector in thermal neutron imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, A.; Defendi, I.; Engels, R.; Fraga, F. A. F.; Fraga, M. M. F. R.; Guerard, B.; Jurkovic, M.; Kemmerling, G.; Manzin, G.; Margato, L. M. S.; Niko, H.; Pereira, L.; Petrillo, C.; Peyaud, A.; Piscitelli, F.; Raspino, D.; Rhodes, N. J.; Sacchetti, F.; Schooneveld, E. M.; Van Esch, P.; Zeitelhack, K.

2012-08-01

A custom and fully interactive simulation package ANTS (Anger-camera type Neutron detector: Toolkit for Simulations) has been developed to optimize the design and operation conditions of secondary scintillation Anger-camera type gaseous detectors for thermal neutron imaging. The simulation code accounts for all physical processes related to the neutron capture, energy deposition pattern, drift of electrons of the primary ionization and secondary scintillation. The photons are traced considering the wavelength-resolved refraction and transmission of the output window. Photo-detection accounts for the wavelength-resolved quantum efficiency, angular response, area sensitivity, gain and single-photoelectron spectra of the photomultipliers (PMTs). The package allows for several geometrical shapes of the PMT photocathode (round, hexagonal and square) and offers a flexible PMT array configuration: up to 100 PMTs in a custom arrangement with the square or hexagonal packing. Several read-out patterns of the PMT array are implemented. Reconstruction of the neutron capture position (projection on the plane of the light emission) is performed using the center of gravity, maximum likelihood or weighted least squares algorithm. Simulation results reproduce well the preliminary results obtained with a small-scale detector prototype. ANTS executables can be downloaded from http://coimbra.lip.pt/~andrei/.

Long-term deforestation dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon-Uncovering historic frontier development along the Cuiabá-Santarém highway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Hannes; Griffiths, Patrick; Hostert, Patrick

2016-02-01

The great success of the Brazilian deforestation programme "PRODES digital" has shown the importance of annual deforestation information for understanding and mitigating deforestation and its consequences in Brazil. However, there is a lack of similar information on deforestation for the 1990s and 1980s. Such maps are essential to understand deforestation frontier development and related carbon emissions. This study aims at extending the deforestation mapping record backwards into the 1990s and 1980s for one of the major deforestation frontiers in the Amazon. We use an image compositing approach to transform 2224 Landsat images in a spatially continuous and cloud free annual time series of Tasseled Cap Wetness metrics from 1984 to 2012. We then employ a random forest classifier to derive annual deforestation patterns. Our final deforestation map has an overall accuracy of 85% with half of the overall deforestation being detected before the year 2000. The results show for the first time detailed patterns of the expanding deforestation frontier before the 2000s. The high degree of automatization exhibits the great potential for mapping the whole Amazon biome using long-term and freely accessible remote sensing collections, such as the Landsat archive and forthcoming Sentinel-2 data.

Estimating spatially distributed soil texture using time series of thermal remote sensing - a case study in central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Benjamin; Bernhardt, Matthias; Jackisch, Conrad; Schulz, Karsten

2016-09-01

For understanding water and solute transport processes, knowledge about the respective hydraulic properties is necessary. Commonly, hydraulic parameters are estimated via pedo-transfer functions using soil texture data to avoid cost-intensive measurements of hydraulic parameters in the laboratory. Therefore, current soil texture information is only available at a coarse spatial resolution of 250 to 1000 m. Here, a method is presented to derive high-resolution (15 m) spatial topsoil texture patterns for the meso-scale Attert catchment (Luxembourg, 288 km2) from 28 images of ASTER (advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer) thermal remote sensing. A principle component analysis of the images reveals the most dominant thermal patterns (principle components, PCs) that are related to 212 fractional soil texture samples. Within a multiple linear regression framework, distributed soil texture information is estimated and related uncertainties are assessed. An overall root mean squared error (RMSE) of 12.7 percentage points (pp) lies well within and even below the range of recent studies on soil texture estimation, while requiring sparser sample setups and a less diverse set of basic spatial input. This approach will improve the generation of spatially distributed topsoil maps, particularly for hydrologic modeling purposes, and will expand the usage of thermal remote sensing products.

Tryptophan autofluorescence imaging of neoplasms of the human colon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Bhaskar; Renkoski, Timothy; Graves, Logan R.; Rial, Nathaniel S.; Tsikitis, Vassiliki Liana; Nfonsom, Valentine; Pugh, Judith; Tiwari, Piyush; Gavini, Hemanth; Utzinger, Urs

2012-01-01

Detection of flat neoplasia is a major challenge in colorectal cancer screening, as missed lesions can lead to the development of an unexpected `incident' cancer prior to the subsequent endoscopy. The use of a tryptophan-related autofluorescence has been reported to be increased in murine intestinal dysplasia. The emission spectra of cells isolated from human adenocarcinoma and normal mucosa of the colon were studied and showed markedly greater emission intensity from cancerous cells compared to cells obtained from the surrounding normal mucosa. A proto-type multispectral imaging system optimized for ultraviolet macroscopic imaging of tissue was used to obtain autofluorescence images of surgical specimens of colonic neoplasms and normal mucosa after resection. Fluorescence images did not display the expected greater emission from the tumor as compared to the normal mucosa, most probably due to increased optical absorption and scattering in the tumors. Increased fluorescence intensity in neoplasms was observed however, once fluorescence images were corrected using reflectance images. Tryptophan fluorescence alone may be useful in differentiating normal and cancerous cells, while in tissues its autofluorescence image divided by green reflectance may be useful in displaying neoplasms.

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

Ceglio, N.M.; George, E.V.; Brooks, K.M.

The first successful demonstration of high resolution, tomographic imaging of a laboratory plasma using coded imaging techniques is reported. ZPCI has been used to image the x-ray emission from laser compressed DT filled microballoons. The zone plate camera viewed an x-ray spectral window extending from below 2 keV to above 6 keV. It exhibited a resolution approximately 8 ..mu..m, a magnification factor approximately 13, and subtended a radiation collection solid angle at the target approximately 10/sup -2/ sr. X-ray images using ZPCI were compared with those taken using a grazing incidence reflection x-ray microscope. The agreement was excellent. In addition,more » the zone plate camera produced tomographic images. The nominal tomographic resolution was approximately 75 ..mu..m. This allowed three dimensional viewing of target emission from a single shot in planar ''slices''. In addition to its tomographic capability, the great advantage of the coded imaging technique lies in its applicability to hard (greater than 10 keV) x-ray and charged particle imaging. Experiments involving coded imaging of the suprathermal x-ray and high energy alpha particle emission from laser compressed microballoon targets are discussed.« less

Characterizing CH4, CO2 and N2O emission from barn feeding Tibetan sheep in Tibetan alpine pastoral area in cold season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tianwei; Zhao, Na; Hu, Linyong; Xu, Shixiao; Liu, Hongjin; Ma, Li; Zhao, Xinquan

2017-05-01

Herein, methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from different aged barn feeding Tibetan sheep were characterized using a respiration chamber in combination with gas chromatograph method in cold season of 2013. This work was based on measuring the increase of gas concentration inside respiration chamber by the means of gas chromatograph. Results indicated that diurnal CH4 emission patterns for barn feeding Tibetan sheep were driven by feeding schedule, diurnal CO2 emission patterns were relatively stable with two slight emission peaks, diurnal N2O emission patterns were driven by the variation of temperature inside chamber. Diurnal CH4 emission rates were 17.65, 19.49 and 21.06 g sheep-1 d-1 for yearling, two-year and three-year barn feeding Tibetan sheep, account for 6.15%, 5.76% and 5.45% of their daily gross energy intakes, respectively. Diurnal CO2 emission rates were 526.88, 588.43 and 640.66 g sheep-1 d-1 for yearling, two-year and three-year barn feeding Tibetan sheep, respectively. Diurnal N2O emission rates were 1.64, 1.25 and 1.05 mg sheep-1 d-1 for yearling, two-year and three-year barn feeding Tibetan sheep, respectively. Three-year barn feeding Tibetan sheep released more CO2-eq on per unit BW and BW0.75 gain basis.

Emission-line maps with OSIRIS-TF: The case of M101

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez-Abreu, J.

2013-05-01

We investigate the suitability of GTC/OSIRIS Tunable Filters (TFs) for obtaining emission-line maps of extended objects. We developed a technique to reconstruct an emission-line image from a set of images taken at consecutive central wavelengths. We demonstrate the feasibility of the reconstruction method by generating a flux calibrated Hα image of the well-known spiral galaxy M101. We tested our emission-line fluxes and ratios by using data present in the literature. We found that the differences in both Hα fluxes and N II/Hα line ratios are ~15% and ~50%, respectively. These results are fully in agreement with the expected values for our observational setup. The proposed methodology will allow us to use OSIRIS/GTC to perform accurate spectrophotometric studies of extended galaxies in the local Universe.

Use of a moss biomonitoring method to compile emission inventories for small-scale industries.

PubMed

Varela, Z; Aboal, J R; Carballeira, A; Real, C; Fernández, J A

2014-06-30

We used a method of detecting small-scale pollution sources (DSSP) that involves measurement of the concentrations of elements in moss tissues, with the following aims: (i) to determine any common qualitative patterns of contaminant emissions for individual industrial sectors, (ii) to compare any such patterns with previously described patterns, and (iii) to compile an inventory of the metals and metalloids emitted by the industries considered. Cluster analysis revealed that there were no common patterns of emission associated with the industrial sectors, probably because of differences in production processes and in the types of fuel and raw materials. However, when these variables were shared by different factories, the concentrations of the elements in moss tissues enabled the factories to be grouped according to their emissions. We compiled a list of the metals and metalloids emitted by the factories under study and found that the DSSP method was satisfactory for this purpose in most cases (53 of 56). The method appears to be a useful tool for compiling contaminant inventories; it may also be useful for determining the efficacy of technical improvements aimed at reducing the industrial emission of contaminants and could be incorporated in environmental monitoring and control programmes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter-relation between "classic" motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia: neuropsychological and single photon emission computed tomography study.

PubMed Central

Talbot, P R; Goulding, P J; Lloyd, J J; Snowden, J S; Neary, D; Testa, H J

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible association between "classic" motor neuron disease (cMND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), using neuropsychological evaluation and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Psychological tests assessing language, perceptuospatial, memory, and "frontal lobe" functions were given to patients with cMND and test scores were compared with those of normal control subjects. 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT was performed on patients with cMND, FTD and motor neuron disease (FTD/MND), FTD alone, and normal control subjects. Regional cerebral blood flow indices (rCBFi) were determined in 36 cortical regions, and differences between grouped rCBFi data were investigated by canonical discriminant analysis. There were significant group differences in the scores of picture sequencing and token tests in patients with cMND compared with normal controls. Regional CBFi data showed frontal and anterior temporal reductions in patients with cMND compared with normal controls. A similar pattern of SPECT abnormality was seen in patients with FTD/MND and FTD alone, but to a more pronounced degree than in patients with cMND. Neuropsychological and SPECT findings in cMND, FTD/MND, and FTD showed a common pattern of cerebral involvement, most pronounced in the second two conditions. It is suggested that cMND, FTD/MND, and FTD represent a clinical range of a pathological continuum. Images PMID:7745399

GTC/CanariCam Mid-IR Imaging of the Fullerene-rich Planetary Nebula IC 418: Searching for the Spatial Distribution of Fullerene-like Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz-Luis, J. J.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Manchado, A.; García-Lario, P.; Villaver, E.; García-Segura, G.

2018-03-01

We present seeing-limited narrow-band mid-IR GTC/CanariCam images of the spatially extended fullerene-containing planetary nebula (PN) IC 418. The narrow-band images cover the C60 fullerene band at 17.4 μm, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon like (PAH-like) feature at 11.3 μm, the broad 9–13 μm feature, and their adjacent continua at 9.8 and 20.5 μm. We study the relative spatial distribution of these complex species, all detected in the Spitzer and Infrared Space Observatory spectra of IC 418, with the aim of getting observational constraints to the formation process of fullerenes in H-rich circumstellar environments. A similar ring-like extended structure is seen in all narrow-band filters, except in the dust continuum emission at 9.8 μm, which peaks closer to the central star. The continuum-subtracted images display a clear ring-like extended structure for the carrier of the broad 9–13 μm emission, while the spatial distribution of the (PAH-like) 11.3 μm emission is not so well defined. Interestingly, a residual C60 17.4 μm emission (at about 4σ from the sky background) is seen when subtracting the dust continuum emission at 20.5 μm. This residual C60 emission, if real, might have several interpretations, the most exciting being perhaps that other fullerene-based species like hydrogenated fullerenes with very low H-content may contribute to the observed 17.4 μm emission. We conclude that higher sensitivity mid-IR images and spatially resolved spectroscopic observations (especially in the Q-band) are necessary to get some clues about fullerene formation in PNe.

Nuclear medicine imaging system

DOEpatents

Bennett, G.W.; Brill, A.B.; Bizais, Y.J.C.; Rowe, R.W.; Zubal, I.G.

1983-03-11

It is an object of this invention to provide a nuclear imaging system having the versatility to do positron annihilation studies, rotating single or opposed camera gamma emission studies, and orthogonal gamma emission studies. It is a further object of this invention to provide an imaging system having the capability for orthogonal dual multipinhole tomography. It is another object of this invention to provide a nuclear imaging system in which all available energy data, as well as patient physiological data, are acquired simultaneously in list mode.

Mapping High-Velocity H-alpha and Lyman-alpha Emission from Supernova 1987A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

France, Kevin; McCray, Richard; Fransson, Claes; Larsson, Josefin; Frank, Kari A.; Burrows, David N.; Challis, Peter; Kirshner, Robert P.; Chevalier, Roger A.; Garnavich, Peter;

Simultaneous realization of Hg2+ sensing, magnetic resonance imaging and upconversion luminescence in vitro and in vivo bioimaging based on hollow mesoporous silica coated UCNPs and ruthenium complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xiaoqian; Sun, Lining; Ma, Binbin; Jin, Di; Dong, Liang; Shi, Liyi; Li, Nan; Chen, Haige; Huang, Wei

2015-08-01

We have constructed a multifunctional nanoprobe with sensing and imaging properties by using hollow mesoporous silica coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and Hg2+ responsive ruthenium (Ru) complex. The Ru complex was loaded into the hollow mesoporous silica and the UCNPs acted as an energy donor, transferring luminescence energy to the Ru complex. Furthermore, polyethylenimine (PEI) was assembled on the surface of mesoporous silica to achieve better hydrophilic and bio-compatibility. Upon addition of Hg2+, a blue shift of the absorption peak of the Ru complex is observed and the energy transfer process between the UCNPs and the Ru complex was blocked, resulting in an increase of the green emission intensity of the UCNPs. The un-changed 801 nm emission of the nanoprobe was used as an internal standard reference and the detection limit of Hg2+ was determined to be 0.16 μM for this nanoprobe in aqueous solution. In addition, based on the low cytotoxicity as studied by CCK-8 assay, the nanoprobe was successfully applied for cell imaging and small animal imaging. Furthermore, when doped with Gd3+ ions, the nanoprobe was successfully applied to in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of Kunming mice, which demonstrates its potential as a MRI positive-contrast agent. Therefore, the method and results may provide more exciting opportunities to afford nanoprobes with multimodal bioimaging and multifunctional applications.We have constructed a multifunctional nanoprobe with sensing and imaging properties by using hollow mesoporous silica coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and Hg2+ responsive ruthenium (Ru) complex. The Ru complex was loaded into the hollow mesoporous silica and the UCNPs acted as an energy donor, transferring luminescence energy to the Ru complex. Furthermore, polyethylenimine (PEI) was assembled on the surface of mesoporous silica to achieve better hydrophilic and bio-compatibility. Upon addition of Hg2+, a blue shift of the absorption peak of the Ru complex is observed and the energy transfer process between the UCNPs and the Ru complex was blocked, resulting in an increase of the green emission intensity of the UCNPs. The un-changed 801 nm emission of the nanoprobe was used as an internal standard reference and the detection limit of Hg2+ was determined to be 0.16 μM for this nanoprobe in aqueous solution. In addition, based on the low cytotoxicity as studied by CCK-8 assay, the nanoprobe was successfully applied for cell imaging and small animal imaging. Furthermore, when doped with Gd3+ ions, the nanoprobe was successfully applied to in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of Kunming mice, which demonstrates its potential as a MRI positive-contrast agent. Therefore, the method and results may provide more exciting opportunities to afford nanoprobes with multimodal bioimaging and multifunctional applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: DLS of Ru-UCNPs@HmSiO2-PEI in water. The zeta potential. The XRD patterns. EDX spectrum of Ru-UCNPs@HmSiO2-PEI. FT-IR spectra. N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm and pore size distribution. The investigation of the stability of Ru-UCNPs@HmSiO2-PEI. TG curves. UV/Vis absorption spectra of Ru complex at different concentrations. The sensitivity test of Ru-UCNPs@HmSiO2-PEI towards Hg2+. Cell viabilities of HeLa cells incubated with Ru-UCNPs@HmSiO2-PEI. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04006j

Extended infrared emission around IRAS 21282 + 5050

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bregman, Jesse D.; Booth, John; Gilmore, D. K.; Kay, Laura; Rank, David

1992-01-01

Multiaperture 3-4-micron spectra along with K- and L-band images of the compact planetary nebula IRAS 21282 + 5050 show a 5 arcsec - 20 arcsec diameter nebula with structure similar to many other planetary nebulae. The spectral observations and the L-band image show evidence for extended PAH emission out to a radius of 20 arcsec, while the K-band image shows a 5 arcsec diameter nebula. An observed linear increase of integrated brightness with aperture size at L band implies a 1/r exp 2 volume emissivity for a spherically symmetric model. The spectral similarity of the emission in the small and large apertures suggests fluorescent emission by the PAHs. If the observed emission is from PAHs which formed during the planetary nebulae stage of IRAs 21282 + 5050, then PAHs have been forming for not less than 3000 yr. If the PAH emission is from material produced during the earlier red giant phase, then the formation time frame was much longer. The morphological and spectral similarity of IRAS 21282 + 5050 to many other planetary nebulae suggests that this phenomenon may be widespread, and that planetary nebulae may be a significant source of interstellar PAHs.

Laser-emission imaging of nuclear biomarkers for high-contrast cancer screening and immunodiagnosis

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Cheng; Tan, Xiaotian; Sun, Qihan; Chen, Qiushu; Wang, Wenjie; Fan, Xudong

2017-01-01

Detection of nuclear biomarkers such as nucleic acids and nuclear proteins is critical for early-stage cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Conventional methods relying on morphological assessment of cell nuclei in histopathology slides may be subjective, whereas colorimetric immunohistochemical and fluorescence-based imaging are limited by strong light absorption, broad-emission bands and low contrast. Here, we describe the development and use of a scanning laser-emission-based microscope that maps lasing emissions from nuclear biomarkers in human tissues. 41 tissue samples from 35 patients labelled with site-specific and biomarker-specific antibody-conjugated dyes were sandwiched in a Fabry-Pérot microcavity while an excitation laser beam built a laser-emission image. We observed multiple sub-cellular lasing emissions from cancer cell nuclei, with a threshold of tens of μJ/mm2, sub-micron resolution (<700 nm), and a lasing band in the few-nanometre range. Different lasing thresholds of nuclei in cancer and normal tissues enabled the identification and multiplexed detection of nuclear proteomic biomarkers, with a high sensitivity for early-stage cancer diagnosis. Laser-emission-based cancer screening and immunodiagnosis might find use in precision medicine and facilitate research in cell biology. PMID:29204310

Frontal lobe dementia and motor neuron disease.

PubMed Central

Neary, D; Snowden, J S; Mann, D M; Northen, B; Goulding, P J; Macdermott, N

1990-01-01

Four patients are described, in whom a profound and rapidly progressive dementia occurred in association with clinical features of motor neuron disease. The pattern of dementia indicated impaired frontal lobe function, confirmed by reduced tracer uptake in the frontal lobes on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Pathological examination of the brains of two patients revealed frontal-lobe atrophy, with mild gliosis and spongiform change. The spinal cord changes were consistent with motor neuron disease. The clinical picture and pathological findings resembled those of dementia of frontal-lobe type and were distinct from those of Alzheimer's disease. The findings have implications for the understanding of the spectrum of non-Alzheimer forms of primary degenerative dementia. Images PMID:2303828

Galaxy M101

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-07-25

This three-color image of galaxy M101 was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 20, 2003. The far ultraviolet emissions are shown in blue, the near ultraviolet emissions are green, and the red emissions, which were taken from NASA's Digital Sky Survey, represent visible light. This image combines short, medium, and long "exposure" pictures to best display the evolution of star formation in a spiral galaxy. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04630

Surface photonic crystal structures for LED emission modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uherek, Frantisek; Škriniarová, Jaroslava; Kuzma, Anton; Šušlik, Łuboš; Lettrichova, Ivana; Wang, Dong; Schaaf, Peter

2017-12-01

Application of photonic crystal structures (PhC) can be attractive for overall and local enhancement of light from patterned areas of the light emitting diode (LED) surface. We used interference and near-field scanning optical microscope lithography for patterning of the surface of GaAs/AlGaAs based LEDs emitted at 840 nm. Also new approach with patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane applied directly on the surface of red emitting LED was investigated. The overall emission properties of prepared LED with patterned structure show enhanced light extraction efficiency, what was documented from near- and far-field measurements.

Superficial dosimetry imaging based on Čerenkov emission for external beam radiotherapy with megavoltage x-ray beam

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rongxiao; Glaser, Adam K.; Gladstone, David J.; Fox, Colleen J.; Pogue, Brian W.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Čerenkov radiation emission occurs in all tissue, when charged particles (either primary or secondary) travel at velocity above the threshold for the Čerenkov effect (about 220 KeV in tissue for electrons). This study presents the first examination of optical Čerenkov emission as a surrogate for the absorbed superficial dose for MV x-ray beams. Methods: In this study, Monte Carlo simulations of flat and curved surfaces were studied to analyze the energy spectra of charged particles produced in different regions near the surfaces when irradiated by MV x-ray beams. Čerenkov emission intensity and radiation dose were directly simulated in voxelized flat and cylindrical phantoms. The sampling region of superficial dosimetry based on Čerenkov radiation was simulated in layered skin models. Angular distributions of optical emission from the surfaces were investigated. Tissue mimicking phantoms with flat and curved surfaces were imaged with a time domain gating system. The beam field sizes (50 × 50–200 × 200 mm2), incident angles (0°–70°) and imaging regions were all varied. Results: The entrance or exit region of the tissue has nearly homogeneous energy spectra across the beam, such that their Čerenkov emission is proportional to dose. Directly simulated local intensity of Čerenkov and radiation dose in voxelized flat and cylindrical phantoms further validate that this signal is proportional to radiation dose with absolute average discrepancy within 2%, and the largest within 5% typically at the beam edges. The effective sampling depth could be tuned from near 0 up to 6 mm by spectral filtering. The angular profiles near the theoretical Lambertian emission distribution for a perfect diffusive medium, suggesting that angular correction of Čerenkov images may not be required even for curved surface. The acquisition speed and signal to noise ratio of the time domain gating system were investigated for different acquisition procedures, and the results show there is good potential for real-time superficial dose monitoring. Dose imaging under normal ambient room lighting was validated, using gated detection and a breast phantom. Conclusions: This study indicates that Čerenkov emission imaging might provide a valuable way to superficial dosimetry imaging in real time for external beam radiotherapy with megavoltage x-ray beams. PMID:24089916

The Luminous Blue Variable RMC 127 as Seen with ALMA and ATCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agliozzo, C.; Trigilio, C.; Pignata, G.; Phillips, N. M.; Nikutta, R.; Leto, P.; Umana, G.; Ingallinera, A.; Buemi, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Paladini, R.; Noriega-Crespo, A.; Prieto, J. L.; Massardi, M.; Cerrigone, L.

2017-06-01

We present ALMA and ATCA observations of the luminous blue variable RMC 127. The radio maps show for the first time the core of the nebula and evidence that the nebula is strongly asymmetric with a Z-pattern shape. Hints of this morphology are also visible in the archival Hubble Space Telescope {{H}}α image, which overall resembles the radio emission. The emission mechanism in the outer nebula is optically thin free-free in the radio. At high frequencies, a component of point-source emission appears at the position of the star, up to the ALMA frequencies. The rising flux density distribution ({S}ν ˜ {ν }0.78+/- 0.05) of this object suggests thermal emission from the ionized stellar wind and indicates a departure from spherical symmetry with {n}e(r)\\propto {r}-2. We examine different scenarios to explain this excess of thermal emission from the wind and show that this can arise from a bipolar outflow, supporting the suggestion by other authors that the stellar wind of RMC 127 is aspherical. We fit the data with two collimated ionized wind models, and we find that the mass-loss rate can be a factor of two or more smaller than in the spherical case. We also fit the photometry obtained by IR space telescopes and deduce that the mid- to far-IR emission must arise from extended, cool (˜ 80 {{K}}) dust within the outer ionized nebula. Finally, we discuss two possible scenarios for the nebular morphology: the canonical single-star expanding shell geometry and a precessing jet model assuming the presence of a companion star.

Estimation of fire emissions from satellite-based measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichoku, C. M.; Kaufman, Y. J.

2004-12-01

Biomass burning is a worldwide phenomenon affecting many vegetated parts of the globe regularly. Fires emit large quantities of aerosol and trace gases into the atmosphere, thus influencing the atmospheric chemistry and climate. Traditional methods of fire emissions estimation achieved only limited success, because they were based on peripheral information such as rainfall patterns, vegetation types and changes, agricultural practices, and surface ozone concentrations. During the last several years, rapid developments in satellite remote sensing has allowed more direct estimation of smoke emissions using remotely-sensed fire data. However, current methods use fire pixel counts or burned areas, thereby depending on the accuracy of independent estimations of the biomass fuel loadings, combustion efficiency, and emission factors. With the enhanced radiometric range of its 4-micron fire channel, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, which flies aboard both of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra and Aqua Satellites, is able to measure the rate of release of fire radiative energy (FRE) in MJ/s (something that older sensors could not do). MODIS also measures aerosol distribution. Taking advantage of these new resources, we have developed a procedure combining MODIS fire and aerosol products to derive FRE-based smoke emission coefficients (Ce in kg/MJ) for different regions of the globe. These coefficients are simply used to multiply FRE from MODIS to derive the emitted smoke aerosol mass. Results from this novel methodology are very encouraging. For instance, it was found that the smoke total particulate mass emission coefficient for the Brazilian Cerrado ecosystem (approximately 0.022 kg/MJ) is about twice the value for North America or Australia, but about 50 percent lower than the value for Zambia in southern Africa.

Estimation of Fire Emissions from Satellite-Based Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ichoku, Charles; Kaufman, Yoram J.

2004-01-01

Biomass burning is a worldwide phenomenon affecting many vegetated parts of the globe regularly. Fires emit large quantities of aerosol and trace gases into the atmosphere, thus influencing the atmospheric chemistry and climate. Traditional methods of fire emissions estimation achieved only limited success, because they were based on peripheral information such as rainfall patterns, vegetation types and changes, agricultural practices, and surface ozone concentrations. During the last several years, rapid developments in satellite remote sensing has allowed more direct estimation of smoke emissions using remotely-sensed fire data. However, current methods use fire pixel counts or burned areas, thereby depending on the accuracy of independent estimations of the biomass fuel loadings, combustion efficiency, and emission factors. With the enhanced radiometric range of its 4-micron fire channel, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, which flies aboard both of the Earth Observing System EOS) Terra and Aqua Satellites, is able to measure the rate of release of fire radiative energy (FRE) in MJ/s (something that older sensors could not do). MODIS also measures aerosol distribution. Taking advantage of these new resources, we have developed a procedure combining MODIS fire and aerosol products to derive FRE-based smoke emission coefficients (C(e), in kg/MJ) for different regions of the globe. These coefficients are simply used to multiply FRE from MODIS to derive the emitted smoke aerosol mass. Results from this novel methodology are very encouraging. For instance, it was found that the smoke total particulate mass emission coefficient for the Brazilian Cerrado ecosystem (approximately 0.022 kg/MJ) is about twice the value for North America, Western Europe, or Australia, but about 50% lower than the value for southern Africa.

Earth-Atmospheric Coupling Prior to Strong Earthquakes Analyzed by IR Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freund, F.; Ouzounov, D.

2001-12-01

Earth-atmosphere interactions during major earthquakes (M>5) are the subject of this study. A mechanism has recently been proposed to account for the appearance of hole-type electronic charge carriers in rocks subjected to transient stress [Freund, 2000]. If such charge carriers are activated in the crust prior to large earthquakes, the predictable consequences are: injection of currents into the rocks, low frequency electromagnetic emission, changes in ground potentials, corona discharges with attendant light emission from high points at the surface of the Earth, and possibly an enhanced emission in the 8-12 μ m region similar to the thermal emission observed during laboratory rock deformation experiments [Geng et al., 1999]. Using data from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission & Reflection radiometer) onboard NASA's TERRA satellite launched in Dec. 1999 we have begun analyzing vertical atmospheric profiles, land surface and kinetic temperatures. We looked for correlations between atmospheric dynamics and solid Earth processes prior to the Jan. 13, 2001 earthquake in El Salvador (M=7.6) and the Jan. 26, 2001 Gujarat earth-quake in India (M=7.7). With MODIS covering the entire Earth every 1-2 days in 36 wavelength bands (20 visible and 16 infrared) at different spatial resolutions (250 m, 500 m, and 1 km) we find evidence for a thermal anomaly pattern related to the pre-seismic activity. We also find evidence for changes in the aerosol content and atmospheric instability parameters, possibly due to changes in the ground potential that cause ion emission and lead to the formation of a thin near-ground aerosol layer. We analyze the aerosol content, atmospheric pressure, moisture profile and lifted index.

Refinery evaluation of optical imaging to locate fugitive emissions.

PubMed

Robinson, Donald R; Luke-Boone, Ronke; Aggarwal, Vineet; Harris, Buzz; Anderson, Eric; Ranum, David; Kulp, Thomas J; Armstrong, Karla; Sommers, Ricky; McRae, Thomas G; Ritter, Karin; Siegell, Jeffrey H; Van Pelt, Doug; Smylie, Mike

2007-07-01

Fugitive emissions account for approximately 50% of total hydrocarbon emissions from process plants. Federal and state regulations aiming at controlling these emissions require refineries and petrochemical plants in the United States to implement a Leak Detection and Repair Program (LDAR). The current regulatory work practice, U.S. Environment Protection Agency Method 21, requires designated components to be monitored individually at regular intervals. The annual costs of these LDAR programs in a typical refinery can exceed US$1,000,000. Previous studies have shown that a majority of controllable fugitive emissions come from a very small fraction of components. The Smart LDAR program aims to find cost-effective methods to monitor and reduce emissions from these large leakers. Optical gas imaging has been identified as one such technology that can help achieve this objective. This paper discusses a refinery evaluation of an instrument based on backscatter absorption gas imaging technology. This portable camera allows an operator to scan components more quickly and image gas leaks in real time. During the evaluation, the instrument was able to identify leaking components that were the source of 97% of the total mass emissions from leaks detected. More than 27,000 components were monitored. This was achieved in far less time than it would have taken using Method 21. In addition, the instrument was able to find leaks from components that are not required to be monitored by the current LDAR regulations. The technology principles and the parameters that affect instrument performance are also discussed in the paper.

SU-E-J-100: Reconstruction of Prompt Gamma Ray Three Dimensional SPECT Image From Boron Neutron Capture Therapy(BNCT)

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

Yoon, D; Jung, J; Suh, T

2014-06-01

Purpose: Purpose of paper is to confirm the feasibility of acquisition of three dimensional single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image from boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) using Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: In case of simulation, the pixelated SPECT detector, collimator and phantom were simulated using Monte Carlo n particle extended (MCNPX) simulation tool. A thermal neutron source (<1 eV) was used to react with the boron uptake region (BUR) in the phantom. Each geometry had a spherical pattern, and three different BURs (A, B and C region, density: 2.08 g/cm3) were located in the middle of the brain phantom.more » The data from 128 projections for each sorting process were used to achieve image reconstruction. The ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction algorithm was used to obtain a tomographic image with eight subsets and five iterations. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the geometric accuracy of reconstructed image. Results: The OSEM image was compared with the original phantom pattern image. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated as the gross area under each ROC curve. The three calculated AUC values were 0.738 (A region), 0.623 (B region), and 0.817 (C region). The differences between length of centers of two boron regions and distance of maximum count points were 0.3 cm, 1.6 cm and 1.4 cm. Conclusion: The possibility of extracting a 3D BNCT SPECT image was confirmed using the Monte Carlo simulation and OSEM algorithm. The prospects for obtaining an actual BNCT SPECT image were estimated from the quality of the simulated image and the simulation conditions. When multiple tumor region should be treated using the BNCT, a reasonable model to determine how many useful images can be obtained from the SPECT could be provided to the BNCT facilities. This research was supported by the Leading Foreign Research Institute Recruitment Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Future Planning (MSIP)(Grant No.200900420) and the Radiation Technology Research and Development program (Grant No.2013043498), Republic of Korea.« less

Growth dynamics of carbon-metal particles and nanotubes synthesized by CO2 laser vaporization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokai, F.; Takahashi, K.; Yudasaka, M.; Iijima, S.

To study the growth of carbon-Co/Ni particles and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by 20 ms CO2 laser-pulse irradiation of a graphite-Co/Ni (1.2 at.%) target in an Ar gas atmosphere (600 Torr), we used emission imaging spectroscopy and shadowgraphy with a temporal resolution of 1.67 ms. Wavelength-selected emission images showed that C2 emission was strong in the region close to the target (within 2 cm), while for the same region the blackbody radiation from the large clusters or particles increased with increasing distance from the target. Shadowgraph images showed that the viscous flow of carbon and metal species formed a mushroom or a turbulent cloud spreading slowly into the Ar atmosphere, indicating that particles and SWNTs continued to grow as the ejected material cooled. In addition, emission imaging spectroscopy at 1200 °C showed that C2 and hot clusters and particles with higher emission intensities were distributed over much wider areas. We discuss the growth dynamics of the particles and SWNTs through the interaction of the ambient Ar with the carbon and metal species released from the target by the laser pulse.

Hubble’s Spirograph

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Hubble’s Spirograph In this classic Hubble image from 2000, the planetary nebula IC 418 glows like a multifaceted jewel with enigmatic patterns. IC 418 lies about 2,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Lepus. A planetary nebula represents the final stage in the evolution of a star similar to our sun. The star at the center of IC 418 was a red giant a few thousand years ago, but then ejected its outer layers into space to form the nebula, which has now expanded to a diameter of about 0.1 light-year. The stellar remnant at the center is the hot core of the red giant, from which ultraviolet radiation floods out into the surrounding gas, causing it to fluoresce. Over the next several thousand years, the nebula will gradually disperse into space, and then the star will cool and fade away for billions of years as a white dwarf. Our own sun is expected to undergo a similar fate, but fortunately, this will not occur until some 5 billion years from now. The Hubble image of IC 418 is shown with colors added to represent the different camera filters used that isolate light from various chemical elements. Red shows emission from ionized nitrogen (the coolest gas in the nebula, located furthest from the hot nucleus), green shows emission from hydrogen and blue traces the emission from ionized oxygen (the hottest gas, closest to the central star). The remarkable textures seen in the nebula are newly revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope, and their origin is still uncertain. Read more: go.nasa.gov/2roofKS Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgment: Dr. Raghvendra Sahai (JPL) and Dr. Arsen R. Hajian (USNO)

Variable uptake feature of focal nodular hyperplasia in Tc-99m phytate hepatic scintigraphy/single-photon emission computed tomography-A parametric analysis.

PubMed

Hsu, Yu-Ling; Chen, Yu-Wen; Lin, Chia-Yang; Lai, Yun-Chang; Chen, Shinn-Cherng; Lin, Zu-Yau

2015-12-01

Tc-99m phytate hepatic scintigraphy remains the standard method for evaluating the functional features of Kupffer cells. In this study, we demonstrate the variable uptake feature of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) in Tc-99m phytate scintigraphy. We reviewed all patients who underwent Tc-99m phytate hepatic scintigraphy between 2008 and 2012 in Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Cases with FNH were diagnosed on the basis of pathology or at least one or more prior imaging with a periodic clinical follow-up. All patients received a standard protocol of dynamic flow study and planar and Tc-99m phytate single-photon emission computed tomography (E. CAM; Siemens). The correlation of variable nodular radioactivity with parameters such as tumor size and localization was analyzed. In total, 15 lesions of 14 patients in the clinic were diagnosed as FNH. The tumor size was approximately 2.9-7.4 cm (mean size 4.6 cm). Four lesions were larger than 5 cm. The major anatomic distribution was in the right hepatic lobe (10 lesions), particularly in the superior segments (7 lesions). Tc-99m phytate single-photon emission computed tomography imaging for determining the functional features of Kupffer cells included cool/cold (8 lesions), isoradioactive/warm (6 lesions), and hot (1 lesion) patterns of uptake. We did not observe any statistically significant correlation between variable nodular radioactivity and tumor size (p=0.68) or localization (p=0.04). Herein, we demonstrate the variable uptake feature of FNH in Tc-99m phytate scintigraphy. In small FNH tumors (< 5 cm), increased or equal uptake still provided specificity for the differential diagnosis of hepatic solid tumors. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

Dual-Color Fluorescence Imaging of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Live Cancer Cells Using Conjugated Polymer Probes

PubMed Central

Sun, Minjie; Sun, Bin; Liu, Yun; Shen, Qun-Dong; Jiang, Shaojun

2016-01-01

Rapid growth in biological applications of nanomaterials brings about pressing needs for exploring nanomaterial-cell interactions. Cationic blue-emissive and anionic green-emissive conjugated polymers are applied as dual-color fluorescence probes to the surface of negatively charged magnetic nanoparticles through sequentially electrostatic adsorption. These conjugated polymers have large extinction coefficients and high fluorescence quantum yield (82% for PFN and 62% for ThPFS). Thereby, one can visualize trace amount (2.7 μg/mL) of fluorescence-labeled nanoparticles within cancer cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Fluorescence labeling by the conjugated polymers is also validated for quantitative determination of the internalized nanoparticles in each individual cell by flow cytometry analysis. Extensive overlap of blue and green fluorescence signals in the cytoplasm indicates that both conjugated polymer probes tightly bind to the surface of the nanoparticles during cellular internalization. The highly charged and fluorescence-labeled nanoparticles non-specifically bind to the cell membranes, followed by cellular uptake through endocytosis. The nanoparticles form aggregates inside endosomes, which yields a punctuated staining pattern. Cellular internalization of the nanoparticles is dependent on the dosage and time. Uptake efficiency can be enhanced three-fold by application of an external magnetic field. The nanoparticles are low cytotoxicity and suitable for simultaneously noninvasive fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging application. PMID:26931282

Method for in-vivo synthetic aperture B-flow imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Jorgen A.

2004-04-01

B-flow techniques introduced in commercial scanners have been useful is visualizing places of flow. The method is relatively independent of flow angle and can give a good perception of vessel location and turbulence. This paper introduces a technique for making a synthetic aperture B-flow system. Data is acquired over a number of pulse emissions, where a set of elements synthesizes a spherical wave and the received signal on all elements are acquired. The sequence is repeated and a full new image can always be formed from the last set of emissions, thus making the frame rate very high. The data is continuously available at all places in the image and any kind of echo canceling filter can therefore be used without the usual initialization problems. The B-flow images are then formed by displaying the gray level image after echo canceling. A fast moving scatterer will give a bright echo and slower moving scatterers will yield a dark echo. The approach is demonstrated through in-vivo images. A 128 elements 7 MHz probe with lambda pitch is used together with the RASMUS experimental scanner. Eleven elements are used per emission and the eight emissions are spread evenly over the 128 elements of the array. The signal received by the 64 elements closets to the emission are sampled at 40 MHz and 12 bits at a pulse repetition frequency of 3 kHz. A full second of data is acquired from a healthy 29 years old male volunteer from the carotid artery. The data is beamformed, combined, and echo canceled off-line. High-pass filters designed by the Remez exchange algorithm, have been used for the B-flow processing. The image is displayed after each set of emissions yielding 375 frames per second. Both the flow in the carotid artery and the jugular vein can be seen along with an indication of the acceleration and spatial variation of the velocity.

Theoretical study for aerial image intensity in resist in high numerical aperture projection optics and experimental verification with one-dimensional patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibuya, Masato; Takada, Akira; Nakashima, Toshiharu

2016-04-01

In optical lithography, high-performance exposure tools are indispensable to obtain not only fine patterns but also preciseness in pattern width. Since an accurate theoretical method is necessary to predict these values, some pioneer and valuable studies have been proposed. However, there might be some ambiguity or lack of consensus regarding the treatment of diffraction by object, incoming inclination factor onto image plane in scalar imaging theory, and paradoxical phenomenon of the inclined entrance plane wave onto image in vector imaging theory. We have reconsidered imaging theory in detail and also phenomenologically resolved the paradox. By comparing theoretical aerial image intensity with experimental pattern width for one-dimensional pattern, we have validated our theoretical consideration.

Spatial luminescence imaging of dopant incorporation in CdTe Films

DOE PAGES

Guthrey, Harvey; Moseley, John; Colegrove, Eric; ...

2017-01-25

State-of-the-art cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum imaging with spectrum-per-pixel CL emission mapping is applied to spatially profile how dopant elements are incorporated into Cadmium telluride (CdTe). Emission spectra and intensity monitor the spatial distribution of additional charge carriers through characteristic variations in the CL emission based on computational modeling. Our results show that grain boundaries play a role in incorporating dopants in CdTe exposed to copper, phosphorus, and intrinsic point defects in CdTe. Furthermore, the image analysis provides critical, unique feedback to understand dopant incorporation and activation in the inhomogeneous CdTe material, which has struggled to reach high levels of hole density.

High-resolution PET [Positron Emission Tomography] for Medical Science Studies

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Budinger, T. F.; Derenzo, S. E.; Huesman, R. H.; Jagust, W. J.; Valk, P. E.

1989-09-01

One of the unexpected fruits of basic physics research and the computer revolution is the noninvasive imaging power available to today's physician. Technologies that were strictly the province of research scientists only a decade or two ago now serve as the foundations for such standard diagnostic tools as x-ray computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), ultrasound, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, prompted by the needs of both the practicing physician and the clinical researcher, efforts to improve these technologies continue. This booklet endeavors to describe the advantages of achieving high resolution in PET imaging.

Positron emission tomography with [ 18F]-FDG in oncology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talbot, J. N.; Petegnief, Y.; Kerrou, K.; Montravers, F.; Grahek, D.; Younsi, N.

2003-05-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a several decade old imaging technique that has more recently demonstrated its utility in clinical applications. The imaging agents used for PET contain a positron emmiter coupled to a molecule that drives the radionuclide to target organs or to tissues performing the targetted biological function. PET is then part of functional imaging. As compared to conventional scintigraphy that uses gamma photons, the coincidence emission of two 511 keV annihilation photons in opposite direction that finally results from by beta plus decay makes it possible for PET to get rid of the collimators that greatly contribute to the poor resolution of scintigraphy. In this article, the authors describe the basics of physics for PET imaging and report on the clinical performances of the most commonly used PET tracer: [ 18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). A recent and promising development in this field is fusion of images coming from different imaging modalities. New PET machines now include a CT and this fusion is therefore much easier.

Description of a prototype emission-transmission computed tomography imaging system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, T. F.; Hasegawa, B. H.; Liew, S. C.; Brown, J. K.; Blankespoor, S. C.; Reilly, S. M.; Gingold, E. L.; Cann, C. E.

1992-01-01

We have developed a prototype imaging system that can perform simultaneous x-ray transmission CT and SPECT phantom studies. This system employs a 23-element high-purity-germanium detector array. The detector array is coupled to a collimator with septa angled toward the focal spot of an x-ray tube. During image acquisition, the x-ray fan beam and the detector array move synchronously along an arc pivoted at the x-ray source. Multiple projections are obtained by rotating the object, which is mounted at the center of rotation of the system. The detector array and electronics can count up to 10(6) cps/element with sufficient energy-resolution to discriminate between x-rays at 100-120 kVp and gamma rays from 99mTc. We have used this device to acquire x-ray CT and SPECT images of a three-dimensional Hoffman brain phantom. The emission and transmission images may be superimposed in order to localize the emission image on the transmission map.

SU-E-J-121: Measuring Prompt Gamma Emission Profiles with a Multi-Stage Compton Camera During Proton Beam Irradiation: Initial Studies

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

Polf, J; McCleskey, M; Brown, S

2014-06-01

Purpose: Recent studies have suggested that the characteristics of prompt gammas (PG) emitted during proton beam irradiation are advantageous for determining beam range during treatment delivery. The purpose of this work was to determine the feasibility of determining the proton beam range from PG data measured with a prototype Compton camera (CC) during proton beam irradiation. Methods: Using a prototype multi-stage CC the PG emission from a water phantom was measured during irradiation with clinical proton therapy beams. The measured PG emission data was used to reconstruct an image of the PG emission using a backprojection reconstruction algorithm. One dimensionalmore » (1D) profiles extracted from the PG images were compared to: 1) PG emission data measured at fixed depths using collimated high purity Germanium and Lanthanum Bromide detectors, and 2) the measured depth dose profiles of the proton beams. Results: Comparisons showed that the PG emission profiles reconstructed from CC measurements agreed very well with the measurements of PG emission as a function of depth made with the collimated detectors. The distal falloff of the measured PG profile was between 1 mm to 4 mm proximal to the distal edge of the Bragg peak for proton beam ranges from 4 cm to 16 cm in water. Doses of at least 5 Gy were needed for the CC to measure sufficient data to image the PG profile and localize the distal PG falloff. Conclusion: Initial tests of a prototype CC for imaging PG emission during proton beam irradiation indicated that measurement and reconstruction of the PG profile was possible. However, due to limitations of the operational parameters (energy range and count rate) of the current CC prototype, doses of greater than a typical treatment dose (∼2 Gy) were needed to measure adequate PG signal to reconstruct viable images. Funding support for this project provided by a grant from DoD.« less

Nuclear emission-based imaging in the study of brain function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sossi, Vesna

2016-09-01

Nuclear emission - based imaging has been used in medicine for decades either in the form of Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) or Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Both techniques are based on radiolabelling molecules of biological interest (radiotracers) with either a gamma (SPECT) or a positron (PET) emitting radionuclide. By detecting radiation from the radiolabels and reconstructing the acquired data it is possible to form an image of the radiotracer distribution in the body and thus obtain information on the biological process that the radiotracer is tagging. While most of the clinical applications of PET are in oncology, where the glucose analogue 18F-flurodeoxyglocose (FDG) is the most commonly used radiotracer, the importance of PET imaging for brain applications is rapidly increasing. Numerous radiotracers exist that can tag different neurotransmitter systems as well as abnormal protein aggregations that are known to underlie several brain diseases: amyloid deposition, a characteristic of Alzheimer's, and, more recently, tau deposition, which is deemed abnormal not only in dementia, but also in Parkinson's syndrome and traumatic brain injury. Imaging has shown that may brain diseases start decades before clinical symptoms, in part explaining the difficulty of developing adequate treatments. This talk will briefly summarize the role of PET imaging in the study of neurodegeneration and discuss the upcoming hybrid PET/MRI imaging instrumentation. NSERC, CIHR, MJFF.

Optimal optical filters of fluorescence excitation and emission for poultry fecal detection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Purpose: An analytic method to design excitation and emission filters of a multispectral fluorescence imaging system is proposed and was demonstrated in an application to poultry fecal inspection. Methods: A mathematical model of a multispectral imaging system is proposed and its system parameters, ...

Body image dissatisfaction and dietary patterns according to nutritional status in adolescents.

PubMed

Ribeiro-Silva, Rita de Cássia; Fiaccone, Rosemeire Leovigildo; Conceição-Machado, Maria Ester Pereira da; Ruiz, Ana Santos; Barreto, Maurício Lima; Santana, Mônica Leila Portela

There is a lack of data on the association between body self-perception and eating patterns in Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and eating patterns by the anthropometric status in adolescents. A cross-sectional study of 1496 adolescents was conducted. The participants completed the Body Shape Questionnaire. Demographic, anthropometric, and socioeconomic data were collected, as well as information regarding the pubertal development and dietary intake. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the associations of interest. Body image dissatisfaction was identified in 19.5% of the adolescents. Three dietary patterns were identified: (1) the Western pattern was composed of sweets and sugars, soft drinks, typical dishes, pastries, fast food, beef, milk, and dairy products; (2) the Traditional pattern was composed of oils, chicken, fish, eggs, processed meat products, cereals (rice, cassava flour, pasta, etc.), baked beans, and bread; and (3) the Restrictive pattern was composed of granola, roots, vegetables, and fruit. Among overweight/obese adolescents, the data indicated a negative association of slight body image dissatisfaction (OR: 0.240 [0.100; 0.576]) and moderate body image dissatisfaction (OR: 0.235 [0.086; 0.645]) with the Western dietary pattern. Additionally, in this group, there was a positive association between high body image dissatisfaction and the Restrictive pattern (OR: 2.794 [1.178; 6.630]). Amongst overweight/obese adolescents, those with slight and moderate body image dissatisfaction were less likely to follow a Western-like dietary pattern when compared with those satisfied with their body image. Additionally, in this group, adolescents with high body image dissatisfaction was more likely to follow a restrictive pattern. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Progress on the diagnosis and evaluation of brain tumors

PubMed Central

Gao, Huile

2013-01-01

Abstract Brain tumors are one of the most challenging disorders encountered, and early and accurate diagnosis is essential for the management and treatment of these tumors. In this article, diagnostic modalities including single-photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and optical imaging are reviewed. We mainly focus on the newly emerging, specific imaging probes, and their potential use in animal models and clinical settings. PMID:24334439

Beam and tissue factors affecting Cherenkov image intensity for quantitative entrance and exit dosimetry on human tissue

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rongxiao; Glaser, Adam K.; Andreozzi, Jacqueline; Jiang, Shudong; Jarvis, Lesley A.; Gladstone, David J.; Pogue, Brian W.

2017-01-01

This study’s goal was to determine how Cherenkov radiation emission observed in radiotherapy is affected by predictable factors expected in patient imaging. Factors such as tissue optical properties, radiation beam properties, thickness of tissues, entrance/exit geometry, curved surface effects, curvature and imaging angles were investigated through Monte Carlo simulations. The largest physical cause of variation of the correlation factor between of Cherenkov emission and dose was the entrance/exit geometry (~50%). The largest human tissue effect was from different optical properties (~45%). Beyond these, clinical beam energy varies the correlation factor significantly (~20% for x-ray beams), followed by curved surfaces (~15% for x-ray beams and ~8% for electron beams), and finally, the effect of field size (~5% for x-ray beams). Other investigated factors which caused variations less than 5% were tissue thicknesses and source to surface distance. The effect of non-Lambertian emission was negligible for imaging angles smaller than 60 degrees. The spectrum of Cherenkov emission tends to blue-shift along the curved surface. A simple normalization approach based on the reflectance image was experimentally validated by imaging a range of tissue phantoms, as a first order correction for different tissue optical properties. PMID:27507213

Patterns of odour emission, thermogenesis and pollinator activity in cones of an African cycad: what mechanisms apply?

PubMed Central

Suinyuy, Terence N.; Donaldson, John S.; Johnson, Steven D.

2013-01-01

Background and Aims Ontogenetic patterns of odour emissions and heating associated with plant reproductive structures may have profound effects on insect behaviour, and consequently on pollination. In some cycads, notably Macrozamia, temporal changes in emission of specific odour compounds and temperature have been interpreted as a ‘push–pull’ interaction in which pollinators are either attracted or repelled according to the concentration of the emitted volatiles. To establish which mechanisms occur in the large Encephalartos cycad clade, the temporal patterns of volatile emissions, heating and pollinator activity of cones of Encephalartos villosus in the Eastern Cape (EC) and KwaZulu Natal (KZN) of South Africa were investigated. Methods and Key Results Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of Encephalartos villosus cone volatiles showed that emissions, dominated by eucalyptol and 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine in EC populations and (3E)-1,3-octadiene and (3E,5Z)-1,3,5-octatriene in the KZN populations, varied across developmental stages but did not vary significantly on a daily cycle. Heating in male cones was higher at dehiscence than during pre- and post-dehiscence, and reached a maximum at about 1830 h when temperatures were between 7·0 and 12·0 °C above ambient. Daily heating of female cones was less pronounced and reached a maximum at about 1345 h when it was on average between 0·9 and 3·0 °C above ambient. Insect abundance on male cones was higher at dehiscence than at the other stages and significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning and evening. Conclusions There are pronounced developmental changes in volatile emissions and heating in E. villosus cones, as well as strong daily changes in thermogenesis. Daily patterns of volatile emissions and pollinator abundance in E. villosus are different from those observed in some Macrozamia cycads and not consistent with the push–pull pattern as periods of peak odour emission do not coincide with mass exodus of insects from male cones. PMID:23887092

How do emission patterns in megacities affect regional air pollution?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heil, A.; Richter, C.; Schroeder, S.; Schultz, M. G.

2010-12-01

Megacities around the world show distinctly different emission patterns in terms of absolute amounts and emission ratios of individual chemical compounds due to varying socio-economic developments and technological standards. The emission patterns influence the chemical reactivity of the urban pollution plume, and hence determine air quality in and around megacity areas. In this study, which is part of the European project CITYZEN (megaCITY - Zoom for the ENvironment), the effects of emission changes in four selected megacity areas on air pollution were investigated: BeNeLux (BNL), Istanbul (IST), Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Sao Paulo (SAP). The study aims at answering the question: how would air pollution in megacity X change if it had the same urban emissions per capita as megacity Y? Model simulations with the global chemistry climate model ECHAM5-MOZ were carried out for the year 2001 using a resolution of about 2 degrees in the horizontal and of 31 levels (surface to 10 hPa) in the vertical. The model was driven by meteorological input data from the ECMWF ERA Interim reanalysis. Emissions were taken from the gridded global ACCMIP emission inventory recently established for use in chemistry-climate simulations in connection to the IPCC-AR5 assessments (Lamarque et al. 2010). We carried out sensitivity simulations where emission patterns from each of the megacity areas were replaced by those from all others. This was done on the basis of the per capita emissions for each species and sector averaged over the respective region. Total per capita CO and NMVOC emissions are highest in PRD and lowest in SAP while total per capita NOx emissions are highest in BNL and lowest in SAP. There are strong differences in the relative contribution of the urban sectors to total emissions of individual compounds. As a result, each of the four megacity areas exhibits a very characteristic NMVOC speciation profile which determines the NMVOC-related photochemical ozone (O_3) creation potential. Compared to the emissions used in the reference simulation, changing per capita urban emissions in BNL into those of IST or SAP will lead to reduction in total megacity emissions of CO and NOx by between 40 to 80% and of between 5 to 20% for NMVOC. When the per capita emissions for PRD are applied, only NOx decreases (by 50%) while CO and NMVOC increase by between 20 and 40%. Similar changes occur when the emissions are interchanged in the other three regions. Annual mean ambient O_3 concentrations in the entire BNL megacity domain are elevated by 3 to 8 ppb in all sensitivity runs and a significant effect is also found outside the main megacity area. In the IST and PRD megacity areas, O_3 levels increase or decrease by 1 to 5 ppb when the per capita emissions from the other regions are used. For the SAP megacity area, all scenarios lead to a reduction of annual mean O_3 levels by more than 4 ppb in the north-western section of the domain while increases up to 3 ppb are predicted for some southern regions. We will also present an analysis of changes in the photochemical regimes related to altered emission patterns. The study can contribute directly to the development of air pollution abatement strategies.

Tunable Narrow Band Emissions from Dye-Sensitized Core/Shell/Shell Nanocrystals in the Second Near-Infrared Biological Window

PubMed Central

Shao, Wei; Chen, Guanying; Kuzmin, Andrey; Kutscher, Hilliard L.; Pliss, Artem; Ohulchanskyy, Tymish Y.; Prasad, Paras N.

2017-01-01

We introduce a hybrid organic–inorganic system consisting of epitaxial NaYF4:Yb3+/X3+@NaYbF4@NaYF4:Nd3+ (X = null, Er, Ho, Tm, or Pr) core/shell/shell (CSS) nanocrystal with organic dye, indocyanine green (ICG) on the nanocrystal surface. This system is able to produce a set of narrow band emissions with a large Stokes-shift (>200 nm) in the second biological window of optical transparency (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm), by directional energy transfer from light-harvesting surface ICG, via lanthanide ions in the shells, to the emitter X3+ in the core. Surface ICG not only increases the NIR-II emission intensity of inorganic CSS nanocrystals by ~4-fold but also provides a broadly excitable spectral range (700–860 nm) that facilitates their use in bioapplications. We show that the NIR-II emission from ICG-sensitized Er3+-doped CSS nanocrystals allows clear observation of a sharp image through 9 mm thick chicken breast tissue, and emission signal detection through 22 mm thick tissue yielding a better imaging profile than from typically used Yb/Tm-codoped upconverting nanocrystals imaged in the NIR-I region (700–950 nm). Our result on in vivo imaging suggests that these ICG-sensitized CSS nanocrystals are suitable for deep optical imaging in the NIR-II region. PMID:27935695

18 F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography of the equine distal limb: Exploratory study in three horses.

PubMed

Spriet, M; Espinosa, P; Kyme, A Z; Phillips, K L; Katzman, S A; Galuppo, L D; Stepanov, P; Beylin, D

2018-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a cross-sectional, functional imaging modality that has recently become available to the horse. The use of 18 F-sodium fluoride ( 18 F-NaF), a PET bone tracer, has not previously been reported in this species. To assess the feasibility of 18 F-NaF PET in the equine distal limb and explore possible applications in the horse in comparison with other imaging modalities. Exploratory descriptive study involving three research horses. Horses were placed under general anaesthesia prior to intravenous (i.v.) administration of 1.5 MBq/kg of 18 F-NaF. Positron emission tomography imaging of both front feet and fetlocks was performed using a portable scanner. Computed tomography (CT) of the distal limb was performed under a separate anaesthetic episode. Bone scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were subsequently performed under standing sedation. Images obtained from PET and other imaging modalities were independently assessed and the results correlated. Positron emission tomography images were obtained without complication. The radiation exposure rate was similar to equine bone scintigraphy. Positron emission tomography detected focal 18 F-NaF uptake in areas where other imaging modalities did not identify any abnormalities. This included sites of ligamentous attachment, subchondral compact bone plate and the flexor cortex of the navicular bone. 18 F-NaF uptake was identified in some, but not all, osseous fragments and areas of osseous formation, suggesting a distinction between active and inactive lesions. A small number of horses were included and histopathology was not available. 18 F-NaF PET imaging of the equine distal limb provides useful additional information when compared with CT, MRI and scintigraphy and has the potential for both research and clinical applications in the horse. The Summary is available in Chinese - see Supporting information. © 2017 EVJ Ltd.

EXHAUST EMISSION PATTERNS FROM TWO LIGHT-DUTY DIESEL AUTOMOBILES

EPA Science Inventory

Particulate and gaseous emissions from two light-duty diesel automobiles were examined over six operating cycles. Particulate characterizations included mass emission rate, soluble organic content, and trace element content determinations. The particulate matter was sampled using...

Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Modeling of Lightning Observed in Galileo Images of Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyudine, U. A.; Ingersoll, Andrew P.

2002-01-01

We study lightning on Jupiter and the clouds illuminated by the lightning using images taken by the Galileo orbiter. The Galileo images have a resolution of 25 km/pixel and axe able to resolve the shape of the single lightning spots in the images, which have full widths at half the maximum intensity in the range of 90-160 km. We compare the measured lightning flash images with simulated images produced by our ED Monte Carlo light-scattering model. The model calculates Monte Carlo scattering of photons in a ED opacity distribution. During each scattering event, light is partially absorbed. The new direction of the photon after scattering is chosen according to a Henyey-Greenstein phase function. An image from each direction is produced by accumulating photons emerging from the cloud in a small range (bins) of emission angles. Lightning bolts are modeled either as points or vertical lines. Our results suggest that some of the observed scattering patterns axe produced in a 3-D cloud rather than in a plane-parallel cloud layer. Lightning is estimated to occur at least as deep as the bottom of the expected water cloud. For the six cases studied, we find that the clouds above the lightning are optically thick (tau > 5). Jovian flashes are more regular and circular than the largest terrestrial flashes observed from space. On Jupiter there is nothing equivalent to the 30-40-km horizontal flashes which axe seen on Earth.

An Ultraviolet Spectrum of the Tidal Disruption Flare ASASSN-14li

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenko, S. Bradley; Cucchiara, Antonino; Roth, Nathaniel; Veilleux, Sylvain; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Yan, Lin; Guillochon, James; Maksym, W. Peter; Arcavi, Iair; Butler, Nathaniel R.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Fruchter, Andrew S.; Gezari, Suvi; Kasen, Daniel; Levan, Andrew J.; Miller, Jon M.; Pasham, Dheeraj R.; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; Strubbe, Linda E.; Tanvir, Nial R.; Tombesi, Francesco

2016-02-01

We present a Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectrum of ASASSN-14li, the first rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a tidal disruption flare (TDF). The underlying continuum is well fit by a blackbody with {T}{UV}=3.5× {10}4 K, an order of magnitude smaller than the temperature inferred from X-ray spectra (and significantly more precise than previous efforts based on optical and near-UV photometry). Superimposed on this blue continuum, we detect three classes of features: narrow absorption from the Milky Way (probably a high-velocity cloud), and narrow absorption and broad (˜2000-8000 km s-1) emission lines at or near the systemic host velocity. The absorption lines are blueshifted with respect to the emission lines by Δv = -(250-400) km s-1. Due both to this velocity offset and the lack of common low-ionization features (Mg II, Fe II), we argue these arise from the same absorbing material responsible for the low-velocity outflow discovered at X-ray wavelengths. The broad nuclear emission lines display a remarkable abundance pattern: N III], N IV], and He II are quite prominent, while the common quasar emission lines of C III] and Mg II are weak or entirely absent. Detailed modeling of this spectrum will help elucidate fundamental questions regarding the nature of the emission processes at work in TDFs, while future UV spectroscopy of ASASSN-14li would help to confirm (or refute) the previously proposed connection between TDFs and “N-rich” quasars.

An Ultraviolet Spectrum of the Tidal Disruption Flare ASASSN-14li

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cenko, S. Bradley; Cucchiara, Antonio; Roth, Nathaniel; Veilleux, Sylvain; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Yan, Lin; Guillochon, James; Maksym, W. Peter; Arcavi, Iair; Butler, Nathaniel R.

2016-01-01

We present a Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectrum of ASASSN-14li, the first rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a tidal disruption flare (TDF). The underlying continuum is well fit by a blackbody with T(sub UV) = 3.5 x 10(exp. 4) K, an order of magnitude smaller than the temperature inferred from X-ray spectra (and significantly more precise than previous efforts based on optical and near-UV photometry).Superimposed on this blue continuum, we detect three classes of features: narrow absorption from the Milky Way (probably a high-velocity cloud), and narrow absorption and broad {approx. 2000-8000 km s(exp. -1)} emission lines at or near the systemic host velocity. The absorption lines are blueshifted with respect to the emission lines by Delta(sub v) = -(250-400) km s(exp. -1). Due both to this velocity offset and the lack of common low-ionization features (Mg II, Fe II), we argue these arise from the same absorbing material responsible for the low-velocity outflow discovered at X-ray wavelengths. The broad nuclear emission lines display a remarkable abundance pattern: N III], N IV], and He II are quite prominent, while the common quasar emission lines of C III] and Mg II are weak or entirely absent. Detailed modeling of this spectrum will help elucidate fundamental questions regarding the nature of the emission processes at work in TDFs, while future UV spectroscopy of ASASSN-14li would help to confirm (or refute) the previously proposed connection between TDFs and N-rich quasars.

Spatial image modulation to improve performance of computed tomography imaging spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bearman, Gregory H. (Inventor); Wilson, Daniel W. (Inventor); Johnson, William R. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Computed tomography imaging spectrometers ("CTIS"s) having patterns for imposing spatial structure are provided. The pattern may be imposed either directly on the object scene being imaged or at the field stop aperture. The use of the pattern improves the accuracy of the captured spatial and spectral information.

Lensless Photoluminescence Hyperspectral Camera Employing Random Speckle Patterns.

PubMed

Žídek, Karel; Denk, Ondřej; Hlubuček, Jiří

2017-11-10

We propose and demonstrate a spectrally-resolved photoluminescence imaging setup based on the so-called single pixel camera - a technique of compressive sensing, which enables imaging by using a single-pixel photodetector. The method relies on encoding an image by a series of random patterns. In our approach, the image encoding was maintained via laser speckle patterns generated by an excitation laser beam scattered on a diffusor. By using a spectrometer as the single-pixel detector we attained a realization of a spectrally-resolved photoluminescence camera with unmatched simplicity. We present reconstructed hyperspectral images of several model scenes. We also discuss parameters affecting the imaging quality, such as the correlation degree of speckle patterns, pattern fineness, and number of datapoints. Finally, we compare the presented technique to hyperspectral imaging using sample scanning. The presented method enables photoluminescence imaging for a broad range of coherent excitation sources and detection spectral areas.

Convolution Comparison Pattern: An Efficient Local Image Descriptor for Fingerprint Liveness Detection

PubMed Central

Gottschlich, Carsten

2016-01-01

We present a new type of local image descriptor which yields binary patterns from small image patches. For the application to fingerprint liveness detection, we achieve rotation invariant image patches by taking the fingerprint segmentation and orientation field into account. We compute the discrete cosine transform (DCT) for these rotation invariant patches and attain binary patterns by comparing pairs of two DCT coefficients. These patterns are summarized into one or more histograms per image. Each histogram comprises the relative frequencies of pattern occurrences. Multiple histograms are concatenated and the resulting feature vector is used for image classification. We name this novel type of descriptor convolution comparison pattern (CCP). Experimental results show the usefulness of the proposed CCP descriptor for fingerprint liveness detection. CCP outperforms other local image descriptors such as LBP, LPQ and WLD on the LivDet 2013 benchmark. The CCP descriptor is a general type of local image descriptor which we expect to prove useful in areas beyond fingerprint liveness detection such as biological and medical image processing, texture recognition, face recognition and iris recognition, liveness detection for face and iris images, and machine vision for surface inspection and material classification. PMID:26844544

Cassini UVIS Auroral Observations in 2016 and 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pryor, Wayne R.; Esposito, Larry W.; Jouchoux, Alain; Radioti, Aikaterini; Grodent, Denis; Gustin, Jacques; Gerard, Jean-Claude; Lamy, Laurent; Badman, Sarah; Dyudina, Ulyana A.; Cassini UVIS Team, Cassini VIMS Team, Cassini ISS Team, HST Saturn Auroral Team

2017-10-01

In 2016 and 2017, the Cassini Saturn orbiter executed a final series of high-inclination, low-periapsis orbits ideal for studies of Saturn's polar regions. The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) obtained an extensive set of auroral images, some at the highest spatial resolution obtained during Cassini's long orbital mission (2004-2017). In some cases, two or three spacecraft slews at right angles to the long slit of the spectrograph were required to cover the entire auroral region to form auroral images. We will present selected images from this set showing narrow arcs of emission, more diffuse auroral emissions, multiple auroral arcs in a single image, discrete spots of emission, small scale vortices, large-scale spiral forms, and parallel linear features that appear to cross in places like twisted wires. Some shorter features are transverse to the main auroral arcs, like barbs on a wire. UVIS observations were in some cases simultaneous with auroral observations from the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), and the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) that will also be presented.

Locally Resolved Electron Emission Area and Unified View of Field Emission from Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Films

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

Chubenko, Oksana; Baturin, Stanislav S.; Kovi, Kiran K.

One of the common problems in case of field emission from polycrystalline diamond films, which typically have uniform surface morphology, is uncertainty in determining exact location of electron emission sites across the surface. Although several studies have suggested that grain boundaries are the main electron emission source, it is not particularly clear what makes some sites emit more than the others. It is also practically unclear how one could quantify the actual electron emission area and therefore field emission current per unit area. In this paper we study the effect of actual, locally resolved, field emission (FE) area on electronmore » emission characteristics of uniform planar highly conductive nitrogen-incorporated ultrananocrystalline diamond ((N)UNCD) field emitters. It was routinely found that field emission from as-grown planar (N)UNCD films is always confined to a counted number of discrete emitting centers across the surface which varied in size and electron emissivity. It was established that the actual FE area critically depends on the applied electric field, as well as that the actual FE area and the overall electron emissivity improve with sp2 fraction present in the film irrespectively of the original substrate roughness and morphology. To quantify the actual FE area and its dependence on the applied electric field, imaging experiments were carried out in a vacuum system in a parallel-plate configuration with a specialty anode phosphor screen. Electron emission micrographs were taken concurrently with I-V characteristics measurements. In addition, a novel automated image processing algorithm was developed to process extensive imaging datasets and calculate emission area per image. By doing so, it was determined that the emitting area was always significantly smaller than the FE cathode surface area. Namely, the actual FE area would change from 5×10-3 % to 1.5 % of the total cathode area with the applied electric field increased. Finally and most importantly, it was shown that when I-E curves as measured in the experiment were normalized by the field-dependent emission area, the resulting j-E curves demonstrated a strong kink and significant deviation from Fowler-Nordheim (FN) law, and eventually saturated at a current density of ~100 mA/cm2 . This value was nearly identical for all (N)UNCD films measured in this study, regardless of the substrate.« less

Brown adipose tissue: a factor to consider in symmetrical tracer uptake in the neck and upper chest region.

PubMed

Hany, Thomas F; Gharehpapagh, Esmaiel; Kamel, Ehab M; Buck, Alfred; Himms-Hagen, Jean; von Schulthess, Gustav K

2002-10-01

Increased symmetrical fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the cervical and thoracic spine region is well known and has been attributed to muscular uptake. The purpose of this study was to re-evaluate this FDG uptake pattern by means of co-registered positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging, which allowed exact localisation of this uptake. Between April and November 2001, 638 consecutive patients referred for PET/CT were imaged on an in-line PET/CT system (GEMS). This system combines an advanced GE PET scanner and a multirow-detector computer tomograph (Lightspeed, GEMS). The examination included PET with FDG and one CT acquisition with 80 mA. For CT, the following parameters were used: 140 kV, 80 mA, reconstructed slice thickness 5 mm, scan length 867 mm, AT 22.5 s. CT data were used for attenuation correction as well as image co-registration. Image analysis was performed on an Entegra work-station (ELGEMS). All patients with symmetrical uptake within the neck, thorax and shoulder regions were selected and the exact localisation of uptake determined (muscle, bone, fatty tissue or articulation). In 17 of the 638 patients (2.5%), increased, symmetrical FDG uptake in the shoulder region in a typical pattern was found. If extensive, this pattern included FDG activity comparable to brain activity in the lower cervical spine, the shoulder region and the upper thoracic spine in the costovertebral region. A less extensive pattern only involved intermediate FDG uptake in the lower cervical spine and shoulder region or in the shoulder region alone. In seven female patients (average 32.3 years), the extensive uptake pattern was seen. The average body mass index (BMI) was 19.0 (range 16.8-23.4). In the other ten patients (two male, eight female, average age 37.1 years), the average BMI was 22.7 (18.7-27.7). In all patients, the soft tissue uptake was clearly localised within the fatty tissue of the shoulders as demonstrated by PET/CT co-registration. The uptake in the region of the thoracic spine was localised in the region of the costovertebral joints. Symmetrical FDG uptake in the shoulder, neck and thoracic spine region is probably related to uptake in adipose tissue, especially in underweight patients. Hypothetically, this FDG uptake could represent activated brown adipose tissue during increased sympathetic nerve system (SNS) activity due to cold stress.

Imaging of high-energy x-ray emission from cryogenic thermonuclear fuel implosions on the NIF.

PubMed

Ma, T; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Bradley, D K; Bell, P; Cerjan, C J; Dixit, S; Döppner, T; Jones, O; Kline, J L; Kyrala, G; Landen, O L; LePape, S; Mackinnon, A J; Park, H-S; Patel, P K; Prasad, R R; Ralph, J; Regan, S P; Smalyuk, V A; Springer, P T; Suter, L; Town, R P J; Weber, S V; Glenzer, S H

2012-10-01

Accurately assessing and optimizing the implosion performance of inertial confinement fusion capsules is a crucial step to achieving ignition on the NIF. We have applied differential filtering (matched Ross filter pairs) to provide broadband time-integrated absolute x-ray self-emission images of the imploded core of cryogenic layered implosions. This diagnostic measures the temperature- and density-sensitive bremsstrahlung emission and provides estimates of hot spot mass, mix mass, and pressure.

Scanning, standoff TDLAS leak imaging and quantification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wainner, Richard T.; Aubut, Nicholas F.; Laderer, Matthew C.; Frish, Michael B.

2017-05-01

This paper reports a novel quantitative gas plume imaging tool, based on active near-infrared Backscatter Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (b-TDLAS) technology, designed for upstream natural gas leak applications. The new tool integrates low-cost laser sensors with video cameras to create a highly sensitive gas plume imager that also quantifies emission rate, all in a lightweight handheld ergonomic package. It is intended to serve as a lower-cost, higherperformance, enhanced functionality replacement for traditional passive non-quantitative mid-infrared Optical Gas Imagers (OGI) which are utilized by industry to comply with natural gas infrastructure Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) requirements. It addresses the need for reliable, robust, low-cost sensors to detect and image methane leaks, and to quantify leak emission rates, focusing on inspections of upstream oil and gas operations, such as well pads, compressors, and gas plants. It provides: 1) Colorized quantified images of path-integrated methane concentration. The images depict methane plumes (otherwise invisible to the eye) actively interrogated by the laser beam overlaid on a visible camera image of the background. The detection sensitivity exceeds passive OGI, thus simplifying the manual task of leak detection and location; and 2) Data and algorithms for using the quantitative information gathered by the active detection technique to deduce plume flux (i.e. methane emission rate). This key capability will enable operators to prioritize leak repairs and thereby minimize the value of lost product, as well as to quantify and minimize greenhouse gas emissions, using a tool that meets EPA LDAR imaging equipment requirements.

Multiplane wave imaging increases signal-to-noise ratio in ultrafast ultrasound imaging.

PubMed

Tiran, Elodie; Deffieux, Thomas; Correia, Mafalda; Maresca, David; Osmanski, Bruno-Felix; Sieu, Lim-Anna; Bergel, Antoine; Cohen, Ivan; Pernot, Mathieu; Tanter, Mickael

2015-11-07

Ultrafast imaging using plane or diverging waves has recently enabled new ultrasound imaging modes with improved sensitivity and very high frame rates. Some of these new imaging modalities include shear wave elastography, ultrafast Doppler, ultrafast contrast-enhanced imaging and functional ultrasound imaging. Even though ultrafast imaging already encounters clinical success, increasing even more its penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio for dedicated applications would be valuable. Ultrafast imaging relies on the coherent compounding of backscattered echoes resulting from successive tilted plane waves emissions; this produces high-resolution ultrasound images with a trade-off between final frame rate, contrast and resolution. In this work, we introduce multiplane wave imaging, a new method that strongly improves ultrafast images signal-to-noise ratio by virtually increasing the emission signal amplitude without compromising the frame rate. This method relies on the successive transmissions of multiple plane waves with differently coded amplitudes and emission angles in a single transmit event. Data from each single plane wave of increased amplitude can then be obtained, by recombining the received data of successive events with the proper coefficients. The benefits of multiplane wave for B-mode, shear wave elastography and ultrafast Doppler imaging are experimentally demonstrated. Multiplane wave with 4 plane waves emissions yields a 5.8  ±  0.5 dB increase in signal-to-noise ratio and approximately 10 mm in penetration in a calibrated ultrasound phantom (0.7 d MHz(-1) cm(-1)). In shear wave elastography, the same multiplane wave configuration yields a 2.07  ±  0.05 fold reduction of the particle velocity standard deviation and a two-fold reduction of the shear wave velocity maps standard deviation. In functional ultrasound imaging, the mapping of cerebral blood volume results in a 3 to 6 dB increase of the contrast-to-noise ratio in deep structures of the rodent brain.

Enhancement and wavelength-shifted emission of Cerenkov luminescence using multifunctional microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Joanne; Dobrucki, Lawrence W.; Marjanovic, Marina; Chaney, Eric J.; Suslick, Kenneth S.; Boppart, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

Cerenkov luminescence (CL) imaging is a new molecular imaging modality that utilizes the photons emitted during radioactive decay when charged particles travel faster than the phase velocity of light in a dielectric medium. Here we present a novel agent to convert and increase CL emission at longer wavelengths using multimodal protein microspheres (MSs). The 64Cu-labeled protein microspheres contain quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated within a high-refractive-index-oil core. Dark box imaging of the MSs was conducted to demonstrate the improvement in CL emission at longer wavelengths. To illustrate the versatile design of these MSs and the potential of CL in disease diagnosis, these MSs were utilized for in vitro cell targeting and ex vivo CL-excited QD fluorescence (CL-FL) imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in rats. It was shown that by utilizing both QDs and MSs with a high-refractive-index-oil core, the CL emission increases by four-fold at longer wavelengths. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these MSs generate both an in vivo and ex vivo contrast signal. The design concept of utilizing QDs and high-index core MSs may contribute to future developments of in vivo CL imaging.

Identifying spatially similar gene expression patterns in early stage fruit fly embryo images: binary feature versus invariant moment digital representations

PubMed Central

Gurunathan, Rajalakshmi; Van Emden, Bernard; Panchanathan, Sethuraman; Kumar, Sudhir

2004-01-01

Background Modern developmental biology relies heavily on the analysis of embryonic gene expression patterns. Investigators manually inspect hundreds or thousands of expression patterns to identify those that are spatially similar and to ultimately infer potential gene interactions. However, the rapid accumulation of gene expression pattern data over the last two decades, facilitated by high-throughput techniques, has produced a need for the development of efficient approaches for direct comparison of images, rather than their textual descriptions, to identify spatially similar expression patterns. Results The effectiveness of the Binary Feature Vector (BFV) and Invariant Moment Vector (IMV) based digital representations of the gene expression patterns in finding biologically meaningful patterns was compared for a small (226 images) and a large (1819 images) dataset. For each dataset, an ordered list of images, with respect to a query image, was generated to identify overlapping and similar gene expression patterns, in a manner comparable to what a developmental biologist might do. The results showed that the BFV representation consistently outperforms the IMV representation in finding biologically meaningful matches when spatial overlap of the gene expression pattern and the genes involved are considered. Furthermore, we explored the value of conducting image-content based searches in a dataset where individual expression components (or domains) of multi-domain expression patterns were also included separately. We found that this technique improves performance of both IMV and BFV based searches. Conclusions We conclude that the BFV representation consistently produces a more extensive and better list of biologically useful patterns than the IMV representation. The high quality of results obtained scales well as the search database becomes larger, which encourages efforts to build automated image query and retrieval systems for spatial gene expression patterns. PMID:15603586

Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris-Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact.

PubMed

Santana, Victor M; Alday, Josu G; Lee, HyoHyeMi; Allen, Katherine A; Marrs, Rob H

2016-01-01

A present challenge in fire ecology is to optimize management techniques so that ecological services are maximized and C emissions minimized. Here, we modeled the effects of different prescribed-burning rotation intervals and wildfires on carbon emissions (present and future) in British moorlands. Biomass-accumulation curves from four Calluna-dominated ecosystems along a north-south gradient in Great Britain were calculated and used within a matrix-model based on Markov Chains to calculate above-ground biomass-loads and annual C emissions under different prescribed-burning rotation intervals. Additionally, we assessed the interaction of these parameters with a decreasing wildfire return intervals. We observed that litter accumulation patterns varied between sites. Northern sites (colder and wetter) accumulated lower amounts of litter with time than southern sites (hotter and drier). The accumulation patterns of the living vegetation dominated by Calluna were determined by site-specific conditions. The optimal prescribed-burning rotation interval for minimizing annual carbon emissions also differed between sites: the optimal rotation interval for northern sites was between 30 and 50 years, whereas for southern sites a hump-backed relationship was found with the optimal interval either between 8 to 10 years or between 30 to 50 years. Increasing wildfire frequency interacted with prescribed-burning rotation intervals by both increasing C emissions and modifying the optimum prescribed-burning interval for minimum C emission. This highlights the importance of studying site-specific biomass accumulation patterns with respect to environmental conditions for identifying suitable fire-rotation intervals to minimize C emissions.

Diurnal variation of methane emissions from an alpine wetland on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Chen, Huai; Wu, Ning; Yao, Shouping; Gao, Yongheng; Wang, Yanfen; Tian, Jianqing; Yuan, Xingzhong

2010-05-01

Alpine wetland is a source for CH(4), but little is known about methane emission from such wetland, especially about its diurnal pattern. In this study we tried to probe the diurnal variation in methane emission from alpine wetland vegetation. The average methane emission rate was 9.6 +/- 3.4 mg CH(4) m(-2) h(-1). There was an apparent diurnal variation pattern in methane emission with one minor peak at 06:00 and a major one at 15:00. The sunrise peak was consistent with a two-way transport mechanism for plants (convective at daytime and diffusive at night-time). CH(4) emission was found significantly correlated with redox potentials. The afternoon peak could not be explained by diurnal variation in soil temperature, but could be attributable to changes in CH(4) oxidation and production driven by plant gas transport mechanism. The results have important implications for sampling and scaling strategies for estimating methane emission from alpine wetlands.

Automated processing of shoeprint images based on the Fourier transform for use in forensic science.

PubMed

de Chazal, Philip; Flynn, John; Reilly, Richard B

2005-03-01

The development of a system for automatically sorting a database of shoeprint images based on the outsole pattern in response to a reference shoeprint image is presented. The database images are sorted so that those from the same pattern group as the reference shoeprint are likely to be at the start of the list. A database of 476 complete shoeprint images belonging to 140 pattern groups was established with each group containing two or more examples. A panel of human observers performed the grouping of the images into pattern categories. Tests of the system using the database showed that the first-ranked database image belongs to the same pattern category as the reference image 65 percent of the time and that a correct match appears within the first 5 percent of the sorted images 87 percent of the time. The system has translational and rotational invariance so that the spatial positioning of the reference shoeprint images does not have to correspond with the spatial positioning of the shoeprint images of the database. The performance of the system for matching partial-prints was also determined.

SUBARU near-infrared multi-color images of Class II Young Stellar Object, RNO91

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayama, Satoshi; Tamura, Motohide; Hayashi, Masahiko

RNO91 is class II source currently in a transition phase between a protostar and a main-sequence star. It is known as a source of complex molecular outflows. Previous studies suggested that RNO91 was associated with a reflection nebula, a CO outflow, shock-excited H[2] emission, and disk type structure. But geometry of RNO91, especially its inner region, is not well confirmed yet. High resolution imaging is needed to understand the nature of RNO91 and its interaction with outflow. Furthermore, RNO91 is an important candidate for studying YSOs in a transition phase. Thus, we conducted near-infrared imaging observations of RNO91 with the infrared camera CIAO mounted on the Subaru 8.2m Telescope. We present JHK band and optical images which resolve a complex asymmetrical circumstellar structure. We examined the color of RNO91 nebula and compare the geometry of the system suggested by our data with that already proposed on the basis of other studies. Our main results are as follows; 1. At J and optical, several bluer clumps are detected and they are aligned nearly perpendicular to the outflow axis. 2. The NIR images show significant halo emission detected within 2'' around the peak position while less halo emission is seen in the optical image. The nebula appears to become more circular and more diffuse with increasing wavelengths. The power-law dependence of radial surface brightness profile is shallower than that of normal stars, indicating that RNO91 is still optically thick objects. We suggest that the halo emission is the NIR light scattered by an optically thick disk or envelope surrounding the RNO91. 3. In the shorter wavelength images, the nebula appears to become more extended (2".3 long) to the southwest. This extended emission might trace a bottom of outflow emanating to southwest direction. 4. Color composite image of RNO91 reveals that the emission extending to the north and to the east through RNO91 is interpreted as a part of the cavity wall seen relatively edge-on. The northern ridge is 11" long and eastern ridge is 7" long.

Spatial analysis on China's regional air pollutants and CO2 emissions: emission pattern and regional disparity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Liang; Liang, Hanwei

2014-08-01

China has suffered from serious air pollution and CO2 emission. Challenges of emission reduction policy not only come from technology advancement, but also generate from the fact that, China has pronounced disparity between regions, in geographical and socioeconomic. How to deal with regional disparity is important to achieve the reduction target effectively and efficiently. This research conducts a spatial analysis on the emission patterns of three air pollutants named SO2, NOx and PM2.5, and CO2, in China's 30 provinces, applied with spatial auto-correlation and multi regression modeling. We further analyze the regional disparity and inequity issues with the approach of Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient. Results highlight that: there is evident cluster effect for the regional air pollutants and CO2 emissions. While emission amount increases from western regions to eastern regions, the emission per GDP is in inverse trend. The Lorenz curve shows an even larger unequal distribution of GDP/emissions than GDP/capita in 30 regions. Certain middle and western regions suffers from a higher emission with lower GDP, which reveal the critical issue of emission leakage. Future policy making to address such regional disparity is critical so as to promote the emission control policy under the “equity and efficiency” principle.

EDITORIAL: Imaging Systems and Techniques Imaging Systems and Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giakos, George; Yang, Wuqiang; Petrou, M.; Nikita, K. S.; Pastorino, M.; Amanatiadis, A.; Zentai, G.

2011-10-01

This special feature on Imaging Systems and Techniques comprises 27 technical papers, covering essential facets in imaging systems and techniques both in theory and applications, from research groups spanning three different continents. It mainly contains peer-reviewed articles from the IEEE International Conference on Imaging Systems and Techniques (IST 2011), held in Thessaloniki, Greece, as well a number of articles relevant to the scope of this issue. The multifaceted field of imaging requires drastic adaptation to the rapid changes in our society, economy, environment, and the technological revolution; there is an urgent need to address and propose dynamic and innovative solutions to problems that tend to be either complex and static or rapidly evolving with a lot of unknowns. For instance, exploration of the engineering and physical principles of new imaging systems and techniques for medical applications, remote sensing, monitoring of space resources and enhanced awareness, exploration and management of natural resources, and environmental monitoring, are some of the areas that need to be addressed with urgency. Similarly, the development of efficient medical imaging techniques capable of providing physiological information at the molecular level is another important area of research. Advanced metabolic and functional imaging techniques, operating on multiple physical principles, using high resolution and high selectivity nanoimaging techniques, can play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as provide efficient drug-delivery imaging solutions for disease treatment with increased sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, technical advances in the development of efficient digital imaging systems and techniques and tomographic devices operating on electric impedance tomography, computed tomography, single-photon emission and positron emission tomography detection principles are anticipated to have a significant impact on a wide spectrum of technological areas, such as medical imaging, pharmaceutical industry, analytical instrumentation, aerospace, remote sensing, lidars and ladars, surveillance, national defense, corrosion imaging and monitoring, sub-terrestrial and marine imaging. The complexity of the involved imaging scenarios, and demanding design parameters such as speed, signal-to-noise ratio, high specificity, high contrast and spatial resolution, high-scatter rejection, complex background and harsh environment, necessitate the development of a multifunctional, scalable and efficient imaging suite of sensors, solutions driven by innovation, operating on diverse detection and imaging principles. Finally, pattern recognition and image processing algorithms can significantly contribute to enhanced detection and imaging, including object classification, clustering, feature selection, texture analysis, segmentation, image compression and color representation under complex imaging scenarios, with applications in medical imaging, remote sensing, aerospace, radars, defense and homeland security. We feel confident that the exciting new contributions of this special feature on Imaging Systems and Techniques will appeal to the technical community. We would like to thank all authors as well as all anonymous reviewers and the MST Editorial Board, Publisher and staff for their tremendous efforts and invaluable support to enhance the quality of this significant endeavor.

HST STIS Images of the H-Lyman Alpha Emission and Disk-Reflected FUV Sunlight from the Upper Atmosphere of Uranus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballester, G. E.; Ben-Jaffel, L.; Clarke, J. T.; Gladstone, R.; Miller, S.; Trafton, L. M.; Trauger, J. T.

1998-09-01

An excess of H-Lyalpha emission from Uranus' sunlit hemisphere was detected by the IUE satellite in 1982, and some excess was confirmed with the Voyager 2 UVS during the 1986 encounter with Uranus. Radiative transfer modeling has shown that the Voyager H-Lyalpha observations did require emission additional to the scattered solar and IPM H-Lyalpha , and thus produced by internal processes in the upper atmosphere, such as aurora or other unidentified mechanisms. Subsequent IUE observations showed very large short- and long-term intensity variations that support an auroral source. However, although Voyager did identify UV auroral emissions by H_2 in the sunlit hemisphere, it did not detect a large H-Lyalpha auroral emission there, making it impossible to provide conclusive evidence that the H-Lyalpha enhancements observed by IUE are due to aurora. Auroral emissions are spatially confined, and resolution of the emission distribution could yield the needed evidence, or could alternatively provide observational clues to other possible causes of dayglow variations in the upper atmosphere. Uranus intrinsically weak H-Lyalpha emission ( ~ 1600 R on average) had not allowed for such an experiment in the past, but the high sensitivity in the FUV of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on HST has now provided first images of Uranus in the FUV. The observations made on 29-30 July 1998 consisted of a FUV MAMA image in the open mode (25MAMA) and a consecutive image filtering out the H-Lyalpha (F25SRF2) to measure and subtract the disk reflected sunlight above 1250 Ang. A quick look at the data shows the H-Lyalpha emission and disk-reflected sunlight, with additional noise from the geocoronal background. We will present the results from these data, taking advantage of the time-tagging information to subtract the geocoronal background, and modeling of the underlying disk background. Four new observations will hopefully be made before October 1998 which will cover the full planet in longitude, and will use a different technique to improve the s/n of the H-Lyalpha detection.

Increasing sensitivity of methane emission measurements in rice through deployment of ‘closed chambers’ at nighttime

PubMed Central

Wassmann, Reiner; Alberto, Ma. Carmelita; Tirol-Padre, Agnes; Hoang, Nghia Trong; Romasanta, Ryan; Centeno, Caesar Arloo; Sander, Bjoern Ole

2018-01-01

This study comprises field experiments on methane emissions from rice fields conducted with an Eddy-Covariance (EC) system as well as test runs for a modified closed chamber approach based on measurements at nighttime. The EC data set covers 4 cropping seasons with highly resolved emission rates (raw data in 10 Hz frequency have been aggregated to 30-min records). The diel patterns were very pronounced in the two dry seasons with peak emissions at early afternoon and low emissions at nighttime. These diel patterns were observed at all growing stages of the dry seasons. In the two wet seasons, the diel patterns were only visible during the vegetative stages while emission rates during reproductive and ripening stages remained within a fairly steady range and did not show any diel patterns. In totality, however, the data set revealed a very strong linear relationship between nocturnal emissions (12-h periods) and the full 24-h periods resulting in an R2-value of 0.8419 for all data points. In the second experiment, we conducted test runs for chamber measurements at nighttime with much longer deployment times (6 h) as compared to measurements at daylight (typically for 30 min). Conducting chamber measurements at nighttime excluded drastic changes of temperatures and CO2 concentrations. The data also shows that increases in CH4 concentrations remained on linear trajectory over a 6h period at night. While end CH4 concentrations were consistently >3.5 ppm, this long-term enclosure represents a very robust approach to quantify emissions as compared to assessing short-term concentration increases over time near the analytical detection limit. Finally, we have discussed the potential applications of this new approach that would allow emission measurements even when conventional (daytime) measurements will not be suitable. Nighttime chamber measurements offer an alternative to conventional (daytime) measurements if either (i) baseline emissions are at a very low level, (ii) differences of tested crop treatments or varieties are very small or (iii) the objective is to screen a large number of rice varieties for taking advantage of progress in genome sequencing. PMID:29390000

ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF RAPIDLY ROTATING SOLAR-MASS STARS: EMISSION-LINE REDSHIFTS AS A TEST OF THE SOLAR-STELLAR CONNECTION

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

Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Bushinsky, Rachel; Ayres, Tom

2012-07-20

We compare high-resolution ultraviolet spectra of the Sun and thirteen solar-mass main-sequence stars with different rotational periods that serve as proxies for their different ages and magnetic field structures. In this, the second paper in the series, we study the dependence of ultraviolet emission-line centroid velocities on stellar rotation period, as rotation rates decrease from that of the Pleiades star HII314 (P{sub rot} = 1.47 days) to {alpha} Cen A (P{sub rot} = 28 days). Our stellar sample of F9 V to G5 V stars consists of six stars observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescopemore » (HST) and eight stars observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on HST. We find a systematic trend of increasing redshift with more rapid rotation (decreasing rotation period) that is similar to the increase in line redshift between quiet and plage regions on the Sun. The fastest-rotating solar-mass star in our study, HII314, shows significantly enhanced redshifts at all temperatures above log T = 4.6, including the corona, which is very different from the redshift pattern observed in the more slowly rotating stars. This difference in the redshift pattern suggests that a qualitative change in the magnetic-heating process occurs near P{sub rot} = 2 days. We propose that HII314 is an example of a solar-mass star with a magnetic heating rate too large for the physical processes responsible for the redshift pattern to operate in the same way as for the more slowly rotating stars. HII314 may therefore lie above the high activity end of the set of solar-like phenomena that is often called the 'solar-stellar connection'.« less

Distinct 18F-AV-1451 tau PET retention patterns in early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Schöll, Michael; Ossenkoppele, Rik; Strandberg, Olof; Palmqvist, Sebastian; Jögi, Jonas; Ohlsson, Tomas; Smith, Ruben; Hansson, Oskar

2017-09-01

Patients with Alzheimer's disease can present with different clinical phenotypes. Individuals with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (>65 years) typically present with medial temporal lobe neurodegeneration and predominantly amnestic symptomatology, while patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (<65 years) exhibit greater neocortical involvement associated with a clinical presentation including dyspraxia, executive dysfunction, or visuospatial impairment. We recruited 20 patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, 21 with late-onset Alzheimer's disease, three with prodromal early-onset Alzheimer's disease and 13 with prodromal late-onset Alzheimer's disease, as well as 30 cognitively healthy elderly controls, that had undergone 18F-AV-1451 tau positron emission tomography and structural magnetic resonance imaging to explore whether early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease exhibit differential regional tau pathology and atrophy patterns. Strong associations of lower age at symptom onset with higher 18F-AV-1451 uptake were observed in several neocortical regions, while higher age did not yield positive associations in neither patient group. Comparing patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease with controls resulted in significantly higher 18F-AV-1451 retention throughout the neocortex, while comparing healthy controls with late-onset Alzheimer's disease patients yielded a distinct pattern of higher 18F-AV-1451 retention, predominantly confined to temporal lobe regions. When compared against each other, the early-onset Alzheimer's disease group exhibited greater uptake than the late-onset group in prefrontal and premotor, as well as in inferior parietal cortex. These preliminary findings indicate that age may constitute an important contributor to Alzheimer's disease heterogeneity highlighting the potential of tau positron emission tomography to capture phenotypic variation across patients with Alzheimer's disease. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

Hyperspectral small animal fluorescence imaging: spectral selection imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leavesley, Silas; Jiang, Yanan; Patsekin, Valery; Hall, Heidi; Vizard, Douglas; Robinson, J. Paul

2008-02-01

Molecular imaging is a rapidly growing area of research, fueled by needs in pharmaceutical drug-development for methods for high-throughput screening, pre-clinical and clinical screening for visualizing tumor growth and drug targeting, and a growing number of applications in the molecular biology fields. Small animal fluorescence imaging employs fluorescent probes to target molecular events in vivo, with a large number of molecular targeting probes readily available. The ease at which new targeting compounds can be developed, the short acquisition times, and the low cost (compared to microCT, MRI, or PET) makes fluorescence imaging attractive. However, small animal fluorescence imaging suffers from high optical scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence. Much of these problems can be overcome through multispectral imaging techniques, which collect images at different fluorescence emission wavelengths, followed by analysis, classification, and spectral deconvolution methods to isolate signals from fluorescence emission. We present an alternative to the current method, using hyperspectral excitation scanning (spectral selection imaging), a technique that allows excitation at any wavelength in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range. In many cases, excitation imaging may be more effective at identifying specific fluorescence signals because of the higher complexity of the fluorophore excitation spectrum. Because the excitation is filtered and not the emission, the resolution limit and image shift imposed by acousto-optic tunable filters have no effect on imager performance. We will discuss design of the imager, optimizing the imager for use in small animal fluorescence imaging, and application of spectral analysis and classification methods for identifying specific fluorescence signals.

Soft x-ray emission of galliumlike rare-earth atoms produced by high-temperature low-density tokamak and high-density laser plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fournier, K. B.; Goldstein, W. H.; Osterheld, A.; Finkenthal, M.; Lippmann, S.; Huang, L. K.; Moos, H. W.; Spector, N.

1994-09-01

Spectra of rare-earth atoms praseodymium, Z=59, to ytterbium, Z=70, emitted from the high-temperature (1 keV) low-density (1013 cm-3) TEXT tokamak (at the Fusion Research Center, University of Texas, Austin) and high-density (1020 cm-3) laser plasmas have been recorded in the soft-x-ray range of 50-200 Å with an image intensifier detector and on photographic plates. The brightest n=4 to n=4 transitions of galliumlike ions have been identified and their emission patterns have been studied by comparison with ab initio atomic structure calculations and collisional radiative models under the respective plasma conditions. We have investigated the use of the ratios of the intensities of 4-4 transitions as indicators of plasma densities. This is possible owing to the doublet structure of the galliumlike ground state, which leads to a strong density dependence for ratios of transitions between low-lying levels. We have also used semiempirical ionization balance calculations to characterize the charge state distribution of the tokamak plasmas, in preparation for an investigation of the use of ratios of galliumlike to zinclike and copperlike emission features as indicators of whether the impurities are in coronal equilibrium or undergoing ionization.

Enhancement of the Ultraviolet Photoresponsivity of Al-doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by using the Sol-gel Spin-coating Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Wookbin; Leem, Jae-Young

2018-03-01

We report the structural, morphological, optical, and ultraviolet (UV) photoresponse properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films prepared on silicon substrates with different Al doping concentrations by using the sol-gel spin-coating method. An analysis of the X-ray diffraction patterns of the AZO thin films revealed that the average grain size decreased and the c-axis lattice constant increased with Al content. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy images showed that with Al doping, the grain size decreased, but the film density increased with increasing Al doping concentration from 0% to 3%. These results indicate that the surface area of the film increased with increasing Al doping. The absorbance spectra revealed that the UV absorbance of the AZO thin films increased with increasing Al doping concentration and that the absorption onset shifted towards lower energies. The photoluminescence spectra revealed that with increasing Al doping, the intensity of the visible emission greatly decreased and the visible emission peak shifted forward lower energy (a red shift). The UV sensor based on the AZO thin films exhibited a higher responsivity than that based on the undoped ZnO thin film. Therefore, this study provides a facile method for improving the photoresponsivity of UV sensors.

Imaging Extended Emission-Line Regions of Obscured AGN with the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ai-Lei; Greene, Jenny E.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Goulding, Andy; Strauss, Michael A.; Huang, Song; Johnson, Sean; Kawaguchi, Toshihiro; Matsuoka, Yoshiki; Marsteller, Alisabeth A.; Nagao, Tohru; Toba, Yoshiki

2018-05-01

Narrow-line regions excited by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are important for studying AGN photoionization and feedback. Their strong [O III] lines can be detected with broadband images, allowing morphological studies of these systems with large-area imaging surveys. We develop a new broad-band imaging technique to reconstruct the images of the [O III] line using the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Survey aided with spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The technique involves a careful subtraction of the galactic continuum to isolate emission from the [O III]λ5007 and [O III]λ4959 lines. Compared to traditional targeted observations, this technique is more efficient at covering larger samples without dedicated observational resources. We apply this technique to an SDSS spectroscopically selected sample of 300 obscured AGN at redshifts 0.1 - 0.7, uncovering extended emission-line region candidates with sizes up to tens of kpc. With the largest sample of uniformly derived narrow-line region sizes, we revisit the narrow-line region size - luminosity relation. The area and radii of the [O III] emission-line regions are strongly correlated with the AGN luminosity inferred from the mid-infrared (15 μm rest-frame) with a power-law slope of 0.62^{+0.05}_{-0.06}± 0.10 (statistical and systematic errors), consistent with previous spectroscopic findings. We discuss the implications for the physics of AGN emission-line regions and future applications of this technique, which should be useful for current and next-generation imaging surveys to study AGN photoionization and feedback with large statistical samples.

3-D Ultrafast Doppler Imaging Applied to the Noninvasive and Quantitative Imaging of Blood Vessels in Vivo

PubMed Central

Provost, J.; Papadacci, C.; Demene, C.; Gennisson, J-L.; Tanter, M.; Pernot, M.

2016-01-01

Ultrafast Doppler Imaging was introduced as a technique to quantify blood flow in an entire 2-D field of view, expanding the field of application of ultrasound imaging to the highly sensitive anatomical and functional mapping of blood vessels. We have recently developed 3-D Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging, a technique that can produce thousands of ultrasound volumes per second, based on three-dimensional plane and diverging wave emissions, and demonstrated its clinical feasibility in human subjects in vivo. In this study, we show that non-invasive 3-D Ultrafast Power Doppler, Pulsed Doppler, and Color Doppler Imaging can be used to perform quantitative imaging of blood vessels in humans when using coherent compounding of three-dimensional tilted plane waves. A customized, programmable, 1024-channel ultrasound system was designed to perform 3-D Ultrafast Imaging. Using a 32X32, 3-MHz matrix phased array (Vermon, France), volumes were beamformed by coherently compounding successive tilted plane wave emissions. Doppler processing was then applied in a voxel-wise fashion. 3-D Ultrafast Power Doppler Imaging was first validated by imaging Tygon tubes of varying diameter and its in vivo feasibility was demonstrated by imaging small vessels in the human thyroid. Simultaneous 3-D Color and Pulsed Doppler Imaging using compounded emissions were also applied in the carotid artery and the jugular vein in one healthy volunteer. PMID:26276956

Three-Dimensional Unstained Live-Cell Imaging Using Stimulated Parametric Emission Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Hieu M.; Kawasumi, Takehito; Omura, Gen; Umano, Toshiyuki; Kajiyama, Shin'ichiro; Ozeki, Yasuyuki; Itoh, Kazuyoshi; Fukui, Kiichi

2009-09-01

The ability to perform high-resolution unstained live imaging is very important to in vivo study of cell structures and functions. Stimulated parametric emission (SPE) microscopy is a nonlinear-optical microscopy based on ultra-fast electronic nonlinear-optical responses. For the first time, we have successfully applied this technique to archive three-dimensional (3D) images of unstained sub-cellular structures, such as, microtubules, nuclei, nucleoli, etc. in live cells. Observation of a complete cell division confirms the ability of SPE microscopy for long time-scale imaging.

Optical Emission Associated with the Galactic Supernova Remnant G179.0+2.6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

How, Thomas G.; Fesen, Robert A.; Neustadt, Jack M. M.; Black, Christine S.; Outters, Nicolas

2018-04-01

Narrow passband optical images of the large Galactic supernova remnant G179.0+2.6 reveal a faint but nearly complete emission shell dominated by strong [O 3] 4959,5007 Å line emission. The remnant's optical emission, which consists of both diffuse and filamentary features, is brightest along its southern and northeastern limbs. Deep Hα images detect little coincidence emission indicating an unusually high [O 3]/Hα emission ratio for such a large and apparently old remnant. Low-dispersion optical spectra of several regions confirm large [O 3]/Hα line ratios with typical values around 10. The dominance of [O 3] emission for the majority of the remnant's optical filaments suggests shock velocities above 100 km s-1 are present throughout most of the remnant, likely reflecting a relatively low density ambient ISM. The remnant's unusually strong [O 3] emission adds to the remnant's interesting set of properties which include a thick radio emission shell, radial polarization of its radio emission like that typically seen in young supernova remnants, and an unusually slow-rotating gamma-ray pulsar with a characteristic spin-down age ≃ 50 kyr.

Multispectral laser-induced fluorescence imaging system for large biological samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moon S.; Lefcourt, Alan M.; Chen, Yud-Ren

2003-07-01

A laser-induced fluorescence imaging system developed to capture multispectral fluorescence emission images simultaneously from a relatively large target object is described. With an expanded, 355-nm Nd:YAG laser as the excitation source, the system captures fluorescence emission images in the blue, green, red, and far-red regions of the spectrum centered at 450, 550, 678, and 730 nm, respectively, from a 30-cm-diameter target area in ambient light. Images of apples and of pork meat artificially contaminated with diluted animal feces have demonstrated the versatility of fluorescence imaging techniques for potential applications in food safety inspection. Regions of contamination, including sites that were not readily visible to the human eye, could easily be identified from the images.

Analyzing land surface temperature variations during Fogo Island (Cape Verde) 2014-2015 eruption with Landsat 8 images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, D.; Teodoro, A.; Gomes, A.

2016-10-01

Land Surface Temperature (LST) is an important parameter related to land surface processes that changes continuously through time. Assessing its dynamics during a volcanic eruption has both environmental and socio-economical interest. Lava flows and other volcanic materials produced and deposited throughout an eruption transform the landscape, contributing to its heterogeneity and altering LST measurements. This paper aims to assess variations of satellite-derived LST and to detect patterns during the latest Fogo Island (Cape Verde) eruption, extending from November 2014 through February 2015. LST data was obtained through four processed Landsat 8 images, focused on the caldera where Pico do Fogo volcano sits. QGIS' plugin Semi-Automatic Classification was used in order to apply atmospheric corrections and radiometric calibrations. The algorithm used to retrieve LST values is a single-channel method, in which emissivity values are known. The absence of in situ measurements is compensated by the use of MODIS sensor-derived LST data, used to compare with Landsat retrieved measurements. LST data analysis shows as expected that the highest LST values are located inside the caldera. High temperature values were also founded on the south-facing flank of the caldera. Although spatial patterns observed on the retrieved data remained roughly the same during the time period considered, temperature values changed throughout the area and over time, as it was also expected. LST values followed the eruption dynamic experiencing a growth followed by a decline. Moreover, it seems possible to recognize areas affected by lava flows of previous eruptions, due to well-defined LST spatial patterns.

New Data On The Cathodoluminescence Of White Marbles: Interpretation Of Peaks And Relationships To Weathering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Guinea, J.; Crespo-Feo, E.; Correcher, V.; Iordanidis, A.; Charalampides, G.; Karamitrou-Mentessidi, G.

This work focus on the Thermoluminescence (TL), the Spatially Resolved Spectral Cathodoluminescence (CL) and Raman spectroscopy (Raman) of white marble specimens collected from the archaeological park of Aiani (Greece) and from patterns of Iceland calcite and Macael marble for comparison purposes. The spectra CL were measured with a high sensitivity cathodoluminescence spectrometer MonoCL3 of Gatan (UK) attached to an FEI-ESEM microscope (CL-ESEM). The experimental set of spectra CL curves of Aiani white marbles suggest that the blue band is more resistant to weathering in comparison with the red band which drops down easily under weathering. The comparison among CL spectra of CaCO3 patterns give a slight difference between the small 330 nm peak, detected in marble and not observed in the monocrystal pattern of Iceland calcite. The Backscattering Electron Dispersed (BSED) images of the white marble are similar to the CL monochromatic plots at 330 nm which highlight the surfaces with remarkable clarity, suggesting a CL emission-defect associated to the marble crystal interfaces, such as protons or hydroxyls. Conversely, the 395 nm monochromatic mapping depicts a CL image emitting from bulk and not from interfaces attributable to point defects or cationic activators in Ca2+ positions. The blue band of the spectra luminescence of marble is composed by several peaks associated to very different types of luminescent defects. This statement is not inconsequential since in archaeological TL dating of marbles the regenerated luminescence in the blue region of the spectrum is a serious difficulty and further research on this topic is necessary.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SEMICONDUCTOR INJECTION LASERS SELCO-87: Far-field pattern of transverse modes in LOC structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrescu-Prahova, I. B.; Lazanu, S.; Lepşa, M.; Mihailovici, P.

1988-11-01

An investigation was made of the emission from GaAlAs large-optical-cavity (LOC) laser heterostructures with an active layer more than 2 μm thick. The far-field radiation pattern, representing a superposition of the fundamental and several higher-order transverse modes, had a central maximum. The gain, mirror losses, near- and far-field patterns of each propagation mode, as well as mode competition were analyzed on the basis of a simple model. The far-field pattern of single modes was determined by selecting separate spectral intervals from the total emission spectrum of the laser.

Ultraviolet and Radio Emission from the Northern Middle Lobe of Centaurus A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neff, Susan

2009-01-01

We present deep GALEX ultraviolet (135 - 280 nm) images of the Northern Middle Lobe (NML) of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A. We find that the ultraviolet emission appears to have a complex interaction with soft X-ray, H-alpha emission, and radio emission, which should help constrain various models of energy transport in the NML. We also present new 90cm VLA images of the NML. The radio morphology at this wavelength is indicative of a more complex system than either a straightforward flaring jet (Morganti et al. 1999) or a bubble with trailing stem (Saxton et al. 2001). New limits are placed on the lack of radio emission from any corresponding southern counterpart to the NML.

Characterization of methane emissions in Los Angeles with airborne hyperspectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saad, K.; Tratt, D. M.; Buckland, K. N.; Roehl, C. M.; Wennberg, P. O.; Wunch, D.

2017-12-01

As urban areas develop regulations to limit atmospheric methane (CH4), accurate quantification of anthropogenic emissions will be critical for program development and evaluation. However, relating emissions derived from process-level metadata to those determined from assimilating atmospheric observations of CH4 concentrations into models is particularly difficult. Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) can help differentiate between thermogenic and biogenic CH4 emissions, as they are primarily co-emitted with the former; however, these trace gases are subject to the same limitations as CH4. Remotely-sensed hyperspectral imaging bridges these approaches by measuring emissions plumes directly with spatial coverage on the order of 10 km2 min-1. We identify the sources of and evaluate emissions plumes measured by airborne infrared hyperspectral imagers flown over the Los Angeles (LA) metropolitan area, which encompasses various CH4 sources, including petroleum and natural gas wells and facilities. We quantify total CH4 and NMHC emissions, as well as their relative column densities, at the point-source level to create fingerprints of source types. We aggregate these analyses to estimate the range of variability in chemical composition across source types. These CH4 and NMHC emissions factors are additionally compared to their tropospheric column abundances measured by the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) Pasadena Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, which provides a footprint for the LA basin.

Enhancement of image contrast by fluorescence in microtechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berndt, Michael; Tutsch, Rainer

2005-06-01

New developments in production technology increasingly focus on hybrid microsystems. Especially for systems with movable components, the process step of assembly is mandatory. In general, the accuracy of positioning of the parts has to be better than 1 μm. This makes specialized and automated production equipment necessary, which can lead to a conflict with the aim of flexibility of the range of products. Design for manufacturing is a well known remedy. Assembly aids are common practice today. These features of the workpieces bear no functionality for the end product but considerably ease certain process steps. By standardization of assembly aids generalized production equipment free from product-specific features could be developed. In our contribution, we demonstrate the photogrammetric determination of the positions of workpieces without reference to their exterior shape, using circular fiducial marks of 150 μm in diameter. The surface properties of the workpieces, however, still have an influence on image formation. As an example, the marks may be hidden by local specular reflections. A solution to this problem is to add an exclusive optical property to the fiducial marks to get an image with high contrast against the surface of the workpiece. In biology and medicine samples are stained with fluorescing dyes to enhance the contrast in optical microscopy. In fluorochromes, light of a characteristic wavelength is emitted after the absorption of light with a shorter wavelength. In our experiments we added a fluorochrome to a common photoresist and coated the surface of the workpiece with a thin layer thereof. Using photolithography as a patterning technique we generated fiducial marks with structures down to 25 μm. These marks can be identified by their characteristic emission wavelength under short-wavelength illumination. Only the fiducial marks remain visible in the images and processing these images is straightforward. The generation of fluorescing patterns by photolithography opens new possibilities for testing and process control in many fields of microtechnology.

Parallel excitation-emission multiplexed fluorescence lifetime confocal microscopy for live cell imaging.

PubMed

Zhao, Ming; Li, Yu; Peng, Leilei

2014-05-05

We present a novel excitation-emission multiplexed fluorescence lifetime microscopy (FLIM) method that surpasses current FLIM techniques in multiplexing capability. The method employs Fourier multiplexing to simultaneously acquire confocal fluorescence lifetime images of multiple excitation wavelength and emission color combinations at 44,000 pixels/sec. The system is built with low-cost CW laser sources and standard PMTs with versatile spectral configuration, which can be implemented as an add-on to commercial confocal microscopes. The Fourier lifetime confocal method allows fast multiplexed FLIM imaging, which makes it possible to monitor multiple biological processes in live cells. The low cost and compatibility with commercial systems could also make multiplexed FLIM more accessible to biological research community.

Preliminary Analysis of Images from the Thermospheric Temperature Imager on Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, M.; Jones, S.; Mentzell, E.; Gill, N.

2011-12-01

The Thermospheric Temperature Imager (TTI) on Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) measures the upper atmospheric atomic oxygen emission at 135.6 nm and the molecular nitrogen LBH emission at 135.4 nm to determine the atmospheric O/N2 density ratio. Observations of variations in this thermosheric ratio correspond to electron density variations in the ionosphere. The TTI design makes use of a Fabry-Perot interferometer to measure Doppler widened atmospheric emissions to determine neutral atmospheric temperature from low Earth orbit. FASTSAT launched November 10, 2010 and TTI is currently observing geomagnetic signatures in the aurora and airglow. This work is supported by NASA.

Preliminary Analysis of Images from the Thermospheric Temperature Image on Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriquez, Marcello; Jones, Sarah; Mentzell, Eric; Gill, Nathaniel

2011-01-01

The Thermospheric Temperature Imager (TTI) on Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) measures the upper atmospheric atomic oxygen emission at 135.6 nm and the molecular nitrogen LBH emission at 135.4 nm to determine the atmospheric O/N2 density ratio. Observations of variations in this thermospheric ratio correspond to electron density variations in the ionosphere. The TTI design makes use of a Fabry-Perot interferometer to measure Doppler widened atmospheric emissions to determine neutral atmospheric temperature from low Earth orbit. FASTSAT launched November 10, 2010 and TTI is currently observing geomagnetic signatures in the aurora and airglow. This work is supported by NASA.

An Automated Scheme for the Large-Scale Survey of Herbig-Haro Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Licai; Yang, Ji; Zheng, Zhongyuan; Jiang, Zhaoji

2001-04-01

Owing to their spectral properties, Herbig-Haro (HH) objects can be discovered using photometric methods through a combination of filters, sampling the characteristic spectral lines and the nearby continuum. The data are commonly processed through direct visual inspection of the images. To make data reduction more efficient and the results more uniform and complete, an automated searching scheme for HH objects is developed to manipulate the images using IRAF. This approach helps to extract images with only intrinsic HH emissions. By using this scheme, the pointlike stellar sources and extended nebulous sources with continuum emission can be eliminated from the original images. The objects with only characteristic HH emission become prominent and can be easily picked up. In this paper our scheme is illustrated by a sample field and has been applied to our surveys for HH objects.

High-speed imaging, acoustic features, and aeroacoustic computations of jet noise from Strombolian (and Vulcanian) explosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taddeucci, J.; Sesterhenn, J.; Scarlato, P.; Stampka, K.; Del Bello, E.; Pena Fernandez, J. J.; Gaudin, D.

2014-05-01

High-speed imaging of explosive eruptions at Stromboli (Italy), Fuego (Guatemala), and Yasur (Vanuatu) volcanoes allowed visualization of pressure waves from seconds-long explosions. From the explosion jets, waves radiate with variable geometry, timing, and apparent direction and velocity. Both the explosion jets and their wave fields are replicated well by numerical simulations of supersonic jets impulsively released from a pressurized vessel. The scaled acoustic signal from one explosion at Stromboli displays a frequency pattern with an excellent match to those from the simulated jets. We conclude that both the observed waves and the audible sound from the explosions are jet noise, i.e., the typical acoustic field radiating from high-velocity jets. Volcanic jet noise was previously quantified only in the infrasonic emissions from large, sub-Plinian to Plinian eruptions. Our combined approach allows us to define the spatial and temporal evolution of audible jet noise from supersonic jets in small-scale volcanic eruptions.

Kinetics of T-cell receptor-dependent antigen recognition determined in vivo by multi-spectral normalized epifluorescence laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favicchio, Rosy; Zacharakis, Giannis; Oikonomaki, Katerina; Zacharopoulos, Athanasios; Mamalaki, Clio; Ripoll, Jorge

2012-07-01

Detection of multiple fluorophores in conditions of low signal represents a limiting factor for the application of in vivo optical imaging techniques in immunology where fluorescent labels report for different functional characteristics. A noninvasive in vivo Multi-Spectral Normalized Epifluorescence Laser scanning (M-SNELS) method was developed for the simultaneous and quantitative detection of multiple fluorophores in low signal to noise ratios and used to follow T-cell activation and clonal expansion. Colocalized DsRed- and GFP-labeled T cells were followed in tandem during the mounting of an immune response. Spectral unmixing was used to distinguish the overlapping fluorescent emissions representative of the two distinct cell populations and longitudinal data reported the discrete pattern of antigen-driven proliferation. Retrieved values were validated both in vitro and in vivo with flow cytometry and significant correlation between all methodologies was achieved. Noninvasive M-SNELS successfully quantified two colocalized fluorescent populations and provides a valid alternative imaging approach to traditional invasive methods for detecting T cell dynamics.

Fast optical and electrical diagnostics of pulsed spark discharges in different gap geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höft, Hans; Huiskamp, Tom; Kettlitz, Manfred

2016-09-01

Spark discharges in different electrode configurations and with various electrode materials were ignited in air at atmospheric pressure using a custom build pulse charger with 1 μs voltage rise time (up to 28 kV) in single shot operation. Fast voltage and current measurements were combined with iCCD imaging with high spatial resolution (better than 10 μm) on pin-to-pin, pin-to-half-sphere and symmetrical half-sphere tungsten electrodes and symmetrical half-sphere brass electrodes for electrode gaps of 0.1 to 0.7 mm. Breakdown voltages, consumed electrical energies and the discharge emission structures as well as the discharge diameters were obtained. Because of the synchronization of the electrical measurements and the iCCD imaging (i.e. one complete data set for every shot), it was possible to estimate the current density and the change of the discharge pattern, such as single or multiple channels, for all cases. EU funding under Grant No 316216 (PlasmaShape).

Multiscale optical imaging of rare-earth-doped nanocomposites in a small animal model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, Laura M.; Ganapathy, Vidya; Kantamneni, Harini; Zhao, Xinyu; Sheng, Yang; Tan, Mei-Chee; Roth, Charles M.; Riman, Richard E.; Moghe, Prabhas V.; Pierce, Mark C.

2018-03-01

Rare-earth-doped nanocomposites have appealing optical properties for use as biomedical contrast agents, but few systems exist for imaging these materials. We describe the design and characterization of (i) a preclinical system for whole animal in vivo imaging and (ii) an integrated optical coherence tomography/confocal microscopy system for high-resolution imaging of ex vivo tissues. We demonstrate these systems by administering erbium-doped nanocomposites to a murine model of metastatic breast cancer. Short-wave infrared emissions were detected in vivo and in whole organ imaging ex vivo. Visible upconversion emissions and tissue autofluorescence were imaged in biopsy specimens, alongside optical coherence tomography imaging of tissue microstructure. We anticipate that this work will provide guidance for researchers seeking to image these nanomaterials across a wide range of biological models.

Applications of Molecular Imaging

PubMed Central

Galbán, Craig; Galbán, Stefanie; Van Dort, Marcian; Luker, Gary D.; Bhojani, Mahaveer S.; Rehemtualla, Alnawaz; Ross, Brian D.

2015-01-01

Today molecular imaging technologies play a central role in clinical oncology. The use of imaging techniques in early cancer detection, treatment response and new therapy development is steadily growing and has already significantly impacted clinical management of cancer. In this chapter we will overview three different molecular imaging technologies used for the understanding of disease biomarkers, drug development, or monitoring therapeutic outcome. They are (1) optical imaging (bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging) (2) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and (3) nuclear imaging (e.g, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET)). We will review the use of molecular reporters of biological processes (e.g. apoptosis and protein kinase activity) for high throughput drug screening and new cancer therapies, diffusion MRI as a biomarker for early treatment response and PET and SPECT radioligands in oncology. PMID:21075334