High Slew-Rate Head-Only Gradient for Improving Distortion in Echo Planar Imaging: Preliminary Experience

PubMed Central

Tan, Ek T.; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Weavers, Paul T.; Graziani, Dominic; Piel, Joseph E.; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Bernstein, Matt A.; Foo, Thomas K.F.

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate the effects on echo planar imaging (EPI) distortion of using high gradient slew rates (SR) of up to 700 T/m/s for in-vivo human brain imaging, with a dedicated, head-only gradient coil. Materials and Methods Simulation studies were first performed to determine the expected echo spacing and distortion reduction in EPI. A head gradient of 42-cm inner diameter and with asymmetric transverse coils was then installed in a whole-body, conventional 3T MRI system. Human subject imaging was performed on five subjects to determine the effects of EPI on echo spacing and signal dropout at various gradient slew rates. The feasibility of whole-brain imaging at 1.5 mm-isotropic spatial resolution was demonstrated with gradient-echo and spin-echo diffusion-weighted EPI. Results As compared to a whole-body gradient coil, the EPI echo spacing in the head-only gradient coil was reduced by 48%. Simulation and in vivo results, respectively, showed up to 25-26% and 19% improvement in signal dropout. Whole-brain imaging with EPI at 1.5 mm spatial resolution provided good whole-brain coverage, spatial linearity, and low spatial distortion effects. Conclusion Our results of human brain imaging with EPI using the compact head gradient coil at slew rates higher than in conventional whole-body MR systems demonstrate substantially improved image distortion, and point to a potential for benefits to non-EPI pulse sequences. PMID:26921117

NONLINEAR OPTICAL EFFECTS AND FIBER OPTICS: Multiple stimulated optical echo in three-level media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhmediev, N. N.; Mel'nikov, I. V.

1988-12-01

It is shown that multiple stimulated optical echo may be generated in media with three closely spaced levels. The conditions for suppression of the stimulated echo signal are formulated and a proposal is described for apparatus which can be used to observe this effect.

Simple Echoes and Subtle Reverberations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeports, David

2010-01-01

Reverberation within an enclosed space can be viewed as a superposition of a large number of simple echoes. The echoes that make up the sound of reverberation fall neatly into two categories, relatively loud and sparse early reflections, and relatively soft and dense late reflections. Ways in which readily available music production software can…

Inhomogeneous compact extra dimensions

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

Bronnikov, K.A.; Budaev, R.I.; Grobov, A.V.

We show that an inhomogeneous compact extra space possesses two necessary features— their existence does not contradict the observable value of the cosmological constant Λ{sub 4} in pure f ( R ) theory, and the extra dimensions are stable relative to the 'radion mode' of perturbations, the only mode considered. For a two-dimensional extra space, both analytical and numerical solutions for the metric are found, able to provide a zero or arbitrarily small Λ{sub 4}. A no-go theorem has also been proved, that maximally symmetric compact extra spaces are inconsistent with 4D Minkowski space in the framework of pure fmore » ( R ) gravity.« less

A rapid and robust gradient measurement technique using dynamic single-point imaging.

PubMed

Jang, Hyungseok; McMillan, Alan B

2017-09-01

We propose a new gradient measurement technique based on dynamic single-point imaging (SPI), which allows simple, rapid, and robust measurement of k-space trajectory. To enable gradient measurement, we utilize the variable field-of-view (FOV) property of dynamic SPI, which is dependent on gradient shape. First, one-dimensional (1D) dynamic SPI data are acquired from a targeted gradient axis, and then relative FOV scaling factors between 1D images or k-spaces at varying encoding times are found. These relative scaling factors are the relative k-space position that can be used for image reconstruction. The gradient measurement technique also can be used to estimate the gradient impulse response function for reproducible gradient estimation as a linear time invariant system. The proposed measurement technique was used to improve reconstructed image quality in 3D ultrashort echo, 2D spiral, and multi-echo bipolar gradient-echo imaging. In multi-echo bipolar gradient-echo imaging, measurement of the k-space trajectory allowed the use of a ramp-sampled trajectory for improved acquisition speed (approximately 30%) and more accurate quantitative fat and water separation in a phantom. The proposed dynamic SPI-based method allows fast k-space trajectory measurement with a simple implementation and no additional hardware for improved image quality. Magn Reson Med 78:950-962, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Magnetic susceptibility induced echo time shifts: Is there a bias in age-related fMRI studies?

PubMed Central

Ngo, Giang-Chau; Wong, Chelsea N.; Guo, Steve; Paine, Thomas; Kramer, Arthur F.; Sutton, Bradley P.

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the potential for bias in functional MRI (fMRI) aging studies resulting from age-related differences in magnetic field distributions which can impact echo time and functional contrast. Materials and Methods Magnetic field maps were taken on 31 younger adults (age: 22 ± 2.9 years) and 46 older adults (age: 66 ± 4.5 years) on a 3 T scanner. Using the spatial gradients of the magnetic field map for each participant, an echo planar imaging (EPI) trajectory was simulated. The effective echo time, time at which the k-space trajectory is the closest to the center of k-space, was calculated. This was used to examine both within-subject and across-age-group differences in the effective echo time maps. The Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) percent signal change resulting from those echo time shifts was also calculated to determine their impact on fMRI aging studies. Result For a single subject, the effective echo time varied as much as ± 5 ms across the brain. An unpaired t-test between the effective echo time across age group resulted in significant differences in several regions of the brain (p<0.01). The difference in echo time was only approximately 1 ms, however which is not expected to have an important impact on BOLD fMRI percent signal change (< 4%). Conclusion Susceptibility-induced magnetic field gradients induce local echo time shifts in gradient echo fMRI images, which can cause variable BOLD sensitivity across the brain. However, the age-related differences in BOLD signal are expected to be small for an fMRI study at 3 T. PMID:27299727

The role of envelope shape in the localization of multiple sound sources and echoes in the barn owl.

PubMed

Baxter, Caitlin S; Nelson, Brian S; Takahashi, Terry T

2013-02-01

Echoes and sounds of independent origin often obscure sounds of interest, but echoes can go undetected under natural listening conditions, a perception called the precedence effect. How does the auditory system distinguish between echoes and independent sources? To investigate, we presented two broadband noises to barn owls (Tyto alba) while varying the similarity of the sounds' envelopes. The carriers of the noises were identical except for a 2- or 3-ms delay. Their onsets and offsets were also synchronized. In owls, sound localization is guided by neural activity on a topographic map of auditory space. When there are two sources concomitantly emitting sounds with overlapping amplitude spectra, space map neurons discharge when the stimulus in their receptive field is louder than the one outside it and when the averaged amplitudes of both sounds are rising. A model incorporating these features calculated the strengths of the two sources' representations on the map (B. S. Nelson and T. T. Takahashi; Neuron 67: 643-655, 2010). The target localized by the owls could be predicted from the model's output. The model also explained why the echo is not localized at short delays: when envelopes are similar, peaks in the leading sound mask corresponding peaks in the echo, weakening the echo's space map representation. When the envelopes are dissimilar, there are few or no corresponding peaks, and the owl localizes whichever source is predicted by the model to be less masked. Thus the precedence effect in the owl is a by-product of a mechanism for representing multiple sound sources on its map.

High slew-rate head-only gradient for improving distortion in echo planar imaging: Preliminary experience.

PubMed

Tan, Ek T; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Weavers, Paul T; Graziani, Dominic; Piel, Joseph E; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Bernstein, Matt A; Foo, Thomas K F

2016-09-01

To investigate the effects on echo planar imaging (EPI) distortion of using high gradient slew rates (SR) of up to 700 T/m/s for in vivo human brain imaging, with a dedicated, head-only gradient coil. Simulation studies were first performed to determine the expected echo spacing and distortion reduction in EPI. A head gradient of 42-cm inner diameter and with asymmetric transverse coils was then installed in a whole-body, conventional 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Human subject imaging was performed on five subjects to determine the effects of EPI on echo spacing and signal dropout at various gradient slew rates. The feasibility of whole-brain imaging at 1.5 mm-isotropic spatial resolution was demonstrated with gradient-echo and spin-echo diffusion-weighted EPI. As compared to a whole-body gradient coil, the EPI echo spacing in the head-only gradient coil was reduced by 48%. Simulation and in vivo results, respectively, showed up to 25-26% and 19% improvement in signal dropout. Whole-brain imaging with EPI at 1.5 mm spatial resolution provided good whole-brain coverage, spatial linearity, and low spatial distortion effects. Our results of human brain imaging with EPI using the compact head gradient coil at slew rates higher than in conventional whole-body MR systems demonstrate substantially improved image distortion, and point to a potential for benefits to non-EPI pulse sequences. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:653-664. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

[The Role of Imaging in Central Nervous System Infections].

PubMed

Yokota, Hajime; Tazoe, Jun; Yamada, Kei

2015-07-01

Many infections invade the central nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the main tool that is used to evaluate infectious lesions of the central nervous system. The useful sequences on MRI are dependent on the locations, such as intra-axial, extra-axial, and spinal cord. For intra-axial lesions, besides the fundamental sequences, including T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images, advanced sequences, such as diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy, can be applied. They are occasionally used as determinants for quick and correct diagnosis. For extra-axial lesions, understanding the differences among 2D-conventional T1-weighted images, 2D-fat-saturated T1-weighted images, 3D-Spin echo sequences, and 3D-Gradient echo sequence after the administration of gadolinium is required to avoid wrong interpretations. FLAIR plus gadolinium is a useful tool for revealing abnormal enhancement on the brain surface. For the spinal cord, the sequences are limited. Evaluating the distribution and time course of the spinal cord are essential for correct diagnoses. We summarize the role of imaging in central nervous system infections and show the pitfalls, key points, and latest information in them on clinical practices.

Dance of the Light Echoes

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-29

This composite image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows the remnant of a star that exploded, called Cassiopeia A center and its surrounding light echoes -- dances of light through dusty clouds, created when stars blast apart.

The role of envelope shape in the localization of multiple sound sources and echoes in the barn owl

PubMed Central

Baxter, Caitlin S.; Takahashi, Terry T.

2013-01-01

Echoes and sounds of independent origin often obscure sounds of interest, but echoes can go undetected under natural listening conditions, a perception called the precedence effect. How does the auditory system distinguish between echoes and independent sources? To investigate, we presented two broadband noises to barn owls (Tyto alba) while varying the similarity of the sounds' envelopes. The carriers of the noises were identical except for a 2- or 3-ms delay. Their onsets and offsets were also synchronized. In owls, sound localization is guided by neural activity on a topographic map of auditory space. When there are two sources concomitantly emitting sounds with overlapping amplitude spectra, space map neurons discharge when the stimulus in their receptive field is louder than the one outside it and when the averaged amplitudes of both sounds are rising. A model incorporating these features calculated the strengths of the two sources' representations on the map (B. S. Nelson and T. T. Takahashi; Neuron 67: 643–655, 2010). The target localized by the owls could be predicted from the model's output. The model also explained why the echo is not localized at short delays: when envelopes are similar, peaks in the leading sound mask corresponding peaks in the echo, weakening the echo's space map representation. When the envelopes are dissimilar, there are few or no corresponding peaks, and the owl localizes whichever source is predicted by the model to be less masked. Thus the precedence effect in the owl is a by-product of a mechanism for representing multiple sound sources on its map. PMID:23175801

Potential availability of diesel waste heat at Echo Deep Space Station (DSS 12)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, R. D.

1982-01-01

Energy consumption at the Goldstone Echo Deep Space Station (DSS 12) is predicted and quantified for a future station configuration which will involve implementation of proposed energy conservation modifications. Cogeneration by the utilization of diesel waste-heat to satisfy site heating and cooling requirements of the station is discussed. Scenarios involving expanded use of on-site diesel generators are presented.

A fast screening protocol for carotid plaques imaging using 3D multi-contrast MRI without contrast agent.

PubMed

Zhang, Na; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Qi; Pei, Anqi; Tong, Xiaoxin; Chung, Yiu-Cho; Liu, Xin

2017-06-01

To implement a fast (~15min) MRI protocol for carotid plaque screening using 3D multi-contrast MRI sequences without contrast agent on a 3Tesla MRI scanner. 7 healthy volunteers and 25 patients with clinically confirmed transient ischemic attack or suspected cerebrovascular ischemia were included in this study. The proposed protocol, including 3D T1-weighted and T2-weighted SPACE (variable-flip-angle 3D turbo spin echo), and T1-weighted magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) was performed first and was followed by 2D T1-weighted and T2-weighted turbo spin echo, and post-contrast T1-weighted SPACE sequences. Image quality, number of plaques, and vessel wall thicknesses measured at the intersection of the plaques were evaluated and compared between sequences. Average examination time of the proposed protocol was 14.6min. The average image quality scores of 3D T1-weighted, T2-weighted SPACE, and T1-weighted magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo were 3.69, 3.75, and 3.48, respectively. There was no significant difference in detecting the number of plaques and vulnerable plaques using pre-contrast 3D images with or without post-contrast T1-weighted SPACE. The 3D SPACE and 2D turbo spin echo sequences had excellent agreement (R=0.96 for T1-weighted and 0.98 for T2-weighted, p<0.001) regarding vessel wall thickness measurements. The proposed protocol demonstrated the feasibility of attaining carotid plaque screening within a 15-minute scan, which provided sufficient anatomical coverage and critical diagnostic information. This protocol offers the potential for rapid and reliable screening for carotid plaques without contrast agent. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

ICV Echo Ultrasound Scan

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-12-31

View of Integrated Cardiovascular (ICV) Echo Ultrasound Scan,in the Columbus module. ICV aims to quantify the extent,time course and clinical significance of cardiac atrophy (decrease in the size of the heart muscle) in space. Photo was taken during Expedition 34.

Aural localization of silent objects by active human biosonar: neural representations of virtual echo-acoustic space.

PubMed

Wallmeier, Ludwig; Kish, Daniel; Wiegrebe, Lutz; Flanagin, Virginia L

2015-03-01

Some blind humans have developed the remarkable ability to detect and localize objects through the auditory analysis of self-generated tongue clicks. These echolocation experts show a corresponding increase in 'visual' cortex activity when listening to echo-acoustic sounds. Echolocation in real-life settings involves multiple reflections as well as active sound production, neither of which has been systematically addressed. We developed a virtualization technique that allows participants to actively perform such biosonar tasks in virtual echo-acoustic space during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Tongue clicks, emitted in the MRI scanner, are picked up by a microphone, convolved in real time with the binaural impulse responses of a virtual space, and presented via headphones as virtual echoes. In this manner, we investigated the brain activity during active echo-acoustic localization tasks. Our data show that, in blind echolocation experts, activations in the calcarine cortex are dramatically enhanced when a single reflector is introduced into otherwise anechoic virtual space. A pattern-classification analysis revealed that, in the blind, calcarine cortex activation patterns could discriminate left-side from right-side reflectors. This was found in both blind experts, but the effect was significant for only one of them. In sighted controls, 'visual' cortex activations were insignificant, but activation patterns in the planum temporale were sufficient to discriminate left-side from right-side reflectors. Our data suggest that blind and echolocation-trained, sighted subjects may recruit different neural substrates for the same active-echolocation task. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Enhanced detection of aldehydes in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil by means of band selective NMR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugo, Giacomo; Rotondo, Archimede; Mallamace, Domenico; Cicero, Nicola; Salvo, Andrea; Rotondo, Enrico; Corsaro, Carmelo

2015-02-01

High resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for comprehensive food analyses and especially for Extra-Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs). We use the NMR technique to study the spectral region of aldehydes (8-10 ppm) for EVOOs coming from the south part of Italy. We perform novel experiments by using mono and bidimensional band selective spin-echo pulse sequences and identify four structural classes of aldehydes in EVOOs. For the first time such species are identified in EVOOs without any chemical treatment; only dilution with CDCl3 is employed. This would allow the discrimination of different EVOOs for the aldehydes content increasing the potentiality of the NMR technique in the screening of metabolites for geographical characterization of EVOOs.

Goldstone Tracking the Echo Satelloon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-27

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph shows the first pass of Echo 1, NASA's first communications satellite, over the Goldstone Tracking Station managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, in the early morning of Aug. 12, 1960. The movement of the antenna, star trails (shorter streaks), and Echo 1 (the long streak in the middle) are visible in this image. Project Echo bounced radio signals off a 10-story-high, aluminum-coated balloon orbiting the Earth. This form of "passive" satellite communication -- which mission managers dubbed a "satelloon" -- was an idea conceived by an engineer from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and was a project managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL's role involved sending and receiving signals through two of its 85-foot-diameter (26-meter-diameter) antennas at the Goldstone Tracking Station in California's Mojave Desert. The Goldstone station later became part of NASA's Deep Space Network. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Deep Space Network for NASA. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21114

7. LESLIE WICKMAN, EVA (EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITIES) SPECIALIST, IN SPACE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. LESLIE WICKMAN, EVA (EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITIES) SPECIALIST, IN SPACE SUIT AFTER TESTING IN NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK. AVERAGE COST OF SUIT IS $1,000,000. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Application of phase consistency to improve time efficiency and image quality in dual echo black-blood carotid angiography.

PubMed

Kholmovski, Eugene G; Parker, Dennis L

2005-07-01

There is a considerable similarity between proton density-weighted (PDw) and T2-weighted (T2w) images acquired by dual echo fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences. The similarity manifests itself not only in image space as correspondence between intensities of PDw and T2w images, but also in phase space as consistency between phases of PDw and T2w images. Methods for improving the imaging efficiency and image quality of dual echo FSE sequences based on this feature have been developed. The total scan time of dual echo FSE acquisition may be reduced by as much as 25% by incorporating an estimate of the image phase from a fully sampled PDw image when reconstructing partially sampled T2w images. The quality of T2w images acquired using phased array coils may be significantly improved by using the developed noise reduction reconstruction scheme, which is based on the correspondence between the PDw and T2w image intensities and the consistency between the PDw and T2w image phases. Studies of phantom and human subject MRI data were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques.

Light Echo

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

"Light Echo" Illuminates Dust Around Supergiant Star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe. Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook

Theory and optical design of x-ray echo spectrometers

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

Shvyd'ko, Yuri

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a space-domain counterpart of neutron spin echo, is a recently proposed inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) technique. X-ray echo spectroscopy relies on imaging IXS spectra and does not require x-ray monochromatization. Due to this, the echo-type IXS spectrometers are broadband, and thus have a potential to simultaneously provide dramatically increased signal strength, reduced measurement times, and higher resolution compared to the traditional narrow-band scanning-type IXS spectrometers. The theory of x-ray echo spectrometers presented earlier [Yu. Shvyd'ko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 080801 (2016)] is developed here further with a focus on questions of practical importance, which could facilitate opticalmore » design and assessment of the feasibility and performance of the echo spectrometers. Among others, the following questions are addressed: spectral resolution, refocusing condition, echo spectrometer tolerances, refocusing condition adjustment, effective beam size on the sample, spectral window of imaging and scanning range, impact of the secondary source size on the spectral resolution, angular dispersive optics, focusing and collimating optics, and detector's spatial resolution. In conclusion, examples of optical designs and characteristics of echo spectrometers with 1-meV and 0.1-meV resolutions are presented.« less

Theory and optical design of x-ray echo spectrometers

DOE PAGES

Shvyd'ko, Yuri

2017-08-02

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a space-domain counterpart of neutron spin echo, is a recently proposed inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) technique. X-ray echo spectroscopy relies on imaging IXS spectra and does not require x-ray monochromatization. Due to this, the echo-type IXS spectrometers are broadband, and thus have a potential to simultaneously provide dramatically increased signal strength, reduced measurement times, and higher resolution compared to the traditional narrow-band scanning-type IXS spectrometers. The theory of x-ray echo spectrometers presented earlier [Yu. Shvyd'ko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 080801 (2016)] is developed here further with a focus on questions of practical importance, which could facilitate opticalmore » design and assessment of the feasibility and performance of the echo spectrometers. Among others, the following questions are addressed: spectral resolution, refocusing condition, echo spectrometer tolerances, refocusing condition adjustment, effective beam size on the sample, spectral window of imaging and scanning range, impact of the secondary source size on the spectral resolution, angular dispersive optics, focusing and collimating optics, and detector's spatial resolution. In conclusion, examples of optical designs and characteristics of echo spectrometers with 1-meV and 0.1-meV resolutions are presented.« less

Examining the robustness of automated aural classification of active sonar echoes.

PubMed

Murphy, Stefan M; Hines, Paul C

2014-02-01

Active sonar systems are used to detect underwater man-made objects of interest (targets) that are too quiet to be reliably detected with passive sonar. Performance of active sonar can be degraded by false alarms caused by echoes returned from geological seabed structures (clutter) in shallow regions. To reduce false alarms, a method of distinguishing target echoes from clutter echoes is required. Research has demonstrated that perceptual-based signal features similar to those employed in the human auditory system can be used to automatically discriminate between target and clutter echoes, thereby reducing the number of false alarms and improving sonar performance. An active sonar experiment on the Malta Plateau in the Mediterranean Sea was conducted during the Clutter07 sea trial and repeated during the Clutter09 sea trial. The dataset consists of more than 95,000 pulse-compressed echoes returned from two targets and many geological clutter objects. These echoes were processed using an automatic classifier that quantifies the timbre of each echo using a number of perceptual signal features. Using echoes from 2007, the aural classifier was trained to establish a boundary between targets and clutter in the feature space. Temporal robustness was then investigated by testing the classifier on echoes from the 2009 experiment.

Optimal MRI sequence for identifying occlusion location in acute stroke: which value of time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA?

PubMed

Le Bras, A; Raoult, H; Ferré, J-C; Ronzière, T; Gauvrit, J-Y

2015-06-01

Identifying occlusion location is crucial for determining the optimal therapeutic strategy during the acute phase of ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic efficacy of MR imaging, including conventional sequences plus time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA in comparison with DSA for identifying arterial occlusion location. Thirty-two patients with 34 occlusion levels referred for thrombectomy during acute cerebral stroke events were consecutively included from August 2010 to December 2012. Before thrombectomy, we performed 3T MR imaging, including conventional 3D-TOF and gradient-echo T2 sequences, along with time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA of the extra- and intracranial arteries. The 3D-TOF, gradient-echo T2, and time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA results were consensually assessed by 2 neuroradiologists and compared with prethrombectomy DSA results in terms of occlusion location. The Wilcoxon test was used for statistical analysis to compare MR imaging sequences with DSA, and the κ coefficient was used to determine intermodality agreement. The occlusion level on the 3D-TOF and gradient-echo T2 images differed significantly from that of DSA (P < .001 and P = .002, respectively), while no significant difference was observed between DSA and time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA (P = .125). κ coefficients for intermodality agreement with DSA (95% CI, percentage agreement) were 0.43 (0.3%-0.6; 62%), 0.32 (0.2%-0.5; 56%), and 0.81 (0.6%-1.0; 88%) for 3D-TOF, gradient-echo T2, and time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA, respectively. The time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA sequence proved reliable for identifying occlusion location in acute stroke with performance superior to that of 3D-TOF and gradient-echo T2 sequences. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Light Echo From Star V838 Monocerotis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This photo, captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys, is Hubble's latest view of an expanding halo of light around the distant star V838 Monocerotis, or V Mon, caused by an unusual stellar outburst that occurred back in January 2002. A burst of light from the bizarre star is spreading into space and reflecting off of surrounding circumstellar dust. As different parts are sequentially illuminated, the appearance of the dust changes. This effect is referred to as a 'light echo'. Located about 20,000 light-years away in the winter constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn), the star brightened to more than 600,000 times our Sun's luminosity. The light echo gives the illusion of contracting, until it finally disappears by the end of the decade.

Echo Boom Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dordai, Phillipe; Rizzo, Joseph

2006-01-01

Like their baby-boomer parents, the echo-boom generation is reshaping the college and university landscape. At 80 million strong, this group of children and young adults born between 1980 and 1995 now is flooding the college and university system, spurring a college building boom. According to Campus Space Crunch, a Hillier Architecture survey of…

On the potential of the EChO mission to characterize gas giant atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barstow, J. K.; Aigrain, S.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Bowles, N.; Fletcher, L. N.; Lee, J.-M.

2013-04-01

Space telescopes such as Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be important for the future study of extrasolar planet atmospheres. Both of these missions are capable of performing high sensitivity spectroscopic measurements at moderate resolutions in the visible and infrared, which will allow the characterization of atmospheric properties using primary and secondary transit spectroscopy. We use the Non-linear optimal Estimator for MultivariateE spectral analysis (NEMESIS) radiative transfer and retrieval tool, as developed by Irwin et al. and Lee et al., to explore the potential of the proposed EChO mission to solve the retrieval problem for a range of H2-He planets orbiting different stars. We find that EChO should be capable of retrieving temperature structure to ˜200 K precision and detecting H2O, CO2 and CH4 from a single eclipse measurement for a hot Jupiter orbiting a Sun-like star and a hot Neptune orbiting an M star, also providing upper limits on CO and NH3. We provide a table of retrieval precisions for these quantities in each test case. We expect around 30 Jupiter-sized planets to be observable by EChO; hot Neptunes orbiting M dwarfs are rarer, but we anticipate observations of at least one similar planet.

Extra Dimensions of Space: Are They Going to be Found Soon?

ScienceCinema

Rubakov, Valery [Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow, Russia

2017-12-09

Our space may well have more than 3 dimensions. Indeed, theories that pretend to be most fundamental choose to live in higher dimensions: a natural area for superstring/Mtheory is 9- or 10-dimensional space. Extra dimensions have been hidden so far, but they would open up above a certain energy threshold. A fascinating possibility is that this happens within reach of particle colliders. This lecture will address the motivation for such a viewpoint and implications of accessible extra dimensions for our understanding of nature.

Cortical neurons of bats respond best to echoes from nearest targets when listening to natural biosonar multi-echo streams.

PubMed

Beetz, M Jerome; Hechavarría, Julio C; Kössl, Manfred

2016-10-27

Bats orientate in darkness by listening to echoes from their biosonar calls, a behaviour known as echolocation. Recent studies showed that cortical neurons respond in a highly selective manner when stimulated with natural echolocation sequences that contain echoes from single targets. However, it remains unknown how cortical neurons process echolocation sequences containing echo information from multiple objects. In the present study, we used echolocation sequences containing echoes from three, two or one object separated in the space depth as stimuli to study neuronal activity in the bat auditory cortex. Neuronal activity was recorded with multi-electrode arrays placed in the dorsal auditory cortex, where neurons tuned to target-distance are found. Our results show that target-distance encoding neurons are mostly selective to echoes coming from the closest object, and that the representation of echo information from distant objects is selectively suppressed. This suppression extends over a large part of the dorsal auditory cortex and may override possible parallel processing of multiple objects. The presented data suggest that global cortical suppression might establish a cortical "default mode" that allows selectively focusing on close obstacle even without active attention from the animals.

Cortical neurons of bats respond best to echoes from nearest targets when listening to natural biosonar multi-echo streams

PubMed Central

Beetz, M. Jerome; Hechavarría, Julio C.; Kössl, Manfred

2016-01-01

Bats orientate in darkness by listening to echoes from their biosonar calls, a behaviour known as echolocation. Recent studies showed that cortical neurons respond in a highly selective manner when stimulated with natural echolocation sequences that contain echoes from single targets. However, it remains unknown how cortical neurons process echolocation sequences containing echo information from multiple objects. In the present study, we used echolocation sequences containing echoes from three, two or one object separated in the space depth as stimuli to study neuronal activity in the bat auditory cortex. Neuronal activity was recorded with multi-electrode arrays placed in the dorsal auditory cortex, where neurons tuned to target-distance are found. Our results show that target-distance encoding neurons are mostly selective to echoes coming from the closest object, and that the representation of echo information from distant objects is selectively suppressed. This suppression extends over a large part of the dorsal auditory cortex and may override possible parallel processing of multiple objects. The presented data suggest that global cortical suppression might establish a cortical “default mode” that allows selectively focusing on close obstacle even without active attention from the animals. PMID:27786252

longitudinal space charge assisted echo seeding of a free electron laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hacker, Kirsten

2015-05-01

Seed lasers are employed to improve the temporal coherence of free-electron laser light. However, when seed pulses are short relative to the particle bunch, the noisy, temporally incoherent radiation from the un-seeded electrons can overwhelm the coherent, seeded radiation. In this paper a new seeding mechanism to improve the contrast between coherent and incoherent free electron laser radiation is employed together with a novel, simplified echo-seeding method. The concept relies on a combination of longitudinal space charge wakes and an echo-seeding technique to make a short, coherent pulse of FEL light together with noise background suppression. Several different simulation codes are used to illustrate the concept with conditions at the soft x-ray Free-electron LASer in Hamburg, FLASH. The impacts of coherent synchrotron radiation, intra beam scattering, and high peak current operation are investigated.

Contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional SPACE versus MP-RAGE for the detection of brain metastases: considerations with a 32-channel head coil.

PubMed

Reichert, Miriam; Morelli, John N; Runge, Val M; Tao, Ai; von Ritschl, Ruediger; von Ritschl, Andreas; Padua, Abraham; Dix, James E; Marra, Michael J; Schoenberg, Stefan O; Attenberger, Ulrike I

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the detection of brain metastases at 3 T using a 32-channel head coil with 2 different 3-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced sequences, a T1-weighted fast spin-echo-based (SPACE; sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions) sequence and a conventional magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) sequence. Seventeen patients with 161 brain metastases were examined prospectively using both SPACE and MP-RAGE sequences on a 3-T magnetic resonance system. Eight healthy volunteers were similarly examined for determination of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values. Parameters were adjusted to equalize acquisition times between the sequences (3 minutes and 30 seconds). The order in which sequences were performed was randomized. Two blinded board-certified neuroradiologists evaluated the number of detectable metastatic lesions with each sequence relative to a criterion standard reading conducted at the Gamma Knife facility by a neuroradiologist with access to all clinical and imaging data. In the volunteer assessment with SPACE and MP-RAGE, SNR (10.3 ± 0.8 vs 7.7 ± 0.7) and contrast-to-noise ratio (0.8 ± 0.2 vs 0.5 ± 0.1) were statistically significantly greater with the SPACE sequence (P < 0.05). Overall, lesion detection was markedly improved with the SPACE sequence (99.1% of lesions for reader 1 and 96.3% of lesions for reader 2) compared with the MP-RAGE sequence (73.6% of lesions for reader 1 and 68.5% of lesions for reader 2; P < 0.01). A 3D T1-weighted fast spin echo sequence (SPACE) improves detection of metastatic lesions relative to 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo-based scan (MP-RAGE) imaging when implemented with a 32-channel head coil at identical scan acquisition times (3 minutes and 30 seconds).

Accelerated whole brain intracranial vessel wall imaging using black blood fast spin echo with compressed sensing (CS-SPACE).

PubMed

Zhu, Chengcheng; Tian, Bing; Chen, Luguang; Eisenmenger, Laura; Raithel, Esther; Forman, Christoph; Ahn, Sinyeob; Laub, Gerhard; Liu, Qi; Lu, Jianping; Liu, Jing; Hess, Christopher; Saloner, David

2018-06-01

Develop and optimize an accelerated, high-resolution (0.5 mm isotropic) 3D black blood MRI technique to reduce scan time for whole-brain intracranial vessel wall imaging. A 3D accelerated T 1 -weighted fast-spin-echo prototype sequence using compressed sensing (CS-SPACE) was developed at 3T. Both the acquisition [echo train length (ETL), under-sampling factor] and reconstruction parameters (regularization parameter, number of iterations) were first optimized in 5 healthy volunteers. Ten patients with a variety of intracranial vascular disease presentations (aneurysm, atherosclerosis, dissection, vasculitis) were imaged with SPACE and optimized CS-SPACE, pre and post Gd contrast. Lumen/wall area, wall-to-lumen contrast ratio (CR), enhancement ratio (ER), sharpness, and qualitative scores (1-4) by two radiologists were recorded. The optimized CS-SPACE protocol has ETL 60, 20% k-space under-sampling, 0.002 regularization factor with 20 iterations. In patient studies, CS-SPACE and conventional SPACE had comparable image scores both pre- (3.35 ± 0.85 vs. 3.54 ± 0.65, p = 0.13) and post-contrast (3.72 ± 0.58 vs. 3.53 ± 0.57, p = 0.15), but the CS-SPACE acquisition was 37% faster (6:48 vs. 10:50). CS-SPACE agreed with SPACE for lumen/wall area, ER measurements and sharpness, but marginally reduced the CR. In the evaluation of intracranial vascular disease, CS-SPACE provides a substantial reduction in scan time compared to conventional T 1 -weighted SPACE while maintaining good image quality.

Optimized, unequal pulse spacing in multiple echo sequences improves refocusing in magnetic resonance.

PubMed

Jenista, Elizabeth R; Stokes, Ashley M; Branca, Rosa Tamara; Warren, Warren S

2009-11-28

A recent quantum computing paper (G. S. Uhrig, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 100504 (2007)) analytically derived optimal pulse spacings for a multiple spin echo sequence designed to remove decoherence in a two-level system coupled to a bath. The spacings in what has been called a "Uhrig dynamic decoupling (UDD) sequence" differ dramatically from the conventional, equal pulse spacing of a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) multiple spin echo sequence. The UDD sequence was derived for a model that is unrelated to magnetic resonance, but was recently shown theoretically to be more general. Here we show that the UDD sequence has theoretical advantages for magnetic resonance imaging of structured materials such as tissue, where diffusion in compartmentalized and microstructured environments leads to fluctuating fields on a range of different time scales. We also show experimentally, both in excised tissue and in a live mouse tumor model, that optimal UDD sequences produce different T(2)-weighted contrast than do CPMG sequences with the same number of pulses and total delay, with substantial enhancements in most regions. This permits improved characterization of low-frequency spectral density functions in a wide range of applications.

Reduction of respiratory ghosting motion artifacts in conventional two-dimensional multi-slice Cartesian turbo spin-echo: which k-space filling order is the best?

PubMed

Inoue, Yuuji; Yoneyama, Masami; Nakamura, Masanobu; Takemura, Atsushi

2018-06-01

The two-dimensional Cartesian turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence is widely used in routine clinical studies, but it is sensitive to respiratory motion. We investigated the k-space orders in Cartesian TSE that can effectively reduce motion artifacts. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between k-space order and degree of motion artifacts using a moving phantom. We compared the degree of motion artifacts between linear and asymmetric k-space orders. The actual spacing of ghost artifacts in the asymmetric order was doubled compared with that in the linear order in the free-breathing situation. The asymmetric order clearly showed less sensitivity to incomplete breath-hold at the latter half of the imaging period. Because of the actual number of partitions of the k-space and the temporal filling order, the asymmetric k-space order of Cartesian TSE was superior to the linear k-space order for reduction of ghosting motion artifacts.

Inflation Tests of the Echo 1 Satellite in Weeksville, N.C.

NASA Image and Video Library

1958-08-13

Inflation Tests of the Echo 1 Satellite in Weeksville, N.C. 1958-L-03603 Image Langley engineers Edwin Kilgore (center), Norman Crabill (right) and an unidentified man take a peek inside the vast balloon during inflation tests. Page. 183 Space Flight Revolution NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo. NASA SP-4308.

On the Performance of T2∗ Correction Methods for Quantification of Hepatic Fat Content

PubMed Central

Reeder, Scott B.; Bice, Emily K.; Yu, Huanzhou; Hernando, Diego; Pineda, Angel R.

2014-01-01

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent chronic liver disease in Western societies. MRI can quantify liver fat, the hallmark feature of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, so long as multiple confounding factors including T2∗ decay are addressed. Recently developed MRI methods that correct for T2∗ to improve the accuracy of fat quantification either assume a common T2∗ (single- T2∗) for better stability and noise performance or independently estimate the T2∗ for water and fat (dual- T2∗) for reduced bias, but with noise performance penalty. In this study, the tradeoff between bias and variance for different T2∗ correction methods is analyzed using the Cramér-Rao bound analysis for biased estimators and is validated using Monte Carlo experiments. A noise performance metric for estimation of fat fraction is proposed. Cramér-Rao bound analysis for biased estimators was used to compute the metric at different echo combinations. Optimization was performed for six echoes and typical T2∗ values. This analysis showed that all methods have better noise performance with very short first echo times and echo spacing of ∼π/2 for single- T2∗ correction, and ∼2π/3 for dual- T2∗ correction. Interestingly, when an echo spacing and first echo shift of ∼π/2 are used, methods without T2∗ correction have less than 5% bias in the estimates of fat fraction. PMID:21661045

Light Echo From Star V838 Monocerotis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This series of photos, captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys from May to December 2002, dramatically demonstrates the reverberation of light through space caused by an unusual stellar outburst in January 2002. A burst of light from the bizarre star is spreading into space and reflecting off of surrounding circumstellar dust. As different parts are sequentially illuminated, the appearance of the dust changes. This effect is referred to as a 'light echo'. The red star at the center of the eyeball like feature is the unusual erupting super giant called V838 Monocerotis, or V Mon, located about 20,000 light-years away in the winter constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). During its outburst, the star brightened to more than 600,000 times our Sun's luminosity. The circular feature has now expanded to slightly larger than the angular size of Jupiter on the sky, and will continue to expand for several more years until the light from the back side of the nebula begins to arrive. The light echo will then give the illusion of contracting, until it finally disappears by the end of the decade.

Highly coherent vacuum ultraviolet radiation at the 15th harmonic with echo-enabled harmonic generation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemsing, E.; Dunning, M.; Hast, C.; Raubenheimer, T. O.; Weathersby, S.; Xiang, D.

2014-07-01

X-ray free-electron lasers are enabling access to new science by producing ultrafast and intense x rays that give researchers unparalleled power and precision in examining the fundamental nature of matter. In the quest for fully coherent x rays, the echo-enabled harmonic generation technique is one of the most promising methods. In this technique, coherent radiation at the high harmonic frequencies of two seed lasers is generated from the recoherence of electron beam phase space memory. Here we report on the generation of highly coherent and stable vacuum ultraviolet radiation at the 15th harmonic of an infrared seed laser with this technique. The experiment demonstrates two distinct advantages that are intrinsic to the highly nonlinear phase space gymnastics of echo-enabled harmonic generation in a new regime, i.e., high frequency up-conversion efficiency and insensitivity to electron beam phase space imperfections. Our results allow comparison and confirmation of predictive models and scaling laws, and mark a significant step towards fully coherent x-ray free-electron lasers that will open new scientific research.

8. LESLIE WICKMAN, EVA (EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITIES) SPECIALIST, GETTING OUT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. LESLIE WICKMAN, EVA (EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITIES) SPECIALIST, GETTING OUT OF SPACE SUIT AFTER TESTING IN NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK. AVERAGE COST OF SUIT $1,000,000. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

Longitudinal space charge assisted echo seeding of a free-electron laser with laser-spoiler noise suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hacker, Kirsten

2014-09-01

Seed lasers are employed to improve the temporal coherence of free-electron laser (FEL) light. However, when these seed pulses are short relative to the particle bunch, the noisy, temporally incoherent radiation from the unseeded electrons can overwhelm the coherent, seeded radiation. In this paper, a technique to seed a particle bunch with an external laser is presented in which a new mechanism to improve the contrast between coherent and incoherent free electron laser radiation is employed together with a novel, simplified echo-seeding method. The concept relies on a combination of longitudinal space charge wakes and an echo-seeding technique to make a short, coherent pulse of FEL light together with noise background suppression. Several different simulation codes are used to illustrate the concept with conditions at the soft x-ray free-electron laser in Hamburg, FLASH.

Project Echo: Horn-Reflector Antenna for Space Communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, A. B.; Hogg, D. C.; Hunt, L. E.

1961-01-01

This paper describes the mechanical features of the horn- reflector antenna used for receiving signals reflected from the Project Echo balloon satellite, and presents in some detail the electrical characteristics (radiation patterns and gain) measured at a frequency of 2390 Mc. Theoretically derived characteristics which agree very well with the measurements are also presented; details of the calculations are given in the appendices.

Observer performance in semi-automated microbleed detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuijf, Hugo J.; Brundel, Manon; de Bresser, Jeroen; Viergever, Max A.; Biessels, Geert Jan; Geerlings, Mirjam I.; Vincken, Koen L.

2013-03-01

Cerebral microbleeds are small bleedings in the human brain, detectable with MRI. Microbleeds are associated with vascular disease and dementia. The number of studies involving microbleed detection is increasing rapidly. Visual rating is the current standard for detection, but is a time-consuming process, especially at high-resolution 7.0 T MR images, has limited reproducibility and is highly observer dependent. Recently, multiple techniques have been published for the semi-automated detection of microbleeds, attempting to overcome these problems. In the present study, a 7.0 T dual-echo gradient echo MR image was acquired in 18 participants with microbleeds from the SMART study. Two experienced observers identified 54 microbleeds in these participants, using a validated visual rating scale. The radial symmetry transform (RST) can be used for semi-automated detection of microbleeds in 7.0 T MR images. In the present study, the results of the RST were assessed by two observers and 47 microbleeds were identified: 35 true positives and 12 extra positives (microbleeds that were missed during visual rating). Hence, after scoring a total number of 66 microbleeds could be identified in the 18 participants. The use of the RST increased the average sensitivity of observers from 59% to 69%. More importantly, inter-observer agreement (ICC and Dice's coefficient) increased from 0.85 and 0.64 to 0.98 and 0.96, respectively. Furthermore, the required rating time was reduced from 30 to 2 minutes per participant. By fine-tuning the RST, sensitivities up to 90% can be achieved, at the cost of extra false positives.

Light Echoes from Recent Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugerman, Ben; SEEDS Collaboration

2009-01-01

Since the launch of the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have been carrying out a sensitive mid-IR Survey for Evolution of Emission from Dust in SNe (SEEDS, P.I. Mike Barlow), to address the extent to which SNe produce dust, and whether they are a primary source of dust in the Universe. During the course of our survey, we have followed the lightcurves of many nearby supernovae past a few hundred days (which is when most people lose interest in them). As a result, we have found (or others have hypothesized) optical light echoes at late times. Here, we present an update on echoes from SNe 2002hh, 2003gd and 2004et, and discuss the extent to which these echoes affect the optical and mid-IR light curves, and hence the formation of dust within the ejecta.

Neural time course of visually enhanced echo suppression.

PubMed

Bishop, Christopher W; London, Sam; Miller, Lee M

2012-10-01

Auditory spatial perception plays a critical role in day-to-day communication. For instance, listeners utilize acoustic spatial information to segregate individual talkers into distinct auditory "streams" to improve speech intelligibility. However, spatial localization is an exceedingly difficult task in everyday listening environments with numerous distracting echoes from nearby surfaces, such as walls. Listeners' brains overcome this unique challenge by relying on acoustic timing and, quite surprisingly, visual spatial information to suppress short-latency (1-10 ms) echoes through a process known as "the precedence effect" or "echo suppression." In the present study, we employed electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the neural time course of echo suppression both with and without the aid of coincident visual stimulation in human listeners. We find that echo suppression is a multistage process initialized during the auditory N1 (70-100 ms) and followed by space-specific suppression mechanisms from 150 to 250 ms. Additionally, we find a robust correlate of listeners' spatial perception (i.e., suppressing or not suppressing the echo) over central electrode sites from 300 to 500 ms. Contrary to our hypothesis, vision's powerful contribution to echo suppression occurs late in processing (250-400 ms), suggesting that vision contributes primarily during late sensory or decision making processes. Together, our findings support growing evidence that echo suppression is a slow, progressive mechanism modifiable by visual influences during late sensory and decision making stages. Furthermore, our findings suggest that audiovisual interactions are not limited to early, sensory-level modulations but extend well into late stages of cortical processing.

Recent Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Light Echoes of Supernova 2014J in M 82 and Supernova 2016adj in Centaurus A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, Stephen S.; Hyder, Ali; Sugerman, Ben; Crotts, Arlin P. S.

2017-06-01

We report on our ongoing use of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging to monitor the scattered light echoes of recent heavily-extincted supernovae in two nearby, albeit unusual, galaxies.Supernova 2014J was a highly-reddened Type Ia supernova that erupted in the nearby irregular star-forming galaxy M 82 in 2014 January. It was discovered to have light echo by Crotts (2016) in early epoch HST imaging and has been further described by Yang, et al. (2017) based on HST imaging through late 2014. Our ongoing monitoring in the WFC3 F438W, F555W, and F814W filters shows that, consistent with Crotts (2106) and Yang, et al. (2017), throughout 2015 and 2016 the main light echo arc expanded through a dust complex located approximately 230 pc in the foreground of the supernova. This main light echo has, however, faded dramatically in our most recent HST imaging from 2017 March. The supernova itself has also faded to undetectable levels by 2017 March.Supernova 2016adj is a highly-reddened core-collapse supernova that erupted inside the unusual dust lane of the nearby giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) in 2016 February. It was discovered to have a light echo by Sugerman & Lawrence (2016) in early epoch HST imaging in 2016 April. Our ongoing monitoring in the WFC3 F438W, F547M, and F814W filters shows a slightly elliptical series of light echo arc segments hosted by a tilted dust complex ranging approximately 150--225 pc in the foreground of the supernova. The supernova itself has also faded to undetectable levels by 2017 April.References: Crotts, A. P. S., ApJL, 804, L37 (2016); Yang et al., ApJ, 834, 60 (2017); Sugerman, B. and Lawrence, S., ATel #8890 (2016).

A Year in the Life of an Infrared Echo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1: Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A One Year Apart

These Spitzer Space Telescope images, taken one year apart, show the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (yellow ball) and surrounding clouds of dust (reddish orange). The pictures illustrate that a blast of light from Cassiopeia A is waltzing outward through the dusty skies. This dance, called an 'infrared echo,' began when the remnant erupted about 50 years ago.

Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion 325 years ago. It consists of a dead star, called a neutron star, and a surrounding shell of material that was blasted off as the star died. This remnant is located 10,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia.

Infrared echoes are created when a star explodes or erupts, flashing light into surrounding clumps of dust. As the light zips through the dust clumps, it heats them up, causing them to glow successively in infrared, like a chain of Christmas bulbs lighting up one by one. The result is an optical illusion, in which the dust appears to be flying outward at the speed of light. Echoes are distinct from supernova shockwaves, which are made up material that is swept up and hurled outward by exploding stars.

This infrared echo is the largest ever seen, stretching more than 50 light-years away from Cassiopeia A. If viewed from Earth, the entire movie frame would take up the same amount of space as two full moons.

Hints of an older infrared echo from Cassiopeia A's supernova explosion hundreds of years ago can also be seen.

The top Spitzer image was taken on November 30, 2003, and the bottom, on December 2, 2004.

New Imaging Strategies Using a Motion-Resistant Liver Sequence in Uncooperative Patients

PubMed Central

Kim, Bong Soo; Lee, Kyung Ryeol; Goh, Myeng Ju

2014-01-01

MR imaging has unique benefits for evaluating the liver because of its high-resolution capability and ability to permit detailed assessment of anatomic lesions. In uncooperative patients, motion artifacts can impair the image quality and lead to the loss of diagnostic information. In this setting, the recent advances in motion-resistant liver MR techniques, including faster imaging protocols (e.g., dual-echo magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient echo (MP-RAGE), view-sharing technique), the data under-sampling (e.g., gradient recalled echo (GRE) with controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA), single-shot echo-train spin-echo (SS-ETSE)), and motion-artifact minimization method (e.g., radial GRE with/without k-space-weighted image contrast (KWIC)), can provide consistent, artifact-free images with adequate image quality and can lead to promising diagnostic performance. Understanding of the different motion-resistant options allows radiologists to adopt the most appropriate technique for their clinical practice and thereby significantly improve patient care. PMID:25243115

Editorial: Focus on Extra Space Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agashe, Kaustubh; Pomarol, Alex

2010-07-01

Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have just started. In addition to verifying the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics, these experiments will probe a new energy frontier and test extensions of the SM. The existence of extra dimensions is one of the most attractive possibilities for physics beyond the SM. This focus issue contains a collection of articles addressing both theoretical and phenomenological aspects of extra-dimensional models. Focus on Extra Space Dimensions Contents Minimal universal extra dimensions in CalcHEP/CompHEP AseshKrishna Datta, Kyoungchul Kong and Konstantin T Matchev Disordered extra dimensions Karim Benakli Codimension-2 brane-bulk matching: examples from six and ten dimensions Allan Bayntun, C P Burgess and Leo van Nierop Gauge threshold corrections in warped geometry Kiwoon Choi, Ian-Woo Kim and Chang Sub Shin Holographic methods and gauge-Higgs unification in flat extra dimensions Marco Serone Soft-wall stabilization Joan A Cabrer, Gero von Gersdorff and Mariano Quirós Warped five-dimensional models: phenomenological status and experimental prospects Hooman Davoudiasl, Shrihari Gopalakrishna, Eduardo Pontón and José Santiago

A method for simultaneous echo planar imaging of hyperpolarized 13C pyruvate and 13C lactate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Galen D.; Larson, Peder E. Z.; von Morze, Cornelius; Bok, Robert; Lustig, Michael; Kerr, Adam B.; Pauly, John M.; Kurhanewicz, John; Vigneron, Daniel B.

2012-04-01

A rapid echo planar imaging sequence for dynamic imaging of [1-13C] lactate and [1-13C] pyruvate simultaneously was developed. Frequency-based separation of these metabolites was achieved by spatial shifting in the phase-encoded direction with the appropriate choice of echo spacing. Suppression of the pyruvate-hydrate and alanine resonances is achieved through an optimized spectral-spatial RF waveform. Signal sampling efficiency as a function of pyruvate and lactate excitation angle was simulated using two site exchange models. Dynamic imaging is demonstrated in a transgenic mouse model, and phantom validations of the RF pulse frequency selectivity were performed.

Place recognition using batlike sonar.

PubMed

Vanderelst, Dieter; Steckel, Jan; Boen, Andre; Peremans, Herbert; Holderied, Marc W

2016-08-02

Echolocating bats have excellent spatial memory and are able to navigate to salient locations using bio-sonar. Navigating and route-following require animals to recognize places. Currently, it is mostly unknown how bats recognize places using echolocation. In this paper, we propose template based place recognition might underlie sonar-based navigation in bats. Under this hypothesis, bats recognize places by remembering their echo signature - rather than their 3D layout. Using a large body of ensonification data collected in three different habitats, we test the viability of this hypothesis assessing two critical properties of the proposed echo signatures: (1) they can be uniquely classified and (2) they vary continuously across space. Based on the results presented, we conclude that the proposed echo signatures satisfy both criteria. We discuss how these two properties of the echo signatures can support navigation and building a cognitive map.

Spin echo SPI methods for quantitative analysis of fluids in porous media.

PubMed

Li, Linqing; Han, Hui; Balcom, Bruce J

2009-06-01

Fluid density imaging is highly desirable in a wide variety of porous media measurements. The SPRITE class of MRI methods has proven to be robust and general in their ability to generate density images in porous media, however the short encoding times required, with correspondingly high magnetic field gradient strengths and filter widths, and low flip angle RF pulses, yield sub-optimal S/N images, especially at low static field strength. This paper explores two implementations of pure phase encode spin echo 1D imaging, with application to a proposed new petroleum reservoir core analysis measurement. In the first implementation of the pulse sequence, we modify the spin echo single point imaging (SE-SPI) technique to acquire the k-space origin data point, with a near zero evolution time, from the free induction decay (FID) following a 90 degrees excitation pulse. Subsequent k-space data points are acquired by separately phase encoding individual echoes in a multi-echo acquisition. T(2) attenuation of the echo train yields an image convolution which causes blurring. The T(2) blur effect is moderate for porous media with T(2) lifetime distributions longer than 5 ms. As a robust, high S/N, and fast 1D imaging method, this method will be highly complementary to SPRITE techniques for the quantitative analysis of fluid content in porous media. In the second implementation of the SE-SPI pulse sequence, modification of the basic measurement permits fast determination of spatially resolved T(2) distributions in porous media through separately phase encoding each echo in a multi-echo CPMG pulse train. An individual T(2) weighted image may be acquired from each echo. The echo time (TE) of each T(2) weighted image may be reduced to 500 micros or less. These profiles can be fit to extract a T(2) distribution from each pixel employing a variety of standard inverse Laplace transform methods. Fluid content 1D images are produced as an essential by product of determining the spatially resolved T(2) distribution. These 1D images do not suffer from a T(2) related blurring. The above SE-SPI measurements are combined to generate 1D images of the local saturation and T(2) distribution as a function of saturation, upon centrifugation of petroleum reservoir core samples. The logarithm mean T(2) is observed to shift linearly with water saturation. This new reservoir core analysis measurement may provide a valuable calibration of the Coates equation for irreducible water saturation, which has been widely implemented in NMR well logging measurements.

Momentum-Space Entanglement and Loschmidt Echo in Luttinger Liquids after a Quantum Quench.

PubMed

Dóra, Balázs; Lundgren, Rex; Selover, Mark; Pollmann, Frank

2016-07-01

Luttinger liquids (LLs) arise by coupling left- and right-moving particles through interactions in one dimension. This most natural partitioning of LLs is investigated by the momentum-space entanglement after a quantum quench using analytical and numerical methods. We show that the momentum-space entanglement spectrum of a LL possesses many universal features both in equilibrium and after a quantum quench. The largest entanglement eigenvalue is identical to the Loschmidt echo, i.e., the overlap of the disentangled and final wave functions of the system. The second largest eigenvalue is the overlap of the first excited state of the disentangled system with zero total momentum and the final wave function. The entanglement gap is universal both in equilibrium and after a quantum quench. The momentum-space entanglement entropy is always extensive and saturates fast to a time independent value after the quench, in sharp contrast to a spatial bipartitioning.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-08

This photo, captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys, is Hubble's latest view of an expanding halo of light around the distant star V838 Monocerotis, or V Mon, caused by an unusual stellar outburst that occurred back in January 2002. A burst of light from the bizarre star is spreading into space and reflecting off of surrounding circumstellar dust. As different parts are sequentially illuminated, the appearance of the dust changes. This effect is referred to as a "light echo". Located about 20,000 light-years away in the winter constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn), the star brightened to more than 600,000 times our Sun's luminosity. The light echo gives the illusion of contracting, until it finally disappears by the end of the decade.

Time-frequency model for echo-delay resolution in wideband biosonar.

PubMed

Neretti, Nicola; Sanderson, Mark I; Intrator, Nathan; Simmons, James A

2003-04-01

A time/frequency model of the bat's auditory system was developed to examine the basis for the fine (approximately 2 micros) echo-delay resolution of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), and its performance at resolving closely spaced FM sonar echoes in the bat's 20-100-kHz band at different signal-to-noise ratios was computed. The model uses parallel bandpass filters spaced over this band to generate envelopes that individually can have much lower bandwidth than the bat's ultrasonic sonar sounds and still achieve fine delay resolution. Because fine delay separations are inside the integration time of the model's filters (approximately 250-300 micros), resolving them means using interference patterns along the frequency dimension (spectral peaks and notches). The low bandwidth content of the filter outputs is suitable for relay of information to higher auditory areas that have intrinsically poor temporal response properties. If implemented in fully parallel analog-digital hardware, the model is computationally extremely efficient and would improve resolution in military and industrial sonar receivers.

Correction for Eddy Current-Induced Echo-Shifting Effect in Partial-Fourier Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

PubMed

Truong, Trong-Kha; Song, Allen W; Chen, Nan-Kuei

2015-01-01

In most diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, images are acquired with either a partial-Fourier or a parallel partial-Fourier echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence, in order to shorten the echo time and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, eddy currents induced by the diffusion-sensitizing gradients can often lead to a shift of the echo in k-space, resulting in three distinct types of artifacts in partial-Fourier DTI. Here, we present an improved DTI acquisition and reconstruction scheme, capable of generating high-quality and high-SNR DTI data without eddy current-induced artifacts. This new scheme consists of three components, respectively, addressing the three distinct types of artifacts. First, a k-space energy-anchored DTI sequence is designed to recover eddy current-induced signal loss (i.e., Type 1 artifact). Second, a multischeme partial-Fourier reconstruction is used to eliminate artificial signal elevation (i.e., Type 2 artifact) associated with the conventional partial-Fourier reconstruction. Third, a signal intensity correction is applied to remove artificial signal modulations due to eddy current-induced erroneous T2(∗) -weighting (i.e., Type 3 artifact). These systematic improvements will greatly increase the consistency and accuracy of DTI measurements, expanding the utility of DTI in translational applications where quantitative robustness is much needed.

Correction for Eddy Current-Induced Echo-Shifting Effect in Partial-Fourier Diffusion Tensor Imaging

PubMed Central

Truong, Trong-Kha; Song, Allen W.; Chen, Nan-kuei

2015-01-01

In most diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, images are acquired with either a partial-Fourier or a parallel partial-Fourier echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence, in order to shorten the echo time and increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, eddy currents induced by the diffusion-sensitizing gradients can often lead to a shift of the echo in k-space, resulting in three distinct types of artifacts in partial-Fourier DTI. Here, we present an improved DTI acquisition and reconstruction scheme, capable of generating high-quality and high-SNR DTI data without eddy current-induced artifacts. This new scheme consists of three components, respectively, addressing the three distinct types of artifacts. First, a k-space energy-anchored DTI sequence is designed to recover eddy current-induced signal loss (i.e., Type 1 artifact). Second, a multischeme partial-Fourier reconstruction is used to eliminate artificial signal elevation (i.e., Type 2 artifact) associated with the conventional partial-Fourier reconstruction. Third, a signal intensity correction is applied to remove artificial signal modulations due to eddy current-induced erroneous T 2 ∗-weighting (i.e., Type 3 artifact). These systematic improvements will greatly increase the consistency and accuracy of DTI measurements, expanding the utility of DTI in translational applications where quantitative robustness is much needed. PMID:26413505

Steer-PROP: a GRASE-PROPELLER sequence with interecho steering gradient pulses.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Girish; Rangwala, Novena; Zhou, Xiaohong Joe

2018-05-01

This study demonstrates a novel PROPELLER (periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction) pulse sequence, termed Steer-PROP, based on gradient and spin echo (GRASE), to reduce the imaging times and address phase errors inherent to GRASE. The study also illustrates the feasibility of using Steer-PROP as an alternative to single-shot echo planar imaging (SS-EPI) to produce distortion-free diffusion images in all imaging planes. Steer-PROP uses a series of blip gradient pulses to produce N (N = 3-5) adjacent k-space blades in each repetition time, where N is the number of gradient echoes in a GRASE sequence. This sampling strategy enables a phase correction algorithm to systematically address the GRASE phase errors as well as the motion-induced phase inconsistency. Steer-PROP was evaluated on phantoms and healthy human subjects at both 1.5T and 3.0T for T 2 - and diffusion-weighted imaging. Steer-PROP produced similar image quality as conventional PROPELLER based on fast spin echo (FSE), while taking only a fraction (e.g., 1/3) of the scan time. The robustness against motion in Steer-PROP was comparable to that of FSE-based PROPELLER. Using Steer-PROP, high quality and distortion-free diffusion images were obtained from human subjects in all imaging planes, demonstrating a considerable advantage over SS-EPI. The proposed Steer-PROP sequence can substantially reduce the scan times compared with FSE-based PROPELLER while achieving adequate image quality. The novel k-space sampling strategy in Steer-PROP not only enables an integrated phase correction method that addresses various sources of phase errors, but also minimizes the echo spacing compared with alternative sampling strategies. Steer-PROP can also be a viable alternative to SS-EPI to decrease image distortion in all imaging planes. Magn Reson Med 79:2533-2541, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Ranging in Human Sonar: Effects of Additional Early Reflections and Exploratory Head Movements

PubMed Central

Wallmeier, Ludwig; Wiegrebe, Lutz

2014-01-01

Many blind people rely on echoes from self-produced sounds to assess their environment. It has been shown that human subjects can use echolocation for directional localization and orientation in a room, but echo-acoustic distance perception - e.g. to determine one's position in a room - has received little scientific attention, and systematic studies on the influence of additional early reflections and exploratory head movements are lacking. This study investigates echo-acoustic distance discrimination in virtual echo-acoustic space, using the impulse responses of a real corridor. Six blindfolded sighted subjects and a blind echolocation expert had to discriminate between two positions in the virtual corridor, which differed by their distance to the front wall, but not to the lateral walls. To solve this task, participants evaluated echoes that were generated in real time from self-produced vocalizations. Across experimental conditions, we systematically varied the restrictions for head rotations, the subjects' orientation in virtual space and the reference position. Three key results were observed. First, all participants successfully solved the task with discrimination thresholds below 1 m for all reference distances (0.75–4 m). Performance was best for the smallest reference distance of 0.75 m, with thresholds around 20 cm. Second, distance discrimination performance was relatively robust against additional early reflections, compared to other echolocation tasks like directional localization. Third, free head rotations during echolocation can improve distance discrimination performance in complex environmental settings. However, head movements do not necessarily provide a benefit over static echolocation from an optimal single orientation. These results show that accurate distance discrimination through echolocation is possible over a wide range of reference distances and environmental conditions. This is an important functional benefit of human echolocation, which may also play a major role in the calibration of auditory space representations. PMID:25551226

The sonar aperture and its neural representation in bats.

PubMed

Heinrich, Melina; Warmbold, Alexander; Hoffmann, Susanne; Firzlaff, Uwe; Wiegrebe, Lutz

2011-10-26

As opposed to visual imaging, biosonar imaging of spatial object properties represents a challenge for the auditory system because its sensory epithelium is not arranged along space axes. For echolocating bats, object width is encoded by the amplitude of its echo (echo intensity) but also by the naturally covarying spread of angles of incidence from which the echoes impinge on the bat's ears (sonar aperture). It is unclear whether bats use the echo intensity and/or the sonar aperture to estimate an object's width. We addressed this question in a combined psychophysical and electrophysiological approach. In three virtual-object playback experiments, bats of the species Phyllostomus discolor had to discriminate simple reflections of their own echolocation calls differing in echo intensity, sonar aperture, or both. Discrimination performance for objects with physically correct covariation of sonar aperture and echo intensity ("object width") did not differ from discrimination performances when only the sonar aperture was varied. Thus, the bats were able to detect changes in object width in the absence of intensity cues. The psychophysical results are reflected in the responses of a population of units in the auditory midbrain and cortex that responded strongest to echoes from objects with a specific sonar aperture, regardless of variations in echo intensity. Neurometric functions obtained from cortical units encoding the sonar aperture are sufficient to explain the behavioral performance of the bats. These current data show that the sonar aperture is a behaviorally relevant and reliably encoded cue for object size in bat sonar.

Gossypium barbadense genome sequence provides insight into the evolution of extra-long staple fiber and specialized metabolites.

PubMed

Liu, Xia; Zhao, Bo; Zheng, Hua-Jun; Hu, Yan; Lu, Gang; Yang, Chang-Qing; Chen, Jie-Dan; Chen, Jun-Jian; Chen, Dian-Yang; Zhang, Liang; Zhou, Yan; Wang, Ling-Jian; Guo, Wang-Zhen; Bai, Yu-Lin; Ruan, Ju-Xin; Shangguan, Xiao-Xia; Mao, Ying-Bo; Shan, Chun-Min; Jiang, Jian-Ping; Zhu, Yong-Qiang; Jin, Lei; Kang, Hui; Chen, Shu-Ting; He, Xu-Lin; Wang, Rui; Wang, Yue-Zhu; Chen, Jie; Wang, Li-Jun; Yu, Shu-Ting; Wang, Bi-Yun; Wei, Jia; Song, Si-Chao; Lu, Xin-Yan; Gao, Zheng-Chao; Gu, Wen-Yi; Deng, Xiao; Ma, Dan; Wang, Sen; Liang, Wen-Hua; Fang, Lei; Cai, Cai-Ping; Zhu, Xie-Fei; Zhou, Bao-Liang; Jeffrey Chen, Z; Xu, Shu-Hua; Zhang, Yu-Gao; Wang, Sheng-Yue; Zhang, Tian-Zhen; Zhao, Guo-Ping; Chen, Xiao-Ya

2015-09-30

Of the two cultivated species of allopolyploid cotton, Gossypium barbadense produces extra-long fibers for the production of superior textiles. We sequenced its genome (AD)2 and performed a comparative analysis. We identified three bursts of retrotransposons from 20 million years ago (Mya) and a genome-wide uneven pseudogenization peak at 11-20 Mya, which likely contributed to genomic divergences. Among the 2,483 genes preferentially expressed in fiber, a cell elongation regulator, PRE1, is strikingly At biased and fiber specific, echoing the A-genome origin of spinnable fiber. The expansion of the PRE members implies a genetic factor that underlies fiber elongation. Mature cotton fiber consists of nearly pure cellulose. G. barbadense and G. hirsutum contain 29 and 30 cellulose synthase (CesA) genes, respectively; whereas most of these genes (>25) are expressed in fiber, genes for secondary cell wall biosynthesis exhibited a delayed and higher degree of up-regulation in G. barbadense compared with G. hirsutum, conferring an extended elongation stage and highly active secondary wall deposition during extra-long fiber development. The rapid diversification of sesquiterpene synthase genes in the gossypol pathway exemplifies the chemical diversity of lineage-specific secondary metabolites. The G. barbadense genome advances our understanding of allopolyploidy, which will help improve cotton fiber quality.

Rain volume estimation over areas using satellite and radar data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doneaud, A. A.; Vonderhaar, T. H.

1985-01-01

An investigation of the feasibility of rain volume estimation using satellite data following a technique recently developed with radar data called the Arera Time Integral was undertaken. Case studies were selected on the basis of existing radar and satellite data sets which match in space and time. Four multicell clusters were analyzed. Routines for navigation remapping amd smoothing of satellite images were performed. Visible counts were normalized for solar zenith angle. A radar sector of interest was defined to delineate specific radar echo clusters for each radar time throughout the radar echo cluster lifetime. A satellite sector of interest was defined by applying small adjustments to the radar sector using a manual processing technique. The radar echo area, the IR maximum counts and the IR counts matching radar echo areas were found to evolve similarly, except for the decaying phase of the cluster where the cirrus debris keeps the IR counts high.

Decomposition Techniques for Icesat/glas Full-Waveform Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Z.; Gao, X.; Li, G.; Chen, J.

2018-04-01

The geoscience laser altimeter system (GLAS) on the board Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), is the first long-duration space borne full-waveform LiDAR for measuring the topography of the ice shelf and temporal variation, cloud and atmospheric characteristics. In order to extract the characteristic parameters of the waveform, the key step is to process the full waveform data. In this paper, the modified waveform decomposition method is proposed to extract the echo components from full-waveform. First, the initial parameter estimation is implemented through data preprocessing and waveform detection. Next, the waveform fitting is demonstrated using the Levenberg-Marquard (LM) optimization method. The results show that the modified waveform decomposition method can effectively extract the overlapped echo components and missing echo components compared with the results from GLA14 product. The echo components can also be extracted from the complex waveforms.

Place recognition using batlike sonar

PubMed Central

Vanderelst, Dieter; Steckel, Jan; Boen, Andre; Peremans, Herbert; Holderied, Marc W

2016-01-01

Echolocating bats have excellent spatial memory and are able to navigate to salient locations using bio-sonar. Navigating and route-following require animals to recognize places. Currently, it is mostly unknown how bats recognize places using echolocation. In this paper, we propose template based place recognition might underlie sonar-based navigation in bats. Under this hypothesis, bats recognize places by remembering their echo signature - rather than their 3D layout. Using a large body of ensonification data collected in three different habitats, we test the viability of this hypothesis assessing two critical properties of the proposed echo signatures: (1) they can be uniquely classified and (2) they vary continuously across space. Based on the results presented, we conclude that the proposed echo signatures satisfy both criteria. We discuss how these two properties of the echo signatures can support navigation and building a cognitive map. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.14188.001 PMID:27481189

17. NBS TOOL ROOM. MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS USED DURING EXTRA VEHICULAR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

17. NBS TOOL ROOM. MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS USED DURING EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY (EVA) MISSIONS AND NBS TRAINING. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THE TOOLS ARE: SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM (STS) PORTABLE FOOT RESTRAINT (PFR), ESSEX WRENCH, SOCKET WRENCH, SAFETY TETHER REEL (LEFT REAR), MINI WORKSTATION (CENTER REAR), TETHERS (FRONT CENTER), HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE (HST) POWER TOOL (FRONT RIGHT), HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE & PORTABLE FOOT RESTRAINT (REAR RIGHT). - Marshall Space Flight Center, Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Facility, Rideout Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL

BLIPPED (BLIpped Pure Phase EncoDing) high resolution MRI with low amplitude gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Dan; Balcom, Bruce J.

2017-12-01

MRI image resolution is proportional to the maximum k-space value, i.e. the temporal integral of the magnetic field gradient. High resolution imaging usually requires high gradient amplitudes and/or long spatial encoding times. Special gradient hardware is often required for high amplitudes and fast switching. We propose a high resolution imaging sequence that employs low amplitude gradients. This method was inspired by the previously proposed PEPI (π Echo Planar Imaging) sequence, which replaced EPI gradient reversals with multiple RF refocusing pulses. It has been shown that when the refocusing RF pulse is of high quality, i.e. sufficiently close to 180°, the magnetization phase introduced by the spatial encoding magnetic field gradient can be preserved and transferred to the following echo signal without phase rewinding. This phase encoding scheme requires blipped gradients that are identical for each echo, with low and constant amplitude, providing opportunities for high resolution imaging. We now extend the sequence to 3D pure phase encoding with low amplitude gradients. The method is compared with the Hybrid-SESPI (Spin Echo Single Point Imaging) technique to demonstrate the advantages in terms of low gradient duty cycle, compensation of concomitant magnetic field effects and minimal echo spacing, which lead to superior image quality and high resolution. The 3D imaging method was then applied with a parallel plate resonator RF probe, achieving a nominal spatial resolution of 17 μm in one dimension in the 3D image, requiring a maximum gradient amplitude of only 5.8 Gauss/cm.

Optical resonance imaging: An optical analog to MRI with sub-diffraction-limited capabilities.

PubMed

Allodi, Marco A; Dahlberg, Peter D; Mazuski, Richard J; Davis, Hunter C; Otto, John P; Engel, Gregory S

2016-12-21

We propose here optical resonance imaging (ORI), a direct optical analog to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The proposed pulse sequence for ORI maps space to time and recovers an image from a heterodyne-detected third-order nonlinear photon echo measurement. As opposed to traditional photon echo measurements, the third pulse in the ORI pulse sequence has significant pulse-front tilt that acts as a temporal gradient. This gradient couples space to time by stimulating the emission of a photon echo signal from different lateral spatial locations of a sample at different times, providing a widefield ultrafast microscopy. We circumvent the diffraction limit of the optics by mapping the lateral spatial coordinate of the sample with the emission time of the signal, which can be measured to high precision using interferometric heterodyne detection. This technique is thus an optical analog of MRI, where magnetic-field gradients are used to localize the spin-echo emission to a point below the diffraction limit of the radio-frequency wave used. We calculate the expected ORI signal using 15 fs pulses and 87° of pulse-front tilt, collected using f /2 optics and find a two-point resolution 275 nm using 800 nm light that satisfies the Rayleigh criterion. We also derive a general equation for resolution in optical resonance imaging that indicates that there is a possibility of superresolution imaging using this technique. The photon echo sequence also enables spectroscopic determination of the input and output energy. The technique thus correlates the input energy with the final position and energy of the exciton.

Acoustic monitoring method and system in laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB)

DOEpatents

O'Donnell, Matthew [Ann Arbor, MI; Ye, Jing Yong [Ann Arbor, MI; Norris, Theodore B [Dexter, MI; Baker, Jr., James R.; Balogh, Lajos P [Ann Arbor, MI; Milas, Susanne M [Ann Arbor, MI; Emelianov, Stanislav Y [Ann Arbor, MI; Hollman, Kyle W [Fenton, MI

2008-05-06

An acoustic monitoring method and system in laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB) provides information which characterize material which is broken down, microbubbles in the material, and/or the microenvironment of the microbubbles. In one embodiment of the invention, femtosecond laser pulses are focused just inside the surface of a volume of aqueous solution which may include dendrimer nanocomposite (DNC) particles. A tightly focused, high frequency, single-element ultrasonic transducer is positioned such that its focus coincides axially and laterally with this laser focus. When optical breakdown occurs, a microbubble forms and a shock or pressure wave is emitted (i.e., acoustic emission). In addition to this acoustic signal, the microbubble may be actively probed with pulse-echo measurements from the same transducer. After the microbubble forms, received pulse-echo signals have an extra pulse, describing the microbubble location and providing a measure of axial microbubble size. Wavefield plots of successive recordings illustrate the generation, growth, and collapse of microbubbles due to optical breakdown. These same plots can also be used to quantify LIOB thresholds.

[Imaging characteristics of PROPELLER T2-weighted imaging].

PubMed

Goto, Masami; Aoki, Shigeki; Hayashi, Naoto; Mori, Harushi; Watanabe, Yasushi; Ino, Kenji; Satake, Yoshirou; Nishida, Katuji; Sato, Haruo; Iida, Kyouhito; Mima, Kazuo; Ohtomo, Kuni

2004-11-01

As the PROPELLER sequence is a combination of the radial scan and fast-spin-echo (FSE) sequence, it can be considered an FSE sequence with a motion correlation. However, there are some differences between PROPELLER and FSE owing to differences in k-space trajectory. We clarified the imaging characteristics of PROPELLER T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for different parameters in comparison with usual FSE T2WI. When the same parameters were used, PROPELLER T2WI showed a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and lower spatial resolution than usual FSE. Effective echo time (TE) changed with different echo train lengths (ETL) or different bandwidths on PROPELLER, and imaging contrast changed accordingly to be more effective.

Inner-volume echo volumar imaging (IVEVI) for robust fetal brain imaging.

PubMed

Nunes, Rita G; Ferrazzi, Giulio; Price, Anthony N; Hutter, Jana; Gaspar, Andreia S; Rutherford, Mary A; Hajnal, Joseph V

2018-07-01

Fetal functional MRI studies using conventional 2-dimensional single-shot echo-planar imaging sequences may require discarding a large data fraction as a result of fetal and maternal motion. Increasing the temporal resolution using echo volumar imaging (EVI) could provide an effective alternative strategy. Echo volumar imaging was combined with inner volume (IV) imaging (IVEVI) to locally excite the fetal brain and acquire full 3-dimensional images, fast enough to freeze most fetal head motion. IVEVI was implemented by modifying a standard multi-echo echo-planar imaging sequence. A spin echo with orthogonal excitation and refocusing ensured localized excitation. To introduce T2* weighting and to save time, the k-space center was shifted relative to the spin echo. Both single and multi-shot variants were tested. Acoustic noise was controlled by adjusting the amplitude and switching frequency of the readout gradient. Image-based shimming was used to minimize B 0 inhomogeneities within the fetal brain. The sequence was first validated in an adult. Eight fetuses were scanned using single-shot IVEVI at a 3.5 × 3.5 × 5.0 mm 3 resolution with a readout duration of 383 ms. Multishot IVEVI showed reduced geometric distortions along the second phase-encode direction. Fetal EVI remains challenging. Although effective echo times comparable to the T2* values of fetal cortical gray matter at 3 T could be achieved, controlling acoustic noise required longer readouts, leading to substantial distortions in single-shot images. Although multishot variants enabled us to reduce susceptibility-induced geometric distortions, sensitivity to motion was increased. Future studies should therefore focus on improvements to multishot variants. Magn Reson Med 80:279-285, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Two-dimensional Manifold with Point-like Defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gani, V. A.; Dmitriev, A. E.; Rubin, S. G.

We study a class of two-dimensional compact extra spaces isomorphic to the sphere S 2 in the framework of multidimensional gravitation. We show that there exists a family of stationary metrics that depend on the initial (boundary) conditions. All these geometries have a singular point. We also discuss the possibility for these deformed extra spaces to be considered as dark matter candidates.

The application and research of the multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhibo; Zhang, Haifeng; Zhang, Zhongping; Deng, Huarong; Li, Pu; Meng, Wendong; Cheng, Zhien; Shen, Lurun; Tang, Zhenhong

2014-11-01

Laser ranging technology can directly measure the distance between space targets and ground stations with the highest measurement precision and will play an irreplaceable role in orbit check and calibrating microwave measurement system. The precise orbit determination and accurate catalogue of space targets can also be realized by laser ranging with multi-stations. Among space targets, most of ones are inactive targets and space debris, which should be paid the great attentions for the safety of active spacecrafts. Because of laser diffuse reflection from the surface of targets, laser ranging to space debris has the characteristics of wide coverage and weak strength of laser echoes, even though the powerful laser system is applied. In order to increase the receiving ability of laser echoes, the large aperture telescope should be adopted. As well known, some disadvantages for one set of large aperture telescope, technical development difficulty and system running and maintenance complexity, will limit its flexible applications. The multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets is put forward to realize the equivalent receiving ability produced by one larger aperture telescope by way of using multi-receiving telescopes, with the advantages of flexibility and maintenance. The theoretical analysis of the feasibility and key technologies of multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets are presented in this paper. The experimental measurement system based on the 60cm SLR system and 1.56m astronomical telescopes with a distance of about 50m is established to provide the platform for researching on the multi-receiving telescopes technology. The laser ranging experiments to satellites equipped with retro-reflectors are successfully performed by using the above experimental system and verify the technical feasibility to increase the ability of echo detection. And the multi-receiving telescopes technology will become a novel effective way to improve the detection ability of laser ranging to space debris.

Demonstration of improved sensitivity of echo interferometers to gravitational acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mok, C.; Barrett, B.; Carew, A.; Berthiaume, R.; Beattie, S.; Kumarakrishnan, A.

2013-08-01

We have developed two configurations of an echo interferometer that rely on standing-wave excitation of a laser-cooled sample of rubidium atoms. Both configurations can be used to measure acceleration a along the axis of excitation. For a two-pulse configuration, the signal from the interferometer is modulated at the recoil frequency and exhibits a sinusoidal frequency chirp as a function of pulse spacing. In comparison, for a three-pulse stimulated-echo configuration, the signal is observed without recoil modulation and exhibits a modulation at a single frequency as a function of pulse spacing. The three-pulse configuration is less sensitive to effects of vibrations and magnetic field curvature, leading to a longer experimental time scale. For both configurations of the atom interferometer (AI), we show that a measurement of acceleration with a statistical precision of 0.5% can be realized by analyzing the shape of the echo envelope that has a temporal duration of a few microseconds. Using the two-pulse AI, we obtain measurements of acceleration that are statistically precise to 6 parts per million (ppm) on a 25 ms time scale. In comparison, using the three-pulse AI, we obtain measurements of acceleration that are statistically precise to 0.4 ppm on a time scale of 50 ms. A further statistical enhancement is achieved by analyzing the data across the echo envelope so that the statistical error is reduced to 75 parts per billion (ppb). The inhomogeneous field of a magnetized vacuum chamber limited the experimental time scale and resulted in prominent systematic effects. Extended time scales and improved signal-to-noise ratio observed in recent echo experiments using a nonmagnetic vacuum chamber suggest that echo techniques are suitable for a high-precision measurement of gravitational acceleration g. We discuss methods for reducing systematic effects and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Simulations of both AI configurations with a time scale of 300 ms suggest that an optimized experiment with improved vibration isolation and atoms selected in the mF=0 state can result in measurements of g statistically precise to 0.3 ppb for the two-pulse AI and 0.6 ppb for the three-pulse AI.

The Next-Generation Goddard Convective-Stratiform Heating Algorithm: New Retrievals for Tropical and Extra-tropical Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, S. E.; Tao, W. K.; Iguchi, T.

2017-12-01

The Goddard Convective-Stratiform Heating (or CSH) algorithm has been used to estimate cloud heating over the global Tropics using TRMM rainfall data and a set of look-up-tables (LUTs) derived from a series of multi-week cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations using the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCE). These simulations link satellite observables (i.e., surface rainfall and stratiform fraction) with cloud heating profiles, which are not directly observable. However, with the launch of GPM in 2014, the range over which such algorithms can be applied has been extended from the Tropics into higher latitudes, including cold season and synoptic weather systems. In response, the CSH algorithm and its LUTs have been revised both to improve the retrievals in the Tropics as well as expand retrievals to higher latitudes. For the Tropics, the GCE simulations used to build the LUTs were upgraded using larger 2D model domains (512 vs 256 km) and a new, improved Goddard 4-ice scheme as well as expanded with additional cases (4 land and 6 ocean in total). The new tropical LUTs are also re-built using additional metrics. Besides surface type, conditional rain intensity and stratiform fraction, the new LUTs incorporate echo top heights and low-level (0-2 km) vertical reflectivity gradients. CSH retrievals in the Tropics based on the new LUTs show significant differences from previous iterations using TRMM data or the old LUT metrics. For the Extra-tropics, 6 NU-WRF simulations of synoptic events (3 East Coast and 3 West Coast), including snow, were used to build new extra-tropical CSH LUTs. The LUT metrics for the extra-tropics are based on radar characteristics and freezing level height. The extra-tropical retrievals are evaluated with a self-consistency check approach using the model heating as `truth,' and freezing level height is used to transition CSH retrievals from the Tropics to Extra-tropics. Retrieved zonal average heating structures in the Extra-tropics are presented and show distinct differences from those in the Tropics.

[Carotid plaque assessment using inversion recovery T1 weighted-3 dimensions variable refocus flip angle turbo spin echo sampling perfection with application optimized contrast using different angle evolutions black blood imaging].

PubMed

Inoue, Yuji; Yoneyama, Masami; Nakamura, Masanobu; Ozaki, Satoshi; Ito, Kenjiro; Hiura, Mikio

2012-01-01

Vulnerable plaque can be attributed to induction of ischemic symptoms and magnetic resonance imaging of carotid artery is valuable to detect the plaque. Magnetization prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo (MPRAGE) method could detect hemorrhagic vulnerable plaque as high intensity signal; however, blood flow is not sufficiently masked by this method. The contrast for plaque in T1 weighted image (T1WI) could not be obtained sufficiently with black blood image (BBI) by sampling perfection with application optimized contrast using different angle evolutions (SPACE) method as turbo spin echo (TSE). In addition, an appearance of artifact by slow flow is a problem. Considering these controversial situations in plaque imaging, we examined the modified BBI inversion recovery (IR)-SPACE in which IR was added for SPACE method so that the contrast for plaque in T1WI was optimized. We investigated the application of this method in plaque imaging. As a result of phantom imaging, the contrast for plaque in T1WI was definitely obtained by choosing an appropriate inversion time (TI) for the corresponding repetition time. In clinical cases, blood flow was sufficiently masked by IR-SPACE method and the plaque imaging was clearly obtained in clinical cases to the same extent as MPRAGE method. Since BBI with IR-SPACE method was derived from both IR pulse and flow void effect, this method could obtain the blood flow masking effect definitely. The present study suggested that SPACE method might be applicable to estimate properties of carotid artery plaque.

Neural Correlates of Natural Human Echolocation in Early and Late Blind Echolocation Experts

PubMed Central

Thaler, Lore; Arnott, Stephen R.; Goodale, Melvyn A.

2011-01-01

Background A small number of blind people are adept at echolocating silent objects simply by producing mouth clicks and listening to the returning echoes. Yet the neural architecture underlying this type of aid-free human echolocation has not been investigated. To tackle this question, we recruited echolocation experts, one early- and one late-blind, and measured functional brain activity in each of them while they listened to their own echolocation sounds. Results When we compared brain activity for sounds that contained both clicks and the returning echoes with brain activity for control sounds that did not contain the echoes, but were otherwise acoustically matched, we found activity in calcarine cortex in both individuals. Importantly, for the same comparison, we did not observe a difference in activity in auditory cortex. In the early-blind, but not the late-blind participant, we also found that the calcarine activity was greater for echoes reflected from surfaces located in contralateral space. Finally, in both individuals, we found activation in middle temporal and nearby cortical regions when they listened to echoes reflected from moving targets. Conclusions These findings suggest that processing of click-echoes recruits brain regions typically devoted to vision rather than audition in both early and late blind echolocation experts. PMID:21633496

Long T2 suppression in native lung 3-D imaging using k-space reordered inversion recovery dual-echo ultrashort echo time MRI.

PubMed

Gai, Neville D; Malayeri, Ashkan A; Bluemke, David A

2017-08-01

Long T2 species can interfere with visualization of short T2 tissue imaging. For example, visualization of lung parenchyma can be hindered by breathing artifacts primarily from fat in the chest wall. The purpose of this work was to design and evaluate a scheme for long T2 species suppression in lung parenchyma imaging using 3-D inversion recovery double-echo ultrashort echo time imaging with a k-space reordering scheme for artifact suppression. A hyperbolic secant (HS) pulse was evaluated for different tissues (T1/T2). Bloch simulations were performed with the inversion pulse followed by segmented UTE acquisition. Point spread function (PSF) was simulated for a standard interleaved acquisition order and a modulo 2 forward-reverse acquisition order. Phantom and in vivo images (eight volunteers) were acquired with both acquisition orders. Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) was evaluated in in vivo images prior to and after introduction of the long T2 suppression scheme. The PSF as well as phantom and in vivo images demonstrated reduction in artifacts arising from k-space modulation after using the reordering scheme. CNR measured between lung and fat and lung and muscle increased from -114 and -148.5 to +12.5 and 2.8 after use of the IR-DUTE sequence. Paired t test between the CNRs obtained from UTE and IR-DUTE showed significant positive change (p < 0.001 for lung-fat CNR and p = 0.03 for lung-muscle CNR). Full 3-D lung parenchyma imaging with improved positive contrast between lung and other long T2 tissue types can be achieved robustly in a clinically feasible time using IR-DUTE with image subtraction when segmented radial acquisition with k-space reordering is employed.

Local Electron Density Measurements from Sounding Experiments by RPI on IMAGE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proddaturi, R.; Sonwalkar, V. S.; Li, J.; Venkatasubramanian, A.; Carpenter, D.; Benson, R.; Reinisch, B.

2004-12-01

RPI sounding experiments lead to a variety of echoes, propagating in various plasma wave modes, and local resonances. Characteristic frequencies of these echoes and resonances can be used to determine the local plasma frequency and thus the local electron density. In this work we have estimated plasma frequency by two methods: (1) using upper hybrid frequency measured from the diffuse Z mode echo upper cutoff and gyro-frequency measured from a gap in the diffuse Z mode echo or from resonances at the multiples of gyrofrequency, (2) upper hybrid frequency from the diffuse Z mode and the free space cutoff frequency fR=0 from the R-X mode echo. Broadband diffuse Z-mode echoes occur 90% of the time at high latitudes (λ m>45oS) near perigee in the southern hemisphere, where fpe << fce. In the middle and low latitudes (λ m<45oS), where fpe >> fce, Z-mode echoes are narrowband and are often accompanied by Qn and Dn resonances. The free space R-X mode echoes are commonly observed at both high and low latitudes. Multiples of gyrofrequency are typically observed at mid- to low-latitude in both the northern and southern hemisphere and at high latitude in the northern hemisphere. RPI plasmagrams were analyzed for three orbits (apogee to apogee) in the year 2002. These three orbits were selected because suitable sounding programs, those that can cover Z mode bandwidth over a wide range of latitude, were used, and also because a large number of diffuse Z mode echoes were actually observed. Electron densities as low as 10 el/cc and as high as 9000 el/cc were measured. The transmission frequencies place a limitation on the upper and lower limits of measurable fpe. The measured fpe values showed good agreement with measurements made from the thermal noise but showed large deviations when compared with model fpe values. For a particular orbit on August 26, 2002, Ne measured was as low as ˜20 el/cc at higher altitudes outside the plasmasphere (λ m > 60oN, altitude >7000 km, MLT=1.89) and increased as IMAGE approached the plasmasphere. A maximum of ˜8900 el/cc was measured well within the plasmasphere (L = 1.56, λ m = 17oN, altitude =2700 km, MLT = 2.44). As the satellite left the plasmasphere, measured electron density decreased to a minimum of about 55 el/cc near the auroral zone (L = 6.83, λ m = 57oS, altitude = 6277 km, MLT=13.66) and then started to rise again. A sharper change in Ne was seen at both the inbound and outbound crossings of the plasmapause. As the satellite again entered the plasmasphere (L = 3.94, λ m = 21oS, altitude = 15500 km, MLT = 14.34) at a higher altitude the maximum value of Ne measured was lower ( ˜520 el/cc) as expected. Our results demonstrate that magnetospheric sounding experiments employing Z mode and free space modes provide a powerful means of making local plasma density measurements.

Lessons Learned from Previous Space-Borne Sounders as a Guide to Future Sounder Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, Robert F.; Deshpande, Manohar D.; Farrell,William M.; Fung, Shing F.; Osherovich, Vladimir A.; Pfaff, Rovert E.; Rowland, Douglas E.; Adrian, Mark L.

2008-01-01

Space-borne radio sounding is considered to be the gold standard for electron-density (N(sub e)) measurements compared to other techniques even under low-density conditions, such as N(sub e) < 1/cu cm, when other techniques are known to experience difficulties. These reliable measurements are not restricted to in-situ N(sub e) determinations since a spaceborne sounder can provide vertical N(sub e) profiles (N(sub e)(h)) from the spacecraft altitude to the altitude of maximum N(sub e). Near-conjunction studies involving the International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS) satellites in the topside ionosphere and Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE 2) near the altitude of the F-region peak density have verified that, even at the greatest distance from the sounder, the ISIS-derived N(sub e)(h) profiles agree with the DE-2 Langmuir-probe measurements to within about 30% over a density range of more than two decades. Space-borne sounders can also provide N(sub e) profiles along the magnetic-field B, by inverting echoes that are ducted along field-aligned irregularities (FAI), and can provide information about the terrain beneath the satellite by examining surface reflections in the frequency range above the ionospheric penetration frequency. Many nations have launched rocket and satellite radio sounders in geospace over more than 4 decades and there have been sounders on space-probes and in orbit around other planets. Here we will summarize some of the lessons learned from these accomplishments by analyzing data from radio sounders on the Alouette and ISIS satellites and the OEDIPUS and other rockets in the terrestrial ionosphere, the IMAGE satellite in the terrestrial magnetosphere, the Ulysses space probe in Jupiter's 10 plasma torus and the MARSIS satellite in orbit around Mars. The emphasis will be on information deduced concerning (1) fundamental plasma processes and gradients in N, and B in the vicinity of the sounders from sounder-stimulated plasma resonances and short-range echoes involving ion as well as electron motions, (2) the importance of the antenna orientation relative to B for the detection of different plasma resonances, (3) sounder-stimulated plasma phenomena, including FAI, when special plasma conditions are satisfied, (4) the minimum power required for long-range echoes, as indicated by echoes from frequency components of the transmitted pulse and by multiple ducted echoes, and (5) the terrain beneath the satellite from surface reflections. Knowledge of these results should enable the optimum design of a future sounder to satisfy specific science requirements with minimal spacecraft resources.

Near-Space TOPSAR Large-Scene Full-Aperture Imaging Scheme Based on Two-Step Processing

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qianghui; Wu, Junjie; Li, Wenchao; Huang, Yulin; Yang, Jianyu; Yang, Haiguang

2016-01-01

Free of the constraints of orbit mechanisms, weather conditions and minimum antenna area, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) equipped on near-space platform is more suitable for sustained large-scene imaging compared with the spaceborne and airborne counterparts. Terrain observation by progressive scans (TOPS), which is a novel wide-swath imaging mode and allows the beam of SAR to scan along the azimuth, can reduce the time of echo acquisition for large scene. Thus, near-space TOPS-mode SAR (NS-TOPSAR) provides a new opportunity for sustained large-scene imaging. An efficient full-aperture imaging scheme for NS-TOPSAR is proposed in this paper. In this scheme, firstly, two-step processing (TSP) is adopted to eliminate the Doppler aliasing of the echo. Then, the data is focused in two-dimensional frequency domain (FD) based on Stolt interpolation. Finally, a modified TSP (MTSP) is performed to remove the azimuth aliasing. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed imaging scheme for near-space large-scene imaging application. PMID:27472341

Intracranial cerebrospinal fluid spaces imaging using a pulse-triggered three-dimensional turbo spin echo MR sequence with variable flip-angle distribution.

PubMed

Hodel, Jérôme; Silvera, Jonathan; Bekaert, Olivier; Rahmouni, Alain; Bastuji-Garin, Sylvie; Vignaud, Alexandre; Petit, Eric; Durning, Bruno; Decq, Philippe

2011-02-01

To assess the three-dimensional turbo spin echo with variable flip-angle distribution magnetic resonance sequence (SPACE: Sampling Perfection with Application optimised Contrast using different flip-angle Evolution) for the imaging of intracranial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces. We prospectively investigated 18 healthy volunteers and 25 patients, 20 with communicating hydrocephalus (CH), five with non-communicating hydrocephalus (NCH), using the SPACE sequence at 1.5T. Volume rendering views of both intracranial and ventricular CSF were obtained for all patients and volunteers. The subarachnoid CSF distribution was qualitatively evaluated on volume rendering views using a four-point scale. The CSF volumes within total, ventricular and subarachnoid spaces were calculated as well as the ratio between ventricular and subarachnoid CSF volumes. Three different patterns of subarachnoid CSF distribution were observed. In healthy volunteers we found narrowed CSF spaces within the occipital aera. A diffuse narrowing of the subarachnoid CSF spaces was observed in patients with NCH whereas patients with CH exhibited narrowed CSF spaces within the high midline convexity. The ratios between ventricular and subarachnoid CSF volumes were significantly different among the volunteers, patients with CH and patients with NCH. The assessment of CSF spaces volume and distribution may help to characterise hydrocephalus.

Recent Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Light Echoes of Supernova 2016adj in Centaurus A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyder, Ali; Lawrence, Stephen; Sugerman, Ben

2018-01-01

Light echoes are one of the most powerful and efficient probes of the structure and composition of dust in circumstellar and interstellar environments. Observations of light echoes provide exact three dimensional (3-D) positions of dust while constraining its density, grain-size and chemical make-up. These can be used to study the evolutionary history of supernova (SN) progenitors, produce high-resolution maps of the structure and composition of interstellar media (ISM), and geometrically measure extragalactic distances. Here we report on our progress with analyzing our ongoing campaign of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the light echoes of SN 2016adj in Centaurus A. SN 2016adj was discovered on 08 Feb 2016 and identified as a core-collapse SN of either Type Ib or Type IIb. All observers agreed the SN was highly reddened, suffering A_V =2–4 mags of extinction, which is consistent with its location within the famous dust lane of its elliptical host galaxy. Tthe light echo first reported by Sugerman & Lawrence (2016) from the earliest epoch of WFC3 imaging with marked N-S asymmetry has expanded into a complete ring that is fairly well-centered on the SN. The ring is azimuthally non-uniform in brightness, but less dramatically so than at early times. By day 395 it has expanded to radii ranging from 0.62”(NW)—0.76”(SE). Adopting a distance of 3.42 Mpc, this indicates a sheet of ISM dust at foreground distances of 160—240 pc. These observations and analysis are supported by STScI grants 14146, 14487 and 14700.

Comparing an accelerated 3D fast spin-echo sequence (CS-SPACE) for knee 3-T magnetic resonance imaging with traditional 3D fast spin-echo (SPACE) and routine 2D sequences.

PubMed

Altahawi, Faysal F; Blount, Kevin J; Morley, Nicholas P; Raithel, Esther; Omar, Imran M

2017-01-01

To compare a faster, new, high-resolution accelerated 3D-fast-spin-echo (3D-FSE) acquisition sequence (CS-SPACE) to traditional 2D and high-resolution 3D sequences for knee 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twenty patients received knee MRIs that included routine 2D (T1, PD ± FS, T2-FS; 0.5 × 0.5 × 3 mm 3 ; ∼10 min), traditional 3D FSE (SPACE-PD-FS; 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 mm 3 ; ∼7.5 min), and accelerated 3D-FSE prototype (CS-SPACE-PD-FS; 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 mm 3 ; ∼5 min) acquisitions on a 3-T MRI system (Siemens MAGNETOM Skyra). Three musculoskeletal radiologists (MSKRs) prospectively and independently reviewed the studies with graded surveys comparing image and diagnostic quality. Tissue-specific signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were also compared. MSKR-perceived diagnostic quality of cartilage was significantly higher for CS-SPACE than for SPACE and 2D sequences (p < 0.001). Assessment of diagnostic quality of menisci and synovial fluid was higher for CS-SPACE than for SPACE (p < 0.001). CS-SPACE was not significantly different from SPACE but had lower assessments than 2D sequences for evaluation of bones, ligaments, muscles, and fat (p ≤ 0.004). 3D sequences had higher spatial resolution, but lower overall assessed contrast (p < 0.001). Overall image quality from CS-SPACE was assessed as higher than SPACE (p = 0.007), but lower than 2D sequences (p < 0.001). Compared to SPACE, CS-SPACE had higher fluid SNR and CNR against all other tissues (all p < 0.001). The CS-SPACE prototype allows for faster isotropic acquisitions of knee MRIs over currently used protocols. High fluid-to-cartilage CNR and higher spatial resolution over routine 2D sequences may present a valuable role for CS-SPACE in the evaluation of cartilage and menisci.

Extending the Memory of Microcomputers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiker, G. A.

1984-01-01

Memory increased while retaining real-time capabilities. Extra memory capacity added to microprocessor without increasing memory address length and special transfer instructions by dedicating block of space in main memory to hold addresses of locations in extra memory.

Obscuration Code with Space Station Applications (Manual)

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

used to perform this DCL style com - mand parsing, readers are referred to the VMS documentation concerning the Command Definition Utility or CDU. I I I...FOR0O7.DAT; Input echo file: USERI: [RJM.NASJAN5S1 .LIS;3 The above examples show the operation of the SET OUTPUT com - mand. Note that the printer file is...be opened using the SET OUTPUT com - mand. The output files can be opened and closed using the SET OUTPUT /ECHOING, /PRINTABLE, /PLOTTABLE commands

Wireless Video System for Extra Vehicular Activity in the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Orbiter Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loh, Yin C.; Boster, John; Hwu, Shian; Watson, John C.; deSilva, Kanishka; Piatek, Irene (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The Wireless Video System (WVS) provides real-time video coverage of astronaut extra vehicular activities during International Space Station (ISS) assembly. The ISS wireless environment is unique due to the nature of the ISS structure and multiple RF interference sources. This paper describes how the system was developed to combat multipath, blockage, and interference using an automatic antenna switching system. Critical to system performance is the selection of receiver antenna installation locations determined using Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD) techniques.

Upper limits to submillimetre-range forces from extra space-time dimensions.

PubMed

Long, Joshua C; Chan, Hilton W; Churnside, Allison B; Gulbis, Eric A; Varney, Michael C M; Price, John C

2003-02-27

String theory is the most promising approach to the long-sought unified description of the four forces of nature and the elementary particles, but direct evidence supporting it is lacking. The theory requires six extra spatial dimensions beyond the three that we observe; it is usually supposed that these extra dimensions are curled up into small spaces. This 'compactification' induces 'moduli' fields, which describe the size and shape of the compact dimensions at each point in space-time. These moduli fields generate forces with strengths comparable to gravity, which according to some recent predictions might be detected on length scales of about 100 microm. Here we report a search for gravitational-strength forces using planar oscillators separated by a gap of 108 micro m. No new forces are observed, ruling out a substantial portion of the previously allowed parameter space for the strange and gluon moduli forces, and setting a new upper limit on the range of the string dilaton and radion forces.

Optical polarimetric properties of the Echo 2 and PAGEOS 1 engineering surfaces. M.S. Thesis - Virginia Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, R. B., III

1972-01-01

Experimental investigations of the percent polarization of sunlight reflected from the surfaces of each of the Echo 2 Satellite and PAGEOS (Passive Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) were performed to determine the stability of their surfaces in the space environment. The Echo 2 surface material was amorphous phosphate chemically bonded to a rolled aluminum substrate while the PAGEOS 1 surface material is vapor deposited aluminum on a poly (ethylene terephthalate) film. The stability of the satellites' surfaces was analyzed by comparing the light polarizing properties of the satellites, to those of test surfaces representative of the satellites' surfaces. The properties of flat test surfaces were measured experimentally in the laboratory, and the effects of surface strain, surface geometry, and vacuum upon these properties were examined. The laboratory analyses revealed that the polarization properties of the Echo 2 surface were significantly affected by surface geometry and vacuum, and that the properties of the PAGEOS 1 surface were not significantly altered by any of the above mechanisms.

Psychophysics of human echolocation.

PubMed

Schörnich, Sven; Wallmeier, Ludwig; Gessele, Nikodemus; Nagy, Andreas; Schranner, Michael; Kish, Daniel; Wiegrebe, Lutz

2013-01-01

The skills of some blind humans orienting in their environment through the auditory analysis of reflections from self-generated sounds have received only little scientific attention to date. Here we present data from a series of formal psychophysical experiments with sighted subjects trained to evaluate features of a virtual echo-acoustic space, allowing for rigid and fine-grain control of the stimulus parameters. The data show how subjects shape both their vocalisations and auditory analysis of the echoes to serve specific echo-acoustic tasks. First, we show that humans can echo-acoustically discriminate target distances with a resolution of less than 1 m for reference distances above 3.4 m. For a reference distance of 1.7 m, corresponding to an echo delay of only 10 ms, distance JNDs were typically around 0.5 m. Second, we explore the interplay between the precedence effect and echolocation. We show that the strong perceptual asymmetry between lead and lag is weakened during echolocation. Finally, we show that through the auditory analysis of self-generated sounds, subjects discriminate room-size changes as small as 10%.In summary, the current data confirm the practical efficacy of human echolocation, and they provide a rigid psychophysical basis for addressing its neural foundations.

Looking for Dust-Scattering Light Echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Brianna; Heinz, Sebastian; Corrales, Lia

2018-01-01

Galactic X-ray transient sources such as neutron stars or black holes sometimes undergo an outburst in X-rays. Ring structures have been observed around three such sources, produced by the X-ray photons being scattered by interstellar dust grains along our line of sight. These dust-scattering light echoes have proven to be a useful tool for measuring and constraining Galactic distances, mapping the dust structure of the Milky Way, and determining the dust composition in the clouds producing the echo. Detectable light echoes require a sufficient quantity of dust along our line of sight, as well as bright, short-lived Galactic X-ray flares. Using data from the Monitor of All-Sky X-ray Image (MAXI) on-board the International Space Station, we ran a peak finding algorithm in Python to look for characteristic flare events. Each flare was characterized by its fluence, the integrated flux of the flare over time. We measured the distribution of flare fluences to show how many observably bright flares were recorded by MAXI. This work provides a parent set for dust echo searches in archival X-ray data and will inform observing strategies with current and future X-ray missions such as Athena and Lynx.

Simultaneous multislice refocusing via time optimal control.

PubMed

Rund, Armin; Aigner, Christoph Stefan; Kunisch, Karl; Stollberger, Rudolf

2018-02-09

Joint design of minimum duration RF pulses and slice-selective gradient shapes for MRI via time optimal control with strict physical constraints, and its application to simultaneous multislice imaging. The minimization of the pulse duration is cast as a time optimal control problem with inequality constraints describing the refocusing quality and physical constraints. It is solved with a bilevel method, where the pulse length is minimized in the upper level, and the constraints are satisfied in the lower level. To address the inherent nonconvexity of the optimization problem, the upper level is enhanced with new heuristics for finding a near global optimizer based on a second optimization problem. A large set of optimized examples shows an average temporal reduction of 87.1% for double diffusion and 74% for turbo spin echo pulses compared to power independent number of slices pulses. The optimized results are validated on a 3T scanner with phantom measurements. The presented design method computes minimum duration RF pulse and slice-selective gradient shapes subject to physical constraints. The shorter pulse duration can be used to decrease the effective echo time in existing echo-planar imaging or echo spacing in turbo spin echo sequences. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Action Replay of Powerful Stellar Explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-03-01

Astronomers have made the best ever determination of the power of a supernova explosion that was visible from Earth long ago. By observing the remnant of a supernova and a light echo from the initial outburst, they have established the validity of a powerful new method for studying supernovas. Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, ESA's XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Gemini Observatory, two teams of researchers studied the supernova remnant and the supernova light echo that are located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small galaxy about 160,000 light years from Earth. They concluded that the supernova occurred about 400 years ago (in Earth’s time frame), and was unusually bright and energetic. X-ray Image of SNR 0509-67.5 X-ray Image of SNR 0509-67.5 This result is the first time two methods - X-ray observations of a supernova remnant and optical observations of the expanding light echoes from the explosion - have both been used to estimate the energy of a supernova explosion. Up until now, scientists had only made such an estimate using the light seen soon after a star exploded, or using remnants that are several hundred years old, but not from both. "People didn't have advanced telescopes to study supernovas when they went off hundreds of years ago," said Armin Rest of Harvard University, who led the light echo observations using Gemini. "But we've done the next best thing by looking around the site of the explosion and constructing an action replay of it." People Who Read This Also Read... Milky Way's Super-efficient Particle Accelerators Caught in The Act Oldest Known Objects Are Surprisingly Immature Discovery of Most Recent Supernova in Our Galaxy NASA Unveils Cosmic Images Book in Braille for Blind Readers In 2004, scientists used Chandra to determine that a supernova remnant, known as SNR 0509-67.5 in the LMC, was a so-called Type Ia supernova, caused by a white dwarf star in a binary system that reaches a critical mass and explodes. In the new optical study, an estimate of the explosion's energy came from studying an echo of the original light of the explosion. Just as sound bounces off walls of a canyon, so too can light waves create an echo by bouncing off dust clouds in space. The light from these echoes travels a longer path than the light that travels straight toward us, and so can be seen hundreds of years after the supernova itself. First seen by the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, the light echoes were observed in greater detail by Gemini Observatory in Chile. The optical spectra of the light echo were used to confirm that the supernova was a Type Ia and to unambiguously determine the particular class of explosion and therefore its energy. The Chandra data, along with XMM data obtained in 2000, were then independently used to calculate the amount of energy involved in the original explosion, using an analysis of the supernova remnant and state-of-the-art explosion models. Their conclusion confirmed the results from the optical data, namely that the explosion was an especially energetic and bright variety of Type Ia supernova. This agreement provides strong evidence that the detailed explosion models are accurate. "Having these two methods agree lets us breathe a sigh of relief," said Carlos Badenes of Princeton University who led the Chandra and XMM study. "It looks like we're on the right track with trying to understand these big explosions. Their stellar debris really can retain a memory of what created them hundreds of years earlier." Both methods estimated a similar time since the explosion of about 400 years. An extra constraint on the age comes from the lack of recorded historical evidence for a recent supernova in the LMC. Because this star appears in the Southern Hemisphere, it likely would have been seen by navigators who noted similarly bright celestial events if it had occurred less than about 400 years ago. Because Type Ia supernovas have nearly uniform intrinsic brightness, they are used as important tools by scientists to study the expansion of the universe and the nature of dark energy. "It's crucial to know that the basic assumptions about these explosions are correct, so they're not used just as black-boxes to measure distances," said Badenes. This work is also being extended to other supernova remnants and light echoes. "This is the first case where the conclusions that are drawn from the supernova remnant about the original explosion can be directly tested by looking at the original event itself," said Rest. "We'll be able to learn a lot about supernovas in our own galaxy by using this technique." These results appear in two recently accepted papers in The Astrophysical Journal. The first discusses the spectrum obtained by Gemini, led by Rest. The second, with Badenes as first author, details the Chandra and XMM observations of SNR 0509-67.5. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass.

Echolocation versus echo suppression in humans

PubMed Central

Wallmeier, Ludwig; Geßele, Nikodemus; Wiegrebe, Lutz

2013-01-01

Several studies have shown that blind humans can gather spatial information through echolocation. However, when localizing sound sources, the precedence effect suppresses spatial information of echoes, and thereby conflicts with effective echolocation. This study investigates the interaction of echolocation and echo suppression in terms of discrimination suppression in virtual acoustic space. In the ‘Listening’ experiment, sighted subjects discriminated between positions of a single sound source, the leading or the lagging of two sources, respectively. In the ‘Echolocation’ experiment, the sources were replaced by reflectors. Here, the same subjects evaluated echoes generated in real time from self-produced vocalizations and thereby discriminated between positions of a single reflector, the leading or the lagging of two reflectors, respectively. Two key results were observed. First, sighted subjects can learn to discriminate positions of reflective surfaces echo-acoustically with accuracy comparable to sound source discrimination. Second, in the Listening experiment, the presence of the leading source affected discrimination of lagging sources much more than vice versa. In the Echolocation experiment, however, the presence of both the lead and the lag strongly affected discrimination. These data show that the classically described asymmetry in the perception of leading and lagging sounds is strongly diminished in an echolocation task. Additional control experiments showed that the effect is owing to both the direct sound of the vocalization that precedes the echoes and owing to the fact that the subjects actively vocalize in the echolocation task. PMID:23986105

Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity Apollo Spacesuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Kenneth S.

2016-01-01

Kenneth Thomas will discuss the Apollo Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity (IEVA) spacesuits, which supported launch and reentry and extra-vehicular activity. This program was NASA's first attempt to develop a new suit design from requirements and concepts. Mr. Thomas will chronicle the challenges, developments, struggles, and solutions that culminated in the system that allowed the first human exploration of the Moon and deep space (outside low-Earth orbit). Apollo pressure suit designs allowed the heroic repair of the Skylab space station and supported the first U.S. and Russian spacecraft docking during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project. Mr. Thomas will also discuss the IEVA suits' successes and challenges associated with the IEVA developments of the 1960s.

Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity (IEVA) Russian and Gemini Spacesuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Kenneth S.

2016-01-01

Kenneth Thomas will discuss the Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity Russian and Gemini spacesuits. While the United States and Russia adapted to existing launch- and reentry-type suits to allow the first human ventures into the vacuum of space, there were differences in execution and capabilities. Mr. Thomas will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach compared to exclusively intra-vehicular or extra-vehicular suit systems.

Questions and Answers for Ken Thomas' "Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity Russian and Gemini Spacesuits" Presentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Kenneth S.

2016-01-01

Kenneth Thomas will discuss the Intra-Extra Vehicular Activity Russian & Gemini spacesuits. While the United States and Russia adapted to existing launch- and reentry-type suits to allow the first human ventures into the vacuum of space, there were differences in execution and capabilities. Mr. Thomas will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach compared to exclusively intravehicular or extra-vehicular suit systems.

[Monitoring of extra- and intra-cellular compartment through total body impedance (author's transl)].

PubMed

Raggueneau, J L; Gambini, D; Levante, A; Riche, F; de Vernejoul, P; Echter, E

1979-01-01

To evaluate the extra-cellular space, we measure the impedance (or resistance) of the extra-cellular electrolyte compartment with an alternating current at a fixed frequency of 5 kHz that can't pass through the cellular membrane. Total water is measured by the impedance to a current of 1 MHz which is conducted by extra and intra cellular hydro-electrolytic space. There is a good correlation between electrical impedance measurements and distribution of isotopic markers. The extra-cellular compartment was evaluated by diffusion of D.T.P.A. marked with 99mTc or with 111In and the total water by the diffusion of Antipyrin marked with 1,311 or 1,231. The findings indicate that there is not a significant difference between the results of the size of extra-cellular water measured by electrical impedance and D.T.P.A. diffusion (r = 0.75). Comparable results have been obtained in the determination of total water by electrical impedance measure and diffusion of Antipyrin (r = 0.90). We have also studied by method of electric impedance:--The state of hydratation in head injured patients and after pituitary surgery.--The lean body mass and hydro-electrolyte compartments in pregnancy. Electrical impedance measure seems to be a simple and reliable method to assess the hydric state of patients.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-01

This series of photos, captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys from May to December 2002, dramatically demonstrates the reverberation of light through space caused by an unusual stellar outburst in January 2002. A burst of light from the bizarre star is spreading into space and reflecting off of surrounding circumstellar dust. As different parts are sequentially illuminated, the appearance of the dust changes. This effect is referred to as a "light echo". The red star at the center of the eyeball like feature is the unusual erupting super giant called V838 Monocerotis, or V Mon, located about 20,000 light-years away in the winter constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn). During its outburst, the star brightened to more than 600,000 times our Sun's luminosity. The circular feature has now expanded to slightly larger than the angular size of Jupiter on the sky, and will continue to expand for several more years until the light from the back side of the nebula begins to arrive. The light echo will then give the illusion of contracting, until it finally disappears by the end of the decade.

Off-resonance artifacts correction with convolution in k-space (ORACLE).

PubMed

Lin, Wei; Huang, Feng; Simonotto, Enrico; Duensing, George R; Reykowski, Arne

2012-06-01

Off-resonance artifacts hinder the wider applicability of echo-planar imaging and non-Cartesian MRI methods such as radial and spiral. In this work, a general and rapid method is proposed for off-resonance artifacts correction based on data convolution in k-space. The acquired k-space is divided into multiple segments based on their acquisition times. Off-resonance-induced artifact within each segment is removed by applying a convolution kernel, which is the Fourier transform of an off-resonance correcting spatial phase modulation term. The field map is determined from the inverse Fourier transform of a basis kernel, which is calibrated from data fitting in k-space. The technique was demonstrated in phantom and in vivo studies for radial, spiral and echo-planar imaging datasets. For radial acquisitions, the proposed method allows the self-calibration of the field map from the imaging data, when an alternating view-angle ordering scheme is used. An additional advantage for off-resonance artifacts correction based on data convolution in k-space is the reusability of convolution kernels to images acquired with the same sequence but different contrasts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Echo 30" Sub Satellite

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-07

James Hansen describes the work on Project Echo s air density experiment known as the Sub-Satellite. Before launch engineers subjected the sub-satellite to many tests. Here, the sub-satellite is shown prior to tests to determine the capacity of the 30-inch Sub-Satellite to withstand the high temperature of direct sunlight in space, Langley researchers subjected it to 450 F heat test. Results indicated that the aluminum-covered Mylar plastic would effectively reflect the dangerous heat. -- Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, NASA SP-4308, p. 168.

Changes in echogenicity of spinal subarachnoid space associated with intracranial hemorrhage: new observations.

PubMed

Rudas, G; Varga, E; Méder, U; Pataki, M; Taylor, G A

2000-11-01

The role of subarachnoid blood and secondary, sterile inflammation in the pathogenesis of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) is not well understood. The aims of this study were to study the frequency and rate of spread of blood into the spinal subarachnoid space (SSS) and to evaluate the relationship of this finding and PHH. Nine premature babies with major intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH, grade 3 or higher), and ten premature infants with minor ICH (grade 1) or no evidence of ICH (control group) were identified and underwent serial cranial and spinal sonography at the time of initial diagnosis, 12-24 h after the ICH and weekly thereafter for at least 9 weeks. Sagittal and axial scans of the thoracolumbar spine were obtained and evaluated for the presence of echogenic debris in the dorsal SSS. Six additional patients who had cranial and spinal sonography died within the 1st week of life and underwent post-mortem examinations. The SSS was echo-free (normal) in all cases at the time of initial sonographic diagnosis of ICH. Within 24 h, all babies with major ICH had developed increased echogenicity of the cervical and thoracic SSS. Echogenicity of the SSS decreased gradually over several weeks. Although transient ventricular dilatation was present in every patient, only one patient had rapidly progressive PHH requiring shunt placement. Transient cysts of the cervicothoracic subarachnoid space were identified in two patients 6-7 weeks after ICH. The subarachnoid space remained echo-free in all control infants At autopsy, all four infants with echogenic spinal debris had blood or blood products in the spinal subarachnoid space, whereas two infants with echo-free spinal images did not. Spread of blood from the ventricular system into the spinal subarachnoid space after ICH is common and can be seen within 24 h of initial ICH. Subarachnoid blood is associated with post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation and transient spinal subarachnoid cyst formation.

The motion of radio meteor reflection point of Geminids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnishi, Kouji; Ishikawa, Toshiyuki; Hattori, Shinobu; Nishimura, Osamu; Miyazawa, Akiko; Yanagisawa, Masatoshi; Endo, Makoto; Kawamura, Masaki; Maruyama, Toshiyuki; Hosayama, Kai; Tokunaga, Mai; Maegawa, Kimio; Abe, Shinsuke

2001-11-01

Ham-band Radio Observation (HRO) is one of the observational techniques for the forward scatter observation of meteors. We observe the meteor echo with two-element loop antennas (F/B ratio is 10 dB) at the Nagano National College of Technology (Nagano, Japan) using the continuous transmission of beacon signals for meteor observations at 53.750 MHz, 50W from Fukui National College of Technology (Fukui, Japan). To prove that the radio echo is really the echo due to meteor, we have constructed the direction determination system using the paired antennas that can detect the direction roughly where the radio echo come from. The direction of one of this paired antennas was West toward Sabae and the other was East which has proved to be the most sensitive for this research. Using this system, we detected the change of the direction of reflection point of meteor radio signal of Geminids in 2000; from the westward to eastward before and after the culmination of the radiant which is consistent the formula of reflection point of meteors. At the same time, we detected the change of an intensity and a trend of the Doppler shift of meteor echoes. This result is consistent of the meteor wind data of MU Rader of Radio Science Center for Space & Atmosphere (RASC), Kyoto University.

Prospects for high accuracy time dissemination and synchronization using coded radar pulses from a low-earth orbiting spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Detoma, Edoardo V.; Dionisio, C.

1995-01-01

The radar (an acronym for radio detection and ranging) is an instrument developed just before the WW-II to precisely measure the position of an object (target) in space. This is done by emitting a narrow pulse of electromagnetic energy in the RF spectrum, receiving the return echo and measuring the time of flight in the two-way path from the emitter to the target. The propagation delay provides a measure of the range to the target, which is not in itself sufficient to uniquely locate the position of the same in space. However, if a directional antenna is used, the direction of the echo can be assessed by the antenna pointing angles. In this way the position of the target can be uniquely determined in space. How well this can be done is a function of the resolution of the measurements performed (range and direction, i.e.: angles); in turn, the resolution will dictate the time and frequency requirements of the reference oscillator.

The roughness of grounded ice sheet beds: Case studies from high resolution radio echo sounding studies in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Duncan; Blankeship, Donald; Beem, Lucas; Cavitte, Marie; Quartini, Enrica; Lindzey, Laura; Jackson, Charles; Roberts, Jason; Ritz, Catherine; Siegert, Martin; Greenbaum, Jamin; Frederick, Bruce

2017-04-01

The roughness of subglacial interfaces (as measured by airborne radar echo sounding) at length scales between profile line spacing and the footprint of the instrument is a key, but complex, signature of glacial and geomorphic processes, material lithology and integrated history at the bed of ice sheets. Subglacial roughness is also intertwined with assessments of ice thickness uncertainty using radar echo sounding, the utility of interpolation methodologies, and a key aspect of subglacial assess strategies. Here we present an assessment of subglacial roughness estimation in both West and East Antarctica, and compare this to exposed subglacial terrains. We will use recent high resolution aerogeophysical surveys to examine what variations in roughness are a fingerprint for, assess the limits of ice thickness uncertainty quantification and compare strategies for roughness assessment and utilization.

Characterising Super Earths With The EChO Spacemission Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tessenyi, Marcell; Ollivier, M.; Tinetti, G.; Beaulieu, J. P.; Coudé du Foresto, V.; Encrenaz, T.; Micela, G.; Swinyard, B.; Ribas, I.; Aylward, A.; Tennyson, J.; Swain, M. R.; Sozzetti, A.; Vasisht, G.; Deroo, P.

2011-09-01

Transiting Super Earths orbiting M dwarfs are excellent targets for the prospect of studying potentially habitable extrasolar planets. While most of the currently known Exoplanets are of the Hot Jupiter and Neptune type, attention is now turning to these Super Earths. Two recent examples are GJ 1214b, found by Charbonneau et al. in 2009, and Cancri 55 e, found by Winn et al. in 2011. These candidates offer the opportunity of obtaining spectral signatures of their atmospheres in transiting scenarios, via data obtained by ground based and space observatories, compared to simulated climate scenarios. With the recent selection of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) mission by ESA for further studies, I present observational strategies and time requirements for a range of targets characterisable by EChO, with a view to Super Earths orbiting M dwarfs.

[Clinical analysis of diagnosis and treatment on retro-esophageal space abscess].

PubMed

Chen, Ze; Zhong, Zhaotang; Liang, Minzhi

2014-12-01

To explore the clinical manifestations and treatments of retro-esophageal space abscess. The clinical data of 27 cases with retro-esophageal space abscess were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-one cases (77. 78%) were secondary to acute injury of esophageal meatus caused by foreign bodies. 2 cases (7. 41%)were secondary to old foreign body infection in retro-esophageal space, 3 cases (11. 11%) after secondary to pharyngeal abscess, and 1 case (3. 70%) was unknown to etiology. All patients were confirmed by sectional medicalimageology. Six cases(Conservation group, C group) were treated conservatively and 6 cases (Oropharyngeal incision group, OI group) were performed with oropharyngeal incision drainage. 15 cases(Extra-neck incision group, ENI group)were performed with extra-neck incision and vacuum sealing drainage. In C group, 6 cases were cured with conservative therapy and the average hospital stay was 15. 6 days. In OI group, 5 cases were healed with oropharyngeal drainage but aspiration pneumonia complicated with septic shock occurred in 2 cases, and 1 case dead from septic shock secondary to mediastinum and lung abscess. The average hospital stay was 18. 8 days. In ENI group, 15 patients were cured with extra-neck drainage without complication and the average hospital stay was 9. 5 days. The main causes of retro-esophageal space abscess are foreign body injury of upper esophagus and remnant of retro-esophageal space. Sectional medicalimageology can be of important value of diagnosis and treatment for displaying the retro-esophageal space abscess and other deep cervical fascia space sufficiently. Incision and vacuum sealing drainage via extra-neck is an effective therapy while oropharyngeal drainage is less effective and is not advocated as a primary treatment because of aspiration pneumonia complication . Conservative cure is a choice for patients without dyspnoea and background diseases, and it is necessary to recognize and treat severe complications early.

The robustness of T2 value as a trabecular structural index at multiple spatial resolutions of 7 Tesla MRI.

PubMed

Lee, D K; Song, Y K; Park, B W; Cho, H P; Yeom, J S; Cho, G; Cho, H

2018-04-15

To evaluate the robustness of MR transverse relaxation times of trabecular bone from spin-echo and gradient-echo acquisitions at multiple spatial resolutions of 7 T. The effects of MRI resolutions to T 2 and T2* of trabecular bone were numerically evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations. T 2 , T2*, and trabecular structural indices from multislice multi-echo and UTE acquisitions were measured in defatted human distal femoral condyles on a 7 T scanner. Reference structural indices were extracted from high-resolution microcomputed tomography images. For bovine knee trabecular samples with intact bone marrow, T 2 and T2* were measured by degrading spatial resolutions on a 7 T system. In the defatted trabecular experiment, both T 2 and T2* values showed strong ( |r| > 0.80) correlations with trabecular spacing and number, at a high spatial resolution of 125 µm 3 . The correlations for MR image-segmentation-derived structural indices were significantly degraded ( |r| < 0.50) at spatial resolutions of 250 and 500 µm 3 . The correlations for T2* rapidly dropped ( |r| < 0.50) at a spatial resolution of 500 µm 3 , whereas those for T 2 remained consistently high ( |r| > 0.85). In the bovine trabecular experiments with intact marrow, low-resolution (approximately 1 mm 3 , 2 minutes) T 2 values did not shorten ( |r| > 0.95 with respect to approximately 0.4 mm 3 , 11 minutes) and maintained consistent correlations ( |r| > 0.70) with respect to trabecular spacing (turbo spin echo, 22.5 minutes). T 2 measurements of trabeculae at 7 T are robust with degrading spatial resolution and may be preferable in assessing trabecular spacing index with reduced scan time, when high-resolution 3D micro-MRI is difficult to obtain. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Space telescopes planetary monitoring (PM) and Zvezdny (eng. star) patrol (ZP) for planetary science and exoplanets exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavrov, Alexander; Frolov, Pavel; Korablev, Oleg; Vedenkin, Nikolai; Barabanov, Sergey

2017-11-01

Solar System planetology requires a wide use of observing spectroscopy for surface geology to atmosphere climatology. A high-contrast imaging is required to study and to characterize extra-solar planetary systems among other faint astronomical targets observed in the vicinity of bright objects. Two middle class space telescopes projects aimed to observe Solar system planets by a long term monitoring via spectroscopy and polarimetry. Extra solar planets (exoplanets) engineering and scientific explorations are included in science program.

Posterior Retroperitoneoscopic Resection of Extra-adrenal Paraganglioma Located in the Aorto-caval Space.

PubMed

Kang, Sang-Wook; Kandil, Emad; Kim, Min Jhi; Kim, Kwang Soon; Lee, Cho Rok; Jeong, Jong Ju; Nam, Kee-Hyun; Chung, Woong Youn; Park, Cheong Soo

2018-04-01

The posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalec tomy has several advantages compared with the transperitoneal approach such as a shorter and more direct route to the target organ, no breach of the intraperitoneal space, and no required retraction of the adjacent organs. It also is a safe procedure with a short learning curve.1 - 5 This report presents a challenging case of an extra-adrenal paraganglioma located in the aorto-caval space and managed using the retroperitoneal approach. A 39-year-old man was placed in the prone jackknife position, and three incisions were made in the right posterior abdominal wall for placement of the laparoscopic ports. The retroperitoneal space was entered with diathermy and blunt finger dissection, and retropneumoperitoneum was achieved with carbon dioxide insufflation pressure up to 18 mmHg. After identification of the right kidney and vessels, the tumor was meticulously dissected and excised with an energy device. The specimen was removed using a laparoscopic specimen retrieval bag, and the port sites were closed in layers. The operative time was 130 min, and the total blood loss was 30 ml. The tumor was diagnosed as a moderately differentiated extra-adrenal paraganglioma. The Von Hippel-Lindau gene mutation was detected using next-generation sequencing. The posterior retroperitoneoscopic approach is a safe, feasible, and effective method for excising an extra-adrenal paraganglioma even in the aorto-caval space. The authors suggest that this procedure is a useful surgical option for treatment of an aorto-caval paraganglioma for selected patients and by experienced surgeons.

Characterising the Atmospheres of Transiting Planets with a Dedicated Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tessenyi, M.; Ollivier, M.; Tinetti, G.; Beaulieu, J. P.; Coudé du Foresto, V.; Encrenaz, T.; Micela, G.; Swinyard, B.; Ribas, I.; Aylward, A.; Tennyson, J.; Swain, M. R.; Sozzetti, A.; Vasisht, G.; Deroo, P.

2011-10-01

Transiting super-Earths orbiting M dwarfs are excellent targets for the prospect of studying potentially habitable extrasolar planets. While most of the currently known Exoplanets are of the Hot Jupiter and Neptune type, attention is now turning to these super- Earths. Two recent examples are GJ 1214b, found by Charbonneau et al. in 2009, and Cancri 55 e, found by Winn et al. in 2011. These candidates offer the opportunity of obtaining spectral signatures of their atmospheres in transiting scenarios, via data obtained by ground based and space observatories, compared to simulated climate scenarios. With the recent selection of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) mission by ESA for further studies, I present observational strategies and time requirements for a range of targets characterisable by EChO, with a view to super-Earths orbiting M dwarfs.

Improved black-blood imaging using DANTE-SPACE for simultaneous carotid and intracranial vessel wall evaluation.

PubMed

Xie, Yibin; Yang, Qi; Xie, Guoxi; Pang, Jianing; Fan, Zhaoyang; Li, Debiao

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a three-dimensional black blood imaging method for simultaneously evaluating the carotid and intracranial arterial vessel walls with high spatial resolution and excellent blood suppression with and without contrast enhancement. The delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE) preparation module was incorporated into three-dimensional variable flip angle turbo spin echo (SPACE) sequence to improve blood signal suppression. Simulations and phantom studies were performed to quantify image contrast variations induced by DANTE. DANTE-SPACE, SPACE, and two-dimensional turbo spin echo were compared for apparent signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, and morphometric measurements in 14 healthy subjects. Preliminary clinical validation was performed in six symptomatic patients. Apparent residual luminal blood was observed in five (pre-contrast) and nine (post-contrast) subjects with SPACE and only two (post-contrast) subjects with DANTE-SPACE. DANTE-SPACE showed 31% (pre-contrast) and 100% (post-contrast) improvement in wall-to-blood contrast-to-noise ratio over SPACE. Vessel wall area measured from SPACE was significantly larger than that from DANTE-SPACE due to possible residual blood signal contamination. DANTE-SPACE showed the potential to detect vessel wall dissection and identify plaque components in patients. DANTE-SPACE significantly improved arterial and venous blood suppression compared with SPACE. Simultaneous high-resolution carotid and intracranial vessel wall imaging to potentially identify plaque components was feasible with a scan time under 6 min. Magn Reson Med 75:2286-2294, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Echoes of Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

NASA s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) acquires, archives, and manages data from all of NASA s Earth science satellites, for the benefit of the Space Agency and for the benefit of others, including local governments, first responders, the commercial remote sensing industry, teachers, museums, and the general public. EOSDIS is currently handling an extraordinary amount of NASA scientific data. To give an idea of the volume of information it receives, NASA s Terra Earth-observing satellite, just one of many NASA satellites sending down data, sends it hundreds of gigabytes a day, almost as much data as the Hubble Space Telescope acquires in an entire year, or about equal to the amount of information that could be found in hundreds of pickup trucks filled with books. To make EOSDIS data completely accessible to the Earth science community, NASA teamed up with private industry in 2000 to develop an Earth science "marketplace" registry that lets public users quickly drill down to the exact information they need. It also enables them to publish their research and resources alongside of NASA s research and resources. This registry is known as the Earth Observing System ClearingHOuse, or ECHO. The charter for this project focused on having an infrastructure completely independent from EOSDIS that would allow for more contributors and open up additional data access options. Accordingly, it is only fitting that the term ECHO is more than just an acronym; it represents the functionality of the system in that it can echo out and create interoperability among other systems, all while maturing with time as industry technologies and standards change and improve.

EXTraS: Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Luca, A.; Salvaterra, R.; Tiengo, A.; D'Agostino, D.; Watson, M.; Haberl, F.; Wilms, J.

2017-10-01

The EXTraS project extracted all temporal domain information buried in the whole database collected by the EPIC cameras onboard the XMM-Newton mission. This included a search and characterisation of variability, both periodic and aperiodic, in hundreds of thousands of sources spanning more than eight orders of magnitude in time scale and six orders of magnitude in flux, as well as a search for fast transients, missed by standard image analysis. Phenomenological classification of variable sources, based on X-ray and multiwavelength information, has also been performed. All results and products of EXTraS are made available to the scientific community through a web public data archive. A dedicated science gateway will allow scientists to apply EXTraS pipelines on new observations. EXTraS is the most comprehensive analysis of variability, on the largest ever sample of soft X-ray sources. The resulting archive and tools disclose an enormous scientific discovery space to the community, with applications ranging from the search for rare events to population studies, with impact on the study of virtually all astrophysical source classes. EXTraS, funded within the EU/FP7 framework, is carried out by a collaboration including INAF (Italy), IUSS (Italy), CNR/IMATI (Italy), University of Leicester (UK), MPE (Germany) and ECAP (Germany).

Asymptotical AdS space from nonlinear gravitational models with stabilized extra dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günther, U.; Moniz, P.; Zhuk, A.

2002-08-01

We consider nonlinear gravitational models with a multidimensional warped product geometry. Particular attention is payed to models with quadratic scalar curvature terms. It is shown that for certain parameter ranges, the extra dimensions are stabilized if the internal spaces have a negative constant curvature. In this case, the four-dimensional effective cosmological constant as well as the bulk cosmological constant become negative. As a consequence, the homogeneous and isotropic external space is asymptotically AdS4. The connection between the D-dimensional and the four-dimensional fundamental mass scales sets a restriction on the parameters of the considered nonlinear models.

Dance of the Light Echoes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on image for larger poster version

This composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the remnant of a star that exploded, called Cassiopeia A (center) and its surrounding 'light echoes' -- dances of light through dusty clouds, created when stars blast apart. The light echoes are colored and the surrounding clouds of dust are gray.

In figure 1, dramatic changes are highlighted in phenomena referred to as light echoes (colored areas) around the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant (center). Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion. It consists of a dead star, called a neutron star, and a surrounding shell of material that was blasted off as the star died.

A light echo occurs when a star explodes, acting like a cosmic flashbulb. The light from this explosion zips through nearby dust clumps, illuminating and heating them up slightly. This brief period of warming causes them to glow in infrared, like a chain of Christmas bulbs lighting up one by one. The result is an optical illusion, in which the dust appears to be flying outward at the speed of light. In figure 1, this apparent motion can be seen here by the shift in colored dust clumps

Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion. It consists of a dead star, called a neutron star, and a surrounding shell of material that was blasted off as the star died. This remnant is located 11,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia.

This composite consists of six processed images taken over a time span of three years. Dust features that have not changed over time appear gray, while those that have changed are colored blue or orange. Bluer colors represent an earlier time and redder ones, a later time. The progression of the light echo through the dust can be seen here by the shift in colored dust clumps.

This light echo is the largest ever seen, stretching more than 300 light-years away from Cassiopeia A. If viewed from Earth, the entire frame would take up the same amount of space as seven full moons. The supernova remnant is located 11,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia.

The earliest Spitzer image shown here was taken in February 2005, and the latest one in January 2008. The image was processed to emphasize the light echo by enhancing the areas that change, which appear in color, and dimming regions that remain constant, seen in grayscale. Spurious color artifacts such as diffraction spikes around stars were removed by hand.

Signatures of extra dimensions in gravitational waves

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

Andriot, David; Gómez, Gustavo Lucena, E-mail: andriotphysics@gmail.com, E-mail: glucenag@aei.mpg.de

2017-06-01

Considering gravitational waves propagating on the most general 4+ N -dimensional space-time, we investigate the effects due to the N extra dimensions on the four-dimensional waves. All wave equations are derived in general and discussed. On Minkowski{sub 4} times an arbitrary Ricci-flat compact manifold, we find: a massless wave with an additional polarization, the breathing mode, and extra waves with high frequencies fixed by Kaluza-Klein masses. We discuss whether these two effects could be observed.

9401028

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-18

Space Shuttle mission STS-61 onboard view taken by a fish-eyed camera lens showing astronauts Story Musgrave and Jeffrey Hoffman's Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) to repair the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

Auditory cortex of newborn bats is prewired for echolocation.

PubMed

Kössl, Manfred; Voss, Cornelia; Mora, Emanuel C; Macias, Silvio; Foeller, Elisabeth; Vater, Marianne

2012-04-10

Neuronal computation of object distance from echo delay is an essential task that echolocating bats must master for spatial orientation and the capture of prey. In the dorsal auditory cortex of bats, neurons specifically respond to combinations of short frequency-modulated components of emitted call and delayed echo. These delay-tuned neurons are thought to serve in target range calculation. It is unknown whether neuronal correlates of active space perception are established by experience-dependent plasticity or by innate mechanisms. Here we demonstrate that in the first postnatal week, before onset of echolocation and flight, dorsal auditory cortex already contains functional circuits that calculate distance from the temporal separation of a simulated pulse and echo. This innate cortical implementation of a purely computational processing mechanism for sonar ranging should enhance survival of juvenile bats when they first engage in active echolocation behaviour and flight.

Ambiguities in the retrieval of rain rates from radar returns at attenuating wavelengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haddad, Z. S.; Im, E.; Durden, S. L.

1993-01-01

It is well-known that there are significant deterministic ambiguities inherent in trying to determine the particular rain rate profile which produced some given sequence of air- or space-borne radar echo powers at a single attenuating frequency. We quantify these ambiguities mathematically, and examine their effect on various proposed rain-rate profile retrieval algorithms. When the given data consist of a single radiometer measurement together with a single-look-angle single-frequency set of range-compressed echo powers, we show that several substantially different rain profiles can realistically be considered solutions. On the other hand, if the data consist of a single-look-angle two-frequency set of echo powers, the inversion problem generically has a unique solution. We note that traditional 'back-of-the-envelope' arguments can be quite misleading in assessing the extent of the ambiguity, even in the simplest cases.

The Balloon-Borne Exoplanet Experiment (EchoBeach)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascale, E.

2013-09-01

The Balloon-Borne Exoplanet Experiment (EchoBeach) is a proposed sub-orbital spectroscopic instrument. Its primary scientific goal is to detect and characterize the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets in the Mid-IR part of the electromagnetic spectrum from 4 to 20 μm using a 1.6m diameter telescope. It is in this wavelength range where the contrast between the star and planet emission grows exponentially, and this spectral region is key to answering important questions about the existence and composition of exp-atmospheres. Due to the Earth atmospheric absorption and emission, bservations at these wavelength are impossible from the ground or even at aircraft altitudes, but become available to balloon-born instrumentation flying in the upper stratosphere. At present we have high fidelity Mid-IR spectra of just two exoplanets of any type. EchoBeach can greatly improve on this by observing a multitude of transiting exoplanets, well in advance of any planned space-mission.

Rocket study of auroral processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnoldy, R. L.

1981-01-01

Abstracts are presented of previously published reports analyzing data from three Echo 3 rocket flights. Particle experiments designed for the Terrier-Malmute flight, the Echo 5 flight, and the Norwegian Corbier Ferdinand 50 flight are described and their flight performance evaluated. Theoretical studies on auroral particle precipitation are reviewed according to observations made in three regions of space: (1) the region accessible to rockets and low altitude satellites (few hundred to a few thousand kilometers); (2) the region extending from 4000 to 8000 km (S3-3 satellite range); and (3) near the equatorial plane (geosynchronous satellite measurements). Questions raised about auroral arc formation are considered.

Echolocation of insects using intermittent frequency-modulated sounds.

PubMed

Matsuo, Ikuo; Takanashi, Takuma

2015-09-01

Using echolocation influenced by Doppler shift, bats can capture flying insects in real three-dimensional space. On the basis of this principle, a model that estimates object locations using frequency modulated (FM) sound was proposed. However, no investigation was conducted to verify whether the model can localize flying insects from their echoes. This study applied the model to estimate the range and direction of flying insects by extracting temporal changes from the time-frequency pattern and interaural range difference, respectively. The results obtained confirm that a living insect's position can be estimated using this model with echoes measured while emitting intermittent FM sounds.

Multimodal properties and dynamics of gradient echo quantum memory.

PubMed

Hétet, G; Longdell, J J; Sellars, M J; Lam, P K; Buchler, B C

2008-11-14

We investigate the properties of a recently proposed gradient echo memory (GEM) scheme for information mapping between optical and atomic systems. We show that GEM can be described by the dynamic formation of polaritons in k space. This picture highlights the flexibility and robustness with regards to the external control of the storage process. Our results also show that, as GEM is a frequency-encoding memory, it can accurately preserve the shape of signals that have large time-bandwidth products, even at moderate optical depths. At higher optical depths, we show that GEM is a high fidelity multimode quantum memory.

Classical gluon fields and collective dynamics of color-charge systems

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

Voronyuk, V.; Goloviznin, V. V.; Zinovjev, G. M.

2015-03-15

An investigation of color fields that arise in collisions of relativistic heavy ions reveals that, in the non-Abelian case, a change in the color charge leads to the appearance of an extra term that generates a sizable contribution of color-charge glow in chromoelectric and chromomagnetic fields. The possibility of the appearance of a color echo in the scattering of composite color particles belonging to the dipole type is discussed. Arguments are adduced in support of the statement that such effects are of importance in simulating the first stage of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions,where the initial parton state is determined by amore » high nonequilibrium parton density and by strong local color fluctuations.« less

Solid-state NMR spin-echo investigation of the metalloproteins parvalbumin, concanavalin A, and pea and lentil lectins, substituted with cadmium-113

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetti, Paul S.; Bhattacharyya, Lokesh; Ellis, Paul D.; Brewer, C. Fred

Solid-state 113Cd NMR spectroscopy of static powder samples of 113Cd-substituted metalloproteins, parvalbumin, concanavalin A, and pea and lentil lectins, was carried out. Cross polarization followed by application of a train of uniformly spaced π pulses was employed to investigate the origin of residual cadmium NMR linewidths observed previously in these proteins. Fourier transformation of the resulting spin-echo train yielded spectra consisting of uniformly spaced lines having linewidths of the order of 1-2 ppm. The observed linewidths were not influenced by temperature as low as -50°C or by extent of protein hydration. Since the echo-train pulse sequence is able to eliminate inhomogeneous but not homogeneous contributions to the linewidths, there is a predominant inhomogeneous contribution to cadmium linewidths in the protein CP/MAS spectra. However, significant changes in spectral intensities were observed with change in temperature and extent of protein hydration. These intensity changes are attributed for parvalbumin and concanavalin A to changes in cross-polarization efficiency with temperature and hydration. For pea and lentil lectins, this effect is attributed to the elimination of static disorder at the pea and lentil S2 metal-ion sites due to sugar binding.

Experimental Results of Underwater Cooperative Source Localization Using a Single Acoustic Vector Sensor

PubMed Central

Felisberto, Paulo; Rodriguez, Orlando; Santos, Paulo; Ey, Emanuel; Jesus, Sérgio M.

2013-01-01

This paper aims at estimating the azimuth, range and depth of a cooperative broadband acoustic source with a single vector sensor in a multipath underwater environment, where the received signal is assumed to be a linear combination of echoes of the source emitted waveform. A vector sensor is a device that measures the scalar acoustic pressure field and the vectorial acoustic particle velocity field at a single location in space. The amplitudes of the echoes in the vector sensor components allow one to determine their azimuth and elevation. Assuming that the environmental conditions of the channel are known, source range and depth are obtained from the estimates of elevation and relative time delays of the different echoes using a ray-based backpropagation algorithm. The proposed method is tested using simulated data and is further applied to experimental data from the Makai'05 experiment, where 8–14 kHz chirp signals were acquired by a vector sensor array. It is shown that for short ranges, the position of the source is estimated in agreement with the geometry of the experiment. The method is low computational demanding, thus well-suited to be used in mobile and light platforms, where space and power requirements are limited. PMID:23857257

Minimum complexity echo state network.

PubMed

Rodan, Ali; Tino, Peter

2011-01-01

Reservoir computing (RC) refers to a new class of state-space models with a fixed state transition structure (the reservoir) and an adaptable readout form the state space. The reservoir is supposed to be sufficiently complex so as to capture a large number of features of the input stream that can be exploited by the reservoir-to-output readout mapping. The field of RC has been growing rapidly with many successful applications. However, RC has been criticized for not being principled enough. Reservoir construction is largely driven by a series of randomized model-building stages, with both researchers and practitioners having to rely on a series of trials and errors. To initialize a systematic study of the field, we concentrate on one of the most popular classes of RC methods, namely echo state network, and ask: What is the minimal complexity of reservoir construction for obtaining competitive models and what is the memory capacity (MC) of such simplified reservoirs? On a number of widely used time series benchmarks of different origin and characteristics, as well as by conducting a theoretical analysis we show that a simple deterministically constructed cycle reservoir is comparable to the standard echo state network methodology. The (short-term) MC of linear cyclic reservoirs can be made arbitrarily close to the proved optimal value.

Prospective estimation of mean axon diameter and extra-axonal space of the posterior limb of the internal capsule in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus before and after a lumboperitoneal shunt by using q-space diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Hori, Masaaki; Kamiya, Kouhei; Nakanishi, Atsushi; Fukunaga, Issei; Miyajima, Masakazu; Nakajima, Madoka; Suzuki, Michimasa; Suzuki, Yuriko; Irie, Ryusuke; Kamagata, Koji; Arai, Hajime; Aoki, Shigeki

2016-09-01

To prospectively estimate the mean axon diameter (MAD) and extracellular space of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) before and after a lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting operation using q-space diffusion MRI analysis. We studied 12 consecutive patients with iNPH and 12 controls at our institution. After conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), q-space image (QSI) data were acquired with a 3-T MRI scanner. The MAD and extra-axonal space of the PLIC before and after LP shunting were calculated using two-component q-space imaging analyses; the before and after values were compared. After LP shunt surgery, the extracellular space of the PLIC was significantly higher than that of the same patients before the operation (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffé's post-hoc test, P = 0.024). No significant differences were observed in the PLIC axon diameters among normal controls or in patients before and after surgery. Increases in the root mean square displacement in the extra-axonal space of the PLIC in patients with iNPH after an LP shunt procedure are associated with the microstructural changes of white matter and subsequent abatement of patient symptoms. • Q-space diffusion MRI provides information on microstructural changes in the corticospinal tract • Lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting operation is useful for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus • Q-space measurement may be a biomarker for the effect of the LP shunt procedure.

R (D(*)) anomalies in light of a nonminimal universal extra dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Aritra; Shaw, Avirup; Patra, Sunando Kumar

2018-02-01

We estimate contributions from Kaluza-Klein excitations of gauge bosons and physical charge scalar for the explanation of the lepton flavor universality violating excess in the ratios R (D ) and R (D*) in 5 dimensional universal extra dimensional scenario with nonvanishing boundary localized terms. This model is conventionally known as nonminimal universal extra dimensional model. We obtain the allowed parameter space in accordance with constraints coming from Bc→τ ν decay, as well as those from the electroweak precision tests.

MRI of the lumbar spine: comparison of 3D isotropic turbo spin-echo SPACE sequence versus conventional 2D sequences at 3.0 T.

PubMed

Lee, Sungwon; Jee, Won-Hee; Jung, Joon-Yong; Lee, So-Yeon; Ryu, Kyeung-Sik; Ha, Kee-Yong

2015-02-01

Three-dimensional (3D) fast spin-echo sequence with variable flip-angle refocusing pulse allows retrospective alignments of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in any desired plane. To compare isotropic 3D T2-weighted (T2W) turbo spin-echo sequence (TSE-SPACE) with standard two-dimensional (2D) T2W TSE imaging for evaluating lumbar spine pathology at 3.0 T MRI. Forty-two patients who had spine surgery for disk herniation and had 3.0 T spine MRI were included in this study. In addition to standard 2D T2W TSE imaging, sagittal 3D T2W TSE-SPACE was obtained to produce multiplanar (MPR) images. Each set of MR images from 3D T2W TSE and 2D TSE-SPACE were independently scored for the degree of lumbar neural foraminal stenosis, central spinal stenosis, and nerve compression by two reviewers. These scores were compared with operative findings and the sensitivities were evaluated by McNemar test. Inter-observer agreements and the correlation with symptoms laterality were assessed with kappa statistics. The 3D T2W TSE and 2D TSE-SPACE had similar sensitivity in detecting foraminal stenosis (78.9% versus 78.9% in 32 foramen levels), spinal stenosis (100% versus 100% in 42 spinal levels), and nerve compression (92.9% versus 81.8% in 59 spinal nerves). The inter-observer agreements (κ = 0.849 vs. 0.451 for foraminal stenosis, κ = 0.809 vs. 0.503 for spinal stenosis, and κ = 0.681 vs. 0.429 for nerve compression) and symptoms correlation (κ = 0.449 vs. κ = 0.242) were better in 3D TSE-SPACE compared to 2D TSE. 3D TSE-SPACE with oblique coronal MPR images demonstrated better inter-observer agreements compared to 3D TSE-SPACE without oblique coronal MPR images (κ = 0.930 vs. κ = 0.681). Isotropic 3D T2W TSE-SPACE at 3.0 T was comparable to 2D T2W TSE for detecting foraminal stenosis, central spinal stenosis, and nerve compression with better inter-observer agreements and symptom correlation. © The Foundation Acta Radiologica 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Radar-Detected Change in Martian Near-Polar Ionosphere After Comet Flyby

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-07

These spectrograms from the MARSIS instrument on the European Space Agency Mars Express orbiter show the intensity of radar echo in Mars far-northern ionosphere at three times on Oct. 19 and 20, 2014.

Operability of Space Station Freedom's meteoroid/debris protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahl, Maggie S.; Stokes, Jack W.

1992-01-01

The design of Space Station Freedom's external structure must not only protect the spacecraft from the hazardous environment, but also must be compatible with the extra vehicular activity system for assembly and maintenance. The external procedures for module support are utility connections, external orbital replaceable unit changeout, and maintenance of the meteoroid/debris shields and multilayer insulation. All of these interfaces require proper man-machine engineering to be compatible with the extra vehicular activity and manipulator systems. This paper discusses design solutions, including those provided for human interface, to the Space Station Freedom meteoroid/debris protection system. The system advantages and current access capabilities are illustrated through analysis of its configuration over the Space Station Freedom resource nodes and common modules, with emphasis on the cylindrical sections and endcones.

Introduction to Space Resource Mining

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Robert P.

2013-01-01

There are vast amounts of resources in the solar system that will be useful to humans in space and possibly on Earth. None of these resources can be exploited without the first necessary step of extra-terrestrial mining. The necessary technologies for tele-robotic and autonomous mining have not matured sufficiently yet. The current state of technology was assessed for terrestrial and extraterrestrial mining and a taxonomy of robotic space mining mechanisms was presented which was based on current existing prototypes. Terrestrial and extra-terrestrial mining methods and technologies are on the cusp of massive changes towards automation and autonomy for economic and safety reasons. It is highly likely that these industries will benefit from mutual cooperation and technology transfer.

Breast augmentation and reconstructive surgery: MR imaging of implant rupture and malignancy.

PubMed

Herborn, Christoph U; Marincek, Borut; Erfmann, Daniel; Meuli-Simmen, Claudia; Wedler, Volker; Bode-Lesniewska, Beate; Kubik-Huch, Rahel A

2002-09-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in detecting prosthesis integrity and malignancy after breast augmentation and reconstruction. Forty-one implants in 25 patients were analyzed by MRI before surgical removal. Imaging results were compared with ex vivo findings. Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast was performed on a 1.5-T system using a dedicated surface breast coil. Axial and sagittal T2-weighted fast spin-echo as well as dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted gradient-recalled-echo sequences were acquired. The linguine sign indicating collapse of the silicone shell or siliconomas indicating free silicone proved implant rupture, whereas early focal contrast enhancement of a lesion was suspicious for malignancy. The sensitivity for detection of implant rupture was 86.7% with a specificity of 88.5%. The positive and negative predictive values were 81.3 and 92.0%, respectively. The linguine sign as a predictor of intracapsular implant rupture had a sensitivity of 80% with a specificity of 96.2%. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed two lesions with suspicious contrast enhancement (one carcinoma, one extra-abdominal fibromatosis). Magnetic resonance imaging is a reliable and reproducible technique for diagnosing both implant rupture and malignant lesions in women after breast augmentation and reconstruction.

An adaptive sparse deconvolution method for distinguishing the overlapping echoes of ultrasonic guided waves for pipeline crack inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yong; Zi, Yanyang; Zhao, Jiyuan; Yang, Zhe; He, Wangpeng; Sun, Hailiang

2017-03-01

In guided wave pipeline inspection, echoes reflected from closely spaced reflectors generally overlap, meaning useful information is lost. To solve the overlapping problem, sparse deconvolution methods have been developed in the past decade. However, conventional sparse deconvolution methods have limitations in handling guided wave signals, because the input signal is directly used as the prototype of the convolution matrix, without considering the waveform change caused by the dispersion properties of the guided wave. In this paper, an adaptive sparse deconvolution (ASD) method is proposed to overcome these limitations. First, the Gaussian echo model is employed to adaptively estimate the column prototype of the convolution matrix instead of directly using the input signal as the prototype. Then, the convolution matrix is constructed upon the estimated results. Third, the split augmented Lagrangian shrinkage (SALSA) algorithm is introduced to solve the deconvolution problem with high computational efficiency. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, guided wave signals obtained from pipeline inspection are investigated numerically and experimentally. Compared to conventional sparse deconvolution methods, e.g. the {{l}1} -norm deconvolution method, the proposed method shows better performance in handling the echo overlap problem in the guided wave signal.

Localization and tracking of moving objects in two-dimensional space by echolocation.

PubMed

Matsuo, Ikuo

2013-02-01

Bats use frequency-modulated echolocation to identify and capture moving objects in real three-dimensional space. Experimental evidence indicates that bats are capable of locating static objects with a range accuracy of less than 1 μs. A previously introduced model estimates ranges of multiple, static objects using linear frequency modulation (LFM) sound and Gaussian chirplets with a carrier frequency compatible with bat emission sweep rates. The delay time for a single object was estimated with an accuracy of about 1.3 μs by measuring the echo at a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The range accuracy was dependent not only on the SNR but also the Doppler shift, which was dependent on the movements. However, it was unclear whether this model could estimate the moving object range at each timepoint. In this study, echoes were measured from the rotating pole at two receiving points by intermittently emitting LFM sounds. The model was shown to localize moving objects in two-dimensional space by accurately estimating the object's range at each timepoint.

The Role of the European Inspections in the European Educational Space--Echoes from Portugal Regarding the Assessment of Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costa, Estela; Pires, Ana Márcia

2011-01-01

This paper is an approach to the construction of a European educational space (Nóvoa & Lawn, 2002), which is due to new modes of regulation in education. The policy under consideration is the institutional evaluation of schools carried out by the Portuguese General Inspectorate of Education. The aim is to explore how concepts and policies get…

Phenotypic heterogeneity in lung capillary and extra-alveolar endothelial cells. Increased extra-alveolar endothelial permeability is sufficient to decrease compliance.

PubMed

Lowe, Kevin; Alvarez, Diego; King, Judy; Stevens, Troy

2007-11-01

In acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary vascular permeability increases, causing intravascular fluid and protein to move into the lung's interstitium. The classic model describing the formation of pulmonary edema suggests that fluid crossing the capillary endothelium is drawn by negative interstitial pressure into the potential space surrounding extra-alveolar vessels and, as interstitial pressure builds, is forced into the alveolar air space. However, the validity of this model is challenged by animal models of acute lung injury in which extra-alveolar vessels are more permeable than capillaries under a variety of conditions. In the current study, we sought to determine whether extravascular fluid accumulation can be produced because of increased permeability of either the capillary or extra-alveolar endothelium, and whether different pathophysiology results from such site-specific increases in permeability. We perfused isolated lungs with either the plant alkaloid thapsigargin, which increases extra-alveolar endothelial permeability, or with 4alpha-phorbol 12, 13-didecanoate, which increases capillary endothelial permeability. Both treatments produced equal increases in whole lung vascular permeability, but caused fluid accumulations in separate anatomical compartments. Light microscopy of isolated lungs showed that thapsigargin caused fluid cuffing of large vessels, while 4alpha-phorbol 12, 13-didecanoate caused alveolar flooding. Dynamic compliance was reduced in lungs with cuffing of large vessels, but not in lungs with alveolar flooding. Phenotypic differences between vascular segments resulted in site-specific increases in permeability, which have different pathophysiological outcomes. Our findings suggest that insults leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome may increase permeability in extra-alveolar or capillary vascular segments, resulting in different pathophysiological sequela.

A simplified model of biosonar echoes from foliage and the properties of natural foliages.

PubMed

Ming, Chen; Zhu, Hongxiao; Müller, Rolf

2017-01-01

Foliage echoes could play an important role in the sensory ecology of echolocating bats, but many aspects of their sensory information content remain to be explored. A realistic numerical model for these echoes could support the development of hypotheses for the relationship between foliage properties and echo parameters. In prior work by the authors, a simple foliage model based on circular disks distributed uniformly in space has been developed. In the current work, three key simplifications used in this model have been examined: (i) representing leaves as circular disks, (ii) neglecting shading effects between leaves, and (iii) the uniform spatial distribution of the leaves. The target strengths of individual leaves and shading between them have been examined in physical experiments, whereas the impact of the spatial leaf distribution has been studied by modifying the numerical model to include leaf distributions according to a biomimetic model for natural branching patterns (L-systems). Leaf samples from a single species (leatherleaf arrowwood) were found to match the relationship between size and target strength of the disk model fairly well, albeit with a large variability part of which could be due to unaccounted geometrical features of the leaves. Shading between leaf-sized disks did occur for distances below 50 cm and could hence impact the echoes. Echoes generated with L-system models in two distinct tree species (ginkgo and pine) showed consistently more temporal inhomogeneity in the envelope amplitudes than a reference with uniform distribution. However, these differences were small compared to effects found in response to changes in the relative orientation of simulated sonar beam and foliage. These findings support the utility of the uniform leaf distribution model and suggest that bats could use temporal inhomogeneities in the echoes to make inferences regarding the relative positioning of their sonar and a foliage.

A simplified model of biosonar echoes from foliage and the properties of natural foliages

PubMed Central

Zhu, Hongxiao; Müller, Rolf

2017-01-01

Foliage echoes could play an important role in the sensory ecology of echolocating bats, but many aspects of their sensory information content remain to be explored. A realistic numerical model for these echoes could support the development of hypotheses for the relationship between foliage properties and echo parameters. In prior work by the authors, a simple foliage model based on circular disks distributed uniformly in space has been developed. In the current work, three key simplifications used in this model have been examined: (i) representing leaves as circular disks, (ii) neglecting shading effects between leaves, and (iii) the uniform spatial distribution of the leaves. The target strengths of individual leaves and shading between them have been examined in physical experiments, whereas the impact of the spatial leaf distribution has been studied by modifying the numerical model to include leaf distributions according to a biomimetic model for natural branching patterns (L-systems). Leaf samples from a single species (leatherleaf arrowwood) were found to match the relationship between size and target strength of the disk model fairly well, albeit with a large variability part of which could be due to unaccounted geometrical features of the leaves. Shading between leaf-sized disks did occur for distances below 50 cm and could hence impact the echoes. Echoes generated with L-system models in two distinct tree species (ginkgo and pine) showed consistently more temporal inhomogeneity in the envelope amplitudes than a reference with uniform distribution. However, these differences were small compared to effects found in response to changes in the relative orientation of simulated sonar beam and foliage. These findings support the utility of the uniform leaf distribution model and suggest that bats could use temporal inhomogeneities in the echoes to make inferences regarding the relative positioning of their sonar and a foliage. PMID:29240840

Ultrashort Echo Time and Zero Echo Time MRI at 7T

PubMed Central

Larson, Peder E. Z.; Han, Misung; Krug, Roland; Jakary, Angela; Nelson, Sarah J.; Vigneron, Daniel B.; Henry, Roland G.; McKinnon, Graeme; Kelley, Douglas A. C.

2016-01-01

Object Zero echo time (ZTE) and ultrashort echo time (UTE) pulse sequences for MRI offer unique advantages of being able to detect signal from rapidly decaying short-T2 tissue components. In this paper, we applied 3D zero echo time (ZTE) and ultrashort echo time (UTE) pulse sequences at 7T to assess differences between these methods. Materials and Methods We matched the ZTE and UTE pulse sequences closely in terms of readout trajectories and image contrast. Our ZTE used the Water- and fat-suppressed solid-state proton projection imaging (WASPI) method to fill the center of k-space. Images from healthy volunteers obtained at 7T were compared qualitatively as well as with SNR and CNR measurements for various ultrashort, short, and long-T2 tissues. Results We measured nearly identical contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise ratios (CNR/SNR) in similar scan times between the two approaches for ultrashort, short, and long-T2 components in the brain, knee and ankle. In our protocol, we observed gradient fidelity artifacts in UTE, and our chosen flip angle and readout also resulted as well as shading artifacts in ZTE due to inadvertent spatial selectivity. These can be corrected by advanced reconstruction methods or with different chosen protocol parameters. Conclusion The applied ZTE and UTE pulse sequences achieved similar contrast and SNR efficiency for volumetric imaging of ultrashort-T2 components. Several key differences are that ZTE is limited to volumetric imaging but has substantially reduced acoustic noise levels during the scan. Meanwhile, UTE has higher acoustic noise levels and greater sensitivity to gradient fidelity, but offers more flexibility in image contrast and volume selection. PMID:26702940

High-range resolution spectral analysis of precipitation through range imaging of the Chung-Li VHF radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Shih-Chiao; Chen, Jenn-Shyong; Chu, Yen-Hsyang; Su, Ching-Lun; Chen, Jui-Hsiang

2018-01-01

Multi-frequency range imaging (RIM) has been operated in the Chung-Li very high-frequency (VHF) radar, located on the campus of National Central University, Taiwan, since 2008. RIM processes the echo signals with a group of closely spaced transmitting frequencies through appropriate inversion methods to obtain high-resolution distribution of echo power in the range direction. This is beneficial to the investigation of the small-scale structure embedded in dynamic atmosphere. Five transmitting frequencies were employed in the radar experiment for observation of the precipitating atmosphere during the period between 21 and 23 August 2013. Using the Capon and Fourier methods, the radar echoes were synthesized to retrieve the temporal signals at a smaller range step than the original range resolution defined by the pulse width, and such retrieved temporal signals were then processed in the Doppler frequency domain to identify the atmosphere and precipitation echoes. An analysis called conditional averaging was further executed for echo power, Doppler velocity, and spectral width to verify the potential capabilities of the retrieval processing in resolving small-scale precipitation and atmosphere structures. Point-by-point correction of range delay combined with compensation of range-weighting function effect has been performed during the retrieval of temporal signals to improve the continuity of power spectra at gate boundaries, making the small-scale structures in the power spectra more natural and reasonable. We examined stratiform and convective precipitation and demonstrated their different structured characteristics by means of the Capon-processed results. The new element in this study is the implementation of RIM on spectral analysis, especially for precipitation echoes.

Optimization of multiply acquired magnetic flux density B(z) using ICNE-Multiecho train in MREIT.

PubMed

Nam, Hyun Soo; Kwon, Oh In

2010-05-07

The aim of magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) is to visualize the electrical properties, conductivity or current density of an object by injection of current. Recently, the prolonged data acquisition time when using the injected current nonlinear encoding (ICNE) method has been advantageous for measurement of magnetic flux density data, Bz, for MREIT in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the ICNE method results in undesirable side artifacts, such as blurring, chemical shift and phase artifacts, due to the long data acquisition under an inhomogeneous static field. In this paper, we apply the ICNE method to a gradient and spin echo (GRASE) multi-echo train pulse sequence in order to provide the multiple k-space lines during a single RF pulse period. We analyze the SNR of the measured multiple B(z) data using the proposed ICNE-Multiecho MR pulse sequence. By determining a weighting factor for B(z) data in each of the echoes, an optimized inversion formula for the magnetic flux density data is proposed for the ICNE-Multiecho MR sequence. Using the ICNE-Multiecho method, the quality of the measured magnetic flux density is considerably increased by the injection of a long current through the echo train length and by optimization of the voxel-by-voxel noise level of the B(z) value. Agarose-gel phantom experiments have demonstrated fewer artifacts and a better SNR using the ICNE-Multiecho method. Experimenting with the brain of an anesthetized dog, we collected valuable echoes by taking into account the noise level of each of the echoes and determined B(z) data by determining optimized weighting factors for the multiply acquired magnetic flux density data.

Classification and Vertical Structure of Radar Precipitation Echoes at Naqu in Central Tibetan Plateau during the TIPEX-III Field Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Y.; Wang, H.; Ma, R.; Zipser, E. J.; Liu, C.

2017-12-01

This study examines the vertical structure of precipitation echoes in central Tibetan Plateau using observations collected at Naqu during the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment in July-August 2014. Precipitation reaching the surface is classified into stratiform, convective, and other by analyzing the vertical profiles of reflectivity (Ze) at 30-m spacing and 3-s temporal resolution made with the vertical pointing C-band frequency-modulated continuous-wave (C-FMCW) radar. Radar echoes with non-zero surface rainfall rate are observed during 17.96% of the entire observing period. About 52.03% of the precipitation reaching the surface includes a bright band and lacks a thick layer (≥1 km) of large Ze (> 35 dBZ); these are classified as stratiform; non-stratiform echoes with Ze > 35 dBZ are classified as convective (4.99%); the remainder (42.98%) as other. Based on concurrent measurements made with a collocated disdrometer, the classified stratiform, convective, and other precipitation echoes contribute 53.84%, 23.08%, and 23.08%, respectively, to the surface rainfall amount. Distinct internal structural features of each echo type are revealed by collectively analyzing the vertical profiles of Ze, radial velocity (Vr), and spectral width (SW) observed by the C-FMCW radar. The stratiform precipitation contains a melting-layer centered at 0.97 km above ground with an average depth of 415 m. The median Ze at 0°C -15°C levels in convective regions at Naqu is weaker than those in some midlatitude continental convection and stronger than those in some tropical continents, suggesting that convective intensity measured by mixed-phase microphysical processes at Naqu is intermediate.

Development of the ISS EMU Dashboard Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernard, Craig; Hill, Terry R.

2011-01-01

The EMU (Extra-Vehicular Mobility Unit) Dashboard was developed at NASA s Johnson Space Center to aid in real-time mission support for the ISS (International Space Station) and Shuttle EMU space suit by time synchronizing down-linked video, space suit data and audio from the mission control audio loops. Once the input streams are synchronized and recorded, the data can be replayed almost instantly and has proven invaluable in understanding in-flight hardware anomalies and playing back information conveyed by the crew to missions control and the back room support. This paper will walk through the development from an engineer s idea brought to life by an intern to real time mission support and how this tool is evolving today and its challenges to support EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activities) and human exploration in the 21st century.

Experimental identification of a comb-shaped chaotic region in multiple parameter spaces simulated by the Hindmarsh—Rose neuron model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Bing

2014-03-01

A comb-shaped chaotic region has been simulated in multiple two-dimensional parameter spaces using the Hindmarsh—Rose (HR) neuron model in many recent studies, which can interpret almost all of the previously simulated bifurcation processes with chaos in neural firing patterns. In the present paper, a comb-shaped chaotic region in a two-dimensional parameter space was reproduced, which presented different processes of period-adding bifurcations with chaos with changing one parameter and fixed the other parameter at different levels. In the biological experiments, different period-adding bifurcation scenarios with chaos by decreasing the extra-cellular calcium concentration were observed from some neural pacemakers at different levels of extra-cellular 4-aminopyridine concentration and from other pacemakers at different levels of extra-cellular caesium concentration. By using the nonlinear time series analysis method, the deterministic dynamics of the experimental chaotic firings were investigated. The period-adding bifurcations with chaos observed in the experiments resembled those simulated in the comb-shaped chaotic region using the HR model. The experimental results show that period-adding bifurcations with chaos are preserved in different two-dimensional parameter spaces, which provides evidence of the existence of the comb-shaped chaotic region and a demonstration of the simulation results in different two-dimensional parameter spaces in the HR neuron model. The results also present relationships between different firing patterns in two-dimensional parameter spaces.

Open Up Your Newspaper with Advertising.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spielberger, Ronald E.

1980-01-01

Suggests ways the business office of a student newspaper can ease the conflicts between news and advertising space, including: raising advertising rates, selling ads only in uniform sizes, charging extra for premium space, selling special features, and selling space around a monthly calendar of special events. (TJ)

Dead Star Rumbles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Composite of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A This Spitzer Space Telescope composite shows the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (white ball) and surrounding clouds of dust (gray, orange and blue). It consists of two processed images taken one year apart. Dust features that have not changed over time appear gray, while those that have changed are colored blue or orange. Blue represents an earlier time and orange, a later time.

These observations illustrate that a blast of light from Cassiopeia A is waltzing outward through the dusty skies. This dance, called an 'infrared echo,' began when the remnant erupted about 50 years ago.

Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion 325 years ago. It consists of a dead star, called a neutron star, and a surrounding shell of material that was blasted off as the star died. This remnant is located 10,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia.

An infrared echo is created when a star explodes or erupts, flashing light into surrounding clumps of dust. As the light zips through the dust clumps, it heats them up, causing them to glow successively in infrared, like a chain of Christmas bulbs lighting up one by one. The result is an optical illusion, in which the dust appears to be flying outward at the speed of light. This apparent motion can be seen here by the shift in colored dust clumps.

Echoes are distinct from supernova shockwaves, which are made up material that is swept up and hurled outward by exploding stars.

This infrared echo is the largest ever seen, stretching more than 50 light-years away from Cassiopeia A. If viewed from Earth, the entire movie frame would take up the same amount of space as two full moons.

Hints of an older infrared echo from Cassiopeia A's supernova explosion hundreds of years ago can also be seen.

The earlier Spitzer image was taken on November 30, 2003, and the later, on December 2, 2004.

TESTING CONVECTIVE-CORE OVERSHOOTING USING PERIOD SPACINGS OF DIPOLE MODES IN RED GIANTS

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

Montalban, J.; Noels, A.; Dupret, M.-A.

2013-04-01

Uncertainties on central mixing in main-sequence (MS) and core He-burning (He-B) phases affect key predictions of stellar evolution such as late evolutionary phases, chemical enrichment, ages, etc. We propose a test of the extension of extra-mixing in two relevant evolutionary phases based on period spacing ({Delta}P) of solar-like oscillating giants. From stellar models and their corresponding adiabatic frequencies (respectively, computed with ATON and LOSC codes), we provide the first predictions of the observable {Delta}P for stars in the red giant branch and in the red clump (RC). We find (1) a clear correlation between {Delta}P and the mass of themore » helium core (M{sub He}); the latter in intermediate-mass stars depends on the MS overshooting, and hence it can be used to set constraints on extra-mixing during MS when coupled with chemical composition; and (2) a linear dependence of the average value of the asymptotic period spacing (({Delta}P){sub a}) on the size of the convective core during the He-B phase. A first comparison with the inferred asymptotic period spacing for Kepler RC stars also suggests the need for extra-mixing during this phase, as evinced from other observational facts.« less

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-13

Back dropped by the blue and white Earth is a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) on the exterior of the Station. The photograph was taken during the second bout of STS-118 Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). MISSE collects information on how different materials weather in the environment of space.

CKM pattern from localized generations in extra dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matti, C.

2006-10-01

We revisit the issue of the quark masses and mixing angles in the framework of large extra dimension. We consider three identical standard model families resulting from higher-dimensional fields localized on different branes embedded in a large extra dimension. Furthermore we use a decaying profile in the bulk different form previous works. With the Higgs field also localized on a different brane, the hierarchy of masses between the families results from their different positions in the extra space. When the left-handed doublet and the right-handed singlets are localized with different couplings on the branes, we found a set of brane locations in one extra dimension which leads to the correct quark masses and mixing angles with the sufficient strength of CP-violation. We see that the decaying profile of the Higgs field plays a crucial role for producing the hierarchies in a rather natural way.

Innovative Robot Archetypes for In-Space Construction and Maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehnmark, Fredrik; Ambrose, Robert O.; Kennedy, Brett; Diftler, Myron; Mehling Joshua; Brigwater, Lyndon; Radford, Nicolaus; Goza, S. Michael; Culbert, Christopher

2005-01-01

The space environment presents unique challenges and opportunities in the assembly, inspection and maintenance of orbital and transit spaceflight systems. While conventional Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) technology, out of necessity, addresses each of the challenges, relatively few of the opportunities have been exploited due to crew safety and reliability considerations. Extra-Vehicular Robotics (EVR) is one of the least-explored design spaces but offers many exciting innovations transcending the crane-like Space Shuttle and International Space Station Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robots used for berthing, coarse positioning and stabilization. Microgravity environments can support new robotic archetypes with locomotion and manipulation capabilities analogous to undersea creatures. Such diversification could enable the next generation of space science platforms and vehicles that are too large and fragile to launch and deploy as self-contained payloads. Sinuous manipulators for minimally invasive inspection and repair in confined spaces, soft-stepping climbers with expansive leg reach envelopes and free-flying nanosatellite cameras can access EVA worksites generally not accessible to humans in spacesuits. These and other novel robotic archetypes are presented along with functionality concepts

Supra-Earth affairs.

PubMed

Othman, Mazlan

2011-02-13

The United Nations briefly considered the issue of extra-terrestrial intelligence at the 32nd session of the General Assembly in 1977. As a result, the Office of Outer Space Affairs was tasked to prepare a document on issues related to 'messages to extra-terrestrial civilizations', but this area has not been followed through in more recent times. This discussion paper describes the United Nations' activities in the field of near-Earth objects in some detail, and suggests that this might be used as a model of how Member States could proceed with dealing with this issue in case the existence of extra-terrestrial life/intelligence is established.

The use of delay in multitrack production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Case, Alexander U.

2003-04-01

Delay, inevitable whenever sound propagates through space, is too often the bane of the acoustician's practice. An audible echo generally relegates a music performance hall-no matter how beautiful it otherwise might sound-to the lowest status. Multitrack music production on the other hand, with its aggressive use of overdubbing, editing, and signal processing, is not bound by those rules of time and space which determine the sound of a hall. In the recording studio, where music is synthesized for playback over loudspeakers, the delay is employed as a powerful, multipurpose tool. It is not avoided. It is in fact embraced. Echoes are used on purpose, strategically, to enhance the loudspeaker listening experience. Moreover, the humble delay is the basis for many nonecho effects. Flanging, chorus, and pitch shifting are delay-based effects regularly used in audio engineering practice. This paper discusses some of the more common delay-based effects, reviewing their technical structure, the psychoacoustic motivation behind them, and the musical value they create.

Carotid arterial wall MRI at 3T using 3D variable-flip-angle turbo spin-echo (TSE) with flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD).

PubMed

Fan, Zhaoyang; Zhang, Zhuoli; Chung, Yiu-Cho; Weale, Peter; Zuehlsdorff, Sven; Carr, James; Li, Debiao

2010-03-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD) magnetization preparation in improving blood signal suppression of three-dimensional (3D) turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence (SPACE) for isotropic high-spatial-resolution carotid arterial wall imaging at 3T. The FSD-prepared SPACE sequence (FSD-SPACE) was implemented by adding two identical FSD gradient pulses right before and after the first refocusing 180 degrees -pulse of the SPACE sequence in all three orthogonal directions. Nine healthy volunteers were imaged at 3T with SPACE, FSD-SPACE, and multislice T2-weighted 2D TSE coupled with saturation band (SB-TSE). Apparent carotid wall-lumen contrast-to-noise ratio (aCNR(w-l)) and apparent lumen area (aLA) at the locations with residual-blood (rb) signal shown on SPACE images were compared between SPACE and FSD-SPACE. Carotid aCNR(w-l) and lumen (LA) and wall area (WA) measured from FSD-SPACE were compared to those measured from SB-TSE. Plaque-mimicking flow artifacts identified in seven carotids on SPACE images were eliminated on FSD-SPACE images. The FSD preparation resulted in slightly reduced aCNR(w-l) (P = 0.025), but significantly improved aCNR between the wall and rb regions (P < 0.001) and larger aLA (P < 0.001). Compared to SB-TSE, FSD-SPACE offered comparable aCNR(w-l) with much higher spatial resolution, shorter imaging time, and larger artery coverage. The LA and WA measurements from the two techniques were in good agreement based on intraclasss correlation coefficient (0.988 and 0.949, respectively; P < 0.001) and Bland-Altman analyses. FSD-SPACE is a time-efficient 3D imaging technique for carotid arterial wall with superior spatial resolution and blood signal suppression.

High Fidelity Measurement of Free Space Solar Particle Event and Galactic Cosmic Ray Environments at Intermediate Energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitgab, M.

2018-02-01

A charged particle measurement experiment mounted externally to the Deep Space Gateway is proposed, contributing to improving astronaut radiation exposure management during Solar Particle Events and Extra Vehicular Activities.

Theoretical and experimental studies of space-related plasma wave propagation and resonance phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, F. W.

1975-01-01

A ten year summary was given of university research on the nature and characteristics of space related plasma resonance phenomena, whistler propagation in laboratory plasmas, and theoretical and experimental studies of plasma wave propagation. Data are also given on long delayed echoes, low frequency instabilities, ionospheric heating, and backscatter, and pulse propagation. A list is included of all conference papers, publications, and reports resulting from the study.

iss047e134605

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-30

ISS047e134605 (05/30/2016) --- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake uses hardware for the Vascular Echo experiment. As humans get older on Earth, arteries stiffen and this causes an increase in blood pressure (hypertension) and elevates the risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, it has been observed that some crew members returning from the International Space Station (ISS) have much stiffer arteries than when they went into space. The results from studying these changes could provide insight into potential countermeasures to help maintain crew member health, and quality of life for everyone.

Microbleed detection using automated segmentation (MIDAS): a new method applicable to standard clinical MR images.

PubMed

Seghier, Mohamed L; Kolanko, Magdalena A; Leff, Alexander P; Jäger, Hans R; Gregoire, Simone M; Werring, David J

2011-03-23

Cerebral microbleeds, visible on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) T2* MRI, have generated increasing interest as an imaging marker of small vessel diseases, with relevance for intracerebral bleeding risk or brain dysfunction. Manual rating methods have limited reliability and are time-consuming. We developed a new method for microbleed detection using automated segmentation (MIDAS) and compared it with a validated visual rating system. In thirty consecutive stroke service patients, standard GRE T2* images were acquired and manually rated for microbleeds by a trained observer. After spatially normalizing each patient's GRE T2* images into a standard stereotaxic space, the automated microbleed detection algorithm (MIDAS) identified cerebral microbleeds by explicitly incorporating an "extra" tissue class for abnormal voxels within a unified segmentation-normalization model. The agreement between manual and automated methods was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa statistic. We found that MIDAS had generally moderate to good agreement with the manual reference method for the presence of lobar microbleeds (Kappa = 0.43, improved to 0.65 after manual exclusion of obvious artefacts). Agreement for the number of microbleeds was very good for lobar regions: (ICC = 0.71, improved to ICC = 0.87). MIDAS successfully detected all patients with multiple (≥2) lobar microbleeds. MIDAS can identify microbleeds on standard MR datasets, and with an additional rapid editing step shows good agreement with a validated visual rating system. MIDAS may be useful in screening for multiple lobar microbleeds.

Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery BLADE magnetic resonance imaging of the brain: an alternative to spin-echo technique for detection of brain lesions in the unsedated pediatric patient?

PubMed

Alibek, Sedat; Adamietz, Boris; Cavallaro, Alexander; Stemmer, Alto; Anders, Katharina; Kramer, Manuel; Bautz, Werner; Staatz, Gundula

2008-08-01

We compared contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain using different types of data acquisition techniques: periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER, BLADE) imaging versus standard k-space sampling (conventional spin-echo pulse sequence) in the unsedated pediatric patient with focus on artifact reduction, overall image quality, and lesion detectability. Forty-eight pediatric patients (aged 3 months to 18 years) were scanned with a clinical 1.5-T whole body MR scanner. Cross-sectional contrast-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo sequence was compared to a T1-weighted dark-fluid fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) BLADE sequence for qualitative and quantitative criteria (image artifacts, image quality, lesion detectability) by two experienced radiologists. Imaging protocols were matched for imaging parameters. Reader agreement was assessed using the exact Bowker test. BLADE images showed significantly less pulsation and motion artifacts than the standard T1-weighted spin-echo sequence scan. BLADE images showed statistically significant lower signal-to-noise ratio but higher contrast-to-noise ratios with superior gray-white matter contrast. All lesions were demonstrated on FLAIR BLADE imaging, and one false-positive lesion was visible in spin-echo sequence images. BLADE MR imaging at 1.5 T is applicable for central nervous system imaging of the unsedated pediatric patient, reduces motion and pulsation artifacts, and minimizes the need for sedation or general anesthesia without loss of relevant diagnostic information.

The Direct Detection and Characterization of M-dwarf Planets Using Light Echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, William B.; White, Richard L.; Lupu, Roxana E.; Ford, Holland C.

2018-02-01

Exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars are a prime target in the search for life in the universe. M-dwarf stars are active, with powerful flares that could adversely impact prospects for life, though there are counter-arguments. Here, we turn flaring to advantage and describe ways in which it can be used to enhance the detectability of planets, in the absence of transits or a coronagraph, significantly expanding the accessible discovery and characterization space. Flares produce brief bursts of intense luminosity, after which the star dims. Due to the light travel time between the star and planet, the planet receives the high-intensity pulse, which it re-emits through scattering (a light echo) or intrinsic emission when the star is much fainter, thereby increasing the planet’s detectability. The planet’s light-echo emission can potentially be discriminated from that of the host star by means of a time delay, Doppler shift, spatial shift, and polarization, each of which can improve the contrast of the planet to the star. Scattered light can reveal the albedo spectrum of the planet to within a size scale factor, and is likely to be polarized. Intrinsic emission mechanisms include fluorescent pumping of multiple molecular hydrogen and neutral oxygen lines by intense Lyα and Lyβ flare emission, recombination radiation of ionized and photodissociated species, and atmospheric processes such as terrestrial upper atmosphere airglow and near-infrared hydroxyl emission. We discuss the feasibility of detecting light echoes and find that light echo detection is possible under favorable circumstances.

Electrical Charging Hazards Originating from the Surface (ECHOS): Understanding the Martian Electro-Meteorological Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, W. M.; Desch, M. D.; Marshall, J. R.; Delory, G. T.; Kolecki, J. C.; Hillard, G. B.; Kaiser, M. L.; Haberle, R. M.; Zent, A. P.; Luhmann, J. G.

2000-01-01

In 1999, the NASA/Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) enterprise selected a number of payloads to fly to the Martian surface in an 03 opportunity (prior to the MPL loss). Part of a proposed experiment, ECHOS, was selected to specifically understand the electrical charging hazards from tribocharged dust in the ambient atmosphere, in dust devils, and in larger storms. It is expected that Martian dust storms become tribocharged much like terrestrial dust devils which can possess almost a million elementary charges per cubic centimeter. The ECHOS package features a set of instruments for measuring electric effects: a radio to detect AC electric fields radiating from discharges in the storm,a DC electric field system for sensing electrostatic fields from concentrations of charged dust grains, and a lander electrometer chain for determining the induced potential on its body and MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle) during the passages of a charged dust storm. Given that electricity is a systemic process originating from wind-blown dust, we also proposed to correlate the electrical measurements with fundamental fluid/meteorological observations, including wind velocity and vorticity, temperature, and pressure. Triboelectricity will also affect local chemistry, and chemical-sensing devices were also considered a feature of the package. The primary HEDS objectives of the ECHOS sensing suite is to discover and monitor the natural electrical hazards associated with dust devils and storms, and determine their enviro-effectiveness on human systems. However, ECHOS also has a strong footprint in the overarching science objectives of the Mars Surveyor Program.

46 CFR 118.410 - Fixed gas fire extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... with the Marine Design, Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual approved for the system by the...), must be at least Schedule 80 (extra heavy). (2) A pressure relief valve or equivalent set to relieve at... installed in a machinery space, paint locker, a space containing flammable liquid stores, or a space with a...

46 CFR 181.410 - Fixed gas fire extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... installation must be in accordance with the Marine Design, Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual...), must be at least Schedule 80 (extra heavy). (2) A pressure relief valve or equivalent set to relieve at... installed in a machinery space, paint locker, a space containing flammable liquid stores, or a space with a...

46 CFR 118.410 - Fixed gas fire extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... with the Marine Design, Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual approved for the system by the...), must be at least Schedule 80 (extra heavy). (2) A pressure relief valve or equivalent set to relieve at... installed in a machinery space, paint locker, a space containing flammable liquid stores, or a space with a...

A comparison study between 3D T2-weighted SPACE and conventional 2D T2-weighted turbo spin echo in assessment of carotid plaque.

PubMed

Lv, Peng; Dai, Yuanyuan; Lin, Jiang; Zhang, Weisheng; Liu, Hao; Liu, Hui; Tang, Xiao

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to compare 3D T2-weighted sampling perfection with application optimized contrast using different flip angle evolutions (T2w SPACE) with conventional 2D T2w turbo-spin echo (TSE) in plaque imaging of carotid artery. 45 patients underwent 3.0-T MRI for carotid arteries imaging. MR sequences included T2w SPACE, T2w TSE, Time of flight (TOF) and T1-weighted (T1w) TSE. The signal intensity of intra-plaque hemorrhage (IPH), lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC), and loose matrix (LM) were measured and their contrast ratios (CRs) against adjacent muscle were calculated. CRs from T2w SPACE and T2w TSE were compared to each other. CRs of LM, LRNC, and IPH measured on T2w SPACE were 1.74-3.04 (2.44), 0.98-1.66 (1.39), and 1.91-2.93 (2.51), respectively. CRs of LM, LRNC, and IPH on T2w TSE were 1.97-3.41 (2.44), 1.18-1.73 (1.43), and 2.26-3.75 (2.26), respectively. There was no significant difference of CR of the carotid plaques between T2w SPACE and T2w TSE (p = 0.455). Markedly significant differences of CRs were found between LM and LRNC (p < 0.001), and between LRNC and IPH (p < 0.001) on T2w SPACE and T2w TSE. T2w SPACE was comparable with conventional T2w TSE in characterization of carotid plaque.

Morphometric anatomical and CT study of the human adult sacroiliac region.

PubMed

Postacchini, Roberto; Trasimeni, Guido; Ripani, Francesca; Sessa, Pasquale; Perotti, Stefano; Postacchini, Franco

2017-01-01

To identify and describe the morphometry and CT features of the articular and extra-articular portions of the sacroiliac region. The resulting knowledge might help to avoid complications in sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion. We analyzed 102 dry hemi-sacra, 80 ilia, and 10 intact pelves and assessed the pelvic computerized tomography (CT) scans of 90 patients, who underwent the examination for conditions not involving the pelvis. We assessed both the posterior aspect of sacrum with regard to the depressions located externally to the lateral sacral crest at the level of the proximal three sacral vertebrae and the posteroinferior aspect of ilium. Coronal and axial CT scans of the SIJ of patients were obtained and the joint space was measured. On each side, the sacrum exhibits three bone depressions, not described in anatomic textbooks or studies, facing the medial aspect of the posteroinferior ilium, not yet described in detail. Both structures are extra-articular portions situated posteriorly to the SIJ. Coronal CT scans of patients showing the first three sacral foramens and the interval between sacrum and ilium as a continuous space display only the S1 and S3 portions of SIJ, the intermediate portion being extra-articular. The S2 portion is visible on the most anterior coronal scan. Axial scans show articular and extra-articular portions and features improperly described as anatomic variations. Extra-articular portions of the sacroiliac region, not yet described exhaustively, have often been confused with SIJ. Coronal CT scans through the middle part of sacrum, the most used to evaluate degenerative and inflammatory conditions of SIJ, show articular and extra-articular portions of the region.

The Calm Methane Northern Seas of Titan from Cassini Radio Science Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marouf, Essam A.; French, Richard G.; Wong, Kwok; Anabtawi, Aseel; Schinder, Paul J.; Cassini Radio Science Team

2016-10-01

We report on results from 3 bistatic scattering observations of Titan northern seas conducted by the Cassini spacecraft in 2014 ( flybys T101, T102, and T106). The onboard Radio Science instrument transmits 3 sinusoidal signals of 0.94, 3.6, and 13 cm wavelengths. The spacecraft is continuously maneuvered to point in incidence direction so that mirror-like reflections from Titan's surface are observed at the ground stations of the NASA Deep Space Network. The corresponding ground-track in all 3 cases crossed different regions of Kraken Mare, and in the case of T101 also crossed Ligeia Mare. A nearly pure sinusoidal reflected signal was clearly detectable in the observed echoes spectra over surface regions identified in the Cassini RADAR images as potential liquid regions. Weaker quasi-specular echoes were also evident over some intermediate dry land and near sea shores. Cassini transmits right-circularly-polarized (RCP) signals and both the RCP and LCP echo components are observed. Their spectral shape, bandwidth, and total power are the observables used to infer/constrain physical surface properties. Presented results are limited to the 3.6 cm wavelength signal which has the largest SNR. The remarkably preserved sinusoidal echo spectral shape and the little detectable Doppler broadening strongly suggest surface that is smooth on scales large compared to 3.6 cm. If long wavelength gravity waves are present, they must be very subtle. The measured RCP/LCP echo power ratio provides direct measurement of the surface dielectric constant and is diagnostic of the liquid composition. The power ratio measurements eliminate possible significant ethane contribution and strongly imply predominantly liquid methane and nitrogen composition. Carefully calibrated measurements of the absolute echo power and the inferred dielectric constant constrain the presence of any capillary waves of wavelength << 3.6 cm. The latter affect wave coherence across the Fresnel region, reducing the reflected sinusoidal component power. When detectable, the reduction implies an RMS ripples height of about 2 mm, otherwise the measurements place an upper bound of about 1 mm. The results appear consistent among the two polarized echo components.

Personal Cooling for Extra-Vehicular Activities on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pu, Zhengxiang; Kapat, Jay; Chow, Louis; Recio, Jose; Rini, Dan; Trevino, Luis

2004-01-01

Extra-vehicular activities (EVA) on Mars will require suits with sophisticated thermal control systems so that astronauts can work comfortably for extended periods of time. Any use of consumables such as water that cannot be easily replaced should be of particular concern. In this aspect the EVA suits for Mars environment need to be different from the current Space Shuttle Extra Vehicular Mobility Units (EMU) that depend on water sublimation into space for removing heat from suits. Moreover, Mars environment is quite different from what a typical EMU may be exposed to. These variations call for careful analysis and innovative engineering for design and fabrication of an appropriate thermal control system. This paper presents a thermal analysis of astronaut suits for EVA with medium metabolic intensity under a typical hot and a nominal cold environment on Mars. The paper also describes possible options that would allow conservation of water with low usage of electrical power. The paper then presents the conceptual design of a portable cooling unit for one such solution.

Self-quartic interaction for a scalar field in an extended DFR noncommutative space-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abreu, Everton M. C.; Neves, M. J.

2014-07-01

The framework of Dopliche-Fredenhagen-Roberts (DFR) for a noncommutative (NC) space-time is considered as an alternative approach to study the NC space-time of the early Universe. Concerning this formalism, the NC constant parameter, θ, is promoted to coordinate of the space-time and consequently we can describe a field theory in a space-time with extra-dimensions. We will see that there is a canonical momentum associated with this new coordinate in which the effects of a new physics can emerge in the propagation of the fields along the extra-dimensions. The Fourier space of this framework is automatically extended by the addition of the new momenta components. The main concept that we would like to emphasize from the outset is that the formalism demonstrated here will not be constructed by introducing a NC parameter in the system, as usual. It will be generated naturally from an already NC space. We will review that when the components of the new momentum are zero, the (extended) DFR approach is reduced to the usual (canonical) NC case, in which θ is an antisymmetric constant matrix. In this work we will study a scalar field action with self-quartic interaction ϕ4⋆ defined in the DFR NC space-time. We will obtain the Feynman rules in the Fourier space for the scalar propagator and vertex of the model. With these rules we are able to build the radiative corrections to one loop order of the model propagator. The consequences of the NC scale, as well as the propagation of the field in extra-dimensions, will be analyzed in the ultraviolet divergences scenario. We will investigate about the actual possibility that this kμν conjugate momentum has the property of healing the combination of IR/UV divergences that emerges in this recently new NC spacetime quantum field theory.

Influence of sound source location on the behavior and physiology of the precedence effect in cats.

PubMed

Dent, Micheal L; Tollin, Daniel J; Yin, Tom C T

2009-08-01

Psychophysical experiments on the precedence effect (PE) in cats have shown that they localize pairs of auditory stimuli presented from different locations in space based on the spatial position of the stimuli and the interstimulus delay (ISD) between the stimuli in a manner similar to humans. Cats exhibit localization dominance for pairs of transient stimuli with |ISDs| from approximately 0.4 to 10 ms, summing localization for |ISDs| < 0.4 ms and breakdown of fusion for |ISDs| > 10 ms, which is the approximate echo threshold. The neural correlates to the PE have been described in both anesthetized and unanesthetized animals at many levels from auditory nerve to cortex. Single-unit recordings from the inferior colliculus (IC) and auditory cortex of cats demonstrate that neurons respond to both lead and lag sounds at ISDs above behavioral echo thresholds, but the response to the lag is reduced at shorter ISDs, consistent with localization dominance. Here the influence of the relative locations of the leading and lagging sources on the PE was measured behaviorally in a psychophysical task and physiologically in the IC of awake behaving cats. At all configurations of lead-lag stimulus locations, the cats behaviorally exhibited summing localization, localization dominance, and breakdown of fusion. Recordings from the IC of awake behaving cats show neural responses paralleling behavioral measurements. Both behavioral and physiological results suggest systematically shorter echo thresholds when stimuli are further apart in space.

Influence of Sound Source Location on the Behavior and Physiology of the Precedence Effect in Cats

PubMed Central

Dent, Micheal L.; Tollin, Daniel J.; Yin, Tom C. T.

2009-01-01

Psychophysical experiments on the precedence effect (PE) in cats have shown that they localize pairs of auditory stimuli presented from different locations in space based on the spatial position of the stimuli and the interstimulus delay (ISD) between the stimuli in a manner similar to humans. Cats exhibit localization dominance for pairs of transient stimuli with |ISDs| from ∼0.4 to 10 ms, summing localization for |ISDs| < 0.4 ms and breakdown of fusion for |ISDs| > 10 ms, which is the approximate echo threshold. The neural correlates to the PE have been described in both anesthetized and unanesthetized animals at many levels from auditory nerve to cortex. Single-unit recordings from the inferior colliculus (IC) and auditory cortex of cats demonstrate that neurons respond to both lead and lag sounds at ISDs above behavioral echo thresholds, but the response to the lag is reduced at shorter ISDs, consistent with localization dominance. Here the influence of the relative locations of the leading and lagging sources on the PE was measured behaviorally in a psychophysical task and physiologically in the IC of awake behaving cats. At all configurations of lead-lag stimulus locations, the cats behaviorally exhibited summing localization, localization dominance, and breakdown of fusion. Recordings from the IC of awake behaving cats show neural responses paralleling behavioral measurements. Both behavioral and physiological results suggest systematically shorter echo thresholds when stimuli are further apart in space. PMID:19439668

Fully refocused multi-shot spatiotemporally encoded MRI: robust imaging in the presence of metallic implants.

PubMed

Ben-Eliezer, Noam; Solomon, Eddy; Harel, Elad; Nevo, Nava; Frydman, Lucio

2012-12-01

An approach has been recently introduced for acquiring arbitrary 2D NMR spectra or images in a single scan, based on the use of frequency-swept RF pulses for the sequential excitation and acquisition of the spins response. This spatiotemporal-encoding (SPEN) approach enables a unique, voxel-by-voxel refocusing of all frequency shifts in the sample, for all instants throughout the data acquisition. The present study investigates the use of this full-refocusing aspect of SPEN-based imaging in the multi-shot MRI of objects, subject to sizable field inhomogeneities that complicate conventional imaging approaches. 2D MRI experiments were performed at 7 T on phantoms and on mice in vivo, focusing on imaging in proximity to metallic objects. Fully refocused SPEN-based spin echo imaging sequences were implemented, using both Cartesian and back-projection trajectories, and compared with k-space encoded spin echo imaging schemes collected on identical samples under equal bandwidths and acquisition timing conditions. In all cases assayed, the fully refocused spatiotemporally encoded experiments evidenced a ca. 50 % reduction in signal dephasing in the proximity of the metal, as compared to analogous results stemming from the k-space encoded spin echo counterparts. The results in this study suggest that SPEN-based acquisition schemes carry the potential to overcome strong field inhomogeneities, of the kind that currently preclude high-field, high-resolution tissue characterizations in the neighborhood of metallic implants.

Implementation and assessment of diffusion-weighted partial Fourier readout-segmented echo-planar imaging.

PubMed

Frost, Robert; Porter, David A; Miller, Karla L; Jezzard, Peter

2012-08-01

Single-shot echo-planar imaging has been used widely in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging due to the difficulties in correcting motion-induced phase corruption in multishot data. Readout-segmented EPI has addressed the multishot problem by introducing a two-dimensional nonlinear navigator correction with online reacquisition of uncorrectable data to enable acquisition of high-resolution diffusion data with reduced susceptibility artifact and T*(2) blurring. The primary shortcoming of readout-segmented EPI in its current form is its long acquisition time (longer than similar resolution single-shot echo-planar imaging protocols by approximately the number of readout segments), which limits the number of diffusion directions. By omitting readout segments at one side of k-space and using partial Fourier reconstruction, readout-segmented EPI imaging times could be reduced. In this study, the effects of homodyne and projection onto convex sets reconstructions on estimates of the fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and diffusion orientation in fiber tracts and raw T(2)- and trace-weighted signal are compared, along with signal-to-noise ratio results. It is found that projections onto convex sets reconstruction with 3/5 segments in a 2 mm isotropic diffusion tensor image acquisition and 9/13 segments in a 0.9 × 0.9 × 4.0 mm(3) diffusion-weighted image acquisition provide good fidelity relative to the full k-space parameters. This allows application of readout-segmented EPI to tractography studies, and clinical stroke and oncology protocols. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Lagrange multiplier and Wess-Zumino variable as extra dimensions in the torus universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nejad, Salman Abarghouei; Dehghani, Mehdi; Monemzadeh, Majid

2018-01-01

We study the effect of the simplest geometry which is imposed via the topology of the universe by gauging non-relativistic particle model on torus and 3-torus with the help of symplectic formalism of constrained systems. Also, we obtain generators of gauge transformations for gauged models. Extracting corresponding Poisson structure of existed constraints, we show the effect of the shape of the universe on canonical structure of phase-spaces of models and suggest some phenomenology to prove the topology of the universe and probable non-commutative structure of the space. In addition, we show that the number of extra dimensions in the phase-spaces of gauged embedded models are exactly two. Moreover, in classical form, we talk over modification of Newton's second law in order to study the origin of the terms appeared in the gauged theory.

Proximity operations concept design study, task 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, A. N.

1990-01-01

The feasibility of using optical technology to perform the mission of the proximity operations communications subsystem on Space Station Freedom was determined. Proximity operations mission requirements are determined and the relationship to the overall operational environment of the space station is defined. From this information, the design requirements of the communication subsystem are derived. Based on these requirements, a preliminary design is developed and the feasibility of implementation determined. To support the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle and National Space Transportation System, the optical system development is straightforward. The requirements on extra-vehicular activity are such as to allow large fields of uncertainty, thus exacerbating the acquisition problem; however, an approach is given that could mitigate this problem. In general, it is found that such a system could indeed perform the proximity operations mission requirement, with some development required to support extra-vehicular activity.

Mars Express Bistatic Radar Explores Stealth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Richard A.; Tyler, G. L.; Nolan, M. C.; Pätzold, M.; Häusler, B.

2006-09-01

`Stealth' is an area of approximately 2000 x 500 km (E-W by N-S), straddling Mars' equator west of Tharsis and originally mapped at λ=3.5 cm by Muhleman et al. (Science, 253, 1508-1513, 1991). The name 'Stealth' was given because of its low radar backscatter cross section in the 1991 observations. Using transmissions from Mars Express and reception at 70-m antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN), we have obtained five 'spot' measurements of oblique-incidence forward scattering from Stealth at fixed incidence angles 32°

Ambient & Vessel Noise Measurement and Marine Mammal Monitoring in the Stait of Georgia, British-Columbia, Canada.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moloney, J. E.; Hannay, D.; Mouy, X.; Mouy, P. A.; Urazghildiiev, I.; Dakin, T.

2016-02-01

Recently JASCO Applied Sciences (Canada) Ltd (JASCO), Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and the Port of Metro Vancouver (PMV) have collaborated in the installation of a novel, real-time ocean observing (listening) system (PMV-ECHO system deployed in the Strait of Georgia, BC. This system was designed specifically to measure ambient noise, vessel source levels, and to detect, classify, localize and track marine mammals using their vocalization in order to estimate population density. The listening station deployment and monitoring activities are part of the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program. The program aims to better understand and manage the impact of shipping activities on at-risk whales throughout the southern coast of British Columbia. The PMV-ECHO system is composed of two unique spatial arrays of four hydrophones and one active projector each. Both arrays are used to measure and monitor the environment and calibrate the hydrophones over time. Further, a new shored-based data processing and visualization system (JMesh) is used automatically process the data and to enable operators to easily provide measurement information, navigate through large time series of detections, examine spectrograms, listen to detected sounds, validate detections, and compare detections for different species over time and space. The JMesh web platform has been designed to overcome the otherwise overwhelming volume of acoustic data collected by the PMV-ECHO sensor systems. This paper will describe how the PMV-ECHO system along with the automated real-time analysis and visualization software suite can be used study marine mammal distribution and behavior, variation of vessel noises and potential effects of anthropogenic activities on marine mammals. The goal of the PMV-ECHO program is to find ways to reduce shipping impact on at-risk species especially in the approaches to large ports. This program and its scientific and technical approaches should be of interest to many marine organizations, industries, researchers and enforcement agencies.

Space-time distribution of the ALS incident cases by onset type in the Health District of Ferrara, Italy.

PubMed

Govoni, V; Della Coletta, E; Cesnik, E; Casetta, I; Tugnoli, V; Granieri, E

2015-04-01

An ecological study in the resident population of the Health District (HD) of Ferrara, Italy, has been carried out to establish the distribution in space and time of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incident cases according to the disease onset type and gender in the period 1964-2009. The hypothesis of a uniform distribution was assumed. The incident cases of spinal onset ALS and bulbar onset ALS were evenly distributed in space and time in both men and women. The spinal onset ALS incident cases distribution according to gender was significantly different from the expected in the extra-urban population (20 observed cases in men 95% Poisson confidence interval 12.22-30.89, expected cases in men 12.19; six observed cases in women 95% Poisson confidence interval 2.20-13.06, expected cases in women 13.81), whereas no difference was found in the urban population. The spinal onset ALS incidence was higher in men than in women in the extra-urban population (difference between the rates = 1.53, 95% CI associated with the difference 0.52-2.54), whereas no difference between sexes was found in the urban population. The uneven distribution according to gender of the spinal onset ALS incident cases only in the extra-urban population suggests the involvement of a gender related environmental risk factor associated with the extra-urban environment. Despite some limits of the spatial analysis in the study of rare diseases, the results appear consistent with the literature data. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Aboard the Space Shuttle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, Florence S.

This 32-page pamphlet contains color photographs and detailed diagrams which illustrate general descriptive comments about living conditions aboard the space shuttle. Described are details of the launch, the cabin, the condition of weightlessness, food, sleep, exercise, atmosphere, personal hygiene, medicine, going EVA (extra-vehicular activity),…

Testing of the Japanese Experimental Module in NBS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This photograph was taken in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) during the testing of the Japanese Experimental Module. The NBS provided the weightless environment encountered in space needed for testing and the practices of extra-vehicular activities.

N-acetyl-aspartate levels correlate with intra-axonal compartment parameters from diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Grossman, Elan J; Kirov, Ivan I; Gonen, Oded; Novikov, Dmitry S; Davitz, Matthew S; Lui, Yvonne W; Grossman, Robert I; Inglese, Matilde; Fieremans, Els

2015-09-01

Diffusion MRI combined with biophysical modeling allows for the description of a white matter (WM) fiber bundle in terms of compartment specific white matter tract integrity (WMTI) metrics, which include intra-axonal diffusivity (Daxon), extra-axonal axial diffusivity (De||), extra-axonal radial diffusivity (De┴), axonal water fraction (AWF), and tortuosity (α) of extra-axonal space. Here we derive these parameters from diffusion kurtosis imaging to examine their relationship to concentrations of global WM N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho) and myo-Inositol (mI), as measured with proton MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS), in a cohort of 25 patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). We found statistically significant (p<0.05) positive correlations between NAA and Daxon, AWF, α, and fractional anisotropy; negative correlations between NAA and De,┴ and the overall radial diffusivity (D┴). These correlations were supported by similar findings in regional analysis of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Furthermore, a positive correlation in global WM was noted between Daxon and Cr, as well as a positive correlation between De|| and Cho, and a positive trend between De|| and mI. The specific correlations between NAA, an endogenous probe of the neuronal intracellular space, and WMTI metrics related to the intra-axonal space, combined with the specific correlations of De|| with mI and Cho, both predominantly present extra-axonally, corroborate the overarching assumption of many advanced modeling approaches that diffusion imaging can disentangle between the intra- and extra-axonal compartments in WM fiber bundles. Our findings are also generally consistent with what is known about the pathophysiology of MTBI, which appears to involve both intra-axonal injury (as reflected by a positive trend between NAA and Daxon) as well as axonal shrinkage, demyelination, degeneration, and/or loss (as reflected by correlations between NAA and De┴, AWF, and α). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Actualizing Flexible National Security Space Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

single launch vehicle is a decision unique to small satellites that adds an extra dimension to the launch risk calculation. While bundling...following a launch failure. The ability to bundle multiple payloads on a single launch vehicle is a decision unique to small satellites that adds an extra ... dimension to the launch risk calculation. While bundling multiple small satellites on a single launch vehicle spreads the initial launch cost across

Probing extra dimension through gravitational wave observations of compact binaries and their electromagnetic counterparts

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

Yu, Hao; Gu, Bao-Min; Wang, Yong-Qiang

The future gravitational wave (GW) observations of compact binaries and their possible electromagnetic counterparts may be used to probe the nature of the extra dimension. It is widely accepted that gravitons and photons are the only two completely confirmed objects that can travel along null geodesics in our four-dimensional space-time. However, if there exist extra dimensions and only GWs can propagate freely in the bulk, the causal propagations of GWs and electromagnetic waves (EMWs) are in general different. In this paper, we study null geodesics of GWs and EMWs in a five-dimensional anti-de Sitter space-time in the presence of themore » curvature of the universe. We show that for general cases the horizon radius of GW is longer than EMW within equal time. Taking the GW150914 event detected by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the X-ray event detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor as an example, we study how the curvature k and the constant curvature radius l affect the horizon radii of GW and EMW in the de Sitter and Einstein-de Sitter models of the universe. This provides an alternative method for probing extra dimension through future GW observations of compact binaries and their electromagnetic counterparts.« less

Compactification on phase space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovelady, Benjamin; Wheeler, James

2016-03-01

A major challenge for string theory is to understand the dimensional reduction required for comparison with the standard model. We propose reducing the dimension of the compactification by interpreting some of the extra dimensions as the energy-momentum portion of a phase-space. Such models naturally arise as generalized quotients of the conformal group called biconformal spaces. By combining the standard Kaluza-Klein approach with such a conformal gauge theory, we may start from the conformal group of an n-dimensional Euclidean space to form a 2n-dimensional quotient manifold with symplectic structure. A pair of involutions leads naturally to two n-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds. For n = 5, this leaves only two extra dimensions, with a countable family of possible compactifications and an SO(5) Yang-Mills field on the fibers. Starting with n=6 leads to 4-dimensional compactification of the phase space. In the latter case, if the two dimensions each from spacetime and momentum space are compactified onto spheres, then there is an SU(2)xSU(2) (left-right symmetric electroweak) field between phase and configuration space and an SO(6) field on the fibers. Such a theory, with minor additional symmetry breaking, could contain all parts of the standard model.

Space-Time and Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, F.; Goodbun, J.; Watson, V.

Architects have a role to play in interplanetary space that has barely yet been explored. The architectural community is largely unaware of this new territory, for which there is still no agreed method of practice. There is moreover a general confusion, in scientific and related fields, over what architects might actually do there today. Current extra-planetary designs generally fail to explore the dynamic and relational nature of space-time, and often reduce human habitation to a purely functional problem. This is compounded by a crisis over the representation (drawing) of space-time. The present work returns to first principles of architecture in order to realign them with current socio-economic and technological trends surrounding the space industry. What emerges is simultaneously the basis for an ecological space architecture, and the representational strategies necessary to draw it. We explore this approach through a work of design-based research that describes the construction of Ocean; a huge body of water formed by the collision of two asteroids at the Translunar Lagrange Point (L2), that would serve as a site for colonisation, and as a resource to fuel future missions. Ocean is an experimental model for extra-planetary space design and its representation, within the autonomous discipline of architecture.

Embedding of the brane into six dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogberashvili, Merab

2002-10-01

Embedding of the brane metric into Euclidean (2+4)-space is found. Brane geometry can be visualized as the surface of the hypersphere in six dimensions which ``radius'' is governed by the cosmological constant. Minkowski space in this picture is placed on the intersection of this surface with the plane formed by the extra space-like and time-like coordinates.

Collider searches for extra dimensions

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

Landsberg, Greg; /Brown U.

2004-12-01

Searches for extra spatial dimensions remain among the most popular new directions in our quest for physics beyond the Standard Model. High-energy collider experiments of the current decade should be able to find an ultimate answer to the question of their existence in a variety of models. Until the start of the LHC in a few years, the Tevatron will remain the key player in this quest. In this paper, we review the most recent results from the Tevatron on searches for large, TeV{sup -1}-size, and Randall-Sundrum extra spatial dimensions, which have reached a new level of sensitivity and currentlymore » probe the parameter space beyond the existing constraints. While no evidence for the existence of extra dimensions has been found so far, an exciting discovery might be just steps away.« less

T1 weighted fat/water separated PROPELLER acquired with dual bandwidths.

PubMed

Rydén, Henric; Berglund, Johan; Norbeck, Ola; Avventi, Enrico; Skare, Stefan

2018-04-24

To describe a fat/water separated dual receiver bandwidth (rBW) spin echo PROPELLER sequence that eliminates the dead time associated with single rBW sequences. A nonuniform noise whitening by regularization of the fat/water inverse problem is proposed, to enable dual rBW reconstructions. Bipolar, flyback, and dual spin echo sequences were developed. All sequences acquire two echoes with different rBW without dead time. Chemical shift displacement was corrected by performing the fat/water separation in k-space, prior to gridding. The proposed sequences were compared to fat saturation, and single rBW sequences, in terms of SNR and CNR efficiency, using clinically relevant acquisition parameters. The impact of motion was investigated. Chemical shift correction greatly improved the image quality, especially at high resolution acquired with low rBW, and also improved motion estimates. SNR efficiency of the dual spin echo sequence was up to 20% higher than the single rBW acquisition, while CNR efficiency was 50% higher for the bipolar acquisition. Noise whitening was deemed necessary for all dual rBW acquisitions, rendering high image quality with strong and homogenous fat suppression. Dual rBW sequences eliminate the dead time present in single rBW sequences, which improves SNR efficiency. In combination with the proposed regularization, this enables highly efficient T1-weighted PROPELLER images without chemical shift displacement. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

BRAMS --- the Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamy, H.; Ranvier, S.; Martinez Picar, A.; Gamby, E.; Calders, S.; Anciaux, M.; De Keyser, J.

2014-07-01

BRAMS is a new radio observing facility developed by the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BISA) to detect and characterize meteors using forward scattering. It consists of a dedicated beacon located in the south-east of Belgium and in 25 identical receiving stations spread over the Belgian territory. The beacon transmits a pure sinusoidal wave at a frequency of 49.97 MHz with a power of 150 watts. A complete description of the BRAMS network and the data produced will be provided. The main scientific goals of the project are to compute fluxes, retrieve trajectories of individual objects, and determine physical parameters (speed, ionization, mass) for some of the observed meteor echoes. All these goals require a good knowledge of the radiation patterns of the transmitting and receiving antennas. Simulations have been made and will be validated with in-situ measurements using a UAV/drone equipped with a transmitter flying in the far-field region. The results will be provided. Each receiving station generates around 1 GB of data per day with typical numbers of sporadic meteor echoes of 1500--2000. An automatic detection method of these meteor echoes is therefore mandatory but is complicated by spurious echoes mostly due to airplanes. The latest developments of this automatic detection method will be presented and compared to manual counts for validation. Strong and weak points of the method will be presented as well as a possible alternative method using neural networks.

Automatic correction of echo-planar imaging (EPI) ghosting artifacts in real-time interactive cardiac MRI using sensitivity encoding.

PubMed

Kim, Yoon-Chul; Nielsen, Jon-Fredrik; Nayak, Krishna S

2008-01-01

To develop a method that automatically corrects ghosting artifacts due to echo-misalignment in interleaved gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (EPI) in arbitrary oblique or double-oblique scan planes. An automatic ghosting correction technique was developed based on an alternating EPI acquisition and the phased-array ghost elimination (PAGE) reconstruction method. The direction of k-space traversal is alternated at every temporal frame, enabling lower temporal-resolution ghost-free coil sensitivity maps to be dynamically estimated. The proposed method was compared with conventional one-dimensional (1D) phase correction in axial, oblique, and double-oblique scan planes in phantom and cardiac in vivo studies. The proposed method was also used in conjunction with two-fold acceleration. The proposed method with nonaccelerated acquisition provided excellent suppression of ghosting artifacts in all scan planes, and was substantially more effective than conventional 1D phase correction in oblique and double-oblique scan planes. The feasibility of real-time reconstruction using the proposed technique was demonstrated in a scan protocol with 3.1-mm spatial and 60-msec temporal resolution. The proposed technique with nonaccelerated acquisition provides excellent ghost suppression in arbitrary scan orientations without a calibration scan, and can be useful for real-time interactive imaging, in which scan planes are frequently changed with arbitrary oblique orientations.

Emergence of metapopulations and echo chambers in mobile agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starnini, Michele; Frasca, Mattia; Baronchelli, Andrea

2016-08-01

Multi-agent models often describe populations segregated either in the physical space, i.e. subdivided in metapopulations, or in the ecology of opinions, i.e. partitioned in echo chambers. Here we show how both kinds of segregation can emerge from the interplay between homophily and social influence in a simple model of mobile agents endowed with a continuous opinion variable. In the model, physical proximity determines a progressive convergence of opinions but differing opinions result in agents moving away from each others. This feedback between mobility and social dynamics determines the onset of a stable dynamical metapopulation scenario where physically separated groups of like-minded individuals interact with each other through the exchange of agents. The further introduction of confirmation bias in social interactions, defined as the tendency of an individual to favor opinions that match his own, leads to the emergence of echo chambers where different opinions coexist also within the same group. We believe that the model may be of interest to researchers investigating the origin of segregation in the offline and online world.

Parallel MR imaging: a user's guide.

PubMed

Glockner, James F; Hu, Houchun H; Stanley, David W; Angelos, Lisa; King, Kevin

2005-01-01

Parallel imaging is a recently developed family of techniques that take advantage of the spatial information inherent in phased-array radiofrequency coils to reduce acquisition times in magnetic resonance imaging. In parallel imaging, the number of sampled k-space lines is reduced, often by a factor of two or greater, thereby significantly shortening the acquisition time. Parallel imaging techniques have only recently become commercially available, and the wide range of clinical applications is just beginning to be explored. The potential clinical applications primarily involve reduction in acquisition time, improved spatial resolution, or a combination of the two. Improvements in image quality can be achieved by reducing the echo train lengths of fast spin-echo and single-shot fast spin-echo sequences. Parallel imaging is particularly attractive for cardiac and vascular applications and will likely prove valuable as 3-T body and cardiovascular imaging becomes part of standard clinical practice. Limitations of parallel imaging include reduced signal-to-noise ratio and reconstruction artifacts. It is important to consider these limitations when deciding when to use these techniques. (c) RSNA, 2005.

Preliminary results of the study of lightning location relative to storm structure and dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, W. D.; Taylor, W. L.; Macgorman, D.

1981-01-01

Lightning is being studied relative to storm structure using a VHF space-time discharge mapping system, radar, a cloud-to-ground flash locator, acoustic reconstruction of thunder, and other instrumentation. The horizontal discharge processes within the cloud generally propagate at speeds of 10,000-100,000 m/s. Horizontal extents of lightning were found up to 90 km. In an analysis of a limited number of flashes, lightning occurred in or near regions of high cyclonic shear. Positive cloud-to-ground flashes have been observed emanating from several identifiable regions of severe storms. Lightning echoes observed with 10-cm radar generally are 10-25 dB greater than the largest precipitation echo in the storm.

A SAMPLE OF SEYFERT-2 GALAXIES WITH ULTRALUMINOUS GALAXY-WIDE NARROW-LINE REGIONS: QUASAR LIGHT ECHOES?

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

Schirmer, M.; Diaz, R.; Levenson, N. A.

2013-01-20

We report the discovery of Seyfert-2 galaxies in SDSS-DR8 with galaxy-wide, ultraluminous narrow-line regions (NLRs) at redshifts z = 0.2-0.6. With a space density of 4.4 Gpc{sup -3} at z {approx} 0.3, these 'green beans' (GBs) are amongst the rarest objects in the universe. We are witnessing an exceptional and/or short-lived phenomenon in the life cycle of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The main focus of this paper is on a detailed analysis of the GB prototype galaxy J2240-0927 (z = 0.326). Its NLR extends over 26 Multiplication-Sign 44 kpc and is surrounded by an extended NLR. With a total [Omore » III] {lambda}5008 luminosity of (5.7 {+-} 0.9) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1}, this is one of the most luminous NLRs known around any type-2 galaxy. Using VLT/XSHOOTER, we show that the NLR is powered by an AGN, and we derive resolved extinction, density, and ionization maps. Gas kinematics is disturbed on a global scale, and high-velocity outflows are absent or faint. This NLR is unlike any other NLR or extended emission line region known. Spectroscopy with Gemini/GMOS reveals extended, high-luminosity [O III] emission also in other GBs. WISE 24 {mu}m luminosities are 5-50 times lower than predicted by the [O III] fluxes, suggesting that the NLRs reflect earlier, very active quasar states that have strongly subsided in less than a galaxy's light-crossing time. These light echoes, or ionization echoes, are about 100 times more luminous than any other such echo known to date. X-ray data are needed for photoionization modeling and to verify the light echoes.« less

T2‐Weighted intracranial vessel wall imaging at 7 Tesla using a DANTE‐prepared variable flip angle turbo spin echo readout (DANTE‐SPACE)

PubMed Central

Viessmann, Olivia; Li, Linqing; Benjamin, Philip

2016-01-01

Purpose To optimize intracranial vessel wall imaging (VWI) at 7T for sharp wall depiction and high boundary contrast. Methods A variable flip angle turbo spin echo scheme (SPACE) was optimized for VWI. SPACE provides black‐blood contrast, but has less crushing effect on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, a delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE) preparation suppresses the signal from slowly moving spins of a few mm per second. Therefore, we optimized a DANTE‐preparation module for 7T. Signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR), and signal ratio for vessel wall, CSF, and lumen were calculated for SPACE and DANTE‐SPACE in 11 volunteers at the middle cerebral artery (MCA). An exemplar MCA stenosis patient was scanned with DANTE‐SPACE. Results The 7T‐optimized SPACE sequence improved the vessel wall point‐spread function by 17%. The CNR between the wall and CSF was doubled (12.2 versus 5.6) for the DANTE‐SPACE scans compared with the unprepared SPACE. This increase was significant in the right hemisphere (P = 0.016), but not in the left (P = 0.090). The CNR between wall and lumen was halved, but remained at a high value (24.9 versus 56.5). Conclusion The optimized SPACE sequence improves VWI at 7T. Additional DANTE preparation increases the contrast between the wall and CSF. Increased outer boundary contrast comes at the cost of reduced inner boundary contrast. Magn Reson Med 77:655–663, 2017. © 2016 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PMID:26890988

T2-Weighted intracranial vessel wall imaging at 7 Tesla using a DANTE-prepared variable flip angle turbo spin echo readout (DANTE-SPACE).

PubMed

Viessmann, Olivia; Li, Linqing; Benjamin, Philip; Jezzard, Peter

2017-02-01

To optimize intracranial vessel wall imaging (VWI) at 7T for sharp wall depiction and high boundary contrast. A variable flip angle turbo spin echo scheme (SPACE) was optimized for VWI. SPACE provides black-blood contrast, but has less crushing effect on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, a delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE) preparation suppresses the signal from slowly moving spins of a few mm per second. Therefore, we optimized a DANTE-preparation module for 7T. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal ratio for vessel wall, CSF, and lumen were calculated for SPACE and DANTE-SPACE in 11 volunteers at the middle cerebral artery (MCA). An exemplar MCA stenosis patient was scanned with DANTE-SPACE. The 7T-optimized SPACE sequence improved the vessel wall point-spread function by 17%. The CNR between the wall and CSF was doubled (12.2 versus 5.6) for the DANTE-SPACE scans compared with the unprepared SPACE. This increase was significant in the right hemisphere (P = 0.016), but not in the left (P = 0.090). The CNR between wall and lumen was halved, but remained at a high value (24.9 versus 56.5). The optimized SPACE sequence improves VWI at 7T. Additional DANTE preparation increases the contrast between the wall and CSF. Increased outer boundary contrast comes at the cost of reduced inner boundary contrast. Magn Reson Med 77:655-663, 2017. © 2016 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2016 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Design concepts for bioreactors in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seshan, P. K.; Peterson, G. R.; Beard, B.; Boshe, C.; Dunlop, E. H.

1987-01-01

Microbial food sources are becoming viable and more efficient alternatives to conventional food sources, especially in the context of closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) in space habitats. Two bioreactor design concepts presented represent two dissimilar approaches to grappling with the absence of gravity in space habitats and deserve to be tested for adoption as important components of the life support function aboard spacecraft, space stations and other extra-terrestrial habitats.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-11

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 Astronaut Rick Mastracchio and Canada Space Agency's Dave Williams (out of frame), participated in the first session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) for the mission. During the 6 hour, 17 minute space walk, the two attached the Starboard 5 (S5) segment of truss, retracted the forward heat rejecting radiator from the Port 6 (P6) truss, and performed several get ahead tasks.

Standard 4D gravity on a brane in six-dimensional flux compactifications

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

Peloso, Marco; Sorbo, Lorenzo; Tasinato, Gianmassimo

We consider a six-dimensional space-time, in which two of the dimensions are compactified by a flux. Matter can be localized on a codimension one brane coupled to the bulk gauge field and wrapped around an axis of symmetry of the internal space. By studying the linear perturbations around this background, we show that the gravitational interaction between sources on the brane is described by Einstein 4D gravity at large distances. Our model provides a consistent setup for the study of gravity in the rugby (or football) compactification, without having to deal with the complications of a deltalike, codimension two brane.more » To our knowledge, this is the first complete study of gravity in a realistic brane model with two extra dimensions, in which the mechanism of stabilization of the extra space is fully taken into account.« less

Look Who's Under the Same Roof Now

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Alan C.

1973-01-01

Discusses emerging steps toward integration and coordination of public services including using excess school and college space for community purposes; building extra space in order to provide room for other services; providing for education and social services through cooperative building ventures; joining schools and housing or commercial…

Optimal aperture synthesis radar imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hysell, D. L.; Chau, J. L.

2006-03-01

Aperture synthesis radar imaging has been used to investigate coherent backscatter from ionospheric plasma irregularities at Jicamarca and elsewhere for several years. Phenomena of interest include equatorial spread F, 150-km echoes, the equatorial electrojet, range-spread meteor trails, and mesospheric echoes. The sought-after images are related to spaced-receiver data mathematically through an integral transform, but direct inversion is generally impractical or suboptimal. We instead turn to statistical inverse theory, endeavoring to utilize fully all available information in the data inversion. The imaging algorithm used at Jicamarca is based on an implementation of the MaxEnt method developed for radio astronomy. Its strategy is to limit the space of candidate images to those that are positive definite, consistent with data to the degree required by experimental confidence limits; smooth (in some sense); and most representative of the class of possible solutions. The algorithm was improved recently by (1) incorporating the antenna radiation pattern in the prior probability and (2) estimating and including the full error covariance matrix in the constraints. The revised algorithm is evaluated using new 28-baseline electrojet data from Jicamarca.

Evidence for Likely Liquid Hydrocarbons on Titan's Surface from Cassini Radio Science Bistatic Scattering Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marouf, E.; Flasar, M.; French, R.; Kliore, A.; Nagy, A.; Rappaport, N.; McGhee, C.; Schinder, P.; Simpson, R.; Anabtawi, A.; Asmar, S.; Barbinis, E.; Fleischman, D.; Goltz, G.; Kahan, D.; Kern, A.; Rochblatt, D.

2006-12-01

Cassini conducted the first two Radio Science bistatic scattering observations of Titan's surface on March 18 (T12) and May 20 (T14), 2006. The experiment was designed to search for mirror-like (quasi-specular) reflections from relatively flat surface regions. Three sinusoidal signals (0.94, 3.6, and 13 cm-wavelength; Ka-, X-, and S-band) transmitted by Cassini were used to illuminate and continuously track the region on Titan's surface where specular reflection is expected. The signals received at the Earth receiving stations (70-m for X and S, 34-m for Ka) of the NASA Deep Space Network were then searched for a surface echo. The transmitted signals are right circularly polarized (RCP). Both same sense (RCP) and opposite sense (LCP) polarized received components were recorded. The receivers were tuned to account for the rapidly time varying Doppler shift of the echo center frequency and the data was recorded in a 16 kHz bandwidth. Special procedures were implemented to calibrate the system noise temperature of both polarization channels, hence ensure accurate measurement of the absolute signal power. The observation geometry captured surface scattering over roughly 50 to 70 degrees incidence angle, close to the Brewster angle range of water ice and liquid and solid hydrocarbons. No strong specular echo was detectable over most of the T12 ingress track (about 40 m duration) or the T14 ingress (28 m) and egress (31 m) tracks, likely indicating very rough terrain over most regions probed (about 15 deg South latitude). However, for limited time periods (2 to 6 m), weak X- band RCP and LCP echo components are clearly detectable on both the T14 ingress and egress sides (about 140 and 14 deg west longitude, respectively). An S-band RCP echo component is also marginally detectable, but not an LCP component. No Ka-band echo is detectable, likely because of strong atmospheric gaseous absorption. The detected X-band echo appears to originate form relatively flat surface regions of less than about 100 km spatial extent. Remarkably, for both the ingress and egress locations, the measured echo polarization ratio implies a similar surface dielectric constant of about 1.6, suggesting liquid hydrocarbons (although other porous material of unknown nature can not be excluded at this time). The results suggest that the footprint of the radio beam on Titan's surface likely swept across localized regions of liquid hydrocarbons that are several tens of kilometers in extent (lakes?) embedded within an otherwise very rough surface terrain.

Thermal control system of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory Payload: design and predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgante, G.; Terenzi, L.; Eccleston, P.; Bradshaw, T.; Crook, M.; Linder, M.; Hunt, T.; Winter, B.; Focardi, M.; Malaguti, G.; Micela, G.; Pace, E.; Tinetti, G.

2015-12-01

The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) is a space mission dedicated to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres by undertaking spectroscopy of transiting planets in a wide spectral region from the visible to the mid-InfraRed (IR). The high sensitivity and the long exposures required by the mission need an extremely stable thermo-mechanical platform. The instrument is passively cooled down to approximately 40 K, together with the telescope assembly, by a V-Groove based design that exploits the L2 orbit favourable thermal conditions. The visible and short-IR wavelength detectors are maintained at the operating temperature of 40 K by a dedicated radiator coupled to the cold space. The mid-IR channels, require a lower operating temperature and are cooled by an active refrigerator: a 28 K Neon Joule-Thomson (JT) cold end, fed by a mechanical compressor. Temperature stability is one of the challenging issues of the whole architecture: periodical perturbations must be controlled before they reach the sensitive units of the instrument. An efficient thermal control system is required: the design is based on a combination of passive and active solutions. In this paper we describe the thermal architecture of the payload with the main cryo-chain stages and their temperature control systems. The requirements that drive the design and the trade-offs needed to enable the EChO exciting science in a technically feasible payload design are discussed. Thermal modelling results and preliminary performance predictions in terms of steady state and transient conditions are also reported. This paper is presented on behalf of the EChO Consortium.

Usachev in Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-04-26

ISS002-E-5852 (26 April 2001) --- Yury V. Usachev of Rosaviakosmos, Expedtion Two mission commander, enjoys the extra space provided by the Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raphaello which was mated to the International Space Station (ISS) during the STS-100 mission. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Dynamic Echo Information Guides Flight in the Big Brown Bat

PubMed Central

Warnecke, Michaela; Lee, Wu-Jung; Krishnan, Anand; Moss, Cynthia F.

2016-01-01

Animals rely on sensory feedback from their environment to guide locomotion. For instance, visually guided animals use patterns of optic flow to control their velocity and to estimate their distance to objects (e.g., Srinivasan et al., 1991, 1996). In this study, we investigated how acoustic information guides locomotion of animals that use hearing as a primary sensory modality to orient and navigate in the dark, where visual information is unavailable. We studied flight and echolocation behaviors of big brown bats as they flew under infrared illumination through a corridor with walls constructed from a series of individual vertical wooden poles. The spacing between poles on opposite walls of the corridor was experimentally manipulated to create dense/sparse and balanced/imbalanced spatial structure. The bats’ flight trajectories and echolocation signals were recorded with high-speed infrared motion-capture cameras and ultrasound microphones, respectively. As bats flew through the corridor, successive biosonar emissions returned cascades of echoes from the walls of the corridor. The bats flew through the center of the corridor when the pole spacing on opposite walls was balanced and closer to the side with wider pole spacing when opposite walls had an imbalanced density. Moreover, bats produced shorter duration echolocation calls when they flew through corridors with smaller spacing between poles, suggesting that clutter density influences features of the bat’s sonar signals. Flight speed and echolocation call rate did not, however, vary with dense and sparse spacing between the poles forming the corridor walls. Overall, these data demonstrate that bats adapt their flight and echolocation behavior dynamically when flying through acoustically complex environments. PMID:27199690

Characterization of D-maltose as a T2 -exchange contrast agent for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

PubMed

Goldenberg, Joshua M; Pagel, Mark D; Cárdenas-Rodríguez, Julio

2018-09-01

We sought to investigate the potential of D-maltose, D-sorbitol, and D-mannitol as T 2 exchange magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. We also sought to compare the in vivo pharmacokinetics of D-maltose with D-glucose with dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) MRI. T 1 and T 2 relaxation time constants of the saccharides were measured using eight pH values and nine concentrations. The effect of echo spacing in a multiecho acquisition sequence used for the T 2 measurement was evaluated for all samples. Finally, performances of D-maltose and D-glucose during T 2 -weighted DCE-MRI were compared in vivo. Estimated T 2 relaxivities (r 2 ) of D-glucose and D-maltose were highly and nonlinearly dependent on pH and echo spacing, reaching their maximum at pH = 7.0 (∼0.08 mM -1 s -1 ). The r 2 values of D-sorbitol and D-mannitol were estimated to be ∼0.02 mM -1 s -1 and were invariant to pH and echo spacing for pH ≤7.0. The change in T 2 in tumor and muscle tissues remained constant after administration of D-maltose, whereas the change in T 2 decreased in tumor and muscle after administration of D-glucose. Therefore, D-maltose has a longer time window for T 2 -weighted DCE-MRI in tumors. We have demonstrated that D-maltose can be used as a T 2 exchange MRI contrast agent. The larger, sustained T 2 -weighted contrast from D-maltose relative to D-glucose has practical advantages for tumor diagnoses during T 2 -weighted DCE-MRI. Magn Reson Med 80:1158-1164, 2018. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Gauge fields and ghosts in Rindler space

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

Zhitnitsky, Ariel R.

2010-11-15

We consider a two-dimensional Maxwell system defined on the Rindler space with metric ds{sup 2}=exp(2a{xi}){center_dot}(d{eta}{sup 2}-d{xi}{sup 2}) with the goal to study the dynamics of the ghosts. We find an extra contribution to the vacuum energy in comparison with Minkowski space-time with metric ds{sup 2}=dt{sup 2}-dx{sup 2}. This extra contribution can be traced to the unphysical degrees of freedom (in Minkowski space). The technical reason for this effect to occur is the property of Bogolubov's coefficients which mix the positive- and negative-frequency modes. The corresponding mixture cannot be avoided because the projections to positive-frequency modes with respect to Minkowski timemore » t and positive-frequency modes with respect to the Rindler observer's proper time {eta} are not equivalent. The exact cancellation of unphysical degrees of freedom which is maintained in Minkowski space cannot hold in the Rindler space. In the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) approach this effect manifests itself as the presence of BRST charge density in L and R parts. An inertial observer in Minkowski vacuum |0> observes a universe with no net BRST charge only as a result of cancellation between the two. However, the Rindler observers who do not ever have access to the entire space-time would see a net BRST charge. In this respect the effect resembles the Unruh effect. The effect is infrared (IR) in nature, and sensitive to the horizon and/or boundaries. We interpret the extra energy as the formation of the ''ghost condensate'' when the ghost degrees of freedom cannot propagate, but nevertheless do contribute to the vacuum energy. Exact computations in this simple two-dimensional model support the claim made in a previous paper [F. R. Urban and A. R. Zhitnitsky, Nucl. Phys. B835, 135 (2010).] that the ghost contribution might be responsible for the observed dark energy in a four-dimensional Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe.« less

A biomedical sensor system for real-time monitoring of astronauts' physiological parameters during extra-vehicular activities.

PubMed

Fei, Ding-Yu; Zhao, Xiaoming; Boanca, Cosmin; Hughes, Esther; Bai, Ou; Merrell, Ronald; Rafiq, Azhar

2010-07-01

To design and test an embedded biomedical sensor system that can monitor astronauts' comprehensive physiological parameters, and provide real-time data display during extra-vehicle activities (EVA) in the space exploration. An embedded system was developed with an array of biomedical sensors that can be integrated into the spacesuit. Wired communications were tested for physiological data acquisition and data transmission to a computer mounted on the spacesuit during task performances simulating EVA sessions. The sensor integration, data collection and communication, and the real-time data monitoring were successfully validated in the NASA field tests. The developed system may work as an embedded system for monitoring health status during long-term space mission. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A radial sampling strategy for uniform k-space coverage with retrospective respiratory gating in 3D ultrashort-echo-time lung imaging.

PubMed

Park, Jinil; Shin, Taehoon; Yoon, Soon Ho; Goo, Jin Mo; Park, Jang-Yeon

2016-05-01

The purpose of this work was to develop a 3D radial-sampling strategy which maintains uniform k-space sample density after retrospective respiratory gating, and demonstrate its feasibility in free-breathing ultrashort-echo-time lung MRI. A multi-shot, interleaved 3D radial sampling function was designed by segmenting a single-shot trajectory of projection views such that each interleaf samples k-space in an incoherent fashion. An optimal segmentation factor for the interleaved acquisition was derived based on an approximate model of respiratory patterns such that radial interleaves are evenly accepted during the retrospective gating. The optimality of the proposed sampling scheme was tested by numerical simulations and phantom experiments using human respiratory waveforms. Retrospectively, respiratory-gated, free-breathing lung MRI with the proposed sampling strategy was performed in healthy subjects. The simulation yielded the most uniform k-space sample density with the optimal segmentation factor, as evidenced by the smallest standard deviation of the number of neighboring samples as well as minimal side-lobe energy in the point spread function. The optimality of the proposed scheme was also confirmed by minimal image artifacts in phantom images. Human lung images showed that the proposed sampling scheme significantly reduced streak and ring artifacts compared with the conventional retrospective respiratory gating while suppressing motion-related blurring compared with full sampling without respiratory gating. In conclusion, the proposed 3D radial-sampling scheme can effectively suppress the image artifacts due to non-uniform k-space sample density in retrospectively respiratory-gated lung MRI by uniformly distributing gated radial views across the k-space. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-11

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 Astronaut Rick Mastracchio and Canada Space Agency representative Dave Williams (out of frame), participated in the first session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) for the mission. During the 6 hour, 17 minute space walk, the two attached the Starboard 5 (S5) segment of truss, retracted the forward heat rejecting radiator from the Port 6 (P6) truss, and performed several get ahead tasks.

Autoregressive moving average modeling for spectral parameter estimation from a multigradient echo chemical shift acquisition

PubMed Central

Taylor, Brian A.; Hwang, Ken-Pin; Hazle, John D.; Stafford, R. Jason

2009-01-01

The authors investigated the performance of the iterative Steiglitz–McBride (SM) algorithm on an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model of signals from a fast, sparsely sampled, multiecho, chemical shift imaging (CSI) acquisition using simulation, phantom, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments with a focus on its potential usage in magnetic resonance (MR)-guided interventions. The ARMA signal model facilitated a rapid calculation of the chemical shift, apparent spin-spin relaxation time (T2*), and complex amplitudes of a multipeak system from a limited number of echoes (≤16). Numerical simulations of one- and two-peak systems were used to assess the accuracy and uncertainty in the calculated spectral parameters as a function of acquisition and tissue parameters. The measured uncertainties from simulation were compared to the theoretical Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the acquisition. Measurements made in phantoms were used to validate the T2* estimates and to validate uncertainty estimates made from the CRLB. We demonstrated application to real-time MR-guided interventions ex vivo by using the technique to monitor a percutaneous ethanol injection into a bovine liver and in vivo to monitor a laser-induced thermal therapy treatment in a canine brain. Simulation results showed that the chemical shift and amplitude uncertainties reached their respective CRLB at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)≥5 for echo train lengths (ETLs)≥4 using a fixed echo spacing of 3.3 ms. T2* estimates from the signal model possessed higher uncertainties but reached the CRLB at larger SNRs and∕or ETLs. Highly accurate estimates for the chemical shift (<0.01 ppm) and amplitude (<1.0%) were obtained with ≥4 echoes and for T2* (<1.0%) with ≥7 echoes. We conclude that, over a reasonable range of SNR, the SM algorithm is a robust estimator of spectral parameters from fast CSI acquisitions that acquire ≤16 echoes for one- and two-peak systems. Preliminary ex vivo and in vivo experiments corroborated the results from simulation experiments and further indicate the potential of this technique for MR-guided interventional procedures with high spatiotemporal resolution ∼1.6×1.6×4 mm3 in ≤5 s. PMID:19378736

Echoes of Bedford: a 20-year social psychology memoir on participatory action research hatched behind bars.

PubMed

Fine, Michelle

2013-11-01

Responding to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 address at the American Psychological Association calling for a psychology that would educate Whites about racial injustice, this article challenges the widening epistemological gap between those who suffer from inequality and those who conduct social policy research on inequality. In this 20-year memoir on the echoes of a single piece of participatory policy research, Changing Minds: The Impact of College in a Maximum-Security Prison (Fine et al., 2001), readers are invited to explore how deep critical participation by a collaborative team of university and prisoner researchers has facilitated theoretical and methodological complexity, enhanced contextual and construct validity, thickened commitments to ethics and action, and fueled the political sustainability and generalizability of the findings over time and space.

Simultaneous narrowband ultrasonic strain-flow imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsou, Jean K.; Mai, Jerome J.; Lupotti, Fermin A.; Insana, Michael F.

2004-04-01

We are summarizing new research aimed at forming spatially and temporally registered combinations of strain and color-flow images using echo data recorded from a commercial ultrasound system. Applications include diagnosis of vascular diseases and tumor malignancies. The challenge is to meet the diverse needs of each measurement. The approach is to first apply eigenfilters that separate echo components from moving tissues and blood flow, and then estimate blood velocity and tissue displacement from the filtered-IQ-signal phase modulations. At the cost of a lower acquisition frame rate, we find the autocorrelation strain estimator yields higher resolution strain estimate than the cross-correlator since estimates are made from ensembles at a single point in space. The technique is applied to in vivo carotid imaging, to demonstrate the sensitivity for strain-flow vascular imaging.

Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) for the ICESat Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abshire, James B.; Sun, Xiaoli; Ketchum, Eleanor A.; Millar, Pamela S.; Riris, Haris

2002-01-01

The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) is a new generation lidar and is the primary science payload for NASA's ICESat Mission. The GLAS design combines a 10 cm precision surface lidar with a sensitive dual wavelength cloud and aerosol lidar. GLAS will precisely measure the heights of the Earth's polar ice sheets, establish a grid of accurate height profiles of the Earth's land topography, and profile the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols on a global scale. GLAS will be integrated onto a small spacecraft built by Ball Aerospace, and will be launched into a polar orbit with a 590-630 km altitude at an inclination of 94 degrees. ICESat is is currently planned to launch in winter 2002/03 and GLAS is designed to operate continuously in space for a minimum of 3 years. GLAS will measure the vertical distance from orbit to the Earth's surface with pulses from a ND:YAG laser at a 40 Hz rate. Each 6 nsec wide 1064 nm laser pulse is used to produce a single range measurement. On the surface, the laser footprints have 66 m diameter and approx. 170 m center-center spacings. The GLAS receiver uses a I m diameter telescope to detect laser backscatter and a Si APD to detect the 1064 nm signals. The detector's output is sampled by a digital ranging receiver, which records each transmitted pulse and surface echo waveform with 1 nsec (15 cm) resolution. Each echo pulse is digitized and is reported to ground with a record length of from 200 to 544 samples, depending on the spacecraft's location . The GLAS location and epoch times are measured by a precision GPS receiver carried on the ICESat spacecraft. Initial processing of the echo waveforms within GLAS permits discrimination between cloud and surface echoes for selecting appropriate waveform samples. This selection is guided by an on-board DEM which is used to set the boundaries for the echo pulse search algorithm. Subsequent ground-based echo pulse analysis, along with GPS-based clock frequency estimates, permit final determination of the range to the surface, degree of pulse spreading, and vertical distribution of any vegetation illuminated by the laser. Accurate knowledge of the laser beam's pointing angle is needed to prevent height biases when measuring over tilted surfaces, such as near the boundaries of ice sheets. For surfaces with 2 deg. slopes, knowledge of pointing angle of the beam's centroid angle to better than 10 urad is needed. GLAS uses a stellar reference system (SRS) to measure the pointing angle of each laser firing relative to inertial space. The SRS uses a high precision star camera oriented toward local zenith and a gyroscope to determine the inertial orientation of the SRS optical bench. The far field pattern of each laser is measured pulse relative to the star camera with a laser reference system (LRS). GLAS will also measure the vertical distributions of clouds and aerosols by recording the vertical profiles of laser pulse backscatter at both 1064 and 532 nm. The 1064 rim measurements use the Si APD detector and will be used to measure the height and echo pulse shape from thicker clouds. The lidar receiver at 532 nm uses a narrow bandwidth etalon filter and highly sensitive photon counting detectors. The 532 nm backscatter profiles will be used to measure the vertical extent of thinner clouds and the atmospheric boundary layer. The GLAS instrument component development is complete and the instrument is undergoing final testing and qualification at NASA-Goddard. The GLAS "as-built" characteristics and its expected measurement performance will be discussed.

Hybrid two-dimensional navigator correction: a new technique to suppress respiratory-induced physiological noise in multi-shot echo-planar functional MRI

PubMed Central

Barry, Robert L.; Klassen, L. Martyn; Williams, Joy M.; Menon, Ravi S.

2008-01-01

A troublesome source of physiological noise in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is due to the spatio-temporal modulation of the magnetic field in the brain caused by normal subject respiration. fMRI data acquired using echo-planar imaging is very sensitive to these respiratory-induced frequency offsets, which cause significant geometric distortions in images. Because these effects increase with main magnetic field, they can nullify the gains in statistical power expected by the use of higher magnetic fields. As a study of existing navigator correction techniques for echo-planar fMRI has shown that further improvements can be made in the suppression of respiratory-induced physiological noise, a new hybrid two-dimensional (2D) navigator is proposed. Using a priori knowledge of the slow spatial variations of these induced frequency offsets, 2D field maps are constructed for each shot using spatial frequencies between ±0.5 cm−1 in k-space. For multi-shot fMRI experiments, we estimate that the improvement of hybrid 2D navigator correction over the best performance of one-dimensional navigator echo correction translates into a 15% increase in the volume of activation, 6% and 10% increases in the maximum and average t-statistics, respectively, for regions with high t-statistics, and 71% and 56% increases in the maximum and average t-statistics, respectively, in regions with low t-statistics due to contamination by residual physiological noise. PMID:18024159

A model-based reconstruction for undersampled radial spin echo DTI with variational penalties on the diffusion tensor

PubMed Central

Knoll, Florian; Raya, José G; Halloran, Rafael O; Baete, Steven; Sigmund, Eric; Bammer, Roland; Block, Tobias; Otazo, Ricardo; Sodickson, Daniel K

2015-01-01

Radial spin echo diffusion imaging allows motion-robust imaging of tissues with very low T2 values like articular cartilage with high spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, in vivo measurements are challenging due to the significantly slower data acquisition speed of spin-echo sequences and the less efficient k-space coverage of radial sampling, which raises the demand for accelerated protocols by means of undersampling. This work introduces a new reconstruction approach for undersampled DTI. A model-based reconstruction implicitly exploits redundancies in the diffusion weighted images by reducing the number of unknowns in the optimization problem and compressed sensing is performed directly in the target quantitative domain by imposing a Total Variation (TV) constraint on the elements of the diffusion tensor. Experiments were performed for an anisotropic phantom and the knee and brain of healthy volunteers (3 and 2 volunteers, respectively). Evaluation of the new approach was conducted by comparing the results to reconstructions performed with gridding, combined parallel imaging and compressed sensing, and a recently proposed model-based approach. The experiments demonstrated improvement in terms of reduction of noise and streaking artifacts in the quantitative parameter maps as well as a reduction of angular dispersion of the primary eigenvector when using the proposed method, without introducing systematic errors into the maps. This may enable an essential reduction of the acquisition time in radial spin echo diffusion tensor imaging without degrading parameter quantification and/or SNR. PMID:25594167

Beyond the Echo Chamber: Pedagogical Tools for Civic Engagement Discourse and Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panke, Stefanie; Stephens, John

2018-01-01

How can educators leverage blogs and other social media spaces to encourage a reflective, critical discourse about civic engagement that fosters a true learning exchange over promoting one's own ideas? This article reports upon a single case study of the "Community Engagement Learning Exchange," a multi-author blog on civic engagement.…

Like a Phoenix Rising: The Pedagogy of Critically Reclaiming Education--An Autoethnographic Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillan, Sally; Todd, Reese H.; Price, Margaret A.

2017-01-01

In many institutions of higher education across the land, a resounding cry for reform echoes loudly, disrupting thriving projects and well-constructed programs. When our college's reform agenda left us little space for critical pedagogical interactions with our students and colleagues, we intuitively stepped away from the ashes of what we had…

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-01

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 Astronaut Dave Williams, representing the Canadian Space Agency, participated in the fourth and final session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). During the 5 hour space walk, Williams and Expedition 15 engineer Clay Anderson (out of frame) installed the External Wireless Instrumentation System Antenna, attached a stand for the shuttle robotic arm extension boom, and retrieved the two Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) for return to Earth. MISSE collects information on how different materials weather in the environment of space.

Vacuum instability in Kaluza–Klein manifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fucci, Guglielmo

2018-05-01

The purpose of this work in to analyze particle creation in spaces with extra dimensions. We consider, in particular, a massive scalar field propagating in a Kaluza–Klein manifold subject to a constant electric field. We compute the rate of particle creation from vacuum by using techniques rooted in the spectral zeta function formalism. The results we obtain show explicitly how the presence of the extra-dimensions and their specific geometric characteristics, influence the rate at which pairs of particles and anti-particles are generated.

Extra-terrestrial construction processes - Advancements, opportunities and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Sungwoo; Prabhu, Vibha Levin; Anand, Mahesh; Taylor, Lawrence A.

2017-10-01

Government space agencies, including NASA and ESA, are conducting preliminary studies on building alternative space-habitat systems for deep-space exploration. Such studies include development of advanced technologies for planetary surface exploration, including an in-depth understanding of the use of local resources. Currently, NASA plans to land humans on Mars in the 2030s. Similarly, other space agencies from Europe (ESA), Canada (CSA), Russia (Roscosmos), India (ISRO), Japan (JAXA) and China (CNSA) have already initiated or announced their plans for launching a series of lunar missions over the next decade, ranging from orbiters, landers and rovers for extended stays on the lunar surface. As the Space Odyssey is one of humanity's oldest dreams, there has been a series of research works for establishing temporary or permanent settlement on other planetary bodies, including the Moon and Mars. This paper reviews current projects developing extra-terrestrial construction, broadly categorised as: (i) ISRU-based construction materials; (ii) fabrication methods; and (iii) construction processes. It also discusses four categories of challenges to developing an appropriate construction process: (i) lunar simulants; (ii) material fabrication and curing; (iii) microwave-sintering based fabrication; and (iv) fully autonomous and scaled-up construction processes.

Turboprop IDEAL: a motion-resistant fat-water separation technique.

PubMed

Huo, Donglai; Li, Zhiqiang; Aboussouan, Eric; Karis, John P; Pipe, James G

2009-01-01

Suppression of the fat signal in MRI is very important for many clinical applications. Multi-point water-fat separation methods, such as IDEAL (Iterative Decomposition of water and fat with Echo Asymmetry and Least-squares estimation), can robustly separate water and fat signal, but inevitably increase scan time, making separated images more easily affected by patient motions. PROPELLER (Periodically Rotated Overlapping ParallEL Lines with Enhanced Reconstruction) and Turboprop techniques offer an effective approach to correct for motion artifacts. By combining these techniques together, we demonstrate that the new TP-IDEAL method can provide reliable water-fat separation with robust motion correction. The Turboprop sequence was modified to acquire source images, and motion correction algorithms were adjusted to assure the registration between different echo images. Theoretical calculations were performed to predict the optimal shift and spacing of the gradient echoes. Phantom images were acquired, and results were compared with regular FSE-IDEAL. Both T1- and T2-weighted images of the human brain were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of motion correction. TP-IDEAL images were also acquired for pelvis, knee, and foot, showing great potential of this technique for general clinical applications.

Split-screen display system and standardized methods for ultrasound image acquisition and multi-frame data processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selzer, Robert H. (Inventor); Hodis, Howard N. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A standardized acquisition methodology assists operators to accurately replicate high resolution B-mode ultrasound images obtained over several spaced-apart examinations utilizing a split-screen display in which the arterial ultrasound image from an earlier examination is displayed on one side of the screen while a real-time "live" ultrasound image from a current examination is displayed next to the earlier image on the opposite side of the screen. By viewing both images, whether simultaneously or alternately, while manually adjusting the ultrasound transducer, an operator is able to bring into view the real-time image that best matches a selected image from the earlier ultrasound examination. Utilizing this methodology, dynamic material properties of arterial structures, such as IMT and diameter, are measured in a standard region over successive image frames. Each frame of the sequence has its echo edge boundaries automatically determined by using the immediately prior frame's true echo edge coordinates as initial boundary conditions. Computerized echo edge recognition and tracking over multiple successive image frames enhances measurement of arterial diameter and IMT and allows for improved vascular dimension measurements, including vascular stiffness and IMT determinations.

ExtraTrain: a database of Extragenic regions and Transcriptional information in prokaryotic organisms

PubMed Central

Pareja, Eduardo; Pareja-Tobes, Pablo; Manrique, Marina; Pareja-Tobes, Eduardo; Bonal, Javier; Tobes, Raquel

2006-01-01

Background Transcriptional regulation processes are the principal mechanisms of adaptation in prokaryotes. In these processes, the regulatory proteins and the regulatory DNA signals located in extragenic regions are the key elements involved. As all extragenic spaces are putative regulatory regions, ExtraTrain covers all extragenic regions of available genomes and regulatory proteins from bacteria and archaea included in the UniProt database. Description ExtraTrain provides integrated and easily manageable information for 679816 extragenic regions and for the genes delimiting each of them. In addition ExtraTrain supplies a tool to explore extragenic regions, named Palinsight, oriented to detect and search palindromic patterns. This interactive visual tool is totally integrated in the database, allowing the search for regulatory signals in user defined sets of extragenic regions. The 26046 regulatory proteins included in ExtraTrain belong to the families AraC/XylS, ArsR, AsnC, Cold shock domain, CRP-FNR, DeoR, GntR, IclR, LacI, LuxR, LysR, MarR, MerR, NtrC/Fis, OmpR and TetR. The database follows the InterPro criteria to define these families. The information about regulators includes manually curated sets of references specifically associated to regulator entries. In order to achieve a sustainable and maintainable knowledge database ExtraTrain is a platform open to the contribution of knowledge by the scientific community providing a system for the incorporation of textual knowledge. Conclusion ExtraTrain is a new database for exploring Extragenic regions and Transcriptional information in bacteria and archaea. ExtraTrain database is available at . PMID:16539733

Effects of spatial curvature and anisotropy on the asymptotic regimes in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavluchenko, Sergey A.; Toporensky, Alexey

2018-05-01

In this paper we address two important issues which could affect reaching the exponential and Kasner asymptotes in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet cosmologies—spatial curvature and anisotropy in both three- and extra-dimensional subspaces. In the first part of the paper we consider the cosmological evolution of spaces that are the product of two isotropic and spatially curved subspaces. It is demonstrated that the dynamics in D=2 (the number of extra dimensions) and D ≥ 3 is different. It was already known that for the Λ -term case there is a regime with "stabilization" of extra dimensions, where the expansion rate of the three-dimensional subspace as well as the scale factor (the "size") associated with extra dimensions reaches a constant value. This regime is achieved if the curvature of the extra dimensions is negative. We demonstrate that it takes place only if the number of extra dimensions is D ≥ 3. In the second part of the paper we study the influence of the initial anisotropy. Our study reveals that the transition from Gauss-Bonnet Kasner regime to anisotropic exponential expansion (with three expanding and contracting extra dimensions) is stable with respect to breaking the symmetry within both three- and extra-dimensional subspaces. However, the details of the dynamics in D=2 and D ≥ 3 are different. Combining the two described effects allows us to construct a scenario in D ≥ 3, where isotropization of outer and inner subspaces is reached dynamically from rather general anisotropic initial conditions.

Suppression of phase mixing in drift-kinetic plasma turbulence

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

Parker, J. T., E-mail: joseph.parker@stfc.ac.uk; OCIAM, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG; Brasenose College, Radcliffe Square, Oxford OX1 4AJ

2016-07-15

Transfer of free energy from large to small velocity-space scales by phase mixing leads to Landau damping in a linear plasma. In a turbulent drift-kinetic plasma, this transfer is statistically nearly canceled by an inverse transfer from small to large velocity-space scales due to “anti-phase-mixing” modes excited by a stochastic form of plasma echo. Fluid moments (density, velocity, and temperature) are thus approximately energetically isolated from the higher moments of the distribution function, so phase mixing is ineffective as a dissipation mechanism when the plasma collisionality is small.

Diffusion weighted imaging: a comprehensive evaluation of a fast spin echo DWI sequence with BLADE (PROPELLER) k-space sampling at 3 T, using a 32-channel head coil in acute brain ischemia.

PubMed

Attenberger, Ulrike I; Runge, Val M; Stemmer, Alto; Williams, Kenneth D; Naul, L Gill; Michaely, Henrik J; Schoenberg, Stefan O; Reiser, Maximilian F; Wintersperger, Bernd J

2009-10-01

To evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and diagnostic quality of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) using a fast spin echo (FSE) sequence with BLADE k-space trajectory at 3 T in combination with a 32-channel head coil. The scan was compared with a standard spin echo (SE) echo-planar imaging (EPI) DWI and a high resolution SE EPI DWI sequence. Fourteen patients with acute brain ischemia were included in this Institutional Review Board approved study. All patients were evaluated with 3 different image sequences, using a 3 T scanner and a 32-channel head coil: (a) a standard SE EPI DWI (matrix size 192 x 192), (b) a high resolution SE EPI DWI (matrix size of 256 x 256) and (c) a FSE DWI BLADE (matrix size 192 x 192). The SNR of the 3 scans was compared in 10 healthy volunteers by a paired student t test. Image quality was evaluated with 4 dedicated questions in a blinded read: (1) The scans were ranked in terms of bulk susceptibility artifact. (2) The scan preference for diagnosis of any diffusion abnormality that might occur and (3) the preference for visualization of the diffusion abnormality actually present was determined. (4) The influence of bulk susceptibility on image evaluation for the diffusion abnormality present was assessed. For visualization of the diffusion abnormality present, BLADE DWI was the scan sequence preferred most by both readers (reader 1: 41.7%, reader 2: 35.7%). For visualization of any diffusion abnormality present, BLADE DWI was the preferred scan in 13 of 14 cases for reader 1 (93%) and in 11 of 14 cases for reader 2 (78.6%). No high resolution SE EPI DWI scan was rated best by reader 1. Reader 2 rated the high resolution SE EPI DWI scan superior in only 1 of 56 judgments. The standard EPI DWI sequence (21.8 +/- 5.3) had in comparison to the high resolution EPI DWI (11.9 +/- 2.6) and the BLADE DWI scans (11.3 +/- 3.8) significantly higher SNR mean values. Our preliminary data demonstrates the feasibility of a FSE EPI DWI scan with radial-like k-space sampling, using a 32-channel coil at 3 T in acute brain ischemia. The BLADE DWI was the preferred scan for the detection of acute diffusion abnormalities because of the lack of bulk susceptibility artifacts.

A simple acquisition strategy to avoid off-resonance blurring in spiral imaging with redundant spiral-in/out k-space trajectories

PubMed Central

Fielden, Samuel W.; Meyer, Craig H.

2014-01-01

Purpose The major hurdle to widespread adoption of spiral trajectories has been their poor off-resonance performance. Here we present a self-correcting spiral k-space trajectory that avoids much of the well-known spiral blurring during data acquisition. Theory and Methods In comparison with a traditional spiral-out trajectory, the spiral-in/out trajectory has improved off-resonance performance. By combining two spiral-in/out acquisitions, one rotated 180° in k-space compared to the other, multi-shot spiral-in/out artifacts are eliminated. A phantom was scanned with the center frequency manually tuned 20, 40, 80, and 160 Hz off-resonance with both a spiral-out gradient echo sequence and the redundant spiral-in/out sequence. The phantom was also imaged in an oblique orientation in order to demonstrate improved concomitant gradient field performance of the sequence, and was additionally incorporated into a spiral turbo spin echo sequence for brain imaging. Results Phantom studies with manually-tuned off-resonance agree well with theoretical calculations, showing that moderate off-resonance is well-corrected by this acquisition scheme. Blur due to concomitant fields is reduced, and good results are obtained in vivo. Conclusion The redundant spiral-in/out trajectory results in less image blur for a given readout length than a traditional spiral-out scan, reducing the need for complex off-resonance correction algorithms. PMID:24604539

Real-time distortion correction of spiral and echo planar images using the gradient system impulse response function.

PubMed

Campbell-Washburn, Adrienne E; Xue, Hui; Lederman, Robert J; Faranesh, Anthony Z; Hansen, Michael S

2016-06-01

MRI-guided interventions demand high frame rate imaging, making fast imaging techniques such as spiral imaging and echo planar imaging (EPI) appealing. In this study, we implemented a real-time distortion correction framework to enable the use of these fast acquisitions for interventional MRI. Distortions caused by gradient waveform inaccuracies were corrected using the gradient impulse response function (GIRF), which was measured by standard equipment and saved as a calibration file on the host computer. This file was used at runtime to calculate the predicted k-space trajectories for image reconstruction. Additionally, the off-resonance reconstruction frequency was modified in real time to interactively deblur spiral images. Real-time distortion correction for arbitrary image orientations was achieved in phantoms and healthy human volunteers. The GIRF-predicted k-space trajectories matched measured k-space trajectories closely for spiral imaging. Spiral and EPI image distortion was visibly improved using the GIRF-predicted trajectories. The GIRF calibration file showed no systematic drift in 4 months and was demonstrated to correct distortions after 30 min of continuous scanning despite gradient heating. Interactive off-resonance reconstruction was used to sharpen anatomical boundaries during continuous imaging. This real-time distortion correction framework will enable the use of these high frame rate imaging methods for MRI-guided interventions. Magn Reson Med 75:2278-2285, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A simple acquisition strategy to avoid off-resonance blurring in spiral imaging with redundant spiral-in/out k-space trajectories.

PubMed

Fielden, Samuel W; Meyer, Craig H

2015-02-01

The major hurdle to widespread adoption of spiral trajectories has been their poor off-resonance performance. Here we present a self-correcting spiral k-space trajectory that avoids much of the well-known spiral blurring during data acquisition. In comparison with a traditional spiral-out trajectory, the spiral-in/out trajectory has improved off-resonance performance. By combining two spiral-in/out acquisitions, one rotated 180° in k-space compared with the other, multishot spiral-in/out artifacts are eliminated. A phantom was scanned with the center frequency manually tuned 20, 40, 80, and 160 Hz off-resonance with both a spiral-out gradient echo sequence and the redundant spiral-in/out sequence. The phantom was also imaged in an oblique orientation in order to demonstrate improved concomitant gradient field performance of the sequence. Additionally, the trajectory was incorporated into a spiral turbo spin echo sequence for brain imaging. Phantom studies with manually tuned off-resonance agree well with theoretical calculations, showing that moderate off-resonance is well-corrected by this acquisition scheme. Blur due to concomitant fields is reduced, and good results are obtained in vivo. The redundant spiral-in/out trajectory results in less image blur for a given readout length than a traditional spiral-out scan, reducing the need for complex off-resonance correction algorithms. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Real-time distortion correction of spiral and echo planar images using the gradient system impulse response function

PubMed Central

Campbell-Washburn, Adrienne E; Xue, Hui; Lederman, Robert J; Faranesh, Anthony Z; Hansen, Michael S

2015-01-01

Purpose MRI-guided interventions demand high frame-rate imaging, making fast imaging techniques such as spiral imaging and echo planar imaging (EPI) appealing. In this study, we implemented a real-time distortion correction framework to enable the use of these fast acquisitions for interventional MRI. Methods Distortions caused by gradient waveform inaccuracies were corrected using the gradient impulse response function (GIRF), which was measured by standard equipment and saved as a calibration file on the host computer. This file was used at runtime to calculate the predicted k-space trajectories for image reconstruction. Additionally, the off-resonance reconstruction frequency was modified in real-time to interactively de-blur spiral images. Results Real-time distortion correction for arbitrary image orientations was achieved in phantoms and healthy human volunteers. The GIRF predicted k-space trajectories matched measured k-space trajectories closely for spiral imaging. Spiral and EPI image distortion was visibly improved using the GIRF predicted trajectories. The GIRF calibration file showed no systematic drift in 4 months and was demonstrated to correct distortions after 30 minutes of continuous scanning despite gradient heating. Interactive off-resonance reconstruction was used to sharpen anatomical boundaries during continuous imaging. Conclusions This real-time distortion correction framework will enable the use of these high frame-rate imaging methods for MRI-guided interventions. PMID:26114951

Sampling strategies for subsampled segmented EPI PRF thermometry in MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound

PubMed Central

Odéen, Henrik; Todd, Nick; Diakite, Mahamadou; Minalga, Emilee; Payne, Allison; Parker, Dennis L.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate k-space subsampling strategies to achieve fast, large field-of-view (FOV) temperature monitoring using segmented echo planar imaging (EPI) proton resonance frequency shift thermometry for MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) applications. Methods: Five different k-space sampling approaches were investigated, varying sample spacing (equally vs nonequally spaced within the echo train), sampling density (variable sampling density in zero, one, and two dimensions), and utilizing sequential or centric sampling. Three of the schemes utilized sequential sampling with the sampling density varied in zero, one, and two dimensions, to investigate sampling the k-space center more frequently. Two of the schemes utilized centric sampling to acquire the k-space center with a longer echo time for improved phase measurements, and vary the sampling density in zero and two dimensions, respectively. Phantom experiments and a theoretical point spread function analysis were performed to investigate their performance. Variable density sampling in zero and two dimensions was also implemented in a non-EPI GRE pulse sequence for comparison. All subsampled data were reconstructed with a previously described temporally constrained reconstruction (TCR) algorithm. Results: The accuracy of each sampling strategy in measuring the temperature rise in the HIFU focal spot was measured in terms of the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) compared to fully sampled “truth.” For the schemes utilizing sequential sampling, the accuracy was found to improve with the dimensionality of the variable density sampling, giving values of 0.65 °C, 0.49 °C, and 0.35 °C for density variation in zero, one, and two dimensions, respectively. The schemes utilizing centric sampling were found to underestimate the temperature rise, with RMSE values of 1.05 °C and 1.31 °C, for variable density sampling in zero and two dimensions, respectively. Similar subsampling schemes with variable density sampling implemented in zero and two dimensions in a non-EPI GRE pulse sequence both resulted in accurate temperature measurements (RMSE of 0.70 °C and 0.63 °C, respectively). With sequential sampling in the described EPI implementation, temperature monitoring over a 192 × 144 × 135 mm3 FOV with a temporal resolution of 3.6 s was achieved, while keeping the RMSE compared to fully sampled “truth” below 0.35 °C. Conclusions: When segmented EPI readouts are used in conjunction with k-space subsampling for MR thermometry applications, sampling schemes with sequential sampling, with or without variable density sampling, obtain accurate phase and temperature measurements when using a TCR reconstruction algorithm. Improved temperature measurement accuracy can be achieved with variable density sampling. Centric sampling leads to phase bias, resulting in temperature underestimations. PMID:25186406

CwicStart - a proof-of-concept client for the CEOSWGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, D. J.; Mitchell, A. E.

2012-12-01

Keywords - Earth Science, data discovery, agile development, ruby on rails, catalog, OGC Audience - Earth Science application developers What is CwicStart CwicStart is a prototypical earth science data discovery web application designed, developed and hosted by NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Clearinghouse (ECHO). CwicStart searches the CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC) to provide users with dataset and granule level metadata from sources as diverse as NASA, NOAA, INPE and AOE. CwicStart demonstrates the ease of which it is possible to stand up a functioning client against the CWIC. From start to finish, CwicStart was designed, developed and deployed in one month. Built from OGC getCapabilities document of CWIC The CwicStart application takes the OGC getCapabilities (http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/is) document describing CWIC, as it's starting point for providing a user interface suitable for interrogating CWIC. Consequently, it can allow the user to constrain their search by the following criteria, - Generic search terms - Spatial bounding box - Start date/time and end date/time - ISO-queryable key-value pairs User Interface inspired by Reverb ECHO's state-of-the-art earth science discovery tool, Reverb (http://reverb.echo.nasa.gov) was used as a guideline for the user interface components of CwicStart. It incorporates OpenLayers to provide point-and-click spatial constraint specification and calendar input for temporal constraints. Discovery involves two phases: dataset discovery and granule discovery with full pagination support for large results sets. CwicStart supports 'graceful degradation' of support for multiple browsers and accessibility requirements. Implemented in Ruby on Rails for Agile Development CwicStart is implemented in Ruby on Rails, a dynamic, rapid development language and environment that facilitates Agile development and is resilient to changing requirements. Using an Agile development methodology ECHO was able to stand up the first iteration of CwicStart in an iteration lasting only one week. Three subsequent week-long iterations delivered the current functionality. CwicStart can be found at the following location, https://testbed.echo.nasa.gov/cwic-start/ About CWIC The WGISS team provides an application, the CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC) with the following capabilities. - Provide an access point for major CEOS agency catalog systems. - Interface to user interface clients by using the GEO standards. - Send directory/collection searches to the International Directory Network. - Distribute inventory/product searches to the CEOS agency inventory systems using the agency systems native protocol. - Offered as the CEOS community catalog as part of the GEO common infrastructure. CWIC Partners - Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS) - International Directory Network (IDN) - U.S. National Aeronautics and Space (NASA) - Earth Observing System (EOS) Clearinghouse (ECHO) - U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Comprehensive Large Array Data Stewardship System (CLASS) - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - Landsat Catalog System - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - LSI Portal - National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil - Academy of Opto-Electronics (AOE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

A discrete classical space-time could require 6 extra-dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillemant, Philippe; Medale, Marc; Abid, Cherifa

2018-01-01

We consider a discrete space-time in which conservation laws are computed in such a way that the density of information is kept bounded. We use a 2D billiard as a toy model to compute the uncertainty propagation in ball positions after every shock and the corresponding loss of phase information. Our main result is the computation of a critical time step above which billiard calculations are no longer deterministic, meaning that a multiverse of distinct billiard histories begins to appear, caused by the lack of information. Then, we highlight unexpected properties of this critical time step and the subsequent exponential evolution of the number of histories with time, to observe that after certain duration all billiard states could become possible final states, independent of initial conditions. We conclude that if our space-time is really a discrete one, one would need to introduce extra-dimensions in order to provide supplementary constraints that specify which history should be played.

Preoperative detection of malignant liver tumors: Comparison of 3D-T2-weighted sequences with T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and single shot T2 at 1.5 T.

PubMed

Barat, Maxime; Soyer, Philippe; Dautry, Raphael; Pocard, Marc; Lo-Dico, Rea; Najah, Haythem; Eveno, Clarisse; Cassinotto, Christophe; Dohan, Anthony

2018-03-01

To assess the performances of three-dimensional (3D)-T2-weighted sequences compared to standard T2-weighted turbo spin echo (T2-TSE), T2-half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (T2-HASTE), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and 3D-T1-weighted VIBE sequences in the preoperative detection of malignant liver tumors. From 2012 to 2015, all patients of our institution undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination for suspected malignant liver tumors were prospectively included. Patients had contrast-enhanced 3D-T1-weighted, DWI, 3D-T2-SPACE, T2-HASTE and T2-TSE sequences. Imaging findings were compared with those obtained at follow-up, surgery and histopathological analysis. Sensitivities for the detection of malignant liver tumors were compared for each sequence using McNemar test. A subgroup analysis was conducted for HCCs. Image artifacts were analyzed and compared using Wilcoxon paired signed rank-test. Thirty-three patients were included: 13 patients had 40 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and 20 had 54 liver metastases. 3D-T2-weighted sequences had a higher sensitivity than T2-weighted TSE sequences for the detection of malignant liver tumors (79.8% versus 68.1%; P < 0.001). The difference did not reach significance for HCC. T1-weighted VIBE and DWI had a higher sensitivity than T2-weighted sequences. 3D-T2-weighted-SPACE sequences showed significantly less artifacts than T2-weitghted TSE. 3D-T2-weighted sequences show very promising performances for the detection of liver malignant tumors compared to T2-weighted TSE sequences. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Artist: Rick Guidice Space Colonization - Bernal Sphere - The residential area is in the central

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Artist: Rick Guidice Space Colonization - Bernal Sphere - The residential area is in the central sphere. Farming regions are in the 'tires.' Mirrors reflect sunlight into the habitat and farms. The large flat panels radiate away extra heat into space, and panels of solar cells provide electricity. Factories and docks for spaceships are at either end of the long central tube. (NOTE: art printed in Book 'Space Colony - Frontier of the 21st Century by Franklyn M. Branley)

STS-116 Astronauts Curbeam and Fuglesang Perform Space Walk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

STS-116 astronaut and mission specialist, Robert Curbeam, along with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Christer Fuglesang (partially out of the frame), are anchored to the International Space Station's Canadarm2 foot restraints. The two were working on the port overhead solar array wing on the Station's P6 truss during the mission's fourth session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). For 6 hours and 38 minutes, the space walkers used specially prepared, tape insulated tools to guide the array wing neatly inside its blanket box.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-12-18

STS-116 astronaut and mission specialist, Robert Curbeam, along with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Christer Fuglesang (partially out of the frame), are anchored to the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 foot restraints. The two were working on the port overhead solar array wing on the Station’s P6 truss during the mission’s fourth session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). For 6 hours and 38 minutes, the space walkers used specially prepared, tape insulated tools to guide the array wing neatly inside its blanket box.

Research in space science and technology. [including X-ray astronomy and interplanetary plasma physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckley, L. E.

1977-01-01

Progress in various space flight research programs is reported. Emphasis is placed on X-ray astronomy and interplanetary plasma physics. Topics covered include: infrared astronomy, long base line interferometry, geological spectroscopy, space life science experiments, atmospheric physics, and space based materials and structures research. Analysis of galactic and extra-galactic X-ray data from the Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS-3) and HEAO-A and interplanetary plasma data for Mariner 10, Explorers 47 and 50, and Solrad is discussed.

Patellar segmentation from 3D magnetic resonance images using guided recursive ray-tracing for edge pattern detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Ruida; Jackson, Jennifer N.; McCreedy, Evan S.; Gandler, William; Eijkenboom, J. J. F. A.; van Middelkoop, M.; McAuliffe, Matthew J.; Sheehan, Frances T.

2016-03-01

The paper presents an automatic segmentation methodology for the patellar bone, based on 3D gradient recalled echo and gradient recalled echo with fat suppression magnetic resonance images. Constricted search space outlines are incorporated into recursive ray-tracing to segment the outer cortical bone. A statistical analysis based on the dependence of information in adjacent slices is used to limit the search in each image to between an outer and inner search region. A section based recursive ray-tracing mechanism is used to skip inner noise regions and detect the edge boundary. The proposed method achieves higher segmentation accuracy (0.23mm) than the current state-of-the-art methods with the average dice similarity coefficient of 96.0% (SD 1.3%) agreement between the auto-segmentation and ground truth surfaces.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance physics for clinicians: part I.

PubMed

Ridgway, John P

2010-11-30

There are many excellent specialised texts and articles that describe the physical principles of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques. There are also many texts written with the clinician in mind that provide an understandable, more general introduction to the basic physical principles of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques and applications. There are however very few texts or articles that attempt to provide a basic MR physics introduction that is tailored for clinicians using CMR in their daily practice. This is the first of two reviews that are intended to cover the essential aspects of CMR physics in a way that is understandable and relevant to this group. It begins by explaining the basic physical principles of MR, including a description of the main components of an MR imaging system and the three types of magnetic field that they generate. The origin and method of production of the MR signal in biological systems are explained, focusing in particular on the two tissue magnetisation relaxation properties (T1 and T2) that give rise to signal differences from tissues, showing how they can be exploited to generate image contrast for tissue characterisation. The method most commonly used to localise and encode MR signal echoes to form a cross sectional image is described, introducing the concept of k-space and showing how the MR signal data stored within it relates to properties within the reconstructed image. Before describing the CMR acquisition methods in detail, the basic spin echo and gradient pulse sequences are introduced, identifying the key parameters that influence image contrast, including appearances in the presence of flowing blood, resolution and image acquisition time. The main derivatives of these two pulse sequences used for cardiac imaging are then described in more detail. Two of the key requirements for CMR are the need for data acquisition first to be to be synchronised with the subject's ECG and to be fast enough for the subject to be able to hold their breath. Methods of ECG synchronisation using both triggering and retrospective gating approaches, and accelerated data acquisition using turbo or fast spin echo and gradient echo pulse sequences are therefore outlined in some detail. It is shown how double inversion black blood preparation combined with turbo or fast spin echo pulse sequences acquisition is used to achieve high quality anatomical imaging. For functional cardiac imaging using cine gradient echo pulse sequences two derivatives of the gradient echo pulse sequence; spoiled gradient echo and balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) are compared. In each case key relevant imaging parameters and vendor-specific terms are defined and explained.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance physics for clinicians: part I

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

There are many excellent specialised texts and articles that describe the physical principles of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques. There are also many texts written with the clinician in mind that provide an understandable, more general introduction to the basic physical principles of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques and applications. There are however very few texts or articles that attempt to provide a basic MR physics introduction that is tailored for clinicians using CMR in their daily practice. This is the first of two reviews that are intended to cover the essential aspects of CMR physics in a way that is understandable and relevant to this group. It begins by explaining the basic physical principles of MR, including a description of the main components of an MR imaging system and the three types of magnetic field that they generate. The origin and method of production of the MR signal in biological systems are explained, focusing in particular on the two tissue magnetisation relaxation properties (T1 and T2) that give rise to signal differences from tissues, showing how they can be exploited to generate image contrast for tissue characterisation. The method most commonly used to localise and encode MR signal echoes to form a cross sectional image is described, introducing the concept of k-space and showing how the MR signal data stored within it relates to properties within the reconstructed image. Before describing the CMR acquisition methods in detail, the basic spin echo and gradient pulse sequences are introduced, identifying the key parameters that influence image contrast, including appearances in the presence of flowing blood, resolution and image acquisition time. The main derivatives of these two pulse sequences used for cardiac imaging are then described in more detail. Two of the key requirements for CMR are the need for data acquisition first to be to be synchronised with the subject's ECG and to be fast enough for the subject to be able to hold their breath. Methods of ECG synchronisation using both triggering and retrospective gating approaches, and accelerated data acquisition using turbo or fast spin echo and gradient echo pulse sequences are therefore outlined in some detail. It is shown how double inversion black blood preparation combined with turbo or fast spin echo pulse sequences acquisition is used to achieve high quality anatomical imaging. For functional cardiac imaging using cine gradient echo pulse sequences two derivatives of the gradient echo pulse sequence; spoiled gradient echo and balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) are compared. In each case key relevant imaging parameters and vendor-specific terms are defined and explained. PMID:21118531

STS-118 Astronaut Williams and Expedition 15 Engineer Anderson Perform EVA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 Astronaut Dave Williams, representing the Canadian Space Agency, participated in the fourth and final session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). During the 5 hour space walk, Williams and Expedition 15 engineer Clay Anderson (out of frame) installed the External Wireless Instrumentation System Antenna, attached a stand for the shuttle robotic arm extension boom, and retrieved the two Materials International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) for return to Earth. MISSE collects information on how different materials weather in the environment of space.

Monoglossic Echoes in Multilingual Spaces: Language Narratives from a Vietnamese Community Language School in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reath Warren, Anne

2018-01-01

This article reports on language narratives in the ecology of a Vietnamese community language school (VCLS) in Australia. The study takes a dialogical perspective, where the stories about language that informants in the research setting tell are understood to shape and be shaped by the contexts in which they are told. Systematic analysis of…

Environmental projects, volume 10. Environmental assessment: New 34-meter antenna at Apollo site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) is part of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. A detailed description of the GDSCC is presented. At present the Venus Station has an unused 9-meter antenna and a 26-meter (85 ft) antenna known as DSS-13. Construction of a new 34-meter (111.5 ft) antenna at the Venus site is under way to replace the present DSS-13 26-meter antenna. The proposed construction at the Apollo Site of a new, high efficiency, 34-meter, multifrequency beam waveguide-type antenna to replace the aging, 20-year old, DSS-12 34-meter antenna located at the Echo Site is analyzed. This new 34-meter antenna, to be constructed at the Apollo Site and to be known as DSS-18, will be of a design similar to the new DSS-13 34-meter antenna now being constructed at the Venus Site. When the new 34-meter antenna is completed and operational at the Apollo Site (planned for 1993), the old DSS-12 34-meter antenna at the Echo Site will be decommissioned, dismantled, and removed.

On the reliability of hook echoes as tornado indicators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forbes, G. S.

1981-01-01

A study of radar echoes associated with the tornadoes of the 3 April 1974 outbreak was performed to evaluate the usefulness of echo shape as an indicator of tornadic thunderstorms. The hook shape was usually successful in characterizing an echo as tornadic, with a false alarm rate of 16%. Because hook echoes were relatively rare, however, a less restrictive shape called distinctive was more successful at detecting tornadic thunderstorms, identifying 65% of the tornadic echoes. An echo had a distinctive shape if it possessed a marked appendage on its right rear flank or was in the shape of a spiral, comma or line echo wave pattern (LEWP). Characteristics of the distinctive echo are given.

Extra Dimensions of Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lincoln, Don

2013-01-01

They say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. In a pedagogically pure sense, that's probably true. But some questions do seem to flirt dangerously close to being really quite ridiculous. One such question might well be, "How many dimensions of space are there?" I mean, it's pretty obvious that there are three:…

Best Practices Case Study: Tom Walsh and Co. - New Columbus, Portland, OR

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

none,

2010-09-01

Case study of Tom Walsh, who achieved 50% in heating and cooling energy savings over the 2004 IECC with advanced framing, superior air sealing, extra insulation, and ducts in conditioned space. Surface water runoff in the large urban rebuild development was handled with pervious pavers, swales, retention of existing trees, and green spaces.

Energy-momentum tensor of bouncing gravitons

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

Iofa, Mikhail Z.

2015-07-14

In models of the Universe with extra dimensions gravity propagates in the whole space-time. Graviton production by matter on the brane is significant in the early hot Universe. In a model of 3-brane with matter embedded in 5D space-time conditions for gravitons emitted from the brane to the bulk to return back to the brane are found. For a given 5-momentum of graviton falling back to the brane the interval between the times of emission and return to the brane is calculated. A method to calculate contribution to the energy-momentum tensor from multiple graviton bouncings is developed. Explicit expressions formore » contributions to the energy-momentum tensor of gravitons which have made one, two and three bounces are obtained and their magnitudes are numerically calculated. These expressions are used to solve the evolution equation for dark radiation. A relation connecting reheating temperature and the scale of extra dimension is obtained. For the reheating temperature T{sub R}∼10{sup 6} GeV we estimate the scale of extra dimension μ to be of order 10{sup −9} GeV (μ{sup −1}∼10{sup −5} cm)« less

Energy-momentum tensor of bouncing gravitons

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

Iofa, Mikhail Z., E-mail: iofa@theory.sinp.msu.ru

2015-07-01

In models of the Universe with extra dimensions gravity propagates in the whole space-time. Graviton production by matter on the brane is significant in the early hot Universe. In a model of 3-brane with matter embedded in 5D space-time conditions for gravitons emitted from the brane to the bulk to return back to the brane are found. For a given 5-momentum of graviton falling back to the brane the interval between the times of emission and return to the brane is calculated. A method to calculate contribution to the energy-momentum tensor from multiple graviton bouncings is developed. Explicit expressions formore » contributions to the energy-momentum tensor of gravitons which have made one, two and three bounces are obtained and their magnitudes are numerically calculated. These expressions are used to solve the evolution equation for dark radiation. A relation connecting reheating temperature and the scale of extra dimension is obtained. For the reheating temperature T{sub R}∼ 10{sup 6} GeV we estimate the scale of extra dimension μ to be of order 10{sup −9} GeV (μ{sup −1}∼ 10{sup −5} cm)« less

Forming maps of targets having multiple reflectors with a biomimetic audible sonar.

PubMed

Kuc, Roman

2018-05-01

A biomimetic audible sonar mimics human echolocation by emitting clicks and sensing echoes binaurally to investigate the limitations in acoustic mapping of 2.5 dimensional targets. A monaural sonar that provides only echo time-of-flight values produces biased maps that lie outside the target surfaces. Reflector bearing estimates derived from the first echoes detected by a binaural sonar are employed to form unbiased maps. Multiple echoes from a target introduce phantom-reflector artifacts into its map because later echoes are produced by reflectors at bearings different from those determined from the first echoes. In addition, overlapping echoes interfere to produce bearing errors. Addressing the causes of these bearing errors motivates a processing approach that employs template matching to extract valid echoes. Interfering echoes can mimic a valid echo and also form PR artifacts. These artifacts are eliminated by recognizing the bearing fluctuations that characterize echo interference. Removing PR artifacts produces a map that resembles the physical target shape to within the resolution capabilities of the sonar. The remaining differences between the target shape and the final map are void artifacts caused by invalid or missing echoes.

A controlled ac Stark echo for quantum memories.

PubMed

Ham, Byoung S

2017-08-09

A quantum memory protocol of controlled ac Stark echoes (CASE) based on a double rephasing photon echo scheme via controlled Rabi flopping is proposed. The double rephasing scheme of photon echoes inherently satisfies the no-population inversion requirement for quantum memories, but the resultant absorptive echo remains a fundamental problem. Herein, it is reported that the first echo in the double rephasing scheme can be dynamically controlled so that it does not affect the second echo, which is accomplished by using unbalanced ac Stark shifts. Then, the second echo is coherently controlled to be emissive via controlled coherence conversion. Finally a near perfect ultralong CASE is presented using a backward echo scheme. Compared with other methods such as dc Stark echoes, the present protocol is all-optical with advantages of wavelength-selective dynamic control of quantum processing for erasing, buffering, and channel multiplexing.

Goal driven kinematic simulation of flexible arm robot for space station missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janssen, P.; Choudry, A.

1987-01-01

Flexible arms offer a great degree of flexibility in maneuvering in the space environment. The problem of transporting an astronaut for extra-vehicular activity using a space station based flexible arm robot was studied. Inverse kinematic solutions of the multilink structure were developed. The technique is goal driven and can support decision making for configuration selection as required for stability and obstacle avoidance. Details of this technique and results are given.

ARC-1976-AC76-0965

NASA Image and Video Library

1976-06-11

Artist: Rick Guidice Space Colonization - Bernal Sphere - The residential area is in the central sphere. Farming regions are in the 'tires.' Mirrors reflect sunlight into the habitat and farms. The large flat panels radiate away extra heat into space, and panels of solar cells provide electricity. Factories and docks for spaceships are at either end of the long central tube. (NOTE: art printed in Book 'Space Colony - Frontier of the 21st Century by Franklyn M. Branley)

What powers the 3000-day light curve of SN 2006gy?

DOE PAGES

Fox, Ori D.; Smith, Nathan; Ammons, S. Mark; ...

2015-10-27

SN 2006gy was the most luminous supernova (SN) ever observed at the time of its discovery and the first of the newly defined class of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). The extraordinary energetics of SN 2006gy and all SLSNe (>10 51 erg) require either atypically large explosion energies (e.g. pair-instability explosion) or the efficient conversion of kinetic into radiative energy (e.g. shock interaction). The mass-loss characteristics can therefore offer important clues regarding the progenitor system. For the case of SN 2006gy, both a scattered and thermal light echo from circumstellar material (CSM) have been reported at later epochs (day ~800), ruling outmore » the likelihood of a pair-instability event and leading to constraints on the characteristics of the CSM. Owing to the proximity of the SN to the bright host-galaxy nucleus, continued monitoring of the light echo has not been trivial, requiring the high resolution offered by the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) or ground-based adaptive optics (AO). Furthermore, we report detections of SN 2006gy using HST and Keck AO at ~3000 d post-explosion and consider the emission mechanism for the very late-time light curve. While the optical light curve and optical spectral energy distribution are consistent with a continued scattered-light echo, a thermal echo is insufficient to power the K'-band emission by day 3000. Instead, we present evidence for late-time infrared emission from dust that is radiatively heated by CSM interaction within an extremely dense dust shell, and we consider the implications on the CSM characteristics and progenitor system.« less

What powers the 3000-day light curve of SN 2006gy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Ori D.; Smith, Nathan; Ammons, S. Mark; Andrews, Jennifer; Bostroem, K. Azalee; Cenko, S. Bradley; Clayton, Geoffrey C.; Dwek, Eli; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Gallagher, Joseph S.; Kelly, Patrick L.; Mauerhan, Jon C.; Miller, Adam A.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.

2015-12-01

SN 2006gy was the most luminous supernova (SN) ever observed at the time of its discovery and the first of the newly defined class of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). The extraordinary energetics of SN 2006gy and all SLSNe (>1051 erg) require either atypically large explosion energies (e.g. pair-instability explosion) or the efficient conversion of kinetic into radiative energy (e.g. shock interaction). The mass-loss characteristics can therefore offer important clues regarding the progenitor system. For the case of SN 2006gy, both a scattered and thermal light echo from circumstellar material (CSM) have been reported at later epochs (day ˜800), ruling out the likelihood of a pair-instability event and leading to constraints on the characteristics of the CSM. Owing to the proximity of the SN to the bright host-galaxy nucleus, continued monitoring of the light echo has not been trivial, requiring the high resolution offered by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) or ground-based adaptive optics (AO). Here, we report detections of SN 2006gy using HST and Keck AO at ˜3000 d post-explosion and consider the emission mechanism for the very late-time light curve. While the optical light curve and optical spectral energy distribution are consistent with a continued scattered-light echo, a thermal echo is insufficient to power the K'-band emission by day 3000. Instead, we present evidence for late-time infrared emission from dust that is radiatively heated by CSM interaction within an extremely dense dust shell, and we consider the implications on the CSM characteristics and progenitor system.

Quantification of normal cerebral oxygen extraction and oxygen metabolism by phase-based MRI susceptometry: evaluation of repeatability using two different imaging protocols.

PubMed

Kämpe, Robin; Lind, Emelie; Ståhlberg, Freddy; van Westen, Danielle; Knutsson, Linda; Wirestam, Ronnie

2017-03-01

Global oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ) were quantified in a test-retest study. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) data, required for CMRO 2 estimation, were obtained using dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI). OEF and CMRO 2 were quantified using two separate data sets, that is, conventional high-resolution (HR) gradient echo (GRE) phase maps as well as echo planar imaging (EPI) phase maps taken from the baseline (precontrast) part of the DSC-MRI time series. The EPI phase data were included to elucidate whether an extra HR-GRE scan is needed to obtain information about OEF and CMRO 2 , or if this information can be extracted from the DSC-MRI experiment only. Twenty healthy volunteers were scanned using 3 T MRI on two occasions. Oxygen saturation levels were obtained from phase data measured in the great cerebral vein of Galen, based on HR-GRE as well as EPI phase maps. In combination with DSC-MRI CBF, this allowed for calculation of OEF and CMRO 2 . High-resolution-gradient echo- and EPI-based phase images resulted in similar OEF spread and repeatability, with coefficients of variation/intraclass correlation coefficients of 0·26/0·95 and 0·23/0·81, respectively. Absolute OEF values (HR-GRE: 0·40 ± 0·11, EPI: 0·35 ± 0·08) were consistent with literature data. CMRO 2 showed similar repeatability, somewhat increased spread and reasonable absolute values (HR-GRE: 3·23 ± 1·26 ml O 2 /100 g min -1 , EPI: 2·79 ± 0·89 ml O 2 /100 g min -1 ). In general, the results obtained by HR-GRE and EPI showed comparable characteristics. The EPI methodology could potentially be improved using a slightly modified DSC-MRI protocol (e.g. with regard to spatial resolution and slice gap). © 2015 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Spaced-antenna wind estimation using an X-band active phased-array weather radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkatesh, Vijay

Over the past few decades, several single radar methods have been developed to probe the kinematic structure of storms. All these methods trade angular-resolution to retrieve the wind-field. To date, the spaced-antenna method has been employed for profiling the ionosphere and the precipitation free lower atmosphere. This work focuses on applying the spaced-antenna method on an X-band active phased-array radar for high resolution horizontal wind-field retrieval from precipitation echoes. The ability to segment the array face into multiple displaced apertures allows for flexible spaced-antenna implementations. The methodology employed herein comprises of Monte-Carlo simulations to optimize the spaced-antenna system design and analysis of real data collected with the designed phased-array system. The contribution that underpins this dissertation is the demonstration of qualitative agreement between spaced-antenna and Doppler beam swinging retrievals based on real data. First, simulations of backscattered electric fields at the antenna array elements are validated using theoretical expressions. Based on the simulations, the degrees of freedom in the spaced-antenna system design are optimized for retrieval of mean baseline wind. We show that the designed X-band spaced-antenna system has lower retrieval uncertainty than the existing S-band spaced-antenna implementation on the NWRT. This is because of the flexibility to synthesize small overlapping apertures and the ability to obtain statistically independent samples at a faster rate at X-band. We then demonstrate a technique to make relative phase-center displacement measurements based on simulations and real data from the phased-array spaced-antenna system. This simple method uses statistics of precipitation echoes and apriori beamwidth measurements to make field repeatable phase-center displacement measurements. Finally, we test the hypothesis that wind-field curvature effects are common to both the spaced-antenna and Doppler beam swinging methods. Based on a close-range winter storm data set, we find that the spaced-antenna and fine-resolution Doppler beam swinging retrievals are in qualitative agreement. The correlation between the spaced-antenna and fine-resolution Doppler beam swinging retrievals was 0.57. The lowered correlation coefficient was, in part, due to the high standard deviation of the DBS retrievals. At high wind-speeds, the spaced-antenna retrievals significantly departed from variational retrievals of mean baseline wind.

Dielectric Constant of Titan's South Polar Region from Cassini Radio Science Bistatic Scattering Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marouf, E.; Rappaport, N.; French, R.; Simpson, R.; Kliore, A.; McGhee, C.; Schinder, P.; Anabtawi, A.

2008-12-01

Four out of six Radio Science bistatic scattering (bistatic-radar) observations of Titan's surface completed during the Cassini nominal mission yielded detectable quasi-specular 3.6 cm-λ (X-band) surface echoes, making Titan the most distant solar system object for which bistatic echoes have been successfully detected. Right circularly polarized sinusoidal signal was transmitted by Cassini and both the right and left circularly polarized (RCP and LCP) surface reflected components were observed at the 70-m stations of NASA Deep Space Network. Cassini was maneuvered continuously to track the region of Titan's surface where mirror-like (quasi-specular) reflected signals may be observed. The experiments were designed for incidence angles θ close to the Brewster, or polarization, angle of likely surface compositions. Careful measurement of the system noise temperature allowed determination of the absolute power in each polarized echo component and hence their ratio. The polarization ratio, the known observation geometry, and Fresnel reflection theory were then used to determine the dielectric constant ɛ. Three near-equatorial (~ 5 to 15° S) observations on flyby T14 inbound and outbound and on flyby T34 inbound yielded weak but clearly detectable echoes. The echoes were intermittent along the ground track, indicating mostly rough terrain occasionally interrupted by patches of relatively flat areas. For the two observations on T14, polarization ratio measurements for two localized but widely separated surface regions (~ 15° S, ~ 14 and 140° W) conducted at angles θ ~ 56° and 64°, close to the Brewster angle for ices, imply ɛ ~ 1.6 for both regions, suggesting liquid hydrocarbons although alternative interpretations are possible (Marouf et al., 2006 Fall AGU, P11A- 07). In sharp contrast, a single high latitude (~81-86° S, ~ 45-155° W) observation on T27 inbound yielded much stronger surface echoes that lasted for almost the full duration of the experiment (~ 23 minutes). The relatively more grazing incidence geometry (θ ~ 70-79°) caused the RCP component to dominate the LCP component, as expected. Nonetheless, the later was mostly detectable, allowing estimation of the corresponding polarization ratio and hence profiling of the variability of the dielectric constant along the ground track. The inferred dielectric constant ɛ appears to vary over the large surface region probed but falls generally in the range 2 to 2.5, suggesting solid hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon "sludge" surface composition close to Titan's south pole. The small observed spectral Doppler broadening suggests that the echoes originate from gently undulating surface regions with RMS slopes of order few degrees.

AdS and stabilized extra dimensions in multi-dimensional gravitational models with nonlinear scalar curvature terms R-1 and R4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günther, Uwe; Zhuk, Alexander; Bezerra, Valdir B.; Romero, Carlos

2005-08-01

We study multi-dimensional gravitational models with scalar curvature nonlinearities of types R-1 and R4. It is assumed that the corresponding higher dimensional spacetime manifolds undergo a spontaneous compactification to manifolds with a warped product structure. Special attention has been paid to the stability of the extra-dimensional factor spaces. It is shown that for certain parameter regions the systems allow for a freezing stabilization of these spaces. In particular, we find for the R-1 model that configurations with stabilized extra dimensions do not provide a late-time acceleration (they are AdS), whereas the solution branch which allows for accelerated expansion (the dS branch) is incompatible with stabilized factor spaces. In the case of the R4 model, we obtain that the stability region in parameter space depends on the total dimension D = dim(M) of the higher dimensional spacetime M. For D > 8 the stability region consists of a single (absolutely stable) sector which is shielded from a conformal singularity (and an antigravity sector beyond it) by a potential barrier of infinite height and width. This sector is smoothly connected with the stability region of a curvature-linear model. For D < 8 an additional (metastable) sector exists which is separated from the conformal singularity by a potential barrier of finite height and width so that systems in this sector are prone to collapse into the conformal singularity. This second sector is not smoothly connected with the first (absolutely stable) one. Several limiting cases and the possibility of inflation are discussed for the R4 model.

Direct IR Interferometric Detection of Extra Solar Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shao, Michael

1989-01-01

This paper describes a concept for the direct detection of extra solar planets. The concept is based on a decade old idea from Bracewell but expanded. A long baseline interferometer is examined with two three meter telescopes, cooled to 70K and a baseline of 30-50 meters. In space, this instrument would be able to detect an Earth sized planet around a solar like star at 10 parsec in approximately 1 hour of integration (5 sigma). The total number of candidate stars with detectable "Earths" number in the thousands.

Characteristics of C-band meteorological radar echoes at Petrolina, Northeast Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva Aragão, Maria Regina; Correia, Magaly De Fatima; Alves de Araújo, Heráclio

2000-03-01

A unique set of C-band meteorological radar echoes is analyzed. The data were obtained in Petrolina (9°24S, 40°30W), located in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil, from January to June 1985. The characteristics analyzed are echo areas, types and patterns.As in other tropical areas of the world, echoes with an area100 km2 dominated, making up 53% of the total number of echoes while echoes with 100 km2

Relationship between tornadoes and hook echoes on April 3, 1974

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forbes, G. S.

1975-01-01

Radar observations of tornado families occurring on April 3, 1974 are discussed. Of the 93 tornadoes included in the sample, 81% were associated with hook-like echoes with appendages at least 40 deg to the south of the echo movement. At least one tornado was associated with 62% of the hook-like echoes observed. All of the tornadoes with intensities of F 4 and F 5 were produced by hook-like echoes; the mean intensity of all tornadoes associated with this type of echo was F 3, while the mean intensity of the remaining tornadoes was F1. The tornadic hook-like echoes moved to the right of the non-tornadic echoes forming a tornado line in advance of the squall line. Some tornadoes were associated with 'spiral' echoes.

Detection of malignant hepatic tumors with ferumoxides-enhanced MRI: comparison of five gradient-recalled echo sequences with different TEs.

PubMed

Matsuo, Masayuki; Kanematsu, Masayuki; Itoh, Kyo; Murakami, Takamichi; Maetani, Yoji; Kondo, Hiroshi; Goshima, Satoshi; Kako, Nobuo; Hoshi, Hiroaki; Konishi, Junji; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Nakamura, Hironobu

2004-01-01

The purpose of our study was to compare the detectability of malignant hepatic tumors on ferumoxides-enhanced MRI using five gradient-recalled echo sequences at different TEs. Ferumoxides-enhanced MRIs obtained in 31 patients with 50 malignant hepatic tumors (33 hepatocellular carcinomas, 17 metastases) were reviewed retrospectively by three independent offsite radiologists. T1-weighted gradient-recalled echo images with TEs of 1.4 and 4.2 msec; T2*-weighted gradient-recalled echo images with TEs of 6, 8, and 10 msec; and T2-weighted fast spin-echo images of livers were randomly reviewed on a segment-by-segment basis. Observer performance was tested using the McNemar test and receiver operating characteristic analysis for the clustered data. Lesion-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio was also assessed. Mean lesion-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratios were negative and lower with gradient-recalled echo at 1.4 msec than with the other sequences. Sensitivity was higher (p < 0.05) with gradient-recalled echo at 6, 8, and 10 msec and fast spin-echo sequences (75-83%) than with gradient-recalled echo sequences at 1.4 and 4.2 msec (46-48%), and was higher (p < 0.05) with gradient-recalled echo sequence at 8 msec (83%) than with gradient-recalled echo at 6 msec and fast spin-echo sequences (75-78%). Specificity was comparably high with all sequences (95-98%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (A(z)) was greater (p < 0.05) with gradient-recalled echo at 6, 8, and 10 msec and fast spin-echo sequences (A(z) = 0.91-0.93) than with gradient-recalled echo sequences at 1.4 and 4.2 msec (A(z) = 0.82-0.85). In the detection of malignant hepatic tumors, gradient-recalled echo sequences at 8 msec showed the highest sensitivity and had an A(z) value and lesion-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio comparable with values from gradient-recalled echo sequences at 6 and 10 msec and fast spin-echo sequences.

Deployable Debris Shields For Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christiansen, Eric L.; Cour-Palais, Burton G.; Crews, Jeanne

1993-01-01

Multilayer shields made of lightweight sheet materials deployed from proposed Space Station Freedom for additional protection against orbiting debris. Deployment mechanism attached at each location on exterior where extra protection needed. Equipment withdraws layer of material from storage in manner similar to unfurling sail or extending window shade. Number of layers deployed depends on required degree of protection, and could be as large as five.

Characteristics of spondylotic myelopathy on 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo and 2D fast spin echo magnetic resonance imaging: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Abdulhadi, Mike A; Perno, Joseph R; Melhem, Elias R; Nucifora, Paolo G P

2014-01-01

In patients with spinal stenosis, magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine can be improved by using 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences to provide a high-resolution assessment of osseous and ligamentous structures. However, it is not yet clear whether 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences adequately evaluate the spinal cord itself. As a result, they are generally supplemented by additional 2D fast spin echo sequences, adding time to the examination and potential discomfort to the patient. Here we investigate the hypothesis that in patients with spinal stenosis and spondylotic myelopathy, 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences can characterize cord lesions equally well as 2D fast spin echo sequences. We performed a retrospective analysis of 30 adult patients with spondylotic myelopathy who had been examined with both 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences and 2D fast spin echo sequences at the same scanning session. The two sequences were inspected separately for each patient, and visible cord lesions were manually traced. We found no significant differences between 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo and 2D fast spin echo sequences in the mean number, mean area, or mean transverse dimensions of spondylotic cord lesions. Nevertheless, the mean contrast-to-noise ratio of cord lesions was decreased on 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences compared to 2D fast spin echo sequences. These findings suggest that 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences do not need supplemental 2D fast spin echo sequences for the diagnosis of spondylotic myelopathy, but they may be less well suited for quantitative signal measurements in the spinal cord.

Automated mapping of the ocean floor using the theory of intrinsic random functions of order k

USGS Publications Warehouse

David, M.; Crozel, D.; Robb, James M.

1986-01-01

High-quality contour maps can be computer drawn from single track echo-sounding data by combining Universal Kriging and the theory of intrinsic random function of order K (IRFK). These methods interpolate values among the closely spaced points that lie along relatively widely spaced lines. The technique provides a variance which can be contoured as a quantitative measure of map precision. The technique can be used to evaluate alternative survey trackline configurations and data collection intervals, and can be applied to other types of oceanographic data. ?? 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Analysis and measurement of the modulation transfer function of harmonic shear wave induced phase encoding imaging.

PubMed

McAleavey, Stephen A

2014-05-01

Shear wave induced phase encoding (SWIPE) imaging generates ultrasound backscatter images of tissue-like elastic materials by using traveling shear waves to encode the lateral position of the scatters in the phase of the received echo. In contrast to conventional ultrasound B-scan imaging, SWIPE offers the potential advantages of image formation without beam focusing or steering from a single transducer element, lateral resolution independent of aperture size, and the potential to achieve relatively high lateral resolution with low frequency ultrasound. Here a Fourier series description of the phase modulated echo signal is developed, demonstrating that echo harmonics at multiples of the shear wave frequency reveal target k-space data at identical multiples of the shear wavenumber. Modulation transfer functions of SWIPE imaging systems are calculated for maximum shear wave acceleration and maximum shear constraints, and compared with a conventionally focused aperture. The relative signal-to-noise ratio of the SWIPE method versus a conventionally focused aperture is found through these calculations. Reconstructions of wire targets in a gelatin phantom using 1 and 3.5 MHz ultrasound and a cylindrical shear wave source are presented, generated from the fundamental and second harmonic of the shear wave modulation frequency, demonstrating weak dependence of lateral resolution with ultrasound frequency.

A simple method for MR elastography: a gradient-echo type multi-echo sequence.

PubMed

Numano, Tomokazu; Mizuhara, Kazuyuki; Hata, Junichi; Washio, Toshikatsu; Homma, Kazuhiro

2015-01-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of a novel MR elastography (MRE) technique based on a conventional gradient-echo type multi-echo MR sequence which does not need additional bipolar magnetic field gradients (motion encoding gradient: MEG), yet is sensitive to vibration. In a gradient-echo type multi-echo MR sequence, several images are produced from each echo of the train with different echo times (TEs). If these echoes are synchronized with the vibration, each readout's gradient lobes achieve a MEG-like effect, and the later generated echo causes a greater MEG-like effect. The sequence was tested for the tissue-mimicking agarose gel phantoms and the psoas major muscles of healthy volunteers. It was confirmed that the readout gradient lobes caused an MEG-like effect and the later TE images had higher sensitivity to vibrations. The magnitude image of later generated echo suffered the T2 decay and the susceptibility artifacts, but the wave image and elastogram of later generated echo were unaffected by these effects. In in vivo experiments, this method was able to measure the mean shear modulus of the psoas major muscle. From the results of phantom experiments and volunteer studies, it was shown that this method has clinical application potential. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of High-Frequency Earth-Space Radio Wave Signals via Ground-Based Polarimetric Radar Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolen, Steve; Chandrasekar, V.

2002-01-01

Expanding human presence in space, and enabling the commercialization of this frontier, is part of the strategic goals for NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) enterprise. Future near-Earth and planetary missions will support the use of high-frequency Earth-space communication systems. Additionally, increased commercial demand on low-frequency Earth-space links in the S- and C-band spectra have led to increased interest in the use of higher frequencies in regions like Ku and Ka-band. Attenuation of high-frequency signals, due to a precipitating medium, can be quite severe and can cause considerable disruptions in a communications link that traverses such a medium. Previously, ground radar measurements were made along the Earth-space path and compared to satellite beacon data that was transmitted to a ground station. In this paper, quantitative estimation of the attenuation along the propagation path is made via inter-comparisons of radar data taken from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) and ground-based polarimetric radar observations. Theoretical relationships between the expected specific attenuation (k) of spaceborne measurements with ground-based measurements of reflectivity (Zh) and differential propagation phase shift (Kdp) are developed for various hydrometeors that could be present along the propagation path, which are used to estimate the two-way path-integrated attenuation (PIA) on the PR return echo. Resolution volume matching and alignment of the radar systems is performed, and a direct comparison of PR return echo with ground radar attenuation estimates is made directly on a beam-by-beam basis. The technique is validated using data collected from the TExas and Florida UNderflights (TEFLUN-B) experiment and the TRMM large Biosphere-Atmosphere experiment in Amazonia (LBA) campaign. Attenuation estimation derived from this method can be used for strategiC planning of communication systems for future HEDS missions.

Certification Process for Commercial Batteries for Payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeevarajan, Judith

2007-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews the use of electric batteries in space applications. Batteries are high energy devices that are used to power hardware for space applications The applications include IVA (Intra-Vehicular Activity) and EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) use. High energy batteries pose hazards such as cell/battery venting leading to electrolyte (liquid or gas) leakage, high temperatures, fire and explosion (shrapnel). It reviews the process of certifying of Commercial batteries for space applications in view of the multi-national purchasing for the International Space Station. The documentation used in the certification is reviewed.

SU-F-I-16: Short Breast MRI with High-Resolution T2-Weighted and Dynamic Contrast Enhanced T1-Weighted Images

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

Ma, J; Son, J; Arun, B

Purpose: To develop and demonstrate a short breast (sb) MRI protocol that acquires both T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images in approximately ten minutes. Methods: The sb-MRI protocol consists of two novel pulse sequences. The first is a flexible fast spin-echo triple-echo Dixon (FTED) sequence for high-resolution fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging, and the second is a 3D fast dual-echo spoiled gradient sequence (FLEX) for volumetric fat-suppressed T1-weighted imaging before and post contrast agent injection. The flexible FTED sequence replaces each single readout during every echo-spacing period of FSE with three fast-switching bipolar readouts to produce three raw images in a singlemore » acquisition. These three raw images are then post-processed using a Dixon algorithm to generate separate water-only and fat-only images. The FLEX sequence acquires two echoes using dual-echo readout after each RF excitation and the corresponding images are post-processed using a similar Dixon algorithm to yield water-only and fat-only images. The sb-MRI protocol was implemented on a 3T MRI scanner and used for patients who had undergone concurrent clinical MRI for breast cancer screening. Results: With the same scan parameters (eg, spatial coverage, field of view, spatial and temporal resolution) as the clinical protocol, the total scan-time of the sb-MRI protocol (including the localizer, bilateral T2-weighted, and dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images) was 11 minutes. In comparison, the clinical breast MRI protocol took 43 minutes. Uniform fat suppression and high image quality were consistently achieved by sb-MRI. Conclusion: We demonstrated a sb-MRI protocol comprising both T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images can be performed in approximately ten minutes. The spatial and temporal resolution of the images easily satisfies the current breast MRI accreditation guidelines by the American College of Radiology. The protocol has the potential of making breast MRI more widely accessible to and more tolerable by the patients. JMA is the inventor of United States patents that are owned by the University of Texas Board of Regents and currently licensed to GE Healthcare and Siemens Gmbh.« less

First Cassini Radio Science Bistatic Scattering Observation of Titan's Northern Seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marouf, E. A.; Kliore, A. J.; Rappaport, N. J.; French, R. G.; Schinder, P. J.; Anabtawi, A.; Wong, K. K.; Armstrong, J. W.; Asmar, S. W.; Flasar, F. M.; Iess, L.; McGhee-French, C.; Nagy, A. F.; Tortora, P.; Barbinis, E.; Buccino, D.; Kahan, D. S.

2014-12-01

On May 17, 2014, the Cassini spacecraft completed its 101 flyby of Saturn's satellite Titan. Mirror-like (quasi-specular) reflections of radio signals transmitted by Cassini were observed on the Earth (bistatic scattering geometry). Three right circularly polarized (RCP) sinusoidal signals were transmitted (wavelength = 0.94, 3.6, and 13 cm). Both the RCP and LCP surface reflections were observed at the Canberra, Australia, complex of the NASA Deep Space Network. The signals probed the region extending from about (lat, long) = (79°N, 315°W) to about (74°N, 232°W). For the first time, two major Titan northern seas, the Ligeia Mare and the Kraken Mare, were probed. Clearly detectable RCP and LCP echo components were observed over both seas at all 3 wavelengths. The echoes were intermittent over the region in between the two seas. The echoes from the seas have narrowband spectra well modeled as pure sinusoids, suggesting very smooth surfaces over > ~1 cm scales. Over shorelines and river like channels the measured spectra reveal a second distinct broadband component, likely reflection from a rough bottom solid interface. Modeling the narrowband echo components as sinusoids, we estimate the RCP and LCP echo power profiles over the observation period. High resolution power profiles (several seconds time average; 0.2 to 2 km along the ground track) reveal remarkable structural detail. The statistical measurement uncertainty improves significantly when the resolution is degraded to about 1 m time average (3 to 30 km). Comparison of the 1 m power profiles with theoretical predictions computed assuming absent surface waves (negligible roughness) reveals excellent agreement with reflections from liquid hydrocarbons. The small statistical uncertainty promises to strongly constrain the liquid composition (ethane vs methane dominance). In principle, the measured RCP/LCP power ratio removes dependence on roughness and enables determination of the dielectric constant regardless if waves are present or not. A known dielectric constant then enables searching for potential presence of capillary and/or gravity waves based on effects on the absolute RCP and LCP echo power and on observed spectral bandwidth. A second bistatic observation of the Kraken Mare was completed on 06/18/14. A third is to be completed on 10/24/14.

Civil Penalty Policies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website provides customizable and downloadable information about environmental inspections, violations, and enforcement actions for EPA-regulated facilities, like power plants and factories. ECHO advances public information by sharing data related to facility compliance with and regulatory agency activity related to air, hazardous waste, clean water, and drinking water regulations. ECHO offers many user-friendly options to explore data, including:1. Facility Search (http://echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search?mediaSelected=all): ECHO information is searchable by varied criteria, including location, facility type, and compliance status related to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. Search results are customizable and downloadable.2. Comparative Maps (http://echo.epa.gov/maps/state-comparative-maps) and State Dashboards (http://echo.epa.gov/trends/comparative-maps-dashboards/state-air-dashboard): These tools offer aggregated information about facility compliance status and regulatory agency compliance monitoring and enforcement activity at the national and state level.3. Bulk Data Downloads (http://echo.epa.gov/resources/echo-data/data-downloads): One of ECHO's most popular features is the ability to work offline by downloading large data sets. Users can take advantage of the ECHO Exporter, which provides su

Echo characteristics of two salmon species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nealson, Patrick A.; Horne, John K.; Burwen, Debby L.

2005-04-01

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game relies on split-beam hydroacoustic techniques to estimate Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returns to the Kenai River. Chinook counts are periodically confounded by large numbers of smaller sockeye salmon (O. nerka). Echo target-strength has been used to distinguish fish length classes, but was too variable to separate Kenai River chinook and sockeye distributions. To evaluate the efficacy of alternate echo metrics, controlled acoustic measurements of tethered chinook and sockeye salmon were collected at 200 kHz. Echo returns were digitally sampled at 48 kHz. A suite of descriptive metrics were collected from a series of 1,000 echoes per fish. Measurements of echo width were least variable at the -3 dB power point. Initial results show echo elongation and ping-to-ping variability in echo envelope width were significantly greater for chinook than for sockeye salmon. Chinook were also observed to return multiple discrete peaks from a single broadcast echo. These characteristics were attributed to the physical width of chinook exceeding half of the broadcast echo pulse width at certain orientations. Echo phase variability, correlation coefficient and fractal dimension distributions did not demonstrate significant discriminatory power between the two species. [Work supported by ADF&G, ONR.

Chandra Discovers Light Echo from the Milky Way's Black Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-01-01

Like cold case investigators, astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to uncover evidence of a powerful outburst from the giant black hole at the Milky Way's center. A light echo was produced when X-ray light generated by gas falling into the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, known as Sagittarius A* (pronounced "A-star"), was reflected off gas clouds near the black hole. While the primary X-rays from the outburst would have reached Earth about 50 years ago, the reflected X-rays took a longer path and arrived in time to be recorded by Chandra. Variability in Chandra Images of Light Echo Variability in Chandra Images of Light Echo "This dramatic event happened before we had satellites in space that could detect it," said Michael Muno of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "So, it's remarkable that we can use Chandra to dig into the past and see this monster black hole's capacity for destruction." Previously, scientists have used Chandra to directly detect smaller and more recent outbursts from the black hole. This latest outburst revealed by the X-ray echo was about 1,000 times brighter and lasted well over 1,000 times longer than any of the recent outbursts observed by Chandra. Theory predicts that an outburst from Sagittarius A* would cause X-ray emission from the clouds to vary in both intensity and shape. Muno and his team found these changes for the first time, thus ruling out other interpretations. The latest results corroborate other independent, but indirect, evidence for light echoes generated by the black hole in the more distant past. Illustrations of Light Echo Illustrations of Light Echo Scientists have long known that Sagittarius A*, with a mass of about 3 million suns, lurked at the center for Milky Way. However, the black hole is incredibly faint at all wavelengths, especially in X-rays. "This faintness implies that stars and gas rarely get close enough to the black hole to be in any danger," said co-author Frederick K. Baganoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. "The huge appetite is there, but it's not being satisfied." During the outburst, the area close to the black hole would have been about 100,000 times brighter than it is currently. If such an outburst had occurred more recently, it likely would have been detected by an X-ray instrument, or would have produced similar features in other nearby clouds. Chandra X-ray Image of Sagittarius A* Chandra X-ray Image of Sagittarius A* "Our data show it has been 50 years or so since the black hole had its last decent meal," said Muno. "This is nothing like the feasting that black holes in other galaxies sometimes enjoy, but it gives unique knowledge about the feeding habits of our closest supermassive black hole." The details of how Sagittarius A* feeds remain unclear. For example, one possibility is that the black hole grows by pulling in matter from the winds of nearby young stars. Also, if there is a disk of material swirling around Sagittarius A*, it might be unstable in such a way that material migrates toward the black hole's edge in clumps, emitting X-rays before disappearing from the universe forever. The theoretical work is still being developed. Studying this light echo is also important because it illuminates and probes the poorly understood molecular clouds near the center of the galaxy. In particular, it gives information about the dense cores of these clouds where new stars may be forming. Variability in the X-ray emission between three Chandra observations in 2002, 2004 and 2005 argues against an alternate source for the light echo, which is that it came from a neutron star or black hole pulling matter away from a binary companion. This explanation is not favored because the data show the outburst would have been unusually long and bright for such a binary. These results were presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle, Wash., and will appear in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass. Additional information and images are available at: http://chandra.harvard.edu and http://chandra.nasa.gov

Fuel Efficient Strategies for Reducing Contrail Formations in United States Air Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sridhar, Banavar; Chen, Neil Y.; Ng, Hok K.

2010-01-01

This paper describes a class of strategies for reducing persistent contrail formation in the United States airspace. The primary objective is to minimize potential contrail formation regions by altering the aircraft's cruising altitude in a fuel-efficient way. The results show that the contrail formations can be reduced significantly without extra fuel consumption and without adversely affecting congestion in the airspace. The contrail formations can be further reduced by using extra fuel. For the day tested, the maximal reduction strategy has a 53% contrail reduction rate. The most fuel-efficient strategy has an 8% reduction rate with 2.86% less fuel-burnt compared to the maximal reduction strategy. Using a cost function which penalizes extra fuel consumed while maximizing the amount of contrail reduction provides a flexible way to trade off between contrail reduction and fuel consumption. It can achieve a 35% contrail reduction rate with only 0.23% extra fuel consumption. The proposed fuel-efficient contrail reduction strategy provides a solution to reduce aviation-induced environmental impact on a daily basis.

Screening and validation of EXTraS data products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpano, Stefania; Haberl, F.; De Luca, A.; Tiengo, A.: Israel, G.; Rodriguez, G.; Belfiore, A.; Rosen, S.; Read, A.; Wilms, J.; Kreikenbohm, A.; Law-Green, D.

2015-09-01

The EXTraS project (Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky) is aimed at fullyexploring the serendipitous content of the XMM-Newton EPIC database in the timedomain. The project is funded within the EU/FP7-Cooperation Space framework and is carried out by a collaboration including INAF (Italy), IUSS (Italy), CNR/IMATI (Italy), University of Leicester (UK), MPE (Germany) and ECAP (Germany). The several tasks consist in characterise aperiodicvariability for all 3XMM sources, search for short-term periodic variability on hundreds of thousands sources, detect new transient sources that are missed by standard source detection and hence not belonging to the 3XMM catalogue, search for long term variability by measuring fluxes or upper limits for both pointed and slew observations, and finally perform multiwavelength characterisation andclassification. Screening and validation of the different products is essentially in order to reject flawed results, generated by the automatic pipelines. We present here the screening tool we developed in the form of a Graphical User Interface and our plans for a systematic screening of the different catalogues.

SAR Image Simulation of Ship Targets Based on Multi-Path Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Y.; Wang, H.; Ma, H.; Li, K.; Xia, Z.; Hao, Y.; Guo, H.; Shi, H.; Liao, X.; Yue, H.

2018-04-01

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) plays an important role in the classification and recognition of ship targets because of its all-weather working ability and fine resolution. In SAR images, besides the sea clutter, the influence of the sea surface on the radar echo is also known as the so-called multipath effect. These multipath effects will generate some extra "pseudo images", which may cause the distortion of the target image and affect the estimation of the characteristic parameters. In this paper,the multipath effect of rough sea surface and its influence on the estimation of ship characteristic parameters are studied. The imaging of the first and the secondary reflection of sea surface is presented . The artifacts not only overlap with the image of the target itself, but may also appear in the sea near the target area. It is difficult to distinguish them, and this artifact has an effect on the length and width of the ship.

Quarantine provisions for unmanned extra-terrestrial missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

This document sets forth requirements applicable to unmanned planetary flight programs which are necessary to enable the Associate Administrator for Space Science to fulfill those responsibilities pertaining to planetary quarantine as stated in NPD 8020.7 and NPD 8020.10A. This document is specifically directed to the control of terrestrial microbial contamination associated with unmanned space vehicles intended to encounter, orbit, flyby, or otherwise be in the vicinity of extra-terrestrial solar system bodies. The requirements of this document apply to all unmanned planetary flight programs. This includes solar system exploratory missions to the major planets as well as missions to planet satellites, or to other solar system objects that may be of scientific interest. This document is not applicable to terrestrial (including lunar) missions and manned missions. NASA officials having cognizance of applicable flight programs will invoke these requirements in such directives or contractual instruments as may be necessary to assure their implementation.

Study for verification testing of the helmet-mounted display in the Japanese Experimental Module.

PubMed

Nakajima, I; Yamamoto, I; Kato, H; Inokuchi, S; Nemoto, M

2000-02-01

Our purpose is to propose a research and development project in the field of telemedicine. The proposed Multimedia Telemedicine Experiment for Extra-Vehicular Activity will entail experiments designed to support astronaut health management during Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). Experiments will have relevant applications to the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) operated by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) for the International Space Station (ISS). In essence, this is a proposal for verification testing of the Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), which enables astronauts to verify their own blood pressures and electrocardiograms, and to view a display of instructions from the ground station and listings of work procedures. Specifically, HMD is a device designed to project images and data inside the astronaut's helmet. We consider this R&D proposal to be one of the most suitable projects under consideration in response to NASDA's open invitation calling for medical experiments to be conducted on JEM.

EVA Radio DRATS 2011 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swank, Aaron J.; Bakula, Casey J.

2012-01-01

In the Fall of 2011, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) participated in the Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) field experiments held near Flagstaff, Arizona. The objective of the DRATS outing is to provide analog mission testing of candidate technologies for space exploration, especially those technologies applicable to human exploration of extra- terrestrial rocky bodies. These activities are performed at locations with similarities to extra-terrestrial conditions. This report describes the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Dual-Band Radio Communication System which was demonstrated during the 2011 outing. The EVA radio system is designed to transport both voice and telemetry data through a mobile ad hoc wireless network and employs a dual-band radio configuration. Some key characteristics of this system include: 1. Dual-band radio configuration. 2. Intelligent switching between two different capability wireless networks. 3. Self-healing network. 4. Simultaneous data and voice communication.

On the Modeling of Electrical Effects Experienced by Space Explorers During Extra Vehicular Activities: Intracorporal Currents, Resistances, and Electric Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cela, Carlos J.; Loizos, Kyle; Lazzi, Gianluca; Hamilton, Douglas; Lee, Raphael C.

2011-01-01

Recent research has shown that space explorers engaged in Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs) may be exposed, under certain conditions, to undesired electrical currents. This work focuses on determining whether these undesired induced electrical currents could be responsible for involuntary neuromuscular activity in the subjects, possibly caused by either large diameter peripheral nerve activation or reflex activity from cutaneous afferent stimulation. An efficient multiresolution variant of the admittance method along with a millimeter-resolution model of a male human body were used to calculate induced electric fields, resistance between contact electrodes used to simulate the potential exposure condition, and currents induced in the human body model. Results show that, under realistic exposure conditions using a 15V source, current density magnitudes and total current injected are well above previously reported startle reaction thresholds. This indicates that, under the considered conditions, the subjects could experience involuntary motor response.

Generalised Eisenhart lift of the Toda chain

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

Cariglia, Marco, E-mail: marco@iceb.ufop.br; Gibbons, Gary, E-mail: g.w.gibbons@damtp.cam.ac.uk

The Toda chain of nearest neighbour interacting particles on a line can be described both in terms of geodesic motion on a manifold with one extra dimension, the Eisenhart lift, or in terms of geodesic motion in a symmetric space with several extra dimensions. We examine the relationship between these two realisations and discover that the symmetric space is a generalised, multi-particle Eisenhart lift of the original problem that reduces to the standard Eisenhart lift. Such generalised Eisenhart lift acts as an inverse Kaluza-Klein reduction, promoting coupling constants to momenta in higher dimension. In particular, isometries of the generalised liftmore » metric correspond to energy preserving transformations that mix coordinates and coupling constants. A by-product of the analysis is that the lift of the Toda Lax pair can be used to construct higher rank Killing tensors for both the standard and generalised lift metrics.« less

Sampling strategies for subsampled segmented EPI PRF thermometry in MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound

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

Odéen, Henrik, E-mail: h.odeen@gmail.com; Diakite, Mahamadou; Todd, Nick

2014-09-15

Purpose: To investigate k-space subsampling strategies to achieve fast, large field-of-view (FOV) temperature monitoring using segmented echo planar imaging (EPI) proton resonance frequency shift thermometry for MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) applications. Methods: Five different k-space sampling approaches were investigated, varying sample spacing (equally vs nonequally spaced within the echo train), sampling density (variable sampling density in zero, one, and two dimensions), and utilizing sequential or centric sampling. Three of the schemes utilized sequential sampling with the sampling density varied in zero, one, and two dimensions, to investigate sampling the k-space center more frequently. Two of the schemesmore » utilized centric sampling to acquire the k-space center with a longer echo time for improved phase measurements, and vary the sampling density in zero and two dimensions, respectively. Phantom experiments and a theoretical point spread function analysis were performed to investigate their performance. Variable density sampling in zero and two dimensions was also implemented in a non-EPI GRE pulse sequence for comparison. All subsampled data were reconstructed with a previously described temporally constrained reconstruction (TCR) algorithm. Results: The accuracy of each sampling strategy in measuring the temperature rise in the HIFU focal spot was measured in terms of the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) compared to fully sampled “truth.” For the schemes utilizing sequential sampling, the accuracy was found to improve with the dimensionality of the variable density sampling, giving values of 0.65 °C, 0.49 °C, and 0.35 °C for density variation in zero, one, and two dimensions, respectively. The schemes utilizing centric sampling were found to underestimate the temperature rise, with RMSE values of 1.05 °C and 1.31 °C, for variable density sampling in zero and two dimensions, respectively. Similar subsampling schemes with variable density sampling implemented in zero and two dimensions in a non-EPI GRE pulse sequence both resulted in accurate temperature measurements (RMSE of 0.70 °C and 0.63 °C, respectively). With sequential sampling in the described EPI implementation, temperature monitoring over a 192 × 144 × 135 mm{sup 3} FOV with a temporal resolution of 3.6 s was achieved, while keeping the RMSE compared to fully sampled “truth” below 0.35 °C. Conclusions: When segmented EPI readouts are used in conjunction with k-space subsampling for MR thermometry applications, sampling schemes with sequential sampling, with or without variable density sampling, obtain accurate phase and temperature measurements when using a TCR reconstruction algorithm. Improved temperature measurement accuracy can be achieved with variable density sampling. Centric sampling leads to phase bias, resulting in temperature underestimations.« less

Dilated intercellular spaces and chronic cough as an extra-oesophageal manifestation of gastrooesophageal reflux disease.

PubMed

Orlando, Roy C

2011-06-01

Chronic cough is one of the extra-oesophageal manifestations of gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GORD). It is presumed to occur either directly by microaspiration of acidic gastric contents into the airway or indirectly by a reflex triggered by contact of acidic refluxates with the oesophageal epithelium in GORD. How contact of the oesophageal epithelium with acidic refluxates promotes sensitization for chronic cough is unknown, but like heartburn, which is a necessary accompaniment, it requires acid activation of nociceptors within the oesophageal mucosa. Dilated intercellular spaces within the oesophageal epithelium, a reflection of an increase in paracellular permeability, is a histopathologic feature of both erosive and non-erosive forms of GORD. Since it correlates with the symptom of heartburn, it is hypothesized herein that the increase in paracellular permeability to acid reflected by dilated intercellular spaces in oesophageal epithelium also serves as mediator of the signals that produce the reflex-induced sensitization for cough--a sensitization that can occur centrally within the medullary Nucleus Tractus Solitarius or peripherally within the tracheobronchial tree. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence that the C-terminus of Human Presenilin 1 is Located in the Extra-cytoplasmic Space

PubMed Central

James Turner, R.

2005-01-01

The polytopic membrane protein presenilin 1 (PS1) is a component of the γ-secretase complex that is responsible for the intramembranous cleavage of a number of type I transmembrane proteins including the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Mutations of PS1, apparently leading to aberrant processing of APP, have been genetically linked to early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. PS1 contains ten hydrophobic regions (HRs) sufficiently long to be α-helical membrane spanning segments. Most topology models for PS1 place its C-terminal ∼40 amino acids, which include the 10th HR, in the cytosolic space. However, several recent observations suggest that HR 10 may be integrated into the membrane and involved in the interaction between PS1 and APP. We have applied three independent methodologies to investigate the location of HR 10 and the extreme C-terminus of PS1. The results from these methods indicate that HR 10 spans the membrane and that the C-terminal amino acids of PS1 lie in the extra-cytoplasmic space. PMID:15843437

Seasonal variations of the backscattering coefficient measured by radar altimeters over the Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahime Adodo, Fifi; Remy, Frédérique; Picard, Ghislain

2018-05-01

Spaceborne radar altimeters are a valuable tool for observing the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The radar wave interaction with the snow provides information on both the surface and the subsurface of the snowpack due to its dependence on the snow properties. However, the penetration of the radar wave within the snowpack also induces a negative bias on the estimated surface elevation. Empirical corrections of this space- and time-varying bias are usually based on the backscattering coefficient variability. We investigate the spatial and seasonal variations of the backscattering coefficient at the S (3.2 GHz ˜ 9.4 cm), Ku (13.6 GHz ˜ 2.3 cm) and Ka (37 GHz ˜ 0.8 cm) bands. We identified that the backscattering coefficient at Ku band reaches a maximum in winter in part of the continent (Region 1) and in the summer in the remaining (Region 2), while the evolution at other frequencies is relatively uniform over the whole continent. To explain this contrasting behavior between frequencies and between regions, we studied the sensitivity of the backscattering coefficient at three frequencies to several parameters (surface snow density, snow temperature and snow grain size) using an electromagnetic model. The results show that the seasonal cycle of the backscattering coefficient at Ka frequency is dominated by the volume echo and is mainly driven by snow temperature evolution everywhere. In contrast, at S band, the cycle is dominated by the surface echo. At Ku band, the seasonal cycle is dominated by the volume echo in Region 1 and by the surface echo in Region 2. This investigation provides new information on the seasonal dynamics of the Antarctic Ice Sheet surface and provides new clues to build more accurate corrections of the radar altimeter surface elevation signal in the future.

An adaptive segment method for smoothing lidar signal based on noise estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuzhao; Luo, Pingping

2014-10-01

An adaptive segmentation smoothing method (ASSM) is introduced in the paper to smooth the signal and suppress the noise. In the ASSM, the noise is defined as the 3σ of the background signal. An integer number N is defined for finding the changing positions in the signal curve. If the difference of adjacent two points is greater than 3Nσ, the position is recorded as an end point of the smoothing segment. All the end points detected as above are recorded and the curves between them will be smoothed separately. In the traditional method, the end points of the smoothing windows in the signals are fixed. The ASSM creates changing end points in different signals and the smoothing windows could be set adaptively. The windows are always set as the half of the segmentations and then the average smoothing method will be applied in the segmentations. The Iterative process is required for reducing the end-point aberration effect in the average smoothing method and two or three times are enough. In ASSM, the signals are smoothed in the spacial area nor frequent area, that means the frequent disturbance will be avoided. A lidar echo was simulated in the experimental work. The echo was supposed to be created by a space-born lidar (e.g. CALIOP). And white Gaussian noise was added to the echo to act as the random noise resulted from environment and the detector. The novel method, ASSM, was applied to the noisy echo to filter the noise. In the test, N was set to 3 and the Iteration time is two. The results show that, the signal could be smoothed adaptively by the ASSM, but the N and the Iteration time might be optimized when the ASSM is applied in a different lidar.

Imaging of the meninges and the extra-axial spaces.

PubMed

Kirmi, Olga; Sheerin, Fintan; Patel, Neel

2009-12-01

The separate meningeal layers and extraaxial spaces are complex and can only be differentiated by pathologic processes on imaging. Differentiation of the location of such processes can be achieved using different imaging modalities. In this pictorial review we address the imaging techniques, enhancement and location patterns, and disease spread that will promote accurate localization of the pathology, thus improving accuracy of diagnosis. Typical and unusual magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging findings of many conditions affecting these layers and spaces are described.

The Effects of Letter Spacing and Coloured Overlays on Reading Speed and Accuracy in Adult Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sjoblom, Amanda M.; Eaton, Elizabeth; Stagg, Steven D.

2016-01-01

Background: Zorzi et al. (2012, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 109, 11455) found evidence that extra-large letter spacing aids children with dyslexia, but the evidence for the coloured overlays is contradictory (e.g., Henderson et al., 2013, "J. Res. Special Educ. Needs," 13, 57; Wilkins, 2002, "Ophthalmic Physiol. Opt.," 22,…

Möbius quantum walk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, Majid; Annabestani, Mostafa

2017-12-01

By adding an extra Hilbert space to the Hadamard quantum walk on cycle (QWC), we present a new type of QWC, the Möbius quantum walk (MQW). The new space configuration enables the particle to rotate around the axis of movement. We define the factor α as the Möbius factor, which is the number of rotations per cycle. So, by α=0 we have a normal QWC, while α \

On the application of magic echo cycles for quadrupolar echo spectroscopy of spin-1 nuclei.

PubMed

Mananga, E S; Roopchand, R; Rumala, Y S; Boutis, G S

2007-03-01

Magic echo cycles are introduced for performing quadrupolar echo spectroscopy of spin-1 nuclei. An analysis is performed via average Hamiltonian theory showing that the evolution under chemical shift or static field inhomogeneity can be refocused simultaneously with the quadrupolar interaction using these cycles. Due to the higher convergence in the Magnus expansion, with sufficient RF power, magic echo based quadrupolar echo spectroscopy outperforms the conventional two pulse quadrupolar echo in signal to noise. Experiments highlighting a signal to noise enhancement over the entire bandwidth of the quadrupolar pattern of a powdered sample of deuterated polyethelene are shown.

A strange result in the measurement of the angles of arrival of the first and second echoes from the ionosphere at high radio frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacGibbon, J.; Whitehead, J. D.; From, W. R.

1989-03-01

Angle-of-arrival measurements were obtained for first echoes (those directly reflected from the ionosphere) and second echoes (those twice reflected from the ionosphere with an intermediate reflection from the ground). Unexpectedly, the off-vertical angle-of-arrival of the second echo was found to be consistently less than that of the first echo for much of the time. It is suggested that rapid phase variations caused by the change in the tilt of the ionosphere prevented recognition of the second echo by the present radar system for echoes reflected from rough terrain.

Low-cost high-resolution fast spin-echo MR of acoustic schwannoma: an alternative to enhanced conventional spin-echo MR?

PubMed

Allen, R W; Harnsberger, H R; Shelton, C; King, B; Bell, D A; Miller, R; Parkin, J L; Apfelbaum, R I; Parker, D

1996-08-01

To determine whether unenhanced high-resolution T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR imaging provides an acceptable and less expensive alternative to contrast-enhanced conventional T1-weighted spin-echo MR techniques in the diagnosis of acoustic schwannoma. We reviewed in a blinded fashion the records of 25 patients with pathologically documented acoustic schwannoma and of 25 control subjects, all of whom had undergone both enhanced conventional spin-echo MR imaging and unenhanced fast spin-echo MR imaging of the cerebellopontine angle/internal auditory canal region. The patients were imaged with the use of a quadrature head receiver coil for the conventional spin-echo sequences and dual 3-inch phased-array receiver coils for the fast spin-echo sequences. The size of the acoustic schwannomas ranged from 2 to 40 mm in maximum dimension. The mean maximum diameter was 12 mm, and 12 neoplasms were less than 10 mm in diameter. Acoustic schwannoma was correctly diagnosed on 98% of the fast spin-echo images and on 100% of the enhanced conventional spin-echo images. Statistical analysis of the data using the kappa coefficient demonstrated agreement beyond chance between these two imaging techniques for the diagnosis of acoustic schwannoma. There is no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity and specificity of unenhanced high-resolution fast spin-echo imaging and enhance T1-weighted conventional spin-echo imaging in the detection of acoustic schwannoma. We believe that the unenhanced high-resolution fast spin-echo technique provides a cost-effective method for the diagnosis of acoustic schwannoma.

Environmental projects. Volume 7: Environmental resources document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, Len; Kroll, Glenn

1988-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) in Barstow, California, is part of the NASA Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Goldstone is managed, directed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena, California. The GDSCC includes five distinct operational sites: Echo, Venus, Mars, Apollo, and Mojave Base. Within each site is a Deep Space Station (DPS), consisting of a large dish antenna and its support facilities. As required by NASA directives concerning the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, each NASA field installation is to publish an Environmental Resources Document describing the current environment at the installation, including any adverse effects that NASA operations may have on the local environment.

Defending spaceflight: The echoes of Apollo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovetto, R. J.

2016-12-01

This paper defends, and emphasizes the importance of, spaceflight, broadly construed to include human and unmanned spaceflight, space science, exploration and development. Within this discourse, I provide counter-replies to remarks by physicist Dr. Steven Weinberg against my previous support of human spaceflight. In this defense of peaceful spaceflight I draw upon a variety of sources. Although a focus is human spaceflight, human and unmanned modes must not be treated as an either-or opposition. Rather, each has a critical role to play in moving humanity forward as a spacefaring species. In the course of this communication, I also stress the perennial role of space agencies as science and technology-drivers, and their function to provide a stable and unified platform for space programs.

A whale better adjusts the biosonar to ordered rather than to random changes in the echo parameters.

PubMed

Supin, Alexander Ya; Nachtigall, Paul E; Breese, Marlee

2012-09-01

A false killer whale's (Pseudorca crassidens) sonar clicks and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded during echolocation with simulated echoes in two series of experiments. In the first, both the echo delay and transfer factor (which is the dB-ratio of the echo sound-pressure level to emitted pulse source level) were varied randomly from trial to trial until enough data were collected (random presentation). In the second, a combination of the echo delay and transfer factor was kept constant until enough data were collected (ordered presentation). The mean click level decreased with shortening the delay and increasing the transfer factor, more at the ordered presentation rather than at the random presentation. AEPs to the self-heard emitted clicks decreased with shortening the delay and increasing the echo level equally in both series. AEPs to echoes increased with increasing the echo level, little dependent on the echo delay at random presentations but much more dependent on delay with ordered presentations. So some adjustment of the whale's biosonar was possible without prior information about the echo parameters; however, the availability of prior information about echoes provided additional whale capabilities to adjust both the transmitting and receiving parts of the biosonar.

Universal Local Symmetries and Nonsuperposition in Classical Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gozzi, Ennio; Pagani, Carlo

2010-10-01

In the Hilbert space formulation of classical mechanics, pioneered by Koopman and von Neumann, there are potentially more observables than in the standard approach to classical mechanics. In this Letter, we show that actually many of those extra observables are not invariant under a set of universal local symmetries which appear once the Koopman and von Neumann formulation is extended to include the evolution of differential forms. Because of their noninvariance, those extra observables have to be removed. This removal makes the superposition of states in the Koopman and von Neumann formulation, and as a consequence also in classical mechanics, impossible.

Echo-Planar Imaging-Based, J-Resolved Spectroscopic Imaging for Improved Metabolite Detection in Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

tiple dimensions (20). Hu et al. employed pseudo-random phase-encoding blips during the EPSI readout to create nonuniform sampling along the spatial...resolved MRSI with Nonuniform Undersampling and Compressed Sensing 514 30.5 Prior-knowledge Fitting for Metabolite Quantitation 515 30.6 Future Directions... NONUNIFORM UNDERSAMPLING AND COMPRESSED SENSING Nonuniform undersampling (NUS) of k-space and subsequent reconstruction using compressed sensing (CS

Maintenance and operations tasks accomplished at DSS 12 during the antenna panel replacement downtime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butcher, L.; Jonas, T.; Wood, W.

1982-01-01

The heavy schedule of tracking activities at the Echo Deep Space Station (DSS 12) prevents some time-consuming maintenance tasks from being performed. Careful coordination prior to and during a mandatory task (antenna panel replacement) made it possible to do a large number of unrelated tasks that ordinarily would have to be deferred. The maintenance and operations tasks accomplished during the downtime are described.

Filtering, Coding, and Compression with Malvar Wavelets

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

speech coding techniques being investigated by the military (38). Imagery: Space imagery often requires adaptive restoration to deblur out-of-focus...and blurred image, find an estimate of the ideal image using a priori information about the blur, noise , and the ideal image" (12). The research for...recording can be described as the original signal convolved with impulses , which appear as echoes in the seismic event. The term deconvolution indicates

Exploiting Elementary Landscapes for TSP, Vehicle Routing and Scheduling

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-03

Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and Graph Coloring are elementary. Problems such as MAX-kSAT are a superposition of k elementary landscapes. This...search space. Problems such as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), Graph Coloring, the Frequency Assignment Problem , as well as Min-Cut and Max-Cut...echoing our earlier esults on the Traveling Salesman Problem . Using two locally optimal solutions as “parent” solutions, we have developed a

Distortion correction of echo planar images applying the concept of finite rate of innovation to point spread function mapping (FRIP).

PubMed

Nunes, Rita G; Hajnal, Joseph V

2018-06-01

Point spread function (PSF) mapping enables estimating the displacement fields required for distortion correction of echo planar images. Recently, a highly accelerated approach was introduced for estimating displacements from the phase slope of under-sampled PSF mapping data. Sampling schemes with varying spacing were proposed requiring stepwise phase unwrapping. To avoid unwrapping errors, an alternative approach applying the concept of finite rate of innovation to PSF mapping (FRIP) is introduced, using a pattern search strategy to locate the PSF peak, and the two methods are compared. Fully sampled PSF data was acquired in six subjects at 3.0 T, and distortion maps were estimated after retrospective under-sampling. The two methods were compared for both previously published and newly optimized sampling patterns. Prospectively under-sampled data were also acquired. Shift maps were estimated and deviations relative to the fully sampled reference map were calculated. The best performance was achieved when using FRIP with a previously proposed sampling scheme. The two methods were comparable for the remaining schemes. The displacement field errors tended to be lower as the number of samples or their spacing increased. A robust method for estimating the position of the PSF peak has been introduced.

Gradient waveform pre-emphasis based on the gradient system transfer function.

PubMed

Stich, Manuel; Wech, Tobias; Slawig, Anne; Ringler, Ralf; Dewdney, Andrew; Greiser, Andreas; Ruyters, Gudrun; Bley, Thorsten A; Köstler, Herbert

2018-02-25

The gradient system transfer function (GSTF) has been used to describe the distorted k-space trajectory for image reconstruction. The purpose of this work was to use the GSTF to determine the pre-emphasis for an undistorted gradient output and intended k-space trajectory. The GSTF of the MR system was determined using only standard MR hardware without special equipment such as field probes or a field camera. The GSTF was used for trajectory prediction in image reconstruction and for a gradient waveform pre-emphasis. As test sequences, a gradient-echo sequence with phase-encoding gradient modulation and a gradient-echo sequence with a spiral read-out trajectory were implemented and subsequently applied on a structural phantom and in vivo head measurements. Image artifacts were successfully suppressed by applying the GSTF-based pre-emphasis. Equivalent results are achieved with images acquired using GSTF-based post-correction of the trajectory as a part of image reconstruction. In contrast, the pre-emphasis approach allows reconstruction using the initially intended trajectory. The artifact suppression shown for two sequences demonstrates that the GSTF can serve for a novel pre-emphasis. A pre-emphasis based on the GSTF information can be applied to any arbitrary sequence type. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

How Can Dolphins Recognize Fish According to Their Echoes? A Statistical Analysis of Fish Echoes

PubMed Central

Yovel, Yossi; Au, Whitlow W. L.

2010-01-01

Echo-based object classification is a fundamental task of animals that use a biosonar system. Dolphins and porpoises should be able to rely on echoes to discriminate a predator from a prey or to select a desired prey from an undesired object. Many studies have shown that dolphins and porpoises can discriminate between objects according to their echoes. All of these studies however, used unnatural objects that can be easily characterized in human terminologies (e.g., metallic spheres, disks, cylinders). In this work, we collected real fish echoes from many angles of acquisition using a sonar system that mimics the emission properties of dolphins and porpoises. We then tested two alternative statistical approaches in classifying these echoes. Our results suggest that fish species can be classified according to echoes returning from porpoise- and dolphin-like signals. These results suggest how dolphins and porpoises can classify fish based on their echoes and provide some insight as to which features might enable the classification. PMID:21124908

How can dolphins recognize fish according to their echoes? A statistical analysis of fish echoes.

PubMed

Yovel, Yossi; Au, Whitlow W L

2010-11-19

Echo-based object classification is a fundamental task of animals that use a biosonar system. Dolphins and porpoises should be able to rely on echoes to discriminate a predator from a prey or to select a desired prey from an undesired object. Many studies have shown that dolphins and porpoises can discriminate between objects according to their echoes. All of these studies however, used unnatural objects that can be easily characterized in human terminologies (e.g., metallic spheres, disks, cylinders). In this work, we collected real fish echoes from many angles of acquisition using a sonar system that mimics the emission properties of dolphins and porpoises. We then tested two alternative statistical approaches in classifying these echoes. Our results suggest that fish species can be classified according to echoes returning from porpoise- and dolphin-like signals. These results suggest how dolphins and porpoises can classify fish based on their echoes and provide some insight as to which features might enable the classification.

The Solar Flux Dependence of Ionospheric 150 km Radar Echoes and Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patra, A. K.; Pavan Chaitanya, P.; St.-Maurice, J.-P.; Otsuka, Y.; Yokoyama, T.; Yamamoto, M.

2017-11-01

Radar echoes from the daytime equatorial ionospheric F1 region, popularly known as "150 km echoes," have challenged ionospheric plasma physicists for several decades. Recent theoretical simulations showed that enhanced photoelectron fluxes can amplify the amplitude of plasma waves, generating spectra similar to those of the radar echoes, implying that larger solar fluxes should produce more frequent and stronger 150 km echoes. Inspired by this proposal, we studied the occurrence and intensity dependence of the echoes on the EUV flux observed by SOHO over several years. The occurrence and intensity of the echoes were found to have an inverse relationship with this EUV flux measurement. The multiyear trend is independent of the variability often observed over successive days with nearly identical EUV fluxes. These results imply that the relationship between the echoes and EUV flux is more complex. We propose that gravity waves modulate the amplitude of 150 km echoes through changes in the variations in plasma density and photoelectron fluxes associated with the gravity wave-induced neutral density modulations.

Project Freebird: An orbital transfer vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aneses, Carlos A.; Blanchette, Ryan L.; Brann, David M.; Campos, Mario J.; Cohen, Lisa E.; Corcoran, Daniel J., III; Cox, James F.; Curtis, Trevor J.; Douglass, Deborah A.; Downard, Catherine L.

1994-01-01

Freebird is a space-based orbital transfer vehicle designed to repair and deorbit orbital assets. Freebird is based at International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) at an inclination of 51.6 deg and is capable of three types of missions: crewed and teleoperated LEO missions, and extended robotic missions. In a crewed local configuration, the vehicle can visit inclinations between 30.8 deg and 72.4 deg at altitudes close to 390 km. Adding extra fuel tanks extends this range of inclination up to 84.9 deg and down to 18.3 deg. Furthermore, removing the crew module, using the vehicle in a teleoperated manner, and operating with extra fuel tanks allows missions to polar and geosynchronous orbits. To allow for mission flexibility, the vehicle was designed in a semimodular configuration. The major system components include a crew module, a 'smart box' (which contains command, communications, guidance, and navigation equipment), a propulsion pack, extra fuel tanks, and a vehicle storage facility (VSF) for storage purposes. To minimize risk as well as development time and cost, the vehicle was designed using only proven technology or technology which is expected to be flight-qualified in time for the intended launch date of 2002. And, because Freebird carries crew and operates near the space station, it must meet or exceed the NASA reliability standard of 0.994, as well as other standard requirements for such vehicles. The Freebird program was conceived and designed as a way to provide important and currently unavailable satellite repair and replacement services of a value equal to or exceeding operational costs.

Project Freebird: An orbital transfer vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aneses, Carlos A.; Blanchette, Ryan L.; Brann, David M.; Campos, Mario J.; Cohen, Lisa E.; Corcoran, Daniel J., III; Cox, James F.; Curtis, Trevor J.; Douglass, Deborah A.; Downard, Catherine L.

1994-08-01

Freebird is a space-based orbital transfer vehicle designed to repair and deorbit orbital assets. Freebird is based at International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) at an inclination of 51.6 deg and is capable of three types of missions: crewed and teleoperated LEO missions, and extended robotic missions. In a crewed local configuration, the vehicle can visit inclinations between 30.8 deg and 72.4 deg at altitudes close to 390 km. Adding extra fuel tanks extends this range of inclination up to 84.9 deg and down to 18.3 deg. Furthermore, removing the crew module, using the vehicle in a teleoperated manner, and operating with extra fuel tanks allows missions to polar and geosynchronous orbits. To allow for mission flexibility, the vehicle was designed in a semimodular configuration. The major system components include a crew module, a 'smart box' (which contains command, communications, guidance, and navigation equipment), a propulsion pack, extra fuel tanks, and a vehicle storage facility (VSF) for storage purposes. To minimize risk as well as development time and cost, the vehicle was designed using only proven technology or technology which is expected to be flight-qualified in time for the intended launch date of 2002. And, because Freebird carries crew and operates near the space station, it must meet or exceed the NASA reliability standard of 0.994, as well as other standard requirements for such vehicles. The Freebird program was conceived and designed as a way to provide important and currently unavailable satellite repair and replacement services of a value equal to or exceeding operational costs.

Probing the magnetsophere with artificial electron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winckler, J. R.

1981-01-01

An analysis is conducted of the University of Minnesota Electron Echo experiments, which so far have included five sounding rocket experiments. The concept of the Echo experiment is to inject electron beam pulses from a rocket into the ionosphere at altitudes in the range from 100 to 300 km. The electrons move to the conjugate hemisphere following magnetic field lines and return on neighboring field lines to the neighborhood of the rocket where the pulses may be detected and analyzed. Attention is given to the detection and analysis of echoes, the structure of echoes, and the Echo V experiment. The Echo V experiment showed clearly that detection of remote echo beams by atmospheric fluorescence using low light level TV system is not a viable technique. A future experiment is to use throw-away detectors for direct remote echo detection.

Giant mediastinal haemangiopericytoma: an uncommon case.

PubMed

Agrawal, D; Lahiri, T K; Lakhotia, S; Singh, Deepak

2014-01-01

Haemangiopericytoma is a rare soft tissue tumour characterised by tightly packed tumour cells situated around thin walled endothelial lined vascular channels, ranging from capillary sized vessels to large gaping sinusoidal spaces. The tumour cells are surrounded by reticulin and are negative for muscle, nerve and epithelial markers. The diagnosis of extra-pulmonary intra-thoracic, extra-pleural mediastinal mass is difficult. It constitutes only 6% of all primary tumours and cysts of the mediastinum. We report the rare occurrence of primary intra-thoracic, extra-pulmonary mediastinal haemangiopericytoma of mesenchymal origin with perivascular localisation. The patient underwent right postero-lateral thoracotomy and post-operatively received chemotherapy with adriamycin (60 mg/m2) on day 1 and ifosfamide (1.5 g/m2) on day 1 to 3. Thirty-seven months after the operation, the patient has been well with evidence of a single recurrence in the left lower lobe.

Classical geometry to quantum behavior correspondence in a virtual extra dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolce, Donatello

2012-09-01

In the Lorentz invariant formalism of compact space-time dimensions the assumption of periodic boundary conditions represents a consistent semi-classical quantization condition for relativistic fields. In Dolce (2011) [18] we have shown, for instance, that the ordinary Feynman path integral is obtained from the interference between the classical paths with different winding numbers associated with the cyclic dynamics of the field solutions. By means of the boundary conditions, the kinematical information of interactions can be encoded on the relativistic geometrodynamics of the boundary, see Dolce (2012) [8]. Furthermore, such a purely four-dimensional theory is manifestly dual to an extra-dimensional field theory. The resulting correspondence between extra-dimensional geometrodynamics and ordinary quantum behavior can be interpreted in terms of AdS/CFT correspondence. By applying this approach to a simple Quark-Gluon-Plasma freeze-out model we obtain fundamental analogies with basic aspects of AdS/QCD phenomenology.

General relativity with small cosmological constant from spontaneous compactification of Lovelock theory in vacuum

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

Canfora, Fabrizio; Willison, Steven; Giacomini, Alex

2009-08-15

It is shown that Einstein gravity in four dimensions with small cosmological constant and small extra dimensions can be obtained by spontaneous compactification of Lovelock gravity in vacuum. Assuming that the extra dimensions are compact spaces of constant curvature, general relativity is recovered within a certain class of Lovelock theories possessing necessarily cubic or higher order terms in curvature. This bounds the higher dimension to at least 7. Remarkably, the effective gauge coupling and Newton constant in four dimensions are not proportional to the gravitational constant in higher dimensions, but are shifted with respect to their standard values. This effectmore » opens up new scenarios where a maximally symmetric solution in higher dimensions could decay into the compactified spacetime either by tunneling or through a gravitational analog of ghost condensation. Indeed, this is what occurs requiring both the extra dimensions and the four-dimensional cosmological constant to be small.« less

Brane-world motion in compact dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Brian; Levin, Janna; Parikh, Maulik

2011-08-01

The topology of extra dimensions can break global Lorentz invariance, singling out a globally preferred frame even in flat spacetime. Through experiments that probe global topology, an observer can determine her state of motion with respect to the preferred frame. This scenario is realized if we live on a brane universe moving through a flat space with compact extra dimensions. We identify three experimental effects due to the motion of our universe that one could potentially detect using gravitational probes. One of these relates to the peculiar properties of the twin paradox in multiply-connected spacetimes. Another relies on the fact that the Kaluza-Klein modes of any bulk field are sensitive to boundary conditions. A third concerns the modification to the Newtonian potential on a moving brane. Remarkably, we find that even small extra dimensions are detectable by brane observers if the brane is moving sufficiently fast. Communicated by P R L V Moniz

Estimation of Characteristics of Echo Envelope Using RF Echo Signal from the Liver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Tadashi; Hachiya, Hiroyuki; Kamiyama, Naohisa; Ikeda, Kazuki; Moriyasu, Norifumi

2001-05-01

To realize quantitative diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, we have been analyzing the probability density function (PDF) of echo amplitude using B-mode images. However, the B-mode image is affected by the various signal and image processing techniques used in the diagnosis equipment, so a detailed and quantitative analysis is very difficult. In this paper, we analyze the PDF of echo amplitude using RF echo signal and B-mode images of normal and cirrhotic livers, and compare both results to examine the validity of the RF echo signal.

Nonlinear theory of transverse beam echoes

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

Sen, Tanaji; Li, Yuan Shen

Transverse beam echoes can be excited with a single dipole kick followed by a single quadrupole kick. They have been used to measure diffusion in hadron beams and have other diagnostic capabilities. Here we develop theories of the transverse echo nonlinear in both the dipole and quadrupole kick strengths. The theories predict the maximum echo amplitudes and the optimum strength parameters. We find that the echo amplitude increases with smaller beam emittance and the asymptotic echo amplitude can exceed half the initial dipole kick amplitude. We show that multiple echoes can be observed provided the dipole kick is large enough.more » The spectrum of the echo pulse can be used to determine the nonlinear detuning parameter with small amplitude dipole kicks. Simulations are performed to check the theoretical predictions. In the useful ranges of dipole and quadrupole strengths, they are shown to be in reasonable agreement.« less

Nonlinear theory of transverse beam echoes

DOE PAGES

Sen, Tanaji; Li, Yuan Shen

2018-02-23

Transverse beam echoes can be excited with a single dipole kick followed by a single quadrupole kick. They have been used to measure diffusion in hadron beams and have other diagnostic capabilities. Here we develop theories of the transverse echo nonlinear in both the dipole and quadrupole kick strengths. The theories predict the maximum echo amplitudes and the optimum strength parameters. We find that the echo amplitude increases with smaller beam emittance and the asymptotic echo amplitude can exceed half the initial dipole kick amplitude. We show that multiple echoes can be observed provided the dipole kick is large enough.more » The spectrum of the echo pulse can be used to determine the nonlinear detuning parameter with small amplitude dipole kicks. Simulations are performed to check the theoretical predictions. In the useful ranges of dipole and quadrupole strengths, they are shown to be in reasonable agreement.« less

The relationship between fireballs and HRO Long Echos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanagida, E.; Amikura, S.

Ham-band Radio Observation (HRO) is one of the major methods used to observe meteor activity in Japan. We receive certain types of meteor echoes. One of the types is the long-lasting echo called a ``Long Echo''. We have the impression that Long Echoes correspond to fireballs. The present research found this relation and tried to identify fireball data from visual observations with Long Echo data of the 2002 Leonids, Geminids, and Quadrantids. From these data, we found that the identification percentage tended to be higher for fainter magnitudes, but that the percentage is small, the percentages of each meteor stream being less than 30 %. From these results, this research found that we could not simply say that brighter meteors were received as Long Echoes. It depends on the geocentric velocity of the meteor stream, with a possibility that Long Echoes correspond to darker as well as brighter fireballs.

Removing the echoes from terahertz pulse reflection system and sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Haishun; Zhang, Zhenwei; Zhang, Cunlin

2018-01-01

Due to the echoes both from terahertz (THz) pulse reflection system and sample, the THz primary pulse will be distorted. The system echoes include two types. One preceding the main peak probably is caused by ultrafast laser pulse and the other at the back of the primary pulse is caused by the Fabry-Perot (F-P) etalon effect of detector. We attempt to remove the corresponding echoes by using two kinds of deconvolution. A Si wafer of 400μm was selected as the tested sample. Firstly, the method of double Gaussian filter (DGF) decnvolution was used to remove the systematic echoes, and then another deconvolution technique was employed to eliminate the two obvious echoes of the sample. The ultimate results indicated: although the combination of two deconvolution techniques could not entirely remove the echoes of sample and system, the echoes were largely reduced.

A strange result in the measurement of the angles of arrival of the first and second echoes from the ionosphere at high radio frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

From, W. R.; MacGibbon, J.; Whitehead, J. D.

1989-03-01

Angles of arrival of first echoes (those directly reflected from the ionosphere) and second echoes (those twice reflected from the ionosphere with an intermediate reflection from the ground) were measured. It is easy to show that under specified conditions the off-vertical angle of arrival of the second echo ought to be twice that of the first echo. It is consistently found to be less than this for much of the time. Several possibilities are canvassed, but none provide a convincing explanation. The place on the Earth from which the second echo was reflected was nearly always the sea or flat ground. Apparently, rapid phase variations, as the tilt of the ionosphere changed, prevented recognition of the second echo by this particular radar system for echoes reflected from rough terrain.

31P T2s of phosphomonoesters, phosphodiesters, and inorganic phosphate in the human brain at 7T

PubMed Central

Klomp, Dennis W.J.; Wijnen, Jannie P.

2017-01-01

Purpose To determine the phosphorus‐31 T2s of phosphomonoesters, phosphodiesters, and inorganic phosphate in the healthy human brain at 7T. Methods A 3D chemical shift imaging multi‐echo sequence with composite block pulses for refocusing was used to measure one free induction decay (FID) and seven full echoes with an echo spacing of 45 ms on the brain of nine healthy volunteers (age range 22–45 years; average age 27 ± 8 years). Spectral fitting was used to determine the change in metabolic signal amplitude with echo time. Results The average apparent T2s with their standard deviation were 202 ± 6 ms, 129 ± 6 ms, 86 ± 2 ms, 214 ± 10 ms, and 213 ± 11 ms for phosphoethanolamine, phosphocholine, inorganic phosphate, glycerophosphoethanolamine, and glycerophosphocholine, respectively. Conclusion The determined apparent T2 for phosphoethanolamine, glycerophosphocholine, and glycerophosphoethanolamine is approximately 200 ms. The lower apparent T2 value for phosphocholine is attributed to the overlap of this resonance with the 3‐phosphorous resonance of 2,3‐diphosphoglycerate from blood, with an apparent shorter T2. Omitting the FID signal and the first echo of phosphocholine leads to a T2 of 182 ± 7 ms, whereas a biexponential analysis leads to 203 ± 4 ms. These values are more in line with phosphoethanolamine and the phosphodiesters. The short T2 of inorganic phosphate is subscribed to the fast reversible exchange with γ‐adenosine triphosphate, which is mediated by glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase within the glycolytic pathway. Magn Reson Med 80:29–35, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. PMID:29215148

The EChO science case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinetti, Giovanna; Drossart, Pierre; Eccleston, Paul; Hartogh, Paul; Isaak, Kate; Linder, Martin; Lovis, Christophe; Micela, Giusi; Ollivier, Marc; Puig, Ludovic; Ribas, Ignasi; Snellen, Ignas; Swinyard, Bruce; Allard, France; Barstow, Joanna; Cho, James; Coustenis, Athena; Cockell, Charles; Correia, Alexandre; Decin, Leen; de Kok, Remco; Deroo, Pieter; Encrenaz, Therese; Forget, Francois; Glasse, Alistair; Griffith, Caitlin; Guillot, Tristan; Koskinen, Tommi; Lammer, Helmut; Leconte, Jeremy; Maxted, Pierre; Mueller-Wodarg, Ingo; Nelson, Richard; North, Chris; Pallé, Enric; Pagano, Isabella; Piccioni, Guseppe; Pinfield, David; Selsis, Franck; Sozzetti, Alessandro; Stixrude, Lars; Tennyson, Jonathan; Turrini, Diego; Zapatero-Osorio, Mariarosa; Beaulieu, Jean-Philippe; Grodent, Denis; Guedel, Manuel; Luz, David; Nørgaard-Nielsen, Hans Ulrik; Ray, Tom; Rickman, Hans; Selig, Avri; Swain, Mark; Banaszkiewicz, Marek; Barlow, Mike; Bowles, Neil; Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella; du Foresto, Vincent Coudé; Gerard, Jean-Claude; Gizon, Laurent; Hornstrup, Allan; Jarchow, Christopher; Kerschbaum, Franz; Kovacs, Géza; Lagage, Pierre-Olivier; Lim, Tanya; Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Malaguti, Giuseppe; Pace, Emanuele; Pascale, Enzo; Vandenbussche, Bart; Wright, Gillian; Ramos Zapata, Gonzalo; Adriani, Alberto; Azzollini, Ruymán; Balado, Ana; Bryson, Ian; Burston, Raymond; Colomé, Josep; Crook, Martin; Di Giorgio, Anna; Griffin, Matt; Hoogeveen, Ruud; Ottensamer, Roland; Irshad, Ranah; Middleton, Kevin; Morgante, Gianluca; Pinsard, Frederic; Rataj, Mirek; Reess, Jean-Michel; Savini, Giorgio; Schrader, Jan-Rutger; Stamper, Richard; Winter, Berend; Abe, L.; Abreu, M.; Achilleos, N.; Ade, P.; Adybekian, V.; Affer, L.; Agnor, C.; Agundez, M.; Alard, C.; Alcala, J.; Allende Prieto, C.; Alonso Floriano, F. J.; Altieri, F.; Alvarez Iglesias, C. A.; Amado, P.; Andersen, A.; Aylward, A.; Baffa, C.; Bakos, G.; Ballerini, P.; Banaszkiewicz, M.; Barber, R. J.; Barrado, D.; Barton, E. J.; Batista, V.; Bellucci, G.; Belmonte Avilés, J. A.; Berry, D.; Bézard, B.; Biondi, D.; Błęcka, M.; Boisse, I.; Bonfond, B.; Bordé, P.; Börner, P.; Bouy, H.; Brown, L.; Buchhave, L.; Budaj, J.; Bulgarelli, A.; Burleigh, M.; Cabral, A.; Capria, M. T.; Cassan, A.; Cavarroc, C.; Cecchi-Pestellini, C.; Cerulli, R.; Chadney, J.; Chamberlain, S.; Charnoz, S.; Christian Jessen, N.; Ciaravella, A.; Claret, A.; Claudi, R.; Coates, A.; Cole, R.; Collura, A.; Cordier, D.; Covino, E.; Danielski, C.; Damasso, M.; Deeg, H. J.; Delgado-Mena, E.; Del Vecchio, C.; Demangeon, O.; De Sio, A.; De Wit, J.; Dobrijévic, M.; Doel, P.; Dominic, C.; Dorfi, E.; Eales, S.; Eiroa, C.; Espinoza Contreras, M.; Esposito, M.; Eymet, V.; Fabrizio, N.; Fernández, M.; Femenía Castella, B.; Figueira, P.; Filacchione, G.; Fletcher, L.; Focardi, M.; Fossey, S.; Fouqué, P.; Frith, J.; Galand, M.; Gambicorti, L.; Gaulme, P.; García López, R. J.; Garcia-Piquer, A.; Gear, W.; Gerard, J.-C.; Gesa, L.; Giani, E.; Gianotti, F.; Gillon, M.; Giro, E.; Giuranna, M.; Gomez, H.; Gomez-Leal, I.; Gonzalez Hernandez, J.; González Merino, B.; Graczyk, R.; Grassi, D.; Guardia, J.; Guio, P.; Gustin, J.; Hargrave, P.; Haigh, J.; Hébrard, E.; Heiter, U.; Heredero, R. L.; Herrero, E.; Hersant, F.; Heyrovsky, D.; Hollis, M.; Hubert, B.; Hueso, R.; Israelian, G.; Iro, N.; Irwin, P.; Jacquemoud, S.; Jones, G.; Jones, H.; Justtanont, K.; Kehoe, T.; Kerschbaum, F.; Kerins, E.; Kervella, P.; Kipping, D.; Koskinen, T.; Krupp, N.; Lahav, O.; Laken, B.; Lanza, N.; Lellouch, E.; Leto, G.; Licandro Goldaracena, J.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, C.; Liu, S. J.; Lo Cicero, U.; Lodieu, N.; Lognonné, P.; Lopez-Puertas, M.; Lopez-Valverde, M. A.; Lundgaard Rasmussen, I.; Luntzer, A.; Machado, P.; MacTavish, C.; Maggio, A.; Maillard, J.-P.; Magnes, W.; Maldonado, J.; Mall, U.; Marquette, J.-B.; Mauskopf, P.; Massi, F.; Maurin, A.-S.; Medvedev, A.; Michaut, C.; Miles-Paez, P.; Montalto, M.; Montañés Rodríguez, P.; Monteiro, M.; Montes, D.; Morais, H.; Morales, J. C.; Morales-Calderón, M.; Morello, G.; Moro Martín, A.; Moses, J.; Moya Bedon, A.; Murgas Alcaino, F.; Oliva, E.; Orton, G.; Palla, F.; Pancrazzi, M.; Pantin, E.; Parmentier, V.; Parviainen, H.; Peña Ramírez, K. Y.; Peralta, J.; Perez-Hoyos, S.; Petrov, R.; Pezzuto, S.; Pietrzak, R.; Pilat-Lohinger, E.; Piskunov, N.; Prinja, R.; Prisinzano, L.; Polichtchouk, I.; Poretti, E.; Radioti, A.; Ramos, A. A.; Rank-Lüftinger, T.; Read, P.; Readorn, K.; Rebolo López, R.; Rebordão, J.; Rengel, M.; Rezac, L.; Rocchetto, M.; Rodler, F.; Sánchez Béjar, V. J.; Sanchez Lavega, A.; Sanromá, E.; Santos, N.; Sanz Forcada, J.; Scandariato, G.; Schmider, F.-X.; Scholz, A.; Scuderi, S.; Sethenadh, J.; Shore, S.; Showman, A.; Sicardy, B.; Sitek, P.; Smith, A.; Soret, L.; Sousa, S.; Stiepen, A.; Stolarski, M.; Strazzulla, G.; Tabernero, H. M.; Tanga, P.; Tecsa, M.; Temple, J.; Terenzi, L.; Tessenyi, M.; Testi, L.; Thompson, S.; Thrastarson, H.; Tingley, B. W.; Trifoglio, M.; Martín Torres, J.; Tozzi, A.; Turrini, D.; Varley, R.; Vakili, F.; de Val-Borro, M.; Valdivieso, M. L.; Venot, O.; Villaver, E.; Vinatier, S.; Viti, S.; Waldmann, I.; Waltham, D.; Ward-Thompson, D.; Waters, R.; Watkins, C.; Watson, D.; Wawer, P.; Wawrzaszk, A.; White, G.; Widemann, T.; Winek, W.; Wiśniowski, T.; Yelle, R.; Yung, Y.; Yurchenko, S. N.

2015-12-01

The discovery of almost two thousand exoplanets has revealed an unexpectedly diverse planet population. We see gas giants in few-day orbits, whole multi-planet systems within the orbit of Mercury, and new populations of planets with masses between that of the Earth and Neptune—all unknown in the Solar System. Observations to date have shown that our Solar System is certainly not representative of the general population of planets in our Milky Way. The key science questions that urgently need addressing are therefore: What are exoplanets made of? Why are planets as they are? How do planetary systems work and what causes the exceptional diversity observed as compared to the Solar System? The EChO (Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory) space mission was conceived to take up the challenge to explain this diversity in terms of formation, evolution, internal structure and planet and atmospheric composition. This requires in-depth spectroscopic knowledge of the atmospheres of a large and well-defined planet sample for which precise physical, chemical and dynamical information can be obtained. In order to fulfil this ambitious scientific program, EChO was designed as a dedicated survey mission for transit and eclipse spectroscopy capable of observing a large, diverse and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. The transit and eclipse spectroscopy method, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allows us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of at least 10-4 relative to the star. This can only be achieved in conjunction with a carefully designed stable payload and satellite platform. It is also necessary to provide broad instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect as many molecular species as possible, to probe the thermal structure of the planetary atmospheres and to correct for the contaminating effects of the stellar photosphere. This requires wavelength coverage of at least 0.55 to 11 μm with a goal of covering from 0.4 to 16 μm. Only modest spectral resolving power is needed, with R ~ 300 for wavelengths less than 5 μm and R ~ 30 for wavelengths greater than this. The transit spectroscopy technique means that no spatial resolution is required. A telescope collecting area of about 1 m2 is sufficiently large to achieve the necessary spectro-photometric precision: for the Phase A study a 1.13 m2 telescope, diffraction limited at 3 μm has been adopted. Placing the satellite at L2 provides a cold and stable thermal environment as well as a large field of regard to allow efficient time-critical observation of targets randomly distributed over the sky. EChO has been conceived to achieve a single goal: exoplanet spectroscopy. The spectral coverage and signal-to-noise to be achieved by EChO, thanks to its high stability and dedicated design, would be a game changer by allowing atmospheric composition to be measured with unparalleled exactness: at least a factor 10 more precise and a factor 10 to 1000 more accurate than current observations. This would enable the detection of molecular abundances three orders of magnitude lower than currently possible and a fourfold increase from the handful of molecules detected to date. Combining these data with estimates of planetary bulk compositions from accurate measurements of their radii and masses would allow degeneracies associated with planetary interior modelling to be broken, giving unique insight into the interior structure and elemental abundances of these alien worlds. EChO would allow scientists to study exoplanets both as a population and as individuals. The mission can target super-Earths, Neptune-like, and Jupiter-like planets, in the very hot to temperate zones (planet temperatures of 300-3000 K) of F to M-type host stars. The EChO core science would be delivered by a three-tier survey. The EChO Chemical Census: This is a broad survey of a few-hundred exoplanets, which allows us to explore the spectroscopic and chemical diversity of the exoplanet population as a whole. The EChO Origin: This is a deep survey of a subsample of tens of exoplanets for which significantly higher signal to noise and spectral resolution spectra can be obtained to explain the origin of the exoplanet diversity (such as formation mechanisms, chemical processes, atmospheric escape). The EChO Rosetta Stones: This is an ultra-high accuracy survey targeting a subsample of select exoplanets. These will be the bright "benchmark" cases for which a large number of measurements would be taken to explore temporal variations, and to obtain two and three dimensional spatial information on the atmospheric conditions through eclipse-mapping techniques. If EChO were launched today, the exoplanets currently observed are sufficient to provide a large and diverse sample. The Chemical Census survey would consist of > 160 exoplanets with a range of planetary sizes, temperatures, orbital parameters and stellar host properties. Additionally, over the next 10 years, several new ground- and space-based transit photometric surveys and missions will come on-line (e.g. NGTS, CHEOPS, TESS, PLATO), which will specifically focus on finding bright, nearby systems. The current rapid rate of discovery would allow the target list to be further optimised in the years prior to EChO's launch and enable the atmospheric characterisation of hundreds of planets.

High-Resolution Echo-Planar Spectroscopic Imaging of the Human Calf

PubMed Central

Weis, Jan; Bruvold, Morten; Ortiz-Nieto, Francisco; Ahlström, Håkan

2014-01-01

Background This study exploits the speed benefits of echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) to acquire lipid spectra of skeletal muscle. The main purpose was to develop a high-resolution EPSI technique for clinical MR scanner, to visualise the bulk magnetic susceptibility (BMS) shifts of extra-myocellular lipid (EMCL) spectral lines, and to investigate the feasibility of this method for the assessment of intra-myocellular (IMCL) lipids. Methods The study group consisted of six healthy volunteers. A two dimensional EPSI sequence with point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) spatial localization was implemented on a 3T clinical MR scanner. Measurements were performed by means of 64×64 spatial matrix and nominal voxel size 3×3×15 mm3. The total net measurement time was 3 min 12 sec for non-water-suppressed (1 acquisition) and 12 min 48 sec for water-suppressed scans (4 acquisitions). Results Spectra of the human calf had a very good signal-to-noise ratio and linewidths sufficient to differentiate IMCL resonances from EMCL. The use of a large spatial matrix reduces inter-voxel signal contamination of the strong EMCL signals. Small voxels enabled visualisation of the methylene EMCL spectral line splitting and their BMS shifts up to 0.5 ppm relative to the correspondent IMCL line. The mean soleus muscle IMCL content of our six volunteers was 0.30±0.10 vol% (range 0.18–0.46) or 3.6±1.2 mmol/kg wet weight (range: 2.1–5.4). Conclusion This study demonstrates that high-spatial resolution PRESS EPSI of the muscle lipids is feasible on standard clinical scanners. PMID:24498129

Diastolic time – frequency relation in the stress echo lab: filling timing and flow at different heart rates

PubMed Central

Bombardini, Tonino; Gemignani, Vincenzo; Bianchini, Elisabetta; Venneri, Lucia; Petersen, Christina; Pasanisi, Emilio; Pratali, Lorenza; Alonso-Rodriguez, David; Pianelli, Mascia; Faita, Francesco; Giannoni, Massimo; Arpesella, Giorgio; Picano, Eugenio

2008-01-01

A cutaneous force-frequency relation recording system based on first heart sound amplitude vibrations has been recently validated. Second heart sound can be simultaneously recorded in order to quantify both systole and diastole duration. Aims 1- To assess the feasibility and extra-value of operator-independent, force sensor-based, diastolic time recording during stress. Methods We enrolled 161 patients referred for stress echocardiography (exercise 115, dipyridamole 40, pacing 6 patients). The sensor was fastened in the precordial region by a standard ECG electrode. The acceleration signal was converted into digital and recorded together with ECG signal. Both systolic and diastolic times were acquired continuously during stress and were displayed by plotting times vs. heart rate. Diastolic filling rate was calculated as echo-measured mitral filling volume/sensor-monitored diastolic time. Results Diastolic time decreased during stress more markedly than systolic time. At peak stress 62 of the 161 pts showed reversal of the systolic/diastolic ratio with the duration of systole longer than diastole. In the exercise group, at 100 bpm HR, systolic/diastolic time ratio was lower in the 17 controls (0.74 ± 0.12) than in patients (0.86 ± 0.10, p < 0.05 vs. controls). Diastolic filling rate increased from 101 ± 36 (rest) to 219 ± 92 ml/m2* s-1 at peak stress (p < 0.5 vs. rest). Conclusion Cardiological systolic and diastolic duration can be monitored during stress by using an acceleration force sensor. Simultaneous calculation of stroke volume allows monitoring diastolic filling rate. Stress-induced "systolic-diastolic mismatch" can be easily quantified and is associated to several cardiac diseases, possibly expanding the spectrum of information obtainable during stress. PMID:18426559

Hubble Watches Super Star Create Holiday Light Show

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This festive NASA Hubble Space Telescope image resembles a holiday wreath made of sparkling lights. The bright southern hemisphere star RS Puppis, at the center of the image, is swaddled in a gossamer cocoon of reflective dust illuminated by the glittering star. The super star is ten times more massive than our sun and 200 times larger. RS Puppis rhythmically brightens and dims over a six-week cycle. It is one of the most luminous in the class of so-called Cepheid variable stars. Its average intrinsic brightness is 15,000 times greater than our sun’s luminosity. The nebula flickers in brightness as pulses of light from the Cepheid propagate outwards. Hubble took a series of photos of light flashes rippling across the nebula in a phenomenon known as a "light echo." Even though light travels through space fast enough to span the gap between Earth and the moon in a little over a second, the nebula is so large that reflected light can actually be photographed traversing the nebula. By observing the fluctuation of light in RS Puppis itself, as well as recording the faint reflections of light pulses moving across the nebula, astronomers are able to measure these light echoes and pin down a very accurate distance. The distance to RS Puppis has been narrowed down to 6,500 light-years (with a margin of error of only one percent). The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington, D.C. Acknowledgment: H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University) 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

Cassiopeia A: Death Becomes Her

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This stunning false-color picture shows off the many sides of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. It is made up of images taken by three of NASA's Great Observatories, using three different wavebands of light. Infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope are colored red; visible data from the Hubble Space Telescope are yellow; and X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are green and blue.

Located 10,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia, Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion 325 years ago. It consists of a dead star, called a neutron star, and a surrounding shell of material that was blasted off as the star died. The neutron star can be seen in the Chandra data as a sharp turquoise dot in the center of the shimmering shell.

Each Great Observatory highlights different characteristics of this celestial orb. While Spitzer reveals warm dust in the outer shell about a few hundred degrees Kelvin (80 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature, Hubble sees the delicate filamentary structures of hot gases about 10,000 degrees Kelvin (18,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Chandra probes unimaginably hot gases, up to about 10 million degrees Kelvin (18 million degrees Fahrenheit). These extremely hot gases were created when ejected material from Cassiopeia A smashed into surrounding gas and dust. Chandra can also see Cassiopeia A's neutron star (turquoise dot at center of shell).

Blue Chandra data were acquired using broadband X-rays (low to high energies); green Chandra data correspond to intermediate energy X-rays; yellow Hubble data were taken using a 900 nanometer-wavelength filter, and red Spitzer data are from the telescope's 24-micron detector.

The animation begins with the false-color picture of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. It then pans out to show a Spitzer view of Cassiopeia A (yellow ball) and surrounding clouds of dust (reddish orange). Here, the animation flips back and forth between two Spitzer images taken one year apart. A blast of light from Cassiopeia A is seen waltzing through the dusty skies. Called an 'infrared echo,' this dance began when the remnant's dead star erupted, or 'turned in its grave,' about 50 years ago.

Infrared echoes are created when a star explodes or erupts, flashing light into surrounding clumps of dust. As the light zips through the dust clumps, it heats them up, causing them to glow successively in infrared, like a chain of Christmas bulbs lighting up one by one. The result is an optical illusion, in which the dust appears to be flying outward at the speed of light. Echoes are distinct from supernova shockwaves, which are made up material that is swept up and hurled outward by exploding stars.

This infrared echo is the largest ever seen, stretching more than 50 light-years away from Cassiopeia A. If viewed from Earth, the entire movie frame would take up the same amount of space as two full moons.

Hints of an older infrared echo from Cassiopeia A's supernova explosion hundreds of years ago can also be seen.

The earlier Spitzer image was taken on November 30, 2003, and the later, on December 2, 2004.

Comparison of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy by Electrocardiography and Echocardiography in Children Using Analytics Tool.

PubMed

Tague, Lauren; Wiggs, Justin; Li, Qianxi; McCarter, Robert; Sherwin, Elizabeth; Weinberg, Jacqueline; Sable, Craig

2018-05-17

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common finding on pediatric electrocardiography (ECG) leading to many referrals for echocardiography (echo). This study utilizes a novel analytics tool that combines ECG and echo databases to evaluate ECG as a screening tool for LVH. SQL Server 2012 data warehouse incorporated ECG and echo databases for all patients from a single institution from 2006 to 2016. Customized queries identified patients 0-18 years old with LVH on ECG and an echo performed within 24 h. Using data visualization (Tableau) and analytic (Stata 14) software, ECG and echo findings were compared. Of 437,699 encounters, 4637 met inclusion criteria. ECG had high sensitivity (≥ 90%) but poor specificity (43%), and low positive predictive value (< 20%) for echo abnormalities. ECG performed only 11-22% better than chance (AROC = 0.50). 83% of subjects with LVH on ECG had normal left ventricle (LV) structure and size on echo. African-Americans with LVH were least likely to have an abnormal echo. There was a low correlation between V 6 R on ECG and echo-derived Z score of left ventricle diastolic diameter (r = 0.14) and LV mass index (r = 0.24). The data analytics client was able to mine a database of ECG and echo reports, comparing LVH by ECG and LV measurements and qualitative findings by echo, identifying an abnormal LV by echo in only 17% of cases with LVH on ECG. This novel tool is useful for rapid data mining for both clinical and research endeavors.

The Future of ECHO: Evaluating Open Source Possibilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilone, D.; Gilman, J.; Baynes, K.; Mitchell, A. E.

2012-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System ClearingHOuse (ECHO) is a format agnostic metadata repository supporting over 3000 collections and 100M science granules. ECHO exposes FTP and RESTful Data Ingest APIs in addition to both SOAP and RESTful search and order capabilities. Built on top of ECHO is a human facing search and order web application named Reverb. ECHO processes hundreds of orders, tens of thousands of searches, and 1-2M ingest actions each week. As ECHO's holdings, metadata format support, and visibility have increased, the ECHO team has received requests by non-NASA entities for copies of ECHO that can be run locally against their data holdings. ESDIS and the ECHO Team have begun investigations into various deployment and Open Sourcing models that can balance the real constraints faced by the ECHO project with the benefits of providing ECHO capabilities to a broader set of users and providers. This talk will discuss several release and Open Source models being investigated by the ECHO team along with the impacts those models are expected to have on the project. We discuss: - Addressing complex deployment or setup issues for potential users - Models of vetting code contributions - Balancing external (public) user requests versus our primary partners - Preparing project code for public release, including navigating licensing issues related to leveraged libraries - Dealing with non-free project dependencies such as commercial databases - Dealing with sensitive aspects of project code such as database passwords, authentication approaches, security through obscurity, etc. - Ongoing support for the released code including increased testing demands, bug fixes, security fixes, and new features.

Accelerating acquisition strategies for low-frequency conductivity imaging using MREIT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yizhuang; Seo, Jin Keun; Chauhan, Munish; Indahlastari, Aprinda; Ashok Kumar, Neeta; Sadleir, Rosalind

2018-02-01

We sought to improve efficiency of magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography data acquisition so that fast conductivity changes or electric field variations could be monitored. Undersampling of k-space was used to decrease acquisition times in spin-echo-based sequences by a factor of two. Full MREIT data were reconstructed using continuity assumptions and preliminary scans gathered without current. We found that phase data were reconstructed faithfully from undersampled data. Conductivity reconstructions of phantom data were also possible. Therefore, undersampled k-space methods can potentially be used to accelerate MREIT acquisition. This method could be an advantage in imaging real-time conductivity changes with MREIT.

Echo tracker/range finder for radars and sonars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Constantinides, N. J. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

An echo tracker/range finder or altimeter is described. The pulse repetition frequency (PFR) of a predetermined plurality of transmitted pulses is adjusted so that echo pulses received from a reflecting object are positioned between transmitted pulses and divided their interpulse time interval into two time intervals having a predetermined ratio with respect to each other. The invention described provides a means whereby the arrival time of a plurality of echo pulses is defined as the time at which a composite echo pulse formed of a sum of the individual echo pulses has the highest amplitude. The invention is applicable to radar systems, sonar systems, or any other kind of system in which pulses are transmitted and echoes received therefrom.

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

Feng, Jun, E-mail: j.feng1@uq.edu.au; Zhang, Yao-Zhong; Gould, Mark D.

We study the quantum correlation and quantum communication channel of both free scalar and fermionic fields in de Sitter space, while the Planckian modification presented by the choice of a particular α-vacuum has been considered. We show the occurrence of degradation of quantum entanglement between field modes for an inertial observer in curved space, due to the radiation associated with its cosmological horizon. Comparing with standard Bunch–Davies choice, the possible Planckian physics causes some extra decrement on the quantum correlation, which may provide the means to detect quantum gravitational effects via quantum information methodology in future. Beyond single-mode approximation, wemore » construct proper Unruh modes admitting general α-vacua, and find a convergent feature of both bosonic and fermionic entanglements. In particular, we show that the convergent points of fermionic entanglement negativity are dependent on the choice of α. Moreover, an one-to-one correspondence between convergent points H{sub c} of negativity and zeros of quantum capacity of quantum channels in de Sitter space has been proved. - Highlights: • Quantum correlation and quantum channel in de Sitter space are studied. • Gibbons–Hawking effect causes entanglement degradation for static observer. • Planckian physics causes extra decrement on quantum correlation. • Convergent feature of negativity relies on the choice of alpha-vacua. • Link between negativity convergence and quantum channel capacity is given.« less

KSC-08pd3760

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida oversee placement of the Cupola module onto a workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-08pd3757

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is being moved to a workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-08pd3759

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module is lowered toward the workstand. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

KSC-08pd3758

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module moves closer to the workstand at right. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Classification of electronically generated phantom targets by an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

PubMed

Aubauer, R; Au, W W; Nachtigall, P E; Pawloski, D A; DeLong, C M

2000-05-01

Animal behavior experiments require not only stimulus control of the animal's behavior, but also precise control of the stimulus itself. In discrimination experiments with real target presentation, the complex interdependence between the physical dimensions and the backscattering process of an object make it difficult to extract and control relevant echo parameters separately. In other phantom-echo experiments, the echoes were relatively simple and could only simulate certain properties of targets. The echo-simulation method utilized in this paper can be used to transform any animal echolocation sound into phantom echoes of high fidelity and complexity. The developed phantom-echo system is implemented on a digital signal-processing board and gives an experimenter fully programmable control over the echo-generating process and the echo structure itself. In this experiment, the capability of a dolphin to discriminate between acoustically simulated phantom replicas of targets and their real equivalents was tested. Phantom replicas were presented in a probe technique during a materials discrimination experiment. The animal accepted the phantom echoes and classified them in the same manner as it classified real targets.

ECHO Data Partners Join Forces to Federate Access to Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kendall, J.; Macie, M.

2003-12-01

During the past year the NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project has been collaborating with various Earth science data and client providers to design and implement the EOS Clearinghouse (ECHO). ECHO is an open, interoperable metadata clearinghouse and order broker system. ECHO functions as a repository of information intended to streamline access to digital data and services provided by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and the extended Earth science community. In a unique partnership, ECHO data providers are working to extend their services in the digital era, to reflect current trends in scientific and educational communications. The multi-organization, inter-disciplinary content of ECHO provides a valuable new service to a growing number of Earth science applications and interdisciplinary research efforts. As such, ECHO is expected to attract a wide audience. In this poster, we highlight the contributions of current ECHO data partners and provide information for prospective data partners on how the project supports the incorporation of new collections and effective long-term asset management that is directly under the control of the organizations who contribute resources to ECHO.

NASA Space Astronomy Update 6: Unconventional Windows on the Universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Professor Stu Bowyer (University of California at Berkeley) explains the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer and its telescope in this video. Both instrument and satellite are kept in perfect working condition. The satellite picks up extra galactic objects outside our galaxy.

The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) for the ICESAT Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abshire, James B.; Sun, Xia-Li; Ketchum, Eleanor A.; Afzal, Robert S.; Millar, Pamela S.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Laser In space Technology Experiment, Shuttle Laser Altimeter and the Mars Observer Laser Altimeter have demonstrated accurate measurements of atmospheric backscatter and Surface heights from space. The recent MOLA measurements of the Mars surface have 40 cm vertical resolution and have reduced the global uncertainty in Mars topography from a few km to about 5 m. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) is a next generation lidar for Earth orbit being developed as part of NASA's Icesat Mission. The GLAS design combines a 10 cm precision surface lidar with a sensitive dual wavelength cloud and aerosol lidar. GLAS will precisely measure the heights of the Earth's polar ice sheets, establish a grid of accurate height profiles of the Earth's land topography, and profile the vertical backscatter of clouds and aerosols on a global scale. GLAS is being developed to fly on a small dedicated spacecraft in a polar orbit with a 590 630 km altitude at inclination of 94 degrees. GLAS is scheduled to launch in the summer 2001 and to operate continuously for a minimum of 3 years with a goal of 5 years. The primary mission for GLAS is to measure the seasonal and annual changes in the heights of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. GLAS will continuously measure the vertical distance from orbit to the Earth's surface with 1064 nm pulses from a ND:YAG laser at a 40 Hz rate. Each 5 nsec wide laser pulse is used to produce a single range measurement, and the laser spots have 66 m diameter and about 170 m center-center spacings. When over land GLAS will profile the heights of the topography and vegetation. The GLAS receiver uses a 1 m diameter telescope and a Si APD detector. The detector signal is sampled by an all digital receiver which records each surface echo waveform with I nsec resolution and a stored echo record lengths of either 200, 400, or 600 samples. Analysis of the echo waveforms within the instrument permits discrimination between cloud and surface echoes. Ground based echo analysis permits precise ranging, determining the roughness or slopes of the surface as well as the vertical distributions of vegetation illuminated by the laser. Accurate knowledge of the laser beam's pointing angle is needed to prevent height biases when over sloped surfaces. For surfaces with 2 deg. slopes, knowledge of pointing angle of the beam's centroid to about 8 urad is needed to achieve 10 cm height accuracy. GLAS uses a stellar reference system (SRS) to determine the pointing angle of each laser firing relative to inertial space. The SRS uses a high precision star camera oriented toward local zenith and a gyroscope to determine the inertial orientation of the SRS optical bench. The far field pattern of each laser is measured pulse relative to the star camera with a laser reference system (LRS). Optically measuring each laser far field pattern relative to the orientation of the star camera and gyroscope permits the precise pointing angle of each laser pulse to be determined. GLAS will also determine the vertical distributions of clouds and aerosols by measuring the vertical profile of laser energy backscattered by the atmosphere at both 1064 and 532 nm. The 1064 nm measurements use the Si APD detector and profile the height and vertical structure of thicker clouds. The measurements at 532 nm use new highly sensitive photon counting, detectors, and measure the height distributions of very thin Clouds and aerosol layers. With averaging these can be used to determine the height of the planetary boundary layer. The instrument design and expected performance will be discussed.

Human Exploration of Enclosed Spaces through Echolocation.

PubMed

Flanagin, Virginia L; Schörnich, Sven; Schranner, Michael; Hummel, Nadine; Wallmeier, Ludwig; Wahlberg, Magnus; Stephan, Thomas; Wiegrebe, Lutz

2017-02-08

Some blind humans have developed echolocation, as a method of navigation in space. Echolocation is a truly active sense because subjects analyze echoes of dedicated, self-generated sounds to assess space around them. Using a special virtual space technique, we assess how humans perceive enclosed spaces through echolocation, thereby revealing the interplay between sensory and vocal-motor neural activity while humans perform this task. Sighted subjects were trained to detect small changes in virtual-room size analyzing real-time generated echoes of their vocalizations. Individual differences in performance were related to the type and number of vocalizations produced. We then asked subjects to estimate virtual-room size with either active or passive sounds while measuring their brain activity with fMRI. Subjects were better at estimating room size when actively vocalizing. This was reflected in the hemodynamic activity of vocal-motor cortices, even after individual motor and sensory components were removed. Activity in these areas also varied with perceived room size, although the vocal-motor output was unchanged. In addition, thalamic and auditory-midbrain activity was correlated with perceived room size; a likely result of top-down auditory pathways for human echolocation, comparable with those described in echolocating bats. Our data provide evidence that human echolocation is supported by active sensing, both behaviorally and in terms of brain activity. The neural sensory-motor coupling complements the fundamental acoustic motor-sensory coupling via the environment in echolocation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Passive listening is the predominant method for examining brain activity during echolocation, the auditory analysis of self-generated sounds. We show that sighted humans perform better when they actively vocalize than during passive listening. Correspondingly, vocal motor and cerebellar activity is greater during active echolocation than vocalization alone. Motor and subcortical auditory brain activity covaries with the auditory percept, although motor output is unchanged. Our results reveal behaviorally relevant neural sensory-motor coupling during echolocation. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/371614-14$15.00/0.

SC-GRAPPA: Self-constraint noniterative GRAPPA reconstruction with closed-form solution.

PubMed

Ding, Yu; Xue, Hui; Ahmad, Rizwan; Ting, Samuel T; Simonetti, Orlando P

2012-12-01

Parallel MRI (pMRI) reconstruction techniques are commonly used to reduce scan time by undersampling the k-space data. GRAPPA, a k-space based pMRI technique, is widely used clinically because of its robustness. In GRAPPA, the missing k-space data are estimated by solving a set of linear equations; however, this set of equations does not take advantage of the correlations within the missing k-space data. All k-space data in a neighborhood acquired from a phased-array coil are correlated. The correlation can be estimated easily as a self-constraint condition, and formulated as an extra set of linear equations to improve the performance of GRAPPA. The authors propose a modified k-space based pMRI technique called self-constraint GRAPPA (SC-GRAPPA) which combines the linear equations of GRAPPA with these extra equations to solve for the missing k-space data. Since SC-GRAPPA utilizes a least-squares solution of the linear equations, it has a closed-form solution that does not require an iterative solver. The SC-GRAPPA equation was derived by incorporating GRAPPA as a prior estimate. SC-GRAPPA was tested in a uniform phantom and two normal volunteers. MR real-time cardiac cine images with acceleration rate 5 and 6 were reconstructed using GRAPPA and SC-GRAPPA. SC-GRAPPA showed a significantly lower artifact level, and a greater than 10% overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain over GRAPPA, with more significant SNR gain observed in low-SNR regions of the images. SC-GRAPPA offers improved pMRI reconstruction, and is expected to benefit clinical imaging applications in the future.

Value of echo-Doppler derived pulmonary vascular resistance, net-atrioventricular compliance and tricuspid annular velocity in determining exercise capacity in patients with mitral stenosis.

PubMed

Choi, Eui-Young; Shim, Jaemin; Kim, Sung-Ai; Shim, Chi Young; Yoon, Se-Jung; Kang, Seok-Min; Choi, Donghoon; Ha, Jong-Won; Rim, Se-Joong; Jang, Yangsoo; Chung, Namsik

2007-11-01

The present study sought to determine if echo-Doppler-derived pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR echo), net-atrioventricular compliance (Cn) and tricuspid peak systolic annular velocity (Sa), as parameters of right ventricular function, have value in predicting exercise capacity in patients with mitral stenosis (MS). Thirty-two patients with moderate or severe MS without left ventricular systolic dysfunction were studied. After comprehensive echo-Doppler measurements, including PVR echo, tricuspid Sa and left-sided Cn, supine bicycle exercise echo and concomitant respiratory gas analysis were performed. Measurements during 5 cardiac cycles representing the mean heart rate were averaged. Increment of resting PVR(echo) (r=-0.416, p=0.018) and decrement of resting Sa (r=0.433, p=0.013) and Cn (r=0.469, p=0.007) were significantly associated with decrease in %VO(2) peak. The predictive accuracy for %VO2 peak could increase by combining these parameters as Sa/PVR echo (r=0.500, p=0.004) or Cn. (Sa/PVR echo) (r=0.572, p=0.001) independent of mitral valve area, mean diastolic pressure gradients or presence of atrial fibrillation. Measurement of PVR echo, Cn and Sa might provide important information about the exercise capacity of patients with MS.

Multiple echo multi-shot diffusion sequence.

PubMed

Chabert, Steren; Galindo, César; Tejos, Cristian; Uribe, Sergio A

2014-04-01

To measure both transversal relaxation time (T2 ) and diffusion coefficients within a single scan using a multi-shot approach. Both measurements have drawn interest in many applications, especially in skeletal muscle studies, which have short T2 values. Multiple echo single-shot schemes have been proposed to obtain those variables simultaneously within a single scan, resulting in a reduction of the scanning time. However, one problem with those approaches is the associated long echo read-out. Consequently, the minimum achievable echo time tends to be long, limiting the application of these sequences to tissues with relatively long T2 . To address this problem, we propose to extend the multi-echo sequences using a multi-shot approach, so that to allow shorter echo times. A multi-shot dual-echo EPI sequence with diffusion gradients and echo navigators was modified to include independent diffusion gradients in any of the two echoes. The multi-shot approach allows us to drastically reduce echo times. Results showed a good agreement for the T2 and mean diffusivity measurements with gold standard sequences in phantoms and in vivo data of calf muscles from healthy volunteers. A fast and accurate method is proposed to measure T2 and diffusion coefficients simultaneously, tested in vitro and in healthy volunteers. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A beam based method for target localization: inspiration from bats' directivity and binaural reception for ultrasonic sonar.

PubMed

Guarato, Francesco; Windmill, James; Gachagan, Anthony

2013-06-01

The process of echolocation is accomplished by bats partly using the beam profiles associated with their ear shapes that allow for discrimination between different echo directions. Indeed, knowledge of the emitted signal characteristic and measurement of the echo travel time from a target make it possible to compensate for attenuation due to distance, and to focus on filtering through the receivers' beam profiles by comparing received echoes to the original signal at all frequencies in the spectrum of interest. From this basis, a beam profile method to localize a target in three-dimensional space for an ultrasonic sensor system equipped with an emitter and two receivers is presented. Simulations were conducted with different noise levels, and only the contribution of the receivers' beam profiles was considered to estimate the orientation of the target with respect to the receivers. The beam pattern of the Phyllostomus discolor's ear was adopted as that of a receiver. Analyses of beam resolution and frequency ranges were conducted to enhance the accuracy of orientation estimates. The choice of appropriate resolution and frequency ranges guarantee that error mean values for most of the orientations are within [0.5°, 1.5°], even in noisy situations: Signal-to-noise ratio values considered in this work are 35 and 50 dB.

The Usefulness of Readout-Segmented Echo-Planar Imaging (RESOLVE) for Bio-phantom Imaging Using 3-Tesla Clinical MRI.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Yuuki; Kuroda, Masahiro; Sugiantoc, Irfan; Bamgbosec, Babatunde O; Miyahara, Kanae; Ohmura, Yuichi; Kurozumi, Akira; Matsushita, Toshi; Ohno, Seiichiro; Kanazawa, Susumu; Asaumi, Junichi

2018-02-01

Readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (RESOLVE) is a multi-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI) modality with k-space segmented in the readout direction. We investigated whether RESOLVE decreases the distortion and artifact in the phase direction and increases the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in phantoms image taken with 3-tesla (3T) MRI versus conventional EPI. We used a physiological saline phantom and subtraction mapping and observed that RESOLVE's SNR was higher than EPI's. Using RESOLVE, the combination of a special-purpose coil and a large-loop coil had a higher SNR compared to using only a head/neck coil. RESOLVE's image distortioas less than EPI's. We used a 120 mM polyethylene glycol phantom to examine the phase direction artifact.vThe range where the artifact appeared in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) image was shorter with RESOLVE compared to EPI. We used RESOLVE to take images of a Jurkat cell bio-phantom: the cell-region ADC was 856×10-6mm2/sec and the surrounding physiological saline-region ADC was 2,951×10-6mm2/sec. The combination of RESOLVE and the 3T clinical MRI device reduced image distortion and improved SNR and the identification of accurate ADC values due to the phase direction artifact reduction. This combination is useful for obtaining accurate ADC values of bio-phantoms.

Correction of geometric distortion in Propeller echo planar imaging using a modified reversed gradient approach.

PubMed

Chang, Hing-Chiu; Chuang, Tzu-Chao; Lin, Yi-Ru; Wang, Fu-Nien; Huang, Teng-Yi; Chung, Hsiao-Wen

2013-04-01

This study investigates the application of a modified reversed gradient algorithm to the Propeller-EPI imaging method (periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction based on echo-planar imaging readout) for corrections of geometric distortions due to the EPI readout. Propeller-EPI acquisition was executed with 360-degree rotational coverage of the k-space, from which the image pairs with opposite phase-encoding gradient polarities were extracted for reversed gradient geometric and intensity corrections. The spatial displacements obtained on a pixel-by-pixel basis were fitted using a two-dimensional polynomial followed by low-pass filtering to assure correction reliability in low-signal regions. Single-shot EPI images were obtained on a phantom, whereas high spatial resolution T2-weighted and diffusion tensor Propeller-EPI data were acquired in vivo from healthy subjects at 3.0 Tesla, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Phantom images show success of the smoothed displacement map concept in providing improvements of the geometric corrections at low-signal regions. Human brain images demonstrate prominently superior reconstruction quality of Propeller-EPI images with modified reversed gradient corrections as compared with those obtained without corrections, as evidenced from verification against the distortion-free fast spin-echo images at the same level. The modified reversed gradient method is an effective approach to obtain high-resolution Propeller-EPI images with substantially reduced artifacts.

Evaluation of pleural and pericardial effusions by magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Tscholakoff, D; Sechtem, U; de Geer, G; Schmidt, H; Higgins, C B

1987-08-01

MR examinations of 36 patients with pleural and/or pericardial effusions were retrospectively evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine of MR imaging is capable of differentiating between pleural and pericardial effusions of different compositions using standard electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated and non-gated spin echo pulse sequences. Additional data was obtained from experimental pleural effusions in 10 dogs. The results of this study indicate that old hemorrhages into the pleural or pericardial space can be differentiated from other pleural or pericardial effusions. However, further differentiation between transudates, exudates and sanguinous effusions is not possible on MR images acquired with standard spin echo pulse sequences. Respiratory and cardiac motion are responsible for signal loss, particularly on first echo images. This was documented in experiments in dogs with induced effusions of known composition; "negative" T2 values consistent with fluid motion during imaging sequences were observed in 80% of cases. However, postmortem studies of the dogs with experimental effusions showed differences between effusions with low protein concentrations and higher protein concentrations. We conclude from our study that characterization of pleural and pericardial effusions on standard ECG-gated and non-gated MR examinations is limited to the positive identification of hemorrhage. Motion of the fluid due to cardiac and respiratory activity causes artifactual and unpredictable changes in intensity values negating the more subtle differences in intensity associated with increasing protein content.

An approach to real-time magnetic resonance imaging for speech production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayanan, Shrikanth; Nayak, Krishna; Byrd, Dani; Lee, Sungbok

2003-04-01

Magnetic resonance imaging has served as a valuable tool for studying primarily static postures in speech production. Now, recent improvements in imaging techniques, particularly in temporal resolution, are making it possible to examine the dynamics of vocal tract shaping during speech. Examples include Mady et al. (2001, 2002) (8 images/second, T1 fast gradient echo) and Demolin et al. (2000) (4-5 images/second, ultra fast turbo spin echo sequence). The present study uses a non 2D-FFT acquisition strategy (spiral k-space trajectory) on a GE Signa 1.5T CV/i scanner with a low-flip angle spiral gradient echo originally developed for cardiac imaging [Kerr et al. (1997), Nayak et al. (2001)] with reconstruction rates of 8-10 images/second. The experimental stimuli included English sentences varying the syllable position of /n, r, l/ (spoken by 2 subjects) and Tamil sentences varying among five liquids (spoken by one subject). The imaging parameters were the following: 15 deg flip angle, 20-interleaves, 6.7 ms TR, 1.88 mm resolution over a 20 cm FOV, 5 mm slice thickness, and 2.4 ms spiral readouts. Data show clear real-time movements of the lips, tongue and velum. Sample movies and data analysis strategies will be presented. Segmental durations, positions, and inter-articulator timing can all be quantitatively evaluated. [Work supported by NIH.

Twenty-Five Years of Progress. Part 1: Birth of NASA. Part 2: The Moon-A Goal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Historical footage (1958 - 1983) concerning NASA's Space Program, is reviewed in this two-part video. Host, Lynn Bondurant describes the birth of NASA and its accomplishments through the years. Part one contains: the launch of Russian satellite Sputnik on October 4,1957; the first dog (Soviet) in space; NACA Space Research, Explorer-6; and still photographs of various Space projects. Tiros 1 experimental weather satellite, Microgravity simulators, Echo 1 passive communications satellite, and the first U.S. manned spaceflight Mercury are included in part two. The seven Mercury astronauts are: Captain Donald Slayton, Lt. Commander Alan Shepard, Lt. Commander Walter Schirra, Captain Virgil Grissom, Lt. Col. John Glenn Jr., Captain Leroy Cooper Jr, and Lt. Malcolm Scott Carpenter. Also included are an ongoing interview (throughout the video) with NASA's first Administrator Keith Glennan, the first flight in 1961 with Enos, a chimpanzee, President Kennedy's speech in Washington about the Space Program, Project Gemini - the 2-manned space flights, and the recovery of Virgil Grissom from splash down.

Observing spatio-temporal dynamics of excitable media using reservoir computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmermann, Roland S.; Parlitz, Ulrich

2018-04-01

We present a dynamical observer for two dimensional partial differential equation models describing excitable media, where the required cross prediction from observed time series to not measured state variables is provided by Echo State Networks receiving input from local regions in space, only. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated for (noisy) data from a (cubic) Barkley model and the Bueno-Orovio-Cherry-Fenton model describing chaotic electrical wave propagation in cardiac tissue.

Investigating the Group-Level Impact of Advanced Dual-Echo fMRI Combinations

PubMed Central

Kettinger, Ádám; Hill, Christopher; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán; Windischberger, Christian; Nagy, Zoltán

2016-01-01

Multi-echo fMRI data acquisition has been widely investigated and suggested to optimize sensitivity for detecting the BOLD signal. Several methods have also been proposed for the combination of data with different echo times. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these advanced echo combination methods provide advantages over the simple averaging of echoes when state-of-the-art group-level random-effect analyses are performed. Both resting-state and task-based dual-echo fMRI data were collected from 27 healthy adult individuals (14 male, mean age = 25.75 years) using standard echo-planar acquisition methods at 3T. Both resting-state and task-based data were subjected to a standard image pre-processing pipeline. Subsequently the two echoes were combined as a weighted average, using four different strategies for calculating the weights: (1) simple arithmetic averaging, (2) BOLD sensitivity weighting, (3) temporal-signal-to-noise ratio weighting and (4) temporal BOLD sensitivity weighting. Our results clearly show that the simple averaging of data with the different echoes is sufficient. Advanced echo combination methods may provide advantages on a single-subject level but when considering random-effects group level statistics they provide no benefit regarding sensitivity (i.e., group-level t-values) compared to the simple echo-averaging approach. One possible reason for the lack of clear advantages may be that apart from increasing the average BOLD sensitivity at the single-subject level, the advanced weighted averaging methods also inflate the inter-subject variance. As the echo combination methods provide very similar results, the recommendation is to choose between them depending on the availability of time for collecting additional resting-state data or whether subject-level or group-level analyses are planned. PMID:28018165

A Pilot Study Assessing ECG versus ECHO Ventriculoventricular Optimization in Pediatric Resynchronization Patients.

PubMed

Punn, Rajesh; Hanisch, Debra; Motonaga, Kara S; Rosenthal, David N; Ceresnak, Scott R; Dubin, Anne M

2016-02-01

Cardiac resynchronization therapy indications and management are well described in adults. Echocardiography (ECHO) has been used to optimize mechanical synchrony in these patients; however, there are issues with reproducibility and time intensity. Pediatric patients add challenges, with diverse substrates and limited capacity for cooperation. Electrocardiographic (ECG) methods to assess electrical synchrony are expeditious but have not been extensively studied in children. We sought to compare ECHO and ECG CRT optimization in children. Prospective, pediatric, single-center cross-over trial comparing ECHO and ECG optimization with CRT. Patients were assigned to undergo either ECHO or ECG optimization, followed for 6 months, and crossed-over to the other assignment for another 6 months. ECHO pulsed-wave tissue Doppler and 12-lead ECG were obtained for 5 VV delays. ECG optimization was defined as the shortest QRSD and ECHO optimization as the lowest dyssynchrony index. ECHOs/ECGs were interpreted by readers blinded to optimization technique. After each 6 month period, these data were collected: ejection fraction, velocimetry-derived cardiac index, quality of life, ECHO-derived stroke distance, M-mode dyssynchrony, study cost, and time. Outcomes for each optimization method were compared. From June 2012 to December 2013, 19 patients enrolled. Mean age was 9.1 ± 4.3 years; 14 (74%) had structural heart disease. The mean time for optimization was shorter using ECG than ECHO (9 ± 1 min vs. 68 ± 13 min, P < 0.01). Mean cost for charges was $4,400 ± 700 less for ECG. No other outcome differed between groups. ECHO optimization of synchrony was not superior to ECG optimization in this pilot study. ECG optimization required less time and cost than ECHO optimization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Supporting and improving community health services-a prospective evaluation of ECHO technology in community palliative care nursing teams.

PubMed

White, Clare; McIlfatrick, Sonja; Dunwoody, Lynn; Watson, Max

2015-12-01

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) uses teleconferencing technology to support and train healthcare providers (HCPs) remotely, and has improved care across the USA. A 6-month pilot was trialled in a community palliative care nursing setting to determine if ECHO would be effective in the UK in providing education and support to community hospice nurses (CHN). The pilot involved weekly 2 hour sessions of teaching and case-based discussions facilitated by hospice staff linking with nine teams of CHN using video conferencing technology. A mixed-methods prospective longitudinal cohort study was used to evaluate the pilot. Each CHN provided demographic data, and completed a written knowledge assessment and a self-efficacy tool before and after the pilot. Two focus groups were also performed after the pilot. 28 CHNs completed the evaluation. Mean knowledge score improved significantly from 71.3% to 82.7% (p=0.0005) as did overall self-efficacy scores following the ECHO pilot. Pre-ECHO (p=0.036) and Retro-Pretest ECHO (p=0.0005) self-efficacy were significantly lower than post-ECHO. There was no significant difference between Pretest and Retro-Pretest ECHO self-efficacy (p=0.063). 96% recorded gains in learning, and 90% felt that ECHO had improved the care they provided for patients. 83% would recommend ECHO to other HCPs. 70% stated the technology used in ECHO had given them access to education that would have been hard to access due to geography. This study supports the use of Project ECHO for CHNs in the UK by demonstrating how a 6-month pilot improved knowledge and self-efficacy. As a low-cost high-impact model, ECHO provides an affordable solution to addressing growing need. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

A Noninvasive Miniaturized-Wireless Laser-Doppler Fiber-Optic Sensor for Understanding Distal Fingertip Injuries in Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.; Jones, Jeffrey A.; Pollonini, Luca; Rodriquez, Mikael; Opperman, Roedolph; Hochstein, Jason

2009-01-01

During extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) or spacewalks astronauts over use their fingertips under pressure inside the confined spaces of gloves/space suits. The repetitive hand motion is a probable cause for discomfort and injuries to the fingertips. We describe a new wireless fiber-optic probe that can be integrated inside the astronaut glove for noninvasive blood perfusion measurements in distal fingertips. In this preliminary study, we present blood perfusion measurements while performing hand-grip exercises simulating the use of space tools.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-15

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 astronaut and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio was anchored on the foot restraint of the Canadarm2 as he participated in the third session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) for the mission. Assisting Mastracchio was Expedition 15 flight engineer Clay Anderson (out of frame). During the 5 hour, 28 minute space walk, the two relocated the S-band Antenna Sub-Assembly from the Port 6 (P6) truss to the Port 1 (P1) truss, installed a new transponder on P1 and retrieved the P6 transponder.

Bonus Activity Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning, 1992

1992-01-01

Provides on-task activities to fill in unexpected extra moments in elementary classes. The activities require little preparation and take 5-15 minutes to complete. There are activities for math, language arts, social science, science, critical thinking, and computer. An outer space board game is also included. (SM)

Life Among the Stars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MOSAIC, 1977

1977-01-01

Explores possibility of extra-terrestrial life, reviewing current hypotheses regarding where in space life would most likely occur. Discusses astrometry and spectroscopy as methods for determining stellar motions. Describes United States and Soviet projects for receiving stellar communications. Relates origin of life on earth to observed high…

Dolphin "packet" use during long-range echolocation tasks.

PubMed

Finneran, James J

2013-03-01

When echolocating, dolphins typically emit a single broadband "click," then wait to receive the echo before emitting another click. However, previous studies have shown that during long-range echolocation tasks, they may instead emit a burst, or "packet," of several clicks, then wait for the packet of echoes to return before emitting another packet of clicks. The reasons for the use of packets are unknown. In this study, packet use was examined by having trained bottlenose dolphins perform long-range echolocation tasks. The tasks featured "phantom" echoes produced by capturing the dolphin's outgoing echolocation clicks, convolving the clicks with an impulse response to create an echo waveform, and then broadcasting the delayed, scaled echo to the dolphin. Dolphins were trained to report the presence of phantom echoes or a change in phantom echoes. Target range varied from 25 to 800 m. At ranges below 75 m, the dolphins rarely used packets. As the range increased beyond 75 m, two of the three dolphins increasingly produced packets, while the third dolphin instead utilized very high click repetition rates. The use of click packets appeared to be governed more by echo delay (target range) than echo amplitude.

Psychoacoustic influences of the echoing environments of prehistoric art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waller, Steven J.

2002-11-01

Cave paintings and ancient petroglyphs around the world are typically found in echo rich locations such as caves, canyons, and rocky cliff faces. Analysis of field data shows that echo decibel levels at a large number of prehistoric art sites are higher than those at nondecorated locations. The selection of these echoing environments by the artists appears not to be a mere coincidence. This paper considers the perception of an echoed sound as a psychoacoustic event that would have been inexplicable to ancient humans. A variety of ancient legends from cultures on several continents attribute the phenomenon of echoes to supernatural beings. These legends, together with the quantitative data, strongly implicate echoing as relevant to the artists of the past. The notion that the echoes were caused by spirits within the rock would explain not only the unusual locations of prehistoric art, but also the perplexing subject matter. For example, the common theme of hoofed animal imagery could have been inspired by echoes of percussion noises perceived as hoof beats. Further systematic acoustical studies of prehistoric art sites is warranted. Conservation of the natural acoustic properties of rock art environments--a previously unrecognized need--is urged.

A Brane Model, Its Ads-DS States and Their Agitated Extra Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günther, Uwe; Vargas Moniz, Paulo; Zhuk, Alexander

2006-02-01

We consider multidimensional gravitational models with a nonlinear scalar curvature term and form fields. It is assumed that the higher dimensional spacetime undergoes a spontaneous compactification to a warped product manifold. Particular attention is paid to models with quadratic scalar curvature terms and a Freund-Rubin-like ansatz for solitonic form fields. It is shown that for certain parameter ranges the extra dimensions are stabilized for any sign of the internal space curvature, the bulk cosmological constant and of the effective four-dimensional cosmological constant. Moreover, the effective cosmological constant can satisfy the observable limit on the dark energy density.

ETI, SETI and today's public opinion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinotti, Roberto

During the last three decades the general public's initial opinions about ETI and SETI changed, turning ignorance, fear and superficiality into a gradual understanding of the importance of these concepts. After a brief analysis of this changing psycho-sociological attitude, the paper provides an "estimate of the situation" about general interest for ETI and SETI, suggesting a growing awareness in today's public opinion. Science fiction movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and popular interest in UFOs as visitors from outer space played a major role in the average man's acceptance of the reality of extra-terrestrial life and its meaning for mankind.

Forward masking as a mechanism of automatic gain control in odontocete biosonar: a psychophysical study.

PubMed

Supin, Alexander Ya; Nachtigall, Paul E; Breese, Marlee

2008-07-01

In a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens, echo perception thresholds were measured using a go/no-go psychophysical paradigm and one-up-one-down staircase procedure. Computer controlled echoes were electronically synthesized pulses that were played back through a transducer and triggered by whale emitted biosonar pulses. The echo amplitudes were proportional to biosonar pulse amplitudes; echo levels were specified in terms of the attenuation of the echo sound pressure level near the animal's head relative to the source level of the biosonar pulses. With increasing echo delay, the thresholds (echo attenuation factor) decreased from -49.3 dB at 2 ms to -79.5 dB at 16 ms, with a regression slope of -9.5 dB per delay doubling (-31.5 dB per delay decade). At the longer delays, the threshold remained nearly constant around -80.4 dB. Levels of emitted pulses slightly increased with delay prolongation (threshold decrease), with a regression slope of 3.2 dB per delay doubling (10.7 dB per delay decade). The echo threshold dependence on delay is interpreted as a release from forward masking by the preceding emitted pulse. This release may compensate for the echo level decrease with distance, thus keeping the echo sensation level for the animal near constant within a certain distance range.

Exploring graphene superlattices: Magneto-optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duque, C. A.; Hernández-Bertrán, M. A.; Morales, A. L.; de Dios-Leyva, M.

2017-02-01

We present a detailed study of magnetic subbands, wave functions, and transition strengths for graphene superlattices (SLs) subject to a perpendicular magnetic field. It is shown that, for a weak magnetic field, the flat subbands of a SL exhibiting extra Dirac points are grouped into subsets, each of which consists of a singlet subband and a nearly degenerate doublet subband, and one nearly degenerate triplet subband. It was found that the wave functions corresponding to a singlet or to a doublet are always located around the image in real space of the central or extra Dirac points in k-space. The latter properties were explained by assuming that the electron motion is quasi-classical. Our study revealed that, for an intermediate field, the general characteristics of the wave functions are very similar to those of the pristine graphene, while for weak field, their behavior is drastically different. The latter is characterized by rapid oscillations which were understood using the solutions provided by the formalism of Luttinger-Kohn. The study on transition strengths allows us to obtain, for SLs with extra Dirac points in a weak magnetic field and different polarizations, the conditions under which transitions between multiplets are approximately allowed. It was shown that these conditions correspond to an unusual selection rule that is broken when the magnetic field intensity increases from weak to an intermediate value.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-13

STS-117 astronauts and mission specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson (out of frame), participated in the second Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) as construction resumed on the International Space Station (ISS). Among other tasks, the two removed all of the launch locks holding the 10 foot wide solar alpha rotary joint in place and began the solar array retraction. The primary mission objective was the installment of the second and third starboard truss segments (S3 and S4).

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

Dehghani, M.H.; Research Institute for Astrophysics and Astronomy of Maragha; Khodam-Mohammadi, A.

First, we construct the Taub-NUT/bolt solutions of (2k+2)-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell gravity, when all the factor spaces of 2k-dimensional base space B have positive curvature. These solutions depend on two extra parameters, other than the mass and the NUT charge. These are electric charge q and electric potential at infinity V. We investigate the existence of Taub-NUT solutions and find that in addition to the two conditions of uncharged NUT solutions, there exist two extra conditions. These two extra conditions come from the regularity of vector potential at r=N and the fact that the horizon at r=N should be the outer horizonmore » of the NUT charged black hole. We find that the NUT solutions in 2k+2 dimensions have no curvature singularity at r=N, when the 2k-dimensional base space is chosen to be CP{sup 2k}. For bolt solutions, there exists an upper limit for the NUT parameter which decreases as the potential parameter increases. Second, we study the thermodynamics of these spacetimes. We compute temperature, entropy, charge, electric potential, action and mass of the black hole solutions, and find that these quantities satisfy the first law of thermodynamics. We perform a stability analysis by computing the heat capacity, and show that the NUT solutions are not thermally stable for even k's, while there exists a stable phase for odd k's, which becomes increasingly narrow with increasing dimensionality and wide with increasing V. We also study the phase behavior of the 4 and 6 dimensional bolt solutions in canonical ensemble and find that these solutions have a stable phase, which becomes smaller as V increases.« less

Limits on the Time Evolution of Space Dimensions from Newton's Constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasseri, Forough

Limits are imposed upon the possible rate of change of extra spatial dimensions in a decrumpling model Universe with time variable spatial dimensions (TVSD) by considering the time variation of (1+3)-dimensional Newton's constant. Previous studies on the time variation of (1+3)-dimensional Newton's constant in TVSD theory had not include the effects of the volume of the extra dimensions and the effects of the surface area of the unit sphere in D-space dimensions. Our main result is that the absolute value of the present rate of change of spatial dimensions to be less than about 10-14 yr-1. Our results would appear to provide a prima facie case for ruling the TVSD model out. We show that based on observational bounds on the present variation of Newton's constant, one would have to conclude that the spatial dimension of the Universe when the Universe was "at the Planck scale" to be less than or equal to 3.09. If the dimension of space when the Universe was "at the Planck scale" is constrained to be fractional and very close to 3, then the whole edifice of TVSD model loses credibility.

Astrobiology, space and the future age of discovery.

PubMed

Blumberg, Baruch S

2011-02-13

Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the Universe, and specifically seeks to understand the origin of life and to test the hypothesis that life exists elsewhere than on Earth. There is a general mathematics, physics and chemistry; that is, scientific laws that obtain on Earth also do so elsewhere. Is there a general biology? Is the Universe life-rich or is Earth an isolated island of biology? Exploration in the Age of Enlightenment required the collection of data in unexplored regions and the use of induction and empiricism to derive models and natural laws. The current search for extra-terrestrial life has a similar goal, but with a much greater amount of data and with computers to help with management, correlations, pattern recognition and analysis. There are 60 active space missions, many of them aiding in the search for life. There is not a universally accepted definition of life, but there are a series of characteristics that can aid in the identification of life elsewhere. The study of locations on Earth with similarities to early Mars and other space objects could provide a model that can be used in the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Study of midlatitude ionospheric irregularities and E- and F-region coupling based on rocket and radar observations from Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, M.

2015-12-01

We have been studying ionspheric irregularities in mid-latitude region by using radars, sounding rockets, etc. The mid-latitude ionosphere was considered much stable than those in the equatorial or polar region in the past, but our studies for years have revealed that there are much active variabilities. We found variety of wave-like structures that are specific in the mid-latitudes. One of the phenomena is quasi-periodic echoes (QP echoes) first observed by the MU radar that reflects horizontal plasma-density structures associated to sporadic-E layers. Another phenomenon is medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance (MSTID) in the F-region. In the generation mechanism we think that Ionospheric E- and F-region coupling process is important. In this presentation, we will discuss nature of mid-latitude ionosphere based on our observations; the MU radar, sounding rocket campaigns of SEEK-1/2, and recent MSTID rocket experiment from JAXA Uchinoura Space Center in July 2013.

Expedition for the observation of a deployment of the american satellite echo II in the winter 1963

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karetnikov, V. G.; Mandel, O. E.

1999-08-01

One of the first cooperative projects USSR-USA in teh field of a satellite astronomy was organization of observations of a brightness of a satellite -baloon EchoII in accordance with filling it by gas after an output satellite into orbit. The expedition was conducted under aegis of Astronomical Council of Academy of Sciences of teh USSR,the coordinator of the program was V. M. Grigorevskij- at that time a senior lecturer of Kishinev (Chisinau) University. Four groups of the observers were directed to four points -Ufa, Vyatka (Kirov region), Syktyvkar, Norilsk- located under trajectory of the satellite on it the first orbits. The authors of the given message entered also in the staff of expedition. Duie to good weather conditions it was possible to execute the observations. V.Grigorevskij and G. Leikin have determined the period of rotation of the satellite about the axis and parameters of orientation. The expedition, except scientific value in strenghtening of international cooperation in the field of space researches.

Participation of Bell Telephone Laboratories in Project Echo and Experimental Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakes, William C., Jr.

1961-01-01

On August 12, 1960, Echo I, a 100-foot-diameter spherical balloon, was placed in orbit around the earth by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of long-distance communication by microwave reflection from a satellite. A two-way coast-to-coast voice circuit was to be established between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) facility in California and a station provided by Bell Telephone Laboratories (STL) in New Jersey. Similar tests were also planned with the Naval Research Laboratory and other stations. This paper describes the general organization and operation of the Holmdel, New Jersey, station, and discusses the results of the experiments performed between the balloon launching and March 1, 1961. Successful voice communication was achieved through a variety of modulation methods including frequency modulation with feedback, amplitude modulation, single-sideband modulation, and narrow-band phase modulation. Careful measurements were also made of the loss in the transmission path.

Motion Correction in PROPELLER and Turboprop-MRI

PubMed Central

Tamhane, Ashish A.; Arfanakis, Konstantinos

2009-01-01

PROPELLER and Turboprop-MRI are characterized by greatly reduced sensitivity to motion, compared to their predecessors, fast spin-echo and gradient and spin-echo, respectively. This is due to the inherent self-navigation and motion correction of PROPELLER-based techniques. However, it is unknown how various acquisition parameters that determine k-space sampling affect the accuracy of motion correction in PROPELLER and Turboprop-MRI. The goal of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of motion correction in both techniques, to identify an optimal rotation correction approach, and determine acquisition strategies for optimal motion correction. It was demonstrated that, blades with multiple lines allow more accurate estimation of motion than blades with fewer lines. Also, it was shown that Turboprop-MRI is less sensitive to motion than PROPELLER. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the number of blades does not significantly affect motion correction. Finally, clinically appropriate acquisition strategies that optimize motion correction were discussed for PROPELLER and Turboprop-MRI. PMID:19365858

Detection of bondline delaminations in multilayer structures with lossy components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madaras, Eric I.; Winfree, William P.; Smith, B. T.; Heyman, Joseph H.

1988-01-01

The detection of bondline delaminations in multilayer structures using ultrasonic reflection techniques is a generic problem in adhesively bonded composite structures such as the Space Shuttles's Solid Rocket Motors (SRM). Standard pulse echo ultrasonic techniques do not perform well for a composite resonator composed of a resonant layer combined with attenuating layers. Excessive ringing in the resonant layer tends to mask internal echoes emanating from the attenuating layers. The SRM is made up of a resonant steel layer backed by layers of adhesive, rubber, liner and fuel, which are ultrasonically attenuating. The structure's response is modeled as a lossy ultrasonic transmission line. The model predicts that the acoustic response of the system is sensitive to delaminations at the interior bondlines in a few narrow frequency bands. These predictions are verified by measurements on a fabricated system. Successful imaging of internal delaminations is sensitive to proper selection of the interrogating frequency. Images of fabricated bondline delaminations are presented based on these studies.

Designs and numerical calculations for echo-enabled harmonic generation at very high harmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penn, G.; Reinsch, M.

2011-09-01

The echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) scheme for driving an FEL using two seeded energy modulations at much longer wavelengths than the output wavelength is a promising concept for future seeded FELs. There are many competing requirements in the design of an EEHG beamline which need careful optimization. Furthermore, revised simulation tools and methods are necessary because of both the high harmonic numbers simulated and the complicated nature of the phase space manipulations which are intrinsic to the scheme. This paper explores the constraints on performance and the required tolerances for reaching wavelengths well below 1/100th of that of the seed lasers, and describes some of the methodology for designing such a beamline. Numerical tools, developed both for the GENESIS and GINGER FEL codes, are presented and used here for more accurate study of the scheme beyond a time-averaged model. In particular, the impact of the local structure in peak current and bunching, which is an inherent part of the EEHG scheme, is evaluated.

Gauge Theory on a Space with Linear Lie Type Fuzziness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khorrami, Mohammad; Fatollahi, Amir H.; Shariati, Ahmad

2013-03-01

The U(1) gauge theory on a space with Lie type noncommutativity is constructed. The construction is based on the group of translations in Fourier space, which in contrast to space itself is commutative. In analogy with lattice gauge theory, the object playing the role of flux of field strength per plaquette, as well as the action, is constructed. It is observed that the theory, in comparison with ordinary U(1) gauge theory, has an extra gauge field component. This phenomena is reminiscent of similar ones in formulation of SU(N) gauge theory in space with canonical noncommutativity, and also appearance of gauge field component in discrete direction of Connes' construction of the Standard Model.

Spearhead echo and downburst near the approach end of a John F. Kennedy Airport runway, New York City

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fujita, T. T.

1976-01-01

Radar echoes of a storm at John F. Kennedy International Airport are examined. Results regarding the phenomena presented suggest the existence of downburst cells. These cells are characterized by spearhead echoes. About 2% of the echoes in the New York area were spearhead echoes. The detection and identification of downburst cells, their potential hazard to approaching and landing aircraft, and communication of this information to the pilots of those aircraft are discussed.

Human factors technology for America's space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montemerlo, M. D.

1982-01-01

NASA is initiating a space human factors research and technology development program in October 1982. The impetus for this program stems from: the frequent and economical access to space provided by the Shuttle, the advances in control and display hardware/software made possible through the recent explosion in microelectronics technology, heightened interest in a space station, heightened interest by the military in space operations, and the fact that the technology for long duration stay times for man in space has received relatively little attention since the Apollo and Skylab missions. The rationale for and issues in the five thrusts of the new program are described. The main thrusts are: basic methodology, crew station design, ground control/operations, teleoperations and extra vehicular activity.

Multi-echo acquisition

PubMed Central

Posse, Stefan

2011-01-01

The rapid development of fMRI was paralleled early on by the adaptation of MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) methods to quantify water relaxation changes during brain activation. This review describes the evolution of multi-echo acquisition from high-speed MRSI to multi-echo EPI and beyond. It highlights milestones in the development of multi-echo acquisition methods, such as the discovery of considerable gains in fMRI sensitivity when combining echo images, advances in quantification of the BOLD effect using analytical biophysical modeling and interleaved multi-region shimming. The review conveys the insight gained from combining fMRI and MRSI methods and concludes with recent trends in ultra-fast fMRI, which will significantly increase temporal resolution of multi-echo acquisition. PMID:22056458

Surface extra-vehicular activity emergency scenario management: Tools, procedures, and geologically related implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zea, Luis; Diaz, Alejandro R.; Shepherd, Charles K.; Kumar, Ranganathan

2010-07-01

Extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) are an essential part of human space exploration, but involve inherently dangerous procedures which can put crew safety at risk during a space mission. To help mitigate this risk, astronauts' training programs spend substantial attention on preparing for surface EVA emergency scenarios. With the help of two Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) crews (61 and 65), wearing simulated spacesuits, the most important of these emergency scenarios were examined at three different types of locations that geologically and environmentally resemble lunar and Martian landscapes. These three platforms were analyzed geologically as well as topographically (utilizing a laser range finder with slope estimation capabilities and a slope determination software). Emergency scenarios were separated into four main groups: (1) suit issues, (2) general physiological, (3) attacks and (4) others. Specific tools and procedures were developed to address each scenario. The tools and processes were tested in the field under Mars-analog conditions with the suited subjects for feasibility and speed of execution.

High-Performance, Radiation-Hardened Electronics for Space and Lunar Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Andrew S.; Adams, James H.; Cressler, John D.; Darty, Ronald C.; Johnson, Michael A.; Patrick, Marshall C.

2008-01-01

The Radiation Hardened Electronics for Space Environments (RHESE) project develops advanced technologies needed for high performance electronic devices that will be capable of operating within the demanding radiation and thermal extremes of the space, lunar, and Martian environment. The technologies developed under this project enhance and enable avionics within multiple mission elements of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. including the Constellation program's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. the Lunar Lander project, Lunar Outpost elements, and Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) elements. This paper provides an overview of the RHESE project and its multiple task tasks, their technical approaches, and their targeted benefits as applied to NASA missions.

Isotropic 3-D T2-weighted spin-echo for abdominal and pelvic MRI in children.

PubMed

Dias, Sílvia Costa; Ølsen, Oystein E

2012-11-01

MRI has a fundamental role in paediatric imaging. The T2-weighted fast/turbo spin-echo sequence is important because it has high signal-to-noise ratio compared to gradient-echo sequences. It is usually acquired as 2-D sections in one or more planes. Volumetric spin-echo has until recently only been possible with very long echo times due to blurring of the soft-tissue contrast with long echo trains. A new 3-D spin-echo sequence uses variable flip angles to overcome this problem. It may reproduce useful soft-tissue contrast, with improved spatial resolution. Its isotropic capability allows subsequent reconstruction in standard, curved or arbitrary planes. It may be particularly useful for visualisation of small lesions, or if large lesions distort the usual anatomical relations. We present clinical examples, describe the technical parameters and discuss some potential artefacts and optimisation of image quality.

Beam echoes in the presence of coupling

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

Gross, Axel

2017-10-03

Transverse beam echoes could provide a new technique of measuring diusion characteristics orders of magnitude faster than the current methods; however, their interaction with many accelerator parameters is poorly understood. Using a program written in C, we explored the relationship between coupling and echo strength. We found that echoes could be generated in both dimensions, even with a dipole kick in only one dimension. We found that the echo eects are not destroyed even when there is strong coupling, falling o only at extremely high coupling values. We found that at intermediate values of skew quadrupole strength, the decoherence timemore » of the beam is greatly increased, causing a destruction of the echo eects. We found that this is caused by a narrowing of the tune width of the particles. Results from this study will help to provide recommendations to IOTA (Integrable Optics Test Accelerator) for their upcoming echo experiment.« less

A radar-echo model for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, T. W.; Moore, H. J.

1990-01-01

Researchers developed a radar-echo model for Mars based on 12.6 cm continuous wave radio transmissions backscattered from the planet. The model broadly matches the variations in depolarized and polarized total radar cross sections with longitude observed by Goldstone in 1986 along 7 degrees S. and yields echo spectra that are generally similiar to the observed spectra. Radar map units in the model include an extensive cratered uplands unit with weak depolarized echo cross sections, average thermal inertias, moderate normal refelectivities, and moderate rms slopes; the volcanic units of Tharsis, Elysium, and Amazonis regions with strong depolarized echo cross sections, low thermal inertia, low normal reflectivities, and large rms slopes; and the northern planes units with moderate to strong depolarized echo cross sections, moderate to very high thermal inertias, moderate to large normal reflectivities, and moderate rms slopes. The relevance of the model to the interpretation of radar echoes from Mars is discussed.

Rapid Gradient-Echo Imaging

PubMed Central

Hargreaves, Brian

2012-01-01

Gradient echo sequences are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for numerous applications ranging from angiography to perfusion to functional MRI. Compared with spin-echo techniques, the very short repetition times of gradient-echo methods enable very rapid 2D and 3D imaging, but also lead to complicated “steady states.” Signal and contrast behavior can be described graphically and mathematically, and depends strongly on the type of spoiling: fully balanced (no spoiling), gradient spoiling, or RF-spoiling. These spoiling options trade off between high signal and pure T1 contrast while the flip angle also affects image contrast in all cases, both of which can be demonstrated theoretically and in image examples. As with spin-echo sequences, magnetization preparation can be added to gradient-echo sequences to alter image contrast. Gradient echo sequences are widely used for numerous applications such as 3D perfusion imaging, functional MRI, cardiac imaging and MR angiography. PMID:23097185

Boundaries of the thoracic paravertebral space: potential risks and benefits of the thoracic paravertebral block from an anatomical perspective.

PubMed

Bouman, Esther A C; Sieben, Judith M; Balthasar, Andrea J R; Joosten, Elbert A; Gramke, Hans-Fritz; van Kleef, Maarten; Lataster, Arno

2017-10-01

Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) may be an alternative to thoracic epidural analgesia. A detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the TPV-space (TPVS), content and adnexa is essential in understanding the clinical consequences of TPVB. The exploration of the posterior TPVS accessibility in this study allows (1) determination of the anatomical boundaries, content and adnexa, (2) description of an ultrasound-guided spread of low and high viscous liquid. In two formalin-fixed specimens, stratification of the several layers and the 3D-architecture of the TPVS were dissected, observed and photographed. In a third unembalmed specimen, ultrasound-guided posterolateral injections at several levels of the TPVS were performed with different fluids. TPVS communicated with all surrounding spaces including the segmental dorsal intercostal compartments (SDICs) and the prevertebral space. TPVS transitions to the SDICs were wide, whereas the SDICs showed narrowed transitions to the lateral intercostal spaces at the costal angle. Internal subdivision of the TPVS in a subendothoracic and an extra-pleural compartment by the endothoracic fascia was not observed. Caudally injected fluids spread posteriorly to the costodiaphragmatic recess, showing segmental intercostal and slight prevertebral spread. Our detailed anatomical study shows that TPVS is a potential space continuous with the SDICs. The separation of the TPVS in a subendothoracic and an extra-pleural compartment by the endothoracic fascia was not observed. Based on the ultrasound-guided liquid spread we conclude that the use of a more lateral approach might increase the probability of intravascular puncture or catheter position.

Interaction of emitted sonar pulses and simulated echoes in a false killer whale: an evoked-potential study.

PubMed

Supin, Alexander Ya; Nachtigall, Paul E; Breese, Marlee

2011-09-01

Auditory evoked potentials (AEP) were recorded during echolocation in a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens. An electronically synthesized and played-back (simulated) echo was triggered by an emitted biosonar pulse, and its intensity was proportional to that of the emitted click. The delay and transfer factor of the echo relative to the emitted click was controlled by the operator. The echo delay varied from 2 to 16 ms (by two-fold steps), and the transfer factor varied within ranges from -45 to -30 dB at the 2-ms delay to -60 to -45 dB at the 16-ms delay. Echo-related AEPs featured amplitude dependence both on echo delay at a constant transfer factor (the longer the delay, the higher amplitude) and on echo transfer factor at a constant delay (the higher transfer factor, the higher amplitude). Conjunctional variation of the echo transfer factor and delay kept the AEP amplitude constant when the delay to transfer factor trade was from -7.1 to -8.4 dB per delay doubling. The results confirm the hypothesis that partial forward masking of the echoes by the preceding emitted sonar pulses serves as a time-varying automatic gain control in the auditory system of echolocating odontocetes. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Echo-level compensation and delay tuning in the auditory cortex of the mustached bat.

PubMed

Macías, Silvio; Mora, Emanuel C; Hechavarría, Julio C; Kössl, Manfred

2016-06-01

During echolocation, bats continuously perform audio-motor adjustments to optimize detection efficiency. It has been demonstrated that bats adjust the amplitude of their biosonar vocalizations (known as 'pulses') to stabilize the amplitude of the returning echo. Here, we investigated this echo-level compensation behaviour by swinging mustached bats on a pendulum towards a reflective surface. In such a situation, the bats lower the amplitude of their emitted pulses to maintain the amplitude of incoming echoes at a constant level as they approach a target. We report that cortical auditory neurons that encode target distance have receptive fields that are optimized for dealing with echo-level compensation. In most cortical delay-tuned neurons, the echo amplitude eliciting the maximum response matches the echo amplitudes measured from the bats' biosonar vocalizations while they are swung in a pendulum. In addition, neurons tuned to short target distances are maximally responsive to low pulse amplitudes while neurons tuned to long target distances respond maximally to high pulse amplitudes. Our results suggest that bats dynamically adjust biosonar pulse amplitude to match the encoding of target range and to keep the amplitude of the returning echo within the bounds of the cortical map of echo delays. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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

Sueyoshi, Eijun, E-mail: EijunSueyoshi@aol.com; Sakamoto, Ichiro; Okimoto, Tomoaki

Amyloidosis is a rare systemic disease. However, involvement of the heart is a common finding and is the most frequent cause of death in amyloidosis. We report the sonographic, scintigraphic, and MRI features of a pathologically proven case of cardiac amyloidosis. Delayed contrast-enhanced MR images, using an inversion recovery prepped gradient-echo sequence, revealed diffuse enhancement in the wall of both left and right ventricles. This enhancement suggested expansion of the extracellular space of the myocardium caused by diffuse myocardial necrosis secondary to deposition of amyloid.

Strategies to minimize sedation in pediatric body magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Jaimes, Camilo; Gee, Michael S

2016-05-01

The high soft-tissue contrast of MRI and the absence of ionizing radiation make it a valuable tool for assessment of body pathology in children. Infants and young children are often unable to cooperate with awake MRI so sedation or general anesthesia might be required. However, given recent data on the costs and potential risks of anesthesia in young children, there is a need to try to decrease or avoid sedation in this population when possible. Child life specialists in radiology frequently use behavioral techniques and audiovisual support devices, and they practice with children and families using mock scanners to improve child compliance with MRI. Optimization of the MR scanner environment is also important to create a child-friendly space. If the child can remain inside the MRI scanner, a variety of emerging techniques can reduce the effect of involuntary motion. Using sequences with short acquisition times such as single-shot fast spin echo and volumetric gradient echo can decrease artifacts and improve image quality. Breath-holding, respiratory triggering and signal averaging all reduce respiratory motion. Emerging techniques such as radial and multislice k-space acquisition, navigator motion correction, as well as parallel imaging and compressed sensing reconstruction methods can further accelerate acquisition and decrease motion. Collaboration among radiologists, anesthesiologists, technologists, child life specialists and families is crucial for successful performance of MRI in young children.

Accelerated self-gated UTE MRI of the murine heart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motaal, Abdallah G.; Noorman, Nils; De Graaf, Wolter L.; Florack, Luc J.; Nicolay, Klaas; Strijkers, Gustav J.

2014-03-01

We introduce a new protocol to obtain radial Ultra-Short TE (UTE) MRI Cine of the beating mouse heart within reasonable measurement time. The method is based on a self-gated UTE with golden angle radial acquisition and compressed sensing reconstruction. The stochastic nature of the retrospective triggering acquisition scheme produces an under-sampled and random kt-space filling that allows for compressed sensing reconstruction, hence reducing scan time. As a standard, an intragate multislice FLASH sequence with an acquisition time of 4.5 min per slice was used to produce standard Cine movies of 4 mice hearts with 15 frames per cardiac cycle. The proposed self-gated sequence is used to produce Cine movies with short echo time. The total scan time was 11 min per slice. 6 slices were planned to cover the heart from the base to the apex. 2X, 4X and 6X under-sampled k-spaces cine movies were produced from 2, 1 and 0.7 min data acquisitions for each slice. The accelerated cine movies of the mouse hearts were successfully reconstructed with a compressed sensing algorithm. Compared to the FLASH cine images, the UTE images showed much less flow artifacts due to the short echo time. Besides, the accelerated movies had high image quality and the undersampling artifacts were effectively removed. Left ventricular functional parameters derived from the standard and the accelerated cine movies were nearly identical.

Distortion correction for diffusion-weighted MRI tractography and fMRI in the temporal lobes.

PubMed

Embleton, Karl V; Haroon, Hamied A; Morris, David M; Ralph, Matthew A Lambon; Parker, Geoff J M

2010-10-01

Single shot echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences are currently the most commonly used sequences for diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they allow relatively high signal to noise with rapid acquisition time. A major drawback of EPI is the substantial geometric distortion and signal loss that can occur due to magnetic field inhomogeneities close to air-tissue boundaries. If DWI-based tractography and fMRI are to be applied to these regions, then the distortions must be accurately corrected to achieve meaningful results. We describe robust acquisition and processing methods for correcting such distortions in spin echo (SE) EPI using a variant of the reversed direction k space traversal method with a number of novel additions. We demonstrate that dual direction k space traversal with maintained diffusion-encoding gradient strength and direction results in correction of the great majority of eddy current-associated distortions in DWI, in addition to those created by variations in magnetic susceptibility. We also provide examples to demonstrate that the presence of severe distortions cannot be ignored if meaningful tractography results are desired. The distortion correction routine was applied to SE-EPI fMRI acquisitions and allowed detection of activation in the temporal lobe that had been previously found using PET but not conventional fMRI. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Echo scintillation Index affected by cat-eye target's caliber with Cassegrain lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Cong-miao; Sun, Hua-yan; Zhao, Yan-zhong; Zheng, Yong-hui

2015-10-01

The optical aperture of cat-eye target has the aperture averaging effect to the active detecting laser of active laser detection system, which can be used to identify optical targets. The echo scintillation characteristics of the transmission-type lens target have been studied in previous work. Discussing the differences of the echo scintillation characteristics between the transmission-type lens target and Cassegrain lens target can be helpful to targets classified. In this paper, the echo scintillation characteristics of Cat-eye target's caliber with Cassegrain lens has been discussed . By using the flashing theory of spherical wave in the weak atmospheric turbulence, the annular aperture filter function and the Kolmogorov power spectrum, the analytic expression of the scintillation index of the cat-eye target echo of the horizontal path two-way transmission was given when the light is normal incidence. Then the impact of turbulence inner and outer scale to the echo scintillation index and the analytic expression of the echo scintillation index at the receiving aperture were presented using the modified Hill spectrum and the modified Von Karman spectrum. Echo scintillation index shows the tendency of decreasing with the target aperture increases and different ratios of the inner and outer aperture diameter show the different echo scintillation index curves. This conclusion has a certain significance for target recognition in the active laser detection system that can largely determine the target type by largely determining the scope of the cat-eye target which depending on echo scintillation index.

Potential roles of force cues in human stance control.

PubMed

Cnyrim, Christian; Mergner, Thomas; Maurer, Christoph

2009-04-01

Human stance is inherently unstable. A small deviation from upright body orientation is enough to yield a gravitational component in the ankle joint torque, which tends to accelerate the body further away from upright ('gravitational torque'; magnitude is related to body-space lean angle). Therefore, to maintain a given body lean position, a corresponding compensatory torque must be generated. It is well known that subjects use kinematic sensory information on body-space lean from the vestibular system for this purpose. Less is known about kinetic cues from force/torque receptors. Previous work indicated that they are involved in compensating external contact forces such as a pull or push having impact on the body. In this study, we hypothesized that they play, in addition, a role when the vestibular estimate of the gravitational torque becomes erroneous. Reasons may be sudden changes in body mass, for instance by a load, or an impairment of the vestibular system. To test this hypothesis, we mimicked load effects on the gravitational torque in normal subjects and in patients with chronic bilateral vestibular loss (VL) with eyes closed. We added/subtracted extra torque to the gravitational torque by applying an external contact force (via cable winches and a body harness). The extra torque was referenced to body-space lean, using different proportionality factors. We investigated how it affected body-space lean responses that we evoked using sinusoidal tilts of the support surface (motion platform) with different amplitudes and frequencies (normals +/-1 degrees, +/-2 degrees, and +/-4 degrees at 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 Hz; patients +/-1 degrees and +/-2 degrees at 0.05 and 0.1 Hz). We found that added/subtracted extra torque scales the lean response in a systematic way, leading to increase/decrease in lean excursion. Expressing the responses in terms of gain and phase curves, we compared the experimental findings to predictions obtained from a recently published sensory feedback model. For the trials in which the extra torque tended to endanger stance control, predictions in normals were better when the model included force cues than without these cues. This supports our notion that force cues provide an automatic 'gravitational load compensation' upon changes in body mass in normals. The findings in the patients support our notion that the presumed force cue mechanism provides furthermore vestibular loss compensation. Patients showed a body-space stabilization that cannot be explained by ankle angle proprioception, but must involve graviception, most likely by force cues. Our findings suggest that force cues contribute considerably to the redundancy and robustness of the human stance control system.

Echo decorrelation imaging of ex vivo HIFU and bulk ultrasound ablation using image-treat arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fosnight, Tyler R.; Hooi, Fong Ming; Colbert, Sadie B.; Keil, Ryan D.; Barthe, Peter G.; Mast, T. Douglas

2017-03-01

In this study, the ability of ultrasound echo decorrelation imaging to map and predict heat-induced cell death was tested using bulk ultrasound thermal ablation, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) thermal ablation, and pulse-echo imaging of ex vivo liver tissue by a custom image-treat array. Tissue was sonicated at 5.0 MHz using either pulses of unfocused ultrasound (N=12) (7.5 s, 50.9-101.8 W/cm2 in situ spatial-peak, temporal-peak intensity) for bulk ablation or focused ultrasound (N=21) (1 s, 284-769 W/cm2 in situ spatial-peak, temporal-peak intensity and focus depth of 10 mm) for HIFU ablation. Echo decorrelation and integrated backscatter (IBS) maps were formed from radiofrequency pulse-echo images captured at 118 frames per second during 5.0 s rest periods, beginning 1.1 s after each sonication pulse. Tissue samples were frozen at -80˚C, sectioned, vitally stained, imaged, and semi-automatically segmented for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. ROC curves were constructed to assess prediction performance for echo decorrelation and IBS. Logarithmically scaled mean echo decorrelation in non-ablated and ablated tissue regions before and after electronic noise and motion correction were compared. Ablation prediction by echo decorrelation and IBS was significant for both focused and bulk ultrasound ablation. The log10-scaled mean echo decorrelation was significantly greater in regions of ablation for both HIFU and bulk ultrasound ablation. Echo decorrelation due to electronic noise and motion was significantly reduced by correction. These results suggest that ultrasound echo decorrelation imaging is a promising approach for real-time prediction of heat-induced cell death for guidance and monitoring of clinical thermal ablation, including radiofrequency ablation and HIFU.

Expanding Access to HCV Treatment - Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Project: Disruptive Innovation in Specialty Care

PubMed Central

Arora, Sanjeev; Kalishman, Summers; Thornton, Karla; Dion, Denise; Murata, Glen; Deming, Paulina; Parish, Brooke; Brown, John; Komaromy, Miriam; Colleran, Kathleen; Bankhurst, Arthur; Katzman, Joanna; Harkins, Michelle; Curet, Luis; Cosgrove, Ellen; Pak, Wesley

2013-01-01

The Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Model was developed by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC) as a platform to deliver complex specialty medical care to underserved populations through an innovative educational model of team-based inter-disciplinary development. Using state-of-the-art telehealth technology, best practice protocols, and case based learning, ECHO trains and supports primary care providers to develop knowledge and self-efficacy on a variety of diseases. As a result, they can deliver best practice care for complex health conditions in communities where specialty care is unavailable. ECHO was first developed for the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV), optimal management of which requires consultation with multi-disciplinary experts in medical specialties, mental health and substance abuse. Few practitioners, particularly in rural and underserved areas, have the knowledge to manage its emerging treatment options, side effects, drug toxicities and treatment-induced depression. In addition data was obtained from observation of ECHO weekly clinics and database of ECHO clinic participation and patient presentations by clinical provider, evaluation of the ECHO program incorporates annual survey integrated into the ECHO annual meeting and routine surveys of community providers about workplace learning, personal and professional experiences, systems and environmental factors associated with professional practice, self-efficacy, facilitators and barriers to ECHO. The initial survey data show a significant improvement in provider knowledge, self-efficacy and professional satisfaction through participation in ECHO HCV clinics. Clinicians reported a moderate to major benefit from participation. We conclude that ECHO expands access to best practice care for underserved populations, builds communities of practice to enhance professional development and satisfaction of primary care clinicians, and expands sustainable capacity for care by building local centers of excellence. PMID:20607688

Mock ECHO: A Simulation-Based Medical Education Method.

PubMed

Fowler, Rebecca C; Katzman, Joanna G; Comerci, George D; Shelley, Brian M; Duhigg, Daniel; Olivas, Cynthia; Arnold, Thomas; Kalishman, Summers; Monnette, Rebecca; Arora, Sanjeev

2018-04-16

This study was designed to develop a deeper understanding of the learning and social processes that take place during the simulation-based medical education for practicing providers as part of the Project ECHO® model, known as Mock ECHO training. The ECHO model is utilized to expand access to care of common and complex diseases by supporting the education of primary care providers with an interprofessional team of specialists via videoconferencing networks. Mock ECHO trainings are conducted through a train the trainer model targeted at leaders replicating the ECHO model at their organizations. Trainers conduct simulated teleECHO clinics while participants gain skills to improve communication and self-efficacy. Three focus groups, conducted between May 2015 and January 2016 with a total of 26 participants, were deductively analyzed to identify common themes related to simulation-based medical education and interdisciplinary education. Principal themes generated from the analysis included (a) the role of empathy in community development, (b) the value of training tools as guides for learning, (c) Mock ECHO design components to optimize learning, (d) the role of interdisciplinary education to build community and improve care delivery, (e) improving care integration through collaboration, and (f) development of soft skills to facilitate learning. Mock ECHO trainings offer clinicians the freedom to learn in a noncritical environment while emphasizing real-time multidirectional feedback and encouraging knowledge and skill transfer. The success of the ECHO model depends on training interprofessional healthcare providers in behaviors needed to lead a teleECHO clinic and to collaborate in the educational process. While building a community of practice, Mock ECHO provides a safe opportunity for a diverse group of clinician experts to practice learned skills and receive feedback from coparticipants and facilitators.

Evaluation of diffusivity in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland: 3D turbo field echo with diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium preparation.

PubMed

Hiwatashi, A; Yoshiura, T; Togao, O; Yamashita, K; Kikuchi, K; Kobayashi, K; Ohga, M; Sonoda, S; Honda, H; Obara, M

2014-01-01

3D turbo field echo with diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium preparation is a non-echo-planar technique for DWI, which enables high-resolution DWI without field inhomogeneity-related image distortion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo in evaluating diffusivity in the normal pituitary gland. First, validation of diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo was attempted by comparing it with echo-planar DWI. Five healthy volunteers were imaged by using diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo and echo-planar DWI. The imaging voxel size was 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 mm(3) for diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo and 1.5 × 1.9 × 3.0 mm(3) for echo-planar DWI. ADCs measured by the 2 methods in 15 regions of interests (6 in gray matter and 9 in white matter) were compared by using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The ADC in the pituitary anterior lobe was then measured in 10 volunteers by using diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo, and the results were compared with those in the pons and vermis by using a paired t test. The ADCs from the 2 methods showed a strong correlation (r = 0.79; P < .0001), confirming the accuracy of the ADC measurement with the diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium sequence. The ADCs in the normal pituitary gland were 1.37 ± 0.13 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s, which were significantly higher than those in the pons (1.01 ± 0.24 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) and the vermis (0.89 ± 0.25 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s, P < .01). We demonstrated that diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo is feasible in assessing ADC in the pituitary gland.

Clinical and Financial Impact of Ordering an Echocardiogram in Children with Left Axis Deviation on Their Electrocardiogram.

PubMed

Ravi, Prasad; Ashwath, Ravi; Strainic, James; Li, Hong; Steinberg, Jon; Snyder, Christopher

2016-01-01

Left axis deviation (LAD) on the electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with congenital heart disease (CHD), prompting the clinician to order further testing when evaluating a patient with this finding. The purpose is to (1) compare the physical examination (PE) by a pediatric cardiologist to echocardiogram (ECHO) findings in patients with LAD on resting ECG and (2) assess cost of performing ECHO on all patients with LAD on ECG. An IRB approved, retrospective cohort study was performed on patients with LAD (QRS axis ≥0° to -90°) on ECG between 01/02 and 12/12. age >0.25 and <18 years, non-postoperative, and PE and ECHO by pediatric cardiologist. A decision tree model analyzed cost of ECHO in patients with LAD and normal/abnormal PE. Cost of complete ECHO ($239.00) was obtained from 2014 Medicare reimbursement rates. A total of 146 patients met inclusion criteria with 46.5% (68) having normal PE and ECHO, 1.4% (2) having normal PE and abnormal ECHO, 47.3% (69) having abnormal PE and ECHO, and 4.8% (7) having an abnormal PE and normal ECHO. Sensitivity and specificity of PE for detecting abnormalities in this population was 97% and 90%. Positive and negative predictive value of PE was 91% and 97.5%. In patients with normal PE, the cost to identify an ECHO abnormality was $8365, and $263 for those with abnormal PE. In presence of LAD on ECG, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of PE by a pediatric cardiologist are excellent at identifying CHD. Performing an ECHO on patients with LAD on ECG is only cost effective in the presence of an abnormal PE. In the presence of normal PE, there is a possibility of missing incidental structural cardiac disease in approximately 2% if an ECHO is not performed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Backscattering of sound from targets in an Airy caustic formed by a curved reflecting surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzikowicz, Benjamin Robert

The focusing of a caustic associated with the reflection of a locally curved sea floor or surface affects the scattering of sound by underwater targets. The most elementary caustic formed when sound reflects off a naturally curved surface is an Airy caustic. The case of a spherical target is examined here. With a point source acting also as a receiver, a point target lying in a shadow region returns only one echo directly from the target. When the target is on the Airy caustic, there are two echoes: one path is directly to the target and the other focuses off the curved surface. Echoes may be focused in both directions, the doubly focused case being the largest and the latest echo. With the target in the lit region, these different paths produce multiple echoes. For a finite sized sphere near an Airy caustic, all these echoes are manifest, but they occur at shifted target positions. Echoes of tone bursts reflecting only once overlap and interfere with each other, as do those reflecting twice. Catastrophe theory is used to analyze the echo amplitudes arising from these overlaps. The echo pressure for single reflections is shown to have a dependence on target position described by an Airy function for both a point and a finite target. With double focusing, this dependence is the square of an Airy function for a point target. With a finite sized target, (as in the experiment) this becomes a hyperbolic umbilic catastrophe integral with symmetric arguments. The arguments of each of these functions are derived from only the relative echo times of a transient pulse. Transient echo times are calculated using a numerical ray finding technique. Experiment confirms the predicted merging of transient echoes in the time domain, as well as the Airy and hyperbolic umbilic diffraction integral amplitudes for a tone burst. This method allows targets to be observed at greater distances in the presence of a focusing surface.

Origin of refractive index fluctuations in the mesosphere as opposed to the stratosphere and troposphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rottger, J.

1983-01-01

Mesospheric echoes are strongly influenced by the electron density profile of the ionospheric D region. These echoes therefore are only observed during daylight hours or high energy particle precipitation. The turbulence occurs in layers, which often confines the radar echoes to rather thin regions of several 100 m vertical extent, although layers as thick as several kilometers are also observed. Evaluable echoes are not observed through the entire altitude region of the mesosphere for the given power aperture product. The echoes indicate temporal variation.

Diffusion measurement from observed transverse beam echoes

DOE PAGES

Sen, Tanaji; Fischer, Wolfram

2017-01-09

For this research, we study the measurement of transverse diffusion through beam echoes. We revisit earlier observations of echoes in RHIC and apply an updated theoretical model to these measurements. We consider three possible models for the diffusion coefficient and show that only one is consistent with measured echo amplitudes and pulse widths. This model allows us to parameterize the diffusion coefficients as functions of bunch charge. We demonstrate that echoes can be used to measure diffusion much quicker than present methods and could be useful to a variety of hadron synchrotrons.

Funding and Strategic Alignment Guidance for Infusing Small Business Innovation Research Technology Into Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate Projects for 2016

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hung D.; Steele, Gynelle C.

2017-01-01

This report is intended to help NASA program and project managers incorporate Small Business Innovation Research Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) technologies into NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) projects. Other Government and commercial projects managers can also find this useful. Space Transportation; Life Support and Habitation Systems; Extra-Vehicular Activity; High EfficiencySpace Power; Human Exploration and Operations Mission,

18 CFR Appendix A to Part 2 - Guidance for Determining the Acceptable Construction Area for Replacements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

.... Typical work spaces are: Item Typical extra area (width/length) Two lane road (bored) 25-50 by 100 feet. Four lane road (bored) 50 by 100 feet. Major river (wet cut) 100 by 200 feet. Intermediate stream (wet...

Multi-operational tuneable Q-switched mode-locking Er fibre laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qamar, F. Z.

2018-01-01

A wavelength-spacing tuneable, Q-switched mode-locking (QML) erbium-doped fibre laser based on non-linear polarization rotation controlled by four waveplates and a cube polarizer is proposed. A mode-locked pulse train using two quarter-wave plates and a half-wave plate (HWP) is obtained first, and then an extra HWP is inserted into the cavity to produce different operation regimes. The evolutions of temporal and spectral dynamics with different orientation angles of the extra HWP are investigated. A fully modulated stable QML pulse train is observed experimentally. This is, to the author’s best knowledge, the first experimental work reporting QML operation without adding an extra saturable absorber inside the laser cavity. Multi-wavelength pulse laser operation, multi-pulse train continuous-wave mode-locking operation and pulse-splitting operations are also reported at certain HWP angles. The observed operational dynamics are interpreted as a mutual interaction of dispersion, non-linear effect and insertion loss. This work provides a new mechanism for fabricating cheap tuneable multi-wavelength lasers with QML pulses.

Can The Periods of Some Extra-Solar Planetary Systems be Quantized?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Fady Morcos, Abd

A simple formula was derived before by Morcos (2013 ), to relate the quantum numbers of planetary systems and their periods. This formula is applicable perfectly for the solar system planets, and some extra-solar planets , of stars of approximately the same masses like the Sun. This formula has been used to estimate the periods of some extra-solar planet of known quantum numbers. The used quantum numbers were calculated previously by other authors. A comparison between the observed and estimated periods, from the given formula has been done. The differences between the observed and calculated periods for the extra-solar systems have been calculated and tabulated. It is found that there is an error of the range of 10% The same formula has been also used to find the quantum numbers, of some known periods, exo-planet. Keywords: Quantization; Periods; Extra-Planetary; Extra-Solar Planet REFERENCES [1] Agnese, A. G. and Festa, R. “Discretization on the Cosmic Scale Inspirred from the Old Quantum Mechanics,” 1998. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9807186 [2] Agnese, A. G. and Festa, R. “Discretizing ups-Andro- medae Planetary System,” 1999. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9910534. [3] Barnothy, J. M. “The Stability of the Solar Systemand of Small Stellar Systems,” Proceedings of the IAU Sympo-sium 62, Warsaw, 5-8 September 1973, pp. 23-31. [4] Morcos, A.B. , “Confrontation between Quantized Periods of Some Extra-Solar Planetary Systems and Observations”, International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2013, 3, 28-32. [5] Nottale, L. “Fractal Space-Time and Microphysics, To-wards a Theory of Scale Relativity,” World Scientific, London, 1994. [6] Nottale , L., “Scale-Relativity and Quantization of Extra- Solar Planetary Systems,” Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 315, 1996, pp. L9-L12 [7] Nottale, L., Schumacher, G. and Gay, J. “Scale-Relativity and Quantization of the Solar Systems,” Astronomy & Astrophysics letters, Vol. 322, 1997, pp. 1018-10 [8]Nottale, L. “Scale-Relativity and Quantization of Exo- planet Orbital Semi-Major Axes,” Astronomy & Astro- physics, Vol. 361, 2000, pp. 379-387.

TU-H-CAMPUS-IeP2-01: Quantitative Evaluation of PROPELLER DWI Using QIBA Diffusion Phantom

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

Yung, J; Ai, H; Liu, H

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the quantitative variability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values when varying imaging parameters in a diffusion-weighted (DW) fast spin echo (FSE) sequence with Periodically Rotated Overlapping ParallEL Lines with Enhanced Reconstruction (PROPELLER) k-space trajectory. Methods: Using a 3T MRI scanner, a NIST traceable, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion phantom (High Precision Devices, Inc, Boulder, Colorado) consisting of 13 vials filled with various concentrations of polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in aqueous solution was imaged with a standard Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) DWI spin echo, echo planar imaging (SE EPI) acquisition. Themore » same phantom was then imaged with a DWI PROPELLER sequence at varying echo train lengths (ETL) of 8, 20, and 32, as well as b-values of 400, 900, and 2000. QIBA DWI phantom analysis software was used to generate ADC maps and create region of interests (ROIs) for quantitative measurements of each vial. Mean and standard deviations of the ROIs were compared. Results: The SE EPI sequence generated ADC values that showed very good agreement with the known ADC values of the phantom (r2 = 0.9995, slope = 1.0061). The ADC values measured from the PROPELLER sequences were inflated, but were highly correlated with an r2 range from 0.8754 to 0.9880. The PROPELLER sequence with an ETL=20 and b-value of 0 and 2000 showed the closest agreement (r2 = 0.9034, slope = 0.9880). Conclusion: The DW PROPELLER sequence is promising for quantitative evaluation of ADC values. A drawback of the PROPELLER sequence is the longer acquisition time. The 180° refocusing pulses may also cause the observed increase in ADC values compared to the standard SE EPI DW sequence. However, the FSE sequence offers an advantage with in-plane motion and geometric distortion which will be investigated in future studies.« less

Investigation of transverse oscillation method.

PubMed

Udesen, Jesper; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2006-05-01

Conventional ultrasound scanners can display only the axial component of the blood velocity vector, which is a significant limitation when vessels nearly parallel to the skin surface are scanned. The transverse oscillation (TO) method overcomes this limitation by introducing a TO and an axial oscillation in the pulse echo field. The theory behind the creation of the double oscillation pulse echo field is explained as well as the theory behind the estimation of the vector velocity. A parameter study of the method is performed, using the ultrasound simulation program Field II. A virtual linear-array transducer with center frequency 7 MHz and 128 active elements is created, and a virtual blood vessel of radius 6.4 mm is simulated. The performance of the TO method is found around an initial point in the parameter space. The parameters varied are: flow angle, transmit focus depth, receive apodization, pulse length, transverse wave length, number of emissions, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and type of echo-canceling filter used. Using an experimental scanner, the performance of the TO method is evaluated. An experimental flowrig is used to create laminar parabolic flow in a blood mimicking fluid, and the fluid is scanned under different flow-to-beam angles. The relative standard deviation on the transverse velocity estimate is found to be less than 10% for all angles between 50 degrees and 90 degrees. Furthermore, the TO method is evaluated in the flowrig using pulsatile flow, which resembles the flow in the femoral artery. The estimated volume flow as a function of time is compared to the volume flow derived from a conventional axial method at a flow-to-beam angle of 60 degrees. It is found that the method is highly sensitive to the angle between the flow and the beam direction. Also, the choice of echo canceling filter affects the performance significantly.

The occurrence of convective systems with a bow echo in warm season in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celiński-Mysław, Daniel; Palarz, Angelika

2017-09-01

The characteristics of occurrence of convective systems with a bow echo in Poland in the warm season between 2007 and 2014 were presented. Using the identification criteria proposed by Fujita (1978), Burke and Schultz (2004), Klimowski et al. (2000, 2004), and supplemented by Gatzen (2013), 91 bow echo cases were identified in the analysed period. Depending on the year, the maximum number of cases usually occurred in July or August. From the multi-annual perspective, 28 and 30 cases occurred in those months. The diurnal variation of bow echo occurrences showed that it developed, or entered the Polish territory, usually between the hours of 13:00 UTC and 21:00 UTC, while it disappeared or receded beyond the country border in the hours between 15:00 UTC and 23:00 UTC. The areas most exposed to the occurrence of bow echo included the northern part of Lubuskie and Wielkopolska provinces, the southern part of West Pomerania province, Łódź province and Silesia province. In the period studied, the south-western direction of movement of convective systems with a bow echo was prevalent. This direction changed, however, depending on the region and the month of occurrence. The type and development mode of a bow echo, as well as synoptic conditions conducive to its occurrence were defined for selected cases. The results showed that BECs (bow-echo complex) and BEs (classic bow echo) were the predominant types (respectively 43 and 29 cases). Bow echoes developed most frequently from a squall line, or from a combination of a few, often weakly organized convective cells.

Addressing Phase Errors in Fat-Water Imaging Using a Mixed Magnitude/Complex Fitting Method

PubMed Central

Hernando, D.; Hines, C. D. G.; Yu, H.; Reeder, S.B.

2012-01-01

Accurate, noninvasive measurements of liver fat content are needed for the early diagnosis and quantitative staging of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Chemical shift-based fat quantification methods acquire images at multiple echo times using a multiecho spoiled gradient echo sequence, and provide fat fraction measurements through postprocessing. However, phase errors, such as those caused by eddy currents, can adversely affect fat quantification. These phase errors are typically most significant at the first echo of the echo train, and introduce bias in complex-based fat quantification techniques. These errors can be overcome using a magnitude-based technique (where the phase of all echoes is discarded), but at the cost of significantly degraded signal-to-noise ratio, particularly for certain choices of echo time combinations. In this work, we develop a reconstruction method that overcomes these phase errors without the signal-to-noise ratio penalty incurred by magnitude fitting. This method discards the phase of the first echo (which is often corrupted) while maintaining the phase of the remaining echoes (where phase is unaltered). We test the proposed method on 104 patient liver datasets (from 52 patients, each scanned twice), where the fat fraction measurements are compared to coregistered spectroscopy measurements. We demonstrate that mixed fitting is able to provide accurate fat fraction measurements with high signal-to-noise ratio and low bias over a wide choice of echo combinations. PMID:21713978

KSC-08pd3602

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-08

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a backdrop, this Castrol Aviator EXTRA 300SHP stunt plane, an unlimited-level aerobatic two-seat monoplane, performs aerobatic maneuvers during the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space and Air Show held Nov. 8-9. This year’s show brought together the best in military aircraft, such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16 Fighting Falcon, coupled with precision pilots and veteran astronauts to celebrate spaceflight and aviation. The event included a water rescue demonstration by the 920th Rescue Wing. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

Hubble Space Telescope - Scientific, Technological and Social Contributions to the Public Discourse on Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiseman, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope has unified the world with a sense of awe and wonder for 2 I years and is currently more scientifically powerful than ever. I will present highlights of discoveries made with the Hubble Space Telescope, including details of planetary weather, star formation, extra-solar planets, colliding galaxies, and a universe expanding with the acceleration of dark energy. I will also present the unique technical challenges and triumphs of this phenomenal observatory, and discuss how our discoveries in the cosmos affect our sense of human unity, significance, and wonder.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): The First Light Machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, Philip

2009-01-01

This slide presentation review the mission objective, the organization of the mission planning, the design, and testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). There is also information about the orbit, in comparison to the Hubble Space Telescope, the mirror design, and the science instruments. Pictures of the full scale mockup of the JWST are given. A brief history of the universe is also presented from the big bang through the formation of galaxies, and the planets, to life itself. One of the goals of the JWST is to search for extra solar planets and then to search for signs of life.

Image domain propeller fast spin echo.

PubMed

Skare, Stefan; Holdsworth, Samantha J; Lilja, Anders; Bammer, Roland

2013-04-01

A new pulse sequence for high-resolution T2-weighted (T2-w) imaging is proposed - image domain propeller fast spin echo (iProp-FSE). Similar to the T2-w PROPELLER sequence, iProp-FSE acquires data in a segmented fashion, as blades that are acquired in multiple TRs. However, the iProp-FSE blades are formed in the image domain instead of in the k-space domain. Each iProp-FSE blade resembles a single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) sequence with a very narrow phase-encoding field of view (FOV), after which N rotated blade replicas yield the final full circular FOV. Our method of combining the image domain blade data to a full FOV image is detailed, and optimal choices of phase-encoding FOVs and receiver bandwidths were evaluated on phantom and volunteers. The results suggest that a phase FOV of 15-20%, a receiver bandwidth of ±32-63 kHz and a subsequent readout time of about 300 ms provide a good tradeoff between signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency and T2 blurring. Comparisons between iProp-FSE, Cartesian FSE and PROPELLER were made on single-slice axial brain data, showing similar T2-w tissue contrast and SNR with great anatomical conspicuity at similar scan times - without colored noise or streaks from motion. A new slice interleaving order is also proposed to improve the multislice capabilities of iProp-FSE. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correction of geometric distortion in Propeller echo planar imaging using a modified reversed gradient approach

PubMed Central

Chang, Hing-Chiu; Chuang, Tzu-Chao; Wang, Fu-Nien; Huang, Teng-Yi; Chung, Hsiao-Wen

2013-01-01

Objective This study investigates the application of a modified reversed gradient algorithm to the Propeller-EPI imaging method (periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction based on echo-planar imaging readout) for corrections of geometric distortions due to the EPI readout. Materials and methods Propeller-EPI acquisition was executed with 360-degree rotational coverage of the k-space, from which the image pairs with opposite phase-encoding gradient polarities were extracted for reversed gradient geometric and intensity corrections. The spatial displacements obtained on a pixel-by-pixel basis were fitted using a two-dimensional polynomial followed by low-pass filtering to assure correction reliability in low-signal regions. Single-shot EPI images were obtained on a phantom, whereas high spatial resolution T2-weighted and diffusion tensor Propeller-EPI data were acquired in vivo from healthy subjects at 3.0 Tesla, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Results Phantom images show success of the smoothed displacement map concept in providing improvements of the geometric corrections at low-signal regions. Human brain images demonstrate prominently superior reconstruction quality of Propeller-EPI images with modified reversed gradient corrections as compared with those obtained without corrections, as evidenced from verification against the distortion-free fast spin-echo images at the same level. Conclusions The modified reversed gradient method is an effective approach to obtain high-resolution Propeller-EPI images with substantially reduced artifacts. PMID:23630654

Biosonar navigation above water I: estimating flight height.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Susanne; Genzel, Daria; Prosch, Selina; Baier, Leonie; Weser, Sabrina; Wiegrebe, Lutz; Firzlaff, Uwe

2015-02-15

Locomotion and foraging on the wing require precise navigation in more than just the horizontal plane. Navigation in three dimensions and, specifically, precise adjustment of flight height are essential for flying animals. Echolocating bats drink from water surfaces in flight, which requires an exceptionally precise vertical navigation. Here, we exploit this behavior in the bat, Phyllostomus discolor, to understand the biophysical and neural mechanisms that allow for sonar-guided navigation in the vertical plane. In a set of behavioral experiments, we show that for echolocating bats, adjustment of flight height depends on the tragus in their outer ears. Specifically, the tragus imposes elevation-specific spectral interference patterns on the echoes of the bats' sonar emissions. Head-related transfer functions of our bats show that these interference patterns are most conspicuous in the frequency range ∼55 kHz. This conspicuousness is faithfully preserved in the frequency tuning and spatial receptive fields of cortical single and multiunits recorded from anesthetized animals. In addition, we recorded vertical spatiotemporal response maps that describe neural tuning in elevation over time. One class of units that were very sharply tuned to frequencies ∼55 kHz showed unusual spatiotemporal response characteristics with a preference for paired echoes where especially the first echo originates from very low elevations. These behavioral and neural data provide the first insight into biosonar-based processing and perception of acoustic elevation cues that are essential for bats to navigate in three-dimensional space. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

The Invasive Species Forecasting System: A Space-Based Decision Support Infrastructure for Managing Biological Invasions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Most, N. N.; Kendig, D.; Wichman, K.; Pollack, N.; Ilagan, A.; Morisette, J. T.; Pedelty, J. A.; Tilmes, C.; Smith, J. A.; Pfister, R.; Schnase, J. L.; Stohgren, T. J.; Crosier, C.; Graham, J.; Newman, G.; Kalkhan, M. A.; Reich, R.

2004-12-01

The spread of invasive species is one of the most daunting environmental, economic, and human-health problems facing the United States and the World today. It is one of several grand challenge environmental problems being addressed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a national application partnership with the US Geological Survey. NASA and USGS are working together to develop a National Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) for the management and control of invasive species on Department of Interior and adjacent lands. As part of this effort, we are using NASA's EOS Clearing House (ECHO) framework to create an Invasive Species Data Service (ISDS). The ISDS will be a networked service that integrates a suite of NASA remote sensing data providers with the ecological field data resources of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII). Aggregated ISDS data will feed directly into ISFS analysis routines to produce landscape-scale predictive maps of species distributions. ISDS and the ECHO framework thus provide an efficient interface between existing NASA data systems and decision support systems that are the province of federal agencies and other national organizations. The effort significantly broadens the use of NASA data in managing the Nation's invasive species threat. In this talk, we will describe the NASA/USGS invasive species partnership, provide an overview of the Invasive Species Forecasting System, and show how we are using ECHO technologies as the middle-ware framework for a comprehensive Invasive Species Data Service.

Forward-masking based gain control in odontocete biosonar: an evoked-potential study.

PubMed

Supin, Alexander Ya; Nachtigall, Paul E; Breese, Marlee

2009-04-01

Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded during echolocation in a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens. An electronically synthesized and played-back ("phantom") echo was used. Each electronic echo was triggered by an emitted biosonar pulse. The echo had a spectrum similar to that of the emitted biosonar clicks, and its intensity was proportional to that of the emitted click. The attenuation of the echo relative to the emitted click and its delay was controlled by the experimenter. Four combinations of echo attenuation and delay were tested (-31 dB, 2 ms), (-40 dB, 4 ms), (-49 dB, 8 ms), and (-58 dB, 16 ms); thus, attenuation and delay were associated with a rate of 9 dB of increased attenuation per delay doubling. AEPs related to emitted clicks displayed a regular amplitude dependence on the click level. Echo-related AEPs did not feature amplitude dependence on echo attenuation or emitted click levels, except in a few combinations of the lowest values of these two variables. The results are explained by a hypothesis that partial forward masking of the echoes by the preceding emitted sonar pulses serves as a kind of automatic gain control in the auditory system of echolocating odontocetes.

Echo Decorrelation Imaging of Rabbit Liver and VX2 Tumor during In Vivo Ultrasound Ablation.

PubMed

Fosnight, Tyler R; Hooi, Fong Ming; Keil, Ryan D; Ross, Alexander P; Subramanian, Swetha; Akinyi, Teckla G; Killin, Jakob K; Barthe, Peter G; Rudich, Steven M; Ahmad, Syed A; Rao, Marepalli B; Mast, T Douglas

2017-01-01

In open surgical procedures, image-ablate ultrasound arrays performed thermal ablation and imaging on rabbit liver lobes with implanted VX2 tumor. Treatments included unfocused (bulk ultrasound ablation, N = 10) and focused (high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation, N = 13) exposure conditions. Echo decorrelation and integrated backscatter images were formed from pulse-echo data recorded during rest periods after each therapy pulse. Echo decorrelation images were corrected for artifacts using decorrelation measured prior to ablation. Ablation prediction performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results revealed significantly increased echo decorrelation and integrated backscatter in both ablated liver and ablated tumor relative to unablated tissue, with larger differences observed in liver than in tumor. For receiver operating characteristic curves computed from all ablation exposures, both echo decorrelation and integrated backscatter predicted liver and tumor ablation with statistically significant success, and echo decorrelation was significantly better as a predictor of liver ablation. These results indicate echo decorrelation imaging is a successful predictor of local thermal ablation in both normal liver and tumor tissue, with potential for real-time therapy monitoring. Copyright © 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website provides customizable and downloadable information about environmental inspections, violations, and enforcement actions for EPA-regulated facilities related to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. These data are updated weekly as part of the ECHO data refresh, and ECHO offers many user-friendly options to explore data, including:? Facility Search: ECHO information is searchable by varied criteria, including location, facility type, and compliance status. Search results are customizable and downloadable.? Comparative Maps and State Dashboards: These tools offer aggregated information about facility compliance status, regulatory agency compliance monitoring, and enforcement activity at the national and state level.? Bulk Data Downloads: One of ECHO??s most popular features is the ability to work offline by downloading large data sets. Users can take advantage of the ECHO Exporter, which provides summary information about each facility in comma-separated values (csv) file format, or download data sets by program as zip files.

X-ray Echo Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvyd'ko, Yuri

2016-02-01

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a counterpart of neutron spin echo, is being introduced here to overcome limitations in spectral resolution and weak signals of the traditional inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) probes. An image of a pointlike x-ray source is defocused by a dispersing system comprised of asymmetrically cut specially arranged Bragg diffracting crystals. The defocused image is refocused into a point (echo) in a time-reversal dispersing system. If the defocused beam is inelastically scattered from a sample, the echo signal acquires a spatial distribution, which is a map of the inelastic scattering spectrum. The spectral resolution of the echo spectroscopy does not rely on the monochromaticity of the x rays, ensuring strong signals along with a very high spectral resolution. Particular schemes of x-ray echo spectrometers for 0.1-0.02 meV ultrahigh-resolution IXS applications (resolving power >108 ) with broadband ≃5 - 13 meV dispersing systems are introduced featuring more than 103 signal enhancement. The technique is general, applicable in different photon frequency domains.

Method and Apparatus for Reading Two Dimensional Identification Symbols Using Radar Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, Harry F., Jr. (Inventor); Roxby, Donald L. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and apparatus are provided for sensing two-dimensional identification marks provided on a substrate or embedded within a substrate below a surface of the substrate. Micropower impulse radar is used to transmit a high risetime, short duration pulse to a focussed radar target area of the substrate having the two dimensional identification marks. The method further includes the steps of listening for radar echoes returned from the identification marks during a short listening period window occurring a predetermined time after transmission of the radar pulse. If radar echoes are detected, an image processing step is carried out. If no radar echoes are detected, the method further includes sequentially transmitting further high risetime, short duration pulses, and listening for radar echoes from each of said further pulses after different elapsed times for each of the further pulses until radar echoes are detected. When radar echoes are detected, data based on the detected echoes is processed to produce an image of the identification marks.

Adjusting resonant wavelengths and spectral shapes of ring resonators using a cladding SiN layer or KOH solution.

PubMed

Park, Sahnggi; Kim, Kap-Joong; Lee, Jong-Moo; Kim, In-Gyoo; Kim, Gyungock

2009-07-06

It is shown that the resonant frequencies and the transmission spectra of ring resonators can be adjusted by depositing or etching the cladding nitride layer on the ring waveguide without introducing an extra loss or extra variations of channel spacing. The cladding nitride layer increases the minimum width of the gap in the coupling region to larger than 150nm which makes it possible to consider photolithography instead of E-beam lithography for the typical design rule of ring filters. KOH silicon etching can also adjust not only the resonance frequencies but also coupling coefficients with a small sacrifice of guiding loss.

[Tapia's syndrome following transesophageal echocardiography during an open-heart operation: a case report].

PubMed

Fujiwara, Satoru; Yoshimura, Hajime; Nishiya, Kenta; Oshima, Keiichi; Kawamoto, Michi; Kohara, Nobuo

2017-12-27

A 67-year-old man presented with hoarseness, dysarthria and deviation of the tongue to the left side the day after the open-heart operation under general anesthesia. Brain MRI demonstrated no causal lesion, and laryngoscope showed left vocal cord abductor palsy, so we diagnosed him with Tapia's syndrome (i.e., concomitant paralysis of the left recurrent and hypoglossal nerve). His neurological symptoms recovered gradually and improved completely four months after the onset. Tapia's syndrome is a rare condition caused by the extra cranial lesion of the recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus nerve and the hypoglossal nerve, and mostly described as a complication of tracheal intubation. In this case, transesophageal echo probe has been held in the left side of the pharynx, so compression to the posterior wall of pharynx by the probe resulted in this condition, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Tapia's syndrome due to transesophageal echocardiography during an open-heart operation. This rare syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnosis of dysarthria and tongue deviation after a procedure associated with compression to the pharynx.

Frequency-selective quantitation of short-echo time 1H magnetic resonance spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poullet, Jean-Baptiste; Sima, Diana M.; Van Huffel, Sabine; Van Hecke, Paul

2007-06-01

Accurate and efficient filtering techniques are required to suppress large nuisance components present in short-echo time magnetic resonance (MR) spectra. This paper discusses two powerful filtering techniques used in long-echo time MR spectral quantitation, the maximum-phase FIR filter (MP-FIR) and the Hankel-Lanczos Singular Value Decomposition with Partial ReOrthogonalization (HLSVD-PRO), and shows that they can be applied to their more complex short-echo time spectral counterparts. Both filters are validated and compared through extensive simulations. Their properties are discussed. In particular, the capability of MP-FIR for dealing with macromolecular components is emphasized. Although this property does not make a large difference for long-echo time MR spectra, it can be important when quantifying short-echo time spectra.

An investigation of multi-rate sound decay under strongly non-diffuse conditions: The crypt of the Cathedral of Cadiz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martellotta, Francesco; Álvarez-Morales, Lidia; Girón, Sara; Zamarreño, Teófilo

2018-05-01

Multi-rate sound decays are often found and studied in complex systems of coupled volumes where diffuse field conditions generally apply, although the openings connecting different sub-spaces are by themselves potential causes of non-diffuse behaviour. However, in presence of spaces in which curved surfaces clearly prevent diffuse field behaviour from being established, things become more complex and require more sophisticated tools (or, better, combinations of them) to be fully understood. As an example of such complexity, the crypt of the Cathedral of Cadiz is a relatively small space characterised by a central vaulted rotunda, with five radial galleries with flat and low ceiling. In addition, the crypt is connected to the main cathedral volume by means of several small openings. Acoustic measurements carried out in the crypt pointed out the existence of at least two decay processes combined, in some points, with flutter echoes. Application of conventional methods of analysis pointed out the existence of significant differences between early decay time and reverberation time, but was inconclusive in explaining the origin of the observed phenomena. The use of more robust Bayesian analysis permitted the conclusion that the late decay appearing in the crypt had a different rate than that observed in the cathedral, thus excluding the explanation based on acoustic coupling of different volumes. Finally, processing impulse responses collected by means of a B-format microphone to obtain directional intensity maps demonstrated that the late decay was originated from the rotunda where a repetitive reflection pattern appeared between the floor and the dome causing both flutter echoes and a longer reverberation time.

The development and optimisation of 3D black-blood R2* mapping of the carotid artery wall.

PubMed

Yuan, Jianmin; Graves, Martin J; Patterson, Andrew J; Priest, Andrew N; Ruetten, Pascal P R; Usman, Ammara; Gillard, Jonathan H

2017-12-01

To develop and optimise a 3D black-blood R 2 * mapping sequence for imaging the carotid artery wall, using optimal blood suppression and k-space view ordering. Two different blood suppression preparation methods were used; Delay Alternating with Nutation for Tailored Excitation (DANTE) and improved Motion Sensitive Driven Equilibrium (iMSDE) were each combined with a three-dimensional (3D) multi-echo Fast Spoiled GRadient echo (ME-FSPGR) readout. Three different k-space view-order designs: Radial Fan-beam Encoding Ordering (RFEO), Distance-Determined Encoding Ordering (DDEO) and Centric Phase Encoding Order (CPEO) were investigated. The sequences were evaluated through Bloch simulation and in a cohort of twenty volunteers. The vessel wall Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR) and R 2 *, and the sternocleidomastoid muscle R 2 * were measured and compared. Different numbers of acquisitions-per-shot (APS) were evaluated to further optimise the effectiveness of blood suppression. All sequences resulted in comparable R 2 * measurements to a conventional, i.e. non-blood suppressed sequence in the sternocleidomastoid muscle of the volunteers. Both Bloch simulations and volunteer data showed that DANTE has a higher signal intensity and results in a higher image SNR than iMSDE. Blood suppression efficiency was not significantly different when using different k-space view orders. Smaller APS achieved better blood suppression. The use of blood-suppression preparation methods does not affect the measurement of R 2 *. DANTE prepared ME-FSPGR sequence with a small number of acquisitions-per-shot can provide high quality black-blood R 2 * measurements of the carotid vessel wall. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast REDOR with CPMG multiple-echo acquisition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, Ivan; Gan, Zhehong

2014-01-01

Rotational-Echo Double Resonance (REDOR) is a widely used experiment for distance measurements in solids. The conventional REDOR experiment measures the signal dephasing from hetero-nuclear recoupling under magic-angle spinning (MAS) in a point by point manner. A modified Carr-Purcell Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) multiple-echo scheme is introduced for fast REDOR measurement. REDOR curves are measured from the CPMG echo amplitude modulation under dipolar recoupling. The real time CPMG-REDOR experiment can speed up the measurement by an order of magnitude. The effects from hetero-nuclear recoupling, the Bloch-Siegert shift and echo truncation to the signal acquisition are discussed and demonstrated.

Temporal signal processing of dolphin biosonar echoes from salmon prey.

PubMed

Au, Whitlow W L; Ou, Hui Helen

2014-08-01

Killer whales project short broadband biosonar clicks. The broadband nature of the clicks provides good temporal resolution of echo highlights and allows for the discriminations of salmon prey. The echoes contain many highlights as the signals reflect off different surfaces and parts of the fish body and swim bladder. The temporal characteristics of echoes from salmon are highly aspect dependent and six temporal parameters were used in a support vector machine to discriminate between species. Results suggest that killer whales can classify salmon based on their echoes and provide some insight as to which features might enable the classification.

Radar soundings of the ionosphere of Mars.

PubMed

Gurnett, D A; Kirchner, D L; Huff, R L; Morgan, D D; Persoon, A M; Averkamp, T F; Duru, F; Nielsen, E; Safaeinili, A; Plaut, J J; Picardi, G

2005-12-23

We report the first radar soundings of the ionosphere of Mars with the MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) instrument on board the orbiting Mars Express spacecraft. Several types of ionospheric echoes are observed, ranging from vertical echoes caused by specular reflection from the horizontally stratified ionosphere to a wide variety of oblique and diffuse echoes. The oblique echoes are believed to arise mainly from ionospheric structures associated with the complex crustal magnetic fields of Mars. Echoes at the electron plasma frequency and the cyclotron period also provide measurements of the local electron density and magnetic field strength.

SHARC: Space Habitat, Assembly and Repair Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colangelo, Todd; Hoetger, Debora; Kuo, Addison; Lo, Michael; Marcus, Leland; Tran, Philip; Tutt, Chris; Wassmuth, Chad; Wildgrube, Gregory

1992-01-01

Integrated Space Systems (ISS) has taken on the task of designing a Space Habitat, Assembly and Repair Center (SHARC) in Low Earth Orbit to meet the future needs of the space program. Our goal is to meet the general requirements given by the 1991/1992 AIAA/LORAL Team Space Design competition with an emphasis on minimizing the costs of such a design. A baseline structural configuration along with preliminary designs of the major subsystems was created. Our initial mission requirements, which were set by AIAA, were that the facility be able to: support simultaneous assembly of three major vehicles; conduct assembly operations and minimal extra vehicular activity (EVA); maintain orbit indefinitely; and assemble components 30 feet long with a 10 foot diameter in a shirtsleeve environment.

Free-breathing cine DENSE MRI using phase cycling with matchmaking and stimulated-echo image-based navigators.

PubMed

Cai, Xiaoying; Epstein, Frederick H

2018-04-01

This study aimed to develop a self-navigated method for free-breathing spiral cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE), a myocardial strain imaging technique that uses phase-cycling for artifact suppression. The method needed to address 2 consequences of motion for DENSE: striping artifacts from incomplete suppression of the T 1 -relaxation echo and blurring. The method identifies phase-cycled spiral interleaves at matched respiratory phases by minimizing the residual signal due to T 1 relaxation after phase-cycling subtraction. Next, the method reconstructs image-based navigators from matched phase-cycled interleaves that are comprised of the stimulated echo (ste-iNAVs). Ste-iNAVs are used for motion estimation and compensation of k-space data. The method was demonstrated in phantoms and compared to diaphragm-based navigator (dNAV) and conventional iNAV (c-iNAV) methods for the reconstruction of free-breathing volunteer data sets (N = 10). Phantom experiments demonstrated that the proposed method removes striping artifacts and blurring due to motion. Volunteer results showed that respiratory motion measured by ste-iNAVs was better correlated than c-iNAVs to dNAV data (R 2  = 0.82 ± 0.03 vs. 0.70 ± 0.05, P < 0.05). Match-making reconstructions of free-breathing data sets achieved lower residual T 1 -relaxation echo energy (1.04 ± 0.01 vs. 1.18 ± 0.04 for dNAV and 1.18 ± 0.03 for c-iNAV, P < 0.05), higher apparent SNR (11.93 ± 1.05 vs. 10.68 ± 1.06 for dNAV and 10.66 ± 0.99 for c-iNAV, P < 0.05), and better phase quality (0.147 ± 0.012 vs. 0.166 ± 0.017 for dNAV, P = 0.06, and 0.168 ± 0.015 for c-iNAV, P < 0.05) than dNAV and c-iNAV methods. For free-breathing cine DENSE, the proposed method addresses both types of breathing-induced artifacts and provides better quality images than conventional dNAV and iNAV methods. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Combined in-situ and ground-based observations of quasi-periodic radar echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfaff, R.; Kudeki, E.; Larsen, M.; Clemmons, J.; Earle, G.

A series of combined rocket/radar investigation of the electrodynamics and neutralplasma coupling associated with sporadic-E layers and quasi-periodic backscatter radar echoes has been carried out from launch sites at both Puerto Rico and the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia (USA) between 1998-2001. The instrumented rockets consisted of main and sub-payloads and were launched while strong quasiperiodic VHF echoes were observed simultaneously with the Univ. of Illinois 50 MHz backscatter radar. The rocket apogee was purposely limited so that the payloads would dwell in the sporadic-E region (90-115 km). The main payload included vector DC and AC electric field detectors, a DC magnetometer, an ion mass spectrometer, an ionization gauge, and spaced-electric field receivers to measure the wavelength and phase velocity of the unstable plasma waves. The sub-payload was instrumented to measure DC and wave electric fields and plasma density. In one case, a separate rocket was launched a few minutes later which released luminous TMA trails to measure the neutral wind, its velocity shear, and embedded neutral structures. In this experiment, the payloads successfully pierced a well-defined, 2-3 km thick metallic sporadic-E layer of approximately 10**5 e/cc near 103 km altitude. In-situ DC electric field measurements revealed ~5mV/m ambient meridional fields above and below the layer with 1-2 mV/m amplitude, large scale structures superimposed. The wavelengths of these structures were approximately 2-4 km and may be related to the seat of the quasiperiodic echoes. Intense (~5 mV/m), higher frequency (shorter scale) broadband waves were also observed in-situ, both above and below the layer, consistent with the VHF backscatter observations during the time of the launch. Neither the large scale nor short scale plasma waves appeared to be distinctly organized by the sporadic-E density layer. The TMA release showed large amplitude (~ 100 m/s) meridional winds near 102-105 km, with the most intense shears directly below these altitudes, where the short scale electric field fluctuations were most intense. We summarize the observations from the different experiments and discuss them in the context of current theories regarding quasi-periodic echoes.

Combined In-situ and Ground-based Observations of Quasi-periodic Radar Echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfaff, R.; Kudeki, E.; Larsen, M.; Clemmons, J.; Earle, G.

A series of combined rocket/radar investigation of the electrodynamics and neutral- plasma coupling associated with sporadic-E layers and quasi-periodic backscatter radar echoes has been carried out from launch sites at both Puerto Rico and the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia (USA) between 1998-2001. The instrumented rock- ets consisted of main and sub-payloads and were launched while strong quasi- periodic VHF echoes were observed simultaneously with the Univ. of Illinois 50 MHz backscatter radar. The rocket apogee was purposely limited so that the payloads would dwell in the sporadic-E region (90-115 km). The main payload included vector DC and AC electric field detectors, a DC magnetometer, an ion mass spectrometer, an ioniza- tion gauge, and spaced-electric field receivers to measure the wavelength and phase velocity of the unstable plasma waves. The sub-payload was instrumented to measure DC and wave electric fields and plasma density. In one case, a separate rocket was launched a few minutes later which released luminous TMA trails to measure the neu- tral wind, its velocity shear, and embedded neutral structures. In this experiment, the payloads successfully pierced a well-defined, 2-3 km thick metallic sporadic-E layer of approximately 10**5 e/cc near 103 km altitude. In-situ DC electric field measure- ments revealed ~5mV/m ambient meridional fields above and below the layer with 1-2 mV/m amplitude, large scale structures superimposed. The wavelengths of these structures were approximately 2-4 km and may be related to the seat of the quasi- periodic echoes. Intense (~5 mV/m), higher frequency (shorter scale) broadband waves were also observed in-situ, both above and below the layer, consistent with the VHF backscatter observations during the time of the launch. Neither the large scale nor short scale plasma waves appeared to be distinctly organized by the sporadic-E den- sity layer. The TMA release showed large amplitude (~ 100 m/s) meridional winds near 102-105 km, with the most intense shears directly below these altitudes, where the short scale electric field fluctuations were most intense. We summarize the ob- servations from the different experiments and discuss them in the context of current theories regarding quasi-periodic echoes.

Acoustic classification of zooplankton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin Traykovski, Linda V.

1998-11-01

Work on the forward problem in zooplankton bioacoustics has resulted in the identification of three categories of acoustic scatterers: elastic-shelled (e.g. pteropods), fluid-like (e.g. euphausiids), and gas-bearing (e.g. siphonophores). The relationship between backscattered energy and animal biomass has been shown to vary by a factor of ~19,000 across these categories, so that to make accurate estimates of zooplankton biomass from acoustic backscatter measurements of the ocean, the acoustic characteristics of the species of interest must be well-understood. This thesis describes the development of both feature based and model based classification techniques to invert broadband acoustic echoes from individual zooplankton for scatterer type, as well as for particular parameters such as animal orientation. The feature based Empirical Orthogonal Function Classifier (EOFC) discriminates scatterer types by identifying characteristic modes of variability in the echo spectra, exploiting only the inherent characteristic structure of the acoustic signatures. The model based Model Parameterisation Classifier (MPC) classifies based on correlation of observed echo spectra with simplified parameterisations of theoretical scattering models for the three classes. The Covariance Mean Variance Classifiers (CMVC) are a set of advanced model based techniques which exploit the full complexity of the theoretical models by searching the entire physical model parameter space without employing simplifying parameterisations. Three different CMVC algorithms were developed: the Integrated Score Classifier (ISC), the Pairwise Score Classifier (PSC) and the Bayesian Probability Classifier (BPC); these classifiers assign observations to a class based on similarities in covariance, mean, and variance, while accounting for model ambiguity and validity. These feature based and model based inversion techniques were successfully applied to several thousand echoes acquired from broadband (~350 kHz-750 kHz) insonifications of live zooplankton collected on Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine to determine scatterer class. CMVC techniques were also applied to echoes from fluid-like zooplankton (Antarctic krill) to invert for angle of orientation using generic and animal-specific theoretical and empirical models. Application of these inversion techniques in situ will allow correct apportionment of backscattered energy to animal biomass, significantly improving estimates of zooplankton biomass based on acoustic surveys. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)

The Science in Science Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholls, Peter, Ed.

This 12-chapter book discusses the scientific facts behind the ideas included in the novels of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Arthur C. Clark and other science fiction writers. Areas explored in the first 11 chapters include: exploration of deep space; energy and exotic power sources; likelihood of extra-terrestrial life and the…

Planning Guidelines for Primary Schools, Issue 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Education and Science, Tullamore (Ireland). Planning and Building Unit.

This planning guide, reflecting recent changes in the educational system in Ireland, offers guidelines for designing primary schools that need to provide additional space for the growing range of teaching and support services. It addresses increased sizes of general purpose rooms, extra floor area provision for classroom storage, administration,…

46 CFR 56.50-1 - General (replaces 122).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... maintenance of machinery and appurtenances. The joints shall be located so that adequate space is provided for... Safety Center. All power actuated valves required in an emergency to operate the vessel's machinery, to... liquids, except that tank barges having plug cocks inside cargo tanks may have reach rods of extra-heavy...

Teen Area, Solon Branch, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Solon, Ohio.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voice of Youth Advocates, 2003

2003-01-01

Describes the teen area of the Solon Branch library in Cuyahoga County (Ohio). Highlights include the collection; catalog computers; hours and teen traffic; planning the space, including extra display units of bulletin boards; teen programming, including monthly programs and a summer reading program; and the teen advisory group. (LRW)

WebLab of a DC Motor Speed Control Didactical Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Karine; Mendes, Luciano

2012-01-01

Purpose: Weblabs are an additional resource in the execution of experiments in control engineering education, making learning process more flexible both in time, by allowing extra class laboratory activities, and space, bringing the learning experience to remote locations where experimentation facilities would not be available. The purpose of this…

A New Approach Towards Deployment of Far Side Lunar SETI Using a Tethered Link to a Near Side Antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datta, L. V.; Guven, U.; Goel, E.

2017-10-01

Keeping in pace with the recent growth in interest in deployable space telescopes for detection of extra-solar objects, we suggest a feasible approach to make a lunar far side SETI mission a reality with the technology. available today.

ECHO virus

MedlinePlus

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001340.htm ECHO virus To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Enteric cytopathic human orphan (ECHO) viruses are a group of viruses that can lead ...

Phase mixing versus nonlinear advection in drift-kinetic plasma turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schekochihin, A. A.; Parker, J. T.; Highcock, E. G.; Dellar, P. J.; Dorland, W.; Hammett, G. W.

2016-04-01

> A scaling theory of long-wavelength electrostatic turbulence in a magnetised, weakly collisional plasma (e.g. drift-wave turbulence driven by ion temperature gradients) is proposed, with account taken both of the nonlinear advection of the perturbed particle distribution by fluctuating flows and of its phase mixing, which is caused by the streaming of the particles along the mean magnetic field and, in a linear problem, would lead to Landau damping. It is found that it is possible to construct a consistent theory in which very little free energy leaks into high velocity moments of the distribution function, rendering the turbulent cascade in the energetically relevant part of the wavenumber space essentially fluid-like. The velocity-space spectra of free energy expressed in terms of Hermite-moment orders are steep power laws and so the free-energy content of the phase space does not diverge at infinitesimal collisionality (while it does for a linear problem); collisional heating due to long-wavelength perturbations vanishes in this limit (also in contrast with the linear problem, in which it occurs at the finite rate equal to the Landau damping rate). The ability of the free energy to stay in the low velocity moments of the distribution function is facilitated by the `anti-phase-mixing' effect, whose presence in the nonlinear system is due to the stochastic version of the plasma echo (the advecting velocity couples the phase-mixing and anti-phase-mixing perturbations). The partitioning of the wavenumber space between the (energetically dominant) region where this is the case and the region where linear phase mixing wins its competition with nonlinear advection is governed by the `critical balance' between linear and nonlinear time scales (which for high Hermite moments splits into two thresholds, one demarcating the wavenumber region where phase mixing predominates, the other where plasma echo does).

Modeling the Environment of a Mobile Security Robot

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

representation of free space, in that the making the robot smart enough to distinguish research is oriented towards operation within between actual and...detection are not as smart as we like to think we are. of residual echoes by the unext sensor to be Something obviously was amiss, yet what could 18...for signal voltages in excess of 1 microvolt, with a rated transmit output power of 40 FLS RE UTD E OFUS U E MNHSE OUT A B FE N UART BUFFERDAAI IN

Measured electric field intensities near electric cloud discharges detected by the Kennedy Space Center's Lightning Detection and Ranging System, LDAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poehler, H. A.

1977-01-01

For a summer thunderstorm, for which simultaneous, airborne electric field measurements and Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) System data was available, measurements were coordinated to present a picture of the electric field intensity near cloud electrical discharges detected by the LDAR System. Radar precipitation echos from NOAA's 10 cm weather radar and measured airborne electric field intensities were superimposed on LDAR PPI plots to present a coordinated data picture of thunderstorm activity.

Visual Perceptual Echo Reflects Learning of Regularities in Rapid Luminance Sequences.

PubMed

Chang, Acer Y-C; Schwartzman, David J; VanRullen, Rufin; Kanai, Ryota; Seth, Anil K

2017-08-30

A novel neural signature of active visual processing has recently been described in the form of the "perceptual echo", in which the cross-correlation between a sequence of randomly fluctuating luminance values and occipital electrophysiological signals exhibits a long-lasting periodic (∼100 ms cycle) reverberation of the input stimulus (VanRullen and Macdonald, 2012). As yet, however, the mechanisms underlying the perceptual echo and its function remain unknown. Reasoning that natural visual signals often contain temporally predictable, though nonperiodic features, we hypothesized that the perceptual echo may reflect a periodic process associated with regularity learning. To test this hypothesis, we presented subjects with successive repetitions of a rapid nonperiodic luminance sequence, and examined the effects on the perceptual echo, finding that echo amplitude linearly increased with the number of presentations of a given luminance sequence. These data suggest that the perceptual echo reflects a neural signature of regularity learning.Furthermore, when a set of repeated sequences was followed by a sequence with inverted luminance polarities, the echo amplitude decreased to the same level evoked by a novel stimulus sequence. Crucially, when the original stimulus sequence was re-presented, the echo amplitude returned to a level consistent with the number of presentations of this sequence, indicating that the visual system retained sequence-specific information, for many seconds, even in the presence of intervening visual input. Altogether, our results reveal a previously undiscovered regularity learning mechanism within the human visual system, reflected by the perceptual echo. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How the brain encodes and learns fast-changing but nonperiodic visual input remains unknown, even though such visual input characterizes natural scenes. We investigated whether the phenomenon of "perceptual echo" might index such learning. The perceptual echo is a long-lasting reverberation between a rapidly changing visual input and evoked neural activity, apparent in cross-correlations between occipital EEG and stimulus sequences, peaking in the alpha (∼10 Hz) range. We indeed found that perceptual echo is enhanced by repeatedly presenting the same visual sequence, indicating that the human visual system can rapidly and automatically learn regularities embedded within fast-changing dynamic sequences. These results point to a previously undiscovered regularity learning mechanism, operating at a rate defined by the alpha frequency. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/378486-12$15.00/0.

ECHO Quick Start Guide | ECHO | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.

Contact Us about ECHO | ECHO | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.

ECHO Gov Login | ECHO | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.

Electron Echo 6 - a Study by Particle Detectors of Electrons Artificially Injected Into the Magnetosphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malcolm, Perry Robert

The ECHO-6 sounding rocket was launched from the Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska on 30 March 1983. A Terrier-Black Brant launch vehicle carried the payload on a northward trajectory over an auroral arc and to an apogee of 216 kilometers. The primary objective of the ECHO-6 experiment was to evaluate electric fields, magnetic fields, and plasma processes in the distant magnetosphere by injecting electron beams in the ionosphere and observing conjugate echoes. The experiment succeeded in injecting 10-36 KeV beams during the existence of a moderate growth phase aurora, an easterly electrojet system, and a pre -midnight inflation condition of the magnetosphere. The ECHO-6 payload system consisted of an accelerator MAIN payload, a free-flying Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP), and four rocket propelled Throw Away Detectors (TADs). The PDP was ejected from the MAIN payload to analyze electric fields, plasma particles, energetic electrons, and photometric effects produced by beam injections. The TADs were ejected from the MAIN payload in a pattern to detect echoes in the conjugate echo region south of the beam emitting MAIN payload. The TADs reached distances exceeding 3 kilometers from the MAIN payload and made measurements of the ambient electrons by means of solid state detectors and electrostatic analyzers. In spite of the perfect operation of the TAD system and a rigorous analysis of the particle data, no conjugate echoes have been identified. Through the use of a new dynamic magnetic field model (Olson and Pfitzer, 1982) and satellite magnetometer measurements, it has been determined that the echoing electrons returned out of range of the TADs as a result of their bounce times and curvature-gradient drifts being increased beyond the expected limits for an inflated magnetic field. This dynamic model was then applied to the study of echoes seen during the ECHO-4 flight resulting in a significant increase in the calculated energy of the echo electrons and better agreement between the locally measured and bounce integrated electric field.

Normal range of hepatic fat fraction on dual- and triple-echo fat quantification MR in children.

PubMed

Shin, Hyun Joo; Kim, Hyun Gi; Kim, Myung-Joon; Koh, Hong; Kim, Ha Yan; Roh, Yun Ho; Lee, Mi-Jung

2015-01-01

To evaluate hepatic fat fraction on dual- and triple-echo gradient-recalled echo MRI sequences in healthy children. We retrospectively reviewed the records of children in a medical check-up clinic from May 2012 to November 2013. We excluded children with abnormal laboratory findings or those who were overweight. Hepatic fat fraction was measured on dual- and triple-echo sequences using 3T MRI. We compared fat fractions using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and the Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement. The correlation between fat fractions and clinical and laboratory findings was evaluated using Spearman's correlation test, and the cut-off values of fat fractions for diagnosing fatty liver were obtained from reference intervals. In 54 children (M:F = 26:28; 5-15 years; mean 9 years), the dual fat fraction (0.1-8.0%; median 1.6%) was not different from the triple fat fraction (0.4-6.5%; median 2.7%) (p = 0.010). The dual- and triple-echo fat fractions showed good agreement using a Bland-Altman plot (-0.6 ± 2.8%). Eight children (14.8%) on dual-echo sequences and six (11.1%) on triple-echo sequences had greater than 5% fat fraction. From these children, six out of eight children on dual-echo sequences and four out of six children on triple-echo sequences had a 5-6% hepatic fat fraction. When using a cut-off value of a 6% fat fraction derived from a reference interval, only 3.7% of children were diagnosed with fatty liver. There was no significant correlation between clinical and laboratory findings with dual and triple-echo fat fractions. Dual fat fraction was not different from triple fat fraction. We suggest a cut-off value of a 6% fat fraction is more appropriate for diagnosing fatty liver on both dual- and triple-echo sequences in children.

Right atrial indexed volume in healthy adult population: reference values for two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiographic measurements.

PubMed

Moreno, Joel; Pérez de Isla, Leopoldo; Campos, Nellys; Guinea, Juan; Domínguez-Perez, Laura; Saltijeral, Adriana; Lennie, Vera; Quezada, Maribel; de Agustín, Alberto; Marcos-Alberca, Pedro; Mahía, Patricia; García-Fernández, Miguel Ángel; Macaya, Carlos

2013-07-01

Current guidelines do not recommend routine assessment of right atrial volume due to the lack of standardized data. Three-dimensional wall-motion tracking (3D-WMT) is a new technology that allows us to calculate volumes without any geometric assumptions. The aim of this study was to define the indexed reference values for two-dimensional echocardiography (2D-echo) and 3D-WMT in adult healthy population and to assess the intermethod, intra- and interobserver agreement. Prospective study. Nonselected healthy subjects were enrolled. Every patient underwent a 2D-echo and a 3D-WMT examination. 2D-echo right atrial volume was obtained by using the area-length method (A-L) from four- and two-chamber view. 3D-echo volumes were assessed by 3D-WMT. Values were indexed by the patient's body surface area. Sixty consecutive healthy subjects were enrolled. Mean age was 57 ± 12-years old and 27 patients (45%) were male. Average indexed right atrial volume obtained by 2D-echo and 3D-echo was 16.76 ± 8.15 mL/m(2) and 19.05 ± 6.87 mL/m(2) , respectively. Univariate linear regression analysis between 2D-echo and 3D-echo right atrial volumes shows a weak correlation between right atrial volume obtained with 2D-echo compared with 3D-WMT (r = 0.29, CI 95% 0.029-0.66, P = 0.033). The agreement analysis shows a similar result (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.28). The intra- and interobserver agreement analysis showed a better agreement when using 3D-WMT. This is the first study that reports the reference indexed right atrial volume values by means of 2D-echo and 3D-echo in healthy population. 3D-WMT is a feasible and reproducible method to determine right atrial volume. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The 3D laser radar vision processor system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebok, T. M.

1990-10-01

Loral Defense Systems (LDS) developed a 3D Laser Radar Vision Processor system capable of detecting, classifying, and identifying small mobile targets as well as larger fixed targets using three dimensional laser radar imagery for use with a robotic type system. This processor system is designed to interface with the NASA Johnson Space Center in-house Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Retriever robot program and provide to it needed information so it can fetch and grasp targets in a space-type scenario.

The 3D laser radar vision processor system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sebok, T. M.

1990-01-01

Loral Defense Systems (LDS) developed a 3D Laser Radar Vision Processor system capable of detecting, classifying, and identifying small mobile targets as well as larger fixed targets using three dimensional laser radar imagery for use with a robotic type system. This processor system is designed to interface with the NASA Johnson Space Center in-house Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Retriever robot program and provide to it needed information so it can fetch and grasp targets in a space-type scenario.

Planetary Asteroid Defense Study: Assessing and Responding to the Natural Space Debris Threat

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-04-01

Spectrum of Natural Space Debris Effects 82 Figure 5-1. Threat is a Product of Hazard and Risk 84 Figure 5-2. Variables Affecting Threat...are perhaps the most unique family in the extra-belt region. Unlike other families who define their own orbits, the Trojans share Jupiter’s orbit...Threat. We define threat as the relationship between hazard and risk. It can be likened to a product of the two, notionally depicted in Figure 5-1

Exploration Architecture Options - ECLSS, EVA, TCS Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambliss, Joe; Henninger, Don; Lawrence, Carl

2010-01-01

Many options for exploration of space have been identified and evaluated since the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) was announced in 2004. Lunar architectures have been identified and addressed in the Lunar Surface Systems team to establish options for how to get to and then inhabit and explore the moon. The Augustine Commission evaluated human space flight for the Obama administration and identified many options for how to conduct human spaceflight in the future. This paper will evaluate the options for exploration of space for the implications of architectures on the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS), ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) and Thermal Control System (TCS) Systems. The advantages and disadvantages of each architecture and options are presented.

ksc-98pc-1671

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-10-29

Crowds of thousands line the grassy shoulders of the parkways at Kennedy Space Center to view the launch of STS-95. Extra attention has been drawn to the mission due to the addition to the crew of John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio. STS-95 is Glenn's second flight into space after 36 years; he was one of the original Project Mercury astronauts and flew his first mission in February 1962. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as a SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-13

As the construction continued on the International Space Station (ISS), STS-118 astronaut and mission specialist Rick Mastracchio participated in the second session of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) for the mission. Assisting Mastracchio was Canadian Space Agency representative Dave Williams (out of frame). During the 6 hour, 28 minute space walk, the two removed a faulty control moment gyroscope (CMG-3) and installed a new CMG into the Z1 truss. The failed CMG will remain in its temporary stowage location on the exterior of the station until it is returned to Earth on a later Shuttle mission. The new gyroscope is one of four CMGs that are used to control the orbital attitude of the station.

Biomimetic Signal Processing Using the Biosonar Measurement Tool (BMT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abawi, Ahmad T.; Hursky, Paul; Porter, Michael B.; Tiemann, Chris; Martin, Stephen

2004-11-01

In this paper data recorded on the Biosonar Measurement Tool (BMT) during a target echolocation experiment are used to 1) find ways to separate target echoes from clutter echoes, 2) analyze target returns and 3) find features in target returns that distinguish them from clutter returns. The BMT is an instrumentation package used in dolphin echolocation experiments developed at SPAWARSYSCEN. It can be held by the dolphin using a bite-plate during echolocation experiments and records the movement and echolocation strategy of a target-hunting dolphin without interfering with its motion through the search field. The BMT was developed to record a variety of data from a free-swimming dolphin engaged in a bottom target detection task. These data include the three dimensional location of the dolphin, including its heading, pitch roll and velocity as well as passive acoustic data recorded on three channels. The outgoing dolphin click is recorded on one channel and the resulting echoes are recorded on the two remaining channels. For each outgoing click the BMT records a large number of echoes that come from the entire ensonified field. Given the large number of transmitted clicks and the returned echoes, it is almost impossible to find a target return from the recorded data on the BMT. As a means of separating target echoes from those of clutter, an echo-mapping tool was developed. This tool produces an echomap on which echoes from targets (and other regular objects such as surface buoys, the side of a boat and so on) stack together as tracks, while echoes from clutter are scattered. Once these tracks are identified, the retuned echoes can easily be extracted for further analysis.

Changes in B-mode ultrasound echo intensity following injection of bupivacaine hydrochloride to rat hind limb muscles in relation to histologic changes.

PubMed

Fujikake, T; Hart, R; Nosaka, Kazunori

2009-04-01

This study tested the hypothesis that infiltration of inflammatory cells in muscle fibers would increase echo intensity (image brightness) of B-mode ultrasound images. Bupivacaine hydrochloride (BPVC) or saline solution (SAL) was injected to the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of 14- to 23-wk-old male Wistar rats. Ultrasound images were taken from the muscles before and at 0, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120, 168 and 336 h after the injection and analyzed for the echo intensity (echogenicity) expressed as the mean value of image pixel value of a region-of-interest. Changes in the echo intensity were compared between BPVC-injected and control or SAL-injected muscles. In the subsequent study, rats (n = 2 per time point) were sacrificed after taking ultrasound image at 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 168 h after BPVC injection to the right TA and SAL injection to the left TA to observe histologic changes under a light microscope and the relationship between echo intensity and inflammatory cells was assessed. No significant changes in echo intensity were observed for the control, but BPVC induced significant (p < 0.05) increases in the echo intensity peaking 0 to 24 h postinjection. SAL also increased echo intensity immediately after injection but returned to the baseline by 24 h postinjection. The time course of changes in the echo intensity did not match with the time course of increases in inflammatory cells in the muscle. It is concluded that infiltration of inflammatory cells is not a direct cause of the increased echo intensity.

MRI of gallstones with different compositions.

PubMed

Tsai, Hong-Ming; Lin, Xi-Zhang; Chen, Chiung-Yu; Lin, Pin-Wen; Lin, Jui-Che

2004-06-01

Gallstones are usually recognized on MRI as filling defects of hypointensity. However, they sometimes may appear as hyperintensities on T1-weighted imaging. This study investigated how gallstones appear on MRI and how their appearance influences the detection of gallstones. Gallstones from 24 patients who had MRI performed before the removal of the gallstones were collected for study. The gallstones were classified either as cholesterol gallstone (n = 4) or as pigment gallstone (n = 20) according to their gross appearance and based on analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. MRI included three sequences: single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted imaging, 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging, and in-phase fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging. The signal intensity and the detection rate of gallstones on MRI were further correlated with the character of the gallstones. On T1-weighted 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo images, most of the pigment gallstones (18/20) were hyperintense and all the cholesterol gallstones (4/4) were hypointense. The mean ratio of the signal intensity of gallstone to bile was (+/- standard deviation) 3.36 +/- 1.88 for pigment gallstone and 0.24 +/- 0.10 for cholesterol gallstone on the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo sequence (p < 0.001). Combining the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo and single-shot fast spin-echo sequences achieved the highest gallstone detection rate (96.4%). Based on the differences of signal intensity of gallstones, the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging was able to diagnose the composition of gallstones. Adding the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo imaging to the single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted sequence can further improve the detection rate of gallstones.

Multiband multi-echo imaging of simultaneous oxygenation and flow timeseries for resting state connectivity.

PubMed

Cohen, Alexander D; Nencka, Andrew S; Lebel, R Marc; Wang, Yang

2017-01-01

A novel sequence has been introduced that combines multiband imaging with a multi-echo acquisition for simultaneous high spatial resolution pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) and blood-oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) echo-planar imaging (MBME ASL/BOLD). Resting-state connectivity in healthy adult subjects was assessed using this sequence. Four echoes were acquired with a multiband acceleration of four, in order to increase spatial resolution, shorten repetition time, and reduce slice-timing effects on the ASL signal. In addition, by acquiring four echoes, advanced multi-echo independent component analysis (ME-ICA) denoising could be employed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and BOLD sensitivity. Seed-based and dual-regression approaches were utilized to analyze functional connectivity. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and BOLD coupling was also evaluated by correlating the perfusion-weighted timeseries with the BOLD timeseries. These metrics were compared between single echo (E2), multi-echo combined (MEC), multi-echo combined and denoised (MECDN), and perfusion-weighted (PW) timeseries. Temporal SNR increased for the MECDN data compared to the MEC and E2 data. Connectivity also increased, in terms of correlation strength and network size, for the MECDN compared to the MEC and E2 datasets. CBF and BOLD coupling was increased in major resting-state networks, and that correlation was strongest for the MECDN datasets. These results indicate our novel MBME ASL/BOLD sequence, which collects simultaneous high-resolution ASL/BOLD data, could be a powerful tool for detecting functional connectivity and dynamic neurovascular coupling during the resting state. The collection of more than two echoes facilitates the use of ME-ICA denoising to greatly improve the quality of resting state functional connectivity MRI.

The architecture of dynamic reservoir in the echo state network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Hongyan; Liu, Xiang; Li, Lixiang

2012-09-01

Echo state network (ESN) has recently attracted increasing interests because of its superior capability in modeling nonlinear dynamic systems. In the conventional echo state network model, its dynamic reservoir (DR) has a random and sparse topology, which is far from the real biological neural networks from both structural and functional perspectives. We hereby propose three novel types of echo state networks with new dynamic reservoir topologies based on complex network theory, i.e., with a small-world topology, a scale-free topology, and a mixture of small-world and scale-free topologies, respectively. We then analyze the relationship between the dynamic reservoir structure and its prediction capability. We utilize two commonly used time series to evaluate the prediction performance of the three proposed echo state networks and compare them to the conventional model. We also use independent and identically distributed time series to analyze the short-term memory and prediction precision of these echo state networks. Furthermore, we study the ratio of scale-free topology and the small-world topology in the mixed-topology network, and examine its influence on the performance of the echo state networks. Our simulation results show that the proposed echo state network models have better prediction capabilities, a wider spectral radius, but retain almost the same short-term memory capacity as compared to the conventional echo state network model. We also find that the smaller the ratio of the scale-free topology over the small-world topology, the better the memory capacities.

Cardiac monitoring in patients on trastuzumab: correlation of ultrasound and radionuclide ventriculography.

PubMed

Matos, Erika; Jug, Borut; Vidergar Kralj, Barbara; Zakotnik, Branko

2017-06-01

Guidance on cardiac surveillance during adjuvant trastuzumab therapy remains elusive. The recommended methods are two-dimensional echocardiography (2D-ECHO) and electrocardiography gated equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (RNV). We assessed the correlation and possible specific merits of these two methods. In a prospective cohort study in patients undergoing post-anthracycline adjuvant trastuzumab therapy, clinical assessment, 2D-ECHO and RNV were performed at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 months. The correlation between used methods was estimated with Pearson's correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis. Ninety-two patients (mean age 53.6±9.0 years) were included. The correlation of LVEF measured by ECHO and RNV at each time point was statistically insignificant. Values obtained by ECHO were on average higher (3.7% to 4.5%). A decline in LVEF of ≥10% from baseline was noticed in 19 (24.4%) and 13 (14.9%) patients with ECHO and RNV, respectively, however in only one patient by both methods simultaneously. A decline in LVEF of ≥10% to below 50% was found in three and none patients according to RNV and ECHO measurements, respectively. There is a weak correlation of ECHO and RNV measurements in individual patient, the results obtained by the methods are not interchangeable. LVEF values determined by 2D-ECHO were on average higher compared to RNV determined ones. When in an asymptomatic patient a decline in LVEF requiring treatment interruption is detected by RNV ECHO re-evaluation and referral to a cardiologist is advised.

Correction of phase errors in quantitative water-fat imaging using a monopolar time-interleaved multi-echo gradient echo sequence.

PubMed

Ruschke, Stefan; Eggers, Holger; Kooijman, Hendrik; Diefenbach, Maximilian N; Baum, Thomas; Haase, Axel; Rummeny, Ernst J; Hu, Houchun H; Karampinos, Dimitrios C

2017-09-01

To propose a phase error correction scheme for monopolar time-interleaved multi-echo gradient echo water-fat imaging that allows accurate and robust complex-based quantification of the proton density fat fraction (PDFF). A three-step phase correction scheme is proposed to address a) a phase term induced by echo misalignments that can be measured with a reference scan using reversed readout polarity, b) a phase term induced by the concomitant gradient field that can be predicted from the gradient waveforms, and c) a phase offset between time-interleaved echo trains. Simulations were carried out to characterize the concomitant gradient field-induced PDFF bias and the performance estimating the phase offset between time-interleaved echo trains. Phantom experiments and in vivo liver and thigh imaging were performed to study the relevance of each of the three phase correction steps on PDFF accuracy and robustness. The simulation, phantom, and in vivo results showed in agreement with the theory an echo time-dependent PDFF bias introduced by the three phase error sources. The proposed phase correction scheme was found to provide accurate PDFF estimation independent of the employed echo time combination. Complex-based time-interleaved water-fat imaging was found to give accurate and robust PDFF measurements after applying the proposed phase error correction scheme. Magn Reson Med 78:984-996, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

The Impact of Project ECHO on Participant and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Zhou, Carrol; Crawford, Allison; Serhal, Eva; Kurdyak, Paul; Sockalingam, Sanjeev

2016-10-01

Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) uses tele-education to bridge knowledge gaps between specialists at academic health centers and primary care providers from remote areas. It has been implemented to address multiple medical conditions. The authors examined evidence of the impact of all Project ECHO programs on participant and patient outcomes. The authors searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ProQuest from January 2000 to August 2015 and the reference lists of identified reviews. Included studies were limited to those published in English, peer-reviewed articles or indexed abstracts, and those that primarily focused on Project ECHO. Editorials, commentaries, gray literature, and non-peer-reviewed articles were excluded. The authors used Moore's evaluation framework to organize study outcomes for quality assessment. The authors identified 39 studies describing Project ECHO's involvement in addressing 17 medical conditions. Evaluations of Project ECHO programs generally were limited to outcomes from Levels 1 (number of participants) to 4 (providers' competence) of Moore's framework (n = 22 studies, with some containing data from multiple levels). Studies also suggested that Project ECHO changed provider behavior (n = 1), changed patient outcomes (n = 6), and can be cost-effective (n = 2). Project ECHO is an effective and potentially cost-saving model that increases participant knowledge and patient access to health care in remote locations, but further research examining its efficacy is needed. Identifying and addressing potential barriers to Project ECHO's implementation will support the dissemination of this model as an education and practice improvement initiative.

Investigation of Supercritical Water Phenomena for Space and Extraterrestrial Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hicks, Michael C.; Hegde, Uday G.; Fisher, John W.

2012-01-01

The cost of carrying or resupplying life support resources for long duration manned space exploration missions such as a mission to Mars is prohibitive and requires the development of suitable recycling technologies. Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) has been identified as an attractive candidate for these extended missions because (i) pre-drying of wet waste streams is not required, (ii) product streams are relatively benign, microbially inert, and easily reclaimed, (iii) waste conversion is complete and relatively fast, and (iv) with proper design and operation, reactions can be self-sustaining. Initial work in this area at NASA was carried out at the Ames Research Center in the 1990 s with a focus on understanding the linkages between feed stock preparation (i.e., particle size and distribution) of cellulosic based waste streams and destruction rates under a range of operating temperatures and pressures. More recently, work in SCWO research for space and extra-terrestrial application has been performed at NASA s Glenn Research Center where various investigations, with a particular focus in the gravitational effects on the thermo-physical processes occurring in the bulk medium, have been pursued. In 2010 a collaborative NASA/CNES (the French Space Agency) experiment on the critical transition of pure water was conducted in the long duration microgravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS). A follow-on experiment, to study the precipitation of salt in sub-critical, trans-critical and supercritical water is scheduled to be conducted on the ISS in 2013. This paper provides a brief history of NASA s earlier work in SCWO, discusses the potential for application of SCWO technology in extended space and extraterrestrial missions, describes related research conducted on the ISS, and provides a list of future research activities to advance this technology in both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial applications.

Physiologically Shrinking the Solution Space of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genome-Scale Model Suggests the Role of the Metabolic Network in Shaping Gene Expression Noise.

PubMed

Chi, Baofang; Tao, Shiheng; Liu, Yanlin

2015-01-01

Sampling the solution space of genome-scale models is generally conducted to determine the feasible region for metabolic flux distribution. Because the region for actual metabolic states resides only in a small fraction of the entire space, it is necessary to shrink the solution space to improve the predictive power of a model. A common strategy is to constrain models by integrating extra datasets such as high-throughput datasets and C13-labeled flux datasets. However, studies refining these approaches by performing a meta-analysis of massive experimental metabolic flux measurements, which are closely linked to cellular phenotypes, are limited. In the present study, experimentally identified metabolic flux data from 96 published reports were systematically reviewed. Several strong associations among metabolic flux phenotypes were observed. These phenotype-phenotype associations at the flux level were quantified and integrated into a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome-scale model as extra physiological constraints. By sampling the shrunken solution space of the model, the metabolic flux fluctuation level, which is an intrinsic trait of metabolic reactions determined by the network, was estimated and utilized to explore its relationship to gene expression noise. Although no correlation was observed in all enzyme-coding genes, a relationship between metabolic flux fluctuation and expression noise of genes associated with enzyme-dosage sensitive reactions was detected, suggesting that the metabolic network plays a role in shaping gene expression noise. Such correlation was mainly attributed to the genes corresponding to non-essential reactions, rather than essential ones. This was at least partially, due to regulations underlying the flux phenotype-phenotype associations. Altogether, this study proposes a new approach in shrinking the solution space of a genome-scale model, of which sampling provides new insights into gene expression noise.

Guide to Regulated Facilities in ECHO | ECHO | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

There are multiple ways ECHO can be used to search compliance data. By default, ECHO searches focus on larger, more regulated facilities. Each search page allows users to search a more comprehensive group of facilities by electing to search for minor or smaller facilities. Information is presented that explains the types and approximate numbers of facilities that are included in searches when the default and custom options are used.

Help Content for ECHO Reports | ECHO | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

ECHO, Enforcement and Compliance History Online, provides compliance and enforcement information for approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated facilities nationwide. ECHO includes permit, inspection, violation, enforcement action, and penalty information about facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Stationary Source Program, Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Information also is provided on surrounding demographics when available.

Damping of collective modes and the echo effect in a confined Bose-Einstein condensate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuklov, A. B.; Chencinski, N.

1998-04-01

We discuss the reversible nature of two mechanisms of the apparent damping of the collective modes of a confined Bose-Einstein condensate -- Landau Damping (LD) and a dephasing caused by thermal fluctuations of the normal component. The reversibility of the damping in both cases can be tested by the echo effect, when two consecutive external pulses modulate the potential trapping the condensate and induce a third pulse -- the echo -- at the time approximately equal to twice the time interval between the first two pulses. This effect is similar to the phonon echo in powders (Koji Kajimura in Physical Acoustics), ed. W.P. Mason, V.XVI, Academic Press, NY, Toronto 1982.. Parameters of the echo for the isotropic condensate are calculated analytically in the adiabatic approximation for the case of the small external pulses. Numerical simulations for the arbitrary pulses are also presented. The echo in an anisotropic condensate, where the adaibatic approximation is not valid because of the LD, is described in terms of the model of a single oscillator interacting with a quasi-continuum of modes which constitutes the normal component. In both cases in the weak echo limit the echo amplitude turns out to be proportional to the amplitudes of the external pulses. We suggest to test these predictions experimentally.

Brane-world extra dimensions in light of GW170817

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Visinelli, Luca; Bolis, Nadia; Vagnozzi, Sunny

2018-03-01

The search for extra dimensions is a challenging endeavor to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The joint detection of gravitational waves (GW) and electromagnetic (EM) signals from the merging of a binary system of compact objects like neutron stars can help constrain the geometry of extra dimensions beyond our 3 +1 spacetime ones. A theoretically well-motivated possibility is that our observable Universe is a 3 +1 -dimensional hypersurface, or brane, embedded in a higher 4 +1 -dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS5 ) spacetime, in which gravity is the only force which propagates through the infinite bulk space, while other forces are confined to the brane. In these types of brane-world models, GW and EM signals between two points on the brane would, in general, travel different paths. This would result in a time lag between the detection of GW and EM signals emitted simultaneously from the same source. We consider the recent near-simultaneous detection of the GW event GW170817 from the LIGO/Virgo collaboration, and its EM counterpart, the short gamma-ray burst GRB170817A detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory Anti-Coincidence Shield spectrometer. Assuming the standard Λ -cold dark matter scenario and performing a likelihood analysis which takes into account astrophysical uncertainties associated to the measured time lag, we set an upper limit of ℓ≲0.535 Mpc at 68% confidence level on the AdS5 radius of curvature ℓ. Although the bound is not competitive with current Solar System constraints, it is the first time that data from a multimessenger GW-EM measurement is used to constrain extra-dimensional models. Thus, our work provides a proof of principle for the possibility of using multimessenger astronomy for probing the geometry of our space-time.

Anticipated uncertainty budgets of PRARETIME and T2L2 techniques as applied to ExTRAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Claudine; Wolf, Peter; Uhrich, Pierre J. M.; Schaefer, W.; Nau, H.; Veillet, Christian

1995-01-01

The Experiment on Timing Ranging and Atmospheric Soundings, ExTRAS, was conceived jointly by the European Space Agency, ESA, and the Russian Space Agency, RSA. It is also designated the 'Hydrogen-maser in Space/Meteor-3M project'. The launch of the satellite is scheduled for early 1997. The package, to be flown on board a Russian meteorological satellite includes ultra-stable frequency and time sources, namely two active and auto-tuned hydrogen masers. Communication between the on-board hydrogen masers and the ground station clocks is effected by means of a microwave link using the modified version for time transfer of the Precise Range And Range-rate Equipment, PRARETIME, technique, and an optical link which uses the Time Transfer by Laser Link, T2L2, method. Both the PRARETIME and T2L2 techniques operate in a two-directional mode, which makes it possible to carry out accurate transmissions without precise knowledge of the satellite and station positions. Due to the exceptional quality of the on-board clocks and to the high performance of the communication techniques with the satellite, satellite clock monitoring and ground clocks synchronization are anticipated to be performed with uncertainties below 0.5 ns (1 sigma). Uncertainty budgets and related comments are presented.

Leveraging Behavioral Health Expertise: Practices and Potential of the Project ECHO Approach to Virtually Integrating Care in Underserved Areas.

PubMed

Hager, Brant; Hasselberg, Michael; Arzubi, Eric; Betlinski, Jonathan; Duncan, Mark; Richman, Jennifer; Raney, Lori E

2018-04-01

This column describes Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a teleconsultation, tele-education, telementoring model for enhancing primary care treatment of underserved patients with complex medical conditions. Numerous centers have adapted ECHO to support primary care treatment of behavioral health disorders. Preliminary evidence for behavioral health ECHO programs suggests positive impacts on providers, treatment planning, and emergency department costs. ECHO has the potential to improve access to effective and cost-effective behavioral health care by virtually integrating behavioral health knowledge and support in sites where specialty providers are not available. Patient-level outcomes research is critical.

The a priori SDR Estimation Techniques with Reduced Speech Distortion for Acoustic Echo and Noise Suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoonsaengngam, Rattapol; Tangsangiumvisai, Nisachon

This paper proposes an enhanced method for estimating the a priori Signal-to-Disturbance Ratio (SDR) to be employed in the Acoustic Echo and Noise Suppression (AENS) system for full-duplex hands-free communications. The proposed a priori SDR estimation technique is modified based upon the Two-Step Noise Reduction (TSNR) algorithm to suppress the background noise while preserving speech spectral components. In addition, a practical approach to determine accurately the Echo Spectrum Variance (ESV) is presented based upon the linear relationship assumption between the power spectrum of far-end speech and acoustic echo signals. The ESV estimation technique is then employed to alleviate the acoustic echo problem. The performance of the AENS system that employs these two proposed estimation techniques is evaluated through the Echo Attenuation (EA), Noise Attenuation (NA), and two speech distortion measures. Simulation results based upon real speech signals guarantee that our improved AENS system is able to mitigate efficiently the problem of acoustic echo and background noise, while preserving the speech quality and speech intelligibility.

X-ray echo spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvyd'ko, Yuri V.

2016-09-01

X-ray echo spectroscopy, a counterpart of neutron spin-echo, was recently introduced [1] to overcome limitations in spectral resolution and weak signals of the traditional inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) probes. An image of a point-like x-ray source is defocused by a dispersing system comprised of asymmetrically cut specially arranged Bragg diffracting crystals. The defocused image is refocused into a point (echo) in a time-reversal dispersing system. If the defocused beam is inelastically scattered from a sample, the echo signal acquires a spatial distribution, which is a map of the inelastic scattering spectrum. The spectral resolution of the echo spectroscopy does not rely on the monochromaticity of the x-rays, ensuring strong signals along with a very high spectral resolution. Particular schemes of x-ray echo spectrometers for 0.1-meV and 0.02-meV ultra-high-resolution IXS applications (resolving power > 10^8) with broadband 5-13 meV dispersing systems will be presented featuring more than 1000-fold signal enhancement. The technique is general, applicable in different photon frequency domains. [1.] Yu. Shvyd'ko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, accepted (2016), arXiv:1511.01526.

Expanding Health Care Access Through Education: Dissemination and Implementation of the ECHO Model.

PubMed

Katzman, Joanna G; Galloway, Kevin; Olivas, Cynthia; McCoy-Stafford, Kimberly; Duhigg, Daniel; Comerci, George; Kalishman, Summers; Buckenmaier, Chester C; McGhee, Laura; Joltes, Kristin; Bradford, Andrea; Shelley, Brian; Hernandez, Jessica; Arora, Sanjeev

2016-03-01

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an evidence-based model that provides high-quality medical education for common and complex diseases through telementoring and comanagement of patients with primary care clinicians. In a one to many knowledge network, the ECHO model helps to bridge the gap between primary care clinicians and specialists by enhancing the knowledge, skills, confidence, and practice of primary care clinicians in their local communities. As a result, patients in rural and urban underserved areas are able to receive best practice care without long waits or having to travel long distances. The ECHO model has been replicated in 43 university hubs in the United States and five other countries. A new replication tool was developed by the Project ECHO Pain team and U.S. Army Medical Command to ensure a high-fidelity replication of the model. The adoption of the tool led to successful replication of ECHO in the Army Pain initiative. This replication tool has the potential to improve the fidelity of ECHO replication efforts around the world. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Molecular Epidemiology and Prevalence of Echovirus 30 in Zhejiang Province, China, from 2002 to 2015.

PubMed

Chen, Yin; Sun, Yi; Yan, Juying; Miao, Ziping; Xu, Changping; Zhang, Yanjun; Mao, Haiyan; Gong, Liming

2017-12-28

Echovirus serotype 30 (ECHO30) has been responsible for several recent worldwide outbreaks of viral meningitis. In Zhejiang Province, China, ECHO30 has been one of the main causes of viral meningitis for years. This study, using phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene, was performed to investigate the general molecular epidemiology and genetic patterns of ECHO30 circulating in Zhejiang Province between the years 2002 and 2015. The nucleotide sequences of ECHO30 VP1 showed that they were 64.8% identical with the prototype strain, Bastianni, while the amino acids were 84.9% identical. Phylogenetic analyses showed that ECHO30 in the Zhejiang area has diverged into two genotypes. Genotype I consists of strains isolated since 2002, whereas genotype II includes strains that were mainly isolated during the 2002 to 2004 outbreak. ECHO30 has been endemically circulating in both humans and the environment for a long period of time. Additionally, we evaluated the significance of recombination presented during the years 2005 to 2007 to demonstrate that recombination plays an important role in the prevalence of ECHO30 in the Zhejiang area.

Human listeners provide insights into echo features used by dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to discriminate among objects.

PubMed

Delong, Caroline M; Au, Whitlow W L; Harley, Heidi E; Roitblat, Herbert L; Pytka, Lisa

2007-08-01

Echolocating bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) discriminate between objects on the basis of the echoes reflected by the objects. However, it is not clear which echo features are important for object discrimination. To gain insight into the salient features, the authors had a dolphin perform a match-to-sample task and then presented human listeners with echoes from the same objects used in the dolphin's task. In 2 experiments, human listeners performed as well or better than the dolphin at discriminating objects, and they reported the salient acoustic cues. The error patterns of the humans and the dolphin were compared to determine which acoustic features were likely to have been used by the dolphin. The results indicate that the dolphin did not appear to use overall echo amplitude, but that it attended to the pattern of changes in the echoes across different object orientations. Human listeners can quickly identify salient combinations of echo features that permit object discrimination, which can be used to generate hypotheses that can be tested using dolphins as subjects.

Human Space Exploration and Radiation Exposure from EVA: 1981-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Way, A. R.; Saganti, S. P.; Erickson, G. M.; Saganti, P. B.

2011-12-01

There are several risks for any human space exploration endeavor. One such inevitable risk is exposure to the space radiation environment of which extra vehicular activity (EVA) demands more challenges due to limited amount of protection from space suit shielding. We recently compiled all EVA data comprising low-earth orbit (LEO) from Space Shuttle (STS) flights, International Space Station (ISS) expeditions, and Shuttle-Mir missions. Assessment of such radiation risk is very important, particularly for the anticipated long-term, deep-space human explorations in the near future. We present our assessment of anticipated radiation exposure and space radiation dose contribution to each crew member from a listing of 350 different EVA events resulting in more than 1000+ hrs of total EVA time. As of July 12, 2011, 197 astronauts have made spacewalks (out of 520 people who have gone into Earth orbit). Only 11 women have been on spacewalks.