Los Angeles megacity: a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions

DOE PAGES

Feng, Sha; Lauvaux, Thomas; Newman, Sally; ...

2016-07-22

Megacities are major sources of anthropogenic fossil fuel CO 2 (FFCO 2) emissions. The spatial extents of these large urban systems cover areas of 10 000 km 2 or more with complex topography and changing landscapes. We present a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions over the Los Angeles (LA) megacity area. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Chem model was coupled to a very high-resolution FFCO 2 emission product, Hestia-LA, to simulate atmospheric CO 2 concentrations across the LA megacity at spatial resolutions as fine as ~1 km. We evaluated multiple WRF configurations, selecting one that minimizedmore » errors in wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height as evaluated by its performance against meteorological data collected during the CalNex-LA campaign (May–June 2010). Our results show no significant difference between moderate-resolution (4 km) and high-resolution (1.3 km) simulations when evaluated against surface meteorological data, but the high-resolution configurations better resolved planetary boundary layer heights and vertical gradients in the horizontal mean winds. We coupled our WRF configuration with the Vulcan 2.2 (10 km resolution) and Hestia-LA (1.3 km resolution) fossil fuel CO 2 emission products to evaluate the impact of the spatial resolution of the CO 2 emission products and the meteorological transport model on the representation of spatiotemporal variability in simulated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. We find that high spatial resolution in the fossil fuel CO 2 emissions is more important than in the atmospheric model to capture CO 2 concentration variability across the LA megacity. Finally, we present a novel approach that employs simultaneous correlations of the simulated atmospheric CO 2 fields to qualitatively evaluate the greenhouse gas measurement network over the LA megacity. Spatial correlations in the atmospheric CO 2 fields reflect the coverage of individual measurement sites when a statistically significant number of sites observe emissions from a specific source or location. We conclude that elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations over the LA megacity are composed of multiple fine-scale plumes rather than a single homogenous urban dome. Furthermore, we conclude that FFCO 2 emissions monitoring in the LA megacity requires FFCO 2 emissions modelling with ~1 km resolution because coarser-resolution emissions modelling tends to overestimate the observational constraints on the emissions estimates.« less

Los Angeles megacity: a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions

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

Feng, Sha; Lauvaux, Thomas; Newman, Sally

Megacities are major sources of anthropogenic fossil fuel CO 2 (FFCO 2) emissions. The spatial extents of these large urban systems cover areas of 10 000 km 2 or more with complex topography and changing landscapes. We present a high-resolution land–atmosphere modelling system for urban CO 2 emissions over the Los Angeles (LA) megacity area. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Chem model was coupled to a very high-resolution FFCO 2 emission product, Hestia-LA, to simulate atmospheric CO 2 concentrations across the LA megacity at spatial resolutions as fine as ~1 km. We evaluated multiple WRF configurations, selecting one that minimizedmore » errors in wind speed, wind direction, and boundary layer height as evaluated by its performance against meteorological data collected during the CalNex-LA campaign (May–June 2010). Our results show no significant difference between moderate-resolution (4 km) and high-resolution (1.3 km) simulations when evaluated against surface meteorological data, but the high-resolution configurations better resolved planetary boundary layer heights and vertical gradients in the horizontal mean winds. We coupled our WRF configuration with the Vulcan 2.2 (10 km resolution) and Hestia-LA (1.3 km resolution) fossil fuel CO 2 emission products to evaluate the impact of the spatial resolution of the CO 2 emission products and the meteorological transport model on the representation of spatiotemporal variability in simulated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. We find that high spatial resolution in the fossil fuel CO 2 emissions is more important than in the atmospheric model to capture CO 2 concentration variability across the LA megacity. Finally, we present a novel approach that employs simultaneous correlations of the simulated atmospheric CO 2 fields to qualitatively evaluate the greenhouse gas measurement network over the LA megacity. Spatial correlations in the atmospheric CO 2 fields reflect the coverage of individual measurement sites when a statistically significant number of sites observe emissions from a specific source or location. We conclude that elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations over the LA megacity are composed of multiple fine-scale plumes rather than a single homogenous urban dome. Furthermore, we conclude that FFCO 2 emissions monitoring in the LA megacity requires FFCO 2 emissions modelling with ~1 km resolution because coarser-resolution emissions modelling tends to overestimate the observational constraints on the emissions estimates.« less

Full Spatial Resolution Infrared Sounding Application in the Preconvection Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C.; Liu, G.; Lin, T.

2013-12-01

Advanced infrared (IR) sounders such as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) provide atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles with high vertical resolution and high accuracy in preconvection environments. The derived atmospheric stability indices such as convective available potential energy (CAPE) and lifted index (LI) from advanced IR soundings can provide critical information 1 ; 6 h before the development of severe convective storms. Three convective storms are selected for the evaluation of applying AIRS full spatial resolution soundings and the derived products on providing warning information in the preconvection environments. In the first case, the AIRS full spatial resolution soundings revealed local extremely high atmospheric instability 3 h ahead of the convection on the leading edge of a frontal system, while the second case demonstrates that the extremely high atmospheric instability is associated with the local development of severe thunderstorm in the following hours. The third case is a local severe storm that occurred on 7-8 August 2010 in Zhou Qu, China, which caused more than 1400 deaths and left another 300 or more people missing. The AIRS full spatial resolution LI product shows the atmospheric instability 3.5 h before the storm genesis. The CAPE and LI from AIRS full spatial resolution and operational AIRS/AMSU soundings along with Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Sounder derived product image (DPI) products were analyzed and compared. Case studies show that full spatial resolution AIRS retrievals provide more useful warning information in the preconvection environments for determining favorable locations for convective initiation (CI) than do the coarser spatial resolution operational soundings and lower spectral resolution GOES Sounder retrievals. The retrieved soundings are also tested in a regional data assimilation WRF 3D-var system to evaluate the potential assist in the NWP model.

Microdome-gooved Gd(2)O(2)S:Tb scintillator for flexible and high resolution digital radiography.

PubMed

Jung, Phill Gu; Lee, Chi Hoon; Bae, Kong Myeong; Lee, Jae Min; Lee, Sang Min; Lim, Chang Hwy; Yun, Seungman; Kim, Ho Kyung; Ko, Jong Soo

2010-07-05

A flexible microdome-grooved Gd(2)O(2)S:Tb scintillator is simulated, fabricated, and characterized for digital radiography applications. According to Monte Carlo simulation results, the dome-grooved structure has a high spatial resolution, which is verified by X-ray image performance of the scintillator. The proposed scintillator has lower X-ray sensitivity than a nonstructured scintillator but almost two times higher spatial resolution at high spatial frequency. Through evaluation of the X-ray performance of the fabricated scintillators, we confirm that the microdome-grooved scintillator can be applied to next-generation flexible digital radiography systems requiring high spatial resolution.

High-spatial resolution and high-spectral resolution detector for use in the measurement of solar flare hard X-rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desai, U. D.; Orwig, Larry E.

1988-01-01

In the areas of high spatial resolution, the evaluation of a hard X-ray detector with 65 micron spatial resolution for operation in the energy range from 30 to 400 keV is proposed. The basic detector is a thick large-area scintillator faceplate, composed of a matrix of high-density scintillating glass fibers, attached to a proximity type image intensifier tube with a resistive-anode digital readout system. Such a detector, combined with a coded-aperture mask, would be ideal for use as a modest-sized hard X-ray imaging instrument up to X-ray energies as high as several hundred keV. As an integral part of this study it was also proposed that several techniques be critically evaluated for X-ray image coding which could be used with this detector. In the area of high spectral resolution, it is proposed to evaluate two different types of detectors for use as X-ray spectrometers for solar flares: planar silicon detectors and high-purity germanium detectors (HPGe). Instruments utilizing these high-spatial-resolution detectors for hard X-ray imaging measurements from 30 to 400 keV and high-spectral-resolution detectors for measurements over a similar energy range would be ideally suited for making crucial solar flare observations during the upcoming maximum in the solar cycle.

Design and performance of a high spatial resolution, time-of-flight PET detector

PubMed Central

Krishnamoorthy, Srilalan; LeGeyt, Benjamin; Werner, Matthew E.; Kaul, Madhuri; Newcomer, F. M.; Karp, Joel S.; Surti, Suleman

2014-01-01

This paper describes the design and performance of a high spatial resolution PET detector with time-of-flight capabilities. With an emphasis on high spatial resolution and sensitivity, we initially evaluated the performance of several 1.5 × 1.5 and 2.0 × 2.0 mm2 and 12–15 mm long LYSO crystals read out by several appropriately sized PMTs. Experiments to evaluate the impact of reflector on detector performance were performed and the final detector consisted of a 32 × 32 array of 1.5 × 1.5 × 15 mm3 LYSO crystals packed with a diffuse reflector and read out by a single Hamamatsu 64 channel multi-anode PMT. Such a design made it compact, modular and offered a cost-effective solution to obtaining excellent energy and timing resolution. To minimize the number of readout signals, a compact front-end readout electronics that summed anode signals along each of the orthogonal directions was also developed. Experimental evaluation of detector performance demonstrates clear discrimination of the crystals within the detector. An average energy resolution (FWHM) of 12.7 ± 2.6% and average coincidence timing resolution (FWHM) of 348 ps was measured, demonstrating suitability for use in the development of a high spatial resolution time-of-flight scanner for dedicated breast PET imaging. PMID:25246711

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.

Evaluating an image-fusion algorithm with synthetic-image-generation tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, Harry N.; Schott, John R.

1996-06-01

An algorithm that combines spectral mixing and nonlinear optimization is used to fuse multiresolution images. Image fusion merges images of different spatial and spectral resolutions to create a high spatial resolution multispectral combination. High spectral resolution allows identification of materials in the scene, while high spatial resolution locates those materials. In this algorithm, conventional spectral mixing estimates the percentage of each material (called endmembers) within each low resolution pixel. Three spectral mixing models are compared; unconstrained, partially constrained, and fully constrained. In the partially constrained application, the endmember fractions are required to sum to one. In the fully constrained application, all fractions are additionally required to lie between zero and one. While negative fractions seem inappropriate, they can arise from random spectral realizations of the materials. In the second part of the algorithm, the low resolution fractions are used as inputs to a constrained nonlinear optimization that calculates the endmember fractions for the high resolution pixels. The constraints mirror the low resolution constraints and maintain consistency with the low resolution fraction results. The algorithm can use one or more higher resolution sharpening images to locate the endmembers to high spatial accuracy. The algorithm was evaluated with synthetic image generation (SIG) tools. A SIG developed image can be used to control the various error sources that are likely to impair the algorithm performance. These error sources include atmospheric effects, mismodeled spectral endmembers, and variability in topography and illumination. By controlling the introduction of these errors, the robustness of the algorithm can be studied and improved upon. The motivation for this research is to take advantage of the next generation of multi/hyperspectral sensors. Although the hyperspectral images will be of modest to low resolution, fusing them with high resolution sharpening images will produce a higher spatial resolution land cover or material map.

Investigation of spatial resolution and temporal performance of SAPHIRE (scintillator avalanche photoconductor with high resolution emitter readout) with integrated electrostatic focusing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaduto, David A.; Lubinsky, Anthony R.; Rowlands, John A.; Kenmotsu, Hidenori; Nishimoto, Norihito; Nishino, Takeshi; Tanioka, Kenkichi; Zhao, Wei

2014-03-01

We have previously proposed SAPHIRE (scintillator avalanche photoconductor with high resolution emitter readout), a novel detector concept with potentially superior spatial resolution and low-dose performance compared with existing flat-panel imagers. The detector comprises a scintillator that is optically coupled to an amorphous selenium photoconductor operated with avalanche gain, known as high-gain avalanche rushing photoconductor (HARP). High resolution electron beam readout is achieved using a field emitter array (FEA). This combination of avalanche gain, allowing for very low-dose imaging, and electron emitter readout, providing high spatial resolution, offers potentially superior image quality compared with existing flat-panel imagers, with specific applications to fluoroscopy and breast imaging. Through the present collaboration, a prototype HARP sensor with integrated electrostatic focusing and nano- Spindt FEA readout technology has been fabricated. The integrated electron-optic focusing approach is more suitable for fabricating large-area detectors. We investigate the dependence of spatial resolution on sensor structure and operating conditions, and compare the performance of electrostatic focusing with previous technologies. Our results show a clear dependence of spatial resolution on electrostatic focusing potential, with performance approaching that of the previous design with external mesh-electrode. Further, temporal performance (lag) of the detector is evaluated and the results show that the integrated electrostatic focusing design exhibits comparable or better performance compared with the mesh-electrode design. This study represents the first technical evaluation and characterization of the SAPHIRE concept with integrated electrostatic focusing.

Spatial resolution limits for the isotropic-3D PET detector X’tal cube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Eiji; Tashima, Hideaki; Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Inadama, Naoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Murayama, Hideo; Yamaya, Taiga

2013-11-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become a popular imaging method in metabolism, neuroscience, and molecular imaging. For dedicated human brain and small animal PET scanners, high spatial resolution is needed to visualize small objects. To improve the spatial resolution, we are developing the X’tal cube, which is our new PET detector to achieve isotropic 3D positioning detectability. We have shown that the X’tal cube can achieve 1 mm3 uniform crystal identification performance with the Anger-type calculation even at the block edges. We plan to develop the X’tal cube with even smaller 3D grids for sub-millimeter crystal identification. In this work, we investigate spatial resolution of a PET scanner based on the X’tal cube using Monte Carlo simulations for predicting resolution performance in smaller 3D grids. For spatial resolution evaluation, a point source emitting 511 keV photons was simulated by GATE for all physical processes involved in emission and interaction of positrons. We simulated two types of animal PET scanners. The first PET scanner had a detector ring 14.6 cm in diameter composed of 18 detectors. The second PET scanner had a detector ring 7.8 cm in diameter composed of 12 detectors. After the GATE simulations, we converted the interacting 3D position information to digitalized positions for realistic segmented crystals. We simulated several X’tal cubes with cubic crystals from (0.5 mm)3 to (2 mm)3 in size. Also, for evaluating the effect of DOI resolution, we simulated several X’tal cubes with crystal thickness from (0.5 mm)3 to (9 mm)3. We showed that sub-millimeter spatial resolution was possible using cubic crystals smaller than (1.0 mm)3 even with the assumed physical processes. Also, the weighted average spatial resolutions of both PET scanners with (0.5 mm)3 cubic crystals were 0.53 mm (14.6 cm ring diameter) and 0.48 mm (7.8 cm ring diameter). For the 7.8 cm ring diameter, spatial resolution with 0.5×0.5×1.0 mm3 crystals was improved 39% relative to the (1 mm)3 cubic crystals. On the other hand, spatial resolution with (0.5 mm)3 cubic crystals was improved 47% relative to the (1 mm)3 cubic crystals. The X’tal cube promises better spatial resolution for the 3D crystal block with isotropic resolution.

Modeling and measurement of the detector presampling MTF of a variable resolution x-ray CT scanner.

PubMed

Melnyk, Roman; DiBianca, Frank A

2007-03-01

The detector presampling modulation transfer function (MTF) of a 576-channel variable resolution x-ray (VRX) computed tomography (CT) scanner was evaluated in this study. The scanner employs a VRX detector, which provides increased spatial resolution by matching the scanner's field of view (FOV) to the size of an object being imaged. Because spatial resolution is the parameter the scanner promises to improve, the evaluation of this resolution is important. The scanner's pre-reconstruction spatial resolution, represented by the detector presampling MTF, was evaluated using both modeling (Monte Carlo simulation) and measurement (the moving slit method). The theoretical results show the increase in the cutoff frequency of the detector presampling MTF from 1.39 to 43.38 cycles/mm as the FOV of the VRX CT scanner decreases from 32 to 1 cm. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical data. Some discrepancies between the measured and the modeled detector presampling MTFs can be explained by the limitations of the model. At small FOVs (1-8 cm), the MTF measurements were limited by the size of the focal spot. The obtained results are important for further development of the VRX CT scanner.

Modeling and measurement of the detector presampling MTF of a variable resolution x-ray CT scanner

PubMed Central

Melnyk, Roman; DiBianca, Frank A.

2007-01-01

The detector presampling MTF of a 576-channel variable resolution x-ray (VRX) CT scanner was evaluated in this study. The scanner employs a VRX detector, which provides increased spatial resolution by matching the scanner’s field of view (FOV) to the size of an object being imaged. Because spatial resolution is the parameter the scanner promises to improve, the evaluation of this resolution is important. The scanner’s pre-reconstruction spatial resolution, represented by the detector presampling MTF, was evaluated using both modeling (Monte Carlo simulation) and measurement (the moving slit method). The theoretical results show the increase in the cutoff frequency of the detector presampling MTF from 1.39 cy/mm to 43.38 cy/mm as the FOV of the VRX CT scanner decreases from 32 cm to 1 cm. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical data. Some discrepancies between the measured and the modeled detector presampling MTFs can be explained by the limitations of the model. At small FOVs (1–8 cm), the MTF measurements were limited by the size of the focal spot. The obtained results are important for further development of the VRX CT scanner. PMID:17369872

Evaluating Climate Causation of Conflict in Darfur Using Multi-temporal, Multi-resolution Satellite Image Datasets With Novel Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, I.; Wennbom, M.

2013-12-01

Climate change, population growth and changes in traditional lifestyles have led to instabilities in traditional demarcations between neighboring ethic and religious groups in the Sahel region. This has resulted in a number of conflicts as groups resort to arms to settle disputes. Such disputes often centre on or are justified by competition for resources. The conflict in Darfur has been controversially explained by resource scarcity resulting from climate change. Here we analyse established methods of using satellite imagery to assess vegetation health in Darfur. Multi-decadal time series of observations are available using low spatial resolution visible-near infrared imagery. Typically normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analyses are produced to describe changes in vegetation ';greenness' or ';health'. Such approaches have been widely used to evaluate the long term development of vegetation in relation to climate variations across a wide range of environments from the Arctic to the Sahel. These datasets typically measure peak NDVI observed over a given interval and may introduce bias. It is furthermore unclear how the spatial organization of sparse vegetation may affect low resolution NDVI products. We develop and assess alternative measures of vegetation including descriptors of the growing season, wetness and resource availability. Expanding the range of parameters used in the analysis reduces our dependence on peak NDVI. Furthermore, these descriptors provide a better characterization of the growing season than the single NDVI measure. Using multi-sensor data we combine high temporal/moderate spatial resolution data with low temporal/high spatial resolution data to improve the spatial representativity of the observations and to provide improved spatial analysis of vegetation patterns. The approach places the high resolution observations in the NDVI context space using a longer time series of lower resolution imagery. The vegetation descriptors derived are evaluated using independent high spatial resolution datasets that reveal the pattern and health of vegetation at metre scales. We also use climate variables to support the interpretation of these data. We conclude that the spatio-temporal patterns in Darfur vegetation and climate datasets suggest that labelling the conflict a climate-change conflict is inaccurate and premature.

Results on the spatial resolution of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for cortical language mapping during object naming in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Sollmann, Nico; Hauck, Theresa; Tussis, Lorena; Ille, Sebastian; Maurer, Stefanie; Boeckh-Behrens, Tobias; Ringel, Florian; Meyer, Bernhard; Krieg, Sandro M

2016-10-24

The spatial resolution of repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for language mapping is largely unknown. Thus, to determine a minimum spatial resolution of rTMS for language mapping, we evaluated the mapping sessions derived from 19 healthy volunteers for cortical hotspots of no-response errors. Then, the distances between hotspots (stimulation points with a high error rate) and adjacent mapping points (stimulation points with low error rates) were evaluated. Mean distance values of 13.8 ± 6.4 mm (from hotspots to ventral points, range 0.7-30.7 mm), 10.8 ± 4.8 mm (from hotspots to dorsal points, range 2.0-26.5 mm), 16.6 ± 4.8 mm (from hotspots to apical points, range 0.9-27.5 mm), and 13.8 ± 4.3 mm (from hotspots to caudal points, range 2.0-24.2 mm) were measured. According to the results, the minimum spatial resolution of rTMS should principally allow for the identification of a particular gyrus, and according to the literature, it is in good accordance with the spatial resolution of direct cortical stimulation (DCS). Since measurement was performed between hotspots and adjacent mapping points and not on a finer-grained basis, we only refer to a minimum spatial resolution. Furthermore, refinement of our results within the scope of a prospective study combining rTMS and DCS for resolution measurement during language mapping should be the next step.

Time of flight dependent linearity in diffuse imaging: how effective is it to evaluate the spatial resolution by measuring the edge response function?

PubMed

Ortiz-Rascón, E; Bruce, N C; Rodríguez-Rosales, A A; Garduño-Mejía, J

2016-03-01

We describe the behavior of linearity in diffuse imaging by evaluating the differences between time-resolved images produced by photons arriving at the detector at different times. Two approaches are considered: Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results. The images of two complete opaque bars embedded in a transparent or in a turbid medium with a slab geometry are analyzed; the optical properties of the turbid medium sample are close to those of breast tissue. A simple linearity test was designed involving a direct comparison between the intensity profile produced by two bars scanned at the same time and the intensity profile obtained by adding two profiles of each bar scanned one at a time. It is shown that the linearity improves substantially when short time of flight photons are used in the imaging process, but even then the nonlinear behavior prevails. As the edge response function (ERF) has been used widely for testing the spatial resolution in imaging systems, the main implication of a time dependent linearity is the weakness of the linearity assumption when evaluating the spatial resolution through the ERF in diffuse imaging systems, and the need to evaluate the spatial resolution by other methods.

Monte Carlo-based assessment of the trade-off between spatial resolution, field-of-view and scattered radiation in the variable resolution X-ray CT scanner.

PubMed

Arabi, Hossein; Kamali Asl, Ali Reza; Ay, Mohammad Reza; Zaidi, Habib

2015-07-01

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the impact of optimization of magnification on performance parameters of the variable resolution X-ray (VRX) CT scanner. A realistic model based on an actual VRX CT scanner was implemented in the GATE Monte Carlo simulation platform. To evaluate the influence of system magnification, spatial resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and scatter-to-primary ratio of the scanner were estimated for both fixed and optimum object magnification at each detector rotation angle. Comparison and inference between these performance parameters were performed angle by angle to determine appropriate object position at each opening half angle. Optimization of magnification resulted in a trade-off between spatial resolution and FOV of the scanner at opening half angles of 90°-12°, where the spatial resolution increased up to 50% and the scatter-to-primary ratio decreased from 4.8% to 3.8% at a detector angle of about 90° for the same FOV and X-ray energy spectrum. The disadvantage of magnification optimization at these angles is the significant reduction of the FOV (up to 50%). Moreover, magnification optimization was definitely beneficial for opening half angles below 12° improving the spatial resolution from 7.5 cy/mm to 20 cy/mm. Meanwhile, the FOV increased by more than 50% at these angles. It can be concluded that optimization of magnification is essential for opening half angles below 12°. For opening half angles between 90° and 12°, the VRX CT scanner magnification should be set according to the desired spatial resolution and FOV. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High density event-related potential data acquisition in cognitive neuroscience.

PubMed

Slotnick, Scott D

2010-04-16

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is currently the standard method of evaluating brain function in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience, in part because fMRI data acquisition and analysis techniques are readily available. Because fMRI has excellent spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution, this method can only be used to identify the spatial location of brain activity associated with a given cognitive process (and reveals virtually nothing about the time course of brain activity). By contrast, event-related potential (ERP) recording, a method that is used much less frequently than fMRI, has excellent temporal resolution and thus can track rapid temporal modulations in neural activity. Unfortunately, ERPs are under utilized in Cognitive Neuroscience because data acquisition techniques are not readily available and low density ERP recording has poor spatial resolution. In an effort to foster the increased use of ERPs in Cognitive Neuroscience, the present article details key techniques involved in high density ERP data acquisition. Critically, high density ERPs offer the promise of excellent temporal resolution and good spatial resolution (or excellent spatial resolution if coupled with fMRI), which is necessary to capture the spatial-temporal dynamics of human brain function.

Hyperspectral imagery super-resolution by compressive sensing inspired dictionary learning and spatial-spectral regularization.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Xiao, Liang; Liu, Hongyi; Wei, Zhihui

2015-01-19

Due to the instrumental and imaging optics limitations, it is difficult to acquire high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery (HSI). Super-resolution (SR) imagery aims at inferring high quality images of a given scene from degraded versions of the same scene. This paper proposes a novel hyperspectral imagery super-resolution (HSI-SR) method via dictionary learning and spatial-spectral regularization. The main contributions of this paper are twofold. First, inspired by the compressive sensing (CS) framework, for learning the high resolution dictionary, we encourage stronger sparsity on image patches and promote smaller coherence between the learned dictionary and sensing matrix. Thus, a sparsity and incoherence restricted dictionary learning method is proposed to achieve higher efficiency sparse representation. Second, a variational regularization model combing a spatial sparsity regularization term and a new local spectral similarity preserving term is proposed to integrate the spectral and spatial-contextual information of the HSI. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively recover spatial information and better preserve spectral information. The high spatial resolution HSI reconstructed by the proposed method outperforms reconstructed results by other well-known methods in terms of both objective measurements and visual evaluation.

SU-E-J-157: Improving the Quality of T2-Weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Clinical Evaluation

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

Du, D; Mutic, S; Hu, Y

2014-06-01

Purpose: To develop an imaging technique that enables us to acquire T2- weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4DMRI) with sufficient spatial coverage, temporal resolution and spatial resolution for clinical evaluation. Methods: T2-weighed 4DMRI images were acquired from a healthy volunteer using a respiratory amplitude triggered T2-weighted Turbo Spin Echo sequence. 10 respiratory states were used to equally sample the respiratory range based on amplitude (0%, 20%i, 40%i, 60%i, 80%i, 100%, 80%e, 60%e, 40%e and 20%e). To avoid frequent scanning halts, a methodology was devised that split 10 respiratory states into two packages in an interleaved manner and packages were acquiredmore » separately. Sixty 3mm sagittal slices at 1.5mm in-plane spatial resolution were acquired to offer good spatial coverage and reasonable spatial resolution. The in-plane field of view was 375mm × 260mm with nominal scan time of 3 minutes 42 seconds. Acquired 2D images at the same respiratory state were combined to form the 3D image set corresponding to that respiratory state and reconstructed in the coronal view to evaluate whether all slices were at the same respiratory state. 3D image sets of 10 respiratory states represented a complete 4D MRI image set. Results: T2-weighted 4DMRI image were acquired in 10 minutes which was within clinical acceptable range. Qualitatively, the acquired MRI images had good image quality for delineation purposes. There were no abrupt position changes in reconstructed coronal images which confirmed that all sagittal slices were in the same respiratory state. Conclusion: We demonstrated it was feasible to acquire T2-weighted 4DMRI image set within a practical amount of time (10 minutes) that had good temporal resolution (10 respiratory states), spatial resolution (1.5mm × 1.5mm × 3.0mm) and spatial coverage (60 slices) for future clinical evaluation.« less

High-resolution whole-brain DCE-MRI using constrained reconstruction: Prospective clinical evaluation in brain tumor patients.

PubMed

Guo, Yi; Lebel, R Marc; Zhu, Yinghua; Lingala, Sajan Goud; Shiroishi, Mark S; Law, Meng; Nayak, Krishna

2016-05-01

To clinically evaluate a highly accelerated T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI technique that provides high spatial resolution and whole-brain coverage via undersampling and constrained reconstruction with multiple sparsity constraints. Conventional (rate-2 SENSE) and experimental DCE-MRI (rate-30) scans were performed 20 minutes apart in 15 brain tumor patients. The conventional clinical DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 1.3 × 7.0 mm(3), FOV 22 × 22 × 4.2 cm(3), and the experimental DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 0.9 × 1.9 mm(3), and broader coverage 22 × 22 × 19 cm(3). Temporal resolution was 5 s for both protocols. Time-resolved images and blood-brain barrier permeability maps were qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists. The experimental DCE-MRI scans showed no loss of qualitative information in any of the cases, while achieving substantially higher spatial resolution and whole-brain spatial coverage. Average qualitative scores (from 0 to 3) were 2.1 for the experimental scans and 1.1 for the conventional clinical scans. The proposed DCE-MRI approach provides clinically superior image quality with higher spatial resolution and coverage than currently available approaches. These advantages may allow comprehensive permeability mapping in the brain, which is especially valuable in the setting of large lesions or multiple lesions spread throughout the brain.

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

Melnyk, Roman; DiBianca, Frank A.

The detector presampling modulation transfer function (MTF) of a 576-channel variable resolution x-ray (VRX) computed tomography (CT) scanner was evaluated in this study. The scanner employs a VRX detector, which provides increased spatial resolution by matching the scanner's field of view (FOV) to the size of an object being imaged. Because spatial resolution is the parameter the scanner promises to improve, the evaluation of this resolution is important. The scanner's pre-reconstruction spatial resolution, represented by the detector presampling MTF, was evaluated using both modeling (Monte Carlo simulation) and measurement (the moving slit method). The theoretical results show the increase inmore » the cutoff frequency of the detector presampling MTF from 1.39 to 43.38 cycles/mm as the FOV of the VRX CT scanner decreases from 32 to 1 cm. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical data. Some discrepancies between the measured and the modeled detector presampling MTFs can be explained by the limitations of the model. At small FOVs (1-8 cm), the MTF measurements were limited by the size of the focal spot. The obtained results are important for further development of the VRX CT scanner.« less

Rapid mapping of hurricane damage to forests

Treesearch

Erik M. Nielsen

2009-01-01

The prospects for producing rapid, accurate delineations of the spatial extent of forest wind damage were evaluated using Hurricane Katrina as a test case. A damage map covering the full spatial extent of Katrina?s impact was produced from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery using higher resolution training data. Forest damage...

Generation of High Resolution Land Surface Parameters in the Community Land Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Y.; Coleman, A. M.; Wigmosta, M. S.; Leung, L.; Huang, M.; Li, H.

2010-12-01

The Community Land Model (CLM) is the land surface model used for the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) and the Community Climate System Model (CCSM). It examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Currently, efforts are being made to improve the spatial resolution of the CLM, in part, to represent finer scale hydrologic characteristics. Current land surface parameters of CLM4.0, in particular plant functional types (PFT) and leaf area index (LAI), are generated from MODIS and calculated at a 0.05 degree resolution. These MODIS-derived land surface parameters have also been aggregated to coarser resolutions (e.g., 0.5, 1.0 degrees). To evaluate the response of CLM across various spatial scales, higher spatial resolution land surface parameters need to be generated. In this study we examine the use of Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery and data fusion techniques for generating land surface parameters at a 1km resolution within the Pacific Northwest United States. . Land cover types and PFTs are classified based on Landsat multi-season spectral information, DEM, National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and the USDA-NASS Crop Data Layer (CDL). For each PFT, relationships between MOD15A2 high quality LAI values, Landsat-based vegetation indices, climate variables, terrain, and laser-altimeter derived vegetation height are used to generate monthly LAI values at a 30m resolution. The high-resolution PFT and LAI data are aggregated to create a 1km model grid resolution. An evaluation and comparison of CLM land surface response at both fine and moderate scale is presented.

Towards breaking the spatial resolution barriers: An optical flow and super-resolution approach for sea ice motion estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrou, Zisis I.; Xian, Yang; Tian, YingLi

2018-04-01

Estimation of sea ice motion at fine scales is important for a number of regional and local level applications, including modeling of sea ice distribution, ocean-atmosphere and climate dynamics, as well as safe navigation and sea operations. In this study, we propose an optical flow and super-resolution approach to accurately estimate motion from remote sensing images at a higher spatial resolution than the original data. First, an external example learning-based super-resolution method is applied on the original images to generate higher resolution versions. Then, an optical flow approach is applied on the higher resolution images, identifying sparse correspondences and interpolating them to extract a dense motion vector field with continuous values and subpixel accuracies. Our proposed approach is successfully evaluated on passive microwave, optical, and Synthetic Aperture Radar data, proving appropriate for multi-sensor applications and different spatial resolutions. The approach estimates motion with similar or higher accuracy than the original data, while increasing the spatial resolution of up to eight times. In addition, the adopted optical flow component outperforms a state-of-the-art pattern matching method. Overall, the proposed approach results in accurate motion vectors with unprecedented spatial resolutions of up to 1.5 km for passive microwave data covering the entire Arctic and 20 m for radar data, and proves promising for numerous scientific and operational applications.

The influence of focal spot blooming on high-contrast spatial resolution in CT imaging.

PubMed

Grimes, Joshua; Duan, Xinhui; Yu, Lifeng; Halaweish, Ahmed F; Haag, Nicole; Leng, Shuai; McCollough, Cynthia

2015-10-01

The objective of this work was to investigate focal spot blooming effects on the spatial resolution of CT images and to evaluate an x-ray tube that uses dynamic focal spot control for minimizing focal spot blooming. The influence of increasing tube current at a fixed tube potential of 80 kV on high-contrast spatial resolution of seven different CT scanner models (scanners A-G), including one scanner that uses dynamic focal spot control to reduce focal spot blooming (scanner A), was evaluated. Spatial resolution was assessed using a wire phantom for the modulation transfer function (MTF) calculation and a copper disc phantom for measuring the slice sensitivity profile (SSP). The impact of varying the tube potential was investigated on two scanner models (scanners A and B) by measuring the MTF and SSP and also by using the resolution bar pattern module of the ACR CT phantom. The phantoms were scanned at 70-150 kV on scanner A and 80-140 kV on scanner B, with tube currents from 100 mA up to the maximum tube current available on each scanner. The images were reconstructed using a slice thickness of 0.6 mm with both smooth and sharp kernels. Additionally, focal spot size at varying tube potentials and currents was directly measured using pinhole and slit camera techniques. Evaluation of the MTF and SSP data from the 7 CT scanner models evaluated demonstrated decreased focal spot blooming for newer scanners, as evidenced by decreasing deviations in MTF and SSP as tube current varied. For scanners A and B, where focal spot blooming effects as a function of tube potential were assessed, the spatial resolution variation in the axial plane was much smaller on scanner A compared to scanner B as tube potential and current changed. On scanner A, the 50% MTF never decreased by more than 2% from the 50% MTF measured at 100 mA. On scanner B, the 50% MTF decreased by as much as 19% from the 50% MTF measured at 100 mA. Assessments of the SSP, the bar patterns in the ACR phantom and the pinhole and slit camera measurements were consistent with the MTF calculations. Focal spot blooming has a noticeable effect on spatial resolution in CT imaging. The focal spot shaping technology of scanner A greatly reduced blooming effects.

Evaluation of multi-resolution satellite sensors for assessing water quality and bottom depth of Lake Garda.

PubMed

Giardino, Claudia; Bresciani, Mariano; Cazzaniga, Ilaria; Schenk, Karin; Rieger, Patrizia; Braga, Federica; Matta, Erica; Brando, Vittorio E

2014-12-15

In this study we evaluate the capabilities of three satellite sensors for assessing water composition and bottom depth in Lake Garda, Italy. A consistent physics-based processing chain was applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and RapidEye. Images gathered on 10 June 2014 were corrected for the atmospheric effects with the 6SV code. The computed remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) from MODIS and OLI were converted into water quality parameters by adopting a spectral inversion procedure based on a bio-optical model calibrated with optical properties of the lake. The same spectral inversion procedure was applied to RapidEye and to OLI data to map bottom depth. In situ measurements of Rrs and of concentrations of water quality parameters collected in five locations were used to evaluate the models. The bottom depth maps from OLI and RapidEye showed similar gradients up to 7 m (r = 0.72). The results indicate that: (1) the spatial and radiometric resolutions of OLI enabled mapping water constituents and bottom properties; (2) MODIS was appropriate for assessing water quality in the pelagic areas at a coarser spatial resolution; and (3) RapidEye had the capability to retrieve bottom depth at high spatial resolution. Future work should evaluate the performance of the three sensors in different bio-optical conditions.

Effect of spatial resolution on remote sensing estimation of total evaporation in the uMngeni catchment, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoko, Cletah; Clark, David; Mengistu, Michael; Dube, Timothy; Bulcock, Hartley

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the effect of two readily available multispectral sensors: the newly launched 30 m spatial resolution Landsat 8 and the long-serving 1000 m moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) datasets in the spatial representation of total evaporation in the heterogeneous uMngeni catchment, South Africa, using the surface energy balance system model. The results showed that sensor spatial resolution plays a critical role in the accurate estimation of energy fluxes and total evaporation across a heterogeneous catchment. Landsat 8 estimates showed better spatial representation of the biophysical parameters and total evaporation for different land cover types, due to the relatively higher spatial resolution compared to the coarse spatial resolution MODIS sensor. Moreover, MODIS failed to capture the spatial variations of total evaporation estimates across the catchment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that MODIS-based total evaporation estimates did not show any significant differences across different land cover types (one-way ANOVA; F1.924=1.412, p=0.186). However, Landsat 8 images yielded significantly different estimates between different land cover types (one-way ANOVA; F1.993=5.185, p<0.001). The validation results showed that Landsat 8 estimates were more comparable to eddy covariance (EC) measurements than the MODIS-based total evaporation estimates. EC measurement on May 23, 2013, was 3.8 mm/day, whereas the Landsat 8 estimate on the same day was 3.6 mm/day, with MODIS showing significantly lower estimates of 2.3 mm/day. The findings of this study underscore the importance of spatial resolution in estimating spatial variations of total evaporation at the catchment scale, thus, they provide critical information on the relevance of the readily available remote sensing products in water resources management in data-scarce environments.

Variations in optical coherence tomography resolution and uniformity: a multi-system performance comparison

PubMed Central

Fouad, Anthony; Pfefer, T. Joshua; Chen, Chao-Wei; Gong, Wei; Agrawal, Anant; Tomlins, Peter H.; Woolliams, Peter D.; Drezek, Rebekah A.; Chen, Yu

2014-01-01

Point spread function (PSF) phantoms based on unstructured distributions of sub-resolution particles in a transparent matrix have been demonstrated as a useful tool for evaluating resolution and its spatial variation across image volumes in optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems. Measurements based on PSF phantoms have the potential to become a standard test method for consistent, objective and quantitative inter-comparison of OCT system performance. Towards this end, we have evaluated three PSF phantoms and investigated their ability to compare the performance of four OCT systems. The phantoms are based on 260-nm-diameter gold nanoshells, 400-nm-diameter iron oxide particles and 1.5-micron-diameter silica particles. The OCT systems included spectral-domain and swept source systems in free-beam geometries as well as a time-domain system in both free-beam and fiberoptic probe geometries. Results indicated that iron oxide particles and gold nanoshells were most effective for measuring spatial variations in the magnitude and shape of PSFs across the image volume. The intensity of individual particles was also used to evaluate spatial variations in signal intensity uniformity. Significant system-to-system differences in resolution and signal intensity and their spatial variation were readily quantified. The phantoms proved useful for identification and characterization of irregularities such as astigmatism. Our multi-system results provide evidence of the practical utility of PSF-phantom-based test methods for quantitative inter-comparison of OCT system resolution and signal uniformity. PMID:25071949

High-resolution whole-brain DCE-MRI using constrained reconstruction: Prospective clinical evaluation in brain tumor patients

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

Guo, Yi, E-mail: yiguo@usc.edu; Zhu, Yinghua; Lingala, Sajan Goud

Purpose: To clinically evaluate a highly accelerated T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI technique that provides high spatial resolution and whole-brain coverage via undersampling and constrained reconstruction with multiple sparsity constraints. Methods: Conventional (rate-2 SENSE) and experimental DCE-MRI (rate-30) scans were performed 20 minutes apart in 15 brain tumor patients. The conventional clinical DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 1.3 × 7.0 mm{sup 3}, FOV 22 × 22 × 4.2 cm{sup 3}, and the experimental DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 0.9 × 1.9 mm{sup 3}, and broader coverage 22 × 22 × 19 cm{sup 3}. Temporal resolution was 5 smore » for both protocols. Time-resolved images and blood–brain barrier permeability maps were qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists. Results: The experimental DCE-MRI scans showed no loss of qualitative information in any of the cases, while achieving substantially higher spatial resolution and whole-brain spatial coverage. Average qualitative scores (from 0 to 3) were 2.1 for the experimental scans and 1.1 for the conventional clinical scans. Conclusions: The proposed DCE-MRI approach provides clinically superior image quality with higher spatial resolution and coverage than currently available approaches. These advantages may allow comprehensive permeability mapping in the brain, which is especially valuable in the setting of large lesions or multiple lesions spread throughout the brain.« less

Comparison of alternative spatial resolutions in the application of a spatially distributed biogeochemical model over complex terrain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, D.P.; Dodson, R.; Marks, D.

1996-01-01

Spatially distributed biogeochemical models may be applied over grids at a range of spatial resolutions, however, evaluation of potential errors and loss of information at relatively coarse resolutions is rare. In this study, a georeferenced database at the 1-km spatial resolution was developed to initialize and drive a process-based model (Forest-BGC) of water and carbon balance over a gridded 54976 km2 area covering two river basins in mountainous western Oregon. Corresponding data sets were also prepared at 10-km and 50-km spatial resolutions using commonly employed aggregation schemes. Estimates were made at each grid cell for climate variables including daily solar radiation, air temperature, humidity, and precipitation. The topographic structure, water holding capacity, vegetation type and leaf area index were likewise estimated for initial conditions. The daily time series for the climatic drivers was developed from interpolations of meteorological station data for the water year 1990 (1 October 1989-30 September 1990). Model outputs at the 1-km resolution showed good agreement with observed patterns in runoff and productivity. The ranges for model inputs at the 10-km and 50-km resolutions tended to contract because of the smoothed topography. Estimates for mean evapotranspiration and runoff were relatively insensitive to changing the spatial resolution of the grid whereas estimates of mean annual net primary production varied by 11%. The designation of a vegetation type and leaf area at the 50-km resolution often subsumed significant heterogeneity in vegetation, and this factor accounted for much of the difference in the mean values for the carbon flux variables. Although area wide means for model outputs were generally similar across resolutions, difference maps often revealed large areas of disagreement. Relatively high spatial resolution analyses of biogeochemical cycling are desirable from several perspectives and may be particularly important in the study of the potential impacts of climate change.

Influence of Scale Effect and Model Performance in Downscaling ASTER Land Surface Temperatures to a Very High Spatial Resolution in an Agricultural Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, J.; Li, G.; Liu, S.; Zhan, W.; Zhang, X.

2015-12-01

At present land surface temperatures (LSTs) can be generated from thermal infrared remote sensing with spatial resolutions from ~100 m to tens of kilometers. However, LSTs with high spatial resolution, e.g. tens of meters, are still lack. The purpose of LST downscaling is to generate LSTs with finer spatial resolutions than their native spatial resolutions. The statistical linear or nonlinear regression models are most frequently used for LST downscaling. The basic assumption of these models is the scale-invariant relationships between LST and its descriptors, which is questioned but rare researches have been reported. In addition, few researches can be found for downscaling satellite LST or TIR data to a high spatial resolution, i.e. better than 100 m or even finer. The lack of LST with high spatial resolution cannot satisfy the requirements of applications such as evapotranspiration mapping at the field scale. By selecting a dynamically developing agricultural oasis as the study area, the aim of this study is to downscale the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) LSTs to 15 m, to satisfy the requirement of evapotranspiration mapping at the field scale. Twelve ASTER images from May to September in 2012, covering the entire growth stage of maize, were selected. Four statistical models were evaluated, including one global model, one piecewise model, and two local models. The influence from scale effect in downscaling LST was quantified. The downscaled LSTs are evaluated from accuracy and image quality. Results demonstrate that the influence from scale effect varies according to models and the maize growth stage. Significant influence about -4 K to 6 K existed at the early stage and weaker influence existed in the middle stage. When compared with the ground measured LSTs, the downscaled LSTs resulted from the global and local models yielded higher accuracies and better image qualities than the local models. In addition to the vegetation indices, the surface albedo is an important descriptor for downscaling LST through explaining its spatial variation induced by soil moisture.

A Comparison of Spatial and Spectral Image Resolution for Mapping Invasive Plants in Coastal California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Underwood, Emma C.; Ustin, Susan L.; Ramirez, Carlos M.

2007-01-01

We explored the potential of detecting three target invasive species: iceplant ( Carpobrotus edulis), jubata grass ( Cortaderia jubata), and blue gum ( Eucalyptus globulus) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. We compared the accuracy of mapping six communities (intact coastal scrub, iceplant invaded coastal scrub, iceplant invaded chaparral, jubata grass invaded chaparral, blue gum invaded chaparral, and intact chaparral) using four images with different combinations of spatial and spectral resolution: hyperspectral AVIRIS imagery (174 wavebands, 4 m spatial resolution), spatially degraded AVIRIS (174 bands, 30 m), spectrally degraded AVIRIS (6 bands, 4 m), and both spatially and spectrally degraded AVIRIS (6 bands, 30 m, i.e., simulated Landsat ETM data). Overall success rates for classifying the six classes was 75% (kappa 0.7) using full resolution AVIRIS, 58% (kappa 0.5) for the spatially degraded AVIRIS, 42% (kappa 0.3) for the spectrally degraded AVIRIS, and 37% (kappa 0.3) for the spatially and spectrally degraded AVIRIS. A true Landsat ETM image was also classified to illustrate that the results from the simulated ETM data were representative, which provided an accuracy of 50% (kappa 0.4). Mapping accuracies using different resolution images are evaluated in the context of community heterogeneity (species richness, diversity, and percent species cover). Findings illustrate that higher mapping accuracies are achieved with images possessing high spectral resolution, thus capturing information across the visible and reflected infrared solar spectrum. Understanding the tradeoffs in spectral and spatial resolution can assist land managers in deciding the most appropriate imagery with respect to target invasives and community characteristics.

Generating High-Temporal and Spatial Resolution TIR Image Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero-Huerta, M.; Lagüela, S.; Alfieri, S. M.; Menenti, M.

2017-09-01

Remote sensing imagery to monitor global biophysical dynamics requires the availability of thermal infrared data at high temporal and spatial resolution because of the rapid development of crops during the growing season and the fragmentation of most agricultural landscapes. Conversely, no single sensor meets these combined requirements. Data fusion approaches offer an alternative to exploit observations from multiple sensors, providing data sets with better properties. A novel spatio-temporal data fusion model based on constrained algorithms denoted as multisensor multiresolution technique (MMT) was developed and applied to generate TIR synthetic image data at both temporal and spatial high resolution. Firstly, an adaptive radiance model is applied based on spectral unmixing analysis of . TIR radiance data at TOA (top of atmosphere) collected by MODIS daily 1-km and Landsat - TIRS 16-day sampled at 30-m resolution are used to generate synthetic daily radiance images at TOA at 30-m spatial resolution. The next step consists of unmixing the 30 m (now lower resolution) images using the information about their pixel land-cover composition from co-registered images at higher spatial resolution. In our case study, TIR synthesized data were unmixed to the Sentinel 2 MSI with 10 m resolution. The constrained unmixing preserves all the available radiometric information of the 30 m images and involves the optimization of the number of land-cover classes and the size of the moving window for spatial unmixing. Results are still being evaluated, with particular attention for the quality of the data streams required to apply our approach.

On the assessment of spatial resolution of PET systems with iterative image reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Kuang; Cherry, Simon R.; Qi, Jinyi

2016-03-01

Spatial resolution is an important metric for performance characterization in PET systems. Measuring spatial resolution is straightforward with a linear reconstruction algorithm, such as filtered backprojection, and can be performed by reconstructing a point source scan and calculating the full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) along the principal directions. With the widespread adoption of iterative reconstruction methods, it is desirable to quantify the spatial resolution using an iterative reconstruction algorithm. However, the task can be difficult because the reconstruction algorithms are nonlinear and the non-negativity constraint can artificially enhance the apparent spatial resolution if a point source image is reconstructed without any background. Thus, it was recommended that a background should be added to the point source data before reconstruction for resolution measurement. However, there has been no detailed study on the effect of the point source contrast on the measured spatial resolution. Here we use point source scans from a preclinical PET scanner to investigate the relationship between measured spatial resolution and the point source contrast. We also evaluate whether the reconstruction of an isolated point source is predictive of the ability of the system to resolve two adjacent point sources. Our results indicate that when the point source contrast is below a certain threshold, the measured FWHM remains stable. Once the contrast is above the threshold, the measured FWHM monotonically decreases with increasing point source contrast. In addition, the measured FWHM also monotonically decreases with iteration number for maximum likelihood estimate. Therefore, when measuring system resolution with an iterative reconstruction algorithm, we recommend using a low-contrast point source and a fixed number of iterations.

Fabrication and characterization of a 0.5-mm lutetium oxyorthosilicate detector array for high-resolution PET applications.

PubMed

Stickel, Jennifer R; Qi, Jinyi; Cherry, Simon R

2007-01-01

With the increasing use of in vivo imaging in mouse models of disease, there are many interesting applications that demand imaging of organs and tissues with submillimeter resolution. Though there are other contributing factors, the spatial resolution in small-animal PET is still largely determined by the detector pixel dimensions. In this work, a pair of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) arrays with 0.5-mm pixels was coupled to multichannel photomultiplier tubes and evaluated for use as high-resolution PET detectors. Flood histograms demonstrated that most crystals were clearly identifiable. Energy resolution varied from 22% to 38%. The coincidence timing resolution was 1.42-ns full width at half maximum (FWHM). The intrinsic spatial resolution was 0.68-mm FWHM as measured with a 30-gauge needle filled with (18)F. The improvement in spatial resolution in a tomographic setting is demonstrated using images of a line source phantom reconstructed with filtered backprojection and compared with images obtained from 2 dedicated small-animal PET scanners. Finally, a projection image of the mouse foot is shown to demonstrate the application of these 0.5-mm LSO detectors to a biologic task. A pair of highly pixelated LSO detections has been constructed and characterized for use as high-spatial-resolution PET detectors. It appears that small-animal PET systems capable of a FWHM spatial resolution of 600 microm or less are feasible and should be pursued.

Evaluations of UltraiQ software for objective ultrasound image quality assessment using images from a commercial scanner.

PubMed

Long, Zaiyang; Tradup, Donald J; Stekel, Scott F; Gorny, Krzysztof R; Hangiandreou, Nicholas J

2018-03-01

We evaluated a commercially available software package that uses B-mode images to semi-automatically measure quantitative metrics of ultrasound image quality, such as contrast response, depth of penetration (DOP), and spatial resolution (lateral, axial, and elevational). Since measurement of elevational resolution is not a part of the software package, we achieved it by acquiring phantom images with transducers tilted at 45 degrees relative to the phantom. Each measurement was assessed in terms of measurement stability, sensitivity, repeatability, and semi-automated measurement success rate. All assessments were performed on a GE Logiq E9 ultrasound system with linear (9L or 11L), curved (C1-5), and sector (S1-5) transducers, using a CIRS model 040GSE phantom. In stability tests, the measurements of contrast, DOP, and spatial resolution remained within a ±10% variation threshold in 90%, 100%, and 69% of cases, respectively. In sensitivity tests, contrast, DOP, and spatial resolution measurements followed the expected behavior in 100%, 100%, and 72% of cases, respectively. In repeatability testing, intra- and inter-individual coefficients of variations were equal to or less than 3.2%, 1.3%, and 4.4% for contrast, DOP, and spatial resolution (lateral and axial), respectively. The coefficients of variation corresponding to the elevational resolution test were all within 9.5%. Overall, in our assessment, the evaluated package performed well for objective and quantitative assessment of the above-mentioned image qualities under well-controlled acquisition conditions. We are finding it to be useful for various clinical ultrasound applications including performance comparison between scanners from different vendors. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Effect of subaperture beamforming on phase coherence imaging.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Hideyuki; Kanai, Hiroshi

2014-11-01

High-frame-rate echocardiography using unfocused transmit beams and parallel receive beamforming is a promising method for evaluation of cardiac function, such as imaging of rapid propagation of vibration of the heart wall resulting from electrical stimulation of the myocardium. In this technique, high temporal resolution is realized at the expense of spatial resolution and contrast. The phase coherence factor has been developed to improve spatial resolution and contrast in ultrasonography. It evaluates the variance in phases of echo signals received by individual transducer elements after delay compensation, as in the conventional delay-andsum beamforming process. However, the phase coherence factor suppresses speckle echoes because phases of speckle echoes fluctuate as a result of interference of echoes. In the present study, the receiving aperture was divided into several subapertures, and conventional delay-and-sum beamforming was performed with respect to each subaperture to suppress echoes from scatterers except for that at a focal point. After subaperture beamforming, the phase coherence factor was obtained from beamformed RF signals from respective subapertures. By means of this procedure, undesirable echoes, which can interfere with the echo from a focal point, can be suppressed by subaperture beamforming, and the suppression of the phase coherence factor resulting from phase fluctuation caused by such interference can be avoided. In the present study, the effect of subaperture beamforming in high-frame-rate echocardiography with the phase coherence factor was evaluated using a phantom. By applying subaperture beamforming, the average intensity of speckle echoes from a diffuse scattering medium was significantly higher (-39.9 dB) than that obtained without subaperture beamforming (-48.7 dB). As for spatial resolution, the width at half-maximum of the lateral echo amplitude profile obtained without the phase coherence factor was 1.06 mm. By using the phase coherence factor, spatial resolution was improved significantly, and subaperture beamforming achieved a better spatial resolution of 0.75 mm than that of 0.78 mm obtained without subaperture beamforming.

Spatial Resolution Requirements for Traffic-Related Air Pollutant Exposure Evaluations

PubMed Central

Batterman, Stuart; Chambliss, Sarah; Isakov, Vlad

2014-01-01

Vehicle emissions represent one of the most important air pollution sources in most urban areas, and elevated concentrations of pollutants found near major roads have been associated with many adverse health impacts. To understand these impacts, exposure estimates should reflect the spatial and temporal patterns observed for traffic-related air pollutants. This paper evaluates the spatial resolution and zonal systems required to estimate accurately intraurban and near-road exposures of traffic-related air pollutants. The analyses use the detailed information assembled for a large (800 km2) area centered on Detroit, Michigan, USA. Concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) due to vehicle emissions were estimated using hourly traffic volumes and speeds on 9,700 links representing all but minor roads in the city, the MOVES2010 emission model, the RLINE dispersion model, local meteorological data, a temporal resolution of 1 hr, and spatial resolution as low as 10 m. Model estimates were joined with the corresponding shape files to estimate residential exposures for 700,000 individuals at property parcel, census block, census tract, and ZIP code levels. We evaluate joining methods, the spatial resolution needed to meet specific error criteria, and the extent of exposure misclassification. To portray traffic-related air pollutant exposure, raster or inverse distance-weighted interpolations are superior to nearest neighbor approaches, and interpolations between receptors and points of interest should not exceed about 40 m near major roads, and 100 m at larger distances. For census tracts and ZIP codes, average exposures are overestimated since few individuals live very near major roads, the range of concentrations is compressed, most exposures are misclassified, and high concentrations near roads are entirely omitted. While smaller zones improve performance considerably, even block-level data can misclassify many individuals. To estimate exposures and impacts of traffic-related pollutants accurately, data should be geocoded or estimated at the most-resolved spatial level; census tract and larger zones have little if any ability to represent intraurban variation in traffic-related air pollutant concentrations. These results are based on one of the most comprehensive intraurban modeling studies in the literature and results are robust. Recommendations address the value of dispersion models to portray spatial and temporal variation of air pollutants in epidemiology and other studies; techniques to improve accuracy and reduce the computational burden in urban scale modeling; the necessary spatial resolution for health surveillance, demographic, and pollution data; and the consequences of low resolution data in terms of exposure misclassification. PMID:25132794

Performance of Orbital Neutron Instruments for Spatially Resolved Hydrogen Measurements of Airless Planetary Bodies

PubMed Central

Elphic, Richard C.; Feldman, William C.; Funsten, Herbert O.; Prettyman, Thomas H.

2010-01-01

Abstract Orbital neutron spectroscopy has become a standard technique for measuring planetary surface compositions from orbit. While this technique has led to important discoveries, such as the deposits of hydrogen at the Moon and Mars, a limitation is its poor spatial resolution. For omni-directional neutron sensors, spatial resolutions are 1–1.5 times the spacecraft's altitude above the planetary surface (or 40–600 km for typical orbital altitudes). Neutron sensors with enhanced spatial resolution have been proposed, and one with a collimated field of view is scheduled to fly on a mission to measure lunar polar hydrogen. No quantitative studies or analyses have been published that evaluate in detail the detection and sensitivity limits of spatially resolved neutron measurements. Here, we describe two complementary techniques for evaluating the hydrogen sensitivity of spatially resolved neutron sensors: an analytic, closed-form expression that has been validated with Lunar Prospector neutron data, and a three-dimensional modeling technique. The analytic technique, called the Spatially resolved Neutron Analytic Sensitivity Approximation (SNASA), provides a straightforward method to evaluate spatially resolved neutron data from existing instruments as well as to plan for future mission scenarios. We conclude that the existing detector—the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND)—scheduled to launch on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will have hydrogen sensitivities that are over an order of magnitude poorer than previously estimated. We further conclude that a sensor with a geometric factor of ∼ 100 cm2 Sr (compared to the LEND geometric factor of ∼ 10.9 cm2 Sr) could make substantially improved measurements of the lunar polar hydrogen spatial distribution. Key Words: Planetary instrumentation—Planetary science—Moon—Spacecraft experiments—Hydrogen. Astrobiology 10, 183–200. PMID:20298147

Landsat 7 thermal-IR image sharpening using an artificial neural network and sensor model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemeshewsky, G.P.; Schowengerdt, R.A.; ,

2001-01-01

The enhanced thematic mapper (plus) (ETM+) instrument on Landsat 7 shares the same basic design as the TM sensors on Landsats 4 and 5, with some significant improvements. In common are six multispectral bands with a 30-m ground-projected instantaneous field of view (GIFOV). However, the thermaL-IR (TIR) band now has a 60-m GIFOV, instead of 120-m. Also, a 15-m panchromatic band has been added. The artificial neural network (NN) image sharpening method described here uses data from the higher spatial resolution ETM+ bands to enhance (sharpen) the spatial resolution of the TIR imagery. It is based on an assumed correlation over multiple scales of resolution, between image edge contrast patterns in the TIR band and several other spectral bands. A multilayer, feedforward NN is trained to approximate TIR data at 60m, given degraded (from 30-m to 60-m) spatial resolution input from spectral bands 7, 5, and 2. After training, the NN output for full-resolution input generates an approximation of a TIR image at 30-m resolution. Two methods are used to degrade the spatial resolution of the imagery used for NN training, and the corresponding sharpening results are compared. One degradation method uses a published sensor transfer function (TF) for Landsat 5 to simulate sensor coarser resolution imagery from higher resolution imagery. For comparison, the second degradation method is simply Gaussian low pass filtering and subsampling, wherein the Gaussian filter approximates the full width at half maximum amplitude characteristics of the TF-based spatial filter. Two fixed-size NNs (that is, number of weights and processing elements) were trained separately with the degraded resolution data, and the sharpening results compared. The comparison evaluates the relative influence of the degradation technique employed and whether or not it is desirable to incorporate a sensor TF model. Preliminary results indicate some improvements for the sensor model-based technique. Further evaluation using a higher resolution reference image and strict application of sensor model to data is recommended.

Sub-millimetre DOI detector based on monolithic LYSO and digital SiPM for a dedicated small-animal PET system.

PubMed

Marcinkowski, Radosław; Mollet, Pieter; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2016-03-07

The mouse model is widely used in a vast range of biomedical and preclinical studies. Thanks to the ability to detect and quantify biological processes at the molecular level in vivo, PET has become a well-established tool in these investigations. However, the need to visualize and quantify radiopharmaceuticals in anatomic structures of millimetre or less requires good spatial resolution and sensitivity from small-animal PET imaging systems.In previous work we have presented a proof-of-concept of a dedicated high-resolution small-animal PET scanner based on thin monolithic scintillator crystals and Digital Photon Counter photosensor. The combination of thin monolithic crystals and MLE positioning algorithm resulted in an excellent spatial resolution of 0.7 mm uniform in the entire field of view (FOV). However, the limitation of the scanner was its low sensitivity due to small thickness of the lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals (2 mm).Here we present an improved detector design for a small-animal PET system that simultaneously achieves higher sensitivity and sustains a sub-millimetre spatial resolution. The proposed detector consists of a 5 mm thick monolithic LYSO crystal optically coupled to a Digital Photon Counter. Mean nearest neighbour (MNN) positioning combined with depth of interaction (DOI) decoding was employed to achieve sub-millimetre spatial resolution. To evaluate detector performance the intrinsic spatial resolution, energy resolution and coincidence resolving time (CRT) were measured. The average intrinsic spatial resolution of the detector was 0.60 mm full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM). A DOI resolution of 1.66 mm was achieved. The energy resolution was 23% FWHM at 511 keV and CRT of 529 ps were measured. The improved detector design overcomes the sensitivity limitation of the previous design by increasing the nominal sensitivity of the detector block and retains an excellent intrinsic spatial resolution.

Preliminary evaluation of a monolithic detector module for integrated PET/MRI scanner with high spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pani, R.; Gonzalez, A. J.; Bettiol, M.; Fabbri, A.; Cinti, M. N.; Preziosi, E.; Borrazzo, C.; Conde, P.; Pellegrini, R.; Di Castro, E.; Majewski, S.

2015-06-01

The proposal of Mindview European Project concerns with the development of a very high resolution and high efficiency brain dedicated PET scanner simultaneously working with a Magnetic Resonance scanner, that expects to visualize neurotransmitter pathways and their disruptions in the quest to better diagnose schizophrenia. On behalf of this project, we propose a low cost PET module for the first prototype, based on monolithic crystals, suitable to be integrated with a head Radio Frequency (RF) coil. The aim of the suggested module is to achieve high performances in terms of efficiency, planar spatial resolution (expected about 1 mm) and discrimination of gamma Depth Of Interaction (DOI) in order to reduce the parallax error. Our preliminary results are very promising: a DOI resolution of about 3 mm, a spatial resolution ranging from about 1 to 1.5 mm and a good position linearity.

Improved spatial resolution in PET scanners using sampling techniques

PubMed Central

Surti, Suleman; Scheuermann, Ryan; Werner, Matthew E.; Karp, Joel S.

2009-01-01

Increased focus towards improved detector spatial resolution in PET has led to the use of smaller crystals in some form of light sharing detector design. In this work we evaluate two sampling techniques that can be applied during calibrations for pixelated detector designs in order to improve the reconstructed spatial resolution. The inter-crystal positioning technique utilizes sub-sampling in the crystal flood map to better sample the Compton scatter events in the detector. The Compton scatter rejection technique, on the other hand, rejects those events that are located further from individual crystal centers in the flood map. We performed Monte Carlo simulations followed by measurements on two whole-body scanners for point source data. The simulations and measurements were performed for scanners using scintillators with Zeff ranging from 46.9 to 63 for LaBr3 and LYSO, respectively. Our results show that near the center of the scanner, inter-crystal positioning technique leads to a gain of about 0.5-mm in reconstructed spatial resolution (FWHM) for both scanner designs. In a small animal LYSO scanner the resolution improves from 1.9-mm to 1.6-mm with the inter-crystal technique. The Compton scatter rejection technique shows higher gains in spatial resolution but at the cost of reduction in scanner sensitivity. The inter-crystal positioning technique represents a modest acquisition software modification for an improvement in spatial resolution, but at a cost of potentially longer data correction and reconstruction times. The Compton scatter rejection technique, while also requiring a modest acquisition software change with no increased data correction and reconstruction times, will be useful in applications where the scanner sensitivity is very high and larger improvements in spatial resolution are desirable. PMID:19779586

Determining Global Population Distribution: Methods, Applications and Data

PubMed Central

Balk, D.L.; Deichmann, U.; Yetman, G.; Pozzi, F.; Hay, S.I.; Nelson, A.

2011-01-01

Evaluating the total numbers of people at risk from infectious disease in the world requires not just tabular population data, but data that are spatially explicit and global in extent at a moderate resolution. This review describes the basic methods for constructing estimates of global population distribution with attention to recent advances in improving both spatial and temporal resolution. To evaluate the optimal resolution for the study of disease, the native resolution of the data inputs as well as that of the resulting outputs are discussed. Assumptions used to produce different population data sets are also described, with their implications for the study of infectious disease. Lastly, the application of these population data sets in studies to assess disease distribution and health impacts is reviewed. The data described in this review are distributed in the accompanying DVD. PMID:16647969

Laterally modulated excitation microscopy: improvement of resolution by using a diffraction grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heintzmann, Rainer; Cremer, Christoph G.

1999-01-01

High spatial frequencies in the illuminating light of microscopes lead to a shift of the object spatial frequencies detectable through the objective lens. If a suitable procedure is found for evaluation of the measured data, a microscopic image with a higher resolution than under flat illumination can be obtained. A simple method for generation of a laterally modulated illumination pattern is discussed here. A specially constructed diffraction grating was inserted in the illumination beam path at the conjugate object plane (position of the adjustable aperture) and projected through the objective into the object. Microscopic beads were imaged with this method and evaluated with an algorithm based on the structure of the Fourier space. The results indicate an improvement of resolution.

The influence of spatial resolution and smoothing on the detectability of resting-state and task fMRI.

PubMed

Molloy, Erin K; Meyerand, Mary E; Birn, Rasmus M

2014-02-01

Functional MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes can be subtle, motivating the use of imaging parameters and processing strategies that maximize the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) and thus the detection power of neuronal activity-induced fluctuations. Previous studies have shown that acquiring data at higher spatial resolutions results in greater percent BOLD signal changes, and furthermore that spatially smoothing higher resolution fMRI data improves tSNR beyond that of data originally acquired at a lower resolution. However, higher resolution images come at the cost of increased acquisition time, and the number of image volumes also influences detectability. The goal of our study is to determine how the detection power of neuronally induced BOLD fluctuations acquired at higher spatial resolutions and then spatially smoothed compares to data acquired at the lower resolutions with the same imaging duration. The number of time points acquired during a given amount of imaging time is a practical consideration given the limited ability of certain populations to lie still in the MRI scanner. We compare acquisitions at three different in-plane spatial resolutions (3.50×3.50mm(2), 2.33×2.33mm(2), 1.75×1.75mm(2)) in terms of their tSNR, contrast-to-noise ratio, and the power to detect both task-related activation and resting-state functional connectivity. The impact of SENSE acceleration, which speeds up acquisition time increasing the number of images collected, is also evaluated. Our results show that after spatially smoothing the data to the same intrinsic resolution, lower resolution acquisitions have a slightly higher detection power of task-activation in some, but not all, brain areas. There were no significant differences in functional connectivity as a function of resolution after smoothing. Similarly, the reduced tSNR of fMRI data acquired with a SENSE factor of 2 is offset by the greater number of images acquired, resulting in few significant differences in detection power of either functional activation or connectivity after spatial smoothing. © 2013.

Fuzzy Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Scenes Using Visual Attention Features.

PubMed

Li, Linyi; Xu, Tingbao; Chen, Yun

2017-01-01

In recent years the spatial resolutions of remote sensing images have been improved greatly. However, a higher spatial resolution image does not always lead to a better result of automatic scene classification. Visual attention is an important characteristic of the human visual system, which can effectively help to classify remote sensing scenes. In this study, a novel visual attention feature extraction algorithm was proposed, which extracted visual attention features through a multiscale process. And a fuzzy classification method using visual attention features (FC-VAF) was developed to perform high resolution remote sensing scene classification. FC-VAF was evaluated by using remote sensing scenes from widely used high resolution remote sensing images, including IKONOS, QuickBird, and ZY-3 images. FC-VAF achieved more accurate classification results than the others according to the quantitative accuracy evaluation indices. We also discussed the role and impacts of different decomposition levels and different wavelets on the classification accuracy. FC-VAF improves the accuracy of high resolution scene classification and therefore advances the research of digital image analysis and the applications of high resolution remote sensing images.

Fuzzy Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Scenes Using Visual Attention Features

PubMed Central

Xu, Tingbao; Chen, Yun

2017-01-01

In recent years the spatial resolutions of remote sensing images have been improved greatly. However, a higher spatial resolution image does not always lead to a better result of automatic scene classification. Visual attention is an important characteristic of the human visual system, which can effectively help to classify remote sensing scenes. In this study, a novel visual attention feature extraction algorithm was proposed, which extracted visual attention features through a multiscale process. And a fuzzy classification method using visual attention features (FC-VAF) was developed to perform high resolution remote sensing scene classification. FC-VAF was evaluated by using remote sensing scenes from widely used high resolution remote sensing images, including IKONOS, QuickBird, and ZY-3 images. FC-VAF achieved more accurate classification results than the others according to the quantitative accuracy evaluation indices. We also discussed the role and impacts of different decomposition levels and different wavelets on the classification accuracy. FC-VAF improves the accuracy of high resolution scene classification and therefore advances the research of digital image analysis and the applications of high resolution remote sensing images. PMID:28761440

A Physically Based Runoff Routing Model for Land Surface and Earth System Models

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

Li, Hongyi; Wigmosta, Mark S.; Wu, Huan

2013-06-13

A new physically based runoff routing model, called the Model for Scale Adaptive River Transport (MOSART), has been developed to be applicable across local, regional, and global scales. Within each spatial unit, surface runoff is first routed across hillslopes and then discharged along with subsurface runoff into a ‘‘tributary subnetwork’’ before entering the main channel. The spatial units are thus linked via routing through the main channel network, which is constructed in a scale-consistent way across different spatial resolutions. All model parameters are physically based, and only a small subset requires calibration.MOSART has been applied to the Columbia River basinmore » at 1/ 168, 1/ 88, 1/ 48, and 1/ 28 spatial resolutions and was evaluated using naturalized or observed streamflow at a number of gauge stations. MOSART is compared to two other routing models widely used with land surface models, the River Transport Model (RTM) in the Community Land Model (CLM) and the Lohmann routing model, included as a postprocessor in the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model package, yielding consistent performance at multiple resolutions. MOSART is further evaluated using the channel velocities derived from field measurements or a hydraulic model at various locations and is shown to be capable of producing the seasonal variation and magnitude of channel velocities reasonably well at different resolutions. Moreover, the impacts of spatial resolution on model simulations are systematically examined at local and regional scales. Finally, the limitations ofMOSART and future directions for improvements are discussed.« less

Efficient space-time sampling with pixel-wise coded exposure for high-speed imaging.

PubMed

Liu, Dengyu; Gu, Jinwei; Hitomi, Yasunobu; Gupta, Mohit; Mitsunaga, Tomoo; Nayar, Shree K

2014-02-01

Cameras face a fundamental trade-off between spatial and temporal resolution. Digital still cameras can capture images with high spatial resolution, but most high-speed video cameras have relatively low spatial resolution. It is hard to overcome this trade-off without incurring a significant increase in hardware costs. In this paper, we propose techniques for sampling, representing, and reconstructing the space-time volume to overcome this trade-off. Our approach has two important distinctions compared to previous works: 1) We achieve sparse representation of videos by learning an overcomplete dictionary on video patches, and 2) we adhere to practical hardware constraints on sampling schemes imposed by architectures of current image sensors, which means that our sampling function can be implemented on CMOS image sensors with modified control units in the future. We evaluate components of our approach, sampling function and sparse representation, by comparing them to several existing approaches. We also implement a prototype imaging system with pixel-wise coded exposure control using a liquid crystal on silicon device. System characteristics such as field of view and modulation transfer function are evaluated for our imaging system. Both simulations and experiments on a wide range of scenes show that our method can effectively reconstruct a video from a single coded image while maintaining high spatial resolution.

The Impact of Horizontal and Temporal Resolution on Convection and Precipitation with High-Resolution GEOS-5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William P.

2012-01-01

Using a high-resolution non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5 with the cubed-sphere finite-volume dynamical core, the impact of spatial and temporal resolution on cloud properties will be evaluated. There are indications from examining convective cluster development in high resolution GEOS-5 forecasts that the temporal resolution within the model may playas significant a role as horizontal resolution. Comparing modeled convective cloud clusters versus satellite observations of brightness temperature, we have found that improved. temporal resolution in GEOS-S accounts for a significant portion of the improvements in the statistical distribution of convective cloud clusters. Using satellite simulators in GEOS-S we will compare the cloud optical properties of GEOS-S at various spatial and temporal resolutions with those observed from MODIS. The potential impact of these results on tropical cyclone formation and intensity will be examined as well.

Evaluating the effect of remote sensing image spatial resolution on soil exchangeable potassium prediction models in smallholder farm settings.

PubMed

Xu, Yiming; Smith, Scot E; Grunwald, Sabine; Abd-Elrahman, Amr; Wani, Suhas P

2017-09-15

Major end users of Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) such as policy makers and agricultural extension workers are faced with choosing the appropriate remote sensing data. The objective of this research is to analyze the spatial resolution effects of different remote sensing images on soil prediction models in two smallholder farms in Southern India called Kothapally (Telangana State), and Masuti (Karnataka State), and provide empirical guidelines to choose the appropriate remote sensing images in DSM. Bayesian kriging (BK) was utilized to characterize the spatial pattern of exchangeable potassium (K ex ) in the topsoil (0-15 cm) at different spatial resolutions by incorporating spectral indices from Landsat 8 (30 m), RapidEye (5 m), and WorldView-2/GeoEye-1/Pleiades-1A images (2 m). Some spectral indices such as band reflectances, band ratios, Crust Index and Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index from multiple images showed relatively strong correlations with soil K ex in two study areas. The research also suggested that fine spatial resolution WorldView-2/GeoEye-1/Pleiades-1A-based and RapidEye-based soil prediction models would not necessarily have higher prediction performance than coarse spatial resolution Landsat 8-based soil prediction models. The end users of DSM in smallholder farm settings need select the appropriate spectral indices and consider different factors such as the spatial resolution, band width, spectral resolution, temporal frequency, cost, and processing time of different remote sensing images. Overall, remote sensing-based Digital Soil Mapping has potential to be promoted to smallholder farm settings all over the world and help smallholder farmers implement sustainable and field-specific soil nutrient management scheme. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Aerosol Reflectance for Dust Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahramvash Shams, S.; Mohammadzade, A.

2013-09-01

In this study we propose an approach for dust detection by aerosol reflectance over arid and urban region in clear sky condition. In urban and arid areas surface reflectance in red and infrared spectral is bright and hence shorter wavelength is required for this detections. Main step of our approach can be mentioned as: cloud mask for excluding cloudy pixels from our calculation, calculate Rayleigh path radiance, construct a surface reflectance data base, estimate aerosol reflectance, detect dust aerosol, dust detection and evaluations of dust detection. Spectral with wavelength 0.66, 0.55, 0.47 μm has been used in our dust detection. Estimating surface reflectance is the most challenging step of obtaining aerosol reflectance from top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Hence for surface estimation we had created a surface reflectance database of 0.05 degree latitude by 0.05 degree longitude resolution by using minimum reflectivity technique (MRT). In order to evaluate our dust detection algorithm MODIS aerosol product MOD04 and common dust detection method named Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) had been used. We had implemented this method to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of part of Iran (7 degree latitude and 8 degree longitude) spring 2005 dust phenomenon from April to June. This study uses MODIS LIB calibrated reflectance high spatial resolution (500 m) MOD02Hkm on TERRA spacecraft. Hence our dust detection spatial resolution will be higher spatial resolution than MODIS aerosol product MOD04 which has 10 × 10 km2 and BTD resolution is 1 km due to the band 29 (8.7 μm), 31 (11 μm), and 32 (12 μm) spatial resolutions.

High resolution simulations of aerosol microphysics in a global and regionally nested chemical transport model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, P. J.; Marks, M.

2015-12-01

The aerosol indirect effect is the largest source of forcing uncertainty in current climate models. This effect arises from the influence of aerosols on the reflective properties and lifetimes of clouds, and its magnitude depends on how many particles can serve as cloud droplet formation sites. Assessing levels of this subset of particles (cloud condensation nuclei, or CCN) requires knowledge of aerosol levels and their global distribution, size distributions, and composition. A key tool necessary to advance our understanding of CCN is the use of global aerosol microphysical models, which simulate the processes that control aerosol size distributions: nucleation, condensation/evaporation, and coagulation. Previous studies have found important differences in CO (Chen, D. et al., 2009) and ozone (Jang, J., 1995) modeled at different spatial resolutions, and it is reasonable to believe that short-lived, spatially-variable aerosol species will be similarly - or more - susceptible to model resolution effects. The goal of this study is to determine how CCN levels and spatial distributions change as simulations are run at higher spatial resolution - specifically, to evaluate how sensitive the model is to grid size, and how this affects comparisons against observations. Higher resolution simulations are necessary supports for model/measurement synergy. Simulations were performed using the global chemical transport model GEOS-Chem (v9-02). The years 2008 and 2009 were simulated at 4ox5o and 2ox2.5o globally and at 0.5ox0.667o over Europe and North America. Results were evaluated against surface-based particle size distribution measurements from the European Supersites for Atmospheric Aerosol Research project. The fine-resolution model simulates more spatial and temporal variability in ultrafine levels, and better resolves topography. Results suggest that the coarse model predicts systematically lower ultrafine levels than does the fine-resolution model. Significant differences are also evident with respect to model-measurement comparisons, and will be discussed.

Difet: Distributed Feature Extraction Tool for High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eken, S.; Aydın, E.; Sayar, A.

2017-11-01

In this paper, we propose distributed feature extraction tool from high spatial resolution remote sensing images. Tool is based on Apache Hadoop framework and Hadoop Image Processing Interface. Two corner detection (Harris and Shi-Tomasi) algorithms and five feature descriptors (SIFT, SURF, FAST, BRIEF, and ORB) are considered. Robustness of the tool in the task of feature extraction from LandSat-8 imageries are evaluated in terms of horizontal scalability.

Performance of European chemistry transport models as function of horizontal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaap, M.; Cuvelier, C.; Hendriks, C.; Bessagnet, B.; Baldasano, J. M.; Colette, A.; Thunis, P.; Karam, D.; Fagerli, H.; Graff, A.; Kranenburg, R.; Nyiri, A.; Pay, M. T.; Rouïl, L.; Schulz, M.; Simpson, D.; Stern, R.; Terrenoire, E.; Wind, P.

2015-07-01

Air pollution causes adverse effects on human health as well as ecosystems and crop yield and also has an impact on climate change trough short-lived climate forcers. To design mitigation strategies for air pollution, 3D Chemistry Transport Models (CTMs) have been developed to support the decision process. Increases in model resolution may provide more accurate and detailed information, but will cubically increase computational costs and pose additional challenges concerning high resolution input data. The motivation for the present study was therefore to explore the impact of using finer horizontal grid resolution for policy support applications of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) model within the Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) convention. The goal was to determine the "optimum resolution" at which additional computational efforts do not provide increased model performance using presently available input data. Five regional CTMs performed four runs for 2009 over Europe at different horizontal resolutions. The models' responses to an increase in resolution are broadly consistent for all models. The largest response was found for NO2 followed by PM10 and O3. Model resolution does not impact model performance for rural background conditions. However, increasing model resolution improves the model performance at stations in and near large conglomerations. The statistical evaluation showed that the increased resolution better reproduces the spatial gradients in pollution regimes, but does not help to improve significantly the model performance for reproducing observed temporal variability. This study clearly shows that increasing model resolution is advantageous, and that leaving a resolution of 50 km in favour of a resolution between 10 and 20 km is practical and worthwhile. As about 70% of the model response to grid resolution is determined by the difference in the spatial emission distribution, improved emission allocation procedures at high spatial and temporal resolution are a crucial factor for further model resolution improvements.

Peripheral resolution and contrast sensitivity: Effects of stimulus drift.

PubMed

Venkataraman, Abinaya Priya; Lewis, Peter; Unsbo, Peter; Lundström, Linda

2017-04-01

Optimal temporal modulation of the stimulus can improve foveal contrast sensitivity. This study evaluates the characteristics of the peripheral spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity function in normal-sighted subjects. The purpose is to identify a temporal modulation that can potentially improve the remaining peripheral visual function in subjects with central visual field loss. High contrast resolution cut-off for grating stimuli with four temporal frequencies (0, 5, 10 and 15Hz drift) was first evaluated in the 10° nasal visual field. Resolution contrast sensitivity for all temporal frequencies was then measured at four spatial frequencies between 0.5 cycles per degree (cpd) and the measured stationary cut-off. All measurements were performed with eccentric optical correction. Similar to foveal vision, peripheral contrast sensitivity is highest for a combination of low spatial frequency and 5-10Hz drift. At higher spatial frequencies, there was a decrease in contrast sensitivity with 15Hz drift. Despite this decrease, the resolution cut-off did not vary largely between the different temporal frequencies tested. Additional measurements of contrast sensitivity at 0.5 cpd and resolution cut-off for stationary (0Hz) and 7.5Hz stimuli performed at 10, 15, 20 and 25° in the nasal visual field also showed the same characteristics across eccentricities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Evaluation on newly developed high resolution of surface solar radiation from MTSAT observations for the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, X.; Yang, K.; Tang, W.; Qin, J.

2015-12-01

Neither surface measurement nor existing remote sensing products of the Surface Solar Radiation (SSR) can meet the application requirements of hydrological and land process modeling in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). High resolution (hourly; 0.1⁰) of SSR estimates have been derived recently from the geostationary satellite observations - the Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT). This SSR estimation is based on updating an existing physical model, the UMD-SRB (University of Maryland Surface Radiation Budget) which is the basis of the well-known GEWEX-SRB model. In the updated framework introduced is the high-resolution Global Land Surface Broadband Albedo Product (GLASS) with spatial continuity. The developed SSR estimates are demonstrated at different temporal resolutions over the TP and are evaluated against ground observations and other satellite products from: (1) China Meteorological Administration (CMA) radiation stations in TP; (2) three TP radiation stations contributed from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research; (3) and the universal used satellite products (i.e. ISCCP-FD, GEWEX-SRB) in relatively low spatial resolution (0.5º-2.5º) and temporal resolution (3-hourly, daily, or monthly).

Experimental characterization of a direct conversion amorphous selenium detector with thicker conversion layer for dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast imaging.

PubMed

Scaduto, David A; Tousignant, Olivier; Zhao, Wei

2017-08-01

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced imaging is being investigated as a tool to identify and localize angiogenesis in the breast, a possible indicator of malignant tumors. This imaging technique requires that x-ray images are acquired at energies above the k-shell binding energy of an appropriate radiocontrast agent. Iodinated contrast agents are commonly used for vascular imaging, and require x-ray energies greater than 33 keV. Conventional direct conversion amorphous selenium (a-Se) flat-panel imagers for digital mammography show suboptimal absorption efficiencies at these higher energies. We use spatial-frequency domain image quality metrics to evaluate the performance of a prototype direct conversion flat-panel imager with a thicker a-Se layer, specifically fabricated for dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast imaging. Imaging performance was evaluated in a prototype digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) system. The spatial resolution, noise characteristics, detective quantum efficiency, and temporal performance of the detector were evaluated for dual-energy imaging for both conventional full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and DBT. The zero-frequency detective quantum efficiency of the prototype detector is improved by approximately 20% over the conventional detector for higher energy beams required for imaging with iodinated contrast agents. The effect of oblique entry of x-rays on spatial resolution does increase with increasing photoconductor thickness, specifically for the most oblique views of a DBT scan. Degradation of spatial resolution due to focal spot motion was also observed. Temporal performance was found to be comparable to conventional mammographic detectors. Increasing the a-Se thickness in direct conversion flat-panel imagers results in better performance for dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast imaging. The reduction in spatial resolution due to oblique entry of x-rays is appreciable in the most extreme clinically relevant cases, but may not profoundly affect reconstructed images due to the algorithms and filters employed. Degradation to projection domain spatial resolution is thus outweighed by the improvement in detective quantum efficiency for high-energy x-rays. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

High Resolution Mapping of Wetland Ecosystems SPOT-5 Take 5 for Evaluation of Sentinel-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ade, Christiana; Hestir, Erin L.; Khanna, Shruti; Ustin, Susan L.

2016-08-01

Around the world wetlands are critical to human societies and ecosystems, providing services such as habitat, water, food and fiber, flood and nutrient control, and cultural, recreational and religious value. However, the dynamic nature of tidal wetlands makes measuring ecosystem responses to climate change, seasonal inundation regimes, and anthropogenic disturbance from current and previous Earth observing sensors challenging due to limited spatial and temporal resolutions. Sentinel- 2 will directly address this challenge by providing high spatial resolution data with frequent revisit time. This pilot study aims to develop methodology for future Sentinel-2 products and highlight the variability of tidal wetland ecosystems, thereby demonstrating the necessity of improved spatial particularly temporal resolution. Here the simulated Sentinel-2 dataset from the SPOT-5 Take 5 experiment reveals the capacity of the new sensor to simultaneously assess tidal wetland ecosystem phenology and water quality in inland waters.

Performance Evaluation of a PEM Scanner Using the NEMA NU 4—2008 Small Animal PET Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Weidong; Anashkin, Edward; Matthews, Christopher G.

2010-02-01

The recently published NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards has been specially designed for evaluating the performance of small animal PET scanners used in preclinical applications. In this paper, we report on the NU 4 performance of a clinical positron emission mammography (PEM) system. Since there are no PEM specific performance test protocols available, and the NU 2 protocol (intended for whole-body PET scanners) cannot be applied without modification due to the compact design of the PEM scanner, we decided to evaluate the NU 4 Standards as an alternative. We obtained the following results: Trans-axial spatial resolution 1.8 mm FWHM for high resolution reconstruction mode and 2.4 mm FWHM for standard resolution reconstruction mode with no significant variation within the field of view. The total system sensitivity was 0.16 cps/Bq. In image quality testing, the uniformity was found to be 3.9% STD at the standard resolution mode and 5.6% at the high resolution mode when measured with a 34 mm paddle separation. The NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards were found to be a practicable tool to evaluate the performance of the PEM scanner after some modifications to address the specifics of its detector configuration. Furthermore, the PEM scanner's in-plane spatial resolution was comparable to other small animal PET scanners with good image quality.

A comparative analysis of two highly spatially resolved European atmospheric emission inventories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, J.; Guevara, M.; Baldasano, J. M.; Tchepel, O.; Schaap, M.; Miranda, A. I.; Borrego, C.

2013-08-01

A reliable emissions inventory is highly important for air quality modelling applications, especially at regional or local scales, which require high resolutions. Consequently, higher resolution emission inventories have been developed that are suitable for regional air quality modelling. This research performs an inter-comparative analysis of different spatial disaggregation methodologies of atmospheric emission inventories. This study is based on two different European emission inventories with different spatial resolutions: 1) the EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) inventory and 2) an emission inventory developed by the TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research). These two emission inventories were converted into three distinct gridded emission datasets as follows: (i) the EMEP emission inventory was disaggregated by area (EMEParea) and (ii) following a more complex methodology (HERMES-DIS - High-Elective Resolution Modelling Emissions System - DISaggregation module) to understand and evaluate the influence of different disaggregation methods; and (iii) the TNO gridded emissions, which are based on different emission data sources and different disaggregation methods. A predefined common grid with a spatial resolution of 12 × 12 km2 was used to compare the three datasets spatially. The inter-comparative analysis was performed by source sector (SNAP - Selected Nomenclature for Air Pollution) with emission totals for selected pollutants. It included the computation of difference maps (to focus on the spatial variability of emission differences) and a linear regression analysis to calculate the coefficients of determination and to quantitatively measure differences. From the spatial analysis, greater differences were found for residential/commercial combustion (SNAP02), solvent use (SNAP06) and road transport (SNAP07). These findings were related to the different spatial disaggregation that was conducted by the TNO and HERMES-DIS for the first two sectors and to the distinct data sources that were used by the TNO and HERMES-DIS for road transport. Regarding the regression analysis, the greatest correlation occurred between the EMEParea and HERMES-DIS because the latter is derived from the first, which does not occur for the TNO emissions. The greatest correlations were encountered for agriculture NH3 emissions, due to the common use of the CORINE Land Cover database for disaggregation. The point source emissions (energy industries, industrial processes, industrial combustion and extraction/distribution of fossil fuels) resulted in the lowest coefficients of determination. The spatial variability of SOx differed among the emissions that were obtained from the different disaggregation methods. In conclusion, HERMES-DIS and TNO are two distinct emission inventories, both very well discretized and detailed, suitable for air quality modelling. However, the different databases and distinct disaggregation methodologies that were used certainly result in different spatial emission patterns. This fact should be considered when applying regional atmospheric chemical transport models. Future work will focus on the evaluation of air quality models performance and sensitivity to these spatial discrepancies in emission inventories. Air quality modelling will benefit from the availability of appropriate resolution, consistent and reliable emission inventories.

GIEMS-D3: A new long-term, dynamical, high-spatial resolution inundation extent dataset at global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aires, Filipe; Miolane, Léo; Prigent, Catherine; Pham Duc, Binh; Papa, Fabrice; Fluet-Chouinard, Etienne; Lehner, Bernhard

2017-04-01

The Global Inundation Extent from Multi-Satellites (GIEMS) provides multi-year monthly variations of the global surface water extent at 25kmx25km resolution. It is derived from multiple satellite observations. Its spatial resolution is usually compatible with climate model outputs and with global land surface model grids but is clearly not adequate for local applications that require the characterization of small individual water bodies. There is today a strong demand for high-resolution inundation extent datasets, for a large variety of applications such as water management, regional hydrological modeling, or for the analysis of mosquitos-related diseases. A new procedure is introduced to downscale the GIEMS low spatial resolution inundations to a 3 arc second (90 m) dataset. The methodology is based on topography and hydrography information from the HydroSHEDS database. A new floodability index is adopted and an innovative smoothing procedure is developed to ensure the smooth transition, in the high-resolution maps, between the low-resolution boxes from GIEMS. Topography information is relevant for natural hydrology environments controlled by elevation, but is more limited in human-modified basins. However, the proposed downscaling approach is compatible with forthcoming fusion with other more pertinent satellite information in these difficult regions. The resulting GIEMS-D3 database is the only high spatial resolution inundation database available globally at the monthly time scale over the 1993-2007 period. GIEMS-D3 is assessed by analyzing its spatial and temporal variability, and evaluated by comparisons to other independent satellite observations from visible (Google Earth and Landsat), infrared (MODIS) and active microwave (SAR).

Super-resolution mapping using multi-viewing CHRIS/PROBA data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, Manish; Kumar, Vinay

2016-04-01

High-spatial resolution Remote Sensing (RS) data provides detailed information which ensures high-definition visual image analysis of earth surface features. These data sets also support improved information extraction capabilities at a fine scale. In order to improve the spatial resolution of coarser resolution RS data, the Super Resolution Reconstruction (SRR) technique has become widely acknowledged which focused on multi-angular image sequences. In this study multi-angle CHRIS/PROBA data of Kutch area is used for SR image reconstruction to enhance the spatial resolution from 18 m to 6m in the hope to obtain a better land cover classification. Various SR approaches like Projection onto Convex Sets (POCS), Robust, Iterative Back Projection (IBP), Non-Uniform Interpolation and Structure-Adaptive Normalized Convolution (SANC) chosen for this study. Subjective assessment through visual interpretation shows substantial improvement in land cover details. Quantitative measures including peak signal to noise ratio and structural similarity are used for the evaluation of the image quality. It was observed that SANC SR technique using Vandewalle algorithm for the low resolution image registration outperformed the other techniques. After that SVM based classifier is used for the classification of SRR and data resampled to 6m spatial resolution using bi-cubic interpolation. A comparative analysis is carried out between classified data of bicubic interpolated and SR derived images of CHRIS/PROBA and SR derived classified data have shown a significant improvement of 10-12% in the overall accuracy. The results demonstrated that SR methods is able to improve spatial detail of multi-angle images as well as the classification accuracy.

Spatial imaging in the soft x-ray region (20--304 A) utilizing the astigmatism of a grazing incidence concave grating

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

Nudelfuden, A.; Solanki, R.; Moos, H.W.

1985-03-15

Soft x-ray (20--304--A) astigmatic line shapes were measured in order to evaluate the spatial imaging properties of a Rowland mounted concave grating in grazing incidence. The practicability of coarse 1-D spatial imaging in the soft x-ray region is demonstrated. Spatial resolution equivalent to approx.4 cm at a source distance of 2 m can be achieved with practical parameters (e.g., sensitivity and time resolution) for a fusion diagnostic spectrograph. The results are compared to computer-generated ray tracings and found to be in good agreement. The ray tracing program which models the grazing incidence optics is discussed.

Spatial downscaling of soil prediction models based on weighted generalized additive models in smallholder farm settings.

PubMed

Xu, Yiming; Smith, Scot E; Grunwald, Sabine; Abd-Elrahman, Amr; Wani, Suhas P; Nair, Vimala D

2017-09-11

Digital soil mapping (DSM) is gaining momentum as a technique to help smallholder farmers secure soil security and food security in developing regions. However, communications of the digital soil mapping information between diverse audiences become problematic due to the inconsistent scale of DSM information. Spatial downscaling can make use of accessible soil information at relatively coarse spatial resolution to provide valuable soil information at relatively fine spatial resolution. The objective of this research was to disaggregate the coarse spatial resolution soil exchangeable potassium (K ex ) and soil total nitrogen (TN) base map into fine spatial resolution soil downscaled map using weighted generalized additive models (GAMs) in two smallholder villages in South India. By incorporating fine spatial resolution spectral indices in the downscaling process, the soil downscaled maps not only conserve the spatial information of coarse spatial resolution soil maps but also depict the spatial details of soil properties at fine spatial resolution. The results of this study demonstrated difference between the fine spatial resolution downscaled maps and fine spatial resolution base maps is smaller than the difference between coarse spatial resolution base maps and fine spatial resolution base maps. The appropriate and economical strategy to promote the DSM technique in smallholder farms is to develop the relatively coarse spatial resolution soil prediction maps or utilize available coarse spatial resolution soil maps at the regional scale and to disaggregate these maps to the fine spatial resolution downscaled soil maps at farm scale.

Computation of Surface Laplacian for tri-polar ring electrodes on high-density realistic geometry head model.

PubMed

Junwei Ma; Han Yuan; Sunderam, Sridhar; Besio, Walter; Lei Ding

2017-07-01

Neural activity inside the human brain generate electrical signals that can be detected on the scalp. Electroencephalograph (EEG) is one of the most widely utilized techniques helping physicians and researchers to diagnose and understand various brain diseases. Due to its nature, EEG signals have very high temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution. To achieve higher spatial resolution, a novel tri-polar concentric ring electrode (TCRE) has been developed to directly measure Surface Laplacian (SL). The objective of the present study is to accurately calculate SL for TCRE based on a realistic geometry head model. A locally dense mesh was proposed to represent the head surface, where the local dense parts were to match the small structural components in TCRE. Other areas without dense mesh were used for the purpose of reducing computational load. We conducted computer simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed mesh and evaluated possible numerical errors as compared with a low-density model. Finally, with achieved accuracy, we presented the computed forward lead field of SL for TCRE for the first time in a realistic geometry head model and demonstrated that it has better spatial resolution than computed SL from classic EEG recordings.

Crop area estimation using high and medium resolution satellite imagery in areas with complex topography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Husak, G.J.; Marshall, M. T.; Michaelsen, J.; Pedreros, Diego; Funk, Christopher C.; Galu, G.

2008-01-01

Reliable estimates of cropped area (CA) in developing countries with chronic food shortages are essential for emergency relief and the design of appropriate market-based food security programs. Satellite interpretation of CA is an effective alternative to extensive and costly field surveys, which fail to represent the spatial heterogeneity at the country-level. Bias-corrected, texture based classifications show little deviation from actual crop inventories, when estimates derived from aerial photographs or field measurements are used to remove systematic errors in medium resolution estimates. In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid high-medium resolution technique for Central Ethiopia that combines spatially limited unbiased estimates from IKONOS images, with spatially extensive Landsat ETM+ interpretations, land-cover, and SRTM-based topography. Logistic regression is used to derive the probability of a location being crop. These individual points are then aggregated to produce regional estimates of CA. District-level analysis of Landsat based estimates showed CA totals which supported the estimates of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development. Continued work will evaluate the technique in other parts of Africa, while segmentation algorithms will be evaluated, in order to automate classification of medium resolution imagery for routine CA estimation in the future.

Crop area estimation using high and medium resolution satellite imagery in areas with complex topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husak, G. J.; Marshall, M. T.; Michaelsen, J.; Pedreros, D.; Funk, C.; Galu, G.

2008-07-01

Reliable estimates of cropped area (CA) in developing countries with chronic food shortages are essential for emergency relief and the design of appropriate market-based food security programs. Satellite interpretation of CA is an effective alternative to extensive and costly field surveys, which fail to represent the spatial heterogeneity at the country-level. Bias-corrected, texture based classifications show little deviation from actual crop inventories, when estimates derived from aerial photographs or field measurements are used to remove systematic errors in medium resolution estimates. In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid high-medium resolution technique for Central Ethiopia that combines spatially limited unbiased estimates from IKONOS images, with spatially extensive Landsat ETM+ interpretations, land-cover, and SRTM-based topography. Logistic regression is used to derive the probability of a location being crop. These individual points are then aggregated to produce regional estimates of CA. District-level analysis of Landsat based estimates showed CA totals which supported the estimates of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development. Continued work will evaluate the technique in other parts of Africa, while segmentation algorithms will be evaluated, in order to automate classification of medium resolution imagery for routine CA estimation in the future.

In-flight edge response measurements for high-spatial-resolution remote sensing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blonski, Slawomir; Pagnutti, Mary A.; Ryan, Robert; Zanoni, Vickie

2002-09-01

In-flight measurements of spatial resolution were conducted as part of the NASA Scientific Data Purchase Verification and Validation process. Characterization included remote sensing image products with ground sample distance of 1 meter or less, such as those acquired with the panchromatic imager onboard the IKONOS satellite and the airborne ADAR System 5500 multispectral instrument. Final image products were used to evaluate the effects of both the image acquisition system and image post-processing. Spatial resolution was characterized by full width at half maximum of an edge-response-derived line spread function. The edge responses were analyzed using the tilted-edge technique that overcomes the spatial sampling limitations of the digital imaging systems. As an enhancement to existing algorithms, the slope of the edge response and the orientation of the edge target were determined by a single computational process. Adjacent black and white square panels, either painted on a flat surface or deployed as tarps, formed the ground-based edge targets used in the tests. Orientation of the deployable tarps was optimized beforehand, based on simulations of the imaging system. The effects of such factors as acquisition geometry, temporal variability, Modulation Transfer Function compensation, and ground sample distance on spatial resolution were investigated.

Assessment of Required Accuracy of Digital Elevation Data for Hydrologic Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenward, T.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

1997-01-01

The effect of vertical accuracy of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) on hydrologic models is evaluated by comparing three DEMs and resulting hydrologic model predictions applied to a 7.2 sq km USDA - ARS watershed at Mahantango Creek, PA. The high resolution (5 m) DEM was resempled to a 30 m resolution using method that constrained the spatial structure of the elevations to be comparable with the USGS and SIR-C DEMs. This resulting 30 m DEM was used as the reference product for subsequent comparisons. Spatial fields of directly derived quantities, such as elevation differences, slope, and contributing area, were compared to the reference product, as were hydrologic model output fields derived using each of the three DEMs at the common 30 m spatial resolution.

Third version of vendor-specific model-based iterativereconstruction (Veo 3.0): evaluation of CT image quality in the abdomen using new noise reduction presets and varied slice optimization.

PubMed

Telesmanich, Morgan E; Jensen, Corey T; Enriquez, Jose L; Wagner-Bartak, Nicolaus A; Liu, Xinming; Le, Ott; Wei, Wei; Chandler, Adam G; Tamm, Eric P

2017-08-01

To qualitatively and quantitatively compare abdominal CT images reconstructed with a newversion of model-based iterative reconstruction (Veo 3.0; GE Healthcare Waukesha, WI) utilizing varied presetsof resolution preference, noise reduction and slice optimization. This retrospective study was approved by our Institutional Review Board and was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant. The raw datafrom 30 consecutive patients who had undergone CT abdomen scanning were used to reconstructfour clinical presets of 3.75mm axial images using Veo 3.0: 5% resolution preference (RP05n), 5%noise reduction (NR05) and 40% noise reduction (NR40) with new 3.75mm "sliceoptimization," as well as one set using RP05 with conventional 0.625mm "slice optimization" (RP05c). The images were reviewed by two independent readers in a blinded, randomized manner using a 5-point Likert scale as well as a 5-point comparative scale. Multiple two-dimensional circular regions of interest were defined for noise and contrast-to-noise ratio measurements. Line profiles were drawn across the 7 lp cm -1 bar pattern of the Catphan 600 phantom for evaluation of spatial resolution. The NR05 image set was ranked as the best series in overall image quality (mean difference inrank 0.48, 95% CI [0.081-0.88], p = 0.01) and with specific reference to liver evaluation (meandifference 0.46, 95% CI [0.030-0.89], p = 0.03), when compared with the secondbest series ineach category. RP05n was ranked as the best for bone evaluation. NR40 was ranked assignificantly inferior across all assessed categories. Although the NR05 and RP05c image setshad nearly the same contrast-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution, NR05 was generally preferred. Image noise and spatial resolution increased along a spectrum with RP05n the highest and NR40the lowest. Compared to RP05n, the average noise was 21.01% lower for NR05, 26.88%lower for RP05c and 50.86% lower for NR40. Veo 3.0 clinical presets allow for selection of image noise and spatial resolution balance; for contrast-enhanced CT evaluation of the abdomen, the 5% noise reduction preset with 3.75 mm slice optimization (NR05) was generally ranked superior qualitatively and, relative to other series, was in the middle of the spectrum with reference to image noise and spatial resolution. Advances in knowledge: To our knowledge, this is the first study of Veo 3.0 noise reduction presets and varied slice optimization. This study provides insight into the behaviour of slice optimization and documents the degree of noise reduction and spatial resolution changes that users can expect across various Veo 3.0 clinical presets. These results provide important parameters to guide preset selection for both clinical and research purposes.

Evaluation of Statistical Downscaling Skill at Reproducing Extreme Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGinnis, S. A.; Tye, M. R.; Nychka, D. W.; Mearns, L. O.

2015-12-01

Climate model outputs usually have much coarser spatial resolution than is needed by impacts models. Although higher resolution can be achieved using regional climate models for dynamical downscaling, further downscaling is often required. The final resolution gap is often closed with a combination of spatial interpolation and bias correction, which constitutes a form of statistical downscaling. We use this technique to downscale regional climate model data and evaluate its skill in reproducing extreme events. We downscale output from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) dataset from its native 50-km spatial resolution to the 4-km resolution of University of Idaho's METDATA gridded surface meterological dataset, which derives from the PRISM and NLDAS-2 observational datasets. We operate on the major variables used in impacts analysis at a daily timescale: daily minimum and maximum temperature, precipitation, humidity, pressure, solar radiation, and winds. To interpolate the data, we use the patch recovery method from the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) regridding package. We then bias correct the data using Kernel Density Distribution Mapping (KDDM), which has been shown to exhibit superior overall performance across multiple metrics. Finally, we evaluate the skill of this technique in reproducing extreme events by comparing raw and downscaled output with meterological station data in different bioclimatic regions according to the the skill scores defined by Perkins et al in 2013 for evaluation of AR4 climate models. We also investigate techniques for improving bias correction of values in the tails of the distributions. These techniques include binned kernel density estimation, logspline kernel density estimation, and transfer functions constructed by fitting the tails with a generalized pareto distribution.

Mapping and spatiotemporal analysis tool for hydrological data: Spellmap

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lack of data management and analyses tools is one of the major limitations to effectively evaluate and use large datasets of high-resolution atmospheric, surface, and subsurface observations. High spatial and temporal resolution datasets better represent the spatiotemporal variability of hydrologica...

FUEL3-D: A Spatially Explicit Fractal Fuel Distribution Model

Treesearch

Russell A. Parsons

2006-01-01

Efforts to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of fuels treatments are hampered by inconsistencies between the spatial scale at which fuel treatments are implemented and the spatial scale, and detail, with which we model fire and fuel interactions. Central to this scale inconsistency is the resolution at which variability within the fuel bed is considered. Crown...

Generating daily high spatial land surface temperatures by combining ASTER and MODIS land surface temperature products for environmental process monitoring.

PubMed

Wu, Mingquan; Li, Hua; Huang, Wenjiang; Niu, Zheng; Wang, Changyao

2015-08-01

There is a shortage of daily high spatial land surface temperature (LST) data for use in high spatial and temporal resolution environmental process monitoring. To address this shortage, this work used the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM), Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM), and the Spatial and Temporal Data Fusion Approach (STDFA) to estimate high spatial and temporal resolution LST by combining Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) LST and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST products. The actual ASTER LST products were used to evaluate the precision of the combined LST images using the correlation analysis method. This method was tested and validated in study areas located in Gansu Province, China. The results show that all the models can generate daily synthetic LST image with a high correlation coefficient (r) of 0.92 between the synthetic image and the actual ASTER LST observations. The ESTARFM has the best performance, followed by the STDFA and the STARFM. Those models had better performance in desert areas than in cropland. The STDFA had better noise immunity than the other two models.

High-resolution observations of the near-surface wind field over an isolated mountain and in a steep river canyon

Treesearch

B. W. Butler; N. S. Wagenbrenner; J. M. Forthofer; B. K. Lamb; K. S. Shannon; D. Finn; R. M. Eckman; K. Clawson; L. Bradshaw; P. Sopko; S. Beard; D. Jimenez; C. Wold; M. Vosburgh

2015-01-01

A number of numerical wind flow models have been developed for simulating wind flow at relatively fine spatial resolutions (e.g., 100 m); however, there are very limited observational data available for evaluating these high-resolution models. This study presents high-resolution surface wind data sets collected from an isolated mountain and a steep river canyon. The...

Mapping paddy rice planting area in cold temperate climate region through analysis of time series Landsat 8 (OLI), Landsat 7 (ETM+) and MODIS imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yuanwei; Xiao, Xiangming; Dong, Jinwei; Zhou, Yuting; Zhu, Zhe; Zhang, Geli; Du, Guoming; Jin, Cui; Kou, Weili; Wang, Jie; Li, Xiangping

2015-07-01

Accurate and timely rice paddy field maps with a fine spatial resolution would greatly improve our understanding of the effects of paddy rice agriculture on greenhouse gases emissions, food and water security, and human health. Rice paddy field maps were developed using optical images with high temporal resolution and coarse spatial resolution (e.g., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)) or low temporal resolution and high spatial resolution (e.g., Landsat TM/ETM+). In the past, the accuracy and efficiency for rice paddy field mapping at fine spatial resolutions were limited by the poor data availability and image-based algorithms. In this paper, time series MODIS and Landsat ETM+/OLI images, and the pixel- and phenology-based algorithm are used to map paddy rice planting area. The unique physical features of rice paddy fields during the flooding/open-canopy period are captured with the dynamics of vegetation indices, which are then used to identify rice paddy fields. The algorithm is tested in the Sanjiang Plain (path/row 114/27) in China in 2013. The overall accuracy of the resulted map of paddy rice planting area generated by both Landsat ETM+ and OLI is 97.3%, when evaluated with areas of interest (AOIs) derived from geo-referenced field photos. The paddy rice planting area map also agrees reasonably well with the official statistics at the level of state farms (R2 = 0.94). These results demonstrate that the combination of fine spatial resolution images and the phenology-based algorithm can provide a simple, robust, and automated approach to map the distribution of paddy rice agriculture in a year.

Mapping paddy rice planting area in cold temperate climate region through analysis of time series Landsat 8 (OLI), Landsat 7 (ETM+) and MODIS imagery.

PubMed

Qin, Yuanwei; Xiao, Xiangming; Dong, Jinwei; Zhou, Yuting; Zhu, Zhe; Zhang, Geli; Du, Guoming; Jin, Cui; Kou, Weili; Wang, Jie; Li, Xiangping

2015-07-01

Accurate and timely rice paddy field maps with a fine spatial resolution would greatly improve our understanding of the effects of paddy rice agriculture on greenhouse gases emissions, food and water security, and human health. Rice paddy field maps were developed using optical images with high temporal resolution and coarse spatial resolution (e.g., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)) or low temporal resolution and high spatial resolution (e.g., Landsat TM/ETM+). In the past, the accuracy and efficiency for rice paddy field mapping at fine spatial resolutions were limited by the poor data availability and image-based algorithms. In this paper, time series MODIS and Landsat ETM+/OLI images, and the pixel- and phenology-based algorithm are used to map paddy rice planting area. The unique physical features of rice paddy fields during the flooding/open-canopy period are captured with the dynamics of vegetation indices, which are then used to identify rice paddy fields. The algorithm is tested in the Sanjiang Plain (path/row 114/27) in China in 2013. The overall accuracy of the resulted map of paddy rice planting area generated by both Landsat ETM+ and OLI is 97.3%, when evaluated with areas of interest (AOIs) derived from geo-referenced field photos. The paddy rice planting area map also agrees reasonably well with the official statistics at the level of state farms ( R 2 = 0.94). These results demonstrate that the combination of fine spatial resolution images and the phenology-based algorithm can provide a simple, robust, and automated approach to map the distribution of paddy rice agriculture in a year.

A quality assurance phantom for the performance evaluation of volumetric micro-CT systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Louise Y.; Umoh, Joseph; Nikolov, Hristo N.; Pollmann, Steven I.; Lee, Ting-Yim; Holdsworth, David W.

2007-12-01

Small-animal imaging has recently become an area of increased interest because more human diseases can be modeled in transgenic and knockout rodents. As a result, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) systems are becoming more common in research laboratories, due to their ability to achieve spatial resolution as high as 10 µm, giving highly detailed anatomical information. Most recently, a volumetric cone-beam micro-CT system using a flat-panel detector (eXplore Ultra, GE Healthcare, London, ON) has been developed that combines the high resolution of micro-CT and the fast scanning speed of clinical CT, so that dynamic perfusion imaging can be performed in mice and rats, providing functional physiological information in addition to anatomical information. This and other commercially available micro-CT systems all promise to deliver precise and accurate high-resolution measurements in small animals. However, no comprehensive quality assurance phantom has been developed to evaluate the performance of these micro-CT systems on a routine basis. We have designed and fabricated a single comprehensive device for the purpose of performance evaluation of micro-CT systems. This quality assurance phantom was applied to assess multiple image-quality parameters of a current flat-panel cone-beam micro-CT system accurately and quantitatively, in terms of spatial resolution, geometric accuracy, CT number accuracy, linearity, noise and image uniformity. Our investigations show that 3D images can be obtained with a limiting spatial resolution of 2.5 mm-1 and noise of ±35 HU, using an acquisition interval of 8 s at an entrance dose of 6.4 cGy.

Downscaling Global Land Cover Projections from an Integrated Assessment Model for Use in Regional Analyses: Results and Evaluation for the US from 2005 to 2095

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

West, Tristram O.; Le Page, Yannick LB; Huang, Maoyi

2014-06-05

Projections of land cover change generated from Integrated Assessment Models (IAM) and other economic-based models can be applied for analyses of environmental impacts at subregional and landscape scales. For those IAM and economic models that project land use at the sub-continental or regional scale, these projections must be downscaled and spatially distributed prior to use in climate or ecosystem models. Downscaling efforts to date have been conducted at the national extent with relatively high spatial resolution (30m) and at the global extent with relatively coarse spatial resolution (0.5 degree).

Spectral-spatial hyperspectral image classification using super-pixel-based spatial pyramid representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiayuan; Tan, Hui Li; Toomik, Maria; Lu, Shijian

2016-10-01

Spatial pyramid matching has demonstrated its power for image recognition task by pooling features from spatially increasingly fine sub-regions. Motivated by the concept of feature pooling at multiple pyramid levels, we propose a novel spectral-spatial hyperspectral image classification approach using superpixel-based spatial pyramid representation. This technique first generates multiple superpixel maps by decreasing the superpixel number gradually along with the increased spatial regions for labelled samples. By using every superpixel map, sparse representation of pixels within every spatial region is then computed through local max pooling. Finally, features learned from training samples are aggregated and trained by a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The proposed spectral-spatial hyperspectral image classification technique has been evaluated on two public hyperspectral datasets, including the Indian Pines image containing 16 different agricultural scene categories with a 20m resolution acquired by AVIRIS and the University of Pavia image containing 9 land-use categories with a 1.3m spatial resolution acquired by the ROSIS-03 sensor. Experimental results show significantly improved performance compared with the state-of-the-art works. The major contributions of this proposed technique include (1) a new spectral-spatial classification approach to generate feature representation for hyperspectral image, (2) a complementary yet effective feature pooling approach, i.e. the superpixel-based spatial pyramid representation that is used for the spatial correlation study, (3) evaluation on two public hyperspectral image datasets with superior image classification performance.

Effect of Temporal and Spatial Rainfall Resolution on HSPF Predictive Performance and Parameter Estimation

EPA Science Inventory

Watershed scale rainfall‐runoff models are used for environmental management and regulatory modeling applications, but their effectiveness are limited by predictive uncertainties associated with model input data. This study evaluated the effect of temporal and spatial rainfall re...

Automated brain tumor segmentation using spatial accuracy-weighted hidden Markov Random Field.

PubMed

Nie, Jingxin; Xue, Zhong; Liu, Tianming; Young, Geoffrey S; Setayesh, Kian; Guo, Lei; Wong, Stephen T C

2009-09-01

A variety of algorithms have been proposed for brain tumor segmentation from multi-channel sequences, however, most of them require isotropic or pseudo-isotropic resolution of the MR images. Although co-registration and interpolation of low-resolution sequences, such as T2-weighted images, onto the space of the high-resolution image, such as T1-weighted image, can be performed prior to the segmentation, the results are usually limited by partial volume effects due to interpolation of low-resolution images. To improve the quality of tumor segmentation in clinical applications where low-resolution sequences are commonly used together with high-resolution images, we propose the algorithm based on Spatial accuracy-weighted Hidden Markov random field and Expectation maximization (SHE) approach for both automated tumor and enhanced-tumor segmentation. SHE incorporates the spatial interpolation accuracy of low-resolution images into the optimization procedure of the Hidden Markov Random Field (HMRF) to segment tumor using multi-channel MR images with different resolutions, e.g., high-resolution T1-weighted and low-resolution T2-weighted images. In experiments, we evaluated this algorithm using a set of simulated multi-channel brain MR images with known ground-truth tissue segmentation and also applied it to a dataset of MR images obtained during clinical trials of brain tumor chemotherapy. The results show that more accurate tumor segmentation results can be obtained by comparing with conventional multi-channel segmentation algorithms.

Spatial and temporal resolution effects on urban catchments with different imperviousness degrees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristiano, Elena; ten Veldhuis, Marie-Claire; van de Giesen, Nick C.

2015-04-01

One of the main problems in urban hydrological analysis is to measure the rainfall at urban scale with high resolution and use these measurements to model urban runoff processes to predict flows and reduce flood risk. With the aim of building a semi-distribute hydrological sewer model for an urban catchment, high resolution rainfall data are required as input. In this study, the sensitivity of hydrological response to high resolution precipitation data for hydrodynamic models at urban scale is evaluated with different combinations of spatial and temporal resolutions. The aim is to study sensitivity in relation to catchment characteristics, especially drainage area size, imperviousness degree and hydraulic properties such as special structures (weirs, pumping stations). Rainfall data of nine storms are considered with 4 different spatial resolutions (3000m, 1000m, 500m and 100m) combined with 4 different temporal resolutions (10min, 5min, 3min and 1min). The dual polarimetric X-band weather radar, located in the Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research (CESAR) provided the high resolution rainfall data of these rainfall events, used to improve the sewer model. The effects of spatial-temporal rainfall input resolution on response is studied in three Districts of Rotterdam (NL): Kralingen, Spaanse Polder and Centrum district. These catchments have different average drainage area size (from 2km2 to 7km2), and different general characteristics. Centrum district and Kralingen are, indeed, more various and include residential and commercial areas, big green areas and a small industrial area, while Spaanse Polder is a industrial area, densely urbanized, and presents a high percentage of imperviousness.

CT-based attenuation correction and resolution compensation for I-123 IMP brain SPECT normal database: a multicenter phantom study.

PubMed

Inui, Yoshitaka; Ichihara, Takashi; Uno, Masaki; Ishiguro, Masanobu; Ito, Kengo; Kato, Katsuhiko; Sakuma, Hajime; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Toyama, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

Statistical image analysis of brain SPECT images has improved diagnostic accuracy for brain disorders. However, the results of statistical analysis vary depending on the institution even when they use a common normal database (NDB), due to different intrinsic spatial resolutions or correction methods. The present study aimed to evaluate the correction of spatial resolution differences between equipment and examine the differences in skull bone attenuation to construct a common NDB for use in multicenter settings. The proposed acquisition and processing protocols were those routinely used at each participating center with additional triple energy window (TEW) scatter correction (SC) and computed tomography (CT) based attenuation correction (CTAC). A multicenter phantom study was conducted on six imaging systems in five centers, with either single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or SPECT/CT, and two brain phantoms. The gray/white matter I-123 activity ratio in the brain phantoms was 4, and they were enclosed in either an artificial adult male skull, 1300 Hounsfield units (HU), a female skull, 850 HU, or an acrylic cover. The cut-off frequency of the Butterworth filters was adjusted so that the spatial resolution was unified to a 17.9 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM), that of the lowest resolution system. The gray-to-white matter count ratios were measured from SPECT images and compared with the actual activity ratio. In addition, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation images were calculated after normalization and anatomical standardization to evaluate the variability of the NDB. The gray-to-white matter count ratio error without SC and attenuation correction (AC) was significantly larger for higher bone densities (p < 0.05). The count ratio error with TEW and CTAC was approximately 5% regardless of bone density. After adjustment of the spatial resolution in the SPECT images, the variability of the NDB decreased and was comparable to that of the NDB without correction. The proposed protocol showed potential for constructing an appropriate common NDB from SPECT images with SC, AC and spatial resolution compensation.

Species classification using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-acquired high spatial resolution imagery in a heterogeneous grassland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Bing; He, Yuhong

2017-06-01

Investigating spatio-temporal variations of species composition in grassland is an essential step in evaluating grassland health conditions, understanding the evolutionary processes of the local ecosystem, and developing grassland management strategies. Space-borne remote sensing images (e.g., MODIS, Landsat, and Quickbird) with spatial resolutions varying from less than 1 m to 500 m have been widely applied for vegetation species classification at spatial scales from community to regional levels. However, the spatial resolutions of these images are not fine enough to investigate grassland species composition, since grass species are generally small in size and highly mixed, and vegetation cover is greatly heterogeneous. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an emerging remote sensing platform offers a unique ability to acquire imagery at very high spatial resolution (centimetres). Compared to satellites or airplanes, UAVs can be deployed quickly and repeatedly, and are less limited by weather conditions, facilitating advantageous temporal studies. In this study, we utilize an octocopter, on which we mounted a modified digital camera (with near-infrared (NIR), green, and blue bands), to investigate species composition in a tall grassland in Ontario, Canada. Seven flight missions were conducted during the growing season (April to December) in 2015 to detect seasonal variations, and four of them were selected in this study to investigate the spatio-temporal variations of species composition. To quantitatively compare images acquired at different times, we establish a processing flow of UAV-acquired imagery, focusing on imagery quality evaluation and radiometric correction. The corrected imagery is then applied to an object-based species classification. Maps of species distribution are subsequently used for a spatio-temporal change analysis. Results indicate that UAV-acquired imagery is an incomparable data source for studying fine-scale grassland species composition, owing to its high spatial resolution. The overall accuracy is around 85% for images acquired at different times. Species composition is spatially attributed by topographical features and soil moisture conditions. Spatio-temporal variation of species composition implies the growing process and succession of different species, which is critical for understanding the evolutionary features of grassland ecosystems. Strengths and challenges of applying UAV-acquired imagery for vegetation studies are summarized at the end.

Evaluating a Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter snow cover data assimilation method to estimate SWE within a high-resolution hydrologic modeling framework across Western US mountainous regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oaida, C. M.; Andreadis, K.; Reager, J. T., II; Famiglietti, J. S.; Levoe, S.

2017-12-01

Accurately estimating how much snow water equivalent (SWE) is stored in mountainous regions characterized by complex terrain and snowmelt-driven hydrologic cycles is not only greatly desirable, but also a big challenge. Mountain snowpack exhibits high spatial variability across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales due to a multitude of physical and climatic factors, making it difficult to observe or estimate in its entirety. Combing remotely sensed data and high resolution hydrologic modeling through data assimilation (DA) has the potential to provide a spatially and temporally continuous SWE dataset at horizontal scales that capture sub-grid snow spatial variability and are also relevant to stakeholders such as water resource managers. Here, we present the evaluation of a new snow DA approach that uses a Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) in tandem with the Variable Infiltration Capacity macro-scale hydrologic model across the Western United States, at a daily temporal resolution, and a horizontal resolution of 1.75 km x 1.75 km. The LETKF is chosen for its relative simplicity, ease of implementation, and computational efficiency and scalability. The modeling/DA system assimilates daily MODIS Snow Covered Area and Grain Size (MODSCAG) fractional snow cover over, and has been developed to efficiently calculate SWE estimates over extended periods of time and covering large regional-scale areas at relatively high spatial resolution, ultimately producing a snow reanalysis-type dataset. Here we focus on the assessment of SWE produced by the DA scheme over several basins in California's Sierra Nevada Mountain range where Airborne Snow Observatory data is available, during the last five water years (2013-2017), which include both one of the driest and one of the wettest years. Comparison against such a spatially distributed SWE observational product provides a greater understanding of the model's ability to estimate SWE and SWE spatial variability, and highlights under which conditions snow cover DA can add value in estimating SWE.

Enhancing Spatial Resolution of Remotely Sensed Imagery Using Deep Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, J. M.; Bridges, S.; Collins, C.; Rushing, J.; Graves, S. J.

2017-12-01

Researchers at the Information Technology and Systems Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville are using Deep Learning with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to develop a method for enhancing the spatial resolutions of moderate resolution (10-60m) multispectral satellite imagery. This enhancement will effectively match the resolutions of imagery from multiple sensors to provide increased global temporal-spatial coverage for a variety of Earth science products. Our research is centered on using Deep Learning for automatically generating transformations for increasing the spatial resolution of remotely sensed images with different spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions. One of the most important steps in using images from multiple sensors is to transform the different image layers into the same spatial resolution, preferably the highest spatial resolution, without compromising the spectral information. Recent advances in Deep Learning have shown that CNNs can be used to effectively and efficiently upscale or enhance the spatial resolution of multispectral images with the use of an auxiliary data source such as a high spatial resolution panchromatic image. In contrast, we are using both the spatial and spectral details inherent in low spatial resolution multispectral images for image enhancement without the use of a panchromatic image. This presentation will discuss how this technology will benefit many Earth Science applications that use remotely sensed images with moderate spatial resolutions.

Sharpening advanced land imager multispectral data using a sensor model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemeshewsky, G.P.; ,

2005-01-01

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument on NASA's Earth Observing One (EO-1) satellite provides for nine spectral bands at 30m ground sample distance (GSD) and a 10m GSD panchromatic band. This report describes an image sharpening technique where the higher spatial resolution information of the panchromatic band is used to increase the spatial resolution of ALI multispectral (MS) data. To preserve the spectral characteristics, this technique combines reported deconvolution deblurring methods for the MS data with highpass filter-based fusion methods for the Pan data. The deblurring process uses the point spread function (PSF) model of the ALI sensor. Information includes calculation of the PSF from pre-launch calibration data. Performance was evaluated using simulated ALI MS data generated by degrading the spatial resolution of high resolution IKONOS satellite MS data. A quantitative measure of performance was the error between sharpened MS data and high resolution reference. This report also compares performance with that of a reported method that includes PSF information. Preliminary results indicate improved sharpening with the method reported here.

Evaluating the capability of Landsat 8 OLI and SPOT 6 for discriminating invasive alien species in the African Savanna landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kganyago, Mahlatse; Odindi, John; Adjorlolo, Clement; Mhangara, Paidamoyo

2018-05-01

Globally, there is paucity of accurate information on the spatial distribution and patch sizes of Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) species. Such information is needed to aid optimisation of control mechanisms to prevent further spread of IAPs and minimize their impacts. Recent studies have shown the capability of very high spatial (<1 m) and spectral resolution (<10 nm) data for discriminating vegetation species. However, very high spatial resolution may introduce significant intra-species spectral variability and result in reduced mapping accuracy, while higher spectral resolution data are commonly limited to smaller areas, are costly and computationally expensive. Alternatively, medium and high spatial resolution data are available at low or no cost and have limitedly been evaluated for their potential in determining invasion patterns relevant for invasion ecology and aiding effective IAPs management. In this study medium and high resolution datasets from Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) and SPOT 6 sensors respectively, were evaluated for mapping the distribution and patch sizes of IAP, Parthenium hysterophorus in the savannah landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier was used for classification of both datasets. Results indicated that SPOT 6 had a higher overall accuracy (86%) than OLI (83%) in mapping P. hysterophorus. The study found larger distributions and patch sizes in OLI than in SPOT 6 as a result of possible P. hysterophorus expansion due to temporal differences between images and coarser pixels were insufficient to delineate gaps inside larger patches. On the other hand, SPOT 6 showed better capabilities of delineating gaps and boundaries of patches, hence had better estimates of distribution and patch sizes. Overall, the study showed that OLI may be suitable for mapping well-established patches for the purpose of large scale monitoring, while SPOT 6 can be used for mapping small patches and prioritising them for eradication to prevent further spread at a landscape scale.

Evaluation of Pan-Sharpening Methods for Automatic Shadow Detection in High Resolution Images of Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Azevedo, Samara C.; Singh, Ramesh P.; da Silva, Erivaldo A.

2017-04-01

Finer spatial resolution of areas with tall objects within urban environment causes intense shadows that lead to wrong information in urban mapping. Due to the shadows, automatic detection of objects (such as buildings, trees, structures, towers) and to estimate the surface coverage from high spatial resolution is difficult. Thus, automatic shadow detection is the first necessary preprocessing step to improve the outcome of many remote sensing applications, particularly for high spatial resolution images. Efforts have been made to explore spatial and spectral information to evaluate such shadows. In this paper, we have used morphological attribute filtering to extract contextual relations in an efficient multilevel approach for high resolution images. The attribute selected for the filtering was the area estimated from shadow spectral feature using the Normalized Saturation-Value Difference Index (NSVDI) derived from pan-sharpening images. In order to assess the quality of fusion products and the influence on shadow detection algorithm, we evaluated three pan-sharpening methods - Intensity-Hue-Saturation (IHS), Principal Components (PC) and Gran-Schmidt (GS) through the image quality measures: Correlation Coefficient (CC), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Relative Dimensionless Global Error in Synthesis (ERGAS) and Universal Image Quality Index (UIQI). Experimental results over Worldview II scene from São Paulo city (Brazil) show that GS method provides good correlation with original multispectral bands with no radiometric and contrast distortion. The automatic method using GS method for NSDVI generation clearly provide a clear distinction of shadows and non-shadows pixels with an overall accuracy more than 90%. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach which could be used for further shadow removal and reliable for object recognition, land-cover mapping, 3D reconstruction, etc. especially in developing countries where land use and land cover are rapidly changing with tall objects within urban areas.

Cone-beam micro computed tomography dedicated to the breast.

PubMed

Sarno, Antonio; Mettivier, Giovanni; Di Lillo, Francesca; Cesarelli, Mario; Bifulco, Paolo; Russo, Paolo

2016-12-01

We developed a scanner for micro computed tomography dedicated to the breast (BµCT) with a high resolution flat-panel detector and a microfocus X-ray tube. We evaluated the system spatial resolution via the 3D modulation transfer function (MTF). In addition to conventional absorption-based X-ray imaging, such a prototype showed capabilities for propagation-based phase-contrast and related edge enhancement effects in 3D imaging. The system limiting spatial resolution is 6.2mm -1 (MTF at 10%) in the vertical direction and 3.8mm -1 in the radial direction, values which compare favorably with the spatial resolution reached by mini focus breast CT scanners of other groups. The BµCT scanner was able to detect both microcalcification clusters and masses in an anthropomorphic breast phantom at a dose comparable to that of two-view mammography. The use of a breast holder is proposed in order to have 1-2min long scan times without breast motion artifacts. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial Quality Evaluation of Resampled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Imagery for Weed Mapping.

PubMed

Borra-Serrano, Irene; Peña, José Manuel; Torres-Sánchez, Jorge; Mesas-Carrascosa, Francisco Javier; López-Granados, Francisca

2015-08-12

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) combined with different spectral range sensors are an emerging technology for providing early weed maps for optimizing herbicide applications. Considering that weeds, at very early phenological stages, are similar spectrally and in appearance, three major components are relevant: spatial resolution, type of sensor and classification algorithm. Resampling is a technique to create a new version of an image with a different width and/or height in pixels, and it has been used in satellite imagery with different spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper, the efficiency of resampled-images (RS-images) created from real UAV-images (UAV-images; the UAVs were equipped with two types of sensors, i.e., visible and visible plus near-infrared spectra) captured at different altitudes is examined to test the quality of the RS-image output. The performance of the object-based-image-analysis (OBIA) implemented for the early weed mapping using different weed thresholds was also evaluated. Our results showed that resampling accurately extracted the spectral values from high spatial resolution UAV-images at an altitude of 30 m and the RS-image data at altitudes of 60 and 100 m, was able to provide accurate weed cover and herbicide application maps compared with UAV-images from real flights.

Spatial Quality Evaluation of Resampled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Imagery for Weed Mapping

PubMed Central

Borra-Serrano, Irene; Peña, José Manuel; Torres-Sánchez, Jorge; Mesas-Carrascosa, Francisco Javier; López-Granados, Francisca

2015-01-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) combined with different spectral range sensors are an emerging technology for providing early weed maps for optimizing herbicide applications. Considering that weeds, at very early phenological stages, are similar spectrally and in appearance, three major components are relevant: spatial resolution, type of sensor and classification algorithm. Resampling is a technique to create a new version of an image with a different width and/or height in pixels, and it has been used in satellite imagery with different spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper, the efficiency of resampled-images (RS-images) created from real UAV-images (UAV-images; the UAVs were equipped with two types of sensors, i.e., visible and visible plus near-infrared spectra) captured at different altitudes is examined to test the quality of the RS-image output. The performance of the object-based-image-analysis (OBIA) implemented for the early weed mapping using different weed thresholds was also evaluated. Our results showed that resampling accurately extracted the spectral values from high spatial resolution UAV-images at an altitude of 30 m and the RS-image data at altitudes of 60 and 100 m, was able to provide accurate weed cover and herbicide application maps compared with UAV-images from real flights. PMID:26274960

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Postfire Vegetation Survey Campaigns through Large and Heterogeneous Areas: Opportunities and Challenges.

PubMed

Fernández-Guisuraga, José Manuel; Sanz-Ablanedo, Enoc; Suárez-Seoane, Susana; Calvo, Leonor

2018-02-14

This study evaluated the opportunities and challenges of using drones to obtain multispectral orthomosaics at ultra-high resolution that could be useful for monitoring large and heterogeneous burned areas. We conducted a survey using an octocopter equipped with a Parrot SEQUOIA multispectral camera in a 3000 ha framework located within the perimeter of a megafire in Spain. We assessed the quality of both the camera raw imagery and the multispectral orthomosaic obtained, as well as the required processing capability. Additionally, we compared the spatial information provided by the drone orthomosaic at ultra-high spatial resolution with another image provided by the WorldView-2 satellite at high spatial resolution. The drone raw imagery presented some anomalies, such as horizontal banding noise and non-homogeneous radiometry. Camera locations showed a lack of synchrony of the single frequency GPS receiver. The georeferencing process based on ground control points achieved an error lower than 30 cm in X-Y and lower than 55 cm in Z. The drone orthomosaic provided more information in terms of spatial variability in heterogeneous burned areas in comparison with the WorldView-2 satellite imagery. The drone orthomosaic could constitute a viable alternative for the evaluation of post-fire vegetation regeneration in large and heterogeneous burned areas.

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Postfire Vegetation Survey Campaigns through Large and Heterogeneous Areas: Opportunities and Challenges

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This study evaluated the opportunities and challenges of using drones to obtain multispectral orthomosaics at ultra-high resolution that could be useful for monitoring large and heterogeneous burned areas. We conducted a survey using an octocopter equipped with a Parrot SEQUOIA multispectral camera in a 3000 ha framework located within the perimeter of a megafire in Spain. We assessed the quality of both the camera raw imagery and the multispectral orthomosaic obtained, as well as the required processing capability. Additionally, we compared the spatial information provided by the drone orthomosaic at ultra-high spatial resolution with another image provided by the WorldView-2 satellite at high spatial resolution. The drone raw imagery presented some anomalies, such as horizontal banding noise and non-homogeneous radiometry. Camera locations showed a lack of synchrony of the single frequency GPS receiver. The georeferencing process based on ground control points achieved an error lower than 30 cm in X-Y and lower than 55 cm in Z. The drone orthomosaic provided more information in terms of spatial variability in heterogeneous burned areas in comparison with the WorldView-2 satellite imagery. The drone orthomosaic could constitute a viable alternative for the evaluation of post-fire vegetation regeneration in large and heterogeneous burned areas. PMID:29443914

Functional cardiac magnetic resonance microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brau, Anja Christina Sophie

2003-07-01

The study of small animal models of human cardiovascular disease is critical to our understanding of the origin, progression, and treatment of this pervasive disease. Complete analysis of disease pathophysiology in these animal models requires measuring structural and functional changes at the level of the whole heart---a task for which an appropriate non-invasive imaging method is needed. The purpose of this work was thus to develop an imaging technique to support in vivo characterization of cardiac structure and function in rat and mouse models of cardiovascular disease. Whereas clinical cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides accurate assessment of the human heart, the extension of cardiac MRI from humans to rodents presents several formidable scaling challenges. Acquiring images of the mouse heart with organ definition and fluidity of contraction comparable to that achieved in humans requires an increase in spatial resolution by a factor of 3000 and an increase in temporal resolution by a factor of ten. No single technical innovation can meet the demanding imaging requirements imposed by the small animal. A functional cardiac magnetic resonance microscopy technique was developed by integrating improvements in physiological control, imaging hardware, biological synchronization of imaging, and pulse sequence design to achieve high-quality images of the murine heart with high spatial and temporal resolution. The specific methods and results from three different sets of imaging experiments are presented: (1) 2D functional imaging in the rat with spatial resolution of 175 mum2 x 1 mm and temporal resolution of 10 ms; (2) 3D functional imaging in the rat with spatial resolution of 100 mum 2 x 500 mum and temporal resolution of 30 ms; and (3) 2D functional imaging in the mouse with spatial resolution down to 100 mum2 x 1 mm and temporal resolution of 10 ms. The cardiac microscopy technique presented here represents a novel collection of technologies capable of acquiring routine high-quality images of murine cardiac structure and function with minimal artifacts and markedly higher spatial resolution compared to conventional techniques. This work is poised to serve a valuable role in the evaluation of cardiovascular disease and should find broad application in studies ranging from basic pathophysiology to drug discovery.

Effects of spatial resolution ratio in image fusion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ling, Y.; Ehlers, M.; Usery, E.L.; Madden, M.

2008-01-01

In image fusion, the spatial resolution ratio can be defined as the ratio between the spatial resolution of the high-resolution panchromatic image and that of the low-resolution multispectral image. This paper attempts to assess the effects of the spatial resolution ratio of the input images on the quality of the fused image. Experimental results indicate that a spatial resolution ratio of 1:10 or higher is desired for optimal multisensor image fusion provided the input panchromatic image is not downsampled to a coarser resolution. Due to the synthetic pixels generated from resampling, the quality of the fused image decreases as the spatial resolution ratio decreases (e.g. from 1:10 to 1:30). However, even with a spatial resolution ratio as small as 1:30, the quality of the fused image is still better than the original multispectral image alone for feature interpretation. In cases where the spatial resolution ratio is too small (e.g. 1:30), to obtain better spectral integrity of the fused image, one may downsample the input high-resolution panchromatic image to a slightly lower resolution before fusing it with the multispectral image.

Spatial resolution requirements for urban land cover mapping from space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Todd, William J.; Wrigley, Robert C.

1986-01-01

Very low resolution (VLR) satellite data (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, DMSP Operational Linescan System), low resolution (LR) data (Landsat MSS), medium resolution (MR) data (Landsat TM), and high resolution (HR) satellite data (Spot HRV, Large Format Camera) were evaluated and compared for interpretability at differing spatial resolutions. VLR data (500 m - 1.0 km) is useful for Level 1 (urban/rural distinction) mapping at 1:1,000,000 scale. Feature tone/color is utilized to distinguish generalized urban land cover using LR data (80 m) for 1:250,000 scale mapping. Advancing to MR data (30 m) and 1:100,000 scale mapping, confidence in land cover mapping is greatly increased, owing to the element of texture/pattern which is now evident in the imagery. Shape and shadow contribute to detailed Level II/III urban land use mapping possible if the interpreter can use HR (10-15 m) satellite data; mapping scales can be 1:25,000 - 1:50,000.

Design and application of an array extended blackbody

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ya-zhou; Fan, Xiao-li; Lei, Hao; Zhou, Zhi-yuan

2018-02-01

An array extended blackbody is designed to quantitatively measure and evaluate the performance of infrared imaging systems. The theory, structure, control software and application of blackbody are introduced. The parameters of infrared imaging systems such as the maximum detectable range, detection sensitivity, spatial resolution and temperature resolution can be measured.

A maximum likelihood method for high resolution proton radiography/proton CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins-Fekete, Charles-Antoine; Brousmiche, Sébastien; Portillo, Stephen K. N.; Beaulieu, Luc; Seco, Joao

2016-12-01

Multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) is the largest contributor to blurring in proton imaging. In this work, we developed a maximum likelihood least squares estimator that improves proton radiography’s spatial resolution. The water equivalent thickness (WET) through projections defined from the source to the detector pixels were estimated such that they maximizes the likelihood of the energy loss of every proton crossing the volume. The length spent in each projection was calculated through the optimized cubic spline path estimate. The proton radiographies were produced using Geant4 simulations. Three phantoms were studied here: a slanted cube in a tank of water to measure 2D spatial resolution, a voxelized head phantom for clinical performance evaluation as well as a parametric Catphan phantom (CTP528) for 3D spatial resolution. Two proton beam configurations were used: a parallel and a conical beam. Proton beams of 200 and 330 MeV were simulated to acquire the radiography. Spatial resolution is increased from 2.44 lp cm-1 to 4.53 lp cm-1 in the 200 MeV beam and from 3.49 lp cm-1 to 5.76 lp cm-1 in the 330 MeV beam. Beam configurations do not affect the reconstructed spatial resolution as investigated between a radiography acquired with the parallel (3.49 lp cm-1 to 5.76 lp cm-1) or conical beam (from 3.49 lp cm-1 to 5.56 lp cm-1). The improved images were then used as input in a photon tomography algorithm. The proton CT reconstruction of the Catphan phantom shows high spatial resolution (from 2.79 to 5.55 lp cm-1 for the parallel beam and from 3.03 to 5.15 lp cm-1 for the conical beam) and the reconstruction of the head phantom, although qualitative, shows high contrast in the gradient region. The proposed formulation of the optimization demonstrates serious potential to increase the spatial resolution (up by 65 % ) in proton radiography and greatly accelerate proton computed tomography reconstruction.

SU-C-207A-01: A Novel Maximum Likelihood Method for High-Resolution Proton Radiography/proton CT

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

Collins-Fekete, C; Centre Hospitalier University de Quebec, Quebec, QC; Mass General Hospital

2016-06-15

Purpose: Multiple Coulomb scattering is the largest contributor to blurring in proton imaging. Here we tested a maximum likelihood least squares estimator (MLLSE) to improve the spatial resolution of proton radiography (pRad) and proton computed tomography (pCT). Methods: The object is discretized into voxels and the average relative stopping power through voxel columns defined from the source to the detector pixels is optimized such that it maximizes the likelihood of the proton energy loss. The length spent by individual protons in each column is calculated through an optimized cubic spline estimate. pRad images were first produced using Geant4 simulations. Anmore » anthropomorphic head phantom and the Catphan line-pair module for 3-D spatial resolution were studied and resulting images were analyzed. Both parallel and conical beam have been investigated for simulated pRad acquisition. Then, experimental data of a pediatric head phantom (CIRS) were acquired using a recently completed experimental pCT scanner. Specific filters were applied on proton angle and energy loss data to remove proton histories that underwent nuclear interactions. The MTF10% (lp/mm) was used to evaluate and compare spatial resolution. Results: Numerical simulations showed improvement in the pRad spatial resolution for the parallel (2.75 to 6.71 lp/cm) and conical beam (3.08 to 5.83 lp/cm) reconstructed with the MLLSE compared to averaging detector pixel signals. For full tomographic reconstruction, the improved pRad were used as input into a simultaneous algebraic reconstruction algorithm. The Catphan pCT reconstruction based on the MLLSE-enhanced projection showed spatial resolution improvement for the parallel (2.83 to 5.86 lp/cm) and conical beam (3.03 to 5.15 lp/cm). The anthropomorphic head pCT displayed important contrast gains in high-gradient regions. Experimental results also demonstrated significant improvement in spatial resolution of the pediatric head radiography. Conclusion: The proposed MLLSE shows promising potential to increase the spatial resolution (up to 244%) in proton imaging.« less

A maximum likelihood method for high resolution proton radiography/proton CT.

PubMed

Collins-Fekete, Charles-Antoine; Brousmiche, Sébastien; Portillo, Stephen K N; Beaulieu, Luc; Seco, Joao

2016-12-07

Multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) is the largest contributor to blurring in proton imaging. In this work, we developed a maximum likelihood least squares estimator that improves proton radiography's spatial resolution. The water equivalent thickness (WET) through projections defined from the source to the detector pixels were estimated such that they maximizes the likelihood of the energy loss of every proton crossing the volume. The length spent in each projection was calculated through the optimized cubic spline path estimate. The proton radiographies were produced using Geant4 simulations. Three phantoms were studied here: a slanted cube in a tank of water to measure 2D spatial resolution, a voxelized head phantom for clinical performance evaluation as well as a parametric Catphan phantom (CTP528) for 3D spatial resolution. Two proton beam configurations were used: a parallel and a conical beam. Proton beams of 200 and 330 MeV were simulated to acquire the radiography. Spatial resolution is increased from 2.44 lp cm -1 to 4.53 lp cm -1 in the 200 MeV beam and from 3.49 lp cm -1 to 5.76 lp cm -1 in the 330 MeV beam. Beam configurations do not affect the reconstructed spatial resolution as investigated between a radiography acquired with the parallel (3.49 lp cm -1 to 5.76 lp cm -1 ) or conical beam (from 3.49 lp cm -1 to 5.56 lp cm -1 ). The improved images were then used as input in a photon tomography algorithm. The proton CT reconstruction of the Catphan phantom shows high spatial resolution (from 2.79 to 5.55 lp cm -1 for the parallel beam and from 3.03 to 5.15 lp cm -1 for the conical beam) and the reconstruction of the head phantom, although qualitative, shows high contrast in the gradient region. The proposed formulation of the optimization demonstrates serious potential to increase the spatial resolution (up by 65[Formula: see text]) in proton radiography and greatly accelerate proton computed tomography reconstruction.

Optimization of the spatial resolution for the GE discovery PET/CT 710 by using NEMA NU 2-2007 standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Hyun Jin; Jeong, Young Jin; Son, Hye Joo; Kang, Do-Young; Hyun, Kyung-Yae; Lee, Min-Kyung

2015-01-01

The spatial resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) is fundamentally limited by the geometry of the detector element, the positron's recombination range with electrons, the acollinearity of the positron, the crystal decoding error, the penetration into the detector ring, and the reconstruction algorithms. In this paper, optimized parameters are suggested to produce high-resolution PET images by using an iterative reconstruction algorithm. A phantom with three point sources structured with three capillary tubes was prepared with an axial extension of less than 1 mm and was filled with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) with concentrations above 200 MBq/cc. The performance measures of all the PET images were acquired according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2007 standards procedures. The parameters for the iterative reconstruction were adjusted around the values recommended by General Electric GE, and the optimized values of the spatial resolution and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) or the full width at tenth of maximum (FWTM) values were found for the best PET resolution. The axial and the transverse spatial resolutions, according to the filtered back-projection (FBP) at 1 cm off-axis, were 4.81 and 4.48 mm, respectively. The axial and the transaxial spatial resolutions at 10 cm off-axis were 5.63 mm and 5.08 mm, respectively, and the trans-axial resolution at 10 cm was evaluated as the average of the radial and the tangential measurements. The recommended optimized parameters of the spatial resolution according to the NEMA phantom for the number of subsets, the number of iterations, and the Gaussian post-filter are 12, 3, and 3 mm for the iterative reconstruction VUE Point HD without the SharpIR algorithm (HD), and 12, 12, and 5.2 mm with SharpIR (HD.S), respectively, according to the Advantage Workstation Volume Share 5 (AW4.6). The performance measurements for the GE Discovery PET/CT 710 using the NEMA NU 2-2007 standards from our results will be helpful in the quantitative analysis of PET scanner images. The spatial resolution was modified more by using an improved algorithm such as HD.S, than by using HD and FBP. The use of the optimized parameters for iterative reconstructions is strongly recommended for qualitative images from the GE Discovery PET/CT 710 scanner.

A Rotatable Quality Control Phantom for Evaluating the Performance of Flat Panel Detectors in Imaging Moving Objects.

PubMed

Haga, Yoshihiro; Chida, Koichi; Inaba, Yohei; Kaga, Yuji; Meguro, Taiichiro; Zuguchi, Masayuki

2016-02-01

As the use of diagnostic X-ray equipment with flat panel detectors (FPDs) has increased, so has the importance of proper management of FPD systems. To ensure quality control (QC) of FPD system, an easy method for evaluating FPD imaging performance for both stationary and moving objects is required. Until now, simple rotatable QC phantoms have not been available for the easy evaluation of the performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) of FPD in imaging moving objects. We developed a QC phantom for this purpose. It consists of three thicknesses of copper and a rotatable test pattern of piano wires of various diameters. Initial tests confirmed its stable performance. Our moving phantom is very useful for QC of FPD images of moving objects because it enables visual evaluation of image performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) easily.

Terahertz Near-Field Imaging Using Enhanced Transmission through a Single Subwavelength Aperture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishihara, Kunihiko; Ikari, Tomofumi; Minamide, Hiroaki; Shikata, Jun-ichi; Ohashi, Keishi; Yokoyama, Hiroyuki; Ito, Hiromasa

2005-07-01

We demonstrate terahertz (THz) near-field imaging using resonantly enhanced transmission of THz-wave radiation (λ˜ 200 μm) through a bull’s eye structure (a single subwavelength aperture surrounded by concentric periodic grooves in a metal plate). The bull’s eye structure shows extremely large enhanced transmission, which has the advantage for a single subwavelength aperture. The spatial resolution for the bull’s eye structure (with an aperture diameter d=100 μm) is evaluated in the near-field region, and a resolution of 50 μm (corresponding to λ/4) is achieved. We obtain the THz near-field images of the subwavelength metal pattern with a spatial resolution below the diffraction limit.

The effect of spatial resolution on water scarcity estimates in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gevaert, Anouk; Veldkamp, Ted; van Dijk, Albert; Ward, Philip

2017-04-01

Water scarcity is an important global issue with severe socio-economic consequences, and its occurrence is likely to increase in many regions due to population growth, economic development and climate change. This has prompted a number of global and regional studies to identify areas that are vulnerable to water scarcity and to determine how this vulnerability will change in the future. A drawback of these studies, however, is that they typically have coarse spatial resolutions. Here, we studied the effect of increasing the spatial resolution of water scarcity estimates in Australia, and the Murray-Darling Basin in particular. This was achieved by calculating the water stress index (WSI), an indicator showing the ratio of water use to water availability, at 0.5 and 0.05 degree resolution for the period 1990-2010. Monthly water availability data were based on outputs of the Australian Water Resources Assessment Landscape model (AWRA-L), which was run at both spatial resolutions and at a daily time scale. Water use information was obtained from a monthly 0.5 degree global dataset that distinguishes between water consumption for irrigation, livestock, industrial and domestic uses. The data were downscaled to 0.05 degree by dividing the sectoral water uses over the areas covered by relevant land use types using a high resolution ( 0.5km) land use dataset. The monthly WSIs at high and low resolution were then used to evaluate differences in the patterns of water scarcity frequency and intensity. In this way, we assess to what extent increasing the spatial resolution can improve the identification of vulnerable areas and thereby assist in the development of strategies to lower this vulnerability. The results of this study provide insight into the scalability of water scarcity estimates and the added value of high resolution water scarcity information in water resources management.

Radiometric Calibration Assessment of Commercial High Spatial Resolution Multispectral Image Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holekamp, Kara; Aaron, David; Thome, Kurtis

2006-01-01

Radiometric calibration of commercial imaging satellite products is required to ensure that science and application communities can better understand their properties. Inaccurate radiometric calibrations can lead to erroneous decisions and invalid conclusions and can limit intercomparisons with other systems. To address this calibration need, satellite at-sensor radiance values were compared to those estimated by each independent team member to determine the sensor's radiometric accuracy. The combined results of this evaluation provide the user community with an independent assessment of these commercially available high spatial resolution sensors' absolute calibration values.

Validation and Temporal Analysis of Lai and Fapar Products Derived from Medium Resolution Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claverie, M.; Vermote, E. F.; Baret, F.; Weiss, M.; Hagolle, O.; Demarez, V.

2012-12-01

Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) have been defined as Essential Climate Variables. Many Earth surface monitoring applications are based on global estimation combined with a relatively high frequency. The medium spatial resolution sensors (MRS), such as SPOT-VGT, MODIS or MERIS, have been widely used to provide land surface products (mainly LAI and FAPAR) to the scientific community. These products require quality assessment and consistency. However, due to consistency of the ground measurements spatial sampling, the medium resolution is not appropriate for direct validation with in situ measurements sampling. It is thus more adequate to use high spatial resolution sensors which can integrate the spatial variability. The recent availability of combined high spatial (8 m) and temporal resolutions (daily) Formosat-2 data allows to evaluate the accuracy and the temporal consistency of medium resolution sensors products. In this study, we proposed to validate MRS products over a cropland area and to analyze their spatial and temporal consistency. As a matter of fact, this study belongs to the Stage 2 of the validation, as defined by the Land Product Validation sub-group of the Earth Observation Satellites. Reference maps, derived from the aggregation of Formosat-2 data (acquired during the 2006-2010 period over croplands in southwest of France), were compared with (i) two existing global biophysical variables products (GEOV1/VGT and MODIS-15 coll. 5), and (ii) a new product (MODdaily) derived from the inversion of PROSAIL radiative transfer model (EMMAH, INRA Avignon) applied on MODIS BRDF-corrected daily reflectance. Their uncertainty was calculated with 105 LAI and FAPAR reference maps, which uncertainties (22 % for LAI and 12% for FAPAR) were evaluated with in situ measurements performed over maize, sunflower and soybean. Inter-comparison of coarse resolution (0.05°) products showed that LAI and FAPAR have consistent phenology (Figure). The GEOLAND-2 showed the smoothest time series due to a 30-day composite, while MODdaily noise was satisfactory (<12%). The RMSE of LAI calculated for the period 2006-2010 were 0.46 for GEOV1/VGT, 0.19 for MODIS-15 and 0.16 for MODdaily. A significant overestimation (bias=0.43) of the LAI peak were observed for GEOV1/VGT products, while MOD-15 showed a small underestimation (bias=-0.14) of highest LAI. Finally, over a larger area (a quarter of France) covered by cropland, grassland and forest, the products displayed a good spatial consistency.; LAI 2006-2010 time-series of a coarse resolution pixel of cropland (extent in upper-left corner). Products are compared to Formosat-2 reference maps.

Intrinsic spatial resolution evaluation of the X'tal cube PET detector based on a 3D crystal block segmented by laser processing.

PubMed

Yoshida, Eiji; Tashima, Hideaki; Inadama, Naoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Moriya, Takahiro; Omura, Tomohide; Watanabe, Mitsuo; Murayama, Hideo; Yamaya, Taiga

2013-01-01

The X'tal cube is a depth-of-interaction (DOI)-PET detector which is aimed at obtaining isotropic resolution by effective readout of scintillation photons from the six sides of a crystal block. The X'tal cube is composed of the 3D crystal block with isotropic resolution and arrays of multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). In this study, to fabricate the 3D crystal block efficiently and precisely, we applied a sub-surface laser engraving (SSLE) technique to a monolithic crystal block instead of gluing segmented small crystals. The SSLE technique provided micro-crack walls which carve a groove into a monolithic scintillator block. Using the fabricated X'tal cube, we evaluated its intrinsic spatial resolution to show a proof of concept of isotropic resolution. The 3D grids of 2 mm pitch were fabricated into an 18 × 18 × 18 mm(3) monolithic lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) crystal by the SSLE technique. 4 × 4 MPPCs were optically coupled to each surface of the crystal block. The X'tal cube was uniformly irradiated by (22)Na gamma rays, and all of the 3D grids on the 3D position histogram were separated clearly by an Anger-type calculation from the 96-channel MPPC signals. Response functions of the X'tal cube were measured by scanning with a (22)Na point source. The gamma-ray beam with a 1.0 mm slit was scanned in 0.25 mm steps by positioning of the X'tal cube at vertical and 45° incident angles. The average FWHM resolution at both incident angles was 2.1 mm. Therefore, we confirmed the isotropic spatial resolution performance of the X'tal cube.

Device for high spatial resolution chemical analysis of a sample and method of high spatial resolution chemical analysis

DOEpatents

Van Berkel, Gary J.

2015-10-06

A system and method for analyzing a chemical composition of a specimen are described. The system can include at least one pin; a sampling device configured to contact a liquid with a specimen on the at least one pin to form a testing solution; and a stepper mechanism configured to move the at least one pin and the sampling device relative to one another. The system can also include an analytical instrument for determining a chemical composition of the specimen from the testing solution. In particular, the systems and methods described herein enable chemical analysis of specimens, such as tissue, to be evaluated in a manner that the spatial-resolution is limited by the size of the pins used to obtain tissue samples, not the size of the sampling device used to solubilize the samples coupled to the pins.

Analytical ultrasonics for evaluation of composite materials response. Part 2: Generation and detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duke, J. C., Jr.; Henneke, E. G., II

1986-01-01

To evaluate the response of composite materials, it is imperative that the input excitation as well as the observed output be well characterized. This characterization ideally should be in terms of displacements as a function of time with high spatial resolution. Additionally, the ability to prescribe these features for the excitation is highly desirable. Various methods for generating and detecting ultrasound in advanced composite materials are examined. Characterization and tailoring of input excitation is considered for contact and noncontact, mechanical, and electromechanical devices. Type of response as well as temporal and spatial resolution of detection methods are discussed as well. Results of investigations at Virginia Tech in application of these techniques to characterizing the response of advanced composites are presented.

A Submillimeter Resolution PET Prototype Evaluated With an 18F Inkjet Printed Phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Florian R.; Hohberg, Melanie; Mann, Alexander B.; Paul, Stephan; Ziegler, Sibylle I.

2015-10-01

This work presents a submillimeter resolution PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanner prototype based on SiPM/MPPC arrays (Silicon Photomultiplier/Multi Pixel Photon Counter). Onto each active area a 1 ×1 ×20 mm3 LYSO (Lutetium-Yttrium-Oxyorthosilicate) scintillator crystal is coupled one-to-one. Two detector modules facing each other in a distance of 10.0 cm have been set up with in total 64 channels that are digitized by SADCs (Sampling Analog to Digital Converters) with 80 MHz, 10 bit resolution and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) based extraction of energy and time information. Since standard phantoms are not sufficient for testing submillimeter resolution at which positron range is an issue, a 18F inkjet printed phantom has been used to explore the limit in spatial resolution. The phantom could be successfully reconstructed with an iterative MLEM (Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization) and an analytically calculated system matrix based on the DRF (Detector Response Function) model. The system yields a coincidence time resolution of 4.8 ns FWHM, an energy resolution of 20%-30% FWHM and a spatial resolution of 0.8 mm.

Evaluation of MODIS NPP and GPP products across multiple biomes.

Treesearch

David P. Turner; William D. Ritts; Warren B. Cohen; Stith T. Gower; Steve W. Running; Maosheng Zhao; Marcos H. Costa; Al A. Kirschbaum; Jay M. Ham; Scott R. Saleska; Douglas E. Ahl

2006-01-01

Estimates of daily gross primary production (GPP) and annual net primary production (NPP) at the 1 km spatial resolution are now produced operationally for the global terrestrial surface using imagery from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor. Ecosystem-level measurements of GPP at eddy covariance flux towers and plot-level measurements of...

Improving the Non-Hydrostatic Numerical Dust Model by Integrating Soil Moisture and Greenness Vegetation Fraction Data with Different Spatiotemporal Resolutions.

PubMed

Yu, Manzhu; Yang, Chaowei

2016-01-01

Dust storms are devastating natural disasters that cost billions of dollars and many human lives every year. Using the Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Dust Model (NMM-dust), this research studies how different spatiotemporal resolutions of two input parameters (soil moisture and greenness vegetation fraction) impact the sensitivity and accuracy of a dust model. Experiments are conducted by simulating dust concentration during July 1-7, 2014, for the target area covering part of Arizona and California (31, 37, -118, -112), with a resolution of ~ 3 km. Using ground-based and satellite observations, this research validates the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of dust storm output from the NMM-dust, and quantifies model error using measurements of four evaluation metrics (mean bias error, root mean square error, correlation coefficient and fractional gross error). Results showed that the default configuration of NMM-dust (with a low spatiotemporal resolution of both input parameters) generates an overestimation of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD). Although it is able to qualitatively reproduce the temporal trend of the dust event, the default configuration of NMM-dust cannot fully capture its actual spatial distribution. Adjusting the spatiotemporal resolution of soil moisture and vegetation cover datasets showed that the model is sensitive to both parameters. Increasing the spatiotemporal resolution of soil moisture effectively reduces model's overestimation of AOD, while increasing the spatiotemporal resolution of vegetation cover changes the spatial distribution of reproduced dust storm. The adjustment of both parameters enables NMM-dust to capture the spatial distribution of dust storms, as well as reproducing more accurate dust concentration.

Method of composing two-dimensional scanned spectra observed by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yun-Fang; Xu, Zhi; Chen, Yu-Chao; Xu, Jun; Li, Zheng-Gang; Fu, Yu; Ji, Kai-Fan

2018-04-01

In this paper we illustrate the technique used by the New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) to increase the spatial resolution of two-dimensional (2D) solar spectroscopy observations involving two dimensions of space and one of wavelength. Without an image stabilizer at the NVST, large scale wobble motion is present during the spatial scanning, whose instantaneous amplitude can reach 1.3″ due to the Earth’s atmosphere and the precision of the telescope guiding system, and seriously decreases the spatial resolution of 2D spatial maps composed with scanned spectra. We make the following effort to resolve this problem: the imaging system (e.g., the TiO-band) is used to record and detect the displacement vectors of solar image motion during the raster scan, in both the slit and scanning directions. The spectral data (e.g., the Hα line) which are originally obtained in time sequence are corrected and re-arranged in space according to those displacement vectors. Raster scans are carried out in several active regions with different seeing conditions (two rasters are illustrated in this paper). Given a certain spatial sampling and temporal resolution, the spatial resolution of the composed 2D map could be close to that of the slit-jaw image. The resulting quality after correction is quantitatively evaluated with two methods. A physical quantity, such as the line-of-sight velocities in multiple layers of the solar atmosphere, is also inferred from the re-arranged spectrum, demonstrating the advantage of this technique.

SU-F-I-55: Performance Evaluation of Digital PET/CT: Medical Physics Basis for the Clinical Applications

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

Zhang, J; Knopp, MV; Miller, M

2016-06-15

Purpose: Replacement of conventional PMT-based detector with next generation digital photon counting (DPC) detector is a technology leap for PET imaging. This study evaluated the performance and characteristics of the DPC system and its stability within a 1 year time window following its installation focusing on the medical physics basis for clinical applications. Methods: A digital PET/CT scanner using 1:1 coupling of 23,040 crystal: detector elements was introduced and became operational at OSU. We tested and evaluated system performance and characteristics using NEMA NU2-2012. System stabilities in timing resolution, energy resolution, detector temperature and humidity (T&H) were monitored over 1-yr.more » Timing, energy and spatial resolution were characterized across clinically relevant count rate range. CQIE uniformity PET and NEMA IEC-Body PET with hot spheres varying with sizes and contrasts were performed. PET reconstructed in standard(4mm), High(2mm) and Ultra-High(1mm) definitions were evaluated. Results: NEMA results showed PET spatial resolution (mm-FWHM) from 4.01&4.14 at 1cm to 5.82&6.17 at 20cm in transverse & axial. 322±3ps timing and 11.0% energy resolution were measured. 5.7kcps/MBq system sensitivity with 24kcps/MBq effective sensitivity was obtained. The peak-NECR was ∼171kcps with the effective peak-NECR >650kcps@50kBq/mL. Scatter fraction was ∼30%, and the maximum trues was >900kcps. NEMA IQ demonstrated hot sphere contrast ranging from ∼62%±2%(10mm) to ∼88%±2%(22mm), cold sphere contrast of ∼86%±2%(28mm) and ∼89%±3%(37mm) and excellent uniformity. Monitoring 1-yr stability, it revealed ∼1% change in timing, ±0.4% change in energy resolution, and <10% variations in T&H. CQIE PET gave <3% SUV variances in axial. 60%–100% recovery coefficients across sphere sizes and contrast levels were achieved. Conclusion: Characteristics and stability of the next generation DPC PET detector system over an 1-yr time window was excellent and better than prior experiences. It demonstrated improved and robust system characteristics and performance in spatial resolution, sensitivity, timing and energy resolution, count rate and image quality. Michael Miller is an employee of Philips Healthcare.« less

Development of ultrahigh resolution alpha particle imaging detector using 1 mm channel size Si-PM array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Seiichi; Kawaguchi, Wataru

2018-06-01

For precise distribution measurements of alpha particles, a high-resolution alpha particle imaging detector is required. Although combining a thin scintillator with a silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) array is a promising method for achieving high resolution, the spatial resolution is limited. Reducing the size of the Si-PM array is a possible approach to improving the spatial resolution of the alpha particle imaging detector. Consequently, we employed a 1 mm channel size Si-PM array combined with a thin ZnS(Ag) sheet to form an alpha particle imaging detector and evaluated the performance. For the developed alpha particle imaging detector, an Si-PM array with 1 mm x 1 mm channel size arranged 8 x 8 was optically coupled to a ZnS(Ag) sheet with a 1-mm-thick light guide between them. The size of the alpha particle imaging detector was 9.5 mm x 9.5 mm. The spatial resolution of the developed alpha particle imaging detector was 0.14 mm FWHM, and the energy resolution was 74% FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles. The uniformity of the imaging detector at the central part of the field of view (FOV) was ±4.7%. The background count rate was 0.06 counts/min. We obtained various high-resolution phantom images for alpha particles with the developed system. We conclude that the developed imaging detector is promising for high-resolution distribution measurements of alpha particles.

[2D-SPLASH spectroscopy to determine the fat/water ratio in the muscle of the rotator cuff].

PubMed

Köstler, H; Kenn, W; Hümmer, C; Böhm, D; Hahn, D

2002-08-01

The degree of fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff is an important factor for the prognosis of an operative reconstruction afterrotator cuff tear. The aim of this work was to develop a method using a clinical MR scanner that allows the quantification of the fat/water ratio with the necessary spatial resolution. A SPLASH sequence consisting of 19 complex 2D-FLASH images was implemented on a clinical 1.5 T MR scanner. The echo time was gradually increased from 5.0 ms to 50.0 ms. A spatial in plane resolution of 1.17 mm, a spectral resolution of 0.33 ppm and a spectral width of 6.25 ppm were achieved in a total acquisition time of about 3 min. The quantitative evaluation of the spectra in arbitrarily shaped regions of interest (ROIs) was obtained using a home-built reconstruction program and the time domain fit program AMARES. Phantom studies show a linear relation of the concentration determined by SPLASH spectroscopy (r = 0.997). Because of the high spatial resolution and the possibility to evaluate arbitrarily shaped ROIs, the determination of the fat/water ratio in single muscles in the shoulder has been possible. By the use of the 2D-SPLASH sequence the degree of fatty infiltration in the rotator cuff can now be determined quantitatively for the first time.

Pansharpening on the Narrow Vnir and SWIR Spectral Bands of SENTINEL-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaiopoulos, A. D.; Karantzalos, K.

2016-06-01

In this paper results from the evaluation of several state-of-the-art pansharpening techniques are presented for the VNIR and SWIR bands of Sentinel-2. A procedure for the pansharpening is also proposed which aims at respecting the closest spectral similarities between the higher and lower resolution bands. The evaluation included 21 different fusion algorithms and three evaluation frameworks based both on standard quantitative image similarity indexes and qualitative evaluation from remote sensing experts. The overall analysis of the evaluation results indicated that remote sensing experts disagreed with the outcomes and method ranking from the quantitative assessment. The employed image quality similarity indexes and quantitative evaluation framework based on both high and reduced resolution data from the literature didn't manage to highlight/evaluate mainly the spatial information that was injected to the lower resolution images. Regarding the SWIR bands none of the methods managed to deliver significantly better results than a standard bicubic interpolation on the original low resolution bands.

Scaling properties of Arctic sea ice deformation in high-resolution viscous-plastic sea ice models and satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Nils; Losch, Martin; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2017-04-01

Sea ice models with the traditional viscous-plastic (VP) rheology and very high grid resolution can resolve leads and deformation rates that are localised along Linear Kinematic Features (LKF). In a 1-km pan-Arctic sea ice-ocean simulation, the small scale sea-ice deformations in the Central Arctic are evaluated with a scaling analysis in relation to satellite observations of the Envisat Geophysical Processor System (EGPS). A new coupled scaling analysis for data on Eulerian grids determines the spatial and the temporal scaling as well as the coupling between temporal and spatial scales. The spatial scaling of the modelled sea ice deformation implies multi-fractality. The spatial scaling is also coupled to temporal scales and varies realistically by region and season. The agreement of the spatial scaling and its coupling to temporal scales with satellite observations and models with the modern elasto-brittle rheology challenges previous results with VP models at coarse resolution where no such scaling was found. The temporal scaling analysis, however, shows that the VP model does not fully resolve the intermittency of sea ice deformation that is observed in satellite data.

GRACE Hydrological estimates for small basins: Evaluating processing approaches on the High Plains Aquifer, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longuevergne, Laurent; Scanlon, Bridget R.; Wilson, Clark R.

2010-11-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites provide observations of water storage variation at regional scales. However, when focusing on a region of interest, limited spatial resolution and noise contamination can cause estimation bias and spatial leakage, problems that are exacerbated as the region of interest approaches the GRACE resolution limit of a few hundred km. Reliable estimates of water storage variations in small basins require compromises between competing needs for noise suppression and spatial resolution. The objective of this study was to quantitatively investigate processing methods and their impacts on bias, leakage, GRACE noise reduction, and estimated total error, allowing solution of the trade-offs. Among the methods tested is a recently developed concentration algorithm called spatiospectral localization, which optimizes the basin shape description, taking into account limited spatial resolution. This method is particularly suited to retrieval of basin-scale water storage variations and is effective for small basins. To increase confidence in derived methods, water storage variations were calculated for both CSR (Center for Space Research) and GRGS (Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale) GRACE products, which employ different processing strategies. The processing techniques were tested on the intensively monitored High Plains Aquifer (450,000 km2 area), where application of the appropriate optimal processing method allowed retrieval of water storage variations over a portion of the aquifer as small as ˜200,000 km2.

Quantifying the Uncertainty in High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Synthetic Land Surface Reflectance at Pixel Level Using Ground-Based Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, J.; Ryu, Y.

2017-12-01

Algorithms for fusing high temporal frequency and high spatial resolution satellite images are widely used to develop dense time-series land surface observations. While many studies have revealed that the synthesized frequent high spatial resolution images could be successfully applied in vegetation mapping and monitoring, validation and correction of fused images have not been focused than its importance. To evaluate the precision of fused image in pixel level, in-situ reflectance measurements which could account for the pixel-level heterogeneity are necessary. In this study, the synthetic images of land surface reflectance were predicted by the coarse high-frequency images acquired from MODIS and high spatial resolution images from Landsat-8 OLI using the Flexible Spatiotemporal Data Fusion (FSDAF). Ground-based reflectance was measured by JAZ Spectrometer (Ocean Optics, Dunedin, FL, USA) on rice paddy during five main growth stages in Cheorwon-gun, Republic of Korea, where the landscape heterogeneity changes through the growing season. After analyzing the spatial heterogeneity and seasonal variation of land surface reflectance based on the ground measurements, the uncertainties of the fused images were quantified at pixel level. Finally, this relationship was applied to correct the fused reflectance images and build the seasonal time series of rice paddy surface reflectance. This dataset could be significant for rice planting area extraction, phenological stages detection, and variables estimation.

Combining HJ CCD, GF-1 WFV and MODIS Data to Generate Daily High Spatial Resolution Synthetic Data for Environmental Process Monitoring.

PubMed

Wu, Mingquan; Huang, Wenjiang; Niu, Zheng; Wang, Changyao

2015-08-20

The limitations of satellite data acquisition mean that there is a lack of satellite data with high spatial and temporal resolutions for environmental process monitoring. In this study, we address this problem by applying the Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM) and the Spatial and Temporal Data Fusion Approach (STDFA) to combine Huanjing satellite charge coupled device (HJ CCD), Gaofen satellite no. 1 wide field of view camera (GF-1 WFV) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to generate daily high spatial resolution synthetic data for land surface process monitoring. Actual HJ CCD and GF-1 WFV data were used to evaluate the precision of the synthetic images using the correlation analysis method. Our method was tested and validated for two study areas in Xinjiang Province, China. The results show that both the ESTARFM and STDFA can be applied to combine HJ CCD and MODIS reflectance data, and GF-1 WFV and MODIS reflectance data, to generate synthetic HJ CCD data and synthetic GF-1 WFV data that closely match actual data with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.8989 and 0.8643, respectively. Synthetic red- and near infrared (NIR)-band data generated by ESTARFM are more suitable for the calculation of Normalized Different Vegetation Index (NDVI) than the data generated by STDFA.

Combining HJ CCD, GF-1 WFV and MODIS Data to Generate Daily High Spatial Resolution Synthetic Data for Environmental Process Monitoring

PubMed Central

Wu, Mingquan; Huang, Wenjiang; Niu, Zheng; Wang, Changyao

2015-01-01

The limitations of satellite data acquisition mean that there is a lack of satellite data with high spatial and temporal resolutions for environmental process monitoring. In this study, we address this problem by applying the Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM) and the Spatial and Temporal Data Fusion Approach (STDFA) to combine Huanjing satellite charge coupled device (HJ CCD), Gaofen satellite no. 1 wide field of view camera (GF-1 WFV) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to generate daily high spatial resolution synthetic data for land surface process monitoring. Actual HJ CCD and GF-1 WFV data were used to evaluate the precision of the synthetic images using the correlation analysis method. Our method was tested and validated for two study areas in Xinjiang Province, China. The results show that both the ESTARFM and STDFA can be applied to combine HJ CCD and MODIS reflectance data, and GF-1 WFV and MODIS reflectance data, to generate synthetic HJ CCD data and synthetic GF-1 WFV data that closely match actual data with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.8989 and 0.8643, respectively. Synthetic red- and near infrared (NIR)-band data generated by ESTARFM are more suitable for the calculation of Normalized Different Vegetation Index (NDVI) than the data generated by STDFA. PMID:26308017

The Influence of Beam Broadening on the Spatial Resolution of Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

de Jonge, Niels; Verch, Andreas; Demers, Hendrix

2018-02-01

The spatial resolution of aberration-corrected annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy was studied as function of the vertical position z within a sample. The samples consisted of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) positioned in different horizontal layers within aluminum matrices of 0.6 and 1.0 µm thickness. The highest resolution was achieved in the top layer, whereas the resolution was reduced by beam broadening for AuNPs deeper in the sample. To examine the influence of the beam broadening, the intensity profiles of line scans over nanoparticles at a certain vertical location were analyzed. The experimental data were compared with Monte Carlo simulations that accurately matched the data. The spatial resolution was also calculated using three different theoretical models of the beam blurring as function of the vertical position within the sample. One model considered beam blurring to occur as a single scattering event but was found to be inaccurate for larger depths of the AuNPs in the sample. Two models were adapted and evaluated that include estimates for multiple scattering, and these described the data with sufficient accuracy to be able to predict the resolution. The beam broadening depended on z 1.5 in all three models.

Spatial resolution recovery utilizing multi-ray tracing and graphic processing unit in PET image reconstruction.

PubMed

Liang, Yicheng; Peng, Hao

2015-02-07

Depth-of-interaction (DOI) poses a major challenge for a PET system to achieve uniform spatial resolution across the field-of-view, particularly for small animal and organ-dedicated PET systems. In this work, we implemented an analytical method to model system matrix for resolution recovery, which was then incorporated in PET image reconstruction on a graphical processing unit platform, due to its parallel processing capacity. The method utilizes the concepts of virtual DOI layers and multi-ray tracing to calculate the coincidence detection response function for a given line-of-response. The accuracy of the proposed method was validated for a small-bore PET insert to be used for simultaneous PET/MR breast imaging. In addition, the performance comparisons were studied among the following three cases: 1) no physical DOI and no resolution modeling; 2) two physical DOI layers and no resolution modeling; and 3) no physical DOI design but with a different number of virtual DOI layers. The image quality was quantitatively evaluated in terms of spatial resolution (full-width-half-maximum and position offset), contrast recovery coefficient and noise. The results indicate that the proposed method has the potential to be used as an alternative to other physical DOI designs and achieve comparable imaging performances, while reducing detector/system design cost and complexity.

Pan-sharpening algorithm to remove thin cloud via mask dodging and nonsampled shift-invariant shearlet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Cheng; Liu, Fang; Li, Ling-Ling; Hao, Hong-Xia

2014-01-01

The goal of pan-sharpening is to get an image with higher spatial resolution and better spectral information. However, the resolution of the pan-sharpened image is seriously affected by the thin clouds. For a single image, filtering algorithms are widely used to remove clouds. These kinds of methods can remove clouds effectively, but the detail lost in the cloud removal image is also serious. To solve this problem, a pan-sharpening algorithm to remove thin cloud via mask dodging and nonsampled shift-invariant shearlet transform (NSST) is proposed. For the low-resolution multispectral (LR MS) and high-resolution panchromatic images with thin clouds, a mask dodging method is used to remove clouds. For the cloud removal LR MS image, an adaptive principal component analysis transform is proposed to balance the spectral information and spatial resolution in the pan-sharpened image. Since the clouds removal process causes the detail loss problem, a weight matrix is designed to enhance the details of the cloud regions in the pan-sharpening process, but noncloud regions remain unchanged. And the details of the image are obtained by NSST. Experimental results over visible and evaluation metrics demonstrate that the proposed method can keep better spectral information and spatial resolution, especially for the images with thin clouds.

Evaluation of the spatial variability of soil water content at the spatial resolution of SMAP data products : case studies in Italy and Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menenti, Massimo; Akdim, Nadia; Alfieri, Silvia Maria; Labbassi, Kamal; De Lorenzi, Francesca; Bonfante, Antonello; Basile, Angelo

2014-05-01

Frequent and contiguous observations of soil water content such as the ones to be provided by SMAP are potentially useful to improve distributed models of soil water balance. This requires matching of observations and model estimates provided both sample spatial patterns consistently. The spatial resolution of SMAP soil water content data products ranges from 3 km X 3 km to 40 km X 40 km. Even the highest spatial resolution may not be sufficient to capture the spatial variability due to terrain, soil properties and precipitation. We have evaluated the SMAP spatial resolution against spatial variability of soil water content in two Mediterranean landscapes: a hilly area dominated by vineyards and olive orchards in Central Italy and a large irrigation schemes (Doukkala) in Morocco. The "Valle Telesina" is a 20,000 ha complex landscape located in South Italy in the Campania region, which has a complex geology and geomorphology and it is characterised by an E-W elongated graben where the Calore river flows. The main crops are grapevine (6,448 ha) and olive (3,390 ha). Soil information was mainly derived from an existing soil map at 1:50 000 scale (Terribile et al., 1996). The area includes 47 SMUs (Soil Mapping Units) and about 60 soil typological units (STUs). (Bonfante et al., 2011). In Doukkala, the soil water retention and unsaturated capillary conductivity were estimated from grain size distribution of a number of samples (22 pilot points, each one sampled in 3 horizons of 20cm), and combined with a soil map. The land use classification was carried out using a NDVI time series at high spatial resolution (Landsat TM and SPOT HRV). We have calculated soil water content for each soil unit in each area in response to several climate cases generating daily maps of soil water content at different depths. To reproduce spatial sampling by SMAP we have filtered these spatial patterns by calculating box averages with grid sizes of 1 km X 1 km and 5 km X 5 km. We have repeated this procedure for soil water content in the 0 to 5 cm and 0 to 10 cm depths. For each case we have compared the variance of filtered soil water content with the expected accuracy of SMAP soil water content. The two areas are very different as regards morphology and soil formation. The Valle Telesina is characterized by a very significant variability of soil hydrological properties leading to complex patterns in soil water content. Contrariwise, the soil properties estimated for all soil mapping units in the Dhoukkala collapse into just two pairs of water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics, leading to smoother patterns of soil water content.

Tight-frame based iterative image reconstruction for spectral breast CT

PubMed Central

Zhao, Bo; Gao, Hao; Ding, Huanjun; Molloi, Sabee

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate tight-frame based iterative reconstruction (TFIR) technique for spectral breast computed tomography (CT) using fewer projections while achieving greater image quality. Methods: The experimental data were acquired with a fan-beam breast CT system based on a cadmium zinc telluride photon-counting detector. The images were reconstructed with a varying number of projections using the TFIR and filtered backprojection (FBP) techniques. The image quality between these two techniques was evaluated. The image's spatial resolution was evaluated using a high-resolution phantom, and the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) was evaluated using a postmortem breast sample. The postmortem breast samples were decomposed into water, lipid, and protein contents based on images reconstructed from TFIR with 204 projections and FBP with 614 projections. The volumetric fractions of water, lipid, and protein from the image-based measurements in both TFIR and FBP were compared to the chemical analysis. Results: The spatial resolution and CNR were comparable for the images reconstructed by TFIR with 204 projections and FBP with 614 projections. Both reconstruction techniques provided accurate quantification of water, lipid, and protein composition of the breast tissue when compared with data from the reference standard chemical analysis. Conclusions: Accurate breast tissue decomposition can be done with three fold fewer projection images by the TFIR technique without any reduction in image spatial resolution and CNR. This can result in a two-third reduction of the patient dose in a multislit and multislice spiral CT system in addition to the reduced scanning time in this system. PMID:23464320

Decadal Variability of Temperature and Salinity in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishonov, A. V.; Seidov, D.; Reagan, J. R.; Boyer, T.; Parsons, A. R.

2017-12-01

There are only a few regions in the World Ocean where the density of observations collected over the past 60 years is sufficient for reliable data mapping with spatial resolutions finer than one-degree. The Northwest Atlantic basin is one such regions where a spatial resolution of gridded temperature and salinity fields, comparable to those generated by eddy-resolving numerical models of ocean circulation, has recently becomes available. Using the new high-resolution Northwest Atlantic Regional Climatology, built on quarter-degree and one-tenth-degree resolution fields, we analyzed decadal variability and trends of temperature and salinity over 60 years in the Northwest Atlantic, and two 30-year ocean climates of 1955-1984 and 1985-2012 to evaluate the oceanic climate shift in this region. The 30-year climate shift is demonstrated using an innovative 3-D visualization of temperature and salinity. Spatial and temporal variability of heat accumulation found in previous research of the entire North Atlantic Ocean persists in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Salinity changes between two 30-year climates were also computed and are discussed.

Improving Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Image Quality with Image Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarolli, Jay G.; Jackson, Lauren M.; Winograd, Nicholas

2014-12-01

The spatial resolution of chemical images acquired with cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is limited not only by the size of the probe utilized to create the images but also by detection sensitivity. As the probe size is reduced to below 1 μm, for example, a low signal in each pixel limits lateral resolution because of counting statistics considerations. Although it can be useful to implement numerical methods to mitigate this problem, here we investigate the use of image fusion to combine information from scanning electron microscope (SEM) data with chemically resolved SIMS images. The advantage of this approach is that the higher intensity and, hence, spatial resolution of the electron images can help to improve the quality of the SIMS images without sacrificing chemical specificity. Using a pan-sharpening algorithm, the method is illustrated using synthetic data, experimental data acquired from a metallic grid sample, and experimental data acquired from a lawn of algae cells. The results show that up to an order of magnitude increase in spatial resolution is possible to achieve. A cross-correlation metric is utilized for evaluating the reliability of the procedure.

[Non-contrast time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography combining high resolution multiple phase echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency contrast inherent inflow enhanced multi phase angiography combining spatial resolution echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency in intracranial arteries].

PubMed

Nakamura, Masanobu; Yoneyama, Masami; Tabuchi, Takashi; Takemura, Atsushi; Obara, Makoto; Sawano, Seishi

2012-01-01

Detailed information on anatomy and hemodynamics in cerebrovascular disorders such as AVM and Moyamoya disease is mandatory for defined diagnosis and treatment planning. Arterial spin labeling technique has come to be applied to magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and perfusion imaging in recent years. However, those non-contrast techniques are mostly limited to single frame images. Recently we have proposed a non-contrast time-resolved MRA technique termed contrast inherent inflow enhanced multi phase angiography combining spatial resolution echo planar imaging based signal targeting and alternating radiofrequency (CINEMA-STAR). CINEMA-STAR can extract the blood flow in the major intracranial arteries at an interval of 70 ms and thus permits us to observe vascular construction in full by preparing MIP images of axial acquisitions with high spatial resolution. This preliminary study demonstrates the usefulness of the CINEMA-STAR technique in evaluating the cerebral vasculature.

Application of a newly developed software program for image quality assessment in cone-beam computed tomography.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Marcus Vinicius Linhares; Santos, António Carvalho; Paulo, Graciano; Campos, Paulo Sergio Flores; Santos, Joana

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to apply a newly developed free software program, at low cost and with minimal time, to evaluate the quality of dental and maxillofacial cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom, CQP-IFBA, was scanned in 3 CBCT units with 7 protocols. A macro program was developed, using the free software ImageJ, to automatically evaluate the image quality parameters. The image quality evaluation was based on 8 parameters: uniformity, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), noise, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), spatial resolution, the artifact index, geometric accuracy, and low-contrast resolution. The image uniformity and noise depended on the protocol that was applied. Regarding the CNR, high-density structures were more sensitive to the effect of scanning parameters. There were no significant differences between SNR and CNR in centered and peripheral objects. The geometric accuracy assessment showed that all the distance measurements were lower than the real values. Low-contrast resolution was influenced by the scanning parameters, and the 1-mm rod present in the phantom was not depicted in any of the 3 CBCT units. Smaller voxel sizes presented higher spatial resolution. There were no significant differences among the protocols regarding artifact presence. This software package provided a fast, low-cost, and feasible method for the evaluation of image quality parameters in CBCT.

Sub-pixel flood inundation mapping from multispectral remotely sensed images based on discrete particle swarm optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Linyi; Chen, Yun; Yu, Xin; Liu, Rui; Huang, Chang

2015-03-01

The study of flood inundation is significant to human life and social economy. Remote sensing technology has provided an effective way to study the spatial and temporal characteristics of inundation. Remotely sensed images with high temporal resolutions are widely used in mapping inundation. However, mixed pixels do exist due to their relatively low spatial resolutions. One of the most popular approaches to resolve this issue is sub-pixel mapping. In this paper, a novel discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) based sub-pixel flood inundation mapping (DPSO-SFIM) method is proposed to achieve an improved accuracy in mapping inundation at a sub-pixel scale. The evaluation criterion for sub-pixel inundation mapping is formulated. The DPSO-SFIM algorithm is developed, including particle discrete encoding, fitness function designing and swarm search strategy. The accuracy of DPSO-SFIM in mapping inundation at a sub-pixel scale was evaluated using Landsat ETM + images from study areas in Australia and China. The results show that DPSO-SFIM consistently outperformed the four traditional SFIM methods in these study areas. A sensitivity analysis of DPSO-SFIM was also carried out to evaluate its performances. It is hoped that the results of this study will enhance the application of medium-low spatial resolution images in inundation detection and mapping, and thereby support the ecological and environmental studies of river basins.

Collaborative classification of hyperspectral and visible images with convolutional neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mengmeng; Li, Wei; Du, Qian

2017-10-01

Recent advances in remote sensing technology have made multisensor data available for the same area, and it is well-known that remote sensing data processing and analysis often benefit from multisource data fusion. Specifically, low spatial resolution of hyperspectral imagery (HSI) degrades the quality of the subsequent classification task while using visible (VIS) images with high spatial resolution enables high-fidelity spatial analysis. A collaborative classification framework is proposed to fuse HSI and VIS images for finer classification. First, the convolutional neural network model is employed to extract deep spectral features for HSI classification. Second, effective binarized statistical image features are learned as contextual basis vectors for the high-resolution VIS image, followed by a classifier. The proposed approach employs diversified data in a decision fusion, leading to an integration of the rich spectral information, spatial information, and statistical representation information. In particular, the proposed approach eliminates the potential problems of the curse of dimensionality and excessive computation time. The experiments evaluated on two standard data sets demonstrate better classification performance offered by this framework.

Multispectral multisensor image fusion using wavelet transforms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemeshewsky, George P.

1999-01-01

Fusion techniques can be applied to multispectral and higher spatial resolution panchromatic images to create a composite image that is easier to interpret than the individual images. Wavelet transform-based multisensor, multiresolution fusion (a type of band sharpening) was applied to Landsat thematic mapper (TM) multispectral and coregistered higher resolution SPOT panchromatic images. The objective was to obtain increased spatial resolution, false color composite products to support the interpretation of land cover types wherein the spectral characteristics of the imagery are preserved to provide the spectral clues needed for interpretation. Since the fusion process should not introduce artifacts, a shift invariant implementation of the discrete wavelet transform (SIDWT) was used. These results were compared with those using the shift variant, discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Overall, the process includes a hue, saturation, and value color space transform to minimize color changes, and a reported point-wise maximum selection rule to combine transform coefficients. The performance of fusion based on the SIDWT and DWT was evaluated with a simulated TM 30-m spatial resolution test image and a higher resolution reference. Simulated imagery was made by blurring higher resolution color-infrared photography with the TM sensors' point spread function. The SIDWT based technique produced imagery with fewer artifacts and lower error between fused images and the full resolution reference. Image examples with TM and SPOT 10-m panchromatic illustrate the reduction in artifacts due to the SIDWT based fusion.

Comparison of satellite reflectance algorithms for estimating ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We analyzed 10 established and 4 new satellite reflectance algorithms for estimating chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in a temperate reservoir in southwest Ohio using coincident hyperspectral aircraft imagery and dense water truth collected within one hour of image acquisition to develop simple proxies for algal blooms and to facilitate portability between multispectral satellite imagers for regional algal bloom monitoring. Narrow band hyperspectral aircraft images were upscaled spectrally and spatially to simulate 5 current and near future satellite imaging systems. Established and new Chl-a algorithms were then applied to the synthetic satellite images and then compared to calibrated Chl-a water truth measurements collected from 44 sites within one hour of aircraft acquisition of the imagery. Masks based on the spatial resolution of the synthetic satellite imagery were then applied to eliminate mixed pixels including vegetated shorelines. Medium-resolution Landsat and finer resolution data were evaluated against 29 coincident water truth sites. Coarse-resolution MODIS and MERIS-like data were evaluated against 9 coincident water truth sites. Each synthetic satellite data set was then evaluated for the performance of a variety of spectrally appropriate algorithms with regard to the estimation of Chl-a concentrations against the water truth data set. The goal is to inform water resource decisions on the appropriate satellite data acquisition and processing for the es

Modeling Above-Ground Biomass Across Multiple Circum-Arctic Tundra Sites Using High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Räsänen, Aleksi; Juutinen, Sari; Aurela, Mika; Virtanen, Tarmo

2017-04-01

Biomass is one of the central bio-geophysical variables in Earth observation for tracking plant productivity, and flow of carbon, nutrients, and water. Most of the satellite based biomass mapping exercises in Arctic environments have been performed by using rather coarse spatial resolution data, e.g. Landsat and AVHRR which have spatial resolutions of 30 m and >1 km, respectively. While the coarse resolution images have high temporal resolution, they are incapable of capturing the fragmented nature of tundra environment and fine-scale changes in vegetation and carbon exchange patterns. Very high spatial resolution (VHSR, spatial resolution 0.5-2 m) satellite images have the potential to detect environmental variables with an ecologically sound spatial resolution. The usage of VHSR images has, nevertheless, been modest so far in biomass modeling in the Arctic. Our objectives were to use VHSR for predicting above ground biomass in tundra landscapes, evaluate whether a common predictive model can be applied across circum-Arctic tundra and peatland sites having different types of vegetation, and produce knowledge on distribution of plant functional types (PFT) in these sites. Such model development is dependent on ground-based surveys of vegetation with the same spatial resolution and extent with the VHSR images. In this study, we conducted ground-based surveys of vegetation composition and biomass in four different arctic tundra or peatland areas located in Russia, Canada, and Finland. First, we sorted species into PFTs and developed PFT-specific models to predict biomass on the basis of non-destructive measurements (cover, height). Second, we predicted overall biomass on landscape scale by combinations of single bands and vegetation indices of very high resolution satellite images (QuickBird or WorldView-2 images of the eight sites). We compared area-specific empirical regression models and common models that were applied across all sites. We found that NDVI was usually the highest scoring spectral indices in explaining biomass distribution with good explanatory power. Furthermore, models which had more than one explanatory variable had higher explanatory power than models with a single index. The dissimilarity between common and site-specific model estimates was, however, high and data indicates that variation in vegetation properties and its impact on spectral reflectance needs to be acknowledged. Our work produced knowledge on above-ground biomass distribution and contribution of PFTs across circum-Arctic low-growth landscapes and will contribute to developing space-borne vegetation monitoring schemes utilizing VHSR satellite images.

Image-receptor performance: a comparison of Trophy RVG UI sensor and Kodak Ektaspeed Plus film.

PubMed

Ludlow, J; Mol, A

2001-01-01

Objective. This study compares the physical characteristics of the RVG UI sensor (RVG) with Ektaspeed Plus film. Dose-response curves were generated for film and for each of 6 available RVG modes. An aluminum step-wedge was used to evaluate exposure latitude. Spatial resolution was assessed by using a line-pair test tool. Latitude and resolution were assessed by observers for both modalities. The RVG was further characterized by its modulation transfer function. Exposure latitude was equal for film and RVG in the periodontal mode. Other gray scale modes demonstrated much lower latitude. The average maximum resolution was 15.3 line-pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) for RVG in high-resolution mode, 10.5 lp/mm for RVG in low-resolution mode, and 20 lp/mm for film (P <.0001). Modulation transfer function measurements supported the subjective assessments. In periodontal mode, the RVG UI sensor demonstrates exposure latitude similar to that of Ektaspeed Plus film. Film images exhibit significantly higher spatial resolution than the RVG images acquired in high-resolution mode.

Quantitative metrics for assessment of chemical image quality and spatial resolution

DOE PAGES

Kertesz, Vilmos; Cahill, John F.; Van Berkel, Gary J.

2016-02-28

Rationale: Currently objective/quantitative descriptions of the quality and spatial resolution of mass spectrometry derived chemical images are not standardized. Development of these standardized metrics is required to objectively describe chemical imaging capabilities of existing and/or new mass spectrometry imaging technologies. Such metrics would allow unbiased judgment of intra-laboratory advancement and/or inter-laboratory comparison for these technologies if used together with standardized surfaces. Methods: We developed two image metrics, viz., chemical image contrast (ChemIC) based on signal-to-noise related statistical measures on chemical image pixels and corrected resolving power factor (cRPF) constructed from statistical analysis of mass-to-charge chronograms across features of interest inmore » an image. These metrics, quantifying chemical image quality and spatial resolution, respectively, were used to evaluate chemical images of a model photoresist patterned surface collected using a laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system under different instrument operational parameters. Results: The calculated ChemIC and cRPF metrics determined in an unbiased fashion the relative ranking of chemical image quality obtained with the laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system. These rankings were used to show that both chemical image contrast and spatial resolution deteriorated with increasing surface scan speed, increased lane spacing and decreasing size of surface features. Conclusions: ChemIC and cRPF, respectively, were developed and successfully applied for the objective description of chemical image quality and spatial resolution of chemical images collected from model surfaces using a laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system.« less

Quantitative metrics for assessment of chemical image quality and spatial resolution

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

Kertesz, Vilmos; Cahill, John F.; Van Berkel, Gary J.

Rationale: Currently objective/quantitative descriptions of the quality and spatial resolution of mass spectrometry derived chemical images are not standardized. Development of these standardized metrics is required to objectively describe chemical imaging capabilities of existing and/or new mass spectrometry imaging technologies. Such metrics would allow unbiased judgment of intra-laboratory advancement and/or inter-laboratory comparison for these technologies if used together with standardized surfaces. Methods: We developed two image metrics, viz., chemical image contrast (ChemIC) based on signal-to-noise related statistical measures on chemical image pixels and corrected resolving power factor (cRPF) constructed from statistical analysis of mass-to-charge chronograms across features of interest inmore » an image. These metrics, quantifying chemical image quality and spatial resolution, respectively, were used to evaluate chemical images of a model photoresist patterned surface collected using a laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system under different instrument operational parameters. Results: The calculated ChemIC and cRPF metrics determined in an unbiased fashion the relative ranking of chemical image quality obtained with the laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system. These rankings were used to show that both chemical image contrast and spatial resolution deteriorated with increasing surface scan speed, increased lane spacing and decreasing size of surface features. Conclusions: ChemIC and cRPF, respectively, were developed and successfully applied for the objective description of chemical image quality and spatial resolution of chemical images collected from model surfaces using a laser ablation/liquid vortex capture mass spectrometry imaging system.« less

Resolution analysis of archive films for the purpose of their optimal digitization and distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fliegel, Karel; Vítek, Stanislav; Páta, Petr; Myslík, Jiří; Pecák, Josef; Jícha, Marek

2017-09-01

With recent high demand for ultra-high-definition (UHD) content to be screened in high-end digital movie theaters but also in the home environment, film archives full of movies in high-definition and above are in the scope of UHD content providers. Movies captured with the traditional film technology represent a virtually unlimited source of UHD content. The goal to maintain complete image information is also related to the choice of scanning resolution and spatial resolution for further distribution. It might seem that scanning the film material in the highest possible resolution using state-of-the-art film scanners and also its distribution in this resolution is the right choice. The information content of the digitized images is however limited, and various degradations moreover lead to its further reduction. Digital distribution of the content in the highest image resolution might be therefore unnecessary or uneconomical. In other cases, the highest possible resolution is inevitable if we want to preserve fine scene details or film grain structure for archiving purposes. This paper deals with the image detail content analysis of archive film records. The resolution limit in captured scene image and factors which lower the final resolution are discussed. Methods are proposed to determine the spatial details of the film picture based on the analysis of its digitized image data. These procedures allow determining recommendations for optimal distribution of digitized video content intended for various display devices with lower resolutions. Obtained results are illustrated on spatial downsampling use case scenario, and performance evaluation of the proposed techniques is presented.

Evaluating MODIS snow products for modelling snowmelt runoff: case study of the Rio Grande headwaters

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Snow-covered area (SCA) is a key variable in the Snowmelt-Runoff Model (SRM). Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) or Operational Land Imager (OLI) provide remotely sensed data at an appropriate spatial resolution for mapping SCA in small headwater basins, but the temporal resolution of the data is low and ...

The Spatial Resolution of Visual Attention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Intriligator, James; Cavanaugh, Patrick

2001-01-01

Used two tasks to evaluate the grain of visual attention, the minimum spacing at which attention can select individual items. Results for eight adults on a tracking task and five adults on an individuation task show that selection has a coarser grain than visual resolution and suggest that the parietal area is the most likely locus of the…

A generic method for improving the spatial interoperability of medical and ecological databases.

PubMed

Ghenassia, A; Beuscart, J B; Ficheur, G; Occelli, F; Babykina, E; Chazard, E; Genin, M

2017-10-03

The availability of big data in healthcare and the intensive development of data reuse and georeferencing have opened up perspectives for health spatial analysis. However, fine-scale spatial studies of ecological and medical databases are limited by the change of support problem and thus a lack of spatial unit interoperability. The use of spatial disaggregation methods to solve this problem introduces errors into the spatial estimations. Here, we present a generic, two-step method for merging medical and ecological databases that avoids the use of spatial disaggregation methods, while maximizing the spatial resolution. Firstly, a mapping table is created after one or more transition matrices have been defined. The latter link the spatial units of the original databases to the spatial units of the final database. Secondly, the mapping table is validated by (1) comparing the covariates contained in the two original databases, and (2) checking the spatial validity with a spatial continuity criterion and a spatial resolution index. We used our novel method to merge a medical database (the French national diagnosis-related group database, containing 5644 spatial units) with an ecological database (produced by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, and containing with 36,594 spatial units). The mapping table yielded 5632 final spatial units. The mapping table's validity was evaluated by comparing the number of births in the medical database and the ecological databases in each final spatial unit. The median [interquartile range] relative difference was 2.3% [0; 5.7]. The spatial continuity criterion was low (2.4%), and the spatial resolution index was greater than for most French administrative areas. Our innovative approach improves interoperability between medical and ecological databases and facilitates fine-scale spatial analyses. We have shown that disaggregation models and large aggregation techniques are not necessarily the best ways to tackle the change of support problem.

Development of a tactile display with 5 mm resolution using an array of magnetorheological fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, Hiroki; Miki, Norihisa

2017-06-01

In this study, we demonstrate the design and evaluation of a stiffness tactile display using a magnetorheological (MR) fluid. The tactile display is based on the change in mechanical properties under an external magnetic field. In the tactile display, the MR fluid is encapsulated in chambers of 3 mm diameter and arranged at intervals of 2 mm. Magnetic fields were spatially applied to the tactile display using neodymium magnets of 3.5 mm diameter. The design and spatial magnetic field application enable the tactile display to present stiff dots of 5 mm resolution. We confirmed that the tactile display can present a spatial stiff dot and its pattern on the surface by compression experiments. Sensory evaluation revealed that the users were able to perceive the approximate position of the stiff dots. From the experiments, the tactile display has potential as a palpation tactile display and requires improvement to present various types of tissues.

Human visual system consistent quality assessment for remote sensing image fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jun; Huang, Junyi; Liu, Shuguang; Li, Huali; Zhou, Qiming; Liu, Junchen

2015-07-01

Quality assessment for image fusion is essential for remote sensing application. Generally used indices require a high spatial resolution multispectral (MS) image for reference, which is not always readily available. Meanwhile, the fusion quality assessments using these indices may not be consistent with the Human Visual System (HVS). As an attempt to overcome this requirement and inconsistency, this paper proposes an HVS-consistent image fusion quality assessment index at the highest resolution without a reference MS image using Gaussian Scale Space (GSS) technology that could simulate the HVS. The spatial details and spectral information of original and fused images are first separated in GSS, and the qualities are evaluated using the proposed spatial and spectral quality index respectively. The overall quality is determined without a reference MS image by a combination of the proposed two indices. Experimental results on various remote sensing images indicate that the proposed index is more consistent with HVS evaluation compared with other widely used indices that may or may not require reference images.

LANDSAT-4 Scientific Characterization: Early Results Symposium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Radiometric calibration, geometric accuracy, spatial and spectral resolution, and image quality are examined for the thematic mapper and the multispectral band scanner on LANDSAT 4. Sensor performance is evaluated.

Evaluation of Crops Moisture Provision by Space Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilienko, Tetiana

2016-08-01

The article is focused on theoretical and experimental rationale for the use of space data to determine the moisture provision of agricultural landscapes and agricultural plants. The improvement of space remote sensing methods to evaluate plant moisture availability is the aim of this research.It was proved the possibility of replacement of satellite imagery of high spatial resolution on medium spatial resolution which are freely available to determine crop moisture content at the local level. The mathematical models to determine the moisture content of winter wheat plants by spectral indices were developed based on the results of experimental field research and satellite (Landsat, MODIS/Terra, RapidEye, SICH-2) data. The maps of the moisture content in winter wheat plants in test sites by obtained models were constructed using modern GIS technology.

Development of coarse-scale spatial data for wildland fire and fuel management

Treesearch

Kirsten M. Schmidt; James P. Menakis; Colin C. Hardy; Wendall J. Hann; David L. Bunnell

2002-01-01

We produced seven coarse-scale, 1-km2 resolution, spatial data layers for the conterminous United States to support national-level fire planning and risk assessments. Four of these layers were developed to evaluate ecological conditions and risk to ecosystem components: Potential Natural Vegetation Groups, a layer of climax vegetation types representing site...

High Resolution PET with 250 micrometer LSO Detectors and Adaptive Zoom

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

Cherry, Simon R.; Qi, Jinyi

2012-01-08

There have been impressive improvements in the performance of small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) systems since their first development in the mid 1990s, both in terms of spatial resolution and sensitivity, which have directly contributed to the increasing adoption of this technology for a wide range of biomedical applications. Nonetheless, current systems still are largely dominated by the size of the scintillator elements used in the detector. Our research predicts that developing scintillator arrays with an element size of 250 {micro}m or smaller will lead to an image resolution of 500 {micro}m when using 18F- or 64Cu-labeled radiotracers, giving amore » factor of 4-8 improvement in volumetric resolution over the highest resolution research systems currently in existence. This proposal had two main objectives: (i) To develop and evaluate much higher resolution and efficiency scintillator arrays that can be used in the future as the basis for detectors in a small-animal PET scanner where the spatial resolution is dominated by decay and interaction physics rather than detector size. (ii) To optimize one such high resolution, high sensitivity detector and adaptively integrate it into the existing microPET II small animal PET scanner as a 'zoom-in' detector that provides higher spatial resolution and sensitivity in a limited region close to the detector face. The knowledge gained from this project will provide valuable information for building future PET systems with a complete ring of very high-resolution detector arrays and also lay the foundations for utilizing high-resolution detectors in combination with existing PET systems for localized high-resolution imaging.« less

Effects of pure and hybrid iterative reconstruction algorithms on high-resolution computed tomography in the evaluation of interstitial lung disease.

PubMed

Katsura, Masaki; Sato, Jiro; Akahane, Masaaki; Mise, Yoko; Sumida, Kaoru; Abe, Osamu

2017-08-01

To compare image quality characteristics of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the evaluation of interstitial lung disease using three different reconstruction methods: model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and filtered back projection (FBP). Eighty-nine consecutive patients with interstitial lung disease underwent standard-of-care chest CT with 64-row multi-detector CT. HRCT images were reconstructed in 0.625-mm contiguous axial slices using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Two radiologists independently assessed the images in a blinded manner for subjective image noise, streak artifacts, and visualization of normal and pathologic structures. Objective image noise was measured in the lung parenchyma. Spatial resolution was assessed by measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF). MBIR offered significantly lower objective image noise (22.24±4.53, P<0.01 among all pairs, Student's t-test) compared with ASIR (39.76±7.41) and FBP (51.91±9.71). MTF (spatial resolution) was increased using MBIR compared with ASIR and FBP. MBIR showed improvements in visualization of normal and pathologic structures over ASIR and FBP, while ASIR was rated quite similarly to FBP. MBIR significantly improved subjective image noise (P<0.01 among all pairs, the sign test), and streak artifacts (P<0.01 each for MBIR vs. the other 2 image data sets). MBIR provides high-quality HRCT images for interstitial lung disease by reducing image noise and streak artifacts and improving spatial resolution compared with ASIR and FBP. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Bache, S; Rong, J

Purpose: To quantify a radiology team’s assessment of image quality differences between two CT scanner models currently in clinical use, with emphasis on spatial resolution that could be impacted by focal spot size. Methods: Modulation Transfer Functions (MTF) measurements were performed by scanning the impulse source insert module of the Catphan 600 at 120/140 kVp with both large (LFS) and small (SFS) focal spots and reconstructed to 2.5mm and 5.0mm thicknesses on a GE Discovery CT750 HD and a LightSpeed VCT CT scanner. MTFs were calculated by summing the 2D PSF along one-dimension to obtain line-spread-function (LSF), and calculating themore » Fourier Transform of the zero-padded and background corrected LSF. Spatial resolution performance was evaluated by comparing MTF curves, 50% and 10% MTF cutoff, and total area under the MTF curve (AUC). In addition, images of the Catphan high-contrast module and a Kagaku anthropomorphic body phantom were acquired from the HD scanner for visual comparisons. Results: For each scanner model, SFS was superior to LFS spatial resolution with respect to 50%/10% MTF cutoff and AUC. For the HD, 50%/10% cutoff was 4.29/7.22cm-1 for the LFS and 4.43/7.45cm-1 for the SFS. VCT outperformed HD, with 50%/10% cutoff of 4.40/7.29 cm-1 for LFS and 4.62/7.47cm-1 for SFS. Scanner model performance in order of decreasing AUC performance was VCT SFS (7.43), HD SFS (7.20), VCT LFS (7.09) and HD LFS (6.93). Visual evaluations of Kagaku phantom images confirmed that VCT outperformed HD. Conclusion: VCT outperformed HD and small focal spot is desired for either model over large focal spot in term of spatial resolution – in agreement with radiologist feedback of overall image quality. In-depth evaluations of clinical impact and focal spot selection mechanisms is currently being assessed.« less

Restoring the spatial resolution of refocus images on 4D light field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, JaeGuyn; Park, ByungKwan; Kang, JooYoung; Lee, SeongDeok

2010-01-01

This paper presents the method for generating a refocus image with restored spatial resolution on a plenoptic camera, which functions controlling the depth of field after capturing one image unlike a traditional camera. It is generally known that the camera captures 4D light field (angular and spatial information of light) within a limited 2D sensor and results in reducing 2D spatial resolution due to inevitable 2D angular data. That's the reason why a refocus image is composed of a low spatial resolution compared with 2D sensor. However, it has recently been known that angular data contain sub-pixel spatial information such that the spatial resolution of 4D light field can be increased. We exploit the fact for improving the spatial resolution of a refocus image. We have experimentally scrutinized that the spatial information is different according to the depth of objects from a camera. So, from the selection of refocused regions (corresponding depth), we use corresponding pre-estimated sub-pixel spatial information for reconstructing spatial resolution of the regions. Meanwhile other regions maintain out-of-focus. Our experimental results show the effect of this proposed method compared to existing method.

Ultra-high spatial resolution multi-energy CT using photon counting detector technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leng, S.; Gutjahr, R.; Ferrero, A.; Kappler, S.; Henning, A.; Halaweish, A.; Zhou, W.; Montoya, J.; McCollough, C.

2017-03-01

Two ultra-high-resolution (UHR) imaging modes, each with two energy thresholds, were implemented on a research, whole-body photon-counting-detector (PCD) CT scanner, referred to as sharp and UHR, respectively. The UHR mode has a pixel size of 0.25 mm at iso-center for both energy thresholds, with a collimation of 32 × 0.25 mm. The sharp mode has a 0.25 mm pixel for the low-energy threshold and 0.5 mm for the high-energy threshold, with a collimation of 48 × 0.25 mm. Kidney stones with mixed mineral composition and lung nodules with different shapes were scanned using both modes, and with the standard imaging mode, referred to as macro mode (0.5 mm pixel and 32 × 0.5 mm collimation). Evaluation and comparison of the three modes focused on the ability to accurately delineate anatomic structures using the high-spatial resolution capability and the ability to quantify stone composition using the multi-energy capability. The low-energy threshold images of the sharp and UHR modes showed better shape and texture information due to the achieved higher spatial resolution, although noise was also higher. No noticeable benefit was shown in multi-energy analysis using UHR compared to standard resolution (macro mode) when standard doses were used. This was due to excessive noise in the higher resolution images. However, UHR scans at higher dose showed improvement in multi-energy analysis over macro mode with regular dose. To fully take advantage of the higher spatial resolution in multi-energy analysis, either increased radiation dose, or application of noise reduction techniques, is needed.

High Spatial Resolution Commercial Satellite Imaging Product Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Robert E.; Pagnutti, Mary; Blonski, Slawomir; Ross, Kenton W.; Stnaley, Thomas

2005-01-01

NASA Stennis Space Center's Remote Sensing group has been characterizing privately owned high spatial resolution multispectral imaging systems, such as IKONOS, QuickBird, and OrbView-3. Natural and man made targets were used for spatial resolution, radiometric, and geopositional characterizations. Higher spatial resolution also presents significant adjacency effects for accurate reliable radiometry.

An efficient approach for pixel decomposition to increase the spatial resolution of land surface temperature images from MODIS thermal infrared band data.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; Qin, Zhihao; Li, Wenjuan; Song, Caiying; Karnieli, Arnon; Zhao, Shuhe

2014-12-25

Land surface temperature (LST) images retrieved from the thermal infrared (TIR) band data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) have much lower spatial resolution than the MODIS visible and near-infrared (VNIR) band data. The coarse pixel scale of MODIS LST images (1000 m under nadir) have limited their capability in applying to many studies required high spatial resolution in comparison of the MODIS VNIR band data with pixel scale of 250-500 m. In this paper we intend to develop an efficient approach for pixel decomposition to increase the spatial resolution of MODIS LST image using the VNIR band data as assistance. The unique feature of this approach is to maintain the thermal radiance of parent pixels in the MODIS LST image unchanged after they are decomposed into the sub-pixels in the resulted image. There are two important steps in the decomposition: initial temperature estimation and final temperature determination. Therefore the approach can be termed double-step pixel decomposition (DSPD). Both steps involve a series of procedures to achieve the final result of decomposed LST image, including classification of the surface patterns, establishment of LST change with normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and building index (NDBI), reversion of LST into thermal radiance through Planck equation, and computation of weights for the sub-pixels of the resulted image. Since the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) with much higher spatial resolution than MODIS data was on-board the same platform (Terra) as MODIS for Earth observation, an experiment had been done in the study to validate the accuracy and efficiency of our approach for pixel decomposition. The ASTER LST image was used as the reference to compare with the decomposed LST image. The result showed that the spatial distribution of the decomposed LST image was very similar to that of the ASTER LST image with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.7 K for entire image. Comparison with the evaluation DisTrad (E-DisTrad) and re-sampling methods for pixel decomposition also indicate that our DSPD has the lowest RMSE in all cases, including urban region, water bodies, and natural terrain. The obvious increase in spatial resolution remarkably uplifts the capability of the coarse MODIS LST images in highlighting the details of LST variation. Therefore it can be concluded that, in spite of complicated procedures, the proposed DSPD approach provides an alternative to improve the spatial resolution of MODIS LST image hence expand its applicability to the real world.

Assessment of spectral, misregistration, and spatial uncertainties inherent in the cross-calibration study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chander, G.; Helder, D.L.; Aaron, David; Mishra, N.; Shrestha, A.K.

2013-01-01

Cross-calibration of satellite sensors permits the quantitative comparison of measurements obtained from different Earth Observing (EO) systems. Cross-calibration studies usually use simultaneous or near-simultaneous observations from several spaceborne sensors to develop band-by-band relationships through regression analysis. The investigation described in this paper focuses on evaluation of the uncertainties inherent in the cross-calibration process, including contributions due to different spectral responses, spectral resolution, spectral filter shift, geometric misregistrations, and spatial resolutions. The hyperspectral data from the Environmental Satellite SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY and the EO-1 Hyperion, along with the relative spectral responses (RSRs) from the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM) Plus and the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer sensors, were used for the spectral uncertainty study. The data from Landsat 5 TM over five representative land cover types (desert, rangeland, grassland, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest) were used for the geometric misregistrations and spatial-resolution study. The spectral resolution uncertainty was found to be within 0.25%, spectral filter shift within 2.5%, geometric misregistrations within 0.35%, and spatial-resolution effects within 0.1% for the Libya 4 site. The one-sigma uncertainties presented in this paper are uncorrelated, and therefore, the uncertainties can be summed orthogonally. Furthermore, an overall total uncertainty was developed. In general, the results suggested that the spectral uncertainty is more dominant compared to other uncertainties presented in this paper. Therefore, the effect of the sensor RSR differences needs to be quantified and compensated to avoid large uncertainties in cross-calibration results.

Edge technique lidar for high accuracy, high spatial resolution wind measurement in the Planetary Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korb, C. L.; Gentry, Bruce M.

1995-01-01

The goal of the Army Research Office (ARO) Geosciences Program is to measure the three dimensional wind field in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over a measurement volume with a 50 meter spatial resolution and with measurement accuracies of the order of 20 cm/sec. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a high vertical resolution lidar experiment using the edge technique for high accuracy measurement of the atmospheric wind field to meet the ARO requirements. This experiment allows the powerful capabilities of the edge technique to be quantitatively evaluated. In the edge technique, a laser is located on the steep slope of a high resolution spectral filter. This produces large changes in measured signal for small Doppler shifts. A differential frequency technique renders the Doppler shift measurement insensitive to both laser and filter frequency jitter and drift. The measurement is also relatively insensitive to the laser spectral width for widths less than the width of the edge filter. Thus, the goal is to develop a system which will yield a substantial improvement in the state of the art of wind profile measurement in terms of both vertical resolution and accuracy and which will provide a unique capability for atmospheric wind studies.

Parallel-scanning tomosynthesis using a slot scanning technique: Fixed-focus reconstruction and the resulting image quality

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

Shibata, Koichi, E-mail: shibatak@suzuka-u.ac.jp; Notohara, Daisuke; Sakai, Takihito

2014-11-01

Purpose: Parallel-scanning tomosynthesis (PS-TS) is a novel technique that fuses the slot scanning technique and the conventional tomosynthesis (TS) technique. This approach allows one to obtain long-view tomosynthesis images in addition to normally sized tomosynthesis images, even when using a system that has no linear tomographic scanning function. The reconstruction technique and an evaluation of the resulting image quality for PS-TS are described in this paper. Methods: The PS-TS image-reconstruction technique consists of several steps (1) the projection images are divided into strips, (2) the strips are stitched together to construct images corresponding to the reconstruction plane, (3) the stitchedmore » images are filtered, and (4) the filtered stitched images are back-projected. In the case of PS-TS using the fixed-focus reconstruction method (PS-TS-F), one set of stitched images is used for the reconstruction planes at all heights, thus avoiding the necessity of repeating steps (1)–(3). A physical evaluation of the image quality of PS-TS-F compared with that of the conventional linear TS was performed using a R/F table (Sonialvision safire, Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan). The tomographic plane with the best theoretical spatial resolution (the in-focus plane, IFP) was set at a height of 100 mm from the table top by adjusting the reconstruction program. First, the spatial frequency response was evaluated at heights of −100, −50, 0, 50, 100, and 150 mm from the IFP using the edge of a 0.3-mm-thick copper plate. Second, the spatial resolution at each height was visually evaluated using an x-ray test pattern (Model No. 38, PTW Freiburg, Germany). Third, the slice sensitivity at each height was evaluated via the wire method using a 0.1-mm-diameter tungsten wire. Phantom studies using a knee phantom and a whole-body phantom were also performed. Results: The spatial frequency response of PS-TS-F yielded the best results at the IFP and degraded slightly as the distance from the IFP increased. A visual evaluation of the spatial resolution using the x-ray test pattern indicated that the resolution was 1.8 lp/mm at the IFP and 1.2 lp/mm at heights of −100 and 100 mm from the IFP. The authors demonstrated that a spatial resolution of 1.2–1.8 lp/mm could be obtained within heights of 200 mm of the IFP. The slice sensitivity varied between 11.1 and 13.8 mm for heights between −50 and 100 mm, and there was no critical change in the slice sensitivity within a height range of 150 mm around the IFP. The phantom results demonstrated that tomosynthesis and long-view images could be reconstructed. Conclusions: PS-TS-F provides tomosynthesis images while using low-cost systems that have no tomographic scanning function, such as tableside-controlled universal R/F systems or universal radiographic systems.« less

Performance evaluation of spatial compounding in the presence of aberration and adaptive imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahl, Jeremy J.; Guenther, Drake; Trahey, Gregg E.

2003-05-01

Spatial compounding has been used for years to reduce speckle in ultrasonic images and to resolve anatomical features hidden behind the grainy appearance of speckle. Adaptive imaging restores image contrast and resolution by compensating for beamforming errors caused by tissue-induced phase errors. Spatial compounding represents a form of incoherent imaging, whereas adaptive imaging attempts to maintain a coherent, diffraction-limited aperture in the presence of aberration. Using a Siemens Antares scanner, we acquired single channel RF data on a commercially available 1-D probe. Individual channel RF data was acquired on a cyst phantom in the presence of a near field electronic phase screen. Simulated data was also acquired for both a 1-D and a custom built 8x96, 1.75-D probe (Tetrad Corp.). The data was compounded using a receive spatial compounding algorithm; a widely used algorithm because it takes advantage of parallel beamforming to avoid reductions in frame rate. Phase correction was also performed by using a least mean squares algorithm to estimate the arrival time errors. We present simulation and experimental data comparing the performance of spatial compounding to phase correction in contrast and resolution tasks. We evaluate spatial compounding and phase correction, and combinations of the two methods, under varying aperture sizes, aperture overlaps, and aberrator strength to examine the optimum configuration and conditions in which spatial compounding will provide a similar or better result than adaptive imaging. We find that, in general, phase correction is hindered at high aberration strengths and spatial frequencies, whereas spatial compounding is helped by these aberrators.

Automated Verification of Spatial Resolution in Remotely Sensed Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Bruce; Ryan, Robert; Holekamp, Kara; Vaughn, Ronald

2011-01-01

Image spatial resolution characteristics can vary widely among sources. In the case of aerial-based imaging systems, the image spatial resolution characteristics can even vary between acquisitions. In these systems, aircraft altitude, speed, and sensor look angle all affect image spatial resolution. Image spatial resolution needs to be verified with estimators that include the ground sample distance (GSD), the modulation transfer function (MTF), and the relative edge response (RER), all of which are key components of image quality, along with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and dynamic range. Knowledge of spatial resolution parameters is important to determine if features of interest are distinguishable in imagery or associated products, and to develop image restoration algorithms. An automated Spatial Resolution Verification Tool (SRVT) was developed to rapidly determine the spatial resolution characteristics of remotely sensed aerial and satellite imagery. Most current methods for assessing spatial resolution characteristics of imagery rely on pre-deployed engineered targets and are performed only at selected times within preselected scenes. The SRVT addresses these insufficiencies by finding uniform, high-contrast edges from urban scenes and then using these edges to determine standard estimators of spatial resolution, such as the MTF and the RER. The SRVT was developed using the MATLAB programming language and environment. This automated software algorithm assesses every image in an acquired data set, using edges found within each image, and in many cases eliminating the need for dedicated edge targets. The SRVT automatically identifies high-contrast, uniform edges and calculates the MTF and RER of each image, and when possible, within sections of an image, so that the variation of spatial resolution characteristics across the image can be analyzed. The automated algorithm is capable of quickly verifying the spatial resolution quality of all images within a data set, enabling the appropriate use of those images in a number of applications.

SU-G-TeP2-11: Initial Evaluation of a Novel Split-Filter Dual-Energy CT for Use in Radiation Oncology

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

Miller, J; Huang, J; Szczykutowicz, T

2016-06-15

Purpose: To perform an initial evaluation of a novel split-filter dual-energy CT (DECT) system with the goal of understanding the clinical utility and limitations of the system for radiation therapy. Methods: Several phantoms were imaged using the split-filter DECT technique on the Siemens Edge CT scanner using a range of clinically-relevant doses. The optimum-contrast reconstruction, the mixed reconstruction, and the monoenergetic reconstructions (ranging from 40 keV to 190 keV) were evaluated. Each image was analyzed for CT number accuracy, uniformity, noise, low-contrast visibility (LCV), spatial resolution and geometric distortion. For comparison purposes, all parameters were evaluated on 120 kVp single-energymore » CT (SECT) scans used for treatment planning, as well as, a sequential-scan DECT technique for corresponding doses. Results: For all DECT reconstructions no observable geometric distortion was found. Both the optimal-contrast and mixed images demonstrated slight improvements in LCV and noise when compared to the SECT, and slight reductions in CT number accuracy and spatial resolution. The CT numbers trended as expected for the monoenergetic reconstructions, with CT number accuracy within 50 HU for materials of density <2 g/cm3. Spatial resolution increased with energy, and for monoenergetic reconstructions >70 keV the spatial resolution exceeded that of the SECT. The noise in the monoenergetic reconstructions increased with decreasing energy. Thus, the image uniformity, signal-to-noise ratio and LCV were diminished at lower energies (70 keV). Applying iterative reconstruction techniques to the low-energy images reduced noise and improved LCV. The signal-to-noise ratio was stable for energies >100 keV. Conclusion: The initial commissioning of the novel split-filter DECT technology demonstrated favorable results for clinical implementation. The mixed reconstruction showed potential as a replacement for the treatment planning SECT. The image parameters for the monoenergetic reconstructions varied appropriately with energy. This work provides an initial understanding of the limitations and potential applications for monoenergetic imaging.« less

Spatial enhancement of ECG using diagnostic similarity score based lead selective multi-scale linear model.

PubMed

Nallikuzhy, Jiss J; Dandapat, S

2017-06-01

In this work, a new patient-specific approach to enhance the spatial resolution of ECG is proposed and evaluated. The proposed model transforms a three-lead ECG into a standard twelve-lead ECG thereby enhancing its spatial resolution. The three leads used for prediction are obtained from the standard twelve-lead ECG. The proposed model takes advantage of the improved inter-lead correlation in wavelet domain. Since the model is patient-specific, it also selects the optimal predictor leads for a given patient using a lead selection algorithm. The lead selection algorithm is based on a new diagnostic similarity score which computes the diagnostic closeness between the original and the spatially enhanced leads. Standard closeness measures are used to assess the performance of the model. The similarity in diagnostic information between the original and the spatially enhanced leads are evaluated using various diagnostic measures. Repeatability and diagnosability are performed to quantify the applicability of the model. A comparison of the proposed model is performed with existing models that transform a subset of standard twelve-lead ECG into the standard twelve-lead ECG. From the analysis of the results, it is evident that the proposed model preserves diagnostic information better compared to other models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resolution Enhancement of Hyperion Hyperspectral Data using Ikonos Multispectral Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

spatial - resolution hyperspectral image to produce a sharpened product. The result is a product that has the spectral properties of the ...multispectral sensors. In this work, we examine the benefits of combining data from high- spatial - resolution , low- spectral - resolution spectral imaging...sensors with data obtained from high- spectral - resolution , low- spatial - resolution spectral imaging sensors.

Thematic and spatial resolutions affect model-based predictions of tree species distribution.

PubMed

Liang, Yu; He, Hong S; Fraser, Jacob S; Wu, ZhiWei

2013-01-01

Subjective decisions of thematic and spatial resolutions in characterizing environmental heterogeneity may affect the characterizations of spatial pattern and the simulation of occurrence and rate of ecological processes, and in turn, model-based tree species distribution. Thus, this study quantified the importance of thematic and spatial resolutions, and their interaction in predictions of tree species distribution (quantified by species abundance). We investigated how model-predicted species abundances changed and whether tree species with different ecological traits (e.g., seed dispersal distance, competitive capacity) had different responses to varying thematic and spatial resolutions. We used the LANDIS forest landscape model to predict tree species distribution at the landscape scale and designed a series of scenarios with different thematic (different numbers of land types) and spatial resolutions combinations, and then statistically examined the differences of species abundance among these scenarios. Results showed that both thematic and spatial resolutions affected model-based predictions of species distribution, but thematic resolution had a greater effect. Species ecological traits affected the predictions. For species with moderate dispersal distance and relatively abundant seed sources, predicted abundance increased as thematic resolution increased. However, for species with long seeding distance or high shade tolerance, thematic resolution had an inverse effect on predicted abundance. When seed sources and dispersal distance were not limiting, the predicted species abundance increased with spatial resolution and vice versa. Results from this study may provide insights into the choice of thematic and spatial resolutions for model-based predictions of tree species distribution.

Thematic and Spatial Resolutions Affect Model-Based Predictions of Tree Species Distribution

PubMed Central

Liang, Yu; He, Hong S.; Fraser, Jacob S.; Wu, ZhiWei

2013-01-01

Subjective decisions of thematic and spatial resolutions in characterizing environmental heterogeneity may affect the characterizations of spatial pattern and the simulation of occurrence and rate of ecological processes, and in turn, model-based tree species distribution. Thus, this study quantified the importance of thematic and spatial resolutions, and their interaction in predictions of tree species distribution (quantified by species abundance). We investigated how model-predicted species abundances changed and whether tree species with different ecological traits (e.g., seed dispersal distance, competitive capacity) had different responses to varying thematic and spatial resolutions. We used the LANDIS forest landscape model to predict tree species distribution at the landscape scale and designed a series of scenarios with different thematic (different numbers of land types) and spatial resolutions combinations, and then statistically examined the differences of species abundance among these scenarios. Results showed that both thematic and spatial resolutions affected model-based predictions of species distribution, but thematic resolution had a greater effect. Species ecological traits affected the predictions. For species with moderate dispersal distance and relatively abundant seed sources, predicted abundance increased as thematic resolution increased. However, for species with long seeding distance or high shade tolerance, thematic resolution had an inverse effect on predicted abundance. When seed sources and dispersal distance were not limiting, the predicted species abundance increased with spatial resolution and vice versa. Results from this study may provide insights into the choice of thematic and spatial resolutions for model-based predictions of tree species distribution. PMID:23861828

Evaluation of resolution-precision relationships when using Structure-from-Motion to measure low intensity erosion processes, within a laboratory setting.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benaud, Pia; Anderson, Karen; Quine, Timothy; James, Mike; Quinton, John; Brazier, Richard E.

2017-04-01

The accessibility of Structure-from-Motion Multi-Stereo View (SfM) and the potential for multi-temporal applications, offers an exciting opportunity to quantify soil erosion spatially. Accordingly, published research provides examples of the successful quantification of large erosion features and events, to centimetre accuracy. Through rigorous control of the camera and image network geometry, the centimetre accuracy achievable at the field scale, can translate to sub-millimetre accuracies within a laboratory environment. The broad aim of this study, therefore, was to understand how ultra-high-resolution spatial information on soil surface topography, derived from SfM, can be utilised to develop a spatially explicit, mechanistic understanding of rill and inter-rill erosion, under experimental conditions. A rainfall simulator was used to create three soil surface conditions; compaction and rainsplash erosion, inter-rill erosion, and rill erosion. Total sediment capture was the primary validation for the experiments, allowing the comparison between structurally and volumetrically derived change, and true soil loss. A Terrestrial Laser Scanner (resolution of ca. 0.8mm) was employed to assess spatial discrepancies within the SfM datasets and to provide an alternative measure of volumetric change. The body of work will present the workflow that has been developed for the laboratory-scale studies and provide information on the importance of DTM resolution for volumetric calculations of soil loss, under different soil surface conditions. To-date, using the methodology presented, point clouds with ca. 3.38 x 107 points per m2, and RMSE values of 0.17 to 0.43 mm (relative precision 1:2023-5117), were constructed. Preliminary results suggest a decrease in DTM resolution from 0.5 to 10 mm does not result in a significant change in volumetric calculations (p = 0.088), while affording a 24-fold decrease in processing times, but may impact negatively on mechanistic understanding of patterns of erosion. It is argued that the approach can be an invaluable tool for the spatially-explicit evaluation of soil erosion models.

LANDSAT 4 investigations of Thematic Mapper and multispectral scanner applications. [Death Valley, California; Silver Bell Copper Mine, Arizona, and Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauer, D. T. (Principal Investigator)

1984-01-01

The optimum index factor package was used to choose TM band for color compositing. Processing techniques were also used on TM data over several sites to: (1) reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed and analyzed by using statistical methods or by combining full-resolution products with spatially compressed products; (2) digitally process small subareas to improve the visual appearance of large-scale products or to merge different-resolution image data; and (3) evaluate and compare the information content of the different three-band combinations that can be made using the TM data. Results indicate that for some applications the added spectral information over MSS is even more important than the TM's increased spatial resolution.

Modeling of Long-Term Evolution of Hydrophysical Fields of the Black Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorofeyev, V. L.; Sukhikh, L. I.

2017-11-01

The long-term evolution of the Black Sea dynamics (1980-2020) is reconstructed by numerical simulation. The model of the Black Sea circulation has 4.8 km horizontal spatial resolution and 40 levels in z-coordinates. The mixing processes in the upper layer are parameterized by Mellor-Yamada turbulent model. For the sea surface boundary conditions, atmospheric forcing functions were used, provided for the Black Sea region by the Euro mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) from the COSMO-CLM regional climate model. These data have a spatial resolution of 14 km and a daily temporal resolution. To evaluate the quality of the hydrodynamic fields derived from the simulation, they were compared with in-situ hydrological measurements and similar results from physical reanalysis of the Black Sea.

Physical effects of mechanical design parameters on photon sensitivity and spatial resolution performance of a breast-dedicated PET system.

PubMed

Spanoudaki, V C; Lau, F W Y; Vandenbroucke, A; Levin, C S

2010-11-01

This study aims to address design considerations of a high resolution, high sensitivity positron emission tomography scanner dedicated to breast imaging. The methodology uses a detailed Monte Carlo model of the system structures to obtain a quantitative evaluation of several performance parameters. Special focus was given to the effect of dense mechanical structures designed to provide mechanical robustness and thermal regulation to the minuscule and temperature sensitive detectors. For the energies of interest around the photopeak (450-700 keV energy window), the simulation results predict a 6.5% reduction in the single photon detection efficiency and a 12.5% reduction in the coincidence photon detection efficiency in the case that the mechanical structures are interspersed between the detectors. However for lower energies, a substantial increase in the number of detected events (approximately 14% and 7% for singles at a 100-200 keV energy window and coincidences at a lower energy threshold of 100 keV, respectively) was observed with the presence of these structures due to backscatter. The number of photon events that involve multiple interactions in various crystal elements is also affected by the presence of the structures. For photon events involving multiple interactions among various crystal elements, the coincidence photon sensitivity is reduced by as much as 20% for a point source at the center of the field of view. There is no observable effect on the intrinsic and the reconstructed spatial resolution and spatial resolution uniformity. Mechanical structures can have a considerable effect on system sensitivity, especially for systems processing multi-interaction photon events. This effect, however, does not impact the spatial resolution. Various mechanical structure designs are currently under evaluation in order to achieve optimum trade-off between temperature stability, accurate detector positioning, and minimum influence on system performance.

Physical effects of mechanical design parameters on photon sensitivity and spatial resolution performance of a breast-dedicated PET system

PubMed Central

Spanoudaki, V. C.; Lau, F. W. Y.; Vandenbroucke, A.; Levin, C. S.

2010-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to address design considerations of a high resolution, high sensitivity positron emission tomography scanner dedicated to breast imaging. Methods: The methodology uses a detailed Monte Carlo model of the system structures to obtain a quantitative evaluation of several performance parameters. Special focus was given to the effect of dense mechanical structures designed to provide mechanical robustness and thermal regulation to the minuscule and temperature sensitive detectors. Results: For the energies of interest around the photopeak (450–700 keV energy window), the simulation results predict a 6.5% reduction in the single photon detection efficiency and a 12.5% reduction in the coincidence photon detection efficiency in the case that the mechanical structures are interspersed between the detectors. However for lower energies, a substantial increase in the number of detected events (approximately 14% and 7% for singles at a 100–200 keV energy window and coincidences at a lower energy threshold of 100 keV, respectively) was observed with the presence of these structures due to backscatter. The number of photon events that involve multiple interactions in various crystal elements is also affected by the presence of the structures. For photon events involving multiple interactions among various crystal elements, the coincidence photon sensitivity is reduced by as much as 20% for a point source at the center of the field of view. There is no observable effect on the intrinsic and the reconstructed spatial resolution and spatial resolution uniformity. Conclusions: Mechanical structures can have a considerable effect on system sensitivity, especially for systems processing multi-interaction photon events. This effect, however, does not impact the spatial resolution. Various mechanical structure designs are currently under evaluation in order to achieve optimum trade-off between temperature stability, accurate detector positioning, and minimum influence on system performance. PMID:21158296

Evaluation of image quality of a 32-channel versus a 12-channel head coil at 1.5T for MR imaging of the brain.

PubMed

Parikh, P T; Sandhu, G S; Blackham, K A; Coffey, M D; Hsu, D; Liu, K; Jesberger, J; Griswold, M; Sunshine, J L

2011-02-01

Multichannel phased-array head coils are undergoing exponential escalation of coil element numbers. While previous technical studies have found gains in SNR and spatial resolution with the addition of element coils, it remains to be determined how these gains affect clinical reading. The purpose of this clinical study was to determine if the SNR and spatial resolution characteristics of a 32-channel head coil result in improvements in perceived image quality and lesion evaluation. Twenty-one patients underwent MR imaging of the brain at 1.5T sequentially with both a 12-channel and a 32-channel receive-only phased-array head coil. Axial T2WIs, T1WIs, FLAIR images, and DWIs were acquired. Anonymized images were compared side-by-side and by sequence for image quality, lesion evaluation, and artifacts by 3 neuroradiologists. Results of the comparison were analyzed for the preference for a specific head coil. FLAIR and DWI images acquired with the 32-channel coil showed significant improvement in image quality in several parameters. T2WIs also improved significantly with acquisition by the 32-channel coil, while T1WIs improved in a limited number of parameters. While lesion evaluation also improved with acquisition of images by the 32-channel coil, there was no apparent improvement in diagnostic quality. There was no difference in artifacts between the 2 coils. Improvements in SNR and spatial resolution attributed to image acquisition with a 32-channel head coil are paralleled by perceived improvements in image quality.

Retrieved Products from Simulated Hyperspectral Observations of a Hurricane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Kouvaris, Louis; Iredell, Lena; Blaisdell, John

2015-01-01

Demonstrate via Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) the potential utility of flying high spatial resolution AIRS class IR sounders on future LEO and GEO missions.The study simulates and analyzes radiances for 3 sounders with AIRS spectral and radiometric properties on different orbits with different spatial resolutions: 1) Control run 13 kilometers AIRS spatial resolution at nadir on LEO in Aqua orbit; 2) 2 kilometer spatial resolution LEO sounder at nadir ARIES; 3) 5 kilometers spatial resolution sounder on a GEO orbit, radiances simulated every 72 minutes.

Development and calibration of a new gamma camera detector using large square Photomultiplier Tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeraatkar, N.; Sajedi, S.; Teimourian Fard, B.; Kaviani, S.; Akbarzadeh, A.; Farahani, M. H.; Sarkar, S.; Ay, M. R.

2017-09-01

Large area scintillation detectors applied in gamma cameras as well as Single Photon Computed Tomography (SPECT) systems, have a major role in in-vivo functional imaging. Most of the gamma detectors utilize hexagonal arrangement of Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). In this work we applied large square-shaped PMTs with row/column arrangement and positioning. The Use of large square PMTs reduces dead zones in the detector surface. However, the conventional center of gravity method for positioning may not introduce an acceptable result. Hence, the digital correlated signal enhancement (CSE) algorithm was optimized to obtain better linearity and spatial resolution in the developed detector. The performance of the developed detector was evaluated based on NEMA-NU1-2007 standard. The acquired images using this method showed acceptable uniformity and linearity comparing to three commercial gamma cameras. Also the intrinsic and extrinsic spatial resolutions with low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimator at 10 cm from surface of the detector were 3.7 mm and 7.5 mm, respectively. The energy resolution of the camera was measured 9.5%. The performance evaluation demonstrated that the developed detector maintains image quality with a reduced number of used PMTs relative to the detection area.

Evaluation of collimation and imaging configuration in scintimammography

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

Tsui, B.M.W.; Frey, E.C.; Wessell, D.E.

1996-12-31

Conventional scintimammography (SM) with {sup 99m}Tc sestamibi has been limited to taking a single lateral view of the breast using a parallel-hole high resolution (LEHR) collimator. The collimator is placed close to the breast for best possible spatial resolution. However, the collimator geometry precludes imaging the breast from other views. We evaluated using a pinhole collimator instead of a LEHR collimator in SM for improved spatial resolution and detection efficiency, and to allow additional imaging views. Results from theoretical calculations indicated that pinhole collimators could be designed with higher spatial resolution and detection efficiency than LEHR when imaging small tomore » medium size breasts. The geometrical shape of the pinhole collimator allows imaging of the breasts from both the lateral and craniocaudal views. The dual-view images allow better determination of the location of the tumors within the breast and improved detection of tumors located in the medial region of the breast. A breast model that simulates the shape and composition of the breast and breast tumors with different sizes and locations was added to an existing 3D mathematical cardiac-torso (MCAT) phantom. A cylindrically shaped phantom with 10 cm diameter and spherical inserts with different sizes and {sup 99m}Tc sestamibi uptakes with respect to the background provide physical models of breast with tumors. Simulation studies using the breast and MCAT phantoms and experimental studies using the cylindrical phantom confirmed the utility of the pinhole collimator in SM for improved breast tumor detection.« less

Evaluation of multiple-scale 3D characterization for coal physical structure with DCM method and synchrotron X-ray CT.

PubMed

Wang, Haipeng; Yang, Yushuang; Yang, Jianli; Nie, Yihang; Jia, Jing; Wang, Yudan

2015-01-01

Multiscale nondestructive characterization of coal microscopic physical structure can provide important information for coal conversion and coal-bed methane extraction. In this study, the physical structure of a coal sample was investigated by synchrotron-based multiple-energy X-ray CT at three beam energies and two different spatial resolutions. A data-constrained modeling (DCM) approach was used to quantitatively characterize the multiscale compositional distributions at the two resolutions. The volume fractions of each voxel for four different composition groups were obtained at the two resolutions. Between the two resolutions, the difference for DCM computed volume fractions of coal matrix and pores is less than 0.3%, and the difference for mineral composition groups is less than 0.17%. This demonstrates that the DCM approach can account for compositions beyond the X-ray CT imaging resolution with adequate accuracy. By using DCM, it is possible to characterize a relatively large coal sample at a relatively low spatial resolution with minimal loss of the effect due to subpixel fine length scale structures.

Computed tomography imaging and angiography - principles.

PubMed

Kamalian, Shervin; Lev, Michael H; Gupta, Rajiv

2016-01-01

The evaluation of patients with diverse neurologic disorders was forever changed in the summer of 1973, when the first commercial computed tomography (CT) scanners were introduced. Until then, the detection and characterization of intracranial or spinal lesions could only be inferred by limited spatial resolution radioisotope scans, or by the patterns of tissue and vascular displacement on invasive pneumoencaphalography and direct carotid puncture catheter arteriography. Even the earliest-generation CT scanners - which required tens of minutes for the acquisition and reconstruction of low-resolution images (128×128 matrix) - could, based on density, noninvasively distinguish infarct, hemorrhage, and other mass lesions with unprecedented accuracy. Iodinated, intravenous contrast added further sensitivity and specificity in regions of blood-brain barrier breakdown. The advent of rapid multidetector row CT scanning in the early 1990s created renewed enthusiasm for CT, with CT angiography largely replacing direct catheter angiography. More recently, iterative reconstruction postprocessing techniques have made possible high spatial resolution, reduced noise, very low radiation dose CT scanning. The speed, spatial resolution, contrast resolution, and low radiation dose capability of present-day scanners have also facilitated dual-energy imaging which, like magnetic resonance imaging, for the first time, has allowed tissue-specific CT imaging characterization of intracranial pathology. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation of population-based commuter exposure to NO₂ using different air pollution models.

PubMed

Ragettli, Martina S; Tsai, Ming-Yi; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte; de Nazelle, Audrey; Schindler, Christian; Ineichen, Alex; Ducret-Stich, Regina E; Perez, Laura; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Künzli, Nino; Phuleria, Harish C

2014-05-12

We simulated commuter routes and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution during commute in a representative population sample in Basel (Switzerland), and evaluated three air pollution models with different spatial resolution for estimating commute exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a marker of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Our approach includes spatially and temporally resolved data on actual commuter routes, travel modes and three air pollution models. Annual mean NO2 commuter exposures were similar between models. However, we found more within-city and within-subject variability in annual mean (±SD) NO2 commuter exposure with a high resolution dispersion model (40 ± 7 µg m(-3), range: 21-61) than with a dispersion model with a lower resolution (39 ± 5 µg m(-3); range: 24-51), and a land use regression model (41 ± 5 µg m(-3); range: 24-54). Highest median cumulative exposures were calculated along motorized transport and bicycle routes, and the lowest for walking. For estimating commuter exposure within a city and being interested also in small-scale variability between roads, a model with a high resolution is recommended. For larger scale epidemiological health assessment studies, models with a coarser spatial resolution are likely sufficient, especially when study areas include suburban and rural areas.

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

Wang, Jiali; Swati, F. N. U.; Stein, Michael L.

Regional climate models (RCMs) are a standard tool for downscaling climate forecasts to finer spatial scales. The evaluation of RCMs against observational data is an important step in building confidence in the use of RCMs for future prediction. In addition to model performance in climatological means and marginal distributions, a model’s ability to capture spatio-temporal relationships is important. This study develops two approaches: (1) spatial correlation/variogram for a range of spatial lags, with total monthly precipitation and non-seasonal precipitation components used to assess the spatial variations of precipitation; and (2) spatio-temporal correlation for a wide range of distances, directions, andmore » time lags, with daily precipitation occurrence used to detect the dynamic features of precipitation. These measures of spatial and spatio-temporal dependence are applied to a high-resolution RCM run and to the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)-U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) AMIP II reanalysis data (NCEP-R2), which provides initial and lateral boundary conditions for the RCM. The RCM performs better than NCEP-R2 in capturing both the spatial variations of total and non-seasonal precipitation components and the spatio-temporal correlations of daily precipitation occurrences, which are related to dynamic behaviors of precipitating systems. The improvements are apparent not just at resolutions finer than that of NCEP-R2, but also when the RCM and observational data are aggregated to the resolution of NCEP-R2.« less

WE-G-17A-01: Improving Tracking Image Spatial Resolution for Onboard MR Image Guided Radiation Therapy Using the WHISKEE Technique

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

Hu, Y; Mutic, S; Du, D

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of using the weighted hybrid iterative spiral k-space encoded estimation (WHISKEE) technique to improve spatial resolution of tracking images for onboard MR image guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT). Methods: MR tracking images of abdomen and pelvis had been acquired from healthy volunteers using the ViewRay onboard MRIGRT system (ViewRay Inc. Oakwood Village, OH) at a spatial resolution of 2.0mm*2.0mm*5.0mm. The tracking MR images were acquired using the TrueFISP sequence. The temporal resolution had to be traded off to 2 frames per second (FPS) to achieve the 2.0mm in-plane spatial resolution. All MR images were imported intomore » the MATLAB software. K-space data were synthesized through the Fourier Transform of the MR images. A mask was created to selected k-space points that corresponded to the under-sampled spiral k-space trajectory with an acceleration (or undersampling) factor of 3. The mask was applied to the fully sampled k-space data to synthesize the undersampled k-space data. The WHISKEE method was applied to the synthesized undersampled k-space data to reconstructed tracking MR images at 6 FPS. As a comparison, the undersampled k-space data were also reconstructed using the zero-padding technique. The reconstructed images were compared to the original image. The relatively reconstruction error was evaluated using the percentage of the norm of the differential image over the norm of the original image. Results: Compared to the zero-padding technique, the WHISKEE method was able to reconstruct MR images with better image quality. It significantly reduced the relative reconstruction error from 39.5% to 3.1% for the pelvis image and from 41.5% to 4.6% for the abdomen image at an acceleration factor of 3. Conclusion: We demonstrated that it was possible to use the WHISKEE method to expedite MR image acquisition for onboard MR-IGRT systems to achieve good spatial and temporal resolutions simultaneously. Y. Hu and O. green receive travel reimbursement from ViewRay. S. Mutic has consulting and research agreements with ViewRay. Q. Zeng, R. Nana, J.L. Patrick, S. Shvartsman and J.F. Dempsey are ViewRay employees.« less

Evaluation of fluorophores for optimal performance in localization-based super-resolution imaging

PubMed Central

Dempsey, Graham T.; Vaughan, Joshua C.; Chen, Kok Hao; Bates, Mark; Zhuang, Xiaowei

2011-01-01

One approach to super-resolution fluorescence imaging uses sequential activation and localization of individual fluorophores to achieve high spatial resolution. Essential to this technique is the choice of fluorescent probes — the properties of the probes, including photons per switching event, on/off duty cycle, photostability, and number of switching cycles, largely dictate the quality of super-resolution images. While many probes have been reported, a systematic characterization of the properties of these probes and their impact on super-resolution image quality has been described in only a few cases. Here, we quantitatively characterized the switching properties of 26 organic dyes and directly related these properties to the quality of super-resolution images. This analysis provides a set of guidelines for characterization of super-resolution probes and a resource for selecting probes based on performance. Our evaluation identified several photoswitchable dyes with good to excellent performance in four independent spectral ranges, with which we demonstrated low crosstalk, four-color super-resolution imaging. PMID:22056676

SU-E-T-96: Energy Dependence of the New GafChromic- EBT3 Film's Dose Response-Curve.

PubMed

Chiu-Tsao, S; Massillon-Jl, G; Domingo-Muñoz, I; Chan, M

2012-06-01

To study and compare the dose response curves of the new GafChromic EBT3 film for megavoltage and kilovoltage x-ray beams, with different spatial resolution. Two sets of EBT3 films (lot#A101711-02) were exposed to each x-ray beam (6MV, 15MV and 50kV) at 8 dose values (50-3200cGy). The megavoltage beams were calibrated per AAPM TG-51 protocol while the kilovoltage beam was calibrated following the TG-61 using an ionization chamber calibrated at NIST. Each film piece was scanned three consecutive times in the center of Epson 10000XL flatbed scanner in transmission mode, landscape orientation, 48-bit color at two separate spatial resolutions of 75 and 300 dpi. The data were analyzed using ImageJ and, for each scanned image, a region of interest (ROI) of 2×2cm 2 at the field center was selected to obtain the mean pixel value with its standard deviation in the ROI. For each energy, dose value and spatial resolution, the average netOD and its associated uncertainty were determined. The Student's t-test was performed to evaluate the statistical differences between the netOD/dose values of the three energy modalities, with different color channels and spatial resolutions. The dose response curves for the three energy modalities were compared in three color channels with 75 and 300dpi. Weak energy dependence was found. For doses above 100cGy, no statistical differences were observed between 6 and 15MV beams, regardless of spatial resolution. However, statistical differences were observed between 50kV and the megavoltage beams. The degree of energy dependence (from MV to 50kV) was found to be function of color channel, dose level and spatial resolution. The dose response curves for GafChromic EBT3 films were found to be weakly dependent on the energy of the photon beams from 6MV to 50kV. The degree of energy dependence varies with color channel, dose and spatial resolution. GafChromic EBT3 films were supplied by Ashland Corp. This work was partially supported by DGAPA-UNAM grant IN102610 and Conacyt Mexico grant 127409. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Detector motion method to increase spatial resolution in photon-counting detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Daehee; Park, Kyeongjin; Lim, Kyung Taek; Cho, Gyuseong

2017-03-01

Medical imaging requires high spatial resolution of an image to identify fine lesions. Photon-counting detectors in medical imaging have recently been rapidly replacing energy-integrating detectors due to the former`s high spatial resolution, high efficiency and low noise. Spatial resolution in a photon counting image is determined by the pixel size. Therefore, the smaller the pixel size, the higher the spatial resolution that can be obtained in an image. However, detector redesigning is required to reduce pixel size, and an expensive fine process is required to integrate a signal processing unit with reduced pixel size. Furthermore, as the pixel size decreases, charge sharing severely deteriorates spatial resolution. To increase spatial resolution, we propose a detector motion method using a large pixel detector that is less affected by charge sharing. To verify the proposed method, we utilized a UNO-XRI photon-counting detector (1-mm CdTe, Timepix chip) at the maximum X-ray tube voltage of 80 kVp. A similar spatial resolution of a 55- μm-pixel image was achieved by application of the proposed method to a 110- μm-pixel detector with a higher signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed method could be a way to increase spatial resolution without a pixel redesign when pixels severely suffer from charge sharing as pixel size is reduced.

The Effect of Remote Sensor Spatial Resolution in Monitoring U.S. Army Training Maneuver Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

THE EFFECT OF REMOTE SENSOR SPATIAL RESOLUTION IN MONITORING U.S. ARMY...Multispectral Scanner with 6.5 meter spatial resolution provided the most effective digital data set for enhancing tank trails. However, this Airborne Scanner...primary objective of this research was to determine the capabilities and limitations of remote sensor systems having different spatial resolutions to

Estimation of Global 1km-grid Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Part II: Evaluations and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, K.; Sasai, T.; Kato, S.; Niwa, Y.; Saito, M.; Takagi, H.; Matsunaga, T.; Hiraki, K.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Yokota, T.

2015-12-01

Global terrestrial carbon cycle largely depends on a spatial pattern in land cover type, which is heterogeneously-distributed over regional and global scales. Many studies have been trying to reveal distribution of carbon exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere for understanding global carbon cycle dynamics by using terrestrial biosphere models, satellite data, inventory data, and so on. However, most studies remained within several tens of kilometers grid spatial resolution, and the results have not been enough to understand the detailed pattern of carbon exchanges based on ecological community and to evaluate the carbon stocks by forest ecosystems in each countries. Improving the sophistication of spatial resolution is obviously necessary to enhance the accuracy of carbon exchanges. Moreover, the improvement may contribute to global warming awareness, policy makers and other social activities. We show global terrestrial carbon exchanges (net ecosystem production, net primary production, and gross primary production) with 1km-grid resolution. The methodology for these estimations are shown in the 2015 AGU FM poster "Estimation of Global 1km-grid Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Part I: Developing Inputs and Modelling". In this study, we evaluated the carbon exchanges in various regions with other approaches. We used the satellite-driven biosphere model (BEAMS) as our estimations, GOSAT L4A CO2 flux data, NEP retrieved by NICAM and CarbonTracer2013 flux data, for period from Jun 2001 to Dec 2012. The temporal patterns for this period were indicated similar trends between BEAMS, GOSAT, NICAM, and CT2013 in many sub-continental regions. Then, we estimated the terrestrial carbon exchanges in each countries, and could indicated the temporal patterns of the exchanges in large carbon stock regions.Global terrestrial carbon cycle largely depends on a spatial pattern of land cover type, which is heterogeneously-distributed over regional and global scales. Many studies have been trying to reveal distribution of carbon exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere for understanding global carbon cycle dynamics by using terrestrial biosphere models, satellite data, inventory data, and so on. However, most studies remained within several tens of kilometers grid spatial resolution, and the results have not been enough to understand the detailed pattern of carbon exchanges based on ecological community and to evaluate the carbon stocks by forest ecosystems in each countries. Improving the sophistication of spatial resolution is obviously necessary to enhance the accuracy of carbon exchanges. Moreover, the improvement may contribute to global warming awareness, policy makers and other social activities. We show global terrestrial carbon exchanges (net ecosystem production, net primary production, and gross primary production) with 1km-grid resolution. The methodology for these estimations are shown in the 2015 AGU FM poster "Estimation of Global 1km-grid Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Part I: Developing Inputs and Modelling". In this study, we evaluated the carbon exchanges in various regions with other approaches. We used the satellite-driven biosphere model (BEAMS) as our estimations, GOSAT L4A CO2 flux data, NEP retrieved by NICAM and CarbonTracer2013 flux data, for period from Jun 2001 to Dec 2012. The temporal patterns for this period were indicated similar trends between BEAMS, GOSAT, NICAM, and CT2013 in many sub-continental regions. Then, we estimated the terrestrial carbon exchanges in each countries, and could indicated the temporal patterns of the exchanges in large carbon stock regions.

The effects of transient attention on spatial resolution and the size of the attentional cue.

PubMed

Yeshurun, Yaffa; Carrasco, Marisa

2008-01-01

It has been shown that transient attention enhances spatial resolution, but is the effect of transient attention on spatial resolution modulated by the size of the attentional cue? Would a gradual increase in the size of the cue lead to a gradual decrement in spatial resolution? To test these hypotheses, we used a texture segmentation task in which performance depends on spatial resolution, and systematically manipulated the size of the attentional cue: A bar of different lengths (Experiment 1) or a frame of different sizes (Experiments 2-3) indicated the target region in a texture segmentation display. Observers indicated whether a target patch region (oriented line elements in a background of an orthogonal orientation), appearing at a range of eccentricities, was present in the first or the second interval. We replicated the attentional enhancement of spatial resolution found with small cues; attention improved performance at peripheral locations but impaired performance at central locations. However, there was no evidence of gradual resolution decrement with large cues. Transient attention enhanced spatial resolution at the attended location when it was attracted to that location by a small cue but did not affect resolution when it was attracted by a large cue. These results indicate that transient attention cannot adapt its operation on spatial resolution on the basis of the size of the attentional cue.

A high-resolution photon-counting breast CT system with tensor-framelet based iterative image reconstruction for radiation dose reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Huanjun; Gao, Hao; Zhao, Bo; Cho, Hyo-Min; Molloi, Sabee

2014-10-01

Both computer simulations and experimental phantom studies were carried out to investigate the radiation dose reduction with tensor framelet based iterative image reconstruction (TFIR) for a dedicated high-resolution spectral breast computed tomography (CT) based on a silicon strip photon-counting detector. The simulation was performed with a 10 cm-diameter water phantom including three contrast materials (polyethylene, 8 mg ml-1 iodine and B-100 bone-equivalent plastic). In the experimental study, the data were acquired with a 1.3 cm-diameter polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) phantom containing iodine in three concentrations (8, 16 and 32 mg ml-1) at various radiation doses (1.2, 2.4 and 3.6 mGy) and then CT images were reconstructed using the filtered-back-projection (FBP) technique and the TFIR technique, respectively. The image quality between these two techniques was evaluated by the quantitative analysis on contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and spatial resolution that was evaluated using the task-based modulation transfer function (MTF). Both the simulation and experimental results indicated that the task-based MTF obtained from TFIR reconstruction with one-third of the radiation dose was comparable to that from the FBP reconstruction for low contrast target. For high contrast target, the TFIR was substantially superior to the FBP reconstruction in terms of spatial resolution. In addition, TFIR was able to achieve a factor of 1.6-1.8 increase in CNR, depending on the target contrast level. This study demonstrates that the TFIR can reduce the required radiation dose by a factor of two-thirds for a CT image reconstruction compared to the FBP technique. It achieves much better CNR and spatial resolution for high contrast target in addition to retaining similar spatial resolution for low contrast target. This TFIR technique has been implemented with a graphic processing unit system and it takes approximately 10 s to reconstruct a single-slice CT image, which can potentially be used in a future multi-slit multi-slice spiral CT system.

Theory of the spatial resolution of (scanning) transmission electron microscopy in liquid water or ice layers.

PubMed

de Jonge, Niels

2018-04-01

The sample dependent spatial resolution was calculated for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) of objects (e.g., nanoparticles, proteins) embedded in a layer of liquid water or amorphous ice. The theoretical model includes elastic- and inelastic scattering, beam broadening, and chromatic aberration. Different contrast mechanisms were evaluated as function of the electron dose, the detection angle, and the sample configuration. It was found that the spatial resolution scales with the electron dose to the -1/4th power. Gold- and carbon nanoparticles were examined in the middle of water layers ranging from 0.01--10 µm thickness representing relevant classes of experiments in both materials science and biology. The optimal microscope settings differ between experimental configurations. STEM performs the best for gold nanoparticles for all layer thicknesses, while carbon is best imaged with phase-contrast TEM for thin layers but bright field STEM is preferred for thicker layers. The resolution was also calculated for a water layer enclosed between thin membranes. The influence of chromatic aberration correction for TEM was examined as well. The theory is broadly applicable to other types of materials and sample configurations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear ultrasonic imaging with X wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Hongwei; Lu, Wei; Feng, Huanqing

2009-10-01

X wave has a large depth of field and may have important application in ultrasonic imaging to provide high frame rate (HFR). However, the HFR system suffers from lower spatial resolution. In this paper, a study of nonlinear imaging with X wave is presented to improve the resolution. A theoretical description of realizable nonlinear X wave is reported. The nonlinear field is simulated by solving the KZK nonlinear wave equation with a time-domain difference method. The results show that the second harmonic field of X wave has narrower mainlobe and lower sidelobes than the fundamental field. In order to evaluate the imaging effect with X wave, an imaging model involving numerical calculation of the KZK equation, Rayleigh-Sommerfeld integral, band-pass filtering and envelope detection is constructed to obtain 2D fundamental and second harmonic images of scatters in tissue-like medium. The results indicate that if X wave is used, the harmonic image has higher spatial resolution throughout the entire imaging region than the fundamental image, but higher sidelobes occur as compared to conventional focus imaging. A HFR imaging method with higher spatial resolution is thus feasible provided an apodization method is used to suppress sidelobes.

Spatiotemporal Pixelization to Increase the Recognition Score of Characters for Retinal Prostheses

PubMed Central

Kim, Hyun Seok; Park, Kwang Suk

2017-01-01

Most of the retinal prostheses use a head-fixed camera and a video processing unit. Some studies proposed various image processing methods to improve visual perception for patients. However, previous studies only focused on using spatial information. The present study proposes a spatiotemporal pixelization method mimicking fixational eye movements to generate stimulation images for artificial retina arrays by combining spatial and temporal information. Input images were sampled with a resolution that was four times higher than the number of pixel arrays. We subsampled this image and generated four different phosphene images. We then evaluated the recognition scores of characters by sequentially presenting phosphene images with varying pixel array sizes (6 × 6, 8 × 8 and 10 × 10) and stimulus frame rates (10 Hz, 15 Hz, 20 Hz, 30 Hz, and 60 Hz). The proposed method showed the highest recognition score at a stimulus frame rate of approximately 20 Hz. The method also significantly improved the recognition score for complex characters. This method provides a new way to increase practical resolution over restricted spatial resolution by merging the higher resolution image into high-frame time slots. PMID:29073735

Improving Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Image Quality with Image Fusion

PubMed Central

Tarolli, Jay G.; Jackson, Lauren M.; Winograd, Nicholas

2014-01-01

The spatial resolution of chemical images acquired with cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is limited not only by the size of the probe utilized to create the images, but also by detection sensitivity. As the probe size is reduced to below 1 µm, for example, a low signal in each pixel limits lateral resolution due to counting statistics considerations. Although it can be useful to implement numerical methods to mitigate this problem, here we investigate the use of image fusion to combine information from scanning electron microscope (SEM) data with chemically resolved SIMS images. The advantage of this approach is that the higher intensity and, hence, spatial resolution of the electron images can help to improve the quality of the SIMS images without sacrificing chemical specificity. Using a pan-sharpening algorithm, the method is illustrated using synthetic data, experimental data acquired from a metallic grid sample, and experimental data acquired from a lawn of algae cells. The results show that up to an order of magnitude increase in spatial resolution is possible to achieve. A cross-correlation metric is utilized for evaluating the reliability of the procedure. PMID:24912432

Purification of Training Samples Based on Spectral Feature and Superpixel Segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, X.; Qi, W.; He, J.; Wen, Q.; Chen, T.; Wang, Z.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing image classification is an effective way to extract information from large volumes of high-spatial resolution remote sensing images. Generally, supervised image classification relies on abundant and high-precision training data, which is often manually interpreted by human experts to provide ground truth for training and evaluating the performance of the classifier. Remote sensing enterprises accumulated lots of manually interpreted products from early lower-spatial resolution remote sensing images by executing their routine research and business programs. However, these manually interpreted products may not match the very high resolution (VHR) image properly because of different dates or spatial resolution of both data, thus, hindering suitability of manually interpreted products in training classification models, or small coverage area of these manually interpreted products. We also face similar problems in our laboratory in 21st Century Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd (short for 21AT). In this work, we propose a method to purify the interpreted product to match newly available VHRI data and provide the best training data for supervised image classifiers in VHR image classification. And results indicate that our proposed method can efficiently purify the input data for future machine learning use.

Higher Resolution and Faster MRI of 31Phosphorus in Bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, Merideth; Barrett, Sean; Sethna, Zachary; Insogna, Karl; Vanhouten, Joshua

2013-03-01

Probing the internal composition of bone on the sub-100 μm length scale is important to study normal features and to look for signs of disease. However, few useful non-destructive techniques are available to evaluate changes in the bone mineral chemical structure and functional micro-architecture on the interior of bones. MRI would be an excellent candidate, but bone is a particularly challenging tissue to study given the relatively low water density, wider linewidths of its solid components leading to low spatial resolution, and the long imaging time compared to conventional 1H MRI. Our lab has recently made advances in obtaining high spatial resolution (sub-400 μm)3 three-dimensional 31Phosphorus MRI of bone through use of the quadratic echo line-narrowing sequence (1). In this talk, we describe our current results using proton decoupling to push this technique even further towards the factor of 1000 increase in spatial resolution imposed by fundamental limits. We also discuss our work to speed up imaging through novel, faster reconstruction algorithms that can reconstruct the desired image from very sparse data sets. (1) M. Frey, et al. PNAS 109: 5190 (2012).

Using Rose’s metal alloy as a pinhole collimator material in preclinical small-animal imaging: A Monte Carlo evaluation

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

Peterson, Mikael, E-mail: Mikael.Peterson@med.lu.se; Strand, Sven-Erik; Ljungberg, Michael

Purpose: Pinhole collimation is the most common method of high-resolution preclinical single photon emission computed tomography imaging. The collimators are usually constructed from dense materials with high atomic numbers, such as gold and platinum, which are expensive and not always flexible in the fabrication step. In this work, the authors have investigated the properties of a fusible alloy called Rose’s metal and its potential in pinhole preclinical imaging. When compared to current standard pinhole materials such as gold and platinum, Rose’s metal has a lower density and a relatively low effective atomic number. However, it is inexpensive, has a lowmore » melting point, and does not contract when solidifying. Once cast, the piece can be machined with high precision. The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging properties for Rose’s metal and compare them with those of standard materials. Methods: After validating their Monte Carlo code by comparing its results with published data and the results from analytical calculations, they investigated different pinhole geometries by varying the collimator material, acceptance angle, aperture diameter, and photon incident angle. The penetration-to-scatter and penetration-to-total component ratios, sensitivity, and the spatial resolution were determined for gold, tungsten, and Rose’s metal for two radionuclides, {sup 99}Tc{sup m} and {sup 125}I. Results: The Rose’s metal pinhole-imaging simulations show higher penetration/total and scatter/total ratios. For example, the penetration/total is 50% for gold and 75% for Rose’s metal when simulating {sup 99}Tc{sup m} with a 0.3 mm aperture diameter and a 60° acceptance angle. However, the degradation in spatial resolution remained below 10% relative to the spatial resolution for gold for acceptance angles below 40° and aperture diameters larger than 0.5 mm. Conclusions: Extra penetration and scatter associated with Rose’s metal contribute to degradation in the spatial resolution, but this degradation is not always substantial. The most important factor besides the collimator material was the acceptance angle. This should be kept to a minimum to prevent unnecessary scatter and penetration. For {sup 125}I, the difference in spatial resolution between gold and Rose’s metal is very small, 2.2% in the worst-case scenario. Based on these results, the authors conclude that Rose’s metal is an alternative to standard materials not only for low-energy photon imaging but also for medium-energy applications that require low-cost, flexible pinhole configurations and designs, and that can tolerate a degraded spatial resolution.« less

Selecting a spatial resolution for estimation of per-field green leaf area index

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curran, Paul J.; Williamson, H. Dawn

1988-01-01

For any application of multispectral scanner (MSS) data, a user is faced with a number of choices concerning the characteristics of the data; one of these is their spatial resolution. A pilot study was undertaken to determine the spatial resolution that would be optimal for the per-field estimation of green leaf area index (GLAI) in grassland. By reference to empirically-derived data from three areas of grassland, the suitable spatial resolution was hypothesized to lie in the lower portion of a 2-18 m range. To estimate per-field GLAI, airborne MSS data were collected at spatial resolutions of 2 m, 5 m and 10 m. The highest accuracies of per-field GLAI estimation were achieved using MSS data with spatial resolutions of 2 m and 5 m.

Can we improve streamflow simulation by using higher resolution rainfall information?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobligeois, Florent; Andréassian, Vazken; Perrin, Charles

2013-04-01

The catchment response to rainfall is the interplay between space-time variability of precipitation, catchment characteristics and antecedent hydrological conditions. Precipitation dominates the high frequency hydrological response, and its simulation is thus dependent on the way rainfall is represented. One of the characteristics which distinguishes distributed from lumped models is their ability to represent explicitly the spatial variability of precipitation and catchment characteristics. The sensitivity of runoff hydrographs to the spatial variability of forcing data has been a major concern of researchers over the last three decades. However, although the literature on the relationship between spatial rainfall and runoff response is abundant, results are contrasted and sometimes contradictory. Several studies concluded that including information on rainfall spatial distribution improves discharge simulation (e.g. Ajami et al., 2004, among others) whereas other studies showed the lack of significant improvement in simulations with better information on rainfall spatial pattern (e.g. Andréassian et al., 2004, among others). The difficulties to reach a clear consensus is mainly due to the fact that each modeling study is implemented only on a few catchments whereas the impact of the spatial distribution of rainfall on runoff is known to be catchment and event characteristics-dependent. Many studies are virtual experiments and only compare flow simulations, which makes it difficult to reach conclusions transposable to real-life case studies. Moreover, the hydrological rainfall-runoff models differ between the studies and the parameterization strategies sometimes tend to advantage the distributed approach (or the lumped one). Recently, Météo-France developed a rainfall reanalysis over the whole French territory at the 1-kilometer resolution and the hourly time step over a 10-year period combining radar data and raingauge measurements: weather radar data were corrected and adjusted with both hourly and daily raingauge data. Based on this new high resolution product, we propose a framework to evaluate the improvements in streamflow simulation by using higher resolution rainfall information. Semi-distributed modelling is performed for different spatial resolution of precipitation forcing: from lumped to semi-distributed simulations. Here we do not work on synthetic (simulated) streamflow, but with actual measurements, on a large set of 181 French catchments representing a variety of size and climate. The rainfall-runoff model is re-calibrated for each resolution of rainfall spatial distribution over a 5-year sub-period and evaluated on the complementary sub-period in validation mode. The results are analysed by catchment classes based on catchment area and for various types of rainfall events based on the spatial variability of precipitation. References Ajami, N. K., Gupta, H. V, Wagener, T. & Sorooshian, S. (2004) Calibration of a semi-distributed hydrologic model for streamflow estimation along a river system. Journal of Hydrology 298(1-4), 112-135. Andréassian, V., Oddos, A., Michel, C., Anctil, F., Perrin, C. & Loumagne, C. (2004) Impact of spatial aggregation of inputs and parameters on the efficiency of rainfall-runoff models: A theoretical study using chimera watersheds. Water Resources Research 40(5), 1-9.

Performance Evaluation of a Bedside Cardiac SPECT System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studenski, Matthew T.; Gilland, David R.; Parker, Jason G.; Hammond, B.; Majewski, Stan; Weisenberger, Andrew G.; Popov, Vladimir

2009-06-01

This paper reports on the initial performance evaluation of a bedside cardiac PET/SPECT system. The system was designed to move within a hospital to image critically-ill patients, for example, those in intensive care unit (ICU) or emergency room settings, who cannot easily be transported to a conventional SPECT or PET facility. The system uses two compact (25 cm times 25 cm) detectors with pixilated NaI crystals and position sensitive PMTs. The performance is evaluated for both 140 keV (Tc-99m) and 511 keV (F-18) emitters with the system operating in single photon counting (SPECT) mode. The imaging performance metrics for both 140 keV and 511 keV included intrinsic energy resolution, spatial resolution (intrinsic, system, and reconstructed SPECT), detection sensitivity, count rate capability, and uniformity. Results demonstrated an intrinsic energy resolution of 31% at 140 keV and 23% at 511 keV, a planar intrinsic spatial resolution of 5.6 mm full width half-maximum (FWHM) at 140 keV and 6.3 mm FWHM at 511 keV, and a sensitivity of 4.15 countsmiddotmuCi-1 ldr s-1 at 140 keV and 0.67 counts ldr muCi-1 ldr s-1 at 511 keV. To further the study, a SPECT acquisition using a dynamic cardiac phantom was performed, and the resulting reconstructed images are presented.

Performance Evaluation of a Bedside Cardiac SPECT System

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

M.T. Studenski, D.R. Gilland, J.G. Parker, B. Hammond, S. Majewski, A.G. Weisenberger, V. Popov

This paper reports on the initial performance evaluation of a bedside cardiac PET/SPECT system. The system was designed to move within a hospital to image critically-ill patients, for example, those in intensive care unit (ICU) or emergency room settings, who cannot easily be transported to a conventional SPECT or PET facility. The system uses two compact (25 cm times 25 cm) detectors with pixilated NaI crystals and position sensitive PMTs. The performance is evaluated for both 140 keV (Tc-99m) and 511 keV (F-18) emitters with the system operating in single photon counting (SPECT) mode. The imaging performance metrics for bothmore » 140 keV and 511 keV included intrinsic energy resolution, spatial resolution (intrinsic, system, and reconstructed SPECT), detection sensitivity, count rate capability, and uniformity. Results demonstrated an intrinsic energy resolution of 31% at 140 keV and 23% at 511 keV, a planar intrinsic spatial resolution of 5.6 mm full width half-maximum (FWHM) at 140 keV and 6.3 mm FWHM at 511 keV, and a sensitivity of 4.15 countsmiddotmuCi-1 ldr s-1 at 140 keV and 0.67 counts ldr muCi-1 ldr s-1 at 511 keV. To further the study, a SPECT acquisition using a dynamic cardiac phantom was performed, and the resulting reconstructed images are presented.« less

Feasibility of high temporal resolution breast DCE-MRI using compressed sensing theory.

PubMed

Wang, Haoyu; Miao, Yanwei; Zhou, Kun; Yu, Yanming; Bao, Shanglian; He, Qiang; Dai, Yongming; Xuan, Stephanie Y; Tarabishy, Bisher; Ye, Yongquan; Hu, Jiani

2010-09-01

To investigate the feasibility of high temporal resolution breast DCE-MRI using compressed sensing theory. Two experiments were designed to investigate the feasibility of using reference image based compressed sensing (RICS) technique in DCE-MRI of the breast. The first experiment examined the capability of RICS to faithfully reconstruct uptake curves using undersampled data sets extracted from fully sampled clinical breast DCE-MRI data. An average approach and an approach using motion estimation and motion compensation (ME/MC) were implemented to obtain reference images and to evaluate their efficacy in reducing motion related effects. The second experiment, an in vitro phantom study, tested the feasibility of RICS for improving temporal resolution without degrading the spatial resolution. For the uptake-curve reconstruction experiment, there was a high correlation between uptake curves reconstructed from fully sampled data by Fourier transform and from undersampled data by RICS, indicating high similarity between them. The mean Pearson correlation coefficients for RICS with the ME/MC approach and RICS with the average approach were 0.977 +/- 0.023 and 0.953 +/- 0.031, respectively. The comparisons of final reconstruction results between RICS with the average approach and RICS with the ME/MC approach suggested that the latter was superior to the former in reducing motion related effects. For the in vitro experiment, compared to the fully sampled method, RICS improved the temporal resolution by an acceleration factor of 10 without degrading the spatial resolution. The preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of RICS for faithfully reconstructing uptake curves and improving temporal resolution of breast DCE-MRI without degrading the spatial resolution.

High quality high spatial resolution functional classification in low dose dynamic CT perfusion using singular value decomposition (SVD) and k-means clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisana, Francesco; Henzler, Thomas; Schönberg, Stefan; Klotz, Ernst; Schmidt, Bernhard; Kachelrieß, Marc

2017-03-01

Dynamic CT perfusion acquisitions are intrinsically high-dose examinations, due to repeated scanning. To keep radiation dose under control, relatively noisy images are acquired. Noise is then further enhanced during the extraction of functional parameters from the post-processing of the time attenuation curves of the voxels (TACs) and normally some smoothing filter needs to be employed to better visualize any perfusion abnormality, but sacrificing spatial resolution. In this study we propose a new method to detect perfusion abnormalities keeping both high spatial resolution and high CNR. To do this we first perform the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the original noisy spatial temporal data matrix to extract basis functions of the TACs. Then we iteratively cluster the voxels based on a smoothed version of the three most significant singular vectors. Finally, we create high spatial resolution 3D volumes where to each voxel is assigned a distance from the centroid of each cluster, showing how functionally similar each voxel is compared to the others. The method was tested on three noisy clinical datasets: one brain perfusion case with an occlusion in the left internal carotid, one healthy brain perfusion case, and one liver case with an enhancing lesion. Our method successfully detected all perfusion abnormalities with higher spatial precision when compared to the functional maps obtained with a commercially available software. We conclude this method might be employed to have a rapid qualitative indication of functional abnormalities in low dose dynamic CT perfusion datasets. The method seems to be very robust with respect to both spatial and temporal noise and does not require any special a priori assumption. While being more robust respect to noise and with higher spatial resolution and CNR when compared to the functional maps, our method is not quantitative and a potential usage in clinical routine could be as a second reader to assist in the maps evaluation, or to guide a dataset smoothing before the modeling part.

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part I: Design and model evaluation

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

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Spielman, Steven R.

This study discusses, a fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) was previously developed to characterize submicron aerosol size distributions at a frequency of 1 Hz and with high size resolution and counting statistics. However, the dynamic size range of the FIMS was limited to one decade in particle electrical mobility. It was proposed that the FIMS dynamic size range can be greatly increased by using a spatially varying electric field. This electric field creates regions with drastically different field strengths in the separator, such that particles of a wide diameter range can be simultaneously classified and subsequently measured. A FIMS incorporatingmore » this spatially varying electric field is developed. This paper describes the theoretical frame work and numerical simulations of the FIMS with extended dynamic size range, including the spatially varying electric field, particle trajectories, activation of separated particles in the condenser, and the transfer function, transmission efficiency, and mobility resolution. The influences of the particle Brownian motion on FIMS transfer function and mobility resolution are examined. The simulation results indicate that the FIMS incorporating the spatially varying electric field is capable of measuring aerosol size distribution from 8 to 600 nm with high time resolution. As a result, the experimental characterization of the FIMS is presented in an accompanying paper.« less

A fast integrated mobility spectrometer for rapid measurement of sub-micrometer aerosol size distribution, Part I: Design and model evaluation

DOE PAGES

Wang, Jian; Pikridas, Michael; Spielman, Steven R.; ...

2017-06-01

This study discusses, a fast integrated mobility spectrometer (FIMS) was previously developed to characterize submicron aerosol size distributions at a frequency of 1 Hz and with high size resolution and counting statistics. However, the dynamic size range of the FIMS was limited to one decade in particle electrical mobility. It was proposed that the FIMS dynamic size range can be greatly increased by using a spatially varying electric field. This electric field creates regions with drastically different field strengths in the separator, such that particles of a wide diameter range can be simultaneously classified and subsequently measured. A FIMS incorporatingmore » this spatially varying electric field is developed. This paper describes the theoretical frame work and numerical simulations of the FIMS with extended dynamic size range, including the spatially varying electric field, particle trajectories, activation of separated particles in the condenser, and the transfer function, transmission efficiency, and mobility resolution. The influences of the particle Brownian motion on FIMS transfer function and mobility resolution are examined. The simulation results indicate that the FIMS incorporating the spatially varying electric field is capable of measuring aerosol size distribution from 8 to 600 nm with high time resolution. As a result, the experimental characterization of the FIMS is presented in an accompanying paper.« less

High Resolution Mesoscale Weather Data Improvement to Spatial Effects for Dose-Rate Contour Plot Predictions

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

time. This is a very powerful tool in determining fine spatial resolution , as boundary conditions are not only updated at every timestep, but the ...HIGH RESOLUTION MESOSCALE WEATHER DATA IMPROVEMENT TO SPATIAL EFFECTS FOR DOSE-RATE CONTOUR PLOT PREDICTIONS THESIS Christopher P...11 1 HIGH RESOLUTION MESOSCALE WEATHER DATA IMPROVEMENT TO SPATIAL EFFECTS FOR DOSE-RATE CONTOUR PLOT

Towards the Development of a More Accurate Monitoring Procedure for Invertebrate Populations, in the Presence of an Unknown Spatial Pattern of Population Distribution in the Field

PubMed Central

Petrovskaya, Natalia B.; Forbes, Emily; Petrovskii, Sergei V.; Walters, Keith F. A.

2018-01-01

Studies addressing many ecological problems require accurate evaluation of the total population size. In this paper, we revisit a sampling procedure used for the evaluation of the abundance of an invertebrate population from assessment data collected on a spatial grid of sampling locations. We first discuss how insufficient information about the spatial population density obtained on a coarse sampling grid may affect the accuracy of an evaluation of total population size. Such information deficit in field data can arise because of inadequate spatial resolution of the population distribution (spatially variable population density) when coarse grids are used, which is especially true when a strongly heterogeneous spatial population density is sampled. We then argue that the average trap count (the quantity routinely used to quantify abundance), if obtained from a sampling grid that is too coarse, is a random variable because of the uncertainty in sampling spatial data. Finally, we show that a probabilistic approach similar to bootstrapping techniques can be an efficient tool to quantify the uncertainty in the evaluation procedure in the presence of a spatial pattern reflecting a patchy distribution of invertebrates within the sampling grid. PMID:29495513

Impact of the spatial resolution of satellite remote sensing sensors in the quantification of total suspended sediment concentration: A case study in turbid waters of Northern Western Australia.

PubMed

Dorji, Passang; Fearns, Peter

2017-01-01

The impact of anthropogenic activities on coastal waters is a cause of concern because such activities add to the total suspended sediment (TSS) budget of the coastal waters, which have negative impacts on the coastal ecosystem. Satellite remote sensing provides a powerful tool in monitoring TSS concentration at high spatiotemporal resolution, but coastal managers should be mindful that the satellite-derived TSS concentrations are dependent on the satellite sensor's radiometric properties, atmospheric correction approaches, the spatial resolution and the limitations of specific TSS algorithms. In this study, we investigated the impact of different spatial resolutions of satellite sensor on the quantification of TSS concentration in coastal waters of northern Western Australia. We quantified the TSS product derived from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-Aqua, Landsat-8 Operational Land Image (OLI), and WorldView-2 (WV2) at native spatial resolutions of 250 m, 30 m and 2 m respectively and coarser spatial resolution (resampled up to 5 km) to quantify the impact of spatial resolution on the derived TSS product in different turbidity conditions. The results from the study show that in the waters of high turbidity and high spatial variability, the high spatial resolution WV2 sensor reported TSS concentration as high as 160 mg L-1 while the low spatial resolution MODIS-Aqua reported a maximum TSS concentration of 23.6 mg L-1. Degrading the spatial resolution of each satellite sensor for highly spatially variable turbid waters led to variability in the TSS concentrations of 114.46%, 304.68% and 38.2% for WV2, Landsat-8 OLI and MODIS-Aqua respectively. The implications of this work are particularly relevant in the situation of compliance monitoring where operations may be required to restrict TSS concentrations to a pre-defined limit.

Impact of the spatial resolution of satellite remote sensing sensors in the quantification of total suspended sediment concentration: A case study in turbid waters of Northern Western Australia

PubMed Central

Fearns, Peter

2017-01-01

The impact of anthropogenic activities on coastal waters is a cause of concern because such activities add to the total suspended sediment (TSS) budget of the coastal waters, which have negative impacts on the coastal ecosystem. Satellite remote sensing provides a powerful tool in monitoring TSS concentration at high spatiotemporal resolution, but coastal managers should be mindful that the satellite-derived TSS concentrations are dependent on the satellite sensor’s radiometric properties, atmospheric correction approaches, the spatial resolution and the limitations of specific TSS algorithms. In this study, we investigated the impact of different spatial resolutions of satellite sensor on the quantification of TSS concentration in coastal waters of northern Western Australia. We quantified the TSS product derived from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-Aqua, Landsat-8 Operational Land Image (OLI), and WorldView-2 (WV2) at native spatial resolutions of 250 m, 30 m and 2 m respectively and coarser spatial resolution (resampled up to 5 km) to quantify the impact of spatial resolution on the derived TSS product in different turbidity conditions. The results from the study show that in the waters of high turbidity and high spatial variability, the high spatial resolution WV2 sensor reported TSS concentration as high as 160 mg L-1 while the low spatial resolution MODIS-Aqua reported a maximum TSS concentration of 23.6 mg L-1. Degrading the spatial resolution of each satellite sensor for highly spatially variable turbid waters led to variability in the TSS concentrations of 114.46%, 304.68% and 38.2% for WV2, Landsat-8 OLI and MODIS-Aqua respectively. The implications of this work are particularly relevant in the situation of compliance monitoring where operations may be required to restrict TSS concentrations to a pre-defined limit. PMID:28380059

Attention Modifies Spatial Resolution According to Task Demands.

PubMed

Barbot, Antoine; Carrasco, Marisa

2017-03-01

How does visual attention affect spatial resolution? In texture-segmentation tasks, exogenous (involuntary) attention automatically increases resolution at the attended location, which improves performance where resolution is too low (at the periphery) but impairs performance where resolution is already too high (at central locations). Conversely, endogenous (voluntary) attention improves performance at all eccentricities, which suggests a more flexible mechanism. Here, using selective adaptation to spatial frequency, we investigated the mechanism by which endogenous attention benefits performance in resolution tasks. Participants detected a texture target that could appear at several eccentricities. Adapting to high or low spatial frequencies selectively affected performance in a manner consistent with changes in resolution. Moreover, adapting to high, but not low, frequencies mitigated the attentional benefit at central locations where resolution was too high; this shows that attention can improve performance by decreasing resolution. Altogether, our results indicate that endogenous attention benefits performance by modulating the contribution of high-frequency information in order to flexibly adjust spatial resolution according to task demands.

Attention Modifies Spatial Resolution According to Task Demands

PubMed Central

Barbot, Antoine; Carrasco, Marisa

2017-01-01

How does visual attention affect spatial resolution? In texture-segmentation tasks, exogenous (involuntary) attention automatically increases resolution at the attended location, which improves performance where resolution is too low (at the periphery) but impairs performance where resolution is already too high (at central locations). Conversely, endogenous (voluntary) attention improves performance at all eccentricities, which suggests a more flexible mechanism. Here, using selective adaptation to spatial frequency, we investigated the mechanism by which endogenous attention benefits performance in resolution tasks. Participants detected a texture target that could appear at several eccentricities. Adapting to high or low spatial frequencies selectively affected performance in a manner consistent with changes in resolution. Moreover, adapting to high, but not low, frequencies mitigated the attentional benefit at central locations where resolution was too high; this shows that attention can improve performance by decreasing resolution. Altogether, our results indicate that endogenous attention benefits performance by modulating the contribution of high-frequency information in order to flexibly adjust spatial resolution according to task demands. PMID:28118103

Effects of spatial resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrams, M.

1982-01-01

Studies of the effects of spatial resolution on extraction of geologic information are woefully lacking but spatial resolution effects can be examined as they influence two general categories: detection of spatial features per se; and the effects of IFOV on the definition of spectral signatures and on general mapping abilities.

Development of a high spatial resolution neutron imaging system and performance evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Lei

The combination of a scintillation screen and a charged coupled device (CCD) camera is a digitized neutron imaging technology that has been widely employed for research and industry application. The maximum of spatial resolution of scintillation screens is in the range of 100 mum and creates a bottleneck for the further improvement of the overall system resolution. In this investigation, a neutron sensitive micro-channel plate (MCP) detector with pore pitch of 11.4 mum is combined with a cooled CCD camera with a pixel size of 6.8 mum to provide a high spatial resolution neutron imaging system. The optical path includes a high reflection front surface mirror for keeping the camera out of neutron beam and a macro lens for achieving the maximum magnification that could be achieved. All components are assembled into an aluminum light tight box with heavy radiation shielding to protect the camera as well as to provide a dark working condition. Particularly, a remote controlled stepper motor is also integrated into the system to provide on-line focusing ability. The best focus is guaranteed through use of an algorithm instead of perceptual observation. An evaluation routine not previously utilized in the field of neutron radiography is developed in this study. Routines like this were never previously required due to the lower resolution of other systems. Use of the augulation technique to obtain presampled MTF addresses the problem of aliasing associated with digital sampling. The determined MTF agrees well with the visual inspection of imaging a testing target. Other detector/camera combinations may be integrated into the system and their performances are also compared. The best resolution achieved by the system at the TRIGA Mark II reactor at the University of Texas at Austin is 16.2 lp/mm, which is equivalent to a minimum resolvable spacing of 30 mum. The noise performance of the device is evaluated in terms of the noise power spectrum (NPS) and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) is calculated with above determined MTF and NPS.

Efficient high-resolution hard x-ray imaging with transparent Lu2O3:Eu scintillator thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marton, Zsolt; Miller, Stuart R.; Brecher, Charles; Kenesei, Peter; Moore, Matthew D.; Woods, Russell; Almer, Jonathan D.; Miceli, Antonino; Nagarkar, Vivek V.

2015-09-01

We have developed microstructured Lu2O3:Eu scintillator films that provide spatial resolution on the order of micrometers for hard X-ray imaging. In addition to their outstanding resolution, Lu2O3:Eu films also exhibits both high absorption efficiency for 20 to 100 keV X-rays, and bright 610 nm emission whose intensity rivals that of the brightest known scintillators. At present, high spatial resolution of such a magnitude is achieved using ultra-thin scintillators measuring only about 1 to 5 μm in thickness, which limits absorption efficiency to ~3% for 12 keV X-rays and less than 0.1% for 20 to 100 keV X-rays; this results in excessive measurement time and exposure to the specimen. But the absorption efficiency of Lu2O3:Eu (99.9% @12 keV and 30% @ 70 keV) is much greater, significantly decreasing measurement time and radiation exposure. Our Lu2O3:Eu scintillator material, fabricated by our electron-beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) process, combines superior density of 9.5 g/cm3, a microcolumnar structure for higher spatial resolution, and a bright emission (48000 photons/MeV) whose wavelength is an ideal match for the underlying CCD detector array. We grew thin films of this material on a variety of matching substrates, measuring some 5-10μm in thickness and covering areas up to 1 x 1 cm2, which can be a suitable basis for microtomography, digital radiography as well as CT and hard X-ray Micro-Tomography (XMT). The microstructure and optical transparency of such screens was optimized, and their imaging performance was evaluated in the Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source. Spatial resolution and efficiency were also characterized.

Study on the Spatial Resolution of Single and Multiple Coincidences Compton Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreyev, Andriy; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2012-10-01

In this paper we study the image resolution that can be obtained from the Multiple Coincidences Compton Camera (MCCC). The principle of MCCC is based on a simultaneous acquisition of several gamma-rays emitted in cascade from a single nucleus. Contrary to a standard Compton camera, MCCC can theoretically provide the exact location of a radioactive source (based only on the identification of the intersection point of three cones created by a single decay), without complicated tomographic reconstruction. However, practical implementation of the MCCC approach encounters several problems, such as low detection sensitivities result in very low probability of coincident triple gamma-ray detection, which is necessary for the source localization. It is also important to evaluate how the detection uncertainties (finite energy and spatial resolution) influence identification of the intersection of three cones, thus the resulting image quality. In this study we investigate how the spatial resolution of the reconstructed images using the triple-cone reconstruction (TCR) approach compares to images reconstructed from the same data using standard iterative method based on single-cone. Results show, that FWHM for the point source reconstructed with TCR was 20-30% higher than the one obtained from the standard iterative reconstruction based on expectation maximization (EM) algorithm and conventional single-cone Compton imaging. Finite energy and spatial resolutions of the MCCC detectors lead to errors in conical surfaces definitions (“thick” conical surfaces) which only amplify in image reconstruction when intersection of three cones is being sought. Our investigations show that, in spite of being conceptually appealing, the identification of triple cone intersection constitutes yet another restriction of the multiple coincidence approach which limits the image resolution that can be obtained with MCCC and TCR algorithm.

Spatial, Temporal and Spectral Satellite Image Fusion via Sparse Representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Huihui

Remote sensing provides good measurements for monitoring and further analyzing the climate change, dynamics of ecosystem, and human activities in global or regional scales. Over the past two decades, the number of launched satellite sensors has been increasing with the development of aerospace technologies and the growing requirements on remote sensing data in a vast amount of application fields. However, a key technological challenge confronting these sensors is that they tradeoff between spatial resolution and other properties, including temporal resolution, spectral resolution, swath width, etc., due to the limitations of hardware technology and budget constraints. To increase the spatial resolution of data with other good properties, one possible cost-effective solution is to explore data integration methods that can fuse multi-resolution data from multiple sensors, thereby enhancing the application capabilities of available remote sensing data. In this thesis, we propose to fuse the spatial resolution with temporal resolution and spectral resolution, respectively, based on sparse representation theory. Taking the study case of Landsat ETM+ (with spatial resolution of 30m and temporal resolution of 16 days) and MODIS (with spatial resolution of 250m ~ 1km and daily temporal resolution) reflectance, we propose two spatial-temporal fusion methods to combine the fine spatial information of Landsat image and the daily temporal resolution of MODIS image. Motivated by that the images from these two sensors are comparable on corresponding bands, we propose to link their spatial information on available Landsat- MODIS image pair (captured on prior date) and then predict the Landsat image from the MODIS counterpart on prediction date. To well-learn the spatial details from the prior images, we use a redundant dictionary to extract the basic representation atoms for both Landsat and MODIS images based on sparse representation. Under the scenario of two prior Landsat-MODIS image pairs, we build the corresponding relationship between the difference images of MODIS and ETM+ by training a low- and high-resolution dictionary pair from the given prior image pairs. In the second scenario, i.e., only one Landsat- MODIS image pair being available, we directly correlate MODIS and ETM+ data through an image degradation model. Then, the fusion stage is achieved by super-resolving the MODIS image combining the high-pass modulation in a two-layer fusion framework. Remarkably, the proposed spatial-temporal fusion methods form a unified framework for blending remote sensing images with phenology change or land-cover-type change. Based on the proposed spatial-temporal fusion models, we propose to monitor the land use/land cover changes in Shenzhen, China. As a fast-growing city, Shenzhen faces the problem of detecting the rapid changes for both rational city planning and sustainable development. However, the cloudy and rainy weather in region Shenzhen located makes the capturing circle of high-quality satellite images longer than their normal revisit periods. Spatial-temporal fusion methods are capable to tackle this problem by improving the spatial resolution of images with coarse spatial resolution but frequent temporal coverage, thereby making the detection of rapid changes possible. On two Landsat-MODIS datasets with annual and monthly changes, respectively, we apply the proposed spatial-temporal fusion methods to the task of multiple change detection. Afterward, we propose a novel spatial and spectral fusion method for satellite multispectral and hyperspectral (or high-spectral) images based on dictionary-pair learning and sparse non-negative matrix factorization. By combining the spectral information from hyperspectral image, which is characterized by low spatial resolution but high spectral resolution and abbreviated as LSHS, and the spatial information from multispectral image, which is featured by high spatial resolution but low spectral resolution and abbreviated as HSLS, this method aims to generate the fused data with both high spatial and high spectral resolutions. Motivated by the observation that each hyperspectral pixel can be represented by a linear combination of a few endmembers, this method first extracts the spectral bases of LSHS and HSLS images by making full use of the rich spectral information in LSHS data. The spectral bases of these two categories data then formulate a dictionary-pair due to their correspondence in representing each pixel spectra of LSHS data and HSLS data, respectively. Subsequently, the LSHS image is spatially unmixed by representing the HSLS image with respect to the corresponding learned dictionary to derive its representation coefficients. Combining the spectral bases of LSHS data and the representation coefficients of HSLS data, we finally derive the fused data characterized by the spectral resolution of LSHS data and the spatial resolution of HSLS data.

Towards the Optimal Pixel Size of dem for Automatic Mapping of Landslide Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawłuszek, K.; Borkowski, A.; Tarolli, P.

2017-05-01

Determining appropriate spatial resolution of digital elevation model (DEM) is a key step for effective landslide analysis based on remote sensing data. Several studies demonstrated that choosing the finest DEM resolution is not always the best solution. Various DEM resolutions can be applicable for diverse landslide applications. Thus, this study aims to assess the influence of special resolution on automatic landslide mapping. Pixel-based approach using parametric and non-parametric classification methods, namely feed forward neural network (FFNN) and maximum likelihood classification (ML), were applied in this study. Additionally, this allowed to determine the impact of used classification method for selection of DEM resolution. Landslide affected areas were mapped based on four DEMs generated at 1 m, 2 m, 5 m and 10 m spatial resolution from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. The performance of the landslide mapping was then evaluated by applying landslide inventory map and computation of confusion matrix. The results of this study suggests that the finest scale of DEM is not always the best fit, however working at 1 m DEM resolution on micro-topography scale, can show different results. The best performance was found at 5 m DEM-resolution for FFNN and 1 m DEM resolution for results. The best performance was found to be using 5 m DEM-resolution for FFNN and 1 m DEM resolution for ML classification.

Regularization design for high-quality cone-beam CT of intracranial hemorrhage using statistical reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, H.; Stayman, J. W.; Xu, J.; Sisniega, A.; Zbijewski, W.; Wang, X.; Foos, D. H.; Aygun, N.; Koliatsos, V. E.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

2016-03-01

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with pathologies such as hemorrhagic stroke and traumatic brain injury. Multi-detector CT is the current front-line imaging modality for detecting ICH (fresh blood contrast 40-80 HU, down to 1 mm). Flat-panel detector (FPD) cone-beam CT (CBCT) offers a potential alternative with a smaller scanner footprint, greater portability, and lower cost potentially well suited to deployment at the point of care outside standard diagnostic radiology and emergency room settings. Previous studies have suggested reliable detection of ICH down to 3 mm in CBCT using high-fidelity artifact correction and penalized weighted least-squared (PWLS) image reconstruction with a post-artifact-correction noise model. However, ICH reconstructed by traditional image regularization exhibits nonuniform spatial resolution and noise due to interaction between the statistical weights and regularization, which potentially degrades the detectability of ICH. In this work, we propose three regularization methods designed to overcome these challenges. The first two compute spatially varying certainty for uniform spatial resolution and noise, respectively. The third computes spatially varying regularization strength to achieve uniform "detectability," combining both spatial resolution and noise in a manner analogous to a delta-function detection task. Experiments were conducted on a CBCT test-bench, and image quality was evaluated for simulated ICH in different regions of an anthropomorphic head. The first two methods improved the uniformity in spatial resolution and noise compared to traditional regularization. The third exhibited the highest uniformity in detectability among all methods and best overall image quality. The proposed regularization provides a valuable means to achieve uniform image quality in CBCT of ICH and is being incorporated in a CBCT prototype for ICH imaging.

Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis Based on Normalized Two-Stage Vegetation Indices for Mapping Damage from Rice Diseases Using PlanetScope Datasets.

PubMed

Shi, Yue; Huang, Wenjiang; Ye, Huichun; Ruan, Chao; Xing, Naichen; Geng, Yun; Dong, Yingying; Peng, Dailiang

2018-06-11

In recent decades, rice disease co-epidemics have caused tremendous damage to crop production in both China and Southeast Asia. A variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to map diseases distribution using coarse- to moderate-resolution imagery. However, the detection and discrimination of various disease species infecting rice were seldom assessed using high spatial resolution data. The aims of this study were (1) to develop a set of normalized two-stage vegetation indices (VIs) for characterizing the progressive development of different diseases with rice; (2) to explore the performance of combined normalized two-stage VIs in partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA); and (3) to map and evaluate the damage caused by rice diseases at fine spatial scales, for the first time using bi-temporal, high spatial resolution imagery from PlanetScope datasets at a 3 m spatial resolution. Our findings suggest that the primary biophysical parameters caused by different disease (e.g., changes in leaf area, pigment contents, or canopy morphology) can be captured using combined normalized two-stage VIs. PLS-DA was able to classify rice diseases at a sub-field scale, with an overall accuracy of 75.62% and a Kappa value of 0.47. The approach was successfully applied during a typical co-epidemic outbreak of rice dwarf (Rice dwarf virus, RDV), rice blast ( Magnaporthe oryzae ), and glume blight ( Phyllosticta glumarum ) in Guangxi Province, China. Furthermore, our approach highlighted the feasibility of the method in capturing heterogeneous disease patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents.

Climate-physiographically differentiated Pan-European landslide susceptibility assessment using spatial multi-criteria evaluation and transnational landslide information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günther, Andreas; Van Den Eeckhaut, Miet; Malet, Jean-Philippe; Reichenbach, Paola; Hervás, Javier

2014-11-01

With the adoption of the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection in 2006, small-scale (1:1 M) assessments of threats affecting soils over Europe received increasing attention. As landslides have been recognized as one of eight threats requiring a Pan-European evaluation, we present an approach for landslide susceptibility evaluation at the continental scale over Europe. Unlike previous continental and global scale landslide susceptibility studies not utilizing spatial information on the events, we collected more than 102,000 landslide locations in 22 European countries. These landslides are heterogeneously distributed over Europe, but are indispensable for the evaluation and classification of Pan-European datasets used as spatial predictors, and the validation of the resulting assessments. For the analysis we subdivided the European territory into seven different climate-physiographical zones by combining morphometric and climatic data for terrain differentiation, and adding a coastal zone defined as a 1 km strip inland from the coastline. Landslide susceptibility modeling was performed for each zone using heuristic spatial multicriteria evaluations supported by analytical hierarchy processes, and validated with the inventory data using the receiver operating characteristics. In contrast to purely data-driven statistical modeling techniques, our semi-quantitative approach is capable to introduce expert knowledge into the analysis, which is indispensable considering quality and resolution of the input data, and incompleteness and bias in the inventory information. The reliability of the resulting susceptibility map ELSUS 1000 Version 1 (1 km resolution) was examined on an administrative terrain unit level in areas with landslide information and through the comparison with available national susceptibility zonations. These evaluations suggest that although the ELSUS 1000 is capable for a correct synoptic prediction of landslide susceptibility in the majority of the area, it needs further improvement in terms of data used.

Using Remotely Sensed Information for Near Real-Time Landslide Hazard Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirschbaum, Dalia; Adler, Robert; Peters-Lidard, Christa

2013-01-01

The increasing availability of remotely sensed precipitation and surface products provides a unique opportunity to explore how landslide susceptibility and hazard assessment may be approached at larger spatial scales with higher resolution remote sensing products. A prototype global landslide hazard assessment framework has been developed to evaluate how landslide susceptibility and satellite-derived precipitation estimates can be used to identify potential landslide conditions in near-real time. Preliminary analysis of this algorithm suggests that forecasting errors are geographically variable due to the resolution and accuracy of the current susceptibility map and the application of satellite-based rainfall estimates. This research is currently working to improve the algorithm through considering higher spatial and temporal resolution landslide susceptibility information and testing different rainfall triggering thresholds, antecedent rainfall scenarios, and various surface products at regional and global scales.

Simulating the Daylight Performance of Complex Fenestration Systems Using Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions within Radiance

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

Ward, Gregory; Mistrick, Ph.D., Richard; Lee, Eleanor

2011-01-21

We describe two methods which rely on bidirectional scattering distribution functions (BSDFs) to model the daylighting performance of complex fenestration systems (CFS), enabling greater flexibility and accuracy in evaluating arbitrary assemblies of glazing, shading, and other optically-complex coplanar window systems. Two tools within Radiance enable a) efficient annual performance evaluations of CFS, and b) accurate renderings of CFS despite the loss of spatial resolution associated with low-resolution BSDF datasets for inhomogeneous systems. Validation, accuracy, and limitations of the methods are discussed.

Proceedings of the 2004 High Spatial Resolution Commercial Imagery Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Topics covered include: NASA Applied Sciences Program; USGS Land Remote Sensing: Overview; QuickBird System Status and Product Overview; ORBIMAGE Overview; IKONOS 2004 Calibration and Validation Status; OrbView-3 Spatial Characterization; On-Orbit Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) Measurement of QuickBird; Spatial Resolution Characterization for QuickBird Image Products 2003-2004 Season; Image Quality Evaluation of QuickBird Super Resolution and Revisit of IKONOS: Civil and Commercial Application Project (CCAP); On-Orbit System MTF Measurement; QuickBird Post Launch Geopositional Characterization Update; OrbView-3 Geometric Calibration and Geopositional Accuracy; Geopositional Statistical Methods; QuickBird and OrbView-3 Geopositional Accuracy Assessment; Initial On-Orbit Spatial Resolution Characterization of OrbView-3 Panchromatic Images; Laboratory Measurement of Bidirectional Reflectance of Radiometric Tarps; Stennis Space Center Verification and Validation Capabilities; Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) Team; Adjacency Effects in High Resolution Imagery; Effect of Pulse Width vs. GSD on MTF Estimation; Camera and Sensor Calibration at the USGS; QuickBird Geometric Verification; Comparison of MODTRAN to Heritage-based Results in Vicarious Calibration at University of Arizona; Using Remotely Sensed Imagery to Determine Impervious Surface in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Estimating Sub-Pixel Proportions of Sagebrush with a Regression Tree; How Do YOU Use the National Land Cover Dataset?; The National Map Hazards Data Distribution System; Recording a Troubled World; What Does This-Have to Do with This?; When Can a Picture Save a Thousand Homes?; InSAR Studies of Alaska Volcanoes; Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Data Products; Improving Access to the USGS Aerial Film Collections: High Resolution Scanners; Improving Access to the USGS Aerial Film Collections: Phoenix Digitizing System Product Distribution; System and Product Characterization: Issues Approach; Innovative Approaches to Analysis of Lidar Data for the National Map; Changes in Imperviousness near Military Installations; Geopositional Accuracy Evaluations of QuickBird and OrbView-3: Civil and Commercial Applications Project (CCAP); Geometric Accuracy Assessment: OrbView ORTHO Products; QuickBird Radiometric Calibration Update; OrbView-3 Radiometric Calibration; QuickBird Radiometric Characterization; NASA Radiometric Characterization; Establishing and Verifying the Traceability of Remote-Sensing Measurements to International Standards; QuickBird Applications; Airport Mapping and Perpetual Monitoring Using IKONOS; OrbView-3 Relative Accuracy Results and Impacts on Exploitation and Accuracy Improvement; Using Remotely Sensed Imagery to Determine Impervious Surface in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Applying High-Resolution Satellite Imagery and Remotely Sensed Data to Local Government Applications: Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Automatic Co-Registration of QuickBird Data for Change Detection Applications; Developing Coastal Surface Roughness Maps Using ASTER and QuickBird Data Sources; Automated, Near-Real Time Cloud and Cloud Shadow Detection in High Resolution VNIR Imagery; Science Applications of High Resolution Imagery at the USGS EROS Data Center; Draft Plan for Characterizing Commercial Data Products in Support of Earth Science Research; Atmospheric Correction Prototype Algorithm for High Spatial Resolution Multispectral Earth Observing Imaging Systems; Determining Regional Arctic Tundra Carbon Exchange: A Bottom-Up Approach; Using IKONOS Imagery to Assess Impervious Surface Area, Riparian Buffers and Stream Health in the Mid-Atlantic Region; Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy Civil Implementation Update; USGS Commercial Remote Sensing Data Contracts (CRSDC); and Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy (CRSSP): Civil Near-Term Requirements Collection Update.

Results of the spatial resolution simulation for multispectral data (resolution brochures)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The variable information content of Earth Resource products at different levels of spatial resolution and in different spectral bands is addressed. A low-cost brochure that scientists and laymen could use to visualize the effects of increasing the spatial resolution of multispectral scanner images was produced.

A semiparametric spatio-temporal model for solar irradiance data

DOE PAGES

Patrick, Joshua D.; Harvill, Jane L.; Hansen, Clifford W.

2016-03-01

Here, we evaluate semiparametric spatio-temporal models for global horizontal irradiance at high spatial and temporal resolution. These models represent the spatial domain as a lattice and are capable of predicting irradiance at lattice points, given data measured at other lattice points. Using data from a 1.2 MW PV plant located in Lanai, Hawaii, we show that a semiparametric model can be more accurate than simple interpolation between sensor locations. We investigate spatio-temporal models with separable and nonseparable covariance structures and find no evidence to support assuming a separable covariance structure. These results indicate a promising approach for modeling irradiance atmore » high spatial resolution consistent with available ground-based measurements. Moreover, this kind of modeling may find application in design, valuation, and operation of fleets of utility-scale photovoltaic power systems.« less

Research on Horizontal Accuracy Method of High Spatial Resolution Remotely Sensed Orthophoto Image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y. M.; Zhang, J. X.; Yu, F.; Dong, S.

2018-04-01

At present, in the inspection and acceptance of high spatial resolution remotly sensed orthophoto image, the horizontal accuracy detection is testing and evaluating the accuracy of images, which mostly based on a set of testing points with the same accuracy and reliability. However, it is difficult to get a set of testing points with the same accuracy and reliability in the areas where the field measurement is difficult and the reference data with high accuracy is not enough. So it is difficult to test and evaluate the horizontal accuracy of the orthophoto image. The uncertainty of the horizontal accuracy has become a bottleneck for the application of satellite borne high-resolution remote sensing image and the scope of service expansion. Therefore, this paper proposes a new method to test the horizontal accuracy of orthophoto image. This method using the testing points with different accuracy and reliability. These points' source is high accuracy reference data and field measurement. The new method solves the horizontal accuracy detection of the orthophoto image in the difficult areas and provides the basis for providing reliable orthophoto images to the users.

Performance evaluation of neuro-PET using silicon photomultipliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jiwoong; Choi, Yong; Jung, Jin Ho; Kim, Sangsu; Im, Ki Chun

2016-05-01

Recently, we have developed the second prototype Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based positron emission tomography (PET) scanner for human brain imaging. The PET system was comprised of detector block which consisted of 4×4 SiPMs and 4×4 Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate arrays, charge signal transmission method, high density position decoder circuit and FPGA-embedded ADC boards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the newly developed neuro-PET system. The energy resolution, timing resolution, spatial resolution, sensitivity, stability of the photo-peak position and count rate performance were measured. Tomographic image of 3D Hoffman brain phantom was also acquired to evaluate imaging capability of the neuro-PET. The average energy and timing resolutions measured for 511 keV gamma rays were 17±0.1% and 3±0.3 ns, respectively. Spatial resolution and sensitivity at the center of field of view (FOV) were 3.1 mm and 0.8%, respectively. The average scatter fraction was 0.4 with an energy window of 350-650 keV. The maximum true count rate and maximum NECR were measured as 43.3 kcps and 6.5 kcps at an activity concentration of 16.7 kBq/ml and 5.5 kBq/ml, respectively. Long-term stability results show that there was no significant change in the photo-peak position, energy resolution and count rate for 60 days. Phantom imaging studies were performed and they demonstrated the feasibility for high quality brain imaging. The performance tests and imaging results indicate that the newly developed PET is useful for brain imaging studies, if the axial FOV is extended to improve the system sensitivity.

Performance Evaluation of a New Dedicated Breast PET Scanner Using NEMA NU4-2008 Standards.

PubMed

Miyake, Kanae K; Matsumoto, Keiichi; Inoue, Mika; Nakamoto, Yuji; Kanao, Shotaro; Oishi, Tae; Kawase, Shigeto; Kitamura, Keishi; Yamakawa, Yoshiyuki; Akazawa, Ayako; Kobayashi, Tetsuya; Ohi, Junichi; Togashi, Kaori

2014-07-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance characteristics of a newly developed dedicated breast PET scanner, according to National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4-2008 standards. The dedicated breast PET scanner consists of 4 layers of a 32 × 32 lutetium oxyorthosilicate-based crystal array, a light guide, and a 64-channel position-sensitive photomultiplier tube. The size of a crystal element is 1.44 × 1.44 × 4.5 mm. The detector ring has a large solid angle with a 185-mm aperture and an axial coverage of 155.5 mm. The energy windows at depth of interaction for the first and second layers are 400-800 keV, and those at the third and fourth layers are 100-800 keV. A fixed timing window of 4.5 ns was used for all acquisitions. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate capabilities, and image quality were evaluated in accordance with NEMA NU 4-2008 standards. Human imaging was performed in addition to the evaluation. Radial, tangential, and axial spatial resolution measured as minimal full width at half maximum approached 1.6, 1.7, and 2.0 mm, respectively, for filtered backprojection reconstruction and 0.8, 0.8, and 0.8 mm, respectively, for dynamic row-action maximum-likelihood algorithm reconstruction. The peak absolute sensitivity of the system was 11.2%. Scatter fraction at the same acquisition settings was 30.1% for the rat-sized phantom. Peak noise-equivalent counting rate and peak true rate for the ratlike phantom was 374 kcps at 25 MBq and 603 kcps at 31 MBq, respectively. In the image-quality phantom study, recovery coefficients and uniformity were 0.04-0.82 and 1.9%, respectively, for standard reconstruction mode and 0.09-0.97 and 4.5%, respectively, for enhanced-resolution mode. Human imaging provided high-contrast images with restricted background noise for standard reconstruction mode and high-resolution images for enhanced-resolution mode. The dedicated breast PET scanner has excellent spatial resolution and high sensitivity. The performance of the dedicated breast PET scanner is considered to be reasonable enough to support its use in breast cancer imaging. © 2014 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Evaluation of image quality in terahertz pulsed imaging using test objects.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, A J; Berry, E; Miles, R E; Zinovev, N N; Smith, M A; Chamberlain, J M

2002-11-07

As with other imaging modalities, the performance of terahertz (THz) imaging systems is limited by factors of spatial resolution, contrast and noise. The purpose of this paper is to introduce test objects and image analysis methods to evaluate and compare THz image quality in a quantitative and objective way, so that alternative terahertz imaging system configurations and acquisition techniques can be compared, and the range of image parameters can be assessed. Two test objects were designed and manufactured, one to determine the modulation transfer functions (MTF) and the other to derive image signal to noise ratio (SNR) at a range of contrasts. As expected the higher THz frequencies had larger MTFs, and better spatial resolution as determined by the spatial frequency at which the MTF dropped below the 20% threshold. Image SNR was compared for time domain and frequency domain image parameters and time delay based images consistently demonstrated higher SNR than intensity based parameters such as relative transmittance because the latter are more strongly affected by the sources of noise in the THz system such as laser fluctuations and detector shot noise.

Image sharpening for mixed spatial and spectral resolution satellite systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallada, W. A.; Cox, S.

1983-01-01

Two methods of image sharpening (reconstruction) are compared. The first, a spatial filtering technique, extrapolates edge information from a high spatial resolution panchromatic band at 10 meters and adds it to the low spatial resolution narrow spectral bands. The second method, a color normalizing technique, is based on the ability to separate image hue and brightness components in spectral data. Using both techniques, multispectral images are sharpened from 30, 50, 70, and 90 meter resolutions. Error rates are calculated for the two methods and all sharpened resolutions. The results indicate that the color normalizing method is superior to the spatial filtering technique.

Spatial Resolution Requirements for Accurate Identification of Drivers of Atrial Fibrillation

PubMed Central

Roney, Caroline H.; Cantwell, Chris D.; Bayer, Jason D.; Qureshi, Norman A.; Lim, Phang Boon; Tweedy, Jennifer H.; Kanagaratnam, Prapa; Vigmond, Edward J.; Ng, Fu Siong

2017-01-01

Background— Recent studies have demonstrated conflicting mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation (AF), with the spatial resolution of data often cited as a potential reason for the disagreement. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the variation in spatial resolution of mapping may lead to misinterpretation of the underlying mechanism in persistent AF. Methods and Results— Simulations of rotors and focal sources were performed to estimate the minimum number of recording points required to correctly identify the underlying AF mechanism. The effects of different data types (action potentials and unipolar or bipolar electrograms) and rotor stability on resolution requirements were investigated. We also determined the ability of clinically used endocardial catheters to identify AF mechanisms using clinically recorded and simulated data. The spatial resolution required for correct identification of rotors and focal sources is a linear function of spatial wavelength (the distance between wavefronts) of the arrhythmia. Rotor localization errors are larger for electrogram data than for action potential data. Stationary rotors are more reliably identified compared with meandering trajectories, for any given spatial resolution. All clinical high-resolution multipolar catheters are of sufficient resolution to accurately detect and track rotors when placed over the rotor core although the low-resolution basket catheter is prone to false detections and may incorrectly identify rotors that are not present. Conclusions— The spatial resolution of AF data can significantly affect the interpretation of the underlying AF mechanism. Therefore, the interpretation of human AF data must be taken in the context of the spatial resolution of the recordings. PMID:28500175

Effect of spatial averaging on multifractal properties of meteorological time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Holger; Baranowski, Piotr; Krzyszczak, Jaromir; Zubik, Monika

2016-04-01

Introduction The process-based models for large-scale simulations require input of agro-meteorological quantities that are often in the form of time series of coarse spatial resolution. Therefore, the knowledge about their scaling properties is fundamental for transferring locally measured fluctuations to larger scales and vice-versa. However, the scaling analysis of these quantities is complicated due to the presence of localized trends and non-stationarities. Here we assess how spatially aggregating meteorological data to coarser resolutions affects the data's temporal scaling properties. While it is known that spatial aggregation may affect spatial data properties (Hoffmann et al., 2015), it is unknown how it affects temporal data properties. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the aggregation effect (AE) with regard to both temporal and spatial input data properties considering scaling properties (i.e. statistical self-similarity) of the chosen agro-meteorological time series through multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA). Materials and Methods Time series coming from years 1982-2011 were spatially averaged from 1 to 10, 25, 50 and 100 km resolution to assess the impact of spatial aggregation. Daily minimum, mean and maximum air temperature (2 m), precipitation, global radiation, wind speed and relative humidity (Zhao et al., 2015) were used. To reveal the multifractal structure of the time series, we used the procedure described in Baranowski et al. (2015). The diversity of the studied multifractals was evaluated by the parameters of time series spectra. In order to analyse differences in multifractal properties to 1 km resolution grids, data of coarser resolutions was disaggregated to 1 km. Results and Conclusions Analysing the spatial averaging on multifractal properties we observed that spatial patterns of the multifractal spectrum (MS) of all meteorological variables differed from 1 km grids and MS-parameters were biased by -29.1 % (precipitation; width of MS) up to >4 % (min. Temperature, Radiation; asymmetry of MS). Also, the spatial variability of MS parameters was strongly affected at the highest aggregation (100 km). Obtained results confirm that spatial data aggregation may strongly affect temporal scaling properties. This should be taken into account when upscaling for large-scale studies. Acknowledgements The study was conducted within FACCE MACSUR. Please see Baranowski et al. (2015) for details on funding. References Baranowski, P., Krzyszczak, J., Sławiński, C. et al. (2015). Climate Research 65, 39-52. Hoffman, H., G. Zhao, L.G.J. Van Bussel et al. (2015). Climate Research 65, 53-69. Zhao, G., Siebert, S., Rezaei E. et al. (2015). Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 200, 156-171.

An Efficient Approach for Pixel Decomposition to Increase the Spatial Resolution of Land Surface Temperature Images from MODIS Thermal Infrared Band Data

PubMed Central

Wang, Fei; Qin, Zhihao; Li, Wenjuan; Song, Caiying; Karnieli, Arnon; Zhao, Shuhe

2015-01-01

Land surface temperature (LST) images retrieved from the thermal infrared (TIR) band data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) have much lower spatial resolution than the MODIS visible and near-infrared (VNIR) band data. The coarse pixel scale of MODIS LST images (1000 m under nadir) have limited their capability in applying to many studies required high spatial resolution in comparison of the MODIS VNIR band data with pixel scale of 250–500 m. In this paper we intend to develop an efficient approach for pixel decomposition to increase the spatial resolution of MODIS LST image using the VNIR band data as assistance. The unique feature of this approach is to maintain the thermal radiance of parent pixels in the MODIS LST image unchanged after they are decomposed into the sub-pixels in the resulted image. There are two important steps in the decomposition: initial temperature estimation and final temperature determination. Therefore the approach can be termed double-step pixel decomposition (DSPD). Both steps involve a series of procedures to achieve the final result of decomposed LST image, including classification of the surface patterns, establishment of LST change with normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and building index (NDBI), reversion of LST into thermal radiance through Planck equation, and computation of weights for the sub-pixels of the resulted image. Since the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) with much higher spatial resolution than MODIS data was on-board the same platform (Terra) as MODIS for Earth observation, an experiment had been done in the study to validate the accuracy and efficiency of our approach for pixel decomposition. The ASTER LST image was used as the reference to compare with the decomposed LST image. The result showed that the spatial distribution of the decomposed LST image was very similar to that of the ASTER LST image with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.7 K for entire image. Comparison with the evaluation DisTrad (E-DisTrad) and re-sampling methods for pixel decomposition also indicate that our DSPD has the lowest RMSE in all cases, including urban region, water bodies, and natural terrain. The obvious increase in spatial resolution remarkably uplifts the capability of the coarse MODIS LST images in highlighting the details of LST variation. Therefore it can be concluded that, in spite of complicated procedures, the proposed DSPD approach provides an alternative to improve the spatial resolution of MODIS LST image hence expand its applicability to the real world. PMID:25609048

Effects of the Forecasting Methods, Precipitation Character, and Satellite Resolution on the Predictability of Short-Term Quantitative Precipitation Nowcasting (QPN) from a Geostationary Satellite.

PubMed

Liu, Yu; Xi, Du-Gang; Li, Zhao-Liang; Ji, Wei

2015-01-01

The prediction of the short-term quantitative precipitation nowcasting (QPN) from consecutive gestational satellite images has important implications for hydro-meteorological modeling and forecasting. However, the systematic analysis of the predictability of QPN is limited. The objective of this study is to evaluate effects of the forecasting model, precipitation character, and satellite resolution on the predictability of QPN using images of a Chinese geostationary meteorological satellite Fengyun-2F (FY-2F) which covered all intensive observation since its launch despite of only a total of approximately 10 days. In the first step, three methods were compared to evaluate the performance of the QPN methods: a pixel-based QPN using the maximum correlation method (PMC); the Horn-Schunck optical-flow scheme (PHS); and the Pyramid Lucas-Kanade Optical Flow method (PPLK), which is newly proposed here. Subsequently, the effect of the precipitation systems was indicated by 2338 imageries of 8 precipitation periods. Then, the resolution dependence was demonstrated by analyzing the QPN with six spatial resolutions (0.1atial, 0.3a, 0.4atial rand 0.6). The results show that the PPLK improves the predictability of QPN with better performance than the other comparison methods. The predictability of the QPN is significantly determined by the precipitation system, and a coarse spatial resolution of the satellite reduces the predictability of QPN.

Effects of the Forecasting Methods, Precipitation Character, and Satellite Resolution on the Predictability of Short-Term Quantitative Precipitation Nowcasting (QPN) from a Geostationary Satellite

PubMed Central

Liu, Yu; Xi, Du-Gang; Li, Zhao-Liang; Ji, Wei

2015-01-01

The prediction of the short-term quantitative precipitation nowcasting (QPN) from consecutive gestational satellite images has important implications for hydro-meteorological modeling and forecasting. However, the systematic analysis of the predictability of QPN is limited. The objective of this study is to evaluate effects of the forecasting model, precipitation character, and satellite resolution on the predictability of QPN usingimages of a Chinese geostationary meteorological satellite Fengyun-2F (FY-2F) which covered all intensive observation since its launch despite of only a total of approximately 10 days. In the first step, three methods were compared to evaluate the performance of the QPN methods: a pixel-based QPN using the maximum correlation method (PMC); the Horn-Schunck optical-flow scheme (PHS); and the Pyramid Lucas-Kanade Optical Flow method (PPLK), which is newly proposed here. Subsequently, the effect of the precipitation systems was indicated by 2338 imageries of 8 precipitation periods. Then, the resolution dependence was demonstrated by analyzing the QPN with six spatial resolutions (0.1atial, 0.3a, 0.4atial rand 0.6). The results show that the PPLK improves the predictability of QPN with better performance than the other comparison methods. The predictability of the QPN is significantly determined by the precipitation system, and a coarse spatial resolution of the satellite reduces the predictability of QPN. PMID:26447470

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

Kirtley, John R., E-mail: jkirtley@stanford.edu; Rosenberg, Aaron J.; Palmstrom, Johanna C.

Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy has excellent magnetic field sensitivity, but suffers from modest spatial resolution when compared with other scanning probes. This spatial resolution is determined by both the size of the field sensitive area and the spacing between this area and the sample surface. In this paper we describe scanning SQUID susceptometers that achieve sub-micron spatial resolution while retaining a white noise floor flux sensitivity of ≈2μΦ{sub 0}/Hz{sup 1/2}. This high spatial resolution is accomplished by deep sub-micron feature sizes, well shielded pickup loops fabricated using a planarized process, and a deep etch step that minimizes themore » spacing between the sample surface and the SQUID pickup loop. We describe the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of these sensors. Although sub-micron spatial resolution has been achieved previously in scanning SQUID sensors, our sensors not only achieve high spatial resolution but also have integrated modulation coils for flux feedback, integrated field coils for susceptibility measurements, and batch processing. They are therefore a generally applicable tool for imaging sample magnetization, currents, and susceptibilities with higher spatial resolution than previous susceptometers.« less

Chromatic and Achromatic Spatial Resolution of Local Field Potentials in Awake Cortex

PubMed Central

Jansen, Michael; Li, Xiaobing; Lashgari, Reza; Kremkow, Jens; Bereshpolova, Yulia; Swadlow, Harvey A.; Zaidi, Qasim; Alonso, Jose-Manuel

2015-01-01

Local field potentials (LFPs) have become an important measure of neuronal population activity in the brain and could provide robust signals to guide the implant of visual cortical prosthesis in the future. However, it remains unclear whether LFPs can detect weak cortical responses (e.g., cortical responses to equiluminant color) and whether they have enough visual spatial resolution to distinguish different chromatic and achromatic stimulus patterns. By recording from awake behaving macaques in primary visual cortex, here we demonstrate that LFPs respond robustly to pure chromatic stimuli and exhibit ∼2.5 times lower spatial resolution for chromatic than achromatic stimulus patterns, a value that resembles the ratio of achromatic/chromatic resolution measured with psychophysical experiments in humans. We also show that, although the spatial resolution of LFP decays with visual eccentricity as is also the case for single neurons, LFPs have higher spatial resolution and show weaker response suppression to low spatial frequencies than spiking multiunit activity. These results indicate that LFP recordings are an excellent approach to measure spatial resolution from local populations of neurons in visual cortex including those responsive to color. PMID:25416722

Calculation of the spatial resolution in two-photon absorption spectroscopy applied to plasma diagnosis

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

Garcia-Lechuga, M.; Laser Processing Group, Instituto de Óptica “Daza de Valdés,” CSIC, 28006-Madrid; Fuentes, L. M.

2014-10-07

We report a detailed characterization of the spatial resolution provided by two-photon absorption spectroscopy suited for plasma diagnosis via the 1S-2S transition of atomic hydrogen for optogalvanic detection and laser induced fluorescence (LIF). A precise knowledge of the spatial resolution is crucial for a correct interpretation of measurements, if the plasma parameters to be analysed undergo strong spatial variations. The present study is based on a novel approach which provides a reliable and realistic determination of the spatial resolution. Measured irradiance distribution of laser beam waists in the overlap volume, provided by a high resolution UV camera, are employed tomore » resolve coupled rate equations accounting for two-photon excitation, fluorescence decay and ionization. The resulting three-dimensional yield distributions reveal in detail the spatial resolution for optogalvanic and LIF detection and related saturation due to depletion. Two-photon absorption profiles broader than the Fourier transform-limited laser bandwidth are also incorporated in the calculations. The approach allows an accurate analysis of the spatial resolution present in recent and future measurements.« less

Towards clinical assessment of velopharyngeal closure using MRI: evaluation of real-time MRI sequences at 1.5 and 3 T.

PubMed

Scott, A D; Boubertakh, R; Birch, M J; Miquel, M E

2012-11-01

The objective of this study was to demonstrate soft palate MRI at 1.5 and 3 T with high temporal resolution on clinical scanners. Six volunteers were imaged while speaking, using both four real-time steady-state free-precession (SSFP) sequences at 3 T and four balanced SSFP (bSSFP) at 1.5 T. Temporal resolution was 9-20 frames s(-1) (fps), spatial resolution 1.6 × 1.6 × 10.0-2.7 × 2.7 × 10.0 mm(3). Simultaneous audio was recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), palate thickness and image quality score (1-4, non-diagnostic-excellent) were evaluated. SNR was higher at 3 T than 1.5 T in the relaxed palate (nasal breathing position) and reduced in the elevated palate at 3 T, but not 1.5 T. Image quality was not significantly different between field strengths or sequences (p=NS). At 3 T, 40% acquisitions scored 2 and 56% scored 3. Most 1.5 T acquisitions scored 1 (19%) or 4 (46%). Image quality was more dependent on subject or field than sequence. SNR in static images was highest with 1.9 × 1.9 × 10.0 mm(3) resolution (10 fps) and measured palate thickness was similar (p=NS) to that at the highest resolution (1.6 × 1.6 × 10.0 mm(3)). SNR in intensity-time plots through the soft palate was highest with 2.7 × 2.7 × 10.0 mm(3) resolution (20 fps). At 3 T, SSFP images are of a reliable quality, but 1.5 T bSSFP images are often better. For geometric measurements, temporal should be traded for spatial resolution (1.9 × 1.9 × 10.0 mm(3), 10 fps). For assessment of motion, temporal should be prioritised over spatial resolution (2.7 × 2.7 × 10.0 mm(3), 20 fps). Advances in knowledge Diagnostic quality real-time soft palate MRI is possible using clinical scanners and optimised protocols have been developed. 3 T SSFP imaging is reliable, but 1.5 T bSSFP often produces better images.

[An effective method for improving the imaging spatial resolution of terahertz time domain spectroscopy system].

PubMed

Zhang, Zeng-yan; Ji, Te; Zhu, Zhi-yong; Zhao, Hong-wei; Chen, Min; Xiao, Ti-qiao; Guo, Zhi

2015-01-01

Terahertz radiation is an electromagnetic radiation in the range between millimeter waves and far infrared. Due to its low energy and non-ionizing characters, THz pulse imaging emerges as a novel tool in many fields, such as material, chemical, biological medicine, and food safety. Limited spatial resolution is a significant restricting factor of terahertz imaging technology. Near field imaging method was proposed to improve the spatial resolution of terahertz system. Submillimeter scale's spauial resolution can be achieved if the income source size is smaller than the wawelength of the incoming source and the source is very close to the sample. But many changes were needed to the traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system, and it's very complex to analyze sample's physical parameters through the terahertz signal. A method of inserting a pinhole upstream to the sample was first proposed in this article to improve the spatial resolution of traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system. The measured spatial resolution of terahertz time domain spectroscopy system by knife edge method can achieve spatial resolution curves. The moving stage distance between 10 % and 90 Yo of the maximum signals respectively was defined as the, spatial resolution of the system. Imaging spatial resolution of traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system was improved dramatically after inserted a pinhole with diameter 0. 5 mm, 2 mm upstream to the sample. Experimental results show that the spatial resolution has been improved from 1. 276 mm to 0. 774 mm, with the increment about 39 %. Though this simple method, the spatial resolution of traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system was increased from millimeter scale to submillimeter scale. A pinhole with diameter 1 mm on a polyethylene plate was taken as sample, to terahertz imaging study. The traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system and pinhole inserted terahertz time domain spectroscopy system were applied in the imaging experiment respectively. The relative THz-power loss imaging of samples were use in this article. This method generally delivers the best signal to noise ratio in loss images, dispersion effects are cancelled. Terahertz imaging results show that the sample's boundary was more distinct after inserting the pinhole in front of, sample. The results also conform that inserting pinhole in front of sample can improve the imaging spatial resolution effectively. The theoretical analyses of the method which improve the spatial resolution by inserting a pinhole in front of sample were given in this article. The analyses also indicate that the smaller the pinhole size, the longer spatial coherence length of the system, the better spatial resolution of the system. At the same time the terahertz signal will be reduced accordingly. All the experimental results and theoretical analyses indicate that the method of inserting a pinhole in front of sample can improve the spatial resolution of traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy system effectively, and it will further expand the application of terahertz imaging technology.

Using High Resolution Spatial Data and Genetic Algorithms to Optimize Riparian Zone Condition and Impervious Cover Estimates in New England Watersheds

EPA Science Inventory

Under EPA’s Green Infrastructure Initiative, a variety of research activities are underway to evaluate the effectiveness of green infrastructure in mitigating the effects of urbanization and stormwater impacts on stream biota and habitat. One aspect of this is evaluating th...

Earthquake Damage Assessment Using Very High Resolution Satelliteimagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiroiu, L.; André, G.; Bahoken, F.; Guillande, R.

Various studies using satellite imagery were applied in the last years in order to assess natural hazard damages, most of them analyzing the case of floods, hurricanes or landslides. For the case of earthquakes, the medium or small spatial resolution data available in the recent past did not allow a reliable identification of damages, due to the size of the elements (e.g. buildings or other structures), too small compared with the pixel size. The recent progresses of remote sensing in terms of spatial resolution and data processing makes possible a reliable damage detection to the elements at risk. Remote sensing techniques applied to IKONOS (1 meter resolution) and IRS (5 meters resolution) imagery were used in order to evaluate seismic vulnerability and post earthquake damages. A fast estimation of losses was performed using a multidisciplinary approach based on earthquake engineering and geospatial analysis. The results, integrated into a GIS database, could be transferred via satellite networks to the rescue teams deployed on the affected zone, in order to better coordinate the emergency operations. The methodology was applied to the city of Bhuj and Anjar after the 2001 Gujarat (India) Earthquake.

Evaluation and Validation of Aboveground Techniques for Coating Condition Assessment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-02-28

The overall objective was to determine the accuracy, resolution, and limitations of equipment typically used for modern aboveground ECDA work with respect to locating holidays and disbondments with commonly used coatings with varying spatial relation...

Maximum likelihood positioning and energy correction for scintillation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerche, Christoph W.; Salomon, André; Goldschmidt, Benjamin; Lodomez, Sarah; Weissler, Björn; Solf, Torsten

2016-02-01

An algorithm for determining the crystal pixel and the gamma ray energy with scintillation detectors for PET is presented. The algorithm uses Likelihood Maximisation (ML) and therefore is inherently robust to missing data caused by defect or paralysed photo detector pixels. We tested the algorithm on a highly integrated MRI compatible small animal PET insert. The scintillation detector blocks of the PET gantry were built with the newly developed digital Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) technology from Philips Digital Photon Counting and LYSO pixel arrays with a pitch of 1 mm and length of 12 mm. Light sharing was used to readout the scintillation light from the 30× 30 scintillator pixel array with an 8× 8 SiPM array. For the performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm, we measured the scanner’s spatial resolution, energy resolution, singles and prompt count rate performance, and image noise. These values were compared to corresponding values obtained with Center of Gravity (CoG) based positioning methods for different scintillation light trigger thresholds and also for different energy windows. While all positioning algorithms showed similar spatial resolution, a clear advantage for the ML method was observed when comparing the PET scanner’s overall single and prompt detection efficiency, image noise, and energy resolution to the CoG based methods. Further, ML positioning reduces the dependence of image quality on scanner configuration parameters and was the only method that allowed achieving highest energy resolution, count rate performance and spatial resolution at the same time.

Dual-TRACER: High resolution fMRI with constrained evolution reconstruction.

PubMed

Li, Xuesong; Ma, Xiaodong; Li, Lyu; Zhang, Zhe; Zhang, Xue; Tong, Yan; Wang, Lihong; Sen Song; Guo, Hua

2018-01-01

fMRI with high spatial resolution is beneficial for studies in psychology and neuroscience, but is limited by various factors such as prolonged imaging time, low signal to noise ratio and scarcity of advanced facilities. Compressed Sensing (CS) based methods for accelerating fMRI data acquisition are promising. Other advanced algorithms like k-t FOCUSS or PICCS have been developed to improve performance. This study aims to investigate a new method, Dual-TRACER, based on Temporal Resolution Acceleration with Constrained Evolution Reconstruction (TRACER), for accelerating fMRI acquisitions using golden angle variable density spiral. Both numerical simulations and in vivo experiments at 3T were conducted to evaluate and characterize this method. Results show that Dual-TRACER can provide functional images with a high spatial resolution (1×1mm 2 ) under an acceleration factor of 20 while maintaining hemodynamic signals well. Compared with other investigated methods, dual-TRACER provides a better signal recovery, higher fMRI sensitivity and more reliable activation detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling and simulation of Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) based on double-sided CdTe strip detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozsahin, I.; Unlu, M. Z.

2014-03-01

Breast cancer is the most common leading cause of cancer death among women. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Mammography, also known as Positron Emission Mammography (PEM), is a method for imaging primary breast cancer. Over the past few years, PEMs based on scintillation crystals dramatically increased their importance in diagnosis and treatment of early stage breast cancer. However, these detectors have significant limitations like poor energy resolution resulting with false-negative result (missed cancer), and false-positive result which leads to suspecting cancer and suggests an unnecessary biopsy. In this work, a PEM scanner based on CdTe strip detectors is simulated via the Monte Carlo method and evaluated in terms of its spatial resolution, sensitivity, and image quality. The spatial resolution is found to be ~ 1 mm in all three directions. The results also show that CdTe strip detectors based PEM scanner can produce high resolution images for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Assessment of Spatiotemporal Fusion Algorithms for Planet and Worldview Images

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiaolin; Gao, Feng; Chou, Bryan; Li, Jiang; Shen, Yuzhong; Koperski, Krzysztof; Marchisio, Giovanni

2018-01-01

Although Worldview-2 (WV) images (non-pansharpened) have 2-m resolution, the re-visit times for the same areas may be seven days or more. In contrast, Planet images are collected using small satellites that can cover the whole Earth almost daily. However, the resolution of Planet images is 3.125 m. It would be ideal to fuse these two satellites images to generate high spatial resolution (2 m) and high temporal resolution (1 or 2 days) images for applications such as damage assessment, border monitoring, etc. that require quick decisions. In this paper, we evaluate three approaches to fusing Worldview (WV) and Planet images. These approaches are known as Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM), Flexible Spatiotemporal Data Fusion (FSDAF), and Hybrid Color Mapping (HCM), which have been applied to the fusion of MODIS and Landsat images in recent years. Experimental results using actual Planet and Worldview images demonstrated that the three aforementioned approaches have comparable performance and can all generate high quality prediction images. PMID:29614745

Assessment of Spatiotemporal Fusion Algorithms for Planet and Worldview Images.

PubMed

Kwan, Chiman; Zhu, Xiaolin; Gao, Feng; Chou, Bryan; Perez, Daniel; Li, Jiang; Shen, Yuzhong; Koperski, Krzysztof; Marchisio, Giovanni

2018-03-31

Although Worldview-2 (WV) images (non-pansharpened) have 2-m resolution, the re-visit times for the same areas may be seven days or more. In contrast, Planet images are collected using small satellites that can cover the whole Earth almost daily. However, the resolution of Planet images is 3.125 m. It would be ideal to fuse these two satellites images to generate high spatial resolution (2 m) and high temporal resolution (1 or 2 days) images for applications such as damage assessment, border monitoring, etc. that require quick decisions. In this paper, we evaluate three approaches to fusing Worldview (WV) and Planet images. These approaches are known as Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM), Flexible Spatiotemporal Data Fusion (FSDAF), and Hybrid Color Mapping (HCM), which have been applied to the fusion of MODIS and Landsat images in recent years. Experimental results using actual Planet and Worldview images demonstrated that the three aforementioned approaches have comparable performance and can all generate high quality prediction images.

Effect of Matrix Size on the Image Quality of Ultra-high-resolution CT of the Lung: Comparison of 512 × 512, 1024 × 1024, and 2048 × 2048.

PubMed

Hata, Akinori; Yanagawa, Masahiro; Honda, Osamu; Kikuchi, Noriko; Miyata, Tomo; Tsukagoshi, Shinsuke; Uranishi, Ayumi; Tomiyama, Noriyuki

2018-01-16

This study aimed to assess the effect of matrix size on the spatial resolution and image quality of ultra-high-resolution computed tomography (U-HRCT). Slit phantoms and 11 cadaveric lungs were scanned on U-HRCT. Slit phantom scans were reconstructed using a 20-mm field of view (FOV) with 1024 matrix size and a 320-mm FOV with 512, 1024, and 2048 matrix sizes. Cadaveric lung scans were reconstructed using 512, 1024, and 2048 matrix sizes. Three observers subjectively scored the images on a three-point scale (1 = worst, 3 = best), in terms of overall image quality, noise, streak artifact, vessel, bronchi, and image findings. The median score of the three observers was evaluated by Wilcoxon signed-rank test with Bonferroni correction. Noise was measured quantitatively and evaluated with the Tukey test. A P value of <.05 was considered significant. The maximum spatial resolution was 0.14 mm; among the 320-mm FOV images, the 2048 matrix had the highest resolution and was significantly better than the 1024 matrix in terms of overall quality, solid nodule, ground-glass opacity, emphysema, intralobular reticulation, honeycombing, and clarity of vessels (P < .05). Both the 2048 and 1024 matrices performed significantly better than the 512 matrix (P < .001), except for noise and streak artifact. The visual and quantitative noise decreased significantly in the order of 512, 1024, and 2048 (P < .001). In U-HRCT scans, a large matrix size maintained the spatial resolution and improved the image quality and assessment of lung diseases, despite an increase in image noise, when compared to a 512 matrix size. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of downscaled, gridded climate data for the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robert J. Behnke,; Stephen J. Vavrus,; Andrew Allstadt,; Thomas P. Albright,; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Volker C. Radeloff,

2016-01-01

Weather and climate affect many ecological processes, making spatially continuous yet fine-resolution weather data desirable for ecological research and predictions. Numerous downscaled weather data sets exist, but little attempt has been made to evaluate them systematically. Here we address this shortcoming by focusing on four major questions: (1) How accurate are downscaled, gridded climate data sets in terms of temperature and precipitation estimates?, (2) Are there significant regional differences in accuracy among data sets?, (3) How accurate are their mean values compared with extremes?, and (4) Does their accuracy depend on spatial resolution? We compared eight widely used downscaled data sets that provide gridded daily weather data for recent decades across the United States. We found considerable differences among data sets and between downscaled and weather station data. Temperature is represented more accurately than precipitation, and climate averages are more accurate than weather extremes. The data set exhibiting the best agreement with station data varies among ecoregions. Surprisingly, the accuracy of the data sets does not depend on spatial resolution. Although some inherent differences among data sets and weather station data are to be expected, our findings highlight how much different interpolation methods affect downscaled weather data, even for local comparisons with nearby weather stations located inside a grid cell. More broadly, our results highlight the need for careful consideration among different available data sets in terms of which variables they describe best, where they perform best, and their resolution, when selecting a downscaled weather data set for a given ecological application.

Evaluation of computational endomicroscopy architectures for minimally-invasive optical biopsy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumas, John P.; Lodhi, Muhammad A.; Bajwa, Waheed U.; Pierce, Mark C.

2017-02-01

We are investigating compressive sensing architectures for applications in endomicroscopy, where the narrow diameter probes required for tissue access can limit the achievable spatial resolution. We hypothesize that the compressive sensing framework can be used to overcome the fundamental pixel number limitation in fiber-bundle based endomicroscopy by reconstructing images with more resolvable points than fibers in the bundle. An experimental test platform was assembled to evaluate and compare two candidate architectures, based on introducing a coded amplitude mask at either a conjugate image or Fourier plane within the optical system. The benchtop platform consists of a common illumination and object path followed by separate imaging arms for each compressive architecture. The imaging arms contain a digital micromirror device (DMD) as a reprogrammable mask, with a CCD camera for image acquisition. One arm has the DMD positioned at a conjugate image plane ("IP arm"), while the other arm has the DMD positioned at a Fourier plane ("FP arm"). Lenses were selected and positioned within each arm to achieve an element-to-pixel ratio of 16 (230,400 mask elements mapped onto 14,400 camera pixels). We discuss our mathematical model for each system arm and outline the importance of accounting for system non-idealities. Reconstruction of a 1951 USAF resolution target using optimization-based compressive sensing algorithms produced images with higher spatial resolution than bicubic interpolation for both system arms when system non-idealities are included in the model. Furthermore, images generated with image plane coding appear to exhibit higher spatial resolution, but more noise, than images acquired through Fourier plane coding.

Requirements Engineering for inter-organizational health information systems with functions for spatial analyses: modeling a WHO safe community applying Use Case Maps.

PubMed

Olvingson, C; Hallberg, N; Timpka, T; Lindqvist, K

2002-01-01

To evaluate Use Case Maps (UCMs) as a technique for Requirements Engineering (RE) in the development of information systems with functions for spatial analyses in inter-organizational public health settings. In this study, Participatory Action Research (PAR) is used to explore the UCM notation for requirements elicitation and to gather the opinions of the users. The Delphi technique is used to reach consensus in the construction of UCMs. The results show that UCMs can provide a visualization of the system's functionality and in combination with PAR provide a sound basis for gathering requirements in inter-organizational settings. UCMs were found to represent a suitable level for describing the organization and the dynamic flux of information including spatial resolution to all stakeholders. Moreover, by using PAR, the voices of the users and their tacit knowledge is intercepted. Further, UCMs are found useful in generating intuitive requirements by the creation of use cases. With UCMs and PAR it is possible to study the effects of design changes in the general information display and the spatial resolution in the same context. Both requirements on the information system in general and the functions for spatial analyses are possible to elicit when identifying the different responsibilities and the demands on spatial resolution associated to the actions of each administrative unit. However, the development process of UCM is not well documented and needs further investigation and formulation of guidelines.

Evaluating Crop Area Mapping from MODIS Time-Series as an Assessment Tool for Zimbabwe’s “Fast Track Land Reform Programme”

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data forms the basis for numerous land use and land cover (LULC) mapping and analysis frameworks at regional scale. Compared to other satellite sensors, the spatial, temporal and spectral specifications of MODIS are considered as highly suitable for LULC classifications which support many different aspects of social, environmental and developmental research. The LULC mapping of this study was carried out in the context of the development of an evaluation approach for Zimbabwe’s land reform program. Within the discourse about the success of this program, a lack of spatially explicit methods to produce objective data, such as on the extent of agricultural area, is apparent. We therefore assessed the suitability of moderate spatial and high temporal resolution imagery and phenological parameters to retrieve regional figures about the extent of cropland area in former freehold tenure in a series of 13 years from 2001–2013. Time-series data was processed with TIMESAT and was stratified according to agro-ecological potential zoning of Zimbabwe. Random Forest (RF) classifications were used to produce annual binary crop/non crop maps which were evaluated with high spatial resolution data from other satellite sensors. We assessed the cropland products in former freehold tenure in terms of classification accuracy, inter-annual comparability and heterogeneity. Although general LULC patterns were depicted in classification results and an overall accuracy of over 80% was achieved, user accuracies for rainfed agriculture were limited to below 65%. We conclude that phenological analysis has to be treated with caution when rainfed agriculture and grassland in semi-humid tropical regions have to be separated based on MODIS spectral data and phenological parameters. Because classification results significantly underestimate redistributed commercial farmland in Zimbabwe, we argue that the method cannot be used to produce spatial information on land-use which could be linked to tenure change. Hence capabilities of moderate resolution data are limited to assess Zimbabwe’s land reform. To make use of the unquestionable potential of MODIS time-series analysis, we propose an analysis of plant productivity which allows to link annual growth and production of vegetation to ownership after Zimbabwe’s land reform. PMID:27253327

High resolution CsI(Tl)/Si-PIN detector development for breast imaging

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

Patt, B.E.; Iwanczyk, J.S.; Tull, C.R.

High resolution multi-element (8x8) imaging arrays with collimators, size matched to discrete CsI(Tl) scintillator arrays and Si-PIN photodetector arrays (PDA`s) were developed as prototypes for larger arrays for breast imaging. Photodetector pixels were each 1.5 {times} 1.5 mm{sup 2} with 0.25 mm gaps. A 16-element quadrant of the detector was evaluated with a segmented CsI(Tl) scintillator array coupled to the silicon array. The scintillator thickness of 6 mm corresponds to >85% total gamma efficiency at 140 keV. Pixel energy resolution of <8% FWHM was obtained for Tc-99m. Electronic noise was 41 e{sup {minus}} RMS corresponding to a 3% FWHM contributionmore » to the 140 keV photopeak. Detection efficiency uniformity measured with a Tc-99m flood source was 4.3% for an {approximately}10% energy photopeak window. Spatial resolution was 1.53 mm FWHM and pitch was 1.75 mm as measured from the Co-57 (122 keV) line spread function. Signal to background was 34 and contrast was 0.94. The energy resolution and spatial characteristics of the new imaging detector exceed those of other scintillator based imaging detectors. A camera based on this technology will allow: (1) Improved Compton scatter rejection; (2) Detector positioning in close proximity to the breast to increase signal to noise; (3) Improved spatial resolution; and (4) Improved efficiency compared to high resolution collimated gamma cameras for the anticipated compressed breast geometries.« less

Simulation of Population-Based Commuter Exposure to NO2 Using Different Air Pollution Models

PubMed Central

Ragettli, Martina S.; Tsai, Ming-Yi; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte; de Nazelle, Audrey; Schindler, Christian; Ineichen, Alex; Ducret-Stich, Regina E.; Perez, Laura; Probst-Hensch, Nicole; Künzli, Nino; Phuleria, Harish C.

2014-01-01

We simulated commuter routes and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution during commute in a representative population sample in Basel (Switzerland), and evaluated three air pollution models with different spatial resolution for estimating commute exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a marker of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Our approach includes spatially and temporally resolved data on actual commuter routes, travel modes and three air pollution models. Annual mean NO2 commuter exposures were similar between models. However, we found more within-city and within-subject variability in annual mean (±SD) NO2 commuter exposure with a high resolution dispersion model (40 ± 7 µg m−3, range: 21–61) than with a dispersion model with a lower resolution (39 ± 5 µg m−3; range: 24–51), and a land use regression model (41 ± 5 µg m−3; range: 24–54). Highest median cumulative exposures were calculated along motorized transport and bicycle routes, and the lowest for walking. For estimating commuter exposure within a city and being interested also in small-scale variability between roads, a model with a high resolution is recommended. For larger scale epidemiological health assessment studies, models with a coarser spatial resolution are likely sufficient, especially when study areas include suburban and rural areas. PMID:24823664

Additional studies of forest classification accuracy as influenced by multispectral scanner spatial resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadowski, F. E.; Sarno, J. E.

1976-01-01

First, an analysis of forest feature signatures was used to help explain the large variation in classification accuracy that can occur among individual forest features for any one case of spatial resolution and the inconsistent changes in classification accuracy that were demonstrated among features as spatial resolution was degraded. Second, the classification rejection threshold was varied in an effort to reduce the large proportion of unclassified resolution elements that previously appeared in the processing of coarse resolution data when a constant rejection threshold was used for all cases of spatial resolution. For the signature analysis, two-channel ellipse plots showing the feature signature distributions for several cases of spatial resolution indicated that the capability of signatures to correctly identify their respective features is dependent on the amount of statistical overlap among signatures. Reductions in signature variance that occur in data of degraded spatial resolution may not necessarily decrease the amount of statistical overlap among signatures having large variance and small mean separations. Features classified by such signatures may thus continue to have similar amounts of misclassified elements in coarser resolution data, and thus, not necessarily improve in classification accuracy.

Development and validation of a short-lag spatial coherence theory for photoacoustic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Michelle T.; Lediju Bell, Muyinatu A.

2018-02-01

We previously derived spatial coherence theory to be implemented for studying theoretical properties of ShortLag Spatial Coherence (SLSC) beamforming applied to photoacoustic images. In this paper, our newly derived theoretical equation is evaluated to generate SLSC images of a point target and a 1.2 mm diameter target and corresponding lateral profiles. We compared SLSC images simulated solely based on our theory to SLSC images created after beamforming acoustic channel data from k-Wave simulations of 1.2 mm-diameter disc target. This process was repeated for a point target and the full width at half the maximum signal amplitudes were measured to estimate the resolution of each imaging system. Resolution as a function of lag was comparable for the first 10% of the receive aperture (i.e., the short-lag region), after which resolution measurements diverged by a maximum of 1 mm between the two types of simulated images. These results indicate the potential for both simulation methods to be utilized as independent resources to study coherence-based photoacoustic beamformers when imaging point-like targets.

Performance evaluation of a compact PET/SPECT/CT tri-modality system for small animal imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qingyang; Wang, Shi; Ma, Tianyu; Wu, Jing; Liu, Hui; Xu, Tianpeng; Xia, Yan; Fan, Peng; Lyu, Zhenlei; Liu, Yaqiang

2015-06-01

PET, SPECT and CT imaging techniques are widely used in preclinical small animal imaging applications. In this paper, we present a compact small animal PET/SPECT/CT tri-modality system. A dual-functional, shared detector design is implemented which enables PET and SPECT imaging with a same LYSO ring detector. A multi-pinhole collimator is mounted on the system and inserted into the detector ring in SPECT imaging mode. A cone-beam CT consisting of a micro focus X-ray tube and a CMOS detector is implemented. The detailed design and the performance evaluations are reported in this paper. In PET imaging mode, the measured NEMA based spatial resolution is 2.12 mm (FWHM), and the sensitivity at the central field of view (CFOV) is 3.2%. The FOV size is 50 mm (∅)×100 mm (L). The SPECT has a spatial resolution of 1.32 mm (FWHM) and an average sensitivity of 0.031% at the center axial, and a 30 mm (∅)×90 mm (L) FOV. The CT spatial resolution is 8.32 lp/mm @10%MTF, and the contrast discrimination function value is 2.06% with 1.5 mm size cubic box object. In conclusion, a compact, tri-modality PET/SPECT/CT system was successfully built with low cost and high performance.

Handling Different Spatial Resolutions in Image Fusion by Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares for Incomplete Image Multisets.

PubMed

Piqueras, Sara; Bedia, Carmen; Beleites, Claudia; Krafft, Christoph; Popp, Jürgen; Maeder, Marcel; Tauler, Romà; de Juan, Anna

2018-06-05

Data fusion of different imaging techniques allows a comprehensive description of chemical and biological systems. Yet, joining images acquired with different spectroscopic platforms is complex because of the different sample orientation and image spatial resolution. Whereas matching sample orientation is often solved by performing suitable affine transformations of rotation, translation, and scaling among images, the main difficulty in image fusion is preserving the spatial detail of the highest spatial resolution image during multitechnique image analysis. In this work, a special variant of the unmixing algorithm Multivariate Curve Resolution Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) for incomplete multisets is proposed to provide a solution for this kind of problem. This algorithm allows analyzing simultaneously images collected with different spectroscopic platforms without losing spatial resolution and ensuring spatial coherence among the images treated. The incomplete multiset structure concatenates images of the two platforms at the lowest spatial resolution with the image acquired with the highest spatial resolution. As a result, the constituents of the sample analyzed are defined by a single set of distribution maps, common to all platforms used and with the highest spatial resolution, and their related extended spectral signatures, covering the signals provided by each of the fused techniques. We demonstrate the potential of the new variant of MCR-ALS for multitechnique analysis on three case studies: (i) a model example of MIR and Raman images of pharmaceutical mixture, (ii) FT-IR and Raman images of palatine tonsil tissue, and (iii) mass spectrometry and Raman images of bean tissue.

Initial evaluation of the Celesteion large-bore PET/CT scanner in accordance with the NEMA NU2-2012 standard and the Japanese guideline for oncology FDG PET/CT data acquisition protocol version 2.0.

PubMed

Kaneta, Tomohiro; Ogawa, Matsuyoshi; Motomura, Nobutoku; Iizuka, Hitoshi; Arisawa, Tetsu; Hino-Shishikura, Ayako; Yoshida, Keisuke; Inoue, Tomio

2017-10-11

The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Celesteion positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner, which is characterized by a large-bore and time-of-flight (TOF) function, in accordance with the NEMA NU-2 2012 standard and version 2.0 of the Japanese guideline for oncology fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT data acquisition protocol. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate characteristic, scatter fraction, energy resolution, TOF timing resolution, and image quality were evaluated according to the NEMA NU-2 2012 standard. Phantom experiments were performed using 18 F-solution and an IEC body phantom of the type described in the NEMA NU-2 2012 standard. The minimum scanning time required for the detection of a 10-mm hot sphere with a 4:1 target-to-background ratio, the phantom noise equivalent count (NEC phantom ), % background variability (N 10mm ), % contrast (Q H,10mm ), and recovery coefficient (RC) were calculated according to the Japanese guideline. The measured spatial resolution ranged from 4.5- to 5-mm full width at half maximum (FWHM). The sensitivity and scatter fraction were 3.8 cps/kBq and 37.3%, respectively. The peak noise-equivalent count rate was 70 kcps in the presence of 29.6 kBq mL -1 in the phantom. The system energy resolution was 12.4% and the TOF timing resolution was 411 ps at FWHM. Minimum scanning times of 2, 7, 6, and 2 min per bed position, respectively, are recommended for visual score, noise-equivalent count (NEC) phantom , N 10mm , and the Q H,10mm to N 10mm ratio (QNR) by the Japanese guideline. The RC of a 10-mm-diameter sphere was 0.49, which exceeded the minimum recommended value. The Celesteion large-bore PET/CT system had low sensitivity and NEC, but good spatial and time resolution when compared to other PET/CT scanners. The QNR met the recommended values of the Japanese guideline even at 2 min. The Celesteion is therefore thought to provide acceptable image quality with 2 min/bed position acquisition, which is the most common scan protocol in Japan.

Performance Evaluation of the Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Array Radiometer (GeoSTAR) Demonstrator Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, Alan B.; Wilson, William J.; Lambrigsten, Bjorn H.; Dinardo, Steven J.; Brown, Shannon T.; Kangaslahti, Pekka P.; Gaier, Todd C.; Ruf, C. S.; Gross, S. M.; Lim, B. H.;

Assessing the Resolution Adaptability of the Zhang-McFarlane Cumulus Parameterization With Spatial and Temporal Averaging: RESOLUTION ADAPTABILITY OF ZM SCHEME

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

Yun, Yuxing; Fan, Jiwen; Xiao, Heng

Realistic modeling of cumulus convection at fine model resolutions (a few to a few tens of km) is problematic since it requires the cumulus scheme to adapt to higher resolution than they were originally designed for (~100 km). To solve this problem, we implement the spatial averaging method proposed in Xiao et al. (2015) and also propose a temporal averaging method for the large-scale convective available potential energy (CAPE) tendency in the Zhang-McFarlane (ZM) cumulus parameterization. The resolution adaptability of the original ZM scheme, the scheme with spatial averaging, and the scheme with both spatial and temporal averaging at 4-32more » km resolution is assessed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, by comparing with Cloud Resolving Model (CRM) results. We find that the original ZM scheme has very poor resolution adaptability, with sub-grid convective transport and precipitation increasing significantly as the resolution increases. The spatial averaging method improves the resolution adaptability of the ZM scheme and better conserves the total transport of moist static energy and total precipitation. With the temporal averaging method, the resolution adaptability of the scheme is further improved, with sub-grid convective precipitation becoming smaller than resolved precipitation for resolution higher than 8 km, which is consistent with the results from the CRM simulation. Both the spatial distribution and time series of precipitation are improved with the spatial and temporal averaging methods. The results may be helpful for developing resolution adaptability for other cumulus parameterizations that are based on quasi-equilibrium assumption.« less

A new approach to large area microchannel plate manufacture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Methods of manufacture of twisted single elements as the base for producing microchannel plates (MCP) are discussed. Initial evaluations validated the off-axis channel concept and no technological roadblocks were identified which would prevent fabrication of high gain, high spatial resolution, large format MCP's using this technique. The first MP's have operated at stable gains of 3 million with pulse height resolution superior to results obtained by standard chevron MCP's.

High spatial resolution passive microwave sounding systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staelin, D. H.; Rosenkranz, P. W.; Bonanni, P. G.; Gasiewski, A. W.

1986-01-01

Two extensive series of flights aboard the ER-2 aircraft were conducted with the MIT 118 GHz imaging spectrometer together with a 53.6 GHz nadir channel and a TV camera record of the mission. Other microwave sensors, including a 183 GHz imaging spectrometer were flown simultaneously by other research groups. Work also continued on evaluating the impact of high-resolution passive microwave soundings upon numerical weather prediction models.

Achieving high spatial resolution using a microchannel plate detector with an economic and scalable approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiggins, B. B.; deSouza, Z. O.; Vadas, J.; Alexander, A.; Hudan, S.; deSouza, R. T.

2017-11-01

A second generation position-sensitive microchannel plate detector using the induced signal approach has been realized. This detector is presently capable of measuring the incident position of electrons, photons, or ions. To assess the spatial resolution, the masked detector was illuminated by electrons. The initial, measured spatial resolution of 276 μm FWHM was improved by requiring a minimum signal amplitude on the anode and by employing digital signal processing techniques. The resulting measured spatial resolution of 119 μm FWHM corresponds to an intrinsic resolution of 98 μm FWHM when the effect of the finite slit width is de-convoluted. This measurement is a substantial improvement from the last reported spatial resolution of 466 μm FWHM using the induced signal approach. To understand the factors that limit the measured resolution, the performance of the detector is simulated.

Statistical model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in clinical CT systems. Part II. Experimental assessment of spatial resolution performance.

PubMed

Li, Ke; Garrett, John; Ge, Yongshuai; Chen, Guang-Hong

2014-07-01

Statistical model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) methods have been introduced to clinical CT systems and are being used in some clinical diagnostic applications. The purpose of this paper is to experimentally assess the unique spatial resolution characteristics of this nonlinear reconstruction method and identify its potential impact on the detectabilities and the associated radiation dose levels for specific imaging tasks. The thoracic section of a pediatric phantom was repeatedly scanned 50 or 100 times using a 64-slice clinical CT scanner at four different dose levels [CTDIvol =4, 8, 12, 16 (mGy)]. Both filtered backprojection (FBP) and MBIR (Veo(®), GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) were used for image reconstruction and results were compared with one another. Eight test objects in the phantom with contrast levels ranging from 13 to 1710 HU were used to assess spatial resolution. The axial spatial resolution was quantified with the point spread function (PSF), while the z resolution was quantified with the slice sensitivity profile. Both were measured locally on the test objects and in the image domain. The dependence of spatial resolution on contrast and dose levels was studied. The study also features a systematic investigation of the potential trade-off between spatial resolution and locally defined noise and their joint impact on the overall image quality, which was quantified by the image domain-based channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) detectability index d'. (1) The axial spatial resolution of MBIR depends on both radiation dose level and image contrast level, whereas it is supposedly independent of these two factors in FBP. The axial spatial resolution of MBIR always improved with an increasing radiation dose level and/or contrast level. (2) The axial spatial resolution of MBIR became equivalent to that of FBP at some transitional contrast level, above which MBIR demonstrated superior spatial resolution than FBP (and vice versa); the value of this transitional contrast highly depended on the dose level. (3) The PSFs of MBIR could be approximated as Gaussian functions with reasonably good accuracy. (4) Thez resolution of MBIR showed similar contrast and dose dependence. (5) Noise standard deviation assessed on the edges of objects demonstrated a trade-off with spatial resolution in MBIR. (5) When both spatial resolution and image noise were considered using the CHO analysis, MBIR led to significant improvement in the overall CT image quality for both high and low contrast detection tasks at both standard and low dose levels. Due to the intrinsic nonlinearity of the MBIR method, many well-known CT spatial resolution and noise properties have been modified. In particular, dose dependence and contrast dependence have been introduced to the spatial resolution of CT images by MBIR. The method has also introduced some novel noise-resolution trade-off not seen in traditional CT images. While the benefits of MBIR regarding the overall image quality, as demonstrated in this work, are significant, the optimal use of this method in clinical practice demands a thorough understanding of its unique physical characteristics.

Remote sensing in support of high-resolution terrestrial carbon monitoring and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtt, G. C.; Zhao, M.; Dubayah, R.; Huang, C.; Swatantran, A.; ONeil-Dunne, J.; Johnson, K. D.; Birdsey, R.; Fisk, J.; Flanagan, S.; Sahajpal, R.; Huang, W.; Tang, H.; Armstrong, A. H.

2014-12-01

As part of its Phase 1 Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) activities, NASA initiated a Local-Scale Biomass Pilot study. The goals of the pilot study were to develop protocols for fusing high-resolution remotely sensed observations with field data, provide accurate validation test areas for the continental-scale biomass product, and demonstrate efficacy for prognostic terrestrial ecosystem modeling. In Phase 2, this effort was expanded to the state scale. Here, we present results of this activity focusing on the use of remote sensing in high-resolution ecosystem modeling. The Ecosystem Demography (ED) model was implemented at 90 m spatial resolution for the entire state of Maryland. We rasterized soil depth and soil texture data from SSURGO. For hourly meteorological data, we spatially interpolated 32-km 3-hourly NARR into 1-km hourly and further corrected them at monthly level using PRISM data. NLCD data were used to mask sand, seashore, and wetland. High-resolution 1 m forest/non-forest mapping was used to define forest fraction of 90 m cells. Three alternative strategies were evaluated for initialization of forest structure using high-resolution lidar, and the model was used to calculate statewide estimates of forest biomass, carbon sequestration potential, time to reach sequestration potential, and sensitivity to future forest growth and disturbance rates, all at 90 m resolution. To our knowledge, no dynamic ecosystem model has been run at such high spatial resolution over such large areas utilizing remote sensing and validated as extensively. There are over 3 million 90 m land cells in Maryland, greater than 43 times the ~73,000 half-degree cells in a state-of-the-art global land model.

Spatial Representativeness Error in the Ground-Level Observation Networks for Black Carbon Radiation Absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Rong; Andrews, Elisabeth; Balkanski, Yves; Boucher, Olivier; Myhre, Gunnar; Samset, Bjørn Hallvard; Schulz, Michael; Schuster, Gregory L.; Valari, Myrto; Tao, Shu

2018-02-01

There is high uncertainty in the direct radiative forcing of black carbon (BC), an aerosol that strongly absorbs solar radiation. The observation-constrained estimate, which is several times larger than the bottom-up estimate, is influenced by the spatial representativeness error due to the mesoscale inhomogeneity of the aerosol fields and the relatively low resolution of global chemistry-transport models. Here we evaluated the spatial representativeness error for two widely used observational networks (AErosol RObotic NETwork and Global Atmosphere Watch) by downscaling the geospatial grid in a global model of BC aerosol absorption optical depth to 0.1° × 0.1°. Comparing the models at a spatial resolution of 2° × 2° with BC aerosol absorption at AErosol RObotic NETwork sites (which are commonly located near emission hot spots) tends to cause a global spatial representativeness error of 30%, as a positive bias for the current top-down estimate of global BC direct radiative forcing. By contrast, the global spatial representativeness error will be 7% for the Global Atmosphere Watch network, because the sites are located in such a way that there are almost an equal number of sites with positive or negative representativeness error.

High resolution Cerenkov light imaging of induced positron distribution in proton therapy

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

Yamamoto, Seiichi, E-mail: s-yama@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Fujii, Kento; Morishita, Yuki

2014-11-01

Purpose: In proton therapy, imaging of the positron distribution produced by fragmentation during or soon after proton irradiation is a useful method to monitor the proton range. Although positron emission tomography (PET) is typically used for this imaging, its spatial resolution is limited. Cerenkov light imaging is a new molecular imaging technology that detects the visible photons that are produced from high-speed electrons using a high sensitivity optical camera. Because its inherent spatial resolution is much higher than PET, the authors can measure more precise information of the proton-induced positron distribution with Cerenkov light imaging technology. For this purpose, theymore » conducted Cerenkov light imaging of induced positron distribution in proton therapy. Methods: First, the authors evaluated the spatial resolution of our Cerenkov light imaging system with a {sup 22}Na point source for the actual imaging setup. Then the transparent acrylic phantoms (100 × 100 × 100 mm{sup 3}) were irradiated with two different proton energies using a spot scanning proton therapy system. Cerenkov light imaging of each phantom was conducted using a high sensitivity electron multiplied charge coupled device (EM-CCD) camera. Results: The Cerenkov light’s spatial resolution for the setup was 0.76 ± 0.6 mm FWHM. They obtained high resolution Cerenkov light images of the positron distributions in the phantoms for two different proton energies and made fused images of the reference images and the Cerenkov light images. The depths of the positron distribution in the phantoms from the Cerenkov light images were almost identical to the simulation results. The decay curves derived from the region-of-interests (ROIs) set on the Cerenkov light images revealed that Cerenkov light images can be used for estimating the half-life of the radionuclide components of positrons. Conclusions: High resolution Cerenkov light imaging of proton-induced positron distribution was possible. The authors conclude that Cerenkov light imaging of proton-induced positron is promising for proton therapy.« less

a Spiral-Based Downscaling Method for Generating 30 M Time Series Image Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, B.; Chen, J.; Xing, H.; Wu, H.; Zhang, J.

2017-09-01

The spatial detail and updating frequency of land cover data are important factors influencing land surface dynamic monitoring applications in high spatial resolution scale. However, the fragmentized patches and seasonal variable of some land cover types (e. g. small crop field, wetland) make it labor-intensive and difficult in the generation of land cover data. Utilizing the high spatial resolution multi-temporal image data is a possible solution. Unfortunately, the spatial and temporal resolution of available remote sensing data like Landsat or MODIS datasets can hardly satisfy the minimum mapping unit and frequency of current land cover mapping / updating at the same time. The generation of high resolution time series may be a compromise to cover the shortage in land cover updating process. One of popular way is to downscale multi-temporal MODIS data with other high spatial resolution auxiliary data like Landsat. But the usual manner of downscaling pixel based on a window may lead to the underdetermined problem in heterogeneous area, result in the uncertainty of some high spatial resolution pixels. Therefore, the downscaled multi-temporal data can hardly reach high spatial resolution as Landsat data. A spiral based method was introduced to downscale low spatial and high temporal resolution image data to high spatial and high temporal resolution image data. By the way of searching the similar pixels around the adjacent region based on the spiral, the pixel set was made up in the adjacent region pixel by pixel. The underdetermined problem is prevented to a large extent from solving the linear system when adopting the pixel set constructed. With the help of ordinary least squares, the method inverted the endmember values of linear system. The high spatial resolution image was reconstructed on the basis of high spatial resolution class map and the endmember values band by band. Then, the high spatial resolution time series was formed with these high spatial resolution images image by image. Simulated experiment and remote sensing image downscaling experiment were conducted. In simulated experiment, the 30 meters class map dataset Globeland30 was adopted to investigate the effect on avoid the underdetermined problem in downscaling procedure and a comparison between spiral and window was conducted. Further, the MODIS NDVI and Landsat image data was adopted to generate the 30m time series NDVI in remote sensing image downscaling experiment. Simulated experiment results showed that the proposed method had a robust performance in downscaling pixel in heterogeneous region and indicated that it was superior to the traditional window-based methods. The high resolution time series generated may be a benefit to the mapping and updating of land cover data.

Hydrologic Implications of Dynamical and Statistical Approaches to Downscaling Climate Model Outputs

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

Wood, Andrew W; Leung, Lai R; Sridhar, V

Six approaches for downscaling climate model outputs for use in hydrologic simulation were evaluated, with particular emphasis on each method's ability to produce precipitation and other variables used to drive a macroscale hydrology model applied at much higher spatial resolution than the climate model. Comparisons were made on the basis of a twenty-year retrospective (1975–1995) climate simulation produced by the NCAR-DOE Parallel Climate Model (PCM), and the implications of the comparison for a future (2040–2060) PCM climate scenario were also explored. The six approaches were made up of three relatively simple statistical downscaling methods – linear interpolation (LI), spatial disaggregationmore » (SD), and bias-correction and spatial disaggregation (BCSD) – each applied to both PCM output directly (at T42 spatial resolution), and after dynamical downscaling via a Regional Climate Model (RCM – at ½-degree spatial resolution), for downscaling the climate model outputs to the 1/8-degree spatial resolution of the hydrological model. For the retrospective climate simulation, results were compared to an observed gridded climatology of temperature and precipitation, and gridded hydrologic variables resulting from forcing the hydrologic model with observations. The most significant findings are that the BCSD method was successful in reproducing the main features of the observed hydrometeorology from the retrospective climate simulation, when applied to both PCM and RCM outputs. Linear interpolation produced better results using RCM output than PCM output, but both methods (PCM-LI and RCM-LI) lead to unacceptably biased hydrologic simulations. Spatial disaggregation of the PCM output produced results similar to those achieved with the RCM interpolated output; nonetheless, neither PCM nor RCM output was useful for hydrologic simulation purposes without a bias-correction step. For the future climate scenario, only the BCSD-method (using PCM or RCM) was able to produce hydrologically plausible results. With the BCSD method, the RCM-derived hydrology was more sensitive to climate change than the PCM-derived hydrology.« less

Future VIIRS enhancements for the integrated polar-orbiting environmental satellite system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puschell, Jeffery J.; Silny, John; Cook, Lacy; Kim, Eugene

2010-08-01

The Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is the next-generation imaging spectroradiometer for the future operational polar-orbiting environmental satellite system. A successful Flight Unit 1 has been delivered and integrated onto the NPP spacecraft. The flexible VIIRS architecture can be adapted and enhanced to respond to a wide range of requirements and to incorporate new technology as it becomes available. This paper reports on recent design studies to evaluate building a MW-VLWIR dispersive hyperspectral module with active cooling into the existing VIIRS architecture. Performance of a two-grating VIIRS hyperspectral module was studied across a broad trade space defined primarily by spatial sampling, spectral range, spectral sampling interval, along-track field of view and integration time. The hyperspectral module studied here provides contiguous coverage across 3.9 - 15.5 μm with a spectral sampling interval of 10 nm or better, thereby extending VIIRS spectral range to the shortwave side of the 15.5 μm CO2 band and encompassing the 6.7 μm H2O band. Spatial sampling occurs at VIIRS I-band (~0.4 km at nadir) spatial resolution with aggregation to M-band (~0.8 km) and larger pixel sizes to improve sensitivity. Radiometric sensitivity (NEdT) at a spatial resolution of ~4 km is ~0.1 K or better for a 250 K scene across a wavelength range of 4.5 μm to 15.5 μm. The large number of high spectral and spatial resolution FOVs in this instrument improves chances for retrievals of information on the physical state and composition of the atmosphere all the way to the surface in cloudy regions relative to current systems. Spectral aggregation of spatial resolution measurements to MODIS and VIIRS multispectral bands would continue legacy measurements with better sensitivity in nearly all bands. Additional work is needed to optimize spatial sampling, spectral range and spectral sampling approaches for the hyperspectral module and to further refine this powerful imager concept.

Reporting of quantitative oxygen mapping in EPR imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, Sankaran; Devasahayam, Nallathamby; McMillan, Alan; Matsumoto, Shingo; Munasinghe, Jeeva P.; Saito, Keita; Mitchell, James B.; Chandramouli, Gadisetti V. R.; Krishna, Murali C.

2012-01-01

Oxygen maps derived from electron paramagnetic resonance spectral-spatial imaging (EPRI) are based upon the relaxivity of molecular oxygen with paramagnetic spin probes. This technique can be combined with MRI to facilitate mapping of pO 2 values in specific anatomic locations with high precision. The co-registration procedure, which matches the physical and digital dimensions of EPR and MR images, may present the pO 2 map at the higher MRI resolution, exaggerating the spatial resolution of oxygen, making it difficult to precisely distinguish hypoxic regions from normoxic regions. The latter distinction is critical in monitoring the treatment of cancer by radiation and chemotherapy, since it is well-established that hypoxic regions are three or four times more resistant to treatment compared to normoxic regions. The aim of this article is to describe pO 2 maps based on the intrinsic resolution of EPRI. A spectral parameter that affects the intrinsic spatial resolution of EPRI is the full width at half maximum (FWHM) height of the gradient-free EPR absorption line in frequency-encoded imaging. In single point imaging too, the transverse relaxation times (T2∗) limit the resolution since the signal decays by exp(-tp/T2∗) where the delay time after excitation pulse, t p, is related to the resolution. Although the spin densities of two point objects may be resolved at this separation, it is inadequate to evaluate quantitative changes of pO 2 levels since the linewidths are proportionately affected by pO 2. A spatial separation of at least twice this resolution is necessary to correctly identify a change in pO 2 level. In addition, the pO 2 values are blurred by uncertainties arising from spectral dimensions. Blurring due to noise and low resolution modulates the pO 2 levels at the boundaries of hypoxic and normoxic regions resulting in higher apparent pO 2 levels in hypoxic regions. Therefore, specification of intrinsic resolution and pO 2 uncertainties are necessary to interpret digitally processed pO 2 illustrations.

Improvement of Speckle Contrast Image Processing by an Efficient Algorithm.

PubMed

Steimers, A; Farnung, W; Kohl-Bareis, M

2016-01-01

We demonstrate an efficient algorithm for the temporal and spatial based calculation of speckle contrast for the imaging of blood flow by laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA). It reduces the numerical complexity of necessary calculations, facilitates a multi-core and many-core implementation of the speckle analysis and enables an independence of temporal or spatial resolution and SNR. The new algorithm was evaluated for both spatial and temporal based analysis of speckle patterns with different image sizes and amounts of recruited pixels as sequential, multi-core and many-core code.

Chromatic and Achromatic Spatial Resolution of Local Field Potentials in Awake Cortex.

PubMed

Jansen, Michael; Li, Xiaobing; Lashgari, Reza; Kremkow, Jens; Bereshpolova, Yulia; Swadlow, Harvey A; Zaidi, Qasim; Alonso, Jose-Manuel

2015-10-01

Local field potentials (LFPs) have become an important measure of neuronal population activity in the brain and could provide robust signals to guide the implant of visual cortical prosthesis in the future. However, it remains unclear whether LFPs can detect weak cortical responses (e.g., cortical responses to equiluminant color) and whether they have enough visual spatial resolution to distinguish different chromatic and achromatic stimulus patterns. By recording from awake behaving macaques in primary visual cortex, here we demonstrate that LFPs respond robustly to pure chromatic stimuli and exhibit ∼2.5 times lower spatial resolution for chromatic than achromatic stimulus patterns, a value that resembles the ratio of achromatic/chromatic resolution measured with psychophysical experiments in humans. We also show that, although the spatial resolution of LFP decays with visual eccentricity as is also the case for single neurons, LFPs have higher spatial resolution and show weaker response suppression to low spatial frequencies than spiking multiunit activity. These results indicate that LFP recordings are an excellent approach to measure spatial resolution from local populations of neurons in visual cortex including those responsive to color. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

The spatial resolution of silicon-based electron detectors in beta-autoradiography.

PubMed

Cabello, Jorge; Wells, Kevin

2010-03-21

Thin tissue autoradiography is an imaging modality where ex-vivo tissue sections are placed in direct contact with autoradiographic film. These tissue sections contain a radiolabelled ligand bound to a specific biomolecule under study. This radioligand emits beta - or beta+ particles ionizing silver halide crystals in the film. High spatial resolution autoradiograms are obtained using low energy radioisotopes, such as (3)H where an intrinsic 0.1-1 microm spatial resolution can be achieved. Several digital alternatives have been presented over the past few years to replace conventional film but their spatial resolution has yet to equal film, although silicon-based imaging technologies have demonstrated higher sensitivity compared to conventional film. It will be shown in this work how pixel size is a critical parameter for achieving high spatial resolution for low energy uncollimated beta imaging. In this work we also examine the confounding factors impeding silicon-based technologies with respect to spatial resolution. The study considers charge diffusion in silicon and detector noise, and this is applied to a range of radioisotopes typically used in autoradiography. Finally an optimal detector geometry to obtain the best possible spatial resolution for a specific technology and a specific radioisotope is suggested.

Fabrication of bright and thin Zn₂SiO₄ luminescent film for electron beam excitation-assisted optical microscope.

PubMed

Furukawa, Taichi; Kanamori, Satoshi; Fukuta, Masahiro; Nawa, Yasunori; Kominami, Hiroko; Nakanishi, Yoichiro; Sugita, Atsushi; Inami, Wataru; Kawata, Yoshimasa

2015-07-13

We fabricated a bright and thin Zn₂SiO₄ luminescent film to serve as a nanometric light source for high-spatial-resolution optical microscopy based on electron beam excitation. The Zn₂SiO₄ luminescent thin film was fabricated by annealing a ZnO film on a Si₃N₄ substrate at 1000 °C in N₂. The annealed film emitted bright cathodoluminescence compared with the as-deposited film. The film is promising for nano-imaging with electron beam excitation-assisted optical microscopy. We evaluated the spatial resolution of a microscope developed using this Zn₂SiO₄ luminescent thin film. This is the first report of the investigation and application of ZnO/Si₃N₄ annealed at a high temperature (1000 °C). The fabricated Zn₂SiO₄ film is expected to enable high-frame-rate dynamic observation with ultra-high resolution using our electron beam excitation-assisted optical microscopy.

Combining High Spatial Resolution Optical and LIDAR Data for Object-Based Image Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, R.; Zhang, T.; Geng, R.; Wang, L.

2018-04-01

In order to classify high spatial resolution images more accurately, in this research, a hierarchical rule-based object-based classification framework was developed based on a high-resolution image with airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. The eCognition software is employed to conduct the whole process. In detail, firstly, the FBSP optimizer (Fuzzy-based Segmentation Parameter) is used to obtain the optimal scale parameters for different land cover types. Then, using the segmented regions as basic units, the classification rules for various land cover types are established according to the spectral, morphological and texture features extracted from the optical images, and the height feature from LiDAR respectively. Thirdly, the object classification results are evaluated by using the confusion matrix, overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients. As a result, a method using the combination of an aerial image and the airborne Lidar data shows higher accuracy.

Optimal arrangements of fiber optic probes to enhance the spatial resolution in depth for 3D reflectance diffuse optical tomography with time-resolved measurements performed with fast-gated single-photon avalanche diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puszka, Agathe; Di Sieno, Laura; Dalla Mora, Alberto; Pifferi, Antonio; Contini, Davide; Boso, Gianluca; Tosi, Alberto; Hervé, Lionel; Planat-Chrétien, Anne; Koenig, Anne; Dinten, Jean-Marc

2014-02-01

Fiber optic probes with a width limited to a few centimeters can enable diffuse optical tomography (DOT) in intern organs like the prostate or facilitate the measurements on extern organs like the breast or the brain. We have recently shown on 2D tomographic images that time-resolved measurements with a large dynamic range obtained with fast-gated single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) could push forward the imaged depth range in a diffusive medium at short source-detector separation compared with conventional non-gated approaches. In this work, we confirm these performances with the first 3D tomographic images reconstructed with such a setup and processed with the Mellin- Laplace transform. More precisely, we investigate the performance of hand-held probes with short interfiber distances in terms of spatial resolution and specifically demonstrate the interest of having a compact probe design featuring small source-detector separations. We compare the spatial resolution obtained with two probes having the same design but different scale factors, the first one featuring only interfiber distances of 15 mm and the second one, 10 mm. We evaluate experimentally the spatial resolution obtained with each probe on the setup with fast-gated SPADs for optical phantoms featuring two absorbing inclusions positioned at different depths and conclude on the potential of short source-detector separations for DOT.

Extrapolating active layer thickness measurements across Arctic polygonal terrain using LiDAR and NDVI data sets.

PubMed

Gangodagamage, Chandana; Rowland, Joel C; Hubbard, Susan S; Brumby, Steven P; Liljedahl, Anna K; Wainwright, Haruko; Wilson, Cathy J; Altmann, Garrett L; Dafflon, Baptiste; Peterson, John; Ulrich, Craig; Tweedie, Craig E; Wullschleger, Stan D

2014-08-01

Landscape attributes that vary with microtopography, such as active layer thickness ( ALT ), are labor intensive and difficult to document effectively through in situ methods at kilometer spatial extents, thus rendering remotely sensed methods desirable. Spatially explicit estimates of ALT can provide critically needed data for parameterization, initialization, and evaluation of Arctic terrestrial models. In this work, we demonstrate a new approach using high-resolution remotely sensed data for estimating centimeter-scale ALT in a 5 km 2 area of ice-wedge polygon terrain in Barrow, Alaska. We use a simple regression-based, machine learning data-fusion algorithm that uses topographic and spectral metrics derived from multisensor data (LiDAR and WorldView-2) to estimate ALT (2 m spatial resolution) across the study area. Comparison of the ALT estimates with ground-based measurements, indicates the accuracy (r 2  = 0.76, RMSE ±4.4 cm) of the approach. While it is generally accepted that broad climatic variability associated with increasing air temperature will govern the regional averages of ALT , consistent with prior studies, our findings using high-resolution LiDAR and WorldView-2 data, show that smaller-scale variability in ALT is controlled by local eco-hydro-geomorphic factors. This work demonstrates a path forward for mapping ALT at high spatial resolution and across sufficiently large regions for improved understanding and predictions of coupled dynamics among permafrost, hydrology, and land-surface processes from readily available remote sensing data.

Using synchrotron radiation angiography with a highly sensitive detector to identify impaired peripheral perfusion in rat pulmonary emphysema

PubMed Central

Ito, Hiromichi; Matsushita, Shonosuke; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Sato, Yukio; Sakakibara, Yuzuru

2013-01-01

Owing to limitations in spatial resolution and sensitivity, it is difficult for conventional angiography to detect minute changes of perfusion in diffuse lung diseases, including pulmonary emphysema (PE). However, a high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) detector can give high sensitivity to synchrotron radiation (SR) angiography. SR angiography with a HARP detector provides high spatial resolution and sensitivity in addition to time resolution owing to its angiographic nature. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this SR angiography with a HARP detector could evaluate altered microcirculation in PE. Two groups of rats were used: group PE and group C (control). Transvenous SR angiography with a HARP detector was performed and histopathological findings were compared. Peak density of contrast material in peripheral lung was lower in group PE than group C (p < 0.01). The slope of the linear regression line in scattering diagrams was also lower in group PE than C (p < 0.05). The correlation between the slope and extent of PE in histopathology showed significant negative correlation (p < 0.05, r = 0.61). SR angiography with a HARP detector made it possible to identify impaired microcirculation in PE by means of its high spatial resolution and sensitivity. PMID:23412496

Evaluation of ERTS-1 image sensor spatial resolution in photographic form

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, P. N. (Principal Investigator); Schowengerdt, R. A.

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A coherent optical system was used to display the spatial frequency content of the amplitude image of one area of the ground as obtained in the four wavelength bands of the multispectral scanner. This enabled a rapid comparison to be made between the four bands, from which it was clear that bands 5 and 7 were preferred to the others in terms of image definition, and thus mapping and acreage estimation, for the particular agricultural area imaged. With suitable scaling it was also possible to compare the modulation, as a function of spatial frequency, of MSS bands 4 and 5 with the green (BB) and red (DD) bands of the same area from the Apollo 9, SO65 experiment. A significant result is that the modulation in the MSS amplitude imagery is 65%-90% of that in the Apollo 9 amplitude imagery. In addition, the ratio of spatial frequencies for the ERTS-1 and Apollo imagery, at which the same modulation occurs, lies between 0.55 and 0.75 for the red band. This ratio is closely related to the ratio of resolutions for the two sensors. These values corroborate statements that the resolution of the MSS imagery is better than anticipated by pre-flight predictions.

Spatial and temporal remote sensing data fusion for vegetation monitoring

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The suite of available remote sensing instruments varies widely in terms of sensor characteristics, spatial resolution and acquisition frequency. For example, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides daily global observations at 250m to 1km spatial resolution. While imagery...

Development of a large-area Multigap RPC with adequate spatial resolution for muon tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Wang, X.; Zeng, M.; Xie, B.; Han, D.; Lyu, P.; Wang, F.; Li, Y.

2016-11-01

We study the performance of a large-area 2-D Multigap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) designed for muon tomography with high spatial resolution. An efficiency up to 98% and a spatial resolution of around 270 μ m are obtained in cosmic ray and X-ray tests. The performance of the MRPC is also investigated for two working gases: standard gas and pure Freon. The result shows that the MRPC working in pure Freon can provide higher efficiency and better spatial resolution.

Thermal Physical Property-Based Fusion of Geostationary Meteorological Satellite Visible and Infrared Channel Images

PubMed Central

Han, Lei; Shi, Lu; Yang, Yiling; Song, Dalei

2014-01-01

Geostationary meteorological satellite infrared (IR) channel data contain important spectral information for meteorological research and applications, but their spatial resolution is relatively low. The objective of this study is to obtain higher-resolution IR images. One common method of increasing resolution fuses the IR data with high-resolution visible (VIS) channel data. However, most existing image fusion methods focus only on visual performance, and often fail to take into account the thermal physical properties of the IR images. As a result, spectral distortion occurs frequently. To tackle this problem, we propose a thermal physical properties-based correction method for fusing geostationary meteorological satellite IR and VIS images. In our two-step process, the high-resolution structural features of the VIS image are first extracted and incorporated into the IR image using regular multi-resolution fusion approach, such as the multiwavelet analysis. This step significantly increases the visual details in the IR image, but fake thermal information may be included. Next, the Stefan-Boltzmann Law is applied to correct the distortion, to retain or recover the thermal infrared nature of the fused image. The results of both the qualitative and quantitative evaluation demonstrate that the proposed physical correction method both improves the spatial resolution and preserves the infrared thermal properties. PMID:24919017

Thermal physical property-based fusion of geostationary meteorological satellite visible and infrared channel images.

PubMed

Han, Lei; Shi, Lu; Yang, Yiling; Song, Dalei

2014-06-10

Geostationary meteorological satellite infrared (IR) channel data contain important spectral information for meteorological research and applications, but their spatial resolution is relatively low. The objective of this study is to obtain higher-resolution IR images. One common method of increasing resolution fuses the IR data with high-resolution visible (VIS) channel data. However, most existing image fusion methods focus only on visual performance, and often fail to take into account the thermal physical properties of the IR images. As a result, spectral distortion occurs frequently. To tackle this problem, we propose a thermal physical properties-based correction method for fusing geostationary meteorological satellite IR and VIS images. In our two-step process, the high-resolution structural features of the VIS image are first extracted and incorporated into the IR image using regular multi-resolution fusion approach, such as the multiwavelet analysis. This step significantly increases the visual details in the IR image, but fake thermal information may be included. Next, the Stefan-Boltzmann Law is applied to correct the distortion, to retain or recover the thermal infrared nature of the fused image. The results of both the qualitative and quantitative evaluation demonstrate that the proposed physical correction method both improves the spatial resolution and preserves the infrared thermal properties.

Assessing resolution in live cell structured illumination microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pospíšil, Jakub; Fliegel, Karel; Klíma, Miloš

2017-12-01

Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) is a powerful super-resolution technique, which is able to enhance the resolution of optical microscope beyond the Abbe diffraction limit. In the last decade, numerous SIM methods that achieve the resolution of 100 nm in the lateral dimension have been developed. The SIM setups with new high-speed cameras and illumination pattern generators allow rapid acquisition of the live specimen. Therefore, SIM is widely used for investigation of the live structures in molecular and live cell biology. Quantitative evaluation of resolution enhancement in a real sample is essential to describe the efficiency of super-resolution microscopy technique. However, measuring the resolution of a live cell sample is a challenging task. Based on our experimental findings, the widely used Fourier ring correlation (FRC) method does not seem to be well suited for measuring the resolution of SIM live cell video sequences. Therefore, the resolution assessing methods based on Fourier spectrum analysis are often used. We introduce a measure based on circular average power spectral density (PSDca) estimated from a single SIM image (one video frame). PSDca describes the distribution of the power of a signal with respect to its spatial frequency. Spatial resolution corresponds to the cut-off frequency in Fourier space. In order to estimate the cut-off frequency from a noisy signal, we use a spectral subtraction method for noise suppression. In the future, this resolution assessment approach might prove useful also for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) live cell imaging.

PET performance and MRI compatibility evaluation of a digital, ToF-capable PET/MRI insert equipped with clinical scintillators.

PubMed

Schug, David; Wehner, Jakob; Dueppenbecker, Peter Michael; Weissler, Bjoern; Gebhardt, Pierre; Goldschmidt, Benjamin; Salomon, Andre; Kiessling, Fabian; Schulz, Volkmar

2015-09-21

We evaluate the MR compatibility of the Hyperion-II(D) positron emission tomography (PET) insert, which allows simultaneous operation in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. In contrast to previous investigations, this work aims at the evaluation of a clinical crystal configuration. An imaging-capable demonstrator with an axial field-of-view of 32 mm and a crystal-to-crystal spacing of 217.6 mm was equipped with LYSO scintillators with a pitch of 4 mm which were read out in a one-to-one coupling scheme by sensor tiles composed of digital silicon photomultipliers from Philips Digital Photon Counting (DPC 3200-22). The PET performance degradation (energy resolution and coincidence resolution time (CRT)) was evaluated during simultaneous operation of the MRI scanner. We used clinically motivated imaging sequences as well as synthetic gradient stress test sequences. Without activity of the MRI scanner, we measured for trigger scheme 1 (first photon trigger) an energy resolution of 11.4% and a CRT of 213 ps for a narrow energy (NE) window using five (22)Na point-like sources. When applying the synthetic gradient sequences, we found worst-case relative degradations of the energy resolution by 5.1% and of the CRT by 33.9%. After identifying the origin of the degradations and implementing a fix to the read-out hardware, the same evaluation revealed no degradation of the PET performance anymore even when the most demanding gradient stress tests were applied. The PET performance of the insert was initially evaluated using the point sources, a high-activity phantom and hot-rod phantoms in order to assess the spatial resolution. Trigger schemes 2-4 delivered an energy resolution of 11.4% as well and CRTs of 279 ps, 333 ps and 557 ps for the NE window, respectively. An isocenter sensitivity of 0.41% using the NE window and 0.71% with a wide energy window was measured. Using a hot-rod phantom, a spatial resolution in the order of 2 mm was demonstrated and the benefit of time-of-flight PET was shown with a larger rabbit-sized phantom. In conclusion, the Hyperion architecture is an interesting platform for clinically driven hybrid PET/MRI systems.

PET performance and MRI compatibility evaluation of a digital, ToF-capable PET/MRI insert equipped with clinical scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schug, David; Wehner, Jakob; Dueppenbecker, Peter Michael; Weissler, Bjoern; Gebhardt, Pierre; Goldschmidt, Benjamin; Salomon, Andre; Kiessling, Fabian; Schulz, Volkmar

2015-09-01

We evaluate the MR compatibility of the Hyperion-IID positron emission tomography (PET) insert, which allows simultaneous operation in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. In contrast to previous investigations, this work aims at the evaluation of a clinical crystal configuration. An imaging-capable demonstrator with an axial field-of-view of 32 mm and a crystal-to-crystal spacing of 217.6 mm was equipped with LYSO scintillators with a pitch of 4 mm which were read out in a one-to-one coupling scheme by sensor tiles composed of digital silicon photomultipliers from Philips Digital Photon Counting (DPC 3200-22). The PET performance degradation (energy resolution and coincidence resolution time (CRT)) was evaluated during simultaneous operation of the MRI scanner. We used clinically motivated imaging sequences as well as synthetic gradient stress test sequences. Without activity of the MRI scanner, we measured for trigger scheme 1 (first photon trigger) an energy resolution of 11.4% and a CRT of 213 ps for a narrow energy (NE) window using five 22Na point-like sources. When applying the synthetic gradient sequences, we found worst-case relative degradations of the energy resolution by 5.1% and of the CRT by 33.9%. After identifying the origin of the degradations and implementing a fix to the read-out hardware, the same evaluation revealed no degradation of the PET performance anymore even when the most demanding gradient stress tests were applied. The PET performance of the insert was initially evaluated using the point sources, a high-activity phantom and hot-rod phantoms in order to assess the spatial resolution. Trigger schemes 2-4 delivered an energy resolution of 11.4% as well and CRTs of 279 ps, 333 ps and 557 ps for the NE window, respectively. An isocenter sensitivity of 0.41% using the NE window and 0.71% with a wide energy window was measured. Using a hot-rod phantom, a spatial resolution in the order of 2 mm was demonstrated and the benefit of time-of-flight PET was shown with a larger rabbit-sized phantom. In conclusion, the Hyperion architecture is an interesting platform for clinically driven hybrid PET/MRI systems.

Land cover mapping at sub-pixel scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makido, Yasuyo Kato

One of the biggest drawbacks of land cover mapping from remotely sensed images relates to spatial resolution, which determines the level of spatial details depicted in an image. Fine spatial resolution images from satellite sensors such as IKONOS and QuickBird are now available. However, these images are not suitable for large-area studies, since a single image is very small and therefore it is costly for large area studies. Much research has focused on attempting to extract land cover types at sub-pixel scale, and little research has been conducted concerning the spatial allocation of land cover types within a pixel. This study is devoted to the development of new algorithms for predicting land cover distribution using remote sensory imagery at sub-pixel level. The "pixel-swapping" optimization algorithm, which was proposed by Atkinson for predicting sub-pixel land cover distribution, is investigated in this study. Two limitations of this method, the arbitrary spatial range value and the arbitrary exponential model of spatial autocorrelation, are assessed. Various weighting functions, as alternatives to the exponential model, are evaluated in order to derive the optimum weighting function. Two different simulation models were employed to develop spatially autocorrelated binary class maps. In all tested models, Gaussian, Exponential, and IDW, the pixel swapping method improved classification accuracy compared with the initial random allocation of sub-pixels. However the results suggested that equal weight could be used to increase accuracy and sub-pixel spatial autocorrelation instead of using these more complex models of spatial structure. New algorithms for modeling the spatial distribution of multiple land cover classes at sub-pixel scales are developed and evaluated. Three methods are examined: sequential categorical swapping, simultaneous categorical swapping, and simulated annealing. These three methods are applied to classified Landsat ETM+ data that has been resampled to 210 meters. The result suggested that the simultaneous method can be considered as the optimum method in terms of accuracy performance and computation time. The case study employs remote sensing imagery at the following sites: tropical forests in Brazil and temperate multiple land mosaic in East China. Sub-areas for both sites are used to examine how the characteristics of the landscape affect the ability of the optimum technique. Three types of measurement: Moran's I, mean patch size (MPS), and patch size standard deviation (STDEV), are used to characterize the landscape. All results suggested that this technique could increase the classification accuracy more than traditional hard classification. The methods developed in this study can benefit researchers who employ coarse remote sensing imagery but are interested in detailed landscape information. In many cases, the satellite sensor that provides large spatial coverage has insufficient spatial detail to identify landscape patterns. Application of the super-resolution technique described in this dissertation could potentially solve this problem by providing detailed land cover predictions from the coarse resolution satellite sensor imagery.

A classification-based assessment of the optimal spatial and spectral resolution of coastal wetland imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Brian L.

Great Lakes wetlands are increasingly being recognized as vital ecosystem components that provide valuable functions such as sediment retention, wildlife habitat, and nutrient removal. Aerial photography has traditionally provided a cost effective means to inventory and monitor coastal wetlands, but is limited by its broad spectral sensitivity and non-digital format. Airborne sensor advancements have now made the acquisition of digital imagery with high spatial and spectral resolution a reality. In this investigation, we selected two Lake Huron coastal wetlands, each from a distinct eco-region, over which, digital, airborne imagery (AISA or CASI-II) was acquired. The 1-meter images contain approximately twenty, 10-nanometer-wide spectral bands strategically located throughout the visible and near-infrared. The 4-meter hyperspectral imagery contains 48 contiguous bands across the visible and short-wavelength near-infrared. Extensive, in-situ, reflectance spectra (SE-590) and sub-meter GPS locations were acquired for the dominant botanical and substrate classes field-delineated at each location. Normalized in-situ spectral signatures were subjected to Principal Components and 2nd Derivative analyses in order to identify the most botanically explanative image bands. Three image-based investigations were implemented in order to evaluate the ability of three classification algorithms (ISODATA, Spectral Angle Mapper and Maximum-Likelihood) to differentiate botanical regions-of-interest. Two additional investigations were completed in order to assess classification changes associated with the independent manipulation of both spatial and spectral resolution. Of the three algorithms tested, the Maximum-Likelihood classifier best differentiated (89%) the regions-of-interest in both study sites. Covariance-based PCA rotation consistently enhanced the performance of the Maximum-Likelihood classifier. Seven non-overlapping bands (425.4, 514.9, 560.1, 685.5, 731.5, 812.3 and 916.7 nanometers) were identified that represented the best performing bands with respect to classification performance. A spatial resolution of 2 meters or less was determined to be the as being most appropriate in Great Lakes coastal wetland environments. This research represents the first step in evaluating the effectiveness of applying high-resolution, narrow-band imagery to the detailed mapping of coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes region.

Some effects of finite spatial resolution on skin friction measurements in turbulent boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westphal, Russell V.

1988-01-01

The effects of finite spatial resolution often cause serious errors in measurements in turbulent boundary layers, with particularly large effects for measurements of fluctuating skin friction and velocities within the sublayer. However, classical analyses of finite spatial resolution effects have generally not accounted for the substantial inhomogeneity and anisotropy of near-wall turbulence. The present study has made use of results from recent computational simulations of wall-bounded turbulent flows to examine spatial resolution effects for measurements made at a wall using both single-sensor probes and those employing two sensing volumes in a V shape. Results are presented to show the effects of finite spatial resolution on a variety of quantitites deduced from the skin friction field.

Assessing the performance of multiple spectral-spatial features of a hyperspectral image for classification of urban land cover classes using support vector machines and artificial neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pullanagari, Reddy; Kereszturi, Gábor; Yule, Ian J.; Ghamisi, Pedram

2017-04-01

Accurate and spatially detailed mapping of complex urban environments is essential for land managers. Classifying high spectral and spatial resolution hyperspectral images is a challenging task because of its data abundance and computational complexity. Approaches with a combination of spectral and spatial information in a single classification framework have attracted special attention because of their potential to improve the classification accuracy. We extracted multiple features from spectral and spatial domains of hyperspectral images and evaluated them with two supervised classification algorithms; support vector machines (SVM) and an artificial neural network. The spatial features considered are produced by a gray level co-occurrence matrix and extended multiattribute profiles. All of these features were stacked, and the most informative features were selected using a genetic algorithm-based SVM. After selecting the most informative features, the classification model was integrated with a segmentation map derived using a hidden Markov random field. We tested the proposed method on a real application of a hyperspectral image acquired from AisaFENIX and on widely used hyperspectral images. From the results, it can be concluded that the proposed framework significantly improves the results with different spectral and spatial resolutions over different instrumentation.

Characterization and modelling of the spatially- and spectrally-varying point-spread function in hyperspectral imaging systems for computational correction of axial optical aberrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špiclin, Žiga; Bürmen, Miran; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, Boštjan

2012-03-01

Spatial resolution of hyperspectral imaging systems can vary significantly due to axial optical aberrations that originate from wavelength-induced index-of-refraction variations of the imaging optics. For systems that have a broad spectral range, the spatial resolution will vary significantly both with respect to the acquisition wavelength and with respect to the spatial position within each spectral image. Variations of the spatial resolution can be effectively characterized as part of the calibration procedure by a local image-based estimation of the pointspread function (PSF) of the hyperspectral imaging system. The estimated PSF can then be used in the image deconvolution methods to improve the spatial resolution of the spectral images. We estimated the PSFs from the spectral images of a line grid geometric caliber. From individual line segments of the line grid, the PSF was obtained by a non-parametric estimation procedure that used an orthogonal series representation of the PSF. By using the non-parametric estimation procedure, the PSFs were estimated at different spatial positions and at different wavelengths. The variations of the spatial resolution were characterized by the radius and the fullwidth half-maximum of each PSF and by the modulation transfer function, computed from images of USAF1951 resolution target. The estimation and characterization of the PSFs and the image deconvolution based spatial resolution enhancement were tested on images obtained by a hyperspectral imaging system with an acousto-optic tunable filter in the visible spectral range. The results demonstrate that the spatial resolution of the acquired spectral images can be significantly improved using the estimated PSFs and image deconvolution methods.

Evaluation of the high resolution DEHM/UBM model system over Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Im, Ulas; Christensen, Jesper H.; Ellermann, Thomas; Ketzel, Matthias; Geels, Camilla; Hansen, Kaj M.; Plejdrup, Marlene S.; Brandt, Jørgen

2015-04-01

The air pollutant levels over Denmark are simulated using the high resolution DEHM/UBM model system for the years 2006 to 2014. The system employs a hemispheric chemistry-transport model, the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM; Brandt et al., 2012) that runs on a 150 km x 150 km resolution over the Northern Hemisphere, with nesting capability for higher resolutions over Europe, Northern Europe and Denmark on 50 km x 50 km, 16.7 km x 16.7 km and 5.6 km x 5.6 km resolutions, respectively, coupled to the Urban Background Model (UBM; Berkowicz, 2000; Brandt et al., 2001) that covers the whole of Denmark with a 1 km x 1 km spatial resolution. Over Denmark, the system uses the SPREAD emission model (Plejdrup and Gyldenkærne, 2011) that distributes the Danish emissions for all pollutants and all sectors in the national emission database on a 1 km x 1 km resolution grid covering Denmark and its national sea territory. The study will describe the model system and we will evaluate the performance of the model system in simulating hourly and daily ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations against surface measurements from eight monitoring stations. Finally we investigate the spatial variation of air pollutants over Denmark on different time scales. References Berkowicz, R., 2000. A Simple Model for Urban Background Pollution. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 65, 1/2, 259-267. Brandt, J., J. H. Christensen, L. M. Frohn, F. Palmgren, R. Berkowicz and Z. Zlatev, 2001: "Operational air pollution forecasts from European to local scale". Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 35, Sup. No. 1, pp. S91-S98, 2001 Brandt et al., 2012. An integrated model study for Europe and North America using the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model with focus on intercontinental transport. Atmospheric Environment, 53, 156-176. Plejdrup, M.S., Gyldenkærne, S., 2011. Spatial distribution of pollutants to air - the SPREAD model. NERI Technical Report No. 823.

Super-Resolution of Plant Disease Images for the Acceleration of Image-based Phenotyping and Vigor Diagnosis in Agriculture.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Kyosuke; Togami, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Norio

2017-11-06

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) are a very promising branch of technology, and they have been utilized in agriculture-in cooperation with image processing technologies-for phenotyping and vigor diagnosis. One of the problems in the utilization of UAVs for agricultural purposes is the limitation in flight time. It is necessary to fly at a high altitude to capture the maximum number of plants in the limited time available, but this reduces the spatial resolution of the captured images. In this study, we applied a super-resolution method to the low-resolution images of tomato diseases to recover detailed appearances, such as lesions on plant organs. We also conducted disease classification using high-resolution, low-resolution, and super-resolution images to evaluate the effectiveness of super-resolution methods in disease classification. Our results indicated that the super-resolution method outperformed conventional image scaling methods in spatial resolution enhancement of tomato disease images. The results of disease classification showed that the accuracy attained was also better by a large margin with super-resolution images than with low-resolution images. These results indicated that our approach not only recovered the information lost in low-resolution images, but also exerted a beneficial influence on further image analysis. The proposed approach will accelerate image-based phenotyping and vigor diagnosis in the field, because it not only saves time to capture images of a crop in a cultivation field but also secures the accuracy of these images for further analysis.

Super-Resolution of Plant Disease Images for the Acceleration of Image-based Phenotyping and Vigor Diagnosis in Agriculture

PubMed Central

Togami, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Norio

2017-01-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) are a very promising branch of technology, and they have been utilized in agriculture—in cooperation with image processing technologies—for phenotyping and vigor diagnosis. One of the problems in the utilization of UAVs for agricultural purposes is the limitation in flight time. It is necessary to fly at a high altitude to capture the maximum number of plants in the limited time available, but this reduces the spatial resolution of the captured images. In this study, we applied a super-resolution method to the low-resolution images of tomato diseases to recover detailed appearances, such as lesions on plant organs. We also conducted disease classification using high-resolution, low-resolution, and super-resolution images to evaluate the effectiveness of super-resolution methods in disease classification. Our results indicated that the super-resolution method outperformed conventional image scaling methods in spatial resolution enhancement of tomato disease images. The results of disease classification showed that the accuracy attained was also better by a large margin with super-resolution images than with low-resolution images. These results indicated that our approach not only recovered the information lost in low-resolution images, but also exerted a beneficial influence on further image analysis. The proposed approach will accelerate image-based phenotyping and vigor diagnosis in the field, because it not only saves time to capture images of a crop in a cultivation field but also secures the accuracy of these images for further analysis. PMID:29113104

Peripheral Vasculature: High-Temporal- and High-Spatial-Resolution Three-dimensional Contrast-enhanced MR Angiography1

PubMed Central

Haider, Clifton R.; Glockner, James F.; Stanson, Anthony W.; Riederer, Stephen J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the feasibility of performing high-spatial-resolution (1-mm isotropic) time-resolved three-dimensional (3D) contrast material–enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the peripheral vasculature with Cartesian acquisition with projection-reconstruction–like sampling (CAPR) and eightfold accelerated two-dimensional (2D) sensitivity encoding (SENSE). Materials and Methods: All studies were approved by the institutional review board and were HIPAA compliant; written informed consent was obtained from all participants. There were 13 volunteers (mean age, 41.9; range, 27–53 years). The CAPR sequence was adapted to provide 1-mm isotropic spatial resolution and a 5-second frame time. Use of different receiver coil element sizes for those placed on the anterior-to-posterior versus left-to-right sides of the field of view reduced signal-to-noise ratio loss due to acceleration. Results from eight volunteers were rated independently by two radiologists according to prominence of artifact, arterial to venous separation, vessel sharpness, continuity of arterial signal intensity in major arteries (anterior and posterior tibial, peroneal), demarcation of origin of major arteries, and overall diagnostic image quality. MR angiographic results in two patients with peripheral vascular disease were compared with their results at computed tomographic angiography. Results: The sequence exhibited no image artifact adversely affecting diagnostic image quality. Temporal resolution was evaluated to be sufficient in all cases, even with known rapid arterial to venous transit. The vessels were graded to have excellent sharpness, continuity, and demarcation of the origins of the major arteries. Distal muscular branches and the communicating and perforating arteries were routinely seen. Excellent diagnostic quality rating was given for 15 (94%) of 16 evaluations. Conclusion: The feasibility of performing high-diagnostic-quality time-resolved 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the peripheral vasculature by using CAPR and eightfold accelerated 2D SENSE has been demonstrated. © RSNA, 2009 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.2533081744/-/DC1 PMID:19789238

X-ray intravital microscopy for functional imaging in rat hearts using synchrotron radiation coronary microangiography

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

Umetani, K.; Fukushima, K.

2013-03-15

An X-ray intravital microscopy technique was developed to enable in vivo visualization of the coronary, cerebral, and pulmonary arteries in rats without exposure of organs and with spatial resolution in the micrometer range and temporal resolution in the millisecond range. We have refined the system continually in terms of the spatial resolution and exposure time. X-rays transmitted through an object are detected by an X-ray direct-conversion type detector, which incorporates an X-ray SATICON pickup tube. The spatial resolution has been improved to 6 {mu}m, yielding sharp images of small arteries. The exposure time has been shortened to around 2 msmore » using a new rotating-disk X-ray shutter, enabling imaging of beating rat hearts. Quantitative evaluations of the X-ray intravital microscopy technique were extracted from measurements of the smallest-detectable vessel size and detection of the vessel function. The smallest-diameter vessel viewed for measurements is determined primarily by the concentration of iodinated contrast material. The iodine concentration depends on the injection technique. We used ex vivo rat hearts under Langendorff perfusion for accurate evaluation. After the contrast agent is injected into the origin of the aorta in an isolated perfused rat heart, the contrast agent is delivered directly into the coronary arteries with minimum dilution. The vascular internal diameter response of coronary arterial circulation is analyzed to evaluate the vessel function. Small blood vessels of more than about 50 {mu}m diameters were visualized clearly at heart rates of around 300 beats/min. Vasodilation compared to the control was observed quantitatively using drug manipulation. Furthermore, the apparent increase in the number of small vessels with diameters of less than about 50 {mu}m was observed after the vasoactive agents increased the diameters of invisible small blood vessels to visible sizes. This technique is expected to offer the potential for direct investigation of mechanisms of vascular dysfunctions.« less

Image quality and absorbed dose comparison of single- and dual-source cone-beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Miura, Hideharu; Ozawa, Shuichi; Okazue, Toshiya; Kawakubo, Atsushi; Yamada, Kiyoshi; Nagata, Yasushi

2018-05-01

Dual-source cone-beam computed tomography (DCBCT) is currently available in the Vero4DRT image-guided radiotherapy system. We evaluated the image quality and absorbed dose for DCBCT and compared the values with those for single-source CBCT (SCBCT). Image uniformity, Hounsfield unit (HU) linearity, image contrast, and spatial resolution were evaluated using a Catphan phantom. The rotation angle for acquiring SCBCT and DCBCT images is 215° and 115°, respectively. The image uniformity was calculated using measurements obtained at the center and four peripheral positions. The HUs of seven materials inserted into the phantom were measured to evaluate HU linearity and image contrast. The Catphan phantom was scanned with a conventional CT scanner to measure the reference HU for each material. The spatial resolution was calculated using high-resolution pattern modules. Image quality was analyzed using ImageJ software ver. 1.49. The absorbed dose was measured using a 0.6-cm 3 ionization chamber with a 16-cm-diameter cylindrical phantom, at the center and four peripheral positions of the phantom, and calculated using weighted cone-beam CT dose index (CBCTDI w ). Compared with that of SCBCT, the image uniformity of DCBCT was slightly reduced. A strong linear correlation existed between the measured HU for DCBCT and the reference HU, although the linear regression slope was different from that of the reference HU. DCBCT had poorer image contrast than did SCBCT, particularly with a high-contrast material. There was no significant difference between the spatial resolutions of SCBCT and DCBCT. The absorbed dose for DCBCT was higher than that for SCBCT, because in DCBCT, the two x-ray projections overlap between 45° and 70°. We found that the image quality was poorer and the absorbed dose was higher for DCBCT than for SCBCT in the Vero4DRT. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

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

Plautz, Tia E.; Johnson, R. P.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.

Purpose: To characterize the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the pre-clinical (phase II) head scanner developed for proton computed tomography (pCT) by the pCT collaboration. To evaluate the spatial resolution achievable by this system. Methods: Our phase II proton CT scanner prototype consists of two silicon telescopes that track individual protons upstream and downstream from a phantom, and a 5-stage scintillation detector that measures a combination of the residual energy and range of the proton. Residual energy is converted to water equivalent path length (WEPL) of the protons in the scanned object. The set of WEPL values and associated pathsmore » of protons passing through the object over a 360° angular scan is processed by an iterative parallelizable reconstruction algorithm that runs on GP-GPU hardware. A custom edge phantom composed of water-equivalent polymer and tissue-equivalent material inserts was constructed. The phantom was first simulated in Geant4 and then built to perform experimental beam tests with 200 MeV protons at the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center. The oversampling method was used to construct radial and azimuthal edge spread functions and modulation transfer functions. The spatial resolution was defined by the 10% point of the modulation transfer function in units of lp/cm. Results: The spatial resolution of the image was found to be strongly correlated with the radial position of the insert but independent of the relative stopping power of the insert. The spatial resolution varies between roughly 4 and 6 lp/cm in both the the radial and azimuthal directions depending on the radial displacement of the edge. Conclusion: The amount of image degradation due to our detector system is small compared with the effects of multiple Coulomb scattering, pixelation of the image and the reconstruction algorithm. Improvements in reconstruction will be made in order to achieve the theoretical limits of spatial resolution.« less

3D sensitivity encoded ellipsoidal MR spectroscopic imaging of gliomas at 3T☆

PubMed Central

Ozturk-Isik, Esin; Chen, Albert P.; Crane, Jason C.; Bian, Wei; Xu, Duan; Han, Eric T.; Chang, Susan M.; Vigneron, Daniel B.; Nelson, Sarah J.

2010-01-01

Purpose The goal of this study was to implement time efficient data acquisition and reconstruction methods for 3D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of gliomas at a field strength of 3T using parallel imaging techniques. Methods The point spread functions, signal to noise ratio (SNR), spatial resolution, metabolite intensity distributions and Cho:NAA ratio of 3D ellipsoidal, 3D sensitivity encoding (SENSE) and 3D combined ellipsoidal and SENSE (e-SENSE) k-space sampling schemes were compared with conventional k-space data acquisition methods. Results The 3D SENSE and e-SENSE methods resulted in similar spectral patterns as the conventional MRSI methods. The Cho:NAA ratios were highly correlated (P<.05 for SENSE and P<.001 for e-SENSE) with the ellipsoidal method and all methods exhibited significantly different spectral patterns in tumor regions compared to normal appearing white matter. The geometry factors ranged between 1.2 and 1.3 for both the SENSE and e-SENSE spectra. When corrected for these factors and for differences in data acquisition times, the empirical SNRs were similar to values expected based upon theoretical grounds. The effective spatial resolution of the SENSE spectra was estimated to be same as the corresponding fully sampled k-space data, while the spectra acquired with ellipsoidal and e-SENSE k-space samplings were estimated to have a 2.36–2.47-fold loss in spatial resolution due to the differences in their point spread functions. Conclusion The 3D SENSE method retained the same spatial resolution as full k-space sampling but with a 4-fold reduction in scan time and an acquisition time of 9.28 min. The 3D e-SENSE method had a similar spatial resolution as the corresponding ellipsoidal sampling with a scan time of 4:36 min. Both parallel imaging methods provided clinically interpretable spectra with volumetric coverage and adequate SNR for evaluating Cho, Cr and NAA. PMID:19766422

Object-based vegetation classification with high resolution remote sensing imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Qian

Vegetation species are valuable indicators to understand the earth system. Information from mapping of vegetation species and community distribution at large scales provides important insight for studying the phenological (growth) cycles of vegetation and plant physiology. Such information plays an important role in land process modeling including climate, ecosystem and hydrological models. The rapidly growing remote sensing technology has increased its potential in vegetation species mapping. However, extracting information at a species level is still a challenging research topic. I proposed an effective method for extracting vegetation species distribution from remotely sensed data and investigated some ways for accuracy improvement. The study consists of three phases. Firstly, a statistical analysis was conducted to explore the spatial variation and class separability of vegetation as a function of image scale. This analysis aimed to confirm that high resolution imagery contains the information on spatial vegetation variation and these species classes can be potentially separable. The second phase was a major effort in advancing classification by proposing a method for extracting vegetation species from high spatial resolution remote sensing data. The proposed classification employs an object-based approach that integrates GIS and remote sensing data and explores the usefulness of ancillary information. The whole process includes image segmentation, feature generation and selection, and nearest neighbor classification. The third phase introduces a spatial regression model for evaluating the mapping quality from the above vegetation classification results. The effects of six categories of sample characteristics on the classification uncertainty are examined: topography, sample membership, sample density, spatial composition characteristics, training reliability and sample object features. This evaluation analysis answered several interesting scientific questions such as (1) whether the sample characteristics affect the classification accuracy and how significant if it does; (2) how much variance of classification uncertainty can be explained by above factors. This research is carried out on a hilly peninsular area in Mediterranean climate, Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) in Northern California. The area mainly consists of a heterogeneous, semi-natural broadleaf and conifer woodland, shrub land, and annual grassland. A detailed list of vegetation alliances is used in this study. Research results from the first phase indicates that vegetation spatial variation as reflected by the average local variance (ALV) keeps a high level of magnitude between 1 m and 4 m resolution. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Evaluation of a multi-scale WRF-CAM5 simulation during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon

DOE PAGES

Campbell, Patrick; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Kai; ...

2017-09-08

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) with the physics package of the Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) has been applied at multiple scales over Eastern China (EC) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to evaluate how increased horizontal resolution with physics designed for a coarser resolution climate model impacts aerosols and clouds, and the resulting precipitation characteristics and performance during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). Despite large underpredictions in surface aerosol concentrations and aerosol optical depth, there is good spatial agreement with surface observations of chemical predictions, and increasing spatial resolution tends to improvemore » performance. Model bias and normalized root mean square values for precipitation predictions are relatively small, but there are significant differences when comparing modeled and observed probability density functions for precipitation in EC and YRD. Increasing model horizontal resolution tends to reduce model bias and error for precipitation predictions. The surface and column aerosol loading is maximized between about 32°N and 42°N in early to mid-May during the 2010 EASM, and then shifts north while decreasing in magnitude during July and August. Changing model resolution moderately changes the spatiotemporal relationships between aerosols, cloud properties, and precipitation during the EASM, thus demonstrating the importance of model grid resolution in simulating EASM circulation and rainfall patterns over EC and the YRD. In conclusion, results from this work demonstrate the capability and limitations in the aerosol, cloud, and precipitation representation of WRF-CAM5 for regional-scale applications down to relatively fine horizontal resolutions. Further WRF-CAM5 model development and application in this area is needed.« less

Evaluation of a multi-scale WRF-CAM5 simulation during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon

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

Campbell, Patrick; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Kai

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) with the physics package of the Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) has been applied at multiple scales over Eastern China (EC) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to evaluate how increased horizontal resolution with physics designed for a coarser resolution climate model impacts aerosols and clouds, and the resulting precipitation characteristics and performance during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). Despite large underpredictions in surface aerosol concentrations and aerosol optical depth, there is good spatial agreement with surface observations of chemical predictions, and increasing spatial resolution tends to improvemore » performance. Model bias and normalized root mean square values for precipitation predictions are relatively small, but there are significant differences when comparing modeled and observed probability density functions for precipitation in EC and YRD. Increasing model horizontal resolution tends to reduce model bias and error for precipitation predictions. The surface and column aerosol loading is maximized between about 32N and 42N in early to mid-May during the 2010 EASM, and then shifts north while decreasing in magnitude during July and August. Changing model resolution moderately changes the spatiotemporal relationships between aerosols, cloud properties, and precipitation during the EASM, thus demonstrating the importance of model grid resolution in simulating EASM circulation and rainfall patterns over EC and the YRD. Results from this work demonstrate the capability and limitations in the aerosol, cloud, and precipitation representation of WRF-CAM5 for regional-scale applications down to relatively fine horizontal resolutions. Further WRF-CAM5 model development and application in this area is needed.« less

Evaluation of a multi-scale WRF-CAM5 simulation during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon

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

Campbell, Patrick; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Kai

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) with the physics package of the Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) has been applied at multiple scales over Eastern China (EC) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to evaluate how increased horizontal resolution with physics designed for a coarser resolution climate model impacts aerosols and clouds, and the resulting precipitation characteristics and performance during the 2010 East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). Despite large underpredictions in surface aerosol concentrations and aerosol optical depth, there is good spatial agreement with surface observations of chemical predictions, and increasing spatial resolution tends to improvemore » performance. Model bias and normalized root mean square values for precipitation predictions are relatively small, but there are significant differences when comparing modeled and observed probability density functions for precipitation in EC and YRD. Increasing model horizontal resolution tends to reduce model bias and error for precipitation predictions. The surface and column aerosol loading is maximized between about 32°N and 42°N in early to mid-May during the 2010 EASM, and then shifts north while decreasing in magnitude during July and August. Changing model resolution moderately changes the spatiotemporal relationships between aerosols, cloud properties, and precipitation during the EASM, thus demonstrating the importance of model grid resolution in simulating EASM circulation and rainfall patterns over EC and the YRD. In conclusion, results from this work demonstrate the capability and limitations in the aerosol, cloud, and precipitation representation of WRF-CAM5 for regional-scale applications down to relatively fine horizontal resolutions. Further WRF-CAM5 model development and application in this area is needed.« less

Effects of vegetation heterogeneity and surface topography on spatial scaling of net primary productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J. M.; Chen, X.; Ju, W.

2013-03-01

Due to the heterogeneous nature of the land surface, spatial scaling is an inevitable issue in the development of land models coupled with low-resolution Earth system models (ESMs) for predicting land-atmosphere interactions and carbon-climate feedbacks. In this study, a simple spatial scaling algorithm is developed to correct errors in net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made at a coarse spatial resolution based on sub-pixel information of vegetation heterogeneity and surface topography. An eco-hydrological model BEPS-TerrainLab, which considers both vegetation and topographical effects on the vertical and lateral water flows and the carbon cycle, is used to simulate NPP at 30 m and 1 km resolutions for a 5700 km2 watershed with an elevation range from 518 m to 3767 m in the Qinling Mountain, Shaanxi Province, China. Assuming that the NPP simulated at 30 m resolution represents the reality and that at 1 km resolution is subject to errors due to sub-pixel heterogeneity, a spatial scaling index (SSI) is developed to correct the coarse resolution NPP values pixel by pixel. The agreement between the NPP values at these two resolutions is improved considerably from R2 = 0.782 to R2 = 0.884 after the correction. The mean bias error (MBE) in NPP modeled at the 1 km resolution is reduced from 14.8 g C m-2 yr-1 to 4.8 g C m-2 yr-1 in comparison with NPP modeled at 30 m resolution, where the mean NPP is 668 g C m-2 yr-1. The range of spatial variations of NPP at 30 m resolution is larger than that at 1 km resolution. Land cover fraction is the most important vegetation factor to be considered in NPP spatial scaling, and slope is the most important topographical factor for NPP spatial scaling especially in mountainous areas, because of its influence on the lateral water redistribution, affecting water table, soil moisture and plant growth. Other factors including leaf area index (LAI), elevation and aspect have small and additive effects on improving the spatial scaling between these two resolutions.

Effects of vegetation heterogeneity and surface topography on spatial scaling of net primary productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J. M.; Chen, X.; Ju, W.

2013-07-01

Due to the heterogeneous nature of the land surface, spatial scaling is an inevitable issue in the development of land models coupled with low-resolution Earth system models (ESMs) for predicting land-atmosphere interactions and carbon-climate feedbacks. In this study, a simple spatial scaling algorithm is developed to correct errors in net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made at a coarse spatial resolution based on sub-pixel information of vegetation heterogeneity and surface topography. An eco-hydrological model BEPS-TerrainLab, which considers both vegetation and topographical effects on the vertical and lateral water flows and the carbon cycle, is used to simulate NPP at 30 m and 1 km resolutions for a 5700 km2 watershed with an elevation range from 518 m to 3767 m in the Qinling Mountain, Shanxi Province, China. Assuming that the NPP simulated at 30 m resolution represents the reality and that at 1 km resolution is subject to errors due to sub-pixel heterogeneity, a spatial scaling index (SSI) is developed to correct the coarse resolution NPP values pixel by pixel. The agreement between the NPP values at these two resolutions is improved considerably from R2 = 0.782 to R2 = 0.884 after the correction. The mean bias error (MBE) in NPP modelled at the 1 km resolution is reduced from 14.8 g C m-2 yr-1 to 4.8 g C m-2 yr-1 in comparison with NPP modelled at 30 m resolution, where the mean NPP is 668 g C m-2 yr-1. The range of spatial variations of NPP at 30 m resolution is larger than that at 1 km resolution. Land cover fraction is the most important vegetation factor to be considered in NPP spatial scaling, and slope is the most important topographical factor for NPP spatial scaling especially in mountainous areas, because of its influence on the lateral water redistribution, affecting water table, soil moisture and plant growth. Other factors including leaf area index (LAI) and elevation have small and additive effects on improving the spatial scaling between these two resolutions.

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

Li, Ke; Chen, Guang-Hong, E-mail: gchen7@wisc.edu; Garrett, John

Purpose: Statistical model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) methods have been introduced to clinical CT systems and are being used in some clinical diagnostic applications. The purpose of this paper is to experimentally assess the unique spatial resolution characteristics of this nonlinear reconstruction method and identify its potential impact on the detectabilities and the associated radiation dose levels for specific imaging tasks. Methods: The thoracic section of a pediatric phantom was repeatedly scanned 50 or 100 times using a 64-slice clinical CT scanner at four different dose levels [CTDI{sub vol} =4, 8, 12, 16 (mGy)]. Both filtered backprojection (FBP) and MBIRmore » (Veo{sup ®}, GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) were used for image reconstruction and results were compared with one another. Eight test objects in the phantom with contrast levels ranging from 13 to 1710 HU were used to assess spatial resolution. The axial spatial resolution was quantified with the point spread function (PSF), while the z resolution was quantified with the slice sensitivity profile. Both were measured locally on the test objects and in the image domain. The dependence of spatial resolution on contrast and dose levels was studied. The study also features a systematic investigation of the potential trade-off between spatial resolution and locally defined noise and their joint impact on the overall image quality, which was quantified by the image domain-based channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) detectability index d′. Results: (1) The axial spatial resolution of MBIR depends on both radiation dose level and image contrast level, whereas it is supposedly independent of these two factors in FBP. The axial spatial resolution of MBIR always improved with an increasing radiation dose level and/or contrast level. (2) The axial spatial resolution of MBIR became equivalent to that of FBP at some transitional contrast level, above which MBIR demonstrated superior spatial resolution than FBP (and vice versa); the value of this transitional contrast highly depended on the dose level. (3) The PSFs of MBIR could be approximated as Gaussian functions with reasonably good accuracy. (4) Thez resolution of MBIR showed similar contrast and dose dependence. (5) Noise standard deviation assessed on the edges of objects demonstrated a trade-off with spatial resolution in MBIR. (5) When both spatial resolution and image noise were considered using the CHO analysis, MBIR led to significant improvement in the overall CT image quality for both high and low contrast detection tasks at both standard and low dose levels. Conclusions: Due to the intrinsic nonlinearity of the MBIR method, many well-known CT spatial resolution and noise properties have been modified. In particular, dose dependence and contrast dependence have been introduced to the spatial resolution of CT images by MBIR. The method has also introduced some novel noise-resolution trade-off not seen in traditional CT images. While the benefits of MBIR regarding the overall image quality, as demonstrated in this work, are significant, the optimal use of this method in clinical practice demands a thorough understanding of its unique physical characteristics.« less

High-resolution scanning precession electron diffraction: Alignment and spatial resolution.

PubMed

Barnard, Jonathan S; Johnstone, Duncan N; Midgley, Paul A

2017-03-01

Methods are presented for aligning the pivot point of a precessing electron probe in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and for assessing the spatial resolution in scanning precession electron diffraction (SPED) experiments. The alignment procedure is performed entirely in diffraction mode, minimising probe wander within the bright-field (BF) convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) disk and is used to obtain high spatial resolution SPED maps. Through analysis of the power spectra of virtual bright-field images extracted from the SPED data, the precession-induced blur was measured as a function of precession angle. At low precession angles, SPED spatial resolution was limited by electronic noise in the scan coils; whereas at high precession angles SPED spatial resolution was limited by tilt-induced two-fold astigmatism caused by the positive spherical aberration of the probe-forming lens. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A dual cone-beam CT system for image guided radiotherapy: initial performance characterization.

PubMed

Li, Hao; Giles, William; Bowsher, James; Yin, Fang-Fang

2013-02-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a recently developed benchtop dual cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system with two orthogonally placed tube∕detector sets. The benchtop dual CBCT system consists of two orthogonally placed 40 × 30 cm flat-panel detectors and two conventional x-ray tubes with two individual high-voltage generators sharing the same rotational axis. The x-ray source to detector distance is 150 cm and x-ray source to rotational axis distance is 100 cm for both subsystems. The objects are scanned through 200° of rotation. The dual CBCT system utilized 110° of projection data from one detector and 90° from the other while the two individual single CBCTs utilized 200° data from each detector. The system performance was characterized in terms of uniformity, contrast, spatial resolution, noise power spectrum, and CT number linearity. The uniformities, within the axial slice and along the longitudinal direction, and noise power spectrum were assessed by scanning a water bucket; the contrast and CT number linearity were measured using the Catphan phantom; and the spatial resolution was evaluated using a tungsten wire phantom. A skull phantom and a ham were also scanned to provide qualitative evaluation of high- and low-contrast resolution. Each measurement was compared between dual and single CBCT systems. Compared to single CBCT, the dual CBCT presented: (1) a decrease in uniformity by 1.9% in axial view and 1.1% in the longitudinal view, as averaged for four energies (80, 100, 125, and 150 kVp); (2) comparable or slightly better contrast (0∼25 HU) for low-contrast objects and comparable contrast for high-contrast objects; (3) comparable spatial resolution; (4) comparable CT number linearity with R(2) ≥ 0.99 for all four tested energies; (5) lower noise power spectrum in magnitude. Dual CBCT images of the skull phantom and the ham demonstrated both high-contrast resolution and good soft-tissue contrast. The performance of a benchtop dual CBCT imaging system has been characterized and is comparable to that of a single CBCT.

Effect of Electric Field Gradient on Sub-nanometer Spatial Resolution of Tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Meng, Lingyan; Yang, Zhilin; Chen, Jianing; Sun, Mengtao

2015-01-01

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) with sub-nanometer spatial resolution has been recently demonstrated experimentally. However, the physical mechanism underlying is still under discussion. Here we theoretically investigate the electric field gradient of a coupled tip-substrate system. Our calculations suggest that the ultra-high spatial resolution of TERS can be partially attributed to the electric field gradient effect owning to its tighter spatial confinement and sensitivity to the infrared (IR)-active of molecules. Particularly, in the case of TERS of flat-lying H2TBPP molecules,we find the electric field gradient enhancement is the dominating factor for the high spatial resolution, which qualitatively coincides with previous experimental report. Our theoretical study offers a new paradigm for understanding the mechanisms of the ultra-high spatial resolution demonstrated in tip-enhanced spectroscopy which is of importance but neglected. PMID:25784161

CCTV Coverage Index Based on Surveillance Resolution and Its Evaluation Using 3D Spatial Analysis

PubMed Central

Choi, Kyoungah; Lee, Impyeong

2015-01-01

We propose a novel approach to evaluating how effectively a closed circuit television (CCTV) system can monitor a targeted area. With 3D models of the target area and the camera parameters of the CCTV system, the approach produces surveillance coverage index, which is newly defined in this study as a quantitative measure for surveillance performance. This index indicates the proportion of the space being monitored with a sufficient resolution to the entire space of the target area. It is determined by computing surveillance resolution at every position and orientation, which indicates how closely a specific object can be monitored with a CCTV system. We present full mathematical derivation for the resolution, which depends on the location and orientation of the object as well as the geometric model of a camera. With the proposed approach, we quantitatively evaluated the surveillance coverage of a CCTV system in an underground parking area. Our evaluation process provided various quantitative-analysis results, compelling us to examine the design of the CCTV system prior to its installation and understand the surveillance capability of an existing CCTV system. PMID:26389909

Spatial resolution properties of motion-compensated tomographic image reconstruction methods.

PubMed

Chun, Se Young; Fessler, Jeffrey A

2012-07-01

Many motion-compensated image reconstruction (MCIR) methods have been proposed to correct for subject motion in medical imaging. MCIR methods incorporate motion models to improve image quality by reducing motion artifacts and noise. This paper analyzes the spatial resolution properties of MCIR methods and shows that nonrigid local motion can lead to nonuniform and anisotropic spatial resolution for conventional quadratic regularizers. This undesirable property is akin to the known effects of interactions between heteroscedastic log-likelihoods (e.g., Poisson likelihood) and quadratic regularizers. This effect may lead to quantification errors in small or narrow structures (such as small lesions or rings) of reconstructed images. This paper proposes novel spatial regularization design methods for three different MCIR methods that account for known nonrigid motion. We develop MCIR regularization designs that provide approximately uniform and isotropic spatial resolution and that match a user-specified target spatial resolution. Two-dimensional PET simulations demonstrate the performance and benefits of the proposed spatial regularization design methods.

Development of a spatio-temporal disaggregation method (DisNDVI) for generating a time series of fine resolution NDVI images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindhu, V. M.; Narasimhan, B.

2015-03-01

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a key parameter in understanding the vegetation dynamics, has high spatial and temporal variability. However, continuous monitoring of NDVI is not feasible at fine spatial resolution (<60 m) owing to the long revisit time needed by the satellites to acquire the fine spatial resolution data. Further, the study attains significance in the case of humid tropical regions of the earth, where the prevailing atmospheric conditions restrict availability of fine resolution cloud free images at a high temporal frequency. As an alternative to the lack of high resolution images, the current study demonstrates a novel disaggregation method (DisNDVI) which integrates the spatial information from a single fine resolution image and temporal information in terms of crop phenology from time series of coarse resolution images to generate estimates of NDVI at fine spatial and temporal resolution. The phenological variation of the pixels captured at the coarser scale provides the basis for relating the temporal variability of the pixel with the NDVI available at fine resolution. The proposed methodology was tested over a 30 km × 25 km spatially heterogeneous study area located in the south of Tamil Nadu, India. The robustness of the algorithm was assessed by an independent comparison of the disaggregated NDVI and observed NDVI obtained from concurrent Landsat ETM+ imagery. The results showed good spatial agreement across the study area dominated with agriculture and forest pixels, with a root mean square error of 0.05. The validation done at the coarser scale showed that disaggregated NDVI spatially averaged to 240 m compared well with concurrent MODIS NDVI at 240 m (R2 > 0.8). The validation results demonstrate the effectiveness of DisNDVI in improving the spatial and temporal resolution of NDVI images for utility in fine scale hydrological applications such as crop growth monitoring and estimation of evapotranspiration.

How Attention Affects Spatial Resolution

PubMed Central

Carrasco, Marisa; Barbot, Antoine

2015-01-01

We summarize and discuss a series of psychophysical studies on the effects of spatial covert attention on spatial resolution, our ability to discriminate fine patterns. Heightened resolution is beneficial in most, but not all, visual tasks. We show how endogenous attention (voluntary, goal driven) and exogenous attention (involuntary, stimulus driven) affect performance on a variety of tasks mediated by spatial resolution, such as visual search, crowding, acuity, and texture segmentation. Exogenous attention is an automatic mechanism that increases resolution regardless of whether it helps or hinders performance. In contrast, endogenous attention flexibly adjusts resolution to optimize performance according to task demands. We illustrate how psychophysical studies can reveal the underlying mechanisms of these effects and allow us to draw linking hypotheses with known neurophysiological effects of attention. PMID:25948640

Assumption-versus data-based approaches to summarizing species' ranges.

PubMed

Peterson, A Townsend; Navarro-Sigüenza, Adolfo G; Gordillo, Alejandro

2018-06-01

For conservation decision making, species' geographic distributions are mapped using various approaches. Some such efforts have downscaled versions of coarse-resolution extent-of-occurrence maps to fine resolutions for conservation planning. We examined the quality of the extent-of-occurrence maps as range summaries and the utility of refining those maps into fine-resolution distributional hypotheses. Extent-of-occurrence maps tend to be overly simple, omit many known and well-documented populations, and likely frequently include many areas not holding populations. Refinement steps involve typological assumptions about habitat preferences and elevational ranges of species, which can introduce substantial error in estimates of species' true areas of distribution. However, no model-evaluation steps are taken to assess the predictive ability of these models, so model inaccuracies are not noticed. Whereas range summaries derived by these methods may be useful in coarse-grained, global-extent studies, their continued use in on-the-ground conservation applications at fine spatial resolutions is not advisable in light of reliance on assumptions, lack of real spatial resolution, and lack of testing. In contrast, data-driven techniques that integrate primary data on biodiversity occurrence with remotely sensed data that summarize environmental dimensions (i.e., ecological niche modeling or species distribution modeling) offer data-driven solutions based on a minimum of assumptions that can be evaluated and validated quantitatively to offer a well-founded, widely accepted method for summarizing species' distributional patterns for conservation applications. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Landsat multispectral sharpening using a sensor system model and panchromatic image

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemeshewsky, G.P.; ,

2003-01-01

The thematic mapper (TM) sensor aboard Landsats 4, 5 and enhanced TM plus (ETM+) on Landsat 7 collect imagery at 30-m sample distance in six spectral bands. New with ETM+ is a 15-m panchromatic (P) band. With image sharpening techniques, this higher resolution P data, or as an alternative, the 10-m (or 5-m) P data of the SPOT satellite, can increase the spatial resolution of the multispectral (MS) data. Sharpening requires that the lower resolution MS image be coregistered and resampled to the P data before high spatial frequency information is transferred to the MS data. For visual interpretation and machine classification tasks, it is important that the sharpened data preserve the spectral characteristics of the original low resolution data. A technique was developed for sharpening (in this case, 3:1 spatial resolution enhancement) visible spectral band data, based on a model of the sensor system point spread function (PSF) in order to maintain spectral fidelity. It combines high-pass (HP) filter sharpening methods with iterative image restoration to reduce degradations caused by sensor-system-induced blurring and resembling. Also there is a spectral fidelity requirement: sharpened MS when filtered by the modeled degradations should reproduce the low resolution source MS. Quantitative evaluation of sharpening performance was made by using simulated low resolution data generated from digital color-IR aerial photography. In comparison to the HP-filter-based sharpening method, results for the technique in this paper with simulated data show improved spectral fidelity. Preliminary results with TM 30-m visible band data sharpened with simulated 10-m panchromatic data are promising but require further study.

Super-resolution optical microscopy for studying membrane structure and dynamics.

PubMed

Sezgin, Erdinc

2017-07-12

Investigation of cell membrane structure and dynamics requires high spatial and temporal resolution. The spatial resolution of conventional light microscopy is limited due to the diffraction of light. However, recent developments in microscopy enabled us to access the nano-scale regime spatially, thus to elucidate the nanoscopic structures in the cellular membranes. In this review, we will explain the resolution limit, address the working principles of the most commonly used super-resolution microscopy techniques and summarise their recent applications in the biomembrane field.

DQE simulation of a-Se x-ray detectors using ARTEMIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Yuan; Badano, Aldo

2016-03-01

Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) is one of the most important image quality metrics for evaluating the spatial resolution performance of flat-panel x-ray detectors. In this work, we simulate the DQE of amorphous selenium (a-Se) xray detectors with a detailed Monte Carlo transport code (ARTEMIS) for modeling semiconductor-based direct x-ray detectors. The transport of electron-hole pairs is achieved with a spatiotemporal model that accounts for recombination and trapping of carriers and Coulombic effects of space charge and external applied electric field. A range of x-ray energies has been simulated from 10 to 100 keV. The DQE results can be used to study the spatial resolution characteristics of detectors at different energies.

Improving the spatial accuracy in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) effect: benefits from parallel imaging and a 32-channel head array coil at 1.5 Tesla.

PubMed

Fellner, C; Doenitz, C; Finkenzeller, T; Jung, E M; Rennert, J; Schlaier, J

2009-01-01

Geometric distortions and low spatial resolution are current limitations in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The aim of this study was to evaluate if application of parallel imaging or significant reduction of voxel size in combination with a new 32-channel head array coil can reduce those drawbacks at 1.5 T for a simple hand motor task. Therefore, maximum t-values (tmax) in different regions of activation, time-dependent signal-to-noise ratios (SNR(t)) as well as distortions within the precentral gyrus were evaluated. Comparing fMRI with and without parallel imaging in 17 healthy subjects revealed significantly reduced geometric distortions in anterior-posterior direction. Using parallel imaging, tmax only showed a mild reduction (7-11%) although SNR(t) was significantly diminished (25%). In 7 healthy subjects high-resolution (2 x 2 x 2 mm3) fMRI was compared with standard fMRI (3 x 3 x 3 mm3) in a 32-channel coil and with high-resolution fMRI in a 12-channel coil. The new coil yielded a clear improvement for tmax (21-32%) and SNR(t) (51%) in comparison with the 12-channel coil. Geometric distortions were smaller due to the smaller voxel size. Therefore, the reduction in tmax (8-16%) and SNR(t) (52%) in the high-resolution experiment seems to be tolerable with this coil. In conclusion, parallel imaging is an alternative to reduce geometric distortions in fMRI at 1.5 T. Using a 32-channel coil, reduction of the voxel size might be the preferable way to improve spatial accuracy.

Exploring the Usefulness of MISR-HR Products to Estimate Maize Crop Extent and Using Field Evidence to Evaluate the Results in South Africa's Free State Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verstraete, M. M.; Knox, N. M.; Hunt, L. A.; Kleyn, L.

2014-12-01

The MISR instrument on NASA's Terra platform has been operating for almost 15 years. Standard products are generated at a spatial resolution of 1.1 km or coarser, but a recently developed method to re-analyze the Level-1B2 data allows the retrieval of biogeophysical products at the native spatial resolution of the instrument (275 m). This development opens new opportunities to better address issues such as the management of agricultural production and food security. South African maize production is of great economic and social importance, not only nationally, but on the global market too, being one of the top ten maize producing countries. Seasonal maize production statistics are currently based on a combination of field measurements and estimates derived from manually digitizing high resolution imagery from the SPOT satellite. The field measurements are collected using the Producer Independent Crop Estimate System (PICES) developed by Crop Estimates Committee of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. There is a strong desire to improve the quality of these statistics, to generate those earlier, and to automate the process to encompass larger areas. This paper will explore the feasibility of using the MISR-HR spectral and directional products, combined with the finer spatial resolution and the relatively frequent coverage afforded by that instrument, to address these needs. The study area is based in the Free State, South Africa, one of the primary maize growing areas in the country, and took place during the 2012-2013 summer growing season. The significance of the outcomes will be evaluated in the context of the 14+ years of available MISR data.

TU-E-217BCD-09: The Feasibility of the Dual-Dictionary Method for Breast Computed Tomography Based on Photon-Counting Detectors.

PubMed

Zhao, B; Ding, H; Lu, Y; Wang, G; Zhao, J; Molloi, S

2012-06-01

To investigate the feasibility of an Iterative Reconstruction (IR) method utilizing the algebraic reconstruction technique coupled with dual-dictionary learning for the application of dedicated breast computed tomography (CT) based on a photon-counting detector. Postmortem breast samples were scanned in an experimental fan beam CT system based on a Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) photon-counting detector. Images were reconstructed from various numbers of projections with both IR and Filtered-Back-Projection (FBP) methods. Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR) between the glandular and adipose tissue of postmortem breast samples were calculated to evaluate the quality of images reconstructed from IR and FBP. In addition to CNR, the spatial resolution was also used as a metric to evaluate the quality of images reconstructed from the two methods. This is further studied with a high-resolution phantom consisting of a 14 cm diameter, 10 cm length polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cylinder. A 5 cm diameter coaxial volume of Interest insert that contains fine Aluminum wires of various diameters was used to determine spatial resolution. The spatial resolution and CNR were better when identical sinograms were reconstructed in IR as compared to FBP. In comparison with FBP reconstruction, a similar CNR was achieved using IR method with up to a factor of 5 fewer projections. The results of this study suggest that IR method can significantly reduce the required number of projections for a CT reconstruction compared to FBP method to achieve an equivalent CNR. Therefore, the scanning time of a CZT-based CT system using the IR method can potentially be reduced. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Evaluation of blood adsorption onto dialysis membranes by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and near-field infrared microscopy.

PubMed

Aoyagi, Satoka; Abe, Kiyoshi; Yamagishi, Takayuki; Iwai, Hideo; Yamaguchi, Satoru; Sunohara, Takashi

2017-11-01

Blood adsorption onto the inside surface of hollow fiber dialysis membranes was investigated by means of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and near-field infrared microscopy (NFIR) in order to evaluate the biocompatibility and permeability of dialysis membranes. TOF-SIMS is useful for the imaging of particular molecules with a high spatial resolution of approximately 100 nm. In contrast, infrared spectra provide quantitative information and NFIR enables analysis with a high spatial resolution of less than 1 μm, which is close to the resolution of TOF-SIMS. A comparison was made of one of the most widely used dialysis membranes made of polysulfone (PSf), that has an asymmetric and inhomogeneous pore structure, and a newly developed asymmetric cellulose triacetate (ATA) membrane that also has an asymmetric pore structure, even though the conventional cellulose triacetate membrane has a symmetric and homogeneous pore structure. As a result, it was demonstrated that blood adsorption on the inside surface of the ATA membrane is more reduced than that on the PSf membrane. Graphical abstract Analysis of blood adsorption on inside surface of hollow fiber membrane.

On magnetic field strength effect on velocity and turbulence characterization using Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PC-MRI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Moortele, Pierre-Francois; Amili, Omid; Coletti, Filippo; Toloui, Mostafa

2017-11-01

Cardiovascular flows are predominantly laminar. Nevertheless, transient and even turbulent flows have been observed in the vicinity of the heart (e.g. valves, ascending aorta, valvular/vascular stenosis). Effective in-vivo hemodynamic-based diagnostics in these sites require both high-resolution velocity measurements (especially in the near-vessel wall regions) and accurate evaluation of blood flow turbulence level (e.g. in terms of TKE). In addition to phase contrast (PC), appropriately designed PC-MRI sequences provide intravoxel incoherent motion encoding, a unique tool for simultaneous, non-invasive evaluation of velocity 3D vector fields and Reynolds stresses in cardiovascular flows in vivo. However, limited spatial and temporal resolution of PC-MRI result in inaccuracies in the estimation of hemodynamics (e.g. WSS) and of flow turbulence characteristics. This study aims to assess whether SNR gains at higher magnetic field could overcome these limits, providing more accurate velocity and turbulence characterization at higher spatial resolution. Experiments are conducted on MR Scanners at 3 and 7 Tesla with a U-bent pipe flow shaped phantom. 3D velocity fields, Reynolds stresses and TKE are analyzed and compared to a reference PIV experiments.

Carotid lesion characterization by synthetic-aperture-imaging techniques with multioffset ultrasonic probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capineri, Lorenzo; Castellini, Guido; Masotti, Leonardo F.; Rocchi, Santina

1992-06-01

This paper explores the applications of a high-resolution imaging technique to vascular ultrasound diagnosis, with emphasis on investigation of the carotid vessel. With the present diagnostic systems, it is difficult to measure quantitatively the extension of the lesions and to characterize the tissue; quantitative images require enough spatial resolution and dynamic to reveal fine high-risk pathologies. A broadband synthetic aperture technique with multi-offset probes is developed to improve the lesion characterization by the evaluation of local scattering parameters. This technique works with weak scatterers embedded in a constant velocity medium, large aperture, and isotropic sources and receivers. The features of this technique are: axial and lateral spatial resolution of the order of the wavelength, high dynamic range, quantitative measurements of the size and scattering intensity of the inhomogeneities, and capabilities of investigation of inclined layer. The evaluation of the performances in real condition is carried out by a software simulator in which different experimental situations can be reproduced. Images of simulated anatomic test-objects are presented. The images are obtained with an inversion process of the synthesized ultrasonic signals, collected on the linear aperture by a limited number of finite size transducers.

Characterizing the interface between wild ducks and poultry to evaluate the potential of transmission of avian pathogens.

PubMed

Cappelle, Julien; Gaidet, Nicolas; Iverson, Samuel A; Takekawa, John Y; Newman, Scott H; Fofana, Bouba; Gilbert, Marius

2011-11-15

Characterizing the interface between wild and domestic animal populations is increasingly recognized as essential in the context of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) that are transmitted by wildlife. More specifically, the spatial and temporal distribution of contact rates between wild and domestic hosts is a key parameter for modeling EIDs transmission dynamics. We integrated satellite telemetry, remote sensing and ground-based surveys to evaluate the spatio-temporal dynamics of indirect contacts between wild and domestic birds to estimate the risk that avian pathogens such as avian influenza and Newcastle viruses will be transmitted between wildlife to poultry. We monitored comb ducks (Sarkidiornis melanotos melanotos) with satellite transmitters for seven months in an extensive Afro-tropical wetland (the Inner Niger Delta) in Mali and characterise the spatial distribution of backyard poultry in villages. We modelled the spatial distribution of wild ducks using 250-meter spatial resolution and 8-days temporal resolution remotely-sensed environmental indicators based on a Maxent niche modelling method. Our results show a strong seasonal variation in potential contact rate between wild ducks and poultry. We found that the exposure of poultry to wild birds was greatest at the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season, when comb ducks disperse from natural water bodies to irrigated areas near villages. Our study provides at a local scale a quantitative evidence of the seasonal variability of contact rate between wild and domestic bird populations. It illustrates a GIS-based methodology for estimating epidemiological contact rates at the wildlife and livestock interface integrating high-resolution satellite telemetry and remote sensing data.

Assessing the applicability of WRF optimal parameters under the different precipitation simulations in the Greater Beijing Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di, Zhenhua; Duan, Qingyun; Wang, Chen; Ye, Aizhong; Miao, Chiyuan; Gong, Wei

2018-03-01

Forecasting skills of the complex weather and climate models have been improved by tuning the sensitive parameters that exert the greatest impact on simulated results based on more effective optimization methods. However, whether the optimal parameter values are still work when the model simulation conditions vary, which is a scientific problem deserving of study. In this study, a highly-effective optimization method, adaptive surrogate model-based optimization (ASMO), was firstly used to tune nine sensitive parameters from four physical parameterization schemes of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to obtain better summer precipitation forecasting over the Greater Beijing Area in China. Then, to assess the applicability of the optimal parameter values, simulation results from the WRF model with default and optimal parameter values were compared across precipitation events, boundary conditions, spatial scales, and physical processes in the Greater Beijing Area. The summer precipitation events from 6 years were used to calibrate and evaluate the optimal parameter values of WRF model. Three boundary data and two spatial resolutions were adopted to evaluate the superiority of the calibrated optimal parameters to default parameters under the WRF simulations with different boundary conditions and spatial resolutions, respectively. Physical interpretations of the optimal parameters indicating how to improve precipitation simulation results were also examined. All the results showed that the optimal parameters obtained by ASMO are superior to the default parameters for WRF simulations for predicting summer precipitation in the Greater Beijing Area because the optimal parameters are not constrained by specific precipitation events, boundary conditions, and spatial resolutions. The optimal values of the nine parameters were determined from 127 parameter samples using the ASMO method, which showed that the ASMO method is very highly-efficient for optimizing WRF model parameters.

Analysis of Self-Excited Combustion Instabilities Using Decomposition Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-05

are evaluated for the study of self-excited longitudinal combustion instabilities in laboratory-scaled single-element gas turbine and rocket...Air Force Base, California 93524 DOI: 10.2514/1.J054557 Proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition are evaluated for the study of...instabilities. In addition, we also evaluate the capabilities of the methods to deal with data sets of different spatial extents and temporal resolution

Evaluation of SLAR and thematic mapper MSS data for forest cover mapping using computer-aided analysis techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffer, R. M. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

Training and test data sets for CAM1S from NS-001 MSS data for two dates (geometrically adjusted to 30 meter resolution) were used to evaluate wavelength band. Two sets of tapes containing digitized HH and HV polarization data were obtained. Because the SAR data on the 9 track tapes contained no meaningful data, the 7 track tapes were copied onto 9 track tapes at LARS. The LARSYS programs were modified and a program was written to reformat the digitized SAR data into a LARSYS format. The radar imagery is being qualitatively interpreted. Results are to be used to identify possible cover types, to produce a classification map to aid in the numerical evaluation classification of radar data, and to develop an interpretation key for radar imagery. The four spatial resolution data sets were analyzed. A program was developed to reduce the spatial distortions resulting from variable viewing distance, and geometrically adjusted data sets were generated. A flowchart of steps taken to geometrically adjust a data set from the NS-001 scanner is presented.

GATE simulation of a new design of pinhole SPECT system for small animal brain imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzun Ozsahin, D.; Bläckberg, L.; El Fakhri, G.; Sabet, H.

2017-01-01

Small animal SPECT imaging has gained an increased interest over the past decade since it is an excellent tool for developing new drugs and tracers. Therefore, there is a huge effort on the development of cost-effective SPECT detectors with high capabilities. The aim of this study is to simulate the performance characteristics of new designs for a cost effective, stationary SPECT system dedicated to small animal imaging with a focus on mice brain. The conceptual design of this SPECT system platform, Stationary Small Animal SSA-SPECT, is to use many pixelated CsI:TI detector modules with 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm pixels in order to achieve excellent intrinsic detector resolution where each module is backed by a single pinhole collimator with 0.3 mm hole diameter. In this work, we present the simulation results of four variations of the SSA-SPECT platform where the number of detector modules and FOV size is varied while keeping the detector size and collimator hole size constant. Using the NEMA NU-4 protocol, we performed spatial resolution, sensitivity, image quality simulations followed by a Derenzo-like phantom evaluation. The results suggest that all four SSA-SPECT systems can provide better than 0.063% system sensitivity and < 1.5 mm FWHM spatial resolution without resolution recovery or other correction techniques. Specifically, SSA-SPECT-1 showed a system sensitivity of 0.09% in combination with 1.1 mm FWHM spatial resolution.

Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery to Map Forest Burn Severity Across Spatial Scales in a Pine Barrens Ecosystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meng, Ran; Wu, Jin; Schwager, Kathy L.; Zhao, Feng; Dennison, Philip E.; Cook, Bruce D.; Brewster, Kristen; Green, Timothy M.; Serbin, Shawn P.

2017-01-01

As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences local processes and services of forest ecosystems. Although a variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to Landsat mission imagery to infer burn severity at 30 m spatial resolution, forest burn severity have still been seldom assessed at fine spatial scales (less than or equal to 5 m) from very-high-resolution (VHR) data. We assessed a 432 ha forest fire that occurred in April 2012 on Long Island, New York, within the Pine Barrens region, a unique but imperiled fire-dependent ecosystem in the northeastern United States. The mapping of forest burn severity was explored here at fine spatial scales, for the first time using remotely sensed spectral indices and a set of Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) fraction images from bi-temporal - pre- and post-fire event - WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery at 2 m spatial resolution. We first evaluated our approach using 1 m by 1 m validation points at the sub-crown scale per severity class (i.e. unburned, low, moderate, and high severity) from the post-fire 0.10 m color aerial ortho-photos; then, we validated the burn severity mapping of geo-referenced dominant tree crowns (crown scale) and 15 m by 15 m fixed-area plots (inter-crown scale) with the post-fire 0.10 m aerial ortho-photos and measured crown information of twenty forest inventory plots. Our approach can accurately assess forest burn severity at the sub-crown (overall accuracy is 84% with a Kappa value of 0.77), crown (overall accuracy is 82% with a Kappa value of 0.76), and inter-crown scales (89% of the variation in estimated burn severity ratings (i.e. Geo-Composite Burn Index (CBI)). This work highlights that forest burn severity mapping from VHR data can capture heterogeneous fire patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents. This is important since most ecological processes associated with fire effects vary at the less than 30 m scale and VHR approaches could significantly advance our ability to characterize fire effects on forest ecosystems.

Using high spatial resolution satellite imagery to map forest burn severity across spatial scales in a Pine Barrens ecosystem

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

Meng, Ran; Wu, Jin; Schwager, Kathy L.

As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences local processes and services of forest ecosystems. Although a variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to Landsat mission imagery to infer burn severity at 30 m spatial resolution, forest burn severity have still been seldom assessed at fine spatial scales (≤ 5 m) from very-high-resolution (VHR) data. Here we assessed a 432 ha forest fire that occurred in April 2012 on Long Island, New York, within the Pine Barrens region, a unique but imperiled fire-dependent ecosystem in the northeastern United States. The mapping of forest burn severitymore » was explored here at fine spatial scales, for the first time using remotely sensed spectral indices and a set of Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) fraction images from bi-temporal — pre- and post-fire event — WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery at 2 m spatial resolution. We first evaluated our approach using 1 m by 1 m validation points at the sub-crown scale per severity class (i.e. unburned, low, moderate, and high severity) from the post-fire 0.10 m color aerial ortho-photos; then, we validated the burn severity mapping of geo-referenced dominant tree crowns (crown scale) and 15 m by 15 m fixed-area plots (inter-crown scale) with the post-fire 0.10 m aerial ortho-photos and measured crown information of twenty forest inventory plots. Our approach can accurately assess forest burn severity at the sub-crown (overall accuracy is 84% with a Kappa value of 0.77), crown (overall accuracy is 82% with a Kappa value of 0.76), and inter-crown scales (89% of the variation in estimated burn severity ratings (i.e. Geo-Composite Burn Index (CBI)). Lastly, this work highlights that forest burn severity mapping from VHR data can capture heterogeneous fire patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents. This is important since most ecological processes associated with fire effects vary at the < 30 m scale and VHR approaches could significantly advance our ability to characterize fire effects on forest ecosystems.« less

Using high spatial resolution satellite imagery to map forest burn severity across spatial scales in a Pine Barrens ecosystem

DOE PAGES

Meng, Ran; Wu, Jin; Schwager, Kathy L.; ...

2017-01-21

As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences local processes and services of forest ecosystems. Although a variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to Landsat mission imagery to infer burn severity at 30 m spatial resolution, forest burn severity have still been seldom assessed at fine spatial scales (≤ 5 m) from very-high-resolution (VHR) data. Here we assessed a 432 ha forest fire that occurred in April 2012 on Long Island, New York, within the Pine Barrens region, a unique but imperiled fire-dependent ecosystem in the northeastern United States. The mapping of forest burn severitymore » was explored here at fine spatial scales, for the first time using remotely sensed spectral indices and a set of Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) fraction images from bi-temporal — pre- and post-fire event — WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery at 2 m spatial resolution. We first evaluated our approach using 1 m by 1 m validation points at the sub-crown scale per severity class (i.e. unburned, low, moderate, and high severity) from the post-fire 0.10 m color aerial ortho-photos; then, we validated the burn severity mapping of geo-referenced dominant tree crowns (crown scale) and 15 m by 15 m fixed-area plots (inter-crown scale) with the post-fire 0.10 m aerial ortho-photos and measured crown information of twenty forest inventory plots. Our approach can accurately assess forest burn severity at the sub-crown (overall accuracy is 84% with a Kappa value of 0.77), crown (overall accuracy is 82% with a Kappa value of 0.76), and inter-crown scales (89% of the variation in estimated burn severity ratings (i.e. Geo-Composite Burn Index (CBI)). Lastly, this work highlights that forest burn severity mapping from VHR data can capture heterogeneous fire patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents. This is important since most ecological processes associated with fire effects vary at the < 30 m scale and VHR approaches could significantly advance our ability to characterize fire effects on forest ecosystems.« less

The fusion of satellite and UAV data: simulation of high spatial resolution band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenerowicz, Agnieszka; Siok, Katarzyna; Woroszkiewicz, Malgorzata; Orych, Agata

2017-10-01

Remote sensing techniques used in the precision agriculture and farming that apply imagery data obtained with sensors mounted on UAV platforms became more popular in the last few years due to the availability of low- cost UAV platforms and low- cost sensors. Data obtained from low altitudes with low- cost sensors can be characterised by high spatial and radiometric resolution but quite low spectral resolution, therefore the application of imagery data obtained with such technology is quite limited and can be used only for the basic land cover classification. To enrich the spectral resolution of imagery data acquired with low- cost sensors from low altitudes, the authors proposed the fusion of RGB data obtained with UAV platform with multispectral satellite imagery. The fusion is based on the pansharpening process, that aims to integrate the spatial details of the high-resolution panchromatic image with the spectral information of lower resolution multispectral or hyperspectral imagery to obtain multispectral or hyperspectral images with high spatial resolution. The key of pansharpening is to properly estimate the missing spatial details of multispectral images while preserving their spectral properties. In the research, the authors presented the fusion of RGB images (with high spatial resolution) obtained with sensors mounted on low- cost UAV platforms and multispectral satellite imagery with satellite sensors, i.e. Landsat 8 OLI. To perform the fusion of UAV data with satellite imagery, the simulation of the panchromatic bands from RGB data based on the spectral channels linear combination, was conducted. Next, for simulated bands and multispectral satellite images, the Gram-Schmidt pansharpening method was applied. As a result of the fusion, the authors obtained several multispectral images with very high spatial resolution and then analysed the spatial and spectral accuracies of processed images.

Spatial resolution requirements for traffic-related air pollutant exposure evaluations

EPA Science Inventory

Vehicle emissions represent one of the most important air pollution sources in most urban areas, and elevated concentrations of pollutants found near major roads have been associated with many adverse health impacts. To understand these impacts, exposure estimates should reflect ...

Large-watershed flood simulation and forecasting based on different-resolution distributed hydrological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.

2017-12-01

Large-watershed flood simulation and forecasting is very important for a distributed hydrological model in the application. There are some challenges including the model's spatial resolution effect, model performance and accuracy and so on. To cope with the challenge of the model's spatial resolution effect, different model resolution including 1000m*1000m, 600m*600m, 500m*500m, 400m*400m, 200m*200m were used to build the distributed hydrological model—Liuxihe model respectively. The purpose is to find which one is the best resolution for Liuxihe model in Large-watershed flood simulation and forecasting. This study sets up a physically based distributed hydrological model for flood forecasting of the Liujiang River basin in south China. Terrain data digital elevation model (DEM), soil type and land use type are downloaded from the website freely. The model parameters are optimized by using an improved Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO) algorithm; And parameter optimization could reduce the parameter uncertainty that exists for physically deriving model parameters. The different model resolution (200m*200m—1000m*1000m ) are proposed for modeling the Liujiang River basin flood with the Liuxihe model in this study. The best model's spatial resolution effect for flood simulation and forecasting is 200m*200m.And with the model's spatial resolution reduction, the model performance and accuracy also become worse and worse. When the model resolution is 1000m*1000m, the flood simulation and forecasting result is the worst, also the river channel divided based on this resolution is differs from the actual one. To keep the model with an acceptable performance, minimum model spatial resolution is needed. The suggested threshold model spatial resolution for modeling the Liujiang River basin flood is a 500m*500m grid cell, but the model spatial resolution with a 200m*200m grid cell is recommended in this study to keep the model at a best performance.

Analysis of the impact of spatial resolution on land/water classifications using high-resolution aerial imagery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Enwright, Nicholas M.; Jones, William R.; Garber, Adrienne L.; Keller, Matthew J.

2014-01-01

Long-term monitoring efforts often use remote sensing to track trends in habitat or landscape conditions over time. To most appropriately compare observations over time, long-term monitoring efforts strive for consistency in methods. Thus, advances and changes in technology over time can present a challenge. For instance, modern camera technology has led to an increasing availability of very high-resolution imagery (i.e. submetre and metre) and a shift from analogue to digital photography. While numerous studies have shown that image resolution can impact the accuracy of classifications, most of these studies have focused on the impacts of comparing spatial resolution changes greater than 2 m. Thus, a knowledge gap exists on the impacts of minor changes in spatial resolution (i.e. submetre to about 1.5 m) in very high-resolution aerial imagery (i.e. 2 m resolution or less). This study compared the impact of spatial resolution on land/water classifications of an area dominated by coastal marsh vegetation in Louisiana, USA, using 1:12,000 scale colour-infrared analogue aerial photography (AAP) scanned at four different dot-per-inch resolutions simulating ground sample distances (GSDs) of 0.33, 0.54, 1, and 2 m. Analysis of the impact of spatial resolution on land/water classifications was conducted by exploring various spatial aspects of the classifications including density of waterbodies and frequency distributions in waterbody sizes. This study found that a small-magnitude change (1–1.5 m) in spatial resolution had little to no impact on the amount of water classified (i.e. percentage mapped was less than 1.5%), but had a significant impact on the mapping of very small waterbodies (i.e. waterbodies ≤ 250 m2). These findings should interest those using temporal image classifications derived from very high-resolution aerial photography as a component of long-term monitoring programs.

How Much Can Remotely-Sensed Natural Resource Inventories Benefit from Finer Spatial Resolutions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Z.; Xu, Q.; McRoberts, R. E.; Ståhl, G.; Greenberg, J. A.

2017-12-01

For remote sensing facilitated natural resource inventories, the effects of spatial resolution in the form of pixel size and the effects of subpixel information on estimates of population parameters were evaluated by comparing results obtained using Landsat 8 and RapidEye auxiliary imagery. The study area was in Burkina Faso, and the variable of interest was the stem volume (m3/ha) convertible to the woodland aboveground biomass. A sample consisting of 160 field plots was selected and measured from the population following a two-stage sampling design. Models were fit using weighted least squares; the population mean, mu, and the variance of the estimator of the population mean, Var(mu.hat), were estimated in two inferential frameworks, model-based and model-assisted, and compared; for each framework, Var(mu.hat) was estimated both analytically and empirically. Empirical variances were estimated with bootstrapping that for resampling takes clustering effects into account. The primary results were twofold. First, for the effects of spatial resolution and subpixel information, four conclusions are relevant: (1) finer spatial resolution imagery indeed contributes to greater precision for estimators of population parameter, but this increase is slight at a maximum rate of 20% considering that RapidEye data are 36 times finer resolution than Landsat 8 data; (2) subpixel information on texture is marginally beneficial when it comes to making inference for population of large areas; (3) cost-effectiveness is more favorable for the free of charge Landsat 8 imagery than RapidEye imagery; and (4) for a given plot size, candidate remote sensing auxiliary datasets are more cost-effective when their spatial resolutions are similar to the plot size than with much finer alternatives. Second, for the comparison between estimators, three conclusions are relevant: (1) model-based variance estimates are consistent with each other and about half as large as stabilized model-assisted estimates, suggesting superior effectiveness of model-based inference to model-assisted inference; (2) bootstrapping is an effective alternative to analytical variance estimators; and (3) prediction accuracy expressed by RMSE is useful for screening candidate models to be used for population inferences.

SYMPOSIUM ON MULTIMODALITY CARDIOVASCULAR MOLECULAR IMAGING IMAGING TECHNOLOGY - PART 2

PubMed Central

de Kemp, Robert A.; Epstein, Frederick H.; Catana, Ciprian; Tsui, Benjamin M.W.; Ritman, Erik L.

2013-01-01

Rationale The ability to trace or identify specific molecules within a specific anatomic location provides insight into metabolic pathways, tissue components and tracing of solute transport mechanisms. With the increasing use of small animals for research such imaging must have sufficiently high spatial resolution to allow anatomic localization as well as sufficient specificity and sensitivity to provide an accurate description of the molecular distribution and concentration. Methods Imaging methods based on electromagnetic radiation, such as PET, SPECT, MRI and CT, are increasingly applicable due to recent advances in novel scanner hardware, image reconstruction software and availability of novel molecules which have enhanced sensitivity in these methodologies. Results Micro-PET has been advanced by development of detector arrays that provide higher resolution and positron emitting elements that allow new molecular tracers to be labeled. Micro-MRI has been improved in terms of spatial resolution and sensitivity by increased magnet field strength and development of special purpose coils and associated scan protocols. Of particular interest is the associated ability to image local mechanical function and solute transport processes which can be directly related to the molecular information. This is further strengthened by the synergistic integration of the PET with MRI. Micro-SPECT has been improved by use of coded aperture imaging approaches as well as image reconstruction algorithms which can better deal with the photon limited scan data. The limited spatial resolution can be partially overcome by integrating the SPECT with CT. Micro-CT by itself provides exquisite spatial resolution of anatomy, but recent developments of high spatial resolution photon counting and spectrally-sensitive imaging arrays, combined with x-ray optical devices, have promise for actual molecular identification by virtue of the chemical bond lengths of molecules, especially of bio-polymers. Conclusion With the increasing use of small animals for evaluating new clinical imaging techniques as well as providing increased insights into patho-physiological phenomena, the availability of improved detection systems, scanning protocols and associated software, the repertoire of molecular imaging is greatly increased in sensitivity and specificity. PMID:20457793

Polymeric spatial resolution test patterns for mass spectrometry imaging using nano-thermal analysis with atomic force microscopy

DOE PAGES

Tai, Tamin; Kertesz, Vilmos; Lin, Ming -Wei; ...

2017-05-11

As the spatial resolution of mass spectrometry imaging technologies has begun to reach into the nanometer regime, finding readily available or easily made resolution reference materials has become particularly challenging for molecular imaging purposes. This study describes the fabrication, characterization and use of vertical line array polymeric spatial resolution test patterns for nano-thermal analysis/atomic force microscopy/mass spectrometry chemical imaging.

Polymeric spatial resolution test patterns for mass spectrometry imaging using nano-thermal analysis with atomic force microscopy

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

Tai, Tamin; Kertesz, Vilmos; Lin, Ming -Wei

As the spatial resolution of mass spectrometry imaging technologies has begun to reach into the nanometer regime, finding readily available or easily made resolution reference materials has become particularly challenging for molecular imaging purposes. This study describes the fabrication, characterization and use of vertical line array polymeric spatial resolution test patterns for nano-thermal analysis/atomic force microscopy/mass spectrometry chemical imaging.

Spatial downscaling algorithm of TRMM precipitation based on multiple high-resolution satellite data for Inner Mongolia, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Limin; Fan, Keke; Li, Wei; Liu, Tingxi

2017-12-01

Daily precipitation data from 42 stations in Inner Mongolia, China for the 10 years period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 was utilized along with downscaled data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) with a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° for the same period based on the statistical relationships between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), meteorological variables, and digital elevation models (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_elevation_model) (DEM) using the leave-one-out (LOO) cross validation method and multivariate step regression. The results indicate that (1) TRMM data can indeed be used to estimate annual precipitation in Inner Mongolia and there is a linear relationship between annual TRMM and observed precipitation; (2) there is a significant relationship between TRMM-based precipitation and predicted precipitation, with a spatial resolution of 0.50° × 0.50°; (3) NDVI and temperature are important factors influencing the downscaling of TRMM precipitation data for DEM and the slope is not the most significant factor affecting the downscaled TRMM data; and (4) the downscaled TRMM data reflects spatial patterns in annual precipitation reasonably well, showing less precipitation falling in west Inner Mongolia and more in the south and southeast. The new approach proposed here provides a useful alternative for evaluating spatial patterns in precipitation and can thus be applied to generate a more accurate precipitation dataset to support both irrigation management and the conservation of this fragile grassland ecosystem.

D Object Classification Based on Thermal and Visible Imagery in Urban Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasani, H.; Samadzadegan, F.

2015-12-01

The spatial distribution of land cover in the urban area especially 3D objects (buildings and trees) is a fundamental dataset for urban planning, ecological research, disaster management, etc. According to recent advances in sensor technologies, several types of remotely sensed data are available from the same area. Data fusion has been widely investigated for integrating different source of data in classification of urban area. Thermal infrared imagery (TIR) contains information on emitted radiation and has unique radiometric properties. However, due to coarse spatial resolution of thermal data, its application has been restricted in urban areas. On the other hand, visible image (VIS) has high spatial resolution and information in visible spectrum. Consequently, there is a complementary relation between thermal and visible imagery in classification of urban area. This paper evaluates the potential of aerial thermal hyperspectral and visible imagery fusion in classification of urban area. In the pre-processing step, thermal imagery is resampled to the spatial resolution of visible image. Then feature level fusion is applied to construct hybrid feature space include visible bands, thermal hyperspectral bands, spatial and texture features and moreover Principle Component Analysis (PCA) transformation is applied to extract PCs. Due to high dimensionality of feature space, dimension reduction method is performed. Finally, Support Vector Machines (SVMs) classify the reduced hybrid feature space. The obtained results show using thermal imagery along with visible imagery, improved the classification accuracy up to 8% respect to visible image classification.

High resolution climate scenarios for snowmelt modelling in small alpine catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schirmer, M.; Peleg, N.; Burlando, P.; Jonas, T.

2017-12-01

Snow in the Alps is affected by climate change with regard to duration, timing and amount. This has implications with respect to important societal issues as drinking water supply or hydropower generation. In Switzerland, the latter received a lot of attention following the political decision to phase out of nuclear electricity production. An increasing number of authorization requests for small hydropower plants located in small alpine catchments was observed in the recent years. This situation generates ecological conflicts, while the expected climate change poses a threat to water availability thus putting at risk investments in such hydropower plants. Reliable high-resolution climate scenarios are thus required, which account for small-scale processes to achieve realistic predictions of snowmelt runoff and its variability in small alpine catchments. We therefore used a novel model chain by coupling a stochastic 2-dimensional weather generator (AWE-GEN-2d) with a state-of-the-art energy balance snow cover model (FSM). AWE-GEN-2d was applied to generate ensembles of climate variables at very fine temporal and spatial resolution, thus providing all climatic input variables required for the energy balance modelling. The land-surface model FSM was used to describe spatially variable snow cover accumulation and melt processes. The FSM was refined to allow applications at very high spatial resolution by specifically accounting for small-scale processes, such as a subgrid-parametrization of snow covered area or an improved representation of forest-snow processes. For the present study, the model chain was tested for current climate conditions using extensive observational dataset of different spatial and temporal coverage. Small-scale spatial processes such as elevation gradients or aspect differences in the snow distribution were evaluated using airborne LiDAR data. 40-year of monitoring data for snow water equivalent, snowmelt and snow-covered area for entire Switzerland was used to verify snow distribution patterns at coarser spatial and temporal scale. The ability of the model chain to reproduce current climate conditions in small alpine catchments makes this model combination an outstanding candidate to produce high resolution climate scenarios of snowmelt in small alpine catchments.

Remotely sensed high resolution irrigated area mapping in India for 2000 to 2015

PubMed Central

Ambika, Anukesh Krishnankutty; Wardlow, Brian; Mishra, Vimal

2016-01-01

India is among the countries that uses a significant fraction of available water for irrigation. Irrigated area in India has increased substantially after the Green revolution and both surface and groundwater have been extensively used. Under warming climate projections, irrigation frequency may increase leading to increased irrigation water demands. Water resources planning and management in agriculture need spatially-explicit irrigated area information for different crops and different crop growing seasons. However, annual, high-resolution irrigated area maps for India for an extended historical record that can be used for water resources planning and management are unavailable. Using 250 m normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and 56 m land use/land cover data, high-resolution irrigated area maps are developed for all the agroecological zones in India for the period of 2000–2015. The irrigated area maps were evaluated using the agricultural statistics data from ground surveys and were compared with the previously developed irrigation maps. High resolution (250 m) irrigated area maps showed satisfactory accuracy (R2=0.95) and can be used to understand interannual variability in irrigated area at various spatial scales. PMID:27996974

Role of CT in Congenital Heart Disease.

PubMed

Rajiah, Prabhakar; Saboo, Sachin S; Abbara, Suhny

2017-01-01

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are being increasingly encountered in cardiac imaging due to improved outcomes from surgical and interventional techniques. Imaging plays an important role in the evaluation of CHD, both prior to and after surgeries and interventions. Computed tomography (CT) has several advantages in the evaluation of these disorders, particularly its high spatial resolution, multi-planar reconstruction capabilities at sub-millimeter isotropic resolution, good temporal resolution, wide field of view, and rapid turnaround time, which minimizes the need for sedation and anesthesia in young children or children with disabilities. With modern scanners, images can be acquired as fast as within one heartbeat. Although there is a risk of ionizing radiation, the radiation dose can be minimized by using several dose reduction strategies. There is a risk of contrast nephrotoxicity in patients with renal dysfunction. In this article, we will review the role of CT in the evaluation of several congenital heart diseases, both in children and adults.

Enhancing resolution and contrast in second-harmonic generation microscopy using an advanced maximum likelihood estimation restoration method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivaguru, Mayandi; Kabir, Mohammad M.; Gartia, Manas Ranjan; Biggs, David S. C.; Sivaguru, Barghav S.; Sivaguru, Vignesh A.; Berent, Zachary T.; Wagoner Johnson, Amy J.; Fried, Glenn A.; Liu, Gang Logan; Sadayappan, Sakthivel; Toussaint, Kimani C.

2017-02-01

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is a label-free imaging technique to study collagenous materials in extracellular matrix environment with high resolution and contrast. However, like many other microscopy techniques, the actual spatial resolution achievable by SHG microscopy is reduced by out-of-focus blur and optical aberrations that degrade particularly the amplitude of the detectable higher spatial frequencies. Being a two-photon scattering process, it is challenging to define a point spread function (PSF) for the SHG imaging modality. As a result, in comparison with other two-photon imaging systems like two-photon fluorescence, it is difficult to apply any PSF-engineering techniques to enhance the experimental spatial resolution closer to the diffraction limit. Here, we present a method to improve the spatial resolution in SHG microscopy using an advanced maximum likelihood estimation (AdvMLE) algorithm to recover the otherwise degraded higher spatial frequencies in an SHG image. Through adaptation and iteration, the AdvMLE algorithm calculates an improved PSF for an SHG image and enhances the spatial resolution by decreasing the full-width-at-halfmaximum (FWHM) by 20%. Similar results are consistently observed for biological tissues with varying SHG sources, such as gold nanoparticles and collagen in porcine feet tendons. By obtaining an experimental transverse spatial resolution of 400 nm, we show that the AdvMLE algorithm brings the practical spatial resolution closer to the theoretical diffraction limit. Our approach is suitable for adaptation in micro-nano CT and MRI imaging, which has the potential to impact diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

Evaluating ASTER satellite imagery and gradient modeling for mapping and characterizing wildland fire fuels

Treesearch

Michael J. Falkowski; Paul Gessler; Penelope Morgan; Alistair M. S. Smith; Andrew T. Hudak

2004-01-01

Land managers need cost-effective methods for mapping and characterizing fire fuels quickly and accurately. The advent of sensors with increased spatial resolution may improve the accuracy and reduce the cost of fuels mapping. The objective of this research is to evaluate the accuracy and utility of imagery from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection...

Evaluating the ASTER sensor for mapping and characterizing forest fire fuels in northern Idaho

Treesearch

Michael J. Falkowski; Paul Gessler; Penelope Morgan; Alistair M. S. Smith; Andrew T. Hudak

2004-01-01

Land managers need cost-effective methods for mapping and characterizing fire fuels quickly and accurately. The advent of sensors with increased spatial resolution may improve the accuracy and reduce the cost of fuels mapping. The objective of this research is to evaluate the accuracy and utility of imagery from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection...

Patient-specific quantification of image quality: An automated method for measuring spatial resolution in clinical CT images

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

Sanders, Jeremiah, E-mail: jeremiah.sanders@duke.e

Purpose: To develop and validate an automated technique for evaluating the spatial resolution characteristics of clinical computed tomography (CT) images. Methods: Twenty one chest and abdominopelvic clinical CT datasets were examined in this study. An algorithm was developed to extract a CT resolution index (RI) analogous to the modulation transfer function from clinical CT images by measuring the edge-spread function (ESF) across the patient’s skin. A polygon mesh of the air-skin boundary was created. The faces of the mesh were then used to measure the ESF across the air-skin interface. The ESF was differentiated to obtain the line-spread function (LSF),more » and the LSF was Fourier transformed to obtain the RI. The algorithm’s ability to detect the radial dependence of the RI was investigated. RIs measured with the proposed method were compared with a conventional phantom-based method across two reconstruction algorithms (FBP and iterative) using the spatial frequency at 50% RI, f{sub 50}, as the metric for comparison. Three reconstruction kernels were investigated for each reconstruction algorithm. Finally, an observer study was conducted to determine if observers could visually perceive the differences in the measured blurriness of images reconstructed with a given reconstruction method. Results: RI measurements performed with the proposed technique exhibited the expected dependencies on the image reconstruction. The measured f{sub 50} values increased with harder kernels for both FBP and iterative reconstruction. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm was able to detect the radial dependence of the RI. Patient-specific measurements of the RI were comparable to the phantom-based technique, but the patient data exhibited a large spread in the measured f{sub 50}, indicating that some datasets were blurrier than others even when the projection data were reconstructed with the same reconstruction algorithm and kernel. Results from the observer study substantiated this finding. Conclusions: Clinically informed, patient-specific spatial resolution can be measured from clinical datasets. The method is sufficiently sensitive to reflect changes in spatial resolution due to different reconstruction parameters. The method can be applied to automatically assess the spatial resolution of patient images and quantify dependencies that may not be captured in phantom data.« less

Knowledge-based iterative model reconstruction: comparative image quality and radiation dose with a pediatric computed tomography phantom.

PubMed

Ryu, Young Jin; Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung-Eun; Ha, Seongmin; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In-One

2016-03-01

CT of pediatric phantoms can provide useful guidance to the optimization of knowledge-based iterative reconstruction CT. To compare radiation dose and image quality of CT images obtained at different radiation doses reconstructed with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction, hybrid iterative reconstruction and filtered back-projection. We scanned a 5-year anthropomorphic phantom at seven levels of radiation. We then reconstructed CT data with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction (iterative model reconstruction [IMR] levels 1, 2 and 3; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA), hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose(4), levels 3 and 7; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA) and filtered back-projection. The noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated. We evaluated low-contrast resolutions and detectability by low-contrast targets and subjective and objective spatial resolutions by the line pairs and wire. With radiation at 100 peak kVp and 100 mAs (3.64 mSv), the relative doses ranged from 5% (0.19 mSv) to 150% (5.46 mSv). Lower noise and higher signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise and objective spatial resolution were generally achieved in ascending order of filtered back-projection, iDose(4) levels 3 and 7, and IMR levels 1, 2 and 3, at all radiation dose levels. Compared with filtered back-projection at 100% dose, similar noise levels were obtained on IMR level 2 images at 24% dose and iDose(4) level 3 images at 50% dose, respectively. Regarding low-contrast resolution, low-contrast detectability and objective spatial resolution, IMR level 2 images at 24% dose showed comparable image quality with filtered back-projection at 100% dose. Subjective spatial resolution was not greatly affected by reconstruction algorithm. Reduced-dose IMR obtained at 0.92 mSv (24%) showed similar image quality to routine-dose filtered back-projection obtained at 3.64 mSv (100%), and half-dose iDose(4) obtained at 1.81 mSv.

On the influence of zero-padding on the nonlinear operations in Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping

PubMed Central

Eskreis-Winkler, Sarah; Zhou, Dong; Liu, Tian; Gupta, Ajay; Gauthier, Susan A.; Wang, Yi; Spincemaille, Pascal

2016-01-01

Purpose Zero padding is a well-studied interpolation technique that improves image visualization without increasing image resolution. This interpolation is often performed as a last step before images are displayed on clinical workstations. Here, we seek to demonstrate the importance of zero padding before rather than after performing non-linear post-processing algorithms, such as Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). To do so, we evaluate apparent spatial resolution, relative error and depiction of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on images that were zero padded prior to, in the middle of, and after the application of the QSM algorithm. Materials and Methods High resolution gradient echo (GRE) data were acquired on twenty MS patients, from which low resolution data were derived using k-space cropping. Pre-, mid-, and post-zero padded QSM images were reconstructed from these low resolution data by zero padding prior to field mapping, after field mapping, and after susceptibility mapping, respectively. Using high resolution QSM as the gold standard, apparent spatial resolution, relative error, and image quality of the pre-, mid-, and post-zero padded QSM images were measured and compared. Results Both the accuracy and apparent spatial resolution of the pre-zero padded QSM was higher than that of mid-zero padded QSM (p < 0.001; p < 0.001), which was higher than that of post-zero padded QSM (p < 0.001; p < 0.001). The image quality of pre-zero padded reconstructions was higher than that of mid- and post-zero padded reconstructions (p = 0.004; p < 0.001). Conclusion Zero padding of the complex GRE data prior to nonlinear susceptibility mapping improves image accuracy and apparent resolution compared to zero padding afterwards. It also provides better delineation of MS lesion geometry, which may improve lesion subclassification and disease monitoring in MS patients. PMID:27587225

On the influence of zero-padding on the nonlinear operations in Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

PubMed

Eskreis-Winkler, Sarah; Zhou, Dong; Liu, Tian; Gupta, Ajay; Gauthier, Susan A; Wang, Yi; Spincemaille, Pascal

2017-01-01

Zero padding is a well-studied interpolation technique that improves image visualization without increasing image resolution. This interpolation is often performed as a last step before images are displayed on clinical workstations. Here, we seek to demonstrate the importance of zero padding before rather than after performing non-linear post-processing algorithms, such as Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). To do so, we evaluate apparent spatial resolution, relative error and depiction of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on images that were zero padded prior to, in the middle of, and after the application of the QSM algorithm. High resolution gradient echo (GRE) data were acquired on twenty MS patients, from which low resolution data were derived using k-space cropping. Pre-, mid-, and post-zero padded QSM images were reconstructed from these low resolution data by zero padding prior to field mapping, after field mapping, and after susceptibility mapping, respectively. Using high resolution QSM as the gold standard, apparent spatial resolution, relative error, and image quality of the pre-, mid-, and post-zero padded QSM images were measured and compared. Both the accuracy and apparent spatial resolution of the pre-zero padded QSM was higher than that of mid-zero padded QSM (p<0.001; p<0.001), which was higher than that of post-zero padded QSM (p<0.001; p<0.001). The image quality of pre-zero padded reconstructions was higher than that of mid- and post-zero padded reconstructions (p=0.004; p<0.001). Zero padding of the complex GRE data prior to nonlinear susceptibility mapping improves image accuracy and apparent resolution compared to zero padding afterwards. It also provides better delineation of MS lesion geometry, which may improve lesion subclassification and disease monitoring in MS patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of Airborne Wide Area Assessment Technologies at Pueblo Precision Bombing Ranges, Colorado. Hyperspectral Imaging, Version 2.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-27

the spatial and spectral resolution ...variety of geological and vegetation mapping efforts, the Hymap sensor offered the best available combination of spectral and spatial resolution , signal... The limitations of the technology currently relate to spatial and spectral resolution and geo- correction accuracy. Secondly, HSI datasets

Characterization of dynamic changes of current source localization based on spatiotemporal fMRI constrained EEG source imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thinh; Potter, Thomas; Grossman, Robert; Zhang, Yingchun

2018-06-01

Objective. Neuroimaging has been employed as a promising approach to advance our understanding of brain networks in both basic and clinical neuroscience. Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) represent two neuroimaging modalities with complementary features; EEG has high temporal resolution and low spatial resolution while fMRI has high spatial resolution and low temporal resolution. Multimodal EEG inverse methods have attempted to capitalize on these properties but have been subjected to localization error. The dynamic brain transition network (DBTN) approach, a spatiotemporal fMRI constrained EEG source imaging method, has recently been developed to address these issues by solving the EEG inverse problem in a Bayesian framework, utilizing fMRI priors in a spatial and temporal variant manner. This paper presents a computer simulation study to provide a detailed characterization of the spatial and temporal accuracy of the DBTN method. Approach. Synthetic EEG data were generated in a series of computer simulations, designed to represent realistic and complex brain activity at superficial and deep sources with highly dynamical activity time-courses. The source reconstruction performance of the DBTN method was tested against the fMRI-constrained minimum norm estimates algorithm (fMRIMNE). The performances of the two inverse methods were evaluated both in terms of spatial and temporal accuracy. Main results. In comparison with the commonly used fMRIMNE method, results showed that the DBTN method produces results with increased spatial and temporal accuracy. The DBTN method also demonstrated the capability to reduce crosstalk in the reconstructed cortical time-course(s) induced by neighboring regions, mitigate depth bias and improve overall localization accuracy. Significance. The improved spatiotemporal accuracy of the reconstruction allows for an improved characterization of complex neural activity. This improvement can be extended to any subsequent brain connectivity analyses used to construct the associated dynamic brain networks.

Theoretical evaluation of accuracy in position and size of brain activity obtained by near-infrared topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Toshiyuki; Kato, Toshinori; Okada, Eiji

2004-06-01

Near-infrared (NIR) topography can obtain a topographical distribution of the activated region in the brain cortex. Near-infrared light is strongly scattered in the head, and the volume of tissue sampled by a source-detector pair on the head surface is broadly distributed in the brain. This scattering effect results in poor resolution and contrast in the topographic image of the brain activity. In this study, a one-dimensional distribution of absorption change in a head model is calculated by mapping and reconstruction methods to evaluate the effect of the image reconstruction algorithm and the interval of measurement points for topographic imaging on the accuracy of the topographic image. The light propagation in the head model is predicted by Monte Carlo simulation to obtain the spatial sensitivity profile for a source-detector pair. The measurement points are one-dimensionally arranged on the surface of the model, and the distance between adjacent measurement points is varied from 4 mm to 28 mm. Small intervals of the measurement points improve the topographic image calculated by both the mapping and reconstruction methods. In the conventional mapping method, the limit of the spatial resolution depends upon the interval of the measurement points and spatial sensitivity profile for source-detector pairs. The reconstruction method has advantages over the mapping method which improve the results of one-dimensional analysis when the interval of measurement points is less than 12 mm. The effect of overlapping of spatial sensitivity profiles indicates that the reconstruction method may be effective to improve the spatial resolution of a two-dimensional reconstruction of topographic image obtained with larger interval of measurement points. Near-infrared topography with the reconstruction method potentially obtains an accurate distribution of absorption change in the brain even if the size of absorption change is less than 10 mm.

The effect of spatial resolution upon cloud optical property retrievals. I - Optical thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feind, Rand E.; Christopher, Sundar A.; Welch, Ronald M.

1992-01-01

High spectral and spatial resolution Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) imagery is used to study the effects of spatial resolution upon fair weather cumulus cloud optical thickness retrievals. As a preprocessing step, a variation of the Gao and Goetz three-band ratio technique is used to discriminate clouds from the background. The combination of the elimination of cloud shadow pixels and using the first derivative of the histogram allows for accurate cloud edge discrimination. The data are progressively degraded from 20 m to 960 m spatial resolution. The results show that retrieved cloud area increases with decreasing spatial resolution. The results also show that there is a monotonic decrease in retrieved cloud optical thickness with decreasing spatial resolution. It is also demonstrated that the use of a single, monospectral reflectance threshold is inadequate for identifying cloud pixels in fair weather cumulus scenes and presumably in any inhomogeneous cloud field. Cloud edges have a distribution of reflectance thresholds. The incorrect identification of cloud edges significantly impacts the accurate retrieval of cloud optical thickness values.

Spatial resolution of a spherical x-ray crystal spectrometer at various magnifications

DOE PAGES

Gao, Lan; Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; ...

2016-08-23

Here, a high spatial resolution of a few μm is often required for probing small-scale high-energy-density plasmas using high resolution x-ray imaging spectroscopy. This resolution can be achieved by adjusting system magnification to overcome the inherent limitation of the detector pixel size. Laboratory experiments on investigating the relation between spatial resolution and system magnification for a spherical crystal spectrometer are presented. Tungsten Lβ 2 rays from a tungsten-target micro-focus x-ray tube were diffracted by a Ge 440 crystal, which was spherically bent to a radius of 223 mm, and imaged onto an x-ray CCD with 13-μm pixel size. The source-to-crystalmore » (p) and crystal-to-detector (q) distances were varied to produce spatial magnifications ( M = q/p) ranging from 2 to 10. The inferred instrumental spatial width reduces with increasing system magnification M. However, the experimental measurement at each M is larger than the theoretical value of pixel size divided by M. Future work will focus on investigating possible broadening mechanisms that limit the spatial resolution.« less

Emotional cues enhance the attentional effects on spatial and temporal resolution.

PubMed

Bocanegra, Bruno R; Zeelenberg, René

2011-12-01

In the present study, we demonstrated that the emotional significance of a spatial cue enhances the effect of covert attention on spatial and temporal resolution (i.e., our ability to discriminate small spatial details and fast temporal flicker). Our results indicated that fearful face cues, as compared with neutral face cues, enhanced the attentional benefits in spatial resolution but also enhanced the attentional deficits in temporal resolution. Furthermore, we observed that the overall magnitudes of individuals' attentional effects correlated strongly with the magnitude of the emotion × attention interaction effect. Combined, these findings provide strong support for the idea that emotion enhances the strength of a cue's attentional response.

Building Change Detection in Very High Resolution Satellite Stereo Image Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, J.; Qin, R.; Cerra, D.; Reinartz, P.

2016-06-01

There is an increasing demand for robust methods on urban sprawl monitoring. The steadily increasing number of high resolution and multi-view sensors allows producing datasets with high temporal and spatial resolution; however, less effort has been dedicated to employ very high resolution (VHR) satellite image time series (SITS) to monitor the changes in buildings with higher accuracy. In addition, these VHR data are often acquired from different sensors. The objective of this research is to propose a robust time-series data analysis method for VHR stereo imagery. Firstly, the spatial-temporal information of the stereo imagery and the Digital Surface Models (DSMs) generated from them are combined, and building probability maps (BPM) are calculated for all acquisition dates. In the second step, an object-based change analysis is performed based on the derivative features of the BPM sets. The change consistence between object-level and pixel-level are checked to remove any outlier pixels. Results are assessed on six pairs of VHR satellite images acquired within a time span of 7 years. The evaluation results have proved the efficiency of the proposed method.

Evaluation of the soil moisture prediction accuracy of a space radar using simulation techniques. [Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulaby, F. T. (Principal Investigator); Dobson, M. C.; Stiles, J. A.; Moore, R. K.; Holtzman, J. C.

1981-01-01

Image simulation techniques were employed to generate synthetic aperture radar images of a 17.7 km x 19.3 km test site located east of Lawrence, Kansas. The simulations were performed for a space SAR at an orbital altitude of 600 km, with the following sensor parameters: frequency = 4.75 GHz, polarization = HH, and angle of incidence range = 7 deg to 22 deg from nadir. Three sets of images were produced corresponding to three different spatial resolutions; 20 m x 20 m with 12 looks, 100 m x 100 m with 23 looks, and 1 km x 1 km with 1000 looks. Each set consisted of images for four different soil moisture distributions across the test site. Results indicate that, for the agricultural portion of the test site, the soil moisture in about 90% of the pixels can be predicted with an accuracy of = + or - 20% of field capacity. Among the three spatial resolutions, the 1 km x 1 km resolution gave the best results for most cases, however, for very dry soil conditions, the 100 m x 100 m resolution was slightly superior.

Super-resolution reconstruction of MR image with a novel residual learning network algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jun; Liu, Qingping; Wang, Chaofeng; Zhang, Qi; Ying, Shihui; Xu, Haoyu

2018-04-01

Spatial resolution is one of the key parameters of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The image super-resolution (SR) technique offers an alternative approach to improve the spatial resolution of MRI due to its simplicity. Convolutional neural networks (CNN)-based SR algorithms have achieved state-of-the-art performance, in which the global residual learning (GRL) strategy is now commonly used due to its effectiveness for learning image details for SR. However, the partial loss of image details usually happens in a very deep network due to the degradation problem. In this work, we propose a novel residual learning-based SR algorithm for MRI, which combines both multi-scale GRL and shallow network block-based local residual learning (LRL). The proposed LRL module works effectively in capturing high-frequency details by learning local residuals. One simulated MRI dataset and two real MRI datasets have been used to evaluate our algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed SR algorithm achieves superior performance to all of the other compared CNN-based SR algorithms in this work.

Performance Evaluation of a Radar by Computer

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

spatial-resolution map (0.25 nmi x 2.80 ) is employed to select the appropriate threshold values for the ground clutter; a doppler weighting that...seconds with approximately 16 mi’ x 3-Doppler-bin resolution. The second filter integrates over 5 seconds and covers within 20 miles of radar and within 3...also includes receiver matching loss , beamshape loss , and the signal processing loss. D, can be written as D,=D, (n) MLL,= -f- (3.2) where x

Development of a Si-PM based alpha camera for plutonium detection in nuclear fuel facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morishita, Yuki; Yamamoto, Seiichi; Izaki, Kenji; Kaneko, Junichi H.; Toi, Kohei; Tsubota, Youichi

2014-05-01

Alpha particles are monitored for detecting nuclear fuel material (i.e., plutonium and uranium) at nuclear fuel facilities. Currently, for monitoring the airborne contamination of nuclear fuel, only energy information measured by Si-semiconductor detectors is used to distinguish nuclear fuel material from radon daughters. In some cases, however, such distinguishing is difficult when the radon concentration is high. In addition, a Si-semiconductor detector is generally sensitive to noise. In this study, we developed a new alpha-particle imaging system by combining a Si-PM array, which is insensitive to noise, with a Ce-doped Gd3Al2Ga3O12(GAGG) scintillator, and evaluated our developed system's fundamental performance. The scintillator was 0.1-mm thick, and the light guide was 3.0 mm thick. An 241Am source was used for all the measurements. We evaluated the spatial resolution by taking an image of a resolution chart. A 1.6 lp/mm slit was clearly resolved, and the spatial resolution was estimated to be less than 0.6-mm FWHM. The energy resolution was 13% FWHM. A slight distortion was observed in the image, and the uniformity near its center was within ±24%. We conclude that our developed alpha-particle imaging system is promising for plutonium detection at nuclear fuel facilities.

Image plates as x-ray detectors in plasma physics experiments

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

Gales, S.G.; Bentley, C.D.

2004-10-01

The performance of image plates based on the photostimulable phosphor BaF(Br,l):Eu{sup 2+} has been investigated and compared with x-ray film. Evaluation of detective quantum efficiency (DQE), sensitivity, dynamic range, and linearity was carried out for several types of commercially available image plate, using the Excalibur soft x-ray calibration facility at AWE. Image plate response was found to be linear over a dynamic range of 5 orders of magnitude. One type of image plate was found to have a number of advantages for soft x-ray detection, with a measured sensitivity 1 order of magnitude greater than that of Kodak Industrex CXmore » and DEF-5 x-ray film. The DQE of this plate was found to be superior to that of film at low [less than 10{sup 3} photons/(50 {mu}m){sup 2}] and high fluxes [greater than 10{sup 4} photons/(50 {mu}m){sup 2}]. The spatial resolution of image plates, scanned with several models of commercial image plate readers, has been evaluated using a USAF resolution test target. The highest spatial resolution measured is 35 {mu}m. Though this is significantly lower than the resolution possible with film, it is sufficient for many applications. Image plates were fielded in a refractive x-ray lens imaging diagnostic on the 1 TW Helen laser and these results are discussed.« less

Evaluating Sentinel-2 for Lakeshore Habitat Mapping Based on Airborne Hyperspectral Data.

PubMed

Stratoulias, Dimitris; Balzter, Heiko; Sykioti, Olga; Zlinszky, András; Tóth, Viktor R

2015-09-11

Monitoring of lakeshore ecosystems requires fine-scale information to account for the high biodiversity typically encountered in the land-water ecotone. Sentinel-2 is a satellite with high spatial and spectral resolution and improved revisiting frequency and is expected to have significant potential for habitat mapping and classification of complex lakeshore ecosystems. In this context, investigations of the capabilities of Sentinel-2 in regard to the spatial and spectral dimensions are needed to assess its potential and the quality of the expected output. This study presents the first simulation of the high spatial resolution (i.e., 10 m and 20 m) bands of Sentinel-2 for lakeshore mapping, based on the satellite's Spectral Response Function and hyperspectral airborne data collected over Lake Balaton, Hungary in August 2010. A comparison of supervised classifications of the simulated products is presented and the information loss from spectral aggregation and spatial upscaling in the context of lakeshore vegetation classification is discussed. We conclude that Sentinel-2 imagery has a strong potential for monitoring fine-scale habitats, such as reed beds.

Scaling Properties of Arctic Sea Ice Deformation in a High‐Resolution Viscous‐Plastic Sea Ice Model and in Satellite Observations

PubMed Central

Losch, Martin; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2018-01-01

Abstract Sea ice models with the traditional viscous‐plastic (VP) rheology and very small horizontal grid spacing can resolve leads and deformation rates localized along Linear Kinematic Features (LKF). In a 1 km pan‐Arctic sea ice‐ocean simulation, the small‐scale sea ice deformations are evaluated with a scaling analysis in relation to satellite observations of the Envisat Geophysical Processor System (EGPS) in the Central Arctic. A new coupled scaling analysis for data on Eulerian grids is used to determine the spatial and temporal scaling and the coupling between temporal and spatial scales. The spatial scaling of the modeled sea ice deformation implies multifractality. It is also coupled to temporal scales and varies realistically by region and season. The agreement of the spatial scaling with satellite observations challenges previous results with VP models at coarser resolution, which did not reproduce the observed scaling. The temporal scaling analysis shows that the VP model, as configured in this 1 km simulation, does not fully resolve the intermittency of sea ice deformation that is observed in satellite data. PMID:29576996

Scaling Properties of Arctic Sea Ice Deformation in a High-Resolution Viscous-Plastic Sea Ice Model and in Satellite Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Nils; Losch, Martin; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2018-01-01

Sea ice models with the traditional viscous-plastic (VP) rheology and very small horizontal grid spacing can resolve leads and deformation rates localized along Linear Kinematic Features (LKF). In a 1 km pan-Arctic sea ice-ocean simulation, the small-scale sea ice deformations are evaluated with a scaling analysis in relation to satellite observations of the Envisat Geophysical Processor System (EGPS) in the Central Arctic. A new coupled scaling analysis for data on Eulerian grids is used to determine the spatial and temporal scaling and the coupling between temporal and spatial scales. The spatial scaling of the modeled sea ice deformation implies multifractality. It is also coupled to temporal scales and varies realistically by region and season. The agreement of the spatial scaling with satellite observations challenges previous results with VP models at coarser resolution, which did not reproduce the observed scaling. The temporal scaling analysis shows that the VP model, as configured in this 1 km simulation, does not fully resolve the intermittency of sea ice deformation that is observed in satellite data.

Scaling Properties of Arctic Sea Ice Deformation in a High-Resolution Viscous-Plastic Sea Ice Model and in Satellite Observations.

PubMed

Hutter, Nils; Losch, Martin; Menemenlis, Dimitris

2018-01-01

Sea ice models with the traditional viscous-plastic (VP) rheology and very small horizontal grid spacing can resolve leads and deformation rates localized along Linear Kinematic Features (LKF). In a 1 km pan-Arctic sea ice-ocean simulation, the small-scale sea ice deformations are evaluated with a scaling analysis in relation to satellite observations of the Envisat Geophysical Processor System (EGPS) in the Central Arctic. A new coupled scaling analysis for data on Eulerian grids is used to determine the spatial and temporal scaling and the coupling between temporal and spatial scales. The spatial scaling of the modeled sea ice deformation implies multifractality. It is also coupled to temporal scales and varies realistically by region and season. The agreement of the spatial scaling with satellite observations challenges previous results with VP models at coarser resolution, which did not reproduce the observed scaling. The temporal scaling analysis shows that the VP model, as configured in this 1 km simulation, does not fully resolve the intermittency of sea ice deformation that is observed in satellite data.

Hierarchical Spatio-temporal Visual Analysis of Cluster Evolution in Electrocorticography Data

DOE PAGES

Murugesan, Sugeerth; Bouchard, Kristofer; Chang, Edward; ...

2016-10-02

Here, we present ECoG ClusterFlow, a novel interactive visual analysis tool for the exploration of high-resolution Electrocorticography (ECoG) data. Our system detects and visualizes dynamic high-level structures, such as communities, using the time-varying spatial connectivity network derived from the high-resolution ECoG data. ECoG ClusterFlow provides a multi-scale visualization of the spatio-temporal patterns underlying the time-varying communities using two views: 1) an overview summarizing the evolution of clusters over time and 2) a hierarchical glyph-based technique that uses data aggregation and small multiples techniques to visualize the propagation of clusters in their spatial domain. ECoG ClusterFlow makes it possible 1) tomore » compare the spatio-temporal evolution patterns across various time intervals, 2) to compare the temporal information at varying levels of granularity, and 3) to investigate the evolution of spatial patterns without occluding the spatial context information. Lastly, we present case studies done in collaboration with neuroscientists on our team for both simulated and real epileptic seizure data aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of our approach.« less

Evaluating Sentinel-2 for Lakeshore Habitat Mapping Based on Airborne Hyperspectral Data

PubMed Central

Stratoulias, Dimitris; Balzter, Heiko; Sykioti, Olga; Zlinszky, András; Tóth, Viktor R.

2015-01-01

Monitoring of lakeshore ecosystems requires fine-scale information to account for the high biodiversity typically encountered in the land-water ecotone. Sentinel-2 is a satellite with high spatial and spectral resolution and improved revisiting frequency and is expected to have significant potential for habitat mapping and classification of complex lakeshore ecosystems. In this context, investigations of the capabilities of Sentinel-2 in regard to the spatial and spectral dimensions are needed to assess its potential and the quality of the expected output. This study presents the first simulation of the high spatial resolution (i.e., 10 m and 20 m) bands of Sentinel-2 for lakeshore mapping, based on the satellite’s Spectral Response Function and hyperspectral airborne data collected over Lake Balaton, Hungary in August 2010. A comparison of supervised classifications of the simulated products is presented and the information loss from spectral aggregation and spatial upscaling in the context of lakeshore vegetation classification is discussed. We conclude that Sentinel-2 imagery has a strong potential for monitoring fine-scale habitats, such as reed beds. PMID:26378538

Performance evaluation of the Ingenuity TF PET/CT scanner with a focus on high count-rate conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolthammer, Jeffrey A.; Su, Kuan-Hao; Grover, Anu; Narayanan, Manoj; Jordan, David W.; Muzic, Raymond F.

2014-07-01

This study evaluated the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging performance of the Ingenuity TF 128 PET/computed tomography (CT) scanner which has a PET component that was designed to support a wider radioactivity range than is possible with those of Gemini TF PET/CT and Ingenuity TF PET/MR. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate characteristics and image quality were evaluated according to the NEMA NU 2-2007 standard and ACR phantom accreditation procedures; these were supplemented by additional measurements intended to characterize the system under conditions that would be encountered during quantitative cardiac imaging with 82Rb. Image quality was evaluated using a hot spheres phantom, and various contrast recovery and noise measurements were made from replicated images. Timing and energy resolution, dead time, and the linearity of the image activity concentration, were all measured over a wide range of count rates. Spatial resolution (4.8-5.1 mm FWHM), sensitivity (7.3 cps kBq-1), peak noise-equivalent count rate (124 kcps), and peak trues rate (365 kcps) were similar to those of the Gemini TF PET/CT. Contrast recovery was higher with a 2 mm, body-detail reconstruction than with a 4 mm, body reconstruction, although the precision was reduced. The noise equivalent count rate peak was broad (within 10% of peak from 241-609 MBq). The activity measured in phantom images was within 10% of the true activity for count rates up to those observed in 82Rb cardiac PET studies.

Downscaling MODIS Land Surface Temperature for Urban Public Health Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad; Crosson, William; Estes, Maurice, Jr.; Estes, Sue; Quattrochi, Dale; Johnson, Daniel

2013-01-01

This study is part of a project funded by the NASA Applied Sciences Public Health Program, which focuses on Earth science applications of remote sensing data for enhancing public health decision-making. Heat related death is currently the number one weather-related killer in the United States. Mortality from these events is expected to increase as a function of climate change. This activity sought to augment current Heat Watch/Warning Systems (HWWS) with NASA remotely sensed data, and models used in conjunction with socioeconomic and heatrelated mortality data. The current HWWS do not take into account intra-urban spatial variation in risk assessment. The purpose of this effort is to evaluate a potential method to improve spatial delineation of risk from extreme heat events in urban environments by integrating sociodemographic risk factors with estimates of land surface temperature (LST) derived from thermal remote sensing data. In order to further improve the consideration of intra-urban variations in risk from extreme heat, we also developed and evaluated a number of spatial statistical techniques for downscaling the 1-km daily MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST data to 60 m using Landsat-derived LST data, which have finer spatial but coarser temporal resolution than MODIS. In this paper, we will present these techniques, which have been demonstrated and validated for Phoenix, AZ using data from the summers of 2000-2006.

Spatial Representativeness Error in the Ground‐Level Observation Networks for Black Carbon Radiation Absorption

PubMed Central

Andrews, Elisabeth; Balkanski, Yves; Boucher, Olivier; Myhre, Gunnar; Samset, Bjørn Hallvard; Schulz, Michael; Schuster, Gregory L.; Valari, Myrto; Tao, Shu

2018-01-01

Abstract There is high uncertainty in the direct radiative forcing of black carbon (BC), an aerosol that strongly absorbs solar radiation. The observation‐constrained estimate, which is several times larger than the bottom‐up estimate, is influenced by the spatial representativeness error due to the mesoscale inhomogeneity of the aerosol fields and the relatively low resolution of global chemistry‐transport models. Here we evaluated the spatial representativeness error for two widely used observational networks (AErosol RObotic NETwork and Global Atmosphere Watch) by downscaling the geospatial grid in a global model of BC aerosol absorption optical depth to 0.1° × 0.1°. Comparing the models at a spatial resolution of 2° × 2° with BC aerosol absorption at AErosol RObotic NETwork sites (which are commonly located near emission hot spots) tends to cause a global spatial representativeness error of 30%, as a positive bias for the current top‐down estimate of global BC direct radiative forcing. By contrast, the global spatial representativeness error will be 7% for the Global Atmosphere Watch network, because the sites are located in such a way that there are almost an equal number of sites with positive or negative representativeness error. PMID:29937603

High-spatial resolution multispectral and panchromatic satellite imagery for mapping perennial desert plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsharrah, Saad A.; Bruce, David A.; Bouabid, Rachid; Somenahalli, Sekhar; Corcoran, Paul A.

2015-10-01

The use of remote sensing techniques to extract vegetation cover information for the assessment and monitoring of land degradation in arid environments has gained increased interest in recent years. However, such a task can be challenging, especially for medium-spatial resolution satellite sensors, due to soil background effects and the distribution and structure of perennial desert vegetation. In this study, we utilised Pleiades high-spatial resolution, multispectral (2m) and panchromatic (0.5m) imagery and focused on mapping small shrubs and low-lying trees using three classification techniques: 1) vegetation indices (VI) threshold analysis, 2) pre-built object-oriented image analysis (OBIA), and 3) a developed vegetation shadow model (VSM). We evaluated the success of each approach using a root of the sum of the squares (RSS) metric, which incorporated field data as control and three error metrics relating to commission, omission, and percent cover. Results showed that optimum VI performers returned good vegetation cover estimates at certain thresholds, but failed to accurately map the distribution of the desert plants. Using the pre-built IMAGINE Objective OBIA approach, we improved the vegetation distribution mapping accuracy, but this came at the cost of over classification, similar to results of lowering VI thresholds. We further introduced the VSM which takes into account shadow for further refining vegetation cover classification derived from VI. The results showed significant improvements in vegetation cover and distribution accuracy compared to the other techniques. We argue that the VSM approach using high-spatial resolution imagery provides a more accurate representation of desert landscape vegetation and should be considered in assessments of desertification.

Accuracy comparison in mapping water bodies using Landsat images and Google Earth Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Z.; Zhou, X.

2016-12-01

A lot of research has been done for the extraction of water bodies with multiple satellite images. The Water Indexes with the use of multi-spectral images are the mostly used methods for the water bodies' extraction. In order to extract area of water bodies from satellite images, accuracy may depend on the spatial resolution of images and relative size of the water bodies. To quantify the impact of spatial resolution and size (major and minor lengths) of the water bodies on the accuracy of water area extraction, we use Georgetown Lake, Montana and coalbed methane (CBM) water retention ponds in the Montana Powder River Basin as test sites to evaluate the impact of spatial resolution and the size of water bodies on water area extraction. Data sources used include Landsat images and Google Earth images covering both large water bodies and small ponds. Firstly we used water indices to extract water coverage from Landsat images for both large lake and small ponds. Secondly we used a newly developed visible-index method to extract water coverage from Google Earth images covering both large lake and small ponds. Thirdly, we used the image fusion method in which the Google Earth Images are fused with multi-spectral Landsat images to obtain multi-spectral images of the same high spatial resolution as the Google earth images. The actual area of the lake and ponds are measured using GPS surveys. Results will be compared and the optimal method will be selected for water body extraction.

Spatial resolution limitation of liquid crystal spatial light modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinghua; Wang, Bin; McManamon, Paul F., III; Pouch, John J.; Miranda, Felix A.; Anderson, James E.; Bos, Philip J.

2004-10-01

The effect of fringing electric fields in a liquid crystal (LC) Optical Phased Array (OPA), also referred to as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is a governing factor that determines the diffraction efficiency (DE) of the LC OPA for high resolution spatial phase modulation. In this article, the fringing field effect in a high resolution LC OPA is studied by accurate modeling the DE of the LC blazed gratings by LC director simulation and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation. Influence factors that contribute significantly to the DE are discussed. Such results provide fundamental understanding for high resolution LC devices.

Impacts of spatial resolution and representation of flow connectivity on large-scale simulation of floods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateo, Cherry May R.; Yamazaki, Dai; Kim, Hyungjun; Champathong, Adisorn; Vaze, Jai; Oki, Taikan

2017-10-01

Global-scale river models (GRMs) are core tools for providing consistent estimates of global flood hazard, especially in data-scarce regions. Due to former limitations in computational power and input datasets, most GRMs have been developed to use simplified representations of flow physics and run at coarse spatial resolutions. With increasing computational power and improved datasets, the application of GRMs to finer resolutions is becoming a reality. To support development in this direction, the suitability of GRMs for application to finer resolutions needs to be assessed. This study investigates the impacts of spatial resolution and flow connectivity representation on the predictive capability of a GRM, CaMa-Flood, in simulating the 2011 extreme flood in Thailand. Analyses show that when single downstream connectivity (SDC) is assumed, simulation results deteriorate with finer spatial resolution; Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients decreased by more than 50 % between simulation results at 10 km resolution and 1 km resolution. When multiple downstream connectivity (MDC) is represented, simulation results slightly improve with finer spatial resolution. The SDC simulations result in excessive backflows on very flat floodplains due to the restrictive flow directions at finer resolutions. MDC channels attenuated these effects by maintaining flow connectivity and flow capacity between floodplains in varying spatial resolutions. While a regional-scale flood was chosen as a test case, these findings should be universal and may have significant impacts on large- to global-scale simulations, especially in regions where mega deltas exist.These results demonstrate that a GRM can be used for higher resolution simulations of large-scale floods, provided that MDC in rivers and floodplains is adequately represented in the model structure.

A technique for enhancing and matching the resolution of microwave measurements from the SSM/I instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Wayne D.; Kummerrow, Christian; Olson, William S.

1992-01-01

A correction technique is presented for matching the resolution of all the frequencies of the satelliteborne Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) to the about-25-km spatial resolution of the 37-GHz channel. This entails, on the one hand, the enhancement of the spatial resolution of the 19- and 22-GHz channels, and on the other, the degrading of that of the 85-GHz channel. The Backus and Gilbert (1970) approach is found to yield sufficient spatial resolution to render such a correction worthwhile.

High spatial resolution distributed optical fiber dynamic strain sensor with enhanced frequency and strain resolution.

PubMed

Masoudi, Ali; Newson, Trevor P

2017-01-15

A distributed optical fiber dynamic strain sensor with high spatial and frequency resolution is demonstrated. The sensor, which uses the ϕ-OTDR interrogation technique, exhibited a higher sensitivity thanks to an improved optical arrangement and a new signal processing procedure. The proposed sensing system is capable of fully quantifying multiple dynamic perturbations along a 5 km long sensing fiber with a frequency and spatial resolution of 5 Hz and 50 cm, respectively. The strain resolution of the sensor was measured to be 40 nε.

Downscaled soil moisture from SMAP evaluated using high density observations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recently, a soil moisture downscaling algorithm based on a regression relationship between daily temperature changes and daily average soil moisture was developed to produce an enhanced spatial resolution on soil moisture product for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer–EOS (AMSR-E) satellite ...

Histogram Curve Matching Approaches for Object-based Image Classification of Land Cover and Land Use

PubMed Central

Toure, Sory I.; Stow, Douglas A.; Weeks, John R.; Kumar, Sunil

2013-01-01

The classification of image-objects is usually done using parametric statistical measures of central tendency and/or dispersion (e.g., mean or standard deviation). The objectives of this study were to analyze digital number histograms of image objects and evaluate classifications measures exploiting characteristic signatures of such histograms. Two histograms matching classifiers were evaluated and compared to the standard nearest neighbor to mean classifier. An ADS40 airborne multispectral image of San Diego, California was used for assessing the utility of curve matching classifiers in a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) approach. The classifications were performed with data sets having 0.5 m, 2.5 m, and 5 m spatial resolutions. Results show that histograms are reliable features for characterizing classes. Also, both histogram matching classifiers consistently performed better than the one based on the standard nearest neighbor to mean rule. The highest classification accuracies were produced with images having 2.5 m spatial resolution. PMID:24403648

Inter-Comparison of GOES-8 Imager and Sounder Skin Temperature Retrievals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, Stephanie L.; Suggs, Ronnie J.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Skin temperature (ST) retrievals derived from geostationary satellite observations have both high temporal and spatial resolutions and are therefore useful for applications such as assimilation into mesoscale forecast models, nowcasting, and diagnostic studies. Our retrieval method uses a Physical Split Window technique requiring at least two channels within the longwave infrared window. On current GOES satellites, including GOES-11, there are two Imager channels within the required spectral interval. However, beginning with the GOES-M satellite the 12-um channel will be removed, leaving only one longwave channel. The Sounder instrument will continue to have three channels within the longwave window, and therefore ST retrievals will be derived from Sounder measurements. This research compares retrievals from the two instruments and evaluates the effects of the spatial resolution and sensor calibration differences on the retrievals. Both Imager and Sounder retrievals are compared to ground-truth data to evaluate the overall accuracy of the technique. An analysis of GOES-8 and GOES-11 intercomparisons is also presented.

Evaluation of a High-Resolution Regional Reanalysis for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.; Wahl, S.; Keller, J. D.; Bollmeyer, C.

2014-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers 6 years (2007-2012) and is currently extended to 16 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

Digital disaster evaluation and its application to 2015 Ms 8.1 Nepal Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WANG, Xiaoqing; LV, Jinxia; DING, Xiang; DOU, Aixia

2016-11-01

The purpose of the article is to probe the technique resolution of disaster information extraction and evaluation from the digital RS images based on the internet environment and aided by the social and geographic information. The solution is composed with such methods that the fast post-disaster assessment system will assess automatically the disaster area and grade, the multi-phase satellite and airborne high resolution digital RS images will provide the basis to extract the disaster areas or spots, assisted by the fast position of potential serious damage risk targets according to the geographic, administrative, population, buildings and other information in the estimated disaster region, the 2D digital map system or 3D digital earth system will provide platforms to interpret cooperatively the damage information in the internet environment, and further to estimate the spatial distribution of damage index or intensity, casualties or economic losses, which are very useful for the decision-making of emergency rescue and disaster relief, resettlement and reconstruction. The spatial seismic damage distribution of 2015 Ms 8.1 Nepal earthquake, as an example of the above solution, is evaluated by using the high resolution digital RS images, auxiliary geographic information and ground survey. The results are compared with the statistical disaster information issued by the ground truth by field surveying, and show good consistency.

Performance evaluation of the small-animal PET scanner ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards.

PubMed

Sato, K; Shidahara, M; Watabe, H; Watanuki, S; Ishikawa, Y; Arakawa, Y; Nai, Y H; Furumoto, S; Tashiro, M; Shoji, T; Yanai, K; Gonda, K

2016-01-21

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU4 standards. The ClairvivoPET incorporates a LYSO dual depth-of-interaction detector system with 151 mm axial field of view (FOV). Spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate capabilities, and image quality were evaluated using NEMA NU4-2008 standards. Normal mouse imaging was also performed for 10 min after intravenous injection of (18)F(-)-NaF. Data were compared with 19 other preclinical PET scanners. Spatial resolution measured using full width at half maximum on FBP-ramp reconstructed images was 2.16 mm at radial offset 5 mm of the axial centre FOV. The maximum absolute sensitivity for a point source at the FOV centre was 8.72%. Peak noise equivalent counting rate (NECR) was 415 kcps at 14.6 MBq ml(-1). The uniformity with the image-quality phantom was 4.62%. Spillover ratios in the images of air and water filled chambers were 0.19 and 0.06, respectively. Our results were comparable with the 19 other preclinical PET scanners based on NEMA NU4 standards, with excellent sensitivity because of the large FOV. The ClairvivoPET with iterative reconstruction algorithm also provided sufficient visualization of the mouse spine. The high sensitivity and resolution of the ClairvivoPET scanner provided high quality images for preclinical studies.

Performance evaluation of the small-animal PET scanner ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, K.; Shidahara, M.; Watabe, H.; Watanuki, S.; Ishikawa, Y.; Arakawa, Y.; Nai, YH; Furumoto, S.; Tashiro, M.; Shoji, T.; Yanai, K.; Gonda, K.

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU4 standards. The ClairvivoPET incorporates a LYSO dual depth-of-interaction detector system with 151 mm axial field of view (FOV). Spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate capabilities, and image quality were evaluated using NEMA NU4-2008 standards. Normal mouse imaging was also performed for 10min after intravenous injection of 18F(-)-NaF. Data were compared with 19 other preclinical PET scanners. Spatial resolution measured using full width at half maximum on FBP-ramp reconstructed images was 2.16 mm at radial offset 5 mm of the axial centre FOV. The maximum absolute sensitivity for a point source at the FOV centre was 8.72%. Peak noise equivalent counting rate (NECR) was 415kcps at 14.6MBq ml-1. The uniformity with the image-quality phantom was 4.62%. Spillover ratios in the images of air and water filled chambers were 0.19 and 0.06, respectively. Our results were comparable with the 19 other preclinical PET scanners based on NEMA NU4 standards, with excellent sensitivity because of the large FOV. The ClairvivoPET with iterative reconstruction algorithm also provided sufficient visualization of the mouse spine. The high sensitivity and resolution of the ClairvivoPET scanner provided high quality images for preclinical studies.

Study of satellite retrieved aerosol optical depth spatial resolution effect on particulate matter concentration prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strandgren, J.; Mei, L.; Vountas, M.; Burrows, J. P.; Lyapustin, A.; Wang, Y.

2014-10-01

The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) spatial resolution effect is investigated for the linear correlation between satellite retrieved AOD and ground level particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5). The Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm was developed for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for obtaining AOD with a high spatial resolution of 1 km and provides a good dataset for the study of the AOD spatial resolution effect on the particulate matter concentration prediction. 946 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ground monitoring stations across the contiguous US have been used to investigate the linear correlation between AOD and PM2.5 using AOD at different spatial resolutions (1, 3 and 10 km) and for different spatial scales (urban scale, meso-scale and continental scale). The main conclusions are: (1) for both urban, meso- and continental scale the correlation between PM2.5 and AOD increased significantly with increasing spatial resolution of the AOD, (2) the correlation between AOD and PM2.5 decreased significantly as the scale of study region increased for the eastern part of the US while vice versa for the western part of the US, (3) the correlation between PM2.5 and AOD is much more stable and better over the eastern part of the US compared to western part due to the surface characteristics and atmospheric conditions like the fine mode fraction.

Virtual mission stage I: Implications of a spaceborne surface water mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, E. A.; Alsdorf, D. E.; Bates, P.; Wilson, M. D.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2004-12-01

The interannual and interseasonal variability of the land surface water cycle depend on the distribution of surface water in lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and river systems; however, measurements of hydrologic variables are sparsely distributed, even in industrialized nations. Moreover, the spatial extent and storage variations of lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands are poorly known. We are developing a virtual mission to demonstrate the feasibility of observing surface water extent and variations from a spaceborne platform. In the first stage of the virtual mission, on which we report here, surface water area and fluxes are emulated using simulation modeling over three continental scale river basins, including the Ohio River, the Amazon River and an Arctic river. The Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) macroscale hydrologic model is used to simulate evapotranspiration, soil moisture, snow accumulation and ablation, and runoff and streamflow over each basin at one-eighth degree resolution. The runoff from this model is routed using a linear transfer model to provide input to a much more detailed flow hydraulics model. The flow hydraulics model then routes runoff through various channel and floodplain morphologies at a 250 m spatial and 20 second temporal resolution over a 100 km by 500 km domain. This information is used to evaluate trade-offs between spatial and temporal resolutions of a hypothetical high resolution spaceborne altimeter by synthetically sampling the resultant model-predicted water surface elevations.

Employing temporal self-similarity across the entire time domain in computed tomography reconstruction

PubMed Central

Kazantsev, D.; Van Eyndhoven, G.; Lionheart, W. R. B.; Withers, P. J.; Dobson, K. J.; McDonald, S. A.; Atwood, R.; Lee, P. D.

2015-01-01

There are many cases where one needs to limit the X-ray dose, or the number of projections, or both, for high frame rate (fast) imaging. Normally, it improves temporal resolution but reduces the spatial resolution of the reconstructed data. Fortunately, the redundancy of information in the temporal domain can be employed to improve spatial resolution. In this paper, we propose a novel regularizer for iterative reconstruction of time-lapse computed tomography. The non-local penalty term is driven by the available prior information and employs all available temporal data to improve the spatial resolution of each individual time frame. A high-resolution prior image from the same or a different imaging modality is used to enhance edges which remain stationary throughout the acquisition time while dynamic features tend to be regularized spatially. Effective computational performance together with robust improvement in spatial and temporal resolution makes the proposed method a competitive tool to state-of-the-art techniques. PMID:25939621

Towards real-time diffuse optical tomography for imaging brain functions cooperated with Kalman estimator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bingyuan; Zhang, Yao; Liu, Dongyuan; Ding, Xuemei; Dan, Mai; Pan, Tiantian; Wang, Yihan; Li, Jiao; Zhou, Zhongxing; Zhang, Limin; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2018-02-01

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging method to monitor the cerebral hemodynamic through the optical changes measured at the scalp surface. It has played a more and more important role in psychology and medical imaging communities. Real-time imaging of brain function using NIRS makes it possible to explore some sophisticated human brain functions unexplored before. Kalman estimator has been frequently used in combination with modified Beer-Lamber Law (MBLL) based optical topology (OT), for real-time brain function imaging. However, the spatial resolution of the OT is low, hampering the application of OT in exploring some complicated brain functions. In this paper, we develop a real-time imaging method combining diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and Kalman estimator, much improving the spatial resolution. Instead of only presenting one spatially distributed image indicating the changes of the absorption coefficients at each time point during the recording process, one real-time updated image using the Kalman estimator is provided. Its each voxel represents the amplitude of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) associated with this voxel. We evaluate this method using some simulation experiments, demonstrating that this method can obtain more reliable spatial resolution images. Furthermore, a statistical analysis is also conducted to help to decide whether a voxel in the field of view is activated or not.

Evaluation of a novel collimator for molecular breast tomosynthesis

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

Gilland, David R.; Welch, Benjamin L.; Lee, Seungjoon

Here, this study investigated a novel gamma camera for molecular breast tomosynthesis (MBT), which is a nuclear breast imaging method that uses limited angle tomography. The camera is equipped with a variable angle, slant-hole (VASH) collimator that allows the camera to remain close to the breast throughout the acquisition. The goal of this study was to evaluate the spatial resolution and count sensitivity of this camera and to compare contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) with conventional planar imaging using an experimental breast phantom. Methods The VASH collimator mounts to a commercial gamma camera for breast imaging that uses a pixelatedmore » (3.2 mm), 15 × 20 cm NaI crystal. Spatial resolution was measured in planar images over a range of distances from the collimator (30-100 mm) and a range of slant angles (–25° to 25°) using 99mTc line sources. Spatial resolution was also measured in reconstructed MBT images including in the depth dimension. The images were reconstructed from data acquired over the -25° to 25° angular range using an iterative algorithm adapted to the slant-hole geometry. Sensitivity was measured over the range of slant angles using a disk source. Measured spatial resolution and sensitivity were compared to theoretical values. Contrast and CNR were measured using a breast phantom containing spherical lesions (6.2 mm and 7.8 mm diameter) and positioned over a range of depths in the phantom. The MBT and planar methods had equal scan time, and the count density in the breast phantom data was similar to that in clinical nuclear breast imaging. The MBT method used an iterative reconstruction algorithm combined with a postreconstruction Metz filter. Results The measured spatial resolution in planar images agreed well with theoretical calculations over the range of distances and slant angles. The measured FWHM was 9.7 mm at 50 mm distance. In reconstructed MBT images, the spatial resolution in the depth dimension was approximately 2.2 mm greater than the other two dimensions due to the limited angle data. The measured count sensitivity agreed closely with theory over all slant angles when using a wide energy window. At 0° slant angle, measured sensitivity was 19.7 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with the open energy window and 11.2 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with a 20% wide photopeak window (126 to 154 keV). The measured CNR in the MBT images was significantly greater than in the planar images for all but the lowest CNR cases where the lesion detectability was extremely low for both MBT and planar. The 7.8 mm lesion at 37 mm depth was marginally detectable in the planar image but easily visible in the MBT image. The improved CNR with MBT was due to a large improvement in contrast, which out-weighed the increase in image noise. Conclusion The spatial resolution and count sensitivity measurements with the prototype MBT system matched theoretical calculations, and the measured CNR in breast phantom images was generally greater with the MBT system compared to conventional planar imaging. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed MBT system to improve lesion detection in nuclear breast imaging.« less

Evaluation of a novel collimator for molecular breast tomosynthesis.

PubMed

Gilland, David R; Welch, Benjamin L; Lee, Seungjoon; Kross, Brian; Weisenberger, Andrew G

2017-11-01

This study investigated a novel gamma camera for molecular breast tomosynthesis (MBT), which is a nuclear breast imaging method that uses limited angle tomography. The camera is equipped with a variable angle, slant-hole (VASH) collimator that allows the camera to remain close to the breast throughout the acquisition. The goal of this study was to evaluate the spatial resolution and count sensitivity of this camera and to compare contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) with conventional planar imaging using an experimental breast phantom. The VASH collimator mounts to a commercial gamma camera for breast imaging that uses a pixelated (3.2 mm), 15 × 20 cm NaI crystal. Spatial resolution was measured in planar images over a range of distances from the collimator (30-100 mm) and a range of slant angles (-25° to 25°) using 99m Tc line sources. Spatial resolution was also measured in reconstructed MBT images including in the depth dimension. The images were reconstructed from data acquired over the -25° to 25° angular range using an iterative algorithm adapted to the slant-hole geometry. Sensitivity was measured over the range of slant angles using a disk source. Measured spatial resolution and sensitivity were compared to theoretical values. Contrast and CNR were measured using a breast phantom containing spherical lesions (6.2 mm and 7.8 mm diameter) and positioned over a range of depths in the phantom. The MBT and planar methods had equal scan time, and the count density in the breast phantom data was similar to that in clinical nuclear breast imaging. The MBT method used an iterative reconstruction algorithm combined with a postreconstruction Metz filter. The measured spatial resolution in planar images agreed well with theoretical calculations over the range of distances and slant angles. The measured FWHM was 9.7 mm at 50 mm distance. In reconstructed MBT images, the spatial resolution in the depth dimension was approximately 2.2 mm greater than the other two dimensions due to the limited angle data. The measured count sensitivity agreed closely with theory over all slant angles when using a wide energy window. At 0° slant angle, measured sensitivity was 19.7 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with the open energy window and 11.2 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with a 20% wide photopeak window (126 to 154 keV). The measured CNR in the MBT images was significantly greater than in the planar images for all but the lowest CNR cases where the lesion detectability was extremely low for both MBT and planar. The 7.8 mm lesion at 37 mm depth was marginally detectable in the planar image but easily visible in the MBT image. The improved CNR with MBT was due to a large improvement in contrast, which out-weighed the increase in image noise. The spatial resolution and count sensitivity measurements with the prototype MBT system matched theoretical calculations, and the measured CNR in breast phantom images was generally greater with the MBT system compared to conventional planar imaging. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed MBT system to improve lesion detection in nuclear breast imaging. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Evaluation of a novel collimator for molecular breast tomosynthesis

DOE PAGES

Gilland, David R.; Welch, Benjamin L.; Lee, Seungjoon; ...

2017-09-06

Here, this study investigated a novel gamma camera for molecular breast tomosynthesis (MBT), which is a nuclear breast imaging method that uses limited angle tomography. The camera is equipped with a variable angle, slant-hole (VASH) collimator that allows the camera to remain close to the breast throughout the acquisition. The goal of this study was to evaluate the spatial resolution and count sensitivity of this camera and to compare contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) with conventional planar imaging using an experimental breast phantom. Methods The VASH collimator mounts to a commercial gamma camera for breast imaging that uses a pixelatedmore » (3.2 mm), 15 × 20 cm NaI crystal. Spatial resolution was measured in planar images over a range of distances from the collimator (30-100 mm) and a range of slant angles (–25° to 25°) using 99mTc line sources. Spatial resolution was also measured in reconstructed MBT images including in the depth dimension. The images were reconstructed from data acquired over the -25° to 25° angular range using an iterative algorithm adapted to the slant-hole geometry. Sensitivity was measured over the range of slant angles using a disk source. Measured spatial resolution and sensitivity were compared to theoretical values. Contrast and CNR were measured using a breast phantom containing spherical lesions (6.2 mm and 7.8 mm diameter) and positioned over a range of depths in the phantom. The MBT and planar methods had equal scan time, and the count density in the breast phantom data was similar to that in clinical nuclear breast imaging. The MBT method used an iterative reconstruction algorithm combined with a postreconstruction Metz filter. Results The measured spatial resolution in planar images agreed well with theoretical calculations over the range of distances and slant angles. The measured FWHM was 9.7 mm at 50 mm distance. In reconstructed MBT images, the spatial resolution in the depth dimension was approximately 2.2 mm greater than the other two dimensions due to the limited angle data. The measured count sensitivity agreed closely with theory over all slant angles when using a wide energy window. At 0° slant angle, measured sensitivity was 19.7 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with the open energy window and 11.2 counts sec -1 μCi -1 with a 20% wide photopeak window (126 to 154 keV). The measured CNR in the MBT images was significantly greater than in the planar images for all but the lowest CNR cases where the lesion detectability was extremely low for both MBT and planar. The 7.8 mm lesion at 37 mm depth was marginally detectable in the planar image but easily visible in the MBT image. The improved CNR with MBT was due to a large improvement in contrast, which out-weighed the increase in image noise. Conclusion The spatial resolution and count sensitivity measurements with the prototype MBT system matched theoretical calculations, and the measured CNR in breast phantom images was generally greater with the MBT system compared to conventional planar imaging. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed MBT system to improve lesion detection in nuclear breast imaging.« less

Change of spatial information under rescaling: A case study using multi-resolution image series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Weirong; Henebry, Geoffrey M.

Spatial structure in imagery depends on a complicated interaction between the observational regime and the types and arrangements of entities within the scene that the image portrays. Although block averaging of pixels has commonly been used to simulate coarser resolution imagery, relatively little attention has been focused on the effects of simple rescaling on spatial structure and the explanation and a possible solution to the problem. Yet, if there are significant differences in spatial variance between rescaled and observed images, it may affect the reliability of retrieved biogeophysical quantities. To investigate these issues, a nested series of high spatial resolution digital imagery was collected at a research site in eastern Nebraska in 2001. An airborne Kodak DCS420IR camera acquired imagery at three altitudes, yielding nominal spatial resolutions ranging from 0.187 m to 1 m. The red and near infrared (NIR) bands of the co-registered image series were normalized using pseudo-invariant features, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated. Plots of grain sorghum planted in orthogonal crop row orientations were extracted from the image series. The finest spatial resolution data were then rescaled by averaging blocks of pixels to produce a rescaled image series that closely matched the spatial resolution of the observed image series. Spatial structures of the observed and rescaled image series were characterized using semivariogram analysis. Results for NDVI and its component bands show, as expected, that decreasing spatial resolution leads to decreasing spatial variability and increasing spatial dependence. However, compared to the observed data, the rescaled images contain more persistent spatial structure that exhibits limited variation in both spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity. Rescaling via simple block averaging fails to consider the effect of scene object shape and extent on spatial information. As the features portrayed by pixels are equally weighted regardless of the shape and extent of the underlying scene objects, the rescaled image retains more of the original spatial information than would occur through direct observation at a coarser sensor spatial resolution. In contrast, for the observed images, due to the effect of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the imaging system, high frequency features like edges are blurred or lost as the pixel size increases, resulting in greater variation in spatial structure. Successive applications of a low-pass spatial convolution filter are shown to mimic a MTF. Accordingly, it is recommended that such a procedure be applied prior to rescaling by simple block averaging, if insufficient image metadata exist to replicate the net MTF of the imaging system, as might be expected in land cover change analysis studies using historical imagery.

Satellite image fusion based on principal component analysis and high-pass filtering.

PubMed

Metwalli, Mohamed R; Nasr, Ayman H; Allah, Osama S Farag; El-Rabaie, S; Abd El-Samie, Fathi E

2010-06-01

This paper presents an integrated method for the fusion of satellite images. Several commercial earth observation satellites carry dual-resolution sensors, which provide high spatial resolution or simply high-resolution (HR) panchromatic (pan) images and low-resolution (LR) multi-spectral (MS) images. Image fusion methods are therefore required to integrate a high-spectral-resolution MS image with a high-spatial-resolution pan image to produce a pan-sharpened image with high spectral and spatial resolutions. Some image fusion methods such as the intensity, hue, and saturation (IHS) method, the principal component analysis (PCA) method, and the Brovey transform (BT) method provide HR MS images, but with low spectral quality. Another family of image fusion methods, such as the high-pass-filtering (HPF) method, operates on the basis of the injection of high frequency components from the HR pan image into the MS image. This family of methods provides less spectral distortion. In this paper, we propose the integration of the PCA method and the HPF method to provide a pan-sharpened MS image with superior spatial resolution and less spectral distortion. The experimental results show that the proposed fusion method retains the spectral characteristics of the MS image and, at the same time, improves the spatial resolution of the pan-sharpened image.

High-Spatial and High-Mass Resolution Imaging of Surface Metabolites of Arabidopsis thaliana by Laser Desorption-Ionization Mass Spectrometry Using Colloidal Silver

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

Jun, Ji Hyun; Song, Zhihong; Liu, Zhenjiu

High-spatial resolution and high-mass resolution techniques are developed and adopted for the mass spectrometric imaging of epicuticular lipids on the surface of Arabidopsis thaliana. Single cell level spatial resolution of {approx}12 {micro}m was achieved by reducing the laser beam size by using an optical fiber with 25 {micro}m core diameter in a vacuum matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-linear ion trap (vMALDI-LTQ) mass spectrometer and improved matrix application using an oscillating capillary nebulizer. Fine chemical images of a whole flower were visualized in this high spatial resolution showing substructure of an anther and single pollen grains at the stigma and anthers. Themore » LTQ-Orbitrap with a MALDI ion source was adopted to achieve MS imaging in high mass resolution. Specifically, isobaric silver ion adducts of C29 alkane (m/z 515.3741) and C28 aldehyde (m/z 515.3377), indistinguishable in low-resolution LTQ, can now be clearly distinguished and their chemical images could be separately constructed. In the application to roots, the high spatial resolution allowed molecular MS imaging of secondary roots and the high mass resolution allowed direct identification of lipid metabolites on root surfaces.« less

Evaluation of position-estimation methods applied to CZT-based photon-counting detectors for dedicated breast CT

PubMed Central

Makeev, Andrey; Clajus, Martin; Snyder, Scott; Wang, Xiaolang; Glick, Stephen J.

2015-01-01

Abstract. Semiconductor photon-counting detectors based on high atomic number, high density materials [cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)/cadmium telluride (CdTe)] for x-ray computed tomography (CT) provide advantages over conventional energy-integrating detectors, including reduced electronic and Swank noise, wider dynamic range, capability of spectral CT, and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Certain CT applications require high spatial resolution. In breast CT, for example, visualization of microcalcifications and assessment of tumor microvasculature after contrast enhancement require resolution on the order of 100  μm. A straightforward approach to increasing spatial resolution of pixellated CZT-based radiation detectors by merely decreasing the pixel size leads to two problems: (1) fabricating circuitry with small pixels becomes costly and (2) inter-pixel charge spreading can obviate any improvement in spatial resolution. We have used computer simulations to investigate position estimation algorithms that utilize charge sharing to achieve subpixel position resolution. To study these algorithms, we model a simple detector geometry with a 5×5 array of 200  μm pixels, and use a conditional probability function to model charge transport in CZT. We used COMSOL finite element method software to map the distribution of charge pulses and the Monte Carlo package PENELOPE for simulating fluorescent radiation. Performance of two x-ray interaction position estimation algorithms was evaluated: the method of maximum-likelihood estimation and a fast, practical algorithm that can be implemented in a readout application-specific integrated circuit and allows for identification of a quadrant of the pixel in which the interaction occurred. Both methods demonstrate good subpixel resolution; however, their actual efficiency is limited by the presence of fluorescent K-escape photons. Current experimental breast CT systems typically use detectors with a pixel size of 194  μm, with 2×2 binning during the acquisition giving an effective pixel size of 388  μm. Thus, it would be expected that the position estimate accuracy reported in this study would improve detection and visualization of microcalcifications as compared to that with conventional detectors. PMID:26158095

Evaluation of position-estimation methods applied to CZT-based photon-counting detectors for dedicated breast CT.

PubMed

Makeev, Andrey; Clajus, Martin; Snyder, Scott; Wang, Xiaolang; Glick, Stephen J

2015-04-01

Semiconductor photon-counting detectors based on high atomic number, high density materials [cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)/cadmium telluride (CdTe)] for x-ray computed tomography (CT) provide advantages over conventional energy-integrating detectors, including reduced electronic and Swank noise, wider dynamic range, capability of spectral CT, and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Certain CT applications require high spatial resolution. In breast CT, for example, visualization of microcalcifications and assessment of tumor microvasculature after contrast enhancement require resolution on the order of [Formula: see text]. A straightforward approach to increasing spatial resolution of pixellated CZT-based radiation detectors by merely decreasing the pixel size leads to two problems: (1) fabricating circuitry with small pixels becomes costly and (2) inter-pixel charge spreading can obviate any improvement in spatial resolution. We have used computer simulations to investigate position estimation algorithms that utilize charge sharing to achieve subpixel position resolution. To study these algorithms, we model a simple detector geometry with a [Formula: see text] array of [Formula: see text] pixels, and use a conditional probability function to model charge transport in CZT. We used COMSOL finite element method software to map the distribution of charge pulses and the Monte Carlo package PENELOPE for simulating fluorescent radiation. Performance of two x-ray interaction position estimation algorithms was evaluated: the method of maximum-likelihood estimation and a fast, practical algorithm that can be implemented in a readout application-specific integrated circuit and allows for identification of a quadrant of the pixel in which the interaction occurred. Both methods demonstrate good subpixel resolution; however, their actual efficiency is limited by the presence of fluorescent [Formula: see text]-escape photons. Current experimental breast CT systems typically use detectors with a pixel size of [Formula: see text], with [Formula: see text] binning during the acquisition giving an effective pixel size of [Formula: see text]. Thus, it would be expected that the position estimate accuracy reported in this study would improve detection and visualization of microcalcifications as compared to that with conventional detectors.

The spatial resolution of a rotating gamma camera tomographic facility.

PubMed

Webb, S; Flower, M A; Ott, R J; Leach, M O; Inamdar, R

1983-12-01

An important feature determining the spatial resolution in transverse sections reconstructed by convolution and back-projection is the frequency filter corresponding to the convolution kernel. Equations have been derived giving the theoretical spatial resolution, for a perfect detector and noise-free data, using four filter functions. Experiments have shown that physical constraints will always limit the resolution that can be achieved with a given system. The experiments indicate that the region of the frequency spectrum between KN/2 and KN where KN is the Nyquist frequency does not contribute significantly to resolution. In order to investigate the physical effect of these filter functions, the spatial resolution of reconstructed images obtained with a GE 400T rotating gamma camera has been measured. The results obtained serve as an aid to choosing appropriate reconstruction filters for use with a rotating gamma camera system.

A high time and spatial resolution MRPC designed for muon tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, L.; Wang, Y.; Huang, X.; Wang, X.; Zhu, W.; Li, Y.; Cheng, J.

2014-12-01

A prototype of cosmic muon scattering tomography system has been set up in Tsinghua University in Beijing. Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) is used in the system to get the muon tracks. Compared with other detectors, MRPC can not only provide the track but also the Time of Flight (ToF) between two detectors which can estimate the energy of particles. To get a more accurate track and higher efficiency of the tomography system, a new type of high time and two-dimensional spatial resolution MRPC has been developed. A series of experiments have been done to measure the efficiency, time resolution and spatial resolution. The results show that the efficiency can reach 95% and its time resolution is around 65 ps. The cluster size is around 4 and the spatial resolution can reach 200 μ m.

The Analytical Limits of Modeling Short Diffusion Timescales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradshaw, R. W.; Kent, A. J.

2016-12-01

Chemical and isotopic zoning in minerals is widely used to constrain the timescales of magmatic processes such as magma mixing and crystal residence, etc. via diffusion modeling. Forward modeling of diffusion relies on fitting diffusion profiles to measured compositional gradients. However, an individual measurement is essentially an average composition for a segment of the gradient defined by the spatial resolution of the analysis. Thus there is the potential for the analytical spatial resolution to limit the timescales that can be determined for an element of given diffusivity, particularly where the scale of the gradient approaches that of the measurement. Here we use a probabilistic modeling approach to investigate the effect of analytical spatial resolution on estimated timescales from diffusion modeling. Our method investigates how accurately the age of a synthetic diffusion profile can be obtained by modeling an "unknown" profile derived from discrete sampling of the synthetic compositional gradient at a given spatial resolution. We also include the effects of analytical uncertainty and the position of measurements relative to the diffusion gradient. We apply this method to the spatial resolutions of common microanalytical techniques (LA-ICP-MS, SIMS, EMP, NanoSIMS). Our results confirm that for a given diffusivity, higher spatial resolution gives access to shorter timescales, and that each analytical spacing has a minimum timescale, below which it overestimates the timescale. For example, for Ba diffusion in plagioclase at 750 °C timescales are accurate (within 20%) above 10, 100, 2,600, and 71,000 years at 0.3, 1, 5, and 25 mm spatial resolution, respectively. For Sr diffusion in plagioclase at 750 °C, timescales are accurate above 0.02, 0.2, 4, and 120 years at the same spatial resolutions. Our results highlight the importance of selecting appropriate analytical techniques to estimate accurate diffusion-based timescales.

Spatial and Angular Resolution Enhancement of Light Fields Using Convolutional Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gul, M. Shahzeb Khan; Gunturk, Bahadir K.

2018-05-01

Light field imaging extends the traditional photography by capturing both spatial and angular distribution of light, which enables new capabilities, including post-capture refocusing, post-capture aperture control, and depth estimation from a single shot. Micro-lens array (MLA) based light field cameras offer a cost-effective approach to capture light field. A major drawback of MLA based light field cameras is low spatial resolution, which is due to the fact that a single image sensor is shared to capture both spatial and angular information. In this paper, we present a learning based light field enhancement approach. Both spatial and angular resolution of captured light field is enhanced using convolutional neural networks. The proposed method is tested with real light field data captured with a Lytro light field camera, clearly demonstrating spatial and angular resolution improvement.

Spatial and Angular Resolution Enhancement of Light Fields Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

PubMed

Gul, M Shahzeb Khan; Gunturk, Bahadir K

2018-05-01

Light field imaging extends the traditional photography by capturing both spatial and angular distribution of light, which enables new capabilities, including post-capture refocusing, post-capture aperture control, and depth estimation from a single shot. Micro-lens array (MLA) based light field cameras offer a cost-effective approach to capture light field. A major drawback of MLA based light field cameras is low spatial resolution, which is due to the fact that a single image sensor is shared to capture both spatial and angular information. In this paper, we present a learning based light field enhancement approach. Both spatial and angular resolution of captured light field is enhanced using convolutional neural networks. The proposed method is tested with real light field data captured with a Lytro light field camera, clearly demonstrating spatial and angular resolution improvement.

Multi-Resolution Analysis of MODIS and ASTER Satellite Data for Water Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

spectral bands, but also with different pixel resolutions . The overall goal... the total water surface. Due to the constraint that high spatial resolution satellite images are low temporal resolution , one needs a reliable method...at 15 m resolution , were processed. We used MODIS reflectance data from MOD02 Level 1B data. Even the spatial resolution of the 1240 nm

Definition of the Spatial Resolution of X-Ray Microanalysis in Thin Foils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, D. B.; Michael, J. R.; Goldstein, J. I.; Romig, A. D., Jr.

1992-01-01

The spatial resolution of X-ray microanalysis in thin foils is defined in terms of the incident electron beam diameter and the average beam broadening. The beam diameter is defined as the full width tenth maximum of a Gaussian intensity distribution. The spatial resolution is calculated by a convolution of the beam diameter and the average beam broadening. This definition of the spatial resolution can be related simply to experimental measurements of composition profiles across interphase interfaces. Monte Carlo calculations using a high-speed parallel supercomputer show good agreement with this definition of the spatial resolution and calculations based on this definition. The agreement is good over a range of specimen thicknesses and atomic number, but is poor when excessive beam tailing distorts the assumed Gaussian electron intensity distributions. Beam tailing occurs in low-Z materials because of fast secondary electrons and in high-Z materials because of plural scattering.

The high-resolution regional reanalysis COSMO-REA6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.

2016-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers the past 20 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

A high-resolution regional reanalysis for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohlwein, C.

2015-12-01

Reanalyses gain more and more importance as a source of meteorological information for many purposes and applications. Several global reanalyses projects (e.g., ERA, MERRA, CSFR, JMA9) produce and verify these data sets to provide time series as long as possible combined with a high data quality. Due to a spatial resolution down to 50-70km and 3-hourly temporal output, they are not suitable for small scale problems (e.g., regional climate assessment, meso-scale NWP verification, input for subsequent models such as river runoff simulations). The implementation of regional reanalyses based on a limited area model along with a data assimilation scheme is able to generate reanalysis data sets with high spatio-temporal resolution. Within the Hans-Ertel-Centre for Weather Research (HErZ), the climate monitoring branch concentrates efforts on the assessment and analysis of regional climate in Germany and Europe. In joint cooperation with DWD (German Meteorological Service), a high-resolution reanalysis system based on the COSMO model has been developed. The regional reanalysis for Europe matches the domain of the CORDEX EURO-11 specifications, albeit at a higher spatial resolution, i.e., 0.055° (6km) instead of 0.11° (12km) and comprises the assimilation of observational data using the existing nudging scheme of COSMO complemented by a special soil moisture analysis with boundary conditions provided by ERA-Interim data. The reanalysis data set covers the past 20 years. Extensive evaluation of the reanalysis is performed using independent observations with special emphasis on precipitation and high-impact weather situations indicating a better representation of small scale variability. Further, the evaluation shows an added value of the regional reanalysis with respect to the forcing ERA Interim reanalysis and compared to a pure high-resolution dynamical downscaling approach without data assimilation.

Easy way to determine quantitative spatial resolution distribution for a general inverse problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, M.; Feng, M.

2013-12-01

The spatial resolution computation of a solution was nontrivial and more difficult than solving an inverse problem. Most geophysical studies, except for tomographic studies, almost uniformly neglect the calculation of a practical spatial resolution. In seismic tomography studies, a qualitative resolution length can be indicatively given via visual inspection of the restoration of a synthetic structure (e.g., checkerboard tests). An effective strategy for obtaining quantitative resolution length is to calculate Backus-Gilbert resolution kernels (also referred to as a resolution matrix) by matrix operation. However, not all resolution matrices can provide resolution length information, and the computation of resolution matrix is often a difficult problem for very large inverse problems. A new class of resolution matrices, called the statistical resolution matrices (An, 2012, GJI), can be directly determined via a simple one-parameter nonlinear inversion performed based on limited pairs of random synthetic models and their inverse solutions. The total procedure were restricted to forward/inversion processes used in the real inverse problem and were independent of the degree of inverse skill used in the solution inversion. Spatial resolution lengths can be directly given during the inversion. Tests on 1D/2D/3D model inversion demonstrated that this simple method can be at least valid for a general linear inverse problem.

Use of UAS remote sensing data to estimate crop ET at high spatial resolution

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Estimation of the spatial distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) based on remotely sensed imagery has become useful for managing water in irrigated agricultural at various spatial scales. However, data acquired by conventional satellites (Landsat, ASTER, etc.) lack the spatial resolution to capture...

Ultra high spatial and temporal resolution breast imaging at 7T.

PubMed

van de Bank, B L; Voogt, I J; Italiaander, M; Stehouwer, B L; Boer, V O; Luijten, P R; Klomp, D W J

2013-04-01

There is a need to obtain higher specificity in the detection of breast lesions using MRI. To address this need, Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced (DCE) MRI has been combined with other structural and functional MRI techniques. Unfortunately, owing to time constraints structural images at ultra-high spatial resolution can generally not be obtained during contrast uptake, whereas the relatively low spatial resolution of functional imaging (e.g. diffusion and perfusion) limits the detection of small lesions. To be able to increase spatial as well as temporal resolution simultaneously, the sensitivity of MR detection needs to increase as well as the ability to effectively accelerate the acquisition. The required gain in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be obtained at 7T, whereas acceleration can be obtained with high-density receiver coil arrays. In this case, morphological imaging can be merged with DCE-MRI, and other functional techniques can be obtained at higher spatial resolution, and with less distortion [e.g. Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI)]. To test the feasibility of this concept, we developed a unilateral breast coil for 7T. It comprises a volume optimized dual-channel transmit coil combined with a 30-channel receive array coil. The high density of small coil elements enabled efficient acceleration in any direction to acquire ultra high spatial resolution MRI of close to 0.6 mm isotropic detail within a temporal resolution of 69 s, high spatial resolution MRI of 1.5 mm isotropic within an ultra high temporal resolution of 6.7 s and low distortion DWI at 7T, all validated in phantoms, healthy volunteers and a patient with a lesion in the right breast classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) IV. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High Efficiency Multi-shot Interleaved Spiral-In/Out Acquisition for High Resolution BOLD fMRI

PubMed Central

Jung, Youngkyoo; Samsonov, Alexey A.; Liu, Thomas T.; Buracas, Giedrius T.

2012-01-01

Growing demand for high spatial resolution BOLD functional MRI faces a challenge of the spatial resolution vs. coverage or temporal resolution tradeoff, which can be addressed by methods that afford increased acquisition efficiency. Spiral acquisition trajectories have been shown to be superior to currently prevalent echo-planar imaging in terms of acquisition efficiency, and high spatial resolution can be achieved by employing multiple-shot spiral acquisition. The interleaved spiral in-out trajectory is preferred over spiral-in due to increased BOLD signal CNR and higher acquisition efficiency than that of spiral-out or non-interleaved spiral in/out trajectories (1), but to date applicability of the multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out for high spatial resolution imaging has not been studied. Herein we propose multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out acquisition and investigate its applicability for high spatial resolution BOLD fMRI. Images reconstructed from interleaved spiral-in and -out trajectories possess artifacts caused by differences in T2* decay, off-resonance and k-space errors associated with the two trajectories. We analyze the associated errors and demonstrate that application of conjugate phase reconstruction and spectral filtering can substantially mitigate these image artifacts. After applying these processing steps, the multishot interleaved spiral in-out pulse sequence yields high BOLD CNR images at in-plane resolution below 1x1 mm while preserving acceptable temporal resolution (4 s) and brain coverage (15 slices of 2 mm thickness). Moreover, this method yields sufficient BOLD CNR at 1.5 mm isotropic resolution for detection of activation in hippocampus associated with cognitive tasks (Stern memory task). The multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out acquisition is a promising technique for high spatial resolution BOLD fMRI applications. PMID:23023395

NEMA NU-4 performance evaluation of PETbox4, a high sensitivity dedicated PET preclinical tomograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Z.; Taschereau, R.; Vu, N. T.; Wang, H.; Prout, D. L.; Silverman, R. W.; Bai, B.; Stout, D. B.; Phelps, M. E.; Chatziioannou, A. F.

2013-06-01

PETbox4 is a new, fully tomographic bench top PET scanner dedicated to high sensitivity and high resolution imaging of mice. This manuscript characterizes the performance of the prototype system using the National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU 4-2008 standards, including studies of sensitivity, spatial resolution, energy resolution, scatter fraction, count-rate performance and image quality. The PETbox4 performance is also compared with the performance of PETbox, a previous generation limited angle tomography system. PETbox4 consists of four opposing flat-panel type detectors arranged in a box-like geometry. Each panel is made by a 24 × 50 pixelated array of 1.82 × 1.82 × 7 mm bismuth germanate scintillation crystals with a crystal pitch of 1.90 mm. Each of these scintillation arrays is coupled to two Hamamatsu H8500 photomultiplier tubes via a glass light guide. Volumetric images for a 45 × 45 × 95 mm field of view (FOV) are reconstructed with a maximum likelihood expectation maximization algorithm incorporating a system model based on a parameterized detector response. With an energy window of 150-650 keV, the peak absolute sensitivity is approximately 18% at the center of FOV. The measured crystal energy resolution ranges from 13.5% to 48.3% full width at half maximum (FWHM), with a mean of 18.0%. The intrinsic detector spatial resolution is 1.5 mm FWHM in both transverse and axial directions. The reconstructed image spatial resolution for different locations in the FOV ranges from 1.32 to 1.93 mm, with an average of 1.46 mm. The peak noise equivalent count rate for the mouse-sized phantom is 35 kcps for a total activity of 1.5 MBq (40 µCi) and the scatter fraction is 28%. The standard deviation in the uniform region of the image quality phantom is 5.7%. The recovery coefficients range from 0.10 to 0.93. In comparison to the first generation two panel PETbox system, PETbox4 achieves substantial improvements on sensitivity and spatial resolution. The overall performance demonstrates that the PETbox4 scanner is suitable for producing high quality images for molecular imaging based biomedical research.

Advantages of a Vertical High-Resolution Distributed-Temperature-Sensing System Used to Evaluate the Thermal Behavior of Green Roofs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hausner, M. B.; Suarez, F. I.; Cousiño, J. A.; Victorero, F.; Bonilla, C. A.; Gironas, J. A.; Vera, S.; Bustamante, W.; Rojas, V.; Leiva, E.; Pasten, P.

2015-12-01

Technological innovations used for sustainable urban development, green roofs offer a range of benefits, including reduced heat island effect, rooftop runoff, roof surface temperatures, energy consumption, and noise levels inside buildings, as well as increased urban biodiversity. Green roofs feature layered construction, with the most important layers being the vegetation and the substrate layers located above the traditional roof. These layers provide both insulation and warm season cooling by latent heat flux, reducing the thermal load to the building. To understand and improve the processes driving this thermal energy reduction, it is important to observe the thermal dynamics of a green roof at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Traditionally, to observe the thermal behavior of green roofs, a series of thermocouples have been installed at discrete depths within the layers of the roof. Here, we present a vertical high-resolution distributed-temperature-sensing (DTS) system installed in different green roof modules of the Laboratory of Vegetated Infrastructure for Buildings (LIVE -its acronym in Spanish) of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. This DTS system allows near-continuous measurement of the thermal profile at spatial and temporal resolutions of approximately 1 cm and 30 s, respectively. In this investigation, the temperature observations from the DTS system are compared with the measurements of a series of thermocouples installed in the green roofs. This comparison makes it possible to assess the value of thermal observations at better spatial and temporal resolutions. We show that the errors associated with lower resolution observations (i.e., from the thermocouples) are propagated in the calculations of the heat fluxes through the different layers of the green roof. Our results highlight the value of having a vertical high-resolution DTS system to observe the thermal dynamics in green roofs.

Effect of combined digital imaging parameters on endodontic file measurements.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Matheus Lima; Pinto, Geraldo Camilo de Souza; Ambrosano, Glaucia Maria Bovi; Tosoni, Guilherme Monteiro

2012-10-01

This study assessed the effect of the combination of a dedicated endodontic filter, spatial resolution, and contrast resolution on the determination of endodontic file lengths. Forty extracted single-rooted teeth were x-rayed with K-files (ISO size 10 and 15) in the root canals. Images were acquired using the VistaScan system (Dürr Dental, Beitigheim-Bissingen, Germany) under different combining parameters of spatial resolution (10 and 25 line pairs per millimeter [lp/mm]) and contrast resolution (8- and 16-bit depths). Subsequently, a dedicated endodontic filter was applied on the 16-bit images, creating 2 additional parameters. Six observers measured the length of the endodontic files in the root canals using the software that accompanies the system. The mean values of the actual file lengths and the measurements of the radiographic images were submitted to 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey test at a level of significance of 5%. The intraobserver reproducibility was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient. All combined image parameters showed excellent intraobserver agreement with intraclass correlation coefficient means higher than 0.98. The imaging parameter of 25 lp/mm and 16 bit associated with the use of the endodontic filter did not differ significantly from the actual file lengths when both file sizes were analyzed together or separately (P > .05). When the size 15 file was evaluated separately, only 8-bit images differed significantly from the actual file lengths (P ≤ .05). The combination of an endodontic filter with high spatial resolution and high contrast resolution is recommended for the determination of file lengths when using storage phosphor plates. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crop Phenology Detection Using High Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Fused from SPOT5 and MODIS Products

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yang; Wu, Bingfang; Zhang, Miao; Zeng, Hongwei

2016-01-01

Timely and efficient monitoring of crop phenology at a high spatial resolution are crucial for the precise and effective management of agriculture. Recently, satellite-derived vegetation indices (VIs), such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), have been widely used for the phenology detection of terrestrial ecosystems. In this paper, a framework is proposed to detect crop phenology using high spatio-temporal resolution data fused from Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Tarre5 (SPOT5) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. The framework consists of a data fusion method to produce a synthetic NDVI dataset at SPOT5’s spatial resolution and at MODIS’s temporal resolution and a phenology extraction algorithm based on NDVI time-series analysis. The feasibility of our phenology detection approach was evaluated at the county scale in Shandong Province, China. The results show that (1) the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) algorithm can accurately blend SPOT5 and MODIS NDVI, with an R2 of greater than 0.69 and an root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 0.11 between the predicted and referenced data; and that (2) the estimated phenology parameters, such as the start and end of season (SOS and EOS), were closely correlated with the field-observed data with an R2 of the SOS ranging from 0.68 to 0.86 and with an R2 of the EOS ranging from 0.72 to 0.79. Our research provides a reliable approach for crop phenology mapping in areas with high fragmented farmland, which is meaningful for the implementation of precision agriculture. PMID:27973404

Crop Phenology Detection Using High Spatio-Temporal Resolution Data Fused from SPOT5 and MODIS Products.

PubMed

Zheng, Yang; Wu, Bingfang; Zhang, Miao; Zeng, Hongwei

2016-12-10

Timely and efficient monitoring of crop phenology at a high spatial resolution are crucial for the precise and effective management of agriculture. Recently, satellite-derived vegetation indices (VIs), such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), have been widely used for the phenology detection of terrestrial ecosystems. In this paper, a framework is proposed to detect crop phenology using high spatio-temporal resolution data fused from Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Tarre5 (SPOT5) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. The framework consists of a data fusion method to produce a synthetic NDVI dataset at SPOT5's spatial resolution and at MODIS's temporal resolution and a phenology extraction algorithm based on NDVI time-series analysis. The feasibility of our phenology detection approach was evaluated at the county scale in Shandong Province, China. The results show that (1) the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) algorithm can accurately blend SPOT5 and MODIS NDVI, with an R ² of greater than 0.69 and an root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 0.11 between the predicted and referenced data; and that (2) the estimated phenology parameters, such as the start and end of season (SOS and EOS), were closely correlated with the field-observed data with an R ² of the SOS ranging from 0.68 to 0.86 and with an R ² of the EOS ranging from 0.72 to 0.79. Our research provides a reliable approach for crop phenology mapping in areas with high fragmented farmland, which is meaningful for the implementation of precision agriculture.

A description and evaluation of an air quality model nested within global and regional composition-climate models using MetUM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neal, Lucy S.; Dalvi, Mohit; Folberth, Gerd; McInnes, Rachel N.; Agnew, Paul; O'Connor, Fiona M.; Savage, Nicholas H.; Tilbee, Marie

2017-11-01

There is a clear need for the development of modelling frameworks for both climate change and air quality to help inform policies for addressing these issues simultaneously. This paper presents an initial attempt to develop a single modelling framework, by introducing a greater degree of consistency in the meteorological modelling framework by using a two-step, one-way nested configuration of models, from a global composition-climate model (GCCM) (140 km resolution) to a regional composition-climate model covering Europe (RCCM) (50 km resolution) and finally to a high (12 km) resolution model over the UK (AQUM). The latter model is used to produce routine air quality forecasts for the UK. All three models are based on the Met Office's Unified Model (MetUM). In order to better understand the impact of resolution on the downscaling of projections of future climate and air quality, we have used this nest of models to simulate a 5-year period using present-day emissions and under present-day climate conditions. We also consider the impact of running the higher-resolution model with higher spatial resolution emissions, rather than simply regridding emissions from the RCCM. We present an evaluation of the models compared to in situ air quality observations over the UK, plus a comparison against an independent 1 km resolution gridded dataset, derived from a combination of modelling and observations, effectively producing an analysis of annual mean surface pollutant concentrations. We show that using a high-resolution model over the UK has some benefits in improving air quality modelling, but that the use of higher spatial resolution emissions is important to capture local variations in concentrations, particularly for primary pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. For secondary pollutants such as ozone and the secondary component of PM10, the benefits of a higher-resolution nested model are more limited and reasons for this are discussed. This study highlights the point that the resolution of models is not the only factor in determining model performance - consistency between nested models is also important.

Performance of the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor System over the Lower Colorado River, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayabil, H. K.; Sharif, H. O.; Fares, A.; Awal, R.; Risch, E.

2017-12-01

Recently observed increases in intensities and frequencies of climate extremes (e.g., floods, dam failure, and overtopping of river banks) necessitate the development of effective disaster prevention and mitigation strategies. Hydrologic models can be useful tools in predicting such events at different spatial and temporal scales. However, accuracy and prediction capability of such models are often constrained by the availability of high-quality representative hydro-meteorological data (e.g., precipitation) that are required to calibrate and validate such models. Improved technologies and products such as the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system that allows gathering and transmission of vast meteorological data have been developed to provide such data needs. While the MRMS data are available with high spatial and temporal resolutions (1 km and 15 min, respectively), its accuracy in estimating precipitation is yet to be fully investigated. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of the MRMS system in effectively capturing precipitation over the Lower Colorado River, Texas using observations from a dense rain gauge network. In addition, effects of spatial and temporal aggregation scales on the performance of the MRMS system were evaluated. Point scale comparisons were made at 215 gauging locations using rain gauges and MRMS data from May 2015. Moreover, the effects of temporal and spatial data aggregation scales (30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 min) and (4 to 50 km), respectively on the performance of the MRMS system were tested. Overall, the MRMS system (at 15 min temporal resolution) captured precipitation reasonably well, with an average R2 value of 0.65 and RMSE of 0.5 mm. In addition, spatial and temporal data aggregations resulted in increases in R2 values. However, reduction in RMSE was achieved only with an increase in spatial aggregations.

High spatial resolution infrared camera as ISS external experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckehard, Lorenz; Frerker, Hap; Fitch, Robert Alan

High spatial resolution infrared camera as ISS external experiment for monitoring global climate changes uses ISS internal and external resources (eg. data storage). The optical experiment will consist of an infrared camera for monitoring global climate changes from the ISS. This technology was evaluated by the German small satellite mission BIRD and further developed in different ESA projects. Compared to BIRD the presended instrument uses proven sensor advanced technologies (ISS external) and ISS on board processing and storage capabili-ties (internal). The instrument will be equipped with a serial interfaces for TM/TC and several relay commands for the power supply. For data processing and storage a mass memory is re-quired. The access to actual attitude data is highly desired to produce geo referenced maps-if possible by an on board processing.

Surface soil moisture retrieval using the L-band synthetic aperture radar onboard the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite and evaluation at core validation sites

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper evaluates the retrieval of soil moisture in the top 5-cm layer at 3-km spatial resolution using L-band dual-copolarized Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data that mapped the globe every three days from mid-April to early July, 2015. Surface soil moisture ...

Light propagation and interaction observed with electrons.

PubMed

Word, Robert C; Fitzgerald, J P S; Könenkamp, R

2016-01-01

We discuss possibilities for a microscopic optical characterization of thin films and surfaces based on photoemission electron microscopy. We show that propagating light with wavelengths across the visible range can readily be visualized, and linear and non-linear materials properties can be evaluated non-invasively with nanometer spatial resolution. While femtosecond temporal resolution can be achieved in pump-probe-type experiments, the interferometric approach presented here has typical image frame times of ~200 fs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High resolution stationary digital breast tomosynthesis using distributed carbon nanotube x-ray source array.

PubMed

Qian, Xin; Tucker, Andrew; Gidcumb, Emily; Shan, Jing; Yang, Guang; Calderon-Colon, Xiomara; Sultana, Shabana; Lu, Jianping; Zhou, Otto; Spronk, Derrek; Sprenger, Frank; Zhang, Yiheng; Kennedy, Don; Farbizio, Tom; Jing, Zhenxue

2012-04-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of increasing the system spatial resolution and scanning speed of Hologic Selenia Dimensions digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) scanner by replacing the rotating mammography x-ray tube with a specially designed carbon nanotube (CNT) x-ray source array, which generates all the projection images needed for tomosynthesis reconstruction by electronically activating individual x-ray sources without any mechanical motion. The stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) design aims to (i) increase the system spatial resolution by eliminating image blurring due to x-ray tube motion and (ii) reduce the scanning time. Low spatial resolution and long scanning time are the two main technical limitations of current DBT technology. A CNT x-ray source array was designed and evaluated against a set of targeted system performance parameters. Simulations were performed to determine the maximum anode heat load at the desired focal spot size and to design the electron focusing optics. Field emission current from CNT cathode was measured for an extended period of time to determine the stable life time of CNT cathode for an expected clinical operation scenario. The source array was manufactured, tested, and integrated with a Selenia scanner. An electronic control unit was developed to interface the source array with the detection system and to scan and regulate x-ray beams. The performance of the s-DBT system was evaluated using physical phantoms. The spatially distributed CNT x-ray source array comprised 31 individually addressable x-ray sources covering a 30 angular span with 1 pitch and an isotropic focal spot size of 0.6 mm at full width at half-maximum. Stable operation at 28 kV(peak) anode voltage and 38 mA tube current was demonstrated with extended lifetime and good source-to-source consistency. For the standard imaging protocol of 15 views over 14, 100 mAs dose, and 2 × 2 detector binning, the projection resolution along the scanning direction increased from 4.0 cycles/mm [at 10% modulation-transfer-function (MTF)] in DBT to 5.1 cycles/mm in s-DBT at magnification factor of 1.08. The improvement is more pronounced for faster scanning speeds, wider angular coverage, and smaller detector pixel sizes. The scanning speed depends on the detector, the number of views, and the imaging dose. With 240 ms detector readout time, the s-DBT system scanning time is 6.3 s for a 15-view, 100 mAs scan regardless of the angular coverage. The scanning speed can be reduced to less than 4 s when detectors become faster. Initial phantom studies showed good quality reconstructed images. A prototype s-DBT scanner has been developed and evaluated by retrofitting the Selenia rotating gantry DBT scanner with a spatially distributed CNT x-ray source array. Preliminary results show that it improves system spatial resolution substantially by eliminating image blur due to x-ray focal spot motion. The scanner speed of s-DBT system is independent of angular coverage and can be increased with faster detector without image degration. The accelerated lifetime measurement demonstrated the long term stability of CNT x-ray source array with typical clinical operation lifetime over 3 years.

High resolution remote sensing information identification for characterizing uranium mineralization setting in Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie-Lin; Wang, Jun-hu; Zhou, Mi; Huang, Yan-ju; Xuan, Yan-xiu; Wu, Ding

2011-11-01

The modern Earth Observation System (EOS) technology takes important role in the uranium geological exploration, and high resolution remote sensing as one of key parts of EOS is vital to characterize spectral and spatial information of uranium mineralization factors. Utilizing satellite high spatial resolution and hyperspectral remote sensing data (QuickBird, Radarsat2, ASTER), field spectral measurement (ASD data) and geological survey, this paper established the spectral identification characteristics of uranium mineralization factors including six different types of alaskite, lower and upper marble of Rössing formation, dolerite, alkali metasomatism, hematization and chloritization in the central zone of Damara Orogen, Namibia. Moreover, adopted the texture information identification technology, the geographical distribution zones of ore-controlling faults and boundaries between the different strata were delineated. Based on above approaches, the remote sensing geological anomaly information and image interpretation signs of uranium mineralization factors were extracted, the metallogenic conditions were evaluated, and the prospective areas have been predicted.

Merging daily sea surface temperature data from multiple satellites using a Bayesian maximum entropy method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Shaolei; Yang, Xiaofeng; Dong, Di; Li, Ziwei

2015-12-01

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important variable for understanding interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. SST fusion is crucial for acquiring SST products of high spatial resolution and coverage. This study introduces a Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) method for blending daily SSTs from multiple satellite sensors. A new spatiotemporal covariance model of an SST field is built to integrate not only single-day SSTs but also time-adjacent SSTs. In addition, AVHRR 30-year SST climatology data are introduced as soft data at the estimation points to improve the accuracy of blended results within the BME framework. The merged SSTs, with a spatial resolution of 4 km and a temporal resolution of 24 hours, are produced in the Western Pacific Ocean region to demonstrate and evaluate the proposed methodology. Comparisons with in situ drifting buoy observations show that the merged SSTs are accurate and the bias and root-mean-square errors for the comparison are 0.15°C and 0.72°C, respectively.

Attribution of soil information associated with modeling background clutter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, George; Melloh, Rae

2006-05-01

This paper examines the attribution of data fields required to generate high resolution soil profiles for support of Computational Test Bed (CTB) used for countermine research. The countermine computational test bed is designed to realistically simulate the geo-environment to support the evaluation of sensors used to locate unexploded ordnance. The goal of the CTB is to derive expected moisture, chemical compounds, and measure heat migration over time, from which we expect to optimize sensor performance. Several tests areas were considered for the collection of soils data to populate the CTB. Collection of bulk soil properties has inherent spatial resolution limits. Novel techniques are therefore required to populate a high resolution model. This paper presents correlations between spatial variability in texture as related to hydraulic permeability and heat transfer properties of the soil. The extracted physical properties are used to exercise models providing a signature of subsurface media and support the simulation of detection by various sensors of buried and surface ordnance.

Mapping Chinese tallow with color-infrared photography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ramsey, Elijah W.; Nelson, G.A.; Sapkota, S.K.; Seeger, E.B.; Martella, K.D.

2002-01-01

Airborne color-infrared photography (CIR) (1:12,000 scale) was used to map localized occurrences of the widespread and aggressive Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum), an invasive species. Photography was collected during senescence when Chinese tallow's bright red leaves presented a high spectral contrast within the native bottomland hardwood and upland forests and marsh land-cover types. Mapped occurrences were conservative because not all senescing tallow leaves are bright red simultaneously. To simulate low spectral but high spatial resolution satellite/airborne image and digital video data, the CIR photography was transformed into raster images at spatial resolutions approximating 0.5 in and 1.0 m. The image data were then spectrally classified for the occurrence of bright red leaves associated with senescing Chinese tallow. Classification accuracies were greater than 95 percent at both spatial resolutions. There was no significant difference in either forest in the detection of tallow or inclusion of non-tallow trees associated with the two spatial resolutions. In marshes, slightly more tallow occurrences were mapped with the lower spatial resolution, but there were also more misclassifications of native land covers as tallow. Combining all land covers, there was no difference at detecting tallow occurrences (equal omission errors) between the two resolutions, but the higher spatial resolution was associated with less inclusion of non-tallow land covers as tallow (lower commission error). Overall, these results confirm that high spatial (???1 m) but low spectral resolution remote sensing data can be used for mapping Chinese tallow trees in dominant environments found in coastal and adjacent upland landscapes.

Assessing the spatial distribution of coral bleaching using small unmanned aerial systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, Joshua; Hunter, Cynthia; Lukacazyk, Trent; Franklin, Erik C.

2018-06-01

Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are an affordable, effective complement to existing coral reef monitoring and assessment tools. sUAS provide repeatable low-altitude, high-resolution photogrammetry to address fundamental questions of spatial ecology and community dynamics for shallow coral reef ecosystems. Here, we qualitatively describe the use of sUAS to survey the spatial characteristics of coral cover and the distribution of coral bleaching across patch reefs in Kānéohe Bay, Hawaii, and address limitations and anticipated technology advancements within the field of UAS. Overlapping sub-decimeter low-altitude aerial reef imagery collected during the 2015 coral bleaching event was used to construct high-resolution reef image mosaics of coral bleaching responses on four Kānéohe Bay patch reefs, totaling 60,000 m2. Using sUAS imagery, we determined that paled, bleached and healthy corals on all four reefs were spatially clustered. Comparative analyses of data from sUAS imagery and in situ diver surveys found as much as 14% difference in coral cover values between survey methods, depending on the size of the reef and area surveyed. When comparing the abundance of unhealthy coral (paled and bleached) between sUAS and in situ diver surveys, we found differences in cover from 1 to 49%, depending on the depth of in situ surveys, the percent of reef area covered with sUAS surveys and patchiness of the bleaching response. This study demonstrates the effective use of sUAS surveys for assessing the spatial dynamics of coral bleaching at colony-scale resolutions across entire patch reefs and evaluates the complementarity of data from both sUAS and in situ diver surveys to more accurately characterize the spatial ecology of coral communities on reef flats and slopes.

Spatial Representativeness of PM2.5 Concentrations Obtained Using Observations From Network Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xiaoqin; Zhao, Chuanfeng; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Wang, Chunying; Yang, Xin; Yung, Yuk L.

2018-03-01

Haze has been a focused air pollution phenomenon in China, and its characterization is highly desired. Aerosol properties obtained from a single station are frequently used to represent the haze condition over a large domain, such as tens of kilometers, which could result in high uncertainties due to their spatial variation. Using a high-resolution network observation over an urban city in North China from November 2015 to February 2016, this study examines the spatial representativeness of ground station observations of particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). We developed a new method to determine the representative area of PM2.5 measurements from limited stations. The key idea is to determine the PM2.5 spatial representative area using its spatial variability and temporal correlation. We also determine stations with large representative area using two grid networks with different resolutions. Based on the high spatial resolution measurements, the representative area of PM2.5 at one station can be determined from the grids with high correlations and small differences of PM2.5. The representative area for a single station in the study period ranges from 0.25 to 16.25 km2 but is less than 3 km2 for more than half of the stations. The representative area varies with locations, and observation at 10 optimal stations would have a good representativeness of those obtained from 169 stations for the 4 month time scale studied. Both evaluations with an empirical orthogonal function analysis and with independent data set corroborate the validity of the results found in this study.

Error Estimation in an Optimal Interpolation Scheme for High Spatial and Temporal Resolution SST Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rigney, Matt; Jedlovec, Gary; LaFontaine, Frank; Shafer, Jaclyn

2010-01-01

Heat and moisture exchange between ocean surface and atmosphere plays an integral role in short-term, regional NWP. Current SST products lack both spatial and temporal resolution to accurately capture small-scale features that affect heat and moisture flux. NASA satellite is used to produce high spatial and temporal resolution SST analysis using an OI technique.

Instrumentation in molecular imaging.

PubMed

Wells, R Glenn

2016-12-01

In vivo molecular imaging is a challenging task and no single type of imaging system provides an ideal solution. Nuclear medicine techniques like SPECT and PET provide excellent sensitivity but have poor spatial resolution. Optical imaging has excellent sensitivity and spatial resolution, but light photons interact strongly with tissues and so only small animals and targets near the surface can be accurately visualized. CT and MRI have exquisite spatial resolution, but greatly reduced sensitivity. To overcome the limitations of individual modalities, molecular imaging systems often combine individual cameras together, for example, merging nuclear medicine cameras with CT or MRI to allow the visualization of molecular processes with both high sensitivity and high spatial resolution.

Raman spectroscopy-based detection of chemical contaminants in food powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Kuanglin; Dhakal, Sagar; Qin, Jianwei; Kim, Moon; Bae, Abigail

2016-05-01

Raman spectroscopy technique has proven to be a reliable method for qualitative detection of chemical contaminants in food ingredients and products. For quantitative imaging-based detection, each contaminant particle in a food sample must be detected and it is important to determine the necessary spatial resolution needed to effectively detect the contaminant particles. This study examined the effective spatial resolution required for detection of maleic acid in tapioca starch and benzoyl peroxide in wheat flour. Each chemical contaminant was mixed into its corresponding food powder at a concentration of 1% (w/w). Raman spectral images were collected for each sample, leveled across a 45 mm x 45 mm area, using different spatial resolutions. Based on analysis of these images, a spatial resolution of 0.5mm was selected as effective spatial resolution for detection of maleic acid in starch and benzoyl peroxide in flour. An experiment was then conducted using the 0.5mm spatial resolution to demonstrate Raman imaging-based quantitative detection of these contaminants for samples prepared at 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% (w/w) concentrations. The results showed a linear correlation between the detected numbers of contaminant pixels and the actual concentrations of contaminant.

Fusion and quality analysis for remote sensing images using contourlet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Yoonsuk; Sharifahmadian, Ershad; Latifi, Shahram

2013-05-01

Recent developments in remote sensing technologies have provided various images with high spatial and spectral resolutions. However, multispectral images have low spatial resolution and panchromatic images have low spectral resolution. Therefore, image fusion techniques are necessary to improve the spatial resolution of spectral images by injecting spatial details of high-resolution panchromatic images. The objective of image fusion is to provide useful information by improving the spatial resolution and the spectral information of the original images. The fusion results can be utilized in various applications, such as military, medical imaging, and remote sensing. This paper addresses two issues in image fusion: i) image fusion method and ii) quality analysis of fusion results. First, a new contourlet-based image fusion method is presented, which is an improvement over the wavelet-based fusion. This fusion method is then applied to a case study to demonstrate its fusion performance. Fusion framework and scheme used in the study are discussed in detail. Second, quality analysis for the fusion results is discussed. We employed various quality metrics in order to analyze the fusion results both spatially and spectrally. Our results indicate that the proposed contourlet-based fusion method performs better than the conventional wavelet-based fusion methods.

Impaired temporal, not just spatial, resolution in amblyopia.

PubMed

Spang, Karoline; Fahle, Manfred

2009-11-01

In amblyopia, neuronal deficits deteriorate spatial vision including visual acuity, possibly because of a lack of use-dependent fine-tuning of afferents to the visual cortex during infancy; but temporal processing may deteriorate as well. Temporal, rather than spatial, resolution was investigated in patients with amblyopia by means of a task based on time-defined figure-ground segregation. Patients had to indicate the quadrant of the visual field where a purely time-defined square appeared. The results showed a clear decrease in temporal resolution of patients' amblyopic eyes compared with the dominant eyes in this task. The extent of this decrease in figure-ground segregation based on time of motion onset only loosely correlated with the decrease in spatial resolution and spanned a smaller range than did the spatial loss. Control experiments with artificially induced blur in normal observers confirmed that the decrease in temporal resolution was not simply due to the acuity loss. Amblyopia not only decreases spatial resolution, but also temporal factors such as time-based figure-ground segregation, even at high stimulus contrasts. This finding suggests that the realm of neuronal processes that may be disturbed in amblyopia is larger than originally thought.

Development of a spatially resolved reflectometer to monitor corrosion of solar reflectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutter, Florian; Meyen, Stephanie; Heller, Peter; Pitz-Paal, Robert

2013-06-01

Solar reflectors for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) concentrators require a high reflectance and high specularity over the whole solar spectrum. During their lifetime of at least 20 years, the reflectors must withstand harsh outdoor conditions without loosing their reflective properties. Currently, there are not many devices available to measure the specular reflectance. In this work a prototype of a specular reflectometer with spatial resolution has been developed. The major advantage of the prototype compared to other reflectometers is the possibility of measuring the specular reflectance on an extended measuring spot of more than 5 cm in diameter with a spatial resolution of 37 pixel/mm. Additionally, measurements can be taken at three different acceptance half angles (φ = 3.5, 6.0, and 12.5 mrad) and at three different wavelengths (λ = 410 nm, 500 nm, and 656 nm). This lab scale instrument can be employed to monitor degradation effects, such as corrosion spots, and evaluate their influence on the specular reflectance of solar mirror materials.

The Berkeley Atmospheric CO2 Observation Network (BEACON): Measuring Greenhouse Gases and Criteria Pollutants within the Urban Dome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teige, V. E.; Weichsel, K.; Hooker, A.; Wooldridge, P. J.; Cohen, R. C.

2012-12-01

Efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, while global in their impacts, often focus on local and regional scales for execution and are dependent on the actions of communities and individuals. Evaluating the effectiveness of local policies requires observations with much higher spatial resolution than are currently available---kilometer scale. The Berkeley Atmospheric CO2 Observation Network (BEACON):, launched at the end of 2011, aims to provide measurements of urban-scale concentrations of CO2, temperature, pressure, relative humidity, O3, CO, and NO2 with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to characterize the sources of CO2 within cities. Our initial deployment in Oakland, California uses ~40 sensor packages at a roughly 2 km spacing throughout the city. We will present an initial analysis of the vertical gradients and other spatial patterns observed to date.

Spatially resolved measurement of singlet delta oxygen by radar resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization.

PubMed

Wu, Yue; Zhang, Zhili; Ombrello, Timothy M

2013-07-01

Coherent microwave Rayleigh scattering (Radar) from resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) was demonstrated to directly and nonintrusively measure singlet delta oxygen, O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)), with high spatial resolution. Two different approaches, photodissociation of ozone and microwave discharge plasma in an argon and oxygen flow, were utilized for O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)) generation. The d(1)Π(g)←a(1)Δ(g) (3-0) and d(1)Π(g)←a(1)Δ(g) (1-0) bands of O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)) were detected by Radar REMPI for two different flow conditions. Quantitative absorption measurements using sensitive off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) was used simultaneously to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of the Radar REMPI technique. The detection limit of Radar REMPI was found to be comparable to the ICOS technique with a detection threshold of approximately 10(14) molecules/cm(3) but with a spatial resolution that was 8 orders of magnitude smaller than the ICOS technique.

Simulation-based evaluation of the resolution and quantitative accuracy of temperature-modulated fluorescence tomography

PubMed Central

Lin, Yuting; Nouizi, Farouk; Kwong, Tiffany C.; Gulsen, Gultekin

2016-01-01

Conventional fluorescence tomography (FT) can recover the distribution of fluorescent agents within a highly scattering medium. However, poor spatial resolution remains its foremost limitation. Previously, we introduced a new fluorescence imaging technique termed “temperature-modulated fluorescence tomography” (TM-FT), which provides high-resolution images of fluorophore distribution. TM-FT is a multimodality technique that combines fluorescence imaging with focused ultrasound to locate thermo-sensitive fluorescence probes using a priori spatial information to drastically improve the resolution of conventional FT. In this paper, we present an extensive simulation study to evaluate the performance of the TM-FT technique on complex phantoms with multiple fluorescent targets of various sizes located at different depths. In addition, the performance of the TM-FT is tested in the presence of background fluorescence. The results obtained using our new method are systematically compared with those obtained with the conventional FT. Overall, TM-FT provides higher resolution and superior quantitative accuracy, making it an ideal candidate for in vivo preclinical and clinical imaging. For example, a 4 mm diameter inclusion positioned in the middle of a synthetic slab geometry phantom (D:40 mm × W :100 mm) is recovered as an elongated object in the conventional FT (x = 4.5 mm; y = 10.4 mm), while TM-FT recovers it successfully in both directions (x = 3.8 mm; y = 4.6 mm). As a result, the quantitative accuracy of the TM-FT is superior because it recovers the concentration of the agent with a 22% error, which is in contrast with the 83% error of the conventional FT. PMID:26368884

Producing fractional rangeland component predictions in a sagebrush ecosystem, a Wyoming sensitivity analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George; Homer, Collin G.; Granneman, Brian; Meyer, Debra K.

2012-01-01

Remote sensing information has been widely used to monitor vegetation condition and variations in a variety of ecosystems, including shrublands. Careful application of remotely sensed imagery can provide additional spatially explicit, continuous, and extensive data on the composition and condition of shrubland ecosystems. Historically, the most widely available remote sensing information has been collected by Landsat, which has offered large spatial coverage and moderate spatial resolution data globally for nearly three decades. Such medium-resolution satellite remote sensing information can quantify the distribution and variation of terrestrial ecosystems. Landsat imagery has been frequently used with other high-resolution remote sensing data to classify sagebrush components and quantify their spatial distributions (Ramsey and others, 2004; Seefeldt and Booth, 2004; Stow and others, 2008; Underwood and others, 2007). Modeling algorithms have been developed to use field measurements and satellite remote sensing data to quantify the extent and evaluate the quality of shrub ecosystem components in large geographic areas (Homer and others, 2009). The percent cover of sagebrush ecosystem components, including bare-ground, herbaceous, litter, sagebrush, and shrub, have been quantified for entire western states (Homer and others, 2012). Furthermore, research has demonstrated the use of current measurements with historical archives of Landsat imagery to quantify the variations of these components for the last two decades (Xian and others, 2012). The modeling method used to quantify the extent and spatial distribution of sagebrush components over a large area also has required considerable amounts of training data to meet targeted accuracy requirements. These training data have maintained product accuracy by ensuring that they are derived from good quality field measurements collected during appropriate ecosystem phenology and subsequently maximized by extrapolation on high-resolution remote sensing data (Homer and others, 2012). This method has proven its utility; however, to develop these products across even larger areas will require additional cost efficiencies to ensure that an adequate product can be developed for the lowest cost possible. Given the vast geographic extent of shrubland ecosystems in the western United States, identifying cost efficiencies with optimal training data development and subsequent application to medium resolution satellite imagery provide the most likely areas for methodological efficiency gains. The primary objective of this research was to conduct a series of sensitivity tests to evaluate the most optimal and practical way to develop Landsat scale information for estimating the extent and distribution of sagebrush ecosystem components over large areas in the conterminous United States. An existing dataset of sagebrush components developed from extensive field measurements, high-resolution satellite imagery, and medium resolution Landsat imagery in Wyoming was used as the reference database (Homer and others, 2012). Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the relation between the accuracy of sagebrush components and the amount and distribution of training data on Landsat scenes needed to obtain accurate predictions.

Spatial Resolution and Refractive Index Contrast of Resonant Photonic Crystal Surfaces for Biosensing

PubMed Central

Triggs, G. J.; Fischer, M.; Stellinga, D.; Scullion, M. G.; Evans, G. J. O.; Krauss, T. F.

2015-01-01

By depositing a resolution test pattern on top of a Si3N4 photonic crystal resonant surface, we have measured the dependence of spatial resolution on refractive index contrast Δn. Our experimental results and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations at different refractive index contrasts show that the spatial resolution of our device reduces with reduced contrast, which is an important consideration in biosensing, where the contrast may be of order 10−2. We also compare 1-D and 2-D gratings, taking into account different incidence polarizations, leading to a better understanding of the excitation and propagation of the resonant modes in these structures, as well as how this contributes to the spatial resolution. At Δn = 0.077, we observe resolutions of 2 and 6 μm parallel to and perpendicular to the grooves of a 1-D grating, respectively, and show that for polarized illumination of a 2-D grating, resolution remains asymmetrical. Illumination of a 2-D grating at 45° results in symmetric resolution. At very low index contrast, the resolution worsens dramatically, particularly for Δn < 0.01, where we observe a resolution exceeding 10 μm for our device. In addition, we measure a reduction in the resonance linewidth as the index contrast becomes lower, corresponding to a longer resonant mode propagation length in the structure and contributing to the change in spatial resolution. PMID:26356353

Structure-preserving interpolation of temporal and spatial image sequences using an optical flow-based method.

PubMed

Ehrhardt, J; Säring, D; Handels, H

2007-01-01

Modern tomographic imaging devices enable the acquisition of spatial and temporal image sequences. But, the spatial and temporal resolution of such devices is limited and therefore image interpolation techniques are needed to represent images at a desired level of discretization. This paper presents a method for structure-preserving interpolation between neighboring slices in temporal or spatial image sequences. In a first step, the spatiotemporal velocity field between image slices is determined using an optical flow-based registration method in order to establish spatial correspondence between adjacent slices. An iterative algorithm is applied using the spatial and temporal image derivatives and a spatiotemporal smoothing step. Afterwards, the calculated velocity field is used to generate an interpolated image at the desired time by averaging intensities between corresponding points. Three quantitative measures are defined to evaluate the performance of the interpolation method. The behavior and capability of the algorithm is demonstrated by synthetic images. A population of 17 temporal and spatial image sequences are utilized to compare the optical flow-based interpolation method to linear and shape-based interpolation. The quantitative results show that the optical flow-based method outperforms the linear and shape-based interpolation statistically significantly. The interpolation method presented is able to generate image sequences with appropriate spatial or temporal resolution needed for image comparison, analysis or visualization tasks. Quantitative and qualitative measures extracted from synthetic phantoms and medical image data show that the new method definitely has advantages over linear and shape-based interpolation.

High spatial resolution compressed sensing (HSPARSE) functional MRI.

PubMed

Fang, Zhongnan; Van Le, Nguyen; Choy, ManKin; Lee, Jin Hyung

2016-08-01

To propose a novel compressed sensing (CS) high spatial resolution functional MRI (fMRI) method and demonstrate the advantages and limitations of using CS for high spatial resolution fMRI. A randomly undersampled variable density spiral trajectory enabling an acceleration factor of 5.3 was designed with a balanced steady state free precession sequence to achieve high spatial resolution data acquisition. A modified k-t SPARSE method was then implemented and applied with a strategy to optimize regularization parameters for consistent, high quality CS reconstruction. The proposed method improves spatial resolution by six-fold with 12 to 47% contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), 33 to 117% F-value improvement and maintains the same temporal resolution. It also achieves high sensitivity of 69 to 99% compared the original ground-truth, small false positive rate of less than 0.05 and low hemodynamic response function distortion across a wide range of CNRs. The proposed method is robust to physiological noise and enables detection of layer-specific activities in vivo, which cannot be resolved using the highest spatial resolution Nyquist acquisition. The proposed method enables high spatial resolution fMRI that can resolve layer-specific brain activity and demonstrates the significant improvement that CS can bring to high spatial resolution fMRI. Magn Reson Med 76:440-455, 2016. © 2015 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-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2015 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Evaluation of fine soil moisture data from the IFloodS (NASA GPM) Ground Validation campaign using a fully-distributed ecohydrological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastola, S.; Dialynas, Y. G.; Arnone, E.; Bras, R. L.

2014-12-01

The spatial variability of soil, vegetation, topography, and precipitation controls hydrological processes, consequently resulting in high spatio-temporal variability of most of the hydrological variables, such as soil moisture. Limitation in existing measuring system to characterize this spatial variability, and its importance in various application have resulted in a need of reconciling spatially distributed soil moisture evolution model and corresponding measurements. Fully distributed ecohydrological model simulates soil moisture at high resolution soil moisture. This is relevant for range of environmental studies e.g., flood forecasting. They can also be used to evaluate the value of space born soil moisture data, by assimilating them into hydrological models. In this study, fine resolution soil moisture data simulated by a physically-based distributed hydrological model, tRIBS-VEGGIE, is compared with soil moisture data collected during the field campaign in Turkey river basin, Iowa. The soil moisture series at the 2 and 4 inch depth exhibited a more rapid response to rainfall as compared to bottom 8 and 20 inch ones. The spatial variability in two distinct land surfaces of Turkey River, IA, reflects the control of vegetation, topography and soil texture in the characterization of spatial variability. The comparison of observed and simulated soil moisture at various depth showed that model was able to capture the dynamics of soil moisture at a number of gauging stations. Discrepancies are large in some of the gauging stations, which are characterized by rugged terrain and represented, in the model, through large computational units.

Electric crosstalk impairs spatial resolution of multi-electrode arrays in retinal implants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilke, R. G. H.; Khalili Moghadam, G.; Lovell, N. H.; Suaning, G. J.; Dokos, S.

2011-08-01

Active multi-electrode arrays are used in vision prostheses, including optic nerve cuffs and cortical and retinal implants for stimulation of neural tissue. For retinal implants, arrays with up to 1500 electrodes are used in clinical trials. The ability to convey information with high spatial resolution is critical for these applications. To assess the extent to which spatial resolution is impaired by electric crosstalk, finite-element simulation of electric field distribution in a simplified passive tissue model of the retina is performed. The effects of electrode size, electrode spacing, distance to target cells, and electrode return configuration (monopolar, tripolar, hexagonal) on spatial resolution is investigated in the form of a mathematical model of electric field distribution. Results show that spatial resolution is impaired with increased distance from the electrode array to the target cells. This effect can be partly compensated by non-monopolar electrode configurations and larger electrode diameters, albeit at the expense of lower pixel densities due to larger covering areas by each stimulation electrode. In applications where multi-electrode arrays can be brought into close proximity to target cells, as presumably with epiretinal implants, smaller electrodes in monopolar configuration can provide the highest spatial resolution. However, if the implantation site is further from the target cells, as is the case in suprachoroidal approaches, hexagonally guarded electrode return configurations can convey higher spatial resolution. This paper was originally submitted for the special issue containing contributions from the Sixth Biennial Research Congress of The Eye and the Chip.

Recent Developments in PET Instrumentation

PubMed Central

Peng, Hao; Levin, Craig S.

2013-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is used in the clinic and in vivo small animal research to study molecular processes associated with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders, and to guide the discovery and development of new treatments. This paper reviews current challenges of advancing PET technology and some of newly developed PET detectors and systems. The paper focuses on four aspects of PET instrumentation: high photon detection sensitivity; improved spatial resolution; depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolution and time-of-flight (TOF). Improved system geometry, novel non-scintillator based detectors, and tapered scintillation crystal arrays are able to enhance the photon detection sensitivity of a PET system. Several challenges for achieving high resolution with standard scintillator-based PET detectors are discussed. Novel detectors with 3-D positioning capability have great potential to be deployed in PET for achieving spatial resolution better than 1 mm, such as cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) and position-sensitive avalanche photodiodes (PSAPDs). DOI capability enables a PET system to mitigate parallax error and achieve uniform spatial resolution across the field-of-view (FOV). Six common DOI designs, as well as advantages and limitations of each design, are discussed. The availability of fast scintillation crystals such as LaBr3, and the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) greatly advances TOF-PET development. Recent instrumentation and initial results of clinical trials are briefly presented. If successful, these technology advances, together with new probe molecules, will substantially enhance the molecular sensitivity of PET and thus increase its role in preclinical and clinical research as well as evaluating and managing disease in the clinic. PMID:20497121

Towards High Spa-Temporal Resolution Estimates of Surface Radiative Fluxes from Geostationary Satellite Observations for the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, X.; Yang, K.; Tang, W.; Qin, J.

2014-12-01

Surface Solar Radiation (SSR) plays an important role of the hydrological and land process modeling, which particularly contributes more than 90% to the total melt energy for the Tibetan Plateau (TP) ice melting. Neither surface measurement nor existing remote sensing products can meet that requirement in TP. The well-known satellite products (i.e. ISCCP-FD and GEWEX-SRB) are in relatively low spatial resolution (0.5º-2.5º) and temporal resolution (3-hourly, daily, or monthly). The objective of this study is to develop capabilities to improved estimates of SSR in TP based on geostationary satellite observations from the Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) with high spatial (0.05º) and temporal (hourly) resolution. An existing physical model, the UMD-SRB (University of Maryland Surface Radiation Budget) which is the basis of the GEWEX-SRB model, is re-visited to improve SSR estimates in TP. The UMD-SRB algorithm transforms TOA radiances into broadband albedos in order to infer atmospheric transmissivity which finally determines the SSR. Specifically, main updates introduced in this study are: implementation at 0.05º spatial resolution at hourly intervals integrated to daily and monthly time scales; and improvement of surface albedo model by introducing the most recently developed Global Land Surface Broadband Albedo Product (GLASS) based on MODIS data. This updated inference scheme will be evaluated against ground observations from China Meteorological Administration (CMA) radiation stations and three TP radiation stations contributed from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research.

A quality assurance framework for the fully automated and objective evaluation of image quality in cone-beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Steiding, Christian; Kolditz, Daniel; Kalender, Willi A

2014-03-01

Thousands of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners for vascular, maxillofacial, neurological, and body imaging are in clinical use today, but there is no consensus on uniform acceptance and constancy testing for image quality (IQ) and dose yet. The authors developed a quality assurance (QA) framework for fully automated and time-efficient performance evaluation of these systems. In addition, the dependence of objective Fourier-based IQ metrics on direction and position in 3D volumes was investigated for CBCT. The authors designed a dedicated QA phantom 10 cm in length consisting of five compartments, each with a diameter of 10 cm, and an optional extension ring 16 cm in diameter. A homogeneous section of water-equivalent material allows measuring CT value accuracy, image noise and uniformity, and multidimensional global and local noise power spectra (NPS). For the quantitative determination of 3D high-contrast spatial resolution, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of centrally and peripherally positioned aluminum spheres was computed from edge profiles. Additional in-plane and axial resolution patterns were used to assess resolution qualitatively. The characterization of low-contrast detectability as well as CT value linearity and artifact behavior was tested by utilizing sections with soft-tissue-equivalent and metallic inserts. For an automated QA procedure, a phantom detection algorithm was implemented. All tests used in the dedicated QA program were initially verified in simulation studies and experimentally confirmed on a clinical dental CBCT system. The automated IQ evaluation of volume data sets of the dental CBCT system was achieved with the proposed phantom requiring only one scan for the determination of all desired parameters. Typically, less than 5 min were needed for phantom set-up, scanning, and data analysis. Quantitative evaluation of system performance over time by comparison to previous examinations was also verified. The maximum percentage interscan variation of repeated measurements was less than 4% and 1.7% on average for all investigated quality criteria. The NPS-based image noise differed by less than 5% from the conventional standard deviation approach and spatially selective 10% MTF values were well comparable to subjective results obtained with 3D resolution pattern. Determining only transverse spatial resolution and global noise behavior in the central field of measurement turned out to be insufficient. The proposed framework transfers QA routines employed in conventional CT in an advanced version to CBCT for fully automated and time-efficient evaluation of technical equipment. With the modular phantom design, a routine as well as an expert version for assessing IQ is provided. The QA program can be used for arbitrary CT units to evaluate 3D imaging characteristics automatically.

A quality assurance framework for the fully automated and objective evaluation of image quality in cone-beam computed tomography

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

Steiding, Christian; Kolditz, Daniel; Kalender, Willi A., E-mail: willi.kalender@imp.uni-erlangen.de

Purpose: Thousands of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners for vascular, maxillofacial, neurological, and body imaging are in clinical use today, but there is no consensus on uniform acceptance and constancy testing for image quality (IQ) and dose yet. The authors developed a quality assurance (QA) framework for fully automated and time-efficient performance evaluation of these systems. In addition, the dependence of objective Fourier-based IQ metrics on direction and position in 3D volumes was investigated for CBCT. Methods: The authors designed a dedicated QA phantom 10 cm in length consisting of five compartments, each with a diameter of 10 cm, andmore » an optional extension ring 16 cm in diameter. A homogeneous section of water-equivalent material allows measuring CT value accuracy, image noise and uniformity, and multidimensional global and local noise power spectra (NPS). For the quantitative determination of 3D high-contrast spatial resolution, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of centrally and peripherally positioned aluminum spheres was computed from edge profiles. Additional in-plane and axial resolution patterns were used to assess resolution qualitatively. The characterization of low-contrast detectability as well as CT value linearity and artifact behavior was tested by utilizing sections with soft-tissue-equivalent and metallic inserts. For an automated QA procedure, a phantom detection algorithm was implemented. All tests used in the dedicated QA program were initially verified in simulation studies and experimentally confirmed on a clinical dental CBCT system. Results: The automated IQ evaluation of volume data sets of the dental CBCT system was achieved with the proposed phantom requiring only one scan for the determination of all desired parameters. Typically, less than 5 min were needed for phantom set-up, scanning, and data analysis. Quantitative evaluation of system performance over time by comparison to previous examinations was also verified. The maximum percentage interscan variation of repeated measurements was less than 4% and 1.7% on average for all investigated quality criteria. The NPS-based image noise differed by less than 5% from the conventional standard deviation approach and spatially selective 10% MTF values were well comparable to subjective results obtained with 3D resolution pattern. Determining only transverse spatial resolution and global noise behavior in the central field of measurement turned out to be insufficient. Conclusions: The proposed framework transfers QA routines employed in conventional CT in an advanced version to CBCT for fully automated and time-efficient evaluation of technical equipment. With the modular phantom design, a routine as well as an expert version for assessing IQ is provided. The QA program can be used for arbitrary CT units to evaluate 3D imaging characteristics automatically.« less

A Unified Fisher's Ratio Learning Method for Spatial Filter Optimization.

PubMed

Li, Xinyang; Guan, Cuntai; Zhang, Haihong; Ang, Kai Keng

To detect the mental task of interest, spatial filtering has been widely used to enhance the spatial resolution of electroencephalography (EEG). However, the effectiveness of spatial filtering is undermined due to the significant nonstationarity of EEG. Based on regularization, most of the conventional stationary spatial filter design methods address the nonstationarity at the cost of the interclass discrimination. Moreover, spatial filter optimization is inconsistent with feature extraction when EEG covariance matrices could not be jointly diagonalized due to the regularization. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for a spatial filter design. With Fisher's ratio in feature space directly used as the objective function, the spatial filter optimization is unified with feature extraction. Given its ratio form, the selection of the regularization parameter could be avoided. We evaluate the proposed method on a binary motor imagery data set of 16 subjects, who performed the calibration and test sessions on different days. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields improvement in classification performance for both single broadband and filter bank settings compared with conventional nonunified methods. We also provide a systematic attempt to compare different objective functions in modeling data nonstationarity with simulation studies.To detect the mental task of interest, spatial filtering has been widely used to enhance the spatial resolution of electroencephalography (EEG). However, the effectiveness of spatial filtering is undermined due to the significant nonstationarity of EEG. Based on regularization, most of the conventional stationary spatial filter design methods address the nonstationarity at the cost of the interclass discrimination. Moreover, spatial filter optimization is inconsistent with feature extraction when EEG covariance matrices could not be jointly diagonalized due to the regularization. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for a spatial filter design. With Fisher's ratio in feature space directly used as the objective function, the spatial filter optimization is unified with feature extraction. Given its ratio form, the selection of the regularization parameter could be avoided. We evaluate the proposed method on a binary motor imagery data set of 16 subjects, who performed the calibration and test sessions on different days. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields improvement in classification performance for both single broadband and filter bank settings compared with conventional nonunified methods. We also provide a systematic attempt to compare different objective functions in modeling data nonstationarity with simulation studies.

Photon-counting hexagonal pixel array CdTe detector: Spatial resolution characteristics for image-guided interventional applications

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Suman; Karellas, Andrew; Shi, Linxi; Gounis, Matthew J.; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Spandre, Gloria; Brez, Alessandro; Minuti, Massimo

2016-01-01

Purpose: High-resolution, photon-counting, energy-resolved detector with fast-framing capability can facilitate simultaneous acquisition of precontrast and postcontrast images for subtraction angiography without pixel registration artifacts and can facilitate high-resolution real-time imaging during image-guided interventions. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the spatial resolution characteristics of a hexagonal pixel array photon-counting cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector. Methods: A 650 μm thick CdTe Schottky photon-counting detector capable of concurrently acquiring up to two energy-windowed images was operated in a single energy-window mode to include photons of 10 keV or higher. The detector had hexagonal pixels with apothem of 30 μm resulting in pixel pitch of 60 and 51.96 μm along the two orthogonal directions. The detector was characterized at IEC-RQA5 spectral conditions. Linear response of the detector was determined over the air kerma rate relevant to image-guided interventional procedures ranging from 1.3 nGy/frame to 91.4 μGy/frame. Presampled modulation transfer was determined using a tungsten edge test device. The edge-spread function and the finely sampled line spread function accounted for hexagonal sampling, from which the presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) was determined. Since detectors with hexagonal pixels require resampling to square pixels for distortion-free display, the optimal square pixel size was determined by minimizing the root-mean-squared-error of the aperture functions for the square and hexagonal pixels up to the Nyquist limit. Results: At Nyquist frequencies of 8.33 and 9.62 cycles/mm along the apothem and orthogonal to the apothem directions, the modulation factors were 0.397 and 0.228, respectively. For the corresponding axis, the limiting resolution defined as 10% MTF occurred at 13.3 and 12 cycles/mm, respectively. Evaluation of the aperture functions yielded an optimal square pixel size of 54 μm. After resampling to 54 μm square pixels using trilinear interpolation, the presampled MTF at Nyquist frequency of 9.26 cycles/mm was 0.29 and 0.24 along the orthogonal directions and the limiting resolution (10% MTF) occurred at approximately 12 cycles/mm. Visual analysis of a bar pattern image showed the ability to resolve close to 12 line-pairs/mm and qualitative evaluation of a neurovascular nitinol-stent showed the ability to visualize its struts at clinically relevant conditions. Conclusions: Hexagonal pixel array photon-counting CdTe detector provides high spatial resolution in single-photon counting mode. After resampling to optimal square pixel size for distortion-free display, the spatial resolution is preserved. The dual-energy capabilities of the detector could allow for artifact-free subtraction angiography and basis material decomposition. The proposed high-resolution photon-counting detector with energy-resolving capability can be of importance for several image-guided interventional procedures as well as for pediatric applications. PMID:27147324

Photon-counting hexagonal pixel array CdTe detector: Spatial resolution characteristics for image-guided interventional applications.

PubMed

Vedantham, Srinivasan; Shrestha, Suman; Karellas, Andrew; Shi, Linxi; Gounis, Matthew J; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Spandre, Gloria; Brez, Alessandro; Minuti, Massimo

2016-05-01

High-resolution, photon-counting, energy-resolved detector with fast-framing capability can facilitate simultaneous acquisition of precontrast and postcontrast images for subtraction angiography without pixel registration artifacts and can facilitate high-resolution real-time imaging during image-guided interventions. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the spatial resolution characteristics of a hexagonal pixel array photon-counting cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector. A 650 μm thick CdTe Schottky photon-counting detector capable of concurrently acquiring up to two energy-windowed images was operated in a single energy-window mode to include photons of 10 keV or higher. The detector had hexagonal pixels with apothem of 30 μm resulting in pixel pitch of 60 and 51.96 μm along the two orthogonal directions. The detector was characterized at IEC-RQA5 spectral conditions. Linear response of the detector was determined over the air kerma rate relevant to image-guided interventional procedures ranging from 1.3 nGy/frame to 91.4 μGy/frame. Presampled modulation transfer was determined using a tungsten edge test device. The edge-spread function and the finely sampled line spread function accounted for hexagonal sampling, from which the presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) was determined. Since detectors with hexagonal pixels require resampling to square pixels for distortion-free display, the optimal square pixel size was determined by minimizing the root-mean-squared-error of the aperture functions for the square and hexagonal pixels up to the Nyquist limit. At Nyquist frequencies of 8.33 and 9.62 cycles/mm along the apothem and orthogonal to the apothem directions, the modulation factors were 0.397 and 0.228, respectively. For the corresponding axis, the limiting resolution defined as 10% MTF occurred at 13.3 and 12 cycles/mm, respectively. Evaluation of the aperture functions yielded an optimal square pixel size of 54 μm. After resampling to 54 μm square pixels using trilinear interpolation, the presampled MTF at Nyquist frequency of 9.26 cycles/mm was 0.29 and 0.24 along the orthogonal directions and the limiting resolution (10% MTF) occurred at approximately 12 cycles/mm. Visual analysis of a bar pattern image showed the ability to resolve close to 12 line-pairs/mm and qualitative evaluation of a neurovascular nitinol-stent showed the ability to visualize its struts at clinically relevant conditions. Hexagonal pixel array photon-counting CdTe detector provides high spatial resolution in single-photon counting mode. After resampling to optimal square pixel size for distortion-free display, the spatial resolution is preserved. The dual-energy capabilities of the detector could allow for artifact-free subtraction angiography and basis material decomposition. The proposed high-resolution photon-counting detector with energy-resolving capability can be of importance for several image-guided interventional procedures as well as for pediatric applications.

The influence of multispectral scanner spatial resolution on forest feature classification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadowski, F. G.; Malila, W. A.; Sarno, J. E.; Nalepka, R. F.

1977-01-01

Inappropriate spatial resolution and corresponding data processing techniques may be major causes for non-optimal forest classification results frequently achieved from multispectral scanner (MSS) data. Procedures and results of empirical investigations are studied to determine the influence of MSS spatial resolution on the classification of forest features into levels of detail or hierarchies of information that might be appropriate for nationwide forest surveys and detailed in-place inventories. Two somewhat different, but related studies are presented. The first consisted of establishing classification accuracies for several hierarchies of features as spatial resolution was progressively coarsened from (2 meters) squared to (64 meters) squared. The second investigated the capabilities for specialized processing techniques to improve upon the results of conventional processing procedures for both coarse and fine resolution data.

Definition of SMOS Level 3 Land Products for the Villafranca del Castillo Data Processing Centre (CP34)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Baeza, E.; Monsoriu Torres, A.; Font, J.; Alonso, O.

2009-04-01

The ESA SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) Mission is planned to be launched in July 2009. The satellite will measure soil moisture over the continents and surface salinity of the oceans at resolutions that are sufficient for climatological-type studies. This paper describes the procedure to be used at the Spanish SMOS Level 3 and 4 Data Processing Centre (CP34) to generate Soil Moisture and other Land Surface Product maps from SMOS Level 2 data. This procedure can be used to map Soil Moisture, Vegetation Water Content and Soil Dielectric Constant data into different pre-defined spatial grids with fixed temporal frequency. The L3 standard Land Surface Products to be generated at CP34 are: Soil Moisture products: maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of 3 days, daily generation maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of 10 days, generation frequency of once every 10 days. b': maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of monthly decades (1st to 10th of the month, 11th to 20th of the month, 21st to last day of the month), generation frequency of once every decade monthly average, temporal averaging from L3 decade averages, monthly generation Seasonal average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, seasonally generation yearly average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, yearly generation Vegetation Water Content products: maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of 10 days, generation frequency of once every 10 days. a': maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of monthly decades (1st to 10th of the month, 11th to 20th of the month, 21st to last day of the month) using simple averaging method over the L2 products in ISEA grid, generation frequency of once every decade monthly average, temporal averaging from L3 decade averages, monthly generation seasonal average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, seasonally generation yearly average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, yearly generation Dielectric Constant products: (the dielectric constant products are delivered together with soil moisture products, with the same averaging periods and generation frequency): maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of 3 days, daily generation maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of 10 days, generation frequency of once every 10 days. b': maximum spatial resolution with no spatial averaging, temporal averaging of monthly decades (1st to 10th of the month, 11th to 20th of the month, 21st to last day of the month), generation frequency of once every decade monthly average, temporal averaging from L3 decade averages, monthly generation seasonal average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, seasonally generation yearly average, temporal averaging from L3 monthly averages, yearly generation.

Simultaneous multiview capture and fusion improves spatial resolution in wide-field and light-sheet microscopy

PubMed Central

Wu, Yicong; Chandris, Panagiotis; Winter, Peter W.; Kim, Edward Y.; Jaumouillé, Valentin; Kumar, Abhishek; Guo, Min; Leung, Jacqueline M.; Smith, Corey; Rey-Suarez, Ivan; Liu, Huafeng; Waterman, Clare M.; Ramamurthi, Kumaran S.; La Riviere, Patrick J.; Shroff, Hari

2016-01-01

Most fluorescence microscopes are inefficient, collecting only a small fraction of the emitted light at any instant. Besides wasting valuable signal, this inefficiency also reduces spatial resolution and causes imaging volumes to exhibit significant resolution anisotropy. We describe microscopic and computational techniques that address these problems by simultaneously capturing and subsequently fusing and deconvolving multiple specimen views. Unlike previous methods that serially capture multiple views, our approach improves spatial resolution without introducing any additional illumination dose or compromising temporal resolution relative to conventional imaging. When applying our methods to single-view wide-field or dual-view light-sheet microscopy, we achieve a twofold improvement in volumetric resolution (~235 nm × 235 nm × 340 nm) as demonstrated on a variety of samples including microtubules in Toxoplasma gondii, SpoVM in sporulating Bacillus subtilis, and multiple protein distributions and organelles in eukaryotic cells. In every case, spatial resolution is improved with no drawback by harnessing previously unused fluorescence. PMID:27761486

The Effect of Spatial and Temporal Resolution of Cine Phase Contrast MRI on Wall Shear Stress and Oscillatory Shear Index Assessment

PubMed Central

Gijsen, Frank J.; Marquering, Henk; van Ooij, Pim; vanBavel, Ed; Wentzel, Jolanda J.; Nederveen, Aart J.

2016-01-01

Introduction Wall shear stress (WSS) and oscillatory shear index (OSI) are associated with atherosclerotic disease. Both parameters are derived from blood velocities, which can be measured with phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI). Limitations in spatiotemporal resolution of PC-MRI are known to affect these measurements. Our aim was to investigate the effect of spatiotemporal resolution using a carotid artery phantom. Methods A carotid artery phantom was connected to a flow set-up supplying pulsatile flow. MRI measurement planes were placed at the common carotid artery (CCA) and internal carotid artery (ICA). Two-dimensional PC-MRI measurements were performed with thirty different spatiotemporal resolution settings. The MRI flow measurement was validated with ultrasound probe measurements. Mean flow, peak flow, flow waveform, WSS and OSI were compared for these spatiotemporal resolutions using regression analysis. The slopes of the regression lines were reported in %/mm and %/100ms. The distribution of low and high WSS and OSI was compared between different spatiotemporal resolutions. Results The mean PC-MRI CCA flow (2.5±0.2mL/s) agreed with the ultrasound probe measurements (2.7±0.02mL/s). Mean flow (mL/s) depended only on spatial resolution (CCA:-13%/mm, ICA:-49%/mm). Peak flow (mL/s) depended on both spatial (CCA:-13%/mm, ICA:-17%/mm) and temporal resolution (CCA:-19%/100ms, ICA:-24%/100ms). Mean WSS (Pa) was in inverse relationship only with spatial resolution (CCA:-19%/mm, ICA:-33%/mm). OSI was dependent on spatial resolution for CCA (-26%/mm) and temporal resolution for ICA (-16%/100ms). The regions of low and high WSS and OSI matched for most of the spatiotemporal resolutions (CCA:30/30, ICA:28/30 cases for WSS; CCA:23/30, ICA:29/30 cases for OSI). Conclusion We show that both mean flow and mean WSS are independent of temporal resolution. Peak flow and OSI are dependent on both spatial and temporal resolution. However, the magnitude of mean and peak flow, WSS and OSI, and the spatial distribution of OSI and WSS did not exhibit a strong dependency on spatiotemporal resolution. PMID:27669568

Zonal wavefront sensing with enhanced spatial resolution.

PubMed

Pathak, Biswajit; Boruah, Bosanta R

2016-12-01

In this Letter, we introduce a scheme to enhance the spatial resolution of a zonal wavefront sensor. The zonal wavefront sensor comprises an array of binary gratings implemented by a ferroelectric spatial light modulator (FLCSLM) followed by a lens, in lieu of the array of lenses in the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. We show that the fast response of the FLCSLM device facilitates quick display of several laterally shifted binary grating patterns, and the programmability of the device enables simultaneous capturing of each focal spot array. This eventually leads to a wavefront estimation with an enhanced spatial resolution without much sacrifice on the sensor frame rate, thus making the scheme suitable for high spatial resolution measurement of transient wavefronts. We present experimental and numerical simulation results to demonstrate the importance of the proposed wavefront sensing scheme.

Statistical characterization of spatial patterns of rainfall cells in extratropical cyclones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bacchi, Baldassare; Ranzi, Roberto; Borga, Marco

1996-11-01

The assumption of a particular type of distribution of rainfall cells in space is needed for the formulation of several space-time rainfall models. In this study, weather radar-derived rain rate maps are employed to evaluate different types of spatial organization of rainfall cells in storms through the use of distance functions and second-moment measures. In particular the spatial point patterns of the local maxima of rainfall intensity are compared to a completely spatially random (CSR) point process by applying an objective distance measure. For all the analyzed radar maps the CSR assumption is rejected, indicating that at the resolution of the observation considered, rainfall cells are clustered. Therefore a theoretical framework for evaluating and fitting alternative models to the CSR is needed. This paper shows how the "reduced second-moment measure" of the point pattern can be employed to estimate the parameters of a Neyman-Scott model and to evaluate the degree of adequacy to the experimental data. Some limitations of this theoretical framework, and also its effectiveness, in comparison to the use of scaling functions, are discussed.

Adaptive nonlocal means filtering based on local noise level for CT denoising

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

Li, Zhoubo; Trzasko, Joshua D.; Lake, David S.

2014-01-15

Purpose: To develop and evaluate an image-domain noise reduction method based on a modified nonlocal means (NLM) algorithm that is adaptive to local noise level of CT images and to implement this method in a time frame consistent with clinical workflow. Methods: A computationally efficient technique for local noise estimation directly from CT images was developed. A forward projection, based on a 2D fan-beam approximation, was used to generate the projection data, with a noise model incorporating the effects of the bowtie filter and automatic exposure control. The noise propagation from projection data to images was analytically derived. The analyticalmore » noise map was validated using repeated scans of a phantom. A 3D NLM denoising algorithm was modified to adapt its denoising strength locally based on this noise map. The performance of this adaptive NLM filter was evaluated in phantom studies in terms of in-plane and cross-plane high-contrast spatial resolution, noise power spectrum (NPS), subjective low-contrast spatial resolution using the American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation phantom, and objective low-contrast spatial resolution using a channelized Hotelling model observer (CHO). Graphical processing units (GPU) implementation of this noise map calculation and the adaptive NLM filtering were developed to meet demands of clinical workflow. Adaptive NLM was piloted on lower dose scans in clinical practice. Results: The local noise level estimation matches the noise distribution determined from multiple repetitive scans of a phantom, demonstrated by small variations in the ratio map between the analytical noise map and the one calculated from repeated scans. The phantom studies demonstrated that the adaptive NLM filter can reduce noise substantially without degrading the high-contrast spatial resolution, as illustrated by modulation transfer function and slice sensitivity profile results. The NPS results show that adaptive NLM denoising preserves the shape and peak frequency of the noise power spectrum better than commercial smoothing kernels, and indicate that the spatial resolution at low contrast levels is not significantly degraded. Both the subjective evaluation using the ACR phantom and the objective evaluation on a low-contrast detection task using a CHO model observer demonstrate an improvement on low-contrast performance. The GPU implementation can process and transfer 300 slice images within 5 min. On patient data, the adaptive NLM algorithm provides more effective denoising of CT data throughout a volume than standard NLM, and may allow significant lowering of radiation dose. After a two week pilot study of lower dose CT urography and CT enterography exams, both GI and GU radiology groups elected to proceed with permanent implementation of adaptive NLM in their GI and GU CT practices. Conclusions: This work describes and validates a computationally efficient technique for noise map estimation directly from CT images, and an adaptive NLM filtering based on this noise map, on phantom and patient data. Both the noise map calculation and the adaptive NLM filtering can be performed in times that allow integration with clinical workflow. The adaptive NLM algorithm provides effective denoising of CT data throughout a volume, and may allow significant lowering of radiation dose.« less

Hyperspectral and multispectral data fusion based on linear-quadratic nonnegative matrix factorization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benhalouche, Fatima Zohra; Karoui, Moussa Sofiane; Deville, Yannick; Ouamri, Abdelaziz

2017-04-01

This paper proposes three multisharpening approaches to enhance the spatial resolution of urban hyperspectral remote sensing images. These approaches, related to linear-quadratic spectral unmixing techniques, use a linear-quadratic nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) multiplicative algorithm. These methods begin by unmixing the observable high-spectral/low-spatial resolution hyperspectral and high-spatial/low-spectral resolution multispectral images. The obtained high-spectral/high-spatial resolution features are then recombined, according to the linear-quadratic mixing model, to obtain an unobservable multisharpened high-spectral/high-spatial resolution hyperspectral image. In the first designed approach, hyperspectral and multispectral variables are independently optimized, once they have been coherently initialized. These variables are alternately updated in the second designed approach. In the third approach, the considered hyperspectral and multispectral variables are jointly updated. Experiments, using synthetic and real data, are conducted to assess the efficiency, in spatial and spectral domains, of the designed approaches and of linear NMF-based approaches from the literature. Experimental results show that the designed methods globally yield very satisfactory spectral and spatial fidelities for the multisharpened hyperspectral data. They also prove that these methods significantly outperform the used literature approaches.

Performance evaluation of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner

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

García Hernández, Trinitat, E-mail: mtrinitat@eresa.com; Vicedo González, Aurora; Brualla González, Luis

2016-05-15

Purpose: Early stage breast cancers may not be visible on a whole-body PET scan. To overcome whole-body PET limitations, several dedicated breast positron emission tomography (DbPET) systems have emerged nowadays aiming to improve spatial resolution. In this work the authors evaluate the performance of a high resolution dedicated breast PET scanner (Mammi-PET, Oncovision). Methods: Global status, uniformity, sensitivity, energy, and spatial resolution were measured. Spheres of different sizes (2.5, 4, 5, and 6 mm diameter) and various 18 fluorodeoxyglucose ({sup 18}F-FDG) activity concentrations were randomly inserted in a gelatine breast phantom developed at our institution. Several lesion-to-background ratios (LBR) weremore » simulated, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, and 50:1. Images were reconstructed using different voxel sizes. The ability of experienced reporters to detect spheres was tested as a function of acquisition time, LBR, sphere size, and matrix reconstruction voxel size. For comparison, phantoms were scanned in the DbPET camera and in a whole body PET (WB-PET). Two patients who just underwent WB-PET/CT exams were imaged with the DbPET system and the images were compared. Results: The measured absolute peak sensitivity was 2.0%. The energy resolution was 24.0% ± 1%. The integral and differential uniformity were 10% and 6% in the total field of view (FOV) and 9% and 5% in the central FOV, respectively. The measured spatial resolution was 2.0, 1.9, and 1.7 mm in the radial, tangential, and axial directions. The system exhibited very good detectability for spheres ≥4 mm and LBR ≥10 with a sphere detection of 100% when acquisition time was set >3 min/bed. For LBR = 5 and acquisition time of 7 min the detectability was 100% for spheres of 6 mm and 75% for spheres of 5, 4, and 2.5 mm. Lesion WB-PET detectability was only comparable to the DbPET camera for lesion sizes ≥5 mm when acquisition time was >3 min and LBR > 10. Conclusions: The DbPET has a good performance for its clinical use and shows an improved resolution and lesion detectability of small lesions compared to WB-PET.« less

The Utilization of Edge-of-Field Monitoring of Agricultural Runoff in Addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

While basin-scale studies and modeling are important tools in relating land uses to water quality concerns, edge-of-field monitoring (EOFM) provides the necessary resolution to spatially target, design, and evaluate in-field conservation practices for reducing nutrient and sediment loading from agri...

Monitoring land surface albedo and vegetation dynamics using high spatial and temporal resolution synthetic time series from Landsat and the MODIS BRDF/NBAR/albedo product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhuosen; Schaaf, Crystal B.; Sun, Qingsong; Kim, JiHyun; Erb, Angela M.; Gao, Feng; Román, Miguel O.; Yang, Yun; Petroy, Shelley; Taylor, Jeffrey R.; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Papuga, Shirley A.

2017-07-01

Seasonal vegetation phenology can significantly alter surface albedo which in turn affects the global energy balance and the albedo warming/cooling feedbacks that impact climate change. To monitor and quantify the surface dynamics of heterogeneous landscapes, high temporal and spatial resolution synthetic time series of albedo and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were generated from the 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational Collection V006 daily BRDF/NBAR/albedo products and 30 m Landsat 5 albedo and near-nadir reflectance data through the use of the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM). The traditional Landsat Albedo (Shuai et al., 2011) makes use of the MODIS BRDF/Albedo products (MCD43) by assigning appropriate BRDFs from coincident MODIS products to each Landsat image to generate a 30 m Landsat albedo product for that acquisition date. The available cloud free Landsat 5 albedos (due to clouds, generated every 16 days at best) were used in conjunction with the daily MODIS albedos to determine the appropriate 30 m albedos for the intervening daily time steps in this study. These enhanced daily 30 m spatial resolution synthetic time series were then used to track albedo and vegetation phenology dynamics over three Ameriflux tower sites (Harvard Forest in 2007, Santa Rita in 2011 and Walker Branch in 2005). These Ameriflux sites were chosen as they are all quite nearby new towers coming on line for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and thus represent locations which will be served by spatially paired albedo measures in the near future. The availability of data from the NEON towers will greatly expand the sources of tower albedometer data available for evaluation of satellite products. At these three Ameriflux tower sites the synthetic time series of broadband shortwave albedos were evaluated using the tower albedo measurements with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) less than 0.013 and a bias within the range of ±0.006. These synthetic time series provide much greater spatial detail than the 500 m gridded MODIS data, especially over more heterogeneous surfaces, which improves the efforts to characterize and monitor the spatial variation across species and communities. The mean of the difference between maximum and minimum synthetic time series of albedo within the MODIS pixels over a subset of satellite data of Harvard Forest (16 km by 14 km) was as high as 0.2 during the snow-covered period and reduced to around 0.1 during the snow-free period. Similarly, we have used STARFM to also couple MODIS Nadir BRDF Adjusted Reflectances (NBAR) values with Landsat 5 reflectances to generate daily synthetic times series of NBAR and thus Enhanced Vegetation Index (NBAR-EVI) at a 30 m resolution. While normally STARFM is used with directional reflectances, the use of the view angle corrected daily MODIS NBAR values will provide more consistent time series. These synthetic times series of EVI are shown to capture seasonal vegetation dynamics with finer spatial and temporal details, especially over heterogeneous land surfaces.

Monitoring land surface albedo and vegetation dynamics using high spatial and temporal resolution synthetic time series from Landsat and the MODIS BRDF/NBAR/albedo product

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Zhuosen; Schaaf, Crystal B.; Sun, Qingson; Kim, JiHyun; Erb, Angela M.; Gao, Feng; Roman, Miguel O.; Yang, Yun; Petroy, Shelley; Taylor, Jeffrey; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Papuga, Shirley A.

2017-01-01

Seasonal vegetation phenology can significantly alter surface albedo which in turn affects the global energy balance and the albedo warming/cooling feedbacks that impact climate change. To monitor and quantify the surface dynamics of heterogeneous landscapes, high temporal and spatial resolution synthetic time series of albedo and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were generated from the 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational Collection V006 daily BRDF/NBAR/albedo products and 30 m Landsat 5 albedo and near-nadir reflectance data through the use of the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM). The traditional Landsat Albedo (Shuai et al., 2011) makes use of the MODIS BRDF/Albedo products (MCD43) by assigning appropriate BRDFs from coincident MODIS products to each Landsat image to generate a 30 m Landsat albedo product for that acquisition date. The available cloud free Landsat 5 albedos (due to clouds, generated every 16 days at best) were used in conjunction with the daily MODIS albedos to determine the appropriate 30 m albedos for the intervening daily time steps in this study. These enhanced daily 30 m spatial resolution synthetic time series were then used to track albedo and vegetation phenology dynamics over three Ameriflux tower sites (Harvard Forest in 2007, Santa Rita in 2011 and Walker Branch in 2005). These Ameriflux sites were chosen as they are all quite nearby new towers coming on line for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and thus represent locations which will be served by spatially paired albedo measures in the near future. The availability of data from the NEON towers will greatly expand the sources of tower albedometer data available for evaluation of satellite products. At these three Ameriflux tower sites the synthetic time series of broadband shortwave albedos were evaluated using the tower albedo measurements with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) less than 0.013 and a bias within the range of ±0.006. These synthetic time series provide much greater spatial detail than the 500 m gridded MODIS data, especially over more heterogeneous surfaces, which improves the efforts to characterize and monitor the spatial variation across species and communities. The mean of the difference between maximum and minimum synthetic time series of albedo within the MODIS pixels over a subset of satellite data of Harvard Forest (16 km by 14 km) was as high as 0.2 during the snow-covered period and reduced to around 0.1 during the snow-free period. Similarly, we have used STARFM to also couple MODIS Nadir BRDF Adjusted Reflectances (NBAR) values with Landsat 5 reflectances to generate daily synthetic times series of NBAR and thus Enhanced Vegetation Index (NBAR-EVI) at a 30 m resolution. While normally STARFM is used with directional reflectances, the use of the view angle corrected daily MODIS NBAR values will provide more consistent time series. These synthetic times series of EVI are shown to capture seasonal vegetation dynamics with finer spatial and temporal details, especially over heterogeneous land surfaces.

Monitoring Land Surface Albedo and Vegetation Dynamics Using High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Synthetic Time Series from Landsat and the MODIS BRDF/NBAR/Albedo Product

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Zhuosen; Schaaf, Crystal B.; Sun, Quingsong; Kim, Jihyun; Erb, Angela M.; Gao, Feng; Roman, Miguel O.; Yang, Yun; Petroy, Shelley; Taylor, Jeffrey R.;

Anthropogenic heat flux: advisable spatial resolutions when input data are scarce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabey, A. M.; Grimmond, C. S. B.; Capel-Timms, I.

2018-02-01

Anthropogenic heat flux (QF) may be significant in cities, especially under low solar irradiance and at night. It is of interest to many practitioners including meteorologists, city planners and climatologists. QF estimates at fine temporal and spatial resolution can be derived from models that use varying amounts of empirical data. This study compares simple and detailed models in a European megacity (London) at 500 m spatial resolution. The simple model (LQF) uses spatially resolved population data and national energy statistics. The detailed model (GQF) additionally uses local energy, road network and workday population data. The Fractions Skill Score (FSS) and bias are used to rate the skill with which the simple model reproduces the spatial patterns and magnitudes of QF, and its sub-components, from the detailed model. LQF skill was consistently good across 90% of the city, away from the centre and major roads. The remaining 10% contained elevated emissions and "hot spots" representing 30-40% of the total city-wide energy. This structure was lost because it requires workday population, spatially resolved building energy consumption and/or road network data. Daily total building and traffic energy consumption estimates from national data were within ± 40% of local values. Progressively coarser spatial resolutions to 5 km improved skill for total QF, but important features (hot spots, transport network) were lost at all resolutions when residential population controlled spatial variations. The results demonstrate that simple QF models should be applied with conservative spatial resolution in cities that, like London, exhibit time-varying energy use patterns.

Potential Long-Term Records of Surface Albedo at Fine Spatiotemporal Resolution from Landsat/Sentinle-2A Surface Reflectance and MODIS/VIIRS BRDF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z.; Schaaf, C.; Shuai, Y.; Liu, Y.; Sun, Q.; Erb, A.; Wang, Z.

2016-12-01

The land surface albedo products at fine spatial resolutions are generated by coupling surface reflectance (SR) from Landsat (30 m) or Sentinel-2A (20 m) with concurrent surface anisotropy information (the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function - BRDF) at coarser spatial resolutions from sequential multi-angular observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) or its successor, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). We assess the comparability of four types of fine-resolution albedo products (black-sky and white-sky albedos over the shortwave broad band) generated by coupling, (1) Landsat-8 Optical Land Imager (OLI) SR with MODIS BRDF; (2) OLI SR with VIIRS BRDF; (3) Sentinel-2A MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) SR with MODIS BRDF; and (4) MSI SR with VIIRS BRDF. We evaluate the accuracy of these four types of fine-resolution albedo products using ground tower measurements of surface albedo over six SURFace RADiation Network (SURFRAD) sites in the United States. For comparison with the ground measurements, we estimate the actual (blue-sky) albedo values at the six sites by using the satellite-based retrievals of black-sky and white-sky albedos and taking into account the proportion of direct and diffuse solar radiation from the ground measurements at the sites. The coupling of the OLI and MSI SR with MODIS BRDF has already been shown to provide accurate fine-resolution albedo values. With demonstration of a high agreement in BRDF products from MODIS and VIIRS, we expect to see consistency between all four types of fine-resolution albedo products. This assurance of consistency between the couplings of both OLI and MSI with both MODIS and VIIRS guarantees the production of long-term records of surface albedo at fine spatial resolutions and an increased temporal resolution. Such products will be critical in studying land surface changes and associated surface energy balance over the dynamic and heterogeneous landscapes most susceptible to climate change (such as arctic, coastal, and high-elevation zones).

Spatial Scale Gap Filling Using an Unmanned Aerial System: A Statistical Downscaling Method for Applications in Precision Agriculture.

PubMed

Hassan-Esfahani, Leila; Ebtehaj, Ardeshir M; Torres-Rua, Alfonso; McKee, Mac

2017-09-14

Applications of satellite-borne observations in precision agriculture (PA) are often limited due to the coarse spatial resolution of satellite imagery. This paper uses high-resolution airborne observations to increase the spatial resolution of satellite data for related applications in PA. A new variational downscaling scheme is presented that uses coincident aerial imagery products from "AggieAir", an unmanned aerial system, to increase the spatial resolution of Landsat satellite data. This approach is primarily tested for downscaling individual band Landsat images that can be used to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate promising capabilities of the downscaling approach enabling effective increase of the spatial resolution of Landsat imageries by orders of 2 to 4. Specifically, the downscaling scheme retrieved the missing high-resolution feature of the imageries and reduced the root mean squared error by 15, 11, and 10 percent in visual, near infrared, and thermal infrared bands, respectively. This metric is reduced by 9% in the derived NDVI and remains negligibly for the soil moisture products.

Spatial Scale Gap Filling Using an Unmanned Aerial System: A Statistical Downscaling Method for Applications in Precision Agriculture

PubMed Central

Hassan-Esfahani, Leila; Ebtehaj, Ardeshir M.; McKee, Mac

2017-01-01

Applications of satellite-borne observations in precision agriculture (PA) are often limited due to the coarse spatial resolution of satellite imagery. This paper uses high-resolution airborne observations to increase the spatial resolution of satellite data for related applications in PA. A new variational downscaling scheme is presented that uses coincident aerial imagery products from “AggieAir”, an unmanned aerial system, to increase the spatial resolution of Landsat satellite data. This approach is primarily tested for downscaling individual band Landsat images that can be used to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate promising capabilities of the downscaling approach enabling effective increase of the spatial resolution of Landsat imageries by orders of 2 to 4. Specifically, the downscaling scheme retrieved the missing high-resolution feature of the imageries and reduced the root mean squared error by 15, 11, and 10 percent in visual, near infrared, and thermal infrared bands, respectively. This metric is reduced by 9% in the derived NDVI and remains negligibly for the soil moisture products. PMID:28906428

Calibration of Fuji BAS-SR type imaging plate as high spatial resolution x-ray radiography recorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Ji; Zheng, Jianhua; Zhang, Xing; Chen, Li; Wei, Minxi

2017-05-01

Image Plates as x-ray recorder have advantages including reusable, high dynamic range, large active area, and so on. In this work, Fuji BAS-SR type image plate combined with BAS-5000 scanner is calibrated. The fade rates of Image Plates has been measured using x-ray diffractometric in different room temperature; the spectral response of Image Plates has been measured using 241Am radioactive sealed source and fitting with linear model; the spatial resolution of Image Plates has been measured using micro-focus x-ray tube. The results show that Image Plates has an exponent decade curve and double absorption edge response curve. The spatial resolution of Image Plates with 25μ/50μ scanner resolution is 6.5lp/mm, 11.9lp/mm respectively and gold grid radiography is collected with 80lp/mm spatial resolution using SR-type Image Plates. BAS-SR type Image Plates can do high spatial resolution and quantitative radiographic works. It can be widely used in High energy density physics (HEDP), inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and laboratory astronomy physics.

Simulations of the temporal and spatial resolution for a compact time-resolved electron diffractometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Matthew S.; Lane, Paul D.; Wann, Derek A.

2016-02-01

A novel compact electron gun for use in time-resolved gas electron diffraction experiments has recently been designed and commissioned. In this paper we present and discuss the extensive simulations that were performed to underpin the design in terms of the spatial and temporal qualities of the pulsed electron beam created by the ionisation of a gold photocathode using a femtosecond laser. The response of the electron pulses to a solenoid lens used to focus the electron beam has also been studied. The simulated results show that focussing the electron beam affects the overall spatial and temporal resolution of the experiment in a variety of ways, and that factors that improve the resolution of one parameter can often have a negative effect on the other. A balance must, therefore, be achieved between spatial and temporal resolution. The optimal experimental time resolution for the apparatus is predicted to be 416 fs for studies of gas-phase species, while the predicted spatial resolution of better than 2 nm-1 compares well with traditional time-averaged electron diffraction set-ups.

Coherent optical adaptive technique improves the spatial resolution of STED microscopy in thick samples

PubMed Central

Yan, Wei; Yang, Yanlong; Tan, Yu; Chen, Xun; Li, Yang; Qu, Junle; Ye, Tong

2018-01-01

Stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED) is one of far-field optical microscopy techniques that can provide sub-diffraction spatial resolution. The spatial resolution of the STED microscopy is determined by the specially engineered beam profile of the depletion beam and its power. However, the beam profile of the depletion beam may be distorted due to aberrations of optical systems and inhomogeneity of specimens’ optical properties, resulting in a compromised spatial resolution. The situation gets deteriorated when thick samples are imaged. In the worst case, the sever distortion of the depletion beam profile may cause complete loss of the super resolution effect no matter how much depletion power is applied to specimens. Previously several adaptive optics approaches have been explored to compensate aberrations of systems and specimens. However, it is hard to correct the complicated high-order optical aberrations of specimens. In this report, we demonstrate that the complicated distorted wavefront from a thick phantom sample can be measured by using the coherent optical adaptive technique (COAT). The full correction can effectively maintain and improve the spatial resolution in imaging thick samples. PMID:29400356

0.125 mm(3) spatial resolution steady-state MR angiography of the thighs with a blood pool contrast agent using the quadrature body coil only at 1.5 Tesla.

PubMed

Boschewitz, Jack M; Hadizadeh, Dariusch R; Kukuk, Guido M; Meyer, Carsten; Wilhelm, Kai; Koscielny, Arne; Verrel, Frauke; Gieseke, Jürgen; Schild, Hans H; Willinek, Winfried A

2014-10-01

To implement and evaluate high spatial resolution three-dimensional MR contrast-enhanced angiography (3D-CEMRA) of the thighs using a blood pool contrast agent (BPCA) using the quadrature body coil only in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) in cases receiver coils cannot be used at 1.5 Tesla (T). Nineteen patients (mean age: 68.7 ± 11.2 years; range, 38-83 years) with known PAOD (Fontaine stages; III: 16, IV: 3) prospectively underwent 3D-CEMRA at 1.5T with a noninterpolated voxel size of 0.49 × 0.49 × 0.48 mm(3) . Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was available for comparison in all patients. Two readers independently evaluated movement artifacts, overall image quality of 3D-CEMRA, and grade of stenosis as compared to DSA. SNR and CNR levels were quantified. The 3D-CEMRA was successfully completed in all patients. Patient movement artifacts that affected stenosis grading occurred in 3/38 thighs. Overall image quality was rated excellent in 15/38, good in 12/38, and diagnostic in 8/38 thighs. Stenosis grading matched with that in DSA in 35/38 thighs. High SNR and CNR were measured in all vessels. The 0.125 mm(3) spatial resolution 3D-CEMRA of the thighs with a BPCA is feasible using a quadrature body coil exclusively with excellent image quality despite long acquisition times. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;40:996-1001. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Estimating Gross Primary Production in Cropland with High Spatial and Temporal Scale Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, S.; Li, J.; Liu, Q.

2018-04-01

Satellite remote sensing data provide spatially continuous and temporally repetitive observations of land surfaces, and they have become increasingly important for monitoring large region of vegetation photosynthetic dynamic. But remote sensing data have their limitation on spatial and temporal scale, for example, higher spatial resolution data as Landsat data have 30-m spatial resolution but 16 days revisit period, while high temporal scale data such as geostationary data have 30-minute imaging period, which has lower spatial resolution (> 1 km). The objective of this study is to investigate whether combining high spatial and temporal resolution remote sensing data can improve the gross primary production (GPP) estimation accuracy in cropland. For this analysis we used three years (from 2010 to 2012) Landsat based NDVI data, MOD13 vegetation index product and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) geostationary data as input parameters to estimate GPP in a small region cropland of Nebraska, US. Then we validated the remote sensing based GPP with the in-situ measurement carbon flux data. Results showed that: 1) the overall correlation between GOES visible band and in-situ measurement photosynthesis active radiation (PAR) is about 50 % (R2 = 0.52) and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA-Interim reanalysis data can explain 64 % of PAR variance (R2 = 0.64); 2) estimating GPP with Landsat 30-m spatial resolution data and ERA daily meteorology data has the highest accuracy(R2 = 0.85, RMSE < 3 gC/m2/day), which has better performance than using MODIS 1-km NDVI/EVI product import; 3) using daily meteorology data as input for GPP estimation in high spatial resolution data would have higher relevance than 8-day and 16-day input. Generally speaking, using the high spatial resolution and high frequency satellite based remote sensing data can improve GPP estimation accuracy in cropland.

Hyperspectral range imaging for transportation systems evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridgelall, Raj; Rafert, J. B.; Atwood, Don; Tolliver, Denver D.

2016-04-01

Transportation agencies expend significant resources to inspect critical infrastructure such as roadways, railways, and pipelines. Regular inspections identify important defects and generate data to forecast maintenance needs. However, cost and practical limitations prevent the scaling of current inspection methods beyond relatively small portions of the network. Consequently, existing approaches fail to discover many high-risk defect formations. Remote sensing techniques offer the potential for more rapid and extensive non-destructive evaluations of the multimodal transportation infrastructure. However, optical occlusions and limitations in the spatial resolution of typical airborne and space-borne platforms limit their applicability. This research proposes hyperspectral image classification to isolate transportation infrastructure targets for high-resolution photogrammetric analysis. A plenoptic swarm of unmanned aircraft systems will capture images with centimeter-scale spatial resolution, large swaths, and polarization diversity. The light field solution will incorporate structure-from-motion techniques to reconstruct three-dimensional details of the isolated targets from sequences of two-dimensional images. A comparative analysis of existing low-power wireless communications standards suggests an application dependent tradeoff in selecting the best-suited link to coordinate swarming operations. This study further produced a taxonomy of specific roadway and railway defects, distress symptoms, and other anomalies that the proposed plenoptic swarm sensing system would identify and characterize to estimate risk levels.

Quantitative 17O imaging towards oxygen consumption study in tumor bearing mice at 7 T.

PubMed

Narazaki, Michiko; Kanazawa, Yoko; Koike, Sachiko; Ando, Koichi; Ikehira, Hiroo

2013-06-01

(17)O magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a conventional pulse sequence was explored as a method of quantitative imaging towards regional oxygen consumption rate measurement for tumor evaluation in mice. At 7 T, fast imaging with steady state (FISP) was the best among gradient echo, fast spin echo and FISP for the purpose. The distribution of natural abundance H2(17)O in mice was visualized under spatial resolution of 2.5 × 2.5mm(2) by FISP in 10 min. The signal intensity by FISP showed a linear relationship with (17)O quantity both in phantom and mice. Following the injection of 5% (17)O enriched saline, (17)O re-distribution was monitored in temporal resolution down to 5 sec with an image quality sufficient to distinguish each organ. The image of labeled water produced from inhaled (17)O2 gas was also obtained. The present method provides quantitative (17)O images under sufficient temporal and spatial resolution for the evaluation of oxygen consumption rate in each organ. Experiments using various model compounds of R-OH type clarified that the signal contribution of body constituents other than water in the present in vivo(17)O FISP image was negligible. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiscale Reconstruction for Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting

PubMed Central

Pierre, Eric Y.; Ma, Dan; Chen, Yong; Badve, Chaitra; Griswold, Mark A.

2015-01-01

Purpose To reduce acquisition time needed to obtain reliable parametric maps with Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting. Methods An iterative-denoising algorithm is initialized by reconstructing the MRF image series at low image resolution. For subsequent iterations, the method enforces pixel-wise fidelity to the best-matching dictionary template then enforces fidelity to the acquired data at slightly higher spatial resolution. After convergence, parametric maps with desirable spatial resolution are obtained through template matching of the final image series. The proposed method was evaluated on phantom and in-vivo data using the highly-undersampled, variable-density spiral trajectory and compared with the original MRF method. The benefits of additional sparsity constraints were also evaluated. When available, gold standard parameter maps were used to quantify the performance of each method. Results The proposed approach allowed convergence to accurate parametric maps with as few as 300 time points of acquisition, as compared to 1000 in the original MRF work. Simultaneous quantification of T1, T2, proton density (PD) and B0 field variations in the brain was achieved in vivo for a 256×256 matrix for a total acquisition time of 10.2s, representing a 3-fold reduction in acquisition time. Conclusions The proposed iterative multiscale reconstruction reliably increases MRF acquisition speed and accuracy. PMID:26132462

Tracking Characteristics of a Triangular-Aperture Mounted Optical Head Slider to Which a Polarized Violet Laser Source Is Applied

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkubo, Toshifumi; Park, Majung; Hirata, Masakazu; Oumi, Manabu; Nakajima, Kunio

In near-field optical recording, the combination of a triangular aperture and a polarized illuminating light is thought to be one of the most promising breakthroughs for improving both spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. In light of this, we have already fabricated a triangular-aperture mounted optical head slider and demonstrated its superior performance while clarifying the influence of the polarization direction on the spatial resolution in the circumferential direction. When the polarization direction was perpendicular to the bottom side (which is parallel to the slider trailing edge) of the aperture, the highest spatial resolution and signal contrast were obtained, in spite of the usage of a fairly large aperture, indicating the presence of clear readout signal waveforms corresponding down to 100 nm line-and-space (L/S) patterns. In this study, we tried to experimentally clarify the influence of the polarization direction of the illuminating light on an aperture's field spread in the radial direction. In order to concretely evaluate the field spread, we prepared 1-mm-long linearly arranged (in the circumferential direction) L/S patterns on a metal-layered medium, and a piezo-electric actuator combined positioner. Intersecting the aperture at two portions of the tracks, directly acquired signal waveforms could be successfully transformed into the waveforms that would be obtained if the aperture had crossed the track at right angles. The field spreads in the radial direction were estimated to be approximately 250 nm when the polarization direction was perpendicular to the bottom side. In contrast, when the polarization direction was 45 degrees, the stationary field spread in the radial direction was estimated to be approximately 350 - 370 nm. It could be confirmed experimentally that both the highest spatial resolution in the circumferential direction and the smallest field spread in the radial direction were realized with the combination of the triangular aperture and the illuminating polarized light whose direction was perpendicular to the bottom side. Based on these results, the signal-to-noise ratio will be evaluated and discussed in the future with respect to the above-mentioned optimum aperture structure and conditions.

Building block extraction and classification by means of aerial images fused with super-resolution reconstructed elevation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panagiotopoulou, Antigoni; Bratsolis, Emmanuel; Charou, Eleni; Perantonis, Stavros

2017-10-01

The detailed three-dimensional modeling of buildings utilizing elevation data, such as those provided by light detection and ranging (LiDAR) airborne scanners, is increasingly demanded today. There are certain application requirements and available datasets to which any research effort has to be adapted. Our dataset includes aerial orthophotos, with a spatial resolution 20 cm, and a digital surface model generated from LiDAR, with a spatial resolution 1 m and an elevation resolution 20 cm, from an area of Athens, Greece. The aerial images are fused with LiDAR, and we classify these data with a multilayer feedforward neural network for building block extraction. The innovation of our approach lies in the preprocessing step in which the original LiDAR data are super-resolution (SR) reconstructed by means of a stochastic regularized technique before their fusion with the aerial images takes place. The Lorentzian estimator combined with the bilateral total variation regularization performs the SR reconstruction. We evaluate the performance of our approach against that of fusing unprocessed LiDAR data with aerial images. We present the classified images and the statistical measures confusion matrix, kappa coefficient, and overall accuracy. The results demonstrate that our approach predominates over that of fusing unprocessed LiDAR data with aerial images.

Characterization of spatial and spectral resolution of a rotating prism chromotomographic hyperspectral imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostick, Randall L.; Perram, Glen P.; Tuttle, Ronald

2009-05-01

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has built a rotating prism chromotomographic hyperspectral imager (CTI) with the goal of extending the technology to exploit spatially extended sources with quickly varying (> 10 Hz) phenomenology, such as bomb detonations and muzzle flashes. This technology collects successive frames of 2-D data dispersed at different angles multiplexing spatial and spectral information which can then be used to reconstruct any arbitrary spectral plane(s). In this paper, the design of the AFIT instrument is described and then tested against a spectral target with near point source spatial characteristics to measure spectral and spatial resolution. It will be shown that, in theory, the spectral and spatial resolution in the 3-D spectral image cube is the nearly the same as a simple prism spectrograph with the same design. However, error in the knowledge of the prism linear dispersion at the detector array as a function of wavelength and projection angle will degrade resolution without further corrections. With minimal correction for error and use of a simple shift-and-add reconstruction algorithm, the CTI is able to produce a spatial resolution of about 2 mm in the object plane (234 μrad IFOV) and is limited by chromatic aberration. A spectral resolution of less than 1nm at shorter wavelengths is shown, limited primarily by prism dispersion.