Time-resolved brightness measurements by streaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrance, Joshua S.; Speirs, Rory W.; McCulloch, Andrew J.; Scholten, Robert E.

2018-03-01

Brightness is a key figure of merit for charged particle beams, and time-resolved brightness measurements can elucidate the processes involved in beam creation and manipulation. Here we report on a simple, robust, and widely applicable method for the measurement of beam brightness with temporal resolution by streaking one-dimensional pepperpots, and demonstrate the technique to characterize electron bunches produced from a cold-atom electron source. We demonstrate brightness measurements with 145 ps temporal resolution and a minimum resolvable emittance of 40 nm rad. This technique provides an efficient method of exploring source parameters and will prove useful for examining the efficacy of techniques to counter space-charge expansion, a critical hurdle to achieving single-shot imaging of atomic scale targets.

Fluorescence Lifetime Techniques in Medical Applications

PubMed Central

Marcu, Laura

2012-01-01

This article presents an overview of time-resolved (lifetime) fluorescence techniques used in biomedical diagnostics. In particular, we review the development of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) instrumentation and associated methodologies which allows for in vivo characterization and diagnosis of biological tissues. Emphasis is placed on the translational research potential of these techniques and on evaluating whether intrinsic fluorescence signals provide useful contrast for the diagnosis of human diseases including cancer (gastrointestinal tract, lung, head and neck, and brain), skin and eye diseases, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. PMID:22273730

Quantitative, spectrally-resolved intraoperative fluorescence imaging

PubMed Central

Valdés, Pablo A.; Leblond, Frederic; Jacobs, Valerie L.; Wilson, Brian C.; Paulsen, Keith D.; Roberts, David W.

2012-01-01

Intraoperative visual fluorescence imaging (vFI) has emerged as a promising aid to surgical guidance, but does not fully exploit the potential of the fluorescent agents that are currently available. Here, we introduce a quantitative fluorescence imaging (qFI) approach that converts spectrally-resolved data into images of absolute fluorophore concentration pixel-by-pixel across the surgical field of view (FOV). The resulting estimates are linear, accurate, and precise relative to true values, and spectral decomposition of multiple fluorophores is also achieved. Experiments with protoporphyrin IX in a glioma rodent model demonstrate in vivo quantitative and spectrally-resolved fluorescence imaging of infiltrating tumor margins for the first time. Moreover, we present images from human surgery which detect residual tumor not evident with state-of-the-art vFI. The wide-field qFI technique has broad implications for intraoperative surgical guidance because it provides near real-time quantitative assessment of multiple fluorescent biomarkers across the operative field. PMID:23152935

Usefulness of free-breathing readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (RESOLVE) for detection of malignant liver tumors: comparison with single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI).

PubMed

Tokoro, Hirokazu; Fujinaga, Yasunari; Ohya, Ayumi; Ueda, Kazuhiko; Shiobara, Aya; Kitou, Yoshihiro; Ueda, Hitoshi; Kadoya, Masumi

2014-10-01

We aimed to clarify the usefulness of free-breathing readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (RESOLVE), which is multi-shot echo-planar imaging based on a 2D-navigator-based reacquisition technique, for detecting malignant liver tumor. In 77 patients with malignant liver tumors, free-breathing RESOLVE and respiratory-triggered single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) at 3-T MR unit were performed. We set a scan time up to approximately 5 min (300s) before examination, measured actual scan time and assessed (1) susceptibility and (2) motion artifacts in the right and left liver lobes (3, no artifact; 1, marked), and (3) detectability of malignant liver tumors (3, good; 1, poor) using a 3-point scale. The median actual scan time of RESOLVE/SS-EPI was 365/423s. The median scores of each factor in RESOLVE/SS-EPI were as following in this order: (1) 3/2 (right lobe); 3/3 (left lobe), (2) 2/3 (right lobe); 1/2 (left lobe), and (3) 3/3, respectively. Significant differences were noted between RESOLVE and SS-EPI in all evaluated factors (P<0.05) except for susceptibility of left lobe and detectability of the lesions. Despite the effect of motion artifacts, RESOLVE provides a comparable detectability of the lesion and the advantage of reducing scanning time compared with SS-EPI. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-time Crystal Growth Visualization and Quantification by Energy-Resolved Neutron Imaging

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

Tremsin, Anton S.; Perrodin, Didier; Losko, Adrian S.

Energy-resolved neutron imaging is investigated as a real-time diagnostic tool for visualization and in-situ measurements of "blind" processes. This technique is demonstrated for the Bridgman-type crystal growth enabling remote and direct measurements of growth parameters crucial for process optimization. The location and shape of the interface between liquid and solid phases are monitored in real-time, concurrently with the measurement of elemental distribution within the growth volume and with the identification of structural features with a ~100 μm spatial resolution. Such diagnostics can substantially reduce the development time between exploratory small scale growth of new materials and their subsequent commercial production.more » This technique is widely applicable and is not limited to crystal growth processes.« less

Real-time Crystal Growth Visualization and Quantification by Energy-Resolved Neutron Imaging

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, Anton S.; Perrodin, Didier; Losko, Adrian S.; ...

2017-04-20

Energy-resolved neutron imaging is investigated as a real-time diagnostic tool for visualization and in-situ measurements of "blind" processes. This technique is demonstrated for the Bridgman-type crystal growth enabling remote and direct measurements of growth parameters crucial for process optimization. The location and shape of the interface between liquid and solid phases are monitored in real-time, concurrently with the measurement of elemental distribution within the growth volume and with the identification of structural features with a ~100 μm spatial resolution. Such diagnostics can substantially reduce the development time between exploratory small scale growth of new materials and their subsequent commercial production.more » This technique is widely applicable and is not limited to crystal growth processes.« less

Imaging of acute and chronic thromboembolic disease: state of the art.

PubMed

Ruggiero, A; Screaton, N J

2017-05-01

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances in imaging allow acute and rapid recognition even by the non-specialist radiologist. Most acute emboli resolve on anticoagulation without sequelae; however, some emboli fail to fully resolve becoming endothelialised with the development of chronic thromboembolic disease (CTED). Increased pulmonary vascular resistance arising from CTED may lead to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) a debilitating disease affecting up to 5% of survivors of acute PE. Diagnostic evaluation is more complex in CTEPH/CTED than acute PE with subtle imaging features often being overlooked or misinterpreted. Differentiation of acute from chronic PE and from other forms of pulmonary hypertension has profound therapeutic implications. Diverse imaging techniques are available to diagnose and monitor PEs both in the acute and chronic setting. Broadly they include techniques that provide data on lung parenchymal perfusion (ventilation-perfusion [VQ] scintigraphy), angiographic techniques (computed tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], and invasive angiography) or a combination of both (MR angiography and time-resolved angiography or dual-energy CT angiography). This review aims to describe state of the art imaging highlighting the strength and weaknesses of individual techniques in the diagnosis of acute and chronic PE. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interference-free optical detection for Raman spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, David G (Inventor); Kojima, Jun (Inventor); Nguyen, Quang-Viet (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An architecture for spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) that utilizes a frame-transfer charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor operating in a subframe burst gating mode to realize time-resolved combustion diagnostics is disclosed. The technique permits all-electronic optical gating with microsecond shutter speeds (<5 .mu.s), without compromising optical throughput or image fidelity. When used in conjunction with a pair of orthogonally-polarized excitation lasers, the technique measures time-resolved vibrational Raman scattering that is minimally contaminated by problematic optical background noise.

Imaging of spatial distributions of the millimeter wave intensity by using the Visible Continuum Radiation from a discharge in a Cs-Xe mixture. Part II: Demonstration of application capabilities of the technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gitlin, M. S.; Glyavin, M. Yu.; Fedotov, A. E.; Tsvetkov, A. I.

2017-07-01

The paper presents the second part of the review on a high-sensitive technique for time-resolved imaging and measurements of the 2D intensity profiles of millimeter-wave radiation by means of Visible Continuum Radiation emitted by the positive column of a medium-pressure Cs-Xe DC Discharge (VCRD method). The first part of the review was focused on the operating principles and fundamentals of this new technique [Plasma Phys. Rep. 43, 253 (2017)]. The second part of the review focuses on experiments demonstrating application of this imaging technique to measure the parameters of radiation at the output of moderate-power millimeter-wave sources. In particular, the output waveguide mode of a moderate-power W-band gyrotron with a pulsed magnetic field was identified and the relative powers of some spurious modes at the outputs of this gyrotron and a pulsed D-band orotron were evaluated. The paper also reviews applications of the VCRD technique for real-time imaging and nondestructive testing with a frame rate of higher than 10 fps by using millimeter waves. Shadow projection images of objects opaque and transparent for millimeter waves have been obtained using pulsed watt-scale millimeter waves for object illumination. Near video frame rate millimeter-wave shadowgraphy has been demonstrated. It is shown that this technique can be used for single-shot screening (including detection of concealed objects) and time-resolved imaging of time-dependent processes.

Advanced flow MRI: emerging techniques and applications

PubMed Central

Markl, M.; Schnell, S.; Wu, C.; Bollache, E.; Jarvis, K.; Barker, A. J.; Robinson, J. D.; Rigsby, C. K.

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques provide non-invasive and non-ionising methods for the highly accurate anatomical depiction of the heart and vessels throughout the cardiac cycle. In addition, the intrinsic sensitivity of MRI to motion offers the unique ability to acquire spatially registered blood flow simultaneously with the morphological data, within a single measurement. In clinical routine, flow MRI is typically accomplished using methods that resolve two spatial dimensions in individual planes and encode the time-resolved velocity in one principal direction, typically oriented perpendicular to the two-dimensional (2D) section. This review describes recently developed advanced MRI flow techniques, which allow for more comprehensive evaluation of blood flow characteristics, such as real-time flow imaging, 2D multiple-venc phase contrast MRI, four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI, quantification of complex haemodynamic properties, and highly accelerated flow imaging. Emerging techniques and novel applications are explored. In addition, applications of these new techniques for the improved evaluation of cardiovascular (aorta, pulmonary arteries, congenital heart disease, atrial fibrillation, coronary arteries) as well as cerebrovascular disease (intra-cranial arteries and veins) are presented. PMID:26944696

Diagnostics of underwater electrical wire explosion through a time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source

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

Sheftman, D.; Shafer, D.; Efimov, S.

2012-10-15

A time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source was developed as a diagnostic tool for imaging underwater exploding wires. A {approx}4 ns width pulse of hard x-rays with energies of up to 100 keV was obtained from the discharge in a vacuum diode consisting of point-shaped tungsten electrodes. To improve contrast and image quality, an external pulsed magnetic field produced by Helmholtz coils was used. High resolution x-ray images of an underwater exploding wire were obtained using a sensitive x-ray CCD detector, and were compared to optical fast framing images. Future developments and application of this diagnostic technique are discussed.

Diagnostics of underwater electrical wire explosion through a time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source.

PubMed

Sheftman, D; Shafer, D; Efimov, S; Gruzinsky, K; Gleizer, S; Krasik, Ya E

2012-10-01

A time- and space-resolved hard x-ray source was developed as a diagnostic tool for imaging underwater exploding wires. A ~4 ns width pulse of hard x-rays with energies of up to 100 keV was obtained from the discharge in a vacuum diode consisting of point-shaped tungsten electrodes. To improve contrast and image quality, an external pulsed magnetic field produced by Helmholtz coils was used. High resolution x-ray images of an underwater exploding wire were obtained using a sensitive x-ray CCD detector, and were compared to optical fast framing images. Future developments and application of this diagnostic technique are discussed.

In vivo imaging of human photoreceptor mosaic with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Wong, Kevin S K; Jian, Yifan; Cua, Michelle; Bonora, Stefano; Zawadzki, Robert J; Sarunic, Marinko V

2015-02-01

Wavefront sensorless adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (WSAO-OCT) is a novel imaging technique for in vivo high-resolution depth-resolved imaging that mitigates some of the challenges encountered with the use of sensor-based adaptive optics designs. This technique replaces the Hartmann Shack wavefront sensor used to measure aberrations with a depth-resolved image-driven optimization algorithm, with the metric based on the OCT volumes acquired in real-time. The custom-built ultrahigh-speed GPU processing platform and fast modal optimization algorithm presented in this paper was essential in enabling real-time, in vivo imaging of human retinas with wavefront sensorless AO correction. WSAO-OCT is especially advantageous for developing a clinical high-resolution retinal imaging system as it enables the use of a compact, low-cost and robust lens-based adaptive optics design. In this report, we describe our WSAO-OCT system for imaging the human photoreceptor mosaic in vivo. We validated our system performance by imaging the retina at several eccentricities, and demonstrated the improvement in photoreceptor visibility with WSAO compensation.

Use of three-dimensional time-resolved phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging with vastly undersampled isotropic projection reconstruction to assess renal blood flow in a renal cell carcinoma patient treated with sunitinib: a case report.

PubMed

Takayama, Tatsuya; Takehara, Yasuo; Sugiyama, Masataka; Sugiyama, Takayuki; Ishii, Yasuo; Johnson, Kevin E; Wieben, Oliver; Wakayama, Tetsuya; Sakahara, Harumi; Ozono, Seiichiro

2014-08-14

New imaging modalities to assess the efficacy of drugs that have molecular targets remain under development. Here, we describe for the first time the use of time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging to monitor changes in blood supply to a tumor during sunitinib treatment in a patient with localized renal cell carcinoma. A 43-year-old Japanese woman with a tumor-bearing but functional single kidney presented at our hospital in July 2012. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cT1aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma embedded in the upper central region of the left kidney. She was prescribed sunitinib as neoadjuvant therapy for 8 months, and then underwent partial nephrectomy. Tumor monitoring during this time was done using time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging, a recent technique which specifically measures blood flow in the various vessels of the kidney. This imaging allowed visualization of the redistribution of renal blood flow during treatment, and showed that flow to the tumor was decreased and flows to other areas increased. Of note, this change occurred in the absence of any change in tumor size. The ability of time-resolved three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging to provide quantitative information on blood supply to tumors may be useful in monitoring the efficacy of sunitinib treatment.

Time Domain Filtering of Resolved Images of Sgr A{sup ∗}

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

Shiokawa, Hotaka; Doeleman, Sheperd S.; Gammie, Charles F.

The goal of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is to provide spatially resolved images of Sgr A*, the source associated with the Galactic Center black hole. Because Sgr A* varies on timescales that are short compared to an EHT observing campaign, it is interesting to ask whether variability contains information about the structure and dynamics of the accretion flow. In this paper, we introduce “time-domain filtering,” a technique to filter time fluctuating images with specific temporal frequency ranges and to demonstrate the power and usage of the technique by applying it to mock millimeter wavelength images of Sgr A*. Themore » mock image data is generated from the General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulation and the general relativistic ray-tracing method. We show that the variability on each line of sight is tightly correlated with a typical radius of emission. This is because disk emissivity fluctuates on a timescale of the order of the local orbital period. Time-domain filtered images therefore reflect the model dependent emission radius distribution, which is not accessible in time-averaged images. We show that, in principle, filtered data have the power to distinguish between models with different black-hole spins, different disk viewing angles, and different disk orientations in the sky.« less

Time Domain Filtering of Resolved Images of Sgr A∗

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiokawa, Hotaka; Gammie, Charles F.; Doeleman, Sheperd S.

2017-09-01

The goal of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is to provide spatially resolved images of Sgr A*, the source associated with the Galactic Center black hole. Because Sgr A* varies on timescales that are short compared to an EHT observing campaign, it is interesting to ask whether variability contains information about the structure and dynamics of the accretion flow. In this paper, we introduce “time-domain filtering,” a technique to filter time fluctuating images with specific temporal frequency ranges and to demonstrate the power and usage of the technique by applying it to mock millimeter wavelength images of Sgr A*. The mock image data is generated from the General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulation and the general relativistic ray-tracing method. We show that the variability on each line of sight is tightly correlated with a typical radius of emission. This is because disk emissivity fluctuates on a timescale of the order of the local orbital period. Time-domain filtered images therefore reflect the model dependent emission radius distribution, which is not accessible in time-averaged images. We show that, in principle, filtered data have the power to distinguish between models with different black-hole spins, different disk viewing angles, and different disk orientations in the sky.

High speed photography, videography, and photonics III; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, August 22, 23, 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponseggi, B. G. (Editor); Johnson, H. C. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Papers are presented on the picosecond electronic framing camera, photogrammetric techniques using high-speed cineradiography, picosecond semiconductor lasers for characterizing high-speed image shutters, the measurement of dynamic strain by high-speed moire photography, the fast framing camera with independent frame adjustments, design considerations for a data recording system, and nanosecond optical shutters. Consideration is given to boundary-layer transition detectors, holographic imaging, laser holographic interferometry in wind tunnels, heterodyne holographic interferometry, a multispectral video imaging and analysis system, a gated intensified camera, a charge-injection-device profile camera, a gated silicon-intensified-target streak tube and nanosecond-gated photoemissive shutter tubes. Topics discussed include high time-space resolved photography of lasers, time-resolved X-ray spectrographic instrumentation for laser studies, a time-resolving X-ray spectrometer, a femtosecond streak camera, streak tubes and cameras, and a short pulse X-ray diagnostic development facility.

Time-resolved multicolor two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy of cells and tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Wei

2014-11-01

Multilabeling which maps the distribution of different targets is an indispensable technique in many biochemical and biophysical studies. Two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) microscopy of endogenous fluorophores combining with conventional fluorescence labeling techniques such as genetically encoded fluorescent protein (FP) and fluorescent dyes staining could be a powerful tool for imaging living cells. However, the challenge is that the excitation and emission wavelength of these endogenous fluorophores and fluorescent labels are very different. A multi-color ultrafast source is required for the excitation of multiple fluorescence molecules. In this study, we developed a two-photon imaging system with excitations from the pump femtosecond laser and the selected supercontinuum generated from a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Multiple endogenous fluorophores, fluorescent proteins and fluorescent dyes were excited in their optimal wavelengths simultaneously. A time- and spectral-resolved detection system was used to record the TPEF signals. This detection technique separated the TPEF signals from multiple sources in time and wavelength domains. Cellular organelles such as nucleus, mitochondria, microtubule and endoplasmic reticulum, were clearly revealed in the TPEF images. The simultaneous imaging of multiple fluorophores of cells will greatly aid the study of sub-cellular compartments and protein localization.

Automated processing of label-free Raman microscope images of macrophage cells with standardized regression for high-throughput analysis.

PubMed

Milewski, Robert J; Kumagai, Yutaro; Fujita, Katsumasa; Standley, Daron M; Smith, Nicholas I

2010-11-19

Macrophages represent the front lines of our immune system; they recognize and engulf pathogens or foreign particles thus initiating the immune response. Imaging macrophages presents unique challenges, as most optical techniques require labeling or staining of the cellular compartments in order to resolve organelles, and such stains or labels have the potential to perturb the cell, particularly in cases where incomplete information exists regarding the precise cellular reaction under observation. Label-free imaging techniques such as Raman microscopy are thus valuable tools for studying the transformations that occur in immune cells upon activation, both on the molecular and organelle levels. Due to extremely low signal levels, however, Raman microscopy requires sophisticated image processing techniques for noise reduction and signal extraction. To date, efficient, automated algorithms for resolving sub-cellular features in noisy, multi-dimensional image sets have not been explored extensively. We show that hybrid z-score normalization and standard regression (Z-LSR) can highlight the spectral differences within the cell and provide image contrast dependent on spectral content. In contrast to typical Raman imaging processing methods using multivariate analysis, such as single value decomposition (SVD), our implementation of the Z-LSR method can operate nearly in real-time. In spite of its computational simplicity, Z-LSR can automatically remove background and bias in the signal, improve the resolution of spatially distributed spectral differences and enable sub-cellular features to be resolved in Raman microscopy images of mouse macrophage cells. Significantly, the Z-LSR processed images automatically exhibited subcellular architectures whereas SVD, in general, requires human assistance in selecting the components of interest. The computational efficiency of Z-LSR enables automated resolution of sub-cellular features in large Raman microscopy data sets without compromise in image quality or information loss in associated spectra. These results motivate further use of label free microscopy techniques in real-time imaging of live immune cells.

Time-resolved C-arm cone beam CT angiography (TR-CBCTA) imaging from a single short-scan C-arm cone beam CT acquisition with intra-arterial contrast injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yinsheng; Garrett, John W.; Li, Ke; Wu, Yijing; Johnson, Kevin; Schafer, Sebastian; Strother, Charles; Chen, Guang-Hong

2018-04-01

Time-resolved C-arm cone-beam CT (CBCT) angiography (TR-CBCTA) images can be generated from a series of CBCT acquisitions that satisfy data sufficiency condition in analytical image reconstruction theory. In this work, a new technique was developed to generate TR-CBCTA images from a single short-scan CBCT data acquisition with contrast media injection. The reconstruction technique enabling this application is a previously developed image reconstruction technique, synchronized multi-artifact reduction with tomographic reconstruction (SMART-RECON). In this new application, the acquired short-scan CBCT projection data were sorted into a union of several sub-sectors of view angles and each sub-sector of view angles corresponds to an individual image volume to be reconstructed. The SMART-RECON method was then used to jointly reconstruct all of these individual image volumes under two constraints: (1) each individual image volume is maximally consistent with the measured cone-beam projection data within the corresponding view angle sector and (2) the nuclear norm of the image matrix is minimized. The difference between these reconstructed individual image volumes is used to generated the desired subtracted angiograms. To validate the technique, numerical simulation data generated from a fractal tree angiogram phantom were used to quantitatively study the accuracy of the proposed method and retrospective in vivo human subject studies were used to demonstrate the feasibility of generating TR-CBCTA in clinical practice.

CMOS Time-Resolved, Contact, and Multispectral Fluorescence Imaging for DNA Molecular Diagnostics

PubMed Central

Guo, Nan; Cheung, Ka Wai; Wong, Hiu Tung; Ho, Derek

2014-01-01

Instrumental limitations such as bulkiness and high cost prevent the fluorescence technique from becoming ubiquitous for point-of-care deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection and other in-field molecular diagnostics applications. The complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, as benefited from process scaling, provides several advanced capabilities such as high integration density, high-resolution signal processing, and low power consumption, enabling sensitive, integrated, and low-cost fluorescence analytical platforms. In this paper, CMOS time-resolved, contact, and multispectral imaging are reviewed. Recently reported CMOS fluorescence analysis microsystem prototypes are surveyed to highlight the present state of the art. PMID:25365460

Energy-dispersive neutron imaging and diffraction of magnetically driven twins in a Ni2MnGa single crystal magnetic shape memory alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabra, Saurabh; Kelleher, Joe; Kockelmann, Winfried; Gutmann, Matthias; Tremsin, Anton

2016-09-01

Single crystals of a partially twinned magnetic shape memory alloy, Ni2MnGa, were imaged using neutron diffraction and energy-resolved imaging techniques at the ISIS spallation neutron source. Single crystal neutron diffraction showed that the crystal produces two twin variants with a specific crystallographic relationship. Transmission images were captured using a time of flight MCP/Timepix neutron counting detector. The twinned and untwinned regions were clearly distinguishable in images corresponding to narrow-energy transmission images. Further, the spatially-resolved transmission spectra were used to elucidate the orientations of the crystallites in the different volumes of the crystal.

Applications of a micro-pixel chamber (μPIC) based, time-resolved neutron imaging detector at pulsed neutron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, J. D.; Harada, M.; Hattori, K.; Iwaki, S.; Kabuki, S.; Kishimoto, Y.; Kubo, H.; Kurosawa, S.; Matsuoka, Y.; Miuchi, K.; Mizumoto, T.; Nishimura, H.; Oku, T.; Sawano, T.; Shinohara, T.; Suzuki, J.-I.; Takada, A.; Tanimori, T.; Ueno, K.; Ikeno, M.; Tanaka, M.; Uchida, T.

2014-04-01

The realization of high-intensity, pulsed spallation neutron sources such as J-PARC in Japan and SNS in the US has brought time-of-flight (TOF) based neutron techniques to the fore and spurred the development of new detector technologies. When combined with high-resolution imaging, TOF-based methods become powerful tools for direct imaging of material properties, including crystal structure/internal strain, isotopic/temperature distributions, and internal and external magnetic fields. To carry out such measurements in the high-intensities and high gamma backgrounds found at spallation sources, we have developed a new time-resolved neutron imaging detector employing a micro-pattern gaseous detector known as the micro-pixel chamber (μPIC) coupled with a field-programmable-gate-array-based data acquisition system. The detector combines 100μm-level (σ) spatial and sub-μs time resolutions with low gamma sensitivity of less than 10-12 and a rate capability on the order of Mcps (mega-counts-per-second). Here, we demonstrate the application of our detector to TOF-based techniques with examples of Bragg-edge transmission and neutron resonance transmission imaging (with computed tomography) carried out at J-PARC. We also consider the direct imaging of magnetic fields with our detector using polarized neutrons.

Recent Advances in Fluorescence Lifetime Analytical Microsystems: Contact Optics and CMOS Time-Resolved Electronics.

PubMed

Wei, Liping; Yan, Wenrong; Ho, Derek

2017-12-04

Fluorescence spectroscopy has become a prominent research tool with wide applications in medical diagnostics and bio-imaging. However, the realization of combined high-performance, portable, and low-cost spectroscopic sensors still remains a challenge, which has limited the technique to the laboratories. A fluorescence lifetime measurement seeks to obtain the characteristic lifetime from the fluorescence decay profile. Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and time-gated techniques are two key variations of time-resolved measurements. However, commercial time-resolved analysis systems typically contain complex optics and discrete electronic components, which lead to bulkiness and a high cost. These two limitations can be significantly mitigated using contact sensing and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) implementation. Contact sensing simplifies the optics, whereas CMOS technology enables on-chip, arrayed detection and signal processing, significantly reducing size and power consumption. This paper examines recent advances in contact sensing and CMOS time-resolved circuits for the realization of fully integrated fluorescence lifetime measurement microsystems. The high level of performance from recently reported prototypes suggests that the CMOS-based contact sensing microsystems are emerging as sound technologies for application-specific, low-cost, and portable time-resolved diagnostic devices.

Recent Advances in Fluorescence Lifetime Analytical Microsystems: Contact Optics and CMOS Time-Resolved Electronics

PubMed Central

Yan, Wenrong; Ho, Derek

2017-01-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy has become a prominent research tool with wide applications in medical diagnostics and bio-imaging. However, the realization of combined high-performance, portable, and low-cost spectroscopic sensors still remains a challenge, which has limited the technique to the laboratories. A fluorescence lifetime measurement seeks to obtain the characteristic lifetime from the fluorescence decay profile. Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and time-gated techniques are two key variations of time-resolved measurements. However, commercial time-resolved analysis systems typically contain complex optics and discrete electronic components, which lead to bulkiness and a high cost. These two limitations can be significantly mitigated using contact sensing and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) implementation. Contact sensing simplifies the optics, whereas CMOS technology enables on-chip, arrayed detection and signal processing, significantly reducing size and power consumption. This paper examines recent advances in contact sensing and CMOS time-resolved circuits for the realization of fully integrated fluorescence lifetime measurement microsystems. The high level of performance from recently reported prototypes suggests that the CMOS-based contact sensing microsystems are emerging as sound technologies for application-specific, low-cost, and portable time-resolved diagnostic devices. PMID:29207568

Multivariate image analysis of laser-induced photothermal imaging used for detection of caries tooth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Sherif, Ashraf F.; Abdel Aziz, Wessam M.; El-Sharkawy, Yasser H.

2010-08-01

Time-resolved photothermal imaging has been investigated to characterize tooth for the purpose of discriminating between normal and caries areas of the hard tissue using thermal camera. Ultrasonic thermoelastic waves were generated in hard tissue by the absorption of fiber-coupled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulses operating at 1064 nm in conjunction with a laser-induced photothermal technique used to detect the thermal radiation waves for diagnosis of human tooth. The concepts behind the use of photo-thermal techniques for off-line detection of caries tooth features were presented by our group in earlier work. This paper illustrates the application of multivariate image analysis (MIA) techniques to detect the presence of caries tooth. MIA is used to rapidly detect the presence and quantity of common caries tooth features as they scanned by the high resolution color (RGB) thermal cameras. Multivariate principal component analysis is used to decompose the acquired three-channel tooth images into a two dimensional principal components (PC) space. Masking score point clusters in the score space and highlighting corresponding pixels in the image space of the two dominant PCs enables isolation of caries defect pixels based on contrast and color information. The technique provides a qualitative result that can be used for early stage caries tooth detection. The proposed technique can potentially be used on-line or real-time resolved to prescreen the existence of caries through vision based systems like real-time thermal camera. Experimental results on the large number of extracted teeth as well as one of the thermal image panoramas of the human teeth voltanteer are investigated and presented.

High-resolution, time-resolved MRA provides superior definition of lower-extremity arterial segments compared to 2D time-of-flight imaging.

PubMed

Thornton, F J; Du, J; Suleiman, S A; Dieter, R; Tefera, G; Pillai, K R; Korosec, F R; Mistretta, C A; Grist, T M

2006-08-01

To evaluate a novel time-resolved contrast-enhanced (CE) projection reconstruction (PR) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) method for identifying potential bypass graft target vessels in patients with Class II-IV peripheral vascular disease. Twenty patients (M:F = 15:5, mean age = 58 years, range = 48-83 years), were recruited from routine MRA referrals. All imaging was performed on a 1.5 T MRI system with fast gradients (Signa LX; GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). Images were acquired with a novel technique that combined undersampled PR with a time-resolved acquisition to yield an MRA method with high temporal and spatial resolution. The method is called PR hyper time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (PR-hyperTRICKS). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to compare two-dimensional (2D) time-of-flight (TOF) and PR-hyperTRICKS in 13 arterial segments per lower extremity. Statistical analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Fifteen percent (77/517) of the vessels were scored as missing or nondiagnostic with 2D TOF, but were scored as diagnostic with PR-hyperTRICKS. Image quality was superior with PR-hyperTRICKS vs. 2D TOF (on a four-point scale, mean rank = 3.3 +/- 1.2 vs. 2.9 +/- 1.2, P < 0.0001). PR-hyperTRICKS produced images with high contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) and high spatial and temporal resolution. 2D TOF images were of inferior quality due to moderate spatial resolution, inferior CNR, greater flow-related artifacts, and absence of temporal resolution. PR-hyperTRICKS provides superior preoperative assessment of lower limb ischemia compared to 2D TOF.

Space and Time Resolved Detection of Platelet Activation and von Willebrand Factor Conformational Changes in Deep Suspensions.

PubMed

Biasetti, Jacopo; Sampath, Kaushik; Cortez, Angel; Azhir, Alaleh; Gilad, Assaf A; Kickler, Thomas S; Obser, Tobias; Ruggeri, Zaverio M; Katz, Joseph

2017-01-01

Tracking cells and proteins' phenotypic changes in deep suspensions is critical for the direct imaging of blood-related phenomena in in vitro replica of cardiovascular systems and blood-handling devices. This paper introduces fluorescence imaging techniques for space and time resolved detection of platelet activation, von Willebrand factor (VWF) conformational changes, and VWF-platelet interaction in deep suspensions. Labeled VWF, platelets, and VWF-platelet strands are suspended in deep cuvettes, illuminated, and imaged with a high-sensitivity EM-CCD camera, allowing detection using an exposure time of 1 ms. In-house postprocessing algorithms identify and track the moving signals. Recombinant VWF-eGFP (rVWF-eGFP) and VWF labeled with an FITC-conjugated polyclonal antibody are employed. Anti-P-Selectin FITC-conjugated antibodies and the calcium-sensitive probe Indo-1 are used to detect activated platelets. A positive correlation between the mean number of platelets detected per image and the percentage of activated platelets determined through flow cytometry is obtained, validating the technique. An increase in the number of rVWF-eGFP signals upon exposure to shear stress demonstrates the technique's ability to detect breakup of self-aggregates. VWF globular and unfolded conformations and self-aggregation are also observed. The ability to track the size and shape of VWF-platelet strands in space and time provides means to detect pro- and antithrombotic processes.

Temporally flickering nanoparticles for compound cellular imaging and super resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilovitsh, Tali; Danan, Yossef; Meir, Rinat; Meiri, Amihai; Zalevsky, Zeev

2016-03-01

This work presents the use of flickering nanoparticles for imaging biological samples. The method has high noise immunity, and it enables the detection of overlapping types of GNPs, at significantly sub-diffraction distances, making it attractive for super resolving localization microscopy techniques. The method utilizes a lock-in technique at which the imaging of the sample is done using a time-modulated laser beam that match the number of the types of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) that label a given sample, and resulting in the excitation of the temporal flickering of the scattered light at known temporal frequencies. The final image where the GNPs are spatially separated is obtained using post processing where the proper spectral components corresponding to the different modulation frequencies are extracted. This allows the simultaneous super resolved imaging of multiple types of GNPs that label targets of interest within biological samples. Additionally applying the post-processing algorithm of the K-factor image decomposition algorithm can further improve the performance of the proposed approach.

Observation of Structure of Surfaces and Interfaces by Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction: Atomic-Scale Imaging and Time-Resolved Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wakabayashi, Yusuke; Shirasawa, Tetsuroh; Voegeli, Wolfgang; Takahashi, Toshio

2018-06-01

The recent developments in synchrotron optics, X-ray detectors, and data analysis algorithms have enhanced the capability of the surface X-ray diffraction technique. This technique has been used to clarify the atomic arrangement around surfaces in a non-contact and nondestructive manner. An overview of surface X-ray diffraction, from the historical development to recent topics, is presented. In the early stage of this technique, surface reconstructions of simple semiconductors or metals were studied. Currently, the surface or interface structures of complicated functional materials are examined with sub-Å resolution. As examples, the surface structure determination of organic semiconductors and of a one-dimensional structure on silicon are presented. A new frontier is time-resolved interfacial structure analysis. A recent observation of the structure and dynamics of the electric double layer of ionic liquids, and an investigation of the structural evolution in the wettability transition on a TiO2 surface that utilizes a newly designed time-resolved surface diffractometer, are presented.

TH-EF-BRA-11: Feasibility of Super-Resolution Time-Resolved 4DMRI for Multi-Breath Volumetric Motion Simulation in Radiotherapy Planning

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

Li, G; Zakian, K; Deasy, J

Purpose: To develop a novel super-resolution time-resolved 4DMRI technique to evaluate multi-breath, irregular and complex organ motion without respiratory surrogate for radiotherapy planning. Methods: The super-resolution time-resolved (TR) 4DMRI approach combines a series of low-resolution 3D cine MRI images acquired during free breathing (FB) with a high-resolution breath-hold (BH) 3DMRI via deformable image registration (DIR). Five volunteers participated in the study under an IRB-approved protocol. The 3D cine images with voxel size of 5×5×5 mm{sup 3} at two volumes per second (2Hz) were acquired coronally using a T1 fast field echo sequence, half-scan (0.8) acceleration, and SENSE (3) parallel imaging.more » Phase-encoding was set in the lateral direction to minimize motion artifacts. The BH image with voxel size of 2×2×2 mm{sup 3} was acquired using the same sequence within 10 seconds. A demons-based DIR program was employed to produce super-resolution 2Hz 4DMRI. Registration quality was visually assessed using difference images between TR 4DMRI and 3D cine and quantitatively assessed using average voxel correlation. The fidelity of the 3D cine images was assessed using a gel phantom and a 1D motion platform by comparing mobile and static images. Results: Owing to voxel intensity similarity using the same MRI scanning sequence, accurate DIR between FB and BH images is achieved. The voxel correlations between 3D cine and TR 4DMRI are greater than 0.92 in all cases and the difference images illustrate minimal residual error with little systematic patterns. The 3D cine images of the mobile gel phantom preserve object geometry with minimal scanning artifacts. Conclusion: The super-resolution time-resolved 4DMRI technique has been achieved via DIR, providing a potential solution for multi-breath motion assessment. Accurate DIR mapping has been achieved to map high-resolution BH images to low-resolution FB images, producing 2Hz volumetric high-resolution 4DMRI. Further validation and improvement are still required prior to clinical applications. This study is in part supported by the NIH (U54CA137788/U54CA132378).« less

Non-Destructive Study of Bulk Crystallinity and Elemental Composition of Natural Gold Single Crystal Samples by Energy-Resolved Neutron Imaging

PubMed Central

Tremsin, Anton S.; Rakovan, John; Shinohara, Takenao; Kockelmann, Winfried; Losko, Adrian S.; Vogel, Sven C.

2017-01-01

Energy-resolved neutron imaging enables non-destructive analyses of bulk structure and elemental composition, which can be resolved with high spatial resolution at bright pulsed spallation neutron sources due to recent developments and improvements of neutron counting detectors. This technique, suitable for many applications, is demonstrated here with a specific study of ~5–10 mm thick natural gold samples. Through the analysis of neutron absorption resonances the spatial distribution of palladium (with average elemental concentration of ~0.4 atom% and ~5 atom%) is mapped within the gold samples. At the same time, the analysis of coherent neutron scattering in the thermal and cold energy regimes reveals which samples have a single-crystalline bulk structure through the entire sample volume. A spatially resolved analysis is possible because neutron transmission spectra are measured simultaneously on each detector pixel in the epithermal, thermal and cold energy ranges. With a pixel size of 55 μm and a detector-area of 512 by 512 pixels, a total of 262,144 neutron transmission spectra are measured concurrently. The results of our experiments indicate that high resolution energy-resolved neutron imaging is a very attractive analytical technique in cases where other conventional non-destructive methods are ineffective due to sample opacity. PMID:28102285

Accelerated echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging in the human brain using compressed sensing: a pilot validation in obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Sarma, M K; Nagarajan, R; Macey, P M; Kumar, R; Villablanca, J P; Furuyama, J; Thomas, M A

2014-06-01

Echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging is a fast spectroscopic technique to record the biochemical information in multiple regions of the brain, but for clinical applications, time is still a constraint. Investigations of neural injury in obstructive sleep apnea have revealed structural changes in the brain, but determining the neurochemical changes requires more detailed measurements across multiple brain regions, demonstrating a need for faster echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging. Hence, we have extended the compressed sensing reconstruction of prospectively undersampled 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging to investigate metabolic changes in multiple brain locations of patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls. Nonuniform undersampling was imposed along 1 spatial and 1 spectral dimension of 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging, and test-retest reliability of the compressed sensing reconstruction of the nonuniform undersampling data was tested by using a brain phantom. In addition, 9 patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 11 healthy controls were investigated by using a 3T MR imaging/MR spectroscopy scanner. Significantly reduced metabolite differences were observed between patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls in multiple brain regions: NAA/Cr in the left hippocampus; total Cho/Cr and Glx/Cr in the right hippocampus; total NAA/Cr, taurine/Cr, scyllo-Inositol/Cr, phosphocholine/Cr, and total Cho/Cr in the occipital gray matter; total NAA/Cr and NAA/Cr in the medial frontal white matter; and taurine/Cr and total Cho/Cr in the left frontal white matter regions. The 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging technique using the nonuniform undersampling-based acquisition and compressed sensing reconstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy brain is feasible in a clinically suitable time. In addition to brain metabolite changes previously reported by 1D MR spectroscopy, our results show changes of additional metabolites in patients with obstructive sleep apnea compared with healthy controls. © 2014 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

A small animal time-resolved optical tomography platform using wide-field excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venugopal, Vivek

Small animal imaging plays a critical role in present day biomedical research by filling an important gap in the translation of research from the bench to the bedside. Optical techniques constitute an emerging imaging modality which have tremendous potential in preclinical applications. Optical imaging methods are capable of non-invasive assessment of the functional and molecular characteristics of biological tissue. The three-dimensional optical imaging technique, referred to as diffuse optical tomography, provides an approach for the whole-body imaging of small animal models and can provide volumetric maps of tissue functional parameters (e.g. blood volume, oxygen saturation etc.) and/or provide 3D localization and quantification of fluorescence-based molecular markers in vivo. However, the complex mathematical reconstruction problem associated with optical tomography and the cumbersome instrumental designs limits its adoption as a high-throughput quantitative whole-body imaging modality in current biomedical research. The development of new optical imaging paradigms is thus necessary for a wide-acceptance of this new technology. In this thesis, the design, development, characterization and optimization of a small animal optical tomography system is discussed. Specifically, the platform combines a highly sensitive time-resolved imaging paradigm with multi-spectral excitation capability and CCD-based detection to provide a system capable of generating spatially, spectrally and temporally dense measurement datasets. The acquisition of such data sets however can take long and translate to often unrealistic acquisition times when using the classical point source based excitation scheme. The novel approach in the design of this platform is the adoption of a wide-field excitation scheme which employs extended excitation sources and in the process allows an estimated ten-fold reduction in the acquisition time. The work described herein details the design of the imaging platform employing DLP-based excitation and time-gated intensified CCD detection and the optimal system operation parameters are determined. The feasibility this imaging approach and accuracy of the system in reconstructing functional parameters and fluorescence markers based on lifetime contrast is established through phantom studies. As a part of the system characterization, the effect of noise in time-resolved optical tomography is investigated and propagation of system noise in optical reconstructions is established. Furthermore, data processing and measurement calibration techniques aimed at reducing the effect of noise in reconstructions are defined. The optimization of excitation pattern selection is established through a novel measurement-guided iterative pattern correction scheme. This technique referred to as Adaptive Full-Field Optical Tomography was shown to improve reconstruction performances in murine models by reducing the dynamic range in photon flux measurements on the surface. Lastly, the application of the unique attributes of this platform to a biologically relevant imaging application, referred to as Forster Resonance Energy Transfer is described. The tomographic imaging of FRET interaction in vivo on a whole-body scale is achieved using the wide-field imaging approach based on lifetime contrast. This technique represents the first demonstration of tomographic FRET imaging in small animals and has significant potential in the development of optical imaging techniques in varied applications ranging from drug discovery to in vivo study of protein-protein interaction.

Endometrial ablation: normal appearance and complications.

PubMed

Drylewicz, Monica R; Robinson, Kathryn; Siegel, Cary Lynn

2018-03-14

Global endometrial ablation is a commonly performed, minimally invasive technique aimed at improving/resolving abnormal uterine bleeding and menorrhagia in women. As non-resectoscopic techniques have come into existence, endometrial ablation performance continues to increase due to accessibility and decreased requirements for operating room time and advanced technical training. The increased utilization of this method translates into increased imaging of patients who have undergone the procedure. An understanding of the expected imaging appearances of endometrial ablation using different modalities is important for the abdominal radiologist. In addition, the frequent usage of the technique naturally comes with complications requiring appropriate imaging work-up. We review the expected appearance of the post-endometrial ablated uterus on multiple imaging modalities and demonstrate the more common and rare complications seen in the immediate post-procedural time period and remotely.

Optical Imaging of Flow Pattern and Phantom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galland, Pierre A.; Liang, X.; Wang, L.; Ho, P. P.; Alfano, R. R.; Breisacher, K.

1999-01-01

Time-resolved optical imaging technique has been used to image the spatial distribution of small droplets and jet sprays in a highly scattering environment. The snake and ballistic components of the transmitted pulse are less scattered, and contain direct information about the sample to facilitate image formation as opposed to the diffusive components which are due to multiple collisions as a light pulse propagates through a scattering medium. In a time-gated imaging scheme, these early-arriving, image-bearing components of the incident pulse are selected by opening a gate for an ultrashort period of time and a shadowgram image is detected. Using a single shot cooled CCD camera system, the formation of water droplets is monitored as a function of time. Picosecond time-gated image of drop in scattering cells, spray droplets as a function of let speed and gas pressure, and model calcification samples consisted of calcium carbonate particles of irregular shapes ranging in size from 0. 1 to 1.5 mm affixed to a microscope slide have been measured. Formation produced by an impinging jet will be further monitored using a CCD with 1 kHz framing illuminated with pulsed light. The desired image resolution of the fuel droplets is on the 20 pm scale using early light through a highly scattering medium. A 10(exp -6)m displacement from a jet spray with a flow speed of 100 m/sec introduced by the ns grating pulse used in the imaging is negligible. Early ballistic/snake light imaging offers nondestructive and noninvasive method to observe the spatial distribution of hidden objects inside a highly scattering environment for space, biomedical, and materials applications. In this paper, the techniques we will present are time-resolved K-F transillumination imaging and time-gated scattered light imaging. With a large dynamic range and high resolution, time-gated early light imaging has the potential for improving rocket/aircraft design by determining jets shape and particle sizes. Refinements to these techniques may enable drop size measurements in the highly scattering, optically dense region of multi-element rocket injectors. These types of measurements should greatly enhance the design of stable, and higher performing rocket engines.

WE-G-18C-07: Accelerated Water/fat Separation in MRI for Radiotherapy Planning Using Multi-Band Imaging Techniques

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

Crijns, S; Stemkens, B; Sbrizzi, A

Purpose: Dixon sequences are used to characterize disease processes, obtain good fat or water separation in cases where fat suppression fails and to obtain pseudo-CT datasets. Dixon's method uses at least two images acquired with different echo times and thus requires prolonged acquisition times. To overcome associated problems (e.g., for DCE/cine-MRI), we propose to use a method for water/fat separation based on spectrally selective RF pulses. Methods: Two alternating RF pulses were used, that imposes a fat selective phase cycling over the phase encoding lines, which results in a spatial shift for fat in the reconstructed image, identical to thatmore » in CAIPIRINHA. Associated aliasing artefacts were resolved using the encoding power of a multi-element receiver array, analogous to SENSE. In vivo measurements were performed on a 1.5T clinical MR-scanner in a healthy volunteer's legs, using a four channel receiver coil. Gradient echo images were acquired with TE/TR = 2.3/4.7ms, flip angle 20°, FOV 45×22.5cm{sup 2}, matrix 480×216, slice thickness 5mm. Dixon images were acquired with TE,1/TE,2/TR=2.2/4.6/7ms. All image reconstructions were done in Matlab using the ReconFrame toolbox (Gyrotools, Zurich, CH). Results: RF pulse alternation yields a fat image offset from the water image. Hence the water and fat images fold over, which is resolved using in-plane SENSE reconstruction. Using the proposed technique, we achieved excellent water/fat separation comparable to Dixon images, while acquiring images at only one echo time. Conclusion: The proposed technique yields both inphase water and fat images at arbitrary echo times and requires only one measurement, thereby shortening the acquisition time by a factor 2. In future work the technique may be extended to a multi-band water/fat separation sequence that is able to achieve single point water/fat separation in multiple slices at once and hence yields higher speed-up factors.« less

Analytical reverse time migration: An innovation in imaging of infrastructures using ultrasonic shear waves.

PubMed

Asadollahi, Aziz; Khazanovich, Lev

2018-04-11

The emergence of ultrasonic dry point contact (DPC) transducers that emit horizontal shear waves has enabled efficient collection of high-quality data in the context of a nondestructive evaluation of concrete structures. This offers an opportunity to improve the quality of evaluation by adapting advanced imaging techniques. Reverse time migration (RTM) is a simulation-based reconstruction technique that offers advantages over conventional methods, such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique. RTM is capable of imaging boundaries and interfaces with steep slopes and the bottom boundaries of inclusions and defects. However, this imaging technique requires a massive amount of memory and its computation cost is high. In this study, both bottlenecks of the RTM are resolved when shear transducers are used for data acquisition. An analytical approach was developed to obtain the source and receiver wavefields needed for imaging using reverse time migration. It is shown that the proposed analytical approach not only eliminates the high memory demand, but also drastically reduces the computation time from days to minutes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spectroscopic techniques (Mössbauer spectrometry, NMR, ESR,…) as tools to resolve doubtful NMR images: Study of the craniopharyngioma tumor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimbert, J. N.; Dumas, F.; Lafargue, C.; Kellershohn, C.; Brunelle, F.; Lallemand, D.

1990-07-01

Craniopharyngioma, an intracranial tumor, exhibits hyperintensity in the Spin-Echo-T2-NMR image and a hyposignal in the SE-T1-image. However, in some cases (15-20% cases), hypersignals are seen in both SE-T1 and T2-MRI. Using spectroscopic techniques, Mössbauer spectrometry in particular, we have demonstrated that the T1 hypersignal is due to ferritin, dissolved in the cystic liquid, after tumor cell lysis, in the course of time. Other possible reasons inducing a shortening of the T1 relaxation time (presence of lipids, intratumoral hemorrhage) have been rejected.

Denoising time-resolved microscopy image sequences with singular value thresholding.

PubMed

Furnival, Tom; Leary, Rowan K; Midgley, Paul A

2017-07-01

Time-resolved imaging in microscopy is important for the direct observation of a range of dynamic processes in both the physical and life sciences. However, the image sequences are often corrupted by noise, either as a result of high frame rates or a need to limit the radiation dose received by the sample. Here we exploit both spatial and temporal correlations using low-rank matrix recovery methods to denoise microscopy image sequences. We also make use of an unbiased risk estimator to address the issue of how much thresholding to apply in a robust and automated manner. The performance of the technique is demonstrated using simulated image sequences, as well as experimental scanning transmission electron microscopy data, where surface adatom motion and nanoparticle structural dynamics are recovered at rates of up to 32 frames per second. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Viability estimation of pepper seeds using time-resolved photothermal signal characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ghiseok; Kim, Geon-Hee; Lohumi, Santosh; Kang, Jum-Soon; Cho, Byoung-Kwan

2014-11-01

We used infrared thermal signal measurement system and photothermal signal and image reconstruction techniques for viability estimation of pepper seeds. Photothermal signals from healthy and aged seeds were measured for seven periods (24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 h) using an infrared camera and analyzed by a regression method. The photothermal signals were regressed using a two-term exponential decay curve with two amplitudes and two time variables (lifetime) as regression coefficients. The regression coefficients of the fitted curve showed significant differences for each seed groups, depending on the aging times. In addition, the viability of a single seed was estimated by imaging of its regression coefficient, which was reconstructed from the measured photothermal signals. The time-resolved photothermal characteristics, along with the regression coefficient images, can be used to discriminate the aged or dead pepper seeds from the healthy seeds.

A Dual-Line Detection Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic Technique for the Combustion of Hydrocarbon Fuels and Filtered UV Rayleigh Scattering for Gas Velocity Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otugen, M. Volkan

1997-01-01

Non-intrusive techniques for the dynamic measurement of gas flow properties such as density, temperature and velocity, are needed in the research leading to the development of new generation high-speed aircraft. Accurate velocity, temperature and density data obtained in ground testing and in-flight measurements can help understand the flow physics leading to transition and turbulence in supersonic, high-altitude flight. Such non-intrusive measurement techniques can also be used to study combustion processes of hydrocarbon fuels in aircraft engines. Reliable, time and space resolved temperature measurements in various combustor configurations can lead to a better understanding of high temperature chemical reaction dynamics thus leading to improved modeling and better prediction of such flows. In view of this, a research program was initiated at Polytechnic University's Aerodynamics Laboratory with support from NASA Lewis Research Center through grants NAG3-1301 and NAG3-1690. The overall objective of this program has been to develop laser-based, non-contact, space- and time-resolved temperature and velocity measurement techniques. In the initial phase of the program a ND:YAG laser-based dual-line Rayleigh scattering technique was developed and tested for the accurate measurement of gas temperature in the presence of background laser glare. Effort was next directed towards the development of a filtered, spectrally-resolved Rayleigh/Mie scattering technique with the objective of developing an interferometric method for time-frozen velocity measurements in high-speed flows utilizing the uv line of an ND:YAG laser and an appropriate molecular absorption filter. This effort included both a search for an appropriate filter material for the 266 nm laser line and the development and testing of several image processing techniques for the fast processing of Fabry-Perot images for velocity and temperature information. Finally, work was also carried out for the development of a new laser-based strain-rate and vorticity technique for the time-resolved measurement of vorticity and strain-rates in turbulent flows.

Advanced magneto-optical microscopy: Imaging from picoseconds to centimeters - imaging spin waves and temperature distributions (invited)

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

Urs, Necdet Onur; Mozooni, Babak; Kustov, Mikhail

2016-05-15

Recent developments in the observation of magnetic domains and domain walls by wide-field optical microscopy based on the magneto-optical Kerr, Faraday, Voigt, and Gradient effect are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the existence of higher order magneto-optical effects for advanced magnetic imaging. Fundamental concepts and advances in methodology are discussed that allow for imaging of magnetic domains on various length and time scales. Time-resolved imaging of electric field induced domain wall rotation is shown. Visualization of magnetization dynamics down to picosecond temporal resolution for the imaging of spin-waves and magneto-optical multi-effect domain imaging techniques for obtaining vectorial information are demonstrated.more » Beyond conventional domain imaging, the use of a magneto-optical indicator technique for local temperature sensing is shown.« less

Quantification of joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis by time-resolved diffuse optical spectroscopy and tracer kinetic modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioussoufovitch, Seva; Morrison, Laura B.; Lee, Ting-Yim; St. Lawrence, Keith; Diop, Mamadou

2015-03-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovial inflammation, which can cause progressive joint damage and disability. Diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and imaging have the potential to become potent monitoring tools for RA. We devised a method that combined time-resolved DOS and tracer kinetics modeling to rapidly and reliably quantify blood flow in the joint. Preliminary results obtained from two animals show that the technique can detect joint inflammation as early as 5 days after onset.

Spatially resolved D-T(2) correlation NMR of porous media.

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Blümich, Bernhard

2014-05-01

Within the past decade, 2D Laplace nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been developed to analyze pore geometry and diffusion of fluids in porous media on the micrometer scale. Many objects like rocks and concrete are heterogeneous on the macroscopic scale, and an integral analysis of microscopic properties provides volume-averaged information. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) resolves this spatial average on the contrast scale set by the particular MRI technique. Desirable contrast parameters for studies of fluid transport in porous media derive from the pore-size distribution and the pore connectivity. These microscopic parameters are accessed by 1D and 2D Laplace NMR techniques. It is therefore desirable to combine MRI and 2D Laplace NMR to image functional information on fluid transport in porous media. Because 2D Laplace resolved MRI demands excessive measuring time, this study investigates the possibility to restrict the 2D Laplace analysis to the sum signals from low-resolution pixels, which correspond to pixels of similar amplitude in high-resolution images. In this exploratory study spatially resolved D-T2 correlation maps from glass beads and mortar are analyzed. Regions of similar contrast are first identified in high-resolution images to locate corresponding pixels in low-resolution images generated with D-T2 resolved MRI for subsequent pixel summation to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of contrast-specific D-T2 maps. This method is expected to contribute valuable information on correlated sample heterogeneity from the macroscopic and the microscopic scales in various types of porous materials including building materials and rock. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular Imaging for Breast Cancer Using Magnetic Resonance-Guided Positron Emission Mammography and Excitation-Resolved Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Jaedu

The aim of this work is to develop novel breast-specific molecular imaging techniques for management of breast cancer. In this dissertation, we describe two novel molecular imaging approaches for breast cancer management. In Part I, we introduce our multimodal molecular imaging approach for breast cancer therapy monitoring using magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission mammography (MR/PEM). We have focused on the therapy monitoring technique for aggressive cancer molecular subtypes, which is challenging due to time constraint. Breast cancer therapy planning relies on a fast and accurate monitoring of functional and anatomical change. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept of sequential dual-modal magnetic resonance and positron emission mammography (MR/PEM) for the cancer therapy monitoring. We have developed dedicated breast coils with breast compression mechanism equipped with MR-compatible PEM detector heads. We have designed a fiducial marker that allows straightforward image registration of data obtained from MRI and PEM. We propose an optimal multimodal imaging procedure for MR/PEM. In Part II, we have focused on the development of a novel intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging system (NIRF) for image-guided breast cancer surgery. Conventional spectrally-resolved NIRF systems are unable to resolve various NIR fluorescence dyes for the following reasons. First, the fluorescence spectra of viable NIR fluorescence dyes are heavily overlapping. Second, conventional emission-resolved NIRF suffers from a trade-off between the fluence rate and the spectral resolution. Third, the multiple scattering in tissue degrades not only the spatial information but also the spectral contents by the red-shift. We develop a wavelength-swept laser-based NIRF system that can resolve the excitation shift of various NIR fluorescence dyes without substantial loss of the fluence rate. A linear ratiometric model is employed to measure the relative shift of the excitation spectrum of a fluorescence dye.

Femtosecond-resolved ablation dynamics of Si in the near field of a small dielectric particle

PubMed Central

Kühler, Paul; Puerto, Daniel; Mosbacher, Mario; Leiderer, Paul; Garcia de Abajo, Francisco Javier

2013-01-01

Summary In this work we analyze the ablation dynamics of crystalline Si in the intense near field generated by a small dielectric particle located at the material surface when being irradiated with an infrared femtosecond laser pulse (800 nm, 120 fs). The presence of the particle (7.9 μm diameter) leads to a strong local enhancement (ca. 40 times) of the incoming intensity of the pulse. The transient optical response of the material has been analyzed by means of fs-resolved optical microscopy in reflection configuration over a time span from 0.1 ps to about 1 ns. Characteristic phenomena like electron plasma formation, ultrafast melting and ablation, along with their characteristic time scales are observed in the region surrounding the particle. The use of a time resolved imaging technique allows us recording simultaneously the material response at ordinary and large peak power densities enabling a direct comparison between both scenarios. The time resolved images of near field exposed regions are consistent with a remarkable temporal shift of the ablation onset which occurs in the sub-picosend regime, from about 500 to 800 fs after excitation. PMID:24062976

Time-resolved ion imaging at free-electron lasers using TimepixCam.

PubMed

Fisher-Levine, Merlin; Boll, Rebecca; Ziaee, Farzaneh; Bomme, Cédric; Erk, Benjamin; Rompotis, Dimitrios; Marchenko, Tatiana; Nomerotski, Andrei; Rolles, Daniel

2018-03-01

The application of a novel fast optical-imaging camera, TimepixCam, to molecular photoionization experiments using the velocity-map imaging technique at a free-electron laser is described. TimepixCam is a 256 × 256 pixel CMOS camera that is able to detect and time-stamp ion hits with 20 ns timing resolution, thus making it possible to record ion momentum images for all fragment ions simultaneously and avoiding the need to gate the detector on a single fragment. This allows the recording of significantly more data within a given amount of beam time and is particularly useful for pump-probe experiments, where drifts, for example, in the timing and pulse energy of the free-electron laser, severely limit the comparability of pump-probe scans for different fragments taken consecutively. In principle, this also allows ion-ion covariance or coincidence techniques to be applied to determine angular correlations between fragments.

Magnetic resonance imaging with an optical atomic magnetometer

PubMed Central

Xu, Shoujun; Yashchuk, Valeriy V.; Donaldson, Marcus H.; Rochester, Simon M.; Budker, Dmitry; Pines, Alexander

2006-01-01

We report an approach for the detection of magnetic resonance imaging without superconducting magnets and cryogenics: optical atomic magnetometry. This technique possesses a high sensitivity independent of the strength of the static magnetic field, extending the applicability of magnetic resonance imaging to low magnetic fields and eliminating imaging artifacts associated with high fields. By coupling with a remote-detection scheme, thereby improving the filling factor of the sample, we obtained time-resolved flow images of water with a temporal resolution of 0.1 s and spatial resolutions of 1.6 mm perpendicular to the flow and 4.5 mm along the flow. Potentially inexpensive, compact, and mobile, our technique provides a viable alternative for MRI detection with substantially enhanced sensitivity and time resolution for various situations where traditional MRI is not optimal. PMID:16885210

Usage of CO2 microbubbles as flow-tracing contrast media in X-ray dynamic imaging of blood flows.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Joon; Park, Han Wook; Jung, Sung Yong

2014-09-01

X-ray imaging techniques have been employed to visualize various biofluid flow phenomena in a non-destructive manner. X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) was developed to measure velocity fields of blood flows to obtain hemodynamic information. A time-resolved X-ray PIV technique that is capable of measuring the velocity fields of blood flows under real physiological conditions was recently developed. However, technical limitations still remained in the measurement of blood flows with high image contrast and sufficient biocapability. In this study, CO2 microbubbles as flow-tracing contrast media for X-ray PIV measurements of biofluid flows was developed. Human serum albumin and CO2 gas were mechanically agitated to fabricate CO2 microbubbles. The optimal fabricating conditions of CO2 microbubbles were found by comparing the size and amount of microbubbles fabricated under various operating conditions. The average size and quantity of CO2 microbubbles were measured by using a synchrotron X-ray imaging technique with a high spatial resolution. The quantity and size of the fabricated microbubbles decrease with increasing speed and operation time of the mechanical agitation. The feasibility of CO2 microbubbles as a flow-tracing contrast media was checked for a 40% hematocrit blood flow. Particle images of the blood flow were consecutively captured by the time-resolved X-ray PIV system to obtain velocity field information of the flow. The experimental results were compared with a theoretically amassed velocity profile. Results show that the CO2 microbubbles can be used as effective flow-tracing contrast media in X-ray PIV experiments.

Improved Fast, Deep Record Length, Time-Resolved Visible Spectroscopy of Plasmas Using Fiber Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockington, S.; Case, A.; Cruz, E.; Williams, A.; Witherspoon, F. D.; Horton, R.; Klauser, R.; Hwang, D.

2017-10-01

HyperV Technologies is developing a fiber-coupled, deep record-length, low-light camera head for performing high time resolution spectroscopy on visible emission from plasma events. By coupling the output of a spectrometer to an imaging fiber bundle connected to a bank of amplified silicon photomultipliers, time-resolved spectroscopic imagers of 100 to 1,000 pixels can be constructed. A second generation prototype 32-pixel spectroscopic imager employing this technique was constructed and successfully tested at the University of California at Davis Compact Toroid Injection Experiment (CTIX). Pixel performance of 10 Megaframes/sec with record lengths of up to 256,000 frames ( 25.6 milliseconds) were achieved. Pixel resolution was 12 bits. Pixel pitch can be refined by using grids of 100 μm to 1000 μm diameter fibers. Experimental results will be discussed, along with future plans for this diagnostic. Work supported by USDOE SBIR Grant DE-SC0013801.

Cardiac Light-Sheet Fluorescent Microscopy for Multi-Scale and Rapid Imaging of Architecture and Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Peng; Lee, Juhyun; Packard, René R. Sevag; Sereti, Konstantina-Ioanna; Xu, Hao; Ma, Jianguo; Ding, Yichen; Kang, Hanul; Chen, Harrison; Sung, Kevin; Kulkarni, Rajan; Ardehali, Reza; Kuo, C.-C. Jay; Xu, Xiaolei; Ho, Chih-Ming; Hsiai, Tzung K.

2016-03-01

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) enables multi-dimensional and multi-scale imaging via illuminating specimens with a separate thin sheet of laser. It allows rapid plane illumination for reduced photo-damage and superior axial resolution and contrast. We hereby demonstrate cardiac LSFM (c-LSFM) imaging to assess the functional architecture of zebrafish embryos with a retrospective cardiac synchronization algorithm for four-dimensional reconstruction (3-D space + time). By combining our approach with tissue clearing techniques, we reveal the entire cardiac structures and hypertrabeculation of adult zebrafish hearts in response to doxorubicin treatment. By integrating the resolution enhancement technique with c-LSFM to increase the resolving power under a large field-of-view, we demonstrate the use of low power objective to resolve the entire architecture of large-scale neonatal mouse hearts, revealing the helical orientation of individual myocardial fibers. Therefore, our c-LSFM imaging approach provides multi-scale visualization of architecture and function to drive cardiovascular research with translational implication in congenital heart diseases.

Coherent imaging at the diffraction limit

PubMed Central

Thibault, Pierre; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Menzel, Andreas

2014-01-01

X-ray ptychography, a scanning coherent diffractive imaging technique, holds promise for imaging with dose-limited resolution and sensitivity. If the foreseen increase of coherent flux by orders of magnitude can be matched by additional technological and analytical advances, ptychography may approach imaging speeds familiar from full-field methods while retaining its inherently quantitative nature and metrological versatility. Beyond promises of high throughput, spectroscopic applications in three dimensions become feasible, as do measurements of sample dynamics through time-resolved imaging or careful characterization of decoherence effects. PMID:25177990

Coherent imaging at the diffraction limit.

PubMed

Thibault, Pierre; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Menzel, Andreas

2014-09-01

X-ray ptychography, a scanning coherent diffractive imaging technique, holds promise for imaging with dose-limited resolution and sensitivity. If the foreseen increase of coherent flux by orders of magnitude can be matched by additional technological and analytical advances, ptychography may approach imaging speeds familiar from full-field methods while retaining its inherently quantitative nature and metrological versatility. Beyond promises of high throughput, spectroscopic applications in three dimensions become feasible, as do measurements of sample dynamics through time-resolved imaging or careful characterization of decoherence effects.

Determination of atomic positions from time resolved high resolution transmission electron microscopy images.

PubMed

Hussaini, Zahra; Lin, Pin Ann; Natarajan, Bharath; Zhu, Wenhui; Sharma, Renu

2018-03-01

For many reaction processes, such as catalysis, phase transformations, nanomaterial synthesis etc., nanoscale observations at high spatial (sub-nanometer) and temporal (millisecond) resolution are required to characterize and comprehend the underlying factors that favor one reaction over another. The combination of such spatial and temporal resolution (up to 600 µs), while rich in information, produces a large number of snapshots, each of which must be analyzed to obtain the structural (and thereby chemical) information. Here we present a methodology for automated quantitative measurement of real-time atomic position fluctuations in a nanoparticle. We leverage a combination of several image processing algorithms to precisely identify the positions of the atomic columns in each image. A geometric model is then used to measure the time-evolution of distances and angles between neighboring atomic columns to identify different phases and quantify local structural fluctuations. We apply this technique to determine the atomic-level fluctuations in the relative fractions of metal and metal-carbide phases in a cobalt catalyst nanoparticle during single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) growth. These measurements provided a means to obtain the number of carbon atoms incorporated into and released from the catalyst particle, thereby helping resolve carbon reaction pathways during SWCNT growth. Further we demonstrate the use of this technique to measure the reaction kinetics of iron oxide reduction. Apart from reducing the data analysis time, the statistical approach allows us to measure atomic distances with sub-pixel resolution. We show that this method can be applied universally to measure atomic positions with a precision of 0.01 nm from any set of atomic-resolution video images. With the advent of high time-resolution direct detection cameras, we anticipate such methods will be essential in addressing the metrology problem of quantifying large datasets of time-resolved images in future. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spirally-patterned pinhole arrays for long-term fluorescence cell imaging.

PubMed

Koo, Bon Ung; Kang, YooNa; Moon, SangJun; Lee, Won Gu

2015-11-07

Fluorescence cell imaging using a fluorescence microscope is an extensively used technique to examine the cell nucleus, internal structures, and other cellular molecules with fluorescence response time and intensity. However, it is difficult to perform high resolution cell imaging for a long period of time with this technique due to necrosis and apoptosis depending on the type and subcellular location of the damage caused by phototoxicity. A large number of studies have been performed to resolve this problem, but researchers have struggled to meet the challenge between cellular viability and image resolution. In this study, we employ a specially designed disc to reduce cell damage by controlling total fluorescence exposure time without deterioration of the image resolution. This approach has many advantages such as, the apparatus is simple, cost-effective, and easily integrated into the optical pathway through a conventional fluorescence microscope.

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

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

cancer is through imaging techniques including ultrasound , computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with or without the help...performed at least 8 weeks after transrectal ultrasound -guided sextant biopsy. The entire protocol was ap- proved by the Institutional Review Board...volume of interest (VOI) was localized using three slice-selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses (90°–180°–180°) (Fig. 1). The total time for the

Test of Neural Network Techniques using Simulated Dual-Band Data of LEO Satellites

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

resolved images of satellites are unavailable[1]. Neural networks have been evaluated as a potential automated technique for identifying satellites in...neural network, multiple photometric measurements must be made for each satellite under similar observational conditions. At the same time , this set...are compared to values posted in a real- time satellite tracking website[6]. Agreement to within 0.01 degrees in latitude and longitude and ~100 meters

Nanoscale Characterization of Carrier Dynamic and Surface Passivation in InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Wells on GaN Nanorods.

PubMed

Chen, Weijian; Wen, Xiaoming; Latzel, Michael; Heilmann, Martin; Yang, Jianfeng; Dai, Xi; Huang, Shujuan; Shrestha, Santosh; Patterson, Robert; Christiansen, Silke; Conibeer, Gavin

2016-11-23

Using advanced two-photon excitation confocal microscopy, associated with time-resolved spectroscopy, we characterize InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells on nanorod heterostructures and demonstrate the passivation effect of a KOH treatment. High-quality InGaN/GaN nanorods were fabricated using nanosphere lithography as a candidate material for light-emitting diode devices. The depth- and time-resolved characterization at the nanoscale provides detailed carrier dynamic analysis helpful for understanding the optical properties. The nanoscale spatially resolved images of InGaN quantum well and defects were acquired simultaneously. We demonstrate that nanorod etching improves light extraction efficiency, and a proper KOH treatment has been found to reduce the surface defects efficiently and enhance the luminescence. The optical characterization techniques provide depth-resolved and time-resolved carrier dynamics with nanoscale spatially resolved mapping, which is crucial for a comprehensive and thorough understanding of nanostructured materials and provides novel insight into the improvement of materials fabrication and applications.

Estimation of a super-resolved PSF for the data reduction of undersampled stellar observations. Deriving an accurate model for fitting photometry with Corot space telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinheiro da Silva, L.; Auvergne, M.; Toublanc, D.; Rowe, J.; Kuschnig, R.; Matthews, J.

2006-06-01

Context: .Fitting photometry algorithms can be very effective provided that an accurate model of the instrumental point spread function (PSF) is available. When high-precision time-resolved photometry is required, however, the use of point-source star images as empirical PSF models can be unsatisfactory, due to the limits in their spatial resolution. Theoretically-derived models, on the other hand, are limited by the unavoidable assumption of simplifying hypothesis, while the use of analytical approximations is restricted to regularly-shaped PSFs. Aims: .This work investigates an innovative technique for space-based fitting photometry, based on the reconstruction of an empirical but properly-resolved PSF. The aim is the exploitation of arbitrary star images, including those produced under intentional defocus. The cases of both MOST and COROT, the first space telescopes dedicated to time-resolved stellar photometry, are considered in the evaluation of the effectiveness and performances of the proposed methodology. Methods: .PSF reconstruction is based on a set of star images, periodically acquired and presenting relative subpixel displacements due to motion of the acquisition system, in this case the jitter of the satellite attitude. Higher resolution is achieved through the solution of the inverse problem. The approach can be regarded as a special application of super-resolution techniques, though a specialised procedure is proposed to better meet the PSF determination problem specificities. The application of such a model to fitting photometry is illustrated by numerical simulations for COROT and on a complete set of observations from MOST. Results: .We verify that, in both scenarios, significantly better resolved PSFs can be estimated, leading to corresponding improvements in photometric results. For COROT, indeed, subpixel reconstruction enabled the successful use of fitting algorithms despite its rather complex PSF profile, which could hardly be modeled otherwise. For MOST, whose direct-imaging PSF is closer to the ordinary, comparison to other models or photometry techniques were carried out and confirmed the potential of PSF reconstruction in real observational conditions.

Fully digital routing logic for single-photon avalanche diode arrays in highly efficient time-resolved imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cominelli, Alessandro; Acconcia, Giulia; Ghioni, Massimo; Rech, Ivan

2018-03-01

Time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) is a powerful optical technique, which permits recording fast luminous signals with picosecond precision. Unfortunately, given its repetitive nature, TCSPC is recognized as a relatively slow technique, especially when a large time-resolved image has to be recorded. In recent years, there has been a fast trend toward the development of TCPSC imagers. Unfortunately, present systems still suffer from a trade-off between number of channels and performance. Even worse, the overall measurement speed is still limited well below the saturation of the transfer bandwidth toward the external processor. We present a routing algorithm that enables a smart connection between a 32×32 detector array and five shared high-performance converters able to provide an overall conversion rate up to 10 Gbit/s. The proposed solution exploits a fully digital logic circuit distributed in a tree structure to limit the number and length of interconnections, which is a major issue in densely integrated circuits. The behavior of the logic has been validated by means of a field-programmable gate array, while a fully integrated prototype has been designed in 180-nm technology and analyzed by means of postlayout simulations.

Acoustical holographic recording with coherent optical read-out and image processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H. K.

1980-10-01

New acoustic holographic wave memory devices have been designed for real-time in-situ recording applications. The basic operating principles of these devices and experimental results through the use of some of the prototypes of the devices are presented. Recording media used in the device include thermoplastic resin, Crisco vegetable oil, and Wilson corn oil. In addition, nonlinear coherent optical image processing techniques including equidensitometry, A-D conversion, and pseudo-color, all based on the new contact screen technique, are discussed with regard to the enhancement of the normally poor-resolved acoustical holographic images.

Depth-resolved incoherent and coherent wide-field high-content imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, Peter T.

2016-03-01

Recent advances in depth-resolved wide-field imaging technique has enabled many high throughput applications in biology and medicine. Depth resolved imaging of incoherent signals can be readily accomplished with structured light illumination or nonlinear temporal focusing. The integration of these high throughput systems with novel spectroscopic resolving elements further enable high-content information extraction. We will introduce a novel near common-path interferometer and demonstrate its uses in toxicology and cancer biology applications. The extension of incoherent depth-resolved wide-field imaging to coherent modality is non-trivial. Here, we will cover recent advances in wide-field 3D resolved mapping of refractive index, absorbance, and vibronic components in biological specimens.

Time-resolved computed tomography of the liver: retrospective, multi-phase image reconstruction derived from volumetric perfusion imaging.

PubMed

Fischer, Michael A; Leidner, Bertil; Kartalis, Nikolaos; Svensson, Anders; Aspelin, Peter; Albiin, Nils; Brismar, Torkel B

2014-01-01

To assess feasibility and image quality (IQ) of a new post-processing algorithm for retrospective extraction of an optimised multi-phase CT (time-resolved CT) of the liver from volumetric perfusion imaging. Sixteen patients underwent clinically indicated perfusion CT using 4D spiral mode of dual-source 128-slice CT. Three image sets were reconstructed: motion-corrected and noise-reduced (MCNR) images derived from 4D raw data; maximum and average intensity projections (time MIP/AVG) of the arterial/portal/portal-venous phases and all phases (total MIP/ AVG) derived from retrospective fusion of dedicated MCNR split series. Two readers assessed the IQ, detection rate and evaluation time; one reader assessed image noise and lesion-to-liver contrast. Time-resolved CT was feasible in all patients. Each post-processing step yielded a significant reduction of image noise and evaluation time, maintaining lesion-to-liver contrast. Time MIPs/AVGs showed the highest overall IQ without relevant motion artefacts and best depiction of arterial and portal/portal-venous phases respectively. Time MIPs demonstrated a significantly higher detection rate for arterialised liver lesions than total MIPs/AVGs and the raw data series. Time-resolved CT allows data from volumetric perfusion imaging to be condensed into an optimised multi-phase liver CT, yielding a superior IQ and higher detection rate for arterialised liver lesions than the raw data series. • Four-dimensional computed tomography is limited by motion artefacts and poor image quality. • Time-resolved-CT facilitates 4D-CT data visualisation, segmentation and analysis by condensing raw data. • Time-resolved CT demonstrates better image quality than raw data images. • Time-resolved CT improves detection of arterialised liver lesions in cirrhotic patients.

Filming the invisible - time-resolved visualization of compressible flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleine, H.

2010-04-01

Essentially all processes in gasdynamics are invisible to the naked eye as they occur in a transparent medium. The task to observe them is further complicated by the fact that most of these processes are also transient, often with characteristic times that are considerably below the threshold of human perception. Both difficulties can be overcome by combining visualization methods that reveal changes in the transparent medium, and high-speed photography techniques that “stop” the motion of the flow. The traditional approach is to reconstruct a transient process from a series of single images, each taken in a different experiment at a different instant. This approach, which is still widely used today, can only be expected to give reliable results when the process is reproducible. Truly time-resolved visualization, which yields a sequence of flow images in a single experiment, has been attempted for more than a century, but many of the developed camera systems were characterized by a high level of complexity and limited quality of the results. Recent advances in digital high-speed photography have changed this situation and have provided the tools to investigate, with relative ease and in sufficient detail, the true development of a transient flow with characteristic time scales down to one microsecond. This paper discusses the potential and the limitations one encounters when using density-sensitive visualization techniques in time-resolved mode. Several examples illustrate how this approach can reveal and explain a number of previously undetected phenomena in a variety of highly transient compressible flows. It is demonstrated that time-resolved visualization offers numerous advantages which normally outweigh its shortcomings, mainly the often-encountered loss in resolution. Apart from the capability to track the location and/or shape of flow features in space and time, adequate time-resolved visualization allows one to observe the development of deliberately introduced near-isentropic perturbation wavelets. This new diagnostic tool can be used to qualitatively and quantitatively determine otherwise inaccessible thermodynamic properties of a compressible flow.

Appropriate Minimal Dose of Gadobutrol for 3D Time-Resolved MRA of the Supra-Aortic Arteries: Comparison with Conventional Single-Phase High-Resolution 3D Contrast-Enhanced MRA.

PubMed

Bak, S H; Roh, H G; Moon, W-J; Choi, J W; An, H S

2017-07-01

The development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and neural tissue deposition is gadolinium dose-dependent. The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriate minimal dose of gadobutrol with time-resolved MRA to assess supra-aortic arterial stenosis with contrast-enhanced MRA as a reference standard. Four hundred sixty-two consecutive patients underwent both standard-dose contrast-enhanced MRA and low-dose time-resolved MRA and were classified into 3 groups; group A (a constant dose of 1 mL for time-resolved MRA), group B (2 mL), or group C (3 mL). All studies were independently evaluated by 2 radiologists for image quality by using a 5-point scale (from 0 = failure to 4 = excellent), grading of arterial stenosis (0 = normal, 1 = mild [<30%], 2 = moderate [30%-69%], 3 = severe to occlusion [≥70%]), and signal-to-noise ratio. The image quality of time-resolved MRA was similar to that of contrast-enhanced MRA in groups B and C, but it was inferior to contrast-enhanced MRA in group A. For the grading of arterial stenosis, there was an excellent correlation between contrast-enhanced MRA and time-resolved MRA ( R = 0.957 for group A, R = 0.988 for group B, R = 0.991 for group C). The SNR of time-resolved MRA tended to be lower than that of contrast-enhanced MRA in groups A and B. However, SNR was higher for time-resolved MRA compared with contrast-enhanced MRA in group C. Low-dose time-resolved MRA is feasible in the evaluation of supra-aortic stenosis and could be used as an alternative to contrast-enhanced MRA for a diagnostic technique in high-risk populations. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Application of a time-resolved optical brain imager for monitoring cerebral oxygenation during carotid surgery.

PubMed

Kacprzak, Michal; Liebert, Adam; Staszkiewicz, Walerian; Gabrusiewicz, Andrzej; Sawosz, Piotr; Madycki, Grzegorz; Maniewski, Roman

2012-01-01

Recent studies have shown that time-resolved optical measurements of the head can estimate changes in the absorption coefficient with depth discrimination. Thus, changes in tissue oxygenation, which are specific to intracranial tissues, can be assessed using this advanced technique, and this method allows us to avoid the influence of changes to extracerebral tissue oxygenation on the measured signals. We report the results of time-resolved optical imaging that was carried out during carotid endarterectomy. This surgery remains the "gold standard" treatment for carotid stenosis, and intraoperative brain oxygenation monitoring may improve the safety of this procedure. A time-resolved optical imager was utilized within the operating theater. This instrument allows for the simultaneous acquisition of 32 distributions of the time-of-flight of photons at two wavelengths on both hemispheres. Analysis of the statistical moments of the measured distributions of the time-of-flight of photons was applied for estimating changes in the absorption coefficient as a function of depth. Time courses of changes in oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin of the extra- and intracerebral compartments during cross-clamping of the carotid arteries were obtained. A decrease in the oxyhemoglobin concentration and an increase in the deoxyhemoglobin concentrations were observed in a large area of the head. Large changes were observed in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the site of clamped carotid arteries. Smaller amplitude changes were noted at the contralateral site. We also found that changes in the hemoglobin signals, as estimated from intracerebral tissue, are very sensitive to clamping of the internal carotid artery, whereas its sensitivity to clamping of the external carotid artery is limited. We concluded that intraoperative multichannel measurements allow for imaging of brain tissue hemodynamics. However, when monitoring the brain during carotid surgery, a single-channel measurement may be sufficient.

Ballistic and snake photon imaging for locating optical endomicroscopy fibres

PubMed Central

Tanner, M. G.; Choudhary, T. R.; Craven, T. H.; Mills, B.; Bradley, M.; Henderson, R. K.; Dhaliwal, K.; Thomson, R. R.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate determination of the location of the distal-end of a fibre-optic device deep in tissue through the imaging of ballistic and snake photons using a time resolved single-photon detector array. The fibre was imaged with centimetre resolution, within clinically relevant settings and models. This technique can overcome the limitations imposed by tissue scattering in optically determining the in vivo location of fibre-optic medical instruments. PMID:28966848

Real-time eye motion correction in phase-resolved OCT angiography with tracking SLO

PubMed Central

Braaf, Boy; Vienola, Kari V.; Sheehy, Christy K.; Yang, Qiang; Vermeer, Koenraad A.; Tiruveedhula, Pavan; Arathorn, David W.; Roorda, Austin; de Boer, Johannes F.

2012-01-01

In phase-resolved OCT angiography blood flow is detected from phase changes in between A-scans that are obtained from the same location. In ophthalmology, this technique is vulnerable to eye motion. We address this problem by combining inter-B-scan phase-resolved OCT angiography with real-time eye tracking. A tracking scanning laser ophthalmoscope (TSLO) at 840 nm provided eye tracking functionality and was combined with a phase-stabilized optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) system at 1040 nm. Real-time eye tracking corrected eye drift and prevented discontinuity artifacts from (micro)saccadic eye motion in OCT angiograms. This improved the OCT spot stability on the retina and consequently reduced the phase-noise, thereby enabling the detection of slower blood flows by extending the inter-B-scan time interval. In addition, eye tracking enabled the easy compounding of multiple data sets from the fovea of a healthy volunteer to create high-quality eye motion artifact-free angiograms. High-quality images are presented of two distinct layers of vasculature in the retina and the dense vasculature of the choroid. Additionally we present, for the first time, a phase-resolved OCT angiogram of the mesh-like network of the choriocapillaris containing typical pore openings. PMID:23304647

Highly sensitive detection of human papillomavirus type 16 DNA using time-resolved fluorescence microscopy and long lifetime probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue F.; Periasamy, Ammasi; Wodnicki, Pawel; Siadat-Pajouh, M.; Herman, Brian

1995-04-01

We have been interested in the role of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer and its diagnosis; to that end we have been developing microscopic imaging and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques to genotype and quantitate the amount of HPV present at a single cell level in cervical PAP smears. However, we have found that low levels of HPV DNA are difficult to detect accurately because theoretically obtainable sensitivity is never achieved due to nonspecific autofluorescence, fixative induced fluorescence of cells and tissues, and autofluorescence of the optical components in the microscopic system. In addition, the absorption stains used for PAP smears are intensely autofluorescent. Autofluorescence is a rapidly decaying process with lifetimes in the range of 1-100 nsec, whereas phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence have lifetimes in the range of 1 microsecond(s) ec-10 msec. The ability to discriminate between specific fluorescence and autofluorescence in the time-domain has improved the sensitivity of diagnostic test such that they perform comparably to, or even more sensitive than radioisotopic assays. We have developed a novel time-resolved fluorescence microscope to improve the sensitivity of detection of specific molecules of interest in slide based specimens. This time-resolved fluorescence microscope is based on our recently developed fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FILM) in conjunction with the use of long lifetime fluorescent labels. By using fluorescence in situ hybridization and the long lifetime probe (europium), we have demonstrated the utility of this technique for detection of HPV DNA in cervicovaginal cells. Our results indicate that the use of time-resolved fluorescence microscopy and long lifetime probes increases the sensitivity of detection by removing autofluorescence and will thus lead to improved early diagnosis of cervical cancer. Since the highly sensitive detection of DNA in clinical samples using fluorescence in situ hybridization image is useful for the diagnosis of many other type of diseases, the system we have developed should find numerous applications for the diagnosis of disease states.

In vivo flow cytometry and time-resolved near-IR angiography and lymphography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galanzha, Ekaterina I.; Tuchin, Valery V.; Brock, Robert W.; Zharov, Vladimir P.

2007-05-01

Integration of photoacoustic and photothermal techniques with high-speed, high-resolution transmission and fluorescence microscopy shows great potential for in vivo flow cytometry and indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared (IR) angiography of blood and lymph microvessels. In particular, the capabilities of in vivo flow cytometry using rat mesentery and nude mouse ear models are demonstrated for real-time quantitative detection of circulating and migrating individual blood and cancer cells in skin, mesentery, lymph nodes, liver, kidney; studying vascular dynamics with a focus on lymphatics; monitoring cell traffic between blood and lymph systems; high-speed imaging of cell deformability in flow; and label-free real-time monitoring of single cell extravasation from blood vessel lumen into tissue. As presented, the advantages of ICG IR-angiography include estimation of time resolved dye dynamics (appearance and clearance) in blood and lymph microvessels using fluorescent and photoacoustic modules of the integrated technique. These new approaches are important for monitoring and quantifying metastatic and apoptotic cells; comparative measurements of plasma and cell velocities; analysis of immune responses; monitoring of circulating macromolecules, chylomicrons, bacteria, viruses and nanoparticles; molecular imaging. In the future, we believe that the integrated technique presented will have great potential for translation to early disease diagnoses (e.g. cancer) or assessment of innovative therapeutic interventions in humans.

Instant snapshot of the internal structure of Unzen lava dome, Japan with airborne muography

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Hiroyuki K. M.

2016-01-01

An emerging elementary particle imaging technique called muography has increasingly been used to resolve the internal structures of volcanoes with a spatial resolution of less than 100 m. However, land-based muography requires several days at least to acquire satisfactory image contrast and thus, it has not been a practical tool to diagnose the erupting volcano in a real time manner. To address this issue, airborne muography was implemented for the first time, targeting Heisei-Shinzan lava dome of Unzen volcano, Japan. Obtained in 2.5 hours, the resultant image clearly showed the density contrast inside the dome, which is essential information to predict the magnitude of the dome collapse. Since airborne muography is not restricted by topographic conditions for apparatus placements, we anticipate that the technique is applicable to creating images of this type of lava dome evolution from various angles in real time. PMID:28008978

Combustion Diagnostics and Flow Visualization of Hypergolic Combustion and Gelled Mixing Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-12-19

difference. Also, Exciplex Flourescence imaging has been implented to visualize diffusion layers which form at the contact interface of mixing...have been implemented and developed as a result of this effort. Among these techniques the most noteworthy involves a unique application of Exciplex ...fluorescence for visualization of diffusion layers formed between mixing liquids. Time resolved images of Exciplex fluorescence have been obtained

Nanophotothermolysis of multiple scattered cancer cells with carbon nanotubes guided by time-resolved infrared thermal imaging

PubMed Central

Biris, Alexandru S.; Boldor, Dorin; Palmer, Jason; Monroe, William T.; Mahmood, Meena; Dervishi, Enkeleda; Xu, Yang; Li, Zhongrui; Galanzha, Ekaterina I.; Zharov, Vladimir P.

2016-01-01

Nanophotothermolysis with long laser pulses for treatment of scattered cancer cells and their clusters is introduced with the main focus on real-time monitoring of temperature dynamics inside and around individual cancer cells labeled with carbon nanotubes. This technique utilizes advanced time- and spatially-resolved thermal radiometry imaging for the visualization of laser-induced temperature distribution in multiple-point absorbing targets. The capability of this approach was demonstrated for monitoring of thermal effects under long laser exposure (from millisecond to seconds, wavelength 1064 nm, maximum power 1 W) of cervical cancer HeLa cells labeled with carbon nanotubes in vitro. The applications are discussed with a focus on the nanophotothermolysis of small tumors, tumor margins, or micrometastases under the guidance of near-IR and microwave radiometry. PMID:19405720

Proton radiography and proton computed tomography based on time-resolved dose measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Testa, Mauro; Verburg, Joost M.; Rose, Mark; Min, Chul Hee; Tang, Shikui; Hassane Bentefour, El; Paganetti, Harald; Lu, Hsiao-Ming

2013-11-01

We present a proof of principle study of proton radiography and proton computed tomography (pCT) based on time-resolved dose measurements. We used a prototype, two-dimensional, diode-array detector capable of fast dose rate measurements, to acquire proton radiographic images expressed directly in water equivalent path length (WEPL). The technique is based on the time dependence of the dose distribution delivered by a proton beam traversing a range modulator wheel in passive scattering proton therapy systems. The dose rate produced in the medium by such a system is periodic and has a unique pattern in time at each point along the beam path and thus encodes the WEPL. By measuring the time dose pattern at the point of interest, the WEPL to this point can be decoded. If one measures the time-dose patterns at points on a plane behind the patient for a beam with sufficient energy to penetrate the patient, the obtained 2D distribution of the WEPL forms an image. The technique requires only a 2D dosimeter array and it uses only the clinical beam for a fraction of second with negligible dose to patient. We first evaluated the accuracy of the technique in determining the WEPL for static phantoms aiming at beam range verification of the brain fields of medulloblastoma patients. Accurate beam ranges for these fields can significantly reduce the dose to the cranial skin of the patient and thus the risk of permanent alopecia. Second, we investigated the potential features of the technique for real-time imaging of a moving phantom. Real-time tumor tracking by proton radiography could provide more accurate validations of tumor motion models due to the more sensitive dependence of proton beam on tissue density compared to x-rays. Our radiographic technique is rapid (˜100 ms) and simultaneous over the whole field, it can image mobile tumors without the problem of interplay effect inherently challenging for methods based on pencil beams. Third, we present the reconstructed pCT images of a cylindrical phantom containing inserts of different materials. As for all conventional pCT systems, the method illustrated in this work produces tomographic images that are potentially more accurate than x-ray CT in providing maps of proton relative stopping power (RSP) in the patient without the need for converting x-ray Hounsfield units to proton RSP. All phantom tests produced reasonable results, given the currently limited spatial and time resolution of the prototype detector. The dose required to produce one radiographic image, with the current settings, is ˜0.7 cGy. Finally, we discuss a series of techniques to improve the resolution and accuracy of radiographic and tomographic images for the future development of a full-scale detector.

Multimodal imaging of vascular grafts using time-resolved fluorescence and ultrasound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatakdawala, Hussain; Griffiths, Leigh G.; Wong, Maelene L.; Humphrey, Sterling; Marcu, Laura

2015-02-01

The translation of engineered tissues into clinic requires robust monitoring of tissue development, both in vitro and in vivo. Traditional methods for the same are destructive, inefficient in time and cost and do not allow time-lapse measurements from the same sample or animal. This study reports on the ability of time-resolved fluorescence and ultrasound measurements for non-destructive characterization of explanted tissue engineered vascular grafts. Results show that TRFS and FLIm are able to assess alterations in luminal composition namely elastin, collagen and cellular (hyperplasia) content via changes in fluorescence lifetime values between normal and grafted tissue. These observations are complemented by structural changes observed in UBM pertaining to graft integration and intimal thickness over the grafted region. These results encourage the future application of a catheter-based technique that combines these imaging modalities for non-destructive characterization of vascular grafts in vivo.

Time-resolved ion imaging at free-electron lasers using TimepixCam

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

Fisher-Levine, Merlin; Boll, Rebecca; Ziaee, Farzaneh

In this paper, the application of a novel fast optical-imaging camera, TimepixCam, to molecular photoionization experiments using the velocity-map imaging technique at a free-electron laser is described. TimepixCam is a 256 × 256 pixel CMOS camera that is able to detect and time-stamp ion hits with 20 ns timing resolution, thus making it possible to record ion momentum images for all fragment ions simultaneously and avoiding the need to gate the detector on a single fragment. This allows the recording of significantly more data within a given amount of beam time and is particularly useful for pump–probe experiments, where drifts,more » for example, in the timing and pulse energy of the free-electron laser, severely limit the comparability of pump–probe scans for different fragments taken consecutively. Finally, in principle, this also allows ion–ion covariance or coincidence techniques to be applied to determine angular correlations between fragments.« less

Time-resolved ion imaging at free-electron lasers using TimepixCam

DOE PAGES

Fisher-Levine, Merlin; Boll, Rebecca; Ziaee, Farzaneh; ...

2018-02-20

In this paper, the application of a novel fast optical-imaging camera, TimepixCam, to molecular photoionization experiments using the velocity-map imaging technique at a free-electron laser is described. TimepixCam is a 256 × 256 pixel CMOS camera that is able to detect and time-stamp ion hits with 20 ns timing resolution, thus making it possible to record ion momentum images for all fragment ions simultaneously and avoiding the need to gate the detector on a single fragment. This allows the recording of significantly more data within a given amount of beam time and is particularly useful for pump–probe experiments, where drifts,more » for example, in the timing and pulse energy of the free-electron laser, severely limit the comparability of pump–probe scans for different fragments taken consecutively. Finally, in principle, this also allows ion–ion covariance or coincidence techniques to be applied to determine angular correlations between fragments.« less

Diffraction in neutron imaging-A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woracek, Robin; Santisteban, Javier; Fedrigo, Anna; Strobl, Markus

2018-01-01

Neutron imaging is a highly successful experimental technique ever since adequate neutron sources were available. In general, neutron imaging is performed with a wide wavelength spectrum for best flux conditions in transmission geometry. Neutrons provide outstanding features in the penetration of many structural materials, which often makes them more suited for bulk sample studies than other forms of radiation, often in particular as they are also highly sensitive to some light elements, especially Hydrogen. In contrast to neutron scattering applications, imaging resolves macroscopic structures, nowadays down to, in the best case, below 10 micrometre, directly in real space. However, since more than a decade there is a growing number of techniques and applications in neutron imaging that - supported by powerful neutron sources - are taking advantage of wavelength resolved measurements. In this review we summarize and discuss this outstanding development and how wavelength resolved transmission neutron imaging is successfully exploiting diffraction mechanisms to access crystal structure information in the Angstrom regime, which conventionally is probed in reciprocal space by diffraction techniques. In particular the combination of information gained in real space and on crystallographic length scales makes this neutron imaging technique a valuable tool for a wide range of new applications, while it also qualifies neutron imaging to fully profit from the new generation of powerful pulsed neutron sources.

Whole-head functional brain imaging of neonates at cot-side using time-resolved diffuse optical tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dempsey, Laura A.; Cooper, Robert J.; Powell, Samuel; Edwards, Andrea; Lee, Chuen-Wai; Brigadoi, Sabrina; Everdell, Nick; Arridge, Simon; Gibson, Adam P.; Austin, Topun; Hebden, Jeremy C.

2015-07-01

We present a method for acquiring whole-head images of changes in blood volume and oxygenation from the infant brain at cot-side using time-resolved diffuse optical tomography (TR-DOT). At UCL, we have built a portable TR-DOT device, known as MONSTIR II, which is capable of obtaining a whole-head (1024 channels) image sequence in 75 seconds. Datatypes extracted from the temporal point spread functions acquired by the system allow us to determine changes in absorption and reduced scattering coefficients within the interrogated tissue. This information can then be used to define clinically relevant measures, such as oxygen saturation, as well as to reconstruct images of relative changes in tissue chromophore concentration, notably those of oxy- and deoxyhaemoglobin. Additionally, the effective temporal resolution of our system is improved with spatio-temporal regularisation implemented through a Kalman filtering approach, allowing us to image transient haemodynamic changes. By using this filtering technique with intensity and mean time-of-flight datatypes, we have reconstructed images of changes in absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in a dynamic 2D phantom. These results demonstrate that MONSTIR II is capable of resolving slow changes in tissue optical properties within volumes that are comparable to the preterm head. Following this verification study, we are progressing to imaging a 3D dynamic phantom as well as the neonatal brain at cot-side. Our current study involves scanning healthy babies to demonstrate the quality of recordings we are able to achieve in this challenging patient population, with the eventual goal of imaging functional activation and seizures.

Single-shot ultrafast tomographic imaging by spectral multiplexing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matlis, N. H.; Axley, A.; Leemans, W. P.

2012-10-01

Computed tomography has profoundly impacted science, medicine and technology by using projection measurements scanned over multiple angles to permit cross-sectional imaging of an object. The application of computed tomography to moving or dynamically varying objects, however, has been limited by the temporal resolution of the technique, which is set by the time required to complete the scan. For objects that vary on ultrafast timescales, traditional scanning methods are not an option. Here we present a non-scanning method capable of resolving structure on femtosecond timescales by using spectral multiplexing of a single laser beam to perform tomographic imaging over a continuous range of angles simultaneously. We use this technique to demonstrate the first single-shot ultrafast computed tomography reconstructions and obtain previously inaccessible structure and position information for laser-induced plasma filaments. This development enables real-time tomographic imaging for ultrafast science, and offers a potential solution to the challenging problem of imaging through scattering surfaces.

Evanescent field microscopy techniques for studying dynamics at the surface of living cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sund, Susan E.

This thesis presents two distinct optical microscopy techniques for applications in cell biophysics: (a)the extension to living cells of an established technique, total internal reflection/fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (TIR/FRAP) for the first time in imaging mode; and (b)the novel development of polarized total internal reflection fluorescence (p- TIRF) to study membrane orientation in living cells. Although reversible chemistry is crucial to dynamical processes in living cells, relatively little is known about the relevant chemical kinetic rates in vivo. TIR/FRAP, an established technique which can measure reversible biomolecular kinetic rates at surfaces, is extended here to measure kinetic parameters of microinjected rhodamine actin at the cytofacial surface of the plasma membrane of living cultured smooth muscle cells. For the first time, spatial imaging (with a CCD camera) is used in conjunction with TIR/FRAP. TIR/FRAP imaging allows production of spatially resolved images of kinetic data, and calculation of correlation distances, cell-wide gradients, and kinetic parameter dependence on initial fluorescence intensity. In living cells, membrane curvature occurs both in easily imaged large scale morphological features, and also in less visualizable submicroscopic regions of activity such as endocytosis, exocytosis, and cell surface ruffling. A fluorescence microscopic method, p-TIRF, is introduced here to visualize such regions. The method is based on fluorescence of the oriented membrane probe diI- C18-(3) (diI) excited by evanescent field light polarized either perpendicular or parallel to the plane of the substrate coverslip. The excitation efficiency from each polarization depends on the membrane orientation, and thus the ratio of the observed fluorescence excited by these two polarizations vividly shows regions of microscopic and submicroscopic curvature of the membrane. A theoretical background of the technique and experimental verifications are presented in samples of protein solutions, model lipid bilayers, and living cells. Sequential digital images of the polarized TIR fluorescence ratios show spatially-resolved time- course maps of membrane orientations on diI labeled macrophages from which low visibility membrane structures can be identified and quantified. The TIR images are sharpened and contrast-enhanced by deconvoluting them with an experimentally-measured point spread function.

Velocity Measurement in Carotid Artery: Quantitative Comparison of Time-Resolved 3D Phase-Contrast MRI and Image-based Computational Fluid Dynamics

PubMed Central

Sarrami-Foroushani, Ali; Nasr Esfahany, Mohsen; Nasiraei Moghaddam, Abbas; Saligheh Rad, Hamidreza; Firouznia, Kavous; Shakiba, Madjid; Ghanaati, Hossein; Wilkinson, Iain David; Frangi, Alejandro Federico

2015-01-01

Background: Understanding hemodynamic environment in vessels is important for realizing the mechanisms leading to vascular pathologies. Objectives: Three-dimensional velocity vector field in carotid bifurcation is visualized using TR 3D phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (TR 3D PC MRI) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This study aimed to present a qualitative and quantitative comparison of the velocity vector field obtained by each technique. Subjects and Methods: MR imaging was performed on a 30-year old male normal subject. TR 3D PC MRI was performed on a 3 T scanner to measure velocity in carotid bifurcation. 3D anatomical model for CFD was created using images obtained from time-of-flight MR angiography. Velocity vector field in carotid bifurcation was predicted using CFD and PC MRI techniques. A statistical analysis was performed to assess the agreement between the two methods. Results: Although the main flow patterns were the same for the both techniques, CFD showed a greater resolution in mapping the secondary and circulating flows. Overall root mean square (RMS) errors for all the corresponding data points in PC MRI and CFD were 14.27% in peak systole and 12.91% in end diastole relative to maximum velocity measured at each cardiac phase. Bland-Altman plots showed a very good agreement between the two techniques. However, this study was not aimed to validate any of methods, instead, the consistency was assessed to accentuate the similarities and differences between Time-resolved PC MRI and CFD. Conclusion: Both techniques provided quantitatively consistent results of in vivo velocity vector fields in right internal carotid artery (RCA). PC MRI represented a good estimation of main flow patterns inside the vasculature, which seems to be acceptable for clinical use. However, limitations of each technique should be considered while interpreting results. PMID:26793288

Laser-induced dental caries and plaque diagnosis on patients by sensitive autofluorescence spectroscopy and time-gated video imaging: preliminary studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenig, Karsten; Schneckenburger, Herbert

1994-09-01

The laser-induced in vivo autofluorescence of human teeth was investigated by means of time- resolved/time-gated fluorescence techniques. The aim of these studies was non-contact caries and plaque detection. Carious lesions and dental plaque fluoresce in the red spectral region. This autofluorescence seems to be based on porphyrin-producing bacteria. We report on preliminary studies on patients using a novel method of autofluorescence imaging. A special device was constructed for time-gated video imaging. Nanosecond laser pulses for fluorescence excitation were provided by a frequency-doubled, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Autofluorescence was detected in an appropriate nanosecond time window using a video camera with a time-gated image intensifier (minimal time gate: 5 ns). Laser-induced autofluorescence based on porphyrin-producing bacteria seems to be an appropriate tool for detecting dental lesions and for creating `caries-images' and `dental plaque' images.

X-Ray Sum Frequency Diffraction for Direct Imaging of Ultrafast Electron Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouxel, Jérémy R.; Kowalewski, Markus; Bennett, Kochise; Mukamel, Shaul

2018-06-01

X-ray diffraction from molecules in the ground state produces an image of their charge density, and time-resolved x-ray diffraction can thus monitor the motion of the nuclei. However, the density change of excited valence electrons upon optical excitation can barely be monitored with regular diffraction techniques due to the overwhelming background contribution of the core electrons. We present a nonlinear x-ray technique made possible by novel free electron laser sources, which provides a spatial electron density image of valence electron excitations. The technique, sum frequency generation carried out with a visible pump and a broadband x-ray diffraction pulse, yields snapshots of the transition charge densities, which represent the electron density variations upon optical excitation. The technique is illustrated by ab initio simulations of transition charge density imaging for the optically induced electronic dynamics in a donor or acceptor substituted stilbene.

Development and experimental testing of an optical micro-spectroscopic technique incorporating true line-scan excitation.

PubMed

Biener, Gabriel; Stoneman, Michael R; Acbas, Gheorghe; Holz, Jessica D; Orlova, Marianna; Komarova, Liudmila; Kuchin, Sergei; Raicu, Valerică

2013-12-27

Multiphoton micro-spectroscopy, employing diffraction optics and electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD) cameras, is a suitable method for determining protein complex stoichiometry, quaternary structure, and spatial distribution in living cells using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging. The method provides highly resolved spectra of molecules or molecular complexes at each image pixel, and it does so on a timescale shorter than that of molecular diffusion, which scrambles the spectral information. Acquisition of an entire spectrally resolved image, however, is slower than that of broad-bandwidth microscopes because it takes longer times to collect the same number of photons at each emission wavelength as in a broad bandwidth. Here, we demonstrate an optical micro-spectroscopic scheme that employs a laser beam shaped into a line to excite in parallel multiple sample voxels. The method presents dramatically increased sensitivity and/or acquisition speed and, at the same time, has excellent spatial and spectral resolution, similar to point-scan configurations. When applied to FRET imaging using an oligomeric FRET construct expressed in living cells and consisting of a FRET acceptor linked to three donors, the technique based on line-shaped excitation provides higher accuracy compared to the point-scan approach, and it reduces artifacts caused by photobleaching and other undesired photophysical effects.

Preoperative evaluation of hepatic arterial and portal venous anatomy using the time resolved echo-shared MR angiographic technique in living liver donors.

PubMed

Lee, Min Woo; Lee, Jeong Min; Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Se Hyung; Park, Eun-Ah; Han, Joon Koo; Choi, Jin-Young; Kim, Young Jun; Suh, Kyung-Suk; Choi, Byung Ihn

2007-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether MR angiography utilizing the time resolved echo-shared angiographic technique (TREAT) can provide an effective assessment of the hepatic artery (HA) and portal vein (PV) in living donor candidates. MR angiography (MRA)was performed in 27 patients (23 men and 4 women; mean age, 31 years) by using TREAT. Two blinded radiologists evaluated HA anatomy, origin of segment IV feeding artery and PV anatomy in consensus. Qualitative evaluations of MRA images were performed using the following criteria: (a) overall image quality, (b) presence of artifacts, and (c) degree of venous contamination of the arterial phase. Using intraoperative findings as a standard of reference, the accuracy for the HA anatomy, origin of segment IV feeding artery and PV anatomy on TREAT-MRA were 93% (25/27), 85% (23/27), and 96% (26/27), respectively. Overall image qualities were as follows: excellent (n=22, 81%), good (n=4, 15%), and fair (n=1, 4%). Significant artifacts or venous contamination of the arterial phase images was not noted in any patient. TREAT-MRA can provide a complete evaluation of HA and PV anatomy during preoperative evaluation of living liver donors. Furthermore, it provides a more detailed anatomy of the HA without venous contamination.

Diagnosis of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrasound imaging.

PubMed

Jo, J A; Fang, Q; Papaioannou, T; Qiao, J H; Fishbein, M C; Beseth, B; Dorafshar, A H; Reil, T; Baker, D; Freischlag, J; Shung, K K; Sun, L; Marcu, L

2006-01-01

In this study, time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) and ultrasonography were applied to detect vulnerable (high-risk) atherosclerotic plaque. A total of 813 TR-LIFS measurements were taken from carotid plaques of 65 patients, and subsequently analyzed using the Laguerre deconvolution technique. The investigated spots were classified by histopathology as thin, fibrotic, calcified, low-inflamed, inflamed and necrotic lesions. Spectral and time-resolved parameters (normalized intensity values and Laguerre expansion coefficients) were extracted from the TR-LIFS data. Feature selection for classification was performed by either analysis of variance (ANOVA) or principal component analysis (PCA). A stepwise linear discriminant analysis algorithm was developed for detecting inflamed and necrotic lesion, representing the most vulnerable plaques. These vulnerable plaques were detected with high sensitivity (>80%) and specificity (>90%). Ultrasound (US) imaging was obtained in 4 carotid plaques in addition to TR-LIFS examination. Preliminary results indicate that US provides important structural information of the plaques that could be combined with the compositional information obtained by TR-LIFS, to obtain a more accurate diagnosis of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.

Comparative assessment of pressure field reconstructions from particle image velocimetry measurements and Lagrangian particle tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gent, P. L.; Michaelis, D.; van Oudheusden, B. W.; Weiss, P.-É.; de Kat, R.; Laskari, A.; Jeon, Y. J.; David, L.; Schanz, D.; Huhn, F.; Gesemann, S.; Novara, M.; McPhaden, C.; Neeteson, N. J.; Rival, D. E.; Schneiders, J. F. G.; Schrijer, F. F. J.

2017-04-01

A test case for pressure field reconstruction from particle image velocimetry (PIV) and Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) has been developed by constructing a simulated experiment from a zonal detached eddy simulation for an axisymmetric base flow at Mach 0.7. The test case comprises sequences of four subsequent particle images (representing multi-pulse data) as well as continuous time-resolved data which can realistically only be obtained for low-speed flows. Particle images were processed using tomographic PIV processing as well as the LPT algorithm `Shake-The-Box' (STB). Multiple pressure field reconstruction techniques have subsequently been applied to the PIV results (Eulerian approach, iterative least-square pseudo-tracking, Taylor's hypothesis approach, and instantaneous Vortex-in-Cell) and LPT results (FlowFit, Vortex-in-Cell-plus, Voronoi-based pressure evaluation, and iterative least-square pseudo-tracking). All methods were able to reconstruct the main features of the instantaneous pressure fields, including methods that reconstruct pressure from a single PIV velocity snapshot. Highly accurate reconstructed pressure fields could be obtained using LPT approaches in combination with more advanced techniques. In general, the use of longer series of time-resolved input data, when available, allows more accurate pressure field reconstruction. Noise in the input data typically reduces the accuracy of the reconstructed pressure fields, but none of the techniques proved to be critically sensitive to the amount of noise added in the present test case.

A time-resolved image sensor for tubeless streak cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasutomi, Keita; Han, SangMan; Seo, Min-Woong; Takasawa, Taishi; Kagawa, Keiichiro; Kawahito, Shoji

2014-03-01

This paper presents a time-resolved CMOS image sensor with draining-only modulation (DOM) pixels for tube-less streak cameras. Although the conventional streak camera has high time resolution, the device requires high voltage and bulky system due to the structure with a vacuum tube. The proposed time-resolved imager with a simple optics realize a streak camera without any vacuum tubes. The proposed image sensor has DOM pixels, a delay-based pulse generator, and a readout circuitry. The delay-based pulse generator in combination with an in-pixel logic allows us to create and to provide a short gating clock to the pixel array. A prototype time-resolved CMOS image sensor with the proposed pixel is designed and implemented using 0.11um CMOS image sensor technology. The image array has 30(Vertical) x 128(Memory length) pixels with the pixel pitch of 22.4um. .

Combined spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and hyperspectral imaging applied for tissue analysis: Preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dontu, S.; Miclos, S.; Savastru, D.; Tautan, M.

2017-09-01

In recent years many optoelectronic techniques have been developed for improvement and the development of devices for tissue analysis. Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) is a new medical interferometric imaging modality that provides depth resolved tissue structure information with resolution in the μm range. However, SD-OCT has its own limitations and cannot offer the biochemical information of the tissue. These data can be obtained with hyperspectral imaging, a non-invasive, sensitive and real time technique. In the present study we have combined Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) with Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for tissue analysis. The Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) and Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) are two methods that have demonstrated significant potential in this context. Preliminary results using different tissue have highlighted the capabilities of this technique of combinations.

DARKNESS: A Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector Integral Field Spectrograph for High-contrast Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meeker, Seth R.; Mazin, Benjamin A.; Walter, Alex B.; Strader, Paschal; Fruitwala, Neelay; Bockstiegel, Clint; Szypryt, Paul; Ulbricht, Gerhard; Coiffard, Grégoire; Bumble, Bruce; Cancelo, Gustavo; Zmuda, Ted; Treptow, Ken; Wilcer, Neal; Collura, Giulia; Dodkins, Rupert; Lipartito, Isabel; Zobrist, Nicholas; Bottom, Michael; Shelton, J. Chris; Mawet, Dimitri; van Eyken, Julian C.; Vasisht, Gautam; Serabyn, Eugene

2018-06-01

We present DARKNESS (the DARK-speckle Near-infrared Energy-resolving Superconducting Spectrophotometer), the first of several planned integral field spectrographs to use optical/near-infrared Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for high-contrast imaging. The photon counting and simultaneous low-resolution spectroscopy provided by MKIDs will enable real-time speckle control techniques and post-processing speckle suppression at frame rates capable of resolving the atmospheric speckles that currently limit high-contrast imaging from the ground. DARKNESS is now operational behind the PALM-3000 extreme adaptive optics system and the Stellar Double Coronagraph at Palomar Observatory. Here, we describe the motivation, design, and characterization of the instrument, early on-sky results, and future prospects.

Speckle variance OCT for depth resolved assessment of the viability of bovine embryos

PubMed Central

Caujolle, S.; Cernat, R.; Silvestri, G.; Marques, M. J.; Bradu, A.; Feuchter, T.; Robinson, G.; Griffin, D. K.; Podoleanu, A.

2017-01-01

The morphology of embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) is commonly used to estimate their viability. However, imaging by standard microscopy is subjective and unable to assess the embryo on a cellular scale after compaction. Optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique that can produce a depth-resolved profile of a sample and can be coupled with speckle variance (SV) to detect motion on a micron scale. In this study, day 7 post-IVF bovine embryos were observed either short-term (10 minutes) or long-term (over 18 hours) and analyzed by swept source OCT and SV to resolve their depth profile and characterize micron-scale movements potentially associated with viability. The percentage of en face images showing movement at any given time was calculated as a method to detect the vital status of the embryo. This method could be used to measure the levels of damage sustained by an embryo, for example after cryopreservation, in a rapid and non-invasive way. PMID:29188109

In vivo optical elastography: stress and strain imaging of human skin lesions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Es'haghian, Shaghayegh; Gong, Peijun; Kennedy, Kelsey M.; Wijesinghe, Philip; Sampson, David D.; McLaughlin, Robert A.; Kennedy, Brendan F.

2015-03-01

Probing the mechanical properties of skin at high resolution could aid in the assessment of skin pathologies by, for example, detecting the extent of cancerous skin lesions and assessing pathology in burn scars. Here, we present two elastography techniques based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) to probe the local mechanical properties of skin. The first technique, optical palpation, is a high-resolution tactile imaging technique, which uses a complaint silicone layer positioned on the tissue surface to measure spatially-resolved stress imparted by compressive loading. We assess the performance of optical palpation, using a handheld imaging probe on a skin-mimicking phantom, and demonstrate its use on human skin. The second technique is a strain imaging technique, phase-sensitive compression OCE that maps depth-resolved mechanical variations within skin. We show preliminary results of in vivo phase-sensitive compression OCE on a human skin lesion.

Time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics does not improve performance of follow-up MRA of embolized intracranial aneurysms.

PubMed

Serafin, Zbigniew; Strześniewski, Piotr; Lasek, Władysław; Beuth, Wojciech

2012-07-01

The use of contrast media and the time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) technique have some theoretical advantages over time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) in the follow-up of intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment. We prospectively compared the diagnostic performance of TRICKS and TOF-MRA with digital subtracted angiography (DSA) in the assessment of occlusion of embolized aneurysms. Seventy-two consecutive patients with 72 aneurysms were examined 3 months after embolization. Test characteristics of TOF-MRA and TRICKS were calculated for the detection of residual flow. The results of quantification of flow were compared with weighted kappa. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility was determined. The sensitivity of TOF-MRA was 85% (95% CI, 65-96%) and of TRICKS, 89% (95% CI, 70-97%). The specificity of both methods was 91% (95% CI, 79-98%). The accuracy of the flow quantification ranged from 0.76 (TOF-MRA) to 0.83 (TRICKS). There was no significant difference between the methods in the area under the ROC curve regarding both the detection and the quantification of flow. Intraobserver reproducibility was very good with both techniques (kappa, 0.86-0.89). The interobserver reproducibility was moderate for TOF-MRA and very good for TRICKS (kappa, 0.74-0.80). In this study, TOF-MRA and TRICKS presented similar diagnostic performance; therefore, the use of time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA is not justified in the follow-up of embolized aneurysms.

Dynamic Liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Free-Breathing: Feasibility of a Cartesian T1-Weighted Acquisition Technique With Compressed Sensing and Additional Self-Navigation Signal for Hard-Gated and Motion-Resolved Reconstruction.

PubMed

Kaltenbach, Benjamin; Bucher, Andreas M; Wichmann, Julian L; Nickel, Dominik; Polkowski, Christoph; Hammerstingl, Renate; Vogl, Thomas J; Bodelle, Boris

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a free-breathing dynamic liver imaging technique using a prototype Cartesian T1-weighted volumetric interpolated breathhold examination (VIBE) sequence with compressed sensing and simultaneous acquisition of a navigation signal for hard-gated and motion state-resolved reconstruction. A total of 43 consecutive oncologic patients (mean age, 66 ± 11 years; 44% female) underwent free-breathing dynamic liver imaging for the evaluation of liver metastases from colorectal cancer using a prototype Cartesian VIBE sequence (field of view, 380 × 345 mm; image matrix, 320 × 218; echo time/repetition time, 1.8/3.76 milliseconds; flip angle, 10 degrees; slice thickness, 3.0 mm; acquisition time, 188 seconds) with continuous data sampling and additionally acquired self-navigation signal. Data were iteratively reconstructed using 2 different approaches: first, a hard-gated reconstruction only using data associated to the dominating motion state (CS VIBE, Compressed Sensing VIBE), and second, a motion-resolved reconstruction with 6 different motion states as additional image dimension (XD VIBE, eXtended dimension VIBE). Continuous acquired data were grouped in 16 subsequent time increments with 11.57 seconds each to resolve arterial and venous contrast phases. For image quality assessment, both CS VIBE and XD VIBE were compared with the patient's last staging dynamic liver magnetic resonance imaging including a breathhold (BH) VIBE as reference standard 4.5 ± 1.2 months before. Representative quality parameters including respiratory artifacts were evaluated for arterial and venous phase images independently, retrospectively and blindly by 3 experienced radiologists, with higher scores indicating better examination quality. To assess diagnostic accuracy, same readers evaluated the presence of metastatic lesions for XD VIBE and CS VIBE compared with reference BH examination in a second session. Compared with CS VIBE, XD VIBE showed significantly higher overall image quality for both arterial phase (4.2 ± 0.6 vs 3.8 ± 0.7, P = 0.008) and venous phase (4.7 ± 0.4 vs 4.3 ± 0.7, P < 0.001) imaging. There was no significant difference between XD VIBE and BH VIBE for overall image quality in the venous phase (4.7 ± 0.4 vs 4.8 ± 0.4, P = 0.834), whereas arterial phase images were scored slightly lower for XD VIBE (4.5 ± 0.6 vs 4.2 ± 0.6, P = 0.024). Both XD VIBE and BH VIBE were characterized by a very low level of respiratory artifacts with no significant difference between BH and motion-resolved free-breathing strategy (P = 0.505 for arterial phase; P = 0.496 for venous phase). Compared with CS VIBE, obvious quality improvement could be achieved for the extended XD VIBE reconstruction with significantly reduced motion artifacts for venous phase images (P = 0.007). Generally, arterial phase images were scored slightly lower compared with venous phase images when using the free-breathing protocol. Overall, 98% of all metastatic lesions were identified on XD VIBE images and 92% of all metastases were found on CS VIBE. Dynamic liver imaging using the proposed free-breathing Cartesian strategy is feasible in oncologic patients with excellent image quality, high respiratory motion robustness, and accurate lesion detection. Overall, XD VIBE was superior to CS VIBE in our study.

In Situ 3D Coherent X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Shock Experiments: Possible?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, John

2011-03-01

In traditional coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI), a 2D or quasi-2D object is illuminated by a beam of coherent X-rays to produce a diffraction pattern, which is then manipulated via a process known as iterative phase retrieval to reconstruct an image of the original 2D sample. Recently, there have been dramatic advances in methods for performing fully 3D CXDI of a sample from a single diffraction pattern [Raines et al, Nature 463 214-7 (2010)], and these methods have been used to image samples tens of microns in size using soft X-rays. In this work, I explore the theoretical possibility of applying 3D CXDI techniques to the in situ imaging of the interaction between a shock front and a polycrystal, a far more stringent problem. A delicate trade-off is required between photon energy, spot size, imaging resolution, and the dimensions of the experimental setup. In this talk, I will outline the experimental and computational requirements for performing such an experiment, and I will present images and movies from simulations of one such hypothetical experiment, including both the time-resolved X-ray diffraction patterns and the time-resolved sample imagery.

CINCH (confocal incoherent correlation holography) super resolution fluorescence microscopy based upon FINCH (Fresnel incoherent correlation holography).

PubMed

Siegel, Nisan; Storrie, Brian; Bruce, Marc; Brooker, Gary

2015-02-07

FINCH holographic fluorescence microscopy creates high resolution super-resolved images with enhanced depth of focus. The simple addition of a real-time Nipkow disk confocal image scanner in a conjugate plane of this incoherent holographic system is shown to reduce the depth of focus, and the combination of both techniques provides a simple way to enhance the axial resolution of FINCH in a combined method called "CINCH". An important feature of the combined system allows for the simultaneous real-time image capture of widefield and holographic images or confocal and confocal holographic images for ready comparison of each method on the exact same field of view. Additional GPU based complex deconvolution processing of the images further enhances resolution.

Motion robust high resolution 3D free-breathing pulmonary MRI using dynamic 3D image self-navigator.

PubMed

Jiang, Wenwen; Ong, Frank; Johnson, Kevin M; Nagle, Scott K; Hope, Thomas A; Lustig, Michael; Larson, Peder E Z

2018-06-01

To achieve motion robust high resolution 3D free-breathing pulmonary MRI utilizing a novel dynamic 3D image navigator derived directly from imaging data. Five-minute free-breathing scans were acquired with a 3D ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence with 1.25 mm isotropic resolution. From this data, dynamic 3D self-navigating images were reconstructed under locally low rank (LLR) constraints and used for motion compensation with one of two methods: a soft-gating technique to penalize the respiratory motion induced data inconsistency, and a respiratory motion-resolved technique to provide images of all respiratory motion states. Respiratory motion estimation derived from the proposed dynamic 3D self-navigator of 7.5 mm isotropic reconstruction resolution and a temporal resolution of 300 ms was successful for estimating complex respiratory motion patterns. This estimation improved image quality compared to respiratory belt and DC-based navigators. Respiratory motion compensation with soft-gating and respiratory motion-resolved techniques provided good image quality from highly undersampled data in volunteers and clinical patients. An optimized 3D UTE sequence combined with the proposed reconstruction methods can provide high-resolution motion robust pulmonary MRI. Feasibility was shown in patients who had irregular breathing patterns in which our approach could depict clinically relevant pulmonary pathologies. Magn Reson Med 79:2954-2967, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Site-Resolved Imaging with the Fermi Gas Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, Florian Gerhard

The recent development of quantum gas microscopy for bosonic rubidium atoms trapped in optical lattices has made it possible to study local structure and correlations in quantum many-body systems. Quantum gas microscopes are a perfect platform to perform quantum simulation of condensed matter systems, offering unprecedented control over both internal and external degrees of freedom at a single-site level. In this thesis, this technique is extended to fermionic particles, paving the way to fermionic quantum simulation, which emulate electrons in real solids. Our implementation uses lithium, the lightest atom amenable to laser cooling. The absolute timescales of dynamics in optical lattices are inversely proportional to the mass. Therefore, experiments are more than six times faster than for the only other fermionic alkali atom, potassium, and more then fourteen times faster than an equivalent rubidium experiment. Scattering and collecting a sufficient number of photons with our high-resolution imaging system requires continuous cooling of the atoms during the fluorescence imaging. The lack of a resolved excited hyperfine structure on the D2 line of lithium prevents efficient conventional sub-Doppler cooling. To address this challenge we have applied a Raman sideband cooling scheme and achieved the first site-resolved imaging of ultracold fermions in an optical lattice.

Externally Calibrated Parallel Imaging for 3D Multispectral Imaging Near Metallic Implants Using Broadband Ultrashort Echo Time Imaging

PubMed Central

Wiens, Curtis N.; Artz, Nathan S.; Jang, Hyungseok; McMillan, Alan B.; Reeder, Scott B.

2017-01-01

Purpose To develop an externally calibrated parallel imaging technique for three-dimensional multispectral imaging (3D-MSI) in the presence of metallic implants. Theory and Methods A fast, ultrashort echo time (UTE) calibration acquisition is proposed to enable externally calibrated parallel imaging techniques near metallic implants. The proposed calibration acquisition uses a broadband radiofrequency (RF) pulse to excite the off-resonance induced by the metallic implant, fully phase-encoded imaging to prevent in-plane distortions, and UTE to capture rapidly decaying signal. The performance of the externally calibrated parallel imaging reconstructions was assessed using phantoms and in vivo examples. Results Phantom and in vivo comparisons to self-calibrated parallel imaging acquisitions show that significant reductions in acquisition times can be achieved using externally calibrated parallel imaging with comparable image quality. Acquisition time reductions are particularly large for fully phase-encoded methods such as spectrally resolved fully phase-encoded three-dimensional (3D) fast spin-echo (SR-FPE), in which scan time reductions of up to 8 min were obtained. Conclusion A fully phase-encoded acquisition with broadband excitation and UTE enabled externally calibrated parallel imaging for 3D-MSI, eliminating the need for repeated calibration regions at each frequency offset. Significant reductions in acquisition time can be achieved, particularly for fully phase-encoded methods like SR-FPE. PMID:27403613

Simultaneous Concentration and Velocity Maps in Particle Suspensions under Shear from Rheo-Ultrasonic Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saint-Michel, Brice; Bodiguel, Hugues; Meeker, Steven; Manneville, Sébastien

2017-07-01

We extend a previously developed ultrafast ultrasonic technique [T. Gallot et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 84, 045107 (2013), 10.1063/1.4801462] to concentration-field measurements in non-Brownian particle suspensions under shear. The technique provides access to time-resolved concentration maps within the gap of a Taylor-Couette cell simultaneously to local velocity measurements and standard rheological characterization. Benchmark experiments in homogeneous particle suspensions are used to calibrate the system. We then image heterogeneous concentration fields that result from centrifugation effects, from the classical Taylor-Couette instability, and from sedimentation or shear-induced resuspension.

Growth and development of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite: time and spatially resolved structure and chemistry of the base plate

PubMed Central

Burden, Daniel K.; Spillmann, Christopher M.; Everett, Richard K.; Barlow, Daniel E.; Orihuela, Beatriz; Deschamps, Jeffrey R.; Fears, Kenan P.; Rittschof, Daniel; Wahl, Kathryn J.

2014-01-01

The radial growth and advancement of the adhesive interface to the substratum of many species of acorn barnacles occurs underwater and beneath an opaque, calcified shell. Here, the time-dependent growth processes involving various autofluorescent materials within the interface of live barnacles are imaged for the first time using 3D time-lapse confocal microscopy. Key features of the interface development in the striped barnacle, Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite were resolved in situ and include advancement of the barnacle/substratum interface, epicuticle membrane development, protein secretion, and calcification. Microscopic and spectroscopic techniques provide ex situ material identification of regions imaged by confocal microscopy. In situ and ex situ analysis of the interface support the hypothesis that barnacle interface development is a complex process coupling sequential, timed secretory events and morphological changes. This results in a multi-layered interface that concomitantly fulfills the roles of strongly adhering to a substratum while permitting continuous molting and radial growth at the periphery. PMID:25115515

Growth and development of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite: time and spatially resolved structure and chemistry of the base plate.

PubMed

Burden, Daniel K; Spillmann, Christopher M; Everett, Richard K; Barlow, Daniel E; Orihuela, Beatriz; Deschamps, Jeffrey R; Fears, Kenan P; Rittschof, Daniel; Wahl, Kathryn J

2014-01-01

The radial growth and advancement of the adhesive interface to the substratum of many species of acorn barnacles occurs underwater and beneath an opaque, calcified shell. Here, the time-dependent growth processes involving various autofluorescent materials within the interface of live barnacles are imaged for the first time using 3D time-lapse confocal microscopy. Key features of the interface development in the striped barnacle, Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite were resolved in situ and include advancement of the barnacle/substratum interface, epicuticle membrane development, protein secretion, and calcification. Microscopic and spectroscopic techniques provide ex situ material identification of regions imaged by confocal microscopy. In situ and ex situ analysis of the interface support the hypothesis that barnacle interface development is a complex process coupling sequential, timed secretory events and morphological changes. This results in a multi-layered interface that concomitantly fulfills the roles of strongly adhering to a substratum while permitting continuous molting and radial growth at the periphery.

A new data processing technique for Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth experiments

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

Yuan, Yongteng; Tu, Shaoyong; Miao, Wenyong

Typical face-on experiments for Rayleigh-Taylor instability study involve the time-resolved radiography of an accelerated foil with line-of-sight of the radiography along the direction of motion. The usual method which derives perturbation amplitudes from the face-on images reverses the actual image transmission procedure, so the obtained results will have a large error in the case of large optical depth. In order to improve the accuracy of data processing, a new data processing technique has been developed to process the face-on images. This technique based on convolution theorem, refined solutions of optical depth can be achieved by solving equations. Furthermore, we discussmore » both techniques for image processing, including the influence of modulation transfer function of imaging system and the backlighter spatial profile. Besides, we use the two methods to the process the experimental results in Shenguang-II laser facility and the comparison shows that the new method effectively improve the accuracy of data processing.« less

High-speed technique based on a parallel projection correlation procedure for digital image correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaripov, D. I.; Renfu, Li

2018-05-01

The implementation of high-efficiency digital image correlation methods based on a zero-normalized cross-correlation (ZNCC) procedure for high-speed, time-resolved measurements using a high-resolution digital camera is associated with big data processing and is often time consuming. In order to speed-up ZNCC computation, a high-speed technique based on a parallel projection correlation procedure is proposed. The proposed technique involves the use of interrogation window projections instead of its two-dimensional field of luminous intensity. This simplification allows acceleration of ZNCC computation up to 28.8 times compared to ZNCC calculated directly, depending on the size of interrogation window and region of interest. The results of three synthetic test cases, such as a one-dimensional uniform flow, a linear shear flow and a turbulent boundary-layer flow, are discussed in terms of accuracy. In the latter case, the proposed technique is implemented together with an iterative window-deformation technique. On the basis of the results of the present work, the proposed technique is recommended to be used for initial velocity field calculation, with further correction using more accurate techniques.

Highly sensitive time-resolved thermography and multivariate image analysis of the cerebral cortex for intrasurgical diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollmach, Julia; Hoffmann, Nico; Schnabel, Christian; Küchler, Saskia; Sobottka, Stephan; Kirsch, Matthias; Schackert, Gabriele; Koch, Edmund; Steiner, Gerald

2013-03-01

Time-resolved thermography is a novel method to assess thermal variations and heterogeneities in tissue and blood. The recent generation of thermal cameras provides a sensitivity of less than mK. This high sensitivity in conjunction with non-invasive, label-free and radiation-free monitoring makes thermography a promising tool for intrasurgical diagnostics. In brain surgery, time-resolved thermography can be employed to distinguish between normal and anomalous tissue. In this study, we investigated and discussed the potential of time-resolved thermography in neurosurgery for the intraoperative detection and demarcation of tumor borders. Algorithms for segmentation, reduction of movement artifacts and image fusion were developed. The preprocessed image stacks were subjected to discrete wavelet transform to examine individual frequency components. K-means clustering was used for image evaluation to reveal similarities within the image sequence. The image evaluation shows significant differences for both types of tissue. Tumor and normal tissues have different time characteristics in heat production and transfer. Furthermore, tumor could be highlighted. These results demonstrate that time-resolved thermography is able to support the detection of tumors in a contactless manner without any side effects for the tissue. The intraoperative usage of time-resolved thermography improves the accuracy of tumor resections to prevent irreversible brain damage during surgery.

Ultrafast nuclear dynamics in halomethanes studied with time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging and channel-selective Fourier spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malakar, Y.; Kaderiya, B.; Pearson, W. L.; Ziaee, F.; Kanaka Raju, P.; Zohrabi, M.; Jensen, K.; Rajput, J.; Ben-Itzhak, I.; Rolles, D.; Rudenko, A.

2016-05-01

Halomethanes have recently attracted considerable attention since they often serve as prototype systems for laser-controlled chemistry (e.g., selective bond breaking or concerted elimination reactions), and are important molecules in atmospheric chemistry. Here we combine a femtosecond laser pump-probe setup with coincident 3D ion momentum imaging apparatus to study strong-field induced nuclear dynamics in methane and several of its halogenated derivatives (CH3 I, CH2 I2, CH2 ICl). We apply a time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging technique to map the nuclear motion on both, bound and continuum potential surfaces, disentangle different fragmentation pathways and, for halogenated molecules, observe clear signatures of vibrational wave packets in neutral or ionized states. Channel-selective and kinetic-energy resolved Fourier analysis of these data allows for unique identification of different electronic states and vibrational modes responsible for a particular structure. Supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U. S. DOE. K. R. P. and W. L. P. supported by NSF Award No. IIA-143049. K.J. supported by the NSF-REU Grant No. PHYS-1461251.

A high speed multifocal multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope for live-cell FRET imaging

PubMed Central

Poland, Simon P.; Krstajić, Nikola; Monypenny, James; Coelho, Simao; Tyndall, David; Walker, Richard J.; Devauges, Viviane; Richardson, Justin; Dutton, Neale; Barber, Paul; Li, David Day-Uei; Suhling, Klaus; Ng, Tony; Henderson, Robert K.; Ameer-Beg, Simon M.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate diffraction limited multiphoton imaging in a massively parallel, fully addressable time-resolved multi-beam multiphoton microscope capable of producing fluorescence lifetime images with sub-50ps temporal resolution. This imaging platform offers a significant improvement in acquisition speed over single-beam laser scanning FLIM by a factor of 64 without compromising in either the temporal or spatial resolutions of the system. We demonstrate FLIM acquisition at 500 ms with live cells expressing green fluorescent protein. The applicability of the technique to imaging protein-protein interactions in live cells is exemplified by observation of time-dependent FRET between the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the adapter protein Grb2 following stimulation with the receptor ligand. Furthermore, ligand-dependent association of HER2-HER3 receptor tyrosine kinases was observed on a similar timescale and involved the internalisation and accumulation or receptor heterodimers within endosomes. These data demonstrate the broad applicability of this novel FLIM technique to the spatio-temporal dynamics of protein-protein interaction. PMID:25780724

Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for quality analysis of agricultural and food products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, C. B.; Jayas, D. S.; Paliwal, J.; White, N. D. G.

2010-04-01

Agricultural and food processing industries are always looking to implement real-time quality monitoring techniques as a part of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure high-quality and safety of their products. Near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging is gaining popularity as a powerful non-destructive tool for quality analysis of several agricultural and food products. This technique has the ability to analyse spectral data in a spatially resolved manner (i.e., each pixel in the image has its own spectrum) by applying both conventional image processing and chemometric tools used in spectral analyses. Hyperspectral imaging technique has demonstrated potential in detecting defects and contaminants in meats, fruits, cereals, and processed food products. This paper discusses the methodology of hyperspectral imaging in terms of hardware, software, calibration, data acquisition and compression, and development of prediction and classification algorithms and it presents a thorough review of the current applications of hyperspectral imaging in the analyses of agricultural and food products.

Application of time-resolved shadowgraph imaging and computer analysis to study micrometer-scale response of superfluid helium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajjadi, Seyed; Buelna, Xavier; Eloranta, Jussi

2018-01-01

Application of inexpensive light emitting diodes as backlight sources for time-resolved shadowgraph imaging is demonstrated. The two light sources tested are able to produce light pulse sequences in the nanosecond and microsecond time regimes. After determining their time response characteristics, the diodes were applied to study the gas bubble formation around laser-heated copper nanoparticles in superfluid helium at 1.7 K and to determine the local cavitation bubble dynamics around fast moving metal micro-particles in the liquid. A convolutional neural network algorithm for analyzing the shadowgraph images by a computer is presented and the method is validated against the results from manual image analysis. The second application employed the red-green-blue light emitting diode source that produces light pulse sequences of the individual colors such that three separate shadowgraph frames can be recorded onto the color pixels of a charge-coupled device camera. Such an image sequence can be used to determine the moving object geometry, local velocity, and acceleration/deceleration. These data can be used to calculate, for example, the instantaneous Reynolds number for the liquid flow around the particle. Although specifically demonstrated for superfluid helium, the technique can be used to study the dynamic response of any medium that exhibits spatial variations in the index of refraction.

Off-resonance suppression for multispectral MR imaging near metallic implants.

PubMed

den Harder, J Chiel; van Yperen, Gert H; Blume, Ulrike A; Bos, Clemens

2015-01-01

Metal artifact reduction in MRI within clinically feasible scan-times without through-plane aliasing. Existing metal artifact reduction techniques include view angle tilting (VAT), which resolves in-plane distortions, and multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques, such as slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) and multi-acquisition with variable resonances image combination (MAVRIC), that further reduce image distortions, but significantly increase scan-time. Scan-time depends on anatomy size and anticipated total spectral content of the signal. Signals outside the anticipated spatial region may cause through-plane back-folding. Off-resonance suppression (ORS), using different gradient amplitudes for excitation and refocusing, is proposed to provide well-defined spatial-spectral selectivity in MSI to allow scan-time reduction and flexibility of scan-orientation. Comparisons of MSI techniques with and without ORS were made in phantom and volunteer experiments. Off-resonance suppressed SEMAC (ORS-SEMAC) and outer-region suppressed MAVRIC (ORS-MAVRIC) required limited through-plane phase encoding steps compared with original MSI. Whereas SEMAC (scan time: 5'46") and MAVRIC (4'12") suffered from through-plane aliasing, ORS-SEMAC and ORS-MAVRIC allowed alias-free imaging in the same scan-times. ORS can be used in MSI to limit the selected spatial-spectral region and contribute to metal artifact reduction in clinically feasible scan-times while avoiding slice aliasing. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Site-resolved imaging of a bosonic Mott insulator using ytterbium atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, Martin; Inoue, Ryotaro; Tambo, Naoki; Kozuma, Mikio

2017-10-01

We demonstrate site-resolved imaging of a strongly correlated quantum system without relying on laser cooling techniques during fluorescence imaging. We observe the formation of Mott shells in the insulating regime and realize thermometry in an atomic cloud. This work proves the feasibility of the noncooled approach and opens the door to extending the detection technology to new atomic species.

Theoretical and experimental study on near infrared time-resolved optical diffuse tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng; Tanikawa, Yukari; Yamada, Yukio

2006-08-01

Parts of the works of our group in the past five years on near infrared time-resolved (TR) optical tomography are summarized in this paper. The image reconstruction algorithm is based on Newton Raphson scheme with a datatype R generated from modified Generalized Pulse Spectrum Technique. Firstly, the algorithm is evaluated with simulated data from a 2-D model and the datatype R is compared with other popularly used datatypes. In this second part of the paper, the in vitro and in vivo NIR DOT imaging on a chicken leg and a human forearm, respectively are presented for evaluating both the image reconstruction algorithm and the TR measurement system. The third part of this paper is about the differential pathlength factor of human head while monitoring head activity with NIRS and applying the modified Lambert-Beer law. Benefiting from the TR system, the measured DPF maps of the three import areas of human head are presented in this paper.

Fast and memory efficient text image compression with JBIG2.

PubMed

Ye, Yan; Cosman, Pamela

2003-01-01

In this paper, we investigate ways to reduce encoding time, memory consumption and substitution errors for text image compression with JBIG2. We first look at page striping where the encoder splits the input image into horizontal stripes and processes one stripe at a time. We propose dynamic dictionary updating procedures for page striping to reduce the bit rate penalty it incurs. Experiments show that splitting the image into two stripes can save 30% of encoding time and 40% of physical memory with a small coding loss of about 1.5%. Using more stripes brings further savings in time and memory but the return diminishes. We also propose an adaptive way to update the dictionary only when it has become out-of-date. The adaptive updating scheme can resolve the time versus bit rate tradeoff and the memory versus bit rate tradeoff well simultaneously. We then propose three speedup techniques for pattern matching, the most time-consuming encoding activity in JBIG2. When combined together, these speedup techniques can save up to 75% of the total encoding time with at most 1.7% of bit rate penalty. Finally, we look at improving reconstructed image quality for lossy compression. We propose enhanced prescreening and feature monitored shape unifying to significantly reduce substitution errors in the reconstructed images.

Stereoscopic Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence Imaging at 500 kHz

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medford, Taylor L.; Danehy, Paul M.; Jones, Stephen B.; Jiang, N.; Webster, M.; Lempert, Walter; Miller, J.; Meyer, T.

2011-01-01

A new measurement technique for obtaining time- and spatially-resolved image sequences in hypersonic flows is developed. Nitric-oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence (NO PLIF) has previously been used to investigate transition from laminar to turbulent flow in hypersonic boundary layers using both planar and volumetric imaging capabilities. Low flow rates of NO were typically seeded into the flow, minimally perturbing the flow. The volumetric imaging was performed at a measurement rate of 10 Hz using a thick planar laser sheet that excited NO fluorescence. The fluorescence was captured by a pair of cameras having slightly different views of the flow. Subsequent stereoscopic reconstruction of these images allowed the three-dimensional flow structures to be viewed. In the current paper, this approach has been extended to 50,000 times higher repetition rates. A laser operating at 500 kHz excites the seeded NO molecules, and a camera, synchronized with the laser and fitted with a beam-splitting assembly, acquires two separate images of the flow. The resulting stereoscopic images provide three-dimensional flow visualizations at 500 kHz for the first time. The 200 ns exposure time in each frame is fast enough to freeze the flow while the 500 kHz repetition rate is fast enough to time-resolve changes in the flow being studied. This method is applied to visualize the evolving hypersonic flow structures that propagate downstream of a discrete protuberance attached to a flat plate. The technique was demonstrated in the NASA Langley Research Center s 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel facility. Different tunnel Reynolds number conditions, NO flow rates and two different cylindrical protuberance heights were investigated. The location of the onset of flow unsteadiness, an indicator of transition, was observed to move downstream during the tunnel runs, coinciding with an increase in the model temperature.

Imaging the square of the correlated two-electron wave function of a hydrogen molecule

DOE PAGES

Waitz, M.; Bello, R. Y.; Metz, D.; ...

2017-12-22

The toolbox for imaging molecules is well-equipped today. Some techniques visualize the geometrical structure, others the electron density or electron orbitals. Molecules are many-body systems for which the correlation between the constituents is decisive and the spatial and the momentum distribution of one electron depends on those of the other electrons and the nuclei. Such correlations have escaped direct observation by imaging techniques so far. Here, we implement an imaging scheme which visualizes correlations between electrons by coincident detection of the reaction fragments after high energy photofragmentation. With this technique, we examine the H 2 two-electron wave function in whichmore » electron-electron correlation beyond the mean-field level is prominent. We visualize the dependence of the wave function on the internuclear distance. High energy photoelectrons are shown to be a powerful tool for molecular imaging. Finally, our study paves the way for future time resolved correlation imaging at FELs and laser based X-ray sources.« less

Imaging the square of the correlated two-electron wave function of a hydrogen molecule.

PubMed

Waitz, M; Bello, R Y; Metz, D; Lower, J; Trinter, F; Schober, C; Keiling, M; Lenz, U; Pitzer, M; Mertens, K; Martins, M; Viefhaus, J; Klumpp, S; Weber, T; Schmidt, L Ph H; Williams, J B; Schöffler, M S; Serov, V V; Kheifets, A S; Argenti, L; Palacios, A; Martín, F; Jahnke, T; Dörner, R

2017-12-22

The toolbox for imaging molecules is well-equipped today. Some techniques visualize the geometrical structure, others the electron density or electron orbitals. Molecules are many-body systems for which the correlation between the constituents is decisive and the spatial and the momentum distribution of one electron depends on those of the other electrons and the nuclei. Such correlations have escaped direct observation by imaging techniques so far. Here, we implement an imaging scheme which visualizes correlations between electrons by coincident detection of the reaction fragments after high energy photofragmentation. With this technique, we examine the H 2 two-electron wave function in which electron-electron correlation beyond the mean-field level is prominent. We visualize the dependence of the wave function on the internuclear distance. High energy photoelectrons are shown to be a powerful tool for molecular imaging. Our study paves the way for future time resolved correlation imaging at FELs and laser based X-ray sources.

Imaging the square of the correlated two-electron wave function of a hydrogen molecule

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

Waitz, M.; Bello, R. Y.; Metz, D.

The toolbox for imaging molecules is well-equipped today. Some techniques visualize the geometrical structure, others the electron density or electron orbitals. Molecules are many-body systems for which the correlation between the constituents is decisive and the spatial and the momentum distribution of one electron depends on those of the other electrons and the nuclei. Such correlations have escaped direct observation by imaging techniques so far. Here, we implement an imaging scheme which visualizes correlations between electrons by coincident detection of the reaction fragments after high energy photofragmentation. With this technique, we examine the H 2 two-electron wave function in whichmore » electron-electron correlation beyond the mean-field level is prominent. We visualize the dependence of the wave function on the internuclear distance. High energy photoelectrons are shown to be a powerful tool for molecular imaging. Finally, our study paves the way for future time resolved correlation imaging at FELs and laser based X-ray sources.« less

Endoscopic Optical Coherence Tomography for Clinical Gastroenterology

PubMed Central

Tsai, Tsung-Han; Fujimoto, James G.; Mashimo, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a real-time optical imaging technique that is similar in principle to ultrasonography, but employs light instead of sound waves and allows depth-resolved images with near-microscopic resolution. Endoscopic OCT allows the evaluation of broad-field and subsurface areas and can be used ancillary to standard endoscopy, narrow band imaging, chromoendoscopy, magnification endoscopy, and confocal endomicroscopy. This review article will provide an overview of the clinical utility of endoscopic OCT in the gastrointestinal tract and of recent achievements using state-of-the-art endoscopic 3D-OCT imaging systems. PMID:26852678

Time-Resolved C-Arm Computed Tomographic Angiography Derived From Computed Tomographic Perfusion Acquisition: New Capability for One-Stop-Shop Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment in the Angiosuite.

PubMed

Yang, Pengfei; Niu, Kai; Wu, Yijing; Struffert, Tobias; Dorfler, Arnd; Schafer, Sebastian; Royalty, Kevin; Strother, Charles; Chen, Guang-Hong

2015-12-01

Multimodal imaging using cone beam C-arm computed tomography (CT) may shorten the delay from ictus to revascularization for acute ischemic stroke patients with a large vessel occlusion. Largely because of limited temporal resolution, reconstruction of time-resolved CT angiography (CTA) from these systems has not yielded satisfactory results. We evaluated the image quality and diagnostic value of time-resolved C-arm CTA reconstructed using novel image processing algorithms. Studies were done under an Institutional Review Board approved protocol. Postprocessing of data from 21 C-arm CT dynamic perfusion acquisitions from 17 patients with acute ischemic stroke were done to derive time-resolved C-arm CTA images. Two observers independently evaluated image quality and diagnostic content for each case. ICC and receiver-operating characteristic analysis were performed to evaluate interobserver agreement and diagnostic value of this novel imaging modality. Time-resolved C-arm CTA images were successfully generated from 20 data sets (95.2%, 20/21). Two observers agreed well that the image quality for large cerebral arteries was good but was more limited for small cerebral arteries (distal to M1, A1, and P1). receiver-operating characteristic curves demonstrated excellent diagnostic value for detecting large vessel occlusions (area under the curve=0.987-1). Time-resolved CTAs derived from C-arm CT perfusion acquisitions provide high quality images that allowed accurate diagnosis of large vessel occlusions. Although image quality of smaller arteries in this study was not optimal ongoing modifications of the postprocessing algorithm will likely remove this limitation. Adding time-resolved C-arm CTAs to the capabilities of the angiography suite further enhances its suitability as a one-stop shop for care for patients with acute ischemic stroke. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

CINCH (confocal incoherent correlation holography) super resolution fluorescence microscopy based upon FINCH (Fresnel incoherent correlation holography)

PubMed Central

Siegel, Nisan; Storrie, Brian; Bruce, Marc

2016-01-01

FINCH holographic fluorescence microscopy creates high resolution super-resolved images with enhanced depth of focus. The simple addition of a real-time Nipkow disk confocal image scanner in a conjugate plane of this incoherent holographic system is shown to reduce the depth of focus, and the combination of both techniques provides a simple way to enhance the axial resolution of FINCH in a combined method called “CINCH”. An important feature of the combined system allows for the simultaneous real-time image capture of widefield and holographic images or confocal and confocal holographic images for ready comparison of each method on the exact same field of view. Additional GPU based complex deconvolution processing of the images further enhances resolution. PMID:26839443

Vorticity field measurement using digital inline holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallery, Kevin; Hong, Jiarong

2017-11-01

We demonstrate the direct measurement of a 3D vorticity field using digital inline holographic microscopy. Microfiber tracer particles are illuminated with a 532 nm continuous diode laser and imaged using a single CCD camera. The recorded holographic images are processed using a GPU-accelerated inverse problem approach to reconstruct the 3D structure of each microfiber in the imaged volume. The translation and rotation of each microfiber are measured using a time-resolved image sequence - yielding velocity and vorticity point measurements. The accuracy and limitations of this method are investigated using synthetic holograms. Measurements of solid body rotational flow are used to validate the accuracy of the technique under known flow conditions. The technique is further applied to a practical turbulent flow case for investigating its 3D velocity field and vorticity distribution.

Measurements of the ablation-front trajectory and low-mode nonuniformity in direct-drive implosions using x-ray self-emission shadowgraphy

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

Michel, D. T.; Davis, A. K.; Armstrong, W.

Self-emission x-ray shadowgraphy provides a method to measure the ablation-front trajectory and low-mode nonuniformity of a target imploded by directly illuminating a fusion capsule with laser beams. The technique uses time-resolved images of soft x-rays (> 1 keV) emitted from the coronal plasma of the target imaged onto an x-ray framing camera to determine the position of the ablation front. Methods used to accurately measure the ablation-front radius (more » $${\\it\\delta}R=\\pm 1.15~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$), image-to-image timing ($${\\it\\delta}({\\rm\\Delta}t)=\\pm 2.5$$ ps) and absolute timing ($${\\it\\delta}t=\\pm 10$$ ps) are presented. Angular averaging of the images provides an average radius measurement of$${\\it\\delta}(R_{\\text{av}})=\\pm 0.15~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$and an error in velocity of$${\\it\\delta}V/V=\\pm 3\\%$$. This technique was applied on the Omega Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility.« less

Measurements of the ablation-front trajectory and low-mode nonuniformity in direct-drive implosions using x-ray self-emission shadowgraphy

DOE PAGES

Michel, D. T.; Davis, A. K.; Armstrong, W.; ...

2015-07-08

Self-emission x-ray shadowgraphy provides a method to measure the ablation-front trajectory and low-mode nonuniformity of a target imploded by directly illuminating a fusion capsule with laser beams. The technique uses time-resolved images of soft x-rays (> 1 keV) emitted from the coronal plasma of the target imaged onto an x-ray framing camera to determine the position of the ablation front. Methods used to accurately measure the ablation-front radius (more » $${\\it\\delta}R=\\pm 1.15~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$), image-to-image timing ($${\\it\\delta}({\\rm\\Delta}t)=\\pm 2.5$$ ps) and absolute timing ($${\\it\\delta}t=\\pm 10$$ ps) are presented. Angular averaging of the images provides an average radius measurement of$${\\it\\delta}(R_{\\text{av}})=\\pm 0.15~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$and an error in velocity of$${\\it\\delta}V/V=\\pm 3\\%$$. This technique was applied on the Omega Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility.« less

Solid-state 27Al MRI and NMR thermometry for catalytic applications with conventional (liquids) MRI instrumentation and techniques.

PubMed

Koptyug, Igor V; Sagdeev, Dmitry R; Gerkema, Edo; Van As, Henk; Sagdeev, Renad Z

2005-07-01

Multidimensional images of Al2O3 pellets, cordierite monolith, glass tube, polycrystalline V2O5 and other materials have been detected by 27Al, 51V, and 23Na NMR imaging using techniques and instrumentation conventionally employed for imaging of liquids. These results demonstrate that, contrary to the widely accepted opinion, imaging of "rigid" solids does not necessarily require utilization of solid state NMR imaging approaches, pulse sequences and hardware even for quadrupolar nuclei which exhibit line widths in excess of 100 kHz, such as 51V in polycrystalline V2O5. It is further demonstrated that both 27Al NMR signal intensity and spin-lattice relaxation time decrease with increasing temperature and thus can potentially serve as temperature sensitive parameters for spatially resolved NMR thermometry.

Experimental Visualizations of a Generic Launch Vehicle Flow Field: Time-Resolved Shadowgraph and Infrared Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garbeff, Theodore J., II; Panda, Jayanta; Ross, James C.

2017-01-01

Time-Resolved shadowgraph and infrared (IR) imaging were performed to investigate off-body and on-body flow features of a generic, 'hammer-head' launch vehicle geometry previously tested by Coe and Nute (1962). The measurements discussed here were one part of a large range of wind tunnel test techniques that included steady-state pressure sensitive paint (PSP), dynamic PSP, unsteady surface pressures, and unsteady force measurements. Image data was captured over a Mach number range of 0.6 less than or equal to M less than or equal to 1.2 at a Reynolds number of 3 million per foot. Both shadowgraph and IR imagery were captured in conjunction with unsteady pressures and forces and correlated with IRIG-B timing. High-speed shadowgraph imagery was used to identify wake structure and reattachment behind the payload fairing of the vehicle. Various data processing strategies were employed and ultimately these results correlated well with the location and magnitude of unsteady surface pressure measurements. Two research grade IR cameras were positioned to image boundary layer transition at the vehicle nose and flow reattachment behind the payload fairing. The poor emissivity of the model surface treatment (fast PSP) proved to be challenging for the infrared measurement. Reference image subtraction and contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) were used to analyze this dataset. Ultimately turbulent boundary layer transition was observed and located forward of the trip dot line at the model sphere-cone junction. Flow reattachment location was identified behind the payload fairing in both steady and unsteady thermal data. As demonstrated in this effort, recent advances in high-speed and thermal imaging technology have modernized classical techniques providing a new viewpoint for the modern researcher

Time-resolved fluorescence microscopy to study biologically related applications using sol-gel derived and cellular media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toury, Marion; Chandler, Lin; Allison, Archie; Campbell, David; McLoskey, David; Holmes-Smith, A. Sheila; Hungerford, Graham

2011-03-01

Fluorescence microscopy provides a non-invasive means for visualising dynamic protein interactions. As well as allowing the calculation of kinetic processes via the use of time-resolved fluorescence, localisation of the protein within cells or model systems can be monitored. These fluorescence lifetime images (FLIM) have become the preferred technique for elucidating protein dynamics due to the fact that the fluorescence lifetime is an absolute measure, in the main independent of fluorophore concentration and intensity fluctuations caused by factors such as photobleaching. In this work we demonstrate the use of a time-resolved fluorescence microscopy, employing a high repetition rate laser excitation source applied to study the influence of a metal surface on fluorescence tagged protein and to elucidate viscosity using the fluorescence lifetime probe DASPMI. These were studied in a cellular environment (yeast) and in a model system based on a sol-gel derived material, in which silver nanostructures were formed in situ using irradiation from a semiconductor laser in CW mode incorporated on a compact time-resolved fluorescence microscope (HORIBA Scientific DeltaDiode and DynaMyc).

Subframe Burst Gating for Raman Spectroscopy in Combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kojima, Jun; Fischer, David; Nguyen, Quang-Viet

2010-01-01

We describe an architecture for spontaneous Raman scattering utilizing a frame-transfer CCD sensor operating in a subframe burst-gating mode to realize time-resolved combustion diagnostics. The technique permits all-electronic optical gating with microsecond shutter speeds 5 J.Ls) without compromising optical throughput or image fidelity. When used in conjunction with a pair of orthogonally polarized excitation lasers, the technique measures single-shot vibrational Raman scattering that is minimally contaminated by problematic optical background noise.

Externally calibrated parallel imaging for 3D multispectral imaging near metallic implants using broadband ultrashort echo time imaging.

PubMed

Wiens, Curtis N; Artz, Nathan S; Jang, Hyungseok; McMillan, Alan B; Reeder, Scott B

2017-06-01

To develop an externally calibrated parallel imaging technique for three-dimensional multispectral imaging (3D-MSI) in the presence of metallic implants. A fast, ultrashort echo time (UTE) calibration acquisition is proposed to enable externally calibrated parallel imaging techniques near metallic implants. The proposed calibration acquisition uses a broadband radiofrequency (RF) pulse to excite the off-resonance induced by the metallic implant, fully phase-encoded imaging to prevent in-plane distortions, and UTE to capture rapidly decaying signal. The performance of the externally calibrated parallel imaging reconstructions was assessed using phantoms and in vivo examples. Phantom and in vivo comparisons to self-calibrated parallel imaging acquisitions show that significant reductions in acquisition times can be achieved using externally calibrated parallel imaging with comparable image quality. Acquisition time reductions are particularly large for fully phase-encoded methods such as spectrally resolved fully phase-encoded three-dimensional (3D) fast spin-echo (SR-FPE), in which scan time reductions of up to 8 min were obtained. A fully phase-encoded acquisition with broadband excitation and UTE enabled externally calibrated parallel imaging for 3D-MSI, eliminating the need for repeated calibration regions at each frequency offset. Significant reductions in acquisition time can be achieved, particularly for fully phase-encoded methods like SR-FPE. Magn Reson Med 77:2303-2309, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Automated vessel segmentation using cross-correlation and pooled covariance matrix analysis.

PubMed

Du, Jiang; Karimi, Afshin; Wu, Yijing; Korosec, Frank R; Grist, Thomas M; Mistretta, Charles A

2011-04-01

Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) provides contrast dynamics in the vasculature and allows vessel segmentation based on temporal correlation analysis. Here we present an automated vessel segmentation algorithm including automated generation of regions of interest (ROIs), cross-correlation and pooled sample covariance matrix analysis. The dynamic images are divided into multiple equal-sized regions. In each region, ROIs for artery, vein and background are generated using an iterative thresholding algorithm based on the contrast arrival time map and contrast enhancement map. Region-specific multi-feature cross-correlation analysis and pooled covariance matrix analysis are performed to calculate the Mahalanobis distances (MDs), which are used to automatically separate arteries from veins. This segmentation algorithm is applied to a dual-phase dynamic imaging acquisition scheme where low-resolution time-resolved images are acquired during the dynamic phase followed by high-frequency data acquisition at the steady-state phase. The segmented low-resolution arterial and venous images are then combined with the high-frequency data in k-space and inverse Fourier transformed to form the final segmented arterial and venous images. Results from volunteer and patient studies demonstrate the advantages of this automated vessel segmentation and dual phase data acquisition technique. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Depth-resolved monitoring of analytes diffusion in ocular tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larin, Kirill V.; Ghosn, Mohamad G.; Tuchin, Valery V.

2007-02-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique with high in-depth resolution. We employed OCT technique for monitoring and quantification of analyte and drug diffusion in cornea and sclera of rabbit eyes in vitro. Different analytes and drugs such as metronidazole, dexamethasone, ciprofloxacin, mannitol, and glucose solution were studied and whose permeability coefficients were calculated. Drug diffusion monitoring was performed as a function of time and as a function of depth. Obtained results suggest that OCT technique might be used for analyte diffusion studies in connective and epithelial tissues.

A multi-analytical investigation of semi-conductor pigments with time-resolved spectroscopy and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevin, A.; Cesaratto, A.; D'Andrea, C.; Valentini, Gianluca; Comelli, D.

2013-05-01

We present the non-invasive study of historical and modern Zn- and Cd-based pigments with time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence multispectral imaging and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). Zinc oxide and Zinc sulphide are semiconductors which have been used as white pigments in paintings, and the luminescence of these pigments from trapped states is strongly dependent on the presence of impurities and crystal defects. Cadmium sulphoselenide pigments vary in hue from yellow to deep red based on their composition, and are another class of semiconductor pigments which emit both in the visible and the near infrared. The Fluorescence lifetime of historical and modern pigments has been measured using both an Optical Multichannel Analyser (OMA) coupled with a Nd:YAG nslaser, and a streak camera coupled with a ps-laser for spectrally-resolved fluorescence lifetime measurements. For Znbased pigments we have also employed Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) for the measurement of luminescence. A case study of FLIM applied to the analysis of the painting by Vincent Van Gogh on paper - "Les Bretonnes et le pardon de Pont-Aven" (1888) is presented. Through the integration of complementary, portable and non-invasive spectroscopic techniques, new insights into the optical properties of Zn- and Cd-based pigments have been gained which will inform future analysis of late 19th] and early 20th C. paintings.

High-speed digital imaging of cytosolic Ca2+ and contraction in single cardiomyocytes.

PubMed

O'Rourke, B; Reibel, D K; Thomas, A P

1990-07-01

A charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, with the capacity for simultaneous spatially resolved photon counting and rapid frame transfer, was utilized for high-speed digital image collection from an inverted epifluorescence microscope. The unique properties of the CCD detector were applied to an analysis of cell shortening and the Ca2+ transient from fluorescence images of fura-2-loaded [corrected] cardiomyocytes. On electrical stimulation of the cell, a series of sequential subimages was collected and used to create images of Ca2+ within the cell during contraction. The high photosensitivity of the camera, combined with a detector-based frame storage technique, permitted collection of fluorescence images 10 ms apart. This rate of image collection was sufficient to resolve the rapid events of contraction, e.g., the upstroke of the Ca2+ transient (less than 40 ms) and the time to peak shortening (less than 80 ms). The technique was used to examine the effects of beta-adrenoceptor activation, fura-2 load, and stimulus frequency on cytosolic Ca2+ transients and contractions of single cardiomyocytes. beta-Adrenoceptor stimulation resulted in pronounced increases in peak Ca2+, maximal rates of rise and decay of Ca2+, extent of shortening, and maximal velocities of shortening and relaxation. Raising the intracellular load of fura-2 had little effect on the rising phase of Ca2+ or the extent of shortening but extended the duration of the Ca2+ transient and contraction. In related experiments utilizing differential-interference contrast microscopy, the same technique was applied to visualize sarcomere dynamics in contracting cells. This newly developed technique is a versatile tool for analyzing the Ca2+ transient and mechanical events in studies of excitation-contraction coupling in cardiomyocytes.

Development of a ratiometric time-resolved luminescence sensor for pH based on lanthanide complexes.

PubMed

Liu, Mingjing; Ye, Zhiqiang; Xin, Chenglong; Yuan, Jingli

2013-01-25

Time-resolved luminescence bioassay technique using lanthanide complexes as luminescent probes/sensors has shown great utilities in clinical diagnostics and biotechnology discoveries. In this work, a novel terpyridine polyacid derivative that can form highly stable complexes with lanthanide ions in aqueous media, (4'-hydroxy-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine-6,6''-diyl) bis(methylenenitrilo) tetrakis(acetic acid) (HTTA), was designed and synthesized for developing time-resolved luminescence pH sensors based on its Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) complexes. The luminescence characterization results reveal that the luminescence intensity of HTTA-Eu(3+) is strongly dependent on the pH values in weakly acidic to neutral media (pK(a) = 5.8, pH 4.8-7.5), while that of HTTA-Tb(3+) is pH-independent. This unique luminescence response allows the mixture of HTTA-Eu(3+) and HTTA-Tb(3+) (the HTTA-Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) mixture) to be used as a ratiometric luminescence sensor for the time-resolved luminescence detection of pH with the intensity ratio of its Tb(3+) emission at 540 nm to its Eu(3+) emission at 610 nm, I(540 nm)/I(610 nm), as a signal. Moreover, the UV absorption spectrum changes of the HTTA-Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) mixture at different pHs (pH 4.0-7.0) also display a ratiometric response to the pH changes with the ratio of absorbance at 290 nm to that at 325 nm, A(290 nm)/A(325 nm), as a signal. This feature enables the HTTA-Eu(3+)/Tb(3+) mixture to have an additional function for the pH detection with the absorption spectrometry technique. For loading the complexes into the living cells, the acetoxymethyl ester of HTTA was synthesized and used for loading HTTA-Eu(3+) and HTTA-Tb(3+) into the cultured HeLa cells. The luminescence imaging results demonstrated the practical utility of the new sensor for the time-resolved luminescence cell imaging application. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanosecond Time-Resolved Microscopic Gate-Modulation Imaging of Polycrystalline Organic Thin-Film Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuoka, Satoshi; Tsutsumi, Jun'ya; Matsui, Hiroyuki; Kamata, Toshihide; Hasegawa, Tatsuo

2018-02-01

We develop a time-resolved microscopic gate-modulation (μ GM ) imaging technique to investigate the temporal evolution of the channel current and accumulated charges in polycrystalline pentacene thin-film transistors (TFTs). A time resolution of as high as 50 ns is achieved by using a fast image-intensifier system that could amplify a series of instantaneous optical microscopic images acquired at various time intervals after the stepped gate bias is switched on. The differential images obtained by subtracting the gate-off image allows us to acquire a series of temporal μ GM images that clearly show the gradual propagation of both channel charges and leaked gate fields within the polycrystalline channel layers. The frontal positions for the propagations of both channel charges and leaked gate fields coincide at all the time intervals, demonstrating that the layered gate dielectric capacitors are successively transversely charged up along the direction of current propagation. The initial μ GM images also indicate that the electric field effect is originally concentrated around a limited area with a width of a few micrometers bordering the channel-electrode interface, and that the field intensity reaches a maximum after 200 ns and then decays. The time required for charge propagation over the whole channel region with a length of 100 μ m is estimated at about 900 ns, which is consistent with the measured field-effect mobility and the temporal-response model for organic TFTs. The effect of grain boundaries can be also visualized by comparison of the μ GM images for the transient and the steady states, which confirms that the potential barriers at the grain boundaries cause the transient shift in the accumulated charges or the transient accumulation of additional charges around the grain boundaries.

Time-resolved Fast Neutron Radiography of Air-water Two-phase Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zboray, Robert; Dangendorf, Volker; Mor, Ilan; Tittelmeier, Kai; Bromberger, Benjamin; Prasser, Horst-Michael

Neutron imaging, in general, is a useful technique for visualizing low-Z materials (such as water or plastics) obscured by high-Z materials. However, when significant amounts of both materials are present and full-bodied samples have to be examined, cold and thermal neutrons rapidly reach their applicability limit as the samples become opaque. In such cases one can benefit from the high penetrating power of fast neutrons. In this work we demonstrate the feasibility of time-resolved, fast neutron radiography of generic air-water two-phase flows in a 1.5 cm thick flow channel with Aluminum walls and rectangular cross section. The experiments have been carried out at the high-intensity, white-beam facility of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany. Exposure times down to 3.33 ms have been achieved at reasonable image quality and acceptable motion artifacts. Different two-phase flow regimes such as bubbly slug and churn flows have been examined. Two-phase flow parameters like the volumetric gas fraction, bubble size and bubble velocities have been measured.

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

Smith, Jesse S.; Sinogeikin, Stanislav V.; Lin, Chuanlong

Complementary advances in high pressure research apparatus and techniques make it possible to carry out time-resolved high pressure research using what would customarily be considered static high pressure apparatus. This work specifically explores time-resolved high pressure x-ray diffraction with rapid compression and/or decompression of a sample in a diamond anvil cell. Key aspects of the synchrotron beamline and ancillary equipment are presented, including source considerations, rapid (de)compression apparatus, high frequency imaging detectors, and software suitable for processing large volumes of data. A number of examples are presented, including fast equation of state measurements, compression rate dependent synthesis of metastable statesmore » in silicon and germanium, and ultrahigh compression rates using a piezoelectric driven diamond anvil cell.« less

Time-resolved fluorescence monitoring of cholesterol in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinakova, Z.; Horilova, J.; Lajdova, I.; Marcek Chorvatova, A.

2014-12-01

Precise evaluation of intracellular cholesterol distribution is crucial for improving diagnostics of diseased states associated with cholesterol alteration. Time-resolved fluorescence techniques are tested for non-invasive investigation of cholesterol in living cells. Fluorescent probe NBD attached to cholesterol was employed to evaluate cholesterol distribution in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from the human blood. Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) was successfully applied to simultaneously monitor the spatial distribution and the timeresolved characteristics of the NBD-cholesterol fluorescence in PBMC. Gathered data are the first step in the development of a new perspective non-invasive diagnostic method for evaluation of cholesterol modifications in diseases associated with disorders of lipid metabolism.

Freezing Behavior of a Supercooled Water Droplet Impacting on Surface Using Dual-Luminescent Imaging Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Mio; Morita, Katsuaki; Yamamoto, Makoto; Sakaue, Hirotaka

2015-11-01

A collision of a supercooled-water droplet on an object creates ice accretion on its surface. These icing problems can be seen in any cold environments and may lead to severe damages on aircrafts, ships, power cables, trees, road signs, and architectures. To solve these problems, various studies on ice-prevention and ice-prediction techniques have been conducted. It is very important to know the detail freezing mechanism of supercooled water droplets to propose or improve those techniques. The icing mechanism of a single supercooled-water droplet impacting on object surface would give us great insights for constructing those techniques. In the present study, we use a dual-luminescent imaging technique to measure the time-resolved temperatures of a supercooled water droplet impacting with different speed. The technique we applied consists of high-speed color camera and two luminescent probes. We will report the current status of this experiment in the presentation.

Optimization and comprehensive characterization of metal hydride based hydrogen storage systems using in-situ Neutron Radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Börries, S.; Metz, O.; Pranzas, P. K.; Bellosta von Colbe, J. M.; Bücherl, T.; Dornheim, M.; Klassen, T.; Schreyer, A.

2016-10-01

For the storage of hydrogen, complex metal hydrides are considered as highly promising with respect to capacity, reversibility and safety. The optimization of corresponding storage tanks demands a precise and time-resolved investigation of the hydrogen distribution in scaled-up metal hydride beds. In this study it is shown that in situ fission Neutron Radiography provides unique insights into the spatial distribution of hydrogen even for scaled-up compacts and therewith enables a direct study of hydrogen storage tanks. A technique is introduced for the precise quantification of both time-resolved data and a priori material distribution, allowing inter alia for an optimization of compacts manufacturing process. For the first time, several macroscopic fields are combined which elucidates the great potential of Neutron Imaging for investigations of metal hydrides by going further than solely 'imaging' the system: A combination of in-situ Neutron Radiography, IR-Thermography and thermodynamic quantities can reveal the interdependency of different driving forces for a scaled-up sodium alanate pellet by means of a multi-correlation analysis. A decisive and time-resolved, complex influence of material packing density is derived. The results of this study enable a variety of new investigation possibilities that provide essential information on the optimization of future hydrogen storage tanks.

Method for accurate registration of tissue autofluorescence imaging data with corresponding histology: a means for enhanced tumor margin assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unger, Jakob; Sun, Tianchen; Chen, Yi-Ling; Phipps, Jennifer E.; Bold, Richard J.; Darrow, Morgan A.; Ma, Kwan-Liu; Marcu, Laura

2018-01-01

An important step in establishing the diagnostic potential for emerging optical imaging techniques is accurate registration between imaging data and the corresponding tissue histopathology typically used as gold standard in clinical diagnostics. We present a method to precisely register data acquired with a point-scanning spectroscopic imaging technique from fresh surgical tissue specimen blocks with corresponding histological sections. Using a visible aiming beam to augment point-scanning multispectral time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy on video images, we evaluate two different markers for the registration with histology: fiducial markers using a 405-nm CW laser and the tissue block's outer shape characteristics. We compare the registration performance with benchmark methods using either the fiducial markers or the outer shape characteristics alone to a hybrid method using both feature types. The hybrid method was found to perform best reaching an average error of 0.78±0.67 mm. This method provides a profound framework to validate diagnostical abilities of optical fiber-based techniques and furthermore enables the application of supervised machine learning techniques to automate tissue characterization.

Photon-assisted electron energy loss spectroscopy and ultrafast imaging.

PubMed

Howie, Archie

2009-08-01

A variety of ways is described in which photons can be used not only for ultrafast electron microscopy but also to enormously widen the energy range of spatially-resolved electron spectroscopy. Periodic chains of femtosecond laser pulses are a particularly important and accurately timed source for single-shot imaging and diffraction as well as for several forms of pump-probe microscopy at even higher spatial resolution and sub-picosecond timing. Many exciting new fields are opened up for study by these developments. Ultrafast, single shot diffraction with intense pulses of X-rays supplemented by phase retrieval techniques may eventually offer a challenging alternative and purely photon-based route to dynamic imaging at high spatial resolution.

Lensless Photoluminescence Hyperspectral Camera Employing Random Speckle Patterns.

PubMed

Žídek, Karel; Denk, Ondřej; Hlubuček, Jiří

2017-11-10

We propose and demonstrate a spectrally-resolved photoluminescence imaging setup based on the so-called single pixel camera - a technique of compressive sensing, which enables imaging by using a single-pixel photodetector. The method relies on encoding an image by a series of random patterns. In our approach, the image encoding was maintained via laser speckle patterns generated by an excitation laser beam scattered on a diffusor. By using a spectrometer as the single-pixel detector we attained a realization of a spectrally-resolved photoluminescence camera with unmatched simplicity. We present reconstructed hyperspectral images of several model scenes. We also discuss parameters affecting the imaging quality, such as the correlation degree of speckle patterns, pattern fineness, and number of datapoints. Finally, we compare the presented technique to hyperspectral imaging using sample scanning. The presented method enables photoluminescence imaging for a broad range of coherent excitation sources and detection spectral areas.

Time resolved optical biopsy spectroscopy of normal, benign and malignant tissues from NADH and FAD changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masilamani, V.; Das, B. B.; Secor, J.; AlSalhi, M.; Amer, S. B.; Farhat, K.; Rabah, D.; Alfano, R. R.

2012-01-01

Histo pathological examination is the gold standard to discriminate between benign and malignant growth of tissue. But this is invasive and stressful. Hence many non invasive imaging techniques, such as CT, MRI, PET, etc are employed, each having certain advantages and disadvantages. In this context optical biopsy is a newly emerging technique, since it employs non-ionizing radiation like light or laser, which could be shined directly or launched through optical fiber to reach any part of the body. This paper reports results of time resolved emission spectra of 24 excised tissue sample (normal control=12; benign=4; malignant=8) of breast and prostate, employing a 390nm, 100 fs, Ti-Sapphire laser pulses. The fluorescence decay times were measured using streak camera and fitted for single and bi- exponential decays with reliability of 97%. Our results show the distinct difference between normal, benign and malignant tissues attributed changes of NADH and FAD levels.

Dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography images transit time and quantifies microvascular plasma volume and flow in the retina and choriocapillaris

PubMed Central

Merkle, Conrad W.; Leahy, Conor; Srinivasan, Vivek J.

2016-01-01

Despite the prevalence of optical imaging techniques to measure hemodynamics in large retinal vessels, quantitative measurements of retinal capillary and choroidal hemodynamics have traditionally been challenging. Here, a new imaging technique called dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography (DyC-OCT) is applied in the rat eye to study microvascular blood flow in individual retinal and choroidal layers in vivo. DyC-OCT is based on imaging the transit of an intravascular tracer dynamically as it passes through the field-of-view. Hemodynamic parameters can be determined through quantitative analysis of tracer kinetics. In addition to enabling depth-resolved transit time, volume, and flow measurements, the injected tracer also enhances OCT angiograms and enables clear visualization of the choriocapillaris, particularly when combined with a post-processing method for vessel enhancement. DyC-OCT complements conventional OCT angiography through quantification of tracer dynamics, similar to fluorescence angiography, but with the important added benefit of laminar resolution. PMID:27867732

Dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography images transit time and quantifies microvascular plasma volume and flow in the retina and choriocapillaris.

PubMed

Merkle, Conrad W; Leahy, Conor; Srinivasan, Vivek J

2016-10-01

Despite the prevalence of optical imaging techniques to measure hemodynamics in large retinal vessels, quantitative measurements of retinal capillary and choroidal hemodynamics have traditionally been challenging. Here, a new imaging technique called dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography (DyC-OCT) is applied in the rat eye to study microvascular blood flow in individual retinal and choroidal layers in vivo . DyC-OCT is based on imaging the transit of an intravascular tracer dynamically as it passes through the field-of-view. Hemodynamic parameters can be determined through quantitative analysis of tracer kinetics. In addition to enabling depth-resolved transit time, volume, and flow measurements, the injected tracer also enhances OCT angiograms and enables clear visualization of the choriocapillaris, particularly when combined with a post-processing method for vessel enhancement. DyC-OCT complements conventional OCT angiography through quantification of tracer dynamics, similar to fluorescence angiography, but with the important added benefit of laminar resolution.

Time-Resolved and Spectroscopic Three-Dimensional Optical Breast Tomography

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

polarization sensitive imaging 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON R. R...project; • Development of a near-infrared center of intensity time gated imaging approach; and • Polarization sensitive imaging. We provide an...spectroscopic imaging arrangement, and a multi-source illumination and multi- detector signal acquisition arrangement. 5 5.1.1. Time-resolved transillumination

Spatially resolved and time-resolved imaging of transport of indirect excitons in high magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorow, C. J.; Hasling, M. W.; Calman, E. V.; Butov, L. V.; Wilkes, J.; Campman, K. L.; Gossard, A. C.

2017-06-01

We present the direct measurements of magnetoexciton transport. Excitons give the opportunity to realize the high magnetic-field regime for composite bosons with magnetic fields of a few tesla. Long lifetimes of indirect excitons allow the study of kinetics of magnetoexciton transport with time-resolved optical imaging of exciton photoluminescence. We performed spatially, spectrally, and time-resolved optical imaging of transport of indirect excitons in high magnetic fields. We observed that an increasing magnetic field slows down magnetoexciton transport. The time-resolved measurements of the magnetoexciton transport distance allowed for an experimental estimation of the magnetoexciton diffusion coefficient. An enhancement of the exciton photoluminescence energy at the laser excitation spot was found to anticorrelate with the exciton transport distance. A theoretical model of indirect magnetoexciton transport is presented and is in agreement with the experimental data.

Ultrahigh sensitive optical microangiography reveals depth-resolved microcirculation and its longitudinal response to prolonged ischemic event within skeletal muscles in mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yali; Qin, Jia; Zhi, Zhongwei; Wang, Ruikang K.

2011-08-01

The primary pathophysiology of peripheral arterial disease is associated with impaired perfusion to the muscle tissue in the lower extremities. The lack of effective pharmacologic treatments that stimulate vessel collateralization emphasizes the need for an imaging method that can be used to dynamically visualize depth-resolved microcirculation within muscle tissues. Optical microangiography (OMAG) is a recently developed label-free imaging method capable of producing three-dimensional images of dynamic blood perfusion within microcirculatory tissue beds at an imaging depth of up to ~2 mm, with an unprecedented imaging sensitivity of blood flow at ~4 μm/s. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of OMAG in imaging the detailed blood flow distributions, at a capillary-level resolution, within skeletal muscles of mice. By use of the mouse model of hind-limb ischemia, we show that OMAG can assess the time-dependent changes in muscle perfusion and perfusion restoration along tissue depth. These findings indicate that OMAG can represent a sensitive, consistent technique to effectively study pharmacologic therapies aimed at promoting the growth and development of collateral vessels.

Resolving z ~2 galaxy using adaptive coadded source plane reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Soniya; Richard, Johan; Kewley, Lisa; Yuan, Tiantian

2018-06-01

Natural magnification provided by gravitational lensing coupled with Integral field spectrographic observations (IFS) and adaptive optics (AO) imaging techniques have become the frontier of spatially resolved studies of high redshift galaxies (z>1). Mass models of gravitational lenses hold the key for understanding the spatially resolved source–plane (unlensed) physical properties of the background lensed galaxies. Lensing mass models very sensitively control the accuracy and precision of source-plane reconstructions of the observed lensed arcs. Effective source-plane resolution defined by image-plane (observed) point spread function (PSF) makes it challenging to recover the unlensed (source-plane) surface brightness distribution.We conduct a detailed study to recover the source-plane physical properties of z=2 lensed galaxy using spatially resolved observations from two different multiple images of the lensed target. To deal with PSF’s from two data sets on different multiple images of the galaxy, we employ a forward (Source to Image) approach to merge these independent observations. Using our novel technique, we are able to present a detailed analysis of the source-plane dynamics at scales much better than previously attainable through traditional image inversion methods. Moreover, our technique is adapted to magnification, thus allowing us to achieve higher resolution in highly magnified regions of the source. We find that this lensed system is highly evident of a minor merger. In my talk, I present this case study of z=2 lensed galaxy and also discuss the applications of our algorithm to study plethora of lensed systems, which will be available through future telescopes like JWST and GMT.

Multiwavelength FLIM: new applications and algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rück, A.; Strat, D.; Dolp, F.; von Einem, B.; von Arnim, C. A. F.

2011-03-01

The combination of time-resolved and spectral resolved techniques as achieved by SLIM (spectrally resolved fluorescence lifetime imaging) improves the analysis of complex situations, when different fluorophores have to be distinguished. This could be the case when endogenous fluorophores of living cells and tissues are observed to identify the redox state and oxidative metabolic changes of the mitochondria. Other examples are FRET (resonant energy transfer) measurements, when different donor/acceptor pairs are observed simultaneously. SLIM is working in the time domain employing excitation with short light pulses and detection of the fluorescence intensity decay in many cases with time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). Spectral resolved detection is achieved by a polychromator in the detection path and a 16-channel multianode photomultiplier tube with the appropriate routing electronics. Within this paper special attention will be focused on FRET measurements with respect to protein interactions in Alzheimers disease. Using global analysis as the phasor plot approach or integration of the kinetic equations taking into account the multidimensional datasets in every spectral channel we could demonstrate considerable improvement of our calculations.

3D-resolved fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime imaging using temporal focusing wide-field two-photon excitation

PubMed Central

Choi, Heejin; Tzeranis, Dimitrios S.; Cha, Jae Won; Clémenceau, Philippe; de Jong, Sander J. G.; van Geest, Lambertus K.; Moon, Joong Ho; Yannas, Ioannis V.; So, Peter T. C.

2012-01-01

Fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime imaging are powerful techniques for studying intracellular protein interactions and for diagnosing tissue pathophysiology. While lifetime-resolved microscopy has long been in the repertoire of the biophotonics community, current implementations fall short in terms of simultaneously providing 3D resolution, high throughput, and good tissue penetration. This report describes a new highly efficient lifetime-resolved imaging method that combines temporal focusing wide-field multiphoton excitation and simultaneous acquisition of lifetime information in frequency domain using a nanosecond gated imager from a 3D-resolved plane. This approach is scalable allowing fast volumetric imaging limited only by the available laser peak power. The accuracy and performance of the proposed method is demonstrated in several imaging studies important for understanding peripheral nerve regeneration processes. Most importantly, the parallelism of this approach may enhance the imaging speed of long lifetime processes such as phosphorescence by several orders of magnitude. PMID:23187477

Surface NMR imaging with simultaneously energized transmission loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irons, T. P.; Kass, A.; Parsekian, A.

2016-12-01

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (sNMR) is a unique geophysical technique which allows for the direct detection of liquid-phase water. In saturated media the sNMR response also provides estimates of hydrologic properties including porosity and permeability. The most common survey deployment consists of a single coincident loop performing both transmission and receiving. Because the sNMR method is relatively slow, tomography using coincident loops is time-intensive. Surveys using multiple receiver loops (but a single transmitter) provide additional sensitivity; however, they still require iterating transmission over the loops, and do not decrease survey acquisition time. In medical rotating frame imaging, arrays of transmitters are employed in order to decrease acquisition time, whilst optimizing image resolving power-a concept which we extend to earth's field imaging. Using simultaneously energized transmission loops decreases survey time linearly with the number of channels. To demonstrate the efficacy and benefits of multiple transmission loops, we deployed simultaneous sNMR transmission arrays using minimally coupled loops and a specially modified instrument at the Red Buttes Hydrogeophysics Experiment Site-a well-characterized location near Laramie, Wyoming. The proposed survey proved capable of acquiring multiple-channel imaging data with comparable noise levels to figure-eight configurations. Finally, the channels can be combined after acquisition or inverted simultaneously to provide composite datasets and images. This capability leverages the improved near surface resolving power of small loops but retains sensitivity to deep media through the use of synthetic aperature receivers. As such, simultaneously acquired loop arrays provide a great deal of flexibility.

An efficient and accurate approach to MTE-MART for time-resolved tomographic PIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynch, K. P.; Scarano, F.

2015-03-01

The motion-tracking-enhanced MART (MTE-MART; Novara et al. in Meas Sci Technol 21:035401, 2010) has demonstrated the potential to increase the accuracy of tomographic PIV by the combined use of a short sequence of non-simultaneous recordings. A clear bottleneck of the MTE-MART technique has been its computational cost. For large datasets comprising time-resolved sequences, MTE-MART becomes unaffordable and has been barely applied even for the analysis of densely seeded tomographic PIV datasets. A novel implementation is proposed for tomographic PIV image sequences, which strongly reduces the computational burden of MTE-MART, possibly below that of regular MART. The method is a sequential algorithm that produces a time-marching estimation of the object intensity field based on an enhanced guess, which is built upon the object reconstructed at the previous time instant. As the method becomes effective after a number of snapshots (typically 5-10), the sequential MTE-MART (SMTE) is most suited for time-resolved sequences. The computational cost reduction due to SMTE simply stems from the fewer MART iterations required for each time instant. Moreover, the method yields superior reconstruction quality and higher velocity field measurement precision when compared with both MART and MTE-MART. The working principle is assessed in terms of computational effort, reconstruction quality and velocity field accuracy with both synthetic time-resolved tomographic images of a turbulent boundary layer and two experimental databases documented in the literature. The first is the time-resolved data of flow past an airfoil trailing edge used in the study of Novara and Scarano (Exp Fluids 52:1027-1041, 2012); the second is a swirling jet in a water flow. In both cases, the effective elimination of ghost particles is demonstrated in number and intensity within a short temporal transient of 5-10 frames, depending on the seeding density. The increased value of the velocity space-time correlation coefficient demonstrates the increased velocity field accuracy of SMTE compared with MART.

Reduction of time-resolved space-based CCD photometry developed for MOST Fabry Imaging data*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reegen, P.; Kallinger, T.; Frast, D.; Gruberbauer, M.; Huber, D.; Matthews, J. M.; Punz, D.; Schraml, S.; Weiss, W. W.; Kuschnig, R.; Moffat, A. F. J.; Walker, G. A. H.; Guenther, D. B.; Rucinski, S. M.; Sasselov, D.

2006-04-01

The MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars) satellite obtains ultraprecise photometry from space with high sampling rates and duty cycles. Astronomical photometry or imaging missions in low Earth orbits, like MOST, are especially sensitive to scattered light from Earthshine, and all these missions have a common need to extract target information from voluminous data cubes. They consist of upwards of hundreds of thousands of two-dimensional CCD frames (or subrasters) containing from hundreds to millions of pixels each, where the target information, superposed on background and instrumental effects, is contained only in a subset of pixels (Fabry Images, defocused images, mini-spectra). We describe a novel reduction technique for such data cubes: resolving linear correlations of target and background pixel intensities. This step-wise multiple linear regression removes only those target variations which are also detected in the background. The advantage of regression analysis versus background subtraction is the appropriate scaling, taking into account that the amount of contamination may differ from pixel to pixel. The multivariate solution for all pairs of target/background pixels is minimally invasive of the raw photometry while being very effective in reducing contamination due to, e.g. stray light. The technique is tested and demonstrated with both simulated oscillation signals and real MOST photometry.

Contrast-enhanced time-resolved 4D MRA of congenital heart and vessel anomalies: image quality and diagnostic value compared with 3D MRA.

PubMed

Vogt, Florian M; Theysohn, Jens M; Michna, Dariusz; Hunold, Peter; Neudorf, Ulrich; Kinner, Sonja; Barkhausen, Jörg; Quick, Harald H

2013-09-01

To evaluate time-resolved interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST) contrast-enhanced 4D magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and compare it with 3D FLASH MRA in patients with congenital heart and vessel anomalies. Twenty-six patients with congenital heart and vessel anomalies underwent contrast-enhanced MRA with both 3D FLASH and 4D TWIST MRA. Images were subjectively evaluated regarding total image quality, artefacts, diagnostic value and added diagnostic value of 4D dynamic imaging. Quantitative comparison included signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and vessel sharpness measurements. Three-dimensional FLASH MRA was judged to be significantly better in terms of image quality (4.0 ± 0.6 vs 3.4 ± 0.6, P < 0.05) and artefacts (3.8 ± 0.4 vs 3.3 ± 0.5, P < 0.05); no difference in diagnostic value was found (4.2 ± 0.4 vs 4.0 ± 0.4); important additional functional information was found in 21/26 patients. SNR and CNR were higher in the pulmonary trunk in 4D TWIST, but slightly higher in the systemic arteries in 3D FLASH. No difference in vessel sharpness delineation was found. Although image quality was inferior compared with 3D FLASH MRA, 4D TWIST MRA yields robust images and added diagnostic value through dynamic acquisition was found. Thus, 4D TWIST MRA is an attractive alternative to 3D FLASH MRA. • New magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques are increasingly introduced for congenital cardiovascular problems. • Time-resolved angiography with interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST) is an example. • Four-dimensional TWIST MRA provided inferior image quality compared to 3D FLASH MRA but without significant difference in vessel sharpness. • Four-dimensional TWIST MRA gave added diagnostic value.

Qualitative analysis of the elliptical centric technique and the TRICKS technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Kyung-Rae; Goo, Eun-Hoe; Lee, Jae-Seung; Chung, Woon-Kwan

2013-02-01

This study evaluated the usefulness of time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and elliptical centric MRA according to the type of cerebral disease. From February 2010 to January 2012, elliptical centric MRA and TRICKS MRA images were acquired from 50 normal individuals and 50 patients with cerebral diseases by using 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. The images were analyzed qualitatively by examining areas such as the presence or absence of artifacts on the images, the distinctness of boundaries of blood vessels, accurate representation of the lesions, and the subtraction level. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction rate, negative prediction rate and accuracy were assessed by comparing the diagnostic efficacy of the two techniques. The results revealed TRICKS MRA to have superior image quality to elliptical centric MRA. Regarding each disease, TRICKS MRA showed higher diagnostic efficacy for artery venous malformation (AVM) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass patients whereas elliptical centric MRA was more suitable for patients with brain tumors, cerebral infarction, cerebral stenosis or sinus mass.

Simultaneous CARS and Interferometric Rayleigh Scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bivolaru, Daniel; Danehy, Paul M.; Grinstead, Keith D., Jr.; Tedder, Sarah; Cutler, Andrew D.

2006-01-01

This paper reports for the first time the combination of a dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering system with an interferometric Rayleigh scattering system (CARS - IRS) to provide time-resolved simultaneous measurement of multiple properties in combustion flows. The system uses spectrally narrow green (seeded Nd:YAG at 532 nm) and yellow (552.9 nm) pump beams and a spectrally-broad red (607 nm) beam as the Stokes beam. A spectrometer and a planar Fabry-Perot interferometer used in the imaging mode are used to record the spectrally broad CARS spectra and the spontaneous Rayleigh scattering spectra, respectively. Time-resolved simultaneous measurement of temperature, absolute mole fractions of N2, O2, and H2, and two components of velocity in a Hencken burner flame were performed to demonstrate the technique.

Time-resolved multi-mass ion imaging: Femtosecond UV-VUV pump-probe spectroscopy with the PImMS camera.

PubMed

Forbes, Ruaridh; Makhija, Varun; Veyrinas, Kévin; Stolow, Albert; Lee, Jason W L; Burt, Michael; Brouard, Mark; Vallance, Claire; Wilkinson, Iain; Lausten, Rune; Hockett, Paul

2017-07-07

The Pixel-Imaging Mass Spectrometry (PImMS) camera allows for 3D charged particle imaging measurements, in which the particle time-of-flight is recorded along with (x, y) position. Coupling the PImMS camera to an ultrafast pump-probe velocity-map imaging spectroscopy apparatus therefore provides a route to time-resolved multi-mass ion imaging, with both high count rates and large dynamic range, thus allowing for rapid measurements of complex photofragmentation dynamics. Furthermore, the use of vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths for the probe pulse allows for an enhanced observation window for the study of excited state molecular dynamics in small polyatomic molecules having relatively high ionization potentials. Herein, preliminary time-resolved multi-mass imaging results from C 2 F 3 I photolysis are presented. The experiments utilized femtosecond VUV and UV (160.8 nm and 267 nm) pump and probe laser pulses in order to demonstrate and explore this new time-resolved experimental ion imaging configuration. The data indicate the depth and power of this measurement modality, with a range of photofragments readily observed, and many indications of complex underlying wavepacket dynamics on the excited state(s) prepared.

Non-contact measurement of partial gas pressure and distribution of elemental composition using energy-resolved neutron imaging

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

Tremsin, A. S.; Losko, A. S.; Vogel, S. C.

Neutron resonance absorption imaging is a non-destructive technique that can characterize the elemental composition of a sample by measuring nuclear resonances in the spectrum of a transmitted beam. Recent developments in pixelated time-of-flight imaging detectors coupled with pulsed neutron sources pose new opportunities for energy-resolved imaging. In this paper we demonstrate non-contact measurements of the partial pressure of xenon and krypton gases encapsulated in a steel pipe while simultaneously passing the neutron beam through high-Z materials. The configuration was chosen as a proof of principle demonstration of the potential to make non-destructive measurement of gas composition in nuclear fuel rods.more » The pressure measured from neutron transmission spectra (~739 ± 98 kPa and ~751 ± 154 kPa for two Xe resonances) is in relatively good agreement with the pressure value of ~758 ± 21 kPa measured by a pressure gauge. This type of imaging has been performed previously for solids with a spatial resolution of ~ 100 μm. In the present study it is demonstrated that the high penetration capability of epithermal neutrons enables quantitative mapping of gases encapsulate within high-Z materials such as steel, tungsten, urania and others. This technique may be beneficial for the non-destructive testing of bulk composition of objects (such as spent nuclear fuel assemblies and others) containing various elements opaque to other more conventional imaging techniques. As a result, the ability to image the gaseous substances concealed within solid materials also allows non-destructive leak testing of various containers and ultimately measurement of gas partial pressures with sub-mm spatial resolution.« less

Non-contact measurement of partial gas pressure and distribution of elemental composition using energy-resolved neutron imaging

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, A. S.; Losko, A. S.; Vogel, S. C.; ...

2017-01-31

Neutron resonance absorption imaging is a non-destructive technique that can characterize the elemental composition of a sample by measuring nuclear resonances in the spectrum of a transmitted beam. Recent developments in pixelated time-of-flight imaging detectors coupled with pulsed neutron sources pose new opportunities for energy-resolved imaging. In this paper we demonstrate non-contact measurements of the partial pressure of xenon and krypton gases encapsulated in a steel pipe while simultaneously passing the neutron beam through high-Z materials. The configuration was chosen as a proof of principle demonstration of the potential to make non-destructive measurement of gas composition in nuclear fuel rods.more » The pressure measured from neutron transmission spectra (~739 ± 98 kPa and ~751 ± 154 kPa for two Xe resonances) is in relatively good agreement with the pressure value of ~758 ± 21 kPa measured by a pressure gauge. This type of imaging has been performed previously for solids with a spatial resolution of ~ 100 μm. In the present study it is demonstrated that the high penetration capability of epithermal neutrons enables quantitative mapping of gases encapsulate within high-Z materials such as steel, tungsten, urania and others. This technique may be beneficial for the non-destructive testing of bulk composition of objects (such as spent nuclear fuel assemblies and others) containing various elements opaque to other more conventional imaging techniques. As a result, the ability to image the gaseous substances concealed within solid materials also allows non-destructive leak testing of various containers and ultimately measurement of gas partial pressures with sub-mm spatial resolution.« less

Non-contact measurement of partial gas pressure and distribution of elemental composition using energy-resolved neutron imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, A. S.; Losko, A. S.; Vogel, S. C.; Byler, D. D.; McClellan, K. J.; Bourke, M. A. M.; Vallerga, J. V.

2017-01-01

Neutron resonance absorption imaging is a non-destructive technique that can characterize the elemental composition of a sample by measuring nuclear resonances in the spectrum of a transmitted beam. Recent developments in pixelated time-of-flight imaging detectors coupled with pulsed neutron sources pose new opportunities for energy-resolved imaging. In this paper we demonstrate non-contact measurements of the partial pressure of xenon and krypton gases encapsulated in a steel pipe while simultaneously passing the neutron beam through high-Z materials. The configuration was chosen as a proof of principle demonstration of the potential to make non-destructive measurement of gas composition in nuclear fuel rods. The pressure measured from neutron transmission spectra (˜739 ± 98 kPa and ˜751 ± 154 kPa for two Xe resonances) is in relatively good agreement with the pressure value of ˜758 ± 21 kPa measured by a pressure gauge. This type of imaging has been performed previously for solids with a spatial resolution of ˜ 100 μm. In the present study it is demonstrated that the high penetration capability of epithermal neutrons enables quantitative mapping of gases encapsulate within high-Z materials such as steel, tungsten, urania and others. This technique may be beneficial for the non-destructive testing of bulk composition of objects (such as spent nuclear fuel assemblies and others) containing various elements opaque to other more conventional imaging techniques. The ability to image the gaseous substances concealed within solid materials also allows non-destructive leak testing of various containers and ultimately measurement of gas partial pressures with sub-mm spatial resolution.

Fast, deep record length, time-resolved visible spectroscopy of plasmas using fiber grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockington, Samuel; Case, Andrew; Cruz, Edward; Witherspoon, F. Douglas; Horton, Robert; Klauser, Ruth; Hwang, D. Q.

2016-10-01

HyperV Technologies is developing a fiber-coupled, deep-record-length, low-light camera head for performing high time resolution spectroscopy on visible emission from plasma events. New solid-state Silicon Photo-Multiplier (SiPM) chips are capable of single photon event detection and high speed data acquisition. By coupling the output of a spectrometer to an imaging fiber bundle connected to a bank of amplified SiPMs, time-resolved spectroscopic imagers of 100 to 1,000 pixels can be constructed. Target pixel performance is 10 Megaframes/sec with record lengths of up to 256,000 frames yielding 25.6 milliseconds of record at10 Megasamples/sec resolution. Pixel resolutions of 8 to 12 bits are pos- sible. Pixel pitch can be refined by using grids of 100 μm to 1000 μm diameter fibers. A prototype 32-pixel spectroscopic imager employing this technique was constructed and successfully tested at the University of California at Davis Compact Toroid Injection Experiment (CTIX) as a full demonstration of the concept. Experimental results will be dis-cussed, along with future plans for the Phase 2 project, and potential applications to plasma experiments . Work supported by USDOE SBIR Grant DE-SC0013801.

Examination of laser microbeam cell lysis in a PDMS microfluidic channel using time-resolved imaging

PubMed Central

Quinto-Su, Pedro A.; Lai, Hsuan-Hong; Yoon, Helen H.; Sims, Christopher E.; Allbritton, Nancy L.; Venugopalan, Vasan

2008-01-01

We use time-resolved imaging to examine the lysis dynamics of non-adherent BAF-3 cells within a microfluidic channel produced by the delivery of single highly-focused 540 ps duration laser pulses at λ = 532 nm. Time-resolved bright-field images reveal that the delivery of the pulsed laser microbeam results in the formation of a laser-induced plasma followed by shock wave emission and cavitation bubble formation. The confinement offered by the microfluidic channel constrains substantially the cavitation bubble expansion and results in significant deformation of the PDMS channel walls. To examine the cell lysis and dispersal of the cellular contents, we acquire time-resolved fluorescence images of the process in which the cells were loaded with a fluorescent dye. These fluorescence images reveal cell lysis to occur on the nanosecond to microsecond time scale by the plasma formation and cavitation bubble dynamics. Moreover, the time-resolved fluorescence images show that while the cellular contents are dispersed by the expansion of the laser-induced cavitation bubble, the flow associated with the bubble collapse subsequently re-localizes the cellular contents to a small region. This capacity of pulsed laser microbeam irradiation to achieve rapid cell lysis in microfluidic channels with minimal dilution of the cellular contents has important implications for their use in lab-on-a-chip applications. PMID:18305858

Fast, label-free super-resolution live-cell imaging using rotating coherent scattering (ROCS) microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jünger, Felix; Olshausen, Philipp V.; Rohrbach, Alexander

2016-07-01

Living cells are highly dynamic systems with cellular structures being often below the optical resolution limit. Super-resolution microscopes, usually based on fluorescence cell labelling, are usually too slow to resolve small, dynamic structures. We present a label-free microscopy technique, which can generate thousands of super-resolved, high contrast images at a frame rate of 100 Hertz and without any post-processing. The technique is based on oblique sample illumination with coherent light, an approach believed to be not applicable in life sciences because of too many interference artefacts. However, by circulating an incident laser beam by 360° during one image acquisition, relevant image information is amplified. By combining total internal reflection illumination with dark-field detection, structures as small as 150 nm become separable through local destructive interferences. The technique images local changes in refractive index through scattered laser light and is applied to living mouse macrophages and helical bacteria revealing unexpected dynamic processes.

Fast, label-free super-resolution live-cell imaging using rotating coherent scattering (ROCS) microscopy

PubMed Central

Jünger, Felix; Olshausen, Philipp v.; Rohrbach, Alexander

2016-01-01

Living cells are highly dynamic systems with cellular structures being often below the optical resolution limit. Super-resolution microscopes, usually based on fluorescence cell labelling, are usually too slow to resolve small, dynamic structures. We present a label-free microscopy technique, which can generate thousands of super-resolved, high contrast images at a frame rate of 100 Hertz and without any post-processing. The technique is based on oblique sample illumination with coherent light, an approach believed to be not applicable in life sciences because of too many interference artefacts. However, by circulating an incident laser beam by 360° during one image acquisition, relevant image information is amplified. By combining total internal reflection illumination with dark-field detection, structures as small as 150 nm become separable through local destructive interferences. The technique images local changes in refractive index through scattered laser light and is applied to living mouse macrophages and helical bacteria revealing unexpected dynamic processes. PMID:27465033

Time-domain reflectance diffuse optical tomography with Mellin-Laplace transform for experimental detection and depth localization of a single absorbing inclusion

PubMed Central

Puszka, Agathe; Hervé, Lionel; Planat-Chrétien, Anne; Koenig, Anne; Derouard, Jacques; Dinten, Jean-Marc

2013-01-01

We show how to apply the Mellin-Laplace transform to process time-resolved reflectance measurements for diffuse optical tomography. We illustrate this method on simulated signals incorporating the main sources of experimental noise and suggest how to fine-tune the method in order to detect the deepest absorbing inclusions and optimize their localization in depth, depending on the dynamic range of the measurement. To finish, we apply this method to measurements acquired with a setup including a femtosecond laser, photomultipliers and a time-correlated single photon counting board. Simulations and experiments are illustrated for a probe featuring the interfiber distance of 1.5 cm and show the potential of time-resolved techniques for imaging absorption contrast in depth with this geometry. PMID:23577292

pH and chloride recordings in living cells using two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahn, Mattes; Hille, Carsten; Koberling, Felix; Kapusta, Peter; Dosche, Carsten

2010-02-01

Today fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) has become an extremely powerful technique in life sciences. The independency of the fluorescence decay time on fluorescence dye concentration and emission intensity circumvents many artefacts arising from intensity based measurements. To minimize cell damage and improve scan depth, a combination with two-photon (2P) excitation is quite promising. Here, we describe the implementation of a 2P-FLIM setup for biological applications. For that we used a commercial fluorescence lifetime microscope system. 2P-excitation at 780nm was achieved by a non-tuneable, but inexpensive and easily manageable mode-locked fs-fiber laser. Time-resolved fluorescence image acquisition was performed by objective-scanning with the reversed time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique. We analyzed the suitability of the pH-sensitive dye BCECF and the chloride-sensitive dye MQAE for recordings in an insect tissue. Both parameters are quite important, since they affect a plethora of physiological processes in living tissues. We performed a straight forward in situ calibration method to link the fluorescence decay time with the respective ion concentration and carried out spatially resolved measurements under resting conditions. BCECF still offered only a limited dynamic range regarding fluorescence decay time changes under physiologically pH values. However, MQAE proofed to be well suited to record chloride concentrations in the physiologically relevant range. Subsequently, several chloride transport pathways underlying the intracellular chloride homeostasis were investigated pharmacologically. In conclusion, 2P-FLIM is well suited for ion detection in living tissues due to precise and reproducible decay time measurements in combination with reduced cell and dye damages.

On the analysis of time-of-flight spin-echo modulated dark-field imaging data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sales, Morten; Plomp, Jeroen; Bouwman, Wim G.; Tremsin, Anton S.; Habicht, Klaus; Strobl, Markus

2017-06-01

Spin-Echo Modulated Small Angle Neutron Scattering with spatial resolution, i.e. quantitative Spin-Echo Dark Field Imaging, is an emerging technique coupling neutron imaging with spatially resolved quantitative small angle scattering information. However, the currently achieved relatively large modulation periods of the order of millimeters are superimposed to the images of the samples. So far this required an independent reduction and analyses of the image and scattering information encoded in the measured data and is involving extensive curve fitting routines. Apart from requiring a priori decisions potentially limiting the information content that is extractable also a straightforward judgment of the data quality and information content is hindered. In contrast we propose a significantly simplified routine directly applied to the measured data, which does not only allow an immediate first assessment of data quality and delaying decisions on potentially information content limiting further reduction steps to a later and better informed state, but also, as results suggest, generally better analyses. In addition the method enables to drop the spatial resolution detector requirement for non-spatially resolved Spin-Echo Modulated Small Angle Neutron Scattering.

Tracking brain motion during the cardiac cycle using spiral cine-DENSE MRI

PubMed Central

Zhong, Xiaodong; Meyer, Craig H.; Schlesinger, David J.; Sheehan, Jason P.; Epstein, Frederick H.; Larner, James M.; Benedict, Stanley H.; Read, Paul W.; Sheng, Ke; Cai, Jing

2009-01-01

Cardiac-synchronized brain motion is well documented, but the accurate measurement of such motion on the pixel-by-pixel basis has been hampered by the lack of proper imaging technique. In this article, the authors present the implementation of an autotracking spiral cine displacement-encoded stimulation echo (DENSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for the measurement of pulsatile brain motion during the cardiac cycle. Displacement-encoded dynamic MR images of three healthy volunteers were acquired throughout the cardiac cycle using the spiral cine-DENSE pulse sequence gated to the R wave of an electrocardiogram. Pixelwise Lagrangian displacement maps were computed, and 2D displacement as a function of time was determined for selected regions of interests. Different intracranial structures exhibited characteristic motion amplitude, direction, and pattern throughout the cardiac cycle. Time-resolved displacement curves revealed the pathway of pulsatile motion from brain stem to peripheral brain lobes. These preliminary results demonstrated that the spiral cine-DENSE MRI technique can be used to measure cardiac-synchronized pulsatile brain motion on the pixel-by-pixel basis with high temporal∕spatial resolution and sensitivity. PMID:19746774

Time-resolvable fluorescent conjugates for the detection of pathogens in environmental samples containing autofluorescent material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connally, Russell; Veal, Duncan; Piper, James A.

2003-07-01

Water is routinely monitored for environmental pathogens such a Cryptosporidium and Giardia using immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM). Autofluorescence can greatly diminish an operators capacity to resolve labeled pathogens from non-specific background. Naturally fluorescing components (autofluorophores) encountered in biological samples typically have fluorescent lifetimes (τ) of less than 100 nanoseconds and their emissions may be excluded through use of time-resolved fluorescence microscopy (TRFM). TRFM relies on the large differences in τ between autofluorescent molecules and long-lived lanthanide chelates. In TRFM, targets labeled with a time-resolvable fluorescent immunoconjugate are excited by an intense (UV) light pulse. A short delay is imposed to permit the decay of autofluorescence before capture of luminescence from the excited chelate using an image intensified CCD camera. In our experience, autofluorescence can be reduced to insignificant levels with a consequent 30-fold increase in target visibility using TRFM techniques. We report conjugation of a novel europium chelate to a monoclonal antibody specific for Giardia lamblia and use of the immunoconjugate for TRFM studies. Initial attempts to conjugate the same chelate to a monoclonal antibody directed against Cryptosporidium parvum led to poorly fluorescent constructs that were prone to denature and precipitate. We successfully conjugated BHHCT to anti-mouse polyvalent immunoglobulin and used this construct to overcome the difficulties in direct labeling of the anti-Cryptosporidium antibody. Both Giardia and Cryptosporidium were labeled using the anti-mouse protocol with a subsequent 20-fold and 6.6-fold suppression of autofluorescence respectively. A rapid protocol for conjugating and purifying the immunoconjugate was found and methods of quantifying the fluorescence to protein ratio determined. Performance of our TRFM was dependent on the quality and brightness of the immunoconjugate and optimization of the conjugation process is necessary to reap the full benefit of time-resolved techniques.

Quantitative Time-Resolved Fluorescence Imaging of Androgen Receptor and Prostate-Specific Antigen in Prostate Tissue Sections.

PubMed

Krzyzanowska, Agnieszka; Lippolis, Giuseppe; Helczynski, Leszek; Anand, Aseem; Peltola, Mari; Pettersson, Kim; Lilja, Hans; Bjartell, Anders

2016-05-01

Androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are expressed in the prostate and are involved in prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to develop reliable protocols for reproducible quantification of AR and PSA in benign and malignant prostate tissue using time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) imaging techniques. AR and PSA were detected with TRF in tissue microarrays from 91 PCa patients. p63/ alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) staining on consecutive sections was used to categorize tissue areas as benign or cancerous. Automated image analysis was used to quantify staining intensity. AR intensity was significantly higher in AMACR+ and lower in AMACR- cancer areas as compared with benign epithelium. The PSA intensity was significantly lower in cancer areas, particularly in AMACR- glands. The AR/PSA ratio varied significantly in the AMACR+ tumor cells as compared with benign glands. There was a trend of more rapid disease progression in patients with higher AR/PSA ratios in the AMACR- areas. This study demonstrates the feasibility of developing reproducible protocols for TRF imaging and automated image analysis to study the expression of AR and PSA in benign and malignant prostate. It also highlighted the differences in AR and PSA protein expression within AMACR- and AMACR+ cancer regions. © 2016 The Histochemical Society.

Example-Based Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy.

PubMed

Jia, Shu; Han, Boran; Kutz, J Nathan

2018-04-23

Capturing biological dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution demands the advancement in imaging technologies. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy offers spatial resolution surpassing the diffraction limit to resolve near-molecular-level details. While various strategies have been reported to improve the temporal resolution of super-resolution imaging, all super-resolution techniques are still fundamentally limited by the trade-off associated with the longer image acquisition time that is needed to achieve higher spatial information. Here, we demonstrated an example-based, computational method that aims to obtain super-resolution images using conventional imaging without increasing the imaging time. With a low-resolution image input, the method provides an estimate of its super-resolution image based on an example database that contains super- and low-resolution image pairs of biological structures of interest. The computational imaging of cellular microtubules agrees approximately with the experimental super-resolution STORM results. This new approach may offer potential improvements in temporal resolution for experimental super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and provide a new path for large-data aided biomedical imaging.

Application of the Lucy–Richardson Deconvolution Procedure to High Resolution Photoemission Spectra

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

Rameau, J.; Yang, H.-B.; Johnson, P.D.

2010-07-01

Angle-resolved photoemission has developed into one of the leading probes of the electronic structure and associated dynamics of condensed matter systems. As with any experimental technique the ability to resolve features in the spectra is ultimately limited by the resolution of the instrumentation used in the measurement. Previously developed for sharpening astronomical images, the Lucy-Richardson deconvolution technique proves to be a useful tool for improving the photoemission spectra obtained in modern hemispherical electron spectrometers where the photoelectron spectrum is displayed as a 2D image in energy and momentum space.

Spider Silk: Mother Nature's Bio-Superlens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monks, James N.; Yan, Bing; Hawkins, Nicholas; Vollrath, Fritz; Wang, Zengbo

2016-09-01

This paper demonstrates a possible new microfiber bio near field lens that uses minor ampullate spider silk,spun from the Nephila edulis spider, to create a real time image of a surface using near field optical techniques. The microfiber bio lens is the world's first natural superlens created by exploring biological materials. The resolution of the surface image overcomes the diffraction limit, with the ability to resolve patterns at 100 nm under a standard white light source in reflection mode. This resolution offers further developments in superlens technology and paves the way for new bio optics.

High-frame-rate imaging of biological samples with optoacoustic micro-tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deán-Ben, X. Luís.; López-Schier, Hernán.; Razansky, Daniel

2018-02-01

Optical microscopy remains a major workhorse in biological discovery despite the fact that light scattering limits its applicability to depths of ˜ 1 mm in scattering tissues. Optoacoustic imaging has been shown to overcome this barrier by resolving optical absorption with microscopic resolution in significantly deeper regions. Yet, the time domain is paramount for the observation of biological dynamics in living systems that exhibit fast motion. Commonly, acquisition of microscopy data involves raster scanning across the imaged volume, which significantly limits temporal resolution in 3D. To overcome these limitations, we have devised a fast optoacoustic micro-tomography (OMT) approach based on simultaneous acquisition of 3D image data with a high-density hemispherical ultrasound array having effective detection bandwidth around 25 MHz. We performed experiments by imaging tissue-mimicking phantoms and zebrafish larvae, demonstrating that OMT can provide nearly cellular resolution and imaging speed of 100 volumetric frames per second. As opposed to other optical microscopy techniques, OMT is a hybrid method that resolves optical absorption contrast acoustically using unfocused light excitation. Thus, no penetration barriers are imposed by light scattering in deep tissues, suggesting it as a powerful approach for multi-scale functional and molecular imaging applications.

Development of a visible-light-sensitized europium complex for time-resolved fluorometric application.

PubMed

Jiang, Lina; Wu, Jing; Wang, Guilan; Ye, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Wenzhu; Jin, Dayong; Yuan, Jingli; Piper, James

2010-03-15

The time-resolved luminescence bioassay technique using luminescent lanthanide complexes as labels is a highly sensitive and widely used bioassay method for clinical diagnostics and biotechnology. A major drawback of the current technique is that the luminescent lanthanide labels require UV excitation (typically less than 360 nm), which can damage living biological systems and is holding back further development of time-resolved luminescence instruments. Herein we describe two approaches for preparing a visible-light-sensitized Eu(3+) complex in aqueous media for time-resolved fluorometric applications: a dissociation enhancement aqueous solution that can be excited by visible light for ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA)-Eu(3+) detection and a visible-light-sensitized water-soluble Eu(3+) complex conjugated bovine serum albumin (BSA) for biolabeling and time-resolved luminescence bioimaging. In the first approach, a weakly acidic aqueous solution consisting of 4,4'-bis(1'',1'',1'',2'',2'',3'',3''-heptafluoro-4'',6''-hexanedion-6''-yl)-o-terphenyl (BHHT), 2-(N,N-diethylanilin-4-yl)-4,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (DPBT), and Triton X-100 was prepared. This solution shows a strong luminescence enhancement effect for EDTA-Eu(3+) with a wide excitation wavelength range from UV to visible light (a maximum at 387 nm) and a long luminescence lifetime (520 micros), to provide a novel dissociation enhancement solution for time-resolved luminescence detection of EDTA-Eu(3+). In the second approach, a ternary Eu(3+) complex, 4,4'-bis(1'',1'',1'',2'',2'',3'',3''-heptafluoro-4'',6''-hexanedion-6''-yl)-chlorosulfo-o-terphenyl (BHHCT)-Eu(3+)-DPBT, was covalently bound to BSA to form a water-soluble BSA-BHHCT-Eu(3+)-DPBT conjugate. This biocompatible conjugate is of the visible-light excitable feature in aqueous media with a wide excitation wavelength range from UV to visible light (a maximum at 387 nm), a long luminescence lifetime (460 micros), and a higher quantum yield (27%). The conjugate was successfully used for streptavidin (SA) labeling and time-resolved luminescence imaging detection of three environmental pathogens, Giardia lamblia , Cryptosporidium muris , and Cryptosporidium parvum , in water samples. Our strategy gives a general idea for designing a visible-light-sensitized Eu(3+) complex for time-resolved luminescence bioassay applications.

RESOLVE: A new algorithm for aperture synthesis imaging of extended emission in radio astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junklewitz, H.; Bell, M. R.; Selig, M.; Enßlin, T. A.

2016-02-01

We present resolve, a new algorithm for radio aperture synthesis imaging of extended and diffuse emission in total intensity. The algorithm is derived using Bayesian statistical inference techniques, estimating the surface brightness in the sky assuming a priori log-normal statistics. resolve estimates the measured sky brightness in total intensity, and the spatial correlation structure in the sky, which is used to guide the algorithm to an optimal reconstruction of extended and diffuse sources. During this process, the algorithm succeeds in deconvolving the effects of the radio interferometric point spread function. Additionally, resolve provides a map with an uncertainty estimate of the reconstructed surface brightness. Furthermore, with resolve we introduce a new, optimal visibility weighting scheme that can be viewed as an extension to robust weighting. In tests using simulated observations, the algorithm shows improved performance against two standard imaging approaches for extended sources, Multiscale-CLEAN and the Maximum Entropy Method.

Planetary Surface Exploration Using Time-Resolved Laser Spectroscopy on Rovers and Landers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacksberg, Jordana; Alerstam, Erik; Maruyama, Yuki; Charbon, Edoardo; Rossman, George

2013-04-01

Planetary surface exploration using laser spectroscopy has become increasingly relevant as these techniques become a reality on Mars surface missions. The ChemCam instrument onboard the Curiosity rover is currently using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) on a mast-mounted platform to measure elemental composition of target rocks. The RLS Raman Spectrometer is included on the payload for the ExoMars mission to be launched in 2018 and will identify minerals and organics on the Martian surface. We present a next-generation instrument that builds on these widely used techniques to provide a means for performing both Raman spectroscopy and LIBS in conjunction with microscopic imaging. Microscopic Raman spectroscopy with a laser spot size smaller than the grains of interest can provide surface mapping of mineralogy while preserving morphology. A very small laser spot size (~ 1 µm) is often necessary to identify minor phases that are often of greater interest than the matrix phases. In addition to the difficulties that can be posed by fine-grained material, fluorescence interference from the very same material is often problematic. This is particularly true for many of the minerals of interest that form in environments of aqueous alteration and can be highly fluorescent. We use time-resolved laser spectroscopy to eliminate fluorescence interference that can often make it difficult or impossible to obtain Raman spectra. As an added benefit, we have found that with small changes in operating parameters we can include microscopic LIBS using the same hardware. This new technique relies on sub-ns, high rep-rate lasers with relatively low pulse energy and compact solid state detectors with sub-ns time resolution. The detector technology that makes this instrument possible is a newly developed Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor array based on Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The use of this solid state time-resolved detector offers a significant reduction in size, weight, power, and overall complexity - making time resolved detection feasible for planetary applications. We will discuss significant advances leading to the feasibility of a compact time-resolved spectrometer. We will present results on planetary analog minerals to demonstrate the instrument performance including fluorescence rejection and combined Raman-LIBS capability.

Flow temporal reconstruction from non-time-resolved data part I: mathematic fundamentals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legrand, Mathieu; Nogueira, José; Lecuona, Antonio

2011-10-01

At least two circumstances point to the need of postprocessing techniques to recover lost time information from non-time-resolved data: the increasing interest in identifying and tracking coherent structures in flows of industrial interest and the high data throughput of global measuring techniques, such as PIV, for the validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. This paper offers the mathematic fundamentals of a space--time reconstruction technique from non-time-resolved, statistically independent data. An algorithm has been developed to identify and track traveling coherent structures in periodic flows. Phase-averaged flow fields are reconstructed with a correlation-based method, which uses information from the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). The theoretical background shows that the snapshot POD coefficients can be used to recover flow phase information. Once this information is recovered, the real snapshots are used to reconstruct the flow history and characteristics, avoiding neither the use of POD modes nor any associated artifact. The proposed time reconstruction algorithm is in agreement with the experimental evidence given by the practical implementation proposed in the second part of this work (Legrand et al. in Exp Fluids, 2011), using the coefficients corresponding to the first three POD modes. It also agrees with the results on similar issues by other authors (Ben Chiekh et al. in 9 Congrès Francophone de Vélocimétrie Laser, Bruxelles, Belgium, 2004; Van Oudheusden et al. in Exp Fluids 39-1:86-98, 2005; Meyer et al. in 7th International Symposium on Particle Image Velocimetry, Rome, Italy, 2007a; in J Fluid Mech 583:199-227, 2007b; Perrin et al. in Exp Fluids 43-2:341-355, 2007). Computer time to perform the reconstruction is relatively short, of the order of minutes with current PC technology.

Thunderstorm monitoring and lightning warning, operational applications of the Safir system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richard, Philippe

1991-01-01

During the past years a new range of studies have been opened by the application of electromagnetic localization techniques to the field of thunderstorm remote sensing. VHF localization techniques were used in particular for the analysis of lightning discharges and gave access to time resolved 3-D images of lightning discharges within thunderclouds. Detection and localization techniques developed have been applied to the design of the SAFIR system. This development's main objective was the design of an operational system capable of assessing and warning in real time for lightning hazards and potential thunderstorm hazards. The SAFIR system main detection technique is the long range interferometric localization of thunderstorm electromagnetic activity; the system performs the localization of intracloud and cloud to ground lightning discharges and the analysis of the characteristics of the activity.

Fast Gated EPR Imaging of the Beating Heart: Spatiotemporally-Resolved 3D Imaging of Free Radical Distribution during the Cardiac Cycle

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhiyu; Reyes, Levy A.; Johnson, David H.; Velayutham, Murugesan; Yang, Changjun; Samouilov, Alexandre; Zweier, Jay L.

2012-01-01

In vivo or ex vivo electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) is a powerful technique for determining the spatial distribution of free radicals and other paramagnetic species in living organs and tissues. However, applications of EPRI have been limited by long projection acquisition times and the consequent fact that rapid gated EPRI was not possible. Hence in vivo EPRI typically provided only time-averaged information. In order to achieve direct gated EPRI, a fast EPR acquisition scheme was developed to decrease EPR projection acquisition time down to 10 – 20 ms, along with corresponding software and instrumentation to achieve fast gated EPRI of the isolated beating heart with submillimeter spatial resolution in as little as 2 to 3 minutes. Reconstructed images display temporal and spatial variations of the free radical distribution, anatomical structure, and contractile function within the rat heart during the cardiac cycle. PMID:22473660

Time-Resolved PIV for Space-Time Correlations in Hot Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wernet, Mark P.

2007-01-01

Temporally Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) is being used to characterize the decay of turbulence in jet flows a critical element for understanding the acoustic properties of the flow. A TR-PIV system, developed in-house at the NASA Glenn Research Center, is capable of acquiring planar PIV image frame pairs at up to 10 kHz. The data reported here were collected at Mach numbers of 0.5 and 0.9 and at temperature ratios of 0.89 and 1.76. The field of view of the TR-PIV system covered 6 nozzle diameters along the lip line of the 50.8 mm diameter jet. The cold flow data at Mach 0.5 were compared with hotwire anemometry measurements in order to validate the new TR-PIV technique. The axial turbulence profiles measured across the shear layer using TR-PIV were thinner than those measured using hotwire anemometry and remained centered along the nozzle lip line. The collected TR-PIV data illustrate the differences in the single point statistical flow properties of cold and hot jet flows. The planar, time-resolved velocity records were then used to compute two-point space-time correlations of the flow at the Mach 0.9 flow condition. The TR-PIV results show that there are differences in the convective velocity and growth rate of the turbulent structures between cold and hot flows at the same Mach number.

HOW TO FIND GRAVITATIONALLY LENSED TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

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

Goldstein, Daniel A.; Nugent, Peter E.

2017-01-01

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that are multiply imaged by gravitational lensing can extend the SN Ia Hubble diagram to very high redshifts ( z ≳ 2), probe potential SN Ia evolution, and deliver high-precision constraints on H {sub 0}, w , and Ω{sub m} via time delays. However, only one, iPTF16geu, has been found to date, and many more are needed to achieve these goals. To increase the multiply imaged SN Ia discovery rate, we present a simple algorithm for identifying gravitationally lensed SN Ia candidates in cadenced, wide-field optical imaging surveys. The technique is to look for supernovaemore » that appear to be hosted by elliptical galaxies, but that have absolute magnitudes implied by the apparent hosts’ photometric redshifts that are far brighter than the absolute magnitudes of normal SNe Ia (the brightest type of supernovae found in elliptical galaxies). Importantly, this purely photometric method does not require the ability to resolve the lensed images for discovery. Active galactic nuclei, the primary sources of contamination that affect the method, can be controlled using catalog cross-matches and color cuts. Highly magnified core-collapse SNe will also be discovered as a byproduct of the method. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we forecast that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope can discover up to 500 multiply imaged SNe Ia using this technique in a 10 year z -band search, more than an order of magnitude improvement over previous estimates. We also predict that the Zwicky Transient Facility should find up to 10 multiply imaged SNe Ia using this technique in a 3 year R -band search—despite the fact that this survey will not resolve a single system.« less

How to Find Gravitationally Lensed Type Ia supernovae

DOE PAGES

Goldstein, Daniel A.; Nugent, Peter E.

2016-12-29

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that are multiply imaged by gravitational lensing can extend the SN Ia Hubble diagram to very high redshifts (z ≳ 2), probe potential SN Ia evolution, and deliver high-precision constraints on H 0, w, and Ω m via time delays. However, only one, iPTF16geu, has been found to date, and many more are needed to achieve these goals. To increase the multiply imaged SN Ia discovery rate, we present a simple algorithm for identifying gravitationally lensed SN Ia candidates in cadenced, wide-field optical imaging surveys. The technique is to look for supernovae that appear tomore » be hosted by elliptical galaxies, but that have absolute magnitudes implied by the apparent hosts' photometric redshifts that are far brighter than the absolute magnitudes of normal SNe Ia (the brightest type of supernovae found in elliptical galaxies). Importantly, this purely photometric method does not require the ability to resolve the lensed images for discovery. Active galactic nuclei, the primary sources of contamination that affect the method, can be controlled using catalog cross-matches and color cuts. Highly magnified core-collapse SNe will also be discovered as a byproduct of the method. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we forecast that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope can discover up to 500 multiply imaged SNe Ia using this technique in a 10 year z-band search, more than an order of magnitude improvement over previous estimates. Finally, we also predict that the Zwicky Transient Facility should find up to 10 multiply imaged SNe Ia using this technique in a 3 year R-band search - despite the fact that this survey will not resolve a single system.« less

Eddy current imaging with an atomic radio-frequency magnetometer

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

Wickenbrock, Arne, E-mail: wickenbr@uni-mainz.de; Leefer, Nathan; Blanchard, John W.

2016-05-02

We use a radio-frequency {sup 85}Rb alkali-vapor cell magnetometer based on a paraffin-coated cell with long spin-coherence time and a small, low-inductance driving coil to create highly resolved conductivity maps of different objects. We resolve sub-mm features in conductive objects, we characterize the frequency response of our technique, and by operating at frequencies up to 250 kHz we are able to discriminate between differently conductive materials based on the induced response. The method is suited to cover a wide range of driving frequencies and can potentially be used for detecting non-metallic objects with low DC conductivity.

Fluorescence lifetime in cardiovascular diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcu, Laura

2010-01-01

We review fluorescence lifetime techniques including time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) instrumentation and associated methodologies that allow for characterization and diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques. Emphasis is placed on the translational research potential of TR-LIFS and FLIM and on determining whether intrinsic fluorescence signals can be used to provide useful contrast for the diagnosis of high-risk atherosclerotic plaque. Our results demonstrate that these techniques allow for the discrimination of important biochemical features involved in atherosclerotic plaque instability and rupture and show their potential for future intravascular applications.

Fluorescence lifetime in cardiovascular diagnostics.

PubMed

Marcu, Laura

2010-01-01

We review fluorescence lifetime techniques including time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) instrumentation and associated methodologies that allow for characterization and diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques. Emphasis is placed on the translational research potential of TR-LIFS and FLIM and on determining whether intrinsic fluorescence signals can be used to provide useful contrast for the diagnosis of high-risk atherosclerotic plaque. Our results demonstrate that these techniques allow for the discrimination of important biochemical features involved in atherosclerotic plaque instability and rupture and show their potential for future intravascular applications.

Time of flight imaging through scattering environments (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Toan H.; Breitbach, Eric C.; Jackson, Jonathan A.; Velten, Andreas

2017-02-01

Light scattering is a primary obstacle to imaging in many environments. On small scales in biomedical microscopy and diffuse tomography scenarios scattering is caused by tissue. On larger scales scattering from dust and fog provide challenges to vision systems for self driving cars and naval remote imaging systems. We are developing scale models for scattering environments and investigation methods for improved imaging particularly using time of flight transient information. With the emergence of Single Photon Avalanche Diode detectors and fast semiconductor lasers, illumination and capture on picosecond timescales are becoming possible in inexpensive, compact, and robust devices. This opens up opportunities for new computational imaging techniques that make use of photon time of flight. Time of flight or range information is used in remote imaging scenarios in gated viewing and in biomedical imaging in time resolved diffuse tomography. In addition spatial filtering is popular in biomedical scenarios with structured illumination and confocal microscopy. We are presenting a combination analytical, computational, and experimental models that allow us develop and test imaging methods across scattering scenarios and scales. This framework will be used for proof of concept experiments to evaluate new computational imaging methods.

WE-FG-207B-04: Noise Suppression for Energy-Resolved CT Via Variance Weighted Non-Local Filtration

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

Harms, J; Zhu, L

Purpose: The photon starvation problem is exacerbated in energy-resolved CT, since the detected photons are shared by multiple energy channels. Using pixel similarity-based non-local filtration, we aim to produce accurate and high-resolution energy-resolved CT images with significantly reduced noise. Methods: Averaging CT images reconstructed from different energy channels reduces noise at the price of losing spectral information, while conventional denoising techniques inevitably degrade image resolution. Inspired by the fact that CT images of the same object at different energies share the same structures, we aim to reduce noise of energy-resolved CT by averaging only pixels of similar materials - amore » non-local filtration technique. For each CT image, an empirical exponential model is used to calculate the material similarity between two pixels based on their CT values and the similarity values are organized in a matrix form. A final similarity matrix is generated by averaging these similarity matrices, with weights inversely proportional to the estimated total noise variance in the sinogram of different energy channels. Noise suppression is achieved for each energy channel via multiplying the image vector by the similarity matrix. Results: Multiple scans on a tabletop CT system are used to simulate 6-channel energy-resolved CT, with energies ranging from 75 to 125 kVp. On a low-dose acquisition at 15 mA of the Catphan©600 phantom, our method achieves the same image spatial resolution as a high-dose scan at 80 mA with a noise standard deviation (STD) lower by a factor of >2. Compared with another non-local noise suppression algorithm (ndiNLM), the proposed algorithms obtains images with substantially improved resolution at the same level of noise reduction. Conclusion: We propose a noise-suppression method for energy-resolved CT. Our method takes full advantage of the additional structural information provided by energy-resolved CT and preserves image values at each energy level. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Biomedical Imaging And Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21EB019597. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.« less

Microscope mode secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging with a Timepix detector.

PubMed

Kiss, Andras; Jungmann, Julia H; Smith, Donald F; Heeren, Ron M A

2013-01-01

In-vacuum active pixel detectors enable high sensitivity, highly parallel time- and space-resolved detection of ions from complex surfaces. For the first time, a Timepix detector assembly was combined with a secondary ion mass spectrometer for microscope mode secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) imaging. Time resolved images from various benchmark samples demonstrate the imaging capabilities of the detector system. The main advantages of the active pixel detector are the higher signal-to-noise ratio and parallel acquisition of arrival time and position. Microscope mode SIMS imaging of biomolecules is demonstrated from tissue sections with the Timepix detector.

Improved localization accuracy in stochastic super-resolution fluorescence microscopy by K-factor image deshadowing

PubMed Central

Ilovitsh, Tali; Meiri, Amihai; Ebeling, Carl G.; Menon, Rajesh; Gerton, Jordan M.; Jorgensen, Erik M.; Zalevsky, Zeev

2013-01-01

Localization of a single fluorescent particle with sub-diffraction-limit accuracy is a key merit in localization microscopy. Existing methods such as photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) achieve localization accuracies of single emitters that can reach an order of magnitude lower than the conventional resolving capabilities of optical microscopy. However, these techniques require a sparse distribution of simultaneously activated fluorophores in the field of view, resulting in larger time needed for the construction of the full image. In this paper we present the use of a nonlinear image decomposition algorithm termed K-factor, which reduces an image into a nonlinear set of contrast-ordered decompositions whose joint product reassembles the original image. The K-factor technique, when implemented on raw data prior to localization, can improve the localization accuracy of standard existing methods, and also enable the localization of overlapping particles, allowing the use of increased fluorophore activation density, and thereby increased data collection speed. Numerical simulations of fluorescence data with random probe positions, and especially at high densities of activated fluorophores, demonstrate an improvement of up to 85% in the localization precision compared to single fitting techniques. Implementing the proposed concept on experimental data of cellular structures yielded a 37% improvement in resolution for the same super-resolution image acquisition time, and a decrease of 42% in the collection time of super-resolution data with the same resolution. PMID:24466491

High-resolution Imaging of Deuterium-Tritium Capsule Implosions on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, Benjamin; Rygg, Ryan; Collins, Gilbert; Patel, Pravesh

2017-10-01

Highly-resolved 3-D simulations of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions predict a hot spot plasma that exhibits complex micron-scale structure originating from a variety of 3-D perturbations. Experimental diagnosis of these conditions requires high spatial resolution imaging techniques. X-ray penumbral imaging can improve the spatial resolution over pinhole imaging while simultaneously increasing the detected photon yield at x-ray energies where the ablator opacity becomes negligible. Here we report on the first time-integrated x-ray penumbral imaging experiments of ICF capsule implosions at the National Ignition Facility that achieved spatial resolution as high as 4 micrometer. 6 to 30 keV hot spot images from layered DT implosions will be presented from a variety of experimental ICF campaigns, revealing previously unseen detail. It will be discussed how these and future results can be used to improve our physics understanding of inertially confined fusion plasmas by enabling spatially resolved measurements of hot spot properties, such as radiation energy, temperature or derived quantities. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Neutron Bragg-edge-imaging for strain mapping under in situ tensile loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woracek, R.; Penumadu, D.; Kardjilov, N.; Hilger, A.; Strobl, M.; Wimpory, R. C.; Manke, I.; Banhart, J.

2011-05-01

Wavelength selective neutron radiography at a cold neutron reactor source was used to measure strain and determine (residual) stresses in a steel sample under plane stress conditions. We present a new technique that uses an energy-resolved neutron imaging system based on a double crystal monochromator and is equipped with a specially developed (in situ) biaxial load frame to perform Bragg edge based transmission imaging. The neutron imaging technique provides a viewing area of 7 cm by 7 cm with a spatial resolution on the order of ˜ 100 μm. The stress-induced shifts of the Bragg edge corresponding to the (110) lattice plane were resolved spatially for a ferritic steel alloy A36 (ASTM international) sample. Furthermore it is demonstrated that results agree with comparative data obtained using neutron diffraction and resistance based strain-gauge rosettes.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence of fluorescein derivative for time-resolved and confocal fluorescence imaging.

PubMed

Xiong, Xiaoqing; Song, Fengling; Wang, Jingyun; Zhang, Yukang; Xue, Yingying; Sun, Liangliang; Jiang, Na; Gao, Pan; Tian, Lu; Peng, Xiaojun

2014-07-09

Compared with fluorescence imaging utilizing fluorophores whose lifetimes are in the order of nanoseconds, time-resolved fluorescence microscopy has more advantages in monitoring target fluorescence. In this work, compound DCF-MPYM, which is based on a fluorescein derivative, showed long-lived luminescence (22.11 μs in deaerated ethanol) and was used in time-resolved fluorescence imaging in living cells. Both nanosecond time-resolved transient difference absorption spectra and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) were employed to explain the long lifetime of the compound, which is rare in pure organic fluorophores without rare earth metals and heavy atoms. A mechanism of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) that considers the long wavelength fluorescence, large Stokes shift, and long-lived triplet state of DCF-MPYM was proposed. The energy gap (ΔEST) of DCF-MPYM between the singlet and triplet state was determined to be 28.36 meV by the decay rate of DF as a function of temperature. The ΔE(ST) was small enough to allow efficient intersystem crossing (ISC) and reverse ISC, leading to efficient TADF at room temperature. The straightforward synthesis of DCF-MPYM and wide availability of its starting materials contribute to the excellent potential of the compound to replace luminescent lanthanide complexes in future time-resolved imaging technologies.

Acoustic imaging with time reversal methods: From medicine to NDT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fink, Mathias

2015-03-01

This talk will present an overview of the research conducted on ultrasonic time-reversal methods applied to biomedical imaging and to non-destructive testing. We will first describe iterative time-reversal techniques that allow both focusing ultrasonic waves on reflectors in tissues (kidney stones, micro-calcifications, contrast agents) or on flaws in solid materials. We will also show that time-reversal focusing does not need the presence of bright reflectors but it can be achieved only from the speckle noise generated by random distributions of non-resolved scatterers. We will describe the applications of this concept to correct distortions and aberrations in ultrasonic imaging and in NDT. In the second part of the talk we will describe the concept of time-reversal processors to get ultrafast ultrasonic images with typical frame rates of order of 10.000 F/s. It is the field of ultrafast ultrasonic imaging that has plenty medical applications and can be of great interest in NDT. We will describe some applications in the biomedical domain: Quantitative Elasticity imaging of tissues by following shear wave propagation to improve cancer detection and Ultrafast Doppler imaging that allows ultrasonic functional imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging of granular materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stannarius, Ralf

2017-05-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become one of the most important tools to screen humans in medicine; virtually every modern hospital is equipped with a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) tomograph. The potential of NMR in 3D imaging tasks is by far greater, but there is only "a handful" of MRI studies of particulate matter. The method is expensive, time-consuming, and requires a deep understanding of pulse sequences, signal acquisition, and processing. We give a short introduction into the physical principles of this imaging technique, describe its advantages and limitations for the screening of granular matter, and present a number of examples of different application purposes, from the exploration of granular packing, via the detection of flow and particle diffusion, to real dynamic measurements. Probably, X-ray computed tomography is preferable in most applications, but fast imaging of single slices with modern MRI techniques is unmatched, and the additional opportunity to retrieve spatially resolved flow and diffusion profiles without particle tracking is a unique feature.

Interferometric Imaging of Geostationary Satellites: Signal-to-Noise Considerations

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

instrument a minute time -scale snapshot imager. Snapshot imaging is im- portant because it allows for resolving short time -scale changes of the satellite ...curves of fringe amplitude standard deviation as a function of satellite V-magnitude, giving the corresponding integration time . From this figure we can...combiner (in R-band). We conclude that it is possible to track fringes on typical highly resolved satellites to a magnitude of V = 14.5. This range

Excitation-resolved cone-beam x-ray luminescence tomography.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Liao, Qimei; Wang, Hongkai; Yan, Zhuangzhi

2015-07-01

Cone-beam x-ray luminescence computed tomography (CB-XLCT), as an emerging imaging technique, plays an important role in in vivo small animal imaging studies. However, CB-XLCT suffers from low-spatial resolution due to the ill-posed nature of reconstruction. We improve the imaging performance of CB-XLCT by using a multiband excitation-resolved imaging scheme combined with principal component analysis. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, the physical phantom experiment is performed with a custom-made XLCT/XCT imaging system. The experimental results validate the feasibility of the method, where two adjacent nanophosphors (with an edge-to-edge distance of 2.4 mm) can be located.

Computational imaging of light in flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hullin, Matthias B.

2014-10-01

Many computer vision tasks are hindered by image formation itself, a process that is governed by the so-called plenoptic integral. By averaging light falling into the lens over space, angle, wavelength and time, a great deal of information is irreversibly lost. The emerging idea of transient imaging operates on a time resolution fast enough to resolve non-stationary light distributions in real-world scenes. It enables the discrimination of light contributions by the optical path length from light source to receiver, a dimension unavailable in mainstream imaging to date. Until recently, such measurements used to require high-end optical equipment and could only be acquired under extremely restricted lab conditions. To address this challenge, we introduced a family of computational imaging techniques operating on standard time-of-flight image sensors, for the first time allowing the user to "film" light in flight in an affordable, practical and portable way. Just as impulse responses have proven a valuable tool in almost every branch of science and engineering, we expect light-in-flight analysis to impact a wide variety of applications in computer vision and beyond.

Scattering angle resolved optical coherence tomography for in vivo murine retinal imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Michael R.; Katta, Nitesh; McElroy, Austin; Baruah, Vikram; Rylander, H. G.; Milner, Thomas E.

2017-02-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal imaging contributes to understanding central nervous system (CNS) diseases because the eye is an anatomical "window to the brain" with direct optical access to nonmylenated retinal ganglion cells. However, many CNS diseases are associated with neuronal changes beyond the resolution of standard OCT retinal imaging systems. Though studies have shown the utility of scattering angle resolved (SAR) OCT for particle sizing and detecting disease states ex vivo, a compact SAR-OCT system for in vivo rodent retinal imaging has not previously been reported. We report a fiber-based SAR-OCT system (swept source at 1310 nm +/- 65 nm, 100 kHz scan rate) for mouse retinal imaging with a partial glass window (center aperture) for angular discrimination of backscattered light. This design incorporates a dual-axis MEMS mirror conjugate to the ocular pupil plane and a high collection efficiency objective. A muring retina is imaged during euthanasia, and the proposed SAR-index is examined versus time. Results show a positive correlation between the SAR-index and the sub-cellular hypoxic response of neurons to isoflurane overdose during euthanasia. The proposed SAR-OCT design and image process technique offer a contrast mechanism able to detect sub-resolution neuronal changes for murine retinal imaging.

Nanoantenna-Enhanced Infrared Spectroscopic Chemical Imaging.

PubMed

Kühner, Lucca; Hentschel, Mario; Zschieschang, Ute; Klauk, Hagen; Vogt, Jochen; Huck, Christian; Giessen, Harald; Neubrech, Frank

2017-05-26

Spectroscopic infrared chemical imaging is ideally suited for label-free and spatially resolved characterization of molecular species, but often suffers from low infrared absorption cross sections. Here, we overcome this limitation by utilizing confined electromagnetic near-fields of resonantly excited plasmonic nanoantennas, which enhance the molecular absorption by orders of magnitude. In the experiments, we evaporate microstructured chemical patterns of C 60 and pentacene with nanometer thickness on top of homogeneous arrays of tailored nanoantennas. Broadband mid-infrared spectra containing plasmonic and vibrational information were acquired with diffraction-limited resolution using a two-dimensional focal plane array detector. Evaluating the enhanced infrared absorption at the respective frequencies, spatially resolved chemical images were obtained. In these chemical images, the microstructured chemical patterns are only visible if nanoantennas are used. This confirms the superior performance of our approach over conventional spectroscopic infrared imaging. In addition to the improved sensitivity, our technique provides chemical selectivity, which would not be available with plasmonic imaging that is based on refractive index sensing. To extend the accessible spectral bandwidth of nanoantenna-enhanced spectroscopic imaging, we employed nanostructures with dual-band resonances, providing broadband plasmonic enhancement and sensitivity. Our results demonstrate the potential of nanoantenna-enhanced spectroscopic infrared chemical imaging for spatially resolved characterization of organic layers with thicknesses of several nanometers. This is of potential interest for medical applications which are currently hampered by state-of-art infrared techniques, e.g., for distinguishing cancerous from healthy tissues.

Hemodynamic flow visualization of early embryonic great vessels using μPIV.

PubMed

Goktas, Selda; Chen, Chia-Yuan; Kowalski, William J; Pekkan, Kerem

2015-01-01

Microparticle image velocimetry (μPIV) is an evolving quantitative methodology to closely and accurately monitor the cardiac flow dynamics and mechanotransduction during vascular morphogenesis. While PIV technique has a long history, contemporary developments in advanced microscopy have significantly expanded its power. This chapter includes three new methods for μPIV acquisition in selected embryonic structures achieved through advanced optical imaging: (1) high-speed confocal scanning of transgenic zebrafish embryos, where the transgenic erythrocytes act as the tracing particles; (2) microinjection of artificial seeding particles in chick embryos visualized with stereomicroscopy; and (3) real-time, time-resolved optical coherence tomography acquisition of vitelline vessel flow profiles in chick embryos, tracking the erythrocytes.

An inexpensive technique for the time resolved laser induced plasma spectroscopy

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

Ahmed, Rizwan, E-mail: rizwan.ahmed@ncp.edu.pk; Ahmed, Nasar; Iqbal, J.

We present an efficient and inexpensive method for calculating the time resolved emission spectrum from the time integrated spectrum by monitoring the time evolution of neutral and singly ionized species in the laser produced plasma. To validate our assertion of extracting time resolved information from the time integrated spectrum, the time evolution data of the Cu II line at 481.29 nm and the molecular bands of AlO in the wavelength region (450–550 nm) have been studied. The plasma parameters were also estimated from the time resolved and time integrated spectra. A comparison of the results clearly reveals that the time resolved informationmore » about the plasma parameters can be extracted from the spectra registered with a time integrated spectrograph. Our proposed method will make the laser induced plasma spectroscopy robust and a low cost technique which is attractive for industry and environmental monitoring.« less

High energy near- and far-field ptychographic tomography at the ESRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Julio C.; Haubrich, Jan; Requena, Guillermo; Hubert, Maxime; Pacureanu, Alexandra; Bloch, Leonid; Yang, Yang; Cloetens, Peter

2017-09-01

In high-resolution tomography, one needs high-resolved projections in order to reconstruct a high-quality 3D map of a sample. X-ray ptychography is a robust technique which can provide such high-resolution 2D projections taking advantage of coherent X-rays. This technique was used in the far-field regime for a fair amount of time, but it can now also be implemented in the near-field regime. In both regimes, the technique enables not only high-resolution imaging, but also high sensitivity to the electron density of the sample. The combination with tomography makes 3D imaging possible via ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT), which can provide a 3D map of the complex-valued refractive index of the sample. The extension of PXCT to X-ray energies above 15 keV is challenging, but it can allow the imaging of object opaque to lower energy. We present here the implementation and developments of high-energy near- and far-field PXCT at the ESRF.

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

PubMed

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

2015-06-01

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

SU-F-J-26: Performance of 2.5MV Portal Imaging in Comparison with KV X-Ray and 6MV and Flattening-Filter-Free 6MV Portal Imaging

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

Duan, J; Yang, Y; Faught, A

Purpose: To assess image quality and imaging dose of 2.5MV electronic portal imaging in comparison to kV imaging and 6MV and Flattening-Filter-Free 6MV (6MVFFF) portal imaging using a DMI imager. Methods: Quantitative assessment of image quality was performed with Leeds and Las Vegas test phantoms in conjunction with qualitative evaluation of clinical patient images for kV imaging and 2.5MV, 6MV and 6MVFFF portal imaging. High and low contrast resolutions were evaluated and imaging doses were measured using these x-rays. Phantom test was performed both in air and in solid water. Clinical patient portal images were also reviewed and qualitatively assessedmore » for these three imaging MV energies. Results: Among the 28 objects in Las Vegas phantom, 16, 17 and 26 of them were resolved using Low Dose technique and 18, 22 and 26 were resolved using High Quality technique with 6MV, 6MVFFF and 2.5MV, respectively. The number of Leeds low contrast objects resolved by 6MV, 6MFFFF and 2.5MV was 6, 15 and 18 with Low Dose technique and 14, 17 and 18 with High Quality technique, respectively. When the test phantoms were embedded in 20cm thick solid water, the results were noticeably affected, but the performance of 2.5MV was still substantially better than 6MV and 6MVFFF. Imaging dose with 2.5MV measured at 10 cm depth was about half of that with 6MV or 6MVFFF. Clinical patient portal images were reviewed and qualitatively assessed for different sites including brain, head-and-neck, chest and pelvis. 2.5MV imaging provided more details and substantially higher contrast. Conclusion: While portal imaging with 6MVFFF provides noticeably better image quality than that with 6MV, the performance of 2.5MV portal imaging is substantially better than both 6MV and 6MVFFF in terms of high and low contrast resolutions as well as lower imaging dose. 2.5MV imaging provides near kV imaging quality.« less

Noise Gating Solar Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeForest, Craig; Seaton, Daniel B.; Darnell, John A.

2017-08-01

I present and demonstrate a new, general purpose post-processing technique, "3D noise gating", that can reduce image noise by an order of magnitude or more without effective loss of spatial or temporal resolution in typical solar applications.Nearly all scientific images are, ultimately, limited by noise. Noise can be direct Poisson "shot noise" from photon counting effects, or introduced by other means such as detector read noise. Noise is typically represented as a random variable (perhaps with location- or image-dependent characteristics) that is sampled once per pixel or once per resolution element of an image sequence. Noise limits many aspects of image analysis, including photometry, spatiotemporal resolution, feature identification, morphology extraction, and background modeling and separation.Identifying and separating noise from image signal is difficult. The common practice of blurring in space and/or time works because most image "signal" is concentrated in the low Fourier components of an image, while noise is evenly distributed. Blurring in space and/or time attenuates the high spatial and temporal frequencies, reducing noise at the expense of also attenuating image detail. Noise-gating exploits the same property -- "coherence" -- that we use to identify features in images, to separate image features from noise.Processing image sequences through 3-D noise gating results in spectacular (more than 10x) improvements in signal-to-noise ratio, while not blurring bright, resolved features in either space or time. This improves most types of image analysis, including feature identification, time sequence extraction, absolute and relative photometry (including differential emission measure analysis), feature tracking, computer vision, correlation tracking, background modeling, cross-scale analysis, visual display/presentation, and image compression.I will introduce noise gating, describe the method, and show examples from several instruments (including SDO/AIA , SDO/HMI, STEREO/SECCHI, and GOES-R/SUVI) that explore the benefits and limits of the technique.

Pulsed-neutron imaging by a high-speed camera and center-of-gravity processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochiki, K.; Uragaki, T.; Koide, J.; Kushima, Y.; Kawarabayashi, J.; Taketani, A.; Otake, Y.; Matsumoto, Y.; Su, Y.; Hiroi, K.; Shinohara, T.; Kai, T.

2018-01-01

Pulsed-neutron imaging is attractive technique in the research fields of energy-resolved neutron radiography and RANS (RIKEN) and RADEN (J-PARC/JAEA) are small and large accelerator-driven pulsed-neutron facilities for its imaging, respectively. To overcome the insuficient spatial resolution of the conunting type imaging detectors like μ NID, nGEM and pixelated detectors, camera detectors combined with a neutron color image intensifier were investigated. At RANS center-of-gravity technique was applied to spots image obtained by a CCD camera and the technique was confirmed to be effective for improving spatial resolution. At RADEN a high-frame-rate CMOS camera was used and super resolution technique was applied and it was recognized that the spatial resolution was futhermore improved.

Energy-resolved coherent diffraction from laser-driven electronic motion in atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Hua-Chieh; Starace, Anthony F.

2017-10-01

We investigate theoretically the use of energy-resolved ultrafast electron diffraction to image laser-driven electronic motion in atoms. A chirped laser pulse is used to transfer the valence electron of the lithium atom from the ground state to the first excited state. During this process, the electronic motion is imaged by 100-fs and 1-fs electron pulses in energy-resolved diffraction measurements. Simulations show that the angle-resolved spectra reveal the time evolution of the energy content and symmetry of the electronic state. The time-dependent diffraction patterns are further interpreted in terms of the momentum transfer. For the case of incident 1-fs electron pulses, the rapid 2 s -2 p quantum beat motion of the target electron is imaged as a time-dependent asymmetric oscillation of the diffraction pattern.

Time-resolved neutron imaging at ANTARES cold neutron beamline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, A. S.; Dangendorf, V.; Tittelmeier, K.; Schillinger, B.; Schulz, M.; Lerche, M.; Feller, W. B.

2015-07-01

In non-destructive evaluation with X-rays light elements embedded in dense, heavy (or high-Z) matrices show little contrast and their structural details can hardly be revealed. Neutron radiography, on the other hand, provides a solution for those cases, in particular for hydrogenous materials, owing to the large neutron scattering cross section of hydrogen and uncorrelated dependency of neutron cross section on the atomic number. The majority of neutron imaging experiments at the present time is conducted with static objects mainly due to the limited flux intensity of neutron beamline facilities and sometimes due to the limitations of the detectors. However, some applications require the studies of dynamic phenomena and can now be conducted at several high intensity beamlines such as the recently rebuilt ANTARES beam line at the FRM-II reactor. In this paper we demonstrate the capabilities of time resolved imaging for repetitive processes, where different phases of the process can be imaged simultaneously and integrated over multiple cycles. A fast MCP/Timepix neutron counting detector was used to image the water distribution within a model steam engine operating at 10 Hz frequency. Within <10 minutes integration the amount of water was measured as a function of cycle time with a sub-mm spatial resolution, thereby demonstrating the capabilities of time-resolved neutron radiography for the future applications. The neutron spectrum of the ANTARES beamline as well as transmission spectra of a Fe sample were also measured with the Time Of Flight (TOF) technique in combination with a high resolution beam chopper. The energy resolution of our setup was found to be ~ 0.8% at 5 meV and ~ 1.7% at 25 meV. The background level (most likely gammas and epithermal/fast neutrons) of the ANTARES beamline was also measured in our experiments and found to be on the scale of 3% when no filters are installed in the beam. Online supplementary data available from stacks.iop.org/jinst/10/P07008/mmedia. The videos are given as supplementary material linked to the main article.

Q-ball imaging with PROPELLER EPI acquisition.

PubMed

Chou, Ming-Chung; Huang, Teng-Yi; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Hsieh, Tsyh-Jyi; Chang, Hing-Chiu; Chen, Cheng-Yu

2013-12-01

Q-ball imaging (QBI) is an imaging technique that is capable of resolving intravoxel fiber crossings; however, the signal readout based on echo-planar imaging (EPI) introduces geometric distortions in the presence of susceptibility gradients. This study proposes an imaging technique that reduces susceptibility distortions in QBI by short-axis PROPELLER EPI acquisition. Conventional QBI and PROPELLER QBI data were acquired from two 3T MR scans of the brains of five healthy subjects. Prior to the PROPELLER reconstruction, residual distortions in single-blade low-resolution b0 and diffusion-weighted images (DWIs) were minimized by linear affine and nonlinear diffeomorphic demon registrations. Subsequently, the PROPELLER keyhole reconstruction was applied to the corrected DWIs to obtain high-resolution PROPELLER DWIs. The generalized fractional anisotropy and orientation distribution function maps contained fewer distortions in PROPELLER QBI than in conventional QBI, and the fiber tracts more closely matched the brain anatomy depicted by turbo spin-echo (TSE) T2-weighted imaging (T2WI). Furthermore, for fixed T(E), PROPELLER QBI enabled a shorter scan time than conventional QBI. We conclude that PROPELLER QBI can reduce susceptibility distortions without lengthening the acquisition time and is suitable for tracing neuronal fiber tracts in the human brain. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Precision of computer vision systems for real-time inspection of contact wire wear in railways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borromeo, Susana; Aparicio, Jose L.

2005-02-01

This paper is oriented to study techniques to improve the precision of the systems for wear measurement of contact wire in the railways. The problematic of wear measurement characterized by some important determining factors like rate of sampling and auscultation conditions is studied in detail. The different solutions to resolve the problematic successfully are examined. Issues related to image acquisition and image processing are discussed. Type of illumination and sensors employed, image processing hardware and image processing algorithms are some topics studied. Once analyzed each one factor which have influence on the precision of the measurement system, there are proposed an assembly of solutions that allow to optimize the conditions under which the inspection can be carried out.

Respiratory motion resolved, self-gated 4D-MRI using Rotating Cartesian K-space (ROCK)

PubMed Central

Han, Fei; Zhou, Ziwu; Cao, Minsong; Yang, Yingli; Sheng, Ke; Hu, Peng

2017-01-01

Purpose To propose and validate a respiratory motion resolved, self-gated (SG) 4D-MRI technique to assess patient-specific breathing motion of abdominal organs for radiation treatment planning. Methods The proposed 4D-MRI technique was based on the balanced steady-state free-precession (bSSFP) technique and 3D k-space encoding. A novel ROtating Cartesian K-space (ROCK) reordering method was designed that incorporates repeatedly sampled k-space centerline as the SG motion surrogate and allows for retrospective k-space data binning into different respiratory positions based on the amplitude of the surrogate. The multiple respiratory-resolved 3D k-space data were subsequently reconstructed using a joint parallel imaging and compressed sensing method with spatial and temporal regularization. The proposed 4D-MRI technique was validated using a custom-made dynamic motion phantom and was tested in 6 healthy volunteers, in whom quantitative diaphragm and kidney motion measurements based on 4D-MRI images were compared with those based on 2D-CINE images. Results The 5-minute 4D-MRI scan offers high-quality volumetric images in 1.2×1.2×1.6mm3 and 8 respiratory positions, with good soft-tissue contrast. In phantom experiments with triangular motion waveform, the motion amplitude measurements based on 4D-MRI were 11.89% smaller than the ground truth, whereas a −12.5% difference was expected due to data binning effects. In healthy volunteers, the difference between the measurements based on 4D-MRI and the ones based on 2D-CINE were 6.2±4.5% for the diaphragm, 8.2±4.9% and 8.9±5.1% for the right and left kidney. Conclusion The proposed 4D-MRI technique could provide high resolution, high quality, respiratory motion resolved 4D images with good soft-tissue contrast and are free of the “stitching” artifacts usually seen on 4D-CT and 4D-MRI based on resorting 2D-CINE. It could be used to visualize and quantify abdominal organ motion for MRI-based radiation treatment planning. PMID:28133752

Respiratory motion-resolved, self-gated 4D-MRI using rotating cartesian k-space (ROCK).

PubMed

Han, Fei; Zhou, Ziwu; Cao, Minsong; Yang, Yingli; Sheng, Ke; Hu, Peng

2017-04-01

To propose and validate a respiratory motion resolved, self-gated (SG) 4D-MRI technique to assess patient-specific breathing motion of abdominal organs for radiation treatment planning. The proposed 4D-MRI technique was based on the balanced steady-state free-precession (bSSFP) technique and 3D k-space encoding. A novel rotating cartesian k-space (ROCK) reordering method was designed which incorporates repeatedly sampled k-space centerline as the SG motion surrogate and allows for retrospective k-space data binning into different respiratory positions based on the amplitude of the surrogate. The multiple respiratory-resolved 3D k-space data were subsequently reconstructed using a joint parallel imaging and compressed sensing method with spatial and temporal regularization. The proposed 4D-MRI technique was validated using a custom-made dynamic motion phantom and was tested in six healthy volunteers, in whom quantitative diaphragm and kidney motion measurements based on 4D-MRI images were compared with those based on 2D-CINE images. The 5-minute 4D-MRI scan offers high-quality volumetric images in 1.2 × 1.2 × 1.6 mm 3 and eight respiratory positions, with good soft-tissue contrast. In phantom experiments with triangular motion waveform, the motion amplitude measurements based on 4D-MRI were 11.89% smaller than the ground truth, whereas a -12.5% difference was expected due to data binning effects. In healthy volunteers, the difference between the measurements based on 4D-MRI and the ones based on 2D-CINE were 6.2 ± 4.5% for the diaphragm, 8.2 ± 4.9% and 8.9 ± 5.1% for the right and left kidney. The proposed 4D-MRI technique could provide high-resolution, high-quality, respiratory motion-resolved 4D images with good soft-tissue contrast and are free of the "stitching" artifacts usually seen on 4D-CT and 4D-MRI based on resorting 2D-CINE. It could be used to visualize and quantify abdominal organ motion for MRI-based radiation treatment planning. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Wavelength resolved neutron transmission analysis to identify single crystal particles in historical metallurgy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barzagli, E.; Grazzi, F.; Salvemini, F.; Scherillo, A.; Sato, H.; Shinohara, T.; Kamiyama, T.; Kiyanagi, Y.; Tremsin, A.; Zoppi, Marco

2014-07-01

The phase composition and the microstructure of four ferrous Japanese arrows of the Edo period (17th-19th century) has been determined through two complementary neutron techniques: Position-sensitive wavelength-resolved neutron transmission analysis (PS-WRNTA) and time-of-flight neutron diffraction (ToF-ND). Standard ToF-ND technique has been applied by using the INES diffractometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron source in the UK, while the innovative PS-WRNTA one has been performed at the J-PARC neutron source on the BL-10 NOBORU beam line using the high spatial high time resolution neutron imaging detector. With ToF-ND we were able to reach information about the quantitative distribution of the metal and non-metal phases, the texture level, the strain level and the domain size of each of the samples, which are important parameters to gain knowledge about the technological level of the Japanese weapon. Starting from this base of data, the more complex PS-WRNTA has been applied to the same samples. This experimental technique exploits the presence of the so-called Bragg edges, in the time-of-flight spectrum of neutrons transmitted through crystalline materials, to map the microstructural properties of samples. The two techniques are non-invasive and can be easily applied to archaeometry for an accurate microstructure mapping of metal and ceramic artifacts.

Towards high-resolution neutron imaging on IMAT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minniti, T.; Tremsin, A. S.; Vitucci, G.; Kockelmann, W.

2018-01-01

IMAT is a new cold-neutron imaging facility at the neutron spallation source ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, U.K.. The ISIS pulsed source enables energy-selective and energy-resolved neutron imaging via time-of-flight (TOF) techniques, which are available in addition to the white-beam neutron radiography and tomography options. A spatial resolution of about 50 μm for white-beam neutron radiography was achieved early in the IMAT commissioning phase. In this work we have made the first steps towards achieving higher spatial resolution. A white-beam radiography with 18 μm spatial resolution was achieved in this experiment. This result was possible by using the event counting neutron pixel detector based on micro-channel plates (MCP) coupled with a Timepix readout chip with 55 μm sized pixels, and by employing an event centroiding technique. The prospects for energy-selective neutron radiography for this centroiding mode are discussed.

Iao: The New Adaptive Optics Visible Imaging and Photometric System for AEOS

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

observations of binary stars, asteroids and planets such as Mercury and Mars [2,3,4]. The Visible Imager is also used to take time resolved photometry ...role it takes high spatial resolution imagery of resolved targets. These targets are primarily low Earth orbiting satellites acquired for the...albedo pattern: Comparing the AEOS and TES data sets [5] D.T. Hall et al. 2007, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 44, 910-919, Time - Resolved I-Band

Near-field transport imaging applied to photovoltaic materials

DOE PAGES

Xiao, Chuanxiao; Jiang, Chun -Sheng; Moseley, John; ...

2017-05-26

We developed and applied a new analytical technique - near-field transport imaging (NF-TI or simply TI) - to photovoltaic materials. Charge-carrier transport is an important factor in solar cell performance, and TI is an innovative approach that integrates a scanning electron microscope with a near-field scanning optical microscope, providing the possibility to study luminescence associated with recombination and transport with high spatial resolution. In this paper, we describe in detail the technical barriers we had to overcome to develop the technique for routine application and the data-fitting procedure used to calculate minority-carrier diffusion length values. The diffusion length measured bymore » TI agrees well with the results calculated by time-resolved photoluminescence on well-controlled gallium arsenide (GaAs) thin-film samples. We report for the first time on measurements on thin-film cadmium telluride using this technique, including the determination of effective carrier diffusion length, as well as the first near-field imaging of the effect of a single localized defect on carrier transport and recombination in a GaAs heterostructure. Furthermore, by changing the scanning setup, we were able to demonstrate near-field cathodoluminescence (CL), and correlated the results with standard CL measurements. In conclusion, the TI technique shows great potential for mapping transport properties in solar cell materials with high spatial resolution.« less

Ultrafast time-resolved photoemission of a metallic tip/substrate junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xiang; Jin, Wencan; Yang, Hao; Dadap, Jerry; Osgood, Richard; Camillone, Nicholas, III

The strong near-field enhancement of metallic-tip nanostructures has attracted great interest in scanning microscopy techniques, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering, near-field scanning optical microscopy and tip-enhanced nonlinear imaging. In this talk, we use a full vectorial 3D-FDTD method to investigate the spatial characteristics of the optical field confinement and localization between a tungsten nanoprobe and an infinite planar silver substrate, with two-color ultrafast laser excitation scheme. The degree of two-color excited field enhancement, geometry dependence, the exact mechanism of optical tip-substrate coupling and tip-substrate plasmon resonances are significant in understanding the electrodynamical responses at tip-substrate junction. The demonstrated measurements with subpicosecond time and subnanometer spatial resolution suggest a new approach to ultrafast time-resolved measurements of surface electron dynamics. DE-FG 02-90-ER-14104; DE-FG 02-04-ER-46157.

Dynamics of a pulsed laser generated tin plasma expanding in an oxygen atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barreca, F.; Fazio, E.; Neri, F.; Barletta, E.; Trusso, S.; Fazio, B.

2005-10-01

Semiconducting tin oxide can be successfully deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. In particular by ablating metallic tin in a controlled oxygen atmosphere, thin films of SnOx have been deposited. The partial oxygen pressure at which the films are deposited strongly influences both the stoichiometry and the structural properties of the films. In this work, we present a study of the expansion dynamics of the plasma generated by ablating a tin target by means of a pulsed laser using time and space resolved optical emission spectroscopy and fast photography imaging of the expanding plasma. Both Sn I and Sn II optical emission lines have been observed from the time-integrated spectroscopy. Time resolved-measurements revealed the dynamics of the expanding plasma in the ambient oxygen atmosphere. Stoichiometry of the films has been determined by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and correlated to the expansion dynamics of the plasma.

Time Resolved PIV for Space-Time Correlations in Hot Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wernet, Mark P.

2007-01-01

Temporally Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) is the newest and most exciting tool recently developed to support our continuing efforts to characterize and improve our understanding of the decay of turbulence in jet flows -- a critical element for understanding the acoustic properties of the flow. A new TR-PIV system has been developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center which is capable of acquiring planar PIV image frame pairs at up to 25 kHz. The data reported here were collected at Mach numbers of 0.5 and 0.9 and at temperature ratios of 0.89 and 1.76. The field of view of the TR-PIV system covered 6 nozzle diameters along the lip line of the 50.8 mm diameter jet. The cold flow data at Mach 0.5 were compared with hotwire anemometry measurements in order to validate the new TR-PIV technique. The axial turbulence profiles measured across the shear layer using TR-PIV were thinner than those measured using hotwire anemometry and remained centered along the nozzle lip line. The collected TR-PIV data illustrate the differences in the single point statistical flow properties of cold and hot jet flows. The planar, time-resolved velocity records were then used to compute two-point space-time correlations of the flow at the Mach 0.9 flow condition. The TR-PIV results show that there are differences in the convective velocity and growth rate of the turbulent structures between cold and hot flows at the same Mach number

Supporting lander and rover operation: a novel super-resolution restoration technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Yu; Muller, Jan-Peter

2015-04-01

Higher resolution imaging data is always desirable to critical rover engineering operations, such as landing site selection, path planning, and optical localisation. For current Mars missions, 25cm HiRISE images have been widely used by the MER & MSL engineering team for rover path planning and location registration/adjustment. However, 25cm is not high enough resolution to be able to view individual rocks (≤2m in size) or visualise the types of sedimentary features that rover onboard cameras might observe. Nevertheless, due to various physical constraints (e.g. telescope size and mass) from the imaging instruments themselves, one needs to be able to tradeoff spatial resolution and bandwidth. This means that future imaging systems are likely to be limited to resolve features larger than 25cm. We have developed a novel super-resolution algorithm/pipeline to be able to restore higher resolution image from the non-redundant sub-pixel information contained in multiple lower resolution raw images [Tao & Muller 2015]. We will demonstrate with experiments performed using 5-10 overlapped 25cm HiRISE images for MER-A, MER-B & MSL to resolve 5-10cm super resolution images that can be directly compared to rover imagery at a range of 5 metres from the rover cameras but in our case can be used to visualise features many kilometres away from the actual rover traverse. We will demonstrate how these super-resolution images together with image understanding software can be used to quantify rock size-frequency distributions as well as measure sedimentary rock layers for several critical sites for comparison with rover orthorectified image mosaic to demonstrate optimality of using our super-resolution resolved image to better support future lander and rover operation in future. We present the potential of super-resolution for virtual exploration to the ˜400 HiRISE areas which have been viewed 5 or more times and the potential application of this technique to all of the ESA ExoMars Trace Gas orbiter CaSSiS stereo, multi-angle and colour camera images from 2017 onwards. Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement No.312377 PRoViDE.

Fluorescence lifetime in cardiovascular diagnostics

PubMed Central

Marcu, Laura

2010-01-01

We review fluorescence lifetime techniques including time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) instrumentation and associated methodologies that allow for characterization and diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques. Emphasis is placed on the translational research potential of TR-LIFS and FLIM and on determining whether intrinsic fluorescence signals can be used to provide useful contrast for the diagnosis of high-risk atherosclerotic plaque. Our results demonstrate that these techniques allow for the discrimination of important biochemical features involved in atherosclerotic plaque instability and rupture and show their potential for future intravascular applications. PMID:20210432

Temperature measurement of supercooled droplet in icing phenomenon by means of dual-luminescent imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, M.; Morita, K.; Mamori, H.; Fukushima, N.; Yamamoto, M.

2017-08-01

The collision of a supercooled water droplet with a surface result an object creates ice accretion on the surface. The icing problem in any cold environments leads to severe damages on aircrafts, and a lot of studies on prevention and prediction techniques for icing have been conducted so far. Therefore, it is very important to know the detail of freezing mechanism of supercooled water droplets to improve the anti-and de-icing devices and icing simulation codes. The icing mechanism of a single supercooled water droplet impacting on an object surface would give us great insights for the purpose. In the present study, we develop a dual-luminescent imaging technique to measure the time-resolved temperature of a supercooled water droplet impacting on the surface under different temperature conditions. We apply this technique to measure the exact temperature of a water droplet, and to discuss the detail of the freezing process.

Multi-contrast light profile microscopy for the depth-resolved imaging of the properties of multi-ply thin films.

PubMed

Power, J F

2009-06-01

Light profile microscopy (LPM) is a direct method for the spectral depth imaging of thin film cross-sections on the micrometer scale. LPM uses a perpendicular viewing configuration that directly images a source beam propagated through a thin film. Images are formed in dark field contrast, which is highly sensitive to subtle interfacial structures that are invisible to reference methods. The independent focusing of illumination and imaging systems allows multiple registered optical sources to be hosted on a single platform. These features make LPM a powerful multi-contrast (MC) imaging technique, demonstrated in this work with six modes of imaging in a single instrument, based on (1) broad-band elastic scatter; (2) laser excited wideband luminescence; (3) coherent elastic scatter; (4) Raman scatter (three channels with RGB illumination); (5) wavelength resolved luminescence; and (6) spectral broadband scatter, resolved in immediate succession. MC-LPM integrates Raman images with a wider optical and morphological picture of the sample than prior art microprobes. Currently, MC-LPM resolves images at an effective spectral resolution better than 9 cm(-1), at a spatial resolution approaching 1 microm, with optics that operate in air at half the maximum numerical aperture of the prior art microprobes.

Elimination of white Gaussian noise in arterial phase CT images to bring adrenal tumours into the forefront.

PubMed

Koyuncu, Hasan; Ceylan, Rahime

2018-04-01

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (DCE-CT) is applied to observe adrenal tumours in detail by utilising from the contrast matter, which generally brings the tumour into the forefront. However, DCE-CT images are generally influenced by noises that occur as the result of the trade-off between radiation doses vs. noise. Herein, this situation constitutes a challenge in the achievement of accurate tumour segmentation. In CT images, most of the noises are similar to Gaussian Noise. In this study, arterial phase CT images containing adrenal tumours are utilised, and elimination of Gaussian Noise is realised by fourteen different techniques reported in literature for the achievement of the best denoising process. In this study, the Block Matching and 3D Filtering (BM3D) algorithm typically achieve reliable Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratios (PSNR) and resolves challenges of similar techniques when addressing different levels of noise. Furthermore, BM3D obtains the best mean PSNR values among the first five techniques. BM3D outperforms to other techniques by obtaining better Total Statistical Success (TSS), CPU time and computation cost. Consequently, it prepares clearer arterial phase CT images for the next step (segmentation of adrenal tumours). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of time-resolved proton radiography using x-ray flat-panel imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jee, K.-W.; Zhang, R.; Bentefour, E. H.; Doolan, P. J.; Cascio, E.; Sharp, G.; Flanz, J.; Lu, H.-M.

2017-03-01

Proton beam therapy benefits from the Bragg peak and delivers highly conformal dose distributions. However, the location of the end-of-range is subject to uncertainties related to the accuracy of the relative proton stopping power estimates and thereby the water-equivalent path length (WEPL) along the beam. To remedy the range uncertainty, an in vivo measurement of the WEPL through the patient, i.e. a proton-range radiograph, is highly desirable. Towards that goal, we have explored a novel method of proton radiography based on the time-resolved dose measured by a flat panel imager (FPI). A 226 MeV pencil beam and a custom-designed range modulator wheel (MW) were used to create a time-varying broad beam. The proton imaging technique used exploits this time dependency by looking at the dose rate at the imager as a function of time. This dose rate function (DRF) has a unique time-varying dose pattern at each depth of penetration. A relatively slow rotation of the MW (0.2 revolutions per second) and a fast image acquisition (30 frames per second, ~33 ms sampling) provided a sufficient temporal resolution for each DRF. Along with the high output of the CsI:Tl scintillator, imaging with pixel binning (2  ×  2) generated high signal-to-noise data at a very low radiation dose (~0.1 cGy). Proton radiographs of a head phantom and a Gammex CT calibration phantom were taken with various configurations. The results of the phantom measurements show that the FPI can generate low noise and high spatial resolution proton radiographs. The WEPL values of the CT tissue surrogate inserts show that the measured relative stopping powers are accurate to ~2%. The panel did not show any noticeable radiation damage after the accumulative dose of approximately 3831 cGy. In summary, we have successfully demonstrated a highly practical method of generating proton radiography using an x-ray flat panel imager.

Investigation of time-resolved proton radiography using x-ray flat-panel imaging system.

PubMed

Jee, K-W; Zhang, R; Bentefour, E H; Doolan, P J; Cascio, E; Sharp, G; Flanz, J; Lu, H-M

2017-03-07

Proton beam therapy benefits from the Bragg peak and delivers highly conformal dose distributions. However, the location of the end-of-range is subject to uncertainties related to the accuracy of the relative proton stopping power estimates and thereby the water-equivalent path length (WEPL) along the beam. To remedy the range uncertainty, an in vivo measurement of the WEPL through the patient, i.e. a proton-range radiograph, is highly desirable. Towards that goal, we have explored a novel method of proton radiography based on the time-resolved dose measured by a flat panel imager (FPI). A 226 MeV pencil beam and a custom-designed range modulator wheel (MW) were used to create a time-varying broad beam. The proton imaging technique used exploits this time dependency by looking at the dose rate at the imager as a function of time. This dose rate function (DRF) has a unique time-varying dose pattern at each depth of penetration. A relatively slow rotation of the MW (0.2 revolutions per second) and a fast image acquisition (30 frames per second, ~33 ms sampling) provided a sufficient temporal resolution for each DRF. Along with the high output of the CsI:Tl scintillator, imaging with pixel binning (2  ×  2) generated high signal-to-noise data at a very low radiation dose (~0.1 cGy). Proton radiographs of a head phantom and a Gammex CT calibration phantom were taken with various configurations. The results of the phantom measurements show that the FPI can generate low noise and high spatial resolution proton radiographs. The WEPL values of the CT tissue surrogate inserts show that the measured relative stopping powers are accurate to ~2%. The panel did not show any noticeable radiation damage after the accumulative dose of approximately 3831 cGy. In summary, we have successfully demonstrated a highly practical method of generating proton radiography using an x-ray flat panel imager.

In-vivo Fourier domain optical coherence tomography as a new tool for investigation of vasodynamics in the mouse model.

PubMed

Meissner, Sven; Müller, Gregor; Walther, Julia; Morawietz, Henning; Koch, Edmund

2009-01-01

In-vivo imaging of the vascular system can provide novel insight into the dynamics of vasoconstriction and vasodilation. Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is an optical, noncontact imaging technique based on interferometry of short-coherent near-infrared light with axial resolution of less than 10 microm. In this study, we apply FD-OCT as an in-vivo imaging technique to investigate blood vessels in their anatomical context using temporally resolved image stacks. Our chosen model system is the murine saphenous artery and vein, due to their small inner vessel diameters, sensitive response to vasoactive stimuli, and advantageous anatomical position. The vascular function of male wild-type mice (C57BL/6) is determined at the ages of 6 and 20 weeks. Vasoconstriction is analyzed in response to dermal application of potassium (K(+)), and vasodilation in response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Vasodynamics are quantified from time series (75 sec, 4 frames per sec, 330 x 512 pixels per frame) of cross sectional images that are analyzed by semiautomated image processing software. The morphology of the saphenous artery and vein is determined by 3-D image stacks of 512 x 512 x 512 pixels. Using the FD-OCT technique, we are able to demonstrate age-dependent differences in vascular function and vasodynamics.

Time-resolved polarization imaging by pump-probe (stimulated emission) fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed Central

Buehler, C; Dong, C Y; So, P T; French, T; Gratton, E

2000-01-01

We report the application of pump-probe fluorescence microscopy in time-resolved polarization imaging. We derived the equations governing the pump-probe stimulated emission process and characterized the pump and probe laser power levels for signal saturation. Our emphasis is to use this novel methodology to image polarization properties of fluorophores across entire cells. As a feasibility study, we imaged a 15-microm orange latex sphere and found that there is depolarization that is possibly due to energy transfer among fluorescent molecules inside the sphere. We also imaged a mouse fibroblast labeled with CellTracker Orange CMTMR (5-(and-6)-(((4-chloromethyl)benzoyl)amino)tetramethyl-rhodamine). We observed that Orange CMTMR complexed with gluthathione rotates fast, indicating the relatively low fluid-phase viscosity of the cytoplasmic microenvironment as seen by Orange CMTMR. The measured rotational correlation time ranged from approximately 30 to approximately 150 ps. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of stimulated emission measurements in acquiring high-resolution, time-resolved polarization information across the entire cell. PMID:10866979

Cellular Oxygen and Nutrient Sensing in Microgravity Using Time-Resolved Fluorescence Microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szmacinski, Henryk

2003-01-01

Oxygen and nutrient sensing is fundamental to the understanding of cell growth and metabolism. This requires identification of optical probes and suitable detection technology without complex calibration procedures. Under this project Microcosm developed an experimental technique that allows for simultaneous imaging of intra- and inter-cellular events. The technique consists of frequency-domain Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM), a set of identified oxygen and pH probes, and methods for fabrication of microsensors. Specifications for electronic and optical components of FLIM instrumentation are provided. Hardware and software were developed for data acquisition and analysis. Principles, procedures, and representative images are demonstrated. Suitable lifetime sensitive oxygen, pH, and glucose probes for intra- and extra-cellular measurements of analyte concentrations have been identified and tested. Lifetime sensing and imaging have been performed using PBS buffer, culture media, and yeast cells as a model systems. Spectral specifications, calibration curves, and probes availability are also provided in the report.

Picosecond imaging of inertial confinement fusion plasmas using electron pulse-dilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilsabeck, T. J.; Nagel, S. R.; Hares, J. D.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Bell, P. M.; Bradley, D. K.; Dymoke-Bradshaw, A. K. L.; Piston, K.; Chung, T. M.

2017-02-01

Laser driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) plasmas typically have burn durations on the order of 100 ps. Time resolved imaging of the x-ray self emission during the hot spot formation is an important diagnostic tool which gives information on implosion symmetry, transient features and stagnation time. Traditional x-ray gated imagers for ICF use microchannel plate detectors to obtain gate widths of 40-100 ps. The development of electron pulse-dilation imaging has enabled a 10X improvement in temporal resolution over legacy instruments. In this technique, the incoming x-ray image is converted to electrons at a photocathode. The electrons are accelerated with a time-varying potential that leads to temporal expansion as the electron signal transits the tube. This expanded signal is recorded with a gated detector and the effective temporal resolution of the composite system can be as low as several picoseconds. An instrument based on this principle, known as the Dilation X-ray Imager (DIXI) has been constructed and fielded at the National Ignition Facility. Design features and experimental results from DIXI will be presented.

Depth-resolved birefringence and differential optical axis orientation measurements with fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Guo, Shuguang; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Lei; Nelson, J Stuart; Chen, Zhongping

2004-09-01

Conventional polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) can provide depth-resolved Stokes parameter measurements of light reflected from turbid media. A new algorithm that takes into account changes in the optical axis is introduced to provide depth-resolved birefringence and differential optical axis orientation images by use of fiber-based PS-OCT. Quaternion, a convenient mathematical tool, is used to represent an optical element and simplify the algorithm. Experimental results with beef tendon and rabbit tendon and muscle show that this technique has promising potential for imaging the birefringent structure of multiple-layer samples with varying optical axes.

Intravascular Optical Imaging Technology for Investigating the Coronary Artery

PubMed Central

Suter, Melissa J.; Nadkarni, Seemantini K.; Weisz, Giora; Tanaka, Atsushi; Jaffer, Farouc A.; Bouma, Brett E.; Tearney, Guillermo J.

2012-01-01

There is an ever-increasing demand for new imaging methods that can provide additional information about the coronary wall to better characterize and stratify high-risk plaques, and to guide interventional and pharmacologic management of patients with coronary artery disease. While there are a number of imaging modalities that facilitate the assessment of coronary artery pathology, this review paper focuses on intravascular optical imaging modalities that provide information on the microstructural, compositional, biochemical, biomechanical, and molecular features of coronary lesions and stents. The optical imaging modalities discussed include angioscopy, optical coherence tomography, polarization sensitive-optical coherence tomography, laser speckle imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, time-resolved laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and near-infrared fluorescence molecular imaging. Given the wealth of information that these techniques can provide, optical imaging modalities are poised to play an increasingly significant role in the evaluation of the coronary artery in the future. PMID:21920342

Flow characteristics in a canine aneurysm model: A comparison of 4D accelerated phase-contrast MR measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulations

PubMed Central

Jiang, Jingfeng; Johnson, Kevin; Valen-Sendstad, Kristian; Mardal, Kent-Andre; Wieben, Oliver; Strother, Charles

2011-01-01

Purpose: Our purpose was to compare quantitatively velocity fields in and around experimental canine aneurysms as measured using an accelerated 4D PC-MR angiography (MRA) method and calculated based on animal-specific CFD simulations. Methods: Two animals with a surgically created bifurcation aneurysm were imaged using an accelerated 4D PC-MRA method. Meshes were created based on the geometries obtained from the PC-MRA and simulations using “subject-specific” pulsatile velocity waveforms and geometries were then solved using a commercial CFD solver. Qualitative visual assessments and quantitative comparisons of the time-resolved velocity fields obtained from the PC-MRA measurements and the CFD simulations were performed using a defined similarity metric combining both angular and magnitude differences of vector fields. Results: PC-MRA and image-based CFD not only yielded visually consistent representations of 3D streamlines in and around both aneurysms, but also showed good agreement with regard to the spatial velocity distributions. The estimated similarity between time-resolved velocity fields from both techniques was reasonably high (mean value >0.60; one being the highest and zero being the lowest). Relative differences in inflow and outflow zones among selected planes were also reasonable (on the order of 10%–20%). The correlation between CFD-calculated and PC-MRA-measured time-averaged wall shear stresses was low (0.22 and 0.31, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In two experimental canine aneurysms, PC-MRA and image-based CFD showed favorable agreement in intra-aneurismal velocity fields. Combining these two complementary techniques likely will further improve the ability to characterize and interpret the complex flow that occurs in human intracranial aneurysms. PMID:22047395

Biological tissue imaging with a position and time sensitive pixelated detector.

PubMed

Jungmann, Julia H; Smith, Donald F; MacAleese, Luke; Klinkert, Ivo; Visser, Jan; Heeren, Ron M A

2012-10-01

We demonstrate the capabilities of a highly parallel, active pixel detector for large-area, mass spectrometric imaging of biological tissue sections. A bare Timepix assembly (512 × 512 pixels) is combined with chevron microchannel plates on an ion microscope matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI TOF-MS). The detector assembly registers position- and time-resolved images of multiple m/z species in every measurement frame. We prove the applicability of the detection system to biomolecular mass spectrometry imaging on biologically relevant samples by mass-resolved images from Timepix measurements of a peptide-grid benchmark sample and mouse testis tissue slices. Mass-spectral and localization information of analytes at physiologic concentrations are measured in MALDI-TOF-MS imaging experiments. We show a high spatial resolution (pixel size down to 740 × 740 nm(2) on the sample surface) and a spatial resolving power of 6 μm with a microscope mode laser field of view of 100-335 μm. Automated, large-area imaging is demonstrated and the Timepix' potential for fast, large-area image acquisition is highlighted.

TU-F-17A-04: Respiratory Phase-Resolved 3D MRI with Isotropic High Spatial Resolution: Determination of the Average Breathing Motion Pattern for Abdominal Radiotherapy Planning

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

Deng, Z; Pang, J; Yang, W

Purpose: To develop a retrospective 4D-MRI technique (respiratory phase-resolved 3D-MRI) for providing an accurate assessment of tumor motion secondary to respiration. Methods: A 3D projection reconstruction (PR) sequence with self-gating (SG) was developed for 4D-MRI on a 3.0T MRI scanner. The respiration-induced shift of the imaging target was recorded by SG signals acquired in the superior-inferior direction every 15 radial projections (i.e. temporal resolution 98 ms). A total of 73000 radial projections obtained in 8-min were retrospectively sorted into 10 time-domain evenly distributed respiratory phases based on the SG information. Ten 3D image sets were then reconstructed offline. The techniquemore » was validated on a motion phantom (gadolinium-doped water-filled box, frequency of 10 and 18 cycles/min) and humans (4 healthy and 2 patients with liver tumors). Imaging protocol included 8-min 4D-MRI followed by 1-min 2D-realtime (498 ms/frame) MRI as a reference. Results: The multiphase 3D image sets with isotropic high spatial resolution (1.56 mm) permits flexible image reformatting and visualization. No intra-phase motion-induced blurring was observed. Comparing to 2D-realtime, 4D-MRI yielded similar motion range (phantom: 10.46 vs. 11.27 mm; healthy subject: 25.20 vs. 17.9 mm; patient: 11.38 vs. 9.30 mm), reasonable displacement difference averaged over the 10 phases (0.74mm; 3.63mm; 1.65mm), and excellent cross-correlation (0.98; 0.96; 0.94) between the two displacement series. Conclusion: Our preliminary study has demonstrated that the 4D-MRI technique can provide high-quality respiratory phase-resolved 3D images that feature: a) isotropic high spatial resolution, b) a fixed scan time of 8 minutes, c) an accurate estimate of average motion pattern, and d) minimal intra-phase motion artifact. This approach has the potential to become a viable alternative solution to assess the impact of breathing on tumor motion and determine appropriate treatment margins. Comparison with 4D-CT in a clinical setting is warranted to assess the value of 4D-MRI in radiotherapy planning. This work supported in part by grant 1R03CA173273-01.« less

Imaging as characterization techniques for thin-film cadmium telluride photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaunbrecher, Katherine

The goal of increasing the efficiency of solar cell devices is a universal one. Increased photovoltaic (PV) performance means an increase in competition with other energy technologies. One way to improve PV technologies is to develop rapid, accurate characterization tools for quality control. Imaging techniques developed over the past decade are beginning to fill that role. Electroluminescence (EL), photoluminescence (PL), and lock-in thermography are three types of imaging implemented in this study to provide a multifaceted approach to studying imaging as applied to thin-film CdTe solar cells. Images provide spatial information about cell operation, which in turn can be used to identify defects that limit performance. This study began with developing EL, PL, and dark lock-in thermography (DLIT) for CdTe. Once imaging data were acquired, luminescence and thermography signatures of non-uniformities that disrupt the generation and collection of carriers were identified and cataloged. Additional data acquisition and analysis were used to determine luminescence response to varying operating conditions. This includes acquiring spectral data, varying excitation conditions, and correlating luminescence to device performance. EL measurements show variations in a cell's local voltage, which include inhomogeneities in the transparent-conductive oxide (TCO) front contact, CdS window layer, and CdTe absorber layer. EL signatures include large gradients, local reduction of luminescence, and local increases in luminescence on the interior of the device as well as bright spots located on the cell edges. The voltage bias and spectral response were analyzed to determine the response of these non-uniformities and surrounding areas. PL images of CdTe have not shown the same level of detail and features compared to their EL counterparts. Many of the signatures arise from reflections and severe inhomogeneities, but the technique is limited by the external illumination source used to excite carriers. Measurements on unfinished CdS and CdTe films reveal changes in signal after post-deposition processing treatments. DLIT images contained heat signatures arising from defect-related current crowding. Forward- and reverse-bias measurements revealed hot spots related to shunt and weak-diode defects. Modeling and previous studies done on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 thin-film solar cells aided in identifying the physical causes of these thermographic and luminescence signatures. Imaging data were also coupled with other characterization techniques to provide a more comprehensive examination of nonuniform features and their origins and effects on device performance. These techniques included light-beam-induced-current (LBIC) measurements, which provide spatial quantum efficiency maps of the cell at varying resolutions, as well as time-resolved photoluminescence and spectral PL mapping. Local drops in quantum efficiency seen in LBIC typically corresponded with reductions in EL signal while minority-carrier lifetime values acquired by time-resolved PL measurements correlate with PL intensity.

Emerging biomedical applications of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakowicz, Joseph R.; Szmacinski, Henryk; Koen, Peter A.

1994-07-01

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy is presently regarded as a research tool in biochemistry, biophysics, and chemical physics. Advances in laser technology, the development of long-wavelength probes, and the use of lifetime-based methods are resulting in the rapid migration of time-resolved fluorescence to the clinical chemistry lab, to the patient's bedside, to flow cytometers, to the doctor's office, and even to home health care. Additionally, time-resolved imaging is now a reality in fluorescence microscopy, and will provide chemical imaging of a variety of intracellular analytes and/or cellular phenomena. In this overview paper we attempt to describe some of the opportunities available using chemical sensing based on fluorescence lifetimes, and to predict those applications of lifetime-based sensing which are most likely in the near future.

High Resolution Ultrasound Superharmonic Perfusion Imaging: In Vivo Feasibility and Quantification of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Acoustic Angiography.

PubMed

Lindsey, Brooks D; Shelton, Sarah E; Martin, K Heath; Ozgun, Kathryn A; Rojas, Juan D; Foster, F Stuart; Dayton, Paul A

2017-04-01

Mapping blood perfusion quantitatively allows localization of abnormal physiology and can improve understanding of disease progression. Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound is a low-cost, real-time technique for imaging perfusion dynamics with microbubble contrast agents. Previously, we have demonstrated another contrast agent-specific ultrasound imaging technique, acoustic angiography, which forms static anatomical images of the superharmonic signal produced by microbubbles. In this work, we seek to determine whether acoustic angiography can be utilized for high resolution perfusion imaging in vivo by examining the effect of acquisition rate on superharmonic imaging at low flow rates and demonstrating the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced superharmonic perfusion imaging for the first time. Results in the chorioallantoic membrane model indicate that frame rate and frame averaging do not affect the measured diameter of individual vessels observed, but that frame rate does influence the detection of vessels near and below the resolution limit. The highest number of resolvable vessels was observed at an intermediate frame rate of 3 Hz using a mechanically-steered prototype transducer. We also demonstrate the feasibility of quantitatively mapping perfusion rate in 2D in a mouse model with spatial resolution of ~100 μm. This type of imaging could provide non-invasive, high resolution quantification of microvascular function at penetration depths of several centimeters.

Application of the multiple PRF technique to resolve Doppler centroid estimation ambiguity for spaceborne SAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, C. Y.; Curlander, J. C.

1992-01-01

Estimation of the Doppler centroid ambiguity is a necessary element of the signal processing for SAR systems with large antenna pointing errors. Without proper resolution of the Doppler centroid estimation (DCE) ambiguity, the image quality will be degraded in the system impulse response function and the geometric fidelity. Two techniques for resolution of DCE ambiguity for the spaceborne SAR are presented; they include a brief review of the range cross-correlation technique and presentation of a new technique using multiple pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs). For SAR systems, where other performance factors control selection of the PRF's, an algorithm is devised to resolve the ambiguity that uses PRF's of arbitrary numerical values. The performance of this multiple PRF technique is analyzed based on a statistical error model. An example is presented that demonstrates for the Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) C-band SAR, the probability of correct ambiguity resolution is higher than 95 percent for antenna attitude errors as large as 3 deg.

Time-Resolved Study of Nanomorphology and Nanomechanic Change of Early-Stage Mineralized Electrospun Poly(lactic acid) Fiber by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy

PubMed Central

Wang, Mengmeng; Cai, Yin; Zhao, Bo; Zhu, Peizhi

2017-01-01

In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to reveal the early-stage change of nanomorphology and nanomechanical properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers in a time-resolved manner during the mineralization process. Electrospun PLA nanofibers were soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) for different periods of time (0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 21 days) at 10 °C, much lower than the conventional 37 °C, to simulate the slow biomineralization process. Time-resolved Raman spectroscopy analysis can confirm that apatites were deposited on PLA nanofibers after 21 days of mineralization. However, there is no significant signal change among several Raman spectra before 21 days. SEM images can reveal the mineral deposit on PLA nanofibers during the process of mineralization. In this work, for the first time, time-resolved AFM was used to monitor early-stage nanomorphology and nanomechanical changes of PLA nanofibers. The Surface Roughness and Young’s Modulus of the PLA nanofiber quantitatively increased with the time of mineralization. The electrospun PLA nanofibers with delicate porous structure could mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and serve as a model to study the early-stage mineralization. Tested by the mode of PLA nanofibers, we demonstrated that AFM technique could be developed as a potential diagnostic tool to monitor the early onset of pathologic mineralization of soft tissues. PMID:28817096

High temporal and high spatial resolution MR angiography (4D-MRA).

PubMed

Hadizadeh, D R; Marx, C; Gieseke, J; Schild, H H; Willinek, W A

2014-09-01

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, whole-body magnetic resonance scanners with high field strengths (and thus potentially better signal-to-noise ratios) were developed. At the same time, parallel imaging and "echo-sharing" techniques were refined to allow for increasingly high spatial and temporal resolution in dynamic magnetic resonance angiography ("time-resolved" = TR-MRA). This technological progress facilitated tracking the passage of intra-venously administered contrast agent boluses as well as the acquisition of volume data sets at high image refresh rates ("4D-MRA"). This opened doors for many new applications in non-invasive vascular imaging, including simultaneous anatomic and functional analysis of many vascular pathologies including arterio-venous malformations. Different methods were established to acquire 4D-MRA using various strategies to acquire k-space trajectories over time in order to optimize imaging according to clinical needs. These include "keyhole"-based techniques (e. g. 4D-TRAK), TRICKS - both with and without projection - and HYPR-reconstruction, TREAT, and TWIST. Some of these techniques were first introduced in the 1980 s and 1990 s, were later enhanced and modified, and finally implemented in the products of major vendors. In the last decade, a large number of studies on the clinical applications of TR-MRA was published. This manuscript provides an overview of the development of TR-MRA methods and the 4D-MRA techniques as they are currently used in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of vascular diseases in various parts of the body. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

MRI of human hair.

PubMed

Mattle, Eveline; Weiger, Markus; Schmidig, Daniel; Boesiger, Peter; Fey, Michael

2009-06-01

Hair care for humans is a major world industry with specialised tools, chemicals and techniques. Studying the effect of hair care products has become a considerable field of research, and besides mechanical and optical testing numerous advanced analytical techniques have been employed in this area. In the present work, another means of studying the properties of hair is added by demonstrating the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human hair. Established dedicated nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy hardware (solenoidal radiofrequency microcoils and planar field gradients) and methods (constant time imaging) were adapted to the specific needs of hair MRI. Images were produced at a spatial resolution high enough to resolve the inner structure of the hair, showing contrast between cortex and medulla. Quantitative evaluation of a scan series with different echo times provided a T*(2) value of 2.6 ms for the cortex and a water content of about 90% for hairs saturated with water. The demonstration of the feasibility of hair MRI potentially adds a new tool to the large variety of analytical methods used nowadays in the development of hair care products.

Deblurring sequential ocular images from multi-spectral imaging (MSI) via mutual information.

PubMed

Lian, Jian; Zheng, Yuanjie; Jiao, Wanzhen; Yan, Fang; Zhao, Bojun

2018-06-01

Multi-spectral imaging (MSI) produces a sequence of spectral images to capture the inner structure of different species, which was recently introduced into ocular disease diagnosis. However, the quality of MSI images can be significantly degraded by motion blur caused by the inevitable saccades and exposure time required for maintaining a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio. This degradation may confuse an ophthalmologist, reduce the examination quality, or defeat various image analysis algorithms. We propose an early work specially on deblurring sequential MSI images, which is distinguished from many of the current image deblurring techniques by resolving the blur kernel simultaneously for all the images in an MSI sequence. It is accomplished by incorporating several a priori constraints including the sharpness of the latent clear image, the spatial and temporal smoothness of the blur kernel and the similarity between temporally-neighboring images in MSI sequence. Specifically, we model the similarity between MSI images with mutual information considering the different wavelengths used for capturing different images in MSI sequence. The optimization of the proposed approach is based on a multi-scale framework and stepwise optimization strategy. Experimental results from 22 MSI sequences validate that our approach outperforms several state-of-the-art techniques in natural image deblurring.

Reply on the comment of the paper "New probing techniques of radiative shocks"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stehlé, Chantal; Kozlová, Michaela; Larour, Jean; Nejdl, Jaroslav; Suzuki-Vidal, Francisco; Cohen, Mathieu; Chaulagain, Uddhab P.; Champion, Norbert; Barroso, Patrice; Acef, Ouali; Delattre, Pierre-Alexandre; Dostál, Jan; Krus, Miroslav; Chièze, Jean-Pierre; Ibgui, Laurent

2014-05-01

Imaging the structure of a radiative shock is a challenging task as the high plasma densities produced need a short wavelength to penetrate the plasma, requiring highly sophisticated imaging techniques. In a recent paper (Stehlé et al., Opt. Commun. 285 (2012) 64-69 [1]) the feasibility of a novel imaging technique using an X-ray laser (XRL) at 21 nm with a pulse duration 0.15 ns was proved. The recorded image was attributed to a shock propagating with a velocity of ~60 km/s. This velocity is in agreement with measurements of the plasma self-emission using time and space resolved diode diagnostics, and also in qualitative agreement with 1D numerical simulations. However, due to the inhomogeneous reflectivity of the XUV imaging mirror and to the low number of XRL photons, the quality of the recorded image was insufficient to unambiguously identify the different shock regions. Thus, arguing an ad hoc spatial resolution of ~0.5 mm and a stepwise representation of the shock-piston system, the potential of the technique to observe a radiative precursor was contested (Busquet's comment (in press) [2]). In this reply we aim at clarifying different aspects of the experimental setup, spatial resolution and other questions raised in this comment in order to back up our findings together with their respective analysis and interpretations.

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlberg, Peter D.; Boughter, Christopher T.; Faruk, Nabil F.; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A.; Shaiber, Alon; Sherani, Aiman; Zhang, Jiacheng; Jureller, Justin E.; Hammond, Adam T.

2016-11-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. The utility of the instrument is demonstrated on three different samples. First, the instrument is used to resolve three differently labeled fluorescent beads in vitro. Second, the instrument is used to recover time dependent bleaching dynamics that have distinct spectral changes in the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Lastly, the technique is used to acquire the absorption spectra of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskites and measure differences between nanocrystal films and micron scale crystals.

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest.

PubMed

Dahlberg, Peter D; Boughter, Christopher T; Faruk, Nabil F; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A; Shaiber, Alon; Sherani, Aiman; Zhang, Jiacheng; Jureller, Justin E; Hammond, Adam T

2016-11-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. The utility of the instrument is demonstrated on three different samples. First, the instrument is used to resolve three differently labeled fluorescent beads in vitro. Second, the instrument is used to recover time dependent bleaching dynamics that have distinct spectral changes in the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Lastly, the technique is used to acquire the absorption spectra of CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 perovskites and measure differences between nanocrystal films and micron scale crystals.

Assessing the feasibility of time-resolved fNIRS to detect brain activity during motor imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdalmalak, Androu; Milej, Daniel; Diop, Mamadou; Naci, Lorina; Owen, Adrian M.; St. Lawrence, Keith

2016-03-01

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive optical technique for detecting brain activity, which has been previously used during motor and motor executive tasks. There is an increasing interest in using fNIRS as a brain computer interface (BCI) for patients who lack the physical, but not the mental, ability to respond to commands. The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of time-resolved fNIRS to detect brain activity during motor imagery. Stability tests were conducted to ensure the temporal stability of the signal, and motor imagery data were acquired on healthy subjects. The NIRS probes were placed on the scalp over the premotor cortex (PMC) and supplementary motor area (SMA), as these areas are responsible for motion planning. To confirm the fNIRS results, subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing the same task. Seven subjects have participated to date, and significant activation in the SMA and/or the PMC during motor imagery was detected by both fMRI and fNIRS in 4 of the 7 subjects. No activation was detected by either technique in the remaining three participants, which was not unexpected due to the nature of the task. The agreement between the two imaging modalities highlights the potential of fNIRS as a BCI, which could be adapted for bedside studies of patients with disorders of consciousness.

Advances in 4D Treatment Planning for Scanned Particle Beam Therapy — Report of Dedicated Workshops

PubMed Central

Bert, Christoph; Graeff, Christian; Riboldi, Marco; Nill, Simeon; Baroni, Guido; Knopf, Antje-Christin

2014-01-01

We report on recent progress in the field of mobile tumor treatment with scanned particle beams, as discussed in the latest editions of the 4D treatment planning workshop. The workshop series started in 2009, with about 20 people from 4 research institutes involved, all actively working on particle therapy delivery and development. The first workshop resulted in a summary of recommendations for the treatment of mobile targets, along with a list of requirements to apply these guidelines clinically. The increased interest in the treatment of mobile tumors led to a continuously growing number of attendees: the 2012 edition counted more than 60 participants from 20 institutions and commercial vendors. The focus of research discussions among workshop participants progressively moved from 4D treatment planning to complete 4D treatments, aiming at effective and safe treatment delivery. Current research perspectives on 4D treatments include all critical aspects of time resolved delivery, such as in-room imaging, motion detection, beam application, and quality assurance techniques. This was motivated by the start of first clinical treatments of hepato cellular tumors with a scanned particle beam, relying on gating or abdominal compression for motion mitigation. Up to date research activities emphasize significant efforts in investigating advanced motion mitigation techniques, with a specific interest in the development of dedicated tools for experimental validation. Potential improvements will be made possible in the near future through 4D optimized treatment plans that require upgrades of the currently established therapy control systems for time resolved delivery. But since also these novel optimization techniques rely on the validity of the 4DCT, research focusing on alternative 4D imaging technique, such as MRI based 4DCT generation will continue. PMID:24354749

Reducible dictionaries for single image super-resolution based on patch matching and mean shifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasti, Pejman; Nasrollahi, Kamal; Orlova, Olga; Tamberg, Gert; Moeslund, Thomas B.; Anbarjafari, Gholamreza

2017-03-01

A single-image super-resolution (SR) method is proposed. The proposed method uses a generated dictionary from pairs of high resolution (HR) images and their corresponding low resolution (LR) representations. First, HR images and the corresponding LR ones are divided into patches of HR and LR, respectively, and then they are collected into separate dictionaries. Afterward, when performing SR, the distance between every patch of the input LR image and those of available LR patches in the LR dictionary is calculated. The minimum distance between the input LR patch and those in the LR dictionary is taken, and its counterpart from the HR dictionary is passed through an illumination enhancement process. By this technique, the noticeable change of illumination between neighbor patches in the super-resolved image is significantly reduced. The enhanced HR patch represents the HR patch of the super-resolved image. Finally, to remove the blocking effect caused by merging the patches, an average of the obtained HR image and the interpolated image obtained using bicubic interpolation is calculated. The quantitative and qualitative analyses show the superiority of the proposed technique over the conventional and state-of-art methods.

Detection of Objects Hidden in Highly Scattering Media Using Time-Gated Imaging Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galland, Pierre A.; Wang, L.; Liang, X.; Ho, P. P.; Alfano, R. R.

2000-01-01

Non-intrusive and non-invasive optical imaging techniques has generated great interest among researchers for their potential applications to biological study, device characterization, surface defect detection, and jet fuel dynamics. Non-linear optical parametric amplification gate (NLOPG) has been used to detect back-scattered images of objects hidden in diluted Intralipid solutions. To directly detect objects hidden in highly scattering media, the diffusive component of light needs to be sorted out from early arrived ballistic and snake photons. In an optical imaging system, images are collected in transmission or back-scattered geometry. The early arrival photons in the transmission approach, always carry the direct information of the hidden object embedded in the turbid medium. In the back-scattered approach, the result is not so forth coming. In the presence of a scattering host, the first arrival photons in back-scattered approach will be directly photons from the host material. In the presentation, NLOPG was applied to acquire time resolved back-scattered images under the phase matching condition. A time-gated amplified signal was obtained through this NLOPG process. The system's gain was approximately 100 times. The time-gate was achieved through phase matching condition where only coherent photons retain their phase. As a result, the diffusive photons, which were the primary contributor to the background, were removed. With a large dynamic range and high resolution, time-gated early light imaging has the potential for improving rocket/aircraft design by determining jets shape and particle sizes. Refinements to these techniques may enable drop size measurements in the highly scattering, optically dense region of multi-element rocket injectors. These types of measurements should greatly enhance the design of stable, and higher performing rocket engines.

Development of a New Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durot, Christopher; Gallimore, Alec

2012-10-01

We are developing a time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique to interrogate the ion velocity distribution function (VDF) of EP thruster plumes down to the microsecond time scale. Better measurements of dynamic plasma processes will lead to improvements in simulation and prediction of thruster operation and erosion. We present the development of the new technique and results of initial tests. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is often a challenge for LIF studies, and it is only more challenging for time-resolved measurements since a lock-in amplifier cannot be used with a long time constant. The new system uses laser modulation on the order of MHz, which enables the use of electronic filtering and phase-sensitive detection to improve SNR while preserving time-resolved information. Statistical averaging over many cycles to further improve SNR is done in the frequency domain. This technique can have significant advantages, including (1) larger spatial maps enabled by shorter data acquisition time and (2) the ability to average data without creating a phase reference by modifying the thruster operating condition with a periodic cutoff in discharge current, which can modify the ion velocity distribution.

New developments in super-resolution for GaoFen-4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Feng; Fu, Jie; Xin, Lei; Liu, Yuhong; Liu, Zhijia

2017-10-01

In this paper, the application of super resolution (SR, restoring a high spatial resolution image from a series of low resolution images of the same scene) techniques to GaoFen(GF)-4, which is the most advanced geostationaryorbit earth observing satellite in China, remote sensing images is investigated and tested. SR has been a hot research area for decades, but one of the barriers of applying SR in remote sensing community is the time slot between those low resolution (LR) images acquisition. In general, the longer the time slot, the less reliable the reconstruction. GF-4 has the unique advantage of capturing a sequence of LR of the same region in minutes, i.e. working as a staring camera from the point view of SR. This is the first experiment of applying super resolution to a sequence of low resolution images captured by GF-4 within a short time period. In this paper, we use Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) to solve the ill-conditioned problem of SR. Both the wavelet transform and the curvelet transform are used to setup a sparse prior for remote sensing images. By combining several images of both the BeiJing and DunHuang regions captured by GF-4 our method can improve spatial resolution both visually and numerically. Experimental tests show that lots of detail cannot be observed in the captured LR images, but can be seen in the super resolved high resolution (HR) images. To help the evaluation, Google Earth image can also be referenced. Moreover, our experimental tests also show that the higher the temporal resolution, the better the HR images can be resolved. The study illustrates that the application for SR to geostationary-orbit based earth observation data is very feasible and worthwhile, and it holds the potential application for all other geostationary-orbit based earth observing systems.

Infrared Imaging Tools for Diagnostic Applications in Dermatology.

PubMed

Gurjarpadhye, Abhijit Achyut; Parekh, Mansi Bharat; Dubnika, Arita; Rajadas, Jayakumar; Inayathullah, Mohammed

Infrared (IR) imaging is a collection of non-invasive imaging techniques that utilize the IR domain of the electromagnetic spectrum for tissue assessment. A subset of these techniques construct images using back-reflected light, while other techniques rely on detection of IR radiation emitted by the tissue as a result of its temperature. Modern IR detectors sense thermal emissions and produce a heat map of surface temperature distribution in tissues. Thus, the IR spectrum offers a variety of imaging applications particularly useful in clinical diagnostic area, ranging from high-resolution, depth-resolved visualization of tissue to temperature variation assessment. These techniques have been helpful in the diagnosis of many medical conditions including skin/breast cancer, arthritis, allergy, burns, and others. In this review, we discuss current roles of IR-imaging techniques for diagnostic applications in dermatology with an emphasis on skin cancer, allergies, blisters, burns and wounds.

Highly time-resolved imaging of combustion and pyrolysis product concentrations in solid fuel combustion: NO formation in a burning cigarette.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Ralf; Hertz-Schünemann, Romy; Ehlert, Sven; Liu, Chuan; McAdam, Kevin; Baker, Richard; Streibel, Thorsten

2015-02-03

The highly dynamic, heterogeneous combustion process within a burning cigarette was investigated by a miniaturized extractive sampling probe (microprobe) coupled to photoionization mass spectrometry using soft laser single photon ionization (SPI) for online real-time detection of molecular ions of combustion and pyrolysis products. Research cigarettes smoked by a smoking machine are used as a reproducible model system for solid-state biomass combustion, which up to now is not addressable by current combustion-diagnostic tools. By combining repetitively recorded online measurement sequences from different sampling locations in an imaging approach, highly time- and space-resolved quantitative distribution maps of, e.g., nitrogen monoxide, benzene, and oxygen concentrations were obtained at a near microscopic level. The obtained quantitative distribution maps represent a time-resolved, movie-like imaging of the respective compound's formation and destruction zones in the various combustion and pyrolysis regions of a cigarette during puffing. Furthermore, spatially resolved kinetic data were ascertainable. The here demonstrated methodology can also be applied to various heterogenic combustion/pyrolysis or reaction model systems, such as fossil- or biomass-fuel pellet combustion or to a positional resolved analysis of heterogenic catalytic reactions.

[Evaluation of Image Quality of Readout Segmented EPI with Readout Partial Fourier Technique].

PubMed

Yoshimura, Yuuki; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyahara, Kanae

Readout segmented EPI (readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains: RESOLVE) segmented k-space in the readout direction. By using the partial Fourier method in the readout direction, the imaging time was shortened. However, the influence on image quality due to insufficient data sampling is concerned. The setting of the partial Fourier method in the readout direction in each segment was changed. Then, we examined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and distortion ratio for changes in image quality due to differences in data sampling. As the number of sampling segments decreased, SNR and CNR showed a low value. In addition, the distortion ratio did not change. The image quality of minimum sampling segments is greatly different from full data sampling, and caution is required when using it.

Utility of spatially-resolved atmospheric pressure surface sampling and ionization techniques as alternatives to mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) in drug metabolism.

PubMed

Blatherwick, Eleanor Q; Van Berkel, Gary J; Pickup, Kathryn; Johansson, Maria K; Beaudoin, Marie-Eve; Cole, Roderic O; Day, Jennifer M; Iverson, Suzanne; Wilson, Ian D; Scrivens, James H; Weston, Daniel J

2011-08-01

Tissue distribution studies of drug molecules play an essential role in the pharmaceutical industry and are commonly undertaken using quantitative whole body autoradiography (QWBA) methods. The growing need for complementary methods to address some scientific gaps around radiography methods has led to increased use of mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) technology over the last 5 to 10 years. More recently, the development of novel mass spectrometric techniques for ambient surface sampling has redefined what can be regarded as "fit-for-purpose" for MSI in a drug metabolism and disposition arena. Together with a review of these novel alternatives, this paper details the use of two liquid microjunction (LMJ)-based mass spectrometric surface sampling technologies. These approaches are used to provide qualitative determination of parent drug in rat liver tissue slices using liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) and to assess the performance of a LMJ surface sampling probe (LMJ-SSP) interface for quantitative assessment of parent drug in brain, liver and muscle tissue slices. An assessment of the utility of these spatially-resolved sampling methods is given, showing interdependence between mass spectrometric and QWBA methods, in particular there emerges a reason to question typical MSI workflows for drug metabolism; suggesting the expedient use of profile or region analysis may be more appropriate, rather than generating time-intensive molecular images of the entire tissue section.

Target-oriented retrieval of subsurface wave fields - Pushing the resolution limits in seismic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasconcelos, Ivan; Ozmen, Neslihan; van der Neut, Joost; Cui, Tianci

2017-04-01

Travelling wide-bandwidth seismic waves have long been used as a primary tool in exploration seismology because they can probe the subsurface over large distances, while retaining relatively high spatial resolution. The well-known Born resolution limit often seems to be the lower bound on spatial imaging resolution in real life examples. In practice, data acquisition cost, time constraints and other factors can worsen the resolution achieved by wavefield imaging. Could we obtain images whose resolution beats the Born limits? Would it be practical to achieve it, and what are we missing today to achieve this? In this talk, we will cover aspects of linear and nonlinear seismic imaging to understand elements that play a role in obtaining "super-resolved" seismic images. New redatuming techniques, such as the Marchenko method, enable the retrieval of subsurface fields that include multiple scattering interactions, while requiring relatively little knowledge of model parameters. Together with new concepts in imaging, such as Target-Enclosing Extended Images, these new redatuming methods enable new targeted imaging frameworks. We will make a case as to why target-oriented approaches to reconstructing subsurface-domain wavefields from surface data may help in increasing the resolving power of seismic imaging, and in pushing the limits on parameter estimation. We will illustrate this using a field data example. Finally, we will draw connections between seismic and other imaging modalities, and discuss how this framework could be put to use in other applications

Automatic analysis of stereoscopic satellite image pairs for determination of cloud-top height and structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasler, A. F.; Strong, J.; Woodward, R. H.; Pierce, H.

1991-01-01

Results are presented on an automatic stereo analysis of cloud-top heights from nearly simultaneous satellite image pairs from the GOES and NOAA satellites, using a massively parallel processor computer. Comparisons of computer-derived height fields and manually analyzed fields show that the automatic analysis technique shows promise for performing routine stereo analysis in a real-time environment, providing a useful forecasting tool by augmenting observational data sets of severe thunderstorms and hurricanes. Simulations using synthetic stereo data show that it is possible to automatically resolve small-scale features such as 4000-m-diam clouds to about 1500 m in the vertical.

Imaging motional Stark effect measurements at ASDEX Upgrade

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

Ford, O. P.; Burckhart, A.; McDermott, R.

2016-11-15

This paper presents an overview of results from the Imaging Motional Stark Effect (IMSE) diagnostic obtained during its first measurement campaign at ASDEX Upgrade since installation as a permanent diagnostic. A brief overview of the IMSE technique is given, followed by measurements of a standard H-mode discharge, which are compared to equilibrium reconstructions showing good agreement where expected. The development of special discharges for the calibration of pitch angle is reported and safety factor profile changes during sawteeth crashes are shown, which can be resolved to a few percent due to the high sensitivity at good time resolution of themore » new IMSE system.« less

Microvascular anastomosis guidance and evaluation using real-time three-dimensional Fourier-domain Doppler optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Zuhaib; Tong, Dedi; Zhu, Shan; Mao, Qi; Pang, John; Andrew Lee, Wei Ping; Brandacher, Gerald; Kang, Jin U.

2013-01-01

Abstract. Vascular and microvascular anastomoses are critical components of reconstructive microsurgery, vascular surgery, and transplant surgery. Intraoperative surgical guidance using a surgical imaging modality that provides an in-depth view and three-dimensional (3-D) imaging can potentially improve outcome following both conventional and innovative anastomosis techniques. Objective postoperative imaging of the anastomosed vessel can potentially improve the salvage rate when combined with other clinical assessment tools, such as capillary refill, temperature, blanching, and skin turgor. Compared to other contemporary postoperative monitoring modalities—computed tomography angiograms, magnetic resonance (MR) angiograms, and ultrasound Doppler—optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive high-resolution (micron-level), high-speed, 3-D imaging modality that has been adopted widely in biomedical and clinical applications. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the feasibility of real-time 3-D phase-resolved Doppler OCT (PRDOCT) as an assisted intra- and postoperative imaging modality for microvascular anastomosis of rodent femoral vessels is demonstrated, which will provide new insights and a potential breakthrough to microvascular and supermicrovascular surgery. PMID:23856833

Instant images of the human heart using a new, whole-body MR imaging system.

PubMed

Rzedzian, R R; Pykett, I L

1987-08-01

An extremely rapid MR imaging technique is described, and its use on a new 2.0-T high-speed MR system is demonstrated. This implementation permits complete filling of the two-dimensional spatial-frequency domain (k-space) within an acquisition window of 26 msec. With this acquisition window placed under the spin-echo signal envelope generated by a 90-180 degree pulse pair, the image contrast is the same as that of a conventional spin-echo pulse sequence. Resultant proton images have a motion-independent voxel resolution of 0.08 cm3 and a signal-to-noise ratio for cardiac muscle of approximately 30:1 (for TE = 30 msec) with no signal averaging. The pulse sequence yields images that are chemical shift-resolved. The total proton density distribution is optionally presented with lipid and water signals displayed in two different colors. Cardiac function is observed by displaying multiple images, acquired at different times in successive cardiac periods, in a cyclic movie format. Such motion pictures are obtained within a single period of suspended respiration, thereby assuring freedom from respiratory related motion artifacts. As preliminary examples, we present MR images of the normal adult human heart that have total acquisition times of only 40 msec/image and that show the major cardiac anatomy. Frames from movie loops show contraction of cardiac chambers and left ventricular wall thickening. The extremely rapid acquisition time of this technique suggests that it may hold promise for the routine and cost-effective evaluation of cardiac anatomy and function.

Unmixing the Materials and Mechanics Contributions in Non-resolved Object Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

abundances from hyperspectral or multi-spectral time - resolved signatures. A Fourier analysis of temporal variation of material abundance provides...factorization technique to extract the temporal variation of material abundances from hyperspectral or multi-spectral time - resolved signatures. A Fourier...approximately one hundred wavelengths in the visible spectrum. The frame rate for the instrument was not large enough to collect time resolved data. However

High-speed quantitative phase imaging using time-stretch spectral shearing contrast (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosworth, Bryan; Foster, Mark A.

2017-02-01

Photonic time-stretch microscopy (TSM) provides an ideal platform for high-throughput imaging flow cytometry, affording extremely high shutter speeds and frame rates with high sensitivity. In order to resolve weakly scattering cells in biofluid and solve the issue of signal-to-noise in cell labeling specificity of biomarkers in imaging flow cytometry, several quantitative phase (QP) techniques have recently been adapted to TSM. However, these techniques have relied primarily on sensitive free-space optical configurations to generate full electric field measurements. The present work draws from the field of ultrashort pulse characterization to leverage the coherence of the ultrashort optical pulses integral to all TSM systems in order to do self-referenced single-shot quantitative phase imaging in a TSM system. Self-referencing is achieved via spectral shearing interferometry in an exceptionally stable and straightforward Sagnac loop incorporating an electro-optic phase modulator and polarization-maintaining fiber that produce sheared and unsheared copies of the pulse train with an inter-pulse delay determined by polarization mode dispersion. The spectral interferogram then yields a squared amplitude and a phase derivative image that can be integrated for conventional phase. We apply this spectral shearing contrast microscope to acquire QP images on a high-speed flow microscope at 90-MHz line rates with <400 pixels per line. We also consider the extension of this technique to compressed sensing (CS) acquisition by intensity modulating the interference spectra with pseudorandom binary waveforms to reconstruct the images from a highly sub-Nyquist number of random inner products, providing a path to even higher operating rates and reduced data storage requirements.

Electronic transport characterization of silicon wafers by spatially resolved steady-state photocarrier radiometric imaging

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

Wang, Qian; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039; Li, Bincheng, E-mail: bcli@ioe.ac.cn

2015-09-28

Spatially resolved steady-state photocarrier radiometric (PCR) imaging technique is developed to characterize the electronic transport properties of silicon wafers. Based on a nonlinear PCR theory, simulations are performed to investigate the effects of electronic transport parameters (the carrier lifetime, the carrier diffusion coefficient, and the front surface recombination velocity) on the steady-state PCR intensity profiles. The electronic transport parameters of an n-type silicon wafer are simultaneously determined by fitting the measured steady-state PCR intensity profiles to the three-dimensional nonlinear PCR model. The determined transport parameters are in good agreement with the results obtained by the conventional modulated PCR technique withmore » multiple pump beam radii.« less

Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements with Wall Shear Stress and Uncertainty Quantification for the FDA Nozzle Model.

PubMed

Raben, Jaime S; Hariharan, Prasanna; Robinson, Ronald; Malinauskas, Richard; Vlachos, Pavlos P

2016-03-01

We present advanced particle image velocimetry (PIV) processing, post-processing, and uncertainty estimation techniques to support the validation of computational fluid dynamics analyses of medical devices. This work is an extension of a previous FDA-sponsored multi-laboratory study, which used a medical device mimicking geometry referred to as the FDA benchmark nozzle model. Experimental measurements were performed using time-resolved PIV at five overlapping regions of the model for Reynolds numbers in the nozzle throat of 500, 2000, 5000, and 8000. Images included a twofold increase in spatial resolution in comparison to the previous study. Data was processed using ensemble correlation, dynamic range enhancement, and phase correlations to increase signal-to-noise ratios and measurement accuracy, and to resolve flow regions with large velocity ranges and gradients, which is typical of many blood-contacting medical devices. Parameters relevant to device safety, including shear stress at the wall and in bulk flow, were computed using radial basis functions. In addition, in-field spatially resolved pressure distributions, Reynolds stresses, and energy dissipation rates were computed from PIV measurements. Velocity measurement uncertainty was estimated directly from the PIV correlation plane, and uncertainty analysis for wall shear stress at each measurement location was performed using a Monte Carlo model. Local velocity uncertainty varied greatly and depended largely on local conditions such as particle seeding, velocity gradients, and particle displacements. Uncertainty in low velocity regions in the sudden expansion section of the nozzle was greatly reduced by over an order of magnitude when dynamic range enhancement was applied. Wall shear stress uncertainty was dominated by uncertainty contributions from velocity estimations, which were shown to account for 90-99% of the total uncertainty. This study provides advancements in the PIV processing methodologies over the previous work through increased PIV image resolution, use of robust image processing algorithms for near-wall velocity measurements and wall shear stress calculations, and uncertainty analyses for both velocity and wall shear stress measurements. The velocity and shear stress analysis, with spatially distributed uncertainty estimates, highlights the challenges of flow quantification in medical devices and provides potential methods to overcome such challenges.

Turbulence imaging and applications using beam emission spectroscopy on DIII-D (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKee, G. R.; Fenzi, C.; Fonck, R. J.; Jakubowski, M.

2003-03-01

Two-dimensional measurements of density fluctuations are obtained in the radial and poloidal plane of the DIII-D tokamak with the Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic system. The goals are to visualize the spatial structure and time evolution of turbulent eddies, as well as to obtain the 2D statistical properties of turbulence. The measurements are obtained with an array of localized BES spatial channels configured to image a midplane region of the plasma. 32 channels have been deployed, each with a spatial resolution of about 1 cm in the radial and poloidal directions, thus providing measurements of turbulence in the wave number range 0

A simple anaesthetic and monitoring system for magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Rejger, V S; Cohn, B F; Vielvoye, G J; de Raadt, F B

1989-09-01

Clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a digital tomographic technique which utilizes radio waves emitted by hydrogen protons in a powerful magnetic field to form an image of soft-tissue structures and abnormalities within the body. Unfortunately, because of the relatively long scanning time required and the narrow deep confines of the MRI tunnel and Faraday cage, some patients cannot be examined without the use of heavy sedation or general anaesthesia. Due to poor access to the patient and the strong magnetic field, several problems arise in monitoring and administering anaesthesia during this procedure. In this presentation these problems and their solutions, as resolved by our institution, are discussed. Of particular interest is the anaesthesia circuit specifically adapted for use during MRI scanning.

Assimilation of Wave Imaging Radar Observations for Real-Time Wave-by-Wave Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haller, M. C.; Simpson, A. J.; Walker, D. T.; Lynett, P. J.; Pittman, R.; Honegger, D.

2016-02-01

It has been shown in various studies that a controls system can dramatically improve Wave Energy Converter (WEC) power production by tuning the device's oscillations to the incoming wave field, as well as protect WEC devices by decoupling them in extreme wave conditions. A requirement of the most efficient controls systems is a phase-resolved, "deterministic" surface elevation profile, alerting the device to what it will experience in the near future. The current study aims to demonstrate a deterministic method of wave forecasting through the pairing of an X-Band marine radar with a predictive Mild Slope Equation (MSE) wave model. Using the radar as a remote sensing technique, the wave field up to 1-4 km surrounding a WEC device can be resolved. Individual waves within the radar scan are imaged through the contrast between high intensity wave faces and low intensity wave troughs. Using a recently developed method, radar images are inverted into the radial component of surface slope, shown in the figure provided using radar data from Newport, Oregon. Then, resolved radial slope images are assimilated into the MSE wave model. This leads to a best-fit model hindcast of the waves within the domain. The hindcast is utilized as an initial condition for wave-by-wave forecasting with a target forecast horizon of 3-5 minutes (tens of wave periods). The methodology is currently being tested with synthetic data and comparisons with field data are imminent.

Development of a clinical Fourier-domain angle resolved low coherence interferometry system for in vivo measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, Neil G.; Zhu, Yizheng; Brown, William J.; Wax, Adam

2008-02-01

Improved methods for detecting dysplasia, or pre-cancerous growth are a current clinical need, particularly in the esophagus. The currently accepted method of random biopsy and histological analysis provides only a limited examination of tissue in question while being coupled with a long time delay for diagnosis. Optical scattering spectroscopy, in contrast, allows for inspection of the cellular structure and organization of tissue in vivo. Fourierdomain angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry (a/LCI) is a novel scattering spectroscopy technique that provides quantitative depth-resolved morphological measurements of the size and optical density of the examined cell nuclei, which are characteristic biomarkers of dysplasia. Previously, the clinical viability of the a/LCI system was demonstrated by analysis of ex vivo human esophageal tissue in Barrett's esophagus patients using a portable a/LCI system. We present an adaptation of the portable a/LCI instrument that can be used in the accessory channel of a gastroscope, allowing for in vivo measurements to be taken. Modifications to the previous generation system include the use of an improved imaging spectrometer allowing for subsecond acquisition times and the redesign of the delivery fiber and imaging optics in order to fit in the accessory channel of a gastroscope. Accurate sizing of polystyrene microspheres and other preliminary results are presented, demonstrating promise as a clinically viable tool.

Non-destructive Faraday imaging of dynamically controlled ultracold atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajdacz, Miroslav; Pedersen, Poul; Mørch, Troels; Hilliard, Andrew; Arlt, Jan; Sherson, Jacob

2013-05-01

We investigate non-destructive measurements of ultra-cold atomic clouds based on dark field imaging of spatially resolved Faraday rotation. In particular, we pursue applications to dynamically controlled ultracold atoms. The dependence of the Faraday signal on laser detuning, atomic density and temperature is characterized in a detailed comparison with theory. In particular the destructivity per measurement is extremely low and we illustrate this by imaging the same cloud up to 2000 times. The technique is applied to avoid the effect of shot-to-shot fluctuations in atom number calibration. Adding dynamic changes to system parameters, we demonstrate single-run vector magnetic field imaging and single-run spatial imaging of the system's dynamic behavior. The method can be implemented particularly easily in standard imaging systems by the insertion of an extra polarizing beam splitter. These results are steps towards quantum state engineering using feedback control of ultracold atoms.

An x-ray fluorescence imaging system for gold nanoparticle detection.

PubMed

Ricketts, K; Guazzoni, C; Castoldi, A; Gibson, A P; Royle, G J

2013-11-07

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) may be used as a contrast agent to identify tumour location and can be modified to target and image specific tumour biological parameters. There are currently no imaging systems in the literature that have sufficient sensitivity to GNP concentration and distribution measurement at sufficient tissue depth for use in in vivo and in vitro studies. We have demonstrated that high detecting sensitivity of GNPs can be achieved using x-ray fluorescence; furthermore this technique enables greater depth imaging in comparison to optical modalities. Two x-ray fluorescence systems were developed and used to image a range of GNP imaging phantoms. The first system consisted of a 10 mm(2) silicon drift detector coupled to a slightly focusing polycapillary optic which allowed 2D energy resolved imaging in step and scan mode. The system has sensitivity to GNP concentrations as low as 1 ppm. GNP concentrations different by a factor of 5 could be resolved, offering potential to distinguish tumour from non-tumour. The second system was designed to avoid slow step and scan image acquisition; the feasibility of excitation of the whole specimen with a wide beam and detection of the fluorescent x-rays with a pixellated controlled drift energy resolving detector without scanning was investigated. A parallel polycapillary optic coupled to the detector was successfully used to ascertain the position where fluorescence was emitted. The tissue penetration of the technique was demonstrated to be sufficient for near-surface small-animal studies, and for imaging 3D in vitro cellular constructs. Previous work demonstrates strong potential for both imaging systems to form quantitative images of GNP concentration.

Staining-free malaria diagnostics by multispectral and multimodality light-emitting-diode microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merdasa, Aboma; Brydegaard, Mikkel; Svanberg, Sune; Zoueu, Jeremie T.

2013-03-01

We report an accurate optical differentiation technique between healthy and malaria-infected erythrocytes by quasi-simultaneous measurements of transmittance, reflectance, and scattering properties of unstained blood smears using a multispectral and multimode light-emitting diode microscope. We propose a technique for automated imaging, identification, and counting of malaria-infected erythrocytes for real-time and cost-effective parasitaemia diagnosis as an effective alternative to the manual screening of stained blood smears, now considered to be the gold standard in malaria diagnosis. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm against manual estimations of an expert and show a spectrally resolved increased scattering from malaria-infected blood cells.

Solvent and solute ingress into hydrogels resolved by a combination of imaging techniques

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

Wagner, D.; Burbach, J.; Egelhaaf, S. U.

2016-05-28

Using simultaneous neutron, fluorescence, and optical brightfield transmission imaging, the diffusion of solvent, fluorescent dyes, and macromolecules into a crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel was investigated. This novel combination of different imaging techniques enables us to distinguish the movements of the solvent and fluorescent molecules. Additionally, the swelling or deswelling of the hydrogels can be monitored. From the sequence of images, dye and solvent concentrations were extracted spatially and temporally resolved. Diffusion equations and different boundary conditions, represented by different models, were used to quantitatively analyze the temporal evolution of these concentration profiles and to determine the diffusion coefficients of solvent andmore » solutes. Solute size and network properties were varied and their effect was investigated. Increasing the crosslinking ratio or partially drying the hydrogel was found to hinder solute diffusion due to the reduced pore size. By contrast, solvent diffusion seemed to be slightly faster if the hydrogel was only partially swollen and hence solvent uptake enhanced.« less

Mapping the local organization of cell membranes using excitation-polarization-resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Kress, Alla; Wang, Xiao; Ranchon, Hubert; Savatier, Julien; Rigneault, Hervé; Ferrand, Patrick; Brasselet, Sophie

2013-07-02

Fluorescence anisotropy and linear dichroism imaging have been widely used for imaging biomolecular orientational distributions in protein aggregates, fibrillar structures of cells, and cell membranes. However, these techniques do not give access to complete orientational order information in a whole image, because their use is limited to parts of the sample where the average orientation of molecules is known a priori. Fluorescence anisotropy is also highly sensitive to depolarization mechanisms such as those induced by fluorescence energy transfer. A fully excitation-polarization-resolved fluorescence microscopy imaging that relies on the use of a tunable incident polarization and a nonpolarized detection is able to circumvent these limitations. We have developed such a technique in confocal epifluorescence microscopy, giving access to new regions of study in the complex and heterogeneous molecular organization of cell membranes. Using this technique, we demonstrate morphological changes at the subdiffraction scale in labeled COS-7 cell membranes whose cytoskeleton is perturbed. Molecular orientational order is also seen to be affected by cholesterol depletion, reflecting the strong interplay between lipid-packing regions and their nearby cytoskeleton. This noninvasive optical technique can reveal local organization in cell membranes when used as a complement to existing methods such as generalized polarization. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Imaging fluorescence-correlation spectroscopy for measuring fast surface diffusion at liquid/solid interfaces.

PubMed

Cooper, Justin T; Harris, Joel M

2014-08-05

The development of techniques to probe interfacial molecular transport is important for understanding and optimizing surface-based analytical methods including surface-enhanced spectroscopies, biological assays, and chemical separations. Single-molecule-fluorescence imaging and tracking has been used to measure lateral diffusion rates of fluorescent molecules at surfaces, but the technique is limited to the study of slower diffusion, where molecules must remain relatively stationary during acquisition of an image in order to build up sufficient intensity in a spot to detect and localize the molecule. Although faster time resolution can be achieved by fluorescence-correlation spectroscopy (FCS), where intensity fluctuations in a small spot are related to the motions of molecules on the surface, long-lived adsorption events arising from surface inhomogeneity can overwhelm the correlation measurement and mask the surface diffusion of the moving population. Here, we exploit a combination of these two techniques, imaging-FCS, for measurement of fast interfacial transport at a model chromatographic surface. This is accomplished by rapid imaging of the surface using an electron-multiplied-charged-coupled-device (CCD) camera, while limiting the acquisition to a small area on the camera to allow fast framing rates. The total intensity from the sampled region is autocorrelated to determine surface diffusion rates of molecules with millisecond time resolution. The technique allows electronic control over the acquisition region, which can be used to avoid strong adsorption sites and thus minimize their contribution to the measured autocorrelation decay and to vary the acquisition area to resolve surface diffusion from adsorption and desorption kinetics. As proof of concept, imaging-FCS was used to measure surface diffusion rates, interfacial populations, and adsorption-desorption rates of 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3'3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine (DiI) on planar C18- and C1-modified surfaces.

Velocity Statistics and Spectra in Three-Stream Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ecker, Tobias; Lowe, K. Todd; Ng, Wing F.; Henderson, Brenda; Leib, Stewart

2016-01-01

Velocimetry measurements were obtained in three-stream jets at the NASA Glenn Research Center Nozzle Acoustics Test Rig using the time-resolved Doppler global velocimetry technique. These measurements afford exceptional frequency response, to 125 kHz bandwidth, in order to study the detailed dynamics of turbulence in developing shear flows. Mean stream-wise velocity is compared to measurements acquired using particle image velocimetry for validation. Detailed results for convective velocity distributions throughout an axisymmetric plume and the thick side of a plume with an offset third-stream duct are provided. The convective velocity results exhibit that, as expected, the eddy speeds are reduced on the thick side of the plume compared to the axisymmetric case. The results indicate that the time-resolved Doppler global velocimetry method holds promise for obtaining results valuable to the implementation and refinement of jet noise prediction methods being developed for three-stream jets.

Time Resolved 3-D Mapping of Atmospheric Aerosols and Clouds During the Recent ARM Water Vapor IOP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwemmer, Geary; Miller, David; Wilkerson, Thomas; Andrus, Ionio; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The HARLIE lidar was deployed at the ARM SGP site in north central Oklahoma and recorded over 100 hours of data on 16 days between 17 September and 6 October 2000 during the recent Water Vapor Intensive Operating Period (IOP). Placed in a ground-based trailer for upward looking scanning measurements of clouds and aerosols, HARLIE provided a unique record of time-resolved atmospheric backscatter at 1 micron wavelength. The conical scanning lidar images atmospheric backscatter along the surface of an inverted 90 degree (full angle) cone up to an altitude of 20 km. 360 degree scans having spatial resolutions of 20 meters in the vertical and 1 degree in azimuth were obtained every 36 seconds. Various boundary layer and cloud parameters are derived from the lidar data, as well as atmospheric wind vectors where there is Sufficiently resolved structure that can be traced moving through the surface described by the scanning laser beam. Comparison of HARLIE measured winds with radiosonde measured winds validates the accuracy of this new technique for remotely measuring atmospheric winds without Doppler information.

Design and evaluation of a device for fast multispectral time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yankelevich, Diego R.; Ma, Dinglong; Liu, Jing; Sun, Yang; Sun, Yinghua; Bec, Julien; Elson, Daniel S.; Marcu, Laura

2014-03-01

The application of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) to in vivo tissue diagnosis requires a method for fast acquisition of fluorescence decay profiles in multiple spectral bands. This study focusses on development of a clinically compatible fiber-optic based multispectral TRFS (ms-TRFS) system together with validation of its accuracy and precision for fluorescence lifetime measurements. It also presents the expansion of this technique into an imaging spectroscopy method. A tandem array of dichroic beamsplitters and filters was used to record TRFS decay profiles at four distinct spectral bands where biological tissue typically presents fluorescence emission maxima, namely, 390, 452, 542, and 629 nm. Each emission channel was temporally separated by using transmission delays through 200 μm diameter multimode optical fibers of 1, 10, 19, and 28 m lengths. A Laguerre-expansion deconvolution algorithm was used to compensate for modal dispersion inherent to large diameter optical fibers and the finite bandwidth of detectors and digitizers. The system was found to be highly efficient and fast requiring a few nano-Joule of laser pulse energy and <1 ms per point measurement, respectively, for the detection of tissue autofluorescent components. Organic and biological chromophores with lifetimes that spanned a 0.8-7 ns range were used for system validation, and the measured lifetimes from the organic fluorophores deviated by less than 10% from values reported in the literature. Multi-spectral lifetime images of organic dye solutions contained in glass capillary tubes were recorded by raster scanning the single fiber probe in a 2D plane to validate the system as an imaging tool. The lifetime measurement variability was measured indicating that the system provides reproducible results with a standard deviation smaller than 50 ps. The ms-TRFS is a compact apparatus that makes possible the fast, accurate, and precise multispectral time-resolved fluorescence lifetime measurements of low quantum efficiency sub-nanosecond fluorophores.

Focal overlap gating in velocity map imaging to achieve high signal-to-noise ratio in photo-ion pump-probe experiments

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

Shivaram, Niranjan; Champenois, Elio G.; Cryan, James P.

We demonstrate a technique in velocity map imaging (VMI) that allows spatial gating of the laser focal overlap region in time resolved pump-probe experiments. This significantly enhances signal-to-noise ratio by eliminating background signal arising outside the region of spatial overlap of pump and probe beams. This enhancement is achieved by tilting the laser beams with respect to the surface of the VMI electrodes which creates a gradient in flight time for particles born at different points along the beam. By suitably pulsing our microchannel plate detector, we can select particles born only where the laser beams overlap. Furthermore, this spatialmore » gating in velocity map imaging can benefit nearly all photo-ion pump-probe VMI experiments especially when extreme-ultraviolet light or X-rays are involved which produce large background signals on their own.« less

Focal overlap gating in velocity map imaging to achieve high signal-to-noise ratio in photo-ion pump-probe experiments

DOE PAGES

Shivaram, Niranjan; Champenois, Elio G.; Cryan, James P.; ...

2016-12-19

We demonstrate a technique in velocity map imaging (VMI) that allows spatial gating of the laser focal overlap region in time resolved pump-probe experiments. This significantly enhances signal-to-noise ratio by eliminating background signal arising outside the region of spatial overlap of pump and probe beams. This enhancement is achieved by tilting the laser beams with respect to the surface of the VMI electrodes which creates a gradient in flight time for particles born at different points along the beam. By suitably pulsing our microchannel plate detector, we can select particles born only where the laser beams overlap. Furthermore, this spatialmore » gating in velocity map imaging can benefit nearly all photo-ion pump-probe VMI experiments especially when extreme-ultraviolet light or X-rays are involved which produce large background signals on their own.« less

Cellular autofluorescence imaging for early diagnosis of cancers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenkeste, Karine; Deniset, Ariane; Lecart, Sandrine; Leveque-Fort, Sandrine; Fontaine-Aupart, Marie-Pierre; Ferlicot, Sophie; Eschwege, Pascal

2005-08-01

Urinary cytology is employed in diagnostic guidelines of bladder cancer in anatomo-pathological laboratories mostly for its ability to diagnose non detectable cancers using cystoscopy, but also because it is a non-invasive and non-constraining technique for a regular follow-up of the more exposed populations. The impossibility to detect such cancers is mainly due to their localization either in the bladder or in the upper urinary tract and the prostate. However, urinary cytology lacks sensitivity, especially for the detection of low grade low stage tumors due to inherent limitation of morphological criteria to distinguish low grade tumor cells from normal urothelial cells. For this purpose, we developed, in addition to urinary cytology, an original screening of these cytological slides by using spectrally-resolved and time-resolved fluorescence as a contrast factor, without changing any parameters in the cytological slide preparation. This method takes advantage of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser, continuously tunable in the spectral range 700-950 nm allowing the observation of most endogenous cellular chromophores by biphotonic excitation. A commercial confocal microscope was also used in the measurements allowing an excitation of the samples between 458 nm and 633 nm. We observed that the fluorescence emission is differentially distributed in normal and pathological urothelial cells. Spectral- and time-resolved measurements attested this difference over about one hundred cases which have been tested to confirm the high accuracy of this non-invasive technique.

A two-angle far-field microscope imaging technique for spray flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kourmatzis, Agisilaos; Pham, Phuong X.; Masri, Assaad R.

2017-03-01

Backlight imaging is frequently used for the visualization of multiphase flows, where with appropriate microscope lenses, quantitative information on the spray structure can be attained. However, a key issue resides in the nature of the measurement which relies on a single viewing angle, hence preventing imaging of all liquid structures and features, such as those located behind other fragments. This paper presents results from an extensive experimental study aimed as a step forward towards resolving this problem by using a pair of high speed cameras oriented at 90 degrees to each other, and synchronized to two high-speed diode lasers. Both cameras are used with long distance microscope lenses. The images are processed as pairs allowing for identification and classification of the same liquid structure from two perspectives at high temporal (5 kHz) and spatial resolution (∼3 μm). Using a controlled mono-disperse spray, simultaneous, time-resolved visualization of the same spherical object being focused on one plane while de-focused on the other plane 90 degrees to the first has allowed for a quantification of shot-to-shot defocused size measurement error. An extensive error analysis is performed for spheroidal structures imaged from two angles and the dual angle technique is extended to measure the volume of non-spherical fragments for the first time, by ‘discretising’ a fragment into a number of constituent ellipses. Error analysis is performed based on measuring the known volumes of solid arbitrary shapes, and volume estimates were found to be within  ∼11% of the real volume for representative ‘ligament-like’ shapes. The contribution concludes by applying the ellipsoidal method to a real spray consisting of multiple non-spherical fragments. This extended approach clearly demonstrates potential to yield novel volume weighted quantities of non-spherical objects in turbulent multiphase flow applications.

THz near-field imaging of biological tissues employing synchrotron radiation (Invited Paper)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schade, Ulrich; Holldack, Karsten; Martin, Michael C.; Fried, Daniel

2005-04-01

Terahertz scanning near-field infrared microscopy (SNIM) below 1 THz is demonstrated. The near-field technique benefits from the broadband and highly brilliant coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) from an electron storage ring and from a detection method based on locking on to the intrinsic time structure of the synchrotron radiation. The scanning microscope utilizes conical waveguides as near-field probes with apertures smaller than the wavelength. Different cone approaches have been investigated to obtain maximum transmittance. Together with a Martin-Puplett spectrometer the set-up enables spectroscopic mapping of the transmittance of samples well below the diffraction limit. Spatial resolution down to about λ/40 at 2 wavenumbers (0.06 THz) is derived from the transmittance spectra of the near-field probes. The potential of the technique is exemplified by imaging biological samples. Strongly absorbing living leaves have been imaged in transmittance with a spatial resolution of 130 μm at about 12 wavenumbers (0.36 THz). The THz near-field images reveal distinct structural differences of leaves from different plants investigated. The technique presented also allows spectral imaging of bulky organic tissues. Human teeth samples of various thicknesses have been imaged between 2 and 20 wavenumbers (between 0.06 and 0.6 THz). Regions of enamel and dentin within tooth samples are spatially and spectrally resolved, and buried caries lesions are imaged through both the outer enamel and into the underlying dentin.

Diffraction and microscopy with attosecond electron pulse trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morimoto, Yuya; Baum, Peter

2018-03-01

Attosecond spectroscopy1-7 can resolve electronic processes directly in time, but a movie-like space-time recording is impeded by the too long wavelength ( 100 times larger than atomic distances) or the source-sample entanglement in re-collision techniques8-11. Here we advance attosecond metrology to picometre wavelength and sub-atomic resolution by using free-space electrons instead of higher-harmonic photons1-7 or re-colliding wavepackets8-11. A beam of 70-keV electrons at 4.5-pm de Broglie wavelength is modulated by the electric field of laser cycles into a sequence of electron pulses with sub-optical-cycle duration. Time-resolved diffraction from crystalline silicon reveals a < 10-as delay of Bragg emission and demonstrates the possibility of analytic attosecond-ångström diffraction. Real-space electron microscopy visualizes with sub-light-cycle resolution how an optical wave propagates in space and time. This unification of attosecond science with electron microscopy and diffraction enables space-time imaging of light-driven processes in the entire range of sample morphologies that electron microscopy can access.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; ...

2016-07-08

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Tremsin, Anton S; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with 100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

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

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Abstract Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components. PMID:27877885

Lensless microscopy technique for static and dynamic colloidal systems.

PubMed

Alvarez-Palacio, D C; Garcia-Sucerquia, J

2010-09-15

We present the application of a lensless microscopy technique known as digital in-line holographic microscopy (DIHM) to image dynamic and static colloidal systems of microspheres. DIHM has been perfected up to the point that submicrometer lateral resolution with several hundreds of micrometers depth of field is achieved with visible light; it is shown that the lateral resolution of DIHM is enough to resolve self-assembled colloidal monolayers built up from polystyrene spheres with submicrometer diameters. The time resolution of DIHM is of the order of 4 frames/s at 2048 x 2048 pixels, which represents an overall improvement of 16 times the time resolution of confocal scanning microscopy. This feature is applied to the visualization of the migration of dewetting fronts in dynamic colloidal systems and the formation of front-like arrangements of particles. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anti-aliasing techniques in photon-counting depth imaging using GHz clock rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krichel, Nils J.; McCarthy, Aongus; Collins, Robert J.; Buller, Gerald S.

2010-04-01

Single-photon detection technologies in conjunction with low laser illumination powers allow for the eye-safe acquisition of time-of-flight range information on non-cooperative target surfaces. We previously presented a photon-counting depth imaging system designed for the rapid acquisition of three-dimensional target models by steering a single scanning pixel across the field angle of interest. To minimise the per-pixel dwelling times required to obtain sufficient photon statistics for accurate distance resolution, periodic illumination at multi- MHz repetition rates was applied. Modern time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) hardware allowed for depth measurements with sub-mm precision. Resolving the absolute target range with a fast periodic signal is only possible at sufficiently short distances: if the round-trip time towards an object is extended beyond the timespan between two trigger pulses, the return signal cannot be assigned to an unambiguous range value. Whereas constructing a precise depth image based on relative results may still be possible, problems emerge for large or unknown pixel-by-pixel separations or in applications with a wide range of possible scene distances. We introduce a technique to avoid range ambiguity effects in time-of-flight depth imaging systems at high average pulse rates. A long pseudo-random bitstream is used to trigger the illuminating laser. A cyclic, fast-Fourier supported analysis algorithm is used to search for the pattern within return photon events. We demonstrate this approach at base clock rates of up to 2 GHz with varying pattern lengths, allowing for unambiguous distances of several kilometers. Scans at long stand-off distances and of scenes with large pixel-to-pixel range differences are presented. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the relative merits of the technique.

Real-time embedded atmospheric compensation for long-range imaging using the average bispectrum speckle method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curt, Petersen F.; Bodnar, Michael R.; Ortiz, Fernando E.; Carrano, Carmen J.; Kelmelis, Eric J.

2009-02-01

While imaging over long distances is critical to a number of security and defense applications, such as homeland security and launch tracking, current optical systems are limited in resolving power. This is largely a result of the turbulent atmosphere in the path between the region under observation and the imaging system, which can severely degrade captured imagery. There are a variety of post-processing techniques capable of recovering this obscured image information; however, the computational complexity of such approaches has prohibited real-time deployment and hampers the usability of these technologies in many scenarios. To overcome this limitation, we have designed and manufactured an embedded image processing system based on commodity hardware which can compensate for these atmospheric disturbances in real-time. Our system consists of a reformulation of the average bispectrum speckle method coupled with a high-end FPGA processing board, and employs modular I/O capable of interfacing with most common digital and analog video transport methods (composite, component, VGA, DVI, SDI, HD-SDI, etc.). By leveraging the custom, reconfigurable nature of the FPGA, we have achieved performance twenty times faster than a modern desktop PC, in a form-factor that is compact, low-power, and field-deployable.

Anatomical and Functional Images of in vitro and in vivo Tissues by NIR Time-domain Diffuse Optical Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng; Tanikawa, Yukari; Homma, Kazuhiro; Onodera, Yoichi; Yamada, Yukio

Near infra-red (NIR) diffuse optical tomography (DOT) has gained much attention and it will be clinically applied to imaging breast, neonatal head, and the hemodynamics of the brain because of its noninvasiveness and deep penetration in biological tissue. Prior to achieving the imaging of infant brain using DOT, the developed methodologies need to be experimentally justified by imaging some real organs with simpler structures. Here we report our results of an in vitro chicken leg and an in vivo exercising human forearm from the data measured by a multi-channel time-resolved NIR system. Tomographic images were reconstructed by a two-dimensional image reconstruction algorithm based on a modified generalized pulse spectrum technique for simultaneous reconstruction of the µa and µs´. The absolute µa- and µs´-images revealed the inner structures of the chicken leg and the forearm, where the bones were clearly distinguished from the muscle. The Δµa-images showed the blood volume changes during the forearm exercise, proving that the system and the image reconstruction algorithm could potentially be used for imaging not only the anatomic structure but also the hemodynamics in neonatal heads.

Lab-X-ray multidimensional imaging of processes inside porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godinho, Jose

2017-04-01

Time-lapse and other multidimensional X-ray imaging techniques have mostly been applied using synchrotron radiation, which limits accessibility and complicates data analysis. Here, we present new time-lapse imaging approaches using laboratory X-ray computed microtomography (CT) to study transformations inside porous media. Specifically, three methods will be presented: 1) Quantitative time-lapse radiography to study sub-second processes. For example to study the penetration of particles into fractures and pores, which is essential to understand how proppants keep fractures opened during hydraulic fracturing and how filter cakes form during borehole drilling. 2) Combination of time-lapse CT with diffraction tomography to study the transformation between bio-inspired polymorphs in 6D, e.g. mineral phase transformation between ACC, Vaterite and Calcite - CaCO3, and between ACS, Anhydrite and Gypsum - CaSO4. Crystals can be resolved in nanopores down to 7 nm (over 100 times smaller than the resolution of CT), which allows studying the effect of confinement on phase stability and growth rates. 3) Fast iterative helical micro-CT scanning to study samples of high ratio height to width (e.g. long cores) with optimal resolution. Here we show how this can be useful to study the distribution of the products from fluid-mediated mineral reactions throughout longer reaction paths and more representative volumes. Using state of the art reconstruction algorithms allows reducing the scanning times from over ten hours to below two hours enabling time-lapse studies. It is expected that these new techniques will open new possibilities for time-lapse imaging of a wider range of geological processes using laboratory X-ray CT, thereby increasing the accessibility of multidimensional imaging to a larger number of users and applications in geology.

Impact of time-resolved MRA on diagnostic accuracy in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease of the calf station.

PubMed

Hansmann, Jan; Michaely, Henrik J; Morelli, John N; Diehl, Steffen J; Meyer, Mathias; Schoenberg, Stefan O; Attenberger, Ulrike I

2013-12-01

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the added diagnostic accuracy of time-resolved MR angiography (MRA) of the calves compared with continuous-table-movement MRA in patients with symptomatic lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) correlation. Eighty-four consecutive patients with symptomatic PAD underwent a low-dose 3-T MRA protocol, consisting of continuous-table-movement MRA, acquired from the diaphragm to the calves, and an additional time-resolved MRA of the calves; 0.1 mmol/kg body weight (bw) of contrast material was used (0.07 mmol/kg bw for continuous-table-movement MRA and 0.03 mmol/kg bw for time-resolved MRA). Two radiologists rated image quality on a 4-point scale and stenosis degree on a 3-point scale. An additional assessment determined the degree of venous contamination and whether time-resolved MRA improved diagnostic confidence. The accuracy of stenosis gradation with continuous-table-movement and time-resolved MRA was compared with that of DSA as a correlation. Overall diagnostic accuracy was calculated for continuous-table-movement and time-resolved MRA. Median image quality was rated as good for 578 vessel segments with continuous-table-movement MRA and as excellent for 565 vessel segments with time-resolved MRA. Interreader agreement was excellent (κ = 0.80-0.84). Venous contamination interfered with diagnosis in more than 60% of continuous-table-movement MRA examinations. The degree of stenosis was assessed for 340 vessel segments. The diagnostic accuracies (continuous-table-movement MRA/time-resolved MRA) combined for the readers were obtained for the tibioperoneal trunk (84%/93%), anterior tibial (69%/87%), posterior tibial (85%/91%), and peroneal (67%/81%) arteries. The addition of time-resolved MRA improved diagnostic confidence in 69% of examinations. The addition of time-resolved MRA at the calf station improves diagnostic accuracy over continuous-table-movement MRA alone in symptomatic patients with PAD.

Experiments and Computational Theory for Electrical Breakdown in Critical Components: THz Imaging of Electronic Plasmas.

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

Zutavern, Fred J.; Hjalmarson, Harold P.; Bigman, Verle Howard

This report describes the development of ultra-short pulse laser (USPL) induced terahertz (THz) radiation to image electronic plasmas during electrical breakdown. The technique uses three pulses from two USPLs to (1) trigger the breakdown, (2) create a 2 picosecond (ps, 10 -12 s), THz pulse to illuminate the breakdown, and (3) record the THz image of the breakdown. During this three year internal research program, sub-picosecond jitter timing for the lasers, THz generation, high bandwidth (BW) diagnostics, and THz image acquisition was demonstrated. High intensity THz radiation was optically-induced in a pulse-charged gallium arsenide photoconductive switch. The radiation was collected,more » transported, concentrated, and co-propagated through an electro-optic crystal with an 800 nm USPL pulse whose polarization was rotated due to the spatially varying electric field of the THz image. The polarization modulated USPL pulse was then passed through a polarizer and the resulting spatially varying intensity was detected in a high resolution digital camera. Single shot images had a signal to noise of %7E3:1. Signal to noise was improved to %7E30:1 with several experimental techniques and by averaging the THz images from %7E4000 laser pulses internally and externally with the camera and the acquisition system (40 pulses per readout). THz shadows of metallic films and objects were also recorded with this system to demonstrate free-carrier absorption of the THz radiation and improve image contrast and resolution. These 2 ps THz pulses were created and resolved with 100 femtosecond (fs, 10 -15 s) long USPL pulses. Thus this technology has the capability to time-resolve extremely fast repetitive or single shot phenomena, such as those that occur during the initiation of electrical breakdown. The goal of imaging electrical breakdown was not reached during this three year project. However, plans to achieve this goal as part of a follow-on project are described in this document. Further modifications to improve the THz image contrast and resolution are proposed, and after they are made, images of photo-induced carriers in gallium arsenide and silicon will be acquired to evaluate image sensitivity versus carrier density. Finally electrical breakdown will be induced with the first USPL pulse, illuminated with THz radiation produced with the second USPL pulse and recorded with the third USPL pulse.« less

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

PubMed

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

2009-06-01

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

Three-dimensional ghost imaging lidar via sparsity constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Wenlin; Zhao, Chengqiang; Yu, Hong; Chen, Mingliang; Xu, Wendong; Han, Shensheng

2016-05-01

Three-dimensional (3D) remote imaging attracts increasing attentions in capturing a target’s characteristics. Although great progress for 3D remote imaging has been made with methods such as scanning imaging lidar and pulsed floodlight-illumination imaging lidar, either the detection range or application mode are limited by present methods. Ghost imaging via sparsity constraint (GISC), enables the reconstruction of a two-dimensional N-pixel image from much fewer than N measurements. By GISC technique and the depth information of targets captured with time-resolved measurements, we report a 3D GISC lidar system and experimentally show that a 3D scene at about 1.0 km range can be stably reconstructed with global measurements even below the Nyquist limit. Compared with existing 3D optical imaging methods, 3D GISC has the capability of both high efficiency in information extraction and high sensitivity in detection. This approach can be generalized in nonvisible wavebands and applied to other 3D imaging areas.

Novel laser gain and time-resolved FTIR studies of photochemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leone, Stephen R.

1990-01-01

Several techniques are discussed which can be used to explore laboratory photochemical processes and kinetics relevant to planetary atmospheres; these include time-resolved laser gain-versus-absorption spectroscopy and time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) emission studies. The laser gain-versus-absorption method employed tunable diode and F-center lasers to determine the yields of excited photofragments and their kinetics. The time-resolved FTIR technique synchronizes the sweep of a commercial FTIR with a pulsed source of light to obtain emission spectra of novel transient species in the infrared. These methods are presently being employed to investigate molecular photodissociation, the yields of excited states of fragments, their subsequent reaction kinetics, Doppler velocity distributions, and velocity-changing collisions of translationally fast atoms. Such techniques may be employed in future investigations of planetary atmospheres, for example to study polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons related to cometary emissions, to analyze acetylene decomposition products and reactions, and to determine spectral features in the near infrared and infrared wavelength regions for planetary molecules and clusters.

Enhancing hyperspectral spatial resolution using multispectral image fusion: A wavelet approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jazaeri, Amin

High spectral and spatial resolution images have a significant impact in remote sensing applications. Because both spatial and spectral resolutions of spaceborne sensors are fixed by design and it is not possible to further increase the spatial or spectral resolution, techniques such as image fusion must be applied to achieve such goals. This dissertation introduces the concept of wavelet fusion between hyperspectral and multispectral sensors in order to enhance the spectral and spatial resolution of a hyperspectral image. To test the robustness of this concept, images from Hyperion (hyperspectral sensor) and Advanced Land Imager (multispectral sensor) were first co-registered and then fused using different wavelet algorithms. A regression-based fusion algorithm was also implemented for comparison purposes. The results show that the fused images using a combined bi-linear wavelet-regression algorithm have less error than other methods when compared to the ground truth. In addition, a combined regression-wavelet algorithm shows more immunity to misalignment of the pixels due to the lack of proper registration. The quantitative measures of average mean square error show that the performance of wavelet-based methods degrades when the spatial resolution of hyperspectral images becomes eight times less than its corresponding multispectral image. Regardless of what method of fusion is utilized, the main challenge in image fusion is image registration, which is also a very time intensive process. Because the combined regression wavelet technique is computationally expensive, a hybrid technique based on regression and wavelet methods was also implemented to decrease computational overhead. However, the gain in faster computation was offset by the introduction of more error in the outcome. The secondary objective of this dissertation is to examine the feasibility and sensor requirements for image fusion for future NASA missions in order to be able to perform onboard image fusion. In this process, the main challenge of image registration was resolved by registering the input images using transformation matrices of previously acquired data. The composite image resulted from the fusion process remarkably matched the ground truth, indicating the possibility of real time onboard fusion processing.

Real-time 3D internal marker tracking during arc radiotherapy by the use of combined MV kV imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Wiersma, R. D.; Mao, W.; Luxton, G.; Xing, L.

2008-12-01

To minimize the adverse dosimetric effect caused by tumor motion, it is desirable to have real-time knowledge of the tumor position throughout the beam delivery process. A promising technique to realize the real-time image guided scheme in external beam radiation therapy is through the combined use of MV and onboard kV beam imaging. The success of this MV-kV triangulation approach for fixed-gantry radiation therapy has been demonstrated. With the increasing acceptance of modern arc radiotherapy in the clinics, a timely and clinically important question is whether the image guidance strategy can be extended to arc therapy to provide the urgently needed real-time tumor motion information. While conceptually feasible, there are a number of theoretical and practical issues specific to the arc delivery that need to be resolved before clinical implementation. The purpose of this work is to establish a robust procedure of system calibration for combined MV and kV imaging for internal marker tracking during arc delivery and to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the technique. A commercially available LINAC equipped with an onboard kV imager and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) was used for the study. A custom built phantom with multiple ball bearings was used to calibrate the stereoscopic MV-kV imaging system to provide the transformation parameters from imaging pixels to 3D world coordinates. The accuracy of the fiducial tracking system was examined using a 4D motion phantom capable of moving in accordance with a pre-programmed trajectory. Overall, spatial accuracy of MV-kV fiducial tracking during the arc delivery process for normal adult breathing amplitude and period was found to be better than 1 mm. For fast motion, the results depended on the imaging frame rates. The RMS error ranged from ~0.5 mm for the normal adult breathing pattern to ~1.5 mm for more extreme cases with a low imaging frame rate of 3.4 Hz. In general, highly accurate real-time tracking of implanted markers using hybrid MV-kV imaging is achievable and the technique should be useful to improve the beam targeting accuracy of arc therapy.

Real-time 3D internal marker tracking during arc radiotherapy by the use of combined MV-kV imaging.

PubMed

Liu, W; Wiersma, R D; Mao, W; Luxton, G; Xing, L

2008-12-21

To minimize the adverse dosimetric effect caused by tumor motion, it is desirable to have real-time knowledge of the tumor position throughout the beam delivery process. A promising technique to realize the real-time image guided scheme in external beam radiation therapy is through the combined use of MV and onboard kV beam imaging. The success of this MV-kV triangulation approach for fixed-gantry radiation therapy has been demonstrated. With the increasing acceptance of modern arc radiotherapy in the clinics, a timely and clinically important question is whether the image guidance strategy can be extended to arc therapy to provide the urgently needed real-time tumor motion information. While conceptually feasible, there are a number of theoretical and practical issues specific to the arc delivery that need to be resolved before clinical implementation. The purpose of this work is to establish a robust procedure of system calibration for combined MV and kV imaging for internal marker tracking during arc delivery and to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the technique. A commercially available LINAC equipped with an onboard kV imager and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) was used for the study. A custom built phantom with multiple ball bearings was used to calibrate the stereoscopic MV-kV imaging system to provide the transformation parameters from imaging pixels to 3D world coordinates. The accuracy of the fiducial tracking system was examined using a 4D motion phantom capable of moving in accordance with a pre-programmed trajectory. Overall, spatial accuracy of MV-kV fiducial tracking during the arc delivery process for normal adult breathing amplitude and period was found to be better than 1 mm. For fast motion, the results depended on the imaging frame rates. The RMS error ranged from approximately 0.5 mm for the normal adult breathing pattern to approximately 1.5 mm for more extreme cases with a low imaging frame rate of 3.4 Hz. In general, highly accurate real-time tracking of implanted markers using hybrid MV-kV imaging is achievable and the technique should be useful to improve the beam targeting accuracy of arc therapy.

Advances in Raman spectroscopy for In Situ Identification of Minerals and Organics on Diverse Planetary Surfaces: from Mars to Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacksberg, J.; Alerstam, E.; Maruyama, Y.; Cochrane, C.; Rossman, G. R.

2015-12-01

We present recent developments in time-resolved Raman spectroscopy for in situ planetary surface exploration, aimed at identification of both minerals and organics. Raman is a non-destructive surface technique that requires no sample preparation. Raman spectra are highly material specific and can be used for identification of a wide range of unknown samples. In combination with micro-scale imaging and point mapping, Raman spectroscopy can be used to directly interrogate rocks and regolith materials, while placing compositional analyses within a microtextural context, essential for understanding surface evolutionary pathways. Due to these unique capabilities, Raman spectroscopy is of great interest for the exploration of all rocky and icy bodies, for example Mars, Venus, the Moon, Mars' moons, asteroids, comets, Europa, and Titan. In this work, we focus on overcoming one of the most difficult challenges faced in Raman spectroscopy: interference from background fluorescence of the very minerals and organics that we wish to characterize. To tackle this problem we use time-resolved Raman spectroscopy, which separates the Raman from background processes in the time domain. This same technique also enables operation in daylight without the need for light shielding. Two key components are essential for the success of this technique: a fast solid-state detector and a short-pulse laser. Our detector is a custom developed Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array, capable of sub-ns time-gating. Our pulsed lasers are solid-state miniature pulsed microchip lasers. We discuss optimization of laser and detector parameters for our application. We then present Raman spectra of particularly challenging planetary analog samples to demonstrate the unique capabilities of this time-resolved Raman instrument, for example, Mars-analog clays and Titan-analog organics. The research described here was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Spin-orbit torque-driven skyrmion dynamics revealed by time-resolved X-ray microscopy

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

Woo, Seonghoon; Song, Kyung Mee; Han, Hee-Sung

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with attractive properties suitable for high-density and low-power spintronic device applications. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding the dynamical behaviours of the magnetic skyrmions. However, experimental observation of the ultrafast dynamics of this chiral magnetic texture in real space, which is the hallmark of its quasiparticle nature, has so far remained elusive. Here, we report nanosecond-dynamics of a 100nm-diameter magnetic skyrmion during a current pulse application, using a time-resolved pump-probe soft X-ray imaging technique. We demonstrate that distinct dynamic excitation states of magnetic skyrmions, triggered by current-induced spin-orbit torques, can be reliablymore » tuned by changing the magnitude of spin-orbit torques. Our findings show that the dynamics of magnetic skyrmions can be controlled by the spin-orbit torque on the nanosecond time scale, which points to exciting opportunities for ultrafast and novel skyrmionic appl ications in the future.« less

Spin-orbit torque-driven skyrmion dynamics revealed by time-resolved X-ray microscopy

DOE PAGES

Woo, Seonghoon; Song, Kyung Mee; Han, Hee-Sung; ...

2017-05-24

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with attractive properties suitable for high-density and low-power spintronic device applications. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding the dynamical behaviours of the magnetic skyrmions. However, experimental observation of the ultrafast dynamics of this chiral magnetic texture in real space, which is the hallmark of its quasiparticle nature, has so far remained elusive. Here, we report nanosecond-dynamics of a 100nm-diameter magnetic skyrmion during a current pulse application, using a time-resolved pump-probe soft X-ray imaging technique. We demonstrate that distinct dynamic excitation states of magnetic skyrmions, triggered by current-induced spin-orbit torques, can be reliablymore » tuned by changing the magnitude of spin-orbit torques. Our findings show that the dynamics of magnetic skyrmions can be controlled by the spin-orbit torque on the nanosecond time scale, which points to exciting opportunities for ultrafast and novel skyrmionic appl ications in the future.« less

Time Resolved Near Field Optical Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stark, J. B.

1996-03-01

We use broadband pulses to image the carrier dynamics of semiconductor microstructures on a 150 nm spatial scale, with a time resolution of 60 femtoseconds. Etched disks of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well material, 10 microns in diameter, are excited with a 30 fs pump from a Ti:Sapphire laser, and probed using a near-field optical microscope. The nonlinear transmission of the microdisks is measured using a double-modulation technique, sensitive to transmission changes of 0.0005 within a 150 nm diameter spot on the sample. This spot is scanned to produce an image of the sample. The nonlinear response is produced by the occupation of phase space by the excited distribution. Images of this evolving distribution are collected at time intervals following excitation, measuring the relaxation of carriers at each point in the microdisk. The resulting data can be viewed as a movie of the carrier dynamics of nonequilibrium distributions in excited semiconductor structures. Work done in collaboration with U. Mohideen and R. E. Slusher.

Spatially resolved chemical analysis of cicada wings using laser-ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS).

PubMed

Román, Jessica K; Walsh, Callee M; Oh, Junho; Dana, Catherine E; Hong, Sungmin; Jo, Kyoo D; Alleyne, Marianne; Miljkovic, Nenad; Cropek, Donald M

2018-03-01

Laser-ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is an emerging bioanalytical tool for direct imaging and analysis of biological tissues. Performing ionization in an ambient environment, this technique requires little sample preparation and no additional matrix, and can be performed on natural, uneven surfaces. When combined with optical microscopy, the investigation of biological samples by LAESI allows for spatially resolved compositional analysis. We demonstrate here the applicability of LAESI-IMS for the chemical analysis of thin, desiccated biological samples, specifically Neotibicen pruinosus cicada wings. Positive-ion LAESI-IMS accurate ion-map data was acquired from several wing cells and superimposed onto optical images allowing for compositional comparisons across areas of the wing. Various putative chemical identifications were made indicating the presence of hydrocarbons, lipids/esters, amines/amides, and sulfonated/phosphorylated compounds. With the spatial resolution capability, surprising chemical distribution patterns were observed across the cicada wing, which may assist in correlating trends in surface properties with chemical distribution. Observed ions were either (1) equally dispersed across the wing, (2) more concentrated closer to the body of the insect (proximal end), or (3) more concentrated toward the tip of the wing (distal end). These findings demonstrate LAESI-IMS as a tool for the acquisition of spatially resolved chemical information from fragile, dried insect wings. This LAESI-IMS technique has important implications for the study of functional biomaterials, where understanding the correlation between chemical composition, physical structure, and biological function is critical. Graphical abstract Positive-ion laser-ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry coupled with optical imaging provides a powerful tool for the spatially resolved chemical analysis of cicada wings.

Chromatically encoded high-speed photography of cavitation bubble dynamics inside inhomogeneous ophthalmic tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinne, N.; Matthias, B.; Kranert, F.; Wetzel, C.; Krüger, A.; Ripken, T.

2016-03-01

The interaction effect of photodisruption, which is used for dissection of biological tissue with fs-laser pulses, has been intensively studied inside water as prevalent sample medium. In this case, the single effect is highly reproducible and, hence, the method of time-resolved photography is sufficiently applicable. In contrast, the reproducibility significantly decreases analyzing more solid and anisotropic media like biological tissue. Therefore, a high-speed photographic approach is necessary in this case. The presented study introduces a novel technique for high-speed photography based on the principle of chromatic encoding. For illumination of the region of interest within the sample medium, the light paths of up to 12 LEDs with various emission wavelengths are overlaid via optical filters. Here, MOSFET-electronics provide a LED flash with a duration <100 ns; the diodes are externally triggered with a distinct delay for every LED. Furthermore, the different illumination wavelengths are chromatically separated again for detection via camera chip. Thus, the experimental setup enables the generation of a time-sequence of <= 12 images of a single cavitation bubble dynamics. In comparison to conventional time-resolved photography, images in sample media like water and HEMA show the significant advantages of this novel illumination technique. In conclusion, the results of this study are of great importance for the fundamental evaluation of the laser-tissue interaction inside anisotropic biological tissue and for the optimization of the surgical process with high-repetition rate fs-lasers. Additionally, this application is also suitable for the investigation of other microscopic, ultra-fast events in transparent inhomogeneous materials.

Low dose reconstruction algorithm for differential phase contrast imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Zhentian; Huang, Zhifeng; Zhang, Li; Chen, Zhiqiang; Kang, Kejun; Yin, Hongxia; Wang, Zhenchang; Marco, Stampanoni

2011-01-01

Differential phase contrast imaging computed tomography (DPCI-CT) is a novel x-ray inspection method to reconstruct the distribution of refraction index rather than the attenuation coefficient in weakly absorbing samples. In this paper, we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm for DPCI-CT which benefits from the new compressed sensing theory. We first realize a differential algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) by discretizing the projection process of the differential phase contrast imaging into a linear partial derivative matrix. In this way the compressed sensing reconstruction problem of DPCI reconstruction can be transformed to a resolved problem in the transmission imaging CT. Our algorithm has the potential to reconstruct the refraction index distribution of the sample from highly undersampled projection data. Thus it can significantly reduce the dose and inspection time. The proposed algorithm has been validated by numerical simulations and actual experiments.

Adaptive pixel-super-resolved lensfree in-line digital holography for wide-field on-chip microscopy.

PubMed

Zhang, Jialin; Sun, Jiasong; Chen, Qian; Li, Jiaji; Zuo, Chao

2017-09-18

High-resolution wide field-of-view (FOV) microscopic imaging plays an essential role in various fields of biomedicine, engineering, and physical sciences. As an alternative to conventional lens-based scanning techniques, lensfree holography provides a new way to effectively bypass the intrinsical trade-off between the spatial resolution and FOV of conventional microscopes. Unfortunately, due to the limited sensor pixel-size, unpredictable disturbance during image acquisition, and sub-optimum solution to the phase retrieval problem, typical lensfree microscopes only produce compromised imaging quality in terms of lateral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we propose an adaptive pixel-super-resolved lensfree imaging (APLI) method which can solve, or at least partially alleviate these limitations. Our approach addresses the pixel aliasing problem by Z-scanning only, without resorting to subpixel shifting or beam-angle manipulation. Automatic positional error correction algorithm and adaptive relaxation strategy are introduced to enhance the robustness and SNR of reconstruction significantly. Based on APLI, we perform full-FOV reconstruction of a USAF resolution target (~29.85 mm 2 ) and achieve half-pitch lateral resolution of 770 nm, surpassing 2.17 times of the theoretical Nyquist-Shannon sampling resolution limit imposed by the sensor pixel-size (1.67µm). Full-FOV imaging result of a typical dicot root is also provided to demonstrate its promising potential applications in biologic imaging.

Light-field camera-based 3D volumetric particle image velocimetry with dense ray tracing reconstruction technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Shengxian; Ding, Junfei; New, T. H.; Soria, Julio

2017-07-01

This paper presents a dense ray tracing reconstruction technique for a single light-field camera-based particle image velocimetry. The new approach pre-determines the location of a particle through inverse dense ray tracing and reconstructs the voxel value using multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART). Simulation studies were undertaken to identify the effects of iteration number, relaxation factor, particle density, voxel-pixel ratio and the effect of the velocity gradient on the performance of the proposed dense ray tracing-based MART method (DRT-MART). The results demonstrate that the DRT-MART method achieves higher reconstruction resolution at significantly better computational efficiency than the MART method (4-50 times faster). Both DRT-MART and MART approaches were applied to measure the velocity field of a low speed jet flow which revealed that for the same computational cost, the DRT-MART method accurately resolves the jet velocity field with improved precision, especially for the velocity component along the depth direction.

[Techniques for pixel response nonuniformity correction of CCD in interferential imaging spectrometer].

PubMed

Yao, Tao; Yin, Shi-Min; Xiangli, Bin; Lü, Qun-Bo

2010-06-01

Based on in-depth analysis of the relative radiation scaling theorem and acquired scaling data of pixel response nonuniformity correction of CCD (charge-coupled device) in spaceborne visible interferential imaging spectrometer, a pixel response nonuniformity correction method of CCD adapted to visible and infrared interferential imaging spectrometer system was studied out, and it availably resolved the engineering technical problem of nonuniformity correction in detector arrays for interferential imaging spectrometer system. The quantitative impact of CCD nonuniformity on interferogram correction and recovery spectrum accuracy was given simultaneously. Furthermore, an improved method with calibration and nonuniformity correction done after the instrument is successfully assembled was proposed. The method can save time and manpower. It can correct nonuniformity caused by other reasons in spectrometer system besides CCD itself's nonuniformity, can acquire recalibration data when working environment is changed, and can also more effectively improve the nonuniformity calibration accuracy of interferential imaging

3D super-resolution imaging with blinking quantum dots

PubMed Central

Wang, Yong; Fruhwirth, Gilbert; Cai, En; Ng, Tony; Selvin, Paul R.

2013-01-01

Quantum dots are promising candidates for single molecule imaging due to their exceptional photophysical properties, including their intense brightness and resistance to photobleaching. They are also notorious for their blinking. Here we report a novel way to take advantage of quantum dot blinking to develop an imaging technique in three-dimensions with nanometric resolution. We first applied this method to simulated images of quantum dots, and then to quantum dots immobilized on microspheres. We achieved imaging resolutions (FWHM) of 8–17 nm in the x-y plane and 58 nm (on coverslip) or 81 nm (deep in solution) in the z-direction, approximately 3–7 times better than what has been achieved previously with quantum dots. This approach was applied to resolve the 3D distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) molecules at, and inside of, the plasma membrane of resting basal breast cancer cells. PMID:24093439

Molecular orbital imaging of the acetone S2 excited state using time-resolved (e, 2e) electron momentum spectroscopy.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Masakazu; Oishi, Keiya; Nakazawa, Hiroyuki; Zhu, Chaoyuan; Takahashi, Masahiko

2015-03-13

We report a time-resolved (e, 2e) experiment on the deuterated acetone molecule in the S2 Rydberg state with a lifetime of 13.5 ps. The acetone S2 state was prepared by a 195 nm pump laser and probed with electron momentum spectroscopy using a 1.2 keV incident electron beam of 1 ps temporal width. In spite of the low data statistics as well as of the limited time resolution (±35  ps) due to velocity mismatch, the experimental results clearly demonstrate that electron momentum spectroscopy measurements of short-lived transient species are feasible, opening the door to time-resolved orbital imaging in momentum space.

Doppler imaging with dual-detection full-range frequency domain optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Meemon, Panomsak; Lee, Kye-Sung; Rolland, Jannick P.

2010-01-01

Most of full-range techniques for Frequency Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (FD-OCT) reported to date utilize the phase relation between consecutive axial lines to reconstruct a complex interference signal and hence may exhibit degradation in either mirror image suppression performance or detectable velocity dynamic range or both when monitoring a moving sample such as flow activity. We have previously reported a technique of mirror image removal by simultaneous detection of the quadrature components of a complex spectral interference called a Dual-Detection Frequency Domain OCT (DD-FD-OCT) [Opt. Lett. 35, 1058-1060 (2010)]. The technique enables full range imaging without any loss of acquisition speed and is intrinsically less sensitive to phase errors generated by involuntary movements of the subject. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of the DD-FD-OCT to a phase-resolved Doppler imaging without degradation in either mirror image suppression performance or detectable velocity dynamic range that were observed in other full-range Doppler methods. In order to accommodate for Doppler imaging, we have developed a fiber-based DD-FD-OCT that more efficiently utilizes the source power compared with the previous free-space DD-FD-OCT. In addition, the velocity sensitivity of the phase-resolved DD-FD-OCT was investigated, and the relation between the measured Doppler phase shift and set flow velocity of a flow phantom was verified. Finally, we demonstrate the Doppler imaging using the DD-FD-OCT in a biological sample. PMID:21258488

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance physics for clinicians: part II

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This is the second of two reviews that is intended to cover the essential aspects of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) physics in a way that is understandable and relevant to clinicians using CMR in their daily practice. Starting with the basic pulse sequences and contrast mechanisms described in part I, it briefly discusses further approaches to accelerate image acquisition. It then continues by showing in detail how the contrast behaviour of black blood fast spin echo and bright blood cine gradient echo techniques can be modified by adding rf preparation pulses to derive a number of more specialised pulse sequences. The simplest examples described include T2-weighted oedema imaging, fat suppression and myocardial tagging cine pulse sequences. Two further important derivatives of the gradient echo pulse sequence, obtained by adding preparation pulses, are used in combination with the administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent for myocardial perfusion imaging and the assessment of myocardial tissue viability using a late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique. These two imaging techniques are discussed in more detail, outlining the basic principles of each pulse sequence, the practical steps required to achieve the best results in a clinical setting and, in the case of perfusion, explaining some of the factors that influence current approaches to perfusion image analysis. The key principles of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) are also explained in detail, especially focusing on timing of the acquisition following contrast agent bolus administration, and current approaches to achieving time resolved MRA. Alternative MRA techniques that do not require the use of an endogenous contrast agent are summarised, and the specialised pulse sequence used to image the coronary arteries, using respiratory navigator gating, is described in detail. The article concludes by explaining the principle behind phase contrast imaging techniques which create images that represent the phase of the MR signal rather than the magnitude. It is shown how this principle can be used to generate velocity maps by designing gradient waveforms that give rise to a relative phase change that is proportional to velocity. Choice of velocity encoding range and key pitfalls in the use of this technique are discussed. PMID:22995744

The quest for four-dimensional imaging in plant cell biology: it's just a matter of time

PubMed Central

Domozych, David S.

2012-01-01

Background Analysis of plant cell dynamics over time, or four-dimensional imaging (4-DI), represents a major goal of plant science. The ability to resolve structures in the third dimension within the cell or tissue during developmental events or in response to environmental or experimental stresses (i.e. 4-DI) is critical to our understanding of gene expression, post-expression modulations of macromolecules and sub-cellular system interactions. Scope Microscopy-based technologies have been profoundly integral to this type of investigation, and new and refined microscopy technologies now allow for the visualization of cell dynamics with unprecedented resolution, contrast and experimental versatility. However, certain realities of light and electron microscopy, choice of specimen and specimen preparation techniques limit the scope of readily attaining 4-DI. Today, the plant microscopist must use a combinatorial strategy whereby multiple microscopy-based investigations are used. Modern fluorescence, confocal laser scanning, transmission electron and scanning electron microscopy provide effective conduits for synthesizing data detailing live cell dynamics and highly resolved snapshots of specific cell structures that will ultimately lead to 4-DI. This review provides a synopsis of such technologies available. PMID:22628381

Non-Invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Nanoparticle Migration and Water Velocity Inside Sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phoenix, V. R.; Shukla, M.; Vallatos, A.; Riley, M. S.; Tellam, J. H.; Holmes, W. M.

2015-12-01

Manufactured nanoparticles (NPs) are already utilized in a diverse array of applications, including cosmetics, optics, medical technology, textiles and catalysts. Problematically, once in the natural environment, NPs can have a wide range of toxic effects. To protect groundwater from detrimental NPs we must be able to predict nanoparticle movement within the aquifer. The often complex transport behavior of nanoparticles ensures the development of NP transport models is not a simple task. To enhance our understanding of NP transport processes, we utilize novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which enables us to look inside the rock and image the movement of nanoparticles within. For this, we use nanoparticles that are paramagnetic, making them visible to the MRI and enabling us to collect spatially resolved data from which we can develop more robust transport models. In this work, a core of Bentheimer sandstone (3 x 7 cm) was saturated with water and imaged inside a 7Tesla Bruker Biospec MRI. Firstly the porosity of the core was mapped using a MSME MRI sequence. Prior to imaging NP transport, the velocity of water (in absence on nanoparticles) was mapped using an APGSTE-RARE sequence. Nano-magnetite nanoparticles were then pumped into the core and their transport through the core was imaged using a RARE sequence. These images were calibrated using T2 parameter maps to provide fully quantitative maps of nanoparticle concentration at regular time intervals throughout the column (T2 being the spin-spin relaxation time of 1H nuclei). This work demonstrated we are able to spatially resolve porosity, water velocity and nanoparticle movement, inside rock, using a single technique (MRI). Significantly, this provides us with a unique and powerful dataset from which we are now developing new models of nanoparticle transport.

Multimodal ophthalmic imaging using spectrally encoded scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Haddad, Mohamed T.; Malone, Joseph D.; Li, Jianwei D.; Bozic, Ivan; Arquitola, Amber M.; Joos, Karen M.; Patel, Shriji N.; Tao, Yuankai K.

2017-08-01

Ophthalmic surgery involves manipulation of delicate, layered tissue structures on milli- to micrometer scales. Traditional surgical microscopes provide an inherently two-dimensional view of the surgical field with limited depth perception which precludes accurate depth-resolved visualization of these tissue layers, and limits the development of novel surgical techniques. We demonstrate multimodal swept-source spectrally encoded scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography (SS-SESLO-OCT) to address current limitations of image-guided ophthalmic microsurgery. SS-SESLO-OCT provides inherently co-registered en face and cross-sectional field-of-views (FOVs) at a line rate of 400 kHz and >2 GPix/s throughput. We show in vivo imaging of the anterior segment and retinal fundus of a healthy volunteer, and preliminary results of multi-volumetric mosaicking for ultrawide-field retinal imaging with 90° FOV. Additionally, a scan-head was rapid-prototyped with a modular architecture which enabled integration of SS-SESLO-OCT with traditional surgical microscope and slit-lamp imaging optics. Ex vivo surgical maneuvers were simulated in cadaveric porcine eyes. The system throughput enabled volumetric acquisition at 10 volumes-per-second (vps) and allowed visualization of surgical dynamics in corneal sweeps, compressions, and dissections, and retinal sweeps, compressions, and elevations. SESLO en face images enabled simple real-time co-registration with the surgical microscope FOV, and OCT cross-sections provided depth-resolved visualization of instrument-tissue interactions. Finally, we demonstrate novel augmented-reality integration with the surgical view using segmentation overlays to aid surgical guidance. SS-SESLO-OCT may benefit clinical diagnostics by enabling aiming, registration, and mosaicking; and intraoperative imaging by allowing for real-time surgical feedback, instrument tracking, and overlays of computationally extracted biomarkers of disease.

Pulse pile-up in hard X-ray detector systems. [for solar X-rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Datlowe, D. W.

1975-01-01

When pulse-height spectra are measured by a nuclear detection system at high counting rates, the probability that two or more pulses will arrive within the resolving time of the system is significant. This phenomenon, pulse pile-up, distorts the pulse-height spectrum and must be considered in the interpretation of spectra taken at high counting rates. A computational technique for the simulation of pile-up is developed. The model is examined in the three regimes where (1) the time between pulses is long compared to the detector-system resolving time, (2) the time between pulses is comparable to the resolving time, and (3) many pulses occur within the resolving time. The technique is used to model the solar hard X-ray experiment on the OSO-7 satellite; comparison of the model with data taken during three large flares shows excellent agreement. The paper also describes rule-of-thumb tests for pile-up and identifies the important detector design factors for minimizing pile-up, i.e., thick entrance windows and short resolving times in the system electronics.

Spatially resolved, diffuse reflectance imaging for subsurface pattern visualization toward development of a lensless imaging platform: phantom experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schelkanova, Irina; Pandya, Aditya; Saiko, Guennadi; Nacy, Lidia; Babar, Hannan; Shah, Duoaud; Lilge, Lothar; Douplik, Alexandre

2016-01-01

A portable, spatially resolved, diffuse reflectance lensless imaging technique based on the charge-coupled device or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor directly coupled to the fiber optic bundle is proposed for visualization of subsurface structures such as superficial microvasculature in the epithelium. We discuss an experimental method for emulating a lensless imaging setup via raster scanning a single fiber-optic cable over a microfluidic phantom containing periodic hemoglobin absorption contrast. To evaluate the ability of the technique to recover information about the subsurface linear structures, scattering layers formed of the Sylgard® 184 Silicone Elastomer and titanium dioxide were placed atop the microfluidic phantom. Thickness of the layers ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 mm, and the values of the reduced scattering coefficient (μs‧) were between 0.85 and 4.25 mm-1. The results demonstrate that fiber-optic, lensless platform can be used for two-dimensional imaging of absorbing inclusions in diffuse reflectance mode. In these experiments, it was shown that diffuse reflectance imaging can provide sufficient spatial sampling of the phantom for differentiation of 30 μm structural features of the embedded absorbing pattern inside the scattering media.

Free-radical sensing by using naphthalimide based mesoporous silica (MCM-41) nanoparticles: A combined fluorescence and cellular imaging study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jha, Gaurav; Roy, Subhasis; Sahu, Prabhat Kumar; Banerjee, Somnath; Anoop, N.; Rahaman, Abdur; Sarkar, Moloy

2018-01-01

Keeping in mind the advantages of material-based systems over simple molecule-based systems, we have designed and developed three inorganic-organic hybrid systems by anchoring 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives to mesoporous silica nanoparticles for detection of free radicals. Prior to photophysical study, systems are characterized by spectroscopic, microscopic and thermo-gravimetric techniques. Steady state and time-resolved fluorescence studies demonstrate that the hydrazine based system is senstive towards detection of various free radicals. Cellular imaging study reveals cell permeability and toxicity study demonstrates the non-toxic nature of the material. These studies have suggested that present system has the potential to be used in various biological applications.

Actinide bioimaging in tissues: Comparison of emulsion and solid track autoradiography techniques with the iQID camera

PubMed Central

Miller, Brian W.; Van der Meeren, Anne; Tazrart, Anissa; Angulo, Jaime F.; Griffiths, Nina M.

2017-01-01

This work presents a comparison of three autoradiography techniques for imaging biological samples contaminated with actinides: emulsion-based, plastic-based autoradiography and a quantitative digital technique, the iQID camera, based on the numerical analysis of light from a scintillator screen. In radiation toxicology it has been important to develop means of imaging actinide distribution in tissues as these radionuclides may be heterogeneously distributed within and between tissues after internal contamination. Actinide distribution determines which cells are exposed to alpha radiation and is thus potentially critical for assessing absorbed dose. The comparison was carried out by generating autoradiographs of the same biological samples contaminated with actinides with the three autoradiography techniques. These samples were cell preparations or tissue sections collected from animals contaminated with different physico-chemical forms of actinides. The autoradiograph characteristics and the performances of the techniques were evaluated and discussed mainly in terms of acquisition process, activity distribution patterns, spatial resolution and feasibility of activity quantification. The obtained autoradiographs presented similar actinide distribution at low magnification. Out of the three techniques, emulsion autoradiography is the only one to provide a highly-resolved image of the actinide distribution inherently superimposed on the biological sample. Emulsion autoradiography is hence best interpreted at higher magnifications. However, this technique is destructive for the biological sample. Both emulsion- and plastic-based autoradiography record alpha tracks and thus enabled the differentiation between ionized forms of actinides and oxide particles. This feature can help in the evaluation of decorporation therapy efficacy. The most recent technique, the iQID camera, presents several additional features: real-time imaging, separate imaging of alpha particles and gamma rays, and alpha activity quantification. The comparison of these three autoradiography techniques showed that they are complementary and the choice of the technique depends on the purpose of the imaging experiment. PMID:29023595

A novel method for tracing the movement of multiple individual soil particles under rainfall conditions using florescent videography.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Robert; Pates, Jackie; Quinton, John

2016-04-01

The importance of developing new techniques to study soil movement cannot be underestimated especially those that integrate new technology. Currently there are limited empirical data available about the movement of individual soil particles, particularly high quality time-resolved data. Here we present a new technique which allows multiple individual soil particles to be traced in real time under simulated rainfall conditions. The technique utilises fluorescent videography in combination with a fluorescent soil tracer, which is based on natural particles. The system has been successfully used on particles greater than ~130 micrometres diameter. The technique uses HD video shot at 50 frames per second, providing extremely high temporal (0.02 s) and spatial resolution (sub-millimetre) of a particle's location without the need to perturb the system. Once the tracer has been filmed then the images are processed and analysed using a particle analysis and visualisation toolkit written in python. The toolkit enables the creation of 2 and 3-D time-resolved graphs showing the location of 1 or more particles. Quantitative numerical analysis of a pathway (or collection of pathways) is also possible, allowing parameters such as particle speed and displacement to be assessed. Filming the particles removes the need to destructively sample material and has many side-benefits, reducing the time, money and effort expended in the collection, transport and laboratory analysis of soils, while delivering data in a digital form which is perfect for modern computer-driven analysis techniques. There are many potential applications for the technique. High resolution empirical data on how soil particles move could be used to create, parameterise and evaluate soil movement models, particularly those that use the movement of individual particles. As data can be collected while rainfall is occurring it may offer the ability to study systems under dynamic conditions(rather than rainfall of a constant intensity), which are more realistic and this was one motivations behind the development of this technique.

Flow Quantification by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Anthony Tienhuan

1994-01-01

In this dissertation, a robust method for the measurement and visualization of flow field in laminar, complex and turbulent flows by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging utilizing flow induced Adiabatic Fast Passage (AFP) principle will be presented. This dissertation focuses on the application of AFP in spatially resolvable size vessels. We first review two main flow effects in NMR: time-of-flight and phase dispersion. The discussion of NMR flow imaging application - flow measurements and NMR angiography will be given. The theoretical framework of adiabatic passage will be discussed in order to explain the principle of flow-induced adiabatic passage tagging for flow imaging applications. From a knowledge of the basic flow-induced adiabatic passage principle, we propose a multi-zone AFP excitation scheme to deal with flow in a curved tube, branches and constrictions, i.e. complex and turbulent flow regimes. The technique provides a quick and simple way to acquire flow profiles simultaneously at several locations and arbitrary orientations inside the field-of-view. The flow profile is the time-averaged evolution of the labeled flowing material. Results obtained using a carotid bifurcation and circular jet phantoms are similar to the previous experimental studies employing laser Doppler Anemometry, and other flow visualization techniques. In addition, the preliminary results obtained with a human volunteer support the feasibility of the technique for in vivo flow quantification. Finally, a quantitative comparison of flow measurement of the new proposed techniques with the more established Phase Contrast MRA was performed. The results show excellent correlation between the two methods and with the standard volumetric flow rate measurement indicating that the flow measurements obtained using this technique are reliable and accurate under various flow regimes.

Imaging powders with the atomic force microscope: from biominerals to commercial materials.

PubMed

Friedbacher, G; Hansma, P K; Ramli, E; Stucky, G D

1991-09-13

Atomically resolved images of pressed powder samples have been obtained with the atomic force microscope (AFM). The technique was successful in resolving the particle, domain, and atomic structure of pismo clam (Tivela stultorum) and sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) shells and of commercially available calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) and strontium carbonate (SrCO(3)) powders. Grinding and subsequent pressing of the shells did not destroy the microstructure of these materials. The atomic-resolution imaging capabilities of AFM can be applied to polycrystalline samples by means of pressing powders with a grain size as small as 50 micrometers. These results illustrate that the AFM is a promising tool for material science and the study of biomineralization.

Using time-frequency analysis to determine time-resolved detonation velocity with microwave interferometry.

PubMed

Kittell, David E; Mares, Jesus O; Son, Steven F

2015-04-01

Two time-frequency analysis methods based on the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) were used to determine time-resolved detonation velocities with microwave interferometry (MI). The results were directly compared to well-established analysis techniques consisting of a peak-picking routine as well as a phase unwrapping method (i.e., quadrature analysis). The comparison is conducted on experimental data consisting of transient detonation phenomena observed in triaminotrinitrobenzene and ammonium nitrate-urea explosives, representing high and low quality MI signals, respectively. Time-frequency analysis proved much more capable of extracting useful and highly resolved velocity information from low quality signals than the phase unwrapping and peak-picking methods. Additionally, control of the time-frequency methods is mainly constrained to a single parameter which allows for a highly unbiased analysis method to extract velocity information. In contrast, the phase unwrapping technique introduces user based variability while the peak-picking technique does not achieve a highly resolved velocity result. Both STFT and CWT methods are proposed as improved additions to the analysis methods applied to MI detonation experiments, and may be useful in similar applications.

Dynamic Measurement of Temperature, Velocity, and Density in Hot Jets Using Rayleigh Scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mielke, Amy F.; Elam, Kristie A.

2008-01-01

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique was utilized to measure time-resolved gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded gas flows at sampling rates up to 10 kHz. A high power continuous-wave (cw) laser beam was focused at a point in an air flow field and Rayleigh scattered light was collected and fiber-optically transmitted to a Fabry-Perot interferometer for spectral analysis. Photomultipler tubes operated in the photon counting mode allowed high frequency sampling of the total signal level and the circular interference pattern to provide time-resolved density, temperature, and velocity measurements. Mean and rms velocity and temperature, as well as power spectral density calculations, are presented for measurements in a hydrogen-combustor heated jet facility with a 50.8-mm diameter nozzle at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The Rayleigh measurements are compared with particle image velocimetry data and CFD predictions. This technique is aimed at aeronautics research related to identifying noise sources in free jets, as well as applications in supersonic and hypersonic flows where measurement of flow properties, including mass flux, is required in the presence of shocks and ionization occurrence.

Frequency Resolved Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of 4,4'-Dimercaptostilbene on Silver

DOE PAGES

El-Khoury, Patrick Z.; Ueltschi, Tyler W.; Mifflin, Amanda L.; ...

2014-11-26

Non-resonant tip-enhanced Raman images of 4,4'-dimercaptostilbene on silver reveal that different vibrational resonances of the reporter are selectively enhanced at different sites on the metal substrate. Sequentially recorded images track molecular diffusion within the diffraction-limited laser spot which illuminates the substrate. In effect, the recorded time resolved (Δt = 10 s) pixelated images (25 nm x 8 cm-1) broadcast molecule-local field interactions which take place on much finer scales.

Optical and Thermal Analyses of High-Power Laser Diode Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasilyev, Aleksey; Allan, Graham R.; Schafer, John; Stephen, Mark A.; Young, Stefano

2004-01-01

An important need, especially for space-borne applications, is the early identification and rejection of laser diode arrays which may fail prematurely. The search for reliable failure predictors is ongoing and has led to the development of two techniques, infrared imagery and monitoring the Temporally-resolved and Spectrally-Resolved (TSR) optical output from which temperature of the device can be measured. This is in addition to power monitoring on long term burn stations. A direct measurement of the temperature of the active region is an important parameter as the lifetime of Laser Diode Arrays (LDA) decreases exponentially with increasing temperature. We measure the temperature from time-resolving the spectral emission in an analogous method to Voss et al. In this paper we briefly discuss the measurement setup and present temperature data derived from thermal images and TSR data for two differently designed high-power 808 nanometer LDA packages of similar specification operated in an electrical and thermal environment that mimic the expected operational conditions.

A simple approach to spectrally resolved fluorescence and bright field microscopy over select regions of interest

PubMed Central

Dahlberg, Peter D.; Boughter, Christopher T.; Faruk, Nabil F.; Hong, Lu; Koh, Young Hoon; Reyer, Matthew A.; Sherani, Aiman; Hammond, Adam T.

2016-01-01

A standard wide field inverted microscope was converted to a spatially selective spectrally resolved microscope through the addition of a polarizing beam splitter, a pair of polarizers, an amplitude-mode liquid crystal-spatial light modulator, and a USB spectrometer. The instrument is capable of simultaneously imaging and acquiring spectra over user defined regions of interest. The microscope can also be operated in a bright-field mode to acquire absorption spectra of micron scale objects. The utility of the instrument is demonstrated on three different samples. First, the instrument is used to resolve three differently labeled fluorescent beads in vitro. Second, the instrument is used to recover time dependent bleaching dynamics that have distinct spectral changes in the cyanobacteria, Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Lastly, the technique is used to acquire the absorption spectra of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskites and measure differences between nanocrystal films and micron scale crystals. PMID:27910631

Optical changes in cortical tissue during seizure activity using optical coherence tomography (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ornelas, Danielle; Hasan, Md.; Gonzalez, Oscar; Krishnan, Giri; Szu, Jenny I.; Myers, Timothy; Hirota, Koji; Bazhenov, Maxim; Binder, Devin K.; Park, Boris H.

2017-02-01

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent and unpredictable seizures. Electrophysiology has remained the gold standard of neural activity detection but its resolution and high susceptibility to noise and motion artifact limit its efficiency. Optical imaging techniques, including fMRI, intrinsic optical imaging, and diffuse optical imaging, have also been used to detect neural activity yet these techniques rely on the indirect measurement of changes in blood flow. A more direct optical imaging technique is optical coherence tomography (OCT), a label-free, high resolution, and minimally invasive imaging technique that can produce depth-resolved cross-sectional and 3D images. In this study, OCT was used to detect non-vascular depth-dependent optical changes in cortical tissue during 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) induced seizure onset. Calculations of localized optical attenuation coefficient (µ) allow for the assessment of depth-resolved volumetric optical changes in seizure induced cortical tissue. By utilizing the depth-dependency of the attenuation coefficient, we demonstrate the ability to locate and remove the optical effects of vasculature within the upper regions of the cortex on the attenuation calculations of cortical tissue in vivo. The results of this study reveal a significant depth-dependent decrease in attenuation coefficient of nonvascular cortical tissue both ex vivo and in vivo. Regions exhibiting decreased attenuation coefficient show significant temporal correlation to regions of increased electrical activity during seizure onset and progression. This study allows for a more thorough and biologically relevant analysis of the optical signature of seizure activity in vivo using OCT.

Localization of cortical tissue optical changes during seizure activity in vivo with optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Eberle, Melissa M.; Hsu, Mike S.; Rodriguez, Carissa L.; Szu, Jenny I.; Oliveira, Michael C.; Binder, Devin K.; Park, B. Hyle

2015-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high resolution, minimally invasive imaging technique, which can produce depth-resolved cross-sectional images. In this study, OCT was used to detect changes in the optical properties of cortical tissue in vivo in mice during the induction of global (pentylenetetrazol) and focal (4-aminopyridine) seizures. Through the use of a confidence interval statistical method on depth-resolved volumes of attenuation coefficient, we demonstrated localization of regions exhibiting both significant positive and negative changes in attenuation coefficient, as well as differentiating between global and focal seizure propagation. PMID:26137382

Clinical performance of a free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast-enhanced pediatric abdominal MR angiography.

PubMed

Zhang, Tao; Yousaf, Ufra; Hsiao, Albert; Cheng, Joseph Y; Alley, Marcus T; Lustig, Michael; Pauly, John M; Vasanawala, Shreyas S

2015-10-01

Pediatric contrast-enhanced MR angiography is often limited by respiration, other patient motion and compromised spatiotemporal resolution. To determine the reliability of a free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography method for depicting abdominal arterial anatomy in young children. With IRB approval and informed consent, we retrospectively identified 27 consecutive children (16 males and 11 females; mean age: 3.8 years, range: 14 days to 8.4 years) referred for contrast-enhanced MR angiography at our institution, who had undergone free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography studies. A radio-frequency-spoiled gradient echo sequence with Cartesian variable density k-space sampling and radial view ordering, intrinsic motion navigation and intermittent fat suppression was developed. Images were reconstructed with soft-gated parallel imaging locally low-rank method to achieve both motion correction and high spatiotemporal resolution. Quality of delineation of 13 abdominal arteries in the reconstructed images was assessed independently by two radiologists on a five-point scale. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals of the proportion of diagnostically adequate cases were calculated. Interobserver agreements were also analyzed. Eleven out of 13 arteries achieved acceptable image quality (mean score range: 3.9-5.0) for both readers. Fair to substantial interobserver agreement was reached on nine arteries. Free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast-enhanced MR angiography frequently yields diagnostic image quality for most abdominal arteries in young children.

Wide-field time-resolved luminescence imaging and spectroscopy to decipher obliterated documents in forensic science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Mototsugu; Akiba, Norimitsu; Kurosawa, Kenji; Kuroki, Kenro; Akao, Yoshinori; Higashikawa, Yoshiyasu

2016-01-01

We applied a wide-field time-resolved luminescence (TRL) method with a pulsed laser and a gated intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) for deciphering obliterated documents for use in forensic science. The TRL method can nondestructively measure the dynamics of luminescence, including fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetimes, which prove to be useful parameters for image detection. First, we measured the TRL spectra of four brands of black porous-tip pen inks on paper to estimate their luminescence lifetimes. Next, we acquired the TRL images of 12 obliterated documents at various delay times and gate times of the ICCD. The obliterated contents were revealed in the TRL images because of the difference in the luminescence lifetimes of the inks. This method requires no pretreatment, is nondestructive, and has the advantage of wide-field imaging, which makes it is easy to control the gate timing. This demonstration proves that TRL imaging and spectroscopy are powerful tools for forensic document examination.

Dynamic contrast–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

PubMed Central

Condliffe, Robin; Marshall, Helen; Elliot, Charlie; Kiely, David G.; Wild, Jim M.

2014-01-01

Abstract Dynamic contrast–enhanced (DCE) time-resolved magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a technique whereby the passage of an intravenous contrast bolus can be tracked through the pulmonary vascular system. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of DCE-MR pulmonary blood transit times in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Seventy-nine patients diagnosed with PAH underwent pulmonary DCE imaging at 1.5 T using a time-resolved three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequence. The prognostic significance of two DCE parameters, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the first-pass clearance curve and pulmonary transit time (PTT), along with demographic and invasive catheter measurements, was evaluated by univariate and bivariate Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. DCE-MR transit times were most closely correlated with cardiac index (CI) and pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI) and were both found to be accurate for detecting reduced CI (FWHM area under the curve [AUC] at receiver operating characteristic analysis = 0.91 and PTT AUC = 0.92, respectively) and for detecting elevated PVRI (FWHM AUC = 0.88 and PTT AUC = 0.84, respectively). During the follow-up period, 25 patients died. Patients with longer measurements of FWHM (P = 0.0014) and PTT (P = 0.004) were associated with poor outcome at Kaplan-Meier analysis, and both parameters were strong predictors of adverse outcome from Cox proportional hazards analysis (P = 0.013 and 0.010, respectively). At bivariate analysis, DCE measurements predicted mortality independent of age, gender, and World Health Organization functional class; however, invasive hemodynamic indexes CI, PVRI, and DCE measurements were not independent of one another. In conclusion, DCE-MR transit times predict mortality in patients with PAH and are closely associated with clinical gold standards CI and PVRI. PMID:25006422

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

PubMed

Swift, Andrew J; Telfer, Adam; Rajaram, Smitha; Condliffe, Robin; Marshall, Helen; Capener, Dave; Hurdman, Judith; Elliot, Charlie; Kiely, David G; Wild, Jim M

2014-03-01

Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) time-resolved magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a technique whereby the passage of an intravenous contrast bolus can be tracked through the pulmonary vascular system. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of DCE-MR pulmonary blood transit times in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Seventy-nine patients diagnosed with PAH underwent pulmonary DCE imaging at 1.5 T using a time-resolved three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequence. The prognostic significance of two DCE parameters, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the first-pass clearance curve and pulmonary transit time (PTT), along with demographic and invasive catheter measurements, was evaluated by univariate and bivariate Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. DCE-MR transit times were most closely correlated with cardiac index (CI) and pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI) and were both found to be accurate for detecting reduced CI (FWHM area under the curve [AUC] at receiver operating characteristic analysis = 0.91 and PTT AUC = 0.92, respectively) and for detecting elevated PVRI (FWHM AUC = 0.88 and PTT AUC = 0.84, respectively). During the follow-up period, 25 patients died. Patients with longer measurements of FWHM (P = 0.0014) and PTT (P = 0.004) were associated with poor outcome at Kaplan-Meier analysis, and both parameters were strong predictors of adverse outcome from Cox proportional hazards analysis (P = 0.013 and 0.010, respectively). At bivariate analysis, DCE measurements predicted mortality independent of age, gender, and World Health Organization functional class; however, invasive hemodynamic indexes CI, PVRI, and DCE measurements were not independent of one another. In conclusion, DCE-MR transit times predict mortality in patients with PAH and are closely associated with clinical gold standards CI and PVRI.

Nanosecond time resolved x-ray diagnostics of relativistic electron beam initiated events

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

Kuswa, Glenn W.; Chang, James

The dynamic behavior of a test sample during aid shortly after it has teen irradiated by an intense relativistic electron beam (REB) is of great interest to the study of team energy deposition. Since the sample densities are far beyond the cutoff in the optical region, flash x-radiography techniques have been developed to diagnose the evolution of the samples. The conventional approach of analyzing the dynamic behavior of solid densities utilizes one or more short x-ray bursts to record images on photographic emulsion. This technique is not useful in the presence of the intense x-rays from the REB interacting withmore » the sample. We report two techniques for isolating the film package from the REB x-ray pulse.« less

Recent applications of hyperspectral imaging in microbiology.

PubMed

Gowen, Aoife A; Feng, Yaoze; Gaston, Edurne; Valdramidis, Vasilis

2015-05-01

Hyperspectral chemical imaging (HSI) is a broad term encompassing spatially resolved spectral data obtained through a variety of modalities (e.g. Raman scattering, Fourier transform infrared microscopy, fluorescence and near-infrared chemical imaging). It goes beyond the capabilities of conventional imaging and spectroscopy by obtaining spatially resolved spectra from objects at spatial resolutions varying from the level of single cells up to macroscopic objects (e.g. foods). In tandem with recent developments in instrumentation and sampling protocols, applications of HSI in microbiology have increased rapidly. This article gives a brief overview of the fundamentals of HSI and a comprehensive review of applications of HSI in microbiology over the past 10 years. Technical challenges and future perspectives for these techniques are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photo-multiplier Tube Based Hybrid MRI and Frequency Domain Fluorescence Tomography System for Small Animal Imaging

PubMed Central

Lin, Y; Ghijsen, M T; Gao, H; Liu, N; Nalcioglu, O; Gulsen, G

2014-01-01

Fluorescence tomography (FT) is a promising molecular imaging technique that can spatially resolve both fluorophore concentration and lifetime parameters. However, recovered fluorophore parameters highly depend on the size and depth of the object due to the ill-posedness of the FT inverse problem. Structural a priori information from another high spatial resolution imaging modality has been demonstrated to significantly improve FT reconstruction accuracy. In this study, we have constructed a combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FT system for small animal imaging. A photo-multiplier tube (PMT) is used as the detector to acquire frequency domain FT measurements. This is the first MR-compatible time-resolved FT system that can reconstruct both fluorescence concentration and lifetime maps simultaneously. The performance of the hybrid system is evaluated with phantom studies. Two different fluorophores, Indocyanine Green (ICG) and 3-3′ Diethylthiatricarbocyanine Iodide (DTTCI), which have similar excitation and emission spectra but different lifetimes, are utilized. The fluorescence concentration and lifetime maps are both reconstructed with and without the structural a priori information obtained from MRI for comparison. We show that the hybrid system can accurately recover both fluorescence intensity and lifetime within 10% error for two 4.2 mm-diameter cylindrical objects embedded in a 38 mm-diameter cylindrical phantom when MRI structural a priori information is utilized. PMID:21753235

A CTRW-based model of time-resolved fluorescence lifetime imaging in a turbid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernomordik, Victor; Gandjbakhche, Amir H.; Hassan, Moinuddin; Pajevic, Sinisa; Weiss, George H.

2010-12-01

We develop an analytic model of time-resolved fluorescent imaging of photons migrating through a semi-infinite turbid medium bounded by an infinite plane in the presence of a single stationary point fluorophore embedded in the medium. In contrast to earlier models of fluorescent imaging in which photon motion is assumed to be some form of continuous diffusion process, the present analysis is based on a continuous-time random walk (CTRW) on a simple cubic lattice, the objective being to estimate the position and lifetime of the fluorophore. This can provide information related to local variations in pH and temperature with potential medical significance. Aspects of the theory were tested using time-resolved measurements of the fluorescence from small inclusions inside tissue-like phantoms. The experimental results were found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions provided that the fluorophore was not located too close to the planar boundary, a common problem in many diffusive systems.

Doppler centroid estimation ambiguity for synthetic aperture radars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, C. Y.; Curlander, J. C.

1989-01-01

A technique for estimation of the Doppler centroid of an SAR in the presence of large uncertainty in antenna boresight pointing is described. Also investigated is the image degradation resulting from data processing that uses an ambiguous centroid. Two approaches for resolving ambiguities in Doppler centroid estimation (DCE) are presented: the range cross-correlation technique and the multiple-PRF (pulse repetition frequency) technique. Because other design factors control the PRF selection for SAR, a generalized algorithm is derived for PRFs not containing a common divisor. An example using the SIR-C parameters illustrates that this algorithm is capable of resolving the C-band DCE ambiguities for antenna pointing uncertainties of about 2-3 deg.

Short-scan-time multi-slice diffusion MRI of the mouse cervical spinal cord using echo planar imaging.

PubMed

Callot, Virginie; Duhamel, Guillaume; Cozzone, Patrick J; Kober, Frank

2008-10-01

Mouse spinal cord (SC) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides important information on tissue morphology and structural changes that may occur during pathologies such as multiple sclerosis or SC injury. The acquisition scheme of the commonly used DWI techniques is based on conventional spin-echo encoding, which is time-consuming. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether the use of echo planar imaging (EPI) would provide good-quality diffusion MR images of mouse SC, as well as accurate measurements of diffusion-derived metrics, and thus enable diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and highly resolved DWI within reasonable scan times. A four-shot diffusion-weighted spin-echo EPI (SE-EPI) sequence was evaluated at 11.75 T on a group of healthy mice (n = 10). SE-EPI-derived apparent diffusion coefficients of gray and white matter were compared with those obtained using a conventional spin-echo sequence (c-SE) to validate the accuracy of the method. To take advantage of the reduction in acquisition time offered by the EPI sequence, multi-slice DTI acquisitions were performed covering the cervical segments (six slices, six diffusion-encoding directions, three b values) within 30 min (vs 2 h for c-SE). From these measurements, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivities were calculated, and fiber tracking along the C1 to C6 cervical segments was performed. In addition, high-resolution images (74 x 94 microm(2)) were acquired within 5 min per direction. Clear delineation of gray and white matter and identical apparent diffusion coefficient values were obtained, with a threefold reduction in acquisition time compared with c-SE. While overcoming the difficulties associated with high spatially and temporally resolved DTI measurements, the present SE-EPI approach permitted identification of reliable quantitative parameters with a reproducibility compatible with the detection of pathologies. The SE-EPI method may be particularly valuable when multiple sets of images from the SC are needed, in cases of rapidly evolving conditions, to decrease the duration of anesthesia or to improve MR exploration by including additional MR measurements. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of light and heavy atoms at the limit of contrast and resolution.

PubMed

Yücelen, Emrah; Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T

2018-02-08

Using state of the art scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) it is nowadays possible to directly image single atomic columns at sub-Å resolution. In standard (high angle) annular dark field STEM ((HA)ADF-STEM), however, light elements are usually invisible when imaged together with heavier elements in one image. Here we demonstrate the capability of the recently introduced Integrated Differential Phase Contrast STEM (iDPC-STEM) technique to image both light and heavy atoms in a thin sample at sub-Å resolution. We use the technique to resolve both the Gallium and Nitrogen dumbbells in a GaN crystal in [[Formula: see text

Nanoscale Fresnel coherent diffraction imaging tomography using ptychography.

PubMed

Peterson, I; Abbey, B; Putkunz, C T; Vine, D J; van Riessen, G A; Cadenazzi, G A; Balaur, E; Ryan, R; Quiney, H M; McNulty, I; Peele, A G; Nugent, K A

2012-10-22

We demonstrate Fresnel Coherent Diffractive Imaging (FCDI) tomography in the X-ray regime. The method uses an incident X-ray illumination with known curvature in combination with ptychography to overcome existing problems in diffraction imaging. The resulting tomographic reconstruction represents a 3D map of the specimen's complex refractive index at nano-scale resolution. We use this technique to image a lithographically fabricated glass capillary, in which features down to 70nm are clearly resolved.

THz near-field imaging of biological tissues employing synchrotronradiation

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

Schade, Ulrich; Holldack, Karsten; Martin, Michael C.

2004-12-23

Terahertz scanning near-field infrared microscopy (SNIM) below 1 THz is demonstrated. The near-field technique benefits from the broadband and highly brilliant coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) from an electron storage ring and from a detection method based on locking onto the intrinsic time structure of the synchrotron radiation. The scanning microscope utilizes conical wave guides as near-field probes with apertures smaller than the wavelength. Different cone approaches have been investigated to obtain maximum transmittance. Together with a Martin-Puplett spectrometer the set-up enables spectroscopic mapping of the transmittance of samples well below the diffraction limit. Spatial resolution down to about lambda/40 atmore » 2 wavenumbers (0.06 THz) is derived from the transmittance spectra of the near-field probes. The potential of the technique is exemplified by imaging biological samples. Strongly absorbing living leaves have been imaged in transmittance with a spatial resolution of 130 mu-m at about 12 wave numbers (0.36 THz). The THz near-field images reveal distinct structural differences of leaves from different plants investigated. The technique presented also allows spectral imaging of bulky organic tissues. Human teeth samples of various thicknesses have been imaged between 2 and 20 wavenumbers (between 0.06and 0.6 THz). Regions of enamel and dentin within tooth samples are spatially and spectrally resolved, and buried caries lesions are imaged through both the outer enamel and into the underlying dentin.« less

Time-resolved two-window measurement of Wigner functions for coherent backscatter from a turbid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reil, Frank; Thomas, John E.

2002-05-01

For the first time we are able to observe the time-resolved Wigner function of enhanced backscatter from a random medium using a novel two-window technique. This technique enables us to directly verify the phase-conjugating properties of random media. An incident divergent beam displays a convergent enhanced backscatter cone. We measure the joint position and momentum (x, p) distributions of the light field as a function of propagation time in the medium. The two-window technique allows us to independently control the resolutions for position and momentum, thereby surpassing the uncertainty limit associated with Fourier transform pairs. By using a low-coherence light source in a heterodyne detection scheme, we observe enhanced backscattering resolved by path length in the random medium, providing information about the evolution of optical coherence as a function of penetration depth in the random medium.

Magnetoacoustic Tomography with Magnetic Induction: Bioimepedance reconstruction through vector source imaging

PubMed Central

Mariappan, Leo; He, Bin

2013-01-01

Magneto acoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI) is a technique proposed to reconstruct the conductivity distribution in biological tissue at ultrasound imaging resolution. A magnetic pulse is used to generate eddy currents in the object, which in the presence of a static magnetic field induces Lorentz force based acoustic waves in the medium. This time resolved acoustic waves are collected with ultrasound transducers and, in the present work, these are used to reconstruct the current source which gives rise to the MAT-MI acoustic signal using vector imaging point spread functions. The reconstructed source is then used to estimate the conductivity distribution of the object. Computer simulations and phantom experiments are performed to demonstrate conductivity reconstruction through vector source imaging in a circular scanning geometry with a limited bandwidth finite size piston transducer. The results demonstrate that the MAT-MI approach is capable of conductivity reconstruction in a physical setting. PMID:23322761

Sequential Super-Resolution Imaging of Bacterial Regulatory Proteins: The Nucleoid and the Cell Membrane in Single, Fixed E. coli Cells.

PubMed

Spahn, Christoph; Glaesmann, Mathilda; Gao, Yunfeng; Foo, Yong Hwee; Lampe, Marko; Kenney, Linda J; Heilemann, Mike

2017-01-01

Despite their small size and the lack of compartmentalization, bacteria exhibit a striking degree of cellular organization, both in time and space. During the last decade, a group of new microscopy techniques emerged, termed super-resolution microscopy or nanoscopy, which facilitate visualizing the organization of proteins in bacteria at the nanoscale. Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is especially well suited to reveal a wide range of new information regarding protein organization, interaction, and dynamics in single bacterial cells. Recent developments in click chemistry facilitate the visualization of bacterial chromatin with a resolution of ~20 nm, providing valuable information about the ultrastructure of bacterial nucleoids, especially at short generation times. In this chapter, we describe a simple-to-realize protocol that allows determining precise structural information of bacterial nucleoids in fixed cells, using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM). In combination with quantitative photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), the spatial relationship of proteins with the bacterial chromosome can be studied. The position of a protein of interest with respect to the nucleoids and the cell cylinder can be visualized by super-resolving the membrane using point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (PAINT). The combination of the different SMLM techniques in a sequential workflow maximizes the information that can be extracted from single cells, while maintaining optimal imaging conditions for each technique.

Particle Streak Velocimetry of Supersonic Nozzle Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willits, J. D.; Pourpoint, T. L.

2016-01-01

A novel velocimetry technique to probe the exhaust flow of a laboratory scale combustor is being developed. The technique combines the advantages of standard particle velocimetry techniques and the ultra-fast imaging capabilities of a streak camera to probe high speed flows near continuously with improved spatial and velocity resolution. This "Particle Streak Velocimetry" technique tracks laser illuminated seed particles at up to 236 picosecond temporal resolution allowing time-resolved measurement of one-dimensional flows exceeding 2000 m/s as are found in rocket nozzles and many other applications. Developmental tests with cold nitrogen have been performed to validate and troubleshoot the technique with supersonic flows of much lower velocity and without background noise due to combusting flow. Flow velocities on the order of 500 m/s have been probed with titanium dioxide particles and a continuous-wave laser diode. Single frame images containing multiple streaks are analyzed to find the average slope of all incident particles corresponding to the centerline axial flow velocity. Long term objectives for these tests are correlation of specific impulse to theoretical combustion predictions and direct comparisons between candidate green fuels and the industry standard, monomethylhydrazine, each tested under identical conditions.

Passive monitoring for near surface void detection using traffic as a seismic source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Kuzma, H. A.; Rector, J.; Nazari, S.

2009-12-01

In this poster we present preliminary results based on our several field experiments in which we study seismic detection of voids using a passive array of surface geophones. The source of seismic excitation is vehicle traffic on nearby roads, which we model as a continuous line source of seismic energy. Our passive seismic technique is based on cross-correlation of surface wave fields and studying the resulting power spectra, looking for "shadows" caused by the scattering effect of a void. High frequency noise masks this effect in the time domain, so it is difficult to see on conventional traces. Our technique does not rely on phase distortions caused by small voids because they are generally too tiny to measure. Unlike traditional impulsive seismic sources which generate highly coherent broadband signals, perfect for resolving phase but too weak for resolving amplitude, vehicle traffic affords a high power signal a frequency range which is optimal for finding shallow structures. Our technique results in clear detections of an abandoned railroad tunnel and a septic tank. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a technology for the simultaneous imaging of shallow underground structures and traffic monitoring near these structures.

Single-spin stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy

PubMed Central

Pfender, Matthias; Aslam, Nabeel; Waldherr, Gerald; Neumann, Philipp; Wrachtrup, Jörg

2014-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate precision addressing of single-quantum emitters by combined optical microscopy and spin resonance techniques. To this end, we use nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond confined within a few ten nanometers as individually resolvable quantum systems. By developing a stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) technique for NV centers, we are able to simultaneously perform sub–diffraction-limit imaging and optically detected spin resonance (ODMR) measurements on NV spins. This allows the assignment of spin resonance spectra to individual NV center locations with nanometer-scale resolution and thus further improves spatial discrimination. For example, we resolved formerly indistinguishable emitters by their spectra. Furthermore, ODMR spectra contain metrology information allowing for sub–diffraction-limit sensing of, for instance, magnetic or electric fields with inherently parallel data acquisition. As an example, we have detected nuclear spins with nanometer-scale precision. Finally, we give prospects of how this technique can evolve into a fully parallel quantum sensor for nanometer resolution imaging of delocalized quantum correlations. PMID:25267655

Spectrally resolved laser interference microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butola, Ankit; Ahmad, Azeem; Dubey, Vishesh; Senthilkumaran, P.; Singh Mehta, Dalip

2018-07-01

We developed a new quantitative phase microscopy technique, namely, spectrally resolved laser interference microscopy (SR-LIM), with which it is possible to quantify multi-spectral phase information related to biological specimens without color crosstalk using a color CCD camera. It is a single shot technique where sequential switched on/off of red, green, and blue (RGB) wavelength light sources are not required. The method is implemented using a three-wavelength interference microscope and a customized compact grating based imaging spectrometer fitted at the output port. The results of the USAF resolution chart while employing three different light sources, namely, a halogen lamp, light emitting diodes, and lasers, are discussed and compared. The broadband light sources like the halogen lamp and light emitting diodes lead to stretching in the spectrally decomposed images, whereas it is not observed in the case of narrow-band light sources, i.e. lasers. The proposed technique is further successfully employed for single-shot quantitative phase imaging of human red blood cells at three wavelengths simultaneously without color crosstalk. Using the present technique, one can also use a monochrome camera, even though the experiments are performed using multi-color light sources. Finally, SR-LIM is not only limited to RGB wavelengths, it can be further extended to red, near infra-red, and infra-red wavelengths, which are suitable for various biological applications.

Femtosecond mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction

DOE PAGES

Shen, X.; Li, R. K.; Lundstrom, U.; ...

2017-09-01

To understand and control the basic functions of physical, chemical and biological processes from micron to nano-meter scale, an instrument capable of visualizing transient structural changes of inhomogeneous materials with atomic spatial and temporal resolutions, is required. One such technique is femtosecond electron microdiffraction, in which a short electron pulse with femtosecond-scale duration is focused into a micron-scale spot and used to obtain diffraction images to resolve ultrafast structural dynamics over a localized crystalline domain. In this letter, we report the experimental demonstration of time-resolved mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction which achieves a 5 μm root-mean-square (rms) beam size on the samplemore » and a 110 fs rms temporal resolution. Using pulses of 10k electrons at 4.2 MeV energy with a normalized emittance 3 nm-rad, we obtained high quality diffraction from a single 10 μm paraffin ( C 44 H 90) crystal. The phonon softening mode in optical-pumped polycrystalline Bi was also time-resolved, demonstrating the temporal resolution limits of the instrument. In conclusion, this new characterization capability will open many research opportunities in material and biological sciences.« less

Femtosecond mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction

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

Shen, X.; Li, R. K.; Lundstrom, U.

To understand and control the basic functions of physical, chemical and biological processes from micron to nano-meter scale, an instrument capable of visualizing transient structural changes of inhomogeneous materials with atomic spatial and temporal resolutions, is required. One such technique is femtosecond electron microdiffraction, in which a short electron pulse with femtosecond-scale duration is focused into a micron-scale spot and used to obtain diffraction images to resolve ultrafast structural dynamics over a localized crystalline domain. In this letter, we report the experimental demonstration of time-resolved mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction which achieves a 5 μm root-mean-square (rms) beam size on the samplemore » and a 110 fs rms temporal resolution. Using pulses of 10k electrons at 4.2 MeV energy with a normalized emittance 3 nm-rad, we obtained high quality diffraction from a single 10 μm paraffin ( C 44 H 90) crystal. The phonon softening mode in optical-pumped polycrystalline Bi was also time-resolved, demonstrating the temporal resolution limits of the instrument. In conclusion, this new characterization capability will open many research opportunities in material and biological sciences.« less

Reconstruction of dynamic image series from undersampled MRI data using data-driven model consistency condition (MOCCO).

PubMed

Velikina, Julia V; Samsonov, Alexey A

2015-11-01

To accelerate dynamic MR imaging through development of a novel image reconstruction technique using low-rank temporal signal models preestimated from training data. We introduce the model consistency condition (MOCCO) technique, which utilizes temporal models to regularize reconstruction without constraining the solution to be low-rank, as is performed in related techniques. This is achieved by using a data-driven model to design a transform for compressed sensing-type regularization. The enforcement of general compliance with the model without excessively penalizing deviating signal allows recovery of a full-rank solution. Our method was compared with a standard low-rank approach utilizing model-based dimensionality reduction in phantoms and patient examinations for time-resolved contrast-enhanced angiography (CE-MRA) and cardiac CINE imaging. We studied the sensitivity of all methods to rank reduction and temporal subspace modeling errors. MOCCO demonstrated reduced sensitivity to modeling errors compared with the standard approach. Full-rank MOCCO solutions showed significantly improved preservation of temporal fidelity and aliasing/noise suppression in highly accelerated CE-MRA (acceleration up to 27) and cardiac CINE (acceleration up to 15) data. MOCCO overcomes several important deficiencies of previously proposed methods based on pre-estimated temporal models and allows high quality image restoration from highly undersampled CE-MRA and cardiac CINE data. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

RECONSTRUCTION OF DYNAMIC IMAGE SERIES FROM UNDERSAMPLED MRI DATA USING DATA-DRIVEN MODEL CONSISTENCY CONDITION (MOCCO)

PubMed Central

Velikina, Julia V.; Samsonov, Alexey A.

2014-01-01

Purpose To accelerate dynamic MR imaging through development of a novel image reconstruction technique using low-rank temporal signal models pre-estimated from training data. Theory We introduce the MOdel Consistency COndition (MOCCO) technique that utilizes temporal models to regularize the reconstruction without constraining the solution to be low-rank as performed in related techniques. This is achieved by using a data-driven model to design a transform for compressed sensing-type regularization. The enforcement of general compliance with the model without excessively penalizing deviating signal allows recovery of a full-rank solution. Methods Our method was compared to standard low-rank approach utilizing model-based dimensionality reduction in phantoms and patient examinations for time-resolved contrast-enhanced angiography (CE MRA) and cardiac CINE imaging. We studied sensitivity of all methods to rank-reduction and temporal subspace modeling errors. Results MOCCO demonstrated reduced sensitivity to modeling errors compared to the standard approach. Full-rank MOCCO solutions showed significantly improved preservation of temporal fidelity and aliasing/noise suppression in highly accelerated CE MRA (acceleration up to 27) and cardiac CINE (acceleration up to 15) data. Conclusions MOCCO overcomes several important deficiencies of previously proposed methods based on pre-estimated temporal models and allows high quality image restoration from highly undersampled CE-MRA and cardiac CINE data. PMID:25399724

A portable low-cost long-term live-cell imaging platform for biomedical research and education.

PubMed

Walzik, Maria P; Vollmar, Verena; Lachnit, Theresa; Dietz, Helmut; Haug, Susanne; Bachmann, Holger; Fath, Moritz; Aschenbrenner, Daniel; Abolpour Mofrad, Sepideh; Friedrich, Oliver; Gilbert, Daniel F

2015-02-15

Time-resolved visualization and analysis of slow dynamic processes in living cells has revolutionized many aspects of in vitro cellular studies. However, existing technology applied to time-resolved live-cell microscopy is often immobile, costly and requires a high level of skill to use and maintain. These factors limit its utility to field research and educational purposes. The recent availability of rapid prototyping technology makes it possible to quickly and easily engineer purpose-built alternatives to conventional research infrastructure which are low-cost and user-friendly. In this paper we describe the prototype of a fully automated low-cost, portable live-cell imaging system for time-resolved label-free visualization of dynamic processes in living cells. The device is light-weight (3.6 kg), small (22 × 22 × 22 cm) and extremely low-cost (<€1250). We demonstrate its potential for biomedical use by long-term imaging of recombinant HEK293 cells at varying culture conditions and validate its ability to generate time-resolved data of high quality allowing for analysis of time-dependent processes in living cells. While this work focuses on long-term imaging of mammalian cells, the presented technology could also be adapted for use with other biological specimen and provides a general example of rapidly prototyped low-cost biosensor technology for application in life sciences and education. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatially resolved chemical imaging of individual atmospheric particles using nanoscale imaging mass spectrometry: insight into particle origin and chemistry

DOE PAGES

Ghosal, Sutapa; Weber, Peter K.; Laskin, Alexander

2014-01-14

Knowledge of the spatially resolved composition of atmospheric particles is essential for differentiating between their surface versus bulk chemistry and understanding particle reactivity and the potential environmental impact. Here, we demonstrate the application of nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (CAMECA NanoSIMS 50 ion probe) for 3D chemical imaging of individual atmospheric particles without any sample pre-treatment, such as sectioning of particles. Use of NanoSIMS depth profile analysis enables elemental mapping of particles with nanometer spatial resolution over a broad range of particle sizes. We have used this technique to probe the spatially resolved composition of ambient particles collected during amore » field campaign in Mexico City. Particles collected during this campaign have been extensively characterized in the past using other particle analysis techniques and hence offer a unique opportunity for exploring the utility of depth-resolved chemical imaging in ambient particle research. The particles that we examined in our study include those collected during a pollution episode related to urban waste incineration as well as background particles from the same location before the episode. Particles from the pollution episode show substantial intra-particle compositional variability typical of particles resulting from multiple emission sources. In contrast, the background particles have relatively homogeneous compositions with enhanced presence of nitrogen, oxygen, and chlorine at the particle surface. We also observed the surface enhancement of nitrogen and oxygen species is consistent with the presence of surface nitrates resulting from gas–particle heterogeneous interactions and is indicative of atmospheric ageing of the particles. The results presented here illustrate 3D characterization of ambient particles for insight into their chemical history.« less

Spatially resolved chemical imaging of individual atmospheric particles using nanoscale imaging mass spectrometry: Insighs into particle origin and chemistry

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

Ghosal, Sutapa; Weber, Peter K.; Laskin, Alexander

2014-04-21

Knowledge of the spatially-resolved composition of atmospheric particles is essential for differentiating between their surface versus bulk chemistry, understanding particle reactivity and the potential environmental impact. We demonstrate the application of nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (Cameca NanoSIMS 50 ion probe) for 3D chemical imaging of individual atmospheric particles without any sample pre-treatment, such as the sectioning of particles. Use of NanoSIMS depth profile analysis enables elemental mapping of particles with nanometer spatial resolution over a broad of range of particle sizes. We have used this technique to probe spatially resolved composition of ambient particles collected during a field campaignmore » in Mexico City. Particles collected during this campaign have been extensively characterized in the past using other particle analysis techniques and hence offer a unique opportunity for exploring the utility of depth resolved chemical imaging in ambient particle research. 1 Particles examined in this study include those collected during a pollution episode related to urban waste incineration as well as background particles from the same location prior to the episode. Particles from the pollution episode show substantial intra-particle compositional variability typical of particles resulting from multiple emission sources. In contrast, the background particles have relatively homogeneous compositions with enhanced presence of nitrogen, oxygen and chlorine at the particle surface. The observed surface enhancement of nitrogen and oxygen species is consistent with the presence of surface nitrates resulting from gas-particle heterogeneous interactions and is indicative of atmospheric ageing of the particles. The results presented here illustrate 3D characterization of ambient particles for insights into their chemical history.« less

Ultrafast X-ray Imaging of Fuel Sprays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin

2007-01-01

Detailed analysis of fuel sprays has been well recognized as an important step for optimizing the operation of internal combustion engines to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Ultrafast radiographic and tomographic techniques have been developed for probing the fuel distribution close to the nozzles of direct-injection diesel and gasoline injectors. The measurement was made using x-ray absorption of monochromatic synchrotron-generated radiation, allowing quantitative determination of the fuel distribution in this optically impenetrable region with a time resolution on the order of 1 μs. Furthermore, an accurate 3-dimensional fuel-density distribution, in the form of fuel volume fraction, was obtained by the time-resolved computed tomography. These quantitative measurements constitute the most detailed near-nozzle study of a fuel spray to date. With high-energy and high-brilliance x-ray beams available at the Advanced Photon Source, propagation-based phase-enhanced imaging was developed as a unique metrology technique to visualize the interior of an injection nozzle through a 3-mm-thick steel with a 10-μs temporal resolution, which is virtually impossible by any other means.

Concept of proton radiography using energy resolved dose measurement.

PubMed

Bentefour, El H; Schnuerer, Roland; Lu, Hsiao-Ming

2016-08-21

Energy resolved dosimetry offers a potential path to single detector based proton imaging using scanned proton beams. This is because energy resolved dose functions encrypt the radiological depth at which the measurements are made. When a set of predetermined proton beams 'proton imaging field' are used to deliver a well determined dose distribution in a specific volume, then, at any given depth x of this volume, the behavior of the dose against the energies of the proton imaging field is unique and characterizes the depth x. This concept applies directly to proton therapy scanning delivery methods (pencil beam scanning and uniform scanning) and it can be extended to the proton therapy passive delivery methods (single and double scattering) if the delivery of the irradiation is time-controlled with a known time-energy relationship. To derive the water equivalent path length (WEPL) from the energy resolved dose measurement, one may proceed in two different ways. A first method is by matching the measured energy resolved dose function to a pre-established calibration database of the behavior of the energy resolved dose in water, measured over the entire range of radiological depths with at least 1 mm spatial resolution. This calibration database can also be made specific to the patient if computed using the patient x-CT data. A second method to determine the WEPL is by using the empirical relationships between the WEPL and the integral dose or the depth at 80% of the proximal fall off of the energy resolved dose functions in water. In this note, we establish the evidence of the fundamental relationship between the energy resolved dose and the WEPL at the depth of the measurement. Then, we illustrate this relationship with experimental data and discuss its imaging dynamic range for 230 MeV protons.

EISCAT Aperture Synthesis Imaging (EASI _3D) for the EISCAT_3D Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Hoz, Cesar; Belyey, Vasyl

2012-07-01

Aperture Synthesis Imaging Radar (ASIR) is one of the technologies adopted by the EISCAT_3D project to endow it with imaging capabilities in 3-dimensions that includes sub-beam resolution. Complemented by pulse compression, it will provide 3-dimensional images of certain types of incoherent scatter radar targets resolved to about 100 metres at 100 km range, depending on the signal-to-noise ratio. This ability will open new research opportunities to map small structures associated with non-homogeneous, unstable processes such as aurora, summer and winter polar radar echoes (PMSE and PMWE), Natural Enhanced Ion Acoustic Lines (NEIALs), structures excited by HF ionospheric heating, meteors, space debris, and others. The underlying physico-mathematical principles of the technique are the same as the technique employed in radioastronomy to image stellar objects; both require sophisticated inversion techniques to obtain reliable images.

Quantitative, depth-resolved determination of particle motion using multi-exposure, spatial frequency domain laser speckle imaging.

PubMed

Rice, Tyler B; Kwan, Elliott; Hayakawa, Carole K; Durkin, Anthony J; Choi, Bernard; Tromberg, Bruce J

2013-01-01

Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI) is a simple, noninvasive technique for rapid imaging of particle motion in scattering media such as biological tissue. LSI is generally used to derive a qualitative index of relative blood flow due to unknown impact from several variables that affect speckle contrast. These variables may include optical absorption and scattering coefficients, multi-layer dynamics including static, non-ergodic regions, and systematic effects such as laser coherence length. In order to account for these effects and move toward quantitative, depth-resolved LSI, we have developed a method that combines Monte Carlo modeling, multi-exposure speckle imaging (MESI), spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), and careful instrument calibration. Monte Carlo models were used to generate total and layer-specific fractional momentum transfer distributions. This information was used to predict speckle contrast as a function of exposure time, spatial frequency, layer thickness, and layer dynamics. To verify with experimental data, controlled phantom experiments with characteristic tissue optical properties were performed using a structured light speckle imaging system. Three main geometries were explored: 1) diffusive dynamic layer beneath a static layer, 2) static layer beneath a diffuse dynamic layer, and 3) directed flow (tube) submerged in a dynamic scattering layer. Data fits were performed using the Monte Carlo model, which accurately reconstructed the type of particle flow (diffusive or directed) in each layer, the layer thickness, and absolute flow speeds to within 15% or better.

Revealing sub-μm and μm-scale textures in H2O ice at megabar pressures by time-domain Brillouin scattering

PubMed Central

Nikitin, Sergey M.; Chigarev, Nikolay; Tournat, Vincent; Bulou, Alain; Gasteau, Damien; Castagnede, Bernard; Zerr, Andreas; Gusev, Vitalyi E.

2015-01-01

The time-domain Brillouin scattering technique, also known as picosecond ultrasonic interferometry, allows monitoring of the propagation of coherent acoustic pulses, having lengths ranging from nanometres to fractions of a micrometre, in samples with dimension of less than a micrometre to tens of micrometres. In this study, we applied this technique to depth-profiling of a polycrystalline aggregate of ice compressed in a diamond anvil cell to megabar pressures. The method allowed examination of the characteristic dimensions of ice texturing in the direction normal to the diamond anvil surfaces with sub-micrometre spatial resolution via time-resolved measurements of the propagation velocity of the acoustic pulses travelling in the compressed sample. The achieved imaging of ice in depth and in one of the lateral directions indicates the feasibility of three-dimensional imaging and quantitative characterisation of the acoustical, optical and acousto-optical properties of transparent polycrystalline aggregates in a diamond anvil cell with tens of nanometres in-depth resolution and a lateral spatial resolution controlled by pump laser pulses focusing, which could approach hundreds of nanometres. PMID:25790808

In situ optical measurements for characterization of flame species and remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cullum, Brian Michael

1998-12-01

The following dissertation describes the use of spectroscopic techniques for both characterization of combustion intermediates and remote chemical sensing. The primary techniques that have been used for these measurements include, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), time resolved LIF, resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and Raman spectroscopy. A simple and quantitative means of measuring the efficiency of halogenated flame retardants is described, using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Intensity based LIF measurements of OH radical have been used to quantitatively measure the efficacy of halogenated flame retardant/polymer plaques. Temporally resolved LIF has been used to determine the extent to which the chemical kinetic theory of flame retardation applies to the effect of these compounds on combustion. We have shown that LIF of OH radicals is a very sensitive means of measuring the efficiency of these flame retardants as well as the giving information about the nature of flame retardation. In addition, we have developed a technique for the introduction of insoluble polymer plaques into a flame for fluorescence analysis. A high power pulsed Nd:YAG laser is used to ablate the sample into the flame while a second pulse from a dye laser is used to measure the LIF of OH radicals. Spectroscopic techniques are also very useful for trace remote analysis of environmental pollutants via optical fibers. A simple fiber-optic probe suitable for remote analysis using resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) has been developed for this purpose and is used to determine the toluene/gasoline concentration in water samples via a headspace measurement. The limit of detection for toluene in water using this probe is 0.54 ppb (wt/wt) with a sample standard deviation of 0.02 ppb (wt/wt). Another technique that has great potential for optical sensing is fluorescence lifetime imaging. A new method for measuring fluorescence lifetime images of quickly decaying species has been developed. This method employs a high powered pulsed laser that excites the fluorescent species in a dual pulse manner, and a non-gated charge coupled device (CCD) for detection of the fluorescence. Unlike other fluorescence lifetime imaging methods, this technique has the potential of monitoring fluorescent species with picosecond lifetimes.

Imaging with New Classic and Vision at the NPOI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorgensen, Anders

2018-04-01

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) is unique among interferometric observatories for its ability to position telescopes in an equally-spaced array configuration. This configuration is optimal for interferometric imaging because it allows the use of bootstrapping to track fringes on long baselines with signal-to-noise ratio less than one. When combined with coherent integration techniques this can produce visibilities with acceptable SNR on baselines long enough to resolve features on the surfaces of stars. The stellar surface imaging project at NPOI combines the bootstrapping array configuration of the NPOI array, real-time fringe tracking, baseline- and wavelength bootstrapping with Earth rotation to provide dense coverage in the UV plane at a wide range of spatial frequencies. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the project and an update of the latest status and results from the project.

Lower Mantle S-wave Velocity Model under the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, P.; Grand, S. P.

2016-12-01

Deep mantle plumes created by thermal instabilities at the core-mantle boundary has been an explanation for intraplate volcanism since the 1970's. Recently, broad slow velocity conduits in the lower mantle underneath some hotspots have been observed (French and Romanowicz, 2015), however the direct detection of a classical thin mantle plume using seismic tomography has remained elusive. Herein, we present a seismic tomography technique designed to image a deep mantle plume under the Yellowstone Hotspot located in the western United States utilizing SKS and SKKS waves in conjunction with finite frequency tomography. Synthetic resolution tests show the technique can resolve a 235 km diameter lower mantle plume with a 1.5% Gaussian velocity perturbation even if a realistic amount of random noise is added to the data. The Yellowstone Hotspot presents a unique opportunity to image a thin plume because it is the only hotspot with a purported deep origin that has a large enough aperture and density of seismometers to accurately sample the lower mantle at the length scales required to image a plume. Previous regional tomography studies largely based on S wave data have imaged a cylindrically shaped slow anomaly extending down to 900km under the hotspot, however they could not resolve it any deeper (Schmandt et al., 2010; Obrebski et al., 2010).To test if the anomaly extends deeper, we measured and inverted over 40,000 SKS and SKKS waves' travel times in two frequency bands recorded at 2400+ stations deployed during 2006-2012. Our preliminary model shows narrow slow velocity anomalies in the lower mantle with no fast anomalies. The slow anomalies are offset from the Yellowstone hotspot and may be diapirs rising from the base of the mantle.

Phase correlation imaging of unlabeled cell dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lihong; Rajshekhar, Gannavarpu; Wang, Ru; Bhaduri, Basanta; Sridharan, Shamira; Mir, Mustafa; Chakraborty, Arindam; Iyer, Rajashekar; Prasanth, Supriya; Millet, Larry; Gillette, Martha U.; Popescu, Gabriel

2016-09-01

We present phase correlation imaging (PCI) as a novel approach to study cell dynamics in a spatially-resolved manner. PCI relies on quantitative phase imaging time-lapse data and, as such, functions in label-free mode, without the limitations associated with exogenous markers. The correlation time map outputted in PCI informs on the dynamics of the intracellular mass transport. Specifically, we show that PCI can extract quantitatively the diffusion coefficient map associated with live cells, as well as standard Brownian particles. Due to its high sensitivity to mass transport, PCI can be applied to studying the integrity of actin polymerization dynamics. Our results indicate that the cyto-D treatment blocking the actin polymerization has a dominant effect at the large spatial scales, in the region surrounding the cell. We found that PCI can distinguish between senescent and quiescent cells, which is extremely difficult without using specific markers currently. We anticipate that PCI will be used alongside established, fluorescence-based techniques to enable valuable new studies of cell function.

In vivo noninvasive measurement of preprandial and postprandial blood glucose using optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Xiyang; Li, Zhifang; Li, Hui

2016-10-01

Blood glucose concentration measurement is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. However, conventional glucose measurement methods are invasive and not suitable for real-time monitoring. This study demonstrated a noninvasive blood glucose measurement method using optical coherence tomography to image human lip in vivo. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive and depth-resolved technique capable of acquiring tissue structure images in real time. Human lip has very thin skin and is full of blood vessels, which is appropriate for noninvasive glucose measurement. To verify the feasibility of OCT for glucose concentration monitoring, two groups of OCT imaging data were obtained from human lips of normal people. In one group, OCT images of lip were acquired from people on an empty stomach. In the other group, the same sites of lip were observed by OCT 2 hours after breakfast. Evident differences were found from two groups of OCT images that correspond to preprandial glucose and 2- hour postprandial glucose, respectively. The relationship between OCT image and blood glucose concentration was investigated. The result indicates that OCT possesses considerable prospects in terms of noninvasive blood glucose measurement.

Super-resolution Time-Lapse Seismic Waveform Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovcharenko, O.; Kazei, V.; Peter, D. B.; Alkhalifah, T.

2017-12-01

Time-lapse seismic waveform inversion is a technique, which allows tracking changes in the reservoirs over time. Such monitoring is relatively computationally extensive and therefore it is barely feasible to perform it on-the-fly. Most of the expenses are related to numerous FWI iterations at high temporal frequencies, which is inevitable since the low-frequency components can not resolve fine scale features of a velocity model. Inverted velocity changes are also blurred when there is noise in the data, so the problem of low-resolution images is widely known. One of the problems intensively tackled by computer vision research community is the recovering of high-resolution images having their low-resolution versions. Usage of artificial neural networks to reach super-resolution from a single downsampled image is one of the leading solutions for this problem. Each pixel of the upscaled image is affected by all the pixels of its low-resolution version, which enables the workflow to recover features that are likely to occur in the corresponding environment. In the present work, we adopt machine learning image enhancement technique to improve the resolution of time-lapse full-waveform inversion. We first invert the baseline model with conventional FWI. Then we run a few iterations of FWI on a set of the monitoring data to find desired model changes. These changes are blurred and we enhance their resolution by using a deep neural network. The network is trained to map low-resolution model updates predicted by FWI into the real perturbations of the baseline model. For supervised training of the network we generate a set of random perturbations in the baseline model and perform FWI on the noisy data from the perturbed models. We test the approach on a realistic perturbation of Marmousi II model and demonstrate that it outperforms conventional convolution-based deblurring techniques.

Joint aperture detection for speckle reduction and increased collection efficiency in ophthalmic MHz OCT

PubMed Central

Klein, Thomas; André, Raphael; Wieser, Wolfgang; Pfeiffer, Tom; Huber, Robert

2013-01-01

Joint-aperture optical coherence tomography (JA-OCT) is an angle-resolved OCT method, in which illumination from an active channel is simultaneously probed by several passive channels. JA-OCT increases the collection efficiency and effective sensitivity of the OCT system without increasing the power on the sample. Additionally, JA-OCT provides angular scattering information about the sample in a single acquisition, so the OCT imaging speed is not reduced. Thus, JA-OCT is especially suitable for ultra high speed in-vivo imaging. JA-OCT is compared to other angle-resolved techniques, and the relation between joint aperture imaging, adaptive optics, coherent and incoherent compounding is discussed. We present angle-resolved imaging of the human retina at an axial scan rate of 1.68 MHz, and demonstrate the benefits of JA-OCT: Speckle reduction, signal increase and suppression of specular and parasitic reflections. Moreover, in the future JA-OCT may allow for the reconstruction of the full Doppler vector and tissue discrimination by analysis of the angular scattering dependence. PMID:23577296

Sub-nanosecond time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope.

PubMed

Rudge, J; Xu, H; Kolthammer, J; Hong, Y K; Choi, B C

2015-02-01

We report on the development of a new magnetic microscope, time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope, which combines a near-field scanning optical microscope and magneto-optical contrast. By taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of time-resolved Kerr microscope and the sub-wavelength spatial resolution of a near-field microscope, we achieved a temporal resolution of ∼50 ps and a spatial resolution of <100 nm. In order to demonstrate the spatiotemporal magnetic imaging capability of this microscope, the magnetic field pulse induced gyrotropic vortex dynamics occurring in 1 μm diameter, 20 nm thick CoFeB circular disks has been investigated. The microscope provides sub-wavelength resolution magnetic images of the gyrotropic motion of the vortex core at a resonance frequency of ∼240 MHz.

Clinical performance of a free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast-enhanced pediatric abdominal MR angiography

PubMed Central

Yousaf, Ufra; Hsiao, Albert; Cheng, Joseph Y.; Alley, Marcus T.; Lustig, Michael; Pauly, John M.; Vasanawala, Shreyas S.

2015-01-01

Background Pediatric contrast-enhanced MR angiography is often limited by respiration, other patient motion and compromised spatiotemporal resolution. Objective To determine the reliability of a free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography method for depicting abdominal arterial anatomy in young children. Materials and methods With IRB approval and informed consent, we retrospectively identified 27 consecutive children (16 males and 11 females; mean age: 3.8 years, range: 14 days to 8.4 years) referred for contrast enhanced MR angiography at our institution, who had undergone free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated time-resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography studies. An radio-frequency-spoiled gradient echo sequence with Cartesian variable density k-space sampling and radial view ordering, intrinsic motion navigation and intermittent fat suppression was developed. Images were reconstructed with soft-gated parallel imaging locally low-rank method to achieve both motion correction and high spatiotemporal resolution. Quality of delineation of 13 abdominal arteries in the reconstructed images was assessed independently by two radiologists on a five-point scale. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals of the proportion of diagnostically adequate cases were calculated. Interobserver agreements were also analyzed. Results Eleven out of 13 arteries achieved acceptable image quality (mean score range: 3.9–5.0) for both readers. Fair to substantial interobserver agreement was reached on nine arteries. Conclusion Free-breathing spatiotemporally accelerated 3-D time-resolved contrast enhanced MR angiography frequently yields diagnostic image quality for most abdominal arteries for pediatric contrast enhanced MR angiography. PMID:26040509

Rapid time-resolved diffraction studies of protein structures using synchrotron radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartunik, Hans D.; Bartunik, Lesley J.

1992-07-01

The crystal structure of intermediate states in biological reactions of proteins of multi-protein complexes may be studied by time-resolved X-ray diffraction techniques which make use of the high spectral brilliance, continuous wavelength distribution and pulsed time structure of synchrotron radiation. Laue diffraction methods provide a means of investigating intermediate structures with lifetimes in the millisecond time range at presently operational facilities. Third-generation storage rings which are under construction may permit one to reach a time resolution of one microsecond for non-cyclic and one nanosecond for cyclic reactions. The number of individual exposures required for exploring reciprocal space and hence the total time scale strongly depend on the lattice order that may be affected, e.g., by conformational changes. Time-resolved experiments require high population of a specific intermediate which has to be homogeneous over the crystal volume. A number of external excitation techniques have been developed including in situ liberation of active metabolites by laser pulse photolysis of photolabile inactive precursors. First applications to crystal structure analysis of catalytic intermediates of enzymes demonstrate the potential of time-resolved protein crystallography.

Electron-spin dynamics in Mn-doped GaAs using time-resolved magneto-optical techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akimov, I. A.; Dzhioev, R. I.; Korenev, V. L.; Kusrayev, Yu. G.; Zhukov, E. A.; Yakovlev, D. R.; Bayer, M.

2009-08-01

We study the electron-spin dynamics in p -type GaAs doped with magnetic Mn acceptors by means of time-resolved pump-probe and photoluminescence techniques. Measurements in transverse magnetic fields show a long spin-relaxation time of 20 ns that can be uniquely related to electrons. Application of weak longitudinal magnetic fields above 100 mT extends the spin-relaxation times up to microseconds which is explained by suppression of the Bir-Aronov-Pikus spin relaxation for the electron on the Mn acceptor.

Photoacoustic image reconstruction: a quantitative analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sperl, Jonathan I.; Zell, Karin; Menzenbach, Peter; Haisch, Christoph; Ketzer, Stephan; Marquart, Markus; Koenig, Hartmut; Vogel, Mika W.

2007-07-01

Photoacoustic imaging is a promising new way to generate unprecedented contrast in ultrasound diagnostic imaging. It differs from other medical imaging approaches, in that it provides spatially resolved information about optical absorption of targeted tissue structures. Because the data acquisition process deviates from standard clinical ultrasound, choice of the proper image reconstruction method is crucial for successful application of the technique. In the literature, multiple approaches have been advocated, and the purpose of this paper is to compare four reconstruction techniques. Thereby, we focused on resolution limits, stability, reconstruction speed, and SNR. We generated experimental and simulated data and reconstructed images of the pressure distribution using four different methods: delay-and-sum (DnS), circular backprojection (CBP), generalized 2D Hough transform (HTA), and Fourier transform (FTA). All methods were able to depict the point sources properly. DnS and CBP produce blurred images containing typical superposition artifacts. The HTA provides excellent SNR and allows a good point source separation. The FTA is the fastest and shows the best FWHM. In our study, we found the FTA to show the best overall performance. It allows a very fast and theoretically exact reconstruction. Only a hardware-implemented DnS might be faster and enable real-time imaging. A commercial system may also perform several methods to fully utilize the new contrast mechanism and guarantee optimal resolution and fidelity.

Temporally resolved electrocardiogram-triggered diffusion-weighted imaging of the human kidney: correlation between intravoxel incoherent motion parameters and renal blood flow at different time points of the cardiac cycle.

PubMed

Wittsack, Hans-Jörg; Lanzman, Rotem S; Quentin, Michael; Kuhlemann, Julia; Klasen, Janina; Pentang, Gael; Riegger, Caroline; Antoch, Gerald; Blondin, Dirk

2012-04-01

To evaluate the influence of pulsatile blood flow on apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and the fraction of pseudodiffusion (F(P)) in the human kidney. The kidneys of 6 healthy volunteers were examined by a 3-T magnetic resonance scanner. Electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated and respiratory-triggered diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and phase-contrast flow measurements were performed. Flow imaging of renal arteries was carried out to quantify the dependence of renal blood flow on the cardiac cycle. ECG-triggered DWI was acquired in the coronal plane with 16 b values in the range of 0 s/mm(2) and 750 s/mm(2) at the time of minimum (MIN) (20 milliseconds after R wave) and maximum renal blood flow (MAX) (197 ± 24 milliseconds after R wave). The diffusion coefficients were calculated using the monoexponential approach as well as the biexponential intravoxel incoherent motion model and correlated to phase-contrast flow measurements. Flow imaging showed pulsatile renal blood flow depending on the cardiac cycle. The mean flow velocity at MIN was 45 cm/s as compared with 61 cm/s at MAX. F(p) at MIN (0.29) was significantly lower than at MAX (0.40) (P = 0.001). Similarly, ADC(mono), derived from the monoexponential model, also showed a significant difference (P < 0.001) between MIN (ADC(mono) = 2.14 ± 0.08 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) and MAX (ADC(mono) = 2.37 ± 0.04 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s). The correlation between renal blood flow and F(p) (r = 0.85) as well as ADC(mono) (r = 0.67) was statistically significant. Temporally resolved ECG-gated DWI enables for the determination of the diffusion coefficients at different time points of the cardiac cycle. ADC(mono) and FP vary significantly among acquisitions at minimum (diastole) and maximum (systole) renal blood flow. Temporally resolved ECG-gated DWI might therefore serve as a novel technique for the assessment of pulsatility in the human kidney.

Contrast-enhanced MR Angiography of the Abdomen with Highly Accelerated Acquisition Techniques

PubMed Central

Mostardi, Petrice M.; Glockner, James F.; Young, Phillip M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate that highly accelerated (net acceleration factor [Rnet] ≥ 10) acquisition techniques can be used to generate three-dimensional (3D) subsecond timing images, as well as diagnostic-quality high-spatial-resolution contrast material–enhanced (CE) renal magnetic resonance (MR) angiograms with a single split dose of contrast material. Materials and Methods: All studies were approved by the institutional review board and were HIPAA compliant; written consent was obtained from all participants. Twenty-two studies were performed in 10 female volunteers (average age, 47 years; range, 27–62 years) and six patients with renovascular disease (three women; average age, 48 years; range, 37–68 years; three men; average age, 60 years; range, 50–67 years; composite average age, 54 years; range, 38–68 years). The two-part protocol consisted of a low-dose (2 mL contrast material) 3D timing image with approximate 1-second frame time, followed by a high-spatial-resolution (1.0–1.6-mm isotropic voxels) breath-hold 3D renal MR angiogram (18 mL) over the full abdominal field of view. Both acquisitions used two-dimensional (2D) sensitivity encoding acceleration factor (R) of eight and 2D homodyne (HD) acceleration (RHD) of 1.4–1.8 for Rnet = R · RHD of 10 or higher. Statistical analysis included determination of mean values and standard deviations of image quality scores performed by two experienced reviewers with use of eight evaluation criteria. Results: The 2-mL 3D time-resolved image successfully portrayed progressive arterial filling in all 22 studies and provided an anatomic overview of the vasculature. Successful timing was also demonstrated in that the renal MR angiogram showed adequate or excellent portrayal of the main renal arteries in 21 of 22 studies. Conclusion: Two-dimensional acceleration techniques with Rnet of 10 or higher can be used in CE MR angiography to acquire (a) a 3D image series with 1-second frame time, allowing accurate bolus timing, and (b) a high-spatial-resolution renal angiogram. © RSNA, 2011 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11110242/-/DC1 PMID:21900616

Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging.

PubMed

Ablikim, Utuq; Bomme, Cédric; Xiong, Hui; Savelyev, Evgeny; Obaid, Razib; Kaderiya, Balram; Augustin, Sven; Schnorr, Kirsten; Dumitriu, Ileana; Osipov, Timur; Bilodeau, René; Kilcoyne, David; Kumarappan, Vinod; Rudenko, Artem; Berrah, Nora; Rolles, Daniel

2016-12-02

An experimental route to identify and separate geometric isomers by means of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging is presented, allowing isomer-resolved photoionization studies on isomerically mixed samples. We demonstrate the technique on cis/trans 1,2-dibromoethene (C 2 H 2 Br 2 ). The momentum correlation between the bromine ions in a three-body fragmentation process induced by bromine 3d inner-shell photoionization is used to identify the cis and trans structures of the isomers. The experimentally determined momentum correlations and the isomer-resolved fragment-ion kinetic energies are matched closely by a classical Coulomb explosion model.

Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging

PubMed Central

Ablikim, Utuq; Bomme, Cédric; Xiong, Hui; Savelyev, Evgeny; Obaid, Razib; Kaderiya, Balram; Augustin, Sven; Schnorr, Kirsten; Dumitriu, Ileana; Osipov, Timur; Bilodeau, René; Kilcoyne, David; Kumarappan, Vinod; Rudenko, Artem; Berrah, Nora; Rolles, Daniel

2016-01-01

An experimental route to identify and separate geometric isomers by means of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging is presented, allowing isomer-resolved photoionization studies on isomerically mixed samples. We demonstrate the technique on cis/trans 1,2-dibromoethene (C2H2Br2). The momentum correlation between the bromine ions in a three-body fragmentation process induced by bromine 3d inner-shell photoionization is used to identify the cis and trans structures of the isomers. The experimentally determined momentum correlations and the isomer-resolved fragment-ion kinetic energies are matched closely by a classical Coulomb explosion model. PMID:27910943

Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging

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

Ablikim, Utuq; Bomme, Cédric; Xiong, Hui

An experimental route to identify and separate geometric isomers by means of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging is presented, allowing isomer-resolved photoionization studies on isomerically mixed samples. We demonstrate the technique on cis/trans 1,2-dibromoethene (C 2H 2Br 2). The momentum correlation between the bromine ions in a three-body fragmentation process induced by bromine 3d inner-shell photoionization is used to identify the cis and trans structures of the isomers. Lastly, the experimentally determined momentum correlations and the isomer-resolved fragment-ion kinetic energies are matched closely by a classical Coulomb explosion model.

Identification of absolute geometries of cis and trans molecular isomers by Coulomb Explosion Imaging

DOE PAGES

Ablikim, Utuq; Bomme, Cédric; Xiong, Hui; ...

2016-12-02

An experimental route to identify and separate geometric isomers by means of coincident Coulomb explosion imaging is presented, allowing isomer-resolved photoionization studies on isomerically mixed samples. We demonstrate the technique on cis/trans 1,2-dibromoethene (C 2H 2Br 2). The momentum correlation between the bromine ions in a three-body fragmentation process induced by bromine 3d inner-shell photoionization is used to identify the cis and trans structures of the isomers. Lastly, the experimentally determined momentum correlations and the isomer-resolved fragment-ion kinetic energies are matched closely by a classical Coulomb explosion model.

Visualizing heterogeneity of photosynthetic properties of plant leaves with two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.

PubMed

Iermak, Ievgeniia; Vink, Jochem; Bader, Arjen N; Wientjes, Emilie; van Amerongen, Herbert

2016-09-01

Two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) was used to analyse the distribution and properties of Photosystem I (PSI) and Photosystem II (PSII) in palisade and spongy chloroplasts of leaves from the C3 plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the C4 plant Miscanthus x giganteus. This was achieved by separating the time-resolved fluorescence of PSI and PSII in the leaf. It is found that the PSII antenna size is larger on the abaxial side of A. thaliana leaves, presumably because chloroplasts in the spongy mesophyll are "shaded" by the palisade cells. The number of chlorophylls in PSI on the adaxial side of the A. thaliana leaf is slightly higher. The C4 plant M. x giganteus contains both mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, which have a different PSI/PSII ratio. It is shown that the time-resolved fluorescence of bundle sheath and mesophyll cells can be analysed separately. The relative number of chlorophylls, which belong to PSI (as compared to PSII) in the bundle sheath cells is at least 2.5 times higher than in mesophyll cells. FLIM is thus demonstrated to be a useful technique to study the PSI/PSII ratio and PSII antenna size in well-defined regions of plant leaves without having to isolate pigment-protein complexes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling and optimization of a time-resolved proton radiographic imaging system for proton cancer treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Bin

This dissertation describes a research project to test the clinical utility of a time-resolved proton radiographic (TRPR) imaging system by performing comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations of a physical device coupled with realistic lung cancer patient anatomy defined by 4DCT for proton therapy. A time-resolved proton radiographic imaging system was modeled through Monte Carlo simulations. A particle-tracking feature was employed to evaluate the performance of the proton imaging system, especially in its ability to visualize and quantify proton range variations during respiration. The Most Likely Path (MLP) algorithm was developed to approximate the multiple Coulomb scattering paths of protons for the purpose of image reconstruction. Spatial resolution of ˜ 1 mm and range resolution of 1.3% of the total range were achieved using the MLP algorithm. Time-resolved proton radiographs of five patient cases were reconstructed to track tumor motion and to calculate water equivalent length variations. By comparing with direct 4DCT measurement, the accuracy of tumor tracking was found to be better than 2 mm in five patient cases. Utilizing tumor tracking information to reduce margins to the planning target volume, a gated treatment plan was compared with un-gated treatment plan. The equivalent uniform dose (EUD) and the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were used to quantify the gain in the quality of treatments. The EUD of the OARs was found to be reduced up to 11% and the corresponding NTCP of organs at risk (OARs) was found to be reduced up to 16.5%. These results suggest that, with image guidance by proton radiography, dose to OARs can be reduced and the corresponding NTCPs can be significantly reduced. The study concludes that the proton imaging system can accurately track the motion of the tumor and detect the WEL variations, leading to potential gains in using image-guided proton radiography for lung cancer treatments.

Carrier Decay and Diffusion Dynamics in Single-Crystalline CdTe as seen via Microphotoluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mascarenhas, Angelo; Fluegel, Brian; Alberi, Kirstin; Zhang, Yong-Hang

2015-03-01

The ability to spatially resolve the degree to which extended defects impact carrier diffusion lengths and lifetimes is important for determining upper limits for defect densities in semiconductor devices. We show that a new spatially and temporally resolved photoluminescence (PL) imaging technique can be used to accurately extract carrier lifetimes in the immediate vicinity of dark-line defects in CdTe/MgCdTe double heterostructures. A series of PL images captured during the decay process show that extended defects with a density of 1.4x10-5 cm-2 deplete photogenerated charge carriers from the surrounding semiconductor material on a nanosecond time scale. The technique makes it possible to elucidate the interplay between nonradiative carrier recombination and carrier diffusion and reveals that they both combine to degrade the PL intensity over a fractional area that is much larger than the physical size of the defects. Carrier lifetimes are correctly determined from numerical simulations of the decay behavior by taking these two effects into account. Our study demonstrates that it is crucial to measure and account for the influence of local defects in the measurement of carrier lifetime and diffusion, which are key transport parameters for the design and modeling of advanced solar-cell and light-emitting devices. We acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Energy Office of Science under Grant No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.

A modified active appearance model based on an adaptive artificial bee colony.

PubMed

Abdulameer, Mohammed Hasan; Sheikh Abdullah, Siti Norul Huda; Othman, Zulaiha Ali

2014-01-01

Active appearance model (AAM) is one of the most popular model-based approaches that have been extensively used to extract features by highly accurate modeling of human faces under various physical and environmental circumstances. However, in such active appearance model, fitting the model with original image is a challenging task. State of the art shows that optimization method is applicable to resolve this problem. However, another common problem is applying optimization. Hence, in this paper we propose an AAM based face recognition technique, which is capable of resolving the fitting problem of AAM by introducing a new adaptive ABC algorithm. The adaptation increases the efficiency of fitting as against the conventional ABC algorithm. We have used three datasets: CASIA dataset, property 2.5D face dataset, and UBIRIS v1 images dataset in our experiments. The results have revealed that the proposed face recognition technique has performed effectively, in terms of accuracy of face recognition.

Non-Invasive Multiphoton Imaging of Islets Transplanted Into the Pinna of the NOD Mouse Ear Reveals the Immediate Effect of Anti-CD3 Treatment in Autoimmune Diabetes.

PubMed

Benson, Robert A; Garcon, Fabien; Recino, Asha; Ferdinand, John R; Clatworthy, Menna R; Waldmann, Herman; Brewer, James M; Okkenhaug, Klaus; Cooke, Anne; Garside, Paul; Wållberg, Maja

2018-01-01

We present a novel and readily accessible method facilitating cellular time-resolved imaging of transplanted pancreatic islets. Grafting of islets to the mouse ear pinna allows non-invasive, in vivo longitudinal imaging of events in the islets and enables improved acquisition of experimental data and use of fewer experimental animals than is possible using invasive techniques, as the same mouse can be assessed for the presence of islet infiltrating cells before and after immune intervention. We have applied this method to investigating therapeutic protection of beta cells through the well-established use of anti-CD3 injection, and have acquired unprecedented data on the nature and rapidity of the effect on the islet infiltrating T cells. We demonstrate that infusion of anti-CD3 antibody leads to immediate effects on islet infiltrating T cells in islet grafts in the pinna of the ear, and causes them to increase their speed and displacement within 20 min of infusion. This technique overcomes several technical challenges associated with intravital imaging of pancreatic immune responses and facilitates routine study of beta islet cell development, differentiation, and function in health and disease.

Assembly and microscopic characterization of DNA origami structures.

PubMed

Scheible, Max; Jungmann, Ralf; Simmel, Friedrich C

2012-01-01

DNA origami is a revolutionary method for the assembly of molecular nanostructures from DNA with precisely defined dimensions and with an unprecedented yield. This can be utilized to arrange nanoscale components such as proteins or nanoparticles into pre-defined patterns. For applications it will now be of interest to arrange such components into functional complexes and study their geometry-dependent interactions. While commonly DNA nanostructures are characterized by atomic force microscopy or electron microscopy, these techniques often lack the time-resolution to study dynamic processes. It is therefore of considerable interest to also apply fluorescence microscopic techniques to DNA nanostructures. Of particular importance here is the utilization of novel super-resolved microscopy methods that enable imaging beyond the classical diffraction limit.

Depth-resolved analytical model and correction algorithm for photothermal optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Lapierre-Landry, Maryse; Tucker-Schwartz, Jason M.; Skala, Melissa C.

2016-01-01

Photothermal OCT (PT-OCT) is an emerging molecular imaging technique that occupies a spatial imaging regime between microscopy and whole body imaging. PT-OCT would benefit from a theoretical model to optimize imaging parameters and test image processing algorithms. We propose the first analytical PT-OCT model to replicate an experimental A-scan in homogeneous and layered samples. We also propose the PT-CLEAN algorithm to reduce phase-accumulation and shadowing, two artifacts found in PT-OCT images, and demonstrate it on phantoms and in vivo mouse tumors. PMID:27446693

CellCognition: time-resolved phenotype annotation in high-throughput live cell imaging.

PubMed

Held, Michael; Schmitz, Michael H A; Fischer, Bernd; Walter, Thomas; Neumann, Beate; Olma, Michael H; Peter, Matthias; Ellenberg, Jan; Gerlich, Daniel W

2010-09-01

Fluorescence time-lapse imaging has become a powerful tool to investigate complex dynamic processes such as cell division or intracellular trafficking. Automated microscopes generate time-resolved imaging data at high throughput, yet tools for quantification of large-scale movie data are largely missing. Here we present CellCognition, a computational framework to annotate complex cellular dynamics. We developed a machine-learning method that combines state-of-the-art classification with hidden Markov modeling for annotation of the progression through morphologically distinct biological states. Incorporation of time information into the annotation scheme was essential to suppress classification noise at state transitions and confusion between different functional states with similar morphology. We demonstrate generic applicability in different assays and perturbation conditions, including a candidate-based RNA interference screen for regulators of mitotic exit in human cells. CellCognition is published as open source software, enabling live-cell imaging-based screening with assays that directly score cellular dynamics.

Intense acoustic bursts as a signal-enhancement mechanism in ultrasound-modulated optical tomography.

PubMed

Kim, Chulhong; Zemp, Roger J; Wang, Lihong V

2006-08-15

Biophotonic imaging with ultrasound-modulated optical tomography (UOT) promises ultrasonically resolved imaging in biological tissues. A key challenge in this imaging technique is a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We show significant UOT signal enhancement by using intense time-gated acoustic bursts. A CCD camera captured the speckle pattern from a laser-illuminated tissue phantom. Differences in speckle contrast were observed when ultrasonic bursts were applied, compared with when no ultrasound was applied. When CCD triggering was synchronized with burst initiation, acoustic-radiation-force-induced displacements were detected. To avoid mechanical contrast in UOT images, the CCD camera acquisition was delayed several milliseconds until transient effects of acoustic radiation force attenuated to a satisfactory level. The SNR of our system was sufficiently high to provide an image pixel per acoustic burst without signal averaging. Because of the substantially improved SNR, the use of intense acoustic bursts is a promising signal enhancement strategy for UOT.

Single Lens Dual-Aperture 3D Imaging System: Color Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bae, Sam Y.; Korniski, Ronald; Ream, Allen; Fritz, Eric; Shearn, Michael

2012-01-01

In an effort to miniaturize a 3D imaging system, we created two viewpoints in a single objective lens camera. This was accomplished by placing a pair of Complementary Multi-band Bandpass Filters (CMBFs) in the aperture area. Two key characteristics about the CMBFs are that the passbands are staggered so only one viewpoint is opened at a time when a light band matched to that passband is illuminated, and the passbands are positioned throughout the visible spectrum, so each viewpoint can render color by taking RGB spectral images. Each viewpoint takes a different spectral image from the other viewpoint hence yielding a different color image relative to the other. This color mismatch in the two viewpoints could lead to color rivalry, where the human vision system fails to resolve two different colors. The difference will be closer if the number of passbands in a CMBF increases. (However, the number of passbands is constrained by cost and fabrication technique.) In this paper, simulation predicting the color mismatch is reported.

Time-resolved multispectral imaging of combustion reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huot, Alexandrine; Gagnon, Marc-André; Jahjah, Karl-Alexandre; Tremblay, Pierre; Savary, Simon; Farley, Vincent; Lagueux, Philippe; Guyot, Éric; Chamberland, Martin; Marcotte, Frédérick

2015-10-01

Thermal infrared imaging is a field of science that evolves rapidly. Scientists have used for years the simplest tool: thermal broadband cameras. These allow to perform target characterization in both the longwave (LWIR) and midwave (MWIR) infrared spectral range. Infrared thermal imaging is used for a wide range of applications, especially in the combustion domain. For example, it can be used to follow combustion reactions, in order to characterize the injection and the ignition in a combustion chamber or even to observe gases produced by a flare or smokestack. Most combustion gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), selectively absorb/emit infrared radiation at discrete energies, i.e. over a very narrow spectral range. Therefore, temperatures derived from broadband imaging are not reliable without prior knowledge of spectral emissivity. This information is not directly available from broadband images. However, spectral information is available using spectral filters. In this work, combustion analysis was carried out using a Telops MS-IR MW camera, which allows multispectral imaging at a high frame rate. A motorized filter wheel allowing synchronized acquisitions on eight (8) different channels was used to provide time-resolved multispectral imaging of combustion products of a candle in which black powder has been burnt to create a burst. It was then possible to estimate the temperature by modeling spectral profiles derived from information obtained with the different spectral filters. Comparison with temperatures obtained using conventional broadband imaging illustrates the benefits of time-resolved multispectral imaging for the characterization of combustion processes.

Time-resolved multispectral imaging of combustion reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huot, Alexandrine; Gagnon, Marc-André; Jahjah, Karl-Alexandre; Tremblay, Pierre; Savary, Simon; Farley, Vincent; Lagueux, Philippe; Guyot, Éric; Chamberland, Martin; Marcotte, Fréderick

2015-05-01

Thermal infrared imaging is a field of science that evolves rapidly. Scientists have used for years the simplest tool: thermal broadband cameras. This allows to perform target characterization in both the longwave (LWIR) and midwave (MWIR) infrared spectral range. Infrared thermal imaging is used for a wide range of applications, especially in the combustion domain. For example, it can be used to follow combustion reactions, in order to characterize the injection and the ignition in a combustion chamber or even to observe gases produced by a flare or smokestack. Most combustion gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) selectively absorb/emit infrared radiation at discrete energies, i.e. over a very narrow spectral range. Therefore, temperatures derived from broadband imaging are not reliable without prior knowledge about spectral emissivity. This information is not directly available from broadband images. However, spectral information is available using spectral filters. In this work, combustion analysis was carried out using Telops MS-IR MW camera which allows multispectral imaging at a high frame rate. A motorized filter wheel allowing synchronized acquisitions on eight (8) different channels was used to provide time-resolved multispectral imaging of combustion products of a candle in which black powder has been burnt to create a burst. It was then possible to estimate the temperature by modeling spectral profile derived from information obtained with the different spectral filters. Comparison with temperatures obtained using conventional broadband imaging illustrates the benefits of time-resolved multispectral imaging for the characterization of combustion processes.

High-speed X-ray microscopy by use of high-resolution zone plates and synchrotron radiation.

PubMed

Hou, Qiyue; Wang, Zhili; Gao, Kun; Pan, Zhiyun; Wang, Dajiang; Ge, Xin; Zhang, Kai; Hong, Youli; Zhu, Peiping; Wu, Ziyu

2012-09-01

X-ray microscopy based on synchrotron radiation has become a fundamental tool in biology and life sciences to visualize the morphology of a specimen. These studies have particular requirements in terms of radiation damage and the image exposure time, which directly determines the total acquisition speed. To monitor and improve these key parameters, we present a novel X-ray microscopy method using a high-resolution zone plate as the objective and the matching condenser. Numerical simulations based on the scalar wave field theory validate the feasibility of the method and also indicate the performance of X-ray microscopy is optimized most with sub-10-nm-resolution zone plates. The proposed method is compatible with conventional X-ray microscopy techniques, such as computed tomography, and will find wide applications in time-resolved and/or dose-sensitive studies such as living cell imaging.

First photon detection in time-resolved transillumination imaging: a theoretical evaluation.

PubMed

Behin-Ain, S; van Doorn, T; Patterson, J R

2004-09-07

First photon detection, as a special case of time-resolved transillumination imaging, is studied through the derivation of the temporal probability density function (pdf) for the first arriving photon. The pdf for different laser intensities, media and second and later arriving photons were generated. The arrival time of the first detected photon reduced as the laser power increased and also when the scattering and absorption coefficients decreased. The pdf for an imbedded totally absorbing 3 mm inhomogeneity may be distinguished from the pdf of a homogeneous turbid medium similar to that of human breast in dimensions and optical properties.

In-pile Thermal Conductivity Characterization with Time Resolved Raman

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

Wang, Xinwei; Hurley, David H.

The project is designed to achieve three objectives: (1) Develop a novel time resolved Raman technology for direct measurement of fuel and cladding thermal conductivity. (2) Validate and improve the technology development by measuring ceramic materials germane to the nuclear industry. (3) Conduct instrumentation development to integrate optical fiber into our sensing system for eventual in-pile measurement. We have developed three new techniques: time-domain differential Raman (TD-Raman), frequency-resolved Raman (FR-Raman), and energy transport state-resolved Raman (ET-Raman). The TD-Raman varies the laser heating time and does simultaneous Raman thermal probing, the FR-Raman probes the material’s thermal response under periodical laser heatingmore » of different frequencies, and the ET-Raman probes the thermal response under steady and pulsed laser heating. The measurement capacity of these techniques have been fully assessed and verified by measuring micro/nanoscale materials. All these techniques do not need the data of laser absorption and absolute material temperature rise, yet still be able to measure the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity with unprecedented accuracy. It is expected they will have broad applications for in-pile thermal characterization of nuclear materials based on pure optical heating and sensing.« less

Quantitative photothermal phase imaging of red blood cells using digital holographic photothermal microscope.

PubMed

Vasudevan, Srivathsan; Chen, George C K; Lin, Zhiping; Ng, Beng Koon

2015-05-10

Photothermal microscopy (PTM), a noninvasive pump-probe high-resolution microscopy, has been applied as a bioimaging tool in many biomedical studies. PTM utilizes a conventional phase contrast microscope to obtain highly resolved photothermal images. However, phase information cannot be extracted from these photothermal images, as they are not quantitative. Moreover, the problem of halos inherent in conventional phase contrast microscopy needs to be tackled. Hence, a digital holographic photothermal microscopy technique is proposed as a solution to obtain quantitative phase images. The proposed technique is demonstrated by extracting phase values of red blood cells from their photothermal images. These phase values can potentially be used to determine the temperature distribution of the photothermal images, which is an important study in live cell monitoring applications.

Laser-Driven Mini-Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterling, Enrique; Lin, Jun; Sinko, John; Kodgis, Lisa; Porter, Simon; Pakhomov, Andrew V.; Larson, C. William; Mead, Franklin B.

2006-05-01

Laser-driven mini-thrusters were studied using Delrin® and PVC (Delrin® is a registered trademark of DuPont) as propellants. TEA CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) was used as a driving laser. Coupling coefficients were deduced from two independent techniques: force-time curves measured with a piezoelectric sensor and ballistic pendulum. Time-resolved ICCD images of the expanding plasma and combustion products were analyzed in order to determine the main process that generates the thrust. The measurements were also performed in a nitrogen atmosphere in order to test the combustion effects on thrust. A pinhole transmission experiment was performed for the study of the cut-off time when the ablation/air breakdown plasma becomes opaque to the incoming laser pulse.

You can't measure what you can't see - detectors for microscopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denes, Peter

For centuries, the human eye has been the imaging detector of choice thanks to its high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and direct connection to a built-in data recording and analysis system. The eye, however, is limited to visible light, which excludes microscopies with electrons and X-rays, and the built-in recording system stores archival information at very low rates. The former limitation has been overcome by ``indirect'' detectors, which convert probe particles to visible light, and the latter by a variety of recording techniques, from photographic film to semiconductor-based imagers. Semiconductor imagers have been used for decades as ``direct'' detectors in particle physics, and almost as long for hard X-rays. For soft X-ray microscopy, the challenge has been the small signal levels - plus getting the X-rays into the detector itself, given how quickly they are absorbed in inert layers. For electron microscopy, the challenge has been reconciling detector spatial resolution and pixel count with the large multiple scattering of electrons with energies used for microscopy. Further, a high recording rate (``movies'' rather than ``snapshots'') enables time-resolved studies, time-dependent corrections, shot-by-shot experiments and scanning techniques - at the expense of creating large data volumes. This talk will discuss solutions to these challenges, as well as an outlook towards future developments.

Single-Photon Detectors for Time-of-Flight Range Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoppa, David; Simoni, Andrea

We live in a three-dimensional (3D) world and thanks to the stereoscopic vision provided by our two eyes, in combination with the powerful neural network of the brain we are able to perceive the distance of the objects. Nevertheless, despite the huge market volume of digital cameras, solid-state image sensors can capture only a two-dimensional (2D) projection, of the scene under observation, losing a variable of paramount importance, i.e., the scene depth. On the contrary, 3D vision tools could offer amazing possibilities of improvement in many areas thanks to the increased accuracy and reliability of the models representing the environment. Among the great variety of distance measuring techniques and detection systems available, this chapter will treat only the emerging niche of solid-state, scannerless systems based on the TOF principle and using a detector SPAD-based pixels. The chapter is organized into three main parts. At first, TOF systems and measuring techniques will be described. In the second part, most meaningful sensor architectures for scannerless TOF distance measurements will be analyzed, focusing onto the circuital building blocks required by time-resolved image sensors. Finally, a performance summary is provided and a perspective view for the near future developments of SPAD-TOF sensors is given.

Imaging Magnetization Structure and Dynamics in Ultrathin Y3Fe5O12/Pt Bilayers with High Sensitivity Using the Time-Resolved Longitudinal Spin Seebeck Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartell, Jason M.; Jermain, Colin L.; Aradhya, Sriharsha V.; Brangham, Jack T.; Yang, Fengyuan; Ralph, Daniel C.; Fuchs, Gregory D.

2017-04-01

We demonstrate an instrument for time-resolved magnetic imaging that is highly sensitive to the in-plane magnetization state and dynamics of thin-film bilayers of yttrium iron garnet [Y3Fe5O12(YIG )]/Pt : the time-resolved longitudinal spin Seebeck (TRLSSE) effect microscope. We detect the local in-plane magnetic orientation within the YIG by focusing a picosecond laser to generate thermally driven spin current from the YIG into the Pt by the spin Seebeck effect and then use the inverse spin Hall effect in the Pt to transduce this spin current to an output voltage. To establish the time resolution of TRLSSE, we show that pulsed optical heating of patterned YIG (20 nm )/Pt (6 nm )/Ru (2 nm ) wires generates a magnetization-dependent voltage pulse of less than 100 ps. We demonstrate TRLSSE microscopy to image both static magnetic structure and gigahertz-frequency magnetic resonance dynamics with submicron spatial resolution and a sensitivity to magnetic orientation below 0.3 °/√{H z } in ultrathin YIG.

Monte Carlo simulation studies on scintillation detectors and image reconstruction of brain-phantom tumors in TOFPET

PubMed Central

Mondal, Nagendra Nath

2009-01-01

This study presents Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) results of detection efficiencies, spatial resolutions and resolving powers of a time-of-flight (TOF) PET detector systems. Cerium activated Lutetium Oxyorthosilicate (Lu2SiO5: Ce in short LSO), Barium Fluoride (BaF2) and BriLanCe 380 (Cerium doped Lanthanum tri-Bromide, in short LaBr3) scintillation crystals are studied in view of their good time and energy resolutions and shorter decay times. The results of MCS based on GEANT show that spatial resolution, detection efficiency and resolving power of LSO are better than those of BaF2 and LaBr3, although it possesses inferior time and energy resolutions. Instead of the conventional position reconstruction method, newly established image reconstruction (talked about in the previous work) method is applied to produce high-tech images. Validation is a momentous step to ensure that this imaging method fulfills all purposes of motivation discussed by reconstructing images of two tumors in a brain phantom. PMID:20098551

J-substitution algorithm in magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT): phantom experiments for static resistivity images.

PubMed

Khang, Hyun Soo; Lee, Byung Il; Oh, Suk Hoon; Woo, Eung Je; Lee, Soo Yeol; Cho, Min Hyoung; Kwon, Ohin; Yoon, Jeong Rock; Seo, Jin Keun

2002-06-01

Recently, a new static resistivity image reconstruction algorithm is proposed utilizing internal current density data obtained by magnetic resonance current density imaging technique. This new imaging method is called magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT). The derivation and performance of J-substitution algorithm in MREIT have been reported as a new accurate and high-resolution static impedance imaging technique via computer simulation methods. In this paper, we present experimental procedures, denoising techniques, and image reconstructions using a 0.3-tesla (T) experimental MREIT system and saline phantoms. MREIT using J-substitution algorithm effectively utilizes the internal current density information resolving the problem inherent in a conventional EIT, that is, the low sensitivity of boundary measurements to any changes of internal tissue resistivity values. Resistivity images of saline phantoms show an accuracy of 6.8%-47.2% and spatial resolution of 64 x 64. Both of them can be significantly improved by using an MRI system with a better signal-to-noise ratio.

3D imaging of intrinsic crystalline defects in zinc oxide by spectrally resolved two-photon fluorescence microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Tabich, A.; Inami, W.; Kawata, Y.; Jablonski, R.; Worasawat, S.; Mimura, H.

2017-05-01

We present a method for three-dimensional intrinsic defect imaging in zinc oxide (ZnO) by spectrally resolved two-photon fluorescence microscopy, based on the previously presented method of observing a photoluminescence distribution in wide-gap semiconductor crystals [Noor et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 92(16), 161106 (2008)]. A tightly focused light beam radiated by a titanium-sapphire laser is used to obtain a two-photon excitation of selected area of the ZnO sample. Photoluminescence intensity of a specific spectral range is then selected by optical band pass filters and measured by a photomultiplier tube. Reconstruction of the specimen image is done by scanning the volume of interest by a piezoelectric positioning stage and measuring the spectrally resolved photoluminescence intensity at each point. The method has been proved to be effective at locating intrinsic defects of the ZnO crystalline structure in the volume of the crystal. The method was compared with other defect imaging and 3D imaging techniques like scanning tunneling microscopy and confocal microscopy. In both cases, our method shows superior penetration abilities and, as the only method, allows location of the defects of the chosen type in 3D. In this paper, we present the results of oxygen vacancies and zinc antisites imaging in ZnO nanorods.

High linearity SPAD and TDC array for TCSPC and 3D ranging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa, Federica; Lussana, Rudi; Bronzi, Danilo; Dalla Mora, Alberto; Contini, Davide; Tisa, Simone; Tosi, Alberto; Zappa, Franco

2015-01-01

An array of 32x32 Single-Photon Avalanche-Diodes (SPADs) and Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) has been fabricated in a 0.35 μm automotive-certified CMOS technology. The overall dimension of the chip is 9x9 mm2. Each pixel is able to detect photons in the 300 nm - 900 nm wavelength range with a fill-factor of 3.14% and either to count them or to time stamp their arrival time. In photon-counting mode an in-pixel 6-bit counter provides photon-numberresolved intensity movies at 100 kfps, whereas in photon-timing mode the 10-bit in-pixel TDC provides time-resolved maps (Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting measurements) or 3D depth-resolved (through direct time-of-flight technique) images and movies, with 312 ps resolution. The photodetector is a 30 μm diameter SPAD with low Dark Count Rate (120 cps at room temperature, 3% hot-pixels) and 55% peak Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) at 450 nm. The TDC has a 6-bit counter and a 4-bit fine interpolator, based on a Delay Locked Loop (DLL) line, which makes the TDC insensitive to process, voltage, and temperature drifts. The implemented sliding-scale technique improves linearity, giving 2% LSB DNL and 10% LSB INL. The single-shot precision is 260 ps rms, comprising SPAD, TDC and driving board jitter. Both optical and electrical crosstalk among SPADs and TDCs are negligible. 2D fast movies and 3D reconstructions with centimeter resolution are reported.

The Andromeda Optical and Infrared Disk Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sick, Jonathan

The spectral energy distributions of galaxies inform us about a galaxy's stellar populations and interstellar medium, revealing stories of galaxy formation and evolution. How we interpret this light depends in part on our proximity to the galaxy. For nearby galaxies, detailed star formation histories can be extracted from the resolved stellar populations, while more distant galaxies feature the contributions of entire stellar populations within their integrated spectral energy distribution (SED). This thesis aims to resolve whether the techniques used to investigate stellar populations in distant galaxies are consistent with those available for nearby galaxies. As the nearest spiral galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the ideal testbed for the joint study of resolved stellar populations and panchromatic SEDs. We present the Andromeda Optical and Infrared Disk Survey (ANDROIDS), which adds new near-UV to near-IR (u*g'r'i'JKs) imaging using the MegaCam and WIRCam cameras at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope to the available M31 panchromatic dataset. To accurately subtract photometric background from our extremely wide-field (14 square degree) mosaics, we present observing and data reduction techniques with sky-target nodding, optimization of image-to-image surface brightness, and a novel hierarchical Bayesian model to trace the background signal while modelling the astrophysical SED. We model the spectral energy distributions of M31 pixels with MAGPHYS (da Cunha et al. 2008) and compare those results to resolved stellar population models of the same pixels from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) survey (Williams et al. 2017). We find substantial (0.3 dex) differences in stellar mass estimates despite a common use of the Chabrier (2003) initial mass function. Stellar mass estimated from the resolved stellar population is larger than any mass estimate from SED models or colour-M/L relations (CMLRs). There is also considerable diversity among CMLR estimators, largely driven by differences in the star formation history prior distribution. We find broad consistency between the star formation history estimated by integrated spectral energy distributions and resolved stars. Generally, spectral energy distribution models yield a stronger inside-out radial metallicity gradient and bias towards younger mean ages than resolved stellar population models.

Spatially resolved heat release rate measurements in turbulent premixed flames

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

Ayoola, B.O.; Kaminski, C.F.; Balachandran, R.

Heat release rate is a fundamental property of great importance for the theoretical and experimental elucidation of unsteady flame behaviors such as combustion noise, combustion instabilities, and pulsed combustion. Investigations of such thermoacoustic interactions require a reliable indicator of heat release rate capable of resolving spatial structures in turbulent flames. Traditionally, heat release rate has been estimated via OH or CH radical chemiluminescence; however, chemiluminescence suffers from being a line-of-sight technique with limited capability for resolving small-scale structures. In this paper, we report spatially resolved two-dimensional measurements of a quantity closely related to heat release rate. The diagnostic technique usesmore » simultaneous OH and CH{sub 2}O planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), and the pixel-by-pixel product of the OH and CH{sub 2}O PLIF signals has previously been shown to correlate well with local heat release rates. Results from this diagnostic technique, which we refer to as heat release rate imaging (HR imaging), are compared with traditional OH chemiluminescence measurements in several flames. Studies were performed in lean premixed ethylene flames stabilized between opposed jets and with a bluff body. Correlations between bulk strain rates and local heat release rates were obtained and the effects of curvature on heat release rate were investigated. The results show that the heat release rate tends to increase with increasing negative curvature for the flames investigated for which Lewis numbers are greater than unity. This correlation becomes more pronounced as the flame gets closer to global extinction.« less

A fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy study of matrix metalloproteinases -2 and -9 in human atherosclerotic plaque

PubMed Central

Phipps, Jennifer E.; Hatami, Nisa; Galis, Zorina S.; Baker, J. Dennis; Fishbein, Michael C.; Marcu, Laura

2011-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2 and -9 play important roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. This study aims to determine whether MMP-2 and -9 content in the fibrotic caps of atherosclerotic plaque is correlated with plaque autofluorescence. A time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) system was used to measure the autofluorescence and assess the biochemical composition of human plaques obtained from carotid endarterectomy. Results presented here demonstrate for the first time the ability to characterize the biochemical composition as it relates to MMP-2 and -9 content in the atherosclerotic plaque cap using a label-free imaging technique implemented with a fiberoptic TR-LIFS system. PMID:21770037

Kalman filter approach for uncertainty quantification in time-resolved laser-induced incandescence.

PubMed

Hadwin, Paul J; Sipkens, Timothy A; Thomson, Kevin A; Liu, Fengshan; Daun, Kyle J

2018-03-01

Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence (TiRe-LII) data can be used to infer spatially and temporally resolved volume fractions and primary particle size distributions of soot-laden aerosols, but these estimates are corrupted by measurement noise as well as uncertainties in the spectroscopic and heat transfer submodels used to interpret the data. Estimates of the temperature, concentration, and size distribution of soot primary particles within a sample aerosol are typically made by nonlinear regression of modeled spectral incandescence decay, or effective temperature decay, to experimental data. In this work, we employ nonstationary Bayesian estimation techniques to infer aerosol properties from simulated and experimental LII signals, specifically the extended Kalman filter and Schmidt-Kalman filter. These techniques exploit the time-varying nature of both the measurements and the models, and they reveal how uncertainty in the estimates computed from TiRe-LII data evolves over time. Both techniques perform better when compared with standard deterministic estimates; however, we demonstrate that the Schmidt-Kalman filter produces more realistic uncertainty estimates.

Multi-distance diffuse optical spectroscopy with a single optode via hypotrochoidal scanning.

PubMed

Applegate, Matthew B; Roblyer, Darren

2018-02-15

Frequency-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy (FD-DOS) is an established technique capable of determining optical properties and chromophore concentrations in biological tissue. Most FD-DOS systems use either manually positioned, handheld probes or complex arrays of source and detector fibers to acquire data from many tissue locations, allowing for the generation of 2D or 3D maps of tissue. Here, we present a new method to rapidly acquire a wide range of source-detector (SD) separations by mechanically scanning a single SD pair. The source and detector fibers are mounted on a scan head that traces a hypotrochoidal pattern over the sample that, when coupled with a high-speed FD-DOS system, enables the rapid collection of dozens of SD separations for depth-resolved imaging. We demonstrate that this system has an average error of 4±2.6% in absorption and 2±1.8% in scattering across all SD separations. Additionally, by linearly translating the device, the size and location of an absorbing inhomogeneity can be determined through the generation of B-scan images in a manner conceptually analogous to ultrasound imaging. This work demonstrates the potential of single optode diffuse optical scanning for depth resolved visualization of heterogeneous biological tissues at near real-time rates.

Bayesian demosaicing using Gaussian scale mixture priors with local adaptivity in the dual tree complex wavelet packet transform domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goossens, Bart; Aelterman, Jan; Luong, Hiep; Pizurica, Aleksandra; Philips, Wilfried

2013-02-01

In digital cameras and mobile phones, there is an ongoing trend to increase the image resolution, decrease the sensor size and to use lower exposure times. Because smaller sensors inherently lead to more noise and a worse spatial resolution, digital post-processing techniques are required to resolve many of the artifacts. Color filter arrays (CFAs), which use alternating patterns of color filters, are very popular because of price and power consumption reasons. However, color filter arrays require the use of a post-processing technique such as demosaicing to recover full resolution RGB images. Recently, there has been some interest in techniques that jointly perform the demosaicing and denoising. This has the advantage that the demosaicing and denoising can be performed optimally (e.g. in the MSE sense) for the considered noise model, while avoiding artifacts introduced when using demosaicing and denoising sequentially. In this paper, we will continue the research line of the wavelet-based demosaicing techniques. These approaches are computationally simple and very suited for combination with denoising. Therefore, we will derive Bayesian Minimum Squared Error (MMSE) joint demosaicing and denoising rules in the complex wavelet packet domain, taking local adaptivity into account. As an image model, we will use Gaussian Scale Mixtures, thereby taking advantage of the directionality of the complex wavelets. Our results show that this technique is well capable of reconstructing fine details in the image, while removing all of the noise, at a relatively low computational cost. In particular, the complete reconstruction (including color correction, white balancing etc) of a 12 megapixel RAW image takes 3.5 sec on a recent mid-range GPU.

Non-destructive optical clearing technique enhances optical coherence tomography (OCT) for real-time, 3D histomorphometry of brain tissue (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Akshay; Chang, Theodore H.; Chou, Li-Dek; Ramalingam, Tirunelveli S.

2016-03-01

Evaluation of neurodegenerative disease often requires examination of brain morphology. Volumetric analysis of brain regions and structures can be used to track developmental changes, progression of disease, and the presence of transgenic phenotypes. Current standards for microscopic investigation of brain morphology are limited to detection of superficial structures at a maximum depth of 300μm. While histological techniques can provide detailed cross-sections of brain structures, they require complicated tissue preparation and the ultimate destruction of the sample. A non-invasive, label-free imaging modality known as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) can produce 3-dimensional reconstructions through high-speed, cross-sectional scans of biological tissue. Although OCT allows for the preservation of intact samples, the highly scattering and absorbing properties of biological tissue limit imaging depth to 1-2mm. Optical clearing agents have been utilized to increase imaging depth by index matching and lipid digestion, however, these contemporary techniques are expensive and harsh on tissues, often irreversibly denaturing proteins. Here we present an ideal optical clearing agent that offers ease-of-use and reversibility. Similar to how SeeDB has been effective for microscopy, our fructose-based, reversible optical clearing technique provides improved OCT imaging and functional immunohistochemical mapping of disease. Fructose is a natural, non-toxic sugar with excellent water solubility, capable of increasing tissue transparency and reducing light scattering. We will demonstrate the improved depth-resolving performance of OCT for enhanced whole-brain imaging of normal and diseased murine brains following a fructose clearing treatment. This technique potentially enables rapid, 3-dimensional evaluation of biological tissues at axial and lateral resolutions comparable to histopathology.

Non-Intrusive, Time-Resolved Hall Thruster Near-Field Electron Temperature Measurements

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

With the growing interest in Hall thruster technology, comes the need to fully characterize the plasma dynamics that determine performance. Of...instabilities characteristic of Hall thruster behavior, time resolved techniques must be developed. This study presents a non-intrusive method of

PREFACE: Time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy Time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zandvliet, Harold J. W.; Lin, Nian

2010-07-01

Scanning tunnelling microscopy has revolutionized our ability to image, manipulate, and investigate solid surfaces on the length scale of individual atoms and molecules. The strength of this technique lies in its imaging capabilities, since for many scientists 'seeing is believing'. However, scanning tunnelling microscopy also suffers from a severe limitation, namely its poor time resolution. Recording a scanning tunnelling microscopy image typically requires a few tens of seconds for a conventional scanning tunnelling microscope to a fraction of a second for a specially designed fast scanning tunnelling microscope. Designing and building such a fast scanning tunnelling microscope is a formidable task in itself and therefore, only a limited number of these microscopes have been built [1]. There is, however, another alternative route to significantly enhance the time resolution of a scanning tunnelling microscope. In this alternative method, the tunnelling current is measured as a function of time with the feedback loop switched off. The time resolution is determined by the bandwidth of the IV converter rather than the cut-off frequency of the feedback electronics. Such an approach requires a stable microscope and goes, of course, at the expense of spatial information. In this issue, we have collected a set of papers that gives an impression of the current status of this rapidly emerging field [2]. One of the very first attempts to extract information from tunnel current fluctuations was reported by Tringides' group in the mid-1990s [3]. They showed that the collective diffusion coefficient can be extracted from the autocorrelation of the time-dependent tunnelling current fluctuations produced by atom motion in and out of the tunnelling junction. In general, current-time traces provide direct information on switching/conformation rates and distributions of residence times. In the case where these processes are thermally induced it is rather straightforward to map out the potential landscape of the system (often a molecule or an atom) under study [4, 5]. However, the dynamical processes might also be induced by the tunnelling process itself [6, 7]. In the field of molecular science, excited single molecule experiments have been especially performed [8]. As a nice example, we refer to the work of Sykes' group [9] on thioether molecular rotors. In addition, several groups explore the possibility of combining time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy with optical techniques [10, 11]. Although the majority of studies that have been performed so far focus on rather simple systems under nearly ideal and well-defined conditions, we anticipate that time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy can also be applied in other research areas, such as biology and soft condensed matter, where the experimental conditions are often less ideal. We hope that readers will enjoy this collection of papers and that it will trigger them to further explore the possibilities of this simple, but powerful technique. References [1] Besenbacher F, Laegsgaard E and Stengaard I 2005 Mater. Today 8 26 [2] van Houselt A and Zandvliet H J W 2010 Rev. Mod. Phys. 82 1593 [3] Tringides M C and Hupalo M 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264002 [4] Ronci F, Colonna S, Cricenti A and Le Lay G 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264003 [5] van Houselt A, Poelsema B and Zandvliet H J W 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264004 [6] Sprodowski C, Mehlhorn M and Morgenstern K 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264005 [7] Saedi A, Poelsema B and Zandvliet H J W 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264007 [8] Sloan P A 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264001 [9] Jewell A D, Tierney H L, Baber A E, Iski E V, Laha M M and Sykes E C H 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264006 [10] Riedel D 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264009 [11] Terada Y, Yoshida S, Takeuchi O and Shigekawa H 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22 264008

Design of polarization imaging system based on CIS and FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Yan-an; Liu, Li-gang; Yang, Kun-tao; Chang, Da-ding

2008-02-01

As polarization is an important characteristic of light, polarization image detecting is a new image detecting technology of combining polarimetric and image processing technology. Contrasting traditional image detecting in ray radiation, polarization image detecting could acquire a lot of very important information which traditional image detecting couldn't. Polarization image detecting will be widely used in civilian field and military field. As polarization image detecting could resolve some problem which couldn't be resolved by traditional image detecting, it has been researched widely around the world. The paper introduces polarization image detecting in physical theory at first, then especially introduces image collecting and polarization image process based on CIS (CMOS image sensor) and FPGA. There are two parts including hardware and software for polarization imaging system. The part of hardware include drive module of CMOS image sensor, VGA display module, SRAM access module and the real-time image data collecting system based on FPGA. The circuit diagram and PCB was designed. Stokes vector and polarization angle computing method are analyzed in the part of software. The float multiply of Stokes vector is optimized into just shift and addition operation. The result of the experiment shows that real time image collecting system could collect and display image data from CMOS image sensor in real-time.

Multimodal quantitative phase and fluorescence imaging of cell apoptosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xinye; Zuo, Chao; Yan, Hao

2017-06-01

Fluorescence microscopy, utilizing fluorescence labeling, has the capability to observe intercellular changes which transmitted and reflected light microscopy techniques cannot resolve. However, the parts without fluorescence labeling are not imaged. Hence, the processes simultaneously happen in these parts cannot be revealed. Meanwhile, fluorescence imaging is 2D imaging where information in the depth is missing. Therefore the information in labeling parts is also not complete. On the other hand, quantitative phase imaging is capable to image cells in 3D in real time through phase calculation. However, its resolution is limited by the optical diffraction and cannot observe intercellular changes below 200 nanometers. In this work, fluorescence imaging and quantitative phase imaging are combined to build a multimodal imaging system. Such system has the capability to simultaneously observe the detailed intercellular phenomenon and 3D cell morphology. In this study the proposed multimodal imaging system is used to observe the cell behavior in the cell apoptosis. The aim is to highlight the limitations of fluorescence microscopy and to point out the advantages of multimodal quantitative phase and fluorescence imaging. The proposed multimodal quantitative phase imaging could be further applied in cell related biomedical research, such as tumor.

Remote sensing; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 3, 4, 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menzies, Robert T. (Editor)

1986-01-01

Advances in optical technology for remote sensing are discussed in reviews and reports of recent experimental investigations. Topics examined include industrial applications, laser diagnostics for combustion research, laser remote sensing for ranging and altimetry, and imaging systems for terrestrial remote sensing from space. Consideration is given to LIF in forensic diagnostics, time-resolved laser-induced-breakdown spectrometry for rapid analysis of alloys, CARS in practical combustion environments, airborne inertial surveying using laser tracking and profiling techniques, earth-resources instrumentation for the EOS polar platform of the Space Station, and the SAR for EOS.

Steady-state MRA techniques with a blood pool contrast agent improve visualization of pulmonary venous anatomy and left atrial patency compared with time-resolved MRA pre- and postcatheter ablation in atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Rustogi, Rahul; Galizia, Mauricio; Thakrar, Darshit; Merritt, Bryce; Bi, Xiaoming; Collins, Jeremy; Carr, James C

2015-11-01

To compare steady-state magnetic resonance angiography (SS-MRA), using a blood pool contrast agent, with the established technique of time-resolved MRA (TR-MRA), in pulmonary vein mapping and left atrial patency. Twenty-one patients (12 males, age 58.3 ± 8.4 years; 9 females; 57 ± 10 years) undergoing pulmonary vein mapping were evaluated with TR-MRA (TWIST) and SS-MRA. Orthogonal measurements and areas for four veins per patient per technique were assessed by Friedman's test. Overall intertechnique mean difference for any pulmonary vein orthogonal measurement and area was 0.02 ± 0.34 cm (P = 0.705), and 0.2 ± 0.08 cm(2) (P < 0.001). Interobserver correlation was strong for diameter and area measurements using the three methods with a range of 0.72-0.94, and 0.87-0.97, respectively. Left atrial appendage image quality score for TR-MRA was significantly lower than the other two methods (P < 0.001). Both observers detected more stenosis on inversion recovery (IR)-True FISP compared to TR-MRA and IR-FLASH. SS-MRA with a blood pool agent compared favorably to the established technique of TR-MRA for quantitative assessment of pulmonary venous anatomy. SS-MRA offers greater spatial resolution than TR-MRA with increased confidence for ruling out left atrial appendage filling defect. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The spatially resolved characterisation of Egyptian blue, Han blue and Han purple by photo-induced luminescence digital imaging.

PubMed

Verri, G

2009-06-01

The photo-induced luminescence properties of Egyptian blue, Han blue and Han purple were investigated by means of near-infrared digital imaging. These pigments emit infrared radiation when excited in the visible range. The emission can be recorded by means of a modified commercial digital camera equipped with suitable glass filters. A variety of visible light sources were investigated to test their ability to excite luminescence in the pigments. Light-emitting diodes, which do not emit stray infrared radiation, proved an excellent source for the excitation of luminescence in all three compounds. In general, the use of visible radiation emitters with low emission in the infrared range allowed the presence of the pigments to be determined and their distribution to be spatially resolved. This qualitative imaging technique can be easily applied in situ for a rapid characterisation of materials. The results were compared to those for Egyptian green and for historical and modern blue pigments. Examples of the application of the technique on polychrome works of art are presented.

Resolving plate structure across the seismogenic zone in Cascadia from onshore-offshore receiver function imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audet, P.; Schaeffer, A. J.

2017-12-01

Studies of the forearc structure in the Cascadia subduction zone using teleseismic P-wave receiver function have resolved structures associated with deep fluid cycling, such as the basalt-to-eclogite reaction and fluid overpressure within the subducting oceanic crust, as well as the serpentinization of the forearc mantle wedge. Unfortunately, the updip extent of the over-pressured zone, and therefore the possible control on the transition from episodic slow slip to seismic slip, occurs offshore and is not resolved in those studies. The Cascadia Initiative (CI) has provided an opportunity to extend this work to the locked zone using teleseismic receiver functions from the deployment of a dense line of ocean-bottom seismograph stations offshore of Washington State, from the trench to the coastline. Here we calculate P-wave receiver functions using data from offshore (CI) and onshore (CAFE) broadband seismic stations. These data clearly show the various scattered phases associated with a dipping low-velocity layer that was identified in previous studies as the downgoing oceanic crust. These signals are difficult to untangle offshore because they arrive at similar times. We process receiver functions using a modified common-conversion point (CCP) stacking technique that uses a coherency filter to optimally stack images obtained from the three main scattered phases. The resulting image shows along-dip variations in the character of the seismic discontinuities associated with the top and bottom of the low-velocity layer. Combined with focal depth information of regular and low-frequency earthquakes, these variations may reflect changes in the material properties of the megathrust across the seismogenic zone in Cascadia.

A compressed sensing approach for resolution improvement in fiber-bundle based endomicroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-02-01

Endomicroscopy techniques such as confocal, multi-photon, and wide-field imaging have all been demonstrated using coherent fiber-optic imaging bundles. While the narrow diameter and flexibility of fiber bundles is clinically advantageous, the number of resolvable points in an image is conventionally limited to the number of individual fibers within the bundle. We are introducing concepts from the compressed sensing (CS) field to fiber bundle based endomicroscopy, to allow images to be recovered with more resolvable points than fibers in the bundle. The distal face of the fiber bundle is treated as a low-resolution sensor with circular pixels (fibers) arranged in a hexagonal lattice. A spatial light modulator is located conjugate to the object and distal face, applying multiple high resolution masks to the intermediate image prior to propagation through the bundle. We acquire images of the proximal end of the bundle for each (known) mask pattern and then apply CS inversion algorithms to recover a single high-resolution image. We first developed a theoretical forward model describing image formation through the mask and fiber bundle. We then imaged objects through a rigid fiber bundle and demonstrate that our CS endomicroscopy architecture can recover intra-fiber details while filling inter-fiber regions with interpolation. Finally, we examine the relationship between reconstruction quality and the ratio of the number of mask elements to the number of fiber cores, finding that images could be generated with approximately 28,900 resolvable points for a 1,000 fiber region in our platform.

Tracing the plasma interactions for pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jikun; Stender, Dieter; Pichler, Markus; Döbeli, Max; Pergolesi, Daniele; Schneider, Christof W.; Wokaun, Alexander; Lippert, Thomas

2015-10-01

Pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation is an effective technique to govern the chemical activity of plasma species and background molecules during pulsed laser deposition. Instead of using a constant background pressure, a gas pulse with a reactive gas, synchronized with the laser beam, is injected into vacuum or a low background pressure near the ablated area of the target. It intercepts the initially generated plasma plume, thereby enhancing the physicochemical interactions between the gaseous environment and the plasma species. For this study, kinetic energy resolved mass-spectrometry and time-resolved plasma imaging were used to study the physicochemical processes occurring during the reactive crossed beam laser ablation of a partially 18O substituted La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 target using oxygen as gas pulse. The characteristics of the ablated plasma are compared with those observed during pulsed laser deposition in different oxygen background pressures.

Transparent, Flexible, Low Noise Graphene Electrodes for Simultaneous Electrophysiology and Neuroimaging

PubMed Central

Kuzum, Duygu; Takano, Hajime; Shim, Euijae; Reed, Jason C; Juul, Halvor; Richardson, Andrew G.; de Vries, Julius; Bink, Hank; Dichter, Marc A.; Lucas, Timothy H.; Coulter, Douglas A.; Cubukcu, Ertugrul; Litt, Brian

2014-01-01

Calcium imaging is a versatile experimental approach capable of resolving single neurons with single-cell spatial resolution in the brain. Electrophysiological recordings provide high temporal, but limited spatial resolution, due to the geometrical inaccessibility of the brain. An approach that integrates the advantages of both techniques could provide new insights into functions of neural circuits. Here, we report a transparent, flexible neural electrode technology based on graphene, which enables simultaneous optical imaging and electrophysiological recording. We demonstrate that hippocampal slices can be imaged through transparent graphene electrodes by both confocal and two-photon microscopy without causing any light-induced artifacts in the electrical recordings. Graphene electrodes record high frequency bursting activity and slow synaptic potentials that are hard to resolve by multi-cellular calcium imaging. This transparent electrode technology may pave the way for high spatio-temporal resolution electrooptic mapping of the dynamic neuronal activity. PMID:25327632

An experimental study of high-pressure droplet combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norton, Chris M.; Litchford, Ron J.; Jeng, San-Mou

1990-01-01

The results are presented of an experimental study on suspended n-heptane droplet combustion in air for reduced pressures up to P(r) = 2.305. Transition to fully transient heat-up through the critical state is demonstrated above a threshold pressure corresponding to P(r) of roughly 1.4. A silhouette imaging technique resolves the droplet surface for reduced pressures up to about P(r) roughly 0.63, but soot formation conceals the surface at higher pressures. Images of the soot plumes do not show any sudden change in behavior indicative of critical transition. Mean burning rate constants are computed from the d-squared variation law using measured effective droplet diameters at ignition and measured burn times, and corrected burning times are computed for an effective initial droplet diameter. The results show that the burning rates increase as the fuel critical pressure is approached and decrease as the pressure exceeds the fuel critical pressure. Corrected burning times show inverse behavior.

Depth-encoded dual beam phase-resolved Doppler OCT for Doppler-angle-independent flow velocity measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Jie; Cheng, Wei; Cao, Zhaoyuan; Chen, Xinjian; Mo, Jianhua

2017-02-01

Phase-resolved Doppler optical coherence tomography (PR-D-OCT) is a functional OCT imaging technique that can provide high-speed and high-resolution depth-resolved measurement on flow in biological materials. However, a common problem with conventional PR-D-OCT is that this technique often measures the flow motion projected onto the OCT beam path. In other words, it needs the projection angle to extract the absolute velocity from PR-D-OCT measurement. In this paper, we proposed a novel dual-beam PR-D-OCT method to measure absolute flow velocity without separate measurement on the projection angle. Two parallel light beams are created in sample arm and focused into the sample at two different incident angles. The images produced by these two beams are encoded to different depths in single B-scan. Then the Doppler signals picked up by the two beams together with the incident angle difference can be used to calculate the absolute velocity. We validated our approach in vitro on an artificial flow phantom with our home-built 1060 nm swept source OCT. Experimental results demonstrated that our method can provide an accurate measurement of absolute flow velocity with independency on the projection angle.

Multi-slice ptychography with large numerical aperture multilayer Laue lenses

DOE PAGES

Ozturk, Hande; Yan, Hanfei; He, Yan; ...

2018-05-09

Here, the highly convergent x-ray beam focused by multilayer Laue lenses with large numerical apertures is used as a three-dimensional (3D) probe to image layered structures with an axial separation larger than the depth of focus. Instead of collecting weakly scattered high-spatial-frequency signals, the depth-resolving power is provided purely by the intense central cone diverged from the focused beam. Using the multi-slice ptychography method combined with the on-the-fly scan scheme, two layers of nanoparticles separated by 10 μm are successfully reconstructed with 8.1 nm lateral resolution and with a dwell time as low as 0.05 s per scan point. Thismore » approach obtains high-resolution images with extended depth of field, which paves the way for multi-slice ptychography as a high throughput technique for high-resolution 3D imaging of thick samples.« less

Imaging electric field dynamics with graphene optoelectronics.

PubMed

Horng, Jason; Balch, Halleh B; McGuire, Allister F; Tsai, Hsin-Zon; Forrester, Patrick R; Crommie, Michael F; Cui, Bianxiao; Wang, Feng

2016-12-16

The use of electric fields for signalling and control in liquids is widespread, spanning bioelectric activity in cells to electrical manipulation of microstructures in lab-on-a-chip devices. However, an appropriate tool to resolve the spatio-temporal distribution of electric fields over a large dynamic range has yet to be developed. Here we present a label-free method to image local electric fields in real time and under ambient conditions. Our technique combines the unique gate-variable optical transitions of graphene with a critically coupled planar waveguide platform that enables highly sensitive detection of local electric fields with a voltage sensitivity of a few microvolts, a spatial resolution of tens of micrometres and a frequency response over tens of kilohertz. Our imaging platform enables parallel detection of electric fields over a large field of view and can be tailored to broad applications spanning lab-on-a-chip device engineering to analysis of bioelectric phenomena.

Hyperspectral fluorescence imaging system for biomedical diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Matthew E.; Wabuyele, Musundi B.; Panjehpour, Masoud; Phan, Mary N.; Overholt, Bergein F.; Vo-Dinh, Tuan

2006-02-01

An advanced hyper-spectral imaging (HSI) system has been developed for use in medical diagnostics. One such diagnostic, esophageal cancer is diagnosed currently through biopsy and subsequent pathology. The end goal of this research is to develop an optical-based technique to assist or replace biopsy. In this paper, we demonstrate an instrument that has the capability to optically diagnose cancer in laboratory mice. We have developed a real-time HSI system based on state-of-the-art liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) technology coupled to an endoscope. This unique HSI technology is being developed to obtain spatially resolved images of the slight differences in luminescent properties of normal versus tumorous tissues. In this report, an in-vivo mouse study is shown. A predictive measure of cancer for the mice studied is developed and shown. It is hoped that the results of this study will lead to advances in the optical diagnosis of esophageal cancer in humans.

An indirect method of imaging the Stokes parameters of a submicron particle with sub-diffraction scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullah, Kaleem; Garcia-Camara, Braulio; Habib, Muhammad; Yadav, N. P.; Liu, Xuefeng

2018-07-01

In this work, we report an indirect way to image the Stokes parameters of a sample under test (SUT) with sub-diffraction scattering information. We apply our previously reported technique called parametric indirect microscopic imaging (PIMI) based on a fitting and filtration process to measure the Stokes parameters of a submicron particle. A comparison with a classical Stokes measurement is also shown. By modulating the incident field in a precise way, fitting and filtration process at each pixel of the detector in PIMI make us enable to resolve and sense the scattering information of SUT and map them in terms of the Stokes parameters. We believe that our finding can be very useful in fields like singular optics, optical nanoantenna, biomedicine and much more. The spatial signature of the Stokes parameters given by our method has been confirmed with finite difference time domain (FDTD) method.

Multi-slice ptychography with large numerical aperture multilayer Laue lenses

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

Ozturk, Hande; Yan, Hanfei; He, Yan

Here, the highly convergent x-ray beam focused by multilayer Laue lenses with large numerical apertures is used as a three-dimensional (3D) probe to image layered structures with an axial separation larger than the depth of focus. Instead of collecting weakly scattered high-spatial-frequency signals, the depth-resolving power is provided purely by the intense central cone diverged from the focused beam. Using the multi-slice ptychography method combined with the on-the-fly scan scheme, two layers of nanoparticles separated by 10 μm are successfully reconstructed with 8.1 nm lateral resolution and with a dwell time as low as 0.05 s per scan point. Thismore » approach obtains high-resolution images with extended depth of field, which paves the way for multi-slice ptychography as a high throughput technique for high-resolution 3D imaging of thick samples.« less

Time-resolved diffusion tomographic imaging in highly scattering turbid media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Cai, Wei (Inventor); Liu, Feng (Inventor); Lax, Melvin (Inventor); Das, Bidyut B. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

A method for imaging objects in highly scattering turbid media. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method involves using a plurality of intersecting source/detectors sets and time-resolving equipment to generate a plurality of time-resolved intensity curves for the diffusive component of light emergent from the medium. For each of the curves, the intensities at a plurality of times are then inputted into the following inverse reconstruction algorithm to form an image of the medium: X.sup.(k+1).spsp.T =?Y.sup.T W+X.sup.(k).spsp.T .LAMBDA.!?W.sup.T W+.LAMBDA.!.sup.-1 wherein W is a matrix relating output at detector position r.sub.d, at time t, to source at position r.sub.s, .LAMBDA. is a regularization matrix, chosen for convenience to be diagonal, but selected in a way related to the ratio of the noise, to fluctuations in the absorption (or diffusion) X.sub.j that we are trying to determine: .LAMBDA..sub.ij =.lambda..sub.j .delta..sub.ij with .lambda..sub.j =/<.DELTA.Xj.DELTA.Xj> Here Y is the data collected at the detectors, and X.sup.k is the kth iterate toward the desired absoption information.

Role of electron-electron interference in ultrafast time-resolved imaging of electronic wavepackets

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

Dixit, Gopal; Santra, Robin; Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, D-20355 Hamburg

2013-04-07

Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering is an emerging approach to image the dynamical evolution of the electronic charge distribution during complex chemical and biological processes in real-space and real-time. Recently, the differences between semiclassical and quantum-electrodynamical (QED) theory of light-matter interaction for scattering of ultrashort x-ray pulses from the electronic wavepacket were formally demonstrated and visually illustrated by scattering patterns calculated for an electronic wavepacket in atomic hydrogen [G. Dixit, O. Vendrell, and R. Santra, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109, 11636 (2012)]. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of time-resolved x-ray scattering from a sample containing a mixturemore » of non-stationary and stationary electrons within both the theories. In a many-electron system, the role of scattering interference between a non-stationary and several stationary electrons to the total scattering signal is investigated. In general, QED and semiclassical theory provide different results for the contribution from the scattering interference, which depends on the energy resolution of the detector and the x-ray pulse duration. The present findings are demonstrated by means of a numerical example of x-ray time-resolved imaging for an electronic wavepacket in helium. It is shown that the time-dependent scattering interference vanishes within semiclassical theory and the corresponding patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the time-independent interference, whereas the time-dependent scattering interference contribution do not vanish in the QED theory and the patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the non-stationary electron scattering.« less

Role of electron-electron interference in ultrafast time-resolved imaging of electronic wavepackets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, Gopal; Santra, Robin

2013-04-01

Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering is an emerging approach to image the dynamical evolution of the electronic charge distribution during complex chemical and biological processes in real-space and real-time. Recently, the differences between semiclassical and quantum-electrodynamical (QED) theory of light-matter interaction for scattering of ultrashort x-ray pulses from the electronic wavepacket were formally demonstrated and visually illustrated by scattering patterns calculated for an electronic wavepacket in atomic hydrogen [G. Dixit, O. Vendrell, and R. Santra, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109, 11636 (2012)], 10.1073/pnas.1202226109. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of time-resolved x-ray scattering from a sample containing a mixture of non-stationary and stationary electrons within both the theories. In a many-electron system, the role of scattering interference between a non-stationary and several stationary electrons to the total scattering signal is investigated. In general, QED and semiclassical theory provide different results for the contribution from the scattering interference, which depends on the energy resolution of the detector and the x-ray pulse duration. The present findings are demonstrated by means of a numerical example of x-ray time-resolved imaging for an electronic wavepacket in helium. It is shown that the time-dependent scattering interference vanishes within semiclassical theory and the corresponding patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the time-independent interference, whereas the time-dependent scattering interference contribution do not vanish in the QED theory and the patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the non-stationary electron scattering.

Role of electron-electron interference in ultrafast time-resolved imaging of electronic wavepackets.

PubMed

Dixit, Gopal; Santra, Robin

2013-04-07

Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering is an emerging approach to image the dynamical evolution of the electronic charge distribution during complex chemical and biological processes in real-space and real-time. Recently, the differences between semiclassical and quantum-electrodynamical (QED) theory of light-matter interaction for scattering of ultrashort x-ray pulses from the electronic wavepacket were formally demonstrated and visually illustrated by scattering patterns calculated for an electronic wavepacket in atomic hydrogen [G. Dixit, O. Vendrell, and R. Santra, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109, 11636 (2012)]. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of time-resolved x-ray scattering from a sample containing a mixture of non-stationary and stationary electrons within both the theories. In a many-electron system, the role of scattering interference between a non-stationary and several stationary electrons to the total scattering signal is investigated. In general, QED and semiclassical theory provide different results for the contribution from the scattering interference, which depends on the energy resolution of the detector and the x-ray pulse duration. The present findings are demonstrated by means of a numerical example of x-ray time-resolved imaging for an electronic wavepacket in helium. It is shown that the time-dependent scattering interference vanishes within semiclassical theory and the corresponding patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the time-independent interference, whereas the time-dependent scattering interference contribution do not vanish in the QED theory and the patterns are dominated by the scattering contribution from the non-stationary electron scattering.

Optical imaging of architecture and function in the living brain sheds new light on cortical mechanisms underlying visual perception.

PubMed

Grinvald, A

1992-01-01

Long standing questions related to brain mechanisms underlying perception can finally be resolved by direct visualization of the architecture and function of mammalian cortex. This advance has been accomplished with the aid of two optical imaging techniques with which one can literally see how the brain functions. The upbringing of this technology required a multi-disciplinary approach integrating brain research with organic chemistry, spectroscopy, biophysics, computer sciences, optics and image processing. Beyond the technological ramifications, recent research shed new light on cortical mechanisms underlying sensory perception. Clinical applications of this technology for precise mapping of the cortical surface of patients during neurosurgery have begun. Below is a brief summary of our own research and a description of the technical specifications of the two optical imaging techniques. Like every technique, optical imaging also suffers from severe limitations. Here we mostly emphasize some of its advantages relative to all alternative imaging techniques currently in use. The limitations are critically discussed in our recent reviews. For a series of other reviews, see Cohen (1989).

Medical image analysis with artificial neural networks.

PubMed

Jiang, J; Trundle, P; Ren, J

2010-12-01

Given that neural networks have been widely reported in the research community of medical imaging, we provide a focused literature survey on recent neural network developments in computer-aided diagnosis, medical image segmentation and edge detection towards visual content analysis, and medical image registration for its pre-processing and post-processing, with the aims of increasing awareness of how neural networks can be applied to these areas and to provide a foundation for further research and practical development. Representative techniques and algorithms are explained in detail to provide inspiring examples illustrating: (i) how a known neural network with fixed structure and training procedure could be applied to resolve a medical imaging problem; (ii) how medical images could be analysed, processed, and characterised by neural networks; and (iii) how neural networks could be expanded further to resolve problems relevant to medical imaging. In the concluding section, a highlight of comparisons among many neural network applications is included to provide a global view on computational intelligence with neural networks in medical imaging. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flash lamp-excited time-resolved fluorescence microscope suppresses autofluorescence in water concentrates to deliver an 11-fold increase in signal-to-noise ratio.

PubMed

Connally, Russell; Veal, Duncan; Piper, James

2004-01-01

The ubiquity of naturally fluorescing components (autofluorophores) encountered in most biological samples hinders the detection and identification of labeled targets through fluorescence-based techniques. Time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) is a technique by which the effects of autofluorescence are reduced by using specific fluorescent labels with long fluorescence lifetimes (compared with autofluorophores) in conjunction with time-gated detection. A time-resolved fluorescence microscope (TRFM) is described that is based on a standard epifluorescence microscope modified by the addition of a pulsed excitation source and an image-intensified time-gateable CCD camera. The choice of pulsed excitation source for TRFM has a large impact on the price and performance of the instrument. A flash lamp with rapid discharge characteristics was selected for our instrument because of the high spectral energy in the UV region and short pulse length. However, the flash output decayed with an approximate lifetime of 18 micros and the TRFM required a long-lived lanthanide chelate label to ensure that probe fluorescence was visible after decay of the flash plasma. We synthesized a recently reported fluorescent chelate (BHHCT) and conjugated it to a monoclonal antibody directed against the waterborne parasite Giardia lamblia. For a 600-nm bandpass filter set and a gate delay of 60 micros, the TRFM provided an 11.3-fold improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of labeled Giardia over background. A smaller gain in an SNR of 9.69-fold was achieved with a 420-nm longpass filter set; however, the final contrast ratio between labeled cyst and background was higher (11.3 versus 8.5). Despite the decay characteristics of the light pulse, flash lamps have many practical advantages compared with optical chopper wheels and modulated lasers for applications in TRFM.

Time-resolved methods in biophysics. 7. Photon counting vs. analog time-resolved singlet oxygen phosphorescence detection.

PubMed

Jiménez-Banzo, Ana; Ragàs, Xavier; Kapusta, Peter; Nonell, Santi

2008-09-01

Two recent advances in optoelectronics, namely novel near-IR sensitive photomultipliers and inexpensive yet powerful diode-pumped solid-state lasers working at kHz repetition rate, enable the time-resolved detection of singlet oxygen (O2(a1Deltag)) phosphorescence in photon counting mode, thereby boosting the time-resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range of this well-established detection technique. Principles underlying this novel approach and selected examples of applications are provided in this perspective, which illustrate the advantages over the conventional analog detection mode.

Global Skin-Friction Measurements Using Particle Image Surface FLow Visualization and a Luminescent Oil-Film

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Husen, Nicholas; Roozeboom, Nettie; Liu, Tianshu; Sullivan, John P.

2015-01-01

A quantitative global skin-friction measurement technique is proposed. An oil-film is doped with a luminescent molecule and thereby made to fluoresce in order to resolve oil-film thickness, and Particle Image Surface Flow Visualization is used to resolve the velocity field of the surface of the oil-film. Skin-friction is then calculated at location x as (x )xh, where x is the displacement of the surface of the oil-film and is the dynamic viscosity of the oil. The data collection procedure and data analysis procedures are explained, and preliminary experimental skin-friction results for flow over the wing of the CRM are presented.

Time- and spectrally resolved characteristics of flavin fluorescence in U87MG cancer cells in culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horilova, Julia; Cunderlikova, Beata; Marcek Chorvatova, Alzbeta

2015-05-01

Early detection of cancer is crucial for the successful diagnostics of its presence and its subsequent treatment. To improve cancer detection, we tested the progressive multimodal optical imaging of U87MG cells in culture. A combination of steady-state spectroscopic methods with the time-resolved approach provides a new insight into the native metabolism when focused on endogenous tissue fluorescence. In this contribution, we evaluated the metabolic state of living U87MG cancer cells in culture by means of endogenous flavin fluorescence. Confocal microscopy and time-resolved fluorescence imaging were employed to gather spectrally and time-resolved images of the flavin fluorescence. We observed that flavin fluorescence in U87MG cells was predominantly localized outside the cell nucleus in mitochondria, while exhibiting a spectral maximum under 500 nm and fluorescence lifetimes under 1.4 ns, suggesting the presence of bound flavins. In some cells, flavin fluorescence was also detected inside the cell nuclei in the nucleoli, exhibiting longer fluorescence lifetimes and a red-shifted spectral maximum, pointing to the presence of free flavin. Extra-nuclear flavin fluorescence was diminished by 2-deoxyglucose, but failed to increase with 2,4-dinitrophenol, the uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, indicating that the cells use glycolysis, rather than oxidative phosphorylation for functioning. These gathered data are the first step toward monitoring the metabolic state of U87MG cancer cells.

Maximizing the Biochemical Resolving Power of Fluorescence Microscopy

PubMed Central

Esposito, Alessandro; Popleteeva, Marina; Venkitaraman, Ashok R.

2013-01-01

Most recent advances in fluorescence microscopy have focused on achieving spatial resolutions below the diffraction limit. However, the inherent capability of fluorescence microscopy to non-invasively resolve different biochemical or physical environments in biological samples has not yet been formally described, because an adequate and general theoretical framework is lacking. Here, we develop a mathematical characterization of the biochemical resolution in fluorescence detection with Fisher information analysis. To improve the precision and the resolution of quantitative imaging methods, we demonstrate strategies for the optimization of fluorescence lifetime, fluorescence anisotropy and hyperspectral detection, as well as different multi-dimensional techniques. We describe optimized imaging protocols, provide optimization algorithms and describe precision and resolving power in biochemical imaging thanks to the analysis of the general properties of Fisher information in fluorescence detection. These strategies enable the optimal use of the information content available within the limited photon-budget typically available in fluorescence microscopy. This theoretical foundation leads to a generalized strategy for the optimization of multi-dimensional optical detection, and demonstrates how the parallel detection of all properties of fluorescence can maximize the biochemical resolving power of fluorescence microscopy, an approach we term Hyper Dimensional Imaging Microscopy (HDIM). Our work provides a theoretical framework for the description of the biochemical resolution in fluorescence microscopy, irrespective of spatial resolution, and for the development of a new class of microscopes that exploit multi-parametric detection systems. PMID:24204821

Two-dimensional time-resolved ultra-high speed imaging of K-alpha emission from short-pulse-laser interactions to observe electron recirculation

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

Nagel, S. R.; Chen, H.; Park, J.

Time resolved x-ray images with 7 ps resolution are recorded on relativistic short-pulse laser-plasma experiments using the dilation x-ray imager, a high-speed x-ray framing camera, sensitive to x-rays in the range of ≈1-17 keV. Furthermore, this capability enables a series of 2D x-ray images to be recorded at picosecond scales, which allows for the investigation of fast electron transport within the target with unprecedented temporal resolution. With an increase in the Kα-emission spot size over time we found that targets were thinner than the recirculation limit and is absent for thicker targets. Together with the observed polarization dependence of themore » spot size increase, this indicates that electron recirculation is relevant for the x-ray production in thin targets.« less

Two-dimensional time-resolved ultra-high speed imaging of K-alpha emission from short-pulse-laser interactions to observe electron recirculation

DOE PAGES

Nagel, S. R.; Chen, H.; Park, J.; ...

2017-04-04

Time resolved x-ray images with 7 ps resolution are recorded on relativistic short-pulse laser-plasma experiments using the dilation x-ray imager, a high-speed x-ray framing camera, sensitive to x-rays in the range of ≈1-17 keV. Furthermore, this capability enables a series of 2D x-ray images to be recorded at picosecond scales, which allows for the investigation of fast electron transport within the target with unprecedented temporal resolution. With an increase in the Kα-emission spot size over time we found that targets were thinner than the recirculation limit and is absent for thicker targets. Together with the observed polarization dependence of themore » spot size increase, this indicates that electron recirculation is relevant for the x-ray production in thin targets.« less

Imaging dental sections with polarization-resolved SHG and time-resolved autofluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jun Huang; Lin, Po-Yen; Hsu, Stephen C. Y.; Kao, Fu-Jen

2009-02-01

In this study, we are using two-photon (2-p) excited autofluorescence and second harmonic (SH) as imaging modalities to investigate dental sections that contains the enamel and the dentin. The use of near-infrared wavelengths for multiphoton excitation greatly facilitates the observation of these sections due to the hard tissue's larger index of refraction and highly scattering nature. Clear imaging can be achieved without feature altering preparation procedures of the samples. Specifically, we perform polarization resolving on SH and lifetime analysis on autofluorescence. Polarization resolved SH reflects the preferred orientation of collagen while very different autofluorescence lifetimes are observed from the dentin and the enamel. The origin of 2-p autofluorescence and SH signals are attributed to hydroxyapatite crystals and collagen fibrils, respectively. Hydroxyapatite is found to be present throughout the sections while collagen fibrils exist only in the dentin and dentinoenamel junctions.

An Experimental Investigation of the Flow Physics Associated With End Wall Losses and Large Rotor Tip Clearances as Found in the Rear Stages of a High Pressure Compressor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berdanier, Reid A.; Key, Nicole L.

2015-01-01

The focus of this work was to characterize the fundamental flow physics and the overall performance effects due to increased rotor tip clearance heights in axial compressors. Data have been collected in the three-stage axial research compressor at Purdue University with a specific focus on analyzing the multistage effects resulting from the tip leakage flow. Three separate rotor tip clearance heights were studied with nominal tip clearance heights of 1.5%, 3.0%, and 4.0% based on a constant annulus height. Overall compressor performance was investigated at four corrected speedlines (100%, 90%, 80%, and 68%) for each of the three tip clearance configurations using total pressure and total temperature rakes distributed throughout the compressor. The results have confirmed results from previous authors showing a decrease of total pressure rise, isentropic efficiency, and stall margin which is approximately linear with increasing tip clearance height. The stall inception mechanisms have also been evaluated at the same corrected speeds for each of the tip clearance configurations. Detailed flow field measurements have been collected at two loading conditions, nominal loading (NL) and high loading (HL), on the 100% corrected speedline for the smallest and largest tip clearance heights (1.5% and 4.0%). Steady detailed radial traverses of total pressure at the exit of each stator row have been supported by flow visualization techniques to identify regions of flow recirculation and separation. Furthermore, detailed radial traverses of time-resolved total pressures at the exit of each rotor row have been measured with a fast-response pressure probe. These data have helped to quantify the size of the leakage flow at the exit of each rotor. Thermal anemometry has also been implemented to evaluate the time-resolved three-dimensional components of velocity throughout the compressor and calculate blockage due to the rotor tip leakage flow throughout the compressor. These measurements have also been used to calculate streamwise vorticity. Time-resolved static pressure measurements have been collected over the rotor tips for all rotors with each of the three tip clearance configurations for up to five loading conditions along the 100% corrected speedline using fast-response piezoresistive pressure sensors. These time-resolved static pressure measurements, as well as the time-resolved total pressures and velocities have helped to reveal a profound influence of the upstream stator vane on the size and shape of the rotor tip leakage flow. Finally, a novel particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique has been developed as a proof-of- concept. In contrast to PIV methods that have been typically been utilized for turbomachinery applications in the past, the method used for this study introduced the laser light through the same access window that was also used to image the flow. This new method addresses potential concerns related to the intrusive laser-introducing techniques that have typically been utilized by other authors in the past. Ultimately, the data collected for this project represent a unique data set which contributes to build a better understanding of the tip leakage flow field and its associated loss mechanisms. These data will facilitate future engine design goals leading to small blade heights in the rear stages of high pressure compressors and aid in the development of new blade designs which are desensitized to the performance penalties attributed to rotor tip leakage flows.

Non-destructive imaging of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samson, E.; Vinit, Anshuman; Raman, Chandra

2013-05-01

We present a non-destructive differential imaging technique that enables the observation of the spatial distribution of the magnetization in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) through a Faraday rotation protocol. In our procedure, we utilize a linearly polarized, far-detuned laser beam as our imaging probe, and upon interaction with the condensate, the beam's polarization direction undergoes Faraday rotation. A differential measurement of the orthogonal polarization components of the rotated beam provides a spatial map of the net magnetization density within the BEC. The non-destructive aspect of this method allows for continuous imaging of the condensate. This imaging technique will prove useful in experimental BEC studies, such as spatially resolved magnetometry using ultracold atoms, and non-destructive imaging of non-equilibrium behavior of antiferromagnetic spinor condensates. This work was supported by the DARPA QuASAR program through a grant from ARO.

Time-resolved coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of surface acoustic waves

PubMed Central

Nicolas, Jan-David; Reusch, Tobias; Osterhoff, Markus; Sprung, Michael; Schülein, Florian J. R.; Krenner, Hubert J.; Wixforth, Achim; Salditt, Tim

2014-01-01

Time-resolved coherent X-ray diffraction experiments of standing surface acoustic waves, illuminated under grazing incidence by a nanofocused synchrotron beam, are reported. The data have been recorded in stroboscopic mode at controlled and varied phase between the acoustic frequency generator and the synchrotron bunch train. At each time delay (phase angle), the coherent far-field diffraction pattern in the small-angle regime is inverted by an iterative algorithm to yield the local instantaneous surface height profile along the optical axis. The results show that periodic nanoscale dynamics can be imaged at high temporal resolution in the range of 50 ps (pulse length). PMID:25294979

Time-resolved coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of surface acoustic waves.

PubMed

Nicolas, Jan-David; Reusch, Tobias; Osterhoff, Markus; Sprung, Michael; Schülein, Florian J R; Krenner, Hubert J; Wixforth, Achim; Salditt, Tim

2014-10-01

Time-resolved coherent X-ray diffraction experiments of standing surface acoustic waves, illuminated under grazing incidence by a nanofocused synchrotron beam, are reported. The data have been recorded in stroboscopic mode at controlled and varied phase between the acoustic frequency generator and the synchrotron bunch train. At each time delay (phase angle), the coherent far-field diffraction pattern in the small-angle regime is inverted by an iterative algorithm to yield the local instantaneous surface height profile along the optical axis. The results show that periodic nanoscale dynamics can be imaged at high temporal resolution in the range of 50 ps (pulse length).

Three-dimensional through-time radial GRAPPA for renal MR angiography.

PubMed

Wright, Katherine L; Lee, Gregory R; Ehses, Philipp; Griswold, Mark A; Gulani, Vikas; Seiberlich, Nicole

2014-10-01

To achieve high temporal and spatial resolution for contrast-enhanced time-resolved MR angiography exams (trMRAs), fast imaging techniques such as non-Cartesian parallel imaging must be used. In this study, the three-dimensional (3D) through-time radial generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) method is used to reconstruct highly accelerated stack-of-stars data for time-resolved renal MRAs. Through-time radial GRAPPA has been recently introduced as a method for non-Cartesian GRAPPA weight calibration, and a similar concept can also be used in 3D acquisitions. By combining different sources of calibration information, acquisition time can be reduced. Here, different GRAPPA weight calibration schemes are explored in simulation, and the results are applied to reconstruct undersampled stack-of-stars data. Simulations demonstrate that an accurate and efficient approach to 3D calibration is to combine a small number of central partitions with as many temporal repetitions as exam time permits. These findings were used to reconstruct renal trMRA data with an in-plane acceleration factor as high as 12.6 with respect to the Nyquist sampling criterion, where the lowest root mean squared error value of 16.4% was achieved when using a calibration scheme with 8 partitions, 16 repetitions, and a 4 projection × 8 read point segment size. 3D through-time radial GRAPPA can be used to successfully reconstruct highly accelerated non-Cartesian data. By using in-plane radial undersampling, a trMRA can be acquired with a temporal footprint less than 4s/frame with a spatial resolution of approximately 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm × 3 mm. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Computational and experimental study of laminar flames

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

Smooke, Mitchell

During the past three years, our research has centered on an investigation of the effects of complex chemistry and detailed transport on the structure and extinction of hydrocarbon flames in coflowing axisymmetric configurations. We have pursued both computational and experimental aspects of the research in parallel on both steady-state and time-dependent systems. The computational work has focused on the application of accurate and efficient numerical methods for the solution of the steady-state and time-dependent boundary value problems describing the various reacting systems. Detailed experimental measurements were performed on axisymmetric coflow flames using two-dimensional imaging techniques. Previously, spontaneous Raman scattering, chemiluminescence,more » and laser-induced fluorescence were used to measure the temperature, major and minor species profiles. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been used to investigate velocity distributions and for calibration of time-varying flames. Laser-induced incandescence (LII) with an extinction calibration was used to determine soot volume fractions, while soot surface temperatures were measured with three-color optical pyrometry using a color digital camera. A blackbody calibration of the camera allows for determination of soot volume fraction as well, which can be compared with the LII measurements. More recently, we have concentrated on a detailed characterization of soot using a variety of techniques including time-resolved LII (TiRe-LII) for soot primary particles sizes, multi-angle light scattering (MALS) for soot radius of gyration, and spectrally-resolved line of sight attenuation (spec-LOSA). Combining the information from all of these soot measurements can be used to determine the soot optical properties, which are observed to vary significantly depending on spatial location and fuel dilution. Our goal has been to obtain a more fundamental understanding of the important fluid dynamic and chemical interactions in these flames so that this information can be used effectively in combustion modeling.« less

Time-Resolved Spectroscopy and Near Infrared Imaging for Prostate Cancer Detection: Receptor-targeted and Native Biomarker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, Yang

Optical spectroscopy and imaging using near-infrared (NIR) light provides powerful tools for non-invasive detection of cancer in tissue. Optical techniques are capable of quantitative reconstructions maps of tissue absorption and scattering properties, thus can map in vivo the differences in the content of certain marker chromophores and/or fluorophores in normal and cancerous tissues (for example: water, tryptophan, collagen and NADH contents). Potential clinical applications of optical spectroscopy and imaging include functional tumor detection and photothermal therapeutics. Optical spectroscopy and imaging apply contrasts from intrinsic tissue chromophores such as water, collagen and NADH, and extrinsic optical contrast agents such as Indocyanine Green (ICG) to distinguish disease tissue from the normal one. Fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging also gives high sensitivity and specificity for biomedical diagnosis. Recent developments on specific-targeting fluorophores such as small receptor-targeted dye-peptide conjugate contrast agent offer high contrast between normal and cancerous tissues hence provide promising future for early tumour detection. This thesis focus on a study to distinguish the cancerous prostate tissue from the normal prostate tissues with enhancement of specific receptor-targeted prostate cancer contrast agents using optical spectroscopy and imaging techniques. The scattering and absorption coefficients, and anisotropy factor of cancerous and normal prostate tissues were investigated first as the basis for the biomedical diagnostic and optical imaging. Understanding the receptors over-expressed prostate cancer cells and molecular target mechanism of ligand, two small ICG-derivative dye-peptides, namely Cypate-Bombesin Peptide Analogue Conjugate (Cybesin) and Cypate-Octreotate Peptide Conjugate (Cytate), were applied to study their clinical potential for human prostate cancer detection. In this work, the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of Cybesin (Cytate) in solution, and in cancerous and normal prostate tissues were studied. It was found that more Cybesin (Cytate) was uptaken in the cancerous prostate tissue than those in the normal tissue. The preferential uptake of Cybesin (Cytate) in cancerous tissue was used to image and distinguish cancerous areas from the normal tissue. To investigate rotational dynamics and fluorescence polarization anisotropy of the contrast agents in prostate tissues, an analytical model was used to extract the rotational times and polarization anisotropies, which were observed for higher values of Cybesin (Cytate)-stained cancerous prostate tissue in comparison with the normal tissue. These reflect changes of microstructures of cancerous and normal tissues and their different binding affinity with contrast agents. The results indicate that the use of optical spectroscopy and imaging combined with receptor-targeted contrast agents is a valuable tool to study microenvironmental changes of tissue, and detect prostate cancer in early stage.

Potential of Near-Infrared Chemical Imaging as Process Analytical Technology Tool for Continuous Freeze-Drying.

PubMed

Brouckaert, Davinia; De Meyer, Laurens; Vanbillemont, Brecht; Van Bockstal, Pieter-Jan; Lammens, Joris; Mortier, Séverine; Corver, Jos; Vervaet, Chris; Nopens, Ingmar; De Beer, Thomas

2018-04-03

Near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) is an emerging tool for process monitoring because it combines the chemical selectivity of vibrational spectroscopy with spatial information. Whereas traditional near-infrared spectroscopy is an attractive technique for water content determination and solid-state investigation of lyophilized products, chemical imaging opens up possibilities for assessing the homogeneity of these critical quality attributes (CQAs) throughout the entire product. In this contribution, we aim to evaluate NIR-CI as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for at-line inspection of continuously freeze-dried pharmaceutical unit doses based on spin freezing. The chemical images of freeze-dried mannitol samples were resolved via multivariate curve resolution, allowing us to visualize the distribution of mannitol solid forms throughout the entire cake. Second, a mannitol-sucrose formulation was lyophilized with variable drying times for inducing changes in water content. Analyzing the corresponding chemical images via principal component analysis, vial-to-vial variations as well as within-vial inhomogeneity in water content could be detected. Furthermore, a partial least-squares regression model was constructed for quantifying the water content in each pixel of the chemical images. It was hence concluded that NIR-CI is inherently a most promising PAT tool for continuously monitoring freeze-dried samples. Although some practicalities are still to be solved, this analytical technique could be applied in-line for CQA evaluation and for detecting the drying end point.

Selective spectroscopic imaging of hyperpolarized pyruvate and its metabolites using a single-echo variable phase advance method in balanced SSFP

PubMed Central

Varma, Gopal; Wang, Xiaoen; Vinogradov, Elena; Bhatt, Rupal S.; Sukhatme, Vikas; Seth, Pankaj; Lenkinski, Robert E.; Alsop, David C.; Grant, Aaron K.

2015-01-01

Purpose In balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP), the signal intensity has a well-known dependence on the off-resonance frequency, or, equivalently, the phase advance between successive radiofrequency (RF) pulses. The signal profile can be used to resolve the contributions from the spectrally separated metabolites. This work describes a method based on use of a variable RF phase advance to acquire spatial and spectral data in a time-efficient manner for hyperpolarized 13C MRI. Theory and Methods The technique relies on the frequency response from a bSSFP acquisition to acquire relatively rapid, high-resolution images that may be reconstructed to separate contributions from different metabolites. The ability to produce images from spectrally separated metabolites was demonstrated in-vitro, as well as in-vivo following administration of hyperpolarized 1-13C pyruvate in mice with xenograft tumors. Results In-vivo images of pyruvate, alanine, pyruvate hydrate and lactate were reconstructed from 4 images acquired in 2 seconds with an in-plane resolution of 1.25 × 1.25mm2 and 5mm slice thickness. Conclusions The phase advance method allowed acquisition of spectroscopically selective images with high spatial and temporal resolution. This method provides an alternative approach to hyperpolarized 13C spectroscopic MRI that can be combined with other techniques such as multi-echo or fluctuating equilibrium bSSFP. PMID:26507361

Phase contrast imaging with coherent high energy X-rays

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

Snigireva, I.

X-ray imaging concern high energy domain (>6 keV) like a contact radiography, projection microscopy and tomography is used for many years to discern the features of the internal structure non destructively in material science, medicine and biology. In so doing the main contrast formation is absorption that makes some limitations for imaging of the light density materials and what is more the resolution of these techniques is not better than 10-100 {mu}m. It was turned out that there is now way in which to overcome 1{mu}m or even sub-{mu}m resolution limit except phase contrast imaging. It is well known inmore » optics that the phase contrast is realised when interference between reference wave front and transmitted through the sample take place. Examples of this imaging are: phase contrast microscopy suggested by Zernike and Gabor (in-line) holography. Both of this techniques: phase contrast x-ray microscopy and holography are successfully progressing now in soft x-ray region. For imaging in the hard X-rays to enhance the contrast and to be able to resolve phase variations across the beam the high degree of the time and more importantly spatial coherence is needed. Because of this it was reasonable that the perfect crystal optics was involved like Bonse-Hart interferometry, double-crystal and even triple-crystal set-up using Laue and Bragg geometry with asymmetrically cut crystals.« less

A novel Bayesian respiratory motion model to estimate and resolve uncertainty in image-guided cardiac interventions.

PubMed

Peressutti, Devis; Penney, Graeme P; Housden, R James; Kolbitsch, Christoph; Gomez, Alberto; Rijkhorst, Erik-Jan; Barratt, Dean C; Rhode, Kawal S; King, Andrew P

2013-05-01

In image-guided cardiac interventions, respiratory motion causes misalignments between the pre-procedure roadmap of the heart used for guidance and the intra-procedure position of the heart, reducing the accuracy of the guidance information and leading to potentially dangerous consequences. We propose a novel technique for motion-correcting the pre-procedural information that combines a probabilistic MRI-derived affine motion model with intra-procedure real-time 3D echocardiography (echo) images in a Bayesian framework. The probabilistic model incorporates a measure of confidence in its motion estimates which enables resolution of the potentially conflicting information supplied by the model and the echo data. Unlike models proposed so far, our method allows the final motion estimate to deviate from the model-produced estimate according to the information provided by the echo images, so adapting to the complex variability of respiratory motion. The proposed method is evaluated using gold-standard MRI-derived motion fields and simulated 3D echo data for nine volunteers and real 3D live echo images for four volunteers. The Bayesian method is compared to 5 other motion estimation techniques and results show mean/max improvements in estimation accuracy of 10.6%/18.9% for simulated echo images and 20.8%/41.5% for real 3D live echo data, over the best comparative estimation method. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-resolved diffusion tomographic 2D and 3D imaging in highly scattering turbid media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Cai, Wei (Inventor); Liu, Feng (Inventor); Lax, Melvin (Inventor); Das, Bidyut B. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A method for imaging objects in highly scattering turbid media. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method involves using a plurality of intersecting source/detectors sets and time-resolving equipment to generate a plurality of time-resolved intensity curves for the diffusive component of light emergent from the medium. For each of the curves, the intensities at a plurality of times are then inputted into the following inverse reconstruction algorithm to form an image of the medium: ##EQU1## wherein W is a matrix relating output at source and detector positions r.sub.s and r.sub.d, at time t, to position r, .LAMBDA. is a regularization matrix, chosen for convenience to be diagonal, but selected in a way related to the ratio of the noise, to fluctuations in the absorption (or diffusion) X.sub.j that we are trying to determine: .LAMBDA..sub.ij =.lambda..sub.j .delta..sub.ij with .lambda..sub.j =/<.DELTA.Xj.DELTA.Xj> Y is the data collected at the detectors, and X.sup.k is the kth iterate toward the desired absoption information. An algorithm, which combines a two dimensional (2D) matrix inversion with a one-dimensional (1D) Fourier transform inversion is used to obtain images of three dimensional hidden objects in turbid scattering media.

Time-resolved diffusion tomographic 2D and 3D imaging in highly scattering turbid media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Cai, Wei (Inventor); Gayen, Swapan K. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A method for imaging objects in highly scattering turbid media. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method involves using a plurality of intersecting source/detectors sets and time-resolving equipment to generate a plurality of time-resolved intensity curves for the diffusive component of light emergent from the medium. For each of the curves, the intensities at a plurality of times are then inputted into the following inverse reconstruction algorithm to form an image of the medium: wherein W is a matrix relating output at source and detector positions r.sub.s and r.sub.d, at time t, to position r, .LAMBDA. is a regularization matrix, chosen for convenience to be diagonal, but selected in a way related to the ratio of the noise, to fluctuations in the absorption (or diffusion) X.sub.j that we are trying to determine: .LAMBDA..sub.ij =.lambda..sub.j .delta..sub.ij with .lambda..sub.j =/<.DELTA.Xj.DELTA.Xj> Y is the data collected at the detectors, and X.sup.k is the kth iterate toward the desired absorption information. An algorithm, which combines a two dimensional (2D) matrix inversion with a one-dimensional (1D) Fourier transform inversion is used to obtain images of three dimensional hidden objects in turbid scattering media.

Three-Dimensional Orientation of Anisotropic Plasmonic Aggregates at Intracellular Nuclear Indentation Sites by Integrated Light Sheet Super-Resolution Microscopy.

PubMed

Chakkarapani, Suresh Kumar; Sun, Yucheng; Lee, Seungah; Fang, Ning; Kang, Seong Ho

2018-05-22

Three-dimensional (3D) orientations of individual anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles in aggregates were observed in real time by integrated light sheet super-resolution microscopy ( iLSRM). Asymmetric light scattering of a gold nanorod (AuNR) was used to trigger signals based on the polarizer angle. Controlled photoswitching was achieved by turning the polarizer and obtaining a series of images at different polarization directions. 3D subdiffraction-limited super-resolution images were obtained by superlocalization of scattering signals as a function of the anisotropic optical properties of AuNRs. Varying the polarizer angle allowed resolution of the orientation of individual AuNRs. 3D images of individual nanoparticles were resolved in aggregated regions, resulting in as low as 64 nm axial resolution and 28 nm spatial resolution. The proposed imaging setup and localization approach demonstrates a convenient method for imaging under a noisy environment where the majority of scattering noise comes from cellular components. This integrated 3D iLSRM and localization technique was shown to be reliable and useful in the field of 3D nonfluorescence super-resolution imaging.

Planar Laser Imaging of Sprays for Liquid Rocket Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, W.; Pal, S.; Ryan, H. M.; Strakey, P. A.; Santoro, Robert J.

1990-01-01

A planar laser imaging technique which incorporates an optical polarization ratio technique for droplet size measurement was studied. A series of pressure atomized water sprays were studied with this technique and compared with measurements obtained using a Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer. In particular, the effects of assuming a logarithmic normal distribution function for the droplet size distribution within a spray was evaluated. Reasonable agreement between the instrument was obtained for the geometric mean diameter of the droplet distribution. However, comparisons based on the Sauter mean diameter show larger discrepancies, essentially because of uncertainties in the appropriate standard deviation to be applied for the polarization ratio technique. Comparisons were also made between single laser pulse (temporally resolved) measurements with multiple laser pulse visualizations of the spray.

Space- and time-resolved raman and breakdown spectroscopy: advanced lidar techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silviu, Gurlui; Marius Mihai, Cazacu; Adrian, Timofte; Oana, Rusu; Georgiana, Bulai; Dimitriu, Dan

2018-04-01

DARLIOES - the advanced LIDAR is based on space- and time-resolved RAMAN and breakdown spectroscopy, to investigate chemical and toxic compounds, their kinetics and physical properties at high temporal (2 ns) and spatial (1 cm) resolution. The high spatial and temporal resolution are needed to resolve a large variety of chemical troposphere compounds, emissions from aircraft, the self-organization space charges induced light phenomena, temperature and humidity profiles, ice nucleation, etc.

Nanoscale magnetic imaging using picosecond thermal gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Gregory

Research and development in spintronics is challenged by the lack of table-top magnetic imaging technologies that posses the simultaneous temporal resolution and spatial resolution to characterize magnetization dynamics in emerging spintronic devices. In addition, many of the most exciting magnetic material systems for spintronics are difficult to image with any method. To address this challenge, we developed a spatiotemporal magnetic microscope based on picosecond heat pulses that stroboscopically transduces an in-plane magnetization into a voltage signal. When the magnetic device contains a magnetic metal like FeCoB or NiFe, we use the time-resolved anomalous Nernst effect. When it contains a magnetic insulator/normal metal bilayer like yttrium iron garnet/platinum, we use the combination of the time-resolved longitudinal spin Seebeck effect and the inverse spin Hall effect. We demonstrate that these imaging modalities have time resolutions in the range of 10-100 ps and sensitivities in the range of 0.1 - 0.3° /√{Hz} , which enables not only static magnetic imaging, but also phase-sensitive ferromagnetic resonance imaging. One application of this technology is for magnetic torque vector imaging, which we apply to a spin Hall device. We find an unexpected variation in the spin torque vector that suggests conventional, all-electrical FMR measurements of spin torque vectors can produce a systematic error as large as 30% when quantifying the spin Hall efficiency. Finally, I will describe how time-resolved magnetic imaging can greatly exceed the spatial resolution of optical diffraction. We demonstrate scanning a sharp gold tip to create near-field thermal transfer from a picosecond laser pulse to a magnetic sample as the basis of a nanoscale spatiotemporal microscope. We gratefully acknowledge support from the AFOSR (FA9550-14-1-0243) and the NSF through the Cornell Center for Materials Research (DMR-1120296).

In-situ straining and time-resolved electron tomography data acquisition in a transmission electron microscope.

PubMed

Hata, S; Miyazaki, S; Gondo, T; Kawamoto, K; Horii, N; Sato, K; Furukawa, H; Kudo, H; Miyazaki, H; Murayama, M

2017-04-01

This paper reports the preliminary results of a new in-situ three-dimensional (3D) imaging system for observing plastic deformation behavior in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) as a directly relevant development of the recently reported straining-and-tomography holder [Sato K et al. (2015) Development of a novel straining holder for transmission electron microscopy compatible with single tilt-axis electron tomography. Microsc. 64: 369-375]. We designed an integrated system using the holder and newly developed straining and image-acquisition software and then developed an experimental procedure for in-situ straining and time-resolved electron tomography (ET) data acquisition. The software for image acquisition and 3D visualization was developed based on the commercially available ET software TEMographyTM. We achieved time-resolved 3D visualization of nanometer-scale plastic deformation behavior in a Pb-Sn alloy sample, thus demonstrating the capability of this system for potential applications in materials science. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Photodissociation of aligned CH3I and C6H3F2I molecules probed with time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging by site-selective extreme ultraviolet ionization

PubMed Central

Amini, Kasra; Savelyev, Evgeny; Brauße, Felix; Berrah, Nora; Bomme, Cédric; Brouard, Mark; Burt, Michael; Christensen, Lauge; Düsterer, Stefan; Erk, Benjamin; Höppner, Hauke; Kierspel, Thomas; Krecinic, Faruk; Lauer, Alexandra; Lee, Jason W. L.; Müller, Maria; Müller, Erland; Mullins, Terence; Redlin, Harald; Schirmel, Nora; Thøgersen, Jan; Techert, Simone; Toleikis, Sven; Treusch, Rolf; Trippel, Sebastian; Ulmer, Anatoli; Vallance, Claire; Wiese, Joss; Johnsson, Per; Küpper, Jochen; Rudenko, Artem; Rouzée, Arnaud; Stapelfeldt, Henrik; Rolles, Daniel; Boll, Rebecca

2018-01-01

We explore time-resolved Coulomb explosion induced by intense, extreme ultraviolet (XUV) femtosecond pulses from a free-electron laser as a method to image photo-induced molecular dynamics in two molecules, iodomethane and 2,6-difluoroiodobenzene. At an excitation wavelength of 267 nm, the dominant reaction pathway in both molecules is neutral dissociation via cleavage of the carbon–iodine bond. This allows investigating the influence of the molecular environment on the absorption of an intense, femtosecond XUV pulse and the subsequent Coulomb explosion process. We find that the XUV probe pulse induces local inner-shell ionization of atomic iodine in dissociating iodomethane, in contrast to non-selective ionization of all photofragments in difluoroiodobenzene. The results reveal evidence of electron transfer from methyl and phenyl moieties to a multiply charged iodine ion. In addition, indications for ultrafast charge rearrangement on the phenyl radical are found, suggesting that time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging is sensitive to the localization of charge in extended molecules. PMID:29430482

Photodissociation of aligned CH3I and C6H3F2I molecules probed with time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging by site-selective extreme ultraviolet ionization.

PubMed

Amini, Kasra; Savelyev, Evgeny; Brauße, Felix; Berrah, Nora; Bomme, Cédric; Brouard, Mark; Burt, Michael; Christensen, Lauge; Düsterer, Stefan; Erk, Benjamin; Höppner, Hauke; Kierspel, Thomas; Krecinic, Faruk; Lauer, Alexandra; Lee, Jason W L; Müller, Maria; Müller, Erland; Mullins, Terence; Redlin, Harald; Schirmel, Nora; Thøgersen, Jan; Techert, Simone; Toleikis, Sven; Treusch, Rolf; Trippel, Sebastian; Ulmer, Anatoli; Vallance, Claire; Wiese, Joss; Johnsson, Per; Küpper, Jochen; Rudenko, Artem; Rouzée, Arnaud; Stapelfeldt, Henrik; Rolles, Daniel; Boll, Rebecca

2018-01-01

We explore time-resolved Coulomb explosion induced by intense, extreme ultraviolet (XUV) femtosecond pulses from a free-electron laser as a method to image photo-induced molecular dynamics in two molecules, iodomethane and 2,6-difluoroiodobenzene. At an excitation wavelength of 267 nm, the dominant reaction pathway in both molecules is neutral dissociation via cleavage of the carbon-iodine bond. This allows investigating the influence of the molecular environment on the absorption of an intense, femtosecond XUV pulse and the subsequent Coulomb explosion process. We find that the XUV probe pulse induces local inner-shell ionization of atomic iodine in dissociating iodomethane, in contrast to non-selective ionization of all photofragments in difluoroiodobenzene. The results reveal evidence of electron transfer from methyl and phenyl moieties to a multiply charged iodine ion. In addition, indications for ultrafast charge rearrangement on the phenyl radical are found, suggesting that time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging is sensitive to the localization of charge in extended molecules.

Atmospheric aerosol and gas sensing using Scheimpflug lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mei, Liang; Brydegaard, Mikkel

2015-04-01

This work presents a new lidar technique for atmospheric remote sensing based on Scheimpflug principle, which describes the relationship between nonparallel image- and object-planes[1]. When a laser beam is transmitted into the atmosphere, the implication is that the backscattering echo of the entire illuminated probe volume can be in focus simultaneously without diminishing the aperture. The range-resolved backscattering echo can be retrieved by using a tilted line scan or two-dimensional CCD/CMOS camera. Rather than employing nanosecond-pulsed lasers, cascade detectors, and MHz signal sampling, all of high cost and complexity, we have developed a robust and inexpensive atmospheric lidar system based on compact laser diodes and array detectors. We present initial applications of the Scheimpflug lidar for atmospheric aerosol monitoring in bright sunlight, with a 3 W, 808 nm CW laser diode. Kilohertz sampling rates are also achieved with applications for wind speed and entomology [2]. Further, a proof-of-principle demonstration of differential absorption lidar (DIAL) based on the Scheimpflug lidar technique is presented [3]. By utilizing a 30 mW narrow band CW laser diode emitting at around 760 nm, the detailed shape of an oxygen absorption line can be resolved remotely with an integration time of 6 s and measurement cycle of 1 minute during night time. The promising results demonstrated in this work show potential for the Scheimpflug lidar technique for remote atmospheric aerosol and gas sensing, and renews hope for robust and realistic instrumentation for atmospheric lidar sensing. [1] F. Blais, "Review of 20 years of range sensor development," Journal of Electronic Imaging, vol. 13, pp. 231-243, Jan 2004. [2] M. Brydegaard, A. Gebru, and S. Svanberg, "Super resolution laser radar with blinking atmospheric particles - application to interacting flying insects " Progress In Electromagnetics Research, vol. 147, pp. 141-151, 2014. [3] L. Mei and M. Brydegaard, "Contineous-wave differential absorption lidar," Submitted to Laser and Photonics Reviews, 2014.

Radar imaging using electromagnetic wave carrying orbital angular momentum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Tiezhu; Cheng, Yongqiang; Wang, Hongqiang; Qin, Yuliang; Fan, Bo

2017-03-01

The concept of radar imaging based on orbital angular momentum (OAM) modulation, which has the ability of azimuthal resolution without relative motion, has recently been proposed. We investigate this imaging technique further in greater detail. We first analyze the principle of the technique, accounting for its resolving ability physically. The phase and intensity distributions of the OAM-carrying fields produced by phased uniform circular array antenna, which have significant effects on the imaging results, are investigated. The imaging model shows that the received signal has the form of inverse discrete Fourier transform with the use of OAM and frequency diversities. The two-dimensional Fourier transform is employed to reconstruct the target images in the case of large and small elevation angles. Due to the peculiar phase and intensity characteristics, the small elevation is more suitable for practical application than the large one. The minimum elevation angle is then obtained given the array parameters. The imaging capability is analyzed by means of the point spread function. All results are verified through numerical simulations. The proposed staring imaging technique can achieve extremely high azimuthal resolution with the use of plentiful OAM modes.

A New Undergraduate Course on the Physics of Space Situational Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

optically resolved imaging, radiometry and photometry , radar detection and tracking, orbital prediction, debris and collision avoidance, detection of...angles only). In the radio receiver lo satellites an site to send get time de satellites cr obtained fr Images take frequency lab cated at USAF d...How it moves and where it is:   Astrodynamics  22 Radar Imaging 2  Orbital Dynamics and Types of Orbits 3  Satellite  Types   23 Resolved  Visible

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography

PubMed Central

Menke, Hannah P.; Andrew, Matthew G.; Vila-Comamala, Joan; Rau, Christoph; Blunt, Martin J.; Bijeljic, Branko

2017-01-01

Underground storage permanence is a major concern for carbon capture and storage. Pumping CO2 into carbonate reservoirs has the potential to dissolve geologic seals and allow CO2 to escape. However, the dissolution processes at reservoir conditions are poorly understood. Thus, time-resolved experiments are needed to observe and predict the nature and rate of dissolution at the pore scale. Synchrotron fast tomography is a method of taking high-resolution time-resolved images of complex pore structures much more quickly than traditional µ-CT. The Diamond Lightsource Pink Beam was used to dynamically image dissolution of limestone in the presence of CO2-saturated brine at reservoir conditions. 100 scans were taken at a 6.1 µm resolution over a period of 2 hours. The images were segmented and the porosity and permeability were measured using image analysis and network extraction. Porosity increased uniformly along the length of the sample; however, the rate of increase of both porosity and permeability slowed at later times. PMID:28287529

Dynamic Pore-scale Reservoir-condition Imaging of Reaction in Carbonates Using Synchrotron Fast Tomography.

PubMed

Menke, Hannah P; Andrew, Matthew G; Vila-Comamala, Joan; Rau, Christoph; Blunt, Martin J; Bijeljic, Branko

2017-02-21

Underground storage permanence is a major concern for carbon capture and storage. Pumping CO2 into carbonate reservoirs has the potential to dissolve geologic seals and allow CO2 to escape. However, the dissolution processes at reservoir conditions are poorly understood. Thus, time-resolved experiments are needed to observe and predict the nature and rate of dissolution at the pore scale. Synchrotron fast tomography is a method of taking high-resolution time-resolved images of complex pore structures much more quickly than traditional µ-CT. The Diamond Lightsource Pink Beam was used to dynamically image dissolution of limestone in the presence of CO2-saturated brine at reservoir conditions. 100 scans were taken at a 6.1 µm resolution over a period of 2 hours. The images were segmented and the porosity and permeability were measured using image analysis and network extraction. Porosity increased uniformly along the length of the sample; however, the rate of increase of both porosity and permeability slowed at later times.

Characterization of a time-resolved non-contact scanning diffuse optical imaging system exploiting fast-gated single-photon avalanche diode detection

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

Di Sieno, Laura, E-mail: laura.disieno@polimi.it; Dalla Mora, Alberto; Contini, Davide

2016-03-15

We present a system for non-contact time-resolved diffuse reflectance imaging, based on small source-detector distance and high dynamic range measurements utilizing a fast-gated single-photon avalanche diode. The system is suitable for imaging of diffusive media without any contact with the sample and with a spatial resolution of about 1 cm at 1 cm depth. In order to objectively assess its performances, we adopted two standardized protocols developed for time-domain brain imagers. The related tests included the recording of the instrument response function of the setup and the responsivity of its detection system. Moreover, by using liquid turbid phantoms with absorbingmore » inclusions, depth-dependent contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio as well as lateral spatial resolution were measured. To illustrate the potentialities of the novel approach, the characteristics of the non-contact system are discussed and compared to those of a fiber-based brain imager.« less

Clinical utility of time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) magnetic resonance angiography for infrageniculate arterial occlusive disease.

PubMed

Mell, Matthew; Tefera, Girma; Thornton, Frank; Siepman, David; Turnipseed, William

2007-03-01

The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the infrapopliteal arterial segment is not well defined. This study evaluated the clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy of time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) MRA compared with digital subtraction contrast angiography (DSA) in planning for percutaneous interventions of popliteal and infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease. Patients who underwent percutaneous lower extremity interventions for popliteal or tibial occlusive disease were identified for this study. Preprocedural TRICKS MRA was performed with 1.5 Tesla (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis) magnetic resonance imaging scanners with a flexible peripheral vascular coil, using the TRICKS technique with gadodiamide injection. DSA was performed using standard techniques in angiography suite with a 15-inch image intensifier. DSA was considered the gold standard. The MRA and DSA were then evaluated in a blinded fashion by a radiologist and a vascular surgeon. The popliteal artery and tibioperoneal trunk were evaluated separately, and the tibial arteries were divided into proximal, mid, and distal segments. Each segment was interpreted as normal (0% to 49% stenosis), stenotic (50% to 99% stenosis), or occluded (100%). Lesion morphology was classified according to the TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC). We calculated concordance between the imaging studies and the sensitivity and specificity of MRA. The clinical utility of MRA was also assessed in terms of identifying arterial access site as well as predicting technical success of the percutaneous treatment. Comparisons were done on 150 arterial segments in 30 limbs of 27 patients. When evaluated by TASC classification, TRICKS MRA correlated with DSA in 83% of the popliteal and in 88% of the infrapopliteal segments. MRA correctly identified significant disease of the popliteal artery with a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 92%, and of the tibial arteries with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 84%. When used to evaluate for stenosis vs occlusion, MRA interpretation agreed with DSA 90% of the time. Disagreement occurred in 15 arterial segments, most commonly in distal tibioperoneal arteries. MRA misdiagnosed occlusion for stenosis in 11 of 15 segments, and stenosis for occlusion in four of 15 segments. Arterial access was accurately planned based on preprocedural MRA findings in 29 of 30 patients. MRA predicted technical success 83% of the time. Five technical failures were due to inability to cross arterial occlusions, all accurately identified by MRA. TRICKS MRA is an accurate method of evaluating patients for popliteal and infrapopliteal arterial occlusive disease and can be used for planning percutaneous interventions.

Recent advances in ultrafast-laser-based spectroscopy and imaging for reacting plasmas and flames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patnaik, Anil K.; Adamovich, Igor; Gord, James R.; Roy, Sukesh

2017-10-01

Reacting flows and plasmas are prevalent in a wide array of systems involving defense, commercial, space, energy, medical, and consumer products. Understanding the complex physical and chemical processes involving reacting flows and plasmas requires measurements of key parameters, such as temperature, pressure, electric field, velocity, and number densities of chemical species. Time-resolved measurements of key chemical species and temperature are required to determine kinetics related to the chemical reactions and transient phenomena. Laser-based, noninvasive linear and nonlinear spectroscopic approaches have proved to be very valuable in providing key insights into the physico-chemical processes governing reacting flows and plasmas as well as validating numerical models. The advent of kilohertz rate amplified femtosecond lasers has expanded the multidimensional imaging of key atomic species such as H, O, and N in a significant way, providing unprecedented insight into preferential diffusion and production of these species under chemical reactions or electric-field driven processes. These lasers not only provide 2D imaging of chemical species but have the ability to perform measurements free of various interferences. Moreover, these lasers allow 1D and 2D temperature-field measurements, which were quite unimaginable only a few years ago. The rapid growth of the ultrafast-laser-based spectroscopic measurements has been fueled by the need to achieve the following when measurements are performed in reacting flows and plasmas. They are: (1) interference-free measurements (collision broadening, photolytic dissociation, Stark broadening, etc), (2) time-resolved single-shot measurements at a rate of 1-10 kHz, (3) spatially-resolved measurements, (4) higher dimensionality (line, planar, or volumetric), and (5) simultaneous detection of multiple species. The overarching goal of this article is to review the current state-of-the-art ultrafast-laser-based spectroscopic techniques and their remarkable development in the past two decades in meeting one or all of the above five goals for the spectroscopic measurement of temperature, number density of the atomic and molecular species, and electric field.

BaTMAn: Bayesian Technique for Multi-image Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casado, J.; Ascasibar, Y.; García-Benito, R.; Guidi, G.; Choudhury, O. S.; Bellocchi, E.; Sánchez, S. F.; Díaz, A. I.

2016-12-01

Bayesian Technique for Multi-image Analysis (BaTMAn) characterizes any astronomical dataset containing spatial information and performs a tessellation based on the measurements and errors provided as input. The algorithm iteratively merges spatial elements as long as they are statistically consistent with carrying the same information (i.e. identical signal within the errors). The output segmentations successfully adapt to the underlying spatial structure, regardless of its morphology and/or the statistical properties of the noise. BaTMAn identifies (and keeps) all the statistically-significant information contained in the input multi-image (e.g. an IFS datacube). The main aim of the algorithm is to characterize spatially-resolved data prior to their analysis.

X-ray lasers for structural and dynamic biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spence, J. C. H.; Weierstall, U.; Chapman, H. N.

2012-10-01

Research opportunities and techniques are reviewed for the application of hard x-ray pulsed free-electron lasers (XFEL) to structural biology. These include the imaging of protein nanocrystals, single particles such as viruses, pump-probe experiments for time-resolved nanocrystallography, and snapshot wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) from molecules in solution. The use of femtosecond exposure times, rather than freezing of samples, as a means of minimizing radiation damage is shown to open up new opportunities for the molecular imaging of biochemical reactions at room temperature in solution. This is possible using a ‘diffract-and-destroy’ mode in which the incident pulse terminates before radiation damage begins. Methods for delivering hundreds of hydrated bioparticles per second (in random orientations) to a pulsed x-ray beam are described. New data analysis approaches are outlined for the correlated fluctuations in fast WAXS, for protein nanocrystals just a few molecules on a side, and for the continuous x-ray scattering from a single virus. Methods for determining the orientation of a molecule from its diffraction pattern are reviewed. Methods for the preparation of protein nanocrystals are also reviewed. New opportunities for solving the phase problem for XFEL data are outlined. A summary of the latest results is given, which now extend to atomic resolution for nanocrystals. Possibilities for time-resolved chemistry using fast WAXS (solution scattering) from mixtures is reviewed, toward the general goal of making molecular movies of biochemical processes.